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</style> </head> <body> <div id="header"> <h1 class="title">The Braille Monitor,
November 2024</h1> </div> <h1 id="braille-monitor">BRAILLE MONITOR</h1> <p>Vol.
67, No. 10 November 2024</p> <p><em>Gary Wunder, Editor</em></p> <p><em>Chris
Danielsen, Associate Editor</em></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</p> <p>email address:
<a href="mailto:nfb@nfb.org">nfb@nfb.org</a></p> <p>website address: <a
href="http://www.nfb.org">http://www.nfb.org</a></p> <p>NFBnet.org: <a
href="http://www.nfbnet.org">http://www.nfbnet.org</a></p> <p>NFB-NEWSLINE®
information: 866-504-7300</p> <p>Like us on Facebook: <a
href="http://Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind</a></p>
<p>Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter): @NFB_Voice</p> <p>Watch and share
our videos: <a href="http://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</p> <p>200
East Wells Street <em>at Jernigan Place</em><br /> Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998</p>
<p><strong>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.</strong></p> <p><em>ISSN
0006-8829</em></p> <p>© 2024 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. 67, No. 10 November 2024</p> <h2 id="contents"> Contents</h2>
<p>Reporter Calls his Blindness an Asset for Key Trump Shooting Interview:
“Vision Could Get in the Way”</p> <p>by Ramon Antonio Vargas</p>
<p>A Season for Counting Our Blessings</p> <p>by Barbara Pierce and Gary Wunder</p>
<p>So Much Regulation, So Little Change</p> <p>by Peter Slatin</p> <p>Will the US
Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?</p> <p>by Carlton
Anne Cook Walker</p> <p>Dreaming Big: The Influence of Blind-Centered Experience
and Direction on Artificial Intelligence</p> <p>by Bryan Bashin</p> <p>The Sugar</p>
<p>by Anil Lewis</p> <p>Embracing the Challenge: A Personal Journey Through Diabetes
Management</p> <p>by Gary Wunder</p> <p>Expect Much, Give Much, Get Much!</p>
<p>by Ronza Othman</p> <p>Invest in Dignity: A Matching Gift Challenge to Advance
the Lives of Blind People</p> <p>An Almost Forgotten Guide Dog School</p> <p>by
Peggy Chong</p> <p>Inspiration, Education, and Where We Fit in Speaking for Blind
People</p> <p>by Gary Wunder</p> <p>Community Cultural Wealth and the Empowerment
of Blind People through the National Federation of the Blind</p> <p>by Justin
Salisbury</p> <p>South Carolina’s White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation</p>
<p><em>Monitor</em> Miniatures</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary O’Donoghue]</p>
<h2
id="reporter-calls-his-blindness-an-asset-for-key-trump-shooting-interview-vision-could-get-in-the-way">Reporter
Calls his Blindness an Asset for Key Trump Shooting Interview: “Vision
Could Get in the Way”</h2> <p><strong>by Ramon Antonio Vargas</strong></p>
<p>CW: This article contains content related to gun violence and death.</p>
<p><strong>From the Associate Editor: The following article originally appeared
in <em>The Guardian,</em> a newspaper based in the UK but also with a digital
presence in our country. It was written by the weekend editor for Guardian US and
is reprinted courtesy of Guardian News Service. Federationists may remember that
Gary O’Donoghue, a senior North America correspondent for the British
Broadcasting Corporation who reports both for radio and TV broadcasts, spoke at
our 2016 convention, and his remarks were reprinted in the October 2016 issue of
this magazine. His job placed him in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, to
cover what would have been just another campaign rally were it not for the attempted
assassination of Former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. O’Donoghue, who is
also a personal friend, managed to get one of the first eyewitness interviews
about the shooting, and that interview soon went viral. Readers may or may not
agree with Mr. O’Donoghue that his blindness was an advantage in procuring
the interview or with some of his other views, but what is certainly true is that
he is a blind journalist working at the highest professional level, and that in
this case he made a significant contribution to the immediate global understanding
of a historic event. Here is how <em>The Guardian</em> reported the story:</strong></p>
<p>As Gary O’Donoghue interviewed the Donald Trump supporter who watched
a man calmly climb onto the roof of a nearby building and fire a rifle at the
former US president, the BBC television reporter could not see his subject.</p>
<p>O’Donoghue, who is blind, could only hear him. And he came to regard
that as an advantage upon later being informed that witness Greg Smith cut a
bizarre figure to some—clutching a can of beer in his right hand while
wearing a red, pro-Trump visor with wild fake hair styled to resemble the Republican
presidential nominee’s signature coiffure.</p> <p>“I wonder, if I
could see, whether I would have given him the time of day … because he did
look a bit odd,” O’Donoghue said recently. “But I’m
glad I did, obviously.”</p> <p>That’s because Smith delivered to
O’Donoghue—while on live television—the earliest account of
some of the most alarming aspects of the serious security failure that marked the
13 July assassination attempt targeting Trump at a political rally in rural
Pennsylvania.</p> <p>As Smith relayed it into O’Donoghue’s microphone,
he was just outside the rally site but close enough to hear Trump’s speech
lobbying for a return to the White House. He described how he and others pointed
out to police that a man carrying a rifle had gotten atop a bottling plant with
a view to the stage where Trump spoke—but officers did not halt him before
he fired about five shots at the former president. Ultimately, Smith said of the
shooter, a US Secret Service agent “blew his head off.”</p>
<p>O’Donoghue, who was covering the rally as part of his duties as the
BBC’s chief North America political correspondent, said he momentarily
feared Smith might be fabricating “something incredibly inflammatory and
dangerous and misleading and irresponsible, quite frankly.” But Smith’s
account was markedly consistent, and his interview has withstood the test of
time.</p> <p>Multiple videos recorded on cell phones showed rally-goers warning
authorities about the gunman, who investigators confirmed killed one spectator,
wounded two others, and injured Trump’s right ear before a Secret Service
counter-sniper shot the attacker to death.</p> <p>The apparent failures in
communication among the Secret Service and different police agencies who were
tasked with protecting Trump but failed to stop the shooter from firing are under
congressional and FBI investigation. And they prompted the Secret Service’s
director to resign.</p> <p>All of which only reminded O’Donoghue that the
condition some in his life have tried to convince him is a disability—given
his visually focused profession—can actually be the exact opposite.</p>
<p>“The vision could get in the way, and … the words were the thing
that really counted” that day, O’Donoghue said.</p> <p>While
O’Donoghue was already well-known in the UK when a clip of his interview
with Smith went viral on social media in the early aftermath of the Trump
assassination attempt, many in the US only then got the opportunity to become
familiar with the backstory of the reporter who had just played a key role in
helping shocked Americans begin to understand how the shooting unfolded.</p>
<p>O’Donoghue, 56, was born in Norfolk in eastern England with partial
eyesight, but by age eight he had completely lost his vision. He has recounted
how he soon attended boarding schools for people who are blind. But otherwise,
there wasn’t much support available during O’Donoghue’s youth
for him, his father—a semi-professional soccer player and taxi driver—or
mother, a former ballroom dancing teacher.</p> <p>He doesn’t mince words
when he discusses how difficult life could get for his family. As he previously
told the <em>Independent</em>, when he was older, O’Donoghue’s mother
confided in him that she had contemplated killing them both—something he
regarded as a brave admission.</p> <p>O’Donoghue eventually pursued degrees
in philosophy and modern languages before embarking on a career as a reporter at
the BBC. He does not recall the outlet initially being eager to hire him—in
fact, he said someone there told him “a blind person couldn’t be a
reporter” before he landed a job at the prestigious broadcaster.</p>
<p>“And I … never accepted that,” said O’Donoghue,
who was 21 at the time he was told his disability would prevent him from being a
journalist. “That’s why I pursued my career,” rising from a
junior reporter on BBC Radio 4’s <em>Today</em> show to the chief North
America political correspondent post for the outlet’s television news
network by 2015.</p> <p>Having moved with his wife, fellow BBC journalist Sarah
Lewthwaite, and their daughter, Lucy, to the US, O’Donoghue has since
covered six of the nation’s highest-profile deadly mass shootings—none
of which have led to the substantial gun control many Americans would like to see.
He reported on Trump’s successful run to the White House in 2016, Trump’s
defeat to Joe Biden during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and he is covering the
2024 race between Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris—a contest many
believe could decide the future of American democracy.</p> <p>As he told it to
the <em>Telegraph</em> newspaper, O’Donoghue fights hard to accomplish his
responsibilities while simultaneously trying to escape stereotypes associated with
being blind. He doesn’t drive—but he did learn how, at a defunct
air base while studying at one of his boarding schools. He doesn’t use a
guide dog, suspecting one would be “more of an encumbrance.”</p>
<p>His producer colleagues sometimes help him get around—otherwise, he
walks using a long white cane. He has joked that one perk of being a blind journalist
is that it seems harder for people who don’t want to talk to him to shut
doors in his face than it would be for them to do the same to his counterparts
who can see.</p> <p>Journalism students who are blind often respond to his work
by contacting him. The parents of children who are blind occasionally stop him in
the street—especially when he is in the UK but increasingly in the US, too.
All tell him that seeing him thrive makes them dream that they or their children
“will be able to have a fulfilling career,” O’Donoghue
said.</p> <p>O’Donoghue said he never tells those people it is easy
“because it’s not.” For instance, as he once discussed with
the <em>Independent,</em> a producer once took one of his stories from him and
gave it to another correspondent to present on air, prompting him to successfully
press a discrimination complaint.</p> <p>Nonetheless, hearing from those journalism
students and parents makes him proud, he said, noting that he does not see
many—if any—people who are blind or in wheelchairs reporting or
presenting on cable news. He also said he knows of only two journalists who are
blind working at newspapers in the US, which O’Donoghue did compliment for
its 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation that was
meant to protect the civil rights of people who are disabled.</p> <p>O’Donoghue
said he has struggled to overcome the emotions that coursed through his body when
the Trump rally shooting erupted, forcing him to dive to the ground for cover
while clad in a business suit.</p> <p>Chiefly, O’Donoghue said, he felt
sadness at how painful it can be to report on the US when politics and violence
intersect.</p> <p>Yet he quickly regained his footing, reached his hand out, ended
up touching Smith as he passed by and nailed down perhaps the day’s most
important interview.</p> <p>O’Donoghue said he hoped the grace he demonstrated
in front of a global audience—under literal fire—leads more of the
public to realize “that the barriers … often put in the way of
disabled people do not need to be there.”</p> <p>“They’re
constructed by the world,” O’Donoghue said. “They are not
inherent to being blind or disabled, and … these great things can be
done.”</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Barbara Pierce and Gary
Wunder outside the Pierce home in Oberlin, Ohio.]</p> <h2 id="a-season-for-counting-our-blessings">A
Season for Counting Our Blessings</h2> <p><strong>by Barbara Pierce and Gary
Wunder</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: One of the things I have enjoyed
most about being the editor of the <em>Braille Monitor</em> is getting the
opportunity to learn. In my training, I listened to tapes from Dr. Jernigan and
had several classes under the tutelage of President Maurer who believed in me
enough to hire me. But as important as all of these were, the person who worked
longest with me and did her best to teach me what I was able to learn was Barbara
Pierce. Most of our sessions were spent either in conversation or being linked
together through the tandem utility that is offered by JAWS. On one occasion,
however, I was invited for a four-day intensive training class and shared company
with Barbara and Bob at their home. This is an experience I will never
forget.</strong></p> <p><strong>When planning the November issue that would appear
in 2010, both of us felt we would be remiss if we did not include something about
Thanksgiving. Our associate editor Chris Danielsen and I both feel the same way,
and so we take this opportunity to reprint that article. I hope it is able to
kindle or strengthen the feeling each of you have that we are blessed to have one
another and to share in the National Federation of the Blind. Here is the
article:</strong></p> <p>In the United States Thanksgiving is traditionally the
season for taking stock and being thankful. Regardless of political persuasion or
religious inclination, this is a time for looking about us and counting our
blessings for what is best in our lives. These days it is easy to find plenty of
bad news and rotten luck: homes or jobs lost, health or relationships compromised,
even violence and personal danger for ourselves or those we love. Notwithstanding
such problems, Thanksgiving is the time when we concentrate on the good, the
healthy, and the generous in ourselves and in those around us.</p> <p>In the past
few days the two of us have been thinking and talking about the special blessings
that accrue to those in the Federation who have learned to give spontaneously and
to give back to others. Leaders at every level have experienced the gratification
and even joy of extending help to someone who accepts it and then turns around to
ask what he or she can do to help the organization or someone else in need. We
rejoice because the NFB has just become a little stronger and more effective and
because we have found a new friend and colleague. That is always something for
which to give thanks.</p> <p>In such situations we count ourselves lucky and
blessed, but have you ever stopped to consider that such people are also among
the very luckiest in our society? Sometimes, for the first time in their lives,
they know the joy of giving, the feeling of self-worth when they are needed, and
the cleansing of spirit which comes when they begin to believe they are repaying
a debt. That debt is never totaled, never demanded, but always present in the
conscience of those who are willing to admit to ourselves and others just how much
we have been given to get where we are today. Sometimes it is the goodwill of
others expressed through a kind word, the name of a passing bus, or the name on
the next street sign. Sometimes it is the lunch we were bought when we came to
convention on a hope and a prayer and with just enough money to get home. Sometimes
it is money set aside by our fellow citizens for our vocational rehabilitation.
