Future Reflections
The National Federation of the Blind Magazine for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children
Vol. 22, No. 4 Convention Report 2003
Barbara Cheadle, Editor
[PHOTO/CAPTION: NFB President Maurer sits on the floor for a chat with the children, blind and sighted, prior to the convening of the 2003 NOPBC Parents Seminar. You can be sure he will be asked to do a repeat performance at the 2004 NFB Convention which will take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 29- July 5. The NOPBC events will begin on Tuesday, June 29. It will be a week full of informative (and fun) program items for parents, teachers, and kids. Join us!]
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ISSN 0883-3419
Future Reflections
The National Federation of the Blind Magazine for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children
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Contents
Vol. 22, No. 4 Convention Report 2003
NFB 2004 Convention
The New and the Tried and True: Report on Parent
Activities at the 2003 Convention
The Essence of Education is Repetition
by Peggy Elliott
Transitions—Reflections of a Blind College Student
by Ryan Strunk
Hannah Joins the 4-H Club
by Jill Weatherd
Blind Youths Expand Horizons
Convention Offers Astronomy Lessons, Babysitting Class
by Nancy C. Rodriguez
Alabama Seminar for Parents, Teachers, and Children
Reaching Out for New Opportunities
The 2004 NFB Summer Science Experience
by Mark A. Riccobono
NFB Coordinator of Educational Programs
Braille Readers Are Leaders Celebrates Twenty Years of Success
Free Braille Books Program
The Most Important Transition of All
by Serena Cucco
The Hardest Little Thing I’ve Ever Done
by Ellen Bartlett, Kallie Smith, Anna Schuck,
Christopher Dahmke, and Chris Micelli
Resources and Training Materials for Parents and
Teachers of Visually Impaired Children with Additional Disabilities
by Linda Zani Thomas
The Many Roles that Braille Plays in My Life
by Sheila Amato
2003 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children
Getting the Words Down in Braille
by Bill Kaufman
Movers and Shakers
Biographies of NOPBC Parent Leaders
NFB Scholarship Class of 2003
Georgia on My Mind
by Anil Lewis
Slate Pals
For more information about blindness and children contact
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230-4998
(410) 659-9314, ext. 360
www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm * nfb@nfb.org * bcheadle@nfb.org
Copyright © 2003 National Federation of the Blind
NFB 2004 Convention
BACKGROUND
The 2004 convention will be the largest meeting of the blind (or of persons with any disabilities) to be held anywhere in the world in the year 2004. The convention is the supreme authority and policy-making body of the National Federation of the Blind and voice of the nation’s blind. Resolutions and policy statements will be considered in plenary sessions throughout the week. Decisions in the Federation are made by the blind themselves. NFB’s elected leaders at all levels (local, state, and national) are blind, as is the vast majority of the membership. NFB is thus the collective voice of the nation’s blind.
PLACE: The Atlanta Marriott Marquis
DATES: June 29 through July 5, 2004
Pre-convention seminars for parents of blind children and other groups—June 29, 2004
Division and national committee meetings—June 30 through July 1, 2004
Plenary sessions—July 2 through July 5, 2004
MEETINGS
Plenary sessions will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis beginning on Friday, July 2, and continuing through Monday, July 5. During these sessions, all attendees assemble in state delegations much like a political convention. About three thousand five hundred people, most of them blind, are expected to attend. About two hundred parents, blind children, and other family members will be there, too. All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be represented. Many visitors from other nations will also be present.
PROGRAM
NFB conventions give government representatives, agency administrators, and leaders in politics, business, and industry the opportunity to address and respond to a large nationwide audience composed primarily of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The topics of interest include: relevant civil rights issues; current issues and trends in the education of blind children; rehabilitation of the blind for competitive employment; the operation of vending facilities by blind persons on public property; specialized library services for the blind; Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs; advancements in technology; the organization and funding of federal programs; and other timely topics.
Legislative proposals, new laws, administrative policy, and program changes are all considered during the convention.
BANQUET
The convention includes a large, well-attended banquet to be held in the Grand
Ballroom at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis beginning at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, July 4. The program for the evening will feature an address by NFB President, Marc Maurer. The banquet program will also include the presentation of over $100,000 in scholarships to thirty outstanding blind students. Banquet tickets may be purchased at convention registration.
CHILD CARE
During convention week children between the ages of six weeks and twelve years are invited to join in the fun and festivities of NFB Camp. NFB Camp offers more than just childcare; it is an opportunity for our blind and sighted children to meet and develop lifelong friendships. Our activity schedule is filled with games, crafts, and special performances designed to entertain, educate, and delight. Preregistration is required. For more information about fees, hours, etc., contact Carla McQuillan, NFB Camp Coordinator, 5005 Main Street, Springfield, Oregon 97478.
Telephone (541) 726-6924.
REGISTRATION
The registration fee is $15, and convention registration will open on Wednesday, June 30, at 9:00 a.m. Please note that the various NFB divisions and committees may charge additional fees for the seminars, workshops, receptions, and other related activities which they sponsor before and after the convention plenary sessions. These workshop or seminar fees should not be confused with the convention registration fee.
HOTEL RATES
Singles and doubles: $59
Triples and quads: $65
Tax: 14 percent
No charge for children fifteen and under
The Atlanta Marriott Marquis will accept reservations after January 1, 2004. Send your reservation request to Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, or call (404) 521-0000. The hotel will want a deposit of $60 or a credit card number. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately, just as would be the case with a $60 check. If a reservation is cancelled prior to June 1, 2004, $30 of the $60 deposit will be returned. Otherwise, refunds will not be made. You may also go to the NFB Web site at <www.nfb.org> and click on the hotel image for more information about the hotel.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about meetings, schedules, hotel, etc., contact the National Federation of the Blind office at 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, telephone (410) 659-9314, fax (410) 685-5653, and email <nfb@nfb.org>. Information is also available on the NFB Web site at <www.nfb.org> and in upcoming issues of the Braille Monitor.
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[PHOTO/CAPTIONS: Twelve teens sit poised with notetakers, Braillewriters, and/or slates to begin the NOPBC-sponsored “I Want to be a Writer” workshop. Conducted by three blind women—Debbie Kent Stein, a successful author of books for youth; Sheila Koenig, a middle school English teacher; and Robin House, a high school counselor—the workshop had a dual purpose: to introduce teens to writing techniques and strategies used by professional writers, and to give them an opportunity to interact with accomplished blind role models.
CAPTION: The Discovery Toys exhibit at the convention is a big hit. In this photo,
Ariana Heath and her grandmother, Anita Heath, try out one of the toys.
CAPTION: Kerri Regan and Megan Kelly of New York are delighted with their selections at the Braille book flea market event.
CAPTION: John Jell, national sales manager for the Nestlé Company; Dan Roach, Nestlé vending business manager; Barbara Cheadle, president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children; and Kevan Worley, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, stand together holding a large check replica of the $5,000 donation Nestlé made to support the Braille Readers Are Leaders literacy program.]
The New and the Tried and True:
Report on Parent Activities at the 2003 Convention
Editor’s Note: For a full report of the 2003 convention, please see the report from the August/September 2003, Braille Monitor. Print, tape, and Braille copies may be ordered from the NFB Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998; (410) 659-9314. The issue can also be viewed on the NFB Web site at <www.nfb.org>.
The 2003 National Federation of the Blind Convention was a wonderful blend of the new and the tried-and-true. To begin with, we returned to the familiar, gracious atmosphere of the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, site of the 2002 convention. Even families attending the convention for the first time found it easy to locate meeting rooms and kid-friendly restaurants; all they had to do was follow the crowd or ask their Federation neighbors for directions or tips.
Activities sponsored at the convention by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), included the typical program: a full-day seminar for parents of blind children—a tradition of twenty plus years; the fifth annual Kenneth Jernigan Braille Carnival for children; Family Hospitality night; the Cane Walk; the annual IEP workshop; specialized workshops for parents; the annual NOPBC division meeting; and the many—now-routine—activities for teens: the get-acquainted party, the teen hospitality room, and blind teen discussion groups. Adding an exciting new element to this familiar line-up, the NOPBC joined with the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille to sponsor the Twentieth Anniversary Celebration of the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest and, in conjunction with the celebration, the first Annual Braille Book Flea Market (see the photo report elsewhere in this issue). Also new this year were the astronomy workshops for kids conducted by astronomers Bernhard Beck-Winchatz and Noreen Grice, but more about that later.
