September 2025

Dear Friend,
In the Federation we know that blindness need not hold you back. We want our community to feel empowered to dream big; and we work with determination so those dreams can be realized. A core tenant of our philosophy—and more importantly, our actions—is that there are no limits to what we can accomplish.

Over the eighty-five-year history of our organization, many leaders have talked about their dreams and aspirations for blind people. Not all of those dreams have been realized yet. Society still doesn't completely believe in the full capacity of blind individuals. Blind people are often tolerated, but not included, and are told what we can and can't do because society expects less of us. But because our members worked together with our friends and allies, many of our dreams have come to life and we continue to work towards others.

A dream that is personal to me, and plenty of other blind people, is to have the freedom to drive a car. So, the Federation embarked on the goal of developing technology that drives independence. This has come to include input on autonomous vehicle technology but is best exemplified by the NFB Blind Driver Challenge. In 2011 we demonstrated a prototype nonvisual interface that makes it possible for a blind person to independently drive a car.

I became the first blind driver to independently drive the 1.5 mile Daytona International Speedway, an achievement that was an important example of what is possible. Dan Parker has continued to push the Blind Driver Challenge over the years, breaking speed records for blind drivers and achieving the Guinness Book World Record for the “Fastest Speed for a Car Driven Blindfolded” in March 2022 at the Spacesport America in New Mexico.

Many blind children dream of growing up to become an engineer, doctor, or entering another technical career. But too often blind students are ignored at school because teachers think we are not capable of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). That’s why the NFB created the National Center for Blind Youth in Science in 2004 with the goal of increasing the opportunities and resources available to blind youth in STEM disciplines. Since then, we have produced STEM programs for blind youth nearly every year which has expanded the scope of career ambitions and possibilities. 

I am continually inspired by learning about the hopes and dreams of our young members and immensely gratified by the part that we play as mentors and teachers to help those dreams become reality. Thank you for believing in the capacity of blind people and working to break down the artificial societal barriers to achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

Sincerely,
Mark A Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind

STEM is More Than a Dream!

At the National Federation of the Blind, we empower our community to dream big—and to act. For many years, our members dreamed about making science and math more accessible to blind students. When we built the NFB Jernigan Institute building in Baltimore, home to our national headquarters, we intentionally made a space for science education part of the plan.

In 2003, President Emeritus Dr. Marc Maurer began articulating the vision that led to Youth Slam in 2007, where two hundred blind students came to Baltimore and, alongside partners at Johns Hopkins and NASA, learned science, technology, engineering, and math using nonvisual methods—along with their teachers and mentors. Since then, programs like Junior Science Academies, STEM-X, NFB Engineering Quotient (EQ), and STEM2U have taught a generation to dream big because anything is possible.

In 2023, we expanded these STEM initiatives with curricula that can be implemented across our state affiliates, advancing a future in which blind people know—and are expected—to participate fully in science at school and at work. We believe in blind people.

A recent NFB EQ student shared:

“Before I really dreaded my science classes because of not having access to accessible equipment. Now through this program I realize that, yes, there is a way for me to thrive in a STEM classroom and learn a lot. The biggest take-away that I have from this program is that blind people can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Learn more about our Stem efforts by reading the 2003 Presidential Report, Slam That! Living the Life She Wants Begins with the Federation by Jordyn Caster, and check out the NFB National Center for Blind Youth in Science webpage. 

Latest News at the NFB

NFB President and First Vice President Participate in World Blind Union

Mark Riccobono and Pam Allen traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil this month to participate in the World Blind Union General Assembly. As leaders in the North American Caribbean region, NFB works to coordinate efforts and share information about projects and priorities being led by individual member organizations and help to amplify positive stories of blind people making a difference throughout society.

As we all recover from a worldwide pandemic, lasting economic pressures, changing political perspectives and priorities, and social isolation, the organized blind movement remains committed to collaboration and the principles and strategic priorities of the World Blind Union: advocacy and policy development, capacity building, raising awareness, and collaboration and partnerships. Learn more at wbu.ngo. 

NFB Coast to Coast Movement Challenge Launched

At the National Federation of the Blind, we believe in the importance of movement, community, and strength. As part of our end-of-year campaign, we issued the NFB Coast to Coast Movement Challenge. Our members are participating in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run on November 9 and the California International Marathon on December 7. Learn more about how you can participate or support our runners at nfb.org/movers and read about how Melissa Riccobono’s dream of crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on foot came true.

Take Action This Month

Important Dates

We certainly are a busy organization. Don’t miss these upcoming events and save the dates for our big 2026 events.