At last we have hope that we can assume our places in the world as givers—grateful
for what has been given or loaned, but equally grateful for the chance to pay it
back. This is the one time in life when we're willing to pay interest because that
interest means we are not only giving back what was loaned but adding to the
treasure available for helping our fellow human travelers.</p> <p>Consider for a
moment those folks whom we reach out to help but who, after receiving the assistance,
subside back into apathy or actively withdraw. Their actions are often cloaked in
self-justification: I can't get to meetings; I don't have the skills to help
others; I am too old to take an active part in things; my family wouldn't like
for me to go out on my own; I did my part when I could see; I'm just not a joiner;
I'm not a causist like you people. Then there are those who benefit in a substantial
way from our help and with sincere-sounding words that make your heart want to
burst, proclaim their allegiance to giving back to the people and the organization
that has done so much to help them. It hurts when, after these promises, their
names appear in a presidential report at a state or national convention, and you
go to congratulate them on their victory, only to realize they have disappeared.
The excuses vary, but the motivations are pretty obvious and depressing: insecurity,
laziness, self-absorption, and passivity; the world has dealt me such a dirty hand
that I just can't find it within myself to raise a finger in the service of
others.</p> <p>Blind people find it temptingly easy to fall into such habits of
mind. The people around us usually don't believe that we can do the things they
do, so their instinct is to protect us from failure by discouraging us from trying.
If one's impulses to try new things are stifled long enough, it is no wonder that
one eventually begins to believe that holding up one's end, returning favors, even
talking about the interests of another person are social rules that do not apply.
Down this road live the blind people who assume that they deserve free services,
a place at the front of the line, and representation by the NFB when they are
denied what they want or think they deserve.</p> <p>Such shriveled souls are
exasperating and frustrating, but mostly they are to be pitied. One of the most
vivid pictures of such folks is the statement making the rounds that they play
the game of life wearing catcher's mitts on both hands—always ready to
receive but unable to throw the ball back. These are truly blighted souls, and we
should pity them, for they have deprived themselves of a joyous feeling words
can't begin to convey. They have missed one of the most fundamental components of
the contented life—giving. Whether it is enabling a blind child to get the
Braille instruction she needs or offering a stranger a listening ear, giving
blesses both the recipient and the giver. It may be more blessed to give than to
receive, but it is also much more fun and more rewarding.</p> <p>We who are members
of the National Federation of the Blind can count among our blessings this
Thanksgiving that we have the opportunity to give to each other and to our
communities. We know the satisfaction of helping others and improving the world.
By the grace of God our capacity to commit to others and to reach out with
understanding has not been smothered by society's conviction that we have nothing
to give. For this and for very much more, this Thanksgiving we are thankful.</p>
<p>----------</p> <h2 id="we-need-your-help">We Need Your Help</h2> <p><em>Attending
my first National Convention in Orlando, Florida, I was overwhelmed by not only
the resources, mentorship, and national community of students, but the love that
filled every corner of the organization. The National Federation of the Blind gave
me the world.</em> - Trisha</p> <p>Blind children, students, and adults are
making powerful strides in education and leadership every day across the United
States, but we need to continue helping students like Trisha. For more than eighty
years, the National Federation of the Blind has worked to transform the dreams of
hundreds of thousands of blind people into reality. With support from individuals
like you, we can continue to provide powerful programs and critical resources now
and for decades to come. We hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring movement
by including the National Federation of the Blind in your charitable giving and
in your estate planning. It is easier than you think.</p> <p>With your help, the
NFB will continue to:</p> <ul> <li><p>Give blind children the gift of literacy
through Braille.</p></li> <li><p>Mentor young people like Trisha.</p></li>
<li><p>Promote independent travel by providing free, long white canes to blind
people in need.</p></li> <li><p>Develop dynamic educational projects and programs
to show blind youth that science and math careers are within their reach.</p></li>
<li><p>Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide blind
people the essential information necessary to be actively involved in their
communities.</p></li> <li><p>Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing
vision maintain their independence.</p></li> </ul> <p>Below are just a few of the
many tax-deductible ways you can show your support of the National Federation of
the Blind.</p> <h3 id="lyft-round-up">LYFT Round Up</h3> <p>By visiting the menu,
choosing donate, and selecting the National Federation of the Blind, you commit
to giving to the National Federation of the Blind with each ride.</p> <h3
id="vehicle-donation-program">Vehicle Donation Program</h3> <p>We accept donated
vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, or recreational vehicles.
Just call 855-659-9314 toll-free, and a representative can make arrangements to
pick up your donation. We can also answer any questions you have.</p> <h3
id="general-donation">General Donation</h3> <p>General donations help support the
ongoing programs of the NFB and the work to help blind people live the lives they
want. You can call 410-659-9314, extension 2430, to give by phone. Give online
with a credit card or through the mail with check or money order. Visit our online
contribution page at: <a href="https://nfb.org/donate"><u>https://nfb.org/donate</u></a>.</p>
<h3 id="pre-authorized-contributions">Pre-Authorized Contributions</h3> <p>Through
the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program, supporters sustain the efforts of
the National Federation of the Blind by making recurring monthly donations by
direct withdrawal of funds from a checking account or a charge to a credit card.
To enroll, call 877-NFB-2PAC, or fill out our PAC Donation Form <a
href="https://www.nfb.org/pac"><u>https://www.nfb.org/pac</u></a>.</p> <h3
id="plan-to-leave-a-legacy">Plan to Leave a Legacy</h3> <p>The National Federation
of the Blind legacy society, our Dream Makers Circle, honors and recognizes the
generosity and imagination of members and special friends who have chosen to leave
a legacy through a will or other planned giving option. You can join the Dream
Makers Circle in a myriad of ways.</p> <h4 id="percentage-or-fixed-sum-of-assets"><strong>Percentage
or Fixed Sum of Assets</strong></h4> <p>You can specify that a percentage or a
fixed sum of your assets or property goes to the National Federation of the Blind
in your will, trust, pension, IRA, life insurance policy, brokerage account, or
other accounts.</p> <h4 id="payable-on-death-pod-account"><strong>Payable on Death
(POD) Account</strong></h4> <p>You can name the National Federation of the Blind
as the beneficiary on a Payable on Death (POD) account through your bank. You can
turn any checking or savings account into a POD account. This is one of the simplest
ways to leave a legacy. The account is totally in your control during your lifetime
and you can change the beneficiary or percentage at any time with ease.</p> <h4
id="will-or-trust"><strong>Will or Trust</strong></h4> <p>If you do decide to
create or revise your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a
partial beneficiary.</p> <p>Visit our Planned Giving webpage (<a
href="https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving"><u>https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving</u></a>)
or call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, for more information.</p> <p>In 2023 our
supporters helped the NFB:</p> <ul> <li><p>Send 401 Braille Santa and Winter
Celebration letters to blind children, encouraging excitement for Braille
literacy.</p></li> <li><p>Distribute over six thousand canes to blind people across
the United States, empowering them to travel safely and independently throughout
their communities.</p></li> <li><p>Deliver more than five hundred newspapers and
magazines to more than 130,000 subscribers with print disabilities free of
charge.</p></li> <li><p>Give over seven hundred Braille-writing slates and styluses
free of charge to blind users.</p></li> <li><p>Mentor 321 blind youth during our
Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning® Academy.</p></li> <li><p>Award
thirty scholarships each in the amount of $8,000 to blind students.</p></li> </ul>
<p>Just imagine what we will do in 2024, and, with your help, what can be accomplished
for years to come. Together with love, hope, determination, and your support, we
will continue to transform dreams into reality.</p> <p>---------</p> <h2
id="so-much-regulation-so-little-change">So Much Regulation, So Little Change</h2>
<p><strong>by Peter Slatin</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: It is interesting
and sometimes difficult to understand the background of our laws here in the United
States, let alone comparing and contrasting them with laws in other countries.
Our author does a good job of describing the history of laws here and in Canada,
complete with their difference in emphasis and their pros and cons.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Peter is a consultant, writer, and disability advocate. He lives in
New York City and is the founder of the Slatin Group created in 2012. He also
serves as a board member of the Colorado Center for the Blind. A version of this
article appeared in the September issue of <em>Able News</em>.</strong></p> <p>In
late May I participated in “Accessible Canada, Accessible World,”
(https://wecount.inclusivedesign.ca/initiatives/acaw/) a two-day conference in
Montreal created by the International Design Resource Center at the Ontario College
of Art & Design and sponsored by Accessibility Standards Canada, a federal
agency tasked with developing what its name calls for. It was an extraordinary
event, with most discussions held in a “flipped classroom” format:
two people, in the somewhat interchangeable roles of facilitator and provocateur,
guided attendees—most of whom were accessibility and disability scholars
and advocates—in discussion while encouraging everyone present in person
or virtually to contribute. Not surprisingly, the majority of attendees were
Canadian, and the majority of discussions were framed around accessibility creation
in Canada. I suddenly found myself outside of what I realized was my US-centric
disability and accessibility comfort zone.</p> <p>The ACAW event allowed me to
see how the different approaches to enabling and optimizing disability inclusion
of a nation that is our very close geographic and cultural neighbor can highlight
both positives and negatives in our own journey toward full accessibility.</p>
<p>We pride ourselves here on having enshrined disability rights in law with the
passage and signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act thirty-four years ago.
