_______________________________________________________________________________
Vol. 49, No. 8 August/September 2006
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
telephone: (410) 659-9314
email address: nfb@nfb.org
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National Federation of the Blind and sent to:
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES
ISSN
0006-8829
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Vol. 49, No. 8 August/September 2006
Frontispiece
2006 Convention
Roundup
by Barbara Pierce
Affiliate Action Everywhere
by Daniel B. Frye
Presidential Report 2006
by Marc Maurer
Awards Presented at the 2006 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind
2006 Scholarship Class of the National Federation of the Blind
An Element of Justice
by Marc Maurer
An Overview of Planned Giving
A Celebration of the Life of Hazel tenBroek
Save the Fire
by Fredric K. Schroeder
Are You Ready?
by Kevan Worley
Revolution and Evolution:
A Report on the 2006 Convention Resolutions
by Sharon Maneki
2006 Resolutions of the National Federation of the Blind
Convention Miniatures
Copyright 2006 National Federation of the Blind
by Barbara Pierce
Anyone who has been to Texas has heard the oft-expressed conviction that everything is bigger (and probably better) in the Lone Star State. The three thousand or so Federationists who converged on Dallas, Texas, the first week of July can confirm from firsthand experience that the claim to super-sized hotels, at least, is not an empty boast. The sixty-sixth annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind took place at the Anatole Hilton Hotel, a twenty-seven-acre resort complex with luxurious guest rooms, adventurous dining, Southwestern-accented retail shopping, spa and recreational facilities, memorable tactile artwork, and expansive meeting facilities. This grand hotel proved equal to accommodating one of our largest national conventions ever. Convention attendees steadily arrived throughout the first weekend of the conference, welcomed by large doses of hospitality from members of the host affiliate—a warm and generous greeting that even rivaled the headquarters hotel in size.
Bigger still was the convention program, filled with evidence of progress and possibility for the future. The unveiling of the revolutionary Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader; the description of the NFB’s role in NBC’s program, Three Wishes; and the inaugural release of an educational video on blindness to be shared nationwide with Lions Clubs set the tone for a conference full of substance and animated spirit. And a record-breaking attendance at the banquet on Thursday evening, July 6, confirmed in the minds and hearts of Federationists the simple little fact that everything is big in Texas!
Because the convention agenda had been available for a month on our Web site, attendees were greeted by stacks of Braille and print agendas almost from the moment we arrived. A tactile map of the hotel would also have been welcome. As the week progressed, however, we began to recognize and welcome such things as the little fountain that provided assurance that one really was heading for the other end of the hotel lobby.
On Saturday morning everyone hit the ground running. Those interested in technology found a full menu of workshops and demonstrations. A day-long seminar for those interested in careers in rehabilitation titled “Foundations and Professional Issues” attracted attendees from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“The Equation for Success” was the title of this year’s National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) seminar and the theme for many NOPBC activities. The agenda of parent and educator activities was astonishingly full and diverse. President Maurer got down to business with the kids at 9:00 a.m. when he taught them how to use the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader and talked about blindness issues in a way they all understood and could identify with.
The parents seminar is always splendid, but this year it was particularly fine. It’s always dangerous to call special attention to part of the program because readers may assume that other presenters were disappointing. Ryan Strunk, president of the National Association of Blind Students, and Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, a physician and father of two blind sons, were immensely entertaining and thought-provoking. But the panel talking about blind students and access to higher math was superb. We can only hope that all these presentations will make it into print in the months to come.
The afternoon was devoted to many workshops for older and younger students and their parents and teachers. All of these were excellent and filled with useful information and inspiration.
A number of families received scholarships to convention this year with the understanding that they would return home to help build parent programs in their home states. These new parents clearly enjoyed their convention experience and found the information and inspiration they had been looking for. Family hospitality was busy Saturday evening, especially before and after the Rookie Roundup. Teens, too, had a great time this year throughout the week in the teen hang-out room. Both blind and sighted teens found a comfortable and supervised place to spend time with new friends and old in a suite off-limits to parents.
While families were busy learning about chemistry and knitting; making up plays and doing art; and thinking about social skills, low vision, and effective blindness skills for children, the rest of us were sitting in on various workshops about accessible technology, exploring the Accessible Home Showcase, learning about effective strategies for the job search, reading poetry, and brainstorming about the programs of the Jernigan Institute.
Saturday evening continued
to be busy. Divisions and committees met, and about two-hundred-fifty people
attended the Rookie Roundup reception for first-time convention attendees. The
rookies received special ribbons and tote bags. Hundreds enjoyed Karaoke Night,
sponsored by BLIND, Incorporated, the NFB of Minnesota’s adult training center.
Teen conversations in which young women or young men exchanged ideas honestly
with each other and blind adults were popular again this year. And for everyone
else the Henderson Family provided western swing, fiddle, and country music
at the Bluegrass Ball, hosted by the Texas affiliate.
Sunday morning we had a chance to see firsthand just what a difference our first-ever
convention preregistration had made. Registration has never been particularly
irksome because the lines have moved so quickly. But staffing it always swallowed
a tremendous number of volunteer hours. This year those who had taken advantage
of the efficiency and savings of preregistration simply walked to a table and
picked up an envelope containing their materials. I did it while walking past.
Of course those who decided to wait till the convention to register found their
lines considerably shorter as well. The result was that even more people than
in past years quickly filtered into the exhibit halls, the Accessible Home Showcase,
and Sensory Safari.
The two sessions of the Cane Walk, intended to assist the families and teachers of blind children, were filled with parents, children, and teachers ready to don sleepshades, grab a long cane, and work with a teacher on travel skills. Joe Cutter, 2006 recipient of the Fredric Schroeder Award, supervises these sessions and makes himself available to those who need his help and wisdom. This is an extraordinary opportunity for families and provides great teaching experience for Louisiana Tech master’s students, as well as the NOMC (National Orientation and Mobility Certification) teachers who volunteer to help.
A year or two ago the board of directors voted to limit Materials Center (now Independence Market) sales to items with an obvious connection to blindness. The NFB Store this year reflected that decision. As a result fewer aids and appliances were available for sale, but the exhibit hall devoted to NFB literature and sales was still crowded with attendees eager to see what materials were available.
Throughout the week the Accessible Home Showcase provided periodic demonstrations to standing-room-only crowds of the microwave prototype that was described as part of an agenda item Thursday morning. In the large exhibit hall fifty-six outside vendors and thirty-six Federation organizations staffed displays and talked with eager shoppers.
Sunday afternoon the Resolutions Committee considered twelve resolutions and recommended them to the Convention for passage on Friday afternoon. The complete texts of all the resolutions passed by the Convention this year appear elsewhere in this issue.
The afternoon was filled with old-favorite activities like the mock trial, which this year examined the Lee Martin case and used humor and common sense to explore employment discrimination, and brand new events like a seminar conducted in Spanish discussing NFB philosophy.
MATHCOUNTS® is a foundation that stimulates math excellence in middle and high school students by sponsoring competitions resembling spelling bees that test math skills. The foundation is committed to finding and nurturing math abilities in all sorts of minority groups, including blind students. Sunday afternoon the NOPBC, the Jernigan Institute, and MATHCOUNTS jointly sponsored a competition that attempted to use accessible materials and equipment for the four students who took part. Kids and adults all learned valuable lessons from both the competition and the panel discussion that followed.
Later in the afternoon the National Center for Blind Youth in Science launched its Web portal. This unique portal will serve as a resource clearinghouse for blind youth in science, technology, engineering, and math. The initiative was developed under a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research and Disabilities Education Program.
During the evening a number of divisions, groups, and committees met, some for the first time. The Classics, Antiques, and Rods (CAR) Division officially organized and held elections. The National Organization of the Senior Blind conducted a very successful not-so-silent auction in conjunction with its meeting. And the National Association of Blind Students conducted its usual high-energy and thought-provoking seminar for hundreds of blind students. Affiliate Web masters gathered to discuss the pros and cons of live Web broadcasting and the new NFB Web site and what it will offer state and division Web masters. Our new system will have a content manager, which will be usable with screen-reading software and will allow us easily to update information for our states and interest groups. Since we have spent a fair amount of time trying to determine which Web-authoring software is usable with which screen readers and at what price, this new content-management system will be helpful to us all.
As usual, the only program item Monday morning was the meeting of the board of directors. President Maurer began by calling for a moment of silence in memory of the Federationists who have died in the past year. Following that, the first order of business was a review of the offices open for election this year. Hold-over board members are Ron Brown (Indiana), Don Capps (South Carolina), Cathy Jackson (Kentucky), Anil Lewis (Georgia), Joe Ruffalo (New Jersey), and Fred Schroeder (Virginia). All other officer and at-large positions were open. President Maurer then recognized First Vice President Joyce Scanlan, who said:
Mr. President and fellow Federationists, for more than three decades I have had the honor of serving on the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind, first as a member of the board and then as secretary and finally as first vice president. During these years I have been proud to be a part of the outstanding progress we have experienced as an organization. Together we have grown in numbers as well as in understanding of what we as a people’s movement are capable of accomplishing. I have personally benefited from the energetic work of this organization. I want to thank my fellow Federationists for that.
Today we have many young
leaders who have much to offer our movement. It is time for those of my era
to move on and encourage those with more innovative ideas and insight into the
problems of our day to come forward. Therefore I will not be a candidate for
election this year. I have no plans to disappear from the scene. I have long
been an enthusiastic student of history, and I ask you to remember that even
a fossil has value and can play a significant role. I look forward to a long
future in this organization. Thank you. [sustained ovation]
President Maurer acknowledged that Joyce had preceded him on the board
by more than a decade. She led the struggle against the oppression of the Minneapolis
Society for the Blind and taught us much about public demonstrations. He then
thanked her for her service and recognized Charlie Brown, who said:
Thank you, Mr. President. President Maurer and fellow Federationists, I would like to take this opportunity to join the fossil brigade and announce that I will not seek reelection as your treasurer.
