National Convention Highlights

If you missed the NFB National Convention, or if you would just like to relive the excitement, audio and video from past conventions is now available.  This page will be continually updated with more highlights, so please visit often.

2011  -  2010  -  2009  -  2008

2011 National Convention Highlights

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Audio

• Employment Committee Seminar - Morning Session (67 MB)
• Employment Committee Seminar - Afternoon Session (54 MB)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Audio

• 2011 Presidential Report
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind (30 MB)
• Getting an Education for Blind Children and Adults: How to Survive with Proper Expectations and Accessibility
  Moderator: Anil Lewis, Director of Strategic Communications, National Federation of the Blind (22 MB)
  • The Honorable Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, United States Department of Education
  • Gaeir Dietrich, Director of the High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges; Chair, Advisory Commission On Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities, Convened by the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education
  • Peter Osborne, Head of International Partnerships and Development, Royal National Institute of Blind People
• The American Spirit in Action: Creating Opportunity, Responsibility, and Faith
  Harris Rosen, President and Chief Operating Officer of Rosen Hotels and Resorts (12 MB)
• The First Blind Driver on the Daytona Speedway: A Program Initiated by the National Federation of the Blind
  Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute (25 MB)

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Audio

• Developing Entrepeneurial Opportunities Online Through eBay
  Mary Ellen Gabias, Director of Online Entrepreneurship, National Federation of the Blind (11 MB)
• An Accessible Android PDA
  Marc Mulcahy, President, LevelStar (7 MB)
• Quiet Cars, Pedestrian Safety, and Protection for the Environment: A Panel Discussion
  Moderator: John G. Paré Jr., Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, National Federation of the Blind (16 MB)
  • The Honorable David Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, United States Department of Transportation
  • Report from General Motors
    Douglas B. Moore, Vehicle Performance Owner, General Motors
  • Report from Toyota Motor Corporation
    Kevin Ro, National Manager, Technical & Regulatory Affairs, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
• Strategic Initiatives Report (19 MB)
• Equal Access to Technology and Programs in the United States
  David M. Capozzi, Esq., Executive Director, United States Architectual and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (6 MB)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Audio

• No More Subminimum Wages: The Time is Now
  Fredric K. Schroeder, Ph.D.; Research Professor; San Diego State University (8 MB)
• Conditions for the Blind in the Workshop During Three Decades
  Stancil Tootle, Board Member, National Federation of the Blind of Georgia; Employee, Georgia Industries for the Blind (6 MB)
• Report on Disability Employment Policy from the United States Department of Labor
  The Honorable Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy, United States Department of Labor (9 MB)
• Valuable Work and Valuable Workers: A Report from the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
  Dr. Janet Szlyk, President and Executive Director, The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (7 MB)
• Changes in Policy in Employment Programs for the Blind
  Jim Kesteloot, Member, Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (7 MB)
• Addressing Inequities in the Workplace: The Promise of Equal Opportunity
  The Honorable Jacqueline Berrien, Chair, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (10 MB)
• A Blind Chief Executive of One of the Largest States in America
  The Honorable Governor David A. Paterson, New York, New York (8 MB)
• Building Accessible Tools for Knowledge: A Commitment by a Computer Giant
  Dr. Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President, Knowledge; Google (4 MB)
• Library Services to the Blind of the Nation and Access to Digital Material from the Library of Congress
  Dr. Deanna B. Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services, The Library of Congress (8 MB)
• Equal Access to Information: The Urgency and the Law
  Daniel Goldstein, Esq., Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP (11 MB)
• The Accessible Campus in California: An Example for the Nation
  Peter M. Siegel, Chief Information Officer and Vice Provost, Information and Educational Technology; University of California Davis (10 MB)
• Civil Rights for Disabled Americans
  Samuel Bagenstos, Esq., Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, United States Department of Justice (9 MB)
• Transcendent Ideas, the Man to Make them Current, and a Partnership Expanding Access for All
  Ray Kurzweil, President and Chief Executive Officer, K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. (7 MB)
• Blio: Providing Access to Three Million Books and Growing
  James Gashel, Vice President of Business Development, K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. (6 MB)
• A Partnership for Access: Comments from the Major Distributor of Books in the United States
  Robert Nelson, President, Digital Group, Baker & Taylor (5 MB)
• Baseball, Hall of Fame, Blindness
  Ron Brown, Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind (5 MB)
• Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
  James Gashel, Chairperson, Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee; Secretary, National Federation of the Blind (14 MB)

• Banquet Speech: Opportunity, Danger, and the Balance of Risk
  Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (32 MB)
  

