Future Reflections
The National Federation of the Blind Magazine for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children
Vol. 23, No. 1 Spring/Summer 2004
Barbara Cheadle, Editor
[PHOTO/CAPTION: On January 30, 2004, approximately 1,500 members and guests celebrated the Grand Opening of the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Exhibits at the Gala challenged guests to Imagine a Future Full of Opportunity. That's what seven-year-old Jason Polansky (pictured above) must have been doing as he examined a model rocket from the NASA exhibit. Looking on are his parents, Susan and Ed, and NOPBC president, Barbara Cheadle (right).]
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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. 23, No. 1 Spring/Summer 2004
As the Twig Is Bent
Atlanta 2004 NFB Convention Site
NFB Camp: It’s More Than Child’s Play
by Carla McQuillan
A Brief Look At The Education Of Blind Children
by Carol Castellano
Blind Kids Lost in the Educational System
by Caroline Rounds
Donations Needed for 2004 Braille Book Flea Market
A Brighter Future for Blind Children
The 2003 NFB Summit on Education Helps Shape
Programming for the NFB Jernigan Institute
by Mark A. Riccobono
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
NFB Jernigan Institute Director Named
by Barbara Pierce
Let the Freedom Bell Ring!
by Kathy Kennedy
Jen’s Story
by Jan Lyon
New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped
Adopts a New Orientation and Mobility Policy
by Dianna Jennings
Customize Your Cane
by Jody W. Ianuzzi
Slate Pals
Appropriate Use of the Electronic Notetaker in School
by Curtis Chong
Exploring the Universe by Touch
by Bernhard Beck-Winchatz
How to Use a Popular Game as a Teaching Tool—and Still Have Fun!
by Sally Miller
Refrigerator Art
by Susan Povinelli
Listening to the Script; A Blind Professor’s Passion for the Theater
by Patrick Healy
Clothing, Grooming, and Social Acceptability: Part 2
by Stephen O. Benson
Convention Tours
by Anil Lewis
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Free Braille Books Program
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. 2360
www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm [ nfb@nfb.org [ bcheadle@nfb.org
Copyright © 2004 National Federation of the Blind
As the Twig Is Bent
National Federation of the Blind 2004 Convention
Schedule of Activities for Parents, Teachers, and Kids
sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC)
Marriott Marquis Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia
June 29 - July 5, 2004
This year’s NOPBC seminar theme is taken from the title of one of the early Kernel Books: As The Twig Is Bent. In the preface of that book, Dr. Jernigan begins by saying, “There is a well-known saying that, as the twig is bent, so grows the tree. What is true of plants is also true of people.” He goes on to say, “Every day all of us are, at least to some degree, bending the twig that will determine the final shape of their [blind children’s] lives.” We hope that parents who attend the NOPBC activities and participate in the many other 2004 NFB convention programs will leave with greater confidence in their ability to shape their children’s lives so that they will grow into active, productive, independent, and valued members of their communities.
Social skills will be the primary focus of the seminar and workshops on Tuesday, June 29. Barbara Pierce, who over the years has become one of NOPBC’s most sought-after workshop leaders, will give a major presentation on that topic during the morning general session.
Also on the morning agenda will be guest speaker Joel Snyder from National Captioning Institute, Described Media Department. Joel, a trained actor with many years of experience in audio-description, will talk about the value of accessing the popular media for knowledge about social skills critical to functioning in our culture.
As in recent years the first part of the program will be kid friendly with a kid talk between Dr. Maurer and the children in the audience, and a youth panel. We will take a brief break before 10:00 a.m. to allow parents time to take the kids to the annual Kenneth Jernigan Braille Carnival, coordinated this year by the three M’s: Melody Lindsey, director of a rehabilitation program in Michigan; Maria Morias, a blind mother and educator; and school counselor Melissa Riccobono. The morning session will end at 11:30 p.m., giving parents enough time to pick kids up from the Carnival or NFB Camp and get lunch before hitting the afternoon workshops.
In the afternoon, parents and children ages eight and up will have several delightful workshop choices. These workshops and the rest of the line-up of NOPBC sponsored activities throughout the convention week are described in the agenda below:
Tuesday, June 29
* 8:00 a.m. Registration
Note: please see the preregistration form with information about fees, etc., at the end of this article. The form will also be available through June 10 on the NOPBC Web page at <www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm>. For more information, you may also contact NOPBC President, Barbara Cheadle, at (410) 737-2224. If you leave a voice mail message requesting a packet, please spell your name and give your mailing address and phone number.
* 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. As the Twig Is Bent—NOPBC Parents Seminar (General Session)
Childcare or NFB Camp. This is not a service provided by NOPBC. Please see information elsewhere in this issue about how to preregister for NFB Camp (childcare).
*10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Kenneth Jernigan Braille Carnival
Children, blind and sighted, ages six and up, are invited to attend this popular program filled with two hours of games, crafts, and other fun Braille-related activities. The carnival booths are sponsored by NFB affiliates and other organizations that come to participate in the convention. Volunteer carnival buddies are recruited from within the NFB membership. All children must be accompanied by a Braille Carnival buddy or other adult.
* Lunch 11:30 - 1:30 p.m.
On your own. There are two good restaurants in the hotel that serve lunch and numerous fast food restaurants in the nearby attached mall. However, we will also give you the opportunity before the morning session adjourns to meet parent leaders that are from your region and/or that have a child close to your child’s age so that you may, if you wish, make arrangements to join them for lunch.
* 1:30-5:00 p.m. NOPBC Parent Workshops
1. Beginning Braille for Parents
Two sessions: 1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Learn how simple and fun Braille can be! By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to write a simple sentence in un-contracted Braille. Conducted by Caroline Rounds and Nancy Burns. Nancy is the president of the NFB of California and Caroline is a Braille teacher with the San Bernardino school district. She is also a blind Braille user and a former NFB scholarship winner. This workshop is an adaptation of the highly successful model developed by the NFB of California.
2. Movement, Music, and Play: The Connection to Early Socialization Skills, 0-7
Two sessions: 1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m.
This is a MUST session for all parents of little tykes. Conducted by early childhood O&M specialist, Joe Cutter, and Australian-born, award-winning musician and special education professional, Heather Field.
3. Body Language, Gestures, and Facial Expressions: How Much Do Blind Kids Really Need to Know? How Much Do Visually Impaired Kids Miss?
Two sessions: 1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m.
The title just about sums it up. Panels of socially competent blind adults will share their experiences and provide insights and suggestions to parents. Older blind children and youth are welcome to attend at the discretion of parents.
4. Friendships In and Beyond the Classroom
Two sessions: 1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Fostering friendships between blind and sighted youth requires more than attending class together in the same school. This seminar will explore a variety of strategies and ideas for promoting friendships between blind and sighted peers in a variety of social settings— school, the religious community, clubs, etc.
5. Socialization, Blindness, and Additional Disabilities: There Is Hope
Two sessions: 1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00 p.m.
This session focuses on the special challenges in helping blind children with additional disabilities develop appropriate social skills.
6. Tactile Graphics: A Touching Experience
One session: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
This is cosponsored by the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC) and NOPBC for parents, teachers, and all who are interested in learning about specialized graphics technology intended for the blind.
* 1:30-5:00 p.m. Youth Programs
* 1:30-5:00 p.m. Audio Description: The Visual Made Verbal
Cosponsored by the NOPBC and the National Captioning Institute, Described Media Department. Sighted high-school-age students will learn the principles of audio description. They will view segments of videotaped programs, learn how to analyze them to determine what text to add, and break up into teams to write a description for a segment, practice it, and be prepared to give the description live later that evening. From 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., blind middle and high school students will be invited to review the described segments, critique them, and cast their votes for best audio-described script, best voice, best use of language, and other superlatives. All students (describers and reviewers alike) will receive certificates from the National Captioning Institute, Described Media Department.
* 1:30-5:00 p.m. Exploring the Solar System: Youth Scavenger Hunt
Imagine that you could squeeze the solar system into the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Travel to the moon, pick up artifacts from Mars, and explore the rings of Saturn—all within the confines of the hotel. Young people, blind and sighted, ages eight and up, will learn about the earth’s solar system as they explore the Marriott Marquis through a scavenger hunt. Sighted youth will also have the opportunity to travel this universe-in-a-hotel with a white cane under blindfold as part of this educational and fun afternoon. Federationists Mildred Rivera, Melissa Williamson, and astronomers Noreen Grice of the Hayden Planetarium in Boston, and Dr. Dennis Dawson, chairman of the Astronomy Department at Western Connecticut University, will conduct this lively, educational program. Mildred Rivera is a civil right lawyer who has conducted many of these scavenger hunts in past years. Melissa is a mother and an elementary school teacher. (Both are blind.)
