Last night I had the opportunity to see several exhibits at the exhibit hall in the National center for the Blind. I tried to examine at least 70% of the exhibits, many of which showcased very interesting products.
One exhibit that stood out was the Louis Braille 2009 Bicentennial Silver Dollar, which was released March 26 in honor of Louis Braille’s 200th birthday. I was present last year during the March for Independence at the convention, where the prototype of the coin was unveiled. However, we did not get the opportunity to touch the coin there.
This exhibit showed the coin several ways– a plaque had both the front and back of the proof and uncirculated versions of the coin mounted on it. Actually, the lady staffing this exhibit told me that the plaque resides in NFB President Maurer’s office. He lent it to the exhibit hall for the afternoon.
The spacing of the letters BRL (which are stamped on the coin) was very interesting. I noticed a small space between the letters b and r; otherwise, the coin looked very well constructed.
There was also a mural behind the coin exhibit. Each time 10000 coins are sold, an additional piece of the mural is added. This, in a sense, creates a jigsaw-puzzle-type painting. As of today, almost 180,000 coins have been sold, and the incomplete drawing shows a rocket ship and a man with his cane. The drawing appears to be very tactile–you can feel the cane and the ship.
For me, the coin exhibit stands out over all the other exhibits. I think it was great finally to find out how the coin feels and through that appreciate the work Louis Braille did for the blind community and beyond.
Archive for the ‘NFB’ Category
Change We Can Believe In: Braille Coins
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 08:53 AM By TamasMaking News While Covering News
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 08:48 AM By OlaedoYesterday the news crew participated in something that was amazing and overwhelming at the same time. We went to the Jernigan Institute and experienced something that we would never forget. Let me start from the beginning.
After we had a sack lunch we listened to the speaker and also took part in a press conference about the poor state of Braille education in Baltimore City schools. Kayla, Grecia, and I asked some questions and worked our way through the interview. Little did we realize that our event would later be broadcast on TV.
When our press conference was finished, we took a tour of the Institute and saw a massive amount of technology that blind people use to be productive at work and home. We also went to the Exhibition Hall and took a look at all the booths and the exhibitions, which were all very fascinating to look at. Some of us even went to the Independence Marketplace and saw what NFB stocks for any blind person to use to be more productive and effective.
We then had an excellent dinner of pasta, chicken, string beans, and cookies, with coffee, tea, and water available for us to drink, and popcorn for us to munch on during the talent show. Speaking of the talent show, it was magnificent. From singing and the piano, to jokes and the saxophone, it was sort of like Showtime at the Apollo or America’s Got Talent, which was very good indeed. Then when all the excitement ended, we returned to the buses to head back to the University of Maryland. Amazing to see what the blind have accomplished by working together. Overall, it was a very exciting experience and something that I’ll remember for a very long time.
My First Press Conference
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 08:46 AM By OlaedoYesterday, while we were at the NFB’s Jernigan Institute , my mentor Harriet and three of the members of the News Slam (Kayla, Grecia, and I) took part in a press conference and discussed some key blindness issues. The press conference focused on a formal complaint the NFB filed against the Baltimore City schools because of their lack of training blind students in the use of Braille. The lack of Braille, of course, also causes a decrease in graduation rates for those who are blind. And when students are looking for a job, they tend to be held back and/or rejected because they were not able to compete with language-based activities without the key tools blind people use every day
We discussed how the School Board and other organizations can solve this problem and how they can make things better for all blind students. It was the first time I ever took part in a press conference, let alone one that was going to be broadcast on TV and radio. We managed to make it through the press conference, even though it was a little nerve-wracking for a newbie.
In the question-and-answer that followed, we discussed what was holding the schools back from achieving the goals for all blind students in Maryland and possibly in other states. We also learned the percentage of students who are blind or visually impaired and the percentages of students who have graduated or not graduated yet. I never realized that it was so difficult for blind students to get the accommodations they needed in order to do well in school and in life. Overall, the press conference was both thrilling and a little intimidating, but we managed to get through it. There is so much to learn about the needs of blind students and how we can help give them the tools they will need to succeed in life.
