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</style> </head> <body> <div id="header"> <h1 class="title">The Braille Monitor,
November 2022</h1> </div> <h1 id="braille-monitor">BRAILLE MONITOR</h1> <p>Vol.
65, No. 10 November 2022</p> <p>Gary Wunder, Editor</p> <p>Distributed by email,
in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by the</p> <p>NATIONAL FEDERATION
OF THE BLIND</p> <p>Mark Riccobono, President</p> <p>telephone: 410-659-9314<br
/> email address: <a href="mailto:nfb@nfb.org">nfb@nfb.org</a><br /> website
address: <a href="http://www.nfb.org">http://www.nfb.org</a><br /> NFBnet.org: <a
href="http://www.nfbnet.org">http://www.nfbnet.org</a><br /> NFB-NEWSLINE®
information: 866-504-7300<br /> Like us on Facebook: <a
href="http://www.Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">http://www.Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind</a><br
/> Follow us on Twitter: @NFB_Voice<br /> Watch and share our videos: <a
href="http://www.YouTube.com/NationsBlind">YouTube.com/NationsBlind</a></p>
<p>Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, and orders
for NFB literature should be sent to the national office. Articles for the
<em>Monitor</em> and letters to the editor may also be sent to the national office
or may be emailed to <a href="mailto:gwunder@nfb.org">gwunder@nfb.org</a>.</p>
<p><em>Monitor</em> subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per
year. Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover the subscription
cost. Donations should be made payable to <strong>National Federation of the
Blind</strong> and sent to:</p> <p>National Federation of the Blind<br /> 200 East
Wells Street <em>at Jernigan Place</em><br /> Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998</p>
<p>THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE CHARACTERISTIC
THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND
PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR
DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT; BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE
BLIND—IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.</p> <p>ISSN 0006-8829</p>
<p>© 2022 by the National Federation of the Blind</p> <p>Each issue is recorded
on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick or USB flash drive). You can read
this audio edition using a computer or a National Library Service digital player.
The NLS machine has two slots—the familiar book-cartridge slot just above
the retractable carrying handle and a second slot located on the right side near
the headphone jack. This smaller slot is used to play thumb drives. Remove the
protective rubber pad covering this slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert
only in one position. If you encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try
again. (Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive,
the digital player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is inserted,
the player buttons will function as usual for reading digital materials. If you
remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges, when you insert it again,
reading should resume at the point you stopped.</p> <p>You can transfer the
recording of each issue from the thumb drive to your computer or preserve it on
the thumb drive. However, because thumb drives can be used hundreds of times, we
would appreciate their return in order to stretch our funding. Please use the
return envelope enclosed with the drive when you return the device.</p> <p>Vol.
65, No. 10 November 2022</p> <h2 id="contents">Contents</h2> <p>Illustration:
<em>Presidential Release</em> on the Road in Mississippi</p> <p>A Joyful Tribute
to My Friend<br /> by Grace Anderson</p> <p>Anonymous <em>Monitor</em> Article</p>
<p>The Clay Vessel<br /> by Caroline Benavidez</p> <p>Benetech Recognized with a
Grant to Continue its Ongoing Work on Behalf of the Blind</p> <p>A Report from
the Advocacy and Policy Team<br /> by John Paré, Jeff Kaloc, and Justin
Young</p> <p>Time to Start Planning for the 2023 Washington Seminar<br /> by Kyle
Walls</p> <p>Creating Content with Accessibility as the Default: Celebrating
Drupal’s Olivero Theme and Calling for More Blind Contributors<br /> by
Mike Gifford</p> <p>Is It Respectable to be Deafblind?<br /> by Rocky Hart</p>
<p>She Fought on Behalf of her Blind Son<br /> by Ally Markovich</p> <p>Challenging
Expectations: A Partnership with Vispero, School – Work – Home<br
/> by Patti Chang</p> <p>Owning Your Creative Content: Cryptocurrency, Accessibility,
and the Organized Blind Movement<br /> by Suman Kanuganti</p> <p>On the Road to
Independence: How My Seeing Eye Dog allowed me to Gain a New Perspective on Life<br
/> by Ogulcan Kalkanli</p> <p>The Honor Roll Call of States<br /> by Bridgid
Burke</p> <p><em>Monitor</em> Miniatures</p> <p>[PHOTO/CAPTION: LaShawna Fant and
Mark Riccobono smile with Jackson Chapter member Boula outside her home.</p>
<p>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Multiple staff members and students from Mississippi and Oklahoma
pose with Mark Riccobono, Pam Allen, and LaShawna Fant in the Mississippi School
for the Blind auditorium.</p> <p>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Mark Riccobono poses for a picture
with LaShawna Fant and Al, a member of the NFB of Mississippi, Jackson Chapter.</p>
<p>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Mark Riccobono and Jackson Chapter member Barbara Hadnott stand
in her home in front of a stack of donated bottled water.</p> <p><em>Presidential
Release</em> on the Road in Mississippi</p> <p>First Vice President Pam Allen and
President Mark Riccobono traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, for the monthly
<em>Presidential Release-Live</em> to kick off Blind Equality Achievement Month
on October 1. The community of Jackson has faced difficulties resulting from the
water crisis, and we have mobilized to help. Thanks to the generosity of our
National Association of Blind Merchants, President Riccobono and Jackson Chapter
President, LaShawna Fant, distributed water to eighteen members’ homes
– and there is more available for any blind person in the Jackson area.
Members also picked up water at the <em>Presidential Release</em> location and
others can connect with Dr. Fant to learn more. We also worked with Uber and Lyft
to provide transportation credits to chapter members to offset transportation
costs related to getting what they need during this time. Thanks to both companies
for lending support to blind people in Jackson so they can receive equal access
to vital community services. Thank you to NFB of Mississippi for hosting this
month’s <em>Release.</em> If you know a blind person in Jackson who is in
needed of water, please connect with the Jackson Chapter at <a
href="http://nfbms.org">nfbms.org</a>. Here are some pictures from that day.</p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Grace Anderson]<br /> [PHOTO CAPTION: Joy Harris, October 9,
1951 - June 20, 2022]</p> <h2 id="a-joyful-tribute-to-my-friend">A Joyful Tribute
to My Friend</h2> <p><strong>by Grace Anderson</strong></p> <p><strong>From the
Editor: I don’t think there can be any higher tribute than someone who
thinks back on your life and their first reaction is to realize the positive way
in which you have been a part of theirs. Grace Anderson is the secretary of the
National Federation of the Blind of Alabama, a position she never could have
envisioned holding before she met with someone who was able to recognize and then
cultivate leadership of a kind that Grace never thought possible. Here’s
what she has to say about her dearly departed friend Joy Harris:</strong></p>
<p>The definition of joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. That's what
my friend Joy Harris brought to me and to so many others with whom she came in
contact. She never met a stranger. Joy had a way of seeing leadership potential
in blind people even if they couldn't see it in themselves. This is certainly true
for me and my story.</p> <p>I first met Joy in October of 2014. I had recently
moved to Alabama from a small city in Northwest Georgia and was having trouble
adjusting to my new surroundings in a metropolitan city. Though I didn't realize
it at the time, I was also lacking confidence in myself as a blind person. I was
extremely shy. Joy would often say to me, "Speak up Grace, they've got to hear
you, speak up." All that changed the more time I spent with Joy. She helped me
find my voice and realize what I had to say mattered. I wouldn't be the woman I
am today without her influence. I also wouldn't be in the Federation had she not
introduced me to it.</p> <p>Joy taught me so much in the eight years I knew her,
not only about the Federation but life as well. Throughout the years I knew her,
she battled cancer and was on and off chemo. Even on her worst days, she never
complained. When I asked her how she was, she would often say, "I'm fine. Don't
worry." At times, I would push further and ask, "Are you sure? You know you can
tell me if you're not." Then she would say, “I'm just tired” or
“I'm a little sore.”</p> <p>Joy always put the needs of others before
her own. I can recall the many weekends I would spend with her at her home. In
the days leading up to my visit, she would always ask me to send a list of snacks
I would like to have while there. I would tell her, "Don't worry about me; whatever
you have will be fine." However she would always insist on me sending the list.
So I did what I was told.</p> <p>During the last few years of her life she would
often have to rest more and be in her bed the majority of my visits. She would
often say, "I'm sorry. I know this weekend hasn't been very fun for you with me
having to lay around a lot.” I would tell her I was having a great time,
and I wouldn't want to spend the weekend any other way. I cherished each weekend
I got to spend with her. If she wasn't up to sitting in the living room, I would
just hang out with her at her bedside and tell her the latest news of what was
going on with work, family, and the NFB board meetings. If I didn't have anything
exciting to tell her, we would just make up stories.</p> <p>Joy loved the Federation
with all her heart. So much was this so that she told me if her memorial service
fell on a day of an NFB event, I better be at the NFB event (luckily there was
not an event the day of her service).</p> <p>Joy's dedication and leadership in
the Federation were very refreshing to me and something I'd never seen before.
She possessed two leadership qualities that you usually don't see together. She
knew thoroughly how to support someone in a major leadership role, and if there
wasn't anyone willing to step up to the plate, she'd do it herself even though
she preferred to be "the behind the scenes girl."</p> <p>She served as president
of our Alabama affiliate from 2011 to 2018. During that time she invested her time
making our Alabama affiliate better. Prior to her stepping into this role, she
noticed there was a lack of unity and leadership in the affiliate, and she was
determined to do something about it, and do something about it she did. During
her years as president, the Alabama affiliate became unified. She was never afraid
to share her opinion, whether it be good or bad. However, she would do it in a
way that was respectful. She possessed the perfect balance of knowing when to
crack the whip and when to show the softer, gentler side of herself.</p> <p>When
she was presented the Jacobus tenBroek award at the banquet during the 2018
Convention, she was rendered almost speechless. Rarely have I seen Joy speechless.
This lady had a very distinctive voice and loved to talk. She didn't need a
microphone to get her point across.</p> <p>Joy was often making what she referred
to as "good trouble," and made it her mission to teach me how to make good trouble
as well. She would always tell me, "Grace, you have to pick your battles." And
pick my battles I have. When I was in the midst of a battle, who was right there
to lend a helping hand and lend a listening ear for my venting? Joy. She helped
me persevere and surmount any obstacle I faced. When I felt like giving up, she
would say, "You got this; I believe in you," and if that didn't convince me, she'd
pull out her secret weapon and tell me, "Do it for me, Grace. Just do it for me."
