NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.orgTHE BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 47, No. 8August/September, 2004
Barbara Pierce, Editor
Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT
National Office
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Web site address: http://www.nfb.org
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should be sent to the National Office.
Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also
be sent to the National Office or may be emailed to bpierce@nfb.org.
Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five dollars per year. Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover the subscription cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to:
National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES
ISSN 0006-8829
Vol. 47, No. 8 August/September, 2004
Contents
2004 Convention Roundup
by Christine Faltz
Federationists Feeling Peachy Keen In Atlanta
by Anil Lewis
Presidential Report 2004
by Marc Maurer
The 2004 Scholarship Class
of the National Federation of the Blind
The 2004 Awards
Partnerships in Rehabilitation: The Power of Combined Action
by Joanne Wilson
The Jernigan Institute, Our Challenge for the Future
by Betsy Zaborowski
Imagine!
by Kevan Worley
The Role of the Consumer in the Development of
Programs of Research and Training
by Fredric K. Schroeder, Ph.D.
The Assimilation of Crisis
by Marc Maurer
Advancing Civil Rights for the Blind: A Report on the 2004 Convention Resolutions
by Sharon Maneki
National Federation of the Blind 2004 Resolutions
Convention Miniatures
Convention Blues
by Fikru Gebrekidan
© 2004 National Federation of the Blind
From 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, a reunion of past Braille Readers Are Leaders participants took place at the 2004 convention. And what better place for such a group of committed Braille readers and their families to meet and renew friendships than at the second annual Braille book flea market? Everything but the huge crowd was kid-friendly. Eight tables were spread with Braille books for browsing and choosing. Sandy Halverson and her crew of Braille-reading volunteers had unpacked and organized the books earlier in the afternoon, and National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and National Association to Promote the Use of Braille volunteers stood ready to restock the tables as soon as space opened. Round tables in the center of the room invited folks to sit down for a talk or for refreshments of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, and lemonade. Experienced Braille readers (Braille-reading adults and teens) circulated wearing badges identifying them as Braille mentors. They stopped to talk with kids about Braille and the books they had found and with parents who had questions about Braille.
The United Parcel Service (UPS) Foundation provided a grant that helped make this event possible. The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (AAF) and the TriCounty Braille Volunteers of Michigan donated many new Braille books to augment the gently used books contributed by Braille readers around the country. And UPS volunteers boxed up books for shipment Free Matter to people’s homes following the convention. Even with this service, which sent eighty-eight boxes winging their way across the country, lots more books were too precious to be parted with and walked out of the flea market in the arms of happy new owners.
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About twenty-five Braille mentors took part in the flea market. They were enthusiastic about the event. Here is what Steve Hoad of Colorado wrote about his experience:
The event began with a crowded room. I was excited to see so many people, but why wouldn't there be a crowd? Books for free, only a donation needed! And these books are Braille--that combination draws blind readers and book lovers like a magnet.
So here I am, working the crowd (I love to do that anyway) and talking about Braille. I meet a whole family of youngsters who have found great pleasure while getting their books. "We know how to read," one little girl tells me; "We like to do it." A simple statement, but unfortunately not true for every blind youngster today. I feel sad when I think about those who don't learn Braille--tapes and computer speech just don't convey information as well, and they don't encourage reflection.
I talked with a college student about Braille, which we have in common, so that's what we talked about: what we like to read, the books she'd found. As we talked, I found myself wishing I had picked up that bread recipe book I'd seen fleetingly. I went back and looked--it was gone. Oh well, another Braille lover will be making bread soon.
Readers are usually learners, and parents who encourage readers are usually willing to take time so that their children can learn. Late in the event, as it was winding down, I met two young women (Kira and Meg), who are Braille readers. They were playing around, but when the topic turned to Braille, they got serious. We talked about my love for Braille. They wanted to know what I used it for. I talked a bit about work, notes (picture my desk with little Braille notes taped to the surface), favorite books, how to read and write. They talked about their electronic Braille devices, and I pulled out my slate and stylus. They were interested; Meg was going off to camp to learn to use the slate this summer, and we tried it out. I talked about how I use it every day for work, for pleasure, and for anything Mr. or Mrs. America might use a pen to write.
I carry my slate in a buckskin pouch made for me by my wife. It brings together the two things I love most: with some bits of paper included I have what I need for an independent life; to me Braille and family equal love and happiness.
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Undoubtedly every family at the flea market had an interesting story to tell. Vejas Vasiliauskas of California was attending his first convention. He was this year’s first-place winner in the kindergarten through first grade category of the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. He read 3,313 pages. AAF President Barbara Loos, a life-long Braille reader, interviewed Vejas during the contest. They met for the first time in person and talked about Braille during the reunion.
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children donated a refurbished Braillewriter as a door prize. The winner was Keao Wright of Hawaii, who read 5,900 pages to become the fifth-place winner in the high school category of this year’s contest. This was the Wright family’s first convention. Macy McClain of Ohio is thirteen and a past contest winner. She hunted up several younger Braille readers to talk about Braille. Macy was the youngest Braille mentor, but she knew her job, and she did it.
[LEAD PHOTO DESCRIPTION: At the left a girl of about eleven is reading a Braille book while standing on one side of a table being used to pack up books. Her mother holds another Braille book and talks to her. At the center of the picture a little girl leans across the table from the UPS side. Her back is to the camera, and her T-shirt has a large UPS logo on it. A tape gun can be seen beside her. A UPS volunteer stands across the table facing the Braille reader.]
[LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Anne Naber and her mother Dory Miller of Minnesota (left) decide on one book to carry home. UPS volunteer Ron Aversa (right) waits to pack up the rest. A very young UPS volunteer, Morgan Davis, daughter of lead UPS volunteer Christie Davis, leans across the table. Anne Naber was the third-place winner in the kindergarten through first-grade category in 1999. This was her first convention.]
[LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: A stack of Braille books waits to be displayed during the Braille flea market.]
[LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Happy browsers like these made their way down tables, accepting advice from volunteers behind the table.]
2004 Convention Roundup
by Christine Faltz
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For those of us present at the 2004 convention of the National Federation of the Blind at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, this recap will surely induce fond and vivid memories of jobs well done, agenda items well received, and time well spent. We hope that those who were not able to attend this year will seriously consider joining us next year after reading about our Atlanta phenomenon--work and play, information and entertainment, networking and nostalgia, commitment and camaraderie--the typical characteristics of a National Federation of the Blind annual convention.
The Georgia affiliate made our Federation gathering positively “peachy keen,” in the oft-reiterated words of host president Anil Lewis. The hotel staff was courteous and helpful; and the city of Atlanta provided opportunities for fine dining, fantastic shopping, and many sources of entertainment. More than thirty-five committees, divisions, and groups conducted elections and offered attendees many options for initiating or expanding involvement as members of the National Federation of the Blind.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: The Kenneth Jernigan Braille Carnival offered kids and their carnival buddies lots of activities and games. Here two kids contort themselves to play Twister with a tactile difference, while a volunteer operates the spinner.]
On Tuesday, June 29, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) conducted its annual seminar and daylong smorgasbord of activities for families and educators. President Barbara Cheadle welcomed all and invited them to participate in a morning program for adults and kids, followed by a number of exciting and informative workshops for youngsters and another group for adults. (While the adults were occupied in the late-morning session, children went off with volunteer Federation buddies to enjoy the Braille Carnival or to NFB Camp, a service provided to all preregistered children by Carla McQuillan, who operates Montessori schools in Oregon.)
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: President Maurer sits on the floor, talking with the kids at the opening session of NOPBC activities.]
As usual President Marc Maurer greeted the families and educators of blind children, but he literally got down to business when he addressed the blind children directly. He chatted with them on the floor about his hope that they would let their parents know about the things they dreamed of doing as they grew up, and he assured them that mostly their parents would be the ones to prepare them to do the things they cared about. President Maurer was asked by a sighted youngster what it was like to be blind and replied that this was a good question, but a hard one to answer. He informed the little boy that it was as if someone asked, “What is it like to be a boy?” because there were as many variables affecting what it is like to be a boy as there are in what it is like to be blind.
President Maurer grew up in a large family, and his brother Dr. Matt Maurer and a number of blind teenagers with whom he is working as a volunteer at the Indiana School for the Blind addressed the audience.
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The COGS is a group of blind kids with a specific interest in all things technological-- Heather, Mika, Joel, and Riley, ranging in age from twelve through seventeen, shared with everyone their experiences at both public school and the Indiana School for the Blind and described various aspects of being blind. Following their presentations, the audience directed questions to the panel. The group assured questioners that COGS wishes to connect with blind students in other schools in order to expand the club.
The NOPBC seminar itself opened with a presentation by Joel Snyder from the National Captioning Institute discussing the Visual Made Verbal audio description program. Later that day interested sighted teens viewed videos, then wrote and performed their own audio descriptions for those videos in a competition sponsored by the NOPBC and the National Captioning Institute. The amateur audio describers were judged that evening by blind teens.
