[Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, December 2014
Brian Buhrow
buhrow at lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Tue Dec 2 01:57:02 PST 2014
BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 57, No. 11 December 2014
Gary Wunder, Editor
Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive
(see reverse side) by the
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Mark Riccobono, President
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ISSN 0006-8829
© 2014 by the National Federation of the Blind
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Vol. 57, No. 11 December 2014
Contents
Illustration: Training the Trainers: The NFB Jernigan Institute Sets the
Standard
Convention Bulletin 2015
An Apology to Our Readers and an Author
A New Obstacle for Students with Disabilities
by Kyle Shachmut
Should TEACH Act Language Appear in the Higher Education Act? NCDAE AND
WebAIM Weigh In
by Cyndi Rowland
Mark Riccobono: Educator, Leader, and Visionary
A New Era in Mobile Reading Begins: Introducing the KNFB Reader for iOS
by James Gashel
2015 Washington Seminar: What's New in the Rooms and Reserving Yours
by Diane McGeorge
Ode to the Code: How One Student Came to Love Braille
by Kaitlin Shelton
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by James Gashel
The Police Chief of Albuquerque Met the Blind of New Mexico
by Peggy Chong
Social Security, SSI, and Medicare Facts for 2015
by Lauren McLarney
The Tactile Fluency Revolution: Year Two
by Al Maneki
The 2015 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Edward Bell
Can You Hear Me Now?
by Darlene Laibl-Crowe
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award for 2015
by Cathy Jackson
Recipes
Monitor Miniatures
[PHOTO CAPTION: Microsoft's Christopher Gallelo presents on Office Online]
[PHOTO CAPTION: The Assistive Technology Team's newest member, Karl
Belanger, presents on Windows 8]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Google's Lia Carrari presents on Android]
[PHOTO CAPTION: An attendee takes notes as Google's Roger Benz presents,
wearing a t-shirt that had "Google" in Braille on it.]
Training the Trainers: The NFB Jernigan Institute Sets the Standard
On October 15, 2014, the NFB Jernigan Institute's Access Technology
Team sponsored a two-and-a-half day seminar to train the trainers.
Presenters included representatives from Google, Microsoft, and other top-
flight technology developers. Participants who wished to enhance their
training skills came from rehabilitation agencies, K-12 schools, and
colleges and universities. Some were new to technology for the blind, while
others were technology experts. All participants received hands-on
training, thanks to equipment available through the International Braille
and Technology Center and with the generous support of the technology
companies whose products were featured in the training sessions.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Centre
Hotel]
Convention Bulletin 2015
Rosen Centre Hotel
It is time to begin planning for the 2015 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind. We are returning to Orlando for our third stay at
the beautiful Rosen Centre Hotel this year, July 5 through 10. Once again
our hotel rates are the envy of all. For the 2015 convention they are
singles and doubles, $82; and for triples and quads, $89. In addition to
the room rates there will be a tax, which currently is 13.5 percent. No
charge will be made for children under seventeen in the room with parents
as long as no extra bed is requested. Please note that the hotel is a no-
smoking facility.
For 2015 convention room reservations you should write directly to the
Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. You
can call the hotel at (800) 204-7234 after January 1. At the time you make
a reservation, a $95 deposit is required for each room reserved. If you use
a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately,
just as would be the case with a $95 check. If a reservation is cancelled
before Monday, June 1, 2015, half of the deposit will be returned.
Otherwise refunds will not be made.
Guest room amenities include cable television, in-room safe,
coffeemaker, mini-fridge, and hairdryer. Internet access is available in
each guest room, and currently it is offered without charge. Guests can
also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site spa. The Rosen
Centre Hotel offers fine dining at the award-winning Everglades Restaurant.
In addition, we will have an array of dining options from sushi and tapas
to pool-side dining to a 24-hour deli. See later issues of the Monitor for
details and information about other attractions in the Greater Orlando
area.
The 2015 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will be a
truly exciting and memorable event, with an unparalleled program and
rededication to the goals and work of our movement. Make plans now to be a
part of it. Preconvention seminars for parents of blind children and other
groups and set-up of the exhibit hall will take place on Sunday, July 5.
Adjournment will be Friday, July 10, following the banquet. Convention
registration and registration packet pick-up for those who preregistered
will begin on Monday, July 6, and both Monday and Tuesday will be filled
with meetings of divisions and committees, including the Tuesday morning
annual meeting, open to all, of the board of directors of the National
Federation of the Blind.
General convention sessions will begin on Wednesday, July 8, and
continue through the banquet on Friday, July 10. Saturday, July 11, will be
available for tours for those who enjoy getting to know something about our
convention city. To assure yourself a room in the headquarters hotel at
convention rates, you must make reservations early. The hotel will be ready
to take your call or deal with your written request by January 1.
Remember that as usual we need door prizes from state affiliates,
local chapters, and individuals. Once again prizes should be small in size
but large in value. Cash, of course, is always appropriate and welcome. As
a general rule we ask that prizes of all kinds have a value of at least $25
and not include alcohol. Drawings will occur steadily throughout the
convention sessions, and you can anticipate a grand prize of truly
impressive proportions to be drawn at the banquet. Prizes should be sent to
Peter Cerullo, First Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of
Florida, 19 Tropical Drive, Ormond Beach, FL 32176. Peter can be reached on
his home phone by dialing (386) 265-2527, and can be contacted using email
at <petercerullo at aol.com>.
The best collection of exhibits featuring new technology; meetings of
our special interest groups, committees, and divisions; memorable tours
suggested by the host affiliate; the most stimulating and provocative
program items of any meeting of the blind in the world; the chance to renew
friendships in our Federation family; and the unparalleled opportunity to
be where the real action is and where decisions are being made-all of these
mean you will not want to miss being a part of the 2015 national
convention. We'll see you in Orlando in July.
----------
An Apology to Our Readers and an Author
>From the Editor: In the May 2011 issue we published an article entitled
"Over There" and listed its author as Robert Kingett. The author was
actually CathyAnne Murtha, a person known to many as the owner and operator
of the Access Technology Institute and the website <www.blindtraining.com>.
CathyAnne says she wrote this article while in college.
In a conversation with Robert Kingett, he admitted that the article he
submitted was not his but indeed was written by Ms. Murtha. We regret the
incorrect attribution of this piece and are glad to credit CathyAnne Murtha
with this fine composition. Here is the article she wrote, which, unlike
the plagiarized version, acknowledges the fine work of her guide dog
Shadow.
Over There
by CathyAnne Murtha
As my guide dog and I stood in line at the checkout of the River City
Market at CSUS, I asked the cashier what I considered a simple question:
"Where are the napkins, please?"
Her response was hurried, but sincere, "Over there."
Emerging from the light rail for the first time, I managed to catch
the attention of a passer-by, "Please sir, can you tell me where I might
catch bus 63?"
A kind voice offered a pleasant response before disappearing into the
cacophony of the early afternoon, "You can catch it...over there."
So many things reside over there-napkins, bus stops, pencils, pens,
clothing racks, department stores, and even my shoes! A never-ending supply
of important and indispensable items and locales all reside in this place
that is shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
I stand in perplexed silence after learning that something is "over
there." It's a place I have never been and have no hope of finding on my
own. My guide dog is skilled at finding chairs, stairs, elevators,
escalators, helping me cross streets, and can even find me the Diet Pepsi
display at Food Town; however, when I tell her to find "over there" her
little bottom hits the floor and a small whimper tells me that she is as
confused as I. We will not be going "over there" today. "Over there" has
caused me a bit of vexation, a lot of confusion, and, on occasion, made my
heart race.
I have discovered that "over there" can be a dangerous place. One
day, while crossing a street, I heard a driver's irritated voice shout out
a warning of a truck bearing down on me from over there. Shadow artfully
dodged the oncoming vehicle and pulled me to the safety of the curb; our
hearts were both racing as we took a few moments to compose ourselves.
Close encounters with "over there" can be frightening experiences.
Although many blind people have wondered about the exact location of
"over there," few have dared to venture forth in an exploration of the
mysterious place.
One day, while standing in line at the supermarket, I asked the clerk
where I might find the aspirin. With a cheery smile in her voice, she
informed me that the aspirin was located "over there." With a weary sigh, I
decided that I would take the extra step that would unravel the mystery,
which had vexed my compatriots since the beginning of time. Taking a deep
breath, and attempting to look nonchalant, I smiled at the clerk, "Where,"
I asked, "is over there?" I imagined the girl's shocked expression. I felt
her sharing condescending and concerned looks with her fellows in the
store. The silence grew palpable as they mulled the possibility of allowing
a blind person access to the forbidden land.
She had no choice; she would have to tell me how to find "over
there!" I had won! Exhilaration swept through me as I waited in breathless
anticipation. A victorious smile crept to my lips, my hand tightened on the
handle of Shadow's harness; we would soon be going "over there!" The
clerk's voice reeked with resignation as the decision was made, "That way,"
she said.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Kyle Shachmut with his wife, Laura and his three daughters:
Madeline (1), Abigail (5), and Elizabeth (3)]
A New Obstacle for Students with Disabilities
by Kyle Shachmut
>From the Editor: The following article was originally published in The
Chronicle of Higher Education. It was posted online on September 12, 2014,
and published in print on September 26, 2014. Its author, Kyle Shachmut, is
a leader in the National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts, a
doctoral student in educational media and technology at Boston University,
and a technology consultant for the Lynch School of Education at Boston
College. He can be reached at <kshachmut at nfbma.org>. The article served as
a catalyst to dramatically raise the profile of the issue of accessibility
in higher education to a large, more general audience of stakeholders
across the country. It was written before and has helped to initiate the
negotiations that will be required in arriving at language that will pass
the Congress and become the law of the land.
The Chronicle of Higher Education is the number one source of news,
information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and
administrators. In print the newspaper is subscribed to by more than 64,000
academics and has a total readership of more than 315,000. Online The
Chronicle is published every weekday and is the top destination for news,
advice, and jobs for people in academe. The Chronicle's audited website
traffic is more than 12.8 million pages a month, seen by more than 1.9
million unique visitors. In other words, this message was widely
distributed and to the people who needed to hear it. Here is what Kyle
said:
It is well documented that students with disabilities are facing
barriers in their pursuit of higher education, and institutions are having
a difficult time fulfilling their legal obligation to ensure equal access.
So it was surprising last month when the American Council on Education
(ACE), in a letter to Senator Tom Harkin about the proposed reauthorization
of the Higher Education Act, completely dismissed a provision that would
make it easier for its member institutions to meet the needs of students
with disabilities.
The provision, Section 931 of the draft document, calls for
guidelines to ensure that students with disabilities have access to
"electronic instructional materials and related information technologies"
that are "consistent with national and international standards." Colleges
that do not use materials that conform to the guidelines may opt out by
showing that they offer students with disabilities access to instructional
and technological materials that are equivalent to those used by
nondisabled students, a standard the institutions should already be
meeting.
Yet, according to the American Council on Education in its letter,
this provision "creates an impossible to meet standard for institutions and
will result in a significant chilling effect in the usage of new
technology." It would "seriously impede the development and adoption of
accessible materials, harming the very students it is intended to assist."
That statement indicates either a profound lack of understanding
about what the provision actually does, a total lack of awareness that the
majority of their member institutions are failing to meet existing legal
obligations, or an insulting lack of interest in finding a solution for
students with disabilities.
Most people assume technology expands opportunities for students with
disabilities. While the potential exists, it can be realized only if
technology is designed and coded with equal access in mind. Despite years
of public-awareness campaigns, legal challenges, and advocacy efforts, many
commonly used technologies built or purchased by colleges-email systems,
learning-management systems, library databases, classroom materials-
actually do more to prevent students with disabilities from equal
participation than paper-based systems ever did.
And partial solutions, like coding written material so a blind student can
read the text cover to cover, are no longer equivalent. Being able to
highlight, take notes, skip around, and integrate external content are
essential functions of today's digital instructional materials; thus, blind
students are denied equal access by the very technology that could have
ensured their full participation.
Federal laws mandating equal access in the classroom for students
with disabilities were written long before digital technologies were
integral to the educational experience, but their meaning has not changed.
Four years ago the US Departments of Justice and Education clarified the
expectations for institutions of higher learning by stating that requiring
the use of "an emerging technology in a classroom environment when the
technology is inaccessible to an entire population of individuals with
disabilities-individuals with visual disabilities-is discrimination ...
unless those individuals are provided accommodations or modifications that
permit them to receive all the educational benefits provided by the
technology in an equally effective and equally integrated manner."
Since that guidance was issued, countless universities have upgraded
or rebuilt core technology systems, but few have done so with consideration
for this accessibility requirement. What lost opportunities! And those that
attempt to wedge the paper-based accommodation model into today's digital
ecosystem are simply leaving disabled students in the dust.
Because of this growing chasm of access, legal disputes and civil-
rights complaints have occurred with increasing frequency. Most of these
disputes end in agreements where colleges commit to honoring their existing
legal requirements to make accessible all technologies they deploy,
procure, or recommend. Predictably, language from the aforementioned
guidance appears in almost all of these settlements, including the most
recent one between the Department of Education and the University of
Montana. That agreement, in March, states that materials are considered
accessible when "individuals with disabilities are able to independently
acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy
the same services within the same time frame as individuals without
disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use."
In 2008 Congress authorized the Commission on Accessible
Instructional Materials to examine barriers caused by inaccessible
technology and to recommend solutions. The commission's number one
recommendation was to create guidelines that would stimulate the market for
accessible materials.
This noncontroversial, common-sense, and data-driven solution is the
basis for a bipartisan bill pending in both the House and Senate called the
TEACH (Technology Education and Accessibility in College and Higher
Education) Act. The act served as the model for Senator Harkin's provision
on accessible instructional material in the Reauthorization Act-the
provision that ACE rejected.
With all of these problems and all of these promises, I assumed ACE
would welcome the TEACH Act or any provision that results in a similar
solution. Instead, the organization says voluntary accessibility guidelines
will create "an impossible to meet standard." Is ACE just confused?