* 7:00-8:00 p.m. Audio Describers Review and Judging
Blind and visually impaired middle school and high school teens are invited to sign up to review the afternoon work of the amateur teen audio-describers. Teens may sign up in advance or at the door. For fairness and impartiality all reviewers will be required to wear sleep shades (blindfolds).
* 8:00-9:00 p.m. Teen Discussion Groups
As in previous years, experienced, sensitive blind leaders will conduct two talk sessions, one for young men and one for young women, ages fourteen to eighteen, on the all-important teen topics of dating, relationships with parents, social interactions with peers, and more.
* 7:00-10:00 p.m. NOPBC Family Hospitality
Relax and chat in an informal atmosphere with other parents, teachers, and blind adults while your kids roam and play around the tables. There will be some door prizes and a few mixer games, but mostly this will be an unstructured evening in which you can network with others. While parents will be responsible for supervision of their children at hospitality, again thanks to Heather Field, a Discovery Toys® display with a play area for children will be in the room.
Wednesday, June 30
* 8:30-1:00 p.m. Cane Walk
Session 1: 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Session 2: 11:00-1:00 p.m.
This workshop will begin with a brief discussion of why the NFB promotes the use of the long cane with the metal tip, early use of the cane, and the value of blind instructors. It will conclude with an overview of the difference between the discovery method and traditional O and M instruction. After the introduction parents, teachers, and kids will be issued canes and sleep shades (blindfolds) and then teamed with a volunteer instructor for a cane walk through the hotel and, for those who have not yet registered, to the NFB registration area. Volunteer instructors are recruited from current and former students of the Louisiana Tech/Louisiana Center for the Blind O and M program as well as other experienced volunteers at the convention. Coordinated by Christine Brown and Joe Cutter.
* 1:00-5:00 p.m. Teen Get-Acquainted Party
Sponsored jointly by NOPBC and Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). All teens are invited to drop in anytime at this room for games and music or just to hang out with other teens. Supervised at all times by BISM counselors.
Thursday, July 1
* 1:00-3:00 p.m. NOPBC Parent Power—Annual Meeting
Keynote address by the 2004 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children, roll call of POBC affiliates, updates on educational issues, committee reports, and elections.
* 3:30-5:00 p.m. Braille: It’s More Than Dots
A workshop for parents and older youth. Internationally known Braille expert Dr. Sally Mangold will discuss the versatility of Braille in a variety of life settings for a diverse population of students, including those with partial vision or additional disabilities. The workshop will include a breakout session to provide children and parents a hands-on demonstration of the Braille educational learning tool, SAL (Speech Assisted Learning).
* 5:30-7:30 p.m. Braille Readers Are Leaders Annual Reunion and Braille Book Flea Market
Cosponsored by NOPBC and NAPUB, and made possible through a grant from the UPS Foundation and the efforts of UPS volunteers from the Atlanta office.
Come and help celebrate Braille and the accomplishments of the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest and Literacy Program. You will find lots of free food, great fellowship, Braille mentors for the kids, and, best of all, a chance to browse and pick up some great Braille books at the flea market. Donations from the Braille book flea market will go into the newly established Braille Readers Are Leaders Reunion and Mentorship Fund.
Bring the whole family. Stay for the NAPUB meeting at 7:00 p.m. All Braille enthusiasts are invited, but former contestants and winners are extended a special invitation. All current or former Braille Readers are Leaders contestants are eligible for a special door prize: a refurbished, just like new, Braillewriter!
Friday, July 2
* 7:00 a.m. NOPBC Board Meeting
Evening—NOPBC Parent and Youth Workshops
* 6:30-8:30 p.m. Drop-In “Discovery Time” with Heather Field (Discovery Toys®) and Joe Cutter (early childhood cane travel and movement). This informal drop-in session is for parents of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Bring your child with you.
* 7:00-9:00 p.m. Astronomy Is for Everyone
Drop in anytime; everyone is welcome. Children must be accompanied by adults. Look at hands-on models and tactile maps. Astronomers Noreen Grice and Dr. Dennis Dawson will answer your questions, describe the materials, and demonstrate that everyone can access astronomy.
* 7:00-8:00 p.m. The Benefits of Sleepshade (Blindfold) Training for Partially Sighted Children and Youth
Does it really help? Why do the NFB training centers use sleepshades? Are sleepshades effective for young children in school settings? Can parents use them effectively? Should
parents learn techniques under sleepshades? Come with your questions and an open mind, and we will honestly explore a topic frequently shunned or dismissed by traditionally trained O and M instructors.
* 8:00-9:30 p.m. Standards, Accountability, IDEA, and No Child Left Behind: What Do They Mean for Blind Students?
An update on the status of significant education legislation and trends in education policy and practice with an emphasis on their impact on the education of blind students. Moderated by NOPBC second vice president Marty Greiser. Speakers will include Mark Riccobono, Coordinator of Educational Programs, NFB Jernigan Institute, and NFB Director of Governmental Affairs, James McCarthy, who will give an update about the IMAA and IDEA.
* Childcare for the above NOPBC workshops will be available courtesy of NOPBC.
Saturday, July 3
* Tour Afternoon
The NOPBC encourages parents and children to take the afternoon off and enjoy Atlanta. We especially recommend the Fernbank Science Center and Planetarium Touch the Universe tour. NOPBC has collaborated with the NFB of Georgia to bring astronomers Noreen Grice and Dr. Dennis Dawson to Atlanta to assist with this special activity.
* 7:00 p.m. Audio-Described Family Night at the Movies
Movie title to be announced. Presented by NOPBC and the National Captioning Institute, Described Media Department.
NOPBC 2004 Activities Preregistration
Mail to:
Sandy Taboada, NOPBC Preregistration
6960 South Fieldgate Court
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808-5455
Email: smerchant@mail.vetmed.lsu.edu
Fees: $10, one adult, no children
$15 one adult, children * $25, two adults, children
Adult Name(s). Please include first and last name of each adult and indicate if the adult is a parent, grandparent, blind parent, teacher, other relative, etc.
1.______________________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________
City ___________________________State__________________ ZIP_______________
Telephone ( ) __________________________________________________________
Email __________________________________________________________________
Fee enclosed (make checks payable to NOPBC) $ ___________
REMEMBER TO DEDUCT $5 IF YOU PREREGISTER BY JUNE 1
The fee includes at-large membership in the NOPBC and it covers all NOPBC workshops described in the “As the Twig Is Bent” 2004 convention article about NOPBC activities. It does NOT include the NFB convention registration fee which is $15 per person (including children) and must be paid in person at the convention on June 30 or at other designated times throughout the convention. It also does NOT include cost for NFB Camp (childcare), see elsewhere in this issue.
Will you be bringing children? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Undecided
If yes or undecided, please list names and birth dates of child(ren); reading mode (Braille, print, large print, non-reader); and brief description of characteristics of which Carnival Buddies and other volunteers should be aware. Examples: Mild autism; wears hearing aid; has ADHD; shy—doesn’t talk to strangers.
Finally, in order to help us plan to have enough materials and volunteers for the children’s activities, please check the program your child may be interested in attending. Please note the age restrictions. Please copy this form or add a sheet of paper if you need space to register more children.