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{PHOTO/CAPTION: Following Braille clues, blind and blindfolded teens searched high and low through the Marriott Marquis for scavenger hunt volunteers representing objects in the solar system. Luke Brackett tucks his cane under his arm to investigate a model of a comet held by volunteer Zach Rolfe.]
The entire day was filled with convention activities to meet every interest: technology demonstrations and seminars; workshops on Braille; production of tactile graphics, discussions of socialization skills for blind youngsters (aimed at families and educators); separate conversation groups specifically geared for teenage men or women; an Exploring-the-Solar-System Scavenger Hunt; an NOPBC-sponsored Hospitality Night; a welcoming event for all first-time convention attendees; a dance sponsored by the Georgia affiliate featuring D.J. Pat Andrews spinning hits from the Fifties to the present; karaoke night, sponsored by BLIND, Incorporated; and much more.
Several particularly significant discussions and seminars took place Tuesday afternoon. Topical discussions on rehabilitation and employment, technology, blind seniors, and education were held in an effort to shape the future programs and policies of the Jernigan Institute. Additionally, the Institute’s program officer Mary Brady provided an excellent workshop on grant writing to assist affiliates in fundraising efforts. A lament heard frequently throughout the day and the entire convention was the usual one that there were too many things to choose from, and many wished to attend multiple offerings. In some instances, such as the parent workshops and technology demonstrations, items were offered more than once, which made the difficult decisions slightly less taxing.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Serena Cucco and her father Bill examine a monkey at the Sensory Safari.]
The pace diminished not at all on Wednesday. In addition to Sensory Safari and the Exhibit Hall, committees continued to meet; teens were able to drop in any time during the afternoon to a get-acquainted party, sponsored by NOPBC and Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). The Resolutions Committee, chaired by Sharon Maneki, met to consider and discuss fifteen resolutions to decide which of them would be brought before the convention during the final afternoon of business. Their texts are reprinted elsewhere in this issue.
One of the anticipated highlights of our last seven conventions has been the mock trials presented by the National Association of Blind Lawyers. Federationists crowded into one of the convention-level rooms to be entertained and inspired by the dramatic presentation of a couple of cases merged for the mock trial, in which blind would-be jurors were denied consideration for jury duty; they subsequently sued. The Hon. Charles Brown, judge; bailiff Peggy Elliott; defense legal team Scott LaBarre and Bennett Prows; the plaintiffs’ lawyers Ray Wayne and Anthony Thomas; witnesses for the defense Curtis Chong, Eric Wood, and Dan Frye; and plaintiffs’ witnesses Noel Nightingale, Julie Deden, and Don Galloway used humor to instruct the audience about this chapter in our history.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Brandon Ball, Zach Ellingson, and Mike Sahyoon]
Wednesday afternoon convention activities were also enlivened by the appearance of a number of television news teams wishing to interview three Federationists (Zach Ellingson, Brandon Ball, and Mike Sahyun), who in all innocence had ventured out to Six Flags Over Georgia the evening before. They were looking for thrills and adventure, but they had not expected to get quite as much adventure or as little fun. After paying their entry fees, they found themselves apprehended by park security and held in a public area for an hour while they were questioned about their white canes and asked to demonstrate their blindness by providing “blind cards.” The security officers feared that the canes could be used as terrorist weapons and urged the three to leave their canes behind so that other visitors would not be made uncomfortable by seeing them. Doggedly the three men, all associated with our Minnesota adult training center, BLIND, Incorporated, demonstrated use of the cane, explained that neither they nor others would be safe if they left their canes at the gate, and courteously insisted on gaining entry. Eventually they were allowed to enter the park, but after one ride a downpour of rain put an end to the evening’s excitement. Wednesday, NFB Second Vice President and attorney Peggy Elliott went to the park to demand that park officials provide a written apology, which they eventually did, albeit grudgingly. Atlanta TV stations picked up the story, displayed NFB canes to their audiences, and interviewed the three Federationists. They also provided helpful information to the public about our convention.
On Thursday morning many attendees gathered for the meeting of the National Federation of the Blind board of directors, where this year’s class of scholarship winners was introduced.
Prior to this much-anticipated tradition, a few other significant items commanded our attention. As usual, President Maurer asked all in the room to participate in a moment of silence in memory of those who had died during the past year.
President Maurer then reviewed the names of those serving on the board of directors. Six at-large positions were up for election, and there were six hold-over positions. Board members Steve Benson (Illinois) and Carlos Serván (Nebraska) announced that they did not wish their names to be placed in nomination for re-election to the board.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Steve Benson]
When making his announcement, Steve Benson told Federationists:
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President Maurer, I have served on the board since 1982. It has been my pleasure and great honor to work with some of the finest human beings on the face of this earth. But it is my desire not to have my name placed in nomination for re-election.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Carlos Serván]
Carlos Serván indicated that it had been his privilege to work with the greatest people he has ever known, serving the greatest organization in the world, and thanked us for the chance to have served on the board. He too, however, wished not to have his name placed in nomination.
President Maurer replied to both announcements that he was grateful for their service and friendship and would continue to depend on their contributions to the organization.
President Maurer announced that attendees had already registered from the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
During the board meeting we were excited to learn of the locations of future conventions. The 2005 convention will of course take place at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville; singles, doubles, and twins will be $59; triples and quads will be $64. The convention will follow our customary schedule: Saturday, July 2, through Friday, July 8. In 2006 the Federation will return to a favorite city, Dallas, Texas–this time at the Wyndham Anatole, and again we will follow the customary Saturday-to-Friday schedule, July 1 to 7. Room rates will be one dollar a day more than the 2005 rates, and in 2008, when we attend convention at the same hotel from Sunday, June 29 through Saturday, July 5, rates will once again increase by only one dollar. President Maurer then announced that in 2007 we will once again be returning to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, an announcement which was received with great enthusiasm. The dates for that convention are once again on a customary schedule from Saturday, June 30, through Friday, July 6.
When Diane McGeorge, board member and door prize maven, was introduced to give us information about arrangements for relieving dog guides, many of us learned for the first time with dismay that her husband Ray had been taken to the hospital and diagnosed with appendicitis. We were greatly relieved to learn that he was on the mend and chomping at the bit to get back to the convention. In fact Diane was certain that, if Ray was not back by banquet night, the hospital staff was going to be made rather unhappy.
James Omvig, president of the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, presented two national orientation and mobility certificates (NOMC) to Brooke Sexton, formerly of California, and Mary Jo Thorpe of Utah. (Mary Jo Thorpe was also a 2004 scholarship winner, and we will meet her and her fellow scholarship winners elsewhere in this issue.)
Following Mr. Omvig’s remarks, Tom Bickford performed a couple of rousing Whozit songs--a Whozit polka and an ode to Whozit sung to the tune of “If I Had a Hammer.”
Brad Caswell, representing an organization called Donation Exchange, announced that his group and the National Federation of the Blind now have an agreement. He explained that only 8 percent of wealth in the United States consists of cash. Including real estate and public securities, 92 percent of national wealth is in non-cash assets. Mr. Caswell added that the National Federation of the Blind is competing with about 950,000 other charities when we embark on our fundraising efforts. He suggested that we should solicit high-value items, such as boats and real estate, as well. Donation Exchange auctions off or otherwise turns such high-value items into cash for charities. Now that we have this relationship, we can invite such donations. Affiliates and chapters should note that, in addition to liquidation of assets, Donation Exchange is prepared to manage the assets and analyze the risks and benefits of such donations. If any chapter or affiliate has the opportunity to acquire such contributions, the president should contact the national office immediately for assistance.
President Maurer next explained that a proposal to establish a group specifically devoted to the concerns of African-Americans had come to his attention. Rather than debate the merits of forming such a group at the board meeting, President Maurer appointed a committee to study the proposal and make a recommendation to the board.
Steve Benson was then introduced to present the Blind Educator of the Year Award to Dr. J. Webster Smith. This presentation is reported in detail elsewhere in this issue.
Scott LaBarre, who chairs the Preauthorized Check Plan (PAC) committee, announced a new contest: the division with the most PAC Plan activity--either increased pledges or new members--would receive the PAC Mule. The state affiliate that met the same criteria would receive the PAC Rat. The first of these awards produced a truly interesting competition between the National Association of Blind Lawyers and the National Association of Blind Merchants, who were stubborn and steadfast as mules in their endeavors to win the PAC Mule. In the end, the merchants emerged victorious.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kevan Worley, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, proudly displays the PAC Mule.]
Additionally, throughout the convention a lively, often contentious rat race between Colorado and Maryland for the PAC Rat took place, but by the time of the final convention gavel, Maryland was victorious and was awarded the PAC Rat.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Maryland affiliate President Sharon Maneki holds up the PAC Rat.]
Sharon Maneki presented the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award to Jan Zollinger, and Norm Gardner presented an Outstanding Service Award to Steven Schechner during the board meeting. A complete report of these events appears elsewhere in this issue.
Gary Wunder informed us that the National Federation of the Blind and the American Red Cross entered into a partnership last May. He introduced Tim English, the Atlanta director of the American Red Cross, who said that the American Red Cross has blind volunteers working across the country, assisting in its mission to prepare for and respond to emergency situations. We now have a formal agreement between our two organizations in an effort to design a program that will make it easier for blind people to participate fully in the efforts of the American Red Cross.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Tom Stevens]
For several months we have been told in presidential releases that a dramatic change in the Associates program would be announced at the convention. Tom Stevens, longtime chairman of the Associates Committee, was introduced to make the final associates report. His report appears in Convention Miniatures. Following this report, President Maurer adjourned the meeting of the board of directors.
The afternoon and evening included many annual committee and division meetings. One of the most exciting was the NOPBC-sponsored “Braille: More Than Just Dots” seminar, which was an introduction to Braille for parents and older youth. Following this workshop were a Braille Readers Are Leaders reunion and Braille book flea market, sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille with a grant from the UPS Foundation and volunteers from its Atlanta office. (See the lead photos for details.)
UPS volunteers are a regular and appreciated presence at our conventions. They are a truly supportive group of people who know how to assist us without being intrusive and demonstrate with both financial resources and personal time that they believe in what we do and share our values.
Jerry Whittle’s latest original play, On the Long and Winding Trail, was performed by the Louisiana Center for the Blind Players. Proceeds support the LCB’s summer training program for blind children. In this play a young blind man must leave home to find trust and loyalty on the streets of New Orleans.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: The general session dais of the 64th NFB annual convention with sponsor logos displayed across the front side. Special thanks go to convention sponsors (left to right) Marriott Worldwide Reservations Sales, Macromedia, Freedom Scientific, VisuAide, IBM, Microsoft, and UPS and partner NASA.]
On Friday morning Federationists flowed into the ballroom, filling chairs, selling all manner of items, and calling out state delegation names. The air rippled with the energy, commitment, and excitement that are the hallmarks of our national conventions, particularly on the first day of the general sessions. After the opening activities, President Maurer introduced Dwight Sayer, a Federationist from Florida and a former member of the United States Air Force. This was the first time during the convention that Federationists paid tribute to our brothers and sisters in the military who have made significant sacrifices to fight for the freedoms we too often take for granted, including the freedom to organize and promote the rights of all blind people, both here and abroad.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Members of Conundrum electrify convention delegates.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: The Lyke House Drummers from Clark Atlantic University make their instruments talk!]
Of course Anil Lewis addressed the convention as the president of the host affiliate. He introduced Atlanta’s mayor, the Honorable Shirley Franklin, who delivered an impassioned welcome. Following Mayor Franklin’s remarks, we were treated to two percussion groups, Conundrum and the Lyke House Drummers, that definitely added yet more life to the morning. President Maurer then acknowledged the gold and silver convention sponsors. He announced that IBM, Optelec, Freedom Scientific, and others were offering substantial discounts and promotions on their most popular products.
Of course the primary activity of the first general session was the roll call of states, during which affiliates announce delegates and alternate delegates; dates and locations of their state conventions; the identity of their national representatives, if assigned; and any other information they think worthy of announcement. A number of delegates announced the presence of Commission or other state agency directors in their delegations.
Following the lunch break, Federationists scurried to their seats to hear a presidential report replete with Federation philosophy, commitment, and promise. As usual, listening to President Maurer’s encapsulation of the previous year’s Federation activities raised our spirits and strengthened our resolve. The entire report can be found elsewhere in this issue.
Obviously, and with good reason, the Jernigan Institute played a pivotal role in many aspects of the convention, from workshops to discussion groups to agenda items--after all, the Institute is a dream realized after much planning and hard, diligent work. Dr. Betsy Zaborowski, its executive director, presented comments on “The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and the Strategic Plan” and generated substantial enthusiasm as she proposed the many ways in which the Institute can become a force in shaping attitudes about and realities of blindness. Her remarks are reprinted elsewhere in this issue.
Federationists then viewed the video about the building of the Jernigan Institute, which those attending the grand opening saw in January. This video engenders a genuine feeling of accomplishment and pride in what we have already accomplished and what we plan to do.
Melanie Sabelhaus, deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, came to the podium to discuss the benefits of entrepreneurship. Her title was “Entrepreneurship: Opportunities for the Blind.” She was a lively and engaging speaker who encouraged blind women particularly to follow their entrepreneurial dreams and demand that agencies like the Small Business Administration recognize their right to assistance. The Small Business Administration funds and supports individuals, particularly those belonging to marginalized groups, with loans and mentorship in an attempt to assist them in realizing their dreams of owning their own businesses and becoming their own employers.
“Self-Propelled Vehicles: One Possibility for the Blind” was the intriguing title of remarks by Ray Johnson, senior vice president and manager for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He described the remarkable progress being made in creating self-propelled vehicles.
The Jernigan Institute has been built and some programs already developed and executed, but our strategic plan is still in the works. In order to bring the policies and programs of the Institute to fruition, they must be funded. Kevan Worley, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, has been named to chair the Imagination Fund, devoted to raising ongoing funds and building a database of donors. The goal of the fund is to solicit the financial resources essential to enable the Jernigan Institute to shape the future of the blind positively. Kevan Worley asked that each affiliate appoint an Imagination Fund representative to work with him in the coming months. A number of affiliates, divisions, and individuals came to microphones and stopped by the Imagination Fund table to make contributions and pledges of money and contacts. Throughout the week the small bells presented to these donors could be heard ringing whenever the Imagination Fund was mentioned.
Accessible voting has been a Federation priority for some time, and the passage of the Help America Vote Act provided an excellent foundation for our energies to be more directly focused on our goal for a secret ballot. Two individuals discussed “The Blind Deserve a Secret Ballot: It’s the Law” on Friday afternoon as the concluding item on the day’s agenda. Dr. DeForest Soaries, Jr., is the chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, established pursuant to the Help America Vote Act to facilitate our receipt of a secret ballot at long last. Cathy Cox, Georgia’s secretary of state, also weighed in on this vital issue. Both public officials urged listeners to work for implementation of accessible voting machines.
Plenty of celebration, Federation division business, information, and entertainment were available Friday evening. The National Federation of the Blind in Judaism celebrated the Sabbath. The National Association of Blind Musicians hosted its annual Showcase of Talent. The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children sponsored four extremely informative workshops: a fun-filled Discovery Time drop-in for families with blind infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; a how-to and forum on sleepshade training for partially sighted children and youth; the annual IEP workshop; and a riveting drop-in-any-time workshop called “Astronomy Is for Everyone.” The last workshop was ably coordinated by Dr. Noreen Grice, author of Touch the Universe, and Dr. Dennis Dawson, her husband and chairman of the astronomy department at Western Connecticut University. They answered questions and described hands-on models and tactile maps for children and adults.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Emily Kuhnwald and James Vallo enjoy a dance.]
Federationists from Texas invited one and all to STRUMS 2004, an acoustic music fundraiser benefiting the Texas student division. A fine, talented band called Rockin’ Good News provided “Rock and Roll: The Way It Was” for rockin’ and rollin’ Federationists; this musical trip down Memory Lane was sponsored by the Georgia affiliate.
For the first time we conducted a special evening in the exhibit hall featuring Sponsor-Level Exhibitors: VisuAide, Inc.; Freedom Scientific Blind/Low Vision Group; IBM; Macromedia; Marriott Worldwide Reservations; Microsoft; UPS; Optelec; and Roche Diagnostics Corporation. Federationists had an opportunity to visit these displays without the clamor of the daytime shopping sessions.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Carl Jacobsen]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Chris McKenzie]
On Saturday morning the ballroom was filled with energetic voices awaiting the report of the nominating committee, chaired by Sharon Maneki. The report was as follows: president, Marc Maurer (Maryland); first vice president, Joyce Scanlan (Minnesota); second vice president, Peggy Elliott (Iowa); secretary, Gary Wunder (Missouri); treasurer, Charlie Brown (Virginia); and board positions Pam Allen (Louisiana); Sam Gleese (Mississippi); Carl Jacobsen (New York); Diane McGeorge (Colorado); Chris McKenzie (Arkansas); and Carla McQuillan (Oregon). The report was accepted and elections were duly held. All candidates were elected by acclamation, and the two newest members of the board were welcomed warmly.
At each national convention we hear remarks from a representative of the World Blind Union, a group of which the National Federation of the Blind is a member in the North America/Caribbean Region. This summer Dr. Susan Spungin, a frequent convention attendee who serves as vice president of International Programs and Special Projects for the American Foundation for the Blind and is a candidate for treasurer of the World Blind Union, spoke to us about “The World Blind Union: A Study in Contrast.” The World Blind Union represents 180 million blind, partially sighted, and deaf-blind people in 158 countries. Dr. Spungin cited sobering statistics about poverty and unemployment throughout the world, obviously focusing her analysis of these data on how blind people are affected globally. Eighty percent of blindness is caused by preventable or treatable conditions, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and vitamin A deficiency. She discussed briefly the structure of the WBU and highlighted nineteen organizational position statements. Those interested in learning more should visit the WBU Web site at <www.wbu.org>.