How could I say no to that?</p> <p>I feel Joy not only prepared me to be a leader
in the Federation, she also taught me how to continue the work of the Federation
when she was no longer around for me to call upon. I recall one day I was at her
house for a weekend visit, and she did what she did best and provided me with some
encouragement about how to overcome my latest obstacle. I told her, "Joy, I don't
know what I would do without you, and how am I ever going to go to a national
convention knowing you won't be there to go with me?"</p> <p>Her response was,
"You will be fine," and "You are going to national convention."</p> <p>When the
day finally came and I heard Joy had passed, my heart was broken. I had planned
to come visit her four days later. Instead, I was attending her visitation and
memorial service. In the days leading up to her service, I was overwhelmed with
the outpouring of love I received from my Federation family. The phone calls and
text messages I received reminded me I was not alone, and I had a whole bunch of
family standing ready to lift me up and do whatever they could to help me. All I
had to do was call upon them. I am forever grateful to have each and every one of
you, my dear Federation family members.</p> <p>Our 2023 Convention in Houston,
Texas, will be the first national convention I attend without my friend Joy at my
side. While there are days I think how am I ever going to get through convention
without her, what keeps me going and will help carry me through is the promise I
made to Joy during my last weekend visit in February of 2022. I promised her I
would continue to carry the torch and positively affect the lives of blind people
I come in contact with as she has done for me and countless others.</p> <p>In
closing I would like to say that not a day goes by that I don't think about and
miss my friend, but the memories we shared and the impact she made in my life as
well as the lives of so many others will carry me through.</p> <p>Joy's final
words during her banquet speech when receiving her Jacobus tenBroek award were,
"I dearly love the Federation, and as long as I'm here, I'll be with my Federation
family and will always answer when called upon." I am proud to say she did just
that. May we all take this page out of Joy's book and stay true to the Federation
no matter what trials may come.</p> <p>----------</p> <h2 id="anonymous-monitor-article">Anonymous
<em>Monitor</em> Article</h2> <p><strong>From the Editor: Occasionally we run
something that is so sensitive and private that we will do so anonymously. When
we do, you can be assured we know the author and can vouch for what is being said.
Such is the case here. The issue described is one all of us must take seriously,
for it threatens serious medical care at a fundamental level. Here is the
article:</strong></p> <p>I am a woman in my late thirties. I was born blind,
developed diabetes in my twenties, and last year my husband and I were diagnosed
with "unexplained infertility." What's unexplained infertility? Great question;
I'd love to tell you, but I can't. From my perspective it's just another thing
that my body can't do. It's the most primal of functions that seemingly comes easy
to everyone else in the world except for me.</p> <p>I'm used to coming into
unfamiliar life spaces. As a blind woman of color, it doesn't faze me when I hear
the "We've never had a blind person do this or that thing before," or "Are you
sure you're in the right place sweetie?" or, my favorite, "Who's going to help
you?" My skin has grown thick against these low expectations, so I don't know why
it surprised me to face huge amounts of ableist treatment from the fertility
experts I trusted to help make me a mama.</p> <p>I am a grown señora. I manage
a career, my finances, a household, and many other aspects of life as anyone else
would. So why, as I am redressing after a very invasive ultrasound, is a nurse
squatting down in front of me insisting on putting my feet into my underwear? I
was beyond mortified and beyond angry. I was also afraid. If this nurse doesn't
trust that I can put my own clothes on, is she going to flag my file to social
services because she assumes I can't possibly raise a child? Am I being watched?
Would the fertility clinic purposely botch our treatments so I can't conceive
because they don't believe I should?</p> <p>A few days later, during a video
appointment to go over results of the genetic tests we took, we were offered the
option to "edit" out any "broken" or abnormal genes, including blindness. I cried
so hard after that meeting. My husband tried to reassure me that maybe they offer
this to everyone. They gave us waivers to sign declining the genetic manipulation
of our future baby, and I thought we were done with that conversation.</p> <p>I
eased into treatments as calmly as one can when trying to balance expectations,
hopes, odds, costs, medications, and timing. Since the cause of our infertility
is unexplained, this means that we had two options. The first is known as an IUI
or intrauterine insemination. This is where sperm is inserted into the uterus with
a catheter. It is a minimally invasive procedure. The second is known as IVF or
invitro fertilization. This is a more involved procedure where eggs and sperm are
joined together in a laboratory and then implanted back into the uterus. IVF is
also where they would do their "edits." We opted for the IUI.</p> <p>Walking in
for our first cycle appointment, I was a ball of nerves. Thankfully, the staff at
this location was minimally thrown off by my blindness, and we quickly developed
a system that worked for all of us. I didn't have to over advocate. They asked
how they could best help, I answered, and we were good. However, this location is
only open Monday through Friday, so if we needed monitoring or procedures done on
weekends, we had to go to an alternate clinic.</p> <p>I'm sad to say that the
alternate clinic staff was consistently bad with every visit. From grabbing me
without consent to talking about me as if I wasn't in the room to asking if my
husband and I had recently gotten our eyes dilated were the questions they asked
in front of all the other waiting patients. They added this layer of exclusion
that complicated my experience unnecessarily. My efforts to speak up and prove
that I'm capable of handling my own medical affairs did nothing to minimize their
ableism. We were also approached a second time about editing our baby's genes.</p>
<p>My husband and I decided early on that we would stop at IUI. We knew we didn't
want to do IVF. We ended up going through three cycles which were unsuccessful.
Part of my decision not to move on with more treatment is because I don't think
I could handle being heartbroken by more failed results, coupled with the knowledge
that I'd have to continue interacting with this clinic, whose staff I have to
fight just to be treated like any other patient. It is ironic that the medical
field is one of the hardest areas for self-advocacy. It's like "Do no harm ...
unless the patient is disabled. Then, all rules, courtesy, and etiquette go out
the window."</p> <p>It has been hard reshaping my dream of becoming a parent. I
spend lots of time grieving what could have been. I also wonder if I could have
fought harder, spoken up louder, pushed back more forcefully, or made a difference
in how these medical professionals treated me. I ask myself over and over again,
did I fail my almost-baby?</p> <p>I don't know how to end this article in a neat
way. This journey has been messy. I know that I'm not alone in this battle with
the medical community about our rights and capacity. I also know that it's not
over. If we choose adoption, there will likely be more confrontations about our
abilities as blind parents, and as our child grows, we will confront similar
situations. This is where I feel inclined to end on a positive note. I should say
that I'm hopeful and looking forward to the next chapter. Honestly, I don't know
if I'm ready to be optimistic yet. This is the end to a painful chapter, and I'm
allowing myself to sit with that. If anyone in the medical profession is reading
this, know that your interactions matter.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION:
Caroline Benavidez]</p> <h2 id="the-clay-vessel">The Clay Vessel</h2> <p><strong>by
Caroline Benavidez</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: Caroline is the second
vice president of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico and has been
a Federationist for more than three decades. This presentation was one she gave
to keynote the convention of our New Mexico Affiliate:</strong></p> <p>First, a
little about me: I'm over sixty-five and have been blind since birth. I've been
a member of NFB since 1989. As a member, I've benefited from the experience and
knowledge of the NFB family, and I've had the honor of passing on some as well.
I've shared drinks and tears and insights. I've pounded gavels, written policy,
and joined forces in changing what it means to be blind.</p> <p>In my personal
life, I've been a classroom teacher of sighted children and blind children. I've
been a wife in two lovely marriages and raised two kind and caring adults. I bake
sourdough, crochet things to wear, garden things to eat, and participate actively
in my family and community.</p> <p>I'm holding in my hands a piece of pottery. It
is a wide vase that I purchased when I first moved to New Mexico. I found it in
a shop on the Jemes Pueblo. In order to bring this vase with me, I had to climb
up to a high shelf in my kitchen, where it is displayed with other pieces in my
collection. A layer of dust had to be removed before I could pack it.</p> <p>While
thinking about my many years, two parts of me surfaced and emerged to result in
what I'm going to share today. They are a pursuit and a belief. As a Christ
follower, I've read in the Bible that God has frequently been called the Potter,
and we humans are referred to as clay vessels. During my college years, I took
pottery for several semesters, and what I learned about the process, as I practiced
at being a potter, made this reference come alive.</p> <p>When one creates a clay
vessel, the potter starts with an intended vessel shape in mind. Will I make a
vase or a jar or a pot? Of course, there are many other types of vessels. The
desired shape determines how the vessel is made. First, an amount of wet, cold,
gritty clay is placed on the wheel. With both hands, as the wheel is turning, the
clay is worked to compress, smooth, and center it. With experience, one learns
when the shaping can begin. Next, the basic shape is created—a taller
cylinder for a vase, broader for a jar or pot. Slowly and carefully, while the
wheel is still turning, the cylinder is opened up with the fingers. Water is
periodically applied with a sponge to keep the clay pliable so that it doesn't
crack. The fingers go in deeper and pull outward until the desired shape is reached.
Care is taken to pull evenly and to stop in time to allow for a thick enough
bottom. Then, with great care, the piece is finished with special tools and
techniques and removed from the wheel. If this stage has been successful, the
piece is ready for the kiln. Some vessels are fired over 2,000 degrees twice:
first to harden it and then to glaze or finish it. As you can imagine, so many
things can happen throughout the process to flaw the vessel, making it imperfect.
Sometimes it is so flawed or too broken to be of any use, and it's thrown away.
Most vessels are still useable, imperfections and all. A dent on the side, an
uneven spout, a bubble in the glaze. None of these imperfections make the vessel
unfunctional. In fact, they add uniqueness to the creation.</p> <p>All the details
in the making of a clay vessel lend themselves to spiritual application as Christ
followers. The ones I want to bring into my thoughts for you today are that the
Master Potter intentionally creates His clay vessels with a purpose and for a
function. The imperfections become part of the artwork, not devaluing it.</p>
<p>In our One-Minute message, we say, "Blindness is not the characteristic that
defines you or your future." But blindness is definitely a characteristic, one
that all of us here share. It needs to be reckoned with in our daily encounters
with people. Probably even today someone commented, either in fear or amazement,
as you performed a simple task. What I hope to challenge you with today is this:
can blindness be the characteristic that refines you? Some synonyms for refine
are: elevate, focus, hone, improve, perfect, polish, sharpen. Can our blindness
hone and perfect us? Could it refine and sharpen us? The answer depends on how we
allow our blindness to affect our outcome.</p> <p>I recently learned of a young
lady who had been blind since birth. She had graduated from high school with the
deep-seated belief that no one would hire her when they had the choice to hire
qualified sighted people. She was willing to live at home and live her life
dependent on others. She had an additional disadvantage of kidney disease that
required dialysis. Many would have agreed that she was justified in her belief.
A persistent blind friend encouraged, pleaded, insisted that she pursue a stint
at an NFB Training Center. She finally gave it a try. We all know that took a bit
of courage on her part. At first she was resistant to the firm insistence that
she was capable. She now has the possibility of a future transplant and a
customer-service job.</p> <p>A man I know became blind as an adult. He had to give
up his career. His wife left him, and he found himself helpless, dependent, and
depressed. He could have understandably stayed there. However, he ended up, with
the influence of other blind people, entering a new career. He became a teacher
at one of the NFB centers, pouring out encouragement and practical techniques to
his students. He has also been seen in the halls of our state and national government
advocating for the rights of blind people.</p> <p>I'm sure this young lady I
mentioned a moment ago will benefit from techniques others use and will probably
have the opportunity to share ones that she has discovered. Both of these people
became refined by their struggles and set-backs. However, they chose to be refined,
not confined, by their blindness.</p> <p>After preparing for many years to be a
classroom teacher, I interviewed at the school where I had done my student teaching.