2010 National Convention Highlights

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Audio

• A Defense Department Priority for Blind Wounded Warriors
  Colonel Donald Gagliano, M.D., Executive Director, Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Vision Center of Excellence (17 MB)
• 2010 Presidential Report
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (60 MB)
• The Blind Driver Operating a Vehicle at Speed: Creating the Technology That Puts the Controls Under Our Hands 
  Parnell Diggs, Esq., Coordinator, Race for Independence; President, National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina (17 MB)
• SWEP and the Bars of Our Prison
  Scott LaBarre, Esq., LaBarre Law Offices; President, National Federation of the Blind of Colorado (26 MB)
• The Xavier Society for the Blind: Serving the Blind Since 1900
  Father John R. Sheehan, S.J., Chairman, Board of Directors, Xavier Society for the Blind (17 MB)
• One Million Books for the Print Disabled and More to Come
  Brewster Kahle, Digital Librarian (12 MB)
• Not Just Surviving the Disaster of September 11 But Providing Leadership in a Deadly Emergency
  Michael Hingson, President, Michael Hingson Group (39 MB)

Video

• 2010 Presidential Report
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (155 MB)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Audio

• The Apex and Other Developments at HumanWare
  Gilles Pepin, Chief Executive Officer, HumanWare (21 MB)
• The Failure of the Educational System in Meeting the Needs of the Blind (66 MB)
  • Mark Riccobono, Moderator; Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute (3 MB)
  • Sheila Amato, Ed.D., University Teacher Trainer (12 MB)
  • Noreen Grice, Founder and President of You Can Do Astronomy, LLC (11 MB)
  • Laura Webber, Secretary, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (14 MB)
  • Eric Vasiliauskas M.D., parent and advocate (17 MB)
• Assuring Internet Accessibility
  Preety Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Deque Systems, Inc. (8 MB)
• Strategic Initiatives Report
  John Paré, Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, National Federation of the Blind
  Jesse Hartle, Governmental Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind
  Lauren McLarney, Governmental Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind (37 MB)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Audio

• Buying and Selling Online: Ebay Builds Accessibility for the Blind into its Platform
  Dane Glasgow, Vice President, Buyer Experience Product Management, Ebay, Inc. (13 MB)
• Braille is Literacy
  Deane Blazie, Inventor (12 MB)
• Eighty-four Languages and Growing
  Frank Kurt Cylke, Director, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (19 MB)
• Educating Blind Children: Changing the Paradigm
  Fredric K. Schroeder, Ph.D.; Research Professor; San Diego State University (19 MB)
• Toward Full Employment for Blind Americans
  Lynnae Ruttledge, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, United States Department of Education (9 MB)
• Accessible Education for All, Including the Blind: Meeting the Standard
  Jessica Finnefrock, Senior Vice President, Product Development, Blackboard (8 MB)
• Accessible Design: A Model for the Future
  Steve Eastman, President, Target.com (14 MB)
• Location-based Services Using Bus Stop and Geocoded Media Content
  Mike May, Chief Executive Officer, Sendero Group (11 MB)
• Blind Car Builder? We're Here to Tell You!
  Marcus Simmons, Chief Executive Officer, Simmons BOSS CREATIONS (18 MB)
• Copyright and the Right to Read
  Marybeth Peters, Esq., Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, Copyright Office (15 MB)
• The Future of Books and Beyond
  Ray Kurzweil, President and Chief Executive Officer, K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. (17 MB)
• Calling All Drivers: Advancing Leadership, Collective Action, and the Boundaries of Independence
  Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute (24 MB)
• The Interface That Touches the Mind: Advancing Beyond Autonomous Vehicles
  Dennis Hong, Ph.D., Director, Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (14 MB)
• A Practicing Blind Physician
  Timothy Cordes M.D./Ph.D., Resident in Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (15 MB)
• Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
  Gary Wunder, Chairperson, Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee, and Secretary, National Federation of the Blind (28 MB)
• Disability Policy from the White House
  Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President on Disability Policy (17 MB)
• Banquet Speech: The Advantage of Uncertainty
  Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (61 MB)
• Banquet: Ray Kurzweil (5 MB)
• Banquet: 2010 Jacobus tenBroek Award Presentation (11 MB)
• Banquet: 2010 Scholarship Awards Presentation (33 MB)

Video

• Banquet Speech: The Advantage of Uncertainty
  Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (155 MB)