NFB-NEWSLINE® is no longer news to Federationists. But the next agenda item did provide some new information, the most significant being that NEWSLINE® now makes available to its subscribers two magazines: the Economist and the New Yorker, with more to come. Many affiliates are making a concerted effort to include regional and community newspapers and periodicals as part of NFB-NEWSLINE®’s content. NEWSLINE® is popular and always expanding--an unmistakable fact bolstered by the remarks of both James Gashel, executive director of strategic initiatives, and John Paré, director of sponsored technology outreach.
Gilles Pepin, president of VisuAide, Inc., from Quebec, Canada, then discussed “The Digital Talking Book Player and Other Emerging Technologies for the Blind.” Mr. Pepin reviewed the last fifteen years of information technology for the blind and discussed the efforts of both RFB&D and NLS to convert users and borrowers to digital recordings.
Trekker, VisuAide’s GPS device, will tell blind users not only their orientation in a particular city, but what is around them as well: shops, restaurants, parks, and office buildings.
Mr. Pepin informed us that there would be a Trekker navigation contest that afternoon, and the two participants on the winning team would take home their own GPS devices. In addition Mr. Pepin talked about a truly palm-sized PDA which will be accessible to the blind: VisuAide’s Maestro. All of these products were available for demonstration in the Exhibit Hall throughout the convention.
Following Mr. Pepin’s remarks, President Maurer spoke positively of his hopes for the VisuAide-National Federation of the Blind partnership and expressed his hope that Mr. Pepin would continue to attend conventions for many years to come.
GPS technology is one application that is useful to everyone but is of particular interest to blind people because of its tremendous potential for providing dramatic improvements in our ability to navigate unfamiliar surroundings with minimal or no sighted assistance. Therefore any discussion of GPS technology is a sure winner in virtually every group of blind people. “Global Positioning Systems (GPS): The Product Today and Developments for Tomorrow” was discussed by Frank Boynton, vice president of technical sales, Navtech GPS Seminars and Supply. He provided an excellent history lesson on GPS technology and discussed what the technology is and is not at present and where the technology is going. He gave us a rather exciting glimpse into a not-too-distant future where blind people will use this technology to gain independent mobility on par with our sighted peers, including the ability to travel unfamiliar cities and find streets and addresses with ease and independence.
By the time you read this Roundup of Atlanta 2004, two groups of blind youth--one of middle school age and the other of high school age, will have completed separate but equally exciting science camps sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Federation of the Blind. These opportunities represent initial efforts and innovations in our partnership with NASA in promoting scientific exploration, knowledge, and career opportunities for young blind men and women. Dr. Adena Williams Loston, NASA’s associate administrator for education, made it clear that NASA is not only committed to furthering and building upon these nascent efforts, but intent upon mobilizing its many departments in seeking and hiring qualified minority group members. She has no doubt that the twenty-first century is the one during which blind people will make the greatest strides ever in pursuing diverse careers in science and technology.
Saturday afternoon was replete with tours and several hours of time during which we could pursue our own interests and preferred leisure activities. For those who wished to take advantage of them, however, there were seminars on Social Security and SSI, Meet-the-Blind-Month activities, and a Job Exchange Committee gathering for networking; a “Guide Dog in Your Life” seminar; and an informational forum for those interested in blindness training, sponsored by the Colorado Center for the Blind. A night at the movies for families was offered by NOPBC and the National Captioning Institute featuring the audio-described version of Lilo and Stitch. In addition, the National Association of Blind Students sponsored its usual Monte Carlo Night, where Federationists could play all sorts of games and mingle with other fun-lovers.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Dwight Sayer addresses the convention while veterans stand behind the head table on the dais.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Michelle Gittens sings “God Bless America.”]
The morning of Independence Day was powerfully bittersweet. Along with celebrating the progress toward independence of the blind, which the National Federation of the Blind has made and continues to make possible, we spent some time honoring current armed services personnel and veterans who have fought for our freedom throughout the 228 years of our nation’s history. Dwight Sayer once again led delegates in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Past members of our armed forces joined him on the stage. Cheryl O’Brien, from Florida, read a poem written by a friend, Mary Shock, when she learned that her brother was being deployed to Iraq. Michelle Gittens of Minnesota then sang “God Bless America.” The energy and feeling she brought to her performance were truly moving. The names of the veterans on stage were then read.
The morning appropriately proceeded to “The Federation in the World.” Mr. Lokman Ayva, a blind member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, spoke of his life, both its complications and its triumphs, and expressed his intention to keep in close contact with the National Federation of the Blind and to attend future conventions. Daniel Frye, an American Federationist now living in New Zealand, spoke as the national advocate of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand. He discussed the tremendous changes in the attitudes about blindness and opportunities for blind New Zealanders, weaving once again the common thread of a long struggle toward public understanding, cooperation, and acceptance.
Jim Sanders, president and CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and president of the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union, then presented an intriguing item titled “Underwater Baseball.” The title is derived from Mr. Sanders’ first Talking Book, received in 1959. Mr. Sanders discussed the evolution of the Talking Book from large, vinyl records to digital audio technology. Because of the emerging international standards, Mr. Sanders looks forward to exchanging materials from all over the world. He asked us to notice that throughout his comments he had used the pronoun “I.” He stated that we cannot sit back until “we the blind” includes all blind people. Out of the one hundred and eighty million blind people in the world, only a few hundred thousand have access to such technologies.
Having kept us in suspense about the title of the first Talking Book he received, apparently about underwater baseball, Mr. Sanders finally informed us that the title of that book had been 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Though talking products which make life more convenient are not a prerequisite for the blind to live independent, productive lives, we certainly appreciate accessing the conveniences of home, work, and travel. It is frustrating, for example, not to be able to keep from freezing or roasting because hotel room thermostats are not marked tactilely. Marvin Sandler, president of Action Talking Products, introduced the Talking Thermostat, which he says will be sold for $129.95. It is fully accessible to blind people. It speaks the ambient temperature, allows the user to set the thermostat to desired temperatures for different parts of the day for efficient fuel use, and has a timer to facilitate this function. Moreover, it requires no sighted assistance to set. Mr. Sandler demonstrated the thermostat and was received with much appreciation.
Another of the convention’s much-anticipated items was “An Overview from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.” This year it included “Highlights from the Music Section.” Frank Kurt Cylke, director of NLS, introduced several members of the NLS staff who were present, then introduced the man responsible for overseeing the library’s music section, John Hanson. Mr. Hanson described his work inputting the library’s repository of Braille music and cataloguing it for easy service to patrons. He said that current patrons (those already registered with NLS) could of course access the various services of the music section. If an interested person is not registered, he or she can either apply to become an NLS borrower or merely a user of music section resources. Resources of the music section can be accessed directly by calling or emailing, without having to go through one’s cooperating regional library. NLS is working with the Danish and Italian Library Services for the blind to acquire more music.
Mr. Hanson also indicated that anyone who had additional music to add to the library’s collection should contact NLS. They are particularly interested in adding to the Braille music books and scores. Recorded books on music appreciation as well as recorded instructional manuals for playing instruments are available. NLS offers three music magazines: Musical Mainstream, for classical music fans; Contemporary Soundtrack, for rock, pop, and jazz fans; and Popular Music Lead Sheets, which is in Braille and contains five songs with each edition. Web-Braille now contains music which can be downloaded, with approximately six hundred titles and thousands more being added.
A significant concern is a shortage of Braille music transcribers and proofreaders. Liner notes of some commercially available music will start becoming available this summer. This is a pilot program, and all of these items can be made available in hardcopy for any patron who requests them.
Joanne Wilson, commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, former director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind, and former NFB board member, then addressed the convention about “Partnerships in Rehabilitation: The Power of Combined Action.” Her remarks are reprinted elsewhere in this issue.
Dr. Wilson’s excellent and comprehensive discussion was followed by one of the most well-received items on this year’s agenda. Amy Phelps, a candidate in the masters program in orientation and mobility at Louisiana Tech University, offered her remarks as “A Recovering Rehabilitation Professional.” Filled with heartfelt and hilarious detail, Ms. Phelps described her evolution from a supposedly well-educated professional armed with papers and the best in pedagogical theory and techniques of rehabilitation to a skilled professional in the alternative techniques of blindness, which are the real tools of superior rehabilitation training.
After the lunch recess a long-time Federationist with quite a few years of experience at all levels of the rehabilitation system, Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, discussed “The Role of the Consumer in the Development of Programs of Research and Training.” His informative and inspiring talk can be found elsewhere in this issue.
Despite the wealth of important and stirring content, the afternoon of Banquet Day sometimes seems to move more slowly than other days. After nearly a week of hectic activity and mounting anticipation, a bit of restlessness can be generated by the middle of the afternoon session. However, such an atmosphere never settled in because Miles Hilton-Barber blasted the audience into the stratosphere as he chronicled his adventures as a blind pilot flying the English Channel. Everyone was in high spirits and alert for the presentations on employment and for welcoming a legislative ally, Representative Danny Davis of the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois.