It seems time for me to move on. When I stepped aside as Virginia state president two years ago after twenty-six years, I did so because I firmly believed that it would provide an opportunity for dynamic new leadership to emerge. I was certainly right. Dr. Fred Schroeder became our state president, and he is doing a bang-up job. Yes, I certainly could have served another term or two as state president, but it seemed like the right time for me to move on then.
That same thing is true today. For twenty-two years I have been incredibly blessed to serve you on the national board, the last four as treasurer. As national treasurer I joined a relatively small group of distinguished Federationists who have held this position before me. What an honor to follow men like Richard Edlund and Allen Harris, a rare privilege indeed!
Thank you so much, Dr.
Maurer and all of the rest of you, for your generous help and support over the
years, but I think it is now time for me to make way for new leadership on the
national board. Yes, I am rotating off the board, but I’m not going anywhere.
I will continue to work with energy for the success of our wonderful movement.
I will just be taking on new and different tasks. I look forward to that with
genuine excitement. Thanks again, and God bless you. [sustained applause]
President Maurer acknowledged Charlie’s wisdom, forthright good sense,
and willingness to do whatever needs to be done and warmly thanked him for his
service. Then he called on Diane McGeorge, who said:
My two predecessors gave such wonderful speeches. Dr. Maurer, I can’t quite say “three decades.” I’m close, Joyce. I was elected to the board in 1977 in New Orleans, and no question it was one of the greatest honors I have had. It has indeed been a great honor and pleasure for me to serve as a board member and in the role of first vice president, at one point, of this marvelous organization.
I spoke to the Scholarship Committee the other night, and I said, “I started the Colorado Center for the Blind, and I was state president for most of the years from 1976 until 2005. But don’t look at me as a has-been. I’m a gonna-be. [laughter and applause]
I have been state president;
I have been director of the Colorado Center; I have been an active member of
the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind; but, believe
me, as long as there is breath in my body, I’m gonna be an active NFB member.
[prolonged applause]
President Maurer recalled all the traveling that he and Diane have done
through the years, building affiliates, finding potential members, and dreaming
about what blind people could accomplish. He concluded by saying that it has
been an honor to serve with her on the board. He then recognized Carla McQuillan,
who said:
Dr. Maurer, fellow Federationists, I would like to begin by saying that I am not a member of the fossil club--brigade. But it is in fact because of the support and the work that this organization has done to enrich my life that at this time I have to say that I will not be seeking reelection to the board. This is only my sixteenth national convention. I am what some would call a baby in this organization. It was with the help of this organization that I got my business started and really became aware that I had the ability--Benson [Steve Benson], stop saying, “Now she’s going to cry!”--[laughter] to achieve all my goals. We started in 1993 with a $15,000 loan from the National Federation of the Blind to start a school in a rented facility. We now own three pieces of real estate (and we own more of them than the bank does). We are looking for even greater expansion of about 25 percent of our current capacity in the ’07-’08 school year. We have started a teacher-training program and a parent education program that will eventually result in brochures and books.
I am a member of the Jernigan
Institute Early Childhood Committee, and I believe that, as Dr. Jernigan said,
“We fought for our place in society, and it is now time that we step up and
take it” and be part of our community and show people what blind individuals
really have the capacity to do. I have found that both my career and the Federation
are suffering because I have too much on my plate. It is with great regret that
I have to say that I can no longer serve on the board, but I am not going away.
I will be here every year running NFB Camp as long as Dr. Maurer wishes for
it to happen. I thank you so much for your love and support. [cheers and applause]
President Maurer expressed gratitude for Carla’s contributions to the board
and referred to her part in making our recent videos more powerful.
In introducing Tommy Craig, president of the Texas affiliate, President Maurer mentioned that we were facing all the usual difficulties of having a large convention in a large hotel: full elevators, slow service in the restaurants, difficulty finding friends—the usual situation at the beginning of an NFB convention. He then commented that this hotel was about the size of a small continent. On that note Tommy stepped to the mike to welcome everyone to the convention and to review housekeeping details.
Mary Ellen Jernigan then made several announcements. She pointed out that the average wait in the line for those who had preregistered to pick up their materials had been about thirty seconds on the first day. She then urged everyone to find a way to preregister for the convention next year. She assured the audience that the very few kinks in the system this year had now been worked out.
Jim Omvig next came to the platform to explain the thinking behind writing his latest book, Education and Rehabilitation for Empowerment, by James Omvig and Dr. C. Edwin Vaughan, available at this convention. Jim explained that he had quite consciously written Freedom for the Blind as a straightforward statement of what the organized blind have learned about what effective rehabilitation for blind people is and how to achieve it. But the academic community wants and needs to understand the research underpinning the programs that are doing effective training. This new book is an effort to provide academics both the research and the footnotes they have demanded. Both books are available from the National Federation of the Blind.
The thirtieth Kernel Book, Freedom, was released at the convention, and President Maurer read his contribution to it. Fifty-eight Federationists submitted eighty-three Kernel Book stories this year and were eligible to win $1,000 in a special drawing. Art Dinges of Arizona was the lucky writer whose name was drawn. Another contest will take place during the coming year. Those wishing to enter the contest should send their Kernel Book stories to Marsha Dyer at the National Center for the Blind.
President Maurer then announced convention plans for the next several years: 2007, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, singles and doubles, $61, triples and quads, $66; 2008, the Hilton Anatole, singles and doubles, $61, triples and quads, $66; 2009, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, singles and doubles, $62, triples, $66, quads, $68; and 2010, the Hilton Anatole, singles and doubles, $62, triples and quads, $67.
With the passage of the
Louis Braille Commemorative Coin Act, we will need a list of the names and contact
information for every certified Braillist and proofreader that we can identify
in the nation. President Maurer asked that people attending the convention and
holding either of these credentials get their contact information to him during
the convention. Those who did not do so or who were not in Dallas but who are
willing to assist with the Braille literacy campaign should send or email their
information to <kwadia@nfb.org>.
Jim Gashel reported that the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader
had made a grand debut during the first days of the convention. He explained
that those who had been beta testing the Reader through the spring would be
wearing badges during the convention so that people would know whom to contact
if they had questions. He also presented President Maurer with a very special
ribbon for his badge. It said, “Ask me about the Reader; I’m an inventor.” The
press and television coverage of the new reader were extraordinary during and
following the convention. Jim said that the night before at midnight he had
gotten a call from a man in Phoenix, who wanted to buy the Reader for his mother
and have it shipped that day. The toll-free number for asking questions about
the Reader and ordering it is (877) 708-1853. A drawing for a Reader took place
during convention, and another was given as a door prize at the banquet.
When Jim Gashel finished his report, Carl Jacobsen moved that $100,000 be added to the pool available for loans by the Committee on Assistive Technology, chaired by Curtis Chong. These funds are to be available to blind people interested in purchasing Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Readers. The interest rate for these loans is 3 percent. The motion was seconded and carried.
Sharon Maneki then came to the platform to present the 2006 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award to Gayle Prillaman of Tennessee. The full text of this presentation appears elsewhere in this issue.
A number of state affiliates have made sizeable gifts to the national organization during the past year as part of our program of sharing bequests equally with the national organization. The two states that have contributed the most are Colorado, with $299,750, and California, with more than $368,000. President Maurer graciously accepted these gifts and acknowledged that this policy has enabled us to do much more for blind people than we would otherwise have been able to accomplish.
At this point Peggy Elliott asked the members of this year’s scholarship class to come to the platform, where she introduced them. Their comments appear elsewhere in this issue as part of a full report of our scholarship program.
Allen Harris, president of the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, introduced James Omvig, who presented the 2006 Fredric Schroeder Award to pediatric O&M specialist and deeply respected teacher and mentor Joe Cutter. The full text of this presentation appears elsewhere in this issue. Then Allen had the names read of those who have earned National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC) during the past year. They were Garrett Aguillard, Erin “Mandi” Bundren, Denise Mackenstadt, Bryan Schetele, and Daniel Kish.
The final business of the morning was a presentation by the International Braille Research Center. Dr. Harold Snider presented the 2006 Louis Braille Award to Dr. Abraham Nemeth. The full text of this presentation appears elsewhere in this issue. Since no further business was brought to the board of directors, the meeting was adjourned.
The remainder of the day offered attendees a wide range of division and committee meetings, seminars, workshops, receptions, and theater productions. The Jerry Whittle play production this year was titled One Woman’s Treasure and was performed as usual by the Louisiana Center Players, made up of students and alumni of the Louisiana Center for the Blind. All proceeds from the two performances were used to support the center’s summer programs for blind children.
Federationists celebrated the Fourth of July this year by kicking off the convention general sessions with true Texas flair. Following the invocation, President Maurer called Tommy Craig to the platform. The four hundred Texans in the host delegation provided a real Lone Star State welcome, and the delegates responded appropriately. We received hot and spicy jellybeans as we entered the ballroom; now we got a sample of the diverse cultures that make up the richness of the Texas experience. A Mariachi band from La Esquina Cantina, one of the fine hotel restaurants, played their way into the ballroom and briefly serenaded the convention from in front of the platform.
Then, much to the delight of some in the audience and the shock of others, Tommy introduced author, musician, and candidate for governor of Texas Kinky Friedman. Kinky demonstrated his brand of irreverent, rather politically incorrect humor in his welcome to Texas.