Yet, in Canada the rights of people with disabilities are foundational: they are
written into its 1982 Constitution. That’s as basic as it gets. Yet, against
the backdrop of the long-running failure in the United States to pass the Equal
Rights Amendment for women to our Constitution, it’s difficult to expect
that an equivalent amendment guaranteeing equal rights to disabled people would
get very far.</p> <p>Even if it did, would it make it easier to increase the
prevalence and quality of accommodations across society? If Canada’s history
is any guide, apparently not much. So activists kept pushing, and thirty-seven
years after the Constitution was adopted, the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) became
law. The ACA, like the ADA, is a federal statute, but unlike the ADA, it seeks to
regulate only federal entities and federally regulated business enterprises
including banking, telecom, transportation, and federal services. In contrast,
the ADA seeks to regulate private enterprise as well as government at the federal,
state and local level, including education and employment. State laws offering
stronger protections than the ADA override it, and vice versa.</p> <p>Canada’s
provinces, territories, and local governments are not under the ACA’s
jurisdiction, although they can pass their own regulations. The strongest of these
is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), passed in 2005,
which some provinces and territories have used as a partial template.</p> <p>The
development and passage of both the ADA and ACA were driven by activists, and each
reflects a seemingly robust mechanism for embedding accessibility into their
respective national landscapes. But that outcome is proving illusory. The ADA is
overseen by the US Department of Justice. It’s not exactly written in stone,
but—other than through litigation—there is no formalized process
for reviewing, revising, and updating the statute.</p> <p>The Canadian federal
department, Accessibility Standards Canada, was created through the ACA and is a
framework for collecting and reviewing input from stakeholders across the diverse
disability community to design, set, and implement accessibility standards.</p>
<p>In simpler terms, the ADA is a reactive mechanism, permitting government to
rely on the disappointment and anger of citizens at the ongoing failures of private
and public-sector enterprises to acknowledge and act on the need for change. The
ACA offers a proactive and collaborative approach to maintain a living legislative
framework that theoretically gives citizens with disabilities the means to establish
and strengthen the legislation.</p> <p>Yet, in their enforcement mechanisms, these
two approaches also reflect each nation’s disinterested attitude toward a
full-throated embrace of accessibility. The ADA invites—insists
on—litigation, guaranteeing the entrenchment of adversarial attitudes toward
disability inclusion. For its part, the ACA kindly requests—and hopes—that
everyone will do the right thing. While it includes a procedure for processing
complaints and even for asking entities to respond and comply or face fines, the
actual mechanisms for doing so are buried in time—a consuming and tedious
bureaucracy, a less than robust formula for successful remediation.</p> <p>Despite
enormous effort on every front, and despite the plethora of regulation that has
been enacted toward the creation of accessible societies, the movement continues
to grind against the same basic entrenched barriers: public, business, and
governmental indifference. Perhaps as the developed world ages and finds itself
understanding accessibility as a personal need that might have something to do
with how everyone else also functions, societal attitudes will recognize and
accommodate to reality.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Carlton Anne Cook
Walter]</p> <h2 id="will-the-us-supreme-courts-loper-bright-decision-burn-blind-students">Will
the US Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?</h2>
<p><strong>by Carlton Anne Cook Walker</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Associate
Editor: This article is reprinted from the Summer 2024 issue of <em>Future
Reflections</em>, the magazine of the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children. Here is what its editor, Deborah Kent Stein, said to introduce the
article:</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Editor: As many readers of <em>Future
Reflections</em> are aware, Carlton Walker is a fierce and tireless advocate
for the rights of blind children. As an attorney, a teacher of blind students,
and the parent of a blind child, she brings many layers of experience and expertise
to the challenges blind children face today. In this article she explains a recent
ruling by the US Supreme Court and ponders how blind students may be
affected. </strong></p> <p>School is out, but the summer of 2024 has kept me
and other education advocates very busy! While we monitor the provision of Extended
School Year (ESY) services to our students, we also support our families with
ideas for summertime learning and fun.</p> <p>Summertime also brings the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), as well as the annual
conference of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and
the annual meeting of Professionals in Blindness Education (PIBE). (Both NOPBC
and PIBE are divisions of the NFB.) This summer also marked the inaugural class
of NFB’s IEP Advocacy Academy, and several participants presented IEP
(Individualized Education Plans) workshops at the NFB Convention. </p> <p>As
I eagerly prepared for the NFB Convention, the US Supreme Court issued a decision
that seemed to change the very foundation of federal law. As you may know, federal
law provides the basis for IEPs—the documents that guide the educational
access, instruction, and tools for students with disabilities, including blindness
and low vision. In addition, federal law serves as the bedrock of civil rights
laws that secure the right to both reasonable accommodations and freedom from
disability-related discrimination.</p> <p>In recent years the US Supreme Court
issued three opinions that have expanded the rights of students with disabilities
(<em>Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District</em> (2017), <em>Fry
v. Napoleon Community Schools</em> (2017), and <em>Perez v. Sturgis
Public Schools</em> (2023). None of these decisions had a dissent. Each
justice agreed with the judgments of the Court—judgments that solidified
the rights of disabled students. Endrew F. clarified that IEPs must be
“appropriately ambitious in light of [the student’s] circumstances.”
Fry opened the door to allowing students with disabilities to enforce their civil
rights to reasonable accommodations—even when the IEP team refuses an
accommodation. The unanimous Perez decision further empowered disabled students
with IEPs by removing a longstanding hurdle to enforcing their civil rights outside
the IEP process.</p> <p>As an advocate for blind/low-vision students and their
families, I eagerly embraced each of these rulings. Taken together, these three
decisions strengthen my clients’ positions as we advocate for a free and
appropriate public education (FAPE), including instruction in blindness skills
such as Braille, Nemeth Code, tactile graphics, assistive technology, and orientation
and mobility. The fact that the US Supreme Court reached each of these judgments
unanimously served to reinforce the principles of these cases.</p> <p>Meanwhile,
the NFB has continued its tireless advocacy for blind individuals, including public
school students. These efforts have resulted in notable federal protections for
our students, including federal regulations and positive administrative regulatory
guidance from the US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice
(through Dear Colleague Letters, factsheets, and other publications). These
documents help clarify the rights of blind/low-vision students to IEPs, Braille,
assistive technology, and more in public schools, including public charter schools.
These guidance documents have also clarified the right of students of all ages
attending public or private schools or colleges to accessible curricular materials,
effective communication, etc. </p> <p>On June 24, 2024, the US Department of
Justice’s final rule regarding “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local
Government Entities” became effective. Wow! And, in just a few days, the
NFB Convention would bring together thousands of blind people and allies. NFB IEP
Advocacy Academy participants would be presenting their first IEP workshops.
Despite the suffocating heat of June, buds of equity abounded in the garden of
blind students’ rights.</p> <p>Yet, on June 28, 2024, before those buds
had a chance to bloom, our US Supreme Court issued an opinion that threatens to
scorch those buds and leave the garden wilted and weak. This case, <em>Loper
Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo</em>, upended four decades of jurisprudence in the
area of administrative law. In non-lawyer speak: Loper Bright diminished the power
of many of the educational and civil-rights protections that blind/low-vision
students enjoyed prior to June 28.</p> <p>In Loper Bright, the Court expressly
overruled its own June 25, 1984, unanimous decision, <em>Chevron v. Natural
Resources Defense Council,</em> which recognized the expertise of regulatory
agencies (such as the US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice)
and directed the courts to give deference to reasonable agency interpretations of
Congressional statutes in cases where those statutes were ambiguous. This
interpretation became known as the Chevron Rule, and it served as the basis of
administrative law for more than forty years. </p> <p>While we still do not
know the full impact of the Loper Bright decision, we do know some things. Loper
Bright does not have an impact on case law (court decisions) or federal law passed
by Congress. Instead, Loper Bright removes the Chevron Rule, so courts will no
longer defer automatically to federal agency regulations or guidance. Nevertheless,
Loper Bright instructs that courts may use regulations and agency guidance to help
determine the appropriate interpretation of ambiguous Congressional legislation.</p>
<p>For blind students, Loper Bright will likely impact civil rights (reasonable
accommodations and freedom from disability-related discrimination) more than
educational rights (IEPs). Congressional law, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, plainly sets forth many IEP rights, including broad definitions of
assistive technology devices and services, least restricted environment, members
of an IEP team, and the explicit inclusion of orientation and mobility services
as related services. Moreover, the IDEA statute (Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act) includes the Braille Provision, which ensures the rights of
blind/low-vision students to Braille use and instruction unless such is deemed
“inappropriate” for the student. Loper Bright does not impact these
important educational rights. In addition, as noted above, other recent Supreme
Court decisions have bolstered students’ educational rights.</p> <p>Loper
Bright will likely have far more impact in the area of civil rights. At its core,
Loper Bright argues that the Chevron Rule stripped courts of their duty to interpret
Congressional statutes and major civil rights statutes such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These
statutes tend to be less detailed and more controversial than is the IDEA. In
particular, businesses and governments may well seek to use Loper Bright to
challenge the long-awaited Web Accessibility rules referenced above. Other
regulations and guidance relating to reasonable accommodations may face challenges
as well.</p> <p>Back to our initial question: “Will the US Supreme
Court’s Loper Bright Decision Burn Blind Students?” I have to offer
the typical lawyer answer, “It depends.” I do not expect Loper Bright
to shake the foundations of educational rights for blind students. However, I fear
that it will “burn” individuals who rely on civil rights protections
contained in the ADA and the Section 504 regulations for guidance, including blind
individuals of all ages. Let us be ever hopeful and ever vigilant!</p> <p>----------</p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Bryan Bashin]</p> <h2
id="dreaming-big-the-influence-of-blind-centered-experience-and-direction-on-artificial-intelligence">Dreaming
Big: The Influence of Blind-Centered Experience and Direction on Artificial
Intelligence</h2> <h6
id="presented-by-bryan-bashin-vice-chair-be-my-eyes-berkeley-california"><strong>Presented
by Bryan Bashin, Vice-Chair, Be My Eyes; Berkeley, California</strong></h6>
<p><strong>From the Editor: Here is one of the most enlightening presentations of
the 2024 National Convention agenda, one in which the presenter was a facilitator
who introduced us to an almost unbelievable dialogue with artificial intelligence
and showed how it can be harnessed to assist us in our day-to-day living. Here is
what President Riccobono said to introduce the presentation:</strong></p> <p>MARK
RICCOBONO: This presentation is from another entity which we supported through
our partnership, along with SmartJob and the American Action Fund. We supported
their exploration of artificial intelligence. This item is “Dream Big: "The
Influence of Blind-Centered Experience and Direction on Artificial Intelligence,”
and this gentleman is no stranger to this crowd. He brings his blind-centered
intelligence to his role in helping to shape the work at Be My Eyes.</p> <p>Here
is Bryan Bashin.</p> <p>BRYAN BASHIN: Good morning, fellow Federationists! You
know, last year during convention, Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley stood here and told
you about the thing that had just started, a little thing called Be My AI. Anybody
use it here?</p> <p>Today I want to tell you a little bit more about what happens
when a company has leadership that is centered on blindness. Beginning ten years
ago from our blind founder, furniture craftsman Hans Wiberg, who wanted more
solutions, more tools, there are significant blind memberships at Be My Eyes on
the board of directors, and our products are influenced by two hundred blind beta
testers around the world.</p> <p>In fact, are there any blind beta testers from
Be My Eyes in this room? [Cheers]</p> <p>Since Mike Buckley spoke here in the last
twelve months, we've had a profusion of new features that are blind-informed. Now
you can do private friends and family circles, create your own. You have Be My
Eyes for work, you have Be My Eyes on the Android platform for the Global South.
You have Microsoft partnered with Be My Eyes for Windows Desktop AI. Anyone use
it yet? [Cheers]</p> <p>A couple months ago we put out Be My Eyes' own inclusive
language guide. What company puts out a disability language guide? One that is
blind-informed. And we put out a service directory; it's in every app, maybe a
thousand different companies and so forth, but also in there you will find the
phone numbers and can be connected directly to every NFB affiliate president in
the United States.</p> <p>Centering on blindness really makes a difference. You
know, those beta testers who started with us a little more than a year ago said
one thing: “I want facial description,” and that loud and clear
voice informed us. We're working with our partners at Open AI, and we said,
“Our members need facial description.” They said, “No, we've
got to blur it.” I said, “We need this description.” We're
at a table demanding something from a one-hundred-billion-dollar company, and
guess what? They gave us facial description. It's available in all forty-nine
states except for the state of Illinois, which has its own rules. I think there
are a few lawyers; Illinois, where are you? You've got some work to do.</p> <p>What
we are finding in this last year is that blind people are using the hell out of
AI. Last month our servers had 2,100,000 queries just for Be My AI. That means
every 1.2 seconds around the clock somebody on the planet who is blind is asking
for description through AI. To our surprise, that's seven times more queries for
AI than the old volunteer service. But guess what? The volunteer calls are still
as strong as ever, have themselves increased, and it's important to us that, if
you need information, you have the choice: AI or human. It doesn't matter, as long
as you use it.</p> <p>The average person who uses AI uses it 4.7 times a day to
find out information. This last sixteen months of experience has shown us that AI
can really do amazing things. I'll tell you one example. Last week a woman—a
blind woman in California who is using Be My AI— has figured out how to
write the code to run a 3D printer, and those who have run 3D printers know that
sometimes they go awry. Is the object being created properly or is it not? Be My
AI will describe how the thing is going and how it worked. So, I was very impressed.