CHILDREN
1. Name/birth date__________________________ Reading mode__________________
Characteristics (please be sure to tell us if your child is blind or sighted): _____________ ___________________________________________________________________
Please check the activities you think your child might attend:
[ ] Braille Carnival (age 6 - up)
[ ] Exploring the Solar System: Youth Scavenger Hunt (age 8 - up)
[ ] Audio Description: The Visual Made Verbal (sighted high school students)
[ ] Audio Describers Review and Judging (blind middle and high school students)
[ ] Teen Discussion Groups (teens ages 14 - 18)
[ ] Teen Get-Acquainted Party (all teens, blind and sighted)
[ ] Astronomy Is for Everyone (all ages, children must be accompanied by an adult)
[ ] Audio-Described Family Night at the Movies
(all ages, children must be accompanied by an adult)
2. Name/birth date__________________________ Reading mode__________________
Characteristics (please be sure to tell us if your child is blind or sighted): _____________ ________________________________________________________________________
Please check the activities you think your child might attend:
[ ] Braille Carnival (age 6 - up)
[ ] Exploring the Solar System: Youth Scavenger Hunt (age 8 - up)
[ ] Audio Description: The Visual Made Verbal (sighted high school students)
[ ] Audio Describers Review and Judging (blind middle and high school students)
[ ] Teen Discussion Groups (teens ages 14 - 18)
[ ] Teen Get-Acquainted Party (all teens, blind and sighted)
[ ] Astronomy Is for Everyone (all ages, children must be accompanied by an adult)
[ ] Audio-Described Family Night at the Movies
(all ages, children must be accompanied by an adult)
Atlanta 2004 NFB Convention Site
The 2004 NFB convention will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, June 29 through July 5 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. The overflow hotel is the Hilton Atlanta and Towers, just across Courtland from the Marriott Marquis. Room rates are singles, doubles, and twins $59 and triples and quads $65 a night, plus tax of 14 percent at present. The hotels are accepting reservations now. A $60-per-room deposit is required to make a reservation. Fifty percent will be refunded if notice of cancellation is given before June 1, 2004. The other 50 percent is not refundable. For reservations call the Marriott Marquis at (404) 521-0000 and the Hilton Atlanta and Towers at (404) 659-2000.
Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made before June 1, assuming that rooms are still available. After that the hotels will not hold their room blocks. So make your reservation now.
Both hotels are twelve miles north of the Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport and are conveniently located off Interstate 85. Take Exit 96, International Boulevard, turn left onto International Boulevard, go to Peachtree Center Avenue, and turn right. The Marriott Marquis is on the right in the second block. To get to the Hilton, turn left onto International Boulevard, go to Piedmont Avenue, and turn right. The Hilton is on the left. Guest-room amenities in both hotels include cable television, coffee pot, iron and ironing board, hair dryer, and dataport.
The schedule for the 2004 convention is as follows:
Tuesday, June 29 Seminar Day
Wednesday, June 30 Registration Day
Thursday, July 1 Board Meeting and
Division Day
Friday, July 2 Opening Session
Saturday, July 3 Tour Day
Sunday, July 4 Banquet Day
Monday, July 5 Business Session
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Carla McQuillan]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: These kids discover that there is always something fun to do at NFB Camp.]
NFB Camp: It’s More Than Child’s Play
by Carla McQuillan
Programs and Activities
During convention week children six weeks through ten years of age 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. If you are interested in this year’s program, please complete and return the registration form provided at the end of this notice. Preregistration with payment on or before June 15, 2004, is mandatory for participation in NFB Camp. Space is limited, and each year some families have to be turned away.
About the Staff: NFB Camp is organized and supervised by Carla McQuillan, the executive director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating two schools, parent education courses, and a teacher-training program. Carla is the mother of two children, the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, and a member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind.
Michelle Ros, NFB Camp’s activities director since 1999, will not be available this year because of the birth of her second child, due mid-June. Michelle regrets her absence and promises to be with us next year, babe in arms. Instead Alison McQuillan—camp worker and teacher since 1998—will be our activities director this year. Over the years we have recruited professional childcare workers from the local community to staff NFB Camp. Recently we have determined that recruiting from our Federation families results in workers with proper philosophy and attitudes about our blind children. Carla and Alison will be supervising camp workers and all related activities.
Activities and Special Events: The children are divided into groups according to age: infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. Each camp room is equipped with a variety of age-appropriate toys, games, and books, and we will have daily art projects. In addition school-aged children will have the opportunity to sign up for half-day trips to local area attractions.
The planned events include trips to underground Atlanta for ice cream, a tour of the Coca Cola museum, a visit to the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts, and more. Our field trip supervisor this year will be 2002 scholarship winner Nicolas Crisosto. Dates, times, additional fees, and sign-up sheets for field trips will be available at NFB Camp. Space for special events is limited to enrolled NFB Campers only, on a first-come, first-served basis. On the final day of NFB Camp we will conduct a big toy sale—brand new toys at bargain prices.
Banquet Night: NFB Camp will provide dinner and activities during the banquet. The cost for banquet activities is $15 per child in addition to other camp fees.
NFB Camp will be open during general convention sessions, division and committee meeting day, and the evening of the banquet. Plenty of teens are always available to baby-sit during evening and lunchtime meetings.
Please use the NFB Camp registration form included.
NFB Camp Schedule
NFB Camp will be open during general convention sessions, division and committee meeting day, and the evening of the banquet. Times listed are the opening and closing times of NFB Camp. Children are not accepted earlier than the times listed, and a late fee of $10 will be assessed for all late pick-ups. NFB Camp provides morning and afternoon snacks. You are responsible to provide lunch for your child(ren) every day except Tuesday.
Date NFB Camp Hours
Tuesday, June 29 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30 Camp is closed.
Thursday, July 1 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Friday, July 2 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 3 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 4 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Banquet: 6:30 p.m.
Monday, July 5 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
and 1:30-5:30 p.m.
You are required to provide lunch for your child(ren) each day except Tuesday.
These times may vary, depending on the timing of the actual convention sessions. NFB Camp will open thirty minutes before the beginning gavel and close thirty minutes after session recess.
NFB Camp Registration Form
Parent’s Name____________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________
City _____________________ State ________ Zip ________ Phone ________________
Child(ren)’s Name(s)
______________________________________________Date of Birth _________ Age
______________________________________________Date of Birth _________ Age
______________________________________________Date of Birth _________ Age
Include description of any disabilities/allergies we should know about: ______________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who, other than parents, is allowed to pick up your child? _________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Per Week: $80 first child; $60 siblings # of children _____ $ ________
(Does not include banquet)
Per Day: $20 per child per day # days ____ x $20/child $ ________
(Does not include banquet)
Banquet: $15 per child # of children _____ x $15 $ ________
Total Due $ ________
We understand that NFB Camp is being provided as a service by the NFB to make our convention more enjoyable for both parents and children. We understand the rules we were given and agree to abide by them. We will pick up children immediately following sessions. We understand that if our child(ren) does not follow the rules or if for any reason staff are unable to care for our child(ren), further access to childcare will be denied.
Parent’s Signature __________________________________ Date ____________
Make checks payable to NFB Camp.
Return form to National Federation of the Blind of Oregon
5005 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97478, (541) 726-6924.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Carol Castellano]
A Brief Look At The Education Of Blind Children
by Carol Castellano
Editor’s Note: The following article is exactly what the title says it is—a brief, simplistic look at how blind children are educated in the United States today. We know that parents and teachers often have to explain over and over to friends, family members, and even school administrators and other school personnel, about the unique aspects of education for blind/ visually impaired children. We hope this article will make that task a little easier.
How Are Blind Children Educated?
There are approximately 100,000 blind/visually impaired children in the United States (about one child in one thousand), making blindness in children a low-incidence disability. Blind/visually impaired children are educated in a variety of settings, which range from a regular classroom in the neighborhood school to a separate school for the blind. However, about ninety percent of blind/visually impaired children, including those with additional disabilities, are educated in neighborhood schools. Since the 1960s most schools for the blind have specialized in educating blind children with additional, severe disabilities. Some schools for the blind also offer short-term placement programs for students who need intensive instruction in blindness skills, outreach services to students in public school settings, and preschool or early intervention programs.
Among the possible educational settings are the following:
* The regular classroom
* A special education classroom that includes children with various disabilities
* A special education classroom with only blind/visually impaired students (usually in cities, where the population is higher)
* A special school for children with various disabilities
* A school for the blind
* Home schooling
For education purposes, it can be useful to think of the population of blind children as divided into three subgroups. 1. Blind children who are fully integrated into regular classrooms and have the same academic goals as their sighted classmates. The main modifications for blindness for these students are adaptive tools and materials in tactile or enlarged form. These children usually have no other disabilities, or have other disabilities which are minor and do not significantly affect education services. 2. Blind children that have additional disabilities which require modifications to the curriculum and/or supports in the classroom setting in addition to adapted materials. 3. Blind children with severe additional disabilities. These children may require a completely individualized curriculum which may consist primarily of developmental rather than academic goals.