The tone of the opening session shifted when Dwight Sayer, first vice president of the NFB of Florida, and Joe Ruffalo, president of the NFB of New Jersey and member of the national board of directors, called all veterans of the United States Armed Forces forward to receive red, white, and blue ribbons and introduce themselves and state their military branch. Thirty-four answered the call, including Robert Crawford of Ohio, who was one of the revered Tuskegee airmen of World War II.
The remainder of the morning was devoted to the roll call of states. Each president announced the name of the delegate, alternate delegate, and member of the Nominating Committee and then reported the date and location of the next convention as well as the name of the national representative if one has been appointed. In addition states took the opportunity to make a variety of announcements and comments. Here is a sampling of the information that we learned during the morning: The Jernigan Fund assisted more than fifty Federationists from twenty-six states to attend this year’s convention. Ten state agency directors and many other agency staff members were part of their states’ delegations. Noah Buresh, son of Nebraska affiliate President Amy Buresh and her husband Shane, celebrated his two-month birthday on July 2. All of the students and staff of BLIND, Incorporated, the Colorado Center for the Blind, the Louisiana Center for the Blind, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, and Camp Tuhsmeheta in Michigan were attending the convention. The Mississippi affiliate had eighteen first-time convention attendees in its delegation. With four hundred registered attendees, Texas took home the attendance banner, but Maryland promised that, like General MacArthur, the banner will return [to Maryland]. Indiana, Idaho, Oregon, and Vermont reported that NFB-NEWSLINE is now or soon will be available in those states. Pam Allen, president of the NFB of Louisiana, read a resolution passed at the affiliate’s April convention. It reads as follows:
NFB of Louisiana RESOLUTION 2006-04
WHEREAS, In 2005 Louisiana was devastated by two major hurricanes; and
WHEREAS, Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, hundreds of Federationists contacted the NFB of Louisiana with expressions of love and support; and
WHEREAS, Along with their good wishes, many in our Federation family sent donations intended to assist blind people throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, As a result of the generosity shown by our brothers and sisters throughout the country, we have been able to assist blind people across Louisiana as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana in Convention assembled this ninth day of April, 2006, in the City of Ruston, that the members of our affiliate thank all those who gave so generously when we needed so much; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that we will continue to support blind people throughout our state in their
efforts to recover from these devastating natural disasters.
Following the lunch recess, President Maurer delivered the 2006 presidential
report, which appears in full elsewhere in this issue. Then Dr. Betsy Zaborowski,
executive director of the NFB Jernigan Institute, reported on “Education Initiatives
and the 21st Century.” She described the various programs of the Institute and
interspersed her comments with video clips of colleagues outside our movement
describing the impact the various programs have had on them, the community at
large, and blind people today and in years to come. When Dr. Zaborowski finished,
it was clear that, now that the Institute is up and running, we are making progress
on every front on which we have engaged.
Dr. Matt Maurer, younger brother of President Maurer and professor of instructional technology at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, addressed the topic of “Best Practices in Education of the Blind.” He has conducted research in a number of schools for the blind and a handful of mainstream programs for blind students. He is convinced that we must recognize and salute the work of all gifted teachers of blind students and work in good faith to improve the skills of moderate to good teachers. In the instruction of blind children, “good” is not good enough, but simply criticizing entire programs will not accomplish our goal of improving the instruction that blind students receive. We must find ways of calling attention to and praising the work of excellent teachers while encouraging good teachers to improve and poor teachers to change their career paths.
Dr. Stuart Wittenstein, superintendent of the California School for the Blind, discussed the leadership of the California affiliate in setting the state’s Braille standards for the education of blind students. He urged other states to take a look at the California standards and the way Braille has been interwoven into all the subject standards.
Mark Riccobono, director of education for the NFB Jernigan Institute, next discussed “The Power of Numbers” in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As he reviewed the accomplishments of the Institute, it was clear that the NFB is increasing the opportunities for blind students to claim their right to a future in the STEM careers.
Dr. Bernhard Beck-Winchatz, associate director, NASA Space Science Center for Education and Outreach at DePaul University, then discussed “Science Education Initiatives for the Blind.” He made it clear that his connection with the NFB has taught him new ways of teaching all of his students. He is certain that blind students have a place in astronomy.
The final presenter on this panel of Jernigan Institute programs was Dr. Ted Conway, program director, research in disabilities education, Division of Human Resource Development, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation. His topic was “Science, Research, and Development: A Role for the Blind.” He pointed out that effective people with disabilities are problem solvers, are creative, and know all about perseverance. These are the very characteristics of those who succeed in the STEM careers. The National Science Foundation is committed to helping disabled people, including blind people, find their rightful place in STEM fields.
Dr. Zaborowski concluded the Institute’s presentation with a video announcement of the 2007 Youth Slam in late July. Two hundred young people will gather with mentors for four days of STEM activities in Baltimore, culminating in a public event at the Inner Harbor. Watch the NFB Web site for more information about this absolutely unique event.
The last item of the afternoon agenda was Kevan Worley’s Imagination Fund report, which appears in full elsewhere in this issue. Dolores Reisinger of Iowa was named Imaginator of the Year. At the close of his report, Kevan announced that early in the morning of the opening day of actual convention, July 3, we plan to conduct a march for independence. We will undoubtedly find ways for everyone who wishes to have a part in the event to do so, but only those who have signed up and raised at least $250 will actually take part in the march itself.
While Kevan was making his report, we began to hear peals of thunder from outside. Sure enough, a Texas-size thunderstorm rolled in and caused the hotel to move the giant barbeque hosted by the Texas affiliate indoors. Luckily this hotel had space enough to pull it off. What the event lost in the way of ambiance, it made up in air conditioning. And the food was even more enjoyable with the absence of insect guests. After brisket of beef, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, peach cobbler, and free beer, guests enjoyed boot-tappin’ music by the Cornell Hurd Band playing traditional western swing and country.
Parents of and advocates for blind children had a choice of three different workshops Tuesday evening, and music lovers could attend the showcase of talent. The exhibit hall opened that evening for shoppers to spend more leisurely time with convention sponsors. About four hundred Federationists took advantage of this opportunity. The tenBroek auction was also Tuesday evening, and the Classics, Antiques, and Rods (CAR) Division conducted its first business meeting, planning for its spectacular show the following afternoon.
The Wednesday morning general
session began with the election of officers and six at-large board members.
Sharon Maneki chaired the Nominating Committee and made its report. Those whose
names were placed in nomination as officers and who were subsequently elected
by acclamation were president, Marc Maurer (Maryland); first vice president,
Fred Schroeder (Virginia); second vice president, Peggy Elliott (Iowa); secretary,
Gary Wunder (Missouri); and treasurer, Pam Allen (Louisiana).
Those nominated and elected by acclamation to fill two-year, at-large positions were Amy Buresh (Nebraska); Sam Gleese (Mississippi); Carl Jacobsen (New York); Chris McKenzie (Arkansas); Alpidio Rolón (Puerto Rico); Dan Wenzel (Wisconsin); and, to complete Fred Schroeder’s vacated one-year term, Dan Burke (Montana).
Following the election, Dr. William Rowland, president of the World Blind Union and executive director of the South African National Council for the Blind, delivered a fascinating address in which he briefly sketched the impressive actions the new South Africa is taking to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the workings of government and working life. He contrasted this hopeful progress with the situation in South Africa’s neighbor, Swaziland, where only four blind people have jobs and only one has ever been educated at university. Dr. Rowland has offered to try to advocate for disabled people in Swaziland, but he admits that this will be difficult since the king is not permitted ever to look upon a person with a disability. Dr. Rowland acknowledged the role the NFB has played in shaping the philosophy of the World Blind Union and in helping to guide its course in the years to come.
One of the truly outstanding presentations of this year’s convention was “The Secrets of Rehabilitation: Why Federation Centers Work.” The presenters were Pam Allen, director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind; Shawn Mayo, director of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions, Incorporated; and Julie Deden, director of the Colorado Center for the Blind, and their title was self-explanatory. The substance of the presentation was so clear and powerful that the entire text will be printed in a later issue of the Monitor.
The next speaker was Dr. Fred Schroeder, research professor at San Diego State University. His title was “Save the Fire,” and the text of his address appears elsewhere in this issue.
Bob Phillips, president and chief executive officer of Guide Dogs for the Blind, spoke about “Partnerships” between his organization and the NFB, between dog guide schools and researchers, and many other pairings that have the potential to change the quality of life for all of society.
The final presentation of the morning was by Dr. Lee Hamilton, president and chief executive officer of Freedom Scientific. He described recent and upcoming developments in his company’s technology for the blind and reviewed many improvements in Freedom Scientific’s service delivery and reductions in product costs at a time when other companies’ equipment costs are increasing. He then asked Glen Gordon, chief technical officer for Freedom Scientific, to demonstrate some exciting new products.
Wednesday afternoon is billed as free time, when delegates can enjoy personal or group tours or just relax around the pool. Many interesting tours did take place during the afternoon and evening, and some folks undoubtedly went off on their own to get acquainted with Dallas, but here is a sample of what other people found to do:
Twenty-one blind cyclists went tandem riding at White Rock Lake with members of area cycling organizations. This event will occur again in 2008. Twelve lucky journalists and journalism students got a personalized behind-the-scenes tour of the Dallas Morning News. The New CAR Division hosted a show of classic and antique cars in the parking lot of the hotel, and a number of kids from NFB Camp, as well as interested adults, examined the vehicles. Interested convention attendees tried out the prototype of a sonar cane that detects over-hanging objects and can identify empty seats in a room, among other accomplishments. Teachers of blind students strategized about how to attack the multitude of problems in their field. Families with blind children could drop in to talk with an expert about cane travel or attend a hands-on workshop on medical emergencies for younger children or CPR for teens. Federationists learned about grant-writing, Social Security, planning Meet the Blind Month activities, and advocacy. And of course several committees and divisions conducted important meetings. Those who had any energy left by the end of the day could socialize and play games at Monte Carlo Night, sponsored by the National Association of Blind Students.