At the end I thought to ask her what university she is with, and she said,
“I'm in the eleventh grade.” That's the future of AI.</p> <p>So I
want to talk to you a little about the future, and I want to do the most dangerous
thing possible from the stage, which is a live demonstration. I'm going to ask my
associate Kerns Lane to come and help with this demonstration. He's going to
demonstrate our latest capability, which will be in your hands in a matter of
weeks. It is GPT4.0, which is informed, I'm told, by one trillion parameters,
things it sucked up on the Internet from God knows where. It's the largest model
out there, apparently.</p> <p>So when we demonstrate it, I want you to notice how
the world is changing. Instead of taking a picture and waiting ten seconds, which
was a miracle all the way back in 2023, today AI will be quick, conversational,
and interruptible.</p> <p>So, Kerns, where are you? Hello, AI, can you hear me?</p>
<p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Hi, I can hear you.</p> <p>BRYAN: Can you describe the logo
of the National Federation of the Blind?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, the logo of
the National Federation of the Blind has three intertwined circles in red, blue,
and green, symbolizing equality, opportunity and security for the blind. Have you
seen this logo before?</p> <p>BRYAN: Yes, absolutely. But now I want to change
topics, because knowing about STEM and science is important to blind people. Could
you describe to me the appearance of the asteroid Ryugu?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE:
Absolutely. Ryugu is a diamond shaped asteroid with a rugged surface covered in
rocks and boulders. Its color is dark, almost black, and [it is] about half-a-mile
wide. It's quite an intriguing sight. What got you interested in asteroids?</p>
<p>BRYAN: I'm interested in many things, but can you tell me that same description
in Spanish?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: [Speaking Spanish]</p> <p>BRYAN: All right,
now I would love to change from just talking to live video, okay? Are you ready?</p>
<p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Ready when you are.</p> <p>BRYAN: Can you tell me what you
see?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: It looks like a conference room with lots of people
seated and a podium at the front. There is a banner with logos, including Google,
hanging behind the podium. Are you attending or presenting at this event?</p>
<p>BRYAN: Can you tell me if the folks look like they are enjoying my presentation?</p>
<p>AUTOMATED VOICE: They seem engaged and attentive.</p> <p>BRYAN: Okay. That's
a first. I would like to ask Kerns to point the camera at the President of the
National Federation of the Blind?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: How are you feeling
about the presentation so far?</p> <p>BRYAN: This is Mark Riccobono; do you know
who he is?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes, Mark Riccobono is the President of the
National Federation of the Blind. How are you feeling about how it's going?</p>
<p>BRYAN: Excuse me, can you tell me what he looks like?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE:
Sure. Mark Riccobono is wearing a dark suit with a green shirt and a tie. He has
short light-colored hair. He seems focused on his presentation. Anything else you
would like to know?</p> <p>BRYAN: You said he has short light-colored hair. The
other day he told us that after ten years his hair is receding. Is it really
receding?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Yes. Yes, his hair is receding. [Laughter]</p>
<p>BRYAN: Okay, Mr. President, can I ask you to do something for the camera? Just
do something, and I'll ask AI what you are doing.</p> <p>PRESIDENT RICCOBONO:
Okay.</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Sounds good. I'm ready to describe what is happening.</p>
<p>BRYAN: Tell me what he is doing.</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: He's waving his hand
at the camera. He's waving again. Anything else you would like to ask him?</p>
<p>BRYAN: Try one last thing. What is he doing now?</p> <p>AUTOMATED VOICE: Now
he is [raising] his hand up high, almost like he's waving or making a point. Seems
like he … he's still keeping his hand up like he's making a point or
signaling something.</p> <p>BRYAN: He's very determined like that. Thank you, AI.
And thank you, Kerns.</p> <p>Will this be something requiring high tech when it
comes to Be My Eyes? No, that was an iPhone 13 using a regular cellular network.
I'm going to tell you something: that today's AI is the worst AI you will ever
use. It's only going to get better.</p> <p>We are seeing over the last year fewer
hallucinations. But the blind-centered folks at Be My Eyes are seeing some things
that are actually a little worrying about this too. The descriptions that AI is
giving are increasingly bland, warm, and homogenous. If you ask, say, for a photo
of a real estate broker, you are never going to get a real estate broker carrying
a white cane. Blind people are missing from these large language models. So we're
seeing deeper problems because of that.</p> <p>Sometimes you will ask one of these
models—and there are about twenty-four of them active right now, so I don't
want to pick on any one. You will say, “I'm blind,” and it will
respond with “I'm sorry.”</p> <p>Or sometimes you will hold up a
business card—and you think that would be an easy thing—and you're
happy that the business card is in Braille and print. You'll say, “Can you
read the business card?”</p> <p>The AI says, “I can't read it because
I can't read Braille.”</p> <p>Sometimes it's taken a picture of me and
described me like it described President Riccobono and said, “He's carrying
a long, red-tipped cane.” Well, I've never used a red-tipped cane in my
life. The models have to stop generalizing. [Applause]</p> <p>The models actually
have told me that it's preferable to call somebody “visually impaired”
than blind. Obviously, they weren't in resolutions yesterday. It's called a dog
guide, “your best friend,” and sometimes we see that you get syrupy
and condescending language when a blind person does the merest accomplishment.</p>
<p>Then it still has, guess what: the same ableist construct when you ask it, as
the video will now tell you, “your Uber is here.”</p> <p>But where
is here?</p> <p>One day I thought, okay, I'm going to try one model. I'll get my
mail, and I'll just go through it one piece at a time. So I picked out a piece of
mail and held it up. I wanted to see who it is from. And it said, "It's an
envelope."</p> <p>Then I thought, okay, I'll ask it a second question. I did.</p>
<p>And it said, “Oh, it has a return address and regular address and a
stamp on it.”</p> <p>It took me three times to get it to read who it was
from. It never occurred to the model makers that users of this service would be
blind or would hold paper upside down. These models are not unkind or prejudiced.
We simply don't exist in them right now. We need to train these readers to be
efficient as we train human readers. [Applause]</p> <p>This field is called
"reinforcement training through human feedback." Large companies, the largest
LLMs, are spending up to $100 million every year with humans training the models
to be more accurate and more respectful. But to my knowledge, no blind person has
yet been hired to join this team of reinforcement training. Would any of you like
to be hired to train these models? [Cheering]</p> <p>Some companies say they don't
need us; they can train these models with theoretical models of blind people. Do
you think that could possibly represent our lived experience?</p> <p>AUDIENCE
MEMBERS: No!</p> <p>So how can we make things better? In the very near future,
you will have a chance to train these models yourself. In fact, our friend Everette
Bacon announced this week that his company, Aira, is already soliciting your input
to train its models for better results.</p> <p>Now, I know that some of your
sessions, your video sessions particularly, may be private, and we want to find
ways to respect that. So in our and other user agreements, you will always have
the chance to opt out if something seems private to you. But we hope you are going
to lean in and train these models. It's the only way that we can exist and show
up in them. You know, we train teachers and employers, family, everybody on the
street about blindness every day. Why is training AI any different from that?
Actively speaking our truth has always been at the core of Federationism.</p>
<p>And so I ask you: Did you sit and wait for the vision industrial complex to
get rid of subminimum wages?</p> <p>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!</p> <p>BRYAN: Did you
sit and wait for somebody else to put sounds on quiet electric cars?</p> <p>AUDIENCE
MEMBERS: No!</p> <p>BRYAN: Did we put up with ATMs that didn't talk when they
arrived?</p> <p>AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!</p> <p>BRYAN: Do you want to sit and wait
for the AI companies to get blindness right by themselves?</p> <p>AUDIENCE MEMBERS:
No!</p> <p>BRYAN: So please, share your sessions. Consider it a revolutionary act
to change the machine.</p> <p>You know, tech writer Tom Chatfield said it best.
"There is no question that AI is changing the world. The question is... who will
be changing AI? Whose majority models will be the ones that go forward? And who
will be left out?"</p> <p>Federationists, we must not be left out. Thank you!
[Applause]</p> <p>---------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Anil Lewis]</p> <h2 id="the-sugar">The
Sugar</h2> <p><strong>by Anil Lewis</strong></p> <p><strong>From the Associate
Editor: Anil Lewis is a former affiliate and chapter president, among many other
roles, and currently the Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives on the
National Federation of the Blind staff.</strong></p> <p>I remember growing up and
hearing many of my family members and their friends consistently referring to an
affliction they were experiencing called “the sugar.” “Did
you hear that Mary has the sugar?” I had no idea what it meant and was
definitely not threatened. How bad could it be? After all, like bacon, sugar makes
everything delicious.</p> <p>Recently diagnosed as diabetic, I have come to know
“the sugar” as diabetes and realize the significant threat that it
poses to my life and, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 38.4
million other Americans. Thankfully, this is another issue that the National
Federation of the Blind works to address head-on.</p> <p>“Diabetes is a
disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high.
Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Your body can make glucose,
but glucose also comes from the food you eat—over time, high blood glucose
can damage your heart, kidneys, feet, and eyes.” (From:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes)</p>
<p>Many members of the National Federation of the Blind are very familiar with
diabetes because one of the potential negative health effects of the disease is
diabetic retinopathy, which is “a progressive eye condition where the blood
vessels around the retina get progressively damaged by high blood sugar levels,
and is the top cause of blindness among working-age adults.” (From: <a
href="https://assileye.com/blog/diabetes-leading-cause-of-blindness/">https://assileye.com/blog/diabetes-leading-cause-of-blindness/</a>)</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, with my mother, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and
other family members experiencing diabetes, I did not come to know blindness
because of diabetes. I became blind due to retinitis pigmentosa at the age of
twenty-five with no other health complications and paid no attention to the fact
that I was at high risk for diabetes. Moreover, despite years of warnings from my
primary care physician about being “borderline diabetic,” I still
took no steps to alter my eating or exercise habits.</p> <p>For those currently
exercising the same strategy of inaction, I offer the following: ignoring health
concerns is not a good strategy for prevention. Additionally, I ignored common
symptoms of diabetes. I appreciated the weight loss and attributed it to better
living. The constant need to urinate just became part of my day-to-day life.
Ignorance was only bliss for a little while.</p> <p>Around age fifty-five, I
finally crossed the borderline and became an official Type II diabetic. The actual
diagnosis was intimidating. I had so many questions. How would this change my
life? What would I need to stop eating? Would I need to have insulin injections?
Most importantly, would I need to give up chocolate?</p> <p>An additionally
disturbing potential consequence of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy, “nerve
damage that is caused by diabetes that, in the case of peripheral neuropathy,
typically affects the feet and legs and sometimes affects the hands and arms.”
(From: <a
href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/nerve-damage-diabetic-neuropathies/what-is-diabetic-neuropathy">https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/nerve-damage-diabetic-neuropathies/what-is-diabetic-neuropathy</a>)
Diabetic neuropathy can be doubly damaging for blind people, as the loss of eyesight
can also be complicated with the loss of sensitivity in the hands and feet, making
it difficult for a blind person to read Braille or gain access to environmental
information tactually through their hands and feet.</p> <p>Now I realized why I
had the tingling in my feet at night, which was scary because I had friends who
had toes and other body parts amputated as a result of their diabetes. Thankfully
my diabetes can currently be treated with oral medication, but I realize that I
am at another borderline, and unless I make some significant lifestyle changes,
diabetes could lead to so many other health complications. My overachieving Air
Force colonel, trauma surgeon, ordained minister cousin made it plain when he told
me that “You don’t know the damage diabetes is doing to your body
until the damage has been done.”</p> <p>Finally, realizing that this is a
serious health concern that I should address immediately, I began making better
decisions on what to eat and started a simple exercise routine. My cousin emphasized
the importance of changing my diet and increasing my exercise. He also explained
that working out the larger muscles burns more sugar, so I added squats, lunges,
and push-ups to my workout. I do not mean to infer that this is simple, and that
I consistently adhere to a new diet and exercise regularly. It is difficult and
takes work. I still cheat a little when there is a delicious chocolate cake on
the menu, and I still miss a few days of my morning exercises. However, I am
dedicated to continuing moving in a positive direction toward making these changes,
and I take three steps forward for every one or two steps backward.</p> <p>It is
somewhat advantageous that blindness came before diabetes. Otherwise, I may not
have become aware of my greatest resource, the NFB Diabetes Action Network (DAN)
(<a
href="https://nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/divisions/diabetes-action-network">https://nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/divisions/diabetes-action-network</a>).
The DAN is one of the many affinity groups of the NFB made up of blind diabetics
that, through our collective action and a shared lived experience, provide
information and support to one another; seek to promote systemic change to improve
the lives of blind people; collaborate with technology developers to innovate
dynamic means for blind people to access information; and in this particular case,
strive to work with medical professionals to ensure that those individuals who
experience blindness as a result of diabetes realize that they can still live the
lives they want.</p> <p>Members of the DAN have assisted me by sharing suggestions
on healthy snacks that would replace my sugar-filled favorites and are equally
delicious. Our conversations about accessible ways to monitor glucose initially
helped me understand how to use an accessible glucometer and have evolved to my
current use of a glucose sensor that monitors my glucose throughout the day and
is accessed using a smartphone app. I can better understand the meaning of A1C as
a result of common-sense discussions with others. I strongly encourage all blind
diabetics to join this dynamic division.</p> <p>DAN members have done some initial
work of assisting to develop accessible insulin pumps by engaging with several
manufacturers through the creation of our Accessible Insulin Pump Task Force, and
we will be expanding that work through our new Accessible Diabetes Devices Work
Group. We believe this work will eventually lead to the development of an accessible
bionic pancreas and will support our Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act
legislative efforts because there is definitely a link between legislation and
progress and the reverse of that, progress leading to legislation. Our participation
in these initiatives will not only result in the development of medical devices
that are nonvisually accessible to blind users; it will result in the creation of
multimodal devices that are easier and safer for everyone to use.</p> <p>We believe
that by bringing blind people, medical professionals, technology developers, and
medical device manufacturers together, we can build on our collective knowledge
toward creating enhanced treatment strategies that will result in improved quality
of life for all. Our first “Knowledge is Sweet” conference held
earlier this year educated, entertained, and inspired others to take control of
their diabetes and was a successful start to what we hope to be an ongoing annual
conference. We are already making plans for our 2025 conference that will be held
at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute on a date to be
announced.</p> <p>The National Federation of the Blind continues to assert that
blind people have the right to live in the world. The work we conduct through our
NFB Diabetes Action Network actively seeks to bring awareness of the intersection
of blindness and diabetes and highlights how society can be improved through our
full participation. We are happy to recognize November as National Diabetes
Awareness Month and celebrate November 14 as National Diabetes Day.</p> <p>Whether
you are blind or sighted, you can take steps to prevent acquiring diabetes. If
you have diabetes, “you can lower your chances of developing diabetes health
problems by taking steps to improve your health and learning how to manage the
disease. Managing your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can
help prevent future health problems.” (From:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes)
Most importantly, if you are blind and have diabetes, remember that you can live
the life you want; neither blindness nor diabetes holds you back.</p> <p>----------</p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]</p> <h2
id="embracing-the-challenge-a-personal-journey-through-diabetes-management">Embracing
the Challenge: A Personal Journey Through Diabetes Management</h2> <p><strong>by
Gary Wunder</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Delivered at the Knowledge is Sweet Seminar,
St. Louis, Missouri, April 27, 2024</strong></em></p> <p>Good morning, everyone.