Dr. Raymond Kurzweil is a familiar name to anyone with basic knowledge of assistive technology. Dr. Kurzweil’s presentations are always informative, always inspiring, and never fail to leave us dreaming of the technological advances to come, including his own inventions. Dr. Kurzweil posed the question, “What will the next thirty years bring?” His answers take one’s breath away.
The next item on the agenda was a panel of Federationists consisting of entrepreneur Mike Bullis, vendor Nicky Gacos, and civil engineer Nathanael Wales. Mike Bullis has established eleven companies. He said that, although business is not the employment answer to every problem and is not right for everyone, it could be an answer for some. But the strength of one’s personal self-concept will likely determine whether or not it is the employment solution any given individual should even attempt. Once you have determined that you can do it, you must prepare, prepare, prepare. You must plan ahead, learn all you can about what you are planning to do, and be organized and disciplined. As a blind person you do not necessarily have to work harder than others; you just have to work smarter.
Nicky Gacos, a blind vendor in the Business Enterprise Program and a board member of the National Association of Blind Merchants, was full of good humor and Federation spirit as he shared folksy reminiscences of his childhood, his introduction to the National Federation of the Blind a little less than a decade ago, and his contention that becoming a blind vendor within the Randolph-Sheppard program is a viable option for employment for blind men and women.
Nathanael Wales described his fascinating work as a civil engineer in California, a profession about which most of us know little, but one which is essential to the smooth and healthful running of a municipality.
It is always a sign that times have changed dramatically for the nation’s blind when we are addressed by one of our elected officials. Politicians are busy people and rarely attend functions in person unless they feel that the constituency requesting their presence not only has a legitimate agenda but is powerful enough to affect their current and future status as legislators. We have forged many legislative alliances over the years, and this becomes increasingly apparent both at our Washington seminars and in the quality of the remarks made by officials who graciously accept our invitations to speak at Federation functions. We thank Representative Danny Davis of Illinois for joining us in Atlanta and spending Independence Day with us.
Federationists hurried from the convention room promptly after session recess to allow Atlanta Marriott Marquis staff to transform the room into one suitable for our 2004 Convention Banquet. Federationists gathered with friends, colleagues, and fellow delegates for the food, fun, presentations, raffle drawings, door prizes--and of course President Maurer’s banquet address.
This year’s master of ceremonies was Dr. Frederic K. Schroeder. Naturally, because it was our nation’s birthday, this theme permeated the spirit of the remarks made throughout the evening and the atmosphere in the room. The Sligo Creek Consortium led banquet attendees in some spirited singing.
Eventually it was time for President Maurer’s banquet address, which is reprinted elsewhere in this issue. It was stirring, humorous, and filled with the conviction and inspiration we in the Federation rely upon from President Maurer, whatever he does and says on behalf of the blind.
As the scholarship class of 2004 made its way toward the front of the room, Allen Harris rose to present the Newel Perry Award, the highest honor the Federation bestows to someone who is not a member of the Federation, but who has partnered with us in our efforts to achieve equality, security, and opportunity for the blind. Dr. Newel Perry inspired Dr. tenBroek and therefore the rest of us. Allen Harris presented the award to Congressman Danny K. Davis of Illinois. A full report of this presentation appears elsewhere in this issue.
Peggy Elliott, chairman of the Scholarship Committee, then introduced the scholarship winners and presented the awards the committee had painstakingly chosen to present to each one, including the $12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship, which this year went to Darrel Kirby. A complete report of the 2004 scholarship program appears elsewhere in this issue.
Ramona Walhof then presented Priscilla Ferris of Massachusetts with the fourteenth Jacobus tenBroek Award. This award presentation appears in full elsewhere in this issue.
Late in the evening Federationists spilled from the banquet hall to pursue an after-banquet party listed in the agenda or parties of their own making. With yet another day of vital Federation business ahead of us, wise Federationists eventually found their way to a few hours of much-needed sleep.
Monday morning consisted of the usual business taken care of on the final day of convention: our financial report, Washington report, and various other reports and announcements. Monday afternoon was taken up with discussion of the fifteen resolutions which the Resolutions Committee had recommended do pass.
It is no wonder that many of us anticipate the 2007 convention with particular excitement, given that we will be returning to the fine city of Atlanta and the outstanding Atlanta Marriott Marquis. However, we have many things to do, many challenges to overcome, and many goals to strive for before then. In Louisville in the summer of 2005 we will gather for our next national convention, celebrate our victories, and redefine our tactics in order to address the skirmishes and obstacles which remain stubborn and unyielding. But we are more stubborn, unyielding, and committed than they, and we will continue to change what it means to be blind directly and positively.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Anil Lewis presents an award to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Virginia Everett, director, Information Services, accepts the plaque.]
Federationists Feeling Peachy Keen in Atlanta
by Anil Lewis
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From the Editor: Every convention boasts a few unsung heroes: the behind-the-scenes staff people who troubleshoot problems, the flexible attendees who make light of inconveniences, and the host-affiliate members who bend over backwards to make certain that visitors to their state have a memorable stay. Anil Lewis, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia, epitomizes this last group. He was everywhere during the convention, finding solutions, smoothing ruffled feathers, and spreading good humor and cheer. Always on the run, he was sometimes a minute or two behind schedule but eternally kind and thoughtful. He must be relieved to have the convention slipping into history, but you would never know that from reading the following report. Here is Anil’s backstage take on the convention:
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It was indeed an honor to serve as the host affiliate for the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. We were determined to make the experience as enjoyable as our 1999 and 2000 conventions, and the members of the Georgia affiliate stepped up to provide the trimmings on an excellent convention, coordinated by the dedicated staff of our national office. I just want to take a little time to share with you some of the peripheral happenings of the convention from a very tired but well-pleased affiliate president.
My goal was to ensure that everyone had a good time by mingling as much as possible, answering questions, making people feel welcome, and solving problems. The beautiful part was that I had a team. Veteran Georgia affiliate members had worked hard to plan and worked harder to execute all the tasks necessary. Even our newest members worked to meet needs as they appeared. Moreover, longtime Federationists from around the country worked together to make the convention a success.
The crowd came in earlier and in larger numbers than we expected. The volunteers slated to work the Georgia information table had to be pulled away for other tasks. Members of the Sligo Creek chapter of the NFB of Maryland pitched in to staff the Georgia information table, helped to pass out preconvention agendas, and made conventioneers feel welcome. This willingness of Federationists to pitch in and help wherever needed set a tone of family and a spirit of cooperation which gave me comfort throughout the rest of the convention.
Planning the opening ceremony was a joy. Our goal was to make it inspiring and memorable. We hope that we accomplished this with the two drum groups, Conundrum and the Lyke House Drummers. The welcome from Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin was icing on the cake, and we greatly appreciated her altering her schedule so that she could attend. The presentation from our secretary of state, Cathy Cox, was a motivating end of a long first day of convention that demonstrated how important it is to build productive partnerships with our public officials. In short, convention week was filled with many memorable events and learning experiences.
The accommodations of the Marriott Marquis were excellent, and the staff was courteous and helpful. Our public transportation service, MARTA, supplied us with Braille schedules, extended route assistance, and quality service that gave conventioneers an opportunity to explore many parts of our wonderful city.
The Georgia affiliate celebrated several milestones at this convention. Never before has Georgia placed as high as third in the ranking of registered attendants of the national convention. We hope that this is reflective of the growth our affiliate will experience in the near future. In addition, it was great to be able to celebrate the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as the one hundredth paper available on our NFB-NEWSLINE® service. We hope to build on this accomplishment as we seek to secure long-term funding in our upcoming legislative session.
The most important milestone for the Georgia affiliate was the participation of thirty blind high-school-age youth from the Center for the Visually Impaired’s Social Therapeutic and Recreational Services (STARS) program. They spent all day with us on July 1 and were able to visit the exhibit hall, tour the convention hotel, and meet with blind leaders of the Federation. Many Georgia Federationists serve as mentors for a number of these kids, and it was a landmark experience for them to attend the national convention. Many have already expressed their intention to join the National Federation of the Blind, and this fact gives us a tremendous boost in starting our student division in Georgia.
I was determined to be in the mix of convention activities as much as possible and took every opportunity to meet as many people as I could. While working the Georgia information table, I met a young man of about eight years old that read Braille with great proficiency and used his cane well. Seeing blind youth developing these skills so early in life fills me with hope and re-energizes my commitment to the goals of the Federation.
I demonstrated what I believe to be the advantages of the Braille watch over the talking watch to another Federationist. One of the largest benefits of convention is being able to share experiences with blind people from around the world. Sometimes time can be altered (or at least the watch hands can be accidentally moved) while giving a Braille watch demonstration; therefore I recommend that you check the time before and after the demonstration of your Braille watch. As a result of my demonstration, I was about ten minutes late for the board meeting—a rather embarrassing experience for the president of the host affiliate and a relatively new member of the NFB board of directors.
I rarely got a chance to visit the Georgia hospitality suite, except for late-night runs to replenish the food supply. The hospitality of Georgia affiliate members takes second place to none. Georgia affiliate members made sure that each visitor to the hospitality suite felt welcome and was given something to please the palate and quench his or her thirst.