As usual, family activities sponsored by NOPBC filled the first day—Saturday, June 28—of pre-convention programming. After NOPBC registration, NFB President Marc Maurer kicked off the seminar by calling all the kids (blind and sighted) up front for a personal chat with them about blindness and learning to get things done as a blind person. Shortly thereafter, when the kids went off to the Braille carnival, the adults settled down to some straight talk about “Transition to Independence,” as blind youngsters move from stage to stage on their way to adulthood. At noon participants were invited to attend casual lunch gatherings by state or region to do networking. These lunches were a great success and jump-started a lot of helpful contacts.
This year during the afternoon the adults did not move from workshop to workshop as they have in the past. They stayed together and listened to a riveting group of speakers talk about effective strategies for stimulating blind children at various stages of their development. The older kids and teens, on the other hand, had to choose among a number of interesting and useful workshops: Note Taking with an
Electronic Notetaker; a babysitting clinic; I Want to Be a Writer; Fun with Braille; Impact!—Asteroids, Craters, and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs; and A Journey through Space. Noreen Grice and Bernhard Beck-Winchatz, the science education specialist and astronomer who developed the Braille book, Touch the Universe, published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, came to Louisville to work with blind youngsters and their families on science and math.
That evening, families relaxed and continued their informal networking at the NOPBC-sponsored family hospitality. A hands-on display of Discovery Toys put together by early childhood specialist and Discovery Toy dealer, Heather Field, made the evening as enjoyable for the little ones as it was for mom and dad. Teens had the option of attending confidential, guided discussion groups about dating, grooming, etc., or another astronomy session. Interestingly enough, the astronomy workshop also attracted a number of blind adults interested in the subject. It is clear that the new relationship forged with NASA and professionals in astronomy resonates strongly with NFB members of all ages eager for exposure to science of all kinds.
The following morning, parents, teachers, and kids had the opportunity to take a “Cane Walk” under sleepshades, with NFB canes, and under the guidance of former and current students of the Louisiana Tech/Louisiana Center for the Blind O&M degree program as well as other competent blind cane travelers. Using the structured discovery method, instructors gently guided their blindfolded students out into the hallways, elevators, and escalators of the hotel. After the Cane Walk families had plenty of time to register for the convention and to browse through the extensive exhibits in the exhibit hall. Families with teens were delighted to discover that they could drop their teen off for the afternoon at the teen get-acquainted party co-sponsored by NOPBC and Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). The NOPBC also sponsored a Teen Hospitality Room where teens could hang-out together throughout the week during lunch breaks or off-hours under the supervision of adult volunteer parents or teachers.
On division meeting day, the NOPBC and NAPUB coordinated their meeting schedules and location for a very special reason. NOPBC held its annual meeting in the early afternoon, then volunteers from UPS helped members of NOPBC and NAPUB set the same room up for the festive Twentieth Anniversary Reception and Reunion of the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest. The reunion, funded by a grant from the UPS Foundation, featured the first-ever used Braille book flea market, free food, and blind mentors who shared and read Braille books together with the children. Participants were also inspired by an exhibit and presentation from two student representatives of an innovative high school program in Islip, New York, that offers Braille courses for credit to sighted high school students. The event ended with a brief program featuring speeches from former and current Braille Readers Are Leaders contestants and supporters. At the conclusion of the program, UPS volunteers hurriedly labeled and boxed up the last of the Braille books to be shipped to the homes of their happy new owners. Finally, Nadine Jacobson, President of NAPUB, gaveled the NAPUB meeting to order. Over one hundred adults and children attended the anniversary celebration and over $1,000 was raised in donations from the Braille book flea market—enough to fund the second annual Braille book flea market at the 2004 NFB Convention in Atlanta.
The week of NOPBC-sponsored events was beginning to wind-down, but the NFB convention program was just beginning!
The opening session of the convention began at 9:30 sharp Tuesday morning, July 1. The convention was treated to a warm southern welcome of music and song from the Blue Hollow Band. After the roll call of states and a break for lunch, the afternoon program began, as usual, with the Presidential Report. Following the inspiring review of the highlights of the NFB’s accomplishments of the past year was a speech, then an announcement of particular interest to parents of blind children. A.V. Diaz, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Flight Center (NASA), described research that may have implications for blind people in the future. At the conclusion of Diaz’s speech, President Maurer announced that the NFB would conduct, in partnership with NASA, a science camp for blind children at our headquarters in Baltimore the summer of 2004 (please see the announcement about the science camp elsewhere in this issue).
As usual, NOPBC sponsored more workshops for parents on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. NOPBC vice president, Marty Greiser, organized and chaired the always-popular IEP workshop Tuesday night. On Wednesday afternoon, parents and teachers had the opportunity to hear about Braille for the Partially Sighted: Methods and Techniques from distinguished guests Stuart Wittenstein, Superintendent of the California School for the Blind, and Sheila Amato, the 2003 NFB Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award winner. Concurrent with the Braille workshop, NOPBC parent leaders Carol Castellano and Brunhilde Merk-Adam met with small groups of parents to discuss and trouble-shoot specific problems and concerns about their children’s education. Although Joe Cutter could not be at the 2003 convention to conduct his Kids and Canes drop-in session on Wednesday afternoon, Carol Castellano did a great job as his substitute. Although this completed the NOPBC activities for the week, the convention was far from over. The Thursday agenda was intense and packed. The day’s topics included international issues, technology, education (the now former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Robert Pasternack, made a less than stellar appearance), rehabilitation, certification, and orientation and mobility. The afternoon ended on an inspirational high with lively presentations from a blind chemist and a blind missionary. But the best was yet to come—the annual NFB banquet. The evening featured the annual banquet address delivered by President Maurer, presentation of special awards—including scholarship awards to thirty outstanding blind college students—good food, songs, laughter, and plenty of door prizes.
On Friday, the last day of the convention, there were a couple of special treats in store for parents. Traditionally, the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children award winner receives his or her award early in the week at the NFB Board meeting, then gives a major presentation to the NOPBC division meeting. However, our 2003 award winner, Sheila Amato, was busy greeting her newly returned son from military duty in Iraq and could not join the convention until later in the week. Needless to say, under such circumstances we were more than happy to accommodate her schedule. So, Amato received her award and gave her remarks to the convention on Friday. The other special treat came from the Nestlé Corporation in the form of a $5,000 check to the NOPBC to be used for our Braille Readers Are Leaders literacy program. On that sweet note, we wrapped up the 2003 convention. Exhausted physically, but renewed in spirit and armed with new information, families dispersed to their homes throughout the nation to take up the challenge of “changing what it means to be blind” in their individual communities.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Peggy Elliott]
The Essence of Education is Repetition
by Peggy Elliott
Editor’s Note: NOPBC was both unfortunate and fortunate in our keynote speaker for our June 28, Annual Parents Seminar at the 2003 NFB Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Sally Mangold, our scheduled speaker, had a severe reaction to some medication and was too ill to join us. That was our misfortune. Our good fortune was that long-time Federation leader, Peggy Elliott, was available to fill in for Sally. The following article is an edited and slightly expanded version of the speech she gave that morning. It begins with my introduction:
NOPBC President, Barbara Cheadle: The nice thing about being a part of the National Federation of the Blind is that I have an almost endless resource of wonderful people who are talented, experienced, and articulate. These are people I can call at the last minute, even at midnight, and say, “Can you give a major presentation in the morning to a large group of people?” And they will say, “Well sure, I can do that.” And you know what, I know they can. We have such a woman with us today. The Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind, Peggy Elliott, is also president of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa. She has long been interested in the issues of parents and children. She is here to substitute for Sally Mangold who, because of illness, could not be with us today. Here is Peggy Elliott:
Barbara, I want to thank you for that. I’m not sure I can thank you for the call at midnight, but I’ll do my best to step into Sally’s shoes. I’ve known Sally for a long time and I’m sorry she’s not here also. I have been delegated to talk about a topic that I think is very important, but I’ll use different catch phrases from those Sally would use. So maybe next time you can get her catch phrases from her.
Today, the catch phrase I want to talk about is this: the essence of education is repetition. I think this is a fundamental concept and approach to looking at life—the essence of education is repetition.
Now, I assume that there are many people in this room who swim. Right? Do you know how to swim, everybody? How many people know how to do the butterfly stroke? Yeah. Good. Now, I am sure that no one who says they know how to do the butterfly stoke learned it because the instructor stood in front of them and said, “The way you do the butterfly stoke is that you move your arms rhythmically over your head, and then you kick rhythmically with your feet together. That’s how you do the butterfly stroke.”
Now, did anyone learn how to do the butterfly when I told you that? I don’t think so. I could have done a longer and more detailed description, but it wouldn’t have made much difference. The truth is, the single telling of how something is done does not convey the skill of doing it.
Here’s another way to learn how to swim using the butterfly stroke. I’ll give you a book about swimming the butterfly. You read the whole book and then you’ll know how to swim the butterfly. Anybody believe that? Nope, not going to work.
So telling somebody, one time, how to do something or telling him or her in detail by means of written communication how to do something, does not transfer the skill.
The essence of education is repetition. Not just repetition in telling someone, but also repetition in doing the skill.
Obviously, what I am talking about is the set of skills that I call life-coping skills. These are skills that are universal to all people. I’m not talking just about blind people. All of us as adults or potential adults in society need a set of life-coping skills in order to function in society. As with education, the essence of learning life-coping skills is repetition. You can’t convey the skill by telling somebody once and you can’t just read a book about it. You have to do it, and do it, and do it.
Let’s take the example of elevator buttons. You can tell a blind kid about elevator buttons and figure that you’ve done the job. Now they know about it and so that task is over. But it’s not—not even if you go into a full, detailed presentation about all the different possible locations of elevator buttons, how to find the button, or how to distinguish the up button from the down button while also explaining in detail the function of elevator buttons in the first place. If the kid has never touched the button, never actually handled the job of calling the elevator—and not just once, but repeatedly over and over and over on many trips through many different elevator lobbies—he or she may have the concept but he or she does not have the skill. And this goes for all kids, whether sighted or blind.
The essence of education is repetition. This means every time you go into an elevator lobby, your blind kid needs to help find the elevator button. Someday, your child will be the only person in an elevator lobby. Will he or she think nothing of it because of years of practice finding the button every time he or she went out with you? Or will your child be nervous and anxious because, although he or she knows the button is there—somewhere—the kid can’t remember exactly what you said about how to operate an elevator, and the memory of the three or four times he or she actually did it is a little fuzzy, too. The essence of education is repetition.
Here’s another one: standing in line. Lots of people ask me, “How do you stand in line if you can’t see?” So, how do you achieve the skill of moving forward when you can’t see the person in front of you? I walked into the post office yesterday in my little hometown and there was a great big long line. It was like Christmas. I don’t know why there were so many people in the post office. The way the post office is situated the entrance takes you right into the middle of any line that forms. So, I unknowingly walked into the middle and somebody says, “No, no, that’s okay,” and essentially gave me permission to line cut.
I said, “No, it’s not okay. I’ll go to the end of the line.” How many times do we as blind people end up being pushed to the head of the line because we’re not paying attention or are willing to take advantage of being blind? Everybody thinks we can’t wait in line, but we can. Waiting in line—simple skill—everybody does it every day. You can tell your kids how to do it, which really won’t help much, or you can assertively create or take advantage of situations in which he or she learns how to do it for him- or herself by practicing it over and over.
Opening packages—another very simple skill. If you don’t know when you pick up a milk carton that there’s going to be a little tab underneath the cap that you need to remove, and if you don’t know how to remove that tab, then the skill of opening a package is really not under your control. Now, I’d be fairly confident that anybody who has a blind kid knows that blind kids can open a CD package. I bet that’s not a problem. But what about other kinds of packages? How about bars of soap? How about ibuprofen jars? All kinds of opening skills, regular life-coping skills. Show me once, I don’t have it. Let me practice doing it daily in real-life situations and eventually I have a skill that will serve me well for a lifetime of independence. The essence of education is repetition.
In the National Federation of the Blind we teach the mental attitude, “I can do it.” (When I wrote that down in Braille I found out it was really cool because it’s all single word symbols: I C D X.) “I can do it” is an assertion of possibility, an assertion of potential. I can do it. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m sure that I can. The second part of this mental attitude is equally simple, equally profound: it’s up to me. When I walk into an elevator lobby I assume that I can find the button and operate the elevator. When I go into a public building and need to stand in line, I assume that I can do it gracefully. When I go to the drug store or the grocery store I assume I’ll be able to figure out how to open whatever packaged product I want to buy. All the simple life-coping skills that adults in America routinely exercise—I assume it’s up to me to exercise those same skills. Sometimes people tend to think they’ve got the essence of NFB philosophy if they have embraced the “I can do it” attitude, but that’s not true. “I can do it” is not complete without “It’s up to me” and “I do do it.” (In Braille “I do do it” is also made up of single cell words: I D D X.)
Now, I can describe the attitude of “It’s up to me” and “I do do it.” I can tell you about it just like I can tell you how to swim the butterfly, but I can’t give it to you, and you can’t give it to your kids. The only way it works is if you create opportunities for them to learn it for themselves. The essence of education is repetition. If your kid is going to grow up into a blind adult who has the skills and the confidence to be truly independent, then that kid must actively practice the “It’s up to me” and “I do do it” attitudes.
I want to suggest very strongly that you use the NFB convention this coming week as a place to emphasize life-coping skills and IDDX. I grew up as a kid with remaining vision. I remember the horror show of being constantly asked, “Can you see this?” That’s what your life is filled with when you are a low-vision kid and it conditions you that if you can see it’s okay and if you can’t, it’s not. You’re also conditioned “Don’t touch. Don’t touch. Don’t touch.” I suspect that most of us who grew up as partially sighted children missed a whole bunch because we were not encouraged to touch the world around us so we could understand how it fit together and how we could operate the stuff in it. I believe that “I can do it” and “It’s up to me” can only be instilled in my heart if I get my hands out there and touch it.
So, how does this operate? How can you make opportunities for your kids to practice at this convention? That’s not hard. There are lots of natural opportunities at a convention to practice operating elevators and standing in line. You can encourage your kids to touch stuff and let them talk to each other and the blind adults here at the convention about what they are learning by touching. This includes touching stuff with their canes. What’s in the back of this meeting room? A table with pitchers of water and water glasses. Don’t just tell them about the water then go and get water for them. Expect them to get the water for themselves. Let them go, encourage them to explore, and share their excitement as they discover things for themselves. For example, how about letting the kid say, “If I go this way, what will happen? Will my cane tell me what I need to know?” Make a pledge to yourself to take the time to let the kid go the wrong way and then figure it out for him- or herself with gentle patience, loving encouragement, and very little help from you. Make a pledge to do as little sighted guide this week as possible! Practice, practice, practice, and more practice of “It’s up to me” is the only way that your child can fulfill the promise of “I can do it.” It’s the only way to turn ICDX into IDDX.
The goal for our blind kids is not simply to teach skills, either by merely talking about the skill or by having the kid do the task once under your close supervision. Rather, the goal is to get the kid to figure out how to do stuff for him- or herself, to make decisions, and to take responsibility by believing that, whatever the task is, “it’s up to me.”
I hate to have to say how many times I talk to blind students who are struggling in college. Sadly, they want to blame their failure on the college. They say, “My college is not providing me with books.” Or “My college is not providing me with note takers.” And “My college is not providing me with people to take me from class to class.” “My college is not providing me with . . .” well, whatever it is the blind student thinks that he or she should have. But the real problem is that these students never adopted the mental attitudes “It’s up to me” and “I do do it.” They don’t know how to take charge and make things happen.
I hope that kids with families in this room don’t have this kind of failure when they reach college or exit high school. I think the key is to start using the IEP as a tool to promote the “It’s up to me” attitude. For example, put it in the IEP that by her junior year the student will independently order her own tape, Braille, or large print books. Pick one class in high school and prohibit Braille. Now, don’t get me wrong—I love Braille. I’m reading it right now. But your child won’t have Braille available to him or her at all times in college or the real world, and every student needs to learn how to use live people as readers. So, put in the IEP that your kid will use live readers for one class per year. Think proactively about transferring not just the “I can do it” attitude, but also the “It’s up to me” mentality. Use the IEP as a tool to achieve the goal that your kid will come out of high school saying, “I do do it,” whatever “it” is. IDDX!
So at home and at school, the essence of education is repetition. When your child becomes an adult you want them to believe “I can do it.” You also want your child to believe that, whatever the task is, “It’s up to me to get it done.” I hope none of you wants to raise a blind child who, as a blind adult, always finds someone else to blame or uses blindness as an excuse for failures. If we can end up with our blind kids believing and practicing “I can do it” and “It’s up to me” then you, the parents, and we in the National Federation of the Blind have done our job right. Remember, I can do it. It’s up to me. Or, to end with those single-word Braille signs: ICDX and, more importantly, IDDX!
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ryan Strunk]
Transitions—Reflections of a Blind College Student
by Ryan Strunk
From the Editor: Ryan Strunk, a college student from Lincoln, Nebraska, and a recent NFB scholarship winner, has been the beneficiary of the NFB philosophy from an early age. His mother, Carol, was president of the Nebraska Parents of Blind Children, a division of the NFB of Nebraska, for many years while he was growing up. At the 2003 NFB Convention, Ryan was one of four speakers on the student and parent panel at the NOPBC daylong seminar for parents and teachers. The following article is based upon the remarks he made that day. As you read it, you ought to know that he did not collaborate with Peggy Elliott, our keynote speaker (see Elliott’s speech elsewhere in this issue). Neither of them knew the other was even on the agenda. Nevertheless, if you had any doubts or questions about whether Elliott’s principles of “I can do it” and “It’s up to me,” can be applied in real life, read on. Although Ryan never once uses the phrase, “It’s up to me,” he clearly lives and breathes the principle. Here are Strunk’s reflections on transition from high school to college:
In a recent nationwide survey of blind high school students, participants were asked what three things scared them the most. The top three answers (in no particular order) were as follows: pop quizzes, mom’s meat loaf, and the high school to college transition process. Actually, that’s not true. I just made it up, but judging from the college students I have talked to, I don’t think I’m too far off the mark. If attempted improperly, transition between high school and the secondary education institution can be scarier than any history test or wedge of overdone meat loaf. But if done well, the transition between high school and college can be as painless a process for a blind student as it is for his or her sighted peers.
Over the past several years changes have been made which bring the blind closer to equality with the sighted. However, there is still much to do. Thus the transition process can be just a bit more difficult for the blind than for the sighted. For example, if a sighted individual wishes to buy a textbook for college he or she simply goes to the bookstore and picks up a copy. At the same time, the blind student calls up Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic only to discover that the particular textbook has not been recorded. What then does the blind student do? Well, if the student has received proper training prior to transition from high school to college, the question of what to do next won’t even come up.
So in the next few minutes I would like to reflect about my transition experience and offer a few suggestions for parents and teachers. However, before I start, let me review a basic principle. It is essential that parents and teachers hold blind students to the same standards and give them the same responsibilities as their sighted classmates. The student must be involved in the decisions and choices related to their education. Too often, the temptation to shirk responsibilities because of one’s blindness arises. It is easy for youngsters to succumb to these temptations and it’s too easy for parents and teachers to let it happen—especially in the younger years when good philosophy has not yet had a chance to take root. I even did it myself, more than once, I have to admit.
This principle is important, though. When a student is responsible for all his or her scholastic duties it gives the student a better outlook on blindness and simultaneously says to the world, “I’m blind, so what?” This principle lays the foundation for teaching self-advocacy and is at the core of a good philosophy about blindness and transition.
After this first and most important rule is established, the student can get down to the finer details of independence and self-advocacy. In my university in Lincoln, Nebraska, the disabled students services office recommends that it be the entity in charge of notifying professors that a blind person will soon be attending their classes. Of course, this is one of the suggestions that I don’t adhere to. I’m quite capable of doing the work myself and speaking for myself. It’s my job to explain my blindness and deal with questions and I don’t need or want someone else doing it. Even blind students in grade school are capable of learning to talk to teachers to explain their blindness and the adaptations they need.
When a college, or even high school, student approaches his or her teachers prior to class attendance, several things are accomplished. First, it shows a high degree of responsibility by the student, thereby lending him or her greater credibility in the teacher’s eyes. Second, the student can personally make sure that print materials, packets, syllabi, etc. needed on the first day of class are adapted ahead of time—whether they be given to a Braillist, scanned into a computer, enlarged, or made electronically accessible on a computer disk. Third, this demonstration of preparation and self-advocacy not only makes a student more popular with his or her teachers, but it also helps to insure that the student does not fall behind later in the school year.
When I began high school, I became responsible for ordering all of my own books and materials, much to my chagrin. However, in retrospect, this was a responsibility that benefited me greatly when I made the transition to college. Now, of course, if anyone tells this to my vision teacher I’m going to get a whole lot of I-told-you-so’s—so, if we can keep this our little secret, I’d really appreciate it. Anyway, through the responsibility of ordering my own books I learned how to deal with situations in which the preferred medium was not available. I also learned how to balance needs and preferences against cost. For example, when I was in high school I wanted a particular geometry book in Braille. However, I didn’t learn until after the book was purchased by the school system that the production of this forty-volume monstrosity cost the school more than $17,000—a sum, which, now that I’m in college, I can’t afford to duplicate. I learned that, in certain instances, it is necessary to order a book in a format other than the preferred one. I learned about the choices I had and I learned how to be flexible. A student can try to find a book on tape. A book might be scanned into a computer. In some instances, a student can even purchase the book from the publisher in electronic format and, of course, a reader (that is, another student or other individual) can always be hired.
People have reminded me on more than one occasion that the college disabled student services offices (DSS) can get my books for me. Such statements are usually followed by the question, “So why do you want to order your own books in the first place?” My answer is always the same. First, I have known of more than one student who has been forced to begin class without a book either because the DSS office forgot to order it or was unable to get it. Second, and more important, when a student goes out into the real world, he or she will no longer have DSS or someone else to ensure that all of his or her needs are met. Why not start the training now—while the student is young—and give that individual the necessary skills for success later in life (like on the job)?
Finally, I can think of little that helped me more than my parents’ insistence that I go out, get off my lazy tail, and socialize. If less than one percent of the country’s population is blind, one can pretty much draw the conclusion that interaction with the sighted is inevitable. Every blind student should be given the opportunity and the encouragement to get involved in the world around them as much as any other kid their age. Encourage your kids to try out for sports, join the school band or choir, or even—if they are ambitious enough—to run for student council. Through interaction and socialization, kids learn good communication skills, and statistics show that more than eighty percent of employers feel that good communication is essential in the ideal employee.
Is all of what I have just mentioned absolutely essential? If you ask me nothing could have been more helpful. The life-skills I have acquired because my parents and teachers made me practice them over and over have strengthened my philosophy about blindness, given me the means to take charge of my own destiny, and provided me with the confidence to succeed. Without the training and without the help of my dedicated and loving parents and teachers, I could never be where I am today. So push your kids. Keep them involved. Make them take responsibility for themselves, and tell them to be proud of who they are. If you do all this, the transition process will be so much simpler. Then all you’ll have to worry about is—dating!
It’s been a lot of fun talking to all of you, and maybe I’ll see you in one of my “future reflections.”
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Hannah, with a gentle but firm grip, demonstrates how to show a chicken at the state fair: bottoms up!]
Hannah Joins the 4-H Club
by Jill Weatherd
Editor’s Note: Hannah Weatherd, who is ten years old, has attended seven NFB National Conventions with her parents. If the name sounds familiar, it may be because you heard about how Hannah was in a national McDonald’s commercial four years ago. The Weatherds live in the small town of Lima (population 280) in Montana. Brad and Jill, both college graduates of the University of Wyoming, work as Rangeland Management Specialists. Jill grew up in Wyoming and Brad in Kansas and Wyoming. Small town life under the Big Sky of Montana is a way of life they know and love. Wherever Hannah may choose to live after she grows up, for now, the Weatherds are determined that she shall participate fully in the life of their community and do what all the other kids are doing. And for kids who grow up in rural Montana, this almost always means joining the 4-H Club when you turn nine. Jill did 4-H when she was a kid, and so did Brad. And so are Hannah and her younger (sighted) brother, Levi. When I asked Jill to give a presentation using the theme, “transitions,” she decided to talk about Hannah’s ongoing transition into full participation in the 4-H Club. After hearing Jill’s presentation, my only question is, “How can we sneak a chicken into the hotel for next year’s convention so Hannah can give us a demonstration of her showmanship skills?” While I ponder that problem, here is an expanded and edited version of what Jill had to say when she followed Ryan Strunk on the parents and student panel:
Thank you. It was so inspiring to hear Ryan talk. Every time I hear a successful kid—well, I guess he’s not a kid anymore—but it just inspires me because I think, “Oh, that could be Hannah someday.” When Mrs. Cheadle asked me to talk to you today, I decided to talk about our experiences with 4-H. Does everybody know what 4-H is? I don’t know how well-known it is across the country, but it’s a club where kids choose a project from an approved 4-H list, work on the project at home and under the guidance of the club leaders, and then enter the project for exhibit at the county fair. About a year before Hannah was old enough for 4-H we asked Mrs. Cheadle if she knew about anybody else—a blind person—in the NFB who had been in 4-H as a kid. She said that she couldn’t think of a name right away, but was sure she could help us locate someone if we needed help or advice. However, we decided to just jump right in. We always knew that the NFB was there if we needed any help or we ran into anything that we didn’t know how to handle. I was just thinking this morning that someday Hannah’s going to be a resource for other blind kids who want to do 4-H!
It’s always been really important to Brad and to me that Hannah do what all of the other kids her age are required to do in school, church, or whatever other activities she’s involved with. And we always keep pretty close tabs on things just to be sure that she isn’t being given special treatment. We know that there’s always a way for her to complete the requirements, but sometimes it takes a little extra thought and advance planning.
First of all, 4-H involves lots of meetings and lots of voting. I started to notice that Hannah would never vote. I asked her about this and she said, “I don’t know what they are talking about. I don’t know what they are voting about.” So we talked to her about sitting up and paying attention so that she could help her club make decisions. But she still wasn’t voting. Finally, we had to make it mandatory. We said, “You’re going to vote. We don’t care how you vote, but you’re going to vote.” So she started voting and now it’s not a problem.
Community service projects are another part of 4-H. Each kid is required to volunteer to do a part of each project. So again, I’m sitting in the meetings and looking at her and she’s not raising her hand to volunteer to do anything—and she’s getting away with it. So, Brad and I sit down with her and talk about how it’s important in life to be a giver and not a taker. “You need to volunteer and help,” we told her. “Every person in a club has to carry their own weight. At the next meeting,” we said, “You have to volunteer for something. When they ask for volunteers, you raise your hand.” So she volunteered our house for the next activity. (She’s kind of a vindictive little child.) But she also volunteered to make a dessert for the senior banquet, and she did a beautiful job.
Through the years we have found out that if we treat Hannah’s blindness in a matter-of-fact way, then other people are more comfortable about it. We always try to be approachable because we want people who are working with Hannah to feel free to ask us questions or to ask her questions and to tell us about their concerns. After the kids in 4-H choose their projects for the year, they meet with their project leaders to complete their lessons. I usually try to talk to the project leader before each meeting and find out what lesson they will be doing. For example, at the last project meeting the plan was to talk about choosing and building rabbit nesting boxes. So I knew that they would be doing measuring. Of course we had lost the fancy Braille measuring tape that we had special-ordered, so I took a regular measuring stick and put a little fabric paint on it. Hannah used it for the activity at the meeting and it worked well. As I said, with a little advance planning, almost anything can be made to work.
Hannah’s three projects last year were cats, poultry, and photography. For each project they have to have a project journal and a financial record. I wasn’t really sure how Hannah was going to manage because at the end of each meeting they write down what they did at that meeting. I knew Hannah would not, or could not, drag a Braillewriter or a computer to each meeting. She ended up taking her slate and stylus along to record what she did at the meeting. When she got home she transferred her hand-Brailled notes onto the computerized record form using her screen reading software. However, the record forms were full of tables and they were really hard to navigate. This year, I decided to make up a different form that was easier for her to work with on the computer. The 4-H office liked my form so well they asked me for copies so that they can pass them along to other club leaders. And Hannah won an award for her record book last year!
Hannah’s cat project went really well. Her leader, Jackie, is a good friend of mine. She’s known Hannah all her life. When it was time to show the 4-H group how to do the showman stuff for cats, Jackie had Hannah put her hands on top of hers and then led her through all the steps. Hannah did lots and lots of practicing for the cat showmanship. When we got to the fair and it was her turn to do the showmanship, Jackie went up and told the judge that Hannah is blind. There weren’t any adaptations that the judge needed to make for her; it was just a courtesy. Hannah had to show the cat’s teeth and the inside of its ears. She also had to make its claws come out and do all these bizarre little steps. Right before the showmanship started we showed Hannah where she would have to walk, where the judging table was, and which way to face. We talked about where she could put her cane while she showed the cat. She did a really good job. She got “Reserve Champion” for her showmanship. We’re really proud of her. I wish she were here to hear all this applause.
Hannah also showed her chicken at the fair. Brad and I were leaders of the Poultry
Project so it was easy for us to teach her the ten steps of showing a chicken. This includes holding the chicken upside down, demonstrating its wingspan, and showing how many finger widths go between its different personal private parts. (You have to tell the judge whether the chicken is a good layer or not based on this last information. Brad showed her that part—I didn’t want to have anything to do with it.) I think the judge of the chicken contest was a little bit nervous about Hannah’s blindness and let Hannah off the hook a little bit. Hannah only got a red ribbon, which is sort of medium. She has room for improvement this year.
I want to talk about the photography project because it didn’t go as well. The reason it didn’t go so well is because we didn’t do much advance planning. Hannah actually did fine with the actual photography and the project lessons, but when we got to the fair, we found out that she was going to have to do an interview with the judge and discuss the photos. We learned that no one is allowed in the room during the interview except the judge, the contestant, and the project they are showing. No parents or 4-H leaders are allowed, and no exception was made for Hannah. It was just she and the judge. So Hannah had to go in by herself. The first thing the kid is supposed to do is to escort the judge over to their photo display. Well, we had visited the display room the day before but we didn’t make a special effort to tell Hannah to pay attention to the location of her display. So when the judge said, “Take me to your project,” she said, “I don’t know where it is.” So somebody had to step in and find it for her. When they got to the photo display the judge had lots of questions about each picture. The judge would point to one and say, “What camera did you use to take this picture?” Then she would point to another one and say, “Why did you decide to take this picture?” Well, Hannah didn’t know what pictures the judge was pointing to and since
Hannah is also kind of shy, she didn’t say, “Could you describe the picture for me?” We talked about the interview with Hannah later. Brad and I said, “If you had labeled those pictures in Braille you would have been able to discuss them with the judge.” We said “Next time you have a project that’s new to you or to us, you need to call the 4-H office in advance and ask them what’s going to be expected of you at the fair exhibit.” So that’s what she’s going to do this coming year.
Another thing we don’t have figured out is how she is going to help run the 4-H concession stand. Each member is required to work an eight-hour shift selling hamburgers, drinks, and lunch items at the fairgrounds during the county fair. The concession stand is one of the club’s big fund-raisers, with the profits going toward the purchase of project manuals, community service projects, and fun activities. We know that she can help out in the concession stand; we just haven’t got it figured out yet. It’s very chaotic in the stand with supplies scattered all over the place, so we’re thinking about having her make the milk shakes. If she can have all her milkshake supplies in one place and she has control of it, I think she’ll be okay. But if anybody has any ideas about how she can take orders or handle the money, we’re really open to suggestions.
[At this point, several blind NFB members in the audience who own and operate concession stands and other food businesses spoke up and offered to talk with the Weathereds later in the convention. Their advice—which the Weathereds acted on—was against putting her in the corner doing only one thing. So, with a little help from mom, Hannah wrapped hamburgers, took orders, filled soda drink cups, made change, wiped counters, and goofed off with the friends working the concession stand with her. She needed more help with some things, but memorized the price list and was soon the expert on calculating change. Next year, Jill says, she anticipates that Hannah will need much less help, if any, when she works the concession stand with her club members.]
Here’s one more little tip. In 4-H there’s lots of traveling around in a van with other kids. Hannah’s shy so she sometimes has trouble getting involved in the action, especially on these trips. So I always encourage her to take along a little game like an electronic Simon or tic-tac-toe game that she can play with other kids. This has helped.
We always try to approach things from the angle of “How is she going to do this”—not, “Will she be able to do this?” The NFB is where we got this philosophy. She really is just like the other kids in our town. She does the same things they do, including joining 4-H, displaying at the county fair, and doing well at some things and having room for improvement in others—just like all the other kids at the fair. Hannah really enjoyed her first year of 4-H and, with a little advance planning, I think the coming year is going to go great, too. This year the three projects she has chosen are poultry, arts and crafts, and rabbits. So far, we’ve only had one unauthorized batch of baby rabbits, so we’re doing okay. Thank you.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Astronomer and DePaul University professor, Bernhard Beck-Winchatz, finds that blind people of all ages at the NFB convention are interested in astronomy. Above, he helps preschooler Mikaella Besson learn about planets.]
Blind Youths Expand Horizons
Convention Offers Astronomy Lessons, Babysitting Class
by Nancy C. Rodriguez
Reprinted from the Sunday, June 29, 2003, The Courier-Journal Metro, Louisville, Kentucky.
Taking her granddaughter’s right hand in her own, Beverly Martorana of Warren, Michigan, slowly ran it across a picture of Jupiter. “That’s Jupiter. Can you feel it? That’s what it looks like,” Martorana said as Rebecca Budney’s fingers moved cautiously across the picture’s bumpy surface, eventually finding the planet’s great red spot. Later, the 8-year-old held a scale cutout of Mars that allowed her to compare its size to the rest of the planets in the solar system. “That’s a teeny tiny one,” she said.
The astronomy lesson was among several activities organized yesterday at the Galt House by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, the parental division of the National Federation of the Blind, which is holding its annual convention in Louisville. The convention which began yesterday and continues through Friday is expected to attract more than 3,000 people.
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the Federation represents more than 50,000 blind and visually impaired people, parents of blind children and others throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
Mark Riccobono, the Federation’s Wisconsin representative, said the Parents of Blind Children is always looking to offer new experiences that society often thinks are beyond blind children’s capabilities. “That’s kind of my goal, to say, ‘No. These are really things that you can do, and don’t let the attitude that you can’t do it stop you from trying,’” he said.
Last year, the focus was on recreational activities, and youth had the opportunity to try origami paper art and cooking, and to take part in a tug or war and sack races. This year the organization turned its attention to space exploration, bringing in Noreen Grice from the Boston Science Museum and Bernard Beck-Winchatz, a DePaul University professor and astronomer, to run workshops covering topics from the solar system to asteroids to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
During both workshops, children used tactile images taken by the Hubble telescope. “The misconception is that you need to be able to look through a telescope to do astronomy. The truth is that most of the interesting things about space are viewed through telescopes that have electronic cameras hooked up to them that detect infrared light,” said Riccobono, who also is the Director of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. “Even sighted astronomers are not looking through the telescope and using their naked eye.”
Grice who has written two books with tactile pictures of the solar system for blind children, also used basketballs, soda cans, string and paper cutouts to help explain planet sizes and distances. Holding one of the larger cutouts close to her face, Catherine Jacobson from Minnesota excitedly announced, “Jupiter is bigger than my head.” A smaller cutout of Pluto prompted the 8-year-old to compare it to “a hole punch.” Later, Grice unfolded a cutout as big as the table and draped it over the children’s heads like a tent. “A million Earths can fit inside the sun,” she said.
Debra Baker, a teacher from Springfield, Ohio, who is blind said there has been a misconception that science was not something that can be taught to blind children. “When I was growing up I didn’t get to study that at all; that’s why it’s so wonderful. It’s wonderful that it’s here for the kids now,” Baker said. Barbara Pierce, the Federation’s director of public information, said that during the convention the children and other blind participants will have an opportunity to hear from scientists and engineers who are blind. “Most of us really like to know that someone else has done it or is doing it,” she said.
Yesterday’s convention schedule also allowed teenagers to learn babysitting skills. Participants learned about safety, food preparation, and craft projects they can do with children. Riccobono said blind teenagers often do not gain the experience that their sighted peers do of holding down jobs, like babysitting, that help build confidence and teach responsibility. Ultimately, he said, that contributes to a more than 70 percent unemployment rate among working-age blind people. “It hurts then in the long run because they don’t have work experience, no matter how small,” he said. “Those jobs are critical to opening the door to other jobs.”
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Alabama Seminar for Parents,
Teachers, and Children
Games * Educational Materials * Technology
In conjunction with the state convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Alabama the Parents of Blind Children in Alabama (POBC-AL) is presenting an afternoon workshop for parents, teachers, and children.
Date/Time: Friday, March 5, 2004, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Holiday Inn Airport hotel, Birmingham, Alabama
Content
Games—See samples of off-the-shelf games and adaptations, Internet games for the computer, and homemade games. Learn about techniques for children who have no vision or low vision so all may enjoy and play together. Presented by Mrs. Daphne Johnson, POBC-AL Chairperson.
Materials—Learn about educational materials: products for reading, writing, math, and
science; and adaptive P.E. equipment. Presented by Mrs. Teresa Lacy, Director of the Alabama Instructional Resource Center for the Blind.
Technology—See and learn about low-vision and blindness high-tech products. Listen to a
discussion of methods for selecting the right technology for individual purposes. Presented by Mr. Steven Sullivan, Technology Specialist for the Blind, Mobile Regional Center for the Blind.
Cost: The afternoon workshop is FREE. National Federation of the Blind of Alabama state
convention fee is $30. This includes all workshops, technology exhibit hall admission,
Friday evening reception, and Saturday afternoon luncheon.
For more information go to <http://www.nfbofalabama.org> or call Mrs. Daphne Johnson at (256) 287-1056.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Mark Riccobono]
Reaching Out for New Opportunities
The 2004 NFB Summer Science
Experience
by Mark A. Riccobono
NFB Coordinator of Educational Programs
Will a blind person land on the moon? Will a blind person make the next breakthrough in medicine? Will a blind person produce the next revolution in technology? These and many other questions will be determined by the types of opportunities and quality training we provide our blind youth. We will be limited only by our energy to pursue these goals. The one certainty is that the National Federation of the Blind is demonstrating the training and skills necessary to prepare blind youth to reach for opportunities, no matter how big, and is rocketing the blind to new heights.
On January 30, 2004, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) will celebrate the grand opening of the NFB Research and Training Institute. Many people have been asking what will the Institute do, and when will we see the results? Over the past five years Dr. Maurer has articulated the purposes of the NFBRTI and a vision of the potential it has for the future of the blind. In his banquet speech at the 2000 annual convention of the NFB, President Maurer said, “Much research is conducted involving blindness. . . . Almost no research is conducted in the realms that we find of interest. When the National Research and Training Institute has been built, we must put the facility to use. It will not be enough to expand what we are already doing; we must dream of programs that do not exist.” He went on to say, “What is it that we want to build which, in our wildest imaginings, could be constructed for the blind?”
As he continued to speak, Dr. Maurer posed a list of diverse questions that the Institute could address, such as: “How long will it take to devise a personal vehicle that we can operate?” and “What is the best way to give blind people access to the written word whether it is in print or in electronic form?” He concluded the list with this question: “How can education for blind children be stimulated?” He then summarized, “These questions arise from our dreams of a brighter tomorrow. We intend to use our Institute to answer not only these but dozens of others.”
Three years later, at the 2003 NFB Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, President Maurer made good on his word. In his presidential report he announced, “We are planning to develop a science camp for the blind as one of the elements of our newly developing Research and Training Institute for the Blind. The projected time for the first activities in the science camp is the summer of 2004.” Those who have been asking about the activities of the Institute have an answer: one of the first initiatives of the Institute will address the question of stimulating education for blind children.
And indeed in the summer of 2004 the NFB Research and Training Institute will host its first science experience for blind youth. The 2004 NFB Science Experience, which has been termed Fast Forward—Science for Tomorrow will offer two weeklong camps designed to expose blind youth to a variety of science activities. Blind youth are generally excluded from these crucial learning activities simply because regular public school science teachers are not aware of the way in which a blind student might participate.
Each week has a different focus, but the underlying goals are the same:
* To spark the interest of blind youth in science and inspire more of these youth to pursue careers in science;
* To allow blind youth to build confidence through opportunities to perform challenging science activities from which they are generally excluded in public schools; and
* To demonstrate the effectiveness of the Federation’s approach through the development of a centralized collection of resources related to blind youth in science that can be accessed by regular educators, blind youth, their parents, special educators, and others.