Today, I stand before you not just as a speaker, but as someone who walks the same
challenging path as many of you do—a path marked by a constant companion
named diabetes. This journey is not just about the physical hurdles we face daily;
it's profoundly shaped by our knowledge of this disease, an honest acceptance of
ourselves, and a realistic look at what it takes to change our behaviors.</p>
<p>My journey into the world of diabetes management began with a mix of anger,
denial, and disbelief. Like some of you, diabetes was not a stranger in my family.
Yet, I carried on with life as if I was somehow immune to its grasp and consequences.
My attitude toward managing this condition through diet was passive at best, summed
up to my doctor and family by the statement "I can do that," rather than by a
commitment, "I will do that." Unlike some of you, I was warned by my doctor and
had a clear sense that I was on the road, being what she called prediabetic.</p>
<p>My lax approach continued until the day I received my first bottle of Metformin.
I remember calling my pharmacy with anger, being convinced that they had made a
mistake and had given me my wife's medication. Yes, I was riding that big white
horse, sword in hand, wishing to recite to them all of the dangers in medication
mix-ups that could be caused through their inattention. They listened politely,
and then they read me the prescription from the doctor saying that Metformin was
in order because my A1C was 7.2. A1C is a measurement of one’s blood sugar
for the three-month period prior to the test. The blood sugar for a person not
yet a diabetic is about one hundred, meaning an A1C of about 5.0. My blood sugar
level was at 163, firmly placing me in diabetic territory.</p> <p>I hung up the
phone and started experiencing denial, anger, and frustration. Normally when I
feel these emotions, I look around me and figure out who is to blame. I didn't
have to look far.</p> <p>I grudgingly took my first dose of Metformin, and then
bought my lancets, the Prodigy meter for announcing my sugar, and plenty of test
strips. All of that showed resolution, right? But using it was a different matter,
and every finger stick reminded me I had not been smart, especially when I did
not get enough blood for the strip or in some cases did not get any blood at all.
Every time I got ready to do the finger stick, I heard a choir standing behind me
singing the chant, "stupid, stupid, stupid." They were singing it to me, for in
fact it was a musical version of part of my autobiography of which I was not
proud.</p> <p>When I came to the dinner table, I was not a happy camper. For me,
it brought back memories of childhood restrictions: a time when choices were made
for me, not by me. Suddenly, I was that child again, facing a world of "can't
haves" and "shouldn't eat that.” I never thought I would face such a
psychological battle when it came to my plate. Suddenly I realized with new clarity
that food is not just sustenance; it's a source of joy, a centerpiece of social
gatherings, a cultural identity. When we become a diabetic, suddenly we are watched
whenever we eat. This statement is not all about being paranoid. Take a piece of
pie and listen as someone says, "Is that really good for you?" It made me want to
yell, "Do you remember when, two weeks ago at the family picnic, you urged me to
have a piece of your cake and assured me that you had made it just for me, it
always having been one of my favorites?”</p> <p>Once you decide that the
drugs only go so far and that it's really up to you to determine what and how much
you will eat, the question then becomes what you will eat, what you won't, and
how often you will make an exception. Before I got my continuous glucose monitor
(CGM), I made many more exceptions. There wasn't any problem with that small piece
of sweet roll or that generous serving of mashed potatoes. They wouldn't affect
my blood sugar much, and if I didn't bother to test that day, there was no evidence
to argue I was wrong.</p> <p>If I was going to have to limit what I ate, who was
the authority I could rely on to help me figure out what to eat and what to avoid?
I find reading easy and enjoyable, but when you don't want to give up eating
certain foods, it is easy to argue that with regard to nutrition, nobody knows
what they're talking about. The case is easily made given all the contradictory
theories and their numerous opponents and proponents. This is a great excuse for
not acting, but it doesn't bring down the blood sugar one little bit and therefore
does not lessen the damage occurring to the diabetic.</p> <p>After listing all of
the excuses, the question then becomes what motivates us to embrace this challenge?
For some, it's the desire for longevity, to be there for our loved ones. My wife
dreams of seeing our grandchildren graduate and perhaps find their callings. For
others, including me, it's more about the fear of complications, the desire to
maintain quality of life. Although I have no desire to hasten death and shorten
my time with loved ones and friends, I find that my motivation has much more to
do with holding onto the quality of life I have now. I want to maintain the feeling
in my feet so that I can have a better chance of keeping my balance. I like feeling
the texture of my wood floors and using my feet to tell me whether I’m
doing a good job while vacuuming. I love being able to feel Braille under my
fingertips and the softness when petting a golden retriever. The thought that I
might lose feeling in my hands or feet helps me to make better choices. The CGM
keeps me honest; the desire to maintain my sense of touch makes hard choices
easier. Just how important is the Frosty or the banana split blizzard? I don't
always make the right choices, but the easy availability of my blood sugar number
and the fear of what I might lose does keep me on a narrower path.</p> <p>In an
age where information is abundant, finding the right path to manage diabetes can
feel like navigating a labyrinth. Competing theories on diet, exercise, and
medication can leave us feeling lost and frustrated. I find myself constantly
trying to find a balance as I sift through this information, armed with knowledge
from healthcare professionals and a personal understanding of my body. I'm frustrated
by all we don't know but challenged to figure out what seems to be right for me.
I’m also challenged to keep in mind that I am a learner and not a teacher,
and what proves true for me may not be for someone else.</p> <p>Using psychological
tools and seeking support can transform our approach to diabetes management.
Mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and support groups offer us a compass
in this journey, guiding us through moments of temptation and frustration with a
renewed sense of clarity and purpose. This is part of what we do in the Diabetes
Action Network: help provide good information and then help each other be honest
with ourselves. Have I been adhering to a reasonable eating regimen, have I been
exercising, have I been taking my medication regularly, and have I shared my
numbers to get a gentle prod or some congratulations from those who understand?</p>
<p>My journey with diabetes has been filled with ups and downs, moments of denial,
and eventual acceptance. It has taught me that managing diabetes is not just about
the physical aspects—monitoring blood sugar, adjusting my diet, or taking
medication. It's about confronting the psychological battles, embracing change,
and finding a sense of balance.</p> <p>Let us move forward, not with a spirit of
denial but with a commitment to action. Let us not see diabetes as a barrier that
will stop us but as a challenge to live our lives more fully, more consciously.
Together, we can navigate this journey, supporting one another in embracing the
challenge with courage, determination, and hope.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO
CAPTION: Ronza Othman]</p> <h2 id="expect-much-give-much-get-much">Expect Much,
Give Much, Get Much!</h2> <p><strong>by Ronza Othman<br /> </strong></p>
<p><strong>From the Editor: Ronza Othman serves as president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD). Below is the introductory remarks
she made in the <em>Presidential Report</em> she gave at the NFBMD convention on
February 17, 2024. When placed alongside the remarks by President Riccobono and
the comments I’ve written about being a self-advocate and a person committed
to educating the public, this should either be very instructive or give some of
us the desire to sit down and write an article that supports very different views.
Here is what Ronza said to our Maryland convention:</strong></p> <p>As a kid, I
wanted to be a cartoon character when I grew up. I loved the way cartoon characters
experienced a challenge, and through their own pluckiness and creativity overcame
that challenge. They made it all look easy, often with a clever or wisecracking
sidekick along for the ride. My favorite cartoons were those that had an anvil
fall on their head and then they jumped up and went on to the next adventure.</p>
<p>As an adult, I can reflect on the fact that I was attracted to the concept of
wanting to be a cartoon character because of the unapologetic way cartoon characters
occupy their space and their resilience in times of adversity. Road Runner never
apologized for existing. Buster and Babs Bunny never worried about what society
thought of them. I wanted that for myself, and I slipped into a world of cartoons
and imagination because, as a blind child, I didn’t know how to make that
my reality. I still want to be a cartoon character when I grow up, but maybe
without the anvils.</p> <p>The blind share a desire to want to feel a sense of
belonging in society. This desire to belong is natural—everyone wants to
belong. But for us, our desire to belong is rooted in the sense of exclusion many
of us feel as a result of society’s low expectations about us due to our
blindness.</p> <p>Society’s low expectations shouldn’t be our problem,
but we in the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will continue to fight
them as long as it takes to annihilate them.</p> <p>One afternoon, I stood at a
street corner with a four-way intersection waiting to meet a friend so we could
travel together. Time has dulled my recollection of where we were going or what
we were going to do when we got there. But more than a decade later, I can still
feel the sun on my face and the breeze wrestling my clothes. I can still smell
the exhaust fumes from cars and buses going by and the scent of weed that together
make up that unique but recognizable city smell with which we are all familiar.
I can still hear the air brakes on a city bus and the horn of a vehicle too
impatient to wait the five seconds it’ll take people to get off the bus.
I can still taste the Pepsi that I undoubtedly held in my hand.</p> <p> </p>
<p>That afternoon, as I waited at that street corner, leaning on a lamp post, a
random stranger walked up to me, and she said with pity in her voice, “Don’t
worry, hon, I’ll help you cross the street.”</p> <p>I thanked her
politely and said I didn’t want to cross the street. She persisted.</p>
<p>“It’s OK, hon, I’m willing to help you. I have a few
minutes to spare.”</p> <p>I persisted some more, but she continued to offer
help crossing the street.</p> <p>In my mind, I had an internal debate that went
something like this:</p> <p>“Self?”</p> <p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“Why does she think I want to cross the street?”</p> <p>“I
don’t know.”</p> <p>“Is it the way I’m standing?”</p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p> <p>“Is it the way I’m leaning against
this pole?”</p> <p>“Maybe.”</p> <p>“Is it that people
don’t just stand around in public?”</p> <p>“I don’t
know about that—I’ve seen a lot of people standing around in
public.”</p> <p>“Is it that blind people can’t just stand
around in public?”</p> <p>“Yes, that’s probably what she
thinks. She thinks I’m lost.”</p> <p>“But I’m not
asking for help, so why does she think I’m lost?”</p> <p>“Probably
because she can’t imagine a blind person could be alone in public and not
be lost.”</p> <p>“Why are her assumptions my problem?”</p>
<p>“Because I’m the one in her space right now.”</p>
<p>“But it’s my space. I was here first.”</p> <p>“But
blind people don’t get to own space if it rubs up against what well-meaning
sighted people think is supposed to be happening.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, the
random stranger and I continued to politely debate whether or not I needed help
crossing the street.</p> <p> </p> <p>“Self?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p> <p>“Why are we still having this conversation
with her?”</p> <p>“Because I don’t want her to think I’m
rude.”</p> <p>“So what if a random stranger thinks I’m
rude?”</p> <p>“Well, then she’ll think all blind people are
rude.”</p> <p>So, eventually I gave in and let her escort me across the
street, mostly to keep the peace. We started at the southwest corner and crossed
directly in front of us, so we were at the southeast corner of the intersection.</p>
<p>She asked me where I was going next.</p> <p>Here’s the discussion that
went on in my head.</p> <p>“Self?”</p> <p>“Yes, still
here.”</p> <p>“Why does she want to know where I’m going?
She’s a stranger.”</p> <p>“Because she thinks I can’t
get there on my own.”</p> <p>“Is it safe for me to tell her?”</p>
<p>“No, probably not, because she’s a random lady chatting up a
stranger on a street corner.”</p> <p>“But why does she get to ask
a random stranger where I’m going and actually expect me to tell her?
