The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance. |
   |
Upcoming Events
April 15 - 16, 2010: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez and former Congressman Tony Coelho head the list of distinguished law professors, practitioners, and advocates who will discuss the concepts of equality and difference as they relate to the disabled in employment, education, medical treatment, and access to technology. To learn more about the symposium, view the agenda, and register online, please visit http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Law_Symposium.asp.
April 16 - 20, 2010: LAW Program
The 2010 NFB Leadership and Advocacy in Washington, D.C. Program (LAW), a four-day experience, will provide blind and low vision students with a unique opportunity to explore the inner workings of our country’s government, its history, and its culture while staying at the national headquarters for the NFB in Baltimore, MD. In addition to learning about grassroots legislation efforts, how resolutions are passed, and how various blindness legislation is brought about, participants will learn more about advocacy work for blind individuals and available resources for blind students and adults. Blind youth ages 12 to 16 or grades 6 to 9 are eligible to apply. Applications are due by February 1, 2010. For more information, or to apply online, please visit www.nfb.org/LAWProgram or contact Mary Jo T. Hartle at (410) 659-9314, ext. 2407, or by e-mail at mhartle@nfb.org.
Summer 2010: Junior Science Academy
The NFB will again offer a Junior Science Academy targeting children in grades three through six. The Junior Science Academy offers young scientific explorers an opportunity to experience the excitement of science in a four-day session with hands-on experiences, tactile materials, and innovative non-visual teaching methods. In addition, the Academy will have corresponding parent workshops to provide parents/guardians with the tools and knowledge that they need to help their child succeed. Two summer sessions will be offered: July 28 to August 1, 2010, and August 4 to August 8, 2010. For more information, please visit the Junior Science Academy home page.
What's New
Driving Independence and Innovation:
NFB Blind Driver Challenge
In the December 2009 Braille Monitor, Mark Riccobono discusses the National Federation of the Blind's groundbreaking Blind Driver Challenge, which began when the NFB Jernigan Institute challenged universities, technology developers, and other interested innovators, in collaboration with the NFB, to build interface technologies that will empower blind people to drive a car independently. During the summer of 2009, a group of undergraduate students from Virginia Tech accepted the challenge, and worked with blind students in the NFB Youth Slam on the first generation of a blind-drivable vehicle, and many of the NFB students had the opportunity to drive using the first generation of the nonvisual interface. To learn more about this exciting endeavor, including the challenge to take place in 2011, read the rest of the Monitor article or visit the Blind Driver Challenge web page.
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
Still Available
The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is still available at its original price––$34 for an uncirculated coin and $42 for a proof coin––at the NFB Independence Market until December 31, 2009. It’s not too late to purchase a coin and be a part of the largest Braille literacy campaign in history. Effective January 1, 2010, uncirculated coins will be sold for $45 and proof coins will be sold for $60. Purchase your Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar now!
Apply Now for a 2010 Bolotin Award
Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program. Each year the National Federation of the Blind presents cash awards to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. To learn more about the program or apply online now, please visit the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program web page.