I fully expected to get hired because they had seen my capabilities first-hand.
I was not hired and, in fact, learned that the potential grade team had gone to
the district and argued that I would require too much of their assistance. I was
devastated and questioned my sanity for even thinking I could win. However, I had
already interacted with several blind teachers, who encouraged me and restored my
confidence. I lost a discrimination suit. But, after writing an editorial explaining
the misconceptions and alternative techniques, I was hired by a principal who read
my piece and interviewed me. I could have avoided all the anger and tears. But I
had qualified blind people pouring and sharing and standing with me. Years later,
I could use my personal experience to pour and share and stand with others.</p>
<p>Most of us here can look back on our own experience with blindness and isolate
times when we would have found it easier to be the vessel who tucked ourselves in
a storage box or pushed ourselves back on a dark shelf. Maybe you're there now.
I'd like to ask you: were you designed to be a pot to pour out encouragement?
Maybe you are a covered jar storing practical advice and techniques or a slender
and graceful vase standing ready to advocate. Perhaps you are still receiving from
others who are further along in the refining process. Yes, blindness may be like
that bubble in the polished glaze or that dent in the smooth shape or that nick
in the spout. But your blindness does not affect your usefulness or change your
purpose. It can be the characteristic that has made you stronger, kinder, empathetic,
and inspirational. No, blindness is certainly not the characteristic that defines
you or your future. It can be the characteristic that refines your own low
expectations as you face its challenges, allow it to sharpen and improve you, and
then pour out, sharing with and standing with others.</p> <p>---------</p> <h2
id="benetech-recognized-with-a-grant-to-continue-its-ongoing-work-on-behalf-of-the-blind">Benetech
Recognized with a Grant to Continue its Ongoing Work on Behalf of the Blind</h2>
<p><strong>From the Editor: Many of us remember the emptiness we felt when hearing
about a new book and knowing it would be many months or even years before we got
a chance to read it. We remember all too well that books not enjoying popular
appeal would likely never appear in a form we could easily read unless we worked
hard to make it so. Then came along a nonprofit service called Bookshare, one made
possible by the 1996 amendments to the copyright act that we referred to as the
Chafee Amendments and supported vigorously. All of a sudden, a book that you
scanned could be made available to me, and the book I scanned could be made
available to you and hundreds of others. At last my public library actually belongs
to me, and it offered more than the pleasant smell of books. The cohort of volunteers
who signed up to scan for Bookshare were a part of something wonderful and
transformative.</strong></p> <p><strong>For this reason and many others, the
National Federation of the Blind has always been a part of celebrating the good
work of Bookshare and helping in its funding when we can. In recognition of this
support, the corporation that Bookshare now falls under wrote to thank us. Here
is the correspondence:</strong></p> <p>Dear Anil,</p> <p>Benetech is thrilled to
announce that the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs,
has awarded Benetech’s Bookshare platform another five years of funding to
support the literacy and education needs of students with disabilities in the US.
We could not have achieved this award without your enthusiastic support.</p>
<p>Your letter helped us demonstrate the impact that having access to accessible
educational materials has on students with learning differences and visual and
physical impairments that create barriers to reading.</p> <p>The entire Benetech
staff wanted to personally thank you for your continued support of our program
and provide you with a link to the announcement so you can learn more about the
work we are doing to make education equitable. Feel free to share this news that
you helped make possible with your network.</p> <p>As we prepare to execute against
our plan for this critical work, we look forward to collaborating with you and
appreciate your on-going support to make inclusive, equitable education a priority
in all learning environments.</p> <p>Kind regards,</p> <p>Lisa Wadors Verne<br />
VP Programs</p> <p>Here is the letter we wrote to help Benetech acquire the
grant:</p> <h3 id="benetechs-proposal-in-response-to-cfda-84.327d">Benetech’s
proposal in response to CFDA 84.327D</h3> <p>Dear Dr. Wadors Verne:</p> <p>On
behalf of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), I am pleased to provide this
letter in support of Benetech’s grant application to the US Department of
Education to ensure that accessible instructional materials are available to
children with disabilities in a timely manner, and that the use of these materials
is supported across various age groups, formats, and learning environments.</p>
<p>The National Federation of the Blind is the most transformative membership and
advocacy organization of blind people in the United States, and as such, represents
the end beneficiaries of any work with nonvisual access technology. In 1990, the
NFB opened the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC),
the leading evaluation and training center on technology for the blind in the
world—housing a comprehensive collection of speech and Braille technology
worth over $2.5 million. In January 2004, the organization opened the National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first and only research and training
facility developed and directed by the blind, for the blind. The 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. The Jernigan Institute has expanded the expertise and
educational outreach of the IBTC, including assisting with the development and
improvement of new technological innovations.</p> <p>We have been supporters of
Benetech’s education work through Bookshare and DIAGRAM, and we share their
commitment to creating and supporting accessible content for individuals with
disabilities. Bookshare has been and remains an essential tool for many blind
students and professionals to access a diverse array of information vital to their
education and careers. Benetech’s leadership is evident not only in leveraging
technology for services and communication, but also in building a broad community
of technologists, educators, researchers, policy makers, parents, publishers, and
other stakeholders. Benetech has proven itself to be an innovator in the field of
accessible educational materials through your work in the successful BUILD (Benetech
Unlocks Individualized Learning Delivery) Center, which has served over eight
hundred thousand students and includes over one million accessible eBooks. We are
confident in your ability to scale up large national projects and to deliver upon
them in a far-reaching, long-lasting manner. We are excited about Benetech’s
plan to address the challenges inherent in ensuring the accessibility of educational
materials while continuing to develop innovations to meet the needs of students
with disabilities over the next five years.</p> <p>Through your proposal, you will
further advance Bookshare, the industry-leading technology used to produce and
distribute accessible books, expand your work with the publishing ecosystem by
adding new partners—helping many to update their workflows to become globally
certified accessible—and increase the awareness of accessible materials
through training and outreach with a focus on diverse and underserved communities,
particularly as they recover from the missed learning caused by the pandemic. We
strongly support Benetech’s proposal and look forward to working with you
to make this program a success.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: John
Paré]</p> <h2 id="a-report-from-the-advocacy-and-policy-team">A Report from
the Advocacy and Policy Team</h2> <p><strong>by John Paré, Jeff Kaloc, and
Justin Young</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: One of the highlights of
our national convention has always been the report about our legislative efforts,
our progress, and the work we have left to do. This report was first given by Mr.
Gashel, and, agendas being what they often are, he got a little less time than he
anticipated but always managed to pull it off well. Now the work of the advocacy
and policy team is a bit more diverse, but it still offers the same excitement to
me. Here is what John Paré, Jeff Kaloc, and Justin Young said to our 2022
National Convention:</strong></p> <p><strong>John Paré:</strong> F. Scott
Fitzgerald once said: “Never confuse a single defeat with a final
defeat.” Mr. Fitzgerald’s first book <em>This Side of Paradise</em>
was rejected by publishers 122 times before Charles Scribner’s Sons Media
recognized its potential.</p> <p>Fitzgerald then went on to write a few more books
including <em>The Great Gatsby</em>, considered by many to be one of the greatest
novels ever written. While Fitzgerald initially faced rejection after rejection,
he did not let these initial setbacks deter him from pursuing his goal.</p>
<p>Political advocacy, much like publishing, requires that we have the patience,
clarity of mind, and determination to recognize that a single defeat or setback
does not mean we are finished. There have been many times in the past where the
outlook for our legislative priorities has been grim. There have been difficult
and tense negotiations, flat out refusals, and much lively discussion. Things have
not always gone our way, but we have kept fighting because perseverance, determination,
and tenacity, are three characteristics that encapsulate the National Federation
of the Blind.</p> <p>Times are tough, but we are far from finished. Because of
that persistence, our legislation now has more momentum than ever before.</p>
<p>On January 3, 2021, the first day of the 117th Congress, we had no sponsored
legislation. On January 21, 2021, Representatives Thompson and Kelly introduced
the Access Technology Affordability Act in the House. We now have 158 cosponsors.</p>
<p>On February 3, 2021, Senators Cardin and Boozman introduced the Access Technology
Affordability Act in the Senate. We now have thirty-seven cosponsors.</p> <p>On
April 5, 2021, Representatives Scott and McMorris Rodgers introduced the Transformation
to Competitive Integrated Employment Act in the House. We now have fifty-four
cosponsors.</p> <p>On November 18, 2021, Senators Casey and Daines introduced the
Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act in the Senate. Given that
it has been five years since we have had a companion bill in the Senate, this is
an important accomplishment.</p> <p>On July 29, 2021, Representative Schakowsky
introduced the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act in the House. We now
have fifty-eight cosponsors.</p> <p>We have been working on the Website and
Application Accessibility Act, and we expect it to be introduced in both the House
and the Senate soon.</p> <p>Along with the National Federation of the Blind,
nineteen other disability groups support this legislation.</p> <p>In addition,
our affiliates continue to rack up successes at the state level. Regarding voting,
twenty-eight states allow electronic ballot delivery for blind voters, and eight
states allow electronic ballot delivery and return.</p> <p>In the spring of 2020,
the NFB of Illinois began working on this issue. They attempted to contact the
governor and the state legislature because a bill designed to provide absentee
voting for the 2020 election only provided the ballot in Braille or large print
for blind and low vision voters. Missing was the right to cast a ballot privately
and independently using access technology.</p> <p>Initial efforts to work with
the governor and the legislature were unsuccessful. But the NFB of Illinois would
not give up and built a coalition of interested organizations including Equip for
Equality (the state’s Protection & Advocacy agency), and the Illinois
Council of the Blind.</p> <p>Their efforts resulted in electronic ballot delivery
but only for the 2020 general election. The coalition then began working on a
permanent solution.</p> <p>In 2021 bills were introduced in both chambers of the
Illinois General Assembly but did not pass. The legislature referred the matter
back to the State Board of Election for further study and hearings. So, the
coalition redoubled their efforts by continuing to work through the summer and
fall of 2021 to urge the board of elections to conduct the hearings mandated by
the legislature.</p> <p>In early 2022, bills were once again introduced in both
chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. When the passage of these bills seemed
to be in doubt, the NFB of Illinois took assertive action. On March 9, the affiliate
led an information protest in front of the State of Illinois building in Chicago.