Isn’t that a bold thing to do to someone you don’t know?”</p>
<p>“Yes, if the same rules applied to me that apply to everyone else.”</p>
<p>“They should.”</p> <p>“But in her mind, her low expectations
about blind people mean she gets to violate social norms.”</p> <p>“Again,
why is that my problem?”</p> <p>“Because I’m occupying the
same space as her.”</p> <p>“What if I tell her I’m going to
my job as a circus juggler?”</p> <p>“She won’t believe
me.”</p> <p>“Well, what if I told her I was going to visit my
Baltimore Ravens player millionaire fiancé?”</p> <p>“She
won’t believe me.”</p> <p>“What if I told her I was going to
a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Fortune 500 company I lead?”</p>
<p>“She won’t believe me.”</p> <p>“What if I told her
I was going to court to try a case as the lead attorney?”</p> <p>“She
won’t believe me.”</p> <p>“But that one could be true. All
of them could be, but that one is sometimes true.”</p> <p>“Her low
expectations for blind people mean she thinks I am going either somewhere where
I can be taken care of or nowhere at all.”</p> <p>Then I got a brilliant
idea.</p> <p>I answered the stranger that I was crossing the street kitty corner
from where I’d come from. As I expected, my new friend decided she had to
help me cross the street.</p> <p>So, we crossed and now I stood at the northeast
corner of the intersection, diagonally from where we started.</p> <p>Predictably,
she asked me where I was going next, and this time I was ready for her.</p> <p>I
told my new best friend that I was crossing the street and pointed at the opposite
corner. She was thoroughly confused. I could practically hear the conversation
she was having with herself in her head.</p> <p>“Random stranger?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p> <p>“This poor pitiful blind girl doesn’t
realize she could have crossed just one time instead of three times to get
there.”</p> <p>“I know. She must not be very bright.”</p>
<p>Once we got to the northwest corner, my new best friend asked where I was
heading. I told her I was going to cross the street and pointed to the corner
where we’d started.</p> <p>With a deep sigh, she “helped” me
cross the street. We were right back where we started.</p> <p>“Ummm…hon,
do you realize we’re right back where we started?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” I responded.</p> <p>“Where do you want to go,”
she asked?</p> <p>“Exactly right here,” I answered confidently.</p>
<p>“Then why did we cross all four corners,” she asked completely
puzzled and a little annoyed?</p> <p>“Because you insisted, so you must
have needed a walk.” I answered cheerfully.</p> <p> </p> <p>It could
have gone one of two ways—she could have reacted badly and given me the
business for wasting her time, or, she could have learned from what I was trying
to make a teachable moment.</p> <p>Fortunately, she, after a moment of processing
what had just happened, began to laugh and said, “I was pretty insistent,
wasn’t I?”</p> <p>We were able to chat about her low expectations
for me because I was blind and my own capitulation so as to not offend her. In
the end, she said, “Oh, hon, if I’m being a total idiot, please,
offend me.”</p> <p>This is one example of how we let society tell us that
we don’t belong and that we shouldn’t occupy the same space as
others. There I was, minding my business, just literally standing there leaning
against a pole on a busy city street. But because I was blind, this stranger
assumed I was lost and needed help. Then, though I tried for a bit to disabuse
her of that notion, in the end I gave up and went with what she wanted in order
to keep the peace. How many times have each of us done something because society
wanted us to conform to their misconceptions about us? We belong in this world,
and we deserve to exist in our space. And yet, because society’s expectations
for us are low, we find ourselves falling into the pattern of “going along
to get along.” There’s no shame in that—we all do it. But
I’m here to tell you that you belong in this space and in any space you
choose to occupy.</p> <p>----------</p> <h2
id="invest-in-dignity-a-matching-gift-challenge-to-advance-the-lives-of-blind-people">Invest
in Dignity: A Matching Gift Challenge to Advance the Lives of Blind People</h2>
<p><em>“One of the key elements for us to live the lives we want is to
bring a community of blind people together. The other key is that everybody gets
to bring the ingredients that they like to the table in our organization…we
bring lots of diverse individuals with individual preferences, backgrounds, and
diversities to work together in a shared experience as blind people.”—Mark
Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind</em></p> <p>In the National
Federation of the Blind, we believe our strength lies in the collaboration with
partners who share our vision. One of our most valued and enduring partnerships
is with HumanWare, a global leader in assistive technology for the blind and people
with low vision. You may know them for their innovative products like the Victor
Reader Stream, the Mantis Q40, or the newly introduced Monarch dynamic tactile
graphic display. Together, we are making strides to ensure blind individuals have
equal opportunity and access to the world around us, especially through Braille
literacy and tactile graphics.</p> <p>We’re excited to announce that
HumanWare and additional anonymous donors have presented us with a Matching Gift
Challenge. From October 1 through December 31, 2024, every dollar contributed will
be matched up to $100,000. This is your chance to double the impact of your gift
and help us reach our goal.</p> <p>Your support is an investment in dignity,
empowering blind people to live full, independent lives. Dignity is built on
equality, respect, and opportunity, and by contributing to this campaign, you are
helping create an environment where blind people can share information, make
choices, and take control of our futures. With your generosity, we can continue
advancing the next generation of access technology and fostering inclusion in the
classroom, at home, and in the workplace.</p> <p>Please share this opportunity
with friends and family, and if you are able, here’s how you can contribute:</p>
<ul> <li><p>Give online at <a href="https://nfb.org/donate">nfb.org/donate</a></p></li>
<li><p>Call 410-659-9314, extension 2430, to make a gift by phone</p></li>
<li><p>Send a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street,
Baltimore, MD 21230</p></li> </ul> <p>With the support of our partners like
HumanWare and the generosity of supporters like you, we can build a community
where equality and opportunity are brought to life, empowering blind individuals
to live the lives we want.</p> <p>Thank you for your investment in dignity and
for helping us expand possibilities for blind people everywhere.</p> <p>----------</p>
<p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Peggy Chong]</p> <h2 id="an-almost-forgotten-guide-dog-school">An
Almost Forgotten Guide Dog School</h2> <p><strong>by Peggy Chong</strong></p>
<p><strong>From the Editor: When many of us think about the guide dog coming to
America, the story of the Seeing Eye, Morris Frank, and the year 1929 come to
mind. But as important as the school, the person, and the date may be, perhaps we
are missing out on some history. This is the case made by Peggy Chong in her
capacity as the Blind History Lady. Here is one of the many treasures she so
generously donates to the <em>Braille Monitor</em> and the National Federation of
the Blind:</strong></p> <p>October is White Cane Awareness Month. In past years
I have written about the cane. Today is about a dog guide school almost forgotten.</p>
<p>Someone once told me that one man’s fact is another man’s fable.
I knew what he meant at the time but have come to realize that statement is so
true in so many ways. Today we have many sources from which to get our information.
It is getting harder and harder to determine which source has done in-depth research
on any issue and if it is as accurate as possible.</p> <p>The blindness community
has terrific researchers and sources to reference. These seekers of the truth work
with the material, archives, and professionals available in the blindness field.
As many of us know, what little history we have is in print, written for the
sighted. The Braille/New York Point diaries, letters, files, and reports of the
past written by and for the blind are all but gone as family, friends, and even
agencies for the blind cannot read these formats. So, researchers can only work
with what they know about.</p> <p>Today, I want to highlight a piece of history
that pre-dates many of the written articles regarding dog guides in the United
States. Most of the records from this school were burned in a fire in 1935. Few
graduates of the program left written testimony about their dogs and the school.
All we have are a handful of personal stories and a few newspaper articles to help
us to unearth the first guide dog school in our country, Master Eye Foundation of
Minneapolis, Minnesota.</p> <p>John “Jack” Sinykin (1891-1984), a
Russian-Jewish immigrant from St. Paul, Minnesota, owned a successful cosmetic
company with endorsements by famous Hollywood actresses. While riding a train
between Chicago and St. Paul, he saw a blind veteran of the recent World War asking
for assistance. In his travels, Jack remembered his dog who saved his life several
years back when he was thrown from his horse in the middle of nowhere on his
father’s ranch in South Dakota. He speculated on how a dog might have helped
that blind man.</p> <p>Jack already was well-known for his ability to train dogs.
So it was that he began to investigate dogs and blindness. Germany had a successful
program for almost ten years training dogs to guide blinded veterans. He contacted
them, and in 1925, the first two of his more than 3,000 dogs trained for the blind
came over from Germany.</p> <p>Lux came first with no instructions. The dog was
extremely agitated by the trip to such an extent that Jack had to take the kennel
with Lux inside to a small, private room. Lux only understood German. Jack found
a friend who gave him a few German words to calm the dog. Jack almost had second
thoughts. He could not bring the dog to his house out of concern for his small
child and family dog at home. In a few days, Lux relaxed with the constant
companionship of Jack.</p> <p>Lambert Kreimer, the most successful trainer of dogs
for the blind in Germany, arrived several months later. Jack and Lambert worked
with the other dogs, helping to enhance Jack’s techniques for teaching dogs
to guide the blind.</p> <p>While waiting for the dogs to come to his La Salle
Stables in Wayzata, Jack gave careful thought as to who the first few people to
receive his dogs should be. The blind recipient needed to have a high profile in
order to help promote the idea of a guide dog for a blind person. That blind person
also needed to be successful in the use of the dog. Jack chose blind Senator Thomas
Schall of Minnesota.</p> <p>Jack traveled to Washington, DC, and approached the
blind senator in a hallway where he laid out his plans. At first, Schall was
skeptical. He had been blind twenty years by then and had designed his own methods
for travel and other blindness techniques. Schall agreed to meet with Jack and
later came to La Salle Stables to meet and train with the dogs.</p> <p>Senator
Schall was impressed. Schall learned the German words that Lux trained under until
Lux grew accustomed to and understood the English commands. Schall now walked
alone to and from places he wanted to go both in Minneapolis and in Washington,
DC. Lux and Schall became a team for the next seven years until Lux died in
1933.</p> <p>The second dog, Eric, was partnered with Colonel Fred Fitzpatrick,
(1880-1962). Fred retired in 1919 after twenty years in the military, a hero of
the 1916 Mexican War and World War One. Fred lost his sight about 1923. He headed
his own mortgage firm and was serving as sheriff of Salina, Kansas, when he received
his dog in 1927.</p> <p>More German Shepherd dogs were being raised and trained
at La Salle Kennels. The third dog, Junker, was assigned to Ruth Hoefer of Michigan,
and the fourth, Blackie, was paired to Dr. Francis Naegeli, an osteopath of Durango,
Wisconsin.</p> <p>Jack wanted every blind person who wanted a dog as a guide, no
matter their race, religion, employment status, or income to have one. He spent
his own money to bring the first dogs and trainers to Minneapolis and expanded
his own fifty-acre stables to include kennels to house and train the dogs. If a
potential recipient could not afford to travel to Minnesota to train with the dog,
he financed their travel and housing during their stay. After the first few dogs
demonstrated the dramatic impact on the lives of the blind men and women who
received his trained dog guides, the Twin Cities Jewish community became regular
and significant contributors to the Master Eye Foundation (MEF).</p> <p>The MEF
school raised funds through donations and collaborating with a pet food company.
For every few labels from Perk Dog Food cans mailed back to the foundation’s
post office box in Minneapolis, the Perk Company donated money to the MEF.</p>
<p>Dog guide schools that followed in the next few years required the blind person
to pay $150 towards their first dog. Their philosophy was that if the blind person
paid a significant part of the cost of the dog, the blind person would appreciate
the dog and take better care of it. Yet, most adults could not afford the dog on
their own. They went to family, community groups, churches, or charities to ask
for funding to travel to New Jersey to obtain their guide dog. This brought a
higher public profile to the other schools.</p> <p>The American Foundation for
the Blind (AFB) in New York warned of several fraudulent schemes regarding the
blind and dog guides. Although the AFB never said the Perk labels were fraudulent,
their articles had a dampening effect in the many states where Perk was sold.</p>
<p>Celebrity contacts Jack made in Hollywood through his wholesale cosmetic company
such as V. E. Meadows and Eve Parshalle, raised funds for the foundation. He
traveled to Hollywood several times in the 1930s when proposed legislation to
allow dog guides for the blind into public places was introduced in the California
State House. He held press conferences to emphasize his support. The Hollywood
contacts hosted glamorous dances, even during the Depression for the foundation.</p>
<p>William A. Christensen, owner of a manufacturer’s distribution firm and
chiropractor in Hollywood, California, received Almo from MEF. William later
founded the National Eye Dog Association that began training dogs primarily for
WWI vets living in California. Almo was the first dog ever awarded a medal of
honor by the City of Los Angeles after awakening his master, alerting William to
a fire in the hotel they were staying at. Almo was credited for saving several
lives that day.</p> <p>One of Jack’s most famous students was Geraldine
Lawhorn, a Black, deafblind actress and pianist. Blondie, her dog, received the
most public attention after Senator Thomas Schall’s dog. Yet, there were
thousands of owner and guide partnerships that went unmentioned in the media. MEF
did not have a PR department, advisory board of influential and wealthy contributors,
or the regular support of the blind themselves. A few pictures remain in archives
at the University of Minnesota showing blind men and women, white, Indian, Black,
and Asian. Sadly, no names grace the backs of the pictures.</p> <p>Jack trained
dogs for the blind personally until several months before his death in 1984. His
son continued for a few more years, but the training of dogs for the blind ceased.
