Future Reflections
Future Reflections
Vol. 16, No. 3
Barbara Cheadle, Editor
Convention Report, 1997
Contents
An Education for a Full Life: Report
on Parent Activities at
the 1997 NFB Convention
by Barbara Cheadle
Around the Block, to the Mall, and Beyond
"What's All the Fuss about Mr. Magoo?"
by Julie Hunter
Parents: The True Teachers
by Deborah Frost
NOPBC 1997 Annual Meeting
State Division Reports: California,
Colorado, Maryland, Michigan,
Why I Am Choosing Blindness
Why I am Choosing Blindness:
Personal Reflections on the Need for a Functional Definition
by Scott Feldman
Reprinted from the February, 1997, issue of the Braille Monitor, the
monthly publication of the National Federation of the Blind.
From the Braille Monitor Editor
BARBARA PIERCE:
One of the most annoying misconceptions about the philosophy of the National
Federation of the Blind is the notion that committed Federationists are proud of their
I'm Partially Sighted, and I Use a White Cane
I'm Partially Sighted, and I Use a White Cane
by Peggy Chong
Editor's Note: Peggy Chong was, for many
years, the president of the Minneapolis local chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind (NFB). She and her husband, Curtis Chong (who is totally blind), recently moved to
Baltimore, Maryland, where Mr. Chong is employed at the NFB headquarters as Director of
Technology.
As a very young child, I was aware that I did not
I'm Albino, Legally Blind, and a Meteorologist
I'm Albino, Legally Blind, and a
Meteorologist
by Sam Herron
Reprinted from Insight a publication of the
National Federation of the Blind of South Dakota.
My name is Sam Herron. I work as a meteorologist
with the National Weather Service in Rapid City, and I am legally blind. Before I tell you
about my current job, I'll give some background information. My eye condition is the
Normal Visual Development
Normal Visual Development
by Lisa C. Verderber, MD
Pediatric Ophthalmologist
Reprinted from VIPS News, 12/6, Nov./Dec. 1996, a
publication of Visually Impaired Preschool Services, Louisville, Kentucky.
Editor's Note: Dr. Verderber is with Mahl and
Associates Eye Care Center in Louisville. She completed her fellowship in pediatric
ophthalmology at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Her residency
in ophthalmology was done at Northwestern University.
Vision Stimulation
Vision Stimulation: Is the Tide
Turning?
by Julie Hunter
Editor's Note: The following editorial first
appeared in the January, 1997, POBC News and Views, a publication of the Parents of Blind
Children Division of Colorado. It was later reprinted in the June, 1997, issue of the
Braille Monitor, the monthly publication of the National Federation of the Blind.
For many years the professionals in the field of
visual impairment have held that visual skills could be taught—that children with
Funding Closed Circuit Televisions
Funding Closed Circuit Televisions
(CCTVs)
Through Medical Insurance
by Greg Trapp
Editor's Note: Greg Trapp has been a staff
attorney with the Protection and Advocacy System of New Mexico since 1992. In 1993 he
taught disability law as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of
Law. Mr. Trapp submitted the following article simutaneously to the Braille Monitor, the
monthly publication of the NFB, and to Future Reflections. Subsequently, it was published
Can Braille Change the Future?
Can Braille Change the Future?
by Denise Staulter
Reprinted from the March, 1997, issue of Michigan
Focus, a publication of the NFB of Michigan.
As an itinerant teacher of the visually impaired,
I often teach my students for many years. More than four years ago I met a lovely little
girl in her second year of school who had very little usable sight for reading. Before she
came to me, she had the use of a CCTV and other magnifying equipment, but was not doing
The Cody Greiser Story
The Cody Greiser Story: A Work in
Progress
by Jim Marks
From the Editor: The following article is
reprinted from The Observer, Spring/Summer, 1997, a publication of the Montana
Association for the Blind (MAB), an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.
Some of our long-time readers may remember an
article about Cody which appeared in Future Reflections several years ago. At that time
his parents were trying to get the services they needed in his local school district so he
Parent Win Fight with School Board in Virginia
Parents Win Fight with School
Board in Virginia
From the Editor: Readers may remember that in
the Winter/Spring, 1997, issue of Future Reflections, we carried an article titled
"Virginia Parents Battle Teacher Shortage." At that time parents were pressing
the Hampton school district in Virginia to hire more teachers of the blind and visually
impaired students. Parents, at that point, had won a partial victory—the board had