It may surprise some educators to learn that the vast majority of children who fit the legal and educational definitions of blindness and visual impairment actually have some usable vision. Only a very small percentage of blind students are totally or near totally blind (about ten percent). It is not “how blind” a student is, however, that determines a child’s educational placement. In fact, Braille-using students—children who generally have less vision—are often better equipped to keep pace in a regular classroom than their partially sighted peers who do not use Braille. This is because Braille is an effective reading medium; it allows access to virtually all print materials and enables students to read quickly and without fatigue. The law which governs the education of children with disabilities (the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act—IDEA) requires that students be placed not on the basis of their disability or its severity, but on the basis of the setting that can best meet each student’s individual educated-related needs and goals.
What Are The Special Features Of The Blind Student’s Curriculum?
Blind/visually impaired students have the same academic and developmental goals as sighted students of equal cognitive ability. The primary differences in their education are the following:
* Blind students may require materials in an alternative format, such as Braille or enlarged print, and adaptive equipment, such as a talking computer or a magnification device.
* In addition to the subjects in the regular curriculum, blind students learn the specialized skills of blindness, such as Braille reading, cane travel (orientation and mobility or O&M), and the use of adaptive technology.
A Few Words About Tactile Illustrations
Many types of tactile illustrations exist for use by blind children, but as a rule, Braille volumes do not contain illustrations. A few Braille storybooks do have tactile illustrations, and raised drawings can be found in mathematics textbooks. In textbooks for subjects like science and history, however, much as they rely on charts and graphs to convey data, illustrations are usually omitted. Added to the lack of tactile illustrations is the fact that there is little standardization governing the creation of these graphics. Although the ability to glean information from illustrations is crucial for many school subjects, most blind children do not receive systematic instruction in this area. Educators therefore may encounter some students who are skilled at interpreting tactile graphics and many who are not.
Use of the Tactile Sense
Since so many blind/visually impaired students are partially sighted, rather than totally blind, there may be many occasions when educators need to decide whether to encourage a child to use the visual or the tactile sense. A good rule of thumb is to see if the child’s eyesight is efficient for the particular task. If it is not, then encourage the child to use tactual techniques. For example, if the child must put his/her head practically onto the desk in order to examine an object visually, then by all means encourage that child to examine the object with his/her hands along with his/her eyesight. It makes sense that supplementing the somewhat impaired visual sense with the completely functioning tactile sense will enable the child to fully see the object in question. Likewise, if it appears that a blind student does not understand a concept being presented, be sure to put a representative or explanatory object into the child’s hands. What can seem to be learning difficulties often disappear when this simple technique is employed.
What Constitutes A Good Education For Blind Students?
Several elements need to be in place in order to make the education process work, regardless of a student’s educational setting:
* Adequate instruction time from a teacher of the blind in the specialized skills and tools of blindness
* Timely access to specialized materials and tools, such as Braille or enlarged books, tactile maps, and adaptive technology
* Appropriate expectations for success
* Training for classroom teachers
* Access to social and extracurricular opportunities
Children who have serious multiple disabilities need all the programming appropriate to children of their cognitive or physical ability along with the specialized expertise of a teacher of the blind who can assist with materials and ways of presenting items and concepts.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Various Settings?
The various settings for the education of blind children offer different advantages and disadvantages.
The regular class in the regular school offers higher academic standards, extracurricular activities; social opportunities with sighted children, and “real world” experience. It can be difficult, however, to get specialized materials on time and to get adequate instruction time from a teacher of the blind. There can be barriers to social interaction with sighted classmates.
Special classes and special schools offer small classes and more individual attention. However, academic standards may be lower than in the regular classroom. There may be difficulty getting materials and adequate instruction time from a teacher of the blind.
Schools for the blind offer good access to specialized teachers and materials. They can also offer social opportunities with blind classmates. However, academic opportunities may not be on a par with public schools. The setting also inherently limits experience in getting along in the sighted world. In order to attend, some children have to live away from home.
For all these reasons, placement decisions are made on an individual basis.
What Education Challenges Do Blind Children Face And How Can School Staff Help Children Deal With Them?
Assuming that they have access to appropriate specialized instruction and materials, blind students face two significant challenges—low expectations on the part of the adults in their lives and barriers to social interaction with peers.
Low Expectations
Sighted people often hold dismal ideas about blindness and the abilities of blind people. They may not know any competent, successful blind adults and cannot imagine how anyone can achieve good results without eyesight! Sometimes such attitudes are held by school administrators and teachers. When this occurs, blind children are very vulnerable to being placed in lower level classes and having decisions made on their behalf by adults who have low expectations for their achievement. If, in addition, school personnel have not had adequate training in how to make the education of the blind child work, the education process can easily be derailed.
School staff can turn this situation around and help create an atmosphere of opportunity for blind students by making contact with active, competent blind adults, adopting positive attitudes about blindness, acquiring good training, and encouraging independence and full participation on the part of blind students.
Barriers to Social Interaction
Making friends and having normal social interaction with peers is not always easy for the blind child. Sometimes the blind child lacks opportunity or experience. Some children lack social skills. And some face the bias that is still present in our society against people who are different in some way. Classroom teachers can aid in this challenge in several ways:
* Foster an atmosphere of friendliness, respect, and acceptance during all activities.
* Have all necessary materials prepared in advance so that the blind student can fully participate in all activities.
* When conducting group activities, help the blind student become part of a group and facilitate the child’s participation, if he/she needs such assistance.
What Other Issues Impact The Education Of Blind Children?
One serious issue that affects many blind/visually impaired children is the selection of a reading medium. For a variety of reasons, the teaching of Braille to blind/visually impaired students waned over the past few decades, to the point where in 1998, less than 9.5 percent of blind students were Braille users. By way of contrast, in 1963, 57 percent of students knew Braille. This is of serious concern because partially sighted students who do not learn Braille do not reach literacy levels on a par with sighted peers. Braille-reading students, on the other hand, attain literacy levels equal to and sometimes above those of sighted students. There are far too many blind/visually impaired children who do not have a reading medium that allows them to keep up in class, handle a flow of information, read long passages without discomfort or fatigue, take their own notes, and read for pleasure. Students who are denied Braille often cannot effectively complete advanced classes like algebra and geometry.
The Braille literacy issue extends to life after schooling is ended. Although there is a high unemployment rate for adults with disabilities, of those blind people that are employed, 85 percent are Braille readers! By not teaching Braille to partially sighted students, educators are denying them entry into satisfying jobs and professions.
Another issue that affects the education of blind children is a shortage of specialized teachers of the blind. This shortage means that many students do not get enough instruction time with these specialists to develop and master their blindness skills. This leaves them on a very uneven playing field. With teacher preparation programs turning out very small numbers of teachers of the blind and many teachers nearing retirement age, this shortage is expected to intensify in the years to come.
A third concern is that too often blind students do not have their materials in time for the start of the school year. This, of course, puts them at a great disadvantage in the classroom. (Imagine, for example, starting an algebra course without an algebra book.) There are numerous causes for this problem, among them a shortage of Braille transcribers and an increase in the number of books needed in Braille. A national effort is underway to solve this problem through legislative means, but at present, this endeavor is stalled.
These challenges require more teamwork than ever before in order for the education of a blind/visually impaired child to be a success. Cooperation and partnership among school administrators, classroom teachers, the teacher of the blind, and parents are vital to the process.
Helpful Books, Literature, And Videos
Braille into the Next Millennium
Judith M. Dixon, Ed.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
1291 Taylor St. NW
Washington, DC 20542
(800) 424-9100
www.loc.gov/nls
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The following five items are available from:
National Center for the Blind
NFB Materials Center
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230-4998
(410) 659-9314
nfbstore@nfb.org
www.nfb.org
1. The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child
Carol Castellano and Dawn Kosman
2. Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired
Students
Doris Willoughby and Sharon Duffy
3. It’s Not So Different (VHS video)
4. That the Blind May Read (VHS video)
5. Braille Is Beautiful—A Disability Awareness Program for Sighted Children
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Ana M. Swenson
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(800) 232-3044
www.afb.org
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Discovering the Magic of Reading: Elizabeth’s Story (VHS video)
Opening Doors: Through an Act to Promote the Education of the Blind (VHS video)
both available from:
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
1839 Frankfort Ave.
PO Box 6085
Louisville, KY 40206-0085
(800) 223-1839
www.aph.org
******
Perkins Activity and Resource Guide: A Handbook for Teachers and Parents of Students with Visual and Multiple Disabilities
Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon St.
