June 2022

President’s Message

Dear Friend,

The National Federation of the Blind is innovative. Our NFB-NEWSLINE® service shows just how innovative we continue to be. We began with a service that through a touch-tone phone provided access to newspapers and magazines because we knew that information is critical to full participation for the blind. NFB-NEWSLINE has become much more with the addition of features like weather alerts, job postings, television listings, and shopping ads. 

The two most successful access-to-information tools available to blind people have been built by the Federation—NFB-NEWSLINE and the KNFB Reader. The KNFB Reader brought the power of fast and accurate text recognition to blind people around the world through a patented approach developed by the National Federation of the Blind in collaboration with Ray Kurzweil. NFB-NEWSLINE and KNFB Reader were built by us, and they reflect our priorities and our authentic experience. We recently launched a new version of the NFB-NEWSLINE mobile application that incorporates the core functionality of KNFB Reader mobile—point, shoot, and read. This means that every subscriber to NFB-NEWSLINE can download the NFB-NEWSLINE app and flip from the morning paper to reading the letter that was just dropped on their desk. In 2020 we recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic was a time for us to continue growing together as a movement. Knowing that accurate, accessible information is critical, we made COVID-19 resources easily discoverable on NFB-NEWSLINE.

Our innovations make a difference in the lives of blind people because they are driven by the hopes, dreams, and feedback of a diverse cross-section of blind people themselves. NFB-NEWSLINE is just one of those blind-driven innovations. Please visit https://nfb.org and learn about all we do to help dreams become a reality. Or better yet, join us at our upcoming 2022 National Convention and explore the largest gathering of the blind and our innovations anywhere in the world.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind

NFB-NEWSLINE® is More than News

The National Federation of the Blind started NFB-NEWSLINE® more than two decades ago. Among many other things, NFB-NEWSLINE provides access free of charge to more than five-hundred newspapers and magazines to anyone who has a print disability. One of the first things someone experiencing vision loss says often is, “I miss my newspaper. I want to read again.” NFB-NEWSLINE can provide the first link for many people to access the printed word. For professionals, NFB-NEWSLINE offers the same access to publications as sighted peers enjoy. There are children’s magazines for the younger set too. 

A user shared:

I wish to say thank you to NFB for the incredible NEWSLINE service it provides. I have subscribed to NFB-NEWSLINE since 2000. In the early years when it had a synthetic voice, I remember feeling so grateful for the access it provided. Not only was there access to newspapers and magazine items but listening to the synthetic voice made me listen more acutely to language and pronunciation.

During the past two decades because of NFB-NEWSLINE I have been able to access articles which served my professional needs for knowledge and information via access to such publications as Science News, The Smithsonian and Barron as well as The Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Wall Street Journal have meant that I was up to date both personally and professionally with topics my friends and colleagues discussed at professional meetings, dinner discussions, and other venues.

Lastly, I will say that Vanity Fair, Better Homes and Garden, Vogue and others provided very rewarding access to information and discussions I enjoyed thoroughly. International newspapers such as the Greek, British, Russian, Japanese, and Canadian papers is so impactful on my life both personally and professionally as I work with science and biotech programs which often are affected by events and issues in other nations.

In closing, please know that I simply could not live very well at this time in our nation’s history, without this compliment to my daily life. Thank you for making it all possible.

The National Federation of the Blind knows that information is key if blind people are to pursue their dreams and truly be integrated into society as equals. To learn more about this important service and the numerous ways to access all it offers visit our NFB-NEWSLINE page.

Latest News at the NFB

2022 National Convention Welcomes Forty-Eight Sponsors

The National Federation of the Blind is happy to welcome our 2022 National Convention Sponsors and especially our Elite Sponsor, Kellogg Company, to New Orleans in July. We appreciate our partnerships and are grateful for the support. See the full list of 2022 National Convention sponsors. 

Introduction of Resources to Combat Unintentional Employment Discrimination Applauded

NFB applauds the EEOC and the Department of Justice for issuing resources regarding algorithms, artificial intelligence, and disability discrimination in hiring and employment and encourages blind job seekers and employers to review this important information: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-and-eeoc-warn-against-disability-discrimination.

Illinois Board of Elections to Provide Accessible Vote-by-Mail Option for Blind, Deafblind, and Print-Disabled Voters

The Illinois State Board of Elections recently announced the launch of an accessible vote-by-mail system for the 2022 June primary election which will allow blind, deafblind, and some other disabled voters to vote by mail privately and independently just as other voters can do. Learn more about IL accessible vote-by-mail here.

Take Action This Month

Throughout our local chapters and state affiliates to our national headquarters and diverse committees, the National Federation of the Blind is an organization of collective action. Here’s what you can do to get involved this month.

  • Double your dollars thanks to a generous gift from Humanware and enter to win by giving to our Give $20 Campaign.
  • Search on TikTok for “nation’s_blind” and check out our popular videos.
  • Check out the special episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast exploring our Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Access in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. 
  • If you are unable to attend the 2022 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in New Orleans, register for the NFB22 virtual experience.

Important Dates

We certainly are a busy organization. Don’t miss our career fair deadline or national convention.