The tours presented the greatest challenge to affiliate planners. Last-minute logistical problems left us with insufficient transportation for the Planetarium tour and required me to improvise a new Civil War tour. The makeshift alternative was enjoyable to some, but certainly not what people expected. On the positive side, if this problem had not manifested itself, I would not have been exposed to the other side of Federationism--the side exemplified by the graciousness of those who were disappointed, yet understanding. Federationists are truly able to turn lemons into lemonade, and some even enjoy lemons.
Of course there was the incident at Six Flags amusement park. It is frustrating that, although blind people have visited the park on many occasions with no problems, park security personnel waited until Atlanta had blind guests from around the world to forget everything they have been taught. Still, in the true spirit of the Federation, we even turned this into an opportunity to educate and promote the philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.
It takes a lot of work to put together such a momentous event, but everyone working together makes it look easy. I can truly say I have seen a completely different side of the convention and have gained a greater respect for our national staff. My only regret is that I missed a lot of the information offered by the convention presenters. I can’t wait to read the Braille Monitor to see what happened at the convention. This Federationist is still feeling peachy keen in Atlanta and can’t wait to see you all back here again in 2007.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: President Marc Maurer]
Presidential Report 2004
National Federation of the Blind
July 2, 2004
by Marc Maurer
The time since our last convention has been one of intense effort, of accelerating growth, of increasing accomplishment, and of tremendous challenge. Through it all we have maintained harmony and unity of purpose. It has been an extraordinary year for us, and the reason for our success is the commitment we share with each other--the spirit of the members of the National Federation of the Blind.
At our convention in 1999, we talked about a plan to build an institute to conduct research and to create innovative training programs for the blind. We set about dreaming of the programs that would be conducted in this new facility, and we commenced raising money to make the dreams real.
On January 30, 2004, the members of the board of directors met to talk about what we have done and to consider the name for our institute. Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, our former president and beloved leader, had before his death formulated many of the plans for the institute and talked with me and with others about the value of building it. The board decided to name our building in honor of our beloved president. It is the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
Later that day we cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the Jernigan Institute. More than fifteen hundred people attended, including officials of programming for the blind from Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United States. NASA's administrator, Sean O'Keefe, announced a partnership with the National Federation of the Blind to encourage blind students to study mathematics and science and to invite blind scientists to participate in programs that will stretch the mind and produce innovative ideas and products.
The executive director of the Jernigan Institute is a longtime member of the National Federation of the Blind. Her accomplishments were featured this winter on the cover of Smart Woman Magazine. Several weeks after the opening of the Jernigan Institute, she was invited to be a guest on the nationally broadcast “G. Gordon Liddy Show.” Possessing the intellect, the judgment, the management skill, and the generosity to initiate and sustain multidimensional programs of a kind that have never previously existed, Betsy Zaborowski is an altogether fitting executive director for the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
At the grand opening we announced the first in a series of National Federation of the Blind online courses. Continuing education is essential for teachers, and one course that is now available is the one that we have created, which gives basic information to public school teachers about what to expect of blind students and what tools and techniques exist to assist in the education of the blind.
Another innovative program presented at the grand opening is science camp, which will occur later this summer. One planned activity is the dissection of a full-grown shark. Another is the creation of a payload for a rocket to be launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. It is not the minds of blind students but our opportunities that have been limited; through our Institute we are seeking additional ways to change this. NASA's associate administrator for education, Dr. Adena Williams Loston, will be with us later during this convention to discuss the work we are doing together. At our last convention Mr. A.V. Diaz, the director of the Goddard Space Flight Center, made a striking presentation. Last fall several of the leaders of the Federation were invited to participate in an event hosted by NASA at the Smithsonian Institution and were introduced to the hundreds of participants, officials from companies in the aerospace industry, college presidents, scientists, and congressional leaders. We plan to produce educational videos from the joint effort we are making at the science camp for the blind. We believe this collaboration will significantly enhance opportunities for the blind in the scientific arena.
Advisory working groups conducted at the 2003 convention helped in the drafting of the strategic plan for the Institute that was later considered by the board of directors. Members of the Federation are participating in groups dealing with technology, online computer courses, early childhood development and education, and science education. Other groups will be created to give direction to the work we are doing in such areas as training for seniors, developing enhanced employment opportunities, and building the Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Library. At the time of the grand opening, construction of the new Institute had not been completed--there had been unavoidable delays, we were told. Through the spring additional delays were encountered. However, we took possession of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute on the afternoon of June 11, 2004.
An extensive presentation regarding the work of the Jernigan Institute will be taking place later during this convention. However, the Institute we are creating will be different from other entities in the blindness field because the blind will run it. We invite researchers, scholars, students, professors, and others interested in the problems of the blind to participate with us in building our Institute. We need the best ideas we can get, and we welcome partnerships. We especially welcome them because the blind will be a part of them, and we will give direction to what is being done.
In April we conducted our first major activity after the grand opening in the Institute--a technology conference for technology trainers, sponsored jointly by the National Federation of the Blind and the Mississippi State University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision. The technology conference for teachers was extremely successful. We are planning to conduct future conferences of this kind in the years to come. Not only did staff members of the National Federation of the Blind conduct training sessions, but we also invited technology experts from the Iowa Department for the Blind, the Colorado Center for the Blind, the Louisiana Center for the Blind, and the Federation training center in Minnesota—Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions--to participate.
I opened the conference with a major statement about the approach the National Federation of the Blind takes with respect to technology and accessibility. Dr. Joanne Wilson, the commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the United States Department of Education, addressed the conference about the needs of technological development and the rehabilitation process. Dr. Raymond Kurzweil, one of the most prolific inventors of our time and a philanthropist, addressed the conference at length about future trends in technology and the likely alterations within society that will occur because of them.
Dr. Kurzweil has been working with the National Federation of the Blind since the mid-1970's. At that time he was devising the first print-to-speech reading machine--the Kurzweil Reading Machine. Our work with Dr. Kurzweil continues. He will be addressing the convention, and he will undoubtedly discuss the handheld reading machine, a device so small, so portable, and so powerful that it will revolutionize access to information for the blind. A prototype of this machine has already been fabricated, and it is likely that a form of this product will be available for distribution in less than a year--the Kurzweil / National Federation of the Blind Reading Machine.
In 2002, at our urging, Congress adopted requirements for nonvisual access to polling places as part of the Help America Vote Act. Every polling place in America must have at least one system equipped for nonvisual use by January 2006.
Accessible, direct recording electronic computerized voting machines are now on the market. Every polling place in Georgia has this equipment, and the government of Maryland voted to buy them for almost every polling place in the state. However, a controversy has been created to block the use of direct recording electronic voting devices. One of the manufacturers of these machines is Diebold Incorporated, the multibillion dollar ATM manufacturer that has committed itself to producing accessible electronic machines. Several years ago we entered a partnership with Diebold in which Diebold contributed a million dollars to the construction of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, and we agreed to work with the company to assist it in making bank machines accessible to the blind. Diebold later pledged to produce equally accessible voting machines.
An editorial which appeared in the New York Times on June 11, 2004, tried to paint the relationship between Diebold and the National Federation of the Blind as devious and underhanded--The Times sought to imply that the good opinion of the National Federation of the Blind was available for sale and that Diebold was buying. The New York Times asserts that "a handful of influential advocates for the disabled" opposed electronic voting machines that produce paper receipts because the requirement that these machines be provided will slow the installation of accessible voting devices. "The National Federation of the Blind, for instance, [says the Times] has been championing controversial voting machines that do not provide a paper trail. It has attested not only to the machines' accessibility, but also to their security and accuracy--neither of which is within the Federation's areas of expertise. What's even more troubling is that the group has accepted a $1 million gift for a new training institute from Diebold, the machines' manufacturer, which put the testimonial on its Web site."
These are the words from the editorial in the New York Times, and many of them are inaccurate. Furthermore, the tone of the article is completely false. We have worked with Diebold for several years, and we have examined their machines. We believe their machines are accessible. We have talked with officials who run boards of elections, and they tell us that the Diebold electronic voting machines are as accurate and safe as any on the market. We have not insisted that paper receipts be produced, but neither have we insisted that they be avoided. If they are produced, we want them to be accessible to us, and we insist that blind people get the right to a secret ballot along with everybody else. Too often we have been told that later is good enough for the blind and that accessibility is just too hard.
In Maryland we participated in a court battle a few months ago to secure the right for the blind to have a secret ballot. Now the state is being sued by so-called experts like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Campaign for Verifiable Voting to abandon its commitment to a statewide accessible system of voting because of alleged newly discovered security flaws. The National Federation of the Blind demands that the promise made in the Help America Vote Act be kept. The right to vote is fundamental in democracy, and the blind must have equal access to it. Furthermore, it is reprehensible that a newspaper would misrepresent our purposes and our statements. I have written an editorial response and submitted it to the New York Times. I have corrected the misstatements in the Times article, and I have pointed out that supporting accessible electronic machines that give blind people equal access to the same information that sighted people take for granted is not dubious but laudable.
Furthermore, we will not permit trumped up charges of inadequate security to keep us from having equal access to the polling places. Electronic voting machines are going to be installed in the United States. The technology exists to make them accessible to us. We insist that this technology be used and that they be accessible. Our right to vote is no less important than the right of every other citizen, and we will protect it. One other thing should be said: when you have influence, you get criticized. The New York Times was right about at least one thing: the National Federation of the Blind is an influential organization.
In 2001, shortly before the convention of the National Federation of the Blind, we worked with Senator Christopher Dodd and others to have the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act (IMAA) presented to Congress. This act declared that textbooks would be provided in a medium that would make them accessible to the blind at the same time they became available to sighted students. We have continued to press for this legislation, and as we gather for this convention, both houses of Congress have included provisions on this subject in their respective versions of amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The Senate version of the IMAA amendments includes a provision to place electronic texts of all books in a national access center which will catalog and redistribute them. This is a vital provision to achieve the goal of on-time access for each blind student. Therefore we are working hard to have the Senate provisions included in the bill that goes to President Bush. We believe this proposal will become law before the end of this Congress.
The Instructional Materials Accessibility Act would have been law years ago except for the interference of an official in the Department of Education, Dr. Robert H. Pasternack, assistant secretary of education. In 2001, Dr. Pasternack persuaded the Bush Administration to oppose passage of the bill that would let blind students have their books on time. He said that such a bill would violate principles of federalism. I am able to report to you that, for whatever reason, effective the beginning of January 2004, Dr. Pasternack ceased employment in the Department of Education. Now perhaps blind children will get their books.
The growth of NFB-NEWSLINE® has continued at a dramatic pace. With 105 separate papers now available each day and more to come, NFB-NEWSLINE® is by far the world's largest program for providing rapid access to current information for the blind. NFB-NEWSLINE® has over 49,000 registered readers (6,500 new readers since our last convention), who called the service for 703,497 reading sessions between June 1, 2003, and May 31, 2004.
Two magazines, the New Yorker and the Economist, have recently been added. Anyone registered from anywhere in the United States can call NFB-NEWSLINE® and read these magazines. Because NFB-NEWSLINE® has been outstandingly successful, we are pursuing additional development. We expect to add content to the system, and we expect to create new distribution methods that will be a part of NFB-NEWSLINE®.
The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (legislation to establish a prescription drug benefit under the Medicare program) authorized two studies of interest to the blind. One will examine a proposal to make rehabilitation a Medicare service. This one has posed significant problems because, although doctors should know about rehabilitation, most of them do not. To assign them the task of designing rehabilitation programs for the blind is to ask them to become involved in a specialty for which they have no training and no experience. Many members of the National Federation of the Blind are rehabilitation experts--some of us provide rehabilitation, and many more of us have received it. The medical model assumes that the professionals know what to do, and the patients receive the services offered. The rehabilitation model demands much more interaction. Professionals and clients work together to achieve a goal established by the client. We must impress our positive view of rehabilitation and blindness on the officials of the Medicare centers who are conducting the rehabilitation study.
The second study examines existing and emerging technologies to make prescription drug information accessible to the blind. The Food and Drug Administration is in charge of the technology study, and we provided comments on the need for greater access to prescription information.
During the past few months NISH, formerly known as National Industries for the Severely Handicapped, has tried to diminish opportunities for the blind under the Randolph-Sheppard Act. NISH would like to control all large military mess hall businesses. Although NISH talks about jobs for the disabled, it pays its disabled workers a pittance while it lavishes hundreds of thousands (in some instances well over half a million) in cash and fringe benefits on its sighted, able-bodied managers. The bosses don't want to lose the cash, and they're willing to give a little to the disabled to get it.
In May a section of the National Defense Authorization Act was reported to the Senate floor, seeking to make the Randolph-Sheppard Act inapplicable to any troop dining services provided on military bases in the United States. It doesn't take much imagination to realize that the same rule, if adopted, could eventually apply to federal office building cafeterias or other businesses as well. This is what we told members of Congress in a massive grassroots response challenging the Senate provision.
On May 19, 2004, the National Federation of the Blind and NISH reached an agreement that the Randolph-Sheppard Act priority would apply to all military installations in the United States where troop dining services are provided, except locations currently operated by NISH affiliates. We expected this agreement to be enacted in law, but the Department of Defense objected. Because blind people have an unemployment rate better than 70 percent, we must try to protect opportunities that currently exist, and we will. Our agreement with NISH could have provided more than two hundred locations in which the blind could make very substantial incomes. Because it is important for the blind to have at least some chance for the lucrative opportunities that sighted people seek, we will do our best to protect this program.
Employment practices of some sheltered workshops that are affiliates of National Industries for the Blind (NIB) have been a source of concern for many years. Cari Dominguez, who currently chairs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, attended our convention last year and expressed interest in discriminatory employment practices affecting the blind.
Charges have been filed by the National Federation of the Blind on behalf of blind workers against the Louisiana Association for the Blind, located in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lions Volunteer Blind Industries, located in Morristown, Tennessee. These charges describe discriminatory employment practices subjecting blind employees to less favorable terms and conditions of employment than their sighted colleagues. The practices include paying blind employees less than the sighted; not making reasonable accommodations necessary to permit blind employees to be promoted; laying off blind employees while retaining the sighted; prohibiting blind employees from transferring, while permitting the sighted to do so; and, in the case of the Louisiana Association for the Blind, classifying laid off blind employees in a way that prevents them from receiving unemployment compensation benefits. The sighted who are laid off get them.
The agencies in the NIB system receive tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts, and some of the employment practices that can be found in them cannot stand examination. The time for reform is long overdue.
Meleah Jensen is a blind senior at Louisiana State University (LSU) and a former National Federation of the Blind Scholarship winner. Last year she applied for and secured a job as residence hall assistant. When she arrived for training at the beginning of the school year, LSU changed its mind and took the job away, stating that it would be too dangerous. With the help of Scott LaBarre, president of the National Association of Blind Lawyers, a division of the National Federation of the Blind, Meleah Jensen filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. A settlement has been reached. Meleah Jensen will be receiving three times the salary and benefits she would have had working as a residence hall assistant. This is one more reason for the National Federation of the Blind.
Lee Martin is blind and lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before becoming blind in 1999, he worked as a foundry technician at the DaimlerChrysler Foundry, where he helped to manufacture engine blocks. After getting some blindness training, he attempted to return to work, but DaimlerChrysler said it was too dangerous. How tired we get of hearing that the world is a place too dangerous for us. State vocational rehabilitation officials said that they would provide on-the-job assistance, and they were invited to visit the DaimlerChrysler facility, but Lee Martin was excluded because DaimlerChrysler said it would be too dangerous for him to walk around the plant.
Eventually Lee Martin entered the manufacturing facility and performed one of the jobs there, but DaimlerChrysler continues to say it is too dangerous for him to work. Consequently we have filed a lawsuit on his behalf in the federal district court. Does DaimlerChrysler run a manufacturing operation that is inherently dangerous? Can DaimlerChrysler demonstrate that the blind have more accidents or more injuries than the sighted? Having us in the workplace does not increase the danger, and we will not let prejudice keep us out.
Larry Povinelli, a blind lawyer and a longtime member of the National Federation of the Blind, represented a blind woman, Rauihya Idarus, in a hearing to determine whether she should receive a license to become a practical nurse. Ms. Idarus had met all of the requirements, but she is blind. At the end of the hearing she received her license, but it would not have happened without the help of the National Federation of the Blind.
Larry Murphy was a blind man living in St. Joseph, Missouri, and a longtime member of the National Federation of the Blind. He had been the yard supervisor in the maintenance department for Buchanan County. When he applied for a promotion to head the road and bridge department, a job he had been doing for some time, he was refused the opportunity on the grounds of blindness. We helped him with an appeal, and we were making substantial progress when Larry Murphy contracted cancer. Before the case could be concluded, he died. However, Pauline Murphy, also a longtime member of the Federation and Larry Murphy's wife, has carried the matter forward, and I am pleased to report that she has received a very substantial settlement--$165,000.
Last year I reported to you that the Federation and the attorney general of Massachusetts were suing E*TRADE, an outfit with over fifteen thousand ATMs, to make those ATMs accessible to the blind. E*TRADE sued the NFB in Virginia in an attempt to keep the case out of Massachusetts. The federal judge in Virginia recognized this stratagem and dismissed the case. We continue to pursue the matter in Massachusetts, although E*TRADE has tried to obstruct, delay, and obfuscate. When their legal maneuverings failed, they tried other strategies. In June they announced that they were selling their ATMs for $108 million to another entity called Cardtronics. We will hold E*TRADE accountable for failing to be accessible to the blind, and we will pursue matters with Cardtronics.