Getting to Know More About Barbara Pierce
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 08:26 AM By KaylaMembers of the National Federation of the Blind know Barbara Pierce as the editor of the Braille Monitor. I had the opportunity to interview her while on a bus ride to the Jernigan Institute. As we bounced over bumps, and talked in rather loud voices to hear one another over the clammer, she told me the story of how she survived in college with just a tape player, a cane that reached only to her waste, and a slate and stylus!
Barbara has had retinitis Pigmentosa since age two. She attended a regular public school, and read print. It wasn’t until the summer of her seventh grade year that she learned Braille. However, the only book that she had available to her was a high school physics book. “It definitely was not an ideal situation for someone who had just learned to read Braille. When people are first learning to read they really need something that captures their interests,” she said.
Despite having limited access to Braille she was able to keep up her skills. While in college she changed majors several times and finally decided to pursue English, although she had disliked it in school. Through her college career she had only that Braille which she wrote for her own personal use’ mostly notes for classes. “In college I had the best notes of anyone in the class. I would take notes with my slate and then record them so that they would be coherent.
After graduating from college she married and pursued a career in English. She heard about the NFB while reading a magazine which ironically had been printing some disparaging things about the Federation. . It wasn’t until several years later when someone gave her a voluminous pile of recordings done by the NFB that she became engrossed in the work of the federation. “It was like finding a family that I didn’t know existed!” Barbara remembers. She attended her first convention in 1975 and hasn’t missed one since!
It was a great pleasure meeting Barbara and I hope as the week progresses that I can get to know her better!
Blind Technology From Yesterday to Tomorrow
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 07:35 AM By greciaYesterday we were given the opportunity to tour the Jernigan Institute. We were sorted by track and put into different sessions. The session you went to depended on the track you were in. We of the News Crew had the session, History of Technology.
Ms. Anne Taylor and Mr. Steve Booth took us on a trip through the past, talking about how far blindness technology has come, from room-size computers in the 60’s, to mini-laptops in mid-2009. And of course we were sitting in the blind technology center which has more physical examples of that technology than any other place on earth. . Mr. Booth talked us through Ray Kurzweil’s invention of the optical character scanner, and even his help in creating some aspects of Xerox copying machines. He took us decade by decade from the 60’s up until now, showing what a rich background the NFB has in nearly all aspects of blind access technology. .
Mr. Booth mentioned how over time decreasing size of computers translated into decreasing cost. .
After an enthralling hour hearing about all the wonderful steps technology has made, we all began talking about what the future of technology may or may not hold, and the role of organized blind people to help advance it. Our dream and goal was looking forward to the accessible car that will be available for an acceptable price one day.
Free To Be Wild with the NFB
Friday, July 31st, 2009, 07:24 AM By greciaLast night, after touring the Jernigan institute, some of the Youth Slam students performed in a talent show. It was full of people with amazing talents, two of them from my home state, Georgia. Even Dr. Maurer got up and sang a song from Gilbert and Sullivan. It was amazing and different to see the head of a huge organization cut loose a little bit and make us all laugh.
The only thing that made this talent show a bit wild was the people I was sitting with. When I came to Youth Slam two years ago , I told myself I wouldn’t sit with the Georgians anymore. You know, you can never take them anywhere and not expect people to know all of them by the end of the event. However, since I’m a natural optimist , I decided to join them at dinner and the talent show was right after.
All of the performers were amazing. We had blind singers, musicians and storytellers from Georgia, Texas, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and so many other states. The host that night was a successful rapper called Braille. A highlight of the evening was when we all were given complementary CDs of his music.
And of course, true to form, at the end of the evening at our table , a mini, yet full flown water war broke out among the Georgians. I didn’t know much about it at first. But then I became a casualty. My right side was soaked. One of our girls got an entire bottle of water poured on her somehow. It was so odd and yet so fun to cut loose a bit after days of classes and projects.
Georgia is known for the loud cheers of support we give each other. We’re a very friendly and close-knit NFB affiliate.So, when Wilkens Eugene’s turn came I don’t believe anyone was surprised by our cheering reaction. However, when it was Garrick’s turn, everyone began to boo us. Well, Georgian pride meant we couldn’t take that sitting down. So, we stood up to cheer. We were so loud, we had to be given an extra minute to all calm down. Sometimes, I wonder to myself if we don’t take it overboard. It’s all in good fun though, and I loved these fun times with my NFB friends.
All too soon, it was time to come back to our dorms and prepare for bed. While the bus ride to the National Center was energetic and fun, the ride back was spent in slumber, dozens of students utterly drained from yet another long 18-hour day. We were all so exhausted. But it was all worth it, hearing the wonderful people who put in the time and effort to make our night special.
Podcast: Dr. Marc Maurer on Being President
Thursday, July 30th, 2009, 11:02 PM By RonzaThe NFB Youth Slam attracts many dynamic, successful, and inspiring blind people. below you will find interviews conducted by our very own Slam News students, some of whom are reporting for the very first time.
In this podcast, the Slam News Team interviews Dr. Marc Maurer on being President of the National Federation of the Blind.
Podcast: Dr. Marc Maurer on Kissing
Thursday, July 30th, 2009, 10:03 PM By RonzaThe NFB Youth Slam attracts many dynamic, successful, and inspiring blind people. below you will find interviews conducted by our very own Slam News students, some of whom are reporting for the very first time.
In this podcast, the Slam News Team interviews Dr. Marc Maurer, NFB President, who discusses kissing.
Press About the Press
Thursday, July 30th, 2009, 09:44 PM By greciaOn Wednesday afternoon, a press conference took place at the National Center for the Blind. It announced that the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) had filed a complaint against the Baltimore City Public School system with the Maryland State Department of Education. The complaint states that the Baltimore City Public Schools do not provide their students with the important, essential things such as the proper equipment, skills, or testing assessments. The NFB proposed that the school systems allow us to help determine appropriate services for blind students. We are still awaiting a response from them.
We interviewed the NFB’s press contact, Chris Danielson. We asked him questions involving both sides of the story. For example, we asked him why he believed the school system wouldn’t take the time to properly assess their students. His response was that most schools want to treat blind students as if they weren’t blind. However, other considerations like the lack of financial resources and qualified personnel play a major part as well.
We also asked him why most students are denied the right to a second assessment. The answer to that is simple: most students don’t know their rights.
Chris believes that over a hundred students in the Baltimore school system are not getting the proper tools they need. He admits he’s not sure how many students drop out per year but is certain the numbers are quite high. Though he knows Baltimore is a struggling school system, he feels that that is no excuse to sell their blind students short.
Finally, we asked him what the NFB planned to do to ensure that students receive a quality education in Baltimore City. He indicated that our plans include pilot programs to teach elementary school students Braille and mobility, and to educate the students and their families on their rights.
While sitting in the audience, I watched as my fellow blogger and native Baltimorean, Denzel Ferges delivered a speech. It seems slightly ironic to me that this would be happening in the city where the NFB headquarters are. I’m sure it’s nothing any of us expected and no one liked. For, I know Denzel personally and he always seemed so together, so collected. But underneath the surface, he struggles with things he cannot do because his school system failed to give him the proper resources and training. It was an honor for me to be able to support Denzel and all of our fellow blind students in and outside of Baltimore by attending the press conference.
A few Hours at the National Center for the Blind
Thursday, July 30th, 2009, 09:11 PM By TarikWhen I went to the NFB’s headquarters I listened to a press conference on the crisis of poor Braille instruction in the Baltimore City school system. I am proud of the actions that the NFB is taking by filing a formal complaint. This is one step to make sure that every blind or visually impaired student should and will learn Braille.
After the conference I went to see the remarkable technology exhibited in the NFB’s International Braille and Technology Center. Afterwards
We went to the talent show and it was pretty good — I can’t exactly tell you who was my favorite. All of them were.
The trip to the NFB National Center was a great experience and I can’t wait to see what else is in store.