The story was picked up by the local CBS Radio affiliate, WBBM News radio. I am
happy to report that on May 13 Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 829 into law.</p>
<p>Sixteen states have phased out or limited the payment of subminimum wages for
people with disabilities. Fifteen states have passed legislation protecting the
rights of blind parents. All of this success would not be possible without the
perseverance, determination, and tenacity of the members of the National Federation
of the Blind. Whether at the federal level, the state level, or the local level,
NFB members make it happen.</p> <p>Twenty years ago this month, I registered for
NFB-NEWSLINE®. Since then I have used NFB-NEWSLINE almost every day, initially
over the telephone and more recently via the iOS app.</p> <p>I listen to national
news, local news, magazines, and the weather. NFB-NEWSLINE is what first alerted
me to the National Federation of the Blind. I would have never attended my first
chapter meeting—Tampa, my first affiliate convention—Florida, and
my first national convention—Georgia, if I had not learned about the National
Federation of the Blind by using NFB-NEWSLINE.</p> <p>It was created twenty-seven
years ago and has provided essential news to tens of thousands of blind Americans.
It is available via the telephone, the web, the Victor Reader Stream, the NLS
digital talking book player, the Amazon Echo, and the iOS app.</p> <p>There are
542 publications and some portion of NFB-NEWSLINE is accessed every 1.86 seconds
on average. Recent additions include <em>J-14,</em> <em>Forbes,</em> the <em>Tuscaloosa
News,</em> the <em>Illinois Pantagraph,</em> the <em>New Mexico Deming
Headlight,</em> and the <em>Nepal Kathmandu Post</em>.</p> <p>There are also
TV listings for every cable and satellite provider, seven-day weather forecasts,
emergency alerts, and job listings. If you do not already use NFB-NEWSLINE, I urge
you to sign up.</p> <p>Sean Seward is our new manager of the Independence Market.
He was once a Randolph-Sheppard vendor, so he brings an exciting entrepreneurial
spirit to the Market.</p> <p>You can browse our catalog on our website and order
items by calling our main number. We have over four hundred items in our catalog
including white canes, Braille and audio watches, kitchen aids, measuring tools,
and games.</p> <p>The Independence Market also helps with our free white cane and
slate and stylus programs. Over the past year the National Federation of the Blind
has distributed 5,763 white canes and 705 slate and styluses. We also have NFB
logoed shirts and jackets. I regularly wear our logoed attire because I am proud
to demonstrate my commitment to the NFB, and I am proud to think about the successes
of the many Federationists who came before us, demonstrating their commitment by
relentlessly advocating for the rights of the blind. Those Federation members
understood that no matter the circumstances they had to press on. They demonstrated
the perseverance, determination, and tenacity that describes Federationists then
the same way it does now.</p> <p>To paraphrase a line from Fitzgerald’s
seminal work, so we labored on, boats against the current because we understand
the difference between a single defeat and a final defeat. There have been times
when societal inertia, industry opposition, and political forces seemed too powerful
for us to overcome. There have been times when we have been told to accept inadequate
Braille instruction, lack of employment opportunities, and accessibility barriers
as a fact of life. But we, the organized blind, have labored on. Sometimes our
proposals, our ideas, and our plans have been rejected, but we are not deterred.</p>
<p>We will work together to improve educational opportunities, to expand employment
opportunities, and to protect the civil rights of blind Americans. We have had
many successes in the past, both at the state and federal level, and we will have
even more in the future. We will build upon the foundation constructed by the
Federationists who came before us.</p> <p>We will work to get our voting rights
bill passed in every state. We will work to get our 14C bill passed in every state.
We will work to get our parental rights bill passed in every state. We will work
to get the Access Technology Affordability Act, the Medical Device Nonvisual
Accessibility Act, the Website and Application Accessibility Act, and the
Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act to the President’s
desk. This will not be easy, but we are up to the task.</p> <p>We will work together
with love, hope, and determination. We will transform our dreams into reality.
And we will live the lives we want.</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Jeff Kaloc]</p>
<p><strong>Jeff Kaloc:</strong> As we gather at this year’s convention, we
focus on our objectives and prioritize our goals for the coming year. While
preparing for the future is important, it is also important to reflect on the past
and to take into account the accomplishments over the years and review our current
standing. The foothold we have built did not come easily or quickly. It required
time and patience, hard work, and sacrifice. We stood on the shoulders of giants
as these leaders guided us to greater heights and helped us pursue a path towards
a better tomorrow.</p> <p>During the Federation’s last convention in New
Orleans, in 1997, Dr. Jernigan in his banquet speech said, “Equal responsibility
as well as equal rights is the very essence of the NFB’s philosophy. It is
what we set out to get in 1940; it is what we have fought for every step of the
way; it is what we are now close to achieving; and it is what we are absolutely
determined to have. Equal responsibility – equal rights.”</p> <p>Dr.
Jernigan’s words from the 1997 Convention were as true then as they are
now. It is the very reason we are advocating for our legislative agenda. All of
the bills we advocate for promote independence and accessibility. But by asking
for those concepts there is an understanding that responsibility is part of the
agreement. An agreement that solidifies an investment, an investment that we at
the National Federation of the Blind know will benefit all parties involved.</p>
<p>The Access Technology Affordability Act will put more access technology in the
hands of blind people. The bill does this by providing a $2,000 refundable tax
credit over the course of three years for qualified access technology such as
Braille notetakers, screen-reading software, or Braille embossers. It provides
the freedom and flexibility for individuals to choose which accessible technologies
fit their own needs. Some may need a refreshable Braille display while others need
an embosser. This legislation equips blind Americans with the tools needed to
independently seek employment and excel at their job. Additionally, we expect this
legislation to increase the federal government’s revenue in the form of
taxes and reduced dependence on Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental
Security Income, Medicare, and Medicaid programs. Federal, state, and payroll
taxes will grow as more blind Americans enter the workforce. Social Security
Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income and other programs will be
better funded as the use of these programs decreases. For all these reasons, this
legislation has gained bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It presents
itself as a win-win in many respects and we must continue to push for its passage.</p>
<p>Advocating for legislation cannot and will not be possible without expressing
our voices and casting our ballots. Again, it is the responsibility of the individual
to exercise their civic duty to vote. Therefore we must seize every opportunity
and focus our efforts to ensure that every ballot is nonvisually accessible and
provides the blind voter the same privacy, independence, and ease of use as other
voters. It is imperative that we engage with all of our elected officials on this
important matter if we seek the changes necessary to overcome discrimination. That
is why when we engage with our policy makers, we must express to them the significance
behind casting a ballot both privately and independently. Mind you, this isn’t
an unattainable notion that we cannot achieve. Various states as a result of our
advocacy efforts have enacted into law legislation ensuring these concepts are
put into place. Because of these efforts, several states have accessible remote
voting that allows voters privacy and independence, everything from registering
to vote, requesting a ballot, casting a ballot, and verifying your ballots. We
cannot and will not stand silent while we know this opportunity awaits. That is
why we must take action to mobilize and educate our lawmakers so that accessible
voting isn’t only available in a handful of states but every state.</p>
<p>Now, twenty-five years after Dr. Jernigan’s speech, we reflect on the
words that he spoke. If equal rights are to be given, then we must accept the
responsibility. Well, we do accept that responsibility and continue to do so each
moment we educate lawmakers, grow our membership, and come together as an
organization, because, when we mobilize and flex our strength, there is nothing
we cannot accomplish together.</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Justin Young]</p>
<p><strong>Justin Young:</strong> In his 1967 banquet address, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek
said, “The blind have a right to live in the world. That right is as deep
as human nature; as pervasive as the need for social existence; as ubiquitous as
the human race; as invincible as the human spirit.” To live in the world
independently, we must have the right to access medical devices and be given the
opportunity to earn a fair wage for the work we perform.</p> <p>At last year’s
convention, we passed Resolution 2021-01 which urged “The United States
Congress swiftly to consider and pass the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility
Act, thereby ensuring and protecting the independence, safety, and health of blind
Americans.” On July 29, 2021, Representative Jan Schakowsky from Illinois
introduced H.R. 4853, the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act. This bill
would amend the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act related to Class II and III medical
devices with a digital display. Some medical devices that apply to these categories
would include: continuous glucose monitor, blood pressure devices, chemotherapy,
in-home dialysis machines, and many more. After amending the Food Drug and Cosmetic
Act, it would require the Food and Drug Administration to begin a three-year
rule-making process. After this rule-making process, the manufacturers must make
these devices accessible. Without accessibility, we will not be able to independently
and safely use these critical health maintenance and monitoring products. It’s
time we be allowed to use the medical device we want, not the only one that might
be somewhat accessible!</p> <p>We have made great efforts on our legislation to
end the payment of subminimum wages. There has been a two-pronged approach on this
initiative over the past several years. We have worked on both federal legislation
like the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, and there has
also been a push at the state level. In total, sixteen states have begun the
elimination or have limited the use of Section 14C certificates. Three of them
happened this year! On April 14, the Governor of Tennessee signed a law that would
make it illegal after July 1 for businesses to pay subminimum wages. On May 23,
South Carolina’s Governor signed a joint resolution phasing out subminimum
wages by August 1, 2024. On June 15, the Governor of Rhode Island signed a law
immediately repealing sections of the State’s labor law related to authorizing
the payment of subminimum wages. The thirteen other states are Alaska, California,
Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon,
Texas, Vermont, and Washington. We have made great progress, but the fight is not
over until Section 14C is once and for all gone!</p> <p>To echo Dr. tenBroek all
those years ago, we will continue to advocate for our rights to live in the world,
and we will not stop until our work is done!</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO
CAPTION: Kyle Walls]</p> <h2 id="time-to-start-planning-for-the-2023-washington-seminar">Time
to Start Planning for the 2023 Washington Seminar</h2> <p><strong>by Kyle
Walls</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: Kyle Walls works on the Advocacy
and Policy team and is often not recognized as much as he might be given what he
does to craft announcements, work on resolutions, and proof the work of others.
Here is what he has to say about our upcoming Washington Seminar:</strong></p>
<p>The days are getting shorter, there’s a chill in the air, and the leaves
have just begun to fall from the trees—that means our annual Washington
Seminar is just around the corner. For 2023, the Washington Seminar will be back
at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol, located at 550 C Street, SW, Washington,
DC. To book a room, please use the booking link located at <a
href="http://www.nfb.org/Washington-seminar">nfb.org/Washington-seminar</a>, or
call 877-834-3613 and use group code NB8.</p> <p>January will mark the start of
the 118th Congress, and we wanted to make sure we were one of the first groups
new members met with. That’s why we scheduled next year’s seminar
from Monday, January 30, through Thursday, February 2, 2023. In a return to
tradition, we will have the Great Gathering-In on Monday, January 30, 2023, from
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Capitol Ballroom. The next three days, Tuesday,
January 31, through Thursday, February 2, 2023, will be devoted entirely to the
members of the Federation meeting and connecting with your members of Congress.
