                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR



                    Kenneth Jernigan, Editor
                Barbara Pierce, Associate Editor


     Published in inkprint, Braille, on talking-book disc, 
                        and cassette by 


              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 
                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT 
 


                         National Office
                       1800 Johnson Street
                   Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

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                National Federation of the Blind
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                   Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

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THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES



ISSN 0006-8829THE BRAILLE MONITOR
A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                            CONTENTS

                                          SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1993

CONVENTION ROUNDUP
by Barbara Pierce

PRESIDENTIAL REPORT
by Marc Maurer

THE NATURE OF INDEPENDENCE
by Kenneth Jernigan

THE CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP: TWIN REQUIREMENTS
by Marc Maurer

THE SCHOLARSHIP CLASS OF 1993

BRAILLE: A RENAISSANCE
by Ramona Walhof

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AWARDS FOR 1993

THE BLIND SAILOR TRAVELING ALONE ON THE BLUE WATERS
by Hank Dekker

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
JULY, 1993
by Ramona Walhof



     Copyright National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1993
[LEAD PHOTO: Enterprise Ballroom of Hyatt Regency during NFB convention
session--shows head table and four of the state delegate flags. CAPTION:
Federationists from every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (as
well as from 8 other countries) gathered at the Hyatt Regency hotel on the
grounds of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport the first week of July
for the 53rd annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
Workshops, seminars, meetings of committees and divisions, exhibits, plays,
tours, games, dances, good food, and of course opportunities to meet old
friends and make new ones: all these drew people to this year's convention.
But above all they came to take part in the deliberations of the most dynamic
and influential organization of blind people in this country. This is the way
the convention hall looked on Tuesday morning, July 6, when convention
delegates took their seats for the first general session of the 1993
convention of the National Federation of the Blind. The state banners marked
delegation seating and assisted people to find their friends and colleagues in
the huge and crowded hall.]

                       CONVENTION ROUNDUP
                        by Barbara Pierce

     Three years ago, when the National Federation of the Blind
descended on the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport for our golden anniversary convention, not
many of us knew anything about the facility or the cities of
Dallas and Fort Worth. But when we began arriving in the early
days of July for the opening of the 1993 convention, we were
returning to a facility we knew would meet our needs admirably, a
friendly and helpful staff, and a state affiliate bent on a
Texas-size welcome and warm hospitality. Glenn Crosby, President
of the NFB of Texas and a member of the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind; his wife Norma; and the more
than 200 other Texans at the convention turned themselves inside
out to answer questions, provide information, and in general see
that this convention was unforgettable. 

[PHOTO: Four children play with large building blocks.
CAPTION: This year the child care facility received a
change of name. It was NFB Camp, and it was fun for
everybody who spent time there.]

[PHOTO: Children and teens sit under the trees at a
dude ranch listening to day's agenda. CAPTION: During
the Parents Seminar lots of kids went to an area dude
ranch for horseback riding, a hayride, and other
outdoor fun.]