The assets of the MEF were purchased by Can Do Canines, a dog training school
focusing on service dogs for the deaf. Unfortunately, Jack remains an all-but-forgotten
contributor to the independent travel of many blind men and women.</p> <p>----------</p>
<h2 id="inspiration-education-and-where-we-fit-in-speaking-for-blind-people">Inspiration,
Education, and Where We Fit in Speaking for Blind People</h2> <p><strong>by Gary
Wunder</strong></p> <p>Perhaps it is just me, but I recently observed several
points of tension when it comes to the message we want to send about blind people
through the National Federation of the Blind. Two issues come to mind, and I hope
to be able to spark discussion on both as a result of this article.</p> <p>The
first issue deals with the question of when we think it is acceptable to recognize
something that a blind person is doing and when that crosses the line to become
so-called “inspiration porn.” When most of us listen to the news,
we often find ourselves brought down. Whether it is the stories of war, school
shootings, gang violence, or drug overdoses, we don't usually find a lot to cheer
about in the headlines. Is it any surprise, then, that we look for things that
are good and positive, things that will motivate us, things that will show us that
the world is more than it appears to be?</p> <p>I know that when I hear all of
the bad in the news, I look for the story of inspiration, the story of odds
overcome, the story of the Golden Rule prevailing over selfishness and greed. I
think this tendency for inspiration is also true for our publications, which range
from the <em>Braille Monitor</em> to the literature we use for public education.
Where is the line drawn between inspiration porn and something being newsworthy
because it doesn’t happen every day? More to the point, how will the blind
people whom we have not yet reached learn of the possibilities they might aim for
if these stories are not told?</p> <p>Forty-five years ago we got television
coverage because we marched in the American Royal Parade in Kansas City, Missouri.
What were we doing? In the words of the man who was then our state president, we
were demonstrating exceedingly bad judgment by exposing our wingtip shoes to the
same street that one minute ago had been trod by horses. Certainly we were not
demonstrating our best in independent travel by simply following the crowd, but
the event made the news because the public was surprised that blind people would
leave our homes and participate actively in a major community event.</p> <p>Not
only did we get footage during the parade—something almost every participant
got—but we got way more time on camera, much more glowing commentary, and
even made the six and ten o’clock news. Inspiration porn? We didn’t
think so. We were, rightly or wrongly, quite proud; we were raising the expectations
for blind people and hoping that our small march would make life better for
ourselves and others.</p> <p>Our website, our convention, and our <em>Braille
Monitor</em> are filled by examples of blind people doing things that we and others
have considered noteworthy. Is it amazing that Brian Buhrow goes to work every
morning, brings home a good salary, goes to concerts of his choosing, and takes
one or more major vacations each year where he explores everything he can get his
hands on? With the right kind of promotion, I bet I could get that into almost
any newspaper in the country and could certainly do so in the local ones. Is he
amazing? When I listen to the plumbing and electrical work he does around his
home, hear his descriptions of the way digital equipment works, observe how much
he is able to detect when feeling things I never think to put my hands on, I would
say yes, my friend is amazing. Was Dick Edlund amazing for running his own hardware
store, closing it to become a civil rights worker for the blind, and later becoming
a member of the Kansas State Legislature? I would label him amazing. When James
Omvig left high school and spent the next seven years of his life in near seclusion
but turned all of that around when he met Kenneth Jernigan and the Iowa Commission
for the Blind, was Jim amazing? Was Kenneth Jernigan amazing when he moved from
poor farm boy with little opportunity to become the leading civil rights figure
for the blind in the twentieth century? Is the country that made such a rehabilitation
process possible amazing? Perhaps I’ve set the bar too low, but my answer
to all of these is yes.</p> <p>The second issue is public education. When I joined
and for quite a long time thereafter, we saw it as one of our core missions to
educate the public. Never did we underestimate the mammoth job we were undertaking,
but we considered it as both an obligation and a privilege to take on this task.
Certainly we have all had times when we admitted that we didn’t feel like
educating, when we didn’t do all that we might have, and even times when
we were rude or dismissive because the day had been too long and too hard. But
only recently have I begun to hear a very different proposition that seems to go
something like this: members of the public are ignorant, mostly because they choose
to be, and it isn’t my responsibility to set them straight. If they want
to know more about blindness, let them go to the library or to the internet.
I’m tired of hearing about how amazed they are that I can go to an airport,
catch a plane, visit a new city, go to a hotel I’ve never stayed at before,
and manage to pull down a salary for the productive work I do that requires all
of this. If they don’t give a second thought to the fact that they can do
it, why do they bother to make such a fuss over me? And why, in the name of good
sense, should I be bothered with their never-ending chatter and amazement?</p>
<p>To many of these questions my only answer is that there is a lot to learn about
the world and the diverse people who make it go round. Sometimes our lack of
information or our ignorance is intentional. We’ve already made up our
mind, and we don’t want it to be more complicated than it already is. We
are comfortable with the stereotype that elevates us above others, that makes us
believe that everything good that happens to us was a matter of making the right
choice and, in keeping with that, everything that happens that is sad or unfortunate
was, at its root, a matter of bad choices. That kind of ignorance gets us off the
hook. But most people who are ignorant—or to be gentler about it, those
who lack information—aren’t even aware that they don’t know.
When they realize they don’t know, they want to learn. If in ignorance they
have held the belief that turns out not to be true, it may take more persuasion
than we like to convince them that they should change.</p> <p>I think the question
we have to ask ourselves is quite simple: If not us, who? Whether we want or accept
the task every minute of every day, to whom would we entrust the responsibility
of educating people about blind folks? Yes, I am tired of the repetitious questions
about other senses that are heightened, my strong sense of empathy for others, my
ability to see through the obstacles sight offers and to be the visionary who sees
the real person inside. I’m tired of having to constantly make the case
for accessibility, but to whom do I wish to entrust this job?</p> <p>As members
of the National Federation of the Blind, we carry the unique responsibility to
educate the public. While this task is sometimes daunting, it remains a crucial
part of advocating for and representing blind people accurately and respectfully.
It is a part of raising expectations, and just because it can sometimes be
repetitious and time-consuming is no reason to avoid the challenge and the
opportunity it presents. Isn’t it a major tenet of our philosophy that we
are the people who should speak for blind people as a matter of principle, and
don’t we generally believe that we know more about blindness than others
who would presume to speak for us? Is carrying this load an unwanted burden, or
is it part of getting what we have demanded all along? We have demanded the right
to speak for ourselves as the people most qualified to do so, and to take
responsibility for explaining to the public what it means to be blind and what
those of us who are blind can do as caring, giving, and competent human beings.
Is carrying this load an unwanted burden for part of getting what we have demanded
all along: the right to speak for ourselves as the people most qualified to do so
and to take responsibility for explaining to the public what it means to be blind
and what those of us who are blind can do as caring, giving and competent human
beings? I suggest that among ourselves we growl a bit from time to time but that
we never lose track of how many have tried to speak for us and how hard fought
has been our struggle to be recognized as the experts on what it is to live
Blindfully.</p> <p>----------</p> <p>[PHOTO CAPTION: Justin Salisbury]</p> <h2
id="community-cultural-wealth-and-the-empowerment-of-blind-people-through-the-national-federation-of-the-blind">Community
Cultural Wealth and the Empowerment of Blind People through the National Federation
of the Blind</h2> <p><strong>by Justin Salisbury</strong></p> <p><strong>From the
Editor: One of the things I admire about Justin Salisbury is that he is constantly
trying to incorporate what he learns with what he practices and knows to be the
philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind. In terms of the gap between
consumers and professionals, he is constantly trying to narrow it, and he
doesn’t for one moment hide the fact that the National Federation of the
Blind is the key to real progress forward for blind people. Here is what he has
to say about cultural capital and what we might say to those who ask why they
should be concerned about and encourage their clients to be involved in the National
Federation of the Blind.</strong></p> <p>Science and research have sometimes been
harmful to the blind, but there are indeed forms of science and research that we
can use to our advantage. The theory of community cultural wealth was not specifically
developed by the blind or for the blind, but I believe it is a powerful tool that
we can use to explain a type of strength that we hold as a community.</p> <p>I am
currently in my fifth year of life as a PhD student, and I have continued to be
fascinated by how this important theory in educational research matches up so well
with the kinds of benefits that I have received from my participation in the
National Federation of the Blind. The term <em>community cultural wealth</em> can
be used to explain to many educational administrators, teachers, researchers, and
gatekeepers how blind people of all ages can benefit from connecting with the
National Federation of the Blind.</p> <p>Before the framework of community cultural
wealth was first published by Dr. Tara Yosso in 2005, it had been far too normal
for education scholars and administrators to argue that students from marginalized
racial groups were struggling in education and employment because they lacked the
cultural capital required for success in education and employment. It was commonly
argued that white people were the primary holders of this cultural capital, and
if the people of color could just get better at whiteness, they could succeed. It
was a way of blaming the marginalized people for their own struggles, arguing that
the white way of doing things was the right way of doing things, and justifying
an inherent superiority of the dominant group. Yosso used critical race theory to
turn the old theory of cultural capital on its head and instead focus on the
strengths that socially marginalized groups bring with them into education and
employment. Yosso argued that marginalized groups cultivate and nurture community
cultural wealth through six forms of capital, which I will define and explain
soon. (The definitions are taken from Dr. Yosso’s original article, which
is cited at the end of this one.) These forms of capital are (1) aspirational,
(2) linguistic, (3) familial, (4) social, (5) navigational, and (6) resistant.
With the introduction of this framework, leaders in education had a powerful
framework to talk about the positive ways that marginalized communities were
succeeding in the face of oppression.</p> <p>For those of us who are blind, we
are used to society framing us as having deficits. We carry a kind of collective
trauma from centuries of researchers assuming that something was wrong with us
and trying to figure out what that was. This continues today, and we should not
assume that it is over. There are ways that we can focus on the strengths of blind
people and those things that help us to succeed the way that we want to succeed.
I am not proposing that I am the first one to do this; in fact, there are researchers
who belong to the National Federation of the Blind who work to uplift those
strengths of the blind community. This theory is another tool for explaining what
we already do, especially if we are talking to people with graduate degrees in
education. When educational administrators want to know why they should help a
blind child connect with the National Federation of the Blind, an answer in their
jargon might be “community cultural wealth.”</p> <p><em>Aspirational
capital</em> is “the ability to maintain hopes and dreams for the future,
even in the face of real and perceived barriers.” The National Federation
of the Blind helps blind people to hold onto hopes and dreams, even in the face
of structured inequality and societal misperceptions and low expectations. I had
a dream of becoming the first person in my family to earn a college degree, and
I also had a dream to go into the United States Coast Guard. I had thought that
I would do both by attending the United States Coast Guard Academy, but becoming
blind during my sophomore year of high school put an end to that. Before I met
the Federation, I struggled to hold onto hope that I could really succeed in
college. The Federation provided me role models who helped me to keep dreaming
and hoping. I still hope that blind people can one day serve in the military, and
the National Federation of the Blind is advocating for this change.</p>
<p><em>Linguistic capital</em> means “the intellectual and social skills
attained through communication experiences in more than one language and/or
style.” Braille is not a language, but thankfully, this definition allows
other options. Braille is a style of communication which supports us to develop
and maintain intellectual and social skills. Braille gives us strength. It allows
us to record important information and share it with each other. When I give
presentations, I use notes in Braille, and I have the uncommon ability to read
while maintaining eye contact with my audience. Some Braille readers like to have
Braille versions of the most difficult things that they need to read because it
can help them to grasp the information more fully. Using screen readers is also
part of our linguistic capital. I catch a lot of spelling errors that sighted
classmates miss because JAWS makes the awkward words sound noticeably different.</p>
<p><em>Familial capital</em> means “those cultural knowledges nurtured
among familia (kin) that carry a sense of community history, memory, and cultural
intuition.” The Federation gives us kinfolk who share community history,
memory, and intuition. We teach each other how to sense when something seems good
or bad for us as blind people. We teach each other about histories of our movement
and the blind community, from asylums to working homes to sheltered workshops to
today. We know how hard blind people have fought to expand and protect Braille
literacy. We know that we share a responsibility to manifest the dreams of our
founders. Someone once told me that those who came before us are our blind ancestors,
and I absolutely agree. I inherited many rights that my blind ancestors created
for me. We share our history intentionally.</p> <p><em>Social capital</em> means
“networks of people and community resources.” Quite simply, the
Federation gives us social capital because the Federation gives us networks. Some
of us may slip into the trap of thinking that the Federation is a referral service
to send blind people to agencies that will handle all the learning. I emphasize
that the Federation itself is the most important resource for blind people. When
I need to learn something about the city where I live, I can go to a local chapter
meeting of the NFB and ask. I may need to ask someone how to make a certain argument
to advocate for myself or how to vote accessibly in the federal elections. My
social capital through the Federation helps me to access other kinds of capital.</p>
<p><em>Navigational capital</em> means “skills of maneuvering through social
institutions.” I am not using navigational capital to describe cane travel
skills. Still to this day, when I navigate through the vocational rehabilitation
process, the knowledge and skills that I have gained through the National Federation
of the Blind have been essential. When I first needed to learn how to negotiate
accommodations in the classroom in higher education and learn who was responsible
for what, the Federation was my key resource. I still use that knowledge today.