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 924-3434
www.perkins.pvt.k12.ma.us
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Early Learning—Step by Step
Are You Blind?
Space and Self
The Comprehending Hand
and other books by Lilli Nielsen available from:
Vision Associates
7512 Dr. Phillips Blvd., #50 316
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 352-1200
www.visionkits.com
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Caroline Rounds]
Blind Kids Lost in the Educational System
by Caroline Rounds
Editor’ Note: The following article is reprinted from the November 2002 issue of the Braille Monitor, the monthly publication of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
It is taken from a speech delivered by Caroline Rounds at the NFB of California convention in October of 2001. It also appeared in the spring/summer, 2002, issue of the affiliate’s newsletter. Mrs. Rounds was recently honored as the 2003 winner of the $10,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship Award. Here is what she says about some of the problems she has observed in the education of blind children:
Thank you for allowing me to address you with my thoughts and concerns about the education of our blind children in the public schools today. I taught regular education in a school which addresses the needs of children whom we call troubled readers. I have taught fourth, fifth, and sixth graders who are for one reason or another still emerging readers. In this capacity I have attended many literacy seminars. As I sat there I heard over and over again, “All children should be reading by the age of nine.” I couldn’t help wondering if they really meant “all children,” because I know a group of children who are not reading at grade level. That is when my excitement, passion, and enthusiasm began for working with our blind children.
The definition of literacy is being able to read and write with meaning and purpose. As I sat in those seminars, I heard a lot about how children learn to read and why they need to read. We all know that reading is important. We have reading programs in prisons because we know that if prisoners can read and write their success rate when they get out of prison is much higher.
The state of California realized that children had to do better before graduation. We had children graduating who could not complete job applications. This problem needed to be addressed in public education. As a result the state of California put a lot of money into this area. As a regular education teacher I was a beneficiary. In that capacity I received a lot of training and eventually became a trainer of trainers who would go on to teach other teachers about literacy. I learned about what that really meant and what the research said. I would like to reflect on the way this relates to our blind children.
First of all I learned that reading is learned. Children do not all of a sudden “get it” so that one-day they can read. Reading has to be taught purposefully. However, if you think of how our blind children are educated currently, the delivery system is limited. Most of our blind children are taught by itinerant teachers. This is a good system—if it works. However, in my district it means that our students are visited by an itinerant teacher maybe two times a week for an hour. They get an aide who comes another two or three times a week for another hour. In our case those aides do know some Braille. So now we are talking four, maybe five hours a week. Sometimes the child has a one-on-one aide who knows no Braille. This person is usually learning Braille at the same time as the student. If literacy is learned, who is doing the teaching of our blind children? If our sighted children were taught reading five hours a week including the code, we would be appalled. I couldn’t help wondering who was working with our struggling blind readers.
We learned that the research shows that students need to be fully immersed when they are learning to read. That means print must be everywhere. They need to be exposed, not only to textbooks, but also to menus, newspapers, and magazines. Those are the kinds of things our kids need to see to learn to read. Our sighted children get this immersion; do we really think we are immersing our blind children with Braille during a mere five hours a week?
Another thing the research taught us is that in order for children to learn to read, they need prior knowledge. If you are reading a story about a sailboat, you have to know what a sailboat is or the story has no meaning. Sighted children can look at pictures or videos and develop a concept of a sailboat as they read the story. Who is exposing our blind kids to such information while they are reading about the sailboat? It simply cannot be done in five hours a week.
I want to stop to say that there are some very dedicated teachers in the regular education classes who attempt to address the needs of their mainstreamed blind students. I know what that is like because I was one of those teachers. I had a class of thirty-two students who had thirty-two different learning styles. However, in general what happens is that the most needy child with the most severe needs, who should have one-on-one instruction, does not get it. I wonder if the regular education teacher is handing that blind child a sailboat to feel while the sighted children are looking at a picture? I was really worried about that.
We also learned that when a child is struggling, early intervention is vital. The research shows that if children are not reading on grade level by the third grade or the age of nine, they have lost ground for the rest of their reading careers. They will never be the good readers they could be, no matter how much instruction they get. So early intervention for struggling readers is very important.
However, what I was hearing from some teachers of the blind was that you cannot expect these children to read on grade level because they are blind and they are reading Braille. Therefore they are going to be slower. Already we were losing ground because our children weren’t reading at grade level, and no one thought they needed to.
Just about that time, when I was becoming very frustrated, I learned of a parent in the area who was threatening a lawsuit against the district for noncompliance. This parent knew better. She was not going to accept the poor service-delivery model in place in my area. Shortly thereafter, lo and behold, the district implemented a full-immersion Braille program, which the teachers had been trying to get for the students for three years. The only problem was that no one was available to fill the position. I was asked if I might be interested in applying. I am very happy to tell you that I have proudly started my new job as the teacher of the visually impaired in Apple Valley, California.
I would like to tell you what I saw when I got into my new classroom. The program I was supposed to implement was set up for eight academic blind Braille-reading children. These students ranged in age from first to fifth grade. What I saw was very frightening. They had problems with social development, daily living skills, and other areas of responsibility according to the California Guidelines for Educating Blind and Visually Impaired Children. However, when you visit a child for only two hours a week, what do you focus on?
Everyone assumes that everyone else is teaching these skills. I had ten-year-old children who could not tie their shoes. I had a six-year-old child who could not put on her own coat because she could not find the top. And these were bright children. That was what I saw in my first hour in this new position. All my lesson plans went right out the window. I saw children who pounded away on the Braillewriter for a while and then asked, “Did I do it right?” They had no idea if they were writing the words properly. When I taught sighted children, they checked their own work. These children did not know how to. They were not reading what they wrote. They were functioning significantly below grade level. That is how they became eligible for the Special Day Class Program. They were already in trouble. We also know from research that certain reading behaviors must be taught. I found that my blind students had very poor reading habits. They were not sitting erect, their hands were flat on the page, they read with one hand, their other hand was not trailing, and they read one letter at a time. These reading behaviors would have been corrected if someone had been monitoring the students. In regular education we were constantly nagging students to sit up straight and hold the book upright. No one was doing that for the blind children because the teacher of the visually impaired was there only twice a week. Since no self-correction was going on, the students were not learning to read and write properly. As I have said, literacy means reading and writing.
We have learned through research that children need modeling as they learn to read. Who better to do that for them than someone who is proficient in the reading and writing of Braille? They need deliberate instruction. We must establish standards to determine the specific things that blind children should know as they learn to read. We must all agree on these as we instruct them. They also need background knowledge. Blind kids do not learn from pictures and videos; they learn from real life experiences. So before they read a story, we need to make sure that they understand the concepts and ideas and items mentioned in that story. That requires a teacher who cares enough to see that the blind child is instructed in reading. Teachers need multiple strategies.
When a teacher visits only once or twice a week, she is only teaching a code. This is the first part, but children also need strategies for learning to read, such as using context clues and talking about what the story is about. They also need appropriate feedback. They need someone to tell them how well they are doing, not just giving them a little pat on the back. Our current delivery system does not make that possible. I am not sure what it will take to make the changes necessary, but as we move forward on the passage of our Braille bill, we need to keep these things in mind.
The title of my talk states that our blind children are lost. The opposite of loss is gain. Our children need to be gaining the skills that they need for literacy. The opposite of losing is winning. We need to make sure that our children are winning functional literacy skills so that they learn to read in time to be able to compete equally and be competitive when they are grown up. The opposite of losing is finding. We need to make sure that our children are able to find their full potential. Even our children with additional disabilities need to be getting as much Braille as they can absorb so that they will have a wide range of choices in their future too.
I am very happy that I now get to work with blind children. I hope that what I have said here will challenge you. The passing of the Braille bill is exciting, but our work has just begun.
Donations Needed for 2004 Braille Book Flea Market
Donate your gently used but no longer wanted Braille books to the 2004 annual Braille Book Flea Market, sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille. Books should be in good condition. Cookbooks and books suitable for children and young adults are preferred. Books may be shipped Free Matter for the Blind between April 1 and June 1, 2004, to:
Attn: Christy Davis--NFB Conference Materials
UPS HR Department General Office
215 Marvin Miller Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30336
Do not mark the packages or boxes in any other way, and use the address exactly as given here. Donations from the flea market will be used to support the Braille Readers Are Leaders expanded literacy program.