     By Saturday morning, July 3, a full day before the opening
of convention registration, more than a thousand Federationists
had already arrived and were on hand for the dozen or more
seminars, workshops, and committee meetings that day, beginning
at 7:00 a.m. These included stress management for business
people, Braille 'n Speak instruction for both beginners and more
advanced users, self-defense training, a workshop for authors,
and many more. This year's day-long seminar for parents and
educators of blind children was titled "Meeting the Needs of the
Blind Youngster." The older children using child care visited a
dude ranch, and the little ones were cared for in the facilities
at the hotel. As usual Saturday afternoon was the time of the
annual Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB) seminar. JOB is a
job reference and referral program jointly conducted by the
National Federation of the Blind and the United States Department
of Labor. This seminar is always packed with helpful and
informative presentations and opportunities for networking.
Presentations from both the parent and JOB seminars will appear
in Federation publications in the coming months. 
     By Saturday evening everyone was ready for some Texas fun,
and the NFB of Texas was set to provide it. Fiddlin' and dancin'
were available in the hospitality area while families with blind
children gathered for conversation and play in the child care
area. The teenagers got to know one another by taking part in a
glorified scavenger hunt, and everyone ate pizza. It was the
small hours of the morning before everyone was ready to leave the
fun and food. 
     Sunday morning brought convention registration with its
fast-moving lines and first look at the convention agenda. The
exhibit hall opened, and the crowds of newly-registered
Federationists poured through the doors to look at what's new in
appliances and technology for blind people. NFB chapters,
affiliates, and divisions took the opportunity to sell things and
provide literature and other information. As always, one of the
most popular areas in the exhibit hall was the NFB store, where
shoppers could examine all the aids and appliances sold year-
round through the NFB's Materials Center. In addition delegates
could stock up on Federation literature in Braille or print or on
cassette. This year there were display booths staffed by forty-
eight vendors (up four from last year) and twenty-four Federation
groups. 
     Sunday afternoon and evening twelve Federation committees
and divisions conducted seminars or meetings, including the
Resolutions Committee, which traditionally meets for several
hours on the afternoon of convention registration day. Because of
the importance of the work of this committee, no other meetings
are scheduled during that time, and hundreds of interested
Federationists gather to listen to the committee discuss the
issues raised and make recommendations. Twenty-five resolutions
were brought to the committee this year, twenty of which
eventually came before the convention for debate and action. The
texts of these resolutions are printed elsewhere in this issue. 
     Monday, July 5, was filled with committee and division
meetings, seventeen in all. Monday evening also saw a production
of Jerry Whittle's new play, By The Wind Grieved, presented by
the Louisiana Center for the Blind Players. The Yah Sure Can-Do
Carnival (sponsored by the NFB of Minnesota and by BLIND, Inc.,
the Minnesota affiliate's adult rehabilitation center) also took
place that evening. Those who stopped in found food, games, and
information about BLIND's exciting rehabilitation program. They
also got the opportunity to practice talking Minnesotan--
Heckofadeal! 
     The meeting of the Board of Directors, which took place at
9:00 Monday morning, was as always the first actual convention
session. More than a thousand Federationists were present for the
meeting, and the only Board member missing was Gary Wunder, whose
employer had chosen the Fourth of July weekend to bring a new
computer system on line. Gary was in charge of working out the
bugs that inevitably develop during such an exercise, so he could
not leave town until late in the week when, to everyone's
delight, he joined us in Dallas. After announcing that Gary had
regretfully decided not to stand for re-election this year,
President Maurer read aloud the following letter from him: 

     Columbia, Missouri
     June 20, 1993

     Dear President Maurer:
          It is with a tremendous sense of gratitude that I
     thank the members of the National Federation of the
     Blind for having given me the privilege of serving as a
     member of the National Board of Directors since 1985.
     The activities I have been asked to carry out have been
     some of the most meaningful of my life. I wish that
     circumstances had allowed me to say this personally to
     you so that you could hear in my own voice what is so
     inadequately communicated in this letter. I ask that
     the Nominating Committee not consider me for another
     term on the Board and that it recommend to the
     convention the name of another in our Federation family
     who knows the pride and honor which come from serving
     this wonderful organization. I look forward to
     continuing actively in this magnificent movement we
     share, and again I thank all of you for the privilege
     you have extended to me. 

     Cordially,
     Gary Wunder

     The first order of business of the meeting was President
Maurer's invitation to everyone to remember those who had died in
the past year. Then Dr. Jernigan described the two newest
additions to our Kernel Book series, small paperback collections
of essays about blindness and the actual experience of blind
people. The first of these two new Kernel Books was As the Twig
Is Bent, a book largely about the experiences of blind children
and teens. The second was Making Hay, written by blind adults
about making their way in the world of work like everybody else.
Dr. Jernigan announced that all of the Kernel Books (as well as
Walking Alone and Marching Together and What You Should Know
About Blindness, Services for the Blind, and the Organized Blind
Movement) would be on sale at the convention hall book table all
week. Also available at the table was Dr. C. Edwin Vaughan's new
book, The Struggle of Blind People for Self-Determination. All of
these titles can be ordered from the Materials Center at the
National Center for the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21230. 
     Dr. Jernigan then explained to the Board that it has become
obvious that changes should be made in the NFB's Deferred
Insurance Giving (DIG) Program. It makes sense to shift our
emphasis from the purchase of great numbers of insurance policies
and the size of their face value to concentration on the actual
contributions being made to an investment program for the future.
It has become clear that it will be increasingly difficult to
maintain contact with the many children on whose lives policies
have been taken so that, when they die at seventy or eighty, we
can notify the insurance company and receive the amount due on
the policy. Also, with the recent fall in interest rates, the
projections of when a given policy will be paid up are now wrong.
It is, therefore, necessary to make substantial changes in the
program. For those people who make automatically deducted
payments on insurance policies, there will mostly be no changes;
they will continue to participate in the program as they have
done in the past. Those, however, who make annual payments will
notice that in future their bills will come from the NFB. In
situations in which it seems advisable to do so, the organization
may cash in the policy or begin making the payments if necessary.
For purposes of calculating state rankings in what will now be
known as the Deferred Investment Giving Program, state rank will
now depend on the amount of annual contribution to the investment
program originating in that state, rather than solely on the face
amount of the insurance policies that have been purchased. The
result will be that, as contributions to the Deferred Investment
Giving Program rise, the NFB will have a pool of funds with which
to invest in ways that will earn substantial returns for the
organized blind movement. 
     When Dr. Jernigan had completed this explanation, President
Maurer announced that the Baltimore Chapter had made
contributions of $7,000 each to both the NFB of Maryland and the
National Federation of the Blind, and David Ticchi, President of
the Cambridge Chapter of the NFB of Massachusetts, then came
forward to present $2,000 each to the Massachusetts affiliate and
the national organization.