We help each other learn to navigate systems all the time.</p> <p><em>Resistant
capital</em> is “those knowledges and skills fostered through oppositional
behavior that challenges inequality.” Resistant capital can show up when
blind people advocate for ourselves individually or collectively. We could be
meeting with Senators to pass a bill that eliminates the legal practice of paying
disability-based subminimum wages. We could be pushing back when a vocational
rehabilitation counselor denies our request to attend an out-of-state training
center. We could be marching to protest service denials from rideshare drivers.
We could be attending an individualized education plan meeting to help ensure that
a blind child is taught Braille.</p> <p>From my understanding of community cultural
wealth, every socially marginalized group has its own special flavor of community
cultural wealth, but what is consistent is that we have one. The kinds of resistant
capital that one marginalized group needs may be different from the kinds of
resistant capital that another marginalized group needs because we are marginalized
in different ways. Some of the stereotyping I receive as an Indigenous person in
the United States is different than the stereotyping that I experience as a blind
person, so I need different ways of pushing back on those stereotypes. If we look
at linguistic capital, I have different phrases or words that I may use in primarily
Indigenous spaces that differ from how I speak in an NFB affiliate board meeting.
If I am in an NFB affiliate board meeting, I may use the term “VR
counselor” and feel no need to explain it because it is part of the linguistic
capital of the blind community.</p> <p>Marginalized groups often share some kind
of identity, and these identities can be separated into vertical identities and
horizontal identities. These different kinds of identities are outlined in
Solomon’s book referenced below. Vertical identities are identities where
most people with that identity share it with their biological parents. Horizontal
identities are identities where most people with that identity do not share it
with their biological parents. In other words, a horizontal identity is simply a
characteristic that members of a group have in common with others but that
doesn’t come directly through their family or ancestry. Either the identity
most often comes vertically down the family tree, or it most often does not.
Therefore, blindness is a horizontal identity; it can, of course, be genetically
inherited in some cases, but not all blind people acquire it in that way.</p>
<p>With communities based around horizontal identities, organizations of people
with that identity have a powerful role in defining the community values and
positions, and they also act as a mechanism for transferring community cultural
wealth. Since my sighted parents could not teach me about the community cultural
wealth of the blind community, I needed to go outside the family and learn our
community cultural wealth through the National Federation of the Blind. With
vertical identities, biological parents can share it with their children, so the
community organizations do not play as heavy a role in that process. The Federation
is the primary hub for community cultural wealth in the blind community in the
USA.</p> <p>For blind children and adults in the education and rehabilitation
processes, learning about and embracing the community cultural wealth of the blind
community helps us to become more successful. When we know how to dream and aspire,
use Braille and other communication styles, navigate complex social systems, grow
and maintain networks of supporters and allies, learn the knowledge from our blind
ancestors, and know how to push back effectively against discrimination and low
expectations, we become better equipped for success. To all the parents, teachers,
special education administrators, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and college
professors: If your blind student or VR consumer gets connected to the National
Federation of the Blind, we will share our community cultural wealth with them.
We will give them important tools to make them successful. We know our community
cultural wealth better than anybody, and we are eager to share it with everybody.
Sharing it does not deplete it. The more we share it, the stronger our community
becomes, and the more our community cultural wealth grows. Let us share it with
your student. Let us share it with your consumer. Let us share it with you.</p>
<h3 id="references">References</h3> <p>Solomon, A. (2012). <em>Far from the tree:
Parents, children and the search for identity.</em> Simon and Schuster.</p>
<p>Yosso, T. J. (2005). “Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory
discussion of community cultural wealth.” <em>Race ethnicity and education</em>,
8(1), 69-91.</p> <p>----------</p> <h2
id="south-carolinas-white-cane-awareness-day-proclamation">South Carolina’s
White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation</h2> <p><strong>From the Associate Editor:
Every chapter and affiliate is encouraged to request that their state or local
government issue a proclamation recognizing White Cane Awareness Day (also known
as White Cane Safety Day, although we prefer the former) on October 15. A template
proclamation is available at</strong> <strong>https://nfb.org/programs-services/blind-month.
Here is what South Carolina’s governor said in his version of the proclamation
for 2024:</strong></p> <h3 id="state-of-south-carolina-governors-proclamation">State
of South Carolina Governor's Proclamation</h3> <p>WHEREAS, the white cane, which
every blind citizen of South Carolina has the right to carry, demonstrates and
symbolizes the ability to achieve a full and independent life and the capacity to
work productively in competitive employment; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, by allowing every
blind person to move freely and safely from place to place, the white cane makes
it possible for the blind to fully participate in and contribute to our society
and to live the lives they want; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, every citizen should be aware
that the law requires that motorists and cyclists exercise appropriate caution
when approaching a blind person carrying a white cane; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, South
Carolina state law also calls upon employers, both public and private, to be aware
of and utilize the employment skills of our blind citizens by recognizing their
worth as individuals and their productive capacities; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, the
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina has promoted independent living,
mobility training, Braille literacy rights, and voting and jury duty rights, not
to mention the White Cane Law passed in 1972; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, the South Carolina
Commission for the Blind came into existence in 1966 by the National Federation
of the Blind advocating for legislation in order that this state agency shall
assist in implementing vocational, assistive technology, Braille and computer
literacy so the blind may find competitive employment and the elderly blind may
live independently; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, the South Carolina School for the Deaf
and the Blind, celebrating its 175th year of service this year, prepares this
generation of blind children for their educational goals; and</p> <p>WHEREAS, with
the cooperative assistance of the National Federation of the Blind of South
Carolina, along with the Commission for the Blind and the School for the Blind,
South Carolina can and should facilitate the expansion of employment opportunities
for greater acceptance of blind persons in the competitive labor market as the
General Assembly has done by defeating subminimum wages for the blind and disabled
workers in this state going into full effect in 2024.</p> <p>NOW, THEREFORE, I,
Henry Dargan McMaster, Governor of the great State of South Carolina, do hereby
proclaim October 15, 2024, as WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY throughout the state and
encourage our schools, colleges, and universities to offer full opportunities for
training blind persons, employers, and the public to utilize the available skills
of competent blind persons, to open new opportunities for the blind in our rapidly
changing society, and encourage all South Carolinians to recognize the white cane
as a tool of independence for blind pedestrians on our streets and highways.</p>
<p>HENRY DARGAN MCMASTER</p> <p>GOVERNOR</p> <p>STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA</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> <h4
id="american-action-fund-for-blind-children-and-adults-reaches-milestone-of-shipping-100000-free-white-canes-in-the-us">American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Reaches Milestone of Shipping 100,000
Free White Canes in the US</h4> <p>The American Action Fund for Blind Children
and Adults (Action Fund) has recently achieved a significant milestone by shipping
its one hundred thousandth free white cane to a blind person in the United States.
This accomplishment marks a pivotal moment in a program that was initiated in 2008
in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind, the transformative
membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans.</p> <p>“As we
celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of White Cane Awareness Day today, the Action
Fund is proud to support an effort that has enhanced the independence and mobility
of blind people across the nation,” said Barbara Loos, President of the
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. “For over a century,
we have provided the keys to literacy and independence, including Braille books
and white canes, to blind and deafblind Americans. Our partnership with the National
Federation of the Blind has amplified our reach and helped to make this program
an outstanding success.”</p> <p>“The impact of the free white cane
program extends far beyond the physical tool itself, spreading independence,
empowerment, and equality,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National
Federation of the Blind. “No blind person should be without a white cane,
regardless of ability to pay, and the Action Fund has helped us make this a reality.
We look forward to the continued growth of this critical program, which advances
the lives of all blind people in the United States.”</p> <p>Blind people
of all ages in the United States can receive a free fiberglass white cane as often
as every six months through this program. For more information or to order your
cane, visit <a
href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program">https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program</a>.</p>
<p>To learn more about the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and
its other programs and services, visit <a
href="http://www.actionfund.org">www.actionfund.org</a>.</p> <p>Please consider
supporting the Action Fund. You can make a direct contribution at
https://actionfund.org/index.php/donate or call 410-659-9315.</p> <h4
id="bringing-fun-and-good-cheer-to-children">Bringing Fun and Good Cheer to
Children</h4> <p>It’s the time of the year when the National Federation of
the Blind helps bring fun and good cheer to children all over the country. Our
Santa/Winter Celebration Braille letter program does just that. Children birth
through age ten can receive a Braille letter from Santa or a Braille Winter
Celebration letter in either English or Spanish. Along with the letters, children
will receive a packet of activities that they can share with their parents,
siblings, and grandparents because all of the items in the packet are sent in
Braille and print. The program doesn’t last long. This year’s
celebration runs from November 11 through December 16, 2024. You can find more
information and request your letter at <a
href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives/santa-letters">https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives/santa-letters</a>.
Don’t waste time!!</p> <h3 id="in-brief">In Brief</h3> <p><strong>Notices
and information in this section may be of interest to <em>Monitor</em> readers.
We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only
for space and clarity.</strong></p> <h4 id="the-touch-of-genius-award">The Touch
of Genius Award</h4> <p>Dear Innovators,</p> <p>Now that the school year has
started, we would like to remind all of you that the Touch of Genius Prize for
Innovation is taking applications for the 2025 year! Please continue to help us
spread the word with your friends and colleagues. Applications are due January
10, 2025.</p> <p>The Touch of Genius Prize was developed to inspire entrepreneurs,
educators, or inventors to continue the promotion of Braille and tactile literacy
for blind and deafblind people worldwide. This prize can be granted for innovative
and accessible computer software applications, tactile hardware, or curriculum
that promotes Braille and/or tactile literacy. NBP (National Braille Press)
encourages all applicants to think outside the box for what can be used to help
improve the lives of blind people. Even if you have applied in previous years, we
encourage you to apply again! The winner of this prize will receive up to $10,000,
which will help them to continue to innovate in the fields of technology and
education for the blind community. The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is
provided by the support of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind.</p> <p>Full application
details and more information can be found at <a
href="http://www.touchofgeniusprize.org">www.touchofgeniusprize.org</a>. All
questions can be directed to <a href="mailto:geniusprize@nbp.org">geniusprize@nbp.org</a>.</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> <h4
id="wish-to-buy-tape-tutorials-for-older-access-technology">Wish to Buy: Tape
Tutorials for Older Access Technology</h4> <p>I am interested in buying tape
tutorials for access technology from the 80s and 90s for the purpose of preservation,
including but not limited to tapes for any of the following:</p> <ul> <li><p>JAWS
for Windows 3.0 or earlier</p></li> <li><p>JAWS for DOS</p></li> <li><p>The Phil
Scovell "talk me through" tutorials</p></li> <li><p>Project Assist tutorials
produced by the Iowa Department for the Blind</p></li> </ul> <p>If you have any
of the above or similar, please email <a
href="mailto:ameer.armaly@gmail.com">ameer.armaly@gmail.com</a>.</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> </body> </html>