More information about the 2023 Washington Seminar, including our legislative
priorities and a full schedule, will be released soon.</p> <p>---------- </p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Mike Gifford]</p> <h2
id="creating-content-with-accessibility-as-the-default-celebrating-drupals-olivero-theme-and-calling-for-more-blind-contributors">Creating
Content with Accessibility as the Default: Celebrating Drupal’s Olivero
Theme and Calling for More Blind Contributors</h2> <p><strong>by Mike Gifford</strong></p>
<p><strong>From the Editor: Mike Gifford is a developer with Drupal who came to
tackle the challenge of accessibility in 2009, believing that it was an eighteen-month
project. As you can see from the article that follows, he is still hard at work
on the task, and the wonderful news is that many at Drupal are joining him. So
too is the news that the National Federation of the Blind is being acknowledged
as is the work of one of our most proactive technology experts, Rachel Olivero,
now deceased. Here is the presentation that Mike Gifford gave on July 10 at the
2022 National Convention in New Orleans:</strong></p> <p>Thank you for inviting
me here today. I arrived yesterday and really enjoyed all the great presentations.
I've learned a lot more about the work that your community does. Very impressive!</p>
<p>Speaking of impressive work, let's hear it again for Global Accessibility
Awareness Day!</p> <p>How many people have participated in GAAD events in the
past? Please make some noise.</p> <p>My name is Mike Gifford, and I am one of four
"accessibility maintainers" who are part of Drupal Core. If you're not familiar
with Drupal, it's software that manages content on websites across the internet.
It's used by many websites that you visit on a daily basis. There are more than
a million sites running Drupal around the world, representing about 2 percent of
the web; including the NFB's website and that of several chapter sites. More than
software, Drupal is a community.</p> <p>Drupal is also a community that is
participating in the GAAD Pledge. Drupal is just the third open source tool to
commit to a higher level of accessibility compliance.</p> <p>Drupal is just one
of millions of open source projects. The open source movement is founded on the
idea of standing on the shoulders of giants. That idea has been echoed several
times already at this convention.</p> <p>I work for CivicActions, but for twenty-one
years prior to this I had my own web development business in Canada. While running
OpenConcept, we implemented sites for the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians,
Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB),
and the Government of Canada's Accessible Standards Canada.</p> <p>How many people
here know what Drupal is? Please make some noise. I've been spearheading Drupal's
accessibility since 2009, and I am regularly reminded of how much more I need to
learn. Back when I started, I had expected that we could get it fixed up in a year
or two tops.</p> <h3 id="drupals-themes">Drupal's Themes</h3> <p>What brings me
here today is Drupal's new default theme. The default theme defines Drupal's "look
and feel." I was asked to introduce this new theme to the NFB. I am here to
represent all those who worked hard to build this new very accessible default
theme.</p> <p>Names are important. The old default theme, Bartik, was named after
Jean Bartik, who was a pioneer in computer science. We often forget that women
have always been a critical part of the computer science sector. The Drupal
community wants to help improve the proportion of women involved in the open source
movement. The name Bartik is a reminder of this.</p> <p>It is unusual for a name
of a theme to generate much attention, but in this case, it is more than just a
name. The people behind this theme wanted to honor someone who inspired
them—someone who might help remind us all of the constant need to build a
more inclusive world.</p> <p>A small group of front-end developers began meeting
to discuss how to best modernize Drupal's default look/feel. They needed a name
for the project—Olivero! These front-end Drupal developers wanted it to be
beautiful, dynamic, modern, and to do so without compromising accessibility. It
was critical that it have excellent support for both mobile and desktop views. It
was also important that this theme would work fine with or without JavaScript.</p>
<p>When they heard of Rachel Olivero's untimely death, they felt inspired by her
contributions to the Drupal community. They chose Olivero as the name for their
new theme. After settling on this name, it became especially important that we
lived up to Rachel's example and ensure it be as inclusive as possible. The name
Olivero is a reminder of this.</p> <p>How many people here knew Rachel? Please
make some noise. Rachel was well known to the NFB as both a leader and a staff
member at the main NFB office. Many here knew her, perhaps before she even started
working at the NFB. I believe that her partner Karen is here as well.</p> <p>Rachel
likely had an impact on many of us here today. In her career, we know that one of
the last things she did was launch the new NFB site, built with Drupal 8.</p>
<p>This new theme was largely led by the Lullabot digital agency and especially
Mike Herchel. This wouldn't be possible without contributions from Matthew Tift,
Kat Shaw, James Sansbury, Jen Witkowski, Jared Ponchot, Putra Bonaccorsi, and many
others.</p> <p>The themes for Drupal Core have been pretty accessible since Drupal
7. That just wasn't good enough for Olivero. This ultimately meant committing to
doing considerably more testing and evaluation for accessibility. Hundreds, if
not thousands, of hours went into making this theme as accessible as we could.</p>
<h3 id="accessible-by-default">Accessible by Default</h3> <p>The Drupal community
believes in addressing accessibility early in the project management life-cycle.
The Olivero team brought in the expertise of Drupal's accessibility maintainers.
We pushed to test with a wide range of devices and settings so that we could
support as many users as possible. We know that the best way to build the best
design for everyone is to ensure it supports the fringe.</p> <p>I want to highlight
the contributions of two of Drupal's accessibility maintainers. Andrew Macpherson
provided very careful consideration in improving this theme's accessibility. Rain
Breaw Michaels also provided support for both cognitive disabilities and for users
who use switch devices.</p> <p>In most sites, the menu structure is critical for
navigation but also often a source of accessibility errors. The Olivero menu system
has undergone extensive work on its accessibility. ARIA control attributes have
been added. Screen reader-only text was built-in for better sub-menu support.
Overflow support was added for longer menus. Logical focus orders were reviewed
in both mobile & desktop. Testing was done for Windows High Contrast Mode
including custom style sheets. Interactions were carefully considered to see that
a wide range of scenarios with assistive technology were evaluated.</p> <p>The
Olivero team engaged with the NFB to help with this. We wanted to make sure that
people with lived experience of disability were involved in testing it early in
the development process. Karl Belanger did much of the testing for the NFB.</p>
<p>We were happy that the NFB was able to review the draft theme and help us
improve its accessibility. Drupal's accessibility issue queue is always open, and
we welcome feedback when new items arise.</p> <p>Just last month, Drupal 9.2.0
was released and Olivero officially became the default theme. There are now at
least a dozen public presentations on this theme available for free on YouTube.
Our community is excited about our work and eager to share it with the world.</p>
<h3 id="accessibility-journey">Accessibility Journey</h3> <p>But this isn't the
end of the story. How many people here have contributed a bug report to a piece
of software? Please raise your hand, and I will try to roughly capture this. How
many people have reported an error on a website? Please make some noise. Web
developers need to hear from you. People are way more compelling than guidelines.
We need your involvement—not just with the Olivero theme but with all of
Drupal.</p> <p>It probably won't surprise people here, but Drupal's accessibility
has already benefited from input from the blind community.</p> <p>Everett Zufelt
was our first Drupal Core accessibility maintainer. Everett pushed us to consider
the authoring environment along with front-facing pages in Drupal 7. I hired
Everett in 2009, fresh out of university. He worked exclusively on Drupal Core in
that time and played a critical role in helping our community understand accessibility.
He is now the vice president of product & partnerships of a large digital
design agency in Toronto.</p> <p>Vincenzo Rubano was finishing high school in
Italy when he started contributing to Drupal 8. Vincenzo found places in which
accessibility had been broken when refactoring parts of Drupal 7. He contributed
to a number of issues and caught several barriers we had missed. I helped fundraise
to bring Vincenzo to DrupalCon Portland in 2013. At the time he mentioned to me
that he had multiple job offers from people at the conference. He declined all of
them to go to university. He is now finishing his PhD in computer science.</p>
<h3 id="get-involved">Get Involved</h3> <p>The earlier accessibility is addressed,
the more robust it is. It also often costs less to develop. If we can improve the
accessibility of the framework used by a million sites, then it is fair to assume
that the Drupal platform will benefit many of the billion people who have
disabilities. These changes often take years to actually get implemented by the
sites that you and I use regularly. However, getting involved can really pay off
over time.</p> <p>Olivero is the new Drupal default theme. This is what people
will see out of the box for years to come. In Drupal 10, we will see the introduction
of the new starterkit theme. This theme will likely be the basis of many, if not
most, new Drupal sites. The starterkit theme is a basic, unstyled theme that is
set up to allow front-end developers to quickly make a site look and function the
way the client wants it to. It contains all the structured HTML but with minimal
CSS styling. Unlike Olivero, it isn't designed to look good.</p> <p>Getting involved
in the starterkit theme is a great way to help influence new sites to not only
meet WCAG requirements but also provide a good aural experience. Part of this is
simply documenting best practices so that developers and designers don't need to
hunt for them. The other part is finding new ways for best practices to be
incorporated.</p> <p>We need your help. The web keeps changing and assistive
technology is struggling to keep up. Our use of technology changes. We need people
with disabilities engaged in ensuring that open source tools meet all of our needs.
There will always be accessibility barriers identified in any tool. The earlier
we catch these, the better it will be for everyone.</p> <p>We want your help to
make the starterkit theme more accessible.</p> <p>How many people are more interested
in contributing to an open source project like Drupal? Again, please make some
noise.</p> <p>"Nothing about us without us" is a rallying cry for us all. There
are lots of ways to become involved.</p> <p>Thank you for your time. If you like,
I will be available at lunch for a session on contributing to Drupal. I will be
at Salon B at lunch. Hope to see you at Salon B to talk about making Drupal better
for everyone.</p> <p>You can also reach out to CivicActions and connect with me
there.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Rocky Hart]</p> <h2
id="is-it-respectable-to-be-deafblind">Is It Respectable to be Deafblind?</h2>
<p><strong>by Rocky Hart</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: Rocky began
writing for the <em>Braille Monitor</em> as a young high school student. He has
talent, passion, and is a good communicator. In this article he speaks both to
his love for the Federation and two areas in which he believes we fall short. Just
as fervently, he believes that we can and will make adjustments so that we are
more inclusive. Here is what he says:</strong></p> <p>We in the National Federation
of the Blind have asserted for over eight decades that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines a person or their future, that we must raise the
expectations of blind people and, as we often say, we can live the lives we want
in spite of our blindness. This philosophy was what initially drew me to the NFB
as a child, and the reason I joined the organization as an adolescent four years
ago. Becoming a member of the Federation was a decision I do not regret and in
fact has provided me with a great deal of opportunity as a high school and college
student. I have advocated with the Federation at both the state and federal levels
on issues affecting blind people, have served in positions of recruitment in both
my state student division and state affiliate, and have served as secretary of
the At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota since
July 2018. I have also participated in activities with BLIND Inc, our NFB affiliated
training center in Minneapolis. I have enthusiastically enjoyed my activities in
the Federation, and it would not be hyperbolic to say that I would give my life
for the movement and what we stand for, considering how much you have given to
me.</p> <p>Through all of my support and passion for the NFB, however, I have
consistently noticed a trend within the organization that concerns me deeply, one
which is very near and dear to my heart. When I was four months old, I was diagnosed
with Norries Disease, the genetic condition which caused my congenital blindness.