The Thursday morning general session began punctually at 9:00, and the first presentation was a wise and delightful talk by George Wurtzel of Michigan, who is a carpenter and who offered sound advice about how to get and keep an unusual job. He was followed by our longtime friend Frank Kurt Cylke, director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and Alice Baker, NLS digital program contract specialist, who reported good progress on the enormous job of converting the Talking Book Program from cassette to digital format.
Dr. Richard Mander, chief executive officer of HumanWare, Ltd., introduced himself to the audience and explained how it comes that a psychologist now heads a worldwide technology company. He reiterated HumanWare’s commitment to Braille and access technology. He undertook to see everyone in Atlanta at next year’s convention and announced that HumanWare will be a title sponsor of the convention for at least three years.
The next item was titled “Change in Rehabilitation: Federation Experience Leads the Way.” It was delivered by Craig Kiser, director of the Florida Division of Blind Services. Mr. Kiser was a student at the Iowa Commission for the Blind during the Jernigan years, and he described how well that training had prepared him for dealing with the difficult and demanding challenge of bringing rehabilitation for the blind in Florida into the twenty-first century.
John Paré, director of sponsored technology programs for the National Federation of the Blind, James Gashel, NFB executive director for strategic initiatives, and John Lumpkin, vice president for business operations, U.S. newspaper markets at Associated Press, then reviewed recent NFB-NEWSLINE® successes. Many NEWSLINE papers are now available by email for portable reading on notetakers, Book Ports, or BookCouriers.Those interested in automatically receiving their favorite papers by email should go to <www.nfbnewsline.org>. There you will find a link for newspapers by email. Fill out an online form or download, complete, and return it to the National Center. If you have questions, call (866) 504-7300. Mr. Lumpkin described the state and national Associated Press services now available on NEWSLINE and expressed AP’s satisfaction in being part of this marvelous program.
Bill Stevenson, business development manager for Home Automated Living (HAL), and Anne Taylor, director of access technology, NFB Jernigan Institute, made an exciting presentation titled “The Accessible Home.” Mr. Stevenson demonstrated the way HAL-controlled appliances can work by voice command when cabled to a home computer loaded with the HAL software. Today HAL cannot work with speech access, but through the Jernigan Institute the company is working with screen-reader companies to make HAL fully accessible. Anne Taylor then demonstrated what might be possible in the future. With a specially configured microwave, she issued aural commands and controlled the microwave as easily as Mr. Stevenson had controlled a lamp and television with VCR. Our hope is to persuade manufacturers to work with the creators of HAL to build appliances that will allow all users to control them by voice command.
The final item of the morning was presented by Cari M. Dominguez, chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her title was “Equal Employment Opportunity for the Blind: The Promise and the Partnership.” She mentioned the EEOC’s published guidance on disability issues, which is intended to prevent discrimination in the workplace before it happens. Recently the EEOC has published “Questions and Answers about Blindness in the Workplace,” which was reviewed by National Association of Blind Lawyers President Scott LaBarre. She then reviewed recent cases involving blind people in which the EEOC has helped to see that justice was done and employers were taught what constitutes discrimination. She then described several EEOC programs that encourage best practice, including the Freedom to Compete Award for states and the first ever conference on the employment of lawyers with disabilities, which was conducted in consultation with Scott LaBarre. As she draws toward the end of her term as chair of EEOC, Ms. Dominguez said that one of the things she has cherished most has been her close association with the National Federation of the Blind. It has been productive, and she hopes that it continues.
The afternoon session began with an inspiring speech by NFB Board Member and President of the NFB of Georgia Anil Lewis titled, “Client to Consumer to Lawyer.” It was a moving tale of his evolution from helpless client through becoming a consumer of services for the blind to embracing his dream to become an attorney. He will now soon enter law school.
We then had the chance to learn in detail about the NFB’s part in assisting a young mother to regain her independence. November 3, 2005, NBC broadcast an episode of the program Three Wishes in which Utah Federationists undertook to give Nicole Rasmussen a crash course in mastering the skills of blindness while the cameras rolled. We watched the program segment and then listened to Nicole Rasmussen, Ron Gardner, Nick Schmittroth, and Karl Smith, who had offered Nicole their expertise and their friendship.
Then it was time to talk seriously about the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader. NFB executive director of strategic initiatives Jim Gashel described how freeing it is to be able to read or refer to printed material independently. Several of the Federationists who have been testing the Reader this spring told stories about checking out of hotels and reading signs while shopping, and they all agreed that they never wanted to return to dependency on others to manage their print. Then Ray Kurzweil reminded his listeners that he had been saying for years that 2006 would be the year when technology would make a portable reader possible. He then went on to forecast the future of reader technology. He has learned that accurate timing of inventions is essential, and he repeated that working closely with NFB leaders and members has made his inventions in reading for the blind the most memorable part of his distinguished career as an inventor. It was fitting that, while he was on stage, he was presented with his badge and ribbon that said “Ask me about the Reader; I’m an inventor.”
President Maurer then read the following statement:
We say that the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader is a revolutionary technology. What characteristics of this device will bring about a substantial alteration in thought or behavior? The handheld reader provides a portable way to examine visually one of the elements of our environment—the printed word. However, the Reader is more than a mechanism to read print; it is the precursor of portable, universal, machine-based vision.
In years to come future technologies based on this handheld machine will recognize images, decipher patterns, and interpret scenes. The devices this technology will engender will have the capacity to recognize a face; to perceive the difference between the face and a picture of the face; to observe a room, interpreting the meaning of what is visible; to examine an intersection, determining whether the walk sign is being displayed; to look down a street, estimating the time before the oncoming traffic will arrive; and to select from among the crowded imagery of a public thoroughfare those elements that are important for a pedestrian or a motorist to understand. In the beginning the technology will recognize only still images. However, later perspective, motion, and the information from the intricate pattern of light and shadow will be interpretable.
Today the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader can detect what is visible to the eye. However, in the future it will be able to discern images created with light waves outside the visible spectrum. Thus machine-based vision will be able to see in the dark. Furthermore, the range of vision will be 360 degrees. The handheld reader will have eyes in the back of its head. When these characteristics have been perfected, sighted people will want our device as much as blind people.
We will build the technology
into other machines—automobiles and airplanes--and we will be able to use our
invention with remote sensing devices such as the medical instruments employed
for exploring the internal portions of the body. Our portable machine-based
vision will enhance capacity for us and for all others in the world. It will
bring about possibilities that have never previously existed.
When I came to be a part of the National Federation of the Blind decades ago,
we proclaimed that blind people could do virtually anything that the sighted
could. Usually we listed the exceptions: drive a car or fly a plane. The time
is coming when these exceptions will no longer apply.
This is the beginning of
the revolution, but it must be understood in perspective. An essential element
of the change began more than six decades ago with the formation of the National
Federation of the Blind and the assertion that blind people can and must be
a part of the future of programming for the blind and of our society as a whole.
Part of the alteration is technological, but at least as important is the change
in attitude that alters thought and changes behavior along with it. Before the
technology can be implemented fully, there must be an acceptance that the people
who use it have the right to full participation. In other words, we have accomplished
much, but an enormous amount yet remains to be done before we shall have reached
the climax of our progress. Nevertheless, the invention of today, the Kurzweil–National
Federation of the Blind Reader, is a revolutionary advance in the integration
of the blind, and we are a part of the creation of this revolution.
Dr. Zaborowski moderated the next section of the agenda. She explained that
the Jernigan Institute has partnered with the International Association of Lions
Clubs Multiple District 22 and the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation
Center of the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, the Department of Health Policy
and Management, and the Department of Health Behavior and Society in the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to conduct a pilot project using a
video and study guide on blindness and low vision that have been specially developed.
The intent has been to educate Lions Club members about blindness and low vision
and how to more effectively help people losing vision. The program will be used
in Multiple District 22. If it is successful, we hope to offer it to clubs across
the country. Delegates then watched part of the video, which was very fine and
provides much constructive information on dealing with vision loss.
Dr. Bob Massof, professor of ophthalmology and neuroscience and director of the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center, the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, then delivered an excellent address on low vision, which was so crammed with facts and useful explanations that it will be reprinted in full in a later issue. This segment closed with a description of Lions International programs to eradicate blindness delivered by Clement Kusiak, past international president of Lions Clubs International.
The final presentation of the afternoon was a moving testimonial titled “What a Father Has Learned from His Blind Son.” The speaker was Dr. John Wai, director of medicinal chemistry at Merck & Co., Inc. It was another very personal tale of learning about blindness through helping and observing a blind child living a normal life. This was a truly high note on which to close the afternoon. When the gavel fell indicating the afternoon recess, delegates emptied the room in under three minutes so that the ballroom could be turned for the banquet which began in under two hours.
When we reassembled at seven, the first order of business was a tribute and memorial for Hazel tenBroek, the first First Lady of the Federation, who died last October. The full text of that tribute appears elsewhere in this issue. The photograph of Mrs. tenBroek that was projected on a giant screen so that it could be seen across the ballroom appears at the top of that tribute.
The title of this year’s banquet address was “An Element of Justice,” and as usual it was by turns thought-provoking, inspiring, and amusing. It appears in full elsewhere in this issue.
Following President Maurer’s
stirring address, Peggy Elliott presented thirty scholarships to the class of
2006, and Ray Kurzweil left everyone speechless when he presented each winner
with a Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader. Chris Booher of Texas
was awarded the $12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship. A full report of the scholarship
program appears elsewhere in this issue.
Two awards were presented during the banquet: distinguished service to Associated
Press, and the Jacobus tenBroek Award to Charlie Brown. A full account of these
presentations appears elsewhere in this issue. Master of ceremonies Fred Schroeder
did a masterly job of executing the agenda of the banquet. A memorable evening
concluded with a door prize of 2,006 dollars from the host affiliate, which
was won by Lucille Fair, one of the scholarship winners. It was truly a memorable
evening.
No matter how late Federationists celebrated at the after-banquet party, the navy rule was in force in the morning. The general session began spot on time. President Maurer read the financial report as the first order of business. Following the honor roll call of states and divisions, in which these organizations announced their contributions to various Federation-connected funds, Jim McCarthy, Jim Gashel, and Jesse Hartle together presented the report from Washington. In the afternoon the Convention debated and voted on twelve resolutions and listened to the final reports on the SUN and Imagination Funds and the Preauthorized Check (PAC) program.
By the time we left Dallas, the convention magic had taken hold. Never have we returned home with the entire country as aware of the National Federation of the Blind as it was this year. During the convention and in the weeks since, more than five hundred newspaper stories and better than a hundred TV reports about the Reader and passage of the Louis Braille Commemorative Coin Act have spread our name across the country. We returned home conscious of our responsibility to spread the hope implicit in the name “National Federation of the Blind.” Barriers and challenges undoubtedly await each of us, but we are united, and we understand that our philosophy and our drive are what blind people in the United States need in order to embrace life and join with us to change what it means to be blind.
by Daniel B. Frye
From the Editor: After Joanne Wilson was driven by principle to tender her resignation as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in March of 2005, she came to work as executive director for affiliate action at the National Federation of the Blind. For us this turned out to be the highly polished silver lining of the dark cloud that still casts a shadow over every disabled American. At this year’s convention the affiliate action department popped up everywhere hosting events, sponsoring seminars, and conducting new programs designed to energize affiliates and educate Federationists at every level of the organization. Dan Frye is the manager of affiliate action--advocacy and training. Here is his report on the activities organized by Joanne and her staff:
The NFB’s recently created department of affiliate action celebrated its first birthday at the 2006 national convention by offering an array of programs that shared an emphasis on person-to-person mentoring. In the NFB mentorship has long been the foundation of organizational growth and development. The wide range of programs sponsored by the department of affiliate action during the convention relied on the Federation tradition of mentorship as the overarching theme that loosely tied together this series of events.
The generous spirit of the NFB members who regularly share ideas and support one another through our organizational networks is the best measure of the heart and soul of our Federation family. Since the several department of affiliate action programs honored this spirit at this year’s convention and since our grassroots members enthusiastically embraced these events, it seemed appropriate to bundle the reports of these activities in a single article. Following is a brief profile of each department-of-affiliate-action-sponsored event:
NFB-Link
Our new online program,
NFB-Link, was launched at the 2006 national convention. This program connects
experienced NFB mentors with individuals seeking information about blindness
through a computerized system, by matching factors like careers or interests.
During the convention four NFB-Link training sessions provided prospective mentors
with further detail about the purpose and function of this exciting program.
The two-hour training sessions focused on building meaningful mentoring relationships,
using effective communication skills, and providing information for mentors
and mentees interested in signing up for the service. Betsy Zaborowski, executive
director of the Jernigan Institute, offered workshop participants a primer on
the basics of cultivating positive mentoring relationships. Rosy Carranza, staff
member, and Arielle Silverman, student intern, then followed up with logistical
information about the operations of NFB-Link.
Anyone interested in NFB-Link should visit <www.nfblink.org> to obtain further information. We are still actively soliciting interest from both mentors and mentees. Attractive NFB-Link brochures are available for use in helping us spread the word about our new program.
Spanish Seminar
Attended by over sixty Federationists, the first-ever seminar held completely in Spanish was a resounding success. The seminar began with introductions. One by one attendees introduced themselves, indicating their native country and the number of conventions that they had attended. Later, participants heard the personal stories of such Federationists as Carlos Serván and Alpidio Rolón. In true NFB spirit the afternoon was full of hope and inspiration as each speaker told of the powerful influence that the Federation has had on his or her life. Participants were urged to continue learning about the Federation and to deepen their involvement in our organization. Upon the completion of the seminar, participants were eager to interact with one another and to meet the dynamic speakers who had made the seminar memorable.
TOPS Seminar
On Monday evening of convention, participants from the first Training and Organizing People to Serve (TOPS) seminar, held during the summer of 2005, sponsored a recruitment workshop for those interested in building the movement. Presenting this workshop partially fulfilled TOPS seminar participants’ commitment to share with the broader Federation family some of what they had learned during their original seminar last summer.
Allen Harris, longtime Federation leader and director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, began the workshop by speaking about important aspects of building membership. He urged participants to build the Federation by affirming people and by helping them realize that their contributions to the organization are important and valued. Mr. Harris also emphasized the importance of being open to new strategies for outreach and maintaining an innovative spirit as we go about our work in the Federation.
Workshop participants were given a hands-on recruitment challenge. They spent sixty seconds each with a series of blind characters role-played by TOPS mentors, who impersonated the folks we frequently meet as we try to bring people into our organization. Examples of the personalities met by these aspiring Federation recruiters included the blind person who is not a joiner and the blind person who is convinced that the NFB is opposed to the use of guide dogs. Participants had the chance to test the way they would respond to these situations in order to persuade the blind person to consider joining us.
TOPS mentors then provided feedback on what strategies or approaches had proven most effective in each encounter. In general mentors agreed that it is more important to befriend the person, collecting his or her contact details, than to waste precious moments of a brief first encounter arguing the nuances of our philosophy. Workshop participants offered positive feedback about this exercise, promising to bring their new-found insights and this recruiting activity home to their local chapters.
Advocacy Seminar
The NFB’s department of affiliate action sponsored its first-ever national advocacy skills seminar on Wednesday evening, July 5, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. NFB executive director of strategic initiatives James Gashel keynoted this inaugural event, offering colorful and animated anecdotes about his experiences as an advocate. Blending humor and serious reflection, Mr. Gashel set the appropriate tone for this event, emphasizing the importance of an assertive and persevering spirit of advocacy.
Other nationally respected Federation leaders, including Betsy Zaborowski, Scott LaBarre, Ron Gardner, Greg Trapp, Norma Crosby, Carrie Gilmer, and Kristi Bowman, followed with individual and panel presentations on concrete strategies for effective advocacy and issue-specific subjects that advocates regularly encounter while working in the blindness community. The general advocacy topics surveyed during the seminar included elementary techniques for functioning as an advocate, advice on active listening and effective communicating, and an informative lecture on both common and obscure sources of advocacy support available from government and private entities. Representing blind students in the special education arena at their IEP meetings and securing appropriate services of choice through the rehabilitation system were the two featured blindness-oriented topics covered during this program.
President Maurer capped off the evening by urging the approximately one hundred members of the audience to take charge, be knowledgeable, and exercise sound judgment when representing themselves or others. While three hours is hardly enough time to address thoroughly the art of advocacy, these presentations packed a significant punch and made a real difference for seminar attendees. By all accounts this first-ever national advocacy skills seminar was well received.
Grant Writing Seminar
A seminar titled “Writing that Winning Grant” was jointly sponsored by the department of affiliate action and the Jernigan Institute, Wednesday afternoon. Focusing on strategies for developing projects that are results-oriented and would appeal to grant sources, Betsy Zaborowski, executive director of the Jernigan Institute and Joanne Wilson, executive director of affiliate action helped seminar participants think more precisely about affiliate and chapter activities as fundable projects. Leaders from our Colorado and Georgia affiliates described several of the successful grant-writing projects with which their organizations have been involved. Following the formal remarks of seminar presenters, a session of brainstorming and fruitful exchange of ideas was the order of the afternoon. Seminar participants left this information-rich session energized and better equipped to find alternative sources of funding for projects in their local communities.
Scholarship Alumni Program
The Scholarship Alumni Program (SAP) was established with the support of the department of affiliate action at our 2006 national convention. This initiative pairs each of our thirty scholarship winners with a previous NFB scholarship recipient in an informal mentoring relationship throughout convention week. More important, though, is the fact that these mentoring matches will continue during the coming year. Mentors and mentees will maintain regular contact (usually monthly) by telephone, by email, or in person. The program is designed to help new scholarship winners gain a deeper understanding of the policies and programs of the Federation and to encourage their continued active involvement with our organization. Funds have been allocated to assist promising scholarship winners to attend our Washington Seminar and the following national convention. We hope that this program will enable the NFB to retain more of the pool of talented scholarship winners as active members of the organization. SAP mentors are distinct from the mentors assigned by the Scholarship Committee to work with and select winners during convention week. The SAP is a supplemental program to enhance the hard and effective work undertaken by our Scholarship Committee.
On two designated occasions during convention week (Monday evening and Wednesday for lunch) this year’s scholarship winners joined their SAP mentors in the Affiliate Action Suite to receive an orientation to the program and become better acquainted with one another. All indications are that this new program is off to a good start and that all of us will be the long-term beneficiaries of this membership-building effort.
Affiliate Presidents Gathering
Joanne Wilson invited all affiliate presidents to assemble in the affiliate action suite for a briefing on current organizational affairs. This forum also enabled state leaders to share a wide variety of membership-development ideas with one another and served as a reunion for the affiliate presidents who met together at the National Center in Baltimore last February.
Parent Leadership Program
In conjunction with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) the department of affiliate action hosted two sessions in its much-used suite for the eighteen sets of parents of blind children who were funded to attend the 2006 NFB national convention. In exchange for assistance to attend our convention, these parents committed to building and strengthening the NOPBC divisions in their states. The two sessions concentrated on membership development, organization-building, and mentoring. Follow-up conference calls focusing on these and other strategies for organizational development with these eighteen sets of parents will take place throughout the coming year. Strengthening of our parent organizations in our state affiliates will directly benefit blind children across the country and will immeasurably benefit our state organizations as well. Parents of blind children joining with blind adults to accomplish the work of the Federation will prove a formidable alliance indeed.
Finally, staff and interns with the department of affiliate action were on hand to greet members of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) and first-time convention attendees. On different occasions during the week, representatives from both NABS and convention rookies met to socialize and plan in the affiliate action suite. It was useful to have the suite to facilitate impromptu gatherings that provided and will promote constructive results.
The department of affiliate action’s mission to deepen the involvement of our existing membership, build our organization, and add a new dimension of animated spirit to the Federation went a long way toward being achieved during the 2006 convention. Many convention delegates spoke in glowing terms of the several department-of-affiliate-action-sponsored programs that added to their convention experience. The bar has been set high for next year’s national convention. Plan to join us in Atlanta. The organizational flame that inspires change and progress--our motivation, commitment, and resolve to build our Federation--has only just begun to burn.
by Marc Maurer
During the past year the National Federation of the Blind has continued to conduct the activities that have made us the organized blind movement, but we have also initiated new ones. Though our purpose has not changed, our method of implementing that purpose has shifted, grown, acquired additional definition.
Our fundamental being as an organization is the representative voice of the blind of the nation. We are the blind from all areas of the country, from all walks of life, from every political perspective, from every aspect of the social fabric--blind students, blind employees of governmental and private agencies, newly blinded individuals, parents of blind children, blind people who have acquired the skills associated with blindness, blind people seeking rehabilitation, blind people who have not yet heard that rehabilitation exists, blind people in the professions and common callings, and blind people who are without employment. We are the blind, and we have come together to create opportunity, to make possibilities come true. We are the National Federation of the Blind.
One of our members came to the organization in the state of Utah and served as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah. She then moved to Maryland, where she worked at the National Center for the Blind. She subsequently worked for the federal government and then became the first person to serve as secretary of the Maryland Department of Disability. Last Wednesday the governor of Maryland announced that she would be standing for election as lieutenant governor on his ticket. She is a blind person and a member of the National Federation of the Blind. The experience of Kristin Cox shows just how far we have come. It indicates that we are recognized as an important element by major political parties.
Last spring the NBC program Three Wishes called the National Center for the Blind to inquire about what could be done to help a blind person who was being featured. The Three Wishes program has as its premise the proposition that laudable but seemingly unattainable desires should be granted. The husband of a blind woman wanted to grant his wife’s wish that she become sufficiently independent to take her child to the park. NBC decided to help, and they asked us how to achieve this seemingly unattainable feat. The program appeared on November 4, 2006, depicting the work of the National Federation of the Blind in teaching blindness skills and independence. Our members, Ron Gardner, Nick Schmittroth, Karl Smith, and Rebekah Jakeman, were shown on national television. The work of Joanne Wilson, executive director for affiliate action, was evident in the program although Joanne was not featured. Blindness need not mean dependence and tragedy. This message was broadcast to the nation. There will be a full report of the work to create this program later during this convention.
Another well-known national television program, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, sought our advice. In this case, Joe Ruffalo, the president of the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey, coordinated the effort. The concept for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is that a home of a deserving family is bulldozed and rebuilt in less than a week so that the family in question has a new opportunity for a full life. The program will be shown later this month. Precisely what depiction will occur is yet to be known, but Joe Ruffalo, working with our members in New Jersey and at the National Center for the Blind, urged that the technology involved in this home be usable by its blind inhabitants. Among the technologies filmed for the program were products such as HumanWare’s BrailleNote and the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader.
Beginning last year, we have established a program to promote a blind-friendly automated home technology display. Can the blind manipulate security systems, heating and lighting apparatus, the vast array of home electronics technologies, and the increasingly complex interfaces of home appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers, or other products? A few years ago this question would have been ridiculous. Almost anybody could operate a stove, a refrigerator, or the thermostat on a furnace. However, the technology being produced today very often incorporates a visual display for the simplest products, and virtually no access technology is being built into such displays. We are promoting joint programs with major manufacturers such as Whirlpool and others to create accessibility in home-based products, and what we have learned in our research concerning the automated home was part of the message presented to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition program.
We are undertaking this year a substantially increased effort in public relations. In the past television and radio stations were required to carry public service announcements about the work of nonprofit organizations in the community. However, this requirement was removed by the Federal Communications Commission a good many years ago. Some stations have continued to carry public service messages, but the number with this commitment is diminishing, and the amount of donated radio and television time that we receive has decreased. However, the message of the National Federation of the Blind and the information about the work we do is of such dramatic importance that we must bring it to the attention of the public.
If blindness were properly understood, many of the problems associated with it would disappear. Consequently, bringing our message to the public is an essential part of our program. We have designated a member of our staff, John Paré, to concentrate his effort this year on public relations, and we have secured the services of one of the best known public relations firms in the nation, Fleishman-Hillard. We will be conducting public relations events at the National Center for the Blind, but we will also be promoting our work in our state affiliates, in our training centers, and in events conducted by our chapters and divisions throughout the nation.
Among the partnerships we have formed is one sponsored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to design the digital Talking Book machine of the future. The lead contractor in this effort is Battelle. VisuAide, a Canadian company that produced the Victor Reader and other products, which merged with Pulse Data of New Zealand to form HumanWare, is another partner. The National Federation of the Blind is responsible for user testing.
I traveled with my wife Patricia Maurer, Mary Ellen Jernigan, and Jessica Thompson to New Zealand to meet with HumanWare officials. The former president of HumanWare, Russell Smith, who spoke to our convention last summer, had died in a tragic accident. I wanted to meet with senior personnel at the HumanWare company to gain an understanding of future prospects and to determine the possibilities that seemed practical for our partnership in the months and years to come. I am pleased to say that the digital Talking Book project appears to be on track, that exciting prospects will be discussed for the future of this project at this convention, and that technologies which have not previously been contemplated appear to be practical outcomes of the work that we have jointly done.
Two years ago we initiated
the Imagination Fund, a program designed to raise money by calling upon members
of the Federation to seek donations. The money is used to support initiatives
at the national level as well as through our state affiliates and divisions.
States or divisions with programs that could not readily be conducted without
additional funding may apply for Imagination Fund grants.
Shortly before last summer’s convention we received a request to support a program
designed to encourage the blind to explore nature--forests, streams, rock formations,
and the like--at Camp Eureka in Montana. In support of this first camping experience
for many blind people, Mark Riccobono, our director of education, attended a
portion of the camp. Our state president in Montana, Dan Burke, and other members
of our affiliate served as members of the faculty, and Camp Eureka was a tremendous
success. More than thirty-five other programs supported with Imagination Fund
grants have occurred throughout the nation.
The National Federation of the Blind continues to be a member of the World Blind Union, and I serve as vice president of the North America/Caribbean Region. During March we hosted at the National Center for the Blind a meeting of the executive committee of the world organization along with meetings of a number of other committees and working groups. Representatives from outside the United States attended from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, El Salvador, Fiji, France, India, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
“What Is a National Federation of the Blind Center?” was the topic of a discussion held this spring at the National Center for the Blind. As our influence in the field of blindness increases and as rehabilitation programs adopt some of the methods employed by centers directed by the National Federation of the Blind, some may argue that there will be a blurring of the distinction which has been clear about what it means to be a National Federation of the Blind center. The answer to this question has not been definitively settled. Presentations regarding this topic will be made at this convention, and a continuing dialogue will undoubtedly occur.
Throughout the past year our affiliate action department, led by Joanne Wilson, has been working diligently to initiate activities to change what it means to be blind. Over two hundred and fifty Federationists from every affiliate attended seminars including the presidents’ seminar--a gathering of state presidents from our affiliates, the TOPS seminar (Training and Organizing our People to Serve), three grant-writing seminars, the Northeast leadership seminar, and the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader ambassadors’ seminar.
Since the founding of the Federation in 1940, blind people have been mentoring each other. Sometimes the mentoring activities have been formal--sometimes not. In an effort to expand this activity, our Affiliate Action Department has developed mentoring programs including NFB-LINK, an Internet-based system that pairs experienced Federationists with other individuals seeking information about blindness; a parent leadership mentoring group, which has brought parents from eighteen families to this convention who will serve as leaders for parents throughout the nation; a scholarship alumni program, an ongoing activity to encourage former scholarship recipients to serve as a network for information and support at state and national conventions; and a veterans’ mentoring initiative, which pairs blinded veterans who are active in the community with newly blinded veterans and their families.
Through our affiliate action department, we have initiated a rehabilitation training program to promote the commonsense ideals and principles of the National Federation of the Blind relating to rehabilitation of blind people. We have developed distinct training opportunities for both residential rehabilitation training centers and vocational rehabilitation counselors and administrators. The training program began in Florida and is presently being expanded to a number of other states. The positive influence of the Federation in rehabilitation services will continue to grow through this new initiative.
Voice of the Diabetic is the publication of the National Federation of the Blind produced through our Diabetes Action Network. Diabetes causes more new blindness in the United States each year than any other condition. GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second largest pharmaceutical company, after a search of the literature on diabetes, found Voice of the Diabetic the world's only publication devoted to managing blindness, diabetes, and its complications.
Glaxo has invited the Federation to collaborate in offering support and advice to those at risk from diabetes. With this in mind we will be expanding and reorganizing the Voice of the Diabetic. This publication, which is now circulated to more than 350,000 individuals each quarter, has been in the process of acquiring a more dynamic appearance during the past year. Further development will take place during the next few months, with the objective that the Voice of the Diabetic becomes the most well-recognized publication dealing with diabetes in the United States.
In the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, led by Betsy Zaborowski, we are now developing the National Center for Blind Youth in Science to make science, technology, engineering, and math (the STEM curriculum) real options for blind youth. This is a center for innovation in education and a clearinghouse for information for parents, teachers, and researchers. With the help of NASA, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, IBM, and the National Science Foundation, we are launching at this convention the new National Center for Blind Youth in Science Web Portal, a Web site dedicated to the teaching of science to the blind.
NASA, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, IBM, and the National Science Foundation are also assisting us with our Science Academy for blind youth, our program of Excellence through Challenging Exploration and Leadership (EXCEL), and collaborations with educators and technology developers regarding accessible artificial intelligence tutoring software.
The Science Academy, which was initiated in 2004, continues to offer classes in biology, earth science, meteorology, and other disciplines for middle school students and classes in physics, electronics, navigation, and related matters to high school students with the culmination of the program being the launch of a sounding rocket from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. The EXCEL program provides internships for blind youth at NASA facilities which expose these students to working scientists and Federation philosophy. Last year interns were placed at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. This summer interns will also be included among the personnel at the Houston Space Flight Center in Texas.
In late 2004 the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped approached the Federation about managing the administration of the National Literary Braille Competency Test. In 2005 we began the revitalization of the test development effort by calling together representatives from many organizations in the blindness field. Earlier this year we met the ambitious timeline set by the committee to implement the pilot test in three examination sites: Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and California. Fifty people completed the pilot test. This fall we expect the full implementation of the National Literary Braille Competency Test.
We have formed a partnership with the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University and Multiple District 22 of the International Association of Lions Clubs to develop a new Lions Education Program on Blindness and Low Vision. With a proper understanding of blindness many of the problems associated with it would be eliminated. Consequently, this public education program is among the most important that we conduct. A full presentation of this program will occur later during this convention.
The International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC) is a comprehensive evaluation, demonstration, and training center for accessible blindness technology. This year we have acquired in the IBTC the following products: ZoomText Magnification software with speech; Book Port; a Sherlock Talking Label Identifier; a Dot and Print Braille embosser and print printer, a Visionary Pocket PC; an Owasys 22C accessible cell phone; a Sales-Talk accessible point of sale terminal; several BrailleNotes with associated software and hardware; Pocket Hal PDA screen access software; a Canon Talking Business Calculator; a single line telephone simulator for the deaf-blind; several PAC Mate upgrades with associated software and hardware; a FacetToFace™ deaf-blind communication solution for the PAC Mate; an FSReader for a desktop computer and the PAC Mate; an FSTTY for the deaf-blind; Braille Sense for notetakers; Window-Eyes upgrades; Small Talk Ultra computers; Virtual Pencil Arithmetic and Algebra software programs; Victor Reader Wave; a Trekker Bluetooth GPS Maestro; an omnidirectional handheld scanner for the PAC Mate; a Dragon voice recognition software program; a J-Say Pro plug-in software interface; a VX1 Parrott TalkPro USB microphone; a MedivoxRx Talking Prescription Bottle pharmacy kit; a Jot a Dot portable Braille writer; Mobile Speak accessible cell phone software; a reference XM Satellite Radio home tuner; an Aesop: The Talking Keyboard; a TVI Colibri splitscreen low vision CCTV; a BookCourier portable MP3 player; a Talking Tactile Tablet; a National Geographic Talking Tactile Atlas of the World; a Triumphonic Mobile PDA; a Tiger Software Suite upgrade; a Pico Portable Video Magnifier; math and algebra Windows basic programs; and a King James Solar Powered Talking Bible.
We have responded to more than 2,500 telephone calls and more than 4,000 emails about technology this year. In our Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification Program we offer companies and governmental agencies certification if their Web sites are usable by the blind. Web sites certified in this program include the General Electric Company, Merck & Co., Inc., Hewlett Packard, Legal Sea Foods, and the eminent Baltimore law firm Brown, Goldstein, and Levy.
With generous help from our technology partners: Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Freedom Scientific, and HumanWare Group, the first fully accessible technology training laboratory has been established as part of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. In this facility we will train blind individuals, educators, rehabilitation providers, and technologists on a full range of access technology. The Adobe company has approved a grant to fund the first access technology training seminar for college engineering and computer science students.
For the third year we have
received funding to support our National Center for Voting Accessibility. As
a result of the work of the National Federation of the Blind, the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA), adopted in 2002, declares that every precinct shall have the
capacity to provide a secret ballot to the blind by 2006. Our HAVA project educates
voting officials and others about accessible electronic voting technology. We
want the capacity to cast our ballots in privacy. It is practical, it is fair,
and it is required by law.
Now, at the 2006 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, comes the
time for the gestalt shift, the paradigm alteration. The change did not occur
in an instant. One major precursor was the establishment of the International
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. A second indicator of redefinement
was the creation of NFB-NEWSLINE®. However, the confirmation of the transformation
becomes evident at this gathering of the blind.
The first handheld, portable reading machine for the blind has been developed through a partnership between Kurzweil Technologies, Inc., and the National Federation of the Blind, making print accessible with the press of a button and the flash of a camera. The handheld reader uses a digital camera and specially designed optical character recognition technology running on a PDA to produce synthetic speech from printed text. Since this reader is battery-operated, easy to use, and very portable, this revolutionary technology will make an extraordinary amount of information available to all who cannot read ordinary print. Furthermore, it will provide such information with complete privacy, a characteristic rarely known to the blind.
Although the handheld reading machine today is a device that reads print, it is the beginning of a kind of technology that will build visual access to information into portable devices usable by the blind. This is one of the elements of the revolution. The second part of the alteration of the pattern of our lives is that we have been an essential part of the process of bringing this device into being. It is the fulfillment of a promise we made to ourselves--If we need it, we will build it. We will change programs, we will modify understanding, and, if necessary, we will alter technology as well. This is the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader. This is the determination of the National Federation of the Blind.
Our National Center for Mentoring Excellence continues in its second year with support from the Rehabilitation Services Administration. Beginning with trainees in Nebraska and Louisiana, this transition program for youth aged sixteen through twenty-six will be expanded to four additional states in 2007.
Other activities in our National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute included a career day for over fifty blind youth, parents of blind children, and teachers of the blind and our fourth annual Possibilities Fair for seniors. This event sponsored by Kaiser Permanente brought over four hundred older Americans to the National Center for the Blind to learn about nonvisual techniques and access equipment. We have also been the hosts for the meeting of the Braille Authority of North America, the body designated with the responsibility of determining the nature of the Braille code. We sponsored a Wayfinding Conference to bring together all of the experts in the field of blindness who have studied methods of travel for blind people. We held our annual Celebration, that event which brings together public officials, community leaders, and members of the blind community to celebrate the progress of the blind and to imagine the work we are contemplating for the years ahead.
The Jacobus tenBroek Library,
named for the founder and first president of the National Federation of the
Blind, has been established to provide the most extensive information resource
on blindness that exists anywhere. We have furnished the library and have begun
to fill the shelves. Soon after convention we will be moving displays of aids,
appliances, and literature to the tenBroek Library. These items and many other
resources will be offered to the public through the Independence Market located
at the tenBroek Library.
A vital part of our collection is Dr. tenBroek’s writings along with the background
materials and notes he used to create them. For the first time this extensive
collection is being sorted and organized so that researchers can examine in
greater depth the extraordinary mind and magnificent work of our founder.
We have been working to pass the Louis Braille Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act in Congress. This bill will provide more resources and public recognition to promote Braille literacy than anything else that has ever been done anywhere in the world. Recognizing the two-hundredth anniversary of Louis Braille's birth with a unique commemorative coin is a fitting tribute to Louis Braille, but it also signifies the growing power of our movement. Consider what we have done. The House bill, H.R. 2872, was introduced on June 13, 2005; it passed the House on February 28, 2006, with 309 cosponsors. The Senate bill, S. 2321, was introduced on February 17, 2006; it reached the stage for final passage in the Senate in late June with more than seventy cosponsors, and it passed the Senate on the twenty-ninth with that number plus. This is an accomplishment of outstanding proportions for any organization working on behalf of any cause. In the National Federation of the Blind we care about the ability to read and write both for the blind of the present generation and for those who come after us. Let the record proclaim who it is that supports Braille literacy. We do it--we who are the collective voice of the blind of the nation, the National Federation of the Blind.
This year we have worked with the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind and others to develop a bill calling for expansion of business and employment opportunities for the blind based on the Randolph-Sheppard Act. On October 20, 2005, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on the Randolph-Sheppard Program and the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program. The report from this Senate hearing said that both programs are inadequate because they provide too few employment opportunities and there are substantial inequities in the way they are conducted. Inasmuch as the Randolph-Sheppard Program has created business opportunities for a very substantial number of blind people that would not exist without it, the Senate committee’s report is inaccurate and unnecessarily critical of the Randolph-Sheppard Program. Furthermore, NISH (formerly National Industries for the Severely Handicapped) has wanted Randolph-Sheppard vending sites for itself because lucrative opportunities to support nondisabled managers exist, and NISH wants the money.
Our response is a bill designed to strengthen the existing Randolph-Sheppard Program and build upon its success to make additional jobs possible for blind people. This legislation has been presented to the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Senate committee.