[PHOTO/CAPTIONS: Mark Riccobono]
A Brighter Future for Blind Children
The 2003 NFB Summit on Education Helps Shape Programming for the NFB Jernigan Institute
by Mark A. Riccobono
Editor’s Note: Mark Riccobono has recently been appointed to coordinate educational programming for the NFB Jernigan Institute. Last August a number of Federationists with interest and expertise in education for the blind gathered at the National Center for the Blind to do the groundwork on setting educational policy and establishing program priorities for the Jernigan Institute. Mark Riccobono led the discussion and here reports on the work of that group:
The work of the National Federation of the Blind improving opportunities for blind children is very near the top of our list of priorities. With the impact on regular education of the new focus on standards, the changing classroom environment because of technology, and the endless battle over school budgets, is it any wonder that our concern about the education of blind children is growing? But the problems facing us are not as simple as addressing what is new in regular education. In addition we must consider the trends and activities in special education, particularly with teachers of blind students and orientation and mobility instructors. Because of the critical role the National Federation of the Blind plays in ensuring that blind children receive appropriate training and opportunity, and with the coming development of innovative programs in the NFB Jernigan Institute, leaders in the NFB came together to discuss the education of blind children.
On August 22 and 23, 2003, NFB leaders, educators, and parents of blind children met at the National Center for the Blind to discuss the current status of the education of blind children in the United States. This 2003 NFB Summit on Education was part of the effort to address our growing concern that the current educational system is not providing appropriate instruction to blind children and, furthermore, that the system lacks the innovation to attain successful outcomes for these children. Twenty-one Federationists came together for two days of discussion and brainstorming about the education of blind children. This important meeting, however, was simply one piece of the process. Much more must be done to ensure that every blind child receives an appropriate education based on high expectations.
Before reporting some of the highlights of the 2003 NFB Summit on Education, we should review the role the NFB has already played in the education of blind children. After all, we have already made a significant difference. Consider just two examples from the last twenty years or so. First is our successful effort to get canes into the hands of blind children as early as possible. We began publishing Future Reflections in October of 1981, and from the beginning many of its articles focused on the importance of having child-size canes for youngsters to begin using as soon as they could walk. The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children came into being at the 1983 national convention, and shortly thereafter the NFB produced the video, Kids With Canes. Today many professionals have begun to teach blind kids to use the long white cane at an earlier age. Moreover, our literature and expertise on the subject are gaining increased acceptance.
Second is our strong leadership in meeting the Braille literacy crisis in this country, which led to the adoption in thirty-two states of Braille bills based on our model legislation as well as our successful work to pass the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that provide Braille instruction to all blind students unless, after an evaluation assessing the child’s current and future reading needs, the IEP team determines that Braille is not appropriate. Our efforts have continued to secure timely access to materials (the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act) and at the local level to establish educational programs such as Braille Is Beautiful and to expand the Braille Readers Are Leaders programs. While these examples are significant, they represent only a fraction of the positive impact the NFB has made since 1940. Yet even in these areas, cane travel and Braille literacy for blind children, our work is not nearly complete.
How then do we begin to tackle the problems that still exist in the education of blind children? That is what the participants in the 2003 NFB Summit on Education worked on in late August. We had much lively discussion with a number of themes emerging by the end of the two days. Seven of these, in no particular order, were:
* Changes and innovations in the delivery system for serving blind children. We spent considerable time discussing the emphasis in the field on the shortage of qualified personnel, which is often cited as the major problem facing the field as a whole. However, with our unique perspective and collective experience of blindness, we disagreed with this analysis. Summit participants concluded that the shortage of trained professionals exists only if one assumes that the current philosophy behind educating the blind and the method of delivering services to blind children are effective and efficient. We agreed, however, that they are not effective and that this appalling shortcoming is the most serious crisis facing blind children today. The philosophy underlying the delivery of instruction and the approach to providing services are the problems that must be addressed immediately.
* Infusing a positive philosophy as early as possible. Participants discussed their conviction that the profound lack of strong early-intervention programs based on high expectations and positive approaches to blindness puts blind children at a significant disadvantage from the start. All too often parents of blind children are confronted from the beginning with negative stereotypes and low expectations for their children by the professionals with whom they deal. Children who lack opportunities and expectations early on are labeled as slower, and a general acceptance of this lag grows out of the misguided notion that “It just takes these children longer.” The summit concluded that the NFB must stimulate cultivation of intensive, excellent early childhood programs based on our effective philosophy and approach to blindness. We must do everything we can to encourage parents to take an active, even leading part in teaching and enabling their blind children to keep up with their peers.
* Strategies for demystifying the education of blind children and infusing positive literature and resources into the system. We discussed a number of ideas for specific programs and products to assist parents trying to prepare their blind children for success. Some of these programs, like the science camp which Dr. Maurer announced in his 2003 Presidential Report and which is highlighted later in this issue, are already on our radar screen, but others will need to be developed.
* Better educational programs for parents, paraprofessionals, and teachers. As the voice of the nation’s blind, we are in a unique position to train others to assist in providing needed support and educational services. Using our knowledge and experience with training programs, we can expand our reach to encourage people interested in providing a truly appropriate education for every blind child. Consistent with the NFB Jernigan Institute’s mission to drive innovation in the field of blindness, the NFB Online Education Program will be central to this training. The first course in the program, “Introduction to the Education of Blind Children in the Regular Classroom,” was launched as one of the inaugural projects of the NFB Jernigan Institute at the grand opening celebration on January 30.
* Establishment of standards for blind youth in blindness and life-coping skill areas. Another important discussion occurred around the notion of how we know whether or not blind youth are meeting appropriate standards. Individualized planning for blind students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, as enshrined in federal law, is intended to ensure that every child receiving special education services will be taught according to team decisions made especially and solely for that student. While the intention of federal law is to help each child appropriately and individually, the effect on blind children has been devastating. This practice has resulted in education being provided to each blind student as though this were the first blind student ever taught. The effect is most damaging in the teaching of blindness and life-coping skills. This means no standards by which school administrators, both regular and special education, can assess the progress of the blind student in learning or the effectiveness of the teacher of blind children in teaching blindness skills. On the other hand, those same teachers, particularly those providing good instruction, have no standards to use in convincing their administrators of the appropriate amount of instructional time required to properly teach those blindness and life-coping skills. Worst of all, the blind student has no way of measuring his or her mastery of blindness skills, and most blind students emerge from high school certain that they are doing splendidly until the reality of college and employment shows them otherwise. The NFB’s knowledge and experience and our ability to pool the two in collective, thoughtful analysis as well as our long record of trying to make the current system work, uniquely suit us to provide valid criticism of the status quo and to forge solutions that will change the world for America’s blind youngsters. That means real standards against which age-appropriate progress can be measured. The obvious place to start is to learn what today’s blind students are actually doing in key blindness areas and then use that information to fashion standards for performance against which individual student performance can be measured.
* Pursuing meaningful research that will drive better instruction for blind children. A number of critical research and data questions were raised. These range from improving Braille literacy to tracking the performance of blind children in order to measure the effectiveness of the services they receive. These research ideas are unlike the research currently being done in the blindness field. The questions we raised are grounded in the unique perspective of blind people and are better characterized, in the words of Dr. Fred Schroeder, as “advocacy research.” Undoubtedly such research questions will be a part of the work of the NFB Jernigan Institute. Certainly the question of effective and age-appropriate use of access technology has already registered concern across the Federation, and more research will need to be done on how and when to introduce blind children to keyboarding, electronic notetakers, and computers with speech and screen-enlargement programs.
* Developing partnerships with key programs and innovators in education to create model programs and practices based on positive Federation philosophy and the latest research on child development and learning acquisition. Where possible, we need to create relationships and work closely with those in the blindness field and beyond who can assist us to develop new programs for blind children. A number of ideas for accomplishing this were generated and will be incorporated into our future work.
Our discussion was just one step in the process of building an educational program within the NFB Jernigan Institute that will dramatically improve the opportunities and resources available to blind youth and those concerned with their education. The notes from the 2003 NFB Summit on Education have been compiled into a form which will allow the NFB Jernigan Institute to track and update our progress on the strategies identified at this initial meeting. Many of the priorities and concerns discussed at the Education Summit will be incorporated into the Strategic Plan for the Institute, so we will all be able to follow program development in the months and years to come.