At age ten, I began to develop a hearing impairment directly linked to the same
condition. It began with a mild hearing loss in my left ear, and I was fit with
my first hearing aid in May of 2013. Three years later, I had lost even more
hearing in my left ear as well as in my right, and I was fit with a matching
hearing aid. This condition is progressive, and my hearing has declined even
further since then. At this point, hearing aids still work for me, and time will
tell if I will ever be in need of further interventions such as cochlear implants.</p>
<p>Several people in my state affiliate are aware that I have a hearing loss
because I have been very open about it; however, most do not know the extent of
it. Having been a member of both the blind and deafblind communities for the better
part of seven years, I am well aware that I am not the only deafblind Federationist.
That being said, since I have joined the organization, I have noticed that there
is, at the very least, a great hesitation to discuss deafblindness, as well as a
lack of awareness of issues affecting people with a dual sensory loss. I have
colleagues who are deafblind who have expressed that while they know the Federation
knows how to handle issues affecting the blind, we are not as aware—and
therefore not as well versed—in how to also address those issues affecting
people with a hearing impairment. I also know an individual outside the Federation
who was totally blind, and although he knew I had a hearing loss, he was reluctant
to ask me about it because he believed I might feel as though he was judging me,
that I might be upset that he knew about it. This occurred despite the fact that
I initiated our first conversation on the matter.</p> <p>It is certainly true that
the Federation has taken actions over the years on behalf of the deafblind community
such as making NFB-NEWSLINE® accessible to those who use Braille displays,
but this scratches the surface of the issues with which we must deal.</p> <p>It
seems to me that there is a great deal of stigma in the blind community about
losing one's hearing, and this bothers me. Perhaps it is because we who are blind
use our hearing at length to gain vital information about our world that the
sighted receive through their vision; however, the fact that some of us do not
have this—or at least at a normal level—does not mean we cannot also
use certain alternative techniques to perform certain tasks. In my view, a blind
person with a hearing impairment is no different from a blind person with
diabetes.</p> <p>In his 1963 banquet address entitled "Blindness, Handicap or
Characteristic," Dr. Kenneth Jernigan boldly declared, "No one is likely to disagree
with me if I say that blindness, first of all, is a characteristic. But a great
many people will disagree when I go on to say that blindness is only a characteristic.
It is nothing more or less than that." Is this not also true of those who are
deafblind? He also asserted in this speech, as he did in many of his others, that
it is respectable to be blind. If this is true—as we in the Federation
believe it to be—is it not also respectable to be deafblind?</p> <p>I have
had a hearing impairment for the past nine years, and I now self-identify as
deafblind. This fact I am perfectly content with others knowing. I am confident
that while there are those who prefer to be silent on the matter, most people who
are deafblind would be comfortable being identified in this manner, and many do
not mind discussing their dual sensory loss if approached in a respectful, courteous
manner. In fact, it was just recently that the Helen Keller National Center
officially replaced the term "deaf/blind" with "deafblind," after decades of
requests from the deafblind community. We believe our combined vision and hearing
loss—and the degree to which we possess it—are one and the same. It
is not that one sensory loss is inferior or superior to the other. Rather,
deafblindness is one characteristic upon which our identity is built.</p> <p>One
of our goals in the Federation is to become more inclusive, and this effort must,
as I see it, include those who are deafblind. At our conventions, we should continue
to ensure that those who require interpreters receive them and that those who need
a front row seat to accommodate their hearing loss can obtain it. What many do
not know—as I did not until just recently—is that American Sign
Language (ASL) interpreters can provide services to individuals who are hard of
hearing. This includes repeating what a speaker is saying if the individual cannot
hear it (voice over), signing to them for the same purpose if they know ASL on
any level, or, in the case of those who are blind, provide human guide where that
is needed.</p> <p>One of the most common misconceptions about deafblindness is
that those who are classified as such have no hearing and no vision. While there
are those who fit this definition, many with a dual sensory loss have some residual
hearing and/or vision. This must be taken into consideration whenever accommodating
those with this dual sensory loss.</p> <p>Also, as loss of hearing is becoming
more common in the blind community, we should equip our NFB affiliated training
centers to instruct those affected in ways that do not solely rely on their hearing.
As an active member of the deafblind community, I have heard stories of individuals
who have attended programs at one of our centers who were told they are not trying
hard enough when performing tasks such as crossing an intersection. In many cases
they may be trying as hard as they can; their hearing is simply unreliable, and
they may require more assistance with this task than the ordinary blind person
would. As a member of this organization, I am committed to making us as inclusive
to those who are deafblind as possible. It is indeed respectable to be deafblind,
and this dual sensory loss is just a characteristic like any other, just as is
blindness itself. I believe that as long as we recognize this, we will be in an
even better position to grow our organization!</p> <p>----------</p> <h2
id="she-fought-on-behalf-of-her-blind-son">She Fought on Behalf of her Blind
Son</h2> <p><strong>by Ally Markovich</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor:
This article originally appeared on <em>Berkeleyside</em>, an online nonprofit
news source, on July 21, 2022, and is reprinted with the kind permission of author,
Ally Markovich and <em>Berkeleyside</em>. BUSD is the Berkeley Unified School
District.</strong></p> <h3
id="she-fought-on-behalf-of-her-blind-son.-now-busd-will-make-online-learning-tools-more-accessible">She
fought on behalf of her blind son. Now BUSD will make online learning tools more
accessible</h3> <p>The National Federation of the Blind hopes a settlement the
mother reached with BUSD will become a blueprint for other school districts.</p>
<p>Kai Wang was in first grade when the pandemic moved his classroom at Cragmont
Elementary behind the screen of his laptop. And for all the challenges of virtual
learning, Kai, who is blind, faced even more of them.</p> <p>Virtual learning
hastened the arrival of a new era in educational technology. The problem, though,
was that many of these tools were not built with students with disabilities in
mind.</p> <p>Math, for instance, was no longer a paper and a pencil affair—instead,
numbers flashed on the screen and students solved equations using educational
technology software. But when Kai moved his cursor around the screen during his
math class, the screen reader repeated the same word. “Unpronounceable,”
it said over and over again. “Unpronounceable.”</p> <p>The same
situation repeated itself nearly every time Kai logged on for class, a situation
that was documented in the <em>SF Chronicle.</em> Once, a teacher told him he was
excused for the rest of the hour because he wouldn’t be able to see it.</p>
<p>“That was unbearable for us. He’s a sponge, wanting to learn
every single thing. And he was just simply excluded from learning,” said
Mina Sun, Kai’s mom.</p> <p>As the pandemic wore on, Sun quit her job as
a scientist at UC Berkeley to focus full-time on advocacy for her son and other
blind students. After numerous attempts to work with Berkeley Unified, Sun said,
she secured the help of the National Federation of the Blind and an attorney,
Timothy Elder, who is blind himself.</p> <p>After she sent a demand letter on Dec.
2, 2020, arguing that the district was not meeting its obligations under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the district agreed to a process called
“structured negotiations” that serves a more collaborative alternative
to a lawsuit.</p> <p>The result was a June 9 settlement—the first of its
kind, according to Sun and the National Federation of the Blind—that
establishes a process for reviewing the technology BUSD uses and creates a system
for responding to accessibility complaints.</p> <p>“Providing quality,
engaging, and accessible learning in service to our students is a district priority.
As a system, we will continue to reflect on our work and make continual improvements
to make sure this remains true,” a BUSD spokesperson wrote in an emailed
statement, saying that the district could not comment further on the settlement
due to student privacy requirements.</p> <p>Moving forward, any new tech purchases
will have to go through staff at multiple departments with the hope of ensuring
accessibility for students with disabilities. The structured negotiations
didn’t result in any damages (the district paid out just $50,000 in legal
fees); instead, Sun wanted systemic policy changes.</p> <p>Sun and her team hope
that the settlement will be the sort of experiment that, if it’s effective,
could become a blueprint for other school districts.</p> <h3
id="removing-logistical-barriers-to-learning-for-students-with-disabilities">Removing
logistical barriers to learning for students with disabilities</h3> <p>When Kai
was in preschool, he was diagnosed with retinal degeneration. As he got older,
his vision would deteriorate, and he would become legally blind.</p> <p>Sun, who
did not know anyone who was blind at the time, was terrified. It took years for
her to develop the stance she now takes: Kai is brilliant, he can achieve anything
he wants, and her job is to get rid of the logistical barriers that stand in his
way.</p> <p>“I have talked to lots of people who think, ‘You’re
asking too much. You can’t expect everything to be accessible,’”
Sun said.</p> <p>But from her perspective, she is asking for the bare minimum:
for Kai, now nine years old, to simply have the same educational access that his
younger brother, Skyler, who is not visually impaired, will get.</p> <p>One time,
Kai asked his mom whether she could call “just one” of the ten or
so technology companies whose tools he was supposed to be using in class every
day. Could they make their tool just “a little bit” accessible for
him, he asked?</p> <p>“It was heartbreaking for me to hear that,”
Sun said. “It’s just the casual message our society is
sending—we’re not supposed to ask for all, we can ask for
less.”</p> <p>While the technology schools are using may be new, the
obligations they have to educate students with disabilities are not.</p> <p>“The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has existed in one form or another
since 1975,” said Chris Danielsen, the public relations director at National
Federation of the Blind, who worked with Sun. “Yes, technology has changed.
But if the school can adapt to the existence of new technology, then it should
also be thinking about how that technology is potentially going to affect students
with disabilities.”</p> <p>Though IDEA has existed for decades, compliance
can be spotty, and it’s at least part of the explanation for why just 15
percent of blind people in the U.S. have a college degree.</p> <p>Classroom use
of tech has increased over the last decade or so, dictating how students turn in
homework and complete projects.</p> <p>“But the problem just hit an
exponential curve when distance learning happened,” said Timothy Elder,
founder of the TRE Legal Practice, a law firm that focuses on students with
disabilities.</p> <p>As a result, blind students like Kai—as well as students
with disabilities like deafness—faced increasing accessibility challenges.</p>
<p>“Some of the same technology that the BUSD is using is being used
elsewhere, which means that blind kids who encounter it are experiencing the same
barriers,” Danielsen said.</p> <h3
id="a-cause-to-celebrate-in-working-toward-greater-accessibility">A cause to
celebrate in working toward greater accessibility</h3> <p>The settlement, which
lays out an Instructional Software Review and Approval Process in Berkeley Unified,
is intended to ensure that technology will be accessible for all students. It
could apply to everything from students turning in assignments on SeeSaw to playing
study games like Kahoot.</p> <p>When BUSD wants to purchase a new technology, it
will have to go through a review by staff in special education, technology services,
and educational services. Only if the technology is accessible, aligns with the
curriculum, and complies with student privacy rules will it be approved for purchase
under the new process.</p> <p>Though it sounds bureaucratic, this could mean the
difference between kids getting to participate in class and having to sit out
altogether.</p> <p>And while Sun wishes it didn’t have to come to a legal
letter or “fall on the shoulders of parents,” her attorney praised
BUSD for “having the political will to … be a leader in the
field.”</p> <p>“Software should be accessible across the board, and
we shouldn’t be expecting the school districts to have to fight for it,
district by district,” Elder said.</p> <p>As Sun and others work toward a
more accessible world, they have cause to celebrate, and they’re hopeful
that this means Kai’s life will be just a little bit easier in the future.</p>
<p>“He’s an exceptionally bright and talented individual and I’m
sure he’s going to do amazing things in life,” Elder said. “I
just want to make sure he gets every opportunity to do that.”</p> <p>Correction:
A previous version of this story—and its headline—mistakenly stated
that Mina Sun sued BUSD on behalf of her son, Kai. Sun sent a letter arguing that
the district was not meeting its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities
Act. The letter led to structured negotiations, which eventually yielded a
settlement. No lawsuit was filed.</p> <p>Ally Markovich reports on education and
other topics for <em>Berkeleyside</em>. Email: <a
href="mailto:ally@berkeleyside.org">ally@berkeleyside.org</a>. Twitter:
allymarkovich.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Patti Chang]</p> <h2
id="challenging-expectations-a-partnership-with-vispero-school-work-home">Challenging
Expectations: A Partnership with Vispero,<br /> School – Work –
Home</h2> <p><strong>by Patti Chang</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: Many
of us know Patti Chang for the many roles she has played as a state treasurer,
state president, and national board member. A role she has undertaken for some
time now is as the director of development for the organization, and creating
collaborative relationships with major players in the blindness field is just one
of many areas in which she has exceled. Thanks to Vispero for again engaging in
this collaborative relationship to help in raising the funds that are a vital part
of the toolkit we will use in building a better future for blind people.</strong></p>
<p>“Ever since I discovered JAWS in high school, I’ve used it for
school, internships, and so many other things. As a communication student, I use
JAWS for my writing, from news articles to stories. I am so grateful for a program
that allows me to use my laptop to interact with Word, websites, emails, and so
much more of the world.”</p> <p>Having choices for accessing content empowers
blind students and future professionals. Access technology allows us to uncover
our potential.</p> <p>The National Federation of the Blind and our members benefit
from a number of key collaborations to achieve equality, security, and opportunity
for all blind people. One of the most important is with Vispero, the world's
largest assistive technology provider for blind people and the maker of JAWS. We
are pleased to announce that Vispero has generously offered a challenge grant to
the Federation. Vispero will match up to $50,000 in contributions to help with
our end-of-year annual appeal; so, if you give anytime between October 15 and
December 31 this year, your support is doubled.</p> <p>Please help us challenge
expectations at work, school, and home by giving. If you are not in a position to
give now, please share our campaign and ask others to help us to challenge
expectations and achieve independence. If you are in a position to participate in
the challenge grant, there are several ways to give.</p> <ul> <li><p>You can visit
<a href="https://nfb.org/donate">https://nfb.org/donate</a> to give online.</p></li>
<li><p>You can call 410-659-9314, extension 2430 to give by phone.</p></li>
<li><p>You can mail a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells
Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. Or you can assist by asking your friends and family
to support the National Federation of the Blind.</p></li> </ul> <p>Together we
can turn dreams into reality, and end-of-year giving is a great time to help.
Thank you for your support and active participation in the organized blind
movement.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Suman Kanuganti]</p> <h2
id="owning-your-creative-content-cryptocurrency-accessibility-and-the-organized-blind-movement">Owning
Your Creative Content: Cryptocurrency, Accessibility, and the Organized Blind
Movement</h2> <p><strong>by Suman Kanuganti</strong></p> <p><strong>From the
Editor: Suman has attended many of our conventions, and his message is always on
the cutting edge. This year he comes to us in his capacity as CEO of the company
Personal.ai based in San Diego, California. Here is a presentation he made at our
2022 National Convention on Saturday, July 9:</strong></p> <p>Good morning National
Federation of the Blind!</p> <p>My name is Suman Kanuganti, the co-founder and
CEO of Personal.ai. For many years I spoke to you as the founder of Aira. I cannot
begin to speak without asking you all if you are an Aira Explorer, please make
some noise.</p> <p>I want to thank President Riccobono for having me today to
discuss the trends in technology that are critical for the blind community.</p>
<p>After arriving at the convention yesterday morning, I ran into a good friend
of mine, Paul Schroder. In our conversation, he said, "You are here for life now,
Suman."</p> <p>I smiled and said, “Of course I am. Why shouldn't I?”
This is my eighth consecutive year at the convention. I started my journey with
NFB in 2015.</p> <p>You, this community, have shown me a path when I most needed
it, have embraced me when I was most vulnerable, and guided me through building
and developing experiences that were most novel, unique, and with a sense of
connection. So of course I am committed for life.</p> <p>Today, I want to talk
about you, each of you, and each of your roles in the next generation of internet
evolution. If you use the internet on a day-to-day basis, say “I.”
If you want the entire internet to be accessible, say “I.”</p>
<p>Ok... (Pause) Is it entirely accessible?</p> <p>Well, internet is about to
celebrate its 40th birthday on Jan 1, 2023, and like humans, it continues to evolve
its phases.</p> <p>The first era of the internet was possible on huge mainframes,
mostly available to government and institutions. There were just a few who put
content and information on the websites. For the rest of humanity, this version
of the internet, often referred to as Web1, was simply to read. Web1 is about
accessibility.</p> <p>Although the Web1 era started in 1993, the Section 508
amendment for digital content accessibility didn't happen until 1998, and WCAG
2.0 standards did not start until 2008—friends, that’s fifteen years
later. Web1 was supposed to be accessible to everyone, and still it’s a
work in progress after thirty years.</p> <p>OK. If Web1 was read-only by most,
Web2 for consumers was not just readable but also writeable. This was the dot com
era in the early 21st century. Over time, many of us started writing and uploading
to the internet in the form of applications and social media or podcasts.</p> <p>I
remember the days when I would sit with friends at a dining table and say, “I
think it will be cool to have someone read aloud my book anytime.”</p>
<p>Another friend said, “Oh, there is an app for that.” These apps
increased the “usability.”</p> <p>The internet created tons of
utility for all consumers. But yesterday John Paré, our John, said the
Application Accessibility Act on Usability is happening this year. That's almost
fifteen years later after the beginnings of Web2.</p> <p>And here is another
example: the accessibility team at Facebook started in 2012, eight years after
its inception. During this time almost everyone who has access to the internet
and used it has become a contributor to Web2. If you are a creator, thought leader,
writer, author, podcaster, entrepreneur, small business owner, or freelancer, say
“I.” Congratulations. You have been making the big tech very successful
with your creations. Ha ha.</p> <p>There is probably nothing wrong with it since
it created tons of utility, but now people are more aware of how valuable our data
is and how algorithms can be insensitive about privacy and how they can hurt
society with misinformation and how biased and discriminating these algorithms
can get. Now, something else was happening during this time. These apps were so
good in exchanging information and promoting our thoughts that we didn’t
care about who is the owner of this data that every one of us creates. That’s
the evolution of big tech companies that we all experience today.</p> <p>Now the
question is do you want to own the data on the Internet that you create? ... Yes!!
... Welcome to Web3, my dear friends.</p> <p>To recap, Web1 is readable, and
it’s all about accessibility, yet we are still working on this after thirty
years; Web2 is writable and it’s all about usability, it looks like we are
finally making progress after fifteen years; Web3 is own-able and it’s all
about own-ability which is still in its infancy stages and we should be making
progress on it "NOW."</p> <p>In fact, the term Web3 gained popularity and meaning
only in the last two years. Before Web3 became a term, the industry was shaping
in the forms of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and NFTs. No, they are all not the
same. Similar to the Web2 dot com bubble, Web3 is in a bubble.</p> <p>A few of
the NFB members already recognized that. They are at the forefront of it. To name
a few—Reese, William, Andrey, and Aaron—they all showed up at the
session and they are passionate about updating the basic protocols. The good news
is that you, the community, can define the rules in crypto. For example, why is
alt text limited to a number of characters by the platform or why is there not an
alternate voice for describing art or image on the web in the words and voice of
the creator?</p> <p>Before we dig deep, if you care about privacy and ownership
of your data, say “I.” That's blockchain. If you care about that
data making money for you and economic opportunities for you, say “I.”
That's cryptocurrency. If you care about making that data useful to your community,
say “I.” That's NFTs. It's that simple.</p> <p>How does blockchain
help with privacy? Think about it as every piece of data that we add to the
internet, like a social media post, a podcast, or an article has associated
ownership and ledger to keep track of. That's the new internet.</p> <p>How does
cryptocurrency make money for you? Think about it as every piece of data that you
add to the internet carries an associated monetary value, normally referred to as
tokens. When a group of people believe in a currency, it can be used to trade
goods or digital assets. Traditionally the currencies are backed by the government.
In the case of cryptocurrency, it's backed by people, the community, and it's a
movement from people around the globe.</p> <p>Now you may ask, what are NFTs?
Think about NFTs as goods that you exchange with cryptocurrency that is built on
blockchain.</p> <p>So what is all this to do with the blind community?</p>
<p>Remember it took many years of work and advocacy from the blind community for
Web1 accessibility and Web2 usability.</p> <p>The next wave, Web3 own-ability, is
happening now and I believe it's important for this community to have a seat at
the table in the places that matter to be at the forefront of this change so it
doesn't become another movement, but it’s fundamentally designed with each
and every one of you in mind.</p> <p>Web3 enables the future of consumer internet
experiences such as metaverse, owning your own creative content, and participating
in the economy upfront. Web3 is about privacy, security, independence, and ease
of use. We have to be ahead in the game of this technology wave.</p> <p>I am
building personal AI, where every person gets to create his or her own digital
mind. The digital mind we create is an AI algorithm that is trained on all the
data you create digitally. So far we have been giving that away to big tech to
benefit them, and I am motivated to give that control of the data, utility of the
AI, and monetary value created from that data back to people. So if you are already
an author, writer, podcaster, or thought leader, you should create your own personal
AI and create a community in which the economic benefit comes back to you.</p>
<p>A few people at NFB are creating a discord community called "blind in crypto."
If you want to be a part of the movement and if you want to be at the forefront
of the crypto movement, specifically in the context of the blind, join this group
by entering your email at <a href="https://personal.ai/blind">https://personal.ai/blind</a>.</p>
<p>---------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Ogulcan Kalkanli with his guide dog, Deputy]</p>
<h2
id="on-the-road-to-independence-how-my-seeing-eye-dog-allowed-me-to-gain-a-new-perspective-on-life">On
the Road to Independence: How My Seeing Eye Dog allowed me to Gain a New Perspective
on Life</h2> <p><strong>by Ogulcan Kalkanli</strong></p> <p><strong>From the
Editor: Ogulcan is an active member of the National Federation of the Blind of
Texas and serves as the first vice president of the Dallas Chapter after faithfully
providing services as its secretary. He is pursuing a master’s degree in
humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas, where a doctorate will round
out preparation for a job teaching social studies. Ogulcan’s research
interests are Holocaust and human rights studies. Specifically, he is interested
in the way eugenics was used in the Second World War to persecute people with
disabilities, since they were the first to be targeted by the Nazi regime.</strong></p>
<p><strong>What he writes reminds me very much of my hopes and dreams when
considering a guide dog. Here is what he has to say about his life, his mobility,
and how he works to be independent:</strong></p> <p>Being able to live a productive
life is the greatest blessing a person can hope for, and it makes all the difference
when that life is lived with dignity and self-confidence. Gaining this self-confidence
not only requires staying motivated but becoming equipped with the skills and
tools necessary to achieve this goal.</p> <p>As a person with a visual impairment,
I grew up as a person with high self-esteem, but I felt the need to enhance my
ability to become even more confident when traveling to different places. This is
where I held the belief that a guide dog would become useful because we would rely
on each other when it came to navigating areas.</p> <p>The moment I have eagerly
waited for came last year when I traveled to The Seeing Eye located in Morristown,
New Jersey, where I trained with my life-long partner. The Seeing Eye is the oldest
guide dog school in America, and since 1929, the year of its founding, it has
demonstrated its commitment to the dignity of the blind by pairing us with a
properly trained dog that is tailored to the needs of the person. I was no
exception.</p> <p>I never imagined that I would welcome a four-legged furry friend
into my life given that training with a Seeing Eye dog requires proficient
orientation and mobility skills. In other words, I would need to be able to judge
traffic patterns when crossing streets, maintain a strong familiarity with my
environment, and demonstrate the ability to determine my sense of direction in
relation to it. The intense O&M training I went through over the years has
paid off immensely in the end because I achieved the goal I set for myself, which
was to become fully self-confident.</p> <p>I will never forget the very first day
I met my Seeing Eye dog. A feeling of nervousness was constantly rushing inside
of me as I thought about how I would be able to manage the care of this dog given
that it requires so much effort and energy. More importantly, I thought about how
I would gain a sense of trust given that it was the first time I would encounter
him. The true excitement came when the instructor walked into my room and introduced
me to Deputy, saying, “John, this is your dog, my friend. Have fun.”
When I first petted Deputy, it was such a wonderful feeling. His body felt so warm
to the touch, and a sense of joy kicked in as we began to bond with each other.</p>
<p>When I first interacted with Deputy, we both felt hesitant. Since he was
accustomed to working with his sighted instructor, he felt like a fish out of
water when I placed the guiding harness on him. In fact, this is the case with
all Seeing Eye dogs. When I gave him the three basic commands of forward, left,
and right, he was constantly looking at the instructor and whimpering. I was told
that it was normal for him to behave this way at first because we just met. However,
his behavior changed after having worked with him for the first few days. I started
to become familiar with him, and he began to better know and understand me. With
the proper balance of affection and discipline, Deputy began to feel more comfortable
and willing to work for me. In other words, we slowly became a team and started
our long and productive relationship.</p> <p>During the four weeks I stayed at
The Seeing Eye, my partner and I received intense training on various aspects of
traveling outdoors. As the days passed, we were challenged to learn complex routes
that involved various sidewalks, crossing multiple streets, and walking in areas
with uneven layouts. My confidence grew each day because I had a partner to trust.
As I directed him on where to go, he would lead the way. Being able to gain trust
is such a powerful feeling to experience because I know I have something to rely
on. This is especially the case when I am walking outside.</p> <p>I believe there
are many advantages when working with a Seeing Eye dog. A cane is a very useful
tool in identifying my surroundings such as buildings, sidewalks, stairs, tactile
landmarks, and other obstacles that may come my way. However, there are certain
moments when a person has to make a decision. When using my cane to cross lighted
intersections, I am not only responsible for judging traffic but also deciding
when it is safe to cross. In the same way, I have to figure out how to walk around
objects based on the skills I have been taught. Having the dog by my side is a
huge relief in these areas. While my job is to direct the dog, the rest relies on
him, since he is responsible for leading me safely to my destination. It also
makes all the difference when I am crossing the street because if I tell my dog
to go forward, he does not obey this command when he feels it is not safe to do
so. Similarly, his assistance really comes into play when he guides me around
objects, and I do not worry about bumping into them.</p> <p>Training with a Seeing
Eye dog is the greatest decision I have made in my life because not only do I feel
more independent, but I am also experiencing companionship and a dog’s
unconditional love. Over the past year we have been together, our bond has grown
immensely and continues to strengthen. Deputy is always ready to do his job and
is a strong observer of his environment. In the same way, he is very attentive to
my needs. I look forward to the many moments we will share over the years. This
is a treasure that I will forever value and remember.</p> <p>----------</p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Bridgid Burke]</p> <h2 id="the-honor-roll-call-of-states">The
Honor Roll Call of States</h2> <p><strong>by Bridgid Burke</strong></p> <p><strong>From
the Editor: Bridgid is one of our unsung heroes. She watches the books, so we can
tend to the advocacy. She explains what makes good financial sense, and when that
makes more work for us, she is the purveyor of bad and cumbersome news. The flipside
is that she keeps us from trouble, and for this we can never express too much
gratitude.</strong></p> <p><strong>Instead of reading the roll call of states as
we have in the past, we decided this year to publish it here. This saves time on
the floor and more broadly recognizes our chapters and divisions for their
generosity, and our understanding that we need funding at all levels to do our
work. Here is our roll call:</strong></p> <p>National Federation of the Blind of
Alabama</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $1,500</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $1,500</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>White
Cane Fund: $1,500</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Alaska</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$75</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Arizona</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $1,200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $1,200</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>White Cane
Fund: $1,200</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $375</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$150</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of California</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$600</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$600</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Colorado</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $2,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $2,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $2,000</p></li> <li><p>White Cane
Fund: $4,000</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $400</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$600</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Delaware</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$50</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $50</p></li>
</ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Florida</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus
tenBroek Memorial Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li>
<li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul>
<p>National Federation of the Blind of Georgia</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek
Memorial Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $100</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Hawaii</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$360</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $360</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$360</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $360</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Idaho</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $350</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $350</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $350</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $350</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
of Illinois</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $1,525</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $1,525</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $525</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $1,525</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
of Indiana</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $125</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $125</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $125</p></li> <li><p>White
Cane Fund: $125</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$200</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Kentucky</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $400</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$150</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $150</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$600</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $1,500</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>White Cane
Fund: $1,500</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Maine</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$100</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $100</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Maryland</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$1,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $1,000</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $300</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Michigan</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $225</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $225</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $225</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $225</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Minnesota</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $455</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $405</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $275</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $1,625</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Mississippi</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $300</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Missouri</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $2,500</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Montana</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $200</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Nebraska</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $250</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $250</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
of Nevada</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>White
Cane Fund: $200</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of New
Hampshire</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>White Cane
Fund: $75</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $850</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$850</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$700</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$700</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of New York</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$500</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$500</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of North Carolina</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$300</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$300</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus
tenBroek Memorial Fund: $725</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $725</p></li>
<li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $725</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $725</p></li> </ul>
<p>National Federation of the Blind of Oregon</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek
Memorial Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $500</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $600</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $425</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of South Carolina</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$1,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $1,260</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $1,000</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind of South Dakota</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $100</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $100</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Tennessee</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$250</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$250</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Texas</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $2,250</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $2,250</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $750</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $2,250</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
of Utah</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>White
Cane Fund: $1,000</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Vermont</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$25</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Virginia</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $2,625</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $2,835</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $2,785</p></li> <li><p>White Cane
Fund: $10,610</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of Washington</p>
<ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $600</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan
Fund: $550</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $550</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund:
$550</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia</p> <ul>
<li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund:
$200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $200</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind of Wisconsin</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$250</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$250</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul> <p>Thank you to our
national divisions for supporting the funds of the National Federation of the
Blind:</p> <p>National Organization of Blind Educators</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus
tenBroek Memorial Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $50</p></li>
<li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $50</p></li> </ul>
<p>National Federation of the Blind Community Service Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Kenneth
Jernigan Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>White
Cane Fund: $500</p></li> </ul> <p>Diabetes Action Network for the Blind</p> <ul>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $300</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
Human Services Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $100</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $100</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
Krafters Division</p> <ul> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $100</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind Merchants Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $1,000</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $5,000</p></li> </ul>
<p>National Association of Guide Dog Users Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek
Memorial Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus
tenBroek Memorial Fund: $75</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $75</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $75</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
Parents of Blind Children</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$500</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $500</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $500</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind Performing Arts Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $50</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $50</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of the Blind Science and Engineering Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek
Memorial Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>SUN
Shares Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $25</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Federation of the Blind Seniors Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial
Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares
Fund: $200</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $200</p></li> </ul> <p>National
Association of Blind Students</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund:
$300</p></li> <li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $300</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund:
$300</p></li> <li><p>White Cane Fund: $500</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation
of Blind Veterans</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $250</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $250</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $250</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $250</p></li> </ul> <p>National Federation of the Blind
Writers Division</p> <ul> <li><p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $25</p></li>
<li><p>Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $25</p></li> <li><p>SUN Shares Fund: $25</p></li>
<li><p>White Cane Fund: $25</p></li> </ul> <p>Total Fund Contributions:</p>
<p>Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund: $29,765<br /> Kenneth Jernigan Fund: $29,350<br
/> SUN Shares Fund: $23,280<br /> White Cane Fund: $48,720</p> <p>----------</p>
<h2 id="monitor-miniatures"><em>Monitor</em> Miniatures</h2> <h3
id="news-from-the-federation-family">News from the Federation Family</h3>
<p><strong>Social Security Announces 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment:</strong></p>
<p>The Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2023 is 8.7 percent.
As a result the 2023 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit amount,
which is currently $841 will now be $914. The average Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI) benefit, which is currently $1,364, will increase to $1,483. The
SSDI Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold for blind people which is
currently $2,260 will increase to $2,460. These increased benefits will be reflected
in your January 2023 payment. A complete explanation of the 2023 Social Security
changes will be included in the next issue of the <em>Braille Monitor</em>.</p>
<h3 id="monitor-mart"><em>Monitor</em> Mart</h3> <p><strong>The notices in this
section have been edited for clarity, but we can pass along only the information
we were given. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the statements made or
the quality of the products for sale.</strong></p> <p>Braille Display for Sale:</p>
<p>My name is James, and I have a Brailliant BI 80 refreshable Braille display
for sale. It has rarely been used. I have all cables, original box, and manuals.
My asking price is $3,000 but would consider offers. Please email me at <a
href="mailto:jakon22@gmail.com">jakon22@gmail.com</a>, or you may text or call me
at 410-925-0707.</p> <p>----------</p> <h2 id="nfb-pledge">NFB Pledge</h2> <p>I
pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the
Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support
the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.</p>
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