Last year the NFB of Pennsylvania got a surprise. A disability law center in Pittsburgh had purported to have negotiated a deal on behalf of the NFB of Pennsylvania with National City Bank, which operates thousands of ATMs in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. However, the NFB of Pennsylvania had not been involved in the negotiations, and the so-called settlement was horrible. It would have required National City to make only a tiny fraction of its Pennsylvania ATMs accessible to the blind over an extended span of time. Of course this alleged settlement had to be rejected. We told National City that it must make all of its locations accessible, and it must do so within thirty months. National City agreed to do it, and it also gave us a contribution to support our movement.
Harriet Go was a senior at Temple University’s College of Education. She is a bright lady, who has won a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship as well as the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania’s Ted Young Memorial Award and a Temple University academic scholarship. For her student teaching requirement she was placed at a nearby public elementary school. When Ms. Go went to meet the supervising teacher in anticipation of her teaching assignment, she encountered the principal, who complained that he should have been told that she was blind. The principal called the university, and Temple pulled her student teaching assignment. When the National Federation of the Blind intervened and provided Ms. Go with a lawyer, Temple and the Philadelphia schools each denied responsibility and blamed the other. Harriet Go was quickly reinstated to her student teaching assignment. She has completed the task and has graduated summa cum laude.
The state of Arkansas several years ago acquired a brand spanking new statewide computer system to handle all state government computer-related functions. This system was not accessible to the blind even though state law required it to be and even though blind employees had urged, prior to the acquisition, that an accessible system be purchased. I reported to you last year that the National Federation of the Blind filed suit on behalf of blind state employees. Since then we have secured an injunction prohibiting the addition of any more components to the state’s computer system until that system is accessible. The judge also ordered the state to make the system accessible or to shut it off by July 1, 2004.
This is July 2nd, 2004. Has the state of Arkansas complied with the court order, or are further proceedings required? If more effort is necessary, we are equal to the challenge. We are confident that Arkansas will soon have a computer system accessible to the blind or pay a hefty price for failing to do what the law requires.
One of the opposing lawyers in Arkansas told our lawyer that we had better settle this case and agree to accept an inaccessible computer system. If we did not accept his agreement, he said, matters would be set in motion to repeal the law requiring accessible technology. However, we did not succumb to the threat. We also know the way to the Capitol, and we can talk to legislators about our needs as easily as they can. We will meet them in the offices; we will meet them in the legislative halls; we will meet them in the corridors of power. The blind will not be forgotten or ignored, and we will have access to information. This is the determination of the National Federation of the Blind.
In July 2002 the National Federation of the Blind filed an action in the United States district court in Arizona against American Blind Products and its officers for trademark infringement and deceptive telemarketing practices. American Blind Products had been using the name of the Federation in telephone solicitations and telling people that purchases of their products would help us. We settled this case in December 2003. American Blind Products will no longer be using the name of the Federation and will not refer to the blind in any of its dealings. It has also paid the National Federation of the Blind $175,000.
Mike Jones is a doctoral student in the rehabilitation department at Auburn University in Alabama and, until recently, was also a graduate teaching assistant. He serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Alabama. During the fall of 2003 Mike Jones was chivied by a professor in the department about his advocacy on behalf of the blind. The comments of the professor became so strident and offensive that Mike Jones filed a complaint of harassment. Three days later he was terminated from his teaching position without any explanation, without any opportunity for reviewing the decision, and without the rights of due process. Professors in the department are also refusing to work with him to complete his doctoral degree.
Although Auburn claims that Mike Jones was fired because of lack of funding, he was the only teaching assistant who was not continued for the spring 2004 semester, and he is the only student with a disability in the entire rehabilitation department. Auburn cites Mike Jones’s “attitude” as a reason for the termination. Apparently blind students are supposed to be passive, conciliatory, patient, meek, and not too demanding.
We believe that Mike Jones was fired because of his outspoken advocacy on behalf of the blind and in retaliation for his filing of a complaint of harassment. We believe he has claims for damage because he was not accorded the constitutional right to free speech. We further believe that Mike Jones has a constitutionally guaranteed right to serve as the president of our affiliate in Alabama and to speak for the blind. We in the National Federation of the Blind join with our blind brothers and sisters to take collective action, and when necessary, we serve as outspoken advocates. Furthermore, we intend to keep it up. We will not let anybody tell us that this kind of behavior is wrong--not even the professors at Auburn University.
Anil Lewis, a blind person from Atlanta, Georgia, who serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia and as a member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind, applied for the position of director of the Business Enterprise Program in Georgia. He made it to the final round. During the interview he was asked to take a writing test on a computer that had no access technology installed. He was also asked a lot of questions about how he could be president of the Georgia affiliate of the Federation and still do the job for the state. While he was waiting to hear whether he would be hired, Anil Lewis continued his advocacy for a vendor who had been wrongfully terminated from the program.
The application of Anil Lewis was rejected; a less qualified applicant got the job. It seems as though the state agency expects blind people to know their places. It seems as though the state agency does not approve of blind people who are aggressive advocates. It seems as though the state agency refuses to hire a leader of the Federation because he is a leader of the Federation. However, our right to organize is a fundamental element of our citizenship, and we will not permit it to be eroded because of the prejudice of certain officials in state government. We will defend our right to free association--to join with our blind brothers and sisters--and we will ensure that the abilities we possess are not belittled or rejected because we have decided to take collective action. If necessary, we will meet officials of the state government in court, and we will not rest until we win!
In 1990 we established the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind and pledged to display in it at least one of every piece of access technology or software that provides tactile or spoken word information to the blind. We have kept this pledge and expanded it. Our technology center houses the most comprehensive collection of access technology for the blind in the world. It is available to inventors, to students, to entrepreneurs, and to the members of the Federation for examination and comparison.
During the past twelve months we have obtained upgrades to computer software programs such as JAWS, Window-Eyes, SuperNova, MAGic screen magnification, ZoomText screen magnification, the Kurzweil 1000, and OpenBook. We have purchased new PAC Mates; the Braillex EL 40S Braille Display; the Alva MPO 550 Phone Organizer with Braille Display; the Extreme Reader from Guerilla Technologies along with a keypad and a scanner; a VideoTIM, a device with a camera and an array of pins which is used to display tactilely the image on a printed page; Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and software with street maps; a Mimeo, a device which allows a blind person to capture images drawn on a whiteboard and save them to a file or print them; a Sharpe Talking Cash Register; a BookPort; three digital book reading machines--the Victor Classic, the Victor Vibe, and the Telex Scholar; and upgrades for the BrailleNote and VoiceNote.
As we have worked to initiate the development of technological products for the blind, we have established partnerships with a number of entities. VisuAide is a company in Canada that produces the Victor machines and the Trekker, which is a Global Positioning System operated through a personal data assistant such as the Ipaq. This GPS unit has potential for considerable computing power.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is soliciting proposals for the design of the digital talking book player. The National Federation of the Blind and VisuAide have agreed to work together, along with others, to submit a proposal for this design. We believe that we must work with technology developers to ensure that the interests and the wishes of the blind are considered when products for our use are in the design stage. Because the VisuAide company believes we can be helpful, we are submitting a joint proposal. The president of VisuAide will be with us during this convention to talk about the work of his company.
During the past several years we have developed a strong working relationship with Louisiana Tech University. The teacher shortage in the field of blindness is chronic, and we are taking steps to assist in addressing it. Louisiana Tech is planning to do joint work with us to increase the number of teachers of the blind graduating from college and to prepare innovative educational opportunities for those seeking to enter the field of work with the blind. Dr. Jo Ann Dauzat, dean of the College of Education at Louisiana Tech University, is with us at this convention and will be participating in our meetings and working with us in the years to come.
Our public education program continues. This year we sponsored a documentary about us entitled "Fulfilling Futures: Helping the Blind Achieve," which aired on public television stations throughout the United States. It is available for use in local communities. We also created a fourteen-minute video called "Building Our Dream," which was presented originally at the grand opening of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. These two videos along with many, many public service announcements about our numerous programs have been displayed on television throughout the length and breadth of America.
Last August we convened at the National Center for the Blind an education summit to consider methods and techniques for enhancing educational opportunities for blind students. One proposal considered during that summit was the establishment of the National Center for Blind Youth, which will undoubtedly become a part of the program activity of our newly established Jernigan Institute.
The National Federation of the Blind is an active participant in the World Blind Union. For ten years Dr. Jernigan served as president of the North America / Caribbean Region, and I have also held that office. The World Blind Union brings together agencies for the blind and organizations of the blind. Because within the entities that make up the organization there are strikingly different approaches to the subject of blindness, this amalgamation of groups sometimes creates frustration. However, we learn much about programming for the blind from throughout the world, and we have an opportunity for interaction with leaders of the blind in other countries. Mrs. Mary Ellen Jernigan and I are the delegates of the National Federation of the Blind to the World Blind Union, and we will be participating in the general assembly that takes place in South Africa later this year.
Through our Materials Center we have shipped information to approximately a hundred countries. Over a thousand packages of literature and specialized products for the blind are distributed to individuals in our own nation and throughout the world each month.
Our recognition as the center for information about blindness is continuing to grow. More people have come to the National Center for the Blind this year than ever before in our history--ove