We must not stop with the 2003 NFB Summit on Education, and in true Federation spirit readers must not simply follow the progress of our educational programs. As we continue efforts in the Federation and in building the programs of the NFB Jernigan Institute, our innovative ideas, rooted in our experience and understanding of blindness, must be our driving force. In no other place are these innovations being cultivated in the way we will establish them, and this perspective is the critical element that makes the Federation the leader it is in the blindness field.
All of us then have a role in devising ideas and developing the resources to make the ideas work. While the Education Summit generated a number of useful strategies that we can use as a springboard for the Institute, we continue to need discussion and innovation. Members of the Federation working in local communities to improve conditions for blind children are essential. Your ideas and innovations must be part of the NFB Jernigan Institute. These ideas will necessarily evolve and change, but each idea has an important role in shaping our initiatives based on a positive consumer approach to blindness.
As we build our educational programs, we will need to know about successful programs and resources across the country. While the Institute will leverage our experience with blindness, it will also allow us to create powerful partnerships with those professionals who get it. We will welcome learning about any positive efforts in support of blind youth. Our 2004 NFB Science Camps are a perfect example of the partnerships and innovations we will try to cultivate through the Institute.
Will blind children continue to be left behind? Will their parents continue to struggle to receive barely mediocre services? Will valuable educational resources continue to fall through the cracks or be needlessly reinvented? Will general educators learn the truth about blindness and how to deal positively with a blind child in the classroom? Fortunately our answers to these questions based on our experience embody great hope. The positive force for change evident in our work today is the same one that was born in 1940. It led the way to improved expectations and opportunities for blind children, and it is now establishing the research and training programs which will forever change the face of education for blind children. The National Federation of the Blind is not a new trend in education. Rather it is the voice of reason and experience and power with a growing track record of success. Let us work together to ensure that no blind child is left to face life without the confidence and independence he or she can achieve.
Please contact Mark Riccobono with your thoughts, ideas, and information about innovative programs for blind children. He can be reached at the National Center for the Blind (410) 659-9314 or by email at <mriccobono@nfb.org>.
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
In 1999, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) commenced the “Campaign to Change What it Means to be Blind.” The campaign goal was to raise $19.5 million to build a one-of-a-kind research and training institute on blindness. In 2001, the groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Institute site adjacent to the headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind. On January 30, 2004, the NFB proudly celebrated the Grand Opening of the Institute with more than 1,400 guests from across the country. That same day, the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind unanimously voted to name it the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
Dr. Kenneth Jernigan was the most prominent and effective leader in the field of blindness of the 20th century, and it was his dream to build a research and training facility which would revolutionize attitudes about blindness and promote independence and greater opportunities for blind people. The NFB Jernigan Institute will be the most effective means of developing and disseminating resources and programs for the blind in the 21st century.
Mission
The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute leads the quest to understand the real problems of blindness and to develop innovative education, technologies, products, and services that help the world’s blind to achieve independence.
Jernigan Institute Initiatives
* Research, develop and support the commercialization of technologies for meeting the needs of the blind as articulated by the world’s blind population.
* Develop innovative training methods and education for the entire blind population with special emphasis on underserved populations, e.g., blind seniors and blind children.
* Improve non-visual access to and use of information through innovative technologies and Braille education.
* Evaluate, develop and implement programs to increase employment opportunities for the blind.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Betsy Zaborowski]
NFB Jernigan Institute Director Named
by Barbara Pierce
The following item is excerpted from the January 2004, Braille Monitor article titled “NFB Research and Training Institute Director Named.”
For many months now President Maurer has been engaged in a careful search for the right person to supervise the staffing, equipping, and roll-out of programs in the new Institute as its executive director. During the annual meeting of the NFB board of directors at Thanksgiving he announced his appointment: Dr. Betsy Zaborowski.
As soon as the announcement was made, those in the room could appreciate the obvious fit between the job description and Dr. Z. Most recently she has been director of special programs for the NFB. She was responsible for program development and community outreach nationally, concentrating on technology, seniors, and educational initiatives. Along with developing key partnerships with businesses and universities, she established the NFB’s annual celebration and fundraiser, the national Meet-the-Blind public awareness campaign; the Braille Is Beautiful curriculum for sighted children; and the NFB’s annual Seniors’ Low-Vision Resource Fair in Baltimore. But her highest priority during the past four years has been to assist with fundraising and preliminary planning for the NFB Jernigan Institute. Working with the NFB membership throughout the country, she led the effort to secure a funding commitment of six million dollars from the state of Maryland in support of the Institute.
Dr. Zaborowski brings to this new job expertise and experience in education, psychology, program development, promotion, and resource management. For eight years previous to joining the NFB staff, Dr. Zaborowski was a clinical psychologist in Baltimore. Along with maintaining a successful private practice, Dr. Zaborowski taught in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and lectured at the JHU Medical School and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Previous to her move from Colorado to Baltimore in 1987, she practiced in the field of health psychology for Kaiser Permanente, served as a mental health and university-based counselor, and worked for six years as a grade-six-to-twelve school guidance counselor.
Dr. Zaborowski received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Denver and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Menomonie. As a psychologist she served on and chaired the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology, and for the Maryland Psychological Association (MPA) she served as chair of the Women’s Committee and as delegate-at-large on the MPA executive council.
Dr. Zaborowski was chosen as one of Maryland’s top 100 women by the Daily Record in 1998 and 2000. In 2003 she was recognized again with this award and was inducted, along with a select group of previous top 100 honorees, into the Circle of Excellence of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.
In 1997 the governor of Maryland appointed Dr. Zaborowski to the Maryland Information Technology Board. She was the first chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities and was appointed to two terms on the Baltimore City Women’s Commission. She also served for several years on the Governor’s Advisory Board on People with Disabilities and has consulted for a number of organizations and companies in time management, stress management, sexual harassment, leadership skills, and disability issues. She recently completed a year in the Baltimore Leadership Program and serves on the board of the YMCA at Stadium Place.
Betsy Zaborowski has a long and active history as an NFB volunteer. She joined the organization in 1979 and has served as treasurer of the Colorado affiliate and president of the NFB Human Services Division. In 2001 we presented Dr. Zaborowski and her husband James Gashel the Jacobus tenBroek Award, our highest national recognition of exemplary service.
We can all be exceedingly proud of this appointment of our own Betsy Zaborowski as executive director of the NFB Jernigan
Institute. She is taking on a tremendously challenging job. It will require all of her many talents and skills. She will also need every bit of commitment and dedication that the entire Federation family can provide to support this new endeavor.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jennifer Kennedy]
Let the Freedom Bell Ring!
by Kathy Kennedy
Reprinted from the Fall 2003 issue of the NFB Buckeye Bulletin, a publication of the NFB of Ohio.
Editor’s Note: It is my belief that, upon approaching high school graduation, blind young people (and yes, I mean “legally blind” and “visually impaired”—you too) should seriously struggle with the question about attending a good rehabilitation training center before going on to college or getting out on their own. There is no one right answer for everyone, but the experiences of other students can be useful and instructive. The author of this article, Kathy Kennedy, is the mother of Jennifer Kennedy, who is a student leader in the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio and a 2001 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship winner. Here is what her mother has to say about Jen’s recent rehabilitation training center experience:
What you are trying to tell me, Doctor, is that “Jennifer is now legally blind and progressing towards total loss of vision.” How difficult those words were for a mother to embrace. The only thing that seemed real to me at the time was fear coupled with tremendous waves of grief. After all, this was not what I envisioned when the delivering doctor had pronounced her healthy just thirteen years before this devastating news was dropped like a ton of bricks on our family. “It isn’t supposed to be like this, God!” I cried out in the privacy of my room that night with tears streaming down my face and my fists pounding. I thought, she has the ability, spirit, and determination to be a leader and excel in life. Without sight she’ll lose her independence, have to settle for less of a career than she is mentally capable of, and forfeit the right to live life fully. I could not answer the simplest questions regarding how blind people function in a sighted world. I’ve never felt so helpless, hopeless, and empty.