The NFB-NEWSLINE® program continues to grow with forty states on the network including Idaho, Georgia, and Indiana. Ninety-two percent of the population of the United States has access to the 225 newspapers provided through the program including recent acquisitions: the Oregonian, the Indianapolis Star, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and the Dallas Morning News. Four Spanish-language newspapers and four magazines are available. Recently acquired is the entire content of the Associated Press News Service including news for each state and national and international news updated hourly. The Associated Press is the largest news service in the world. NFB-NEWSLINE® has over 51,000 registered users and provides to them 2.1 million minutes of news per month. Later this summer, television listings will be put onto NFB-NEWSLINE®.
We have also pursued a number of legal cases this year. Although we did not manage the legal work directly, we were involved in the Chris Boone case. When Chris Boone was fired as the director of programs for the blind in Pennsylvania because of blindness, we came to her assistance. Fred Schroeder (a member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind, a research professor at San Diego State University, and former commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration) and Allen Harris, former treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind and current director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, testified on her behalf in court. Jim Antonacci, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania, spoke with public officials, members of the legislature, and representatives of the press. The assistance paid off. Chris Boone won her discrimination suit. It is not surprising that the decision of the court is now being appealed. I believe strongly that Chris Boone will be vindicated and that the judgment she has received will be enforced. The Boone case is notable because, although discrimination against the blind is reprehensible and although it is a violation of the law, few substantial judgments have ever been granted based strictly on blindness discrimination. In this case the jury awarded Chris Boone $3,355,000.
In South Carolina the Commission
for the Blind, then under the directorship of Nell Carney, was seeking to impose
upon blind vendors a set-aside which violated the policies of the Department
of Education and probably other legal principles as well. When this effort failed,
the South Carolina Commission for the Blind agreed with members of the legislature
that an act should be adopted in South Carolina imposing the set-aside by statute.
During the period when this legislation was being considered by the South Carolina
Senate, the National Federation of the Blind was asked to provide an opinion
about the set-aside bill. I indicated that the statutory provisions were not
in accordance with federal law, but certain members of the Senate in South Carolina
seemed to think that this was irrelevant.
When this piece of legislation was adopted, the National Federation of the Blind
of South Carolina moved into battle array. Blind vendors with our advice and
support sued the legislature. In the turmoil that followed many arguments were
propounded, but when the dust settled, the blind vendors and the National Federation
of the Blind of South Carolina had won. The set-aside was eliminated--one might
say it was set aside. The legislature may not adopt a policy (even one supported
by a misguided director of a commission for the blind) that is in violation
of federal law and policy.
Last year I reported to you that on June 30 the County Council of Volusia County, Florida, voted not to install accessible voting machines and that the Federation filed suit to secure our right to an independent secret ballot. We lost in the trial court, but at the argument in the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, we got the right to cast an independent ballot. Volusia County has agreed to install accessible voting machines, and we are being reimbursed for part of the attorney’s fees.
W e continue the court battle with Cardtronics, the largest non-bank deployer of ATMs in the United States. This February the court ruled that ATMs are facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and that they must be usable independently by the blind. However, Cardtronics continues to ignore the court rulings, behaving as if we will lose heart if they just pretend that the law does not exist. The lawyer for Cardtronics, who has sometimes behaved in a way that can only be described as reprehensible, is a very slow learner. If he believes we will lose heart or diminish in our determination or fail in our faith or change our intention of becoming an equal part of society, he has lost his mind. We intend to see that the law is obeyed. We intend to assure that blind people have access to the same commerce available to everybody else. We intend to see that Cardtronics pays for the litigation. It may be that the lawyer for Cardtronics has no capacity to learn, but the other leaders of the Cardtronics corporation will discover that they cannot avoid the lessons we intend to teach. This too is the meaning of the National Federation of the Blind.
While Mary Jo Thorpe was completing her master’s of education degree at Louisiana Tech University with a concentration in teaching blind students, she contacted the Utah School for the Deaf and the Blind to say that she would be interested in any vacancies that might come open. Impressed by her credentials, but unaware that she is blind, the school contacted her about an opening for an early intervention specialist with blind or deaf-blind infants and toddlers. At her interview school personnel discovered that Mary Jo Thorpe is blind. They peppered her with questions about what alternative techniques she would use. To each question she answered with a number of alternatives. After waiting for some time to learn what decision school officials had made, Mary Jo Thorpe called the school. She learned that she was denied a teaching job because she is blind. The Utah School for the Deaf and the Blind needs some education about what it means to be blind. We have filed suit on Mary Jo Thorpe’s behalf to teach them what they need to know. The course will be known as Education by Lawsuit.
In Pennsylvania a grocery store, Acme Markets, employed a blind person to work near the checkout counter. When a customer tripped over the blind person’s white cane, the customer filed suit on the theory that it is negligence for a retailer to allow blind employees to travel in the public areas of the store unaccompanied or that it is negligence for the store to have a blind employee unaccompanied on the premises unless it posts signs warning the customers of the potential danger. I find it difficult to imagine what the signs would say. Should they contain the message “Warning, dangerous blind employee loose in store!”?
A Pennsylvania jury found in favor of the customer. The National Federation of the Blind, working with our Pennsylvania affiliate, helped convince the judge to reverse the verdict. However, the customer has appealed the decision. We have filed an amicus curiae brief opposing the illogical arguments of the customer. If these arguments were to prevail, judicial decisions in Pennsylvania would stand for the proposition that unaccompanied blind people are a danger to the community. This decision would reverse the public policy established by the White Cane Law and other nondiscrimination legislation. Consequently the customer’s argument must not be permitted to prevail.
The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation took the position many years ago that merit scholarships offered to blind students would decrease the amount of rehabilitation funding to pay for the education of the recipients. The National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania asked that this decision be reversed, pointing out that it was contrary to definitively stated federal policy, but rehabilitation personnel declined. Serving as the president of the National Federation of the Blind, I asked the Rehabilitation Services Administration for an opinion about the legality of the policy of the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. That opinion declared that the Pennsylvania policy was contrary to federal law. However, Pennsylvania officials ignored the ruling. When Lynn Heitz received a scholarship from the National Federation of the Blind, the funding to support her education was reduced, and she filed a complaint. After years of argument the arbitration decision has now been issued. Lynn Heitz won. Rehabilitation officials have been ordered to change their policy.
In conjunction with the Federation’s Merchants Division, ably led by Kevan Worley, we have developed a prototype agreement whereby Randolph-Sheppard vendors may team with Dunkin’ Donuts in Randolph-Sheppard facilities. Several blind vendors across the country are planning to offer Dunkin’ Donuts to their customers using this agreement. One of the first is a vendor in the District of Columbia, who was told by the District’s legal counsel that the teaming arrangement was illegal. We successfully challenged this opinion, and the first Dunkin’ Donuts Randolph-Sheppard partnership in the District is now scheduled to open for business on November 1.
In 2004 I reported to you that we had brought suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana against DaimlerChrysler on behalf of Lee Martin. Before becoming blind in 1999, he worked as a foundry technician at the DaimlerChrysler plant, where he helped to manufacture engine blocks. He had a great work record, and he served as a safety coordinator for his department. When Lee Martin became blind, he obtained training in blindness skills, and he attempted to return to work, but DaimlerChrysler said it was too dangerous. Not only did Daimler say that Lee Martin’s working in the plant would be too dangerous, company officials would not even let him tour the plant to show what he could do. After long argument Lee Martin entered the foundry and performed one of the jobs there effectively and safely--a performance we were able to capture on videotape.
The case went to trial in February. The jury saw the videotape of Lee Martin working at DaimlerChrysler. When three jurors became ill, a mistrial was declared, and the action was rescheduled for later in the spring. Apparently DaimlerChrysler did not want to appear before another jury. Lee Martin received a settlement which DaimlerChrysler insists be secret. However, let it be known that it pays to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind.
Last year I reported that Lynda Waring, who had worked at the Deaconess Medical Center Daycare facility for ten years and who received steady promotions during that time, was dismissed from employment because she is blind. The Deaconess Medical Center said they liked her work, but they were prohibited from counting her in their ratio of children to adults because of blindness, and they fired her. The Washington Department for Social and Health Services said that blind people were unsafe in daycare centers and issued the ruling prohibiting counting blind employees in the ratio.
I am happy to say that the complaint we filed has been settled. Although some of the provisions of the settlement are confidential, Lynda Waring has received more money than she would have earned. Furthermore, the Washington Department for Social and Health Services has agreed to change its policy so that blind daycare workers will not be dismissed because of blindness.
One measure of our growth is the size and complexity of the structures at the National Center for the Blind. Our buildings contain well over 350,000 feet of floor space. At the National Center for the Blind we conduct hundreds of meetings, conferences, gatherings, and classes each year.
We have planted beautiful
new landscaping on the south and west sides of our property. Incorporated within
this area is a dog relief station designed in consultation with the National
Association of Guide Dog Users, a division of the National Federation of the
Blind.
In our original building we painted our kitchen floor using a new epoxy coating.
On the third floor of the Johnson Wing we completed a 1,600-square-foot living
space. As we have an increasingly active calendar of events with an increasing
number of people staying at the National Center for the Blind, we are preparing
space in our building that can be occupied permanently so that we will have
people on hand to deal with emergencies.
We replaced much of the
second floor Plexiglas glazing, air conditioning components, and hot water heaters.
We have installed an additional layer of glass along with insulation in my office
to provide a quiet work environment. We have placed a new reception desk in
the atrium custom-built to match the dimensions of this space. On the deck outside
the conference center we have installed a stainless steel grill hood with a
chimney to permit the use of charcoal grills. In our tenBroek Library we have
reconfigured the lighting, built a bulkhead to divide the reception area from
the bookshelves, and added a library desk for meeting researchers and visitors.
Although we took possession of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute in 2004, we have discovered that some