Dear Students,
Well, it is finally here! The long awaited Student Slate has arrived!
This Spring/Summer 2002 issue of The Student Slate is being dedicated
to Jennica Ferguson, a young woman who died of cancer in 2000. She embodied
everything that is Federationism. Her unwavering spirit and undaunted determination
made her a truly remarkable person. She believed strongly in the work of the
National Federation of the Blind, as well as the National Association of Blind
Students. Before she died, she was one of the student leaders in Michigan, who
dreamed of what has now been established as the Michigan Association of Blind
students. Jennica's strong will and endurance can encourage all of us in our
efforts to make a difference. She certainly made a difference in the lives of
those who knew her, and her spirit can do the same for those who did not.
I would like to thank Kimberly Aguillard and Brook Sexton for their work on
this issue, as well as those individuals who submitted articles. I encourage
all of you to submit your articles. Everyone has a story to tell about an experience
they have had as a blind student and how they dealt with the situation. The
purpose of this publication is to share those stories with each other, so that
we can use the stories as a resource when dealing with experiences in our own
lives.
Our student list serve has been very active with discussion about such experiences.
If you are not already a member of the list serve, we invite you to subscribe
and add to the discussion. Send a message to listserv@nfbnet.org.
Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message (in all lowercase)
write, "subscribe nabs-l." If you are subscribed to the listserve,
keep posting those thought-provoking questions and intriguing answers!
On February 2, 2002, The annual student seminar was held in conjunction with
the Washington Seminar. It was a great seminar! The agenda was filled with excellent
speakers, who all had an important message to share. There were twenty state
student divisions represented, and each had an opportunity to talk about what
was going on in their respective divisions. The banquet was lively, and the
banquet address, delivered by Everly Harrston, was extraordinarily good! For
those of you who were unable to attend, we hope that you can make it next year.
Since the Washington Seminar, we have had an addition to our NABS community
of state student divisions. The Idaho Association of Blind Students was formed
at the Idaho state convention, March 15, 2002. We wish IDABS great success as
its members build the division and make a difference for blind students in Idaho.
National Convention is coming up, July 3-9. The National Association of Blind
students will be holding their annual student division meeting on July 4, 2002
from 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. We will also be hosting Monte Carlo Night July
7, beginning at 8:00P.M. NABS invites everyone to come and support the efforts
of the student division.
We hope you enjoy this issue of The Student Slate, but we also hope that the articles provide you with a sense of true Federation spirit, causing you to think about, revel in, or even question your philosophy about blindness. Knowing who we are, how far we have come, and realizing how far we have left to go is what keeps us marching together as a movement. This publication is to help remind you that you are not walking alone. There are many blind students around the country who believe in the capabilities of the blind and relate to experiences that you have had or will have as a blind student.
See you at convention!
Sincerely,
Angela Wolf
President, National Association of Blind Students
For more information, contact:
National Association of Blind Students
604 B Gaylor St.
Austin, TX 78752
E-mail: sassywolf@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: (512) 417-8190