The Teach Act and the proposed language to which ACE has objected
merely call for voluntary guidelines for accessibility. If colleges opt in,
they would ensure access via the market of accessible materials and assuage
any legal concerns about complying with accessibility requirements. If they
opt out, they would be free to use their own methods, but they would still
be subject to the same requirement for ensuring equal access that they are
today. Why would this be "impossible?" Or does ACE assert that its member
institutions are resolving disputes by agreeing to legal standards that
they cannot meet?
I also challenge ACE to prove its assertion that guidelines would
chill the development of new technology. Have building designs ceased to
evolve and architects ceased to innovate since guidelines for accessibility-
think curb cuts, ramps, and elevators-were mandated by the Americans with
Disabilities Act almost twenty-five years ago? Of course not. Scare tactics
are not a valid reason to deny inclusivity.
Finally, ACE has demonstrated little desire to engage on the issue of
expanding access. It has been almost a year since the four-page TEACH Act
was introduced in the House, yet this empty statement objecting to Senator
Harkin's provision is the group's first and only public statement on
accessible instructional materials.
As a blind student and professional in higher-education technology
and an advocate for the disability community, I think we deserve a
productive dialogue-not stall tactics and unsubstantiated claims about
ensuring access for students with disabilities.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Cyndi Rowland]
Should TEACH Act Language Appear in the Higher Education Act? NCDAE and
WebAIM Weigh In
by Cyndi Rowland, Ph.D.
>From the Editor: This position statement was posted in a blog on the
website for the National Center on Disability and Access to Education
(NCDAE) on October 15, 2014. It goes over in detail what the newest
development with the TEACH Act is, the arguments both for and against it,
and the reasoning behind the stance the NCDAE and WebAIM (Web Accessibility
in Mind) are taking in the fight. For those who are not familiar with
WebAIM, it is a nonprofit organization based at Utah State University that
has provided accessibility solutions since 1999. The author, Cyndi Rowland,
is the associate director at the CPD [Center for Persons with
Disabilities]. She directs several grants that focus on the use of
technology and the preparation of personnel. She is the executive director
of WebAIM, which offers training, technical assistance, and services to
make the web a more accessible place for individuals who have disabilities.
Here is what she has to say:
Since their inception, both WebAIM [Web Accessibility in Mind] and the
National Center on Disability and Access to Education have worked together
with higher education on the issue of web accessibility. We believe that,
while accessibility is not easy to do, it must be accomplished if
individuals with disabilities are to participate fully in civil society.
Recently important conversations of digital accessibility have
emerged in US higher education. They were prompted by the inclusion of
language from the bipartisan Technology, Education, and Accessibility in
College and Higher Education (TEACH) Act into the proposed reauthorization
of the Higher Education Act; known as the Higher Education Affordability
Act (HEAA), see Section 931. As a result, position statements made by the
American Council on Education and EDUCAUSE, along with a legal analysis
provided for six education associations against the inclusion of TEACH
language into HEAA, ignited a firestorm. This debate has been seen in news
articles, commentary, blogs from groups, blogs from individuals, podcasts,
and alternative position statements.
Both the National Center on Disability and Access to Education
(NCDAE) and WebAIM would like to share our thoughts on this complex
subject. Nobody at NCDAE or WebAIM is offering a legal opinion; rather, our
thoughts come from working with institutions of higher education on matters
of accessibility for fifteen years.
TEACH Act, a Primer
Note: This TEACH Act should not be confused with a previous piece of
legislation using the same acronym that deals with the use of copyrighted
materials in distance education.
The current Technology, Education, and Accessibility in College and
Higher Education (TEACH) Act had its origins in the previous Higher
Education Opportunity Act of 2008, which established the Accessible
Instructional Materials (AIM) Commission. The AIM Commission detailed
recommendations to Congress and to the Secretary of Education in December
of 2011. One such recommendation influenced the creation of the TEACH Act.
This proposal was introduced to the House by Representative Tom Petri (R-
Wisconsin) in November of 2013 and introduced to the Senate by Senators
Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The bill had
extraordinary bipartisan support, including fifty-two cosponsors of the
bill across party lines. It was referred to committee in February of 2014
and has yet to move out for a vote.
Because of the AIM Commission Recommendations, authors of the TEACH
Act were able to respond to some issues plaguing accessibility in higher
education. One issue is the fact that accessibility guidelines are not
unified as campuses try to make content accessible (i.e., some conforming
to Section 508, others to state guidelines or standards, others to
differing versions of WCAG [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines], and
others who blend accessibility guidelines uniquely for their campus). This
creates enormous headaches for vendors and for campuses seeking conformance
to their own guidelines in a purchasing context; if you cannot purchase
digital materials that follow your own technical standard, it will be
nearly impossible to reach your accessibility goals. Another issue is the
enormous liability perceived by many in higher education for anyone who
acknowledges that they need to work on digital accessibility.
The TEACH Act proposal provides a mechanism for unified accessibility
guidelines to be created in harmony with national and international
standards. It authorizes the Access Board to be responsible for the work to
establish and keep guidelines current (i.e., initial guidelines to be
completed in eighteen months, as well as reviews to be completed every
three years). Those institutions that wish to embrace TEACH guidelines can
do so, yet there is nothing in the Act that would compel them to do so.
Since institutions are not required to conform to TEACH, they can continue
to use their own set of guidelines if they wish. However, for those that
choose to become a TEACH Act institution, they must implement the
guidelines into every aspect of the campus digital architecture.
The voluntary nature of embracing TEACH comes from this language:
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require an institution
of higher education to use electronic instructional materials or
related information technologies that conform to the accessibility
guidelines described in section 2 if the institution of higher
education provides such materials or technologies, or an accommodation
or modification, that would allow covered blind individuals and
covered individuals with a disability to receive the educational
benefits of such materials or technologies-
(1) in an equally effective and equally integrated manner as non-
disabled or non-blind students; and
(2) with substantially equivalent ease of use of such materials
or technologies.
Thus, an institution has the choice to embrace TEACH Act
guidelines or to continue to do that which they are doing now to
assure conformance to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the
Americans with Disabilities Act. One incentive for an institution to
embrace the TEACH Act is the Safe-Harbor provision of the Act. It
protects those institutions that embrace TEACH by considering that
they in fact conform to the non-discrimination provisions of Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act and also the Americans with Disabilities
Act where digital access is concerned.
So, in summary, the TEACH Act proposes to establish clarity of
guidelines, provide market-driven solutions to challenges in accessibility,
provide legal protections for those institutions who embrace TEACH, all the
while being entirely voluntary for the higher education community.
What's the Controversy?
Those opposed to TEACH in HEAA generally cite at least one of five issues:
. This program exerts increased federal regulation that will overburden
higher education
. This program will result in the demise of technology innovation on our
nation's campuses
. There is not a reason for TEACH Act provisions since we have existing
laws that are sufficient to address the issues
. The language of TEACH Act creates a different legal standard for
institutions who choose to not embrace the guidelines
. The Access Board is ill-equipped to do the work
Federal Regulation
First and foremost, many in higher education shiver at the thought
that increasing issues of compliance are put into reauthorizations of the
Higher Education Act. Opponents to adding accessibility regulation into the
HEAA indicate it is becoming a junkyard of federal oversight, where items
are simply tossed in because they can be. Proponents to regulation being
included for digital access indicate that this is a proper use of federal
oversight. The thinking is that if those in higher education did not want
to be regulated on this issue, they have had nearly twenty years to get in
front of it in a way that regulation is not needed. This is especially
important considering the topic; that failure to provide access to
electronic materials violates protections against discrimination for
persons with disabilities and is an issue of civil rights. Also, proponents
of TEACH language appearing in the latest HEAA draft indicate that it would
make sense that something that came from the previous reauthorization of
the Higher Education Act (i.e., the work of the AIM Commission) would
return to inform a subsequent reauthorization of the Act.
Demise of Technology Innovation
Opponents to the addition of TEACH language in the HEAA indicate that
when an institution chooses to adopt TEACH guidelines, this will be the end
of technology innovation in higher education; that is because institutional
technologies would need to conform to the guidelines. One example that has
been seen in posts is the use of 3-D technologies in biology textbooks.
Opponents indicate that the campus would be unable to use this innovation.
Proponents see it differently. While they concede that in the short term
some technologies would not be used as developed, they believe innovation
overall is enhanced as entrepreneurs, visionaries, and vendors solve
problems. This could drive greater technology innovation than ever before.
The market-driven approach to innovation could not be created whatsoever if
there were not a large playing field (i.e., a large swath of higher
education entities) as potential new customers for these innovations that
address electronic access. Proponents cite the rich innovations that have
already been developed by individuals or groups whose focus is to address
accessibility. They express confidence that technology innovation will
continue to enrich higher education in ways we can't yet know. It is
important to note that the language of the proposal allows for
accommodations or modification as long as they are "equally effective . . .
equally integrated . . . [and have] substantially equivalent ease of use."
Existing Laws are Sufficient
Opponents to this action indicate that we have existing laws that are
sufficient for today's needs (i.e., Sections 504 and ADA). They do not see
a reason to create additional burdens for any institution. In cases where
discrimination may be present, opponents to adding TEACH language into HEAA
indicate that we have processes in place to address it (i.e., through OCR
[Office for Civil Rights] complaints and the courts). Proponents consider
the failure of higher education to become accessible over time to be one
reason this action is needed now. They cite the uptick in litigation and
the failure of judgments to broadly influence the higher education system
as another reason something new is needed. It is true that many
institutions wait until they receive requests, or worse, until there is a
formal complaint lodged before action is taken. This creates an untenable
position for individuals with disabilities who are always put in a position
to have to request or complain, and usually put in a position to wait for
that which they need. This creates lags in their educational experiences
that affect outcomes.
Creates a Different Legal Standard
If an institution chooses not to embrace TEACH guidelines, they must
then provide materials and technologies (or accommodations and
modifications), in an "equally effective and equally integrated manner as
non-disabled or non-blind students; and with substantially equivalent ease
of use of such materials or technologies." The current legal standard of
Sections 504 and the ADA reference the use of reasonable accommodations or
auxiliary aides and services that result in "effective communication"
provided in a "timely" manner. Opponents to adding TEACH language into HEAA
believe that this could fundamentally shift the legal standard. We could
not find an opinion from proponents on this specific point, so it is not
known if they agree or not. There is discussion, however, that important
differences in the language used in TEACH are the result of the need for
institutions to be proactive, rather than reactive in their approach to
accessibility.
The Access Board is Ill-Equipped
Those opposed to adding TEACH language into the reauthorized HEAA
cite that they are uncomfortable that the Access Board was named as the
responsible federal agency. They do not have confidence that the Access
Board could complete the work as envisioned in TEACH; to create initial
standards within eighteen months and engage in cycles of review each three
years. There is a reason for this concern-a refresh of Section 508
standards began in 2006 and has not yet been completed. Proponents feel
they are the best equipped to address harmonization of the guidelines, and
feel that if the Access Board is given resources to perform a statutory
duty on a specific schedule, that they could accomplish the task.
Our Position
Let us begin by stating that those in higher education want the very
best outcomes for all their students. This is why they have gone into the
field. While we have read some harsh criticisms of individuals in the
postsecondary community, NCDAE AND WebAIM respect the challenging work that
goes into enterprise-wide web accessibility, and we acknowledge that this
is often times a bumpy journey.
With that said, we have also heard many reasons why institutions
choose not to tackle accessibility in a proactive manner. Sometimes it is
due to competing institutional priorities and shrinking budgets. Other
times accessibility is put off because there is a lack of accessible
products. (Moreover we have heard vendors remark that accessibility is not
part of their development cycle because it's not a feature request from
their customers.) We have also heard institutional administrators quietly
craft a strategy of waiting until there is a complaint sufficient to take
action on accessibility writ large. Taken together, there is a broad
segment of the higher education community who has decided, consciously or
not, to leave the important work of accessibility as an after-the-fact
accommodation of a student's request. The model of post-hoc accommodations
in the digital world could never be the long-term solution, it creates a
false sense of protection for institutions that are under increasing legal
peril, and it continues to plague those with disabilities today.
It is our opinion that the HEAA is an appropriate vehicle to place a
regulatory issue of this importance. It would elevate the urgency to make
intentional decisions on accessibility for each institution. And, let us
not forget, it is voluntary.
Market driven approaches were a brilliant strategy that helped the
federal government as it implemented its own procurement policies under
Section 508. If the lack of accessible products at the time, or the fear
that it would stifle all innovation had been the reason not to move
forward, we would not be where we are now; we currently have many
accessible products and the attention of federal vendors. Bringing together
a single harmonized standard that vendors would use in higher education
would likewise create important innovation and product delivery. All
journeys begin with a single step. We believe that innovation will not
suffer; rather it will be enhanced as new energies go into thoughts about
access for all.
We cannot comment on whether or not the TEACH language provides a
different legal standard. While the spirit of it does not seem to do so,
legal eyes are the best to weigh in on the issue.
While placing this work into the hands of the Access Board worries
some, it is our belief that given appropriate resources and statutory
authority, they are the best fit for the work. We do think that eighteen
months to promulgate the guidelines may be too aggressive. It is more
likely that the committee they will appoint would complete draft guidelines
in eighteen months, and then the work to promulgate rule would take another
eighteen to twenty-four months (or more if the Section 508 work is a peek
into a typical process).
Finally, we see a gaping hole in the language inserted into the HEAA.
When the ADA was passed into law, massive changes reverberated throughout
our society not unlike that which will happen in higher education if this
goes into effect. The establishment of transition planning was a brilliant
idea that should be considered here. At the time, if you were a business
trying to conform to the ADA and you were sticking to reasonable timelines
of your own posted transition plan, you were held harmless for that period.
Some institutions of higher education may need the option of creating a
transition period as they adopt the TEACH guidelines. Of course all other
existing laws would be in force (i.e., Section 504 and ADA), but the slow
and arduous work will have begun: the work to ensure that accessibility of
digital materials is in place for all in higher education.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Mark Riccobono]
Mark Riccobono
Educator, Leader, and Visionary
>From the Editor: At the 2014 Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind, two new members were added to the national board of directors. One
of them is President Riccobono, the other James Brown. Since we recently
ran "Who are the Blind Who Lead the Blind," it seemed prudent to run
profiles of these members as separate articles, and here is the one for
President Riccobono:
Born in 1976, Mark Riccobono is the only child of two hard-working
parents of modest means. Both were high school graduates, and, although
they encouraged their son and gave him an example of what persistence and
hard work could do, they had no experience of higher education and no
familiarity with blindness. Riccobono was diagnosed as legally blind at the
age of five, glaucoma being the disease that took his sight. Although he
knew he had a vision problem, as a child he never felt limited in what he
could do. Being an only child just meant he relied more on friends, and his
elementary years have left him with good memories. He benefited from going
to his neighborhood school because his contact with children was not just
at school but in play, birthday celebrations, and school holidays. His low
vision meant he sometimes had to work harder, but the print was large, he
got a seat in the front of the room, his teachers did what they could to
help, and his friends were comfortable with their buddy who didn't see
quite as well as they did. "I was comfortable in my own skin, and that made
others around me comfortable as well." The obstacles he faced and the fact
that he had some limitations simply emphasized that he should do what his
parents did when things got tough: they just worked hard and powered
through, and powering through became an indispensable part of his
personality.
Riccobono got a very good elementary education, but found himself in
a rough middle school. It was probably what would be called a failing
school today. Many of his elementary school friends went to other middle
schools, so his social network began to evaporate. Now there were new
friends to make and already established groups who had reservations about
adding new members to their circles, and this further added to what was
already a difficult transition. The year before he entered the school there
had been a stabbing, and little emphasis was placed on academic success.
This was the place where he learned to stay under the radar, to isolate
himself from others, and to decide his place was in the back of the
classroom, where he was less likely to be noticed or called on. There were
no services to deal with vision loss, and the only accommodation he can
recall receiving was a special lock for his locker that he could operate.
Without a good way to read and to see the blackboard, he learned to
rely on memory, but even a good memory could not consistently deliver good
test scores, and he believes that sometimes he was simply passed.
Riccobono remembers that he was sometimes challenged to do better and
that often it was the math teachers who would ask more of him. But he was
all too frequently allowed just to exist there in the back of the room with
the students least likely to raise their hands, shout out answers, or be
called upon by the classroom teacher. Riccobono describes this as learning
to "be a passenger in my own life."
To add to the difficulty of middle school, surgeries for glaucoma in
eighth grade not only caused him to miss school, but eventually cost him a
significant amount of the little vision he had. An uncle who observed these
futile attempts asked his nephew, "What are you going to do if it doesn't
work? What will you do if you don't get vision back?"
"I began to ask myself with each surgery whether we might not be
chasing the unreachable dream," Riccobono said. A surgery performed to burn
off some of the scar tissue proved to be too effective, destroying the
vision in his left eye and eventually causing it to shrink.
So Riccobono went into high school totally blind in one eye and with
little vision in the other. In Milwaukee one could choose a high school
based on its specialty, and Riccobono chose the one that emphasized
business and becoming an entrepreneur. Unbeknownst to him when he made his
choice, this school had a resource room for blind students. This was the
first time he had considered that there might be others facing the
challenges that made school difficult.
Riccobono is glad he chose to attend the high school emphasizing
business. The teachers saw potential in him, and, for the first time in a
long time, he found himself surrounded by people who believed he had
capacity. "High school was better than middle school had been; it had some
very good teachers who believed in my capacity, and it had people who
worked to mentor me. They didn't understand where blindness fit into my
career possibilities, but they knew how to teach, saw potential in me, and
were determined to cultivate it."
He joined DECA, an association founded in 1946 to prepare emerging
leaders and entrepreneurs. In this organization he engaged in competitions
in public speaking, marketing, and creating a business plan. As a high
school senior he was involved in statewide competition, where he won first
place in public speaking and earned himself the opportunity to compete in
national competitions representing the state of Wisconsin. During that same
year he started a school based business selling sports cards based on a
business plan he developed the previous year.
After high school Riccobono arrived at the University of Wisconsin
with a folding cane, a laptop computer with no screen-reading or screen-
enlargement software, and a closed circuit television to enlarge paper
documents. "I had to study a lot because I read slowly and memorization was
the key to any success I might enjoy." But even with the extreme focus he
placed on academics, Riccobono hit the wall in his sophomore year and
almost failed a computer class because he had no access to the machines.
Eventually his rehabilitation counselor sent him for a technology
evaluation, and the use of speech and other technology was recommended. At
this point Riccobono started reaching out to other blind people, knowing
that, if some of them were successful, they had to be doing something he
was not. He knew that the barriers he was facing were real and that he was
making a significant effort to overcome them, but he was learning that
effort alone was not enough: he needed techniques, strategies, and building
on the experiences of others. So it was that he came to find the National
Federation of the Blind, won a state scholarship, and attended the national
convention in 1996. "A lot of what I heard at the convention resonated with
me-gave me real hope-but I wasn't sure it was real because I hadn't had the
chance to test it myself. But whatever skepticism I had, the truth is that
my predominant emotions were excitement and hope that what these people
were saying was true. For the first time in my life it was clear to me that
in this group it didn't matter how much or how little I could see. In this
group no one ever asked or tried to limit where I could go. For the first
time I didn't feel as though I had to decide what I would or would not do
based on my vision."
In the summer after he found the Federation, Riccobono learned
Braille, started using the white cane, and came to understand that blind
people used other techniques that might help him. He immediately began
testing what the Federation said about blindness and encouraged other
students to do the same. In the fall of 1996 he founded and became the
first President of the Wisconsin Association of Blind Students (a division
of the NFB of Wisconsin). He also began rebuilding his dreams. He secured
employment with the disability resource center on campus and coordinated
the delivery of accessible materials to other students. Riccobono also
began expanding his participation in the campus community, knowing that
blindness was not the thing that held him back but rather his own low
expectations learned over many years. Among his new activities Riccobono
became the first blind person at the university to be certified to
independently sail one-person sail boats in the Hoofers Sailing Program on
Lake Mendota.
Riccobono finished college in May of 1999 with a degree in business
administration, majoring in marketing and minoring in economics. He
interviewed with Sears in his senior year of college and already had a job
offer in hand when he graduated. While attending the Washington Seminar,
people asked what he intended to do between his graduation in May and the
start of his new job in August. They suggested he use this time for
training. Finding the advice sound, he attended the Colorado Center for the
Blind. There he worked on attitudes and skills and had a chance to test
some of the Federation ideas he had thought about with such hope. He found
they had verity in his life.
After training with Sears, Riccobono moved to Oak Creek, Wisconsin,
where he rented an apartment about three blocks from where he had grown up.
At this point he was feeling good about himself: a college graduate with a
job, living on his own, and the recently elected president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin, having won that post in 1998. Before
his election a proposal had been advanced to close the state's school for
the blind. Riccobono was appointed to serve on an advisory committee
charged with transforming the institution from a school to a center where
ten programs serving the blind would be housed, one of them being the
school for the blind. Riccobono learned from the Federation that his true
passion was not necessarily business (although he exhibits the thinking of
an entrepreneur in everything he does) but rather education and building
innovative educational programs. When the Wisconsin Center for the Blind
and Visually Impaired was established, Riccobono was hired as its director
shortly before his twenty-fourth birthday. He headed an agency with a
budget of six million dollars and began to implement programs that required
more of staff and students, consistent with the expectations of blind
people he found in the Federation. He worked at the Wisconsin Center for
three and a half years, and an audit ordered by the implementing
legislation gave the new center good marks and was the best the school had
received in over a decade. But Riccobono found making changes at the center
painfully slow and thought that his focus on improving education would be
better served by working on a national level. Having concluded that
Riccobono possessed some skills that would be valuable at the Jernigan
Institute, President Maurer hired him, and he and his wife Melissa (a
strong leader, advocate, and educator in her own right) moved to Baltimore.
After working for some time in education, he became the executive director
of the Jernigan Institute, a position he held until his election as the
president of the National Federation of the Blind in July of 2014. In his
Federation work he has led a number of critical initiatives including:
establishment of the National Center for Blind Youth in Science, building a
national mentoring program, expanding Braille literacy programs including
the NFB Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning program, development
of cutting-edge technologies including a car that a blind person can drive
(the NFB Blind Driver Challenge®), many advocacy priorities, affiliate-
building projects, and serving as a point person for key relationships with
NFB partners.
Mark and Melissa have three children: Austin born in December 2006,
Oriana born in May 2010, and Elizabeth born in June 2012, all of whom are
growing up in the Federation. Their daughters both carry the same eye
condition that Mark has, but they will have greater opportunities than
their dad because of their connection to the National Federation of the
Blind. With the emphasis on social media, YouTube, and communication that
goes beyond the written word, his family and their activities have been
more visible than those of earlier leaders. "While as a family we draw some
lines, we are generally pretty comfortable with letting people know what we
are doing, the message being that we lead normal lives and do the same
things others with children do. We try to show people what we have learned-
that blindness does not prevent us from being the kind of parents we want
to be and from living the lives we want." Riccobono is always building-his
social media presence frequently shows him engineering new creations out of
Legos with his children.
When asked about his responsibilities as the newly elected president
of the National Federation of the Blind and whether it is scary trying to
fill the shoes of former President Maurer, Riccobono says, "It isn't so
much trying to fill someone's shoes as building on a foundation. It is a
tremendous responsibility to figure out how to go farther, to strengthen
the movement, to lead in such a way that we go forward and build on what we
have been given. My challenge is to meet the expectations of folks who have
given a lot and have been around a long time, to meet their expectations
and let them know they are still wanted, valued, and needed, while at the
same time recognizing that the world is changing, that the organization
must continue to evolve, and assuring people that these requirements are
not in conflict but a part of continuing to exist and thrive. I worry less
about the shoes I must fill or the comparisons that will be made than I do
about figuring out how to lead us in the miles we must go, preserving the
resources we have, while spending enough of them to make the world what we
want it to be. I feel grateful that Dr. Maurer recognizes my challenge-he
has had to face it in his own transition and presidency, and I feel
confident that most of our members understand this too. The nature of this
office demonstrates daily just how far we have to go, and, although we have
a tremendous organization and significant resources, we have just a
fraction of what we need to do the work that remains.
"In accepting the presidency of this organization, I pledged to give
all of my energy, my creativity, and my love to our movement. This is how I
intend to pay it back, pay it forward, and make a future full of
opportunity for blind people. I have no illusions that this will be easy,
but I have every expectation that it will happen when all of us pull
together to create the kind of future in which we truly live the lives we
want."
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: James Gashel]
A New Era in Mobile Reading Begins: Introducing the KNFB Reader for iOS
by James Gashel
>From the Editor: James Gashel needs little introduction to our readers. He
is the secretary of the National Federation of the Blind, has been involved
with the project to bring reading technology to blind people since 1975,
and, when that technology could fit into a pocket, Jim urged us all to go
totally mobile. Here is an article about the latest release of the KNFB
Reader, a truly innovative and useful piece of software that once again
allows for on-the-go reading.
"If you have an iPhone you can have a reader too." This is what I said
on Sunday, July 6, 2014, as I addressed attendees at our seventy-fourth
annual convention and announced that the KNFB mobile reading technology
would soon be coming to the iPhone. The wait for this to happen was about
over.
The chain of events leading to this announcement extends back almost
four decades. It is said that history informs the present and nowhere is
that more true than in the history of reading for the blind using text
recognition and synthesized speech technology. Providing the iPhone with a
high-quality text-reading app did not occur in a vacuum, and it could not
have occurred at all without a whole series of events building on one
another.
For me it all started in March or April of 1975. I can't remember the
exact day when Ray Kurzweil entered the Washington office of the National
Federation of the Blind and sat across the desk from me. I had taken the
position as chief of the Washington office in January 1974, so when I first
met Ray, I was just a few months into my second year in that position.
Ray was and still is just a year or so younger than me, although both
of us are forty years older than when we first met on that spring day in
1975. He said he was a graduate of MIT, and he had started a small company
called Kurzweil Computer Products. Then what he said next was nothing less
than astonishing to me. He said he had invented a machine that could read
printed text to blind people, and he speculated that this would have great
promise for changing the way blind people would get information in the
future. More than what he said, what struck me was the matter of fact way
in which he said it-almost like creating this life-changing technology was
something he did on a Sunday afternoon with not much else going on that
particular day.
For my part I wanted to believe the story he was telling me, but I
still approached the prospect of an actual reading machine with a healthy
dose of skepticism. This was the mid-1970s, and much of the technology that
had been invented for the blind was not too advanced. There were cassette
tape players and talking book machines, and there was even a device called
the Optacon, which used a small camera and activated vibrating pins to form
the shape of the printed letters as seen by the camera. Some people really
liked it, but it fell far short of being an actual reading machine.
The machine he described used a computer, which I knew to be something
that only large institutions had. Ordinary people did not have computers,
so how could ordinary blind people have a reading machine? Besides, I
wondered how well it would really work.
As Ray and I talked, I thought of several other technologies for the
blind that were said to have great potential and then failed to live up to
their promise. Would this reading machine turn out to be something like
that?
Ray said his machine was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of
Boston, so two weeks later I went for a visit. I knew I didn't know
anything about computers, but I did know Alan Schlank, and I knew he
programmed computers for the Pentagon; so I took Alan with me to see what
we could learn about this machine. What we observed that day held true to
the promise-the machine did recognize print and speak the words-but it was
certainly not ready for prime time either. There were lots of wires and
gismos connected together, but everything was spread out on tables and
racks in a small room, and nothing was in a case. This was technology in
its most basic development stage, but it did do what Ray said it could, and
there was nothing else like it anywhere in the world.
I think it was about two months later that I first introduced Ray
Kurzweil to Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, then president of the National Federation
of the Blind. It was our 1975 convention, held at the Palmer House hotel in
Chicago, and it was Ray's first NFB convention. Ray said he had been
looking for money to bring the reading machine from the laboratory to the
market, but everybody he talked to just wished him well and sent him on his
way. The question was, would the NFB help to make the dream of a reading
machine come true, and the answer was an unequivocal yes: we would and we
did.
As our effort to raise funds went forward in the fall of 1975, word of
the machine that could read to the blind began to circulate, building
interest and enthusiastic support for the project. Ray likes to tell the
story of how Walter Cronkite, the legendary anchorman of the CBS Evening
News, learned about the reader and allowed it to read and speak the words
of his signature sign-off for the program: "That's the way it was, January
13, 1976." Speaking these words to conclude his nightly broadcast to
America was a personal privilege that Walter Cronkite reserved for himself,
and, as he later recalled, he had not allowed neither man nor machine to
take his place with the single exception of that night in January. Although
I was at the controls to make the reader speak, it was the reading machine
and not James Gashel that spoke the final words to conclude the broadcast.
First introduced to the market in 1978, the Kurzweil Reading Machine
continued to attract much interest, albeit with a $30,000 price tag. Buying
one was beyond the reach of most blind people, but it was possible for
blind people around the country to encourage its purchase by libraries and
agencies for the blind so that we could begin to take advantage of the
access it provided to the printed word. Still, the product was popular.
Even today I hear from blind people who had their first experience with the
Kurzweil Reading Machine at a local library, school, or rehabilitation
agency.
During the 1980s and through the 1990s, the reader (using different
product names) got smaller in size and less expensive to buy, just as Ray
had originally predicted. Then, as personal computers gained in popularity
in the 1990s, with scanners available as well, what we knew in the 1970s as
the standalone Kurzweil Reading Machine became computer software and sold
for $1,000-far more affordable than the $30,000 machine twenty years
before.
But the evolution of mobile reading for the blind was yet to come. In
October of 2001, as we were breaking ground for the Jernigan Institute and
planning its ground-breaking projects, Ray Kurzweil declared that the time
was drawing near when the scan-and-read technologies of the last thirty
years could be converted to run on mobile devices and used for reading on
the go. We asked when this could happen, and Ray responded in his
unassuming low-key way that his current models suggested the technology
could be available in about four and a half years give or take six months.
Trusting Ray and this prediction, the NFB and Kurzweil Technologies started
development of a handheld carry-around reader in 2002, not knowing what
hardware would eventually be available to power it.
In July, 2005, we had a handheld reader we could demonstrate. I told
Ray that the test would be if either Marc Maurer or I could get the reader
to recognize and speak text in front of our national convention. I
explained that the audience would not believe that the technology was real
if Ray or one of his engineers aimed the camera and took the pictures; it
was necessary that a blind person do the demonstration. So, with my heart
in my throat, I stood before the convention, holding the reader with print
on the table below, hoping to hear it read text. This was the first time in
history that a blind person would be standing up in a public setting,
aiming a camera at a printed document, and then letting the audience listen
to the result. Just imagine my feeling of absolute pride and joy when the
reader started to speak the text of the afternoon agenda, and the audience
erupted with one of the loudest convention cheers on record.
Obtaining reasonably accurate text-to-speech results when using a
computer and scanner was certainly a challenge not to be sneezed at in
1975, but designing the technology so blind people could take pictures and
still get highly accurate reading results was a challenge of a much higher
magnitude. When using a scanner, the page can easily be lined up with or
without sight, and the document is always well lit to provide a uniform and
high-quality image for text recognition. Not so, however, when a camera
rather than a scanner is used to capture an image of a page with text, and
especially not so when the person aiming the camera at the text can't see
to focus it. This is something Ray pointed out at our first meeting to
discuss the details of the mobile reader project. During that meeting and
since, he emphasized the importance of creating high-quality pictures of
text using image preprocessing technology as being absolutely essential to
improve text recognition accuracy.
The first mobile reader developed through the Kurzweil NFB
collaboration was software running on a personal data assistant connected
to a digital camera. The combination of these components sold for $3,495
beginning in July, 2006. We were right on schedule with Ray's October 2001
prediction. Then, eighteen months later, Nokia released the N82 cell phone,
complete with a five megapixel camera with a very bright xenon flash,
making this an ideal single unit platform for the smallest and least
expensive mobile reader ever. Within a year of its release this reader,
running on the Nokia N82 cell phone, was speaking in eighteen different
languages and even translating from one language to another. With the image
preprocessing technology working under the hood, the reader, called the
KNFB Reader Mobile, attracted worldwide attention and praise for its ease
of use and accuracy. Still, at a price of around $1,700, which included the
phone, the KNFB reading software, and screen-reading software, the cost
presented an economic barrier for many who wanted and needed a high-quality
reading device.
In June of 2009 Apple made history by adding screen-reading software
called VoiceOver to the operating system used to power its iPhone 3 GS. For
the blind this meant that a fully-accessible smartphone could be obtained
for around $200 as compared to buying any of several other available
smartphones for twice as much or more after adding in the additional cost
of screen-reading software. Besides, word spread that VoiceOver actually
worked very well to make the flat screen iPhone a thoroughly usable device
right out of the box. No wonder blind people were joining the lines of
enthusiastic buyers which form outside Apple stores worldwide every time a
new version of the iPhone is released. But for those who wanted a
smartphone with the ability to take pictures and read text on the go, the
advent of the fully accessible out of the box iPhone turned out to be a
mixed blessing, since Apple's choice of camera technology was far behind
the excellent cameras used in the more expensive and less accessible Nokia
phones. Running the reader software on the iPhone was not a problem, but
the iPhone's camera just would not produce an image of sufficient clarity
for accurate text recognition, resulting in the truth contained in the well-
known adage pertaining to computers: garbage in, garbage out.
In June 2010 there were widespread rumors that a better camera would
be available in the iPhone 4, scheduled for release later in the month. So,
camping chair in hand, I took up my position immediately outside the front
door of the AT&T store in my neighborhood when the store closed at 9:30 at
night. I wanted to be and was first in line to get my hands on one of these
new phones, which we were hoping could also be used as a reader. When the
store opened at 7:00 AM the next morning, I got my iPhone 4 and immediately
turned it over for review, hoping that a reader would result. It did not.
Although the camera hardware in the iPhone 4 was improved as compared to
its predecessors, it was still not possible to sharpen the image of text by
adjusting settings in the camera software, so the garbage in garbage out
problem continued.
These were dark days indeed for those of us who wanted the ability to
take pictures and read text with our iPhones, finding instead that, in
order to have a suitable device for reading on the go, we had to continue
carrying one phone for a reader and another for all other capabilities of a
smartphone-far from an optimal solution. Still the good old KNFB Reader
Mobile running on a Nokia N82 cell phone remained the gold standard in
mobile reading technology, never mind that Nokia stopped making the N82 mid-
way through 2009. Lacking a suitable platform, the reader, once popular in
the golden age of the Nokia phone way back in 2008, had become virtually
obsolete except among those of us who had the good fortune to obtain it
before the iPhone became accessible and captured the market.
The break which led almost immediately to the KNFB Reader iOS app came
in September 2013 when Apple announced its coming release of iPhones with
better cameras, faster computer processors, and greater control over
certain camera settings made possible in the newest version of its mobile
device operating system called iOS 7. The specifications looked very
promising, but I remembered my high hopes for having a reader on the iPhone
4. A small company in Belgium called Sensotec had been wanting to produce a
reader for the iPhone, so plans were made to do so if good text recognition
results could be obtained from the new iPhone 5 S running iOS 7.
I remember taking the first pictures with a prototype version of our
text reading app in late November 2013 and realizing at that time that the
iPhone could be a reader too. My thought was that, for blind people to
accept it, we needed a reader that would meet or exceed the standard set by
the KNFB Reader Mobile running on the Nokia N82. Anything less would
disappoint potential users and might not be worth the effort. Several text
reading apps had become available for the iPhone, but most had failed or
nearly failed due to poor performance and lack of interest. The problem (if
you can call it a problem) was that the standard for high-quality reading
on the go had been set when Kurzweil Technologies and the NFB joined forces
to create the KNFB Reader Mobile reading technology. To gain widespread
acceptance, performance of the app on the iPhone would have to meet the
KNFB Reader standard or exceed it.
Has that goal been achieved? Let the users speak for themselves. What
follows are unsolicited comments compiled by the Apple App Store and on the
KNFB Reader Users list.
Wow. This single app is a life changer for blind people. It
recognizes text extremely accurately and quickly. It's far faster than
using my flatbed scanner with Kurzweil and is as fast or faster than
OpenBook with the Pearl document camera. I have taken twenty or so
pictures since downloading, even of my computer screen, and have been
continuously amazed with the results. If you are debating getting it,
don't. It's the real thing. It's what we have been waiting for! NFB
and good old Ray have done it again.
I have used several OCR applications on different platforms.
Some of them worked well, but, on iOS, I have generally had very poor
results with them until KNFB Reader came along. I stuck a regular
office memo under the phone and gave this app a try, and it read the
memo almost perfectly on my first attempt. My camera technique isn't
all that good either. So I must say that these guys hit one out of the
park with this one.
I bought it, used it, and love it. Talk about a product that is
simply amazing: it's everything it was promised to be.
This is the app I have been waiting for for the past five years-
and it has not disappointed. I have used the previous KNFB Reader
mobile device, and this app for iPhone is much easier to use. It is
intuitive. It takes pictures and reads the print from round spice
bottles, small round medicine files, on the back of plastic pouches,
in glass picture frames, and off of my laptop computer screen. [While
the reader does have the ability to capture some text from round
bottles, sometimes several shots are required to determine their
contents, and the Reader should not be regarded as a substitute for
other devices that read prescriptions or bar codes.] I have many
scanner apps on my iPhone, and none of them are accurate. But this one
is accurate at least 98% of the time. Love it, love it, love it.
These comments represent the overwhelming sentiments of those who have
purchased the KNFB Reader. In mid-October the app was upgraded for use on
Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 plus, as well as being supported for use with the
iPhone 4 S and the 5th generation iPod Touch. Plans are in the works to
release a version designed for use on newer models of the iPad with better
cameras, as well as on Android phones and tablet devices.
More information about how the KNFB Reader works is available by
visiting the KNFB Reader website at <www.knfbreader.com>, where you can
also find video and audio demonstrations. A thorough and well-crafted
review of the product also appeared in the November issue of Access World
with the title "KNFB Reader for iOS: Does This App Live up to All the
Hype?," written by Bill Holton. It can be found at
<http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw151104#content>.
Speaking in English and eleven other languages on the day it was
launched, the KNFB Reader will soon be able to be used with dozens of other
languages, including Japanese, Russian, and Chinese, with translation from
one language to another.
Maintained by KNFB Reading Technology and Sensotec with the support of
the National Federation of the Blind, the KNFB Reader for iOS can be
purchased and downloaded from Apple's worldwide App Store distribution
system. At a price of $99.99 it is an understatement to say that, with
added capabilities yet to come, the KNFB Reader for iOS has already opened
a new era in read-on-the-go technology for people who are blind by raising
the bar for high-quality performance and by lowering the price of the
technology that makes it possible.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Diane McGeorge]
2015 Washington Seminar: What's New in the Rooms and Reserving Yours
by Diane McGeorge
>From the Editor: The following message comes from Diane McGeorge, who
organizes much of the logistics of Washington Seminar:
This is a reminder about making your hotel reservations for the 2015
Washington Seminar. Our deadline with the hotel is December 19, 2014, and,
although I know most of you are busy as we approach the holiday season, we
would certainly appreciate getting your reservations as early as possible.
Sleeping room rates are $180 for single, double, triple, or quad
rooms, and the tax rate is 14.5% per night. The address of the Holiday Inn
Capitol is 550 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. We would like to have
representation from all fifty states, so please encourage members from your
state affiliates to attend.
The Holiday Inn Capitol in Washington DC has undergone a great number
of changes since our last visit, including becoming completely non-smoking.
All of the sleeping rooms have been completely renovated, giving them a
classy and fresh look and feel. The rooms with two beds have been upgraded
from double beds to queen beds and can no longer accommodate rollaway beds.
All king rooms will have walk-in showers instead of bathtubs with showers.
All rooms will also have laptop-sized safes in the closets.
All of the meeting rooms have also been renovated, and along with the
new look are new names. We will no longer have any meeting rooms or office
space on the second floor.
The former Apollo and Mercury rooms are now sleeping rooms and are no
longer available to us. The communication center and office for our
Washington Seminar will now be found in room 353. The Columbia Ballroom is
now called Capitol Ballroom, and the Discovery Ballroom is now called
Congressional Ballroom. Saturn/Venus is now called House Room, Jupiter is
now called Senate Room, and Mars is now called Caucus Boardroom.
The hotel restaurant, too, has undergone changes. The buffet has been
moved to provide more guest seating. The Deli Express is no longer. In its
place you will find a new public seating area, complete with device-
charging stations. You will find the new Lobby Market to the right as you
face the front desk. You will be able to grab snacks there 24/7. They are
expected to provide frozen dinners, ice cream, little boxes of cereal,
milk, and that type of thing. They are hoping to have coffee in the lobby
as well.
With all of these changes, the hotel has removed soda and snack
machines on each floor, but you can still find ice machines on each level.
Keep in mind that Starbucks will still be in place, so you can get your
coffee as well as their usual fare.
I hope you have made your requests for meeting room space, since
these meeting rooms fill up very quickly. If not, please notify us prior to
December 10, giving us the name of your meeting, the number of people you
expect in attendance, and the type of room setup you wish to have.
Following is the information I will need to make your hotel
reservations:
. Your dates of arrival and departure.
. First and last names of any roommates that might be
sharing with you-please spell first and last names of each person
sharing the room, and please include arrival and departure date for
each person.
. Please specify how many beds you wish to have in the room,
either two queen beds or one king bed.
. Please indicate if you need an accessible room.
. Rollaway beds are $15 per night, but can now only be used
in a room with a king bed, since the regular rooms will have two queen
beds and will no longer accommodate a rollaway bed.
. Refrigerators are standard in all guest rooms at no
additional charge.
. Per the hotel contract, individual cancellation must be
made seventy-two hours prior to date of arrival to avoid one night's
room plus tax cancellation charge. You must get in touch with Lisa
Bonderson or me to make changes to your reservation as soon as
possible to avoid such a charge.
Please do not contact the hotel to make your reservations. I submit
all the reservations for the Washington Seminar. You may call (303) 778-
1130, extension 219, to make your reservation, or you may email your
reservations to Lisa Bonderson at <lbonderson at cocenter.org>. We will
confirm receipt of your reservation either by return email or by telephone,
so be sure to give us your telephone number and your email address.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Kaitlin Shelton]
Ode to the Code: How One Student Came to Love Braille
by Kaitlin Shelton
>From the Editor: Kaitlin Shelton is the president of the Ohio Association
of Blind Students, won a national scholarship in 2013, and just won her
second scholarship from the Ohio affiliate. At the state convention she
played Federation songs on the guitar, although she plays other instruments
as well. Kaitlin offers her perspective on Braille, Braille literacy, and
how she struggled to accept both. Here's what she has to say:
Today I am an avid Braille reader. I love reading novels on my
BrailleSense or in hard copy and couldn't imagine life without literacy.
Some would say I'm even a bit too stern about Braille because I tend to
avoid other forms of reading like audio and readers since a part of me
considers using those methods of reading to be cheating, but you really
just can't replace Braille and the independence that comes along with it.
>From the way I talk, you're probably assuming that I've had a Braille-
filled childhood and parents who fought long and hard to secure the
privileges of reading for me, but that wasn't the case.
One day in pre-K I was pulled out of class by a woman from the county
for an assessment. We sat in the hall, and she introduced me to the Perkins
Brailler for the first time. We Brailled a few letters, and I was starting
to get the hang of it, but she took me back to class, and I never saw her
again. County officials determined that I saw well enough that reading
Braille might not be the best option. I was sent along to kindergarten with
the notion in my parents' heads that I would read large print.
Kindergarten came and went, and I started the first grade in the fall
of 2000. My teacher, a creative and wonderful woman named Mrs. Murphy,
noticed that there were a few problems with my academic performance right
from the start. For one thing I could read print, but it was painfully slow
and tedious. Since I have nystagmus and a very small focus in the one eye
that has vision, I had to scan each letter individually before I could
identify the word I was reading. I was also missing out on a lot of the
incidental learning that the sighted students gained from seeing things
like alphabet posters, number charts, and other visuals on the walls of the
classroom. Mrs. Murphy decided that this needed to change. She researched
the problem and decided that it was time for me to switch from reading
print to reading Braille.
This terrified my parents, especially my mother. She had been told
that, since her child had vision, everything should be done to allow that
vision to be used and that using it would help me be more like my peers. In
a roundabout way she had been told that reading anything other than print
would make me look blind. Under these conditions she was against the idea
of my learning Braille. She thought, "Who does this teacher think she is?"
But Mrs. Murphy followed her instinct and fought for me to learn
Braille. She sat my mom down and told her that I was a bright student;
there was no reason why I should be reading below grade level and falling
behind my peers if it didn't have to be that way. She explained that for me
Braille would be the great equalizer. The books would grow longer and more
complex, I'd be expected to read more for my classes, and without Braille I
would continue to function at a lower level than my sighted classmates. She
also made the point that the doctors had no idea how long I would have
usable vision and that it would be much harder to learn Braille as a middle
school or high school student than it would be at six years old, when
reading instruction was part of the curriculum. My mom finally agreed that
I should start learning Braille, so my instruction began.
But that wasn't the half of my struggle to become Braille literate.
By that time the idea that reading print was what made me the same as my
friends had already wedged its way into my six-year-old brain. When my
books that had pictures on the covers and looked just like everyone else's
were taken away, I was absolutely distraught. The Braille books I was given
in their place were bland, bulky, and very different. I didn't like being
the only one in my class to have books like them, so I resisted the
instruction. The Perkins Brailler was also something I came to despise.
Before I used the Perkins, I used a grease pencil to write. I'd often lift
my face from the page to have black grease smeared all over myself, but I
figured that I was at least doing what my friends were. The Brailler was
heavy, bulky, and loud. We were supposed to be very quiet during spelling
tests, and using the noisy machine made me feel self-conscious.
Many of my spelling tests were not completed because I would get
frustrated or upset and begin to cry or throw a temper tantrum in the
middle of class. I remember being carried out of the room into the hall by
my aide, sobbing out "I hate Braille." Though I laugh about it now, it was
a serious self-esteem issue for me at the time. As the year went on, I
started to devise other methods for avoiding the Brailler. Once, when my
aide had left me alone in our Braille room to grab something, I shoved
everything I could get my hands on into the Brailler. Pencils, paper clips,
and thumbtacks were among the items that the aide tried to fish out of the
Brailler, but it needed to be sent off to be repaired. Unfortunately for
me, the county brought a spare Brailler to the school for me to use while
the one we had was being fixed, and I think that was when I realized that I
wasn't going to avoid Braille. It was clear to me that it would now be a
part of my life, and I would just have to deal with it.
In the second grade, after I had been reading Braille for a year, my
attitude about Braille began to change. My skills had improved to the point
where I could start reading the same stories as my classmates, so, even
though I still didn't have my pictures, I could at least read the same
Junie B. Jones and Magic Treehouse books. My mother had become a staunch
supporter of Braille and began purchasing the print copies of books I read
so she could read with me. Each Christmas after that, until I became a
member of Bookshare and NLS, I received several Newberry Award-winning
books from Seedlings in Braille. I soon started reading books above my
grade level, and by the third grade my favorite books included The Trumpet
of the Swan, Matilda, Charlotte's Web, James and the Giant Peach, and some
books in the Goosebumps series.
Over the next several years I began to advocate for Braille along
with my mother. Together we established a Braille book library for blind
children throughout Ohio, and several of my Seedlings Books remain in that
library today. Whenever I hear a parent of a blind child say that he or she
uses audio and the computer to read, I always ask, "What about Braille?"
And then I try to educate them about how it has enriched my life and the
lives of other blind people. As Mrs. Murphy said, for blind people Braille
is the great equalizer. It is what makes us literate, and, although
technology and audio can certainly be useful and do serve their purposes,
they can't replace Braille. I know that I would have at best struggled
through high school and performed less successfully than I have and at
worst not finished high school and found some small job which doesn't
require literacy skills. Fortunately, I can say that, not only am I well
versed in the literary code, but I also use the music Braille code for my
studies as a music therapy major and know the scientific and Nemeth codes
as well.
In the Federation we hear about parents fighting their school
districts for Braille instruction all the time. My situation was the
opposite, and I shudder to think of where I would be today if my parents
had never changed their minds about Braille. I am glad that both my parents
and I have come to see Braille, not as something which makes me different
from my sighted friends and classmates, but as something which lets me
compete and perform to the same standards. I consider myself to be
extremely lucky, not only because I learned Braille at all, but because
most kids like me with usable vision are denied the right to receive a
comparable education to those of their sighted peers. If it weren't for
Mrs. Murphy's insistence, I would never have discovered the necessity and
joy of Braille literacy. It is fitting that my birthday is the same as
Louis Braille's, January 4, because I owe so much to him-as we all do-for
the code which has made me who I am today.
----------
Consider a Charitable Gift
Making a charitable gift can be one of the most satisfying
experiences in life. Each year millions of people contribute their time,
talent, and treasure to charitable organizations. When you plan for a gift
to the National Federation of the Blind, you are not just making a
donation; you are leaving a legacy that insures a future for blind people
throughout the country. Special giving programs are available through the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Points to Consider When Making a Gift to the National Federation of the
Blind
. Will my gift serve to advance the mission of the NFB?
. Am I giving the most appropriate asset?
. Have I selected the best way to make my gift?
. Have I considered the tax consequences of my gift?
. Have I sought counsel from a competent advisor?
. Have I talked to the NFB planned giving officer about my gift?
Benefits of Making a Gift to the NFB
. Helping the NFB fulfill its mission
. Receiving income tax savings through a charitable deduction
. Making capital gain tax savings on contribution of some appreciated
gifts
. Providing retained payments for the life of a donor or other
beneficiaries
. Eliminating federal estate tax in certain situations
. Reducing estate settlement cost
Your Gift Will Help Us
. Make the study of science and math a real possibility for blind
children
. Provide hope and training for seniors losing vision
. Promote state and chapter programs and provide information that will
educate blind people
. Advance technology helpful to the blind
. Create a state-of-the-art library on blindness
. Train and inspire professionals working with the blind
. Provide critical information to parents of blind children
. Mentor blind people trying to find jobs
Your gift makes you a part of the NFB dream!
----------
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by James Gashel
>From the Editor: James Gashel is secretary of the National Federation of
the Blind and chairs the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards committee. Here is his
announcement about the 2015 Bolotin Awards program:
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that
applications are now being accepted for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. These
prestigious awards, granted each year as funds permit, recognize
individuals, corporations, organizations, or other entities for outstanding
work of excellence on behalf of the blind in the United States. The public
recognition ceremony will be held during the 2015 annual convention of the
National Federation of the Blind in Orlando, Florida. Each recipient will
be given a cash award in an amount determined by the Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award Committee and will also be honored with an engraved medallion and
plaque.
Dr. Bolotin was a pioneering blind physician who practiced in the
early twentieth century, and the awards which now bear his name are made
possible through the generosity of his late nephew and niece. Their
bequest, the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, allows the National
Federation of the Blind to recognize and support the most outstanding
individuals and projects working to improve opportunities for blind people
in the United States, consistent with Dr. Bolotin's pioneering example.
As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor by Rosalind Perlman,
Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance to medical school
and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected physicians
in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his
death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in diseases of
the heart and lungs. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to
advocate for employment of the blind and their full integration into
society. Interested in young people in general and blind youth in
particular, Dr. Bolotin established the first Boy Scout troop consisting
entirely of blind boys and served as its leader.
Jacob Bolotin's wife Helen had a sister whose husband died suddenly,
leaving her to raise a son, Alfred Perlman. The Perlmans moved in with the
Bolotins when Alfred was eleven, and for four years (until Jacob Bolotin's
untimely death at the age of thirty-six), "Uncle Jake" became Alfred's
surrogate father. Alfred later married Rosalind, and the couple worked on a
book about Dr. Bolotin's life. After Alfred's death in 2001, Rosalind
dedicated the rest of her life to completing and publishing the book. Then,
upon her death and as part of her will, Rosalind left a bequest to the
Santa Barbara Foundation and the National Federation of the Blind to
produce Dr. Bolotin's biography and establish the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
program. Her book, The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story, has been
published by and is available from Blue Point Books
<www.BluePointBooks.com>.
Award Description
In 2015 the National Federation of the Blind will again recognize
individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in
accordance with the criteria established to receive the Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award. The committee will determine both the number of awards and the value
of each award presented. The Federation determines the total amount to be
distributed each year based on income received from the trust supporting
the award program. The award categories for each year are blind
individuals, sighted individuals, and organizations, corporations, or other
entities. Individuals may apply on their own behalf or may submit a third
party nomination, or the committee may also consider other individual or
organizational candidates.
Who Should Apply?
Individuals: Only individuals over eighteen years of age may be
considered for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. Applicants must demonstrate that
they have shown substantial initiative and leadership in improving the
lives of the blind. Examples of such initiative include but are not limited
to developing products, technologies, or techniques that increase the
independence of the blind; directing quality programs or agencies for the
blind; or mentoring other blind people. All individual applicants or third-
party applicants nominating other individuals must demonstrate that the
work to be recognized has been conducted within the twelve months preceding
the application and/or that the work is continuing. Applications by or on
behalf of individuals must include at least one letter of recommendation
from a person familiar with or directly affected by the work to be
recognized.
Organizations: Organizations may apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
in order to further programs, services, technology, or techniques of unique
and outstanding merit that have assisted and will continue to assist the
blind. Applications from third parties nominating an organization will also
be considered. The organization category includes corporations, nonprofit
organizations, or other entities, such as a specific division within an
organization. Organizations or third-party applicants must demonstrate that
the programs or services to be recognized include substantial participation
by blind people as developers, mentors, administrators, or executives, and
not merely as clients, consumers, or beneficiaries. For example, an
organization operating a program for blind youth might demonstrate that a
substantial number of the counselors, teachers, or mentors involved in the
program are blind. The organization or third-party applicant must
demonstrate that it has substantially aided blind people within the twelve
months prior to application and that an award would support efforts to
build on previous successes. The application must also include at least one
testimonial from a blind person who has benefited substantially from the
programs or services.
To qualify for an award both individuals and organizations must be
headquartered in the United States of America, and their work must
primarily benefit the blind of the United States.
Procedures
More information, including an online application, can be found on the
National Federation of the Blind website at <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin-
award-main>.
Online submission of nominations, letters of support, and other
relevant materials is strongly encouraged, but applications sent by mail
and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. The 2015 deadline for
application submission is March 31. Recipients chosen by the committee will
be individually notified of their selection no later than May 15. Receipt
of all complete applications will be acknowledged; only those applicants
chosen to receive an award will be contacted by May 15. All decisions of
the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award committee are final.
The awards will be presented in July during the annual convention of
the National Federation of the Blind. Individuals selected to receive an
award must appear in person, not send a representative. Organizations may
send an individual representative, preferably their chief executive
officer. Recipient candidates must confirm in writing that they will appear
in person to accept the award at the National Federation of the Blind
annual convention. Failure to confirm attendance for the award presentation
by June 1 will result in forfeiture of the award.
Ineligible Persons
Those employed full-time by the National Federation of the Blind may not
apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for work performed within the scope of
their employment. Students may not apply for both a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
and a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship in the same year.
----------
The Police Chief of Albuquerque Met the Blind of New Mexico
by Peggy Chong
>From the Editor: Peggy Chong loves history and is an amateur historian who
has made frequent contributions in these pages. Here is what she has to say
about spreading the news about the White Cane Law to a prominent official
in the state where she and her husband Curtis now live:
On Saturday, October 18, 2014, Federationists gathered at the Uptown
Sheraton Hotel in Albuquerque to celebrate the passage of the White Cane
Law here in New Mexico. This is much more than a law that allows us to
travel independently on our city and country roads. It is the civil rights
legislation here in New Mexico that guarantees blind people access to all
buildings, streets, activities, and employment opportunities in our state.
Our banquet was sponsored by the NFB of New Mexico, Albuquerque Chapter;
the Parents of Blind Children Division; and the West Mesa Chapter.
Caroline Benavidez, president of the West Mesa chapter, was our emcee.
The first part of the agenda was a history of white cane laws in New Mexico
presented by Peggy Chong. Francine Garcia read the 2014 White Cane
Proclamation signed by Governor Susana Martinez earlier in the month.
Our guest speaker was Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden, whose
topic was quiet cars and how they affect us all. He related his personal
experience being hit by a quiet car at his own home by a family member. It
was refreshing to have a police representative identify with our issues as
a fellow Albuquerquean and not think of us as amazing, brave, or leading
lives too scary for him to imagine. He offered our chapters an opportunity
to come and record a video message concerning the White Cane Law that all
the police officers of Albuquerque can view as part of their daily updates.
We agreed to take him up on his offer later in November. All agreed that
Chief Eden did a great job and is a friend to the blind of our city.
A certificate of appreciation was presented to Chief Eden after his
presentation. The certificate was done in both print and Braille, and
Albuquerque President Daphne Mitchell read the Braille version to him.
Again this year we hosted the White Cane Essay Contest. Gail Wagner
presented the winners with their cash prizes and read the winning entries
to the audience. This year's essay contest winners were first place in the
adult category, Veronica Smith, and second place, Monica Martinez. In the
children's category Faith Switzer took first place and Ari Benally second
place.
When we adjourned the festivities, many Federationists lined up to
thank Chief Eden for coming and staying during the entire event to meet
many of our members personally. All left the banquet with renewed energy
for the National Federation of the Blind.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Lauren McLarney]
Social Security, SSI, and Medicare Facts for 2015
by Lauren McLarney
>From the Editor: Every December we publish the Social Security figures that
have been announced for the coming year. Here is the 2015 information as
prepared by Lauren McLarney, manager of governmental affairs, in our NFB
Advocacy and Policy Department:
Another year, another set of annual adjustments to Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and
Medicare programs. The updated amounts for 2015 are listed below. These
numbers include new tax rates, higher exempt earnings amounts (substantial
gainful activity), and cost-of-living increases. They also include
deductible, premium, and coinsurance amounts under Part A and B of
Medicare.
Tax Rates
FICA and Self-Employment Tax Rates: The FICA tax rate for employees
and their employers is a combination of payments to the Old Age, Survivors,
and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Fund, and the Hospital Insurance
(HI) Trust Fund, from which payments under Medicare are made. In other
words, the tax rate is the combined rate for Social Security and Medicare.
The total tax rate for 2014 was 7.65 percent for employees and their
employers and 15.3 percent for self-employed workers. These percentages are
unchanged for 2015. Please note that as of January 2013 individuals with
earned income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing
jointly) pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes. The tax rates
listed above for 2013 and 2014 do not include that additional 0.9 percent.
Ceiling on Earnings Subject to Tax: In 2014 the ceiling on taxable
earnings for contributions to the OASDI Trust Fund was $117,000. For 2015
the maximum amount of taxable earnings will be $118,500. All earnings are
taxed for the HI Trust Fund.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Quarters of Coverage: Eligibility for Retirement, Survivors, and
Disability Insurance benefits is partially based on the number of quarters
of coverage earned by any individual during periods of work. Anyone may
earn up to four quarters of coverage in a single year. The rationale behind
the quarter-of-coverage concept is that a person must have contributed to
the system before being eligible to collect benefits from it. The quarters
of coverage are a way of measuring how much one has contributed to the
system. In 2014 a quarter of coverage was credited for earnings of $1,200
in any calendar quarter. Anyone who earned $4,800 in 2014 (regardless of
when the earnings occurred during the year) received four quarters of
coverage. In 2015 a quarter of coverage will be credited for earnings of
$1,220 during a calendar quarter. Four quarters will be credited for annual
earnings of $4,880.
Trial Work Period Limit: The amount of earnings required to use a
trial work month is subject to annual increases based on changes in the
national average wage index. In 2014 the amount was $770. This amount will
increase to $780 in 2015. In cases of self-employment a trial work month
can also be used if a person works more than eighty hours, and this
limitation on hours worked will not change unless expressly adjusted.
Exempt Earnings: The monthly earnings exemption is referred to as
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). This is a measurement used to determine
whether a beneficiary is earning enough income that he or she may be deemed
ineligible for benefits and is calculated as a person's monthly income
before taxes, minus any unearned (or subsidy) income and any impairment-
related work expense deductions. In 2014 the SGA for a blind person
receiving disability benefits was $1,800. In 2015 this number will increase
slightly to $1,820 per month. This means that in 2015 a blind SSDI
beneficiary who earns $1,821 or more a month (before taxes but after
subtractions of subsidy incomes and impairment-related work expenses) will
be deemed to have exceeded SGA and will likely no longer be eligible for
benefits.
Social Security Benefit Amounts: There will be a 1.7 percent cost-of-
living adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries in 2015. Increased payments to
beneficiaries will begin in December of 2014 and will apply to everyone
receiving benefits in 2015.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Standard SSI Benefit Increase: Beginning January 2015 the federal
payment amounts for SSI individuals and couples are as follows:
individuals, $733 a month; SSI couples, $1,100 a month.
Student Earned Income Exclusion: In 2014 the monthly amount was
$1,750, and the maximum yearly amount was $7,060. In 2015 the monthly
amount will be $1,780, and the maximum yearly amount will be $7,180. The
SSI program applies strict asset limits of $2,000 for individuals and
$3,000 for couples, which can be changed only by Congress.
Medicare
Medicare Deductibles and Coinsurance: Medicare Part A coverage
provides hospital insurance to most Social Security beneficiaries. The
coinsurance amount is the hospital charge to a Medicare beneficiary for any
hospital stay. Medicare then pays the hospital charges above the
beneficiary's coinsurance amount.
The Part A hospital inpatient deductible was $1,216 in 2014 and will
increase to $1,260 in 2015. The coinsurance charged for hospital services
within a benefit period of no longer than sixty days was $0 in 2014 and
will stay at $0 in 2015. From the sixty-first day through the ninetieth
day, the daily coinsurance amount was $304 a day in 2014 and will slightly
increase in 2015 to $315 a day. Each Medicare beneficiary has sixty
lifetime reserve days that may be used after a ninety-day benefit period
has ended. Once used, these reserve days are no longer available after any
benefit period. The coinsurance amount paid during each reserve day used in
2014 was $608. In 2015 the coinsurance for each reserve day will be $630.
Part A of Medicare pays all covered charges for services in a skilled
nursing facility for the first twenty days following a three-day in-
hospital stay within a benefit period. From the twenty-first day through
the one hundredth day in a benefit period, the Part A coinsurance amount
for services received in a skilled nursing facility was $152 in 2014 and
will increase to $157.50 for 2015.
Most Social Security beneficiaries have no monthly premium charge for
Medicare Part A coverage. Those who become ineligible for SSDI can continue
to receive Medicare Part A coverage premium-free for at least ninety-three
months after the end of a trial work period. After that time the individual
may purchase Part A coverage. The premium rate for this coverage during
2014 was $426 a month. In 2015 the premium rate for Part A coverage will
reduce to $407.
The annual deductible amount for Medicare Part B (medical insurance)
in 2014 was $147. That amount will not change in 2015. The Medicare Part B
monthly premium rate charged to each new beneficiary or to those
beneficiaries who directly pay their premiums quarterly for 2014 was
$104.90 a month, and again that amount will not change in 2015. For those
receiving Social Security benefits, this premium payment is deducted from
your monthly benefit check. Individuals who remain eligible for Medicare
but are not receiving Social Security benefits because they are working
must directly pay the Part B premium quarterly-one payment every three
months. Like the Part A premiums mentioned above, Part B is also available
for at least ninety-three months following the trial work period, assuming
an individual wishes to have it and, when not receiving SSDI, continues to
make quarterly premium payments.
Programs That Help with Medicare Deductibles and Premiums: Low-income
Medicare beneficiaries may qualify for help with payments. Assistance is
available through two programs-the QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary
program) and the SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program).
To qualify for the QMB program in 2014, an individual's monthly income
could not exceed $993 and a married couple's monthly income could not
exceed $1,331. To qualify for the SLMB program in 2014, an individual's
monthly income could not exceed $1,187 and a married couple's monthly
income could not exceed $1,593. A note on the Medicare website says: "These
amounts may increase in 2015."
Under the QMB program states are required to pay the Medicare Part A
(Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) premiums, deductibles,
and coinsurance expenses for Medicare beneficiaries who meet the program's
income and resource requirements. Under the SLMB program states pay only
the full Medicare Part B monthly premium. Eligibility for the SLMB program
may be retroactive for up to three calendar months.
Both the QMB and SLMB programs are administered by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services in conjunction with the states. The rules
vary from state to state, but the following can be said: Resources, such as
bank accounts or stocks, may not exceed $7,160 for one person or $10,750
for a family of two. There is yet a third program called the Qualified
Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI) Program, and resources cannot
exceed $4,000 for one person and $6,000 for a married couple under that
program. Resources are generally things you own. However, not everything is
counted. The house you live in, for example, doesn't count; and generally
one car also doesn't count.
If you qualify for assistance under the QMB program, you will not
have to pay the following: Medicare's hospital deductible amount, which
will be $1,260 per benefit period in 2015; the daily coinsurance charges
for extended hospital and skilled nursing facility stays; the Medicare Part
B (Medical Insurance) premium, which will be $104.90 a month in 2015,
unless you are currently receiving benefits from Social Security and the
agency is automatically withholding your Part B premiums; the 2015 $147
annual Part B deductible; and the 20 percent coinsurance for services
covered by Medicare Part B, depending on which doctor you go to (these
services include doctor services, outpatient therapy, and durable medical
equipment).
If you qualify for assistance under the SLMB program, you will be
responsible for the payment of all of the items listed above except for the
monthly Part B premium, depending on your circumstances.
If you think you qualify but you have not filed for Medicare Part A,
contact Social Security to find out if you need to file an application.
Further information about filing for Medicare is available from your local
Social Security office or Social Security's toll-free number (800) 772-
1213.
Remember that only your state can decide if you are eligible for help
from the QMB or SLMB program and also that the income and resource levels
listed here are general guidelines, with some states choosing greater
amounts. Therefore, if you are elderly or disabled, have low income and
very limited assets, and are a Medicare beneficiary, contact your state or
local Medicaid office (referred to in some states as the Public Aid Office
or the Public Assistance Office) to apply. For more information about
either program, call the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
on its toll-free number (800) 633-4227, or go online to
<http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ContactCMS>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Al Maneki]
The Tactile Fluency Revolution: Year Two
by Al Maneki
>From the Editor: Al Maneki has had a distinguished career and in his
retirement has turned his focus to improving the education of blind
children by addressing the issue of tactile drawings. His work with
E.A.S.Y. is well-known to readers, and here is his latest update on their
efforts:
Welcome to the second year of the tactile fluency revolution. The
National Federation of the Blind proclaimed the start of this revolution at
the tactile graphics workshop held at our 2013 convention in Orlando. As a
cornerstone of this revolution, we adopted Resolution 2013-08, committing
us to teaching Braille and tactile graphics simultaneously.
Despite a number of production delays, during the past year E.A.S.Y.,
LLC brought the inTACT Sketchpad and Eraser to market just in time for sale
at the 2014 NFB Convention. E.A.S.Y. representatives spent the past year
promoting the tactile fluency revolution to people in the field of work
with the blind. Our case for the need for tactile graphics was met with
nearly unanimous support. Under the sponsorship of this resolution,
E.A.S.Y. participated in NFB state conventions in Illinois, Texas, Utah,
New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. They
held exhibits and workshops, and they spoke in some of the general
sessions. In the summer of 2014 E.A.S.Y. conducted tactile graphics
sessions at the NFB BELL summer programs held in Ohio, Utah, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, and Texas. At the 2014 National
Convention E.A.S.Y. conducted a tactile graphics workshop for NFBJI, and
they spoke briefly at the NFB board meeting. They also spoke at the NOPBC
and Science and Engineering annual meetings. For the second consecutive
year E.A.S.Y. introduced tactile graphics to the youngsters in NFB Camp.
In the summer of 2014 I personally conducted tactile graphics sessions
in three NFB BELL classes, two in Maryland and one in the District of
Columbia. I found it most refreshing to work with NFB BELL-age students,
roughly age five to ten. Unlike blind adults, who reacted to our Sketchpad
with a degree of hesitation, blind youngsters took up the Sketchpad with
glee. While we received comments from the adults such as "I've never done
this before," or, "I'm not going to be very good at this," the youngsters
took up the Sketchpad with enthusiasm. As soon as we showed them how it
worked, they were off and running.
I developed a simple lesson plan for these three classes. When I
arrived to teach the classes, students were already well drilled in the
basic Federation classroom procedures, such as speaking out their names
loudly and clearly in order to be recognized. Although there were a few
complaints about using sleepshades, everyone complied with this
requirement.
After the round of introductions, the students examined their
Sketchpads. Each contained a simple tactile image that they were asked to
identify. We showed them how to use the drawing stylus and had them
practice drawing random designs on fresh sheets of plastic. We then showed
them quarter-inch-thick foam sheets in which we had cut out various simple
shapes. These sheets were trimmed to fit snugly over the plastic sheet
inserted in the Sketchpad. They were asked to trace around the edge of each
cutout. They then exchanged pads to practice tracing different shapes.
As a further exercise we handed out various geometric shapes: circles,
triangles, etc, which students were asked to identify and trace. Unlike the
foam sheets, these did not fit snugly over the Sketchpad. The students had
to hold the shape firmly in place in order to trace around it. We had
previously glued strips of rubber shelf liner on the back of each shape to
help keep it in place as it was being traced.
If time permitted, we allowed students to finish the session by
drawing anything they wished. While some of these drawings were not
recognizable to us, we appreciated their unrestrained creativity. Students
took home all of their drawings. In these NFB BELL classes we did not show
the students how to use the thermal Eraser.
In the appendix we describe by brand name and manufacturers' links all
of the materials we used for the NFB BELL classes. We also tell you how we
constructed or adapted these products for use with our Sketchpads. We are
giving you this information in the hope that it will inspire you to develop
other aids and tools to teach tactile graphics. Please tell us about your
successes, and also don't hesitate to share with us the things that didn't
work for you.
In the coming year we hope to participate in more NFB affiliate
conventions to hold workshops and exhibits and speak in the general
sessions. We plan to teach tactile graphics at as many NFB BELL classes
around the nation as possible. We will develop augmented demonstrations of
Braille and tactile graphics.
Also in the first year of the tactile fluency revolution, we began the
development of an interactive workbook to teach tactile drawing to students
of all ages. It is being written to be used by teachers in the classroom or
by parents to teach their children at home or even by students for self-
study. Both the print and Braille editions will include a set of tactile
worksheets, some of which are meant to be read-only but also many with pre-
drawn exercises to be completed by the student. The exercises will range
from the elementary, teaching the drawing of basic lines, curves, and
shapes, to the more advanced in which objects are drawn by combining the
elementary lines and shapes into figures, such as houses and cars. From the
beginning this book is intended as a truly multimedia effort. The book will
incorporate templates or stencils to aid in learning shapes by feel and how
to draw them.
Eventually we anticipate the development of other learning tools for
the inTACT Sketchpad. As I am writing this article, the company is
developing a set of plastic overlays to fit snugly over the top of the
Sketchpad. To introduce blind students to the different types of triangles
and quadrilaterals, each overlay contains cutouts of the different shapes.
Each shape will have a Braille label to identify it. We will accompany
these overlays with a study guide containing a set of definitions of each
type of triangle or quadrilateral (e.g., equilateral, scalene, acute,
rhombus, trapezoid, etc.) Students will learn to identify each form by
examining the corresponding shape in the overlay. To reinforce learning,
they may draw the border of each shape on the Sketchpad and shade in the
area of that shape if they wish.
After mastering the definitions of the various shapes of triangles and
quadrilaterals, we will provide students with an unlabeled set of overlays.
The study guide will ask students, for example, to pick out a particular
shape such as a scalene triangle or rhombus. They will mark their choice by
tracing what they think is the right cutout in the unmarked overlay. For
additional self-study students will be asked other questions such as: "Is
it possible for an equilateral triangle to be a scalene triangle?" "What is
the difference between a rhombus and a trapezoid?" etc. This workbook is
intended for demonstration only and not for general classroom use. Our
overlays may be used with any teaching units on triangles and
quadrilaterals.
After students master these overlays, they will learn to construct
triangles and quadrilaterals with the use of a ruler and protractor. Then
they will be able to engage in activities of self-discovery, e.g., figuring
out formulas for the areas of triangles and quadrilaterals and using
triangles to build arbitrary polygonal shapes. These analytical efforts are
in keeping with the goals of the common core state standards for
mathematics.
We plan to develop other learning aids and tools to accompany our
Sketchpad. I have found to my disappointment that I cannot draw a neat
circle with a compass. I have since learned that using a compass requires
dexterity that is beyond the abilities of many people. We at E.A.S.Y. are
giving serious thought to building a tool for drawing circles on our
Sketchpad. This tool will be extremely valuable, enabling blind students to
perform geometric constructions requiring arcs and complete circles, as
well as Venn diagrams. A Venn diagram, consisting of a set of intersecting
circles drawn inside a rectangle, is used to display relationships between
sets of objects such as intersections, unions, set-differences, and
complements. Too often the best that a blind student can do in place of a
Venn diagram or other geometric construction is to render a cumbersome
verbal description.
With the superior design of our Sketchpad and the forthcoming digital
functionality for it, it's not surprising that E.A.S.Y. is currently
getting the lion's share of attention in tactile graphics. Yet, like other
movements that apparently spring up overnight, the tactile fluency
revolution has its share of progenitors. The Sewell Raised Line Drawing Kit
and the APH DRAFTSMAN Tactile Drawing Board have been around for a very
long time. Although some vision teachers are using them, they have not had
much impact on tactile fluency. In particular Susan Osterhaus at the Texas
School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been a fierce advocate but
gives us full credit for coming up with the term "Tactile Fluency." Ann
Cunningham at the Colorado Center for the Blind has been actively engaged
in teaching tactile art to blind people since 2009 with her Sensational
Blackboard. When I saw her in Orlando, Ann told me that she was writing a
book to teach art to blind people of all ages. We eagerly anticipate the
publication of her book. On the academic side, Dr. Paul Gabias, Assistant
Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, has
performed extensive research on tactile perception and its comparison with
visual perception.
We are at an opportune moment for significant advances in tactile
graphics. Several independent events highlight the need for a unified
approach for Braille and tactile graphics. These events are exactly what we
need to stimulate major advances in tactile fluency. For example, in
Orlando we heard from Christopher Downey, an architect who lost his vision
suddenly in 2008. However, he continues to work as an architect by using
improvised tactile systems. As a blind person he served as an architectural
consultant to designing a rapid transit bus system for the Alameda-Contra
Costa Transit District in California. He served as a contract architect to
the design of a 170,000-square-foot Polytrauma and Blind Rehabilitation
Center for the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto. He is currently
starting to design new offices for the Lighthouse for the Blind in San
Francisco.
As we listened to Downey's presentation, it became very clear to us
that he would benefit immensely from the digital features that we plan to
incorporate into our Sketchpad. Downey's story further reminds me of
successful blind scientists I heard of in my youth. I was told back then
that these folks were successful because they lost their sight after
attaining their scientific reputations. By implication there was no
possible way to attain scientific stature when starting out blind. Today we
know better. We accept Christopher Downey's success story with the
understanding and the belief that, if he made it, success in his field is
possible for any of us.
In year two the tactile fluency revolution is alive and well. It has
been an unqualified success. Our greatest impact can be seen in the
successes we have had with our NFB BELL students. This is the generation
that will have boundless opportunities as engineers, scientists,
mathematicians, and designers of all types. I'm convinced that computer-
aided design software will be as useful to them as text-based applications
are to us today. Even more encouraging, as they grow into adulthood, these
students will be well versed in all of the skills of blindness as well as
in living the Federation philosophy. This will enable them to compete on
terms of equality.
There is still much work to be done in reaching the goal of tactile
fluency for everyone. We need all the help we can get. If you would like to
join us, please get in touch with me: by email at <apmaneki at earthlink.net>,
or by phone at (443) 745-9274. See you on the barricades!
Appendix
What Worked for Us
Here are the items we used in our NFB BELL classes and two sessions of
NFB Camp. We have not tested other items. When we found something that
worked, we stopped looking and used it. This list is just to help you get
started in teaching tactile graphics. We encourage you to look for other
items and develop other teaching techniques. If you find anything you would
like to share with us, either good or bad, please contact me,
<apmaneki at earthlink.net>.
The quarter-inch foam sheets were purchased at Michaels Craft Store:
<http://www.michaels.com/M10390268.html?dwvar_M10390268_color=Black#product-
description>.
Although this link refers to black sheets, when ordering, the color may be
changed to white. We chose white over black due to odor and texture
differences.
The Craft Knife and extra blades:
<http://www.michaels.com/10450829.html#q=craft+knife&start=16>.
Used to trim the cutouts on the foam sheets, was also purchased at
Michael's Craft Store.
Geometric Shape Templates are made by Learning Resources
<http://www.learningresources.com/product/primary+shapes+template+set.do?sor
tby=bestSellers&sortby=&&from=fn> and were purchased from eNasco:
<http://www.enasco.com/product/TB24928T>.
The Con-Tact Brand non-adhesive Shelf Liner, Grip Prints Liner, 12 in. x 10
ft. Almond <http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/202499887/con-tact-12-in-x-10-
ft-almond-print-grip-shelf-liner-4-per-pack-reviews/reviews.htm> was
purchased at Home Depot.
Tombow's Xtreme Adhesive was purchased at Michaels Craft Store but is also
available online through Amazon.com. <http://www.amazon.com/Tombow-USA-
Permanent-Performance-Applicator/dp/B00HLY0K9E>.
Animal Zoo Foam Play Puzzle was purchased at Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Educational-Foam-Puzzle-
Squares/dp/B0093P0QDO> but is probably available elsewhere.
Geometric Shapes from Learning Resources
<http://www.learningresources.com/product/large+geometric+shapes.do?from=Sea
rch&cx=0> was purchased from Amazon.com.
This is a set of ten three-dimensional shapes, inviting students to
explore geometry. Shapes have a common three-inch dimension to illustrate
relationships between area, volume, shape, form and size. Plastic shapes
include cone, sphere, hemisphere, cube, cylinder, rectangular prism,
hexagonal prism, triangular prism, square pyramid, and triangular pyramid.
Although we did not use these shapes in our NFB BELL classes, they appear
to be a useful way to teach blind children about three-dimensional objects.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Edward Bell]
The 2015 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Edward Bell
>From the Editor: Dr. Edward Bell is an experienced educator in his own
right. He was named Blind Educator of the Year in 2008. He chairs the 2015
Blind Educator of the Year Award selection committee. This is what he says:
A number of years ago the Blind Educator of the Year Award was
established by the National Organization of Blind Educators (the educators
division of the National Federation of the Blind) to pay tribute to a blind
teacher whose exceptional classroom performance, notable community service,
and uncommon commitment to the NFB merit national recognition. Beginning
with the 1991 presentation, this award became an honor bestowed by our
entire movement. The change reflects our recognition of the importance of
good teaching and the impact an outstanding blind teacher has on students,
faculty, community, and all blind Americans.
This award is presented in the spirit of the outstanding educators
who founded and have continued to nurture the National Federation of the
Blind and who, by example, have imparted knowledge of our strengths to us
and raised our expectations. We have learned from Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr.
Kenneth Jernigan, and Immediate Past President Marc Maurer that a teacher
not only provides a student with information but also provides guidance,
advocacy, and love. The recipient of the Blind Educator of the Year Award
must exhibit all of these traits and must advance the cause of blind people
in the spirit and philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.
The Blind Educator of the Year Award is presented at the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Honorees must be
present to receive an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check for
$1,000.
Nominations should be sent to Dr. Edward Bell, Louisiana Tech
University, PDRIB, PO Box 3158, Ruston, LA 71272. Letters of nomination
must be accompanied by a copy of the nominee's current résumé and
supporting documentation of community and Federation activity. All
nomination materials must be in the hands of the committee chairman by May
1, 2015, to be considered for this year's award. For further information
contact Edward Bell at (318) 257-4554, or <ebell at latech.edu>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Darlene Laibl-Crowe]
Can You Hear Me Now?
by Darlene Laibl-Crowe
>From the Editor: Darlene Laibl-Crowe is the vice president of the NFB of
Florida Statewide Chapter. She was appointed by Governor Rick Scott in 2012
to the Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to
represent deaf-blind Floridians. Here is what she has to say about
enhancing the experience of deaf-blind members as we in the National
Federation of the Blind harness the power of conference telephoning to
conduct some of our business:
When the National Federation of the Blind of Florida Statewide Chapter
was created in February of 2013, it became possible for those who live in
Florida who do not live near a local chapter to become part of the
Federation. The statewide chapter meets once a month by phone, unlike the
traditional chapter meeting, where people are physically present. It has a
once-a-year face-to-face meeting at the state convention. Now this avant-
garde group is pioneering another approach by opening the door for those
who are hard of hearing to participate in the conference call meetings more
efficiently with captioning.
As a hard-of-hearing person it is difficult at times to clearly
understand what is being said on the phone, even more difficult when more
than one person is talking. Here is a sample conversation for me on the
phone with one person:
Me: What? What was that you said? Could you please repeat what you
said?
Voice on the phone mumbles: Mmph...dis...mmph.
Me (sighing): I can't understand you. Can you spell that please?
Sometimes when talking on the phone I feel like I have a loose
connection, since I can catch only bits and pieces of what the caller is
saying. Now I can't speak for others who are hard of hearing, but this
seems to be the norm for me.
Fortunately, I am one of the lucky ones who have experienced the
technology that is available to understand what is being said during a
meeting and on conference calls. In 2012 Governor Rick Scott appointed me
to represent deaf-blind Floridians on the Florida Coordinating Council for
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (<www.fccdhh.org>). Members of the board
represent various state agencies and other organizations that serve the
deaf, the hard of hearing, and the deaf-blind consumers of Florida. Some of
the members are deaf and rely on sign language, and some are hard of
hearing. The state provides accommodations such as interpreters, support
service providers, and Communications Access Real-time Transmission, also
known as CART.
CART (<http://www.ncra.org/specialty/CART.cfm?navItemNumber=636>) is a
form of captioning in which transcriptionists type into a program what is
being said during a meeting or over the telephone. During the meeting I can
read the conversation using my laptop on a website. This helps all of us on
the board to understand clearly what is being said and to make professional
decisions and comments.
As I continued to meet with the statewide chapter, I thought to myself
on several occasions, "How wonderful it would be if we had CART." But after
some research I found that having CART was not an option due to our limited
budget.
In September 2014 I found out about C-Print
(<www.rit.edu/ntid/cprint/>), which is similar to CART. I researched the
organization, and they connected me to a listserv that transcriptionists
used. I asked some key questions. How does C-Print work? Can it be done by
phone? How much does it cost? I had many people contact me with some very
good information and some reasonable quotes. Then one of the emails
connected me to Strada Communications.
According to CEO Chanel Carlascio, "Strada (<www.stradagize.com>) is
committed to giving back to the people and communities we work with every
day. A portion of our proceeds is set aside to provide services for people
who have been denied them in some way and for organizations that could not
otherwise afford them. We are proud to partner with the NFB of Florida in
this way," supporting NFB's philosophy to empower all who are blind, even
those who also have hearing loss.
Before the meeting there were some concerns that this type of meeting
might be in conflict with NFB's rules. I quickly explained how it works.
The meeting would proceed as normal with audio recording. The
transcriptionists would type the conversation. When the meeting was over,
we would receive a copy of the transcription. This would mean that we would
have two forms of documentation for our meeting to prevent any misleading
information.
I also informed the members that there is one rule: all of us must
state our name before we speak, so the transcriptionist can know who is
speaking. A list of those attending the meeting was also sent to the
transcriptionists before the meeting.
Sunday night, October 19, 2014, statewide chapter president, Holly
Idler began, "This is Holly. Welcome to the Statewide Chapter." During the
call echoing or staticky phone lines were apparent, but overall the two
transcriptionists, Joshua Kissel and Cora Sipe, were able to type the
conversation as the meeting proceeded. We were able to read the captioning
on the website (<typewell.com/overview/how-it-works>) by using our
computers and listening to what was being said.
After the meeting there was much praise for how well the captioning
worked. Brooke Evans, a statewide chapter member and also hard of hearing,
stated: "It is a game-changer for the deaf/blind/hearing impaired. I'm very
impressed with it. It is very good." The captioning can also be accessible
for those who rely on Braille displays.