Some of the products will include resources for regular education teachers about how to integrate blind youth in science courses; multimedia information regarding the effective nonvisual techniques and adaptations used by the blind in science; model IEPs to demonstrate the appropriate integration and accommodation of blind youth in science courses; a core set of regular education teachers who have been trained in nonvisual science techniques who can act as models and network resources for other teachers across the country.
The knowledge and experience of the National Federation of the Blind will serve as a foundation for this program and will be augmented by important partners within the field of science. Partners include the talented staff from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facilities in Maryland and the staff of the Maryland Science Center (MSC) in Baltimore. Through the strong leadership of the blind, the innovative programs of our Research and Training Institute, and partnerships with organizations like NASA and the MSC, blind youth will have more opportunities to succeed in the sciences and will be better equipped to reach for bigger and brighter achievements in all areas of life. Science is crucial to every student today, because we live increasingly technology-saturated lives. The 2004 NFB science experience is merely one step on the road to shaping a generation of blind innovators and—who knows?—maybe even inspiring the first blind astronaut. You imagine the opportunities.
NFB 2004 Summer Science
Experience
Camp Session 1: The Circle of Life
When: July 18-24, 2004
Where: NFB Research and Training Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Who: Twelve blind youth, grades six through eight, will be invited to participate in the camp by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). Students who would like to be considered for the program should fill out and return the information requested in the interest form accompanying this announcement.
What: A weeklong camp that will expose blind youth to the excitement of science in real-life applications. Students will learn about the circle of life and the connections between life and ecosystems by looking at the past (the dinosaur age), the present (the Chesapeake Bay), and the future (using weather and environmental data to make predictions and projections). Activities will include behind-the-scenes, hands-on trips to the Goddard Space Flight Center and the nationally acclaimed Maryland Science Center.
Under the guidance of accomplished blind educators and mentors, students will interact with internationally known scientists who are working on solving the mysteries of life. Hands-on activities will include doing a dissection; performing measurements independently; making observations using nonvisual techniques; and learning how to collect data about weather conditions, soils, etc., through the international GLOBE project. In addition, when students return to their school districts for the 2004-05 school year, follow-up resources will ensure that the blind youth continue to participate fully in their local science programs.
This experience will, of course, be rooted in the high expectations of Federation philosophy and will expose participants to talented blind scientists eager to share their enthusiasm for science with the next generation of blind youth.
Cost: All aspects of the program, including transportation, room, and board, will be provided by the NFB at no cost to the participants.
Camp Session 2: Rocket On!
When: August 15-21, 2004
Where: NFB Research and Training Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia (about three hours from Baltimore)
Who: Twelve blind youth, grades ten through twelve (including high school graduates of 2004), will be selected from among those who apply for the camp. Students will be selected based on, but not limited to, the following: academic performance, previous training in the skills of blindness (e.g., Braille, cane travel, daily living skills, etc.), diversity (i.e., having characteristics typically underrepresented in the sciences), and interest and motivation. Applications are available from the National Federation of the Blind national office (see the accompanying interest form). Priority will be given to applications received on or before March 15, 2004.
What: A weeklong camp which will provide a unique experience for blind youth to experience science as a vehicle for adventure, exploration, and innovation, and as a career option in their future. This experience will shatter the myth that challenging and technical sciences are dangerous for blind youth. Participants will develop, build, and launch a twelve-foot rocket off the Eastern Shore of Virginia at the Wallops Flight Facility. Later, under the guidance of Wallop Facility scientists and blind mentors, the participants will analyze the results against their predictions. This experience will build skills in teamwork, leadership, electronics, physics, and advanced calculations.
Encountering the high expectations of Federation philosophy, students will gain confidence through challenging activities. Visits to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will be incorporated into the program as an enhancement to their learning experiences at Wallops. In addition, participants will interact with blind and sighted NASA scientists and engineers to learn about the rewards of pursuing a career in science and what it takes to get there. Each participant will also be matched with a mentor from NASA in order to foster further interest in science and engineering following the program.
Cost: All aspects of the program, including transportation, room, and board, will be provided by the NFB at no cost to the participants.
Just the Beginning
The 2004 NFB Science Experience is not just about a week of fun and excitement; it is about a bright future of opportunities for all blind youth. Regular education science teachers will be brought into both the Circle of Life and the Rocket On! programs to experience firsthand the techniques and strategies that allow blind youth to fully participate in the science curriculum. These teachers will carry their training back to their home districts to provide reinforcement and act as a resource to others working with blind youth. Additionally, long-term goals for this multiyear program include:
1. Development of multimedia resources for those working with blind youth in science;
2. A Web site to provide further connections for blind youth, their parents, and science teachers across the country;
3. Model IEPs dealing with science adaptations, goals, and objectives; and
4. Development of other materials to enhance access to information about how to include blind youth in existing science programs and curricula.
This is only the start. The opportunities for blind youth in science are limitless when the energy and experience of the NFB are combined with partners in the science community who have come to understand the truth about blindness. The continued involvement and input of parents of blind children with the Federation regarding the needs of blind youth in science and in any other educational area are critical to helping guide the innovation of our Research and Training Institute.
All are welcome aboard the NFBRTI rocket as we give blind youth the opportunity to establish a new standard of excellence in science during the summer of 2004.
2004 NFB Summer Science Experience
Interest Form
Please complete the following form and submit it to Mrs. Barbara Cheadle, President, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230. You may also submit this information by email to <bcheadle@nfb.org>, or by fax, attention Mrs. Cheadle, at: (410) 685-5653. Please note: this is a form to register interest, not an application. A confirmation letter with additional information and/or an application packet will be sent to you upon receipt of the interest form. Please print legibly.
I/we are interested in the [ ] Session I: Circle of Life [ ] Session II: Rocket On!
Student’s name: __________________________________________________________
Birth date: ___________________________ Grade: ____________________________
Parent/guardian name(s): ___________________________________________________
Home address: ___________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________________
Please indicate the best way(s) and time(s) to contact you:
Home phone: ( ) ________________________________________________________
Work phone: ( ) ________________________________________________________
Cell phone: ( ) _________________________________________________________
Email, home: ____________________________________________________________
Email, work: ____________________________________________________________
If you are someone other than the parent or the student listed above (such as a teacher), please print your name, your relationship to the student, and the way we may contact you: ________________________________________________________________________
For more information regarding the 2004 NFB Summer Science Experience, contact Mark A. Riccobono, Coordinator of Educational Programs, National Federation of the Blind, Research and Training Institute, (410) 659-9314, extension 368, <mriccobono@nfb.org>.
For questions regarding the application process contact Barbara Cheadle, President, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, (410) 659-9314, extension 360, <bcheadle@nfb.org>.
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Braille Readers Are Leaders
Celebrates Twenty Years of Success
A Photo Report
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Left: Lindsay Upschulte, a three-time contest winner from Illinois, was one of the numerous winners and contest participants who came with their families to participate in the UPS-sponsored twentieth anniversary celebration of the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest and first annual Braille book flea market held at the NFB convention on Monday, June 30, 2003.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Right: Nadine Jacobson, president of the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), reviews the Braille agenda before convening the anniversary program. NAPUB, in partnership with the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) established the Braille Readers Are
Leaders contest in 1983.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Above: 2002 Most Improved winner, Elizabeth Davis of Tennessee, proudly wears her Braille Readers Are Leaders t-shirt as she browses for Braille books at the flea market.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: UPS employee volunteers Terri Foss, Bobbi Shunnarah, and Greg Worthington cheerfully and efficiently box up Braille books for shipment at the first annual Braille book flea market event. They, and several other UPS volunteers, packed and mailed eighty boxes to addresses all over the country. Months in advance of the convention, the volunteers collected and stored sixty-five boxes of Braille books, then transported them to the hotel for the event. The flea market generated over $1,000 in donations which will be used for the 2004 Braille book flea market at the NFB convention in Atlanta.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Left: During the celebration
program, Barbara Cheadle (left), President of the NOPBC, presents Cathy Hicks, the Kentucky School for the Blind librarian, with the 2003 Braille Readers Are Leaders “Excellence in Promoting Literacy Award.” For twenty years, Hicks has enthusiastically promoted the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest among the students and staff at the school.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Right: Lora Felty, one of the featured speakers on the program for the twentieth anniversary Braille Readers Are Leaders celebration, talks about how the contest helped her decide to pursue a career in Braille. Felty, a Braille teacher who works with blind children in Kentucky, was sixteen when she won third place in the Print-to-Braille category of the 1984-1985 contest.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Above: The celebration program convened with a panel titled “Braille Rules” in which three blind youngsters, including seven-year-old Bryce Gitzen from Washington State, entertained the audience with lively presentations which they read in Braille.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: James Omvig, Treasurer of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (AAF), looks at Braille books from the flea market with Dillon Lohr, a blind youngster from Indiana. Omvig was one of about twenty Braille mentors at the celebration. The AAF donated several boxes of Braille books to the flea market, and several of the AAF officers, such as Omvig, also donated their time at the event as mentors. Over two hundred people, at least fifty of whom were children, attended the anniversary celebration.]
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The Bridge to Braille
Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child
Carol Castellano
Dawn Kosman
Illustrated by Lynne Cucco
The Bridge to Braille is a practical, step-by-step guide that shows parents and teachers how to help blind children progress from early literacy experiences all the way to full participation in the classroom. This book demystifies the education of blind children and enables parents and teachers to give ordinary help with spelling, homework, reports, and projects to children who happen to be blind. Topics included in the book:
Adapting Materials Beginning Braille Reading Doing Math in Braille
A Quick Braille Lesson Braille Writing in the Classroom Resources
Using Technology Independence in the Classroom About Braille Books
“Now I understand what to do to get my son off to a good start in school. Parents need this information right from the beginning, when their blind child is a baby.”
— Amy Kaiser
Parent of a blind child
“A much-needed adjunct to the information shared by a busy Braille teacher...The Bridge to Braille should be in the hands of every teacher who is going to have a blind student in class!”
— Debbie DeHaven
First grade teacher
The Bridge to Braille is available from:
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
Order Form
Name Phone ( )
Address
City State Zip
The Bridge to Braille Quantity @12.00 +$5.00 (S&H) = _______ (Total Due)
Make check or money order payable to NFB and mail with this form to:
Materials Center, National Center for the Blind
1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230-4998
Phone: (410) 659-9314 Email: nfbstore@nfb.org Web site:
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfb.org"
www.nfb.org
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Free Braille Books Program
Blind kids want the same things sighted kids do. They want to watch their favorite television shows, go roller-skating with the gang, buy the current fashionable shoes, and read the newest popular book. Children enjoy collecting their favorite books and reading them over and over. Many adults today continue to cherish their Nancy Drew® or The Hardy Boys® book collections. Experts in literacy say that this type of popular literature plays an important role in developing reading skills and a love of reading among children. We at the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (AAF) believe blind children ought to have the opportunity to enjoy literature, develop literacy skills, and learn to love reading, just like their sighted peers. Through the Free Braille Books
Program we are working to make this possible.
In 1997 the AAF started this program to provide blind children a free Braille book every month from a popular children’s reading series. The books are for the children to keep and collect for as long as they want them.
The titles published every month are the same titles that are available in bookstores and public libraries everywhere. In the past six years over one hundred twenty-six titles from popular children’s reading series were distributed to thousands of blind children. These titles were from the following reading series: Goosebumps®, Goosebumps® Series 2000, Animorphs®, Baby-Sitters Club, Baby-Sitters Club—Friends Forever, The Nightmare
Room™, Little House chapter books, Nancy Drew®, The Hardy Boys®, A to Z MysTerieS®, and Junie B. Jones chapter books.
Because reading interests and trends change, the AAF periodically reviews and changes the titles offered. Beginning January 1, 2004, AAF w汩獩畳
ill issue six titles each from the A to Z MysTerieS® series (reading levels 2.6 and up), the ever-popular Junie B. Jones series written by Barbara Parks (reading level 2.0 and up), and the Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf (suitable for preteens). The books will be shipped in alternating months: two titles in January, one title in February, and so forth to the end of the year. Blind youngsters, blind parents, teachers of the blind, schools, and libraries serving the blind are eligible to participate in this program. Participants may enroll in or withdraw from the program at any time. They may also choose to receive one, two, or all three titles, as they like. And the books are free and theirs to keep.
No child should be left out because he or she is blind. Because of this program blind children can now discuss the newest book with their classmates and build their very own collection of books—just like their sighted friends.
Free Braille Books Program
Application
To apply for the program, please send the information requested in the application below to:
AAF Free Braille Books Program
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Telephone: (410) 659-9314, extension 361
Fax: (410) 685-5653
<brailleaction@nfb.org>
<www.actionfund.org>
Name __________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip ___________________________________________________________
(check one) [ ] student, [ ] teacher, [ ] library or other institution
If student, birth date __________________________
Name of parent(s) ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
[ ] Yes, send me the Junie B. Jones chapter books (RL 2.0). I understand six books will be issued in 2004.
[ ] Yes, send me the A to Z MysTerieS® chapter books (RL 2.6). I understand six books will be issued in 2004.
[ ] Yes, send me the sports biography books written by Matt Christopher for preteens.
I understand six books will be issued in 2004.
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[PHOTO/CAPTION: Serena Cucco]
The Most Important Transition of All
by Serena Cucco
Editor’s Note: When I asked Serena Cucco of New Jersey to be on the student and parent panel, I told her the theme was “transitions” but otherwise, pretty much left the content of her speech up to her. I’m glad I did. As I reflected on what she chose to talk about, I realized that Serena is a shining example of the power of the “It’s up to me” mentality which Elliott so eloquently described in her keynote speech earlier that day (see the article, “The Essence of Education is Repetition” elsewhere in this issue). What I learned from Serena’s speech is that children who adopt the “It’s up to me” approach not only learn to do for themselves, they learn to do for others. That, it seems to me, is the most important transition of all.
Serena, by the way, is the blind daughter of Carol Castellano, a frequent contributor over the years to Future Reflections, the co-author of the much-acclaimed book, The Bridge to Braille, and, well, you can read more about Carol in her biography elsewhere in this issue. A 2003 high school graduate, Serena has not let the fame of being the focus of many articles and speeches over the years spoil her. She has grown into a thoughtful, caring young woman with a passion for justice. Here are Serena’s remarks from the 2003 NFB parent’s seminar:
Imagine a blind twelve-year-old girl new to this country from Central America. She has never gone to school. Her parents couldn’t afford the school for the blind in their country. She doesn’t know how to read. She knows no English. Two years ago my Braille teacher introduced me to this girl and asked me if I would like to work with her. I was particularly suited to the job because I speak Spanish and can write both English and Spanish in Braille.
Once a week, Kency and her mother came to my house where I mentored her in reading, Braille, and speaking English. I introduced her to typical American snacks such as brownies and Goldfish. (I think she ate them just to be polite.) I translated for her and for our two mothers. She enjoyed practicing her letters on my Braille Lite, which I’m using right now to give my speech. I also wrote sentences for her to read in Spanish and English. It was challenging to think of sentences that were simple in both languages. During this school year, I went to Kency’s middle school where I mentored and tutored her under a program called Student Volunteers. I helped her with her homework, taught her how to set up math problems in Braille, and Brailled worksheets for her. I also put in several hours a week Brailling a novel for her.
[Editor’s note: Think about the time commitment involved here. Almost every week for over two years she meets to tutor this girl, then she gives up more time to Braille a book for her. Serena doesn’t say it, but I suspect that she had to customize the Braille as she transcribed the book.]
Kency has made much progress since she came to this country. Her reading and English have improved dramatically. I treasure my work with her because it highlights three of my most cherished values: education, equal opportunity for all people, and full inclusion in American culture for all who chose to make the United States their home. First, my efforts enabled her to receive an appropriate education and to enjoy equal opportunity. My tutoring gave her two more Braille lessons a week that she wouldn’t have had otherwise. Without an appropriate education Kency wouldn’t have an opportunity to attend college and enjoy a fulfilling career, and without equal opportunity, Kency wouldn’t be able to aspire to her dreams. I strongly believe that people of other cultures deserve the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of American society. I believe through exposing her to our culture (like eating American foods) and helping her learn the language quickly, I have helped her to be included in all aspects of American life.
Throughout our lives we all make transitions in different areas. Kency, her teachers, and I made several key transitions. The first two transitions that Kency made were going to school, which she had never done before, and learning a new language. Throughout h