2009 National Convention Highlights

Monday, July 6, 2009

Audio

• March for Independence Rally Program (48 MB)
• Celebration of Freedom: Veterans Recognized
  Dwight Sayer, President, National Association of Blind Veterans (12 MB)
• 2009 Presidential Report
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (56 MB)
• Policies to Enhance Employment, Inclusion, Safety, and Productivity
  The Honorable John D. Dingell, Member of Congress (20 MB)
• Promoting Pedestrian Safety: A Priority for Manufacturers
  The Honorable Dave McCurdy, President and CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (13 MB)
• The Journey of Braille: From the Hands of the Creator to Earth Orbit (10 MB)
• The Value of a Coin, of a Communication System, and of a Class of Human Beings
  Fredric K. Schroeder, Ph.D., Research Professor, San Diego State University (16 MB)
• Providing the Fundamental Tools: Braille Books
  Brian A. MacDonald, President, National Braille Press (15 MB)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Audio

• Expanding Access to Digital Information for the Blind
  Gilles Pepin, Chief Executive Officer, HumanWare (25 MB)
• A Blind Athlete in the Paralympics
  Tyler Merren, 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team Member, Men’s Goalball (11 MB)
• Developments at the First Educational Institution for the Blind in the United States, Perkins
  Steven M. Rothstein, President, Perkins School for the Blind (12 MB)
• The Federation in the World from the Perspective of the World Blind Union
  Maryanne Diamond, President, World Blind Union (23 MB)
• Strategic Initiatives Report
  John Pare, Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, National Federation of the Blind (24 MB)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Video

• Banquet Speech: The Value of Decision
  Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (157 MB)

Audio

• The Near-Perfect Audio Book: How We Do It
   Frank Kurt Cylke, Director, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (31 MB)
• The Demand, the Crisis, the Solution in Education for the Blind
  Edward Bell, Ph.D., Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Louisiana Tech University (14 MB)
• The Theory and the Practice: Education for the Blind in the Public School
  Denise M. Robinson, Ph.D., Teacher and Coordinator of Programming for Blind and Visually Impaired Students (19 MB)
• Why Are You Trying to Make that Child Blind?
  Carol Castellano, President, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (19 MB)
• Teaching an Essential Skill: Braille
  - Jerry Whittle, Teacher-Counselor, Louisiana Center for the Blind
  - April Davis, Coordinator of Summer Programs for Blind Children,  Louisiana Center for the Blind
  - James Mays, Industrial Arts Teacher, Louisiana Center for the Blind
  - Deja Powell, Cane Travel Instructor, Utah Division of Services for the  Blind and Visually Impaired
  - Anil Lewis, President, National Federation of the Blind of Georgia
  - Terri Rupp, President, National Federation of the Blind of Nevada (35 MB)
• From the Center of History: Five Years into the Future of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
  Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute (27 MB)
• NFB-NEWSLINE: From Phone to Computer to Podcast to Pocket
  Scott White, Director of Sponsored Technology, National Federation of the Blind (12 MB)
• Shaping the Standard for the Legal Community: The Neccessity for Access to Information for All
  Daniel Goldstein, Esq., Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP (21 MB)
• Negotiating Accessible Electronic Books: A Massive Undertaking, A Smashing Success
  Jack Bernard, Esq., Chair, Counsel for Disability Concerns, and Assistant General Counsel, University of Michigan (18 MB)
• The Commitment of Microsoft to Accessible Technology
  Rob Sinclair, Director of Accessibility, Microsoft Corporation (14 MB)
• Transcending the Barriers of Yesterday, Anticipating the Romance of the Human Experience with the Technology of Tomorrow
  Ray Kurzweil, President and Chief Executive Officer, KNFB-Reading Technology, Inc. (15 MB)
• Representing the City of Chicago
  Patti Chang, Esq., Senior Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago (21 MB)
• Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
  Gary Wunder, Chairperson, Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee, and Secretary, National Federation of the Blind (39 MB)
• The Right of the Pedestrian to be Safe in the World
  Ronald Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (9 MB)
• Banquet Speech: The Value of Decision
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (61 MB)
  

2008 National Convention Highlights

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Video

• March for Independence Rally Program (56 MB)
• 2008 Presidential Report (160 MB)

Audio

• 2008 Presidential Report
  Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind
• Independent and On the Move: The Blind Have a Friend in Congress
  The Honorable Pete Sessions; Member of Congress (10 MB)
• The Quiet Car Revolution
  Deborah Kent Stein; Chairperson; Committee on Automobiles and Pedestrian Safety (8 MB)
• A Safer Environment, Safer Travel for the Blind: A Champion in Congress
  The Honorable Edolphus Towns; Member of Congress (16 MB) 
• Building Cars for the Future: A Partnership That Includes the Blind
  Robert S. Strassburger; Vice President, Vehicle Safety & Harmonization (12 MB)
• Devising Solutions That Work for Pedestrian Safety
  Daniel J. Selke; Chairperson, Society of Automotive Engineers Safety and Human Factors Committee (14 MB)
• The tenBroek Law Symposium: The Impact of Jacobus tenBroek on the Legal System of the United States and the World

- Dutch tenBroek; son of Dr. Jacobus tenBroek (12 MB)
- Lou Ann Blake; Chairperson; Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium Committee (24 MB)
- Robert Dinerstein; Professor of Law; Washington College of Law; Washington, D.C. (11 MB)

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Audio

• Access for the Blind to American Business: A Priority for Amazon
  Craig Woods; Senior Manager for the Content Platform; Amazon.com (16 MB)
• Making Capcha More Accessible for the Blind
  Dr. Jonathan Lazar; Director, Universal Usability Laboratory, Department of Computer and Information Sciences; Towson University (16 MB)
• Equal Access to Web 2.0 and Beyond
  Dr. Wayne Dick; Professor, Computer Engineering and Computer Science; California State University (18 MB)
• National Federation of the Blind Nonvisual Access Certification
  Anne Taylor; Director of Access Technology, National Federation of the Blind (14 MB)
• Congressional Decision-Making, Government Policy, and Blindness
  The Honorable Louie Gohmert; Member of Congress (24 MB)
• Access for the Blind to Consumer Products: A Commitment from General Electric
  Michael Eisenreich; Leader; GE.com Digital Media Technologies (13 MB)
• Developing Technologies for School and Work
  Larry Skutchan; Technology Project Leader, Department of Educational Research; American Printing House for the Blind (15 MB)
• System Access to Go
  Mike Calvo; Chief Executive Officer, Serotek Corporation (8 MB)
• Pacmate Omni: The Newest PDA from Freedom Scientific
  Jonathan Mosen; Vice President of Blindness Hardware Product Management, Freedom Scientific (15 MB)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Video

• Banquet Speech: The Urgency of Optimism
  Dr. Marc Maurer; President; National Federation of the Blind (167 MB)

Audio

• Honoring America's Veterans
  Dwight Sayer; President, National Association of Blind Veterans, National Federation of the Blind (12 MB)
• The Federation in the World From the Perspective of South Africa and Four Years of International Effort
   Dr. William Rowland; President, World Blind Union (7 MB)
• The Federation in the World From the Perspective of a Human Rights Advocate and Blind Leader In Australia
  Graeme Innes AM; Human Rights and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (9 MB)
• Protecting the Rights of Blind Individuals in the United States
  Daniel Goldstein, Esq.; Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP (23 MB)
• Building the Dream: Collection Development at Your National Library
  Frank Kurt Cylke; Director, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; Library of Congress (9 MB)
• Twenty-five Years of Program Initiatives for Parents and Their Blind Children
  Barbara Cheadle; President, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (16 MB)
• Technologies Developed in Partnership with the Blind
  Gilles Pepin; Chief Executive Officer, HumanWare (9 MB)
• National Center For Excellence in Enterprise Computing
  Luke Kowalski; Corporate User Experience Architect, Oracle (8 MB)
• Crashing Through In Technology, In Business, and In Living
  Mike May; President, Sendero Group (9 MB)
• The Future of Technology for the Blind
  Ray Kurzweil; President and Chief Executive Officer, KNFB-Reading Technology, Inc. (10 MB)
• Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Presentations
  Gary Wunder; Chairperson, Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee; and Secretary, National Federation of the Blind (40 MB)
• Literacy, Learning, and Enlightenment
  Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder; Research Professor, San Diego State University; and First Vice President, National Federation of the Blind (12 MB)
• Believing Enough to Question: The Jernigan Institute—A Revolution in Education and Research
  Mark Riccobono; Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute (12 MB)
• Blind Youth in Computer Science: An Educational Commitment
  Richard E. Ladner; Boeing Professor in Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Engineering (7 MB)
• Education of Blind Youth: A Worldwide Imperative
  Larry Campbell; President, International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI); International Program Administrator, Overbrook School for the Blind (5 MB)
• Banquet Speech: The Urgency of Optimism
  Dr. Marc Maurer; President, National Federation of the Blind (63 MB)
• Banquet: Jacobus tenBroek Award Presentation (10 MB)
• Banquet: Scholarship Awards Presentation (23 MB)