For more information, or if you would like to visit our next meeting
to learn more about captioning, please either contact me by phone at (386)
325-0218, or email me at <dlaiblcrowe at att.net>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Cathy Jackson]
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award for 2015
by Cathy Jackson
>From the Editor: Cathy Jackson chairs the committee to select the
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children for 2015.
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding
teacher of blind children at our 2015 convention next July. The winner of
this award will receive an expense-paid trip to the convention, a check for
$1,000, an appropriate plaque, and an opportunity to make a presentation
about the education of blind children to the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children.
Anyone who is currently teaching or counseling blind students or
administering a program for blind children is eligible to receive this
award. It is not necessary to be a member of the National Federation of the
Blind to apply. However, the winner must attend the national convention.
Teachers may be nominated by colleagues, supervisors, or friends. The
letter of nomination should explain why the teacher is being recommended
for this award.
The education of blind children is one of our most important concerns.
Attendance at a National Federation of the Blind convention will enrich a
teacher's experience by affording him or her the opportunity to take part
in seminars and workshops on educational issues, to meet other teachers who
work with blind children, to meet parents, and to meet blind adults who
have had experiences in a variety of educational programs. Help us
recognize a distinguished teacher by distributing this form and encouraging
teachers to submit their credentials. We are pleased to offer this award
and look forward to applications from many well-qualified educators.
Please complete the application and attach the following:
. A letter of nomination from someone (parent, coworker, supervisor, etc.)
who knows your work;
. A letter of recommendation from someone who knows you professionally and
knows your philosophy of teaching; and
. A letter from you discussing your beliefs and approach to teaching blind
students. In your letter you may wish to discuss topics such as the
following:
o Your views about when and how students should use Braille, large
print, digital recordings, readers, magnification devices, computers,
electronic notetakers, and other technology.
o Your method of deciding whether a child should use print, Braille, or
both.
o Your timetable for recommending that your students begin instruction
in the use of a slate and stylus or a Braillewriter.
o Your process for determining which students should learn cane travel
(and when) and which should not.
o When keyboarding should be introduced.
o When a child should be expected to hand in print assignments
independently.
National Federation of the Blind
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award
2015 Application
Deadline: May 15, 2015
Name: _______________________________________________________
Home address: _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Phone: (H) ____________________(W) ____________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
School: ______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Use a separate sheet of paper to answer the following:
. List your degrees, the institutions from which they were
received, and your major area or areas of study.
. How long and in what programs have you worked with blind
children?
. In what setting do you currently work?
. Briefly describe your current job and teaching responsibilities.
. Describe your current caseload (e.g., number of students, ages,
multiple disabilities, number of Braille-reading students).
Email is strongly encouraged for transmitting nominations; letters of
support and other relevant materials should be included as attachments.
Applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be
accepted. Send all material by May 15, 2015, to Cathy Jackson, Chairperson,
Teacher Award Committee, <cathyj1949 at gmail.com> or by mail to 210 Cambridge
Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40214-2809; (502) 366-2317.
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Recipes
This month's recipes are offered by members of the NFB of Puerto
Rico.
Sancocho (Puerto Rican Stew)
by Odette Quiñones
Odette is a founding member and hard worker of our affiliate. She is the
loving mother of our first vice president, Lydia Usero.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons culantro (also known as long coriander or Mexican coriander),
chopped
2 cups corn kernels (frozen may be used)
1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut in cubes
2 green plantains, peeled and quartered
2 yautias, peeled and cut in cubes
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 pound pumpkin, peeled and quartered
1 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs
2 pounds cubed stew beef
1 pound cubed pork shoulder
2 1/2 quarts cool water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method: Heat the oil in a deep kettle. Add peppers, garlic, and
onions, cook for two to three minutes. Add the meat, culantro, celery, and
oregano. Cook for fifteen to twenty minutes. Add remaining ingredients,
then add enough water to cover the ingredients. Cook for two and a half
hours or until the meat is tender.
Note: For a thicker soup, mash some of the vegetables and stir them
well into it. Sancocho is great for cold days. It goes well with garlic
bread or our scrumptious tostones, delicious. Makes ten to twelve servings.
----------
Tembleque (Coconut Pudding)
by Odette Quiñones
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coconut milk
1 can coconut water
1 small orange leaf
Ground cinnamon
Method: Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a pot. Slowly add coconut
milk and coconut water, stirring well. Add orange leaf. Stir continually
and cook at medium-high temperature until mixture boils. Lower temperature
to medium, and continue stirring until it thickens. Take out the orange
leaf and pour mixture into a glass mold, refrigerate. Sprinkle ground
cinnamon over it before serving.
Note: Tembleque is a dessert usually eaten during Christmas season in
Puerto Rico.
----------
Codfish Serenade
by Lydia Usero
Lydia Usero is the first vice president of the NFB of Puerto Rico.
Ingredients:
1 pound salted codfish fillet
1 pound peeled potatoes
1 red onion
3 avocados
5 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
Method: Wash salt from codfish with cold tap water. Boil and clean
codfish. Cut into one-inch pieces. Peel and boil potatoes, then slice them
and place them in a bowl. Slice hard-boiled eggs. Peel and cut avocados in
cubes. Slice red onion. Place ingredients in the bowl with the potatoes and
codfish, add olive oil, and mix with a plastic spoon.
----------
iGreen Salad
by Lydia Usero
Ingredients:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 can sweet peas
Parmesan cheese to taste
Bacon bits to taste
Mayonnaise
Method: Mix everything except mayonnaise in a bowl, and put in the
refrigerator. Add mayonnaise when serving.
----------
Cream Cheese Potatoes
by Luz Sánchez
Luz Sánchez is a member of the NFB of Puerto Rico and the wife of Eduardo
González, NFB of Puerto Rico second vice president.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 quart heavy cream
1 pound package bacon, diced
4 ounces cream cheese
Garlic to taste
1 ounce butter
Method: Peel and slice potatoes, cook in heavy cream at medium-low
temperature. Fry diced bacon slices with garlic. Mix bacon, butter, and
cream cheese with potatoes and heavy cream. Cook for five minutes at low
temperature. Serve with preferred meat or poultry. Serves seven.
----------
Strawberry Flan
by Gladys Franco
Gladys Franco is the mother of a young blind woman and a member of the
board of directors of the NFB of Puerto Rico.
Ingredients:
1 14-ounce can of condensed milk
1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk
1 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries in their juice
2 cups boiling water
1 large package strawberry Jell-O
Method: Liquefy strawberries with evaporated and condensed milk in a
blender. Pour Jell-O into boiling water and blend well. Mix all
ingredients, then pour into a mold and put in the refrigerator until
mixture jells.
----------
Monitor Miniatures
News from the Federation Family
National Federation of the Blind 2015 Scholarship Program:
Are you a legally blind college student living in the United States
or Puerto Rico? This annual program offers thirty scholarships worth from
$3,000 to $12,000 to eligible students, from high school seniors beginning
their freshman year in the fall semester of 2015, up through grad students
working on their PhD degrees. These merit scholarships are based on
academic excellence, community service, and leadership. In addition to the
money, each winner will receive assistance to attend the July 2015 NFB
annual convention in Orlando, Florida, providing an excellent opportunity
for high-level networking with active blind persons in many different
professions and occupations. To apply, read the rules and the submission
checklist, complete the official 2015 Scholarship Application Form (online
or in print), supply all required documents, and request and complete one
interview by an NFB affiliate president (unless the president requests a
later date). Applications are accepted for five months, from November 1,
2014, to March 31, 2015. Go to <www.nfb.org/scholarships> for complete
rules and requirements.
Release of Unified English Braille Version of The McDuffy Reader:
On October 14, 2014, the National Federation of the Blind announced
the release of a new version of The McDuffy Reader: A Braille Primer for
Adults by Sharon L. Monthei, which is designed to guide students through
the Unified English Braille (UEB) code. The primer, first published by the
National Federation of the Blind in 1989, has been used as an effective
Braille teaching tool in many rehabilitation settings around the country.
Ms. Monthei has revised this popular Braille instructional manual in light
of the coming changes to the Braille code. By January 2016, Unified English
Braille will be the official Braille code used in the United States.
Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind is proud to make this new
instructional tool available to adult Braille students. With the rollout of
Unified English Braille only a little more than a year away, we believe
that programs that teach Braille to blind adults will find this new version
of our classic Braille instructional manual to be an invaluable aid for
their students."
Jennifer Dunnam, manager of Braille programs for the National
Federation of the Blind, said: "The McDuffy Reader has been a widely
utilized and acclaimed guide for adults learning Braille for twenty-five
years and counting. This update ensures that this excellent primer will
continue to be a helpful resource for Braille students across the nation."
The Unified English Braille Edition of The McDuffy Reader: A Braille
Primer for Adults is the first UEB instructional guide for beginning adult
Braille readers to be published in the United States. The book first
presents uncontracted Braille, then the Braille contractions in logical
groups. The author has crafted the text in the contracted section of the
manual so that words are used only when students have learned all of the
contractions that apply to them. The book contains eighty-nine Braille
pages in one volume, which is comb-bound with plastic covers.
The UEB edition of The McDuffy Reader is available from the National
Federation of the Blind Independence Market for $20.00 plus shipping and
handling. You may contact the NFB Independence Market by email at
<independencemarket at nfb.org> and by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension
2216.
2015 NFB Writers' Division Writing Contest:
The annual youth and adult writing contests sponsored by the NFB
Writers' Division will open January 1 and close April 1. Since it is the
Federation's seventy-fifth birthday, the contest will, for the first time
ever, have a required theme. All submissions will need to incorporate the
theme of seventy-five. It does not have to be about the anniversary of NFB.
It could just be the number seventy-five, or perhaps the diamond
anniversary, or seventy-five steps to your destination, or even seventy-
five balloons. In the pattern of past entries, seventy-five aliens would
work. Seriously, let your imagination take over. Write the piece you want;
just remember to include the theme of seventy-five to commemorate the
seventy-five years of the work that has been happening within and because
of the National Federation of the Blind.
In the adult contests, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and stories for
youth are open to all entrants eighteen and over. The youth writing
contests, poetry and fiction, are to promote Braille literacy and
excellence in writing. Each contest is divided into three groups by grade
level-elementary, middle school, and high school.
Prizes in the adult contest may be as much as $100; winners in the
youth contest may receive as much as $30. All contest winners will be
announced during the Writers' Division business meeting at the NFB National
Convention, held in Orlando, Florida in July of 2015. In addition, the list
of winners will appear on our website, <http://writers.nfb.org>, and their
submissions will be considered for publication in our division's magazine,
Slate and Style.
For additional contest details and submission guidelines, go to
<http://writers.nfb.org>.
Elected:
At the 2014 Illinois state convention, the following members were
elected to the board of directors: president, Denise R. Avant (Chicago
chapter); first vice president, Debbie Kent Stein (Chicago chapter); second
vice president, Leslie Hamric (at-large chapter); secretary, Glenn Moore
(Chicago chapter); treasurer, Patti Chang (Chicago chapter); board members,
David Meyer (Chicago chapter), Bill Reif (Ferris Wheel chapter), Brian
Sumner (Four Rivers chapter), Debbie Pittman (Chicago chapter), Adrienne
Falconer (IABS), and Jesse Rogers (IABM).
Elected:
At the annual meeting of the Illinois Association of Blind Students,
the following were elected: president, Brianna Lillyman; first vice
president, Katie Leinum; second vice president, Sarah Luna; secretary,
Julia Chang; treasurer, Glenn Moore; board members, Debbie Kent Stein,
Adrienne Falconer, and Nadia Montanez.
-------------
In Brief
Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we
have edited only for space and clarity.
Ideas Wanted for the Improvement of Web-based Technology:
We welcome you to submit your best work on improving accessibility of
the web, mobiles, and wearables for people with and without disabilities to
the International Web for All Conference (W4A15), conveniently co-located
with WWW15 and MobiSys15.
W4A15 (<www.w4a.info>) will take place in Florence, Italy (May 18 to 20):
. Intuit will award $2,000 and $1,000 to the best technical and
communication papers
. The Paciello Group will award the winners of the Accessibility
Challenge
. ABILITY Magazine will highlight the winners of awards in a special
editorial
. IBM will provide travel grants to both grad and undergrad students
with disabilities
. Google will sponsor six PhD students to participate in the Doctoral
Student Consortium
. Submission deadlines: January 23; notifications: 4
As you know, devices are getting smaller, and more of them are now
wearable: smart glasses, smart watches, and smart clothing are all working
their way into our lives and onto our bodies. These devices are online, web-
accessible, and increasingly interconnected. As with many technologies that
have come before, wearable devices present incredible opportunities for
improving accessibility for people with and without disabilities, but also
present accessibility challenges in ensuring that people are able to
equally benefit from them regardless of disability, context, or situation.
Acknowledging the importance of this topic, the theme of the twelfth
International Web for All Conference is "The Wearable Web."
Don't be deterred by the theme; we invite your best work on improving
and understanding access for people across the accessibility continuum.
Papers are expected to detail technical solutions and scientific insights
into web, mobile, and wearable technologies addressing diverse user needs.
Areas of interest include but are not limited to the following: age,
cognition, culture, education, emotions, dexterity, disability, diversity,
health, hearing, income, infrastructure, language, learning, literacy,
mobility, situation, society, and vision.
The keynote speech on the "Sense and Sensibility: Smartphones and
Wearable Technologies to Support Seniors" will be delivered by Lorenzo
Chiari who is a professor and the vice director of the Health Sciences and
Technologies-Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research at the
University of Bologna. On the close of the first day, join us for an
evening of wine, food, and live music-with a classical performance by Lia
Martirosyan.
The William Laughborough after-dinner talk "Riches Beyond Measure: A
New Frontier in Web Accessibility" will be given by Kevin Carey, the chair
of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, UK.
Don't come just for W4A15-stay for the entire week! W4A is
conveniently co-located with WWW15 and MobiSys15 conferences. MobiSys15 is
the top research conference dealing with all aspects of mobile systems:
<http://www.sigmobile.org/mobisys/2015/cfp.php>.
And WWW15 (<http://www.www2015.it/>) is the best and the biggest web
research conference attended by famous web researchers and practitioners,
such as Sir Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the web). Among other events,
we will hold a joint WWW/W4A panel session devoted to the "Wearable Web"
theme.
----------
NFB Pledge
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.
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