That was over seven years ago. During these years Jen has lost more field vision, light perception, and visual acuity. With training funded by the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI), she began using a cane. She was also introduced to Braille and was given some adaptive equipment. She got a CCTV [closed circuit television], a computer equipped with JAWS, magnifiers, etc. Even with this equipment in place, Jen continued to make demands on her eyes. She was in pain both physically and mentally. Blindness began taking a toll on her. Her self-confidence and ability to function independently were slipping away as her vision diminished.
During the spring of her freshman year in college Jennifer bottomed out. Navigating the campus was difficult. Her eyes were no longer trustworthy, and the more she used them the more pain and frustration she experienced. She felt isolated in her journey into blindness, and she knew it was time to get help. “It’s time to head for the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB), Mom,” the desperate voice on the phone cried out. After a call to her BSVI counselor and a visit to her academic advisor, she exited the university and returned home.
Jen had done her homework. She had already been to the Cleveland Sight Center and recognized that they had nothing more to offer her. She researched the programs of other rehabilitation facilities in the state and talked to consumers of those programs. None were as thorough and exhaustive as necessary to make blindness skills second nature. Jen knew she had to be in a program that forced her to deal with blindness during every waking hour. Moreover, it was not enough to learn the skills of blindness; she had to develop a positive philosophy about blindness. She concluded that this could only be done if she was surrounded by people who believed in the inherent normality of blind people. After much investigation, consideration, soul-searching, and agonizing about going so far away from home, Jen determined that she needed the rigorous training offered by the Louisiana Center for the Blind. She had done conscientious research and had carefully compared the confidence and skills of LCB graduates against the attitudes and abilities of Ohio residents who had completed the adult training programs offered by local agencies, and she knew that she was making an informed choice about the services she needed and the best provider to deliver them. She assumed that the funding she needed would be approved quickly by BSVI, but two weeks later came the reply—funding to go out of state for services denied.
She spent the next six months at home, frustrated, depressed, and filled with anxiety. It was agonizing for her father and me to watch this. We knew that the adjustment to blindness was difficult enough that she didn’t need anything else added to it. We agonized about what we could do to help her get to the Louisiana Center. Unfortunately, we knew we did not have the money to help her. It was excruciating to know that help and hope were dangling just out of her reach, but we could do nothing to bring them close enough to her to make a difference.
Through Jen’s determination and the commitment, strength, and dedication of Eric Duffy and the NFB of Ohio, the decision to refuse funding was overturned. At last Jen was (as Jim Gashel said in his banquet address at the NFB of Ohio 2002 convention) beginning to move from the role of victim to victorious.
Once she arrived in Louisiana, it was difficult for us to catch Jen in her apartment in the evening. She was going roller-skating under sleepshades, rehearsing for plays, cleaning her apartment for inspection, or planning and shopping for groceries to complete her cooking requirement for graduation. She had to cook and serve two meals. One was for eight people, and the other was for forty. How many of us have ever cooked and served a meal for forty people? She phoned one night from New Orleans to tell us about sleepshade navigation in crowds. She was at Mardi Gras!
Her father and I could feel her confidence building as each month passed. She told us about all the new power tools she was using in industrial tech and about the original black-walnut jewelry box she was designing and creating for her final project. We marveled as the LCB, which had once seemed so far away from Ohio, became a part of our home through instructor-emailed pictures of Jen using the band saw, router, table saw, and other power equipment. She completed a college class at Louisiana Tech under sleepshades. She took notes with a slate and stylus. She was determined, as Dr. Fred Schroeder once wrote in the Student Slate (a publication of the National Association of Blind Students), to learn “the skills of blindness which, in the final analysis, will allow him or her to truly function on an equal footing with others.”
After eight months at the LCB, Jen invited her father and me to graduation. We were excited about making the trip. We wanted to see the facility and meet the wonderful people who were inspiring her to achieve such independence. We wanted to see where she lived and how she had learned.
She graduated this past June. The ceremony was a true celebration as each student and instructor took the opportunity to talk about Jen’s growth and reminisce about humorous things. We heard stories about the completion of her final travel requirement. She had to complete a 5.6-mile independent walk around the town of Ruston. As we listened, adults of all ages commented on what an inspiration Jen was to them, urging them to strive to be all they could and to forge ahead on days when they’d rather pull off the shades and say, “I can’t do this!” As one student commented, “This is one spunky girl.” We heard how she recaptured her life and was living it fully. The Center was filled with people, warm, supportive, and loving, each more special than the next. Here were adults facing their fears and reclaiming their lives with the help of LCB’s outstanding instructors, all of whom either are blind or can function under sleepshades in their area of instruction.
Jen returned home for a visit, but the week after the national convention she flew to Maryland to work with the NFB Corps. She was excited to have a real job and put her skills to the test. It took no time at all to realize that we no longer had a blind daughter named Jennifer Kennedy; rather our daughter Jennifer views her blindness as a mere inconvenience. It is easy to see why she insisted on the best rehabilitation facility available, with a program unparalleled in its field. She learned the philosophy of blindness and how to handle herself in various public situations. She learned when to accept assistance and when to insist on her right to remain independent. She travels with grace and poise gained from the travel experiences she mastered. Whether she is using public transportation, walking through airports, or exploring new cities, she strides with confidence.
The NFB program worked because she lived it twenty-four hours a day. Sometimes she spent evenings in her apartment memorizing play lines or reading sixty pages of Braille to increase her speed from twenty words per minute to ninety-five. She spent evenings with readers transcribing the autobiography of Michael J. Fox into Braille. She presented the completed book to the LCB library upon her graduation. This fulfilled her computer requirement. Graduation from LCB brought with it far more meaning than graduation from high school. Indeed this was something special she worked very hard to achieve. As part of the graduation ceremony Pam Allen, the director of LCB, presented her with a freedom bell complete with engraved name and graduation date. Jen rang the bell with vigor and a smile that seemed to span a mile. As parents, our hearts and eyes overflowed with tears of gratitude and pride. We also left LCB having been given a gift, freedom from the worries about blindness and the future for our daughter. Instead we were filled with the knowledge that our daughter has a future filled with promise, the skills necessary to succeed, and the NFB there to support her each step of the way.
Jen’s Story
by Jan Lyon
Editor’s Note: Jan Lyons is from New Hartford. A couple of years ago she shared the inspiring story of the importance of Braille literacy to her blind, multiply-disabled daughter, Jenny, with members of the NFB at a state convention in Connecticut. The first part of the following article is an adaptation of her remarks which were published in the July 2002, issue of The Federationist in Connecticut. The second part is an update about Jen’s pending transition from high school to the next phase of life. It is a bitter-sweet time for the family as they celebrate Jen’s successes, but also grapple with the reality that life after high school—college and beyond—requires a much higher standard of blindness skills for the achievement of independence and success. Here is what Jan has to say:
In 1987 I adopted my first daughter, Jenny Kate. A twenty-six week gestation baby, Jen weighed one pound, three ounces at birth. Jen came home at thirteen months having just reached ten pounds. She was on eleven medications, in an oxygen tent, had leg splints, was hooked up to heart monitors, and was still being tube fed. She had retinopathy of prematurity, cerebral palsy, and was a beautiful animated child. It never occurred to me to be worried about her blindness—I was worried about her survival. But after one major hospitalization and a stomach tube insertion, she gained strength and her character began to emerge.
By age three Jen spun around in space and spoke of herself in the third person. The word autism started floating around. In kindergarten, although she was more animated and vocal, she still usually referred to herself in the third person. She had excellent retention skills and could recite reams of poetry or commercials from television, and she loved to sing her favorite songs.
In kindergarten, Jen was introduced to the alphabet (which wasn’t really new to her because we had often sung the alphabet song to her), phonetics, and large tactile letters. In first grade, her teacher introduced Braille but cautioned us that Jen would probably be unable to learn it due to her cerebral palsy. However, the teacher believed that we should nevertheless try to teach it. Within six months Jen had learned un-contracted Braille (or Grade 1 Braille, as it was then called). Suddenly her world opened up like the petals of a rose. She could hold the words just spoken in her hand. She walked around with these words like a child holds a toy. She read and re-read them. She stopped talking in the third person. These were “Mommy’s words” or they were “My words” and they had meaning.
Spoken words are like snowflakes that fall on your face and melt. They are beautiful, but they do not last. Now they lasted. Braille gave words shape and form and meaning. Words now had