[PHOTO: Young girl jumps in Oyngo Boyngo. CAPTION: Kids
of all ages enjoyed bouncing in the Oyngo Boyngos at
this year's convention.]

     Next President Maurer called Mary Willows of California to
the platform. Before turning the mike over to her for
announcements about child care arrangements for the week, he
explained that Mary, in agreeing to supervise this important
effort, had stipulated that the name be changed to NFB Camp. Mary
announced that during NFB Camp this year the children would see a
marionette show, have a visit from a magician, and take a trip to
the Science Place in Dallas. She also explained that this year at
the convention there were two mesh-enclosed trampolines for the
use of the children. Invented and now produced by a parent, they
are called Oyngo Boyngos, and they turned out to be the hit of
the convention for the under-125-pound crowd. Mary also said with
pride that it had become necessary to solve the cane-storage
problem in the child care room because there are now so many
youngsters using the facility who need to have a safe place to
store a cane while playing. Mary turned to Fred Schroeder,
Director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, who had
asked Jim Estis, the industrial arts teacher at the orientation
center, to solve the problem. Jim came to the microphone to
describe the oak cabinet with twenty-four storage compartments
that the students at the New Mexico orientation center had made.
It is a beautifully finished piece of woodwork, and every bit of
it was done under sleepshades. Jim concluded his report by saying
that, whether the students who helped build the cabinet were at
the convention in person or not, each one of them sent thanks to
the members of the Federation for what he or she was receiving
from the New Mexico program because of the work of the NFB. 
     Peggy Pinder, Second Vice President of the National
Federation of the Blind and Chairman of the Scholarship
Committee, then introduced the twenty-six members of this year's
group of scholarship winners. A full report of the scholarship
program appears elsewhere in this issue. 
     Dorothy Cofone, President of the NFB of New Jersey, and
Carla McQuillan, President of the NFB of Oregon, then came
forward to make a presentation from the members of the Leadership
Training Seminar known as the Defensive Seminar. Carla has
thought for some time that the space over the large fireplace in
the Harbor Room at the National Center for the Blind is the
perfect location for a wall hanging, and for some years Dorothy
imported and sold oriental rugs. So the Defensive Seminar
presented the Federation with a beautiful silk rug from China
measuring five feet by three. It has an ivory background and
tassels along the ends. The design incorporates flowers, birds,
and animals in shades of blue and brown. President Maurer thanked
the members of the seminar and promised that a fitting place
would be found for the rug at the Center. 
     Two award presentations took place during the Board meeting.
Steve Benson, Chairman of the Blind Educator of the Year Award
Committee, presented Dr. Emerson Foulke of Louisville, Kentucky,
with that award, and Sharon Maneki, Chairwoman of the
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award Committee,
presented that award to Gail Katona of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A
full report of both ceremonies appears elsewhere in this issue. 
     When Tom Stevens, Chairman of the Associates Committee, came
to the platform to make his report to the Board, he announced
that two new records had been set this year in the recruitment of
members-at-large as associates of the NFB. More than $90,000 was
raised in the program, and 468 people took part as recruiters.
President Maurer then announced the top ten recruiters by number
of Associates and by dollar amount as follows:

Top 10 in Number of Associates Recruited

10. Norman Gardner (Arizona), 81
9. Arthur Schreiber (New Mexico), 89
8. Laura Biro (Michigan), 92
7. Karen Mayry (South Dakota), 103
6. Kenneth Jernigan (Maryland), 105
5. Matthew Brink (Michigan), 107
4. Bill Isaacs (Illinois), 154
3. Toni Eames (California), 179
2. Tom Stevens (Missouri), 229;
1. Fred Schroeder (New Mexico), 314

Top 10 in Dollar Amount Raised

10. Matthew Brink (Michigan), $2,411
9. Karen Mayry (South Dakota), $2,713
8. Tom Stevens (Missouri), $2,726
7. Bill Isaacs (Illinois), $2,758
6. Toni Eames (California), $2,781
5. Duane Gerstenberger (Maryland), $2,986
4. Mary Ellen Jernigan (Maryland), $3,013
3. David Andrews (Maryland), $4,142
2. Fred Schroeder (New Mexico), $4,224
1. Kenneth Jernigan (Maryland), $9,092

     The Board of Directors then voted to conduct a contest to
encourage Associate recruiters again in 1994. 
     Just before adjournment of the meeting, President Maurer
introduced three young women who last year enrolled in a Braille
transcription course being offered at their school, Marissa High
School in Marissa, Illinois. The three (Amy Heil, Kyle Jouglard,
and Christine Walker) all passed the National Library Service
Braille transcription test before the end of the school year and
are now certified Braille transcribers. The Federation gave them
scholarships to attend the NFB convention in order to thank them
in person for their dramatic undermining of the notion that
learning Braille is difficult for busy people to find time to do.

[PHOTO: Two women examine the list of convention
attendees from their state. CAPTION: All week
Federationists kept track of the registration count by
checking the state delegation lists hanging in the
foyer of the Hyatt Regency ballroom.]

     Tuesday morning President Maurer gaveled the first general
convention session to order precisely at 10 a.m. The welcoming
ceremonies were interspersed with announcements and reports on
convention registration, banquet ticket exchange procedures, and
other important details. During the roll call of states three
presidents announced that Braille bills had recently or were
about to become law. As of August 1, New Mexico, Oregon, and
Rhode Island had joined the group of states that can boast
protection of the right of parents and their blind children who
wish to receive Braille instruction in the schools. There are now
twenty-one states that have recognized that blind children truly
do have a right to an appropriate education. 
     Tuesday afternoon the convention session began with
President Maurer's annual report to the members, printed in full
elsewhere in this issue. As always, it summarized and provided
perspective on the work of the Federation during the past year,
and it set the tone for the organization's activities in the
months ahead. Here is the way the report began: 

          During the past twelve months the National
     Federation of the Blind has experienced substantial
     progress. Our extensive programs have expanded, and our
     activities have diversified. As we gather for this
     convention, our feelings are harmonious and
     enthusiastic. This by no means suggests that we are
     passive. There is a restless, throbbing energy
     throughout the Federation. The driving force is
     focused, and we are finding solutions to our problems.
          Within our movement (the organized blind movement)
     there is a place for blind professionals, for blind
     students, for parents of blind children and the
     children themselves, for blind merchants, for blind
     workers in industry and the sheltered shops, for
     administrators and workers in the field of work with
     the blind, for sighted family members and friends, for
     blind people hunting work, and for blind retirees--for
     everybody. The only requirements are that we possess
     belief in the founding principles of our movement and
     that we be willing to put that belief into practice. We
     have forged an agreement. Our organization is for
     everybody--everybody, that is, who is prepared to work,
     to believe, and to dream. As we prepare for the year
     ahead, and as we review our progress during the past
     twelve months, that commitment remains the vital
     connective tissue of our organization.

     Following the tumultuous audience response to this report,
the convention heard from Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas, who
was a prisoner of war for seven years during the Vietnam War. His
title was "Blindness: Meeting the Challenge Through Self-
Organization and a Fighting Spirit--Lessons From One Who Knows." 
     "The Nature of Independence" was the title of a thought-
provoking speech delivered by Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, which is
printed elsewhere in this issue. Then President Maurer read a
letter to the convention from Assistant Secretary of Education
Judy Heumann. Here it is:

          I want to take this opportunity to offer my
     greetings to your membership as I begin my tenure as
     Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education
     and Rehabilitative Services. As you hear this, I am in
     the midst of sorting through the myriad boxes and
     suitcases which have followed me in my move to
     Washington. This is certainly a busy time for all of
     us, but an exciting time too. And although I cannot be
     with you this week, I wanted to express my wishes for a
     successful and productive convention. I am sure that in
     the near future I will be meeting with your leadership
     to discuss our mutual areas of concern. I greatly look
     forward to that meeting and to collaborating with your
     membership in advocating for blind people.
          The many successes achieved by the Federation are
     well known to me, and I have always greatly respected
     your work in advancing independence and opportunity for
     blind people. Whether on the picket line, in the board
     room, or in the courtroom, your undaunted vigilance and
     commitment have brought about significant change.
     Because of your efforts blind individuals of all ages
     can take their rightful place as equal and independent
     members of society. You have a right to be proud, and
     we have much to learn from you.
          I also want to take this opportunity to express my
     thanks for all of your support and hard work in
     bringing about many of the forward-thinking reforms we
     have witnessed in the passage of the Rehabilitation Act
     Amendments of 1992. For example, I know that the
     Federation has long been committed to bringing about
     reforms in the area of client choice. Because of your
     efforts and those of other committed and dedicated
     organizations, rehabilitation clients will now have
     increased input into decisions affecting the type and
     nature of the services they will receive. I firmly
     believe that this concept of choice is at the very
     heart of all of our efforts because independence begins
     with learning to make choices in order to determine
     one's destiny. 
          In addition, I plan to work collaboratively with
     the Federation and other interested organizations to
     implement the provision of the amendments which
     mandates streamlining client eligibility for
     rehabilitation services. While we are on the subject of
     rehabilitation, I want to commend you for the fine job
     you are doing in conjunction with the Rehabilitation
     Services Administration on the Work Incentive Training
     project. This pilot project, designed to teach blind
     recipients of SSI and SSDI how to take advantage of the
     work incentives for which they are eligible, will
     result in the production of a training manual that will
     be used nationally by vocational rehabilitation
     agencies for this purpose. It is my hope that similar
     types of projects will enable individuals with other
     disabilities to take advantage of the work incentive
     provisions for which they too are eligible. 
          Before I close, I want to make two specific
     requests of you today to help achieve the excellence
     that is the theme of this Administration. The first
     request is that you contact us to receive applications
     to serve as peer reviewers for our grant competitions
     carried out by each of the three OSERS components: the
     Rehabilitation Services Administration, the National
     Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research,
     and the Office of Special Education Programs. As you
     know the Peer Review function is at the very core of
     some of our most important work, and it is critical
     that the interests and experience of blind people be
     fully tapped. Peer review applications are available
     from my office in Braille upon request.[and also from
     here, anyway, back to the letter] 
          The second request is that you help me learn about
     model programs serving blind children, youth, and
     adults across the nation. As my staff and I travel
     across the country, we want to know about the programs
     that are doing the best job of educating and
     rehabilitating blind individuals in a variety of
     settings, and we want to learn from them and replicate
     them to help others. So I am asking that you help us
     achieve the excellence we seek by sending us written or
     taped descriptions of model programs in a range of
     environments and telling us why they are models. 
          Let me say again that I look forward to working
     closely with you over the next few years in a spirit of
     mutual collaboration. May this convention week be full
     of rewarding and exciting experiences for each of you.

     Sincerely, Judith Heumann

     Hank Dekker, the man whose 1993 attempt to sail single-
handed from Cape May, New Jersey, to Plymouth, England, was
described in the August, 1993, issue of the Braille Monitor, next
addressed the convention, describing how different his life after
becoming blind would have been if he had found the National
Federation of the Blind earlier than he did. His remarks are
printed elsewhere in this issue. 
     The closing item on the afternoon agenda was an address by
Dr. Tuck Tinsley, President of the American Printing House for
the Blind. His title was "Tomorrow's News Today." He reviewed
some of the most exciting plans for the future being made by the
Printing House, laying particular stress on joint efforts with
the Federation.

[PHOTO: Convention attendees socialize around the
tables and near the pavilion at Hyatt Bear Creek.
CAPTION: The barbecue at Bear Creek was Federation fun
at its best: good friends, good food, good music, and
Texas hospitality.]

     The convention session recessed at 5:00 p.m., and everyone
headed for the Texas Barbecue Under the Stars at Bear Creek,
where good food and music could be shared with good friends at
the close of a wonderful day. 
     The barbecue was hardly the only activity taking place that
night. Buses shuttled back and forth to Bear Creek all evening so
that Federationists could attend events at the hotel as well as
enjoying the festivities at the resort. Again this year the
Parents of Blind Children Division sponsored a workshop for
parents and teachers interested in learning to use the slate and
stylus. Claudell Stocker (Braille expert and recently retired
head of the Braille Development Section at the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) instructed
almost two dozen eager students, who came away enthusiastic about
Braille and excited and confident about their new skill in
writing it. 
     The Music Division's Showcase of Talent also took place
Tuesday night. The winners in the children's division were first
prize: Kevin Hatton, age six, from Maryland, piano; second prize:
Ellen Nichols, age ten, from Maryland, piano; and honorable
mention: Katie Munck, age ten, from Michigan, voice. In the
composition competition the first place winner was Julie Melton
of California, who sang her own song, "I Will Shelter You." The
second place winner was Nancy Herb of Arizona, who sang her
composition, "Inspiration." In the talent competition Dolores
Smith of Alabama won the first place prize for her singing of
"I'm Glad God Made Me," and Jan Kaftan of California took second
place with a piano rendition of "Climb Every Mountain." 
     The Wednesday morning general session began with a welcome
from Texas Congressman Greg Laughlin, who had been prevented from
leaving Washington the day before. The Convention next turned to
the annual election. Six positions on the Board of Directors were
open this year. The holdover positions were those currently held
by the organization's officers: Marc Maurer, Maryland, President;
Joyce Scanlan, Minnesota, First Vice President; Peggy Pinder,
Iowa, Second Vice President; Ramona Walhof, Idaho, Secretary; and
Allen Harris, Michigan, Treasurer. Those currently serving in the
holdover board positions are Steve Benson, Illinois; Charlie
Brown, Virginia; Glenn Crosby, Texas; Sam Gleese, Mississippi;
Frank Lee, Alabama; and Diane McGeorge, Colorado. 
     The six board seats open for election in 1993 were held by
Don Capps, South Carolina; Priscilla Ferris, Massachusetts; Betty
Niceley, Kentucky; Fred Schroeder, New Mexico; Joanne Wilson,
Louisiana; and Gary Wunder, Missouri. 
     Dr. Jernigan chaired the Nominating Committee this year and
made the Committee's report to the convention. The names of Don
Capps, Priscilla Ferris, Betty Niceley, Fred Schroeder, Joanne
Wilson, and Sharon Gold, California, were placed in nomination;
and all were elected by acclamation. Each of those so honored by
the Convention spoke a few words to the delegates. Sharon Gold's
remarks captured the commitment and dedication of those elected
to serve as members of the Board of Directors for the coming two
years. The newest member of the Board said:

          When I was born, there was no National Federation
     of the Blind. It was born eleven days later, so you'll
     always know how old I am. But, if it weren't for the
     National Federation of the Blind... It has led the way
     for me throughout my life--it has changed my life. But
     most of the time I didn't know that, not until I was
     thirty-five years old. That's very sad. 
          When I did learn about the National Federation of
     the Blind, I had been teaching school for almost
     fifteen years, a job that I would never have gotten but
     for this organization, because it was this organization
     that got the laws changed so that blind people could
     get a teaching credential. So I wouldn't have been a
     tax-paying citizen had it not been for the National
     Federation of the Blind and for all of you people in
     this room. It is our collective work and our collective
     strength that bring the changes that make it possible
     to change the lives of all blind people, whether they
     are part of this organization or not, whether or not
     they even know about the organization. I'm a prime
     example, and I will never ever be able to repay the
     debt that I feel to my fellow Federationists.
          It is a privilege to belong to this organization.
     It is an honor to be asked to serve on our National
     Board. I appreciate the honor, and I accept the
     responsibility, and I thank you very much.

     Following the election, Ritchie Geisel, President of
Recording for the Blind, delivered a report from RFB, which,
according to Mr. Geisel, is continuing to grow and to work with
the American Printing House, textbook publishers, and the
National Federation of the Blind to make machine-readable
textbooks available for Brailling in the near future. 
     The remainder of the morning was devoted to a panel
discussion entitled "Fair Labor Standards: Fact or Fiction for
Blind Workers in the Sheltered Shop." Panel participants included
Joe Cordova, Assistant Director of the New Mexico Commission for
the Blind and Administrator of the Industries Division; Richard
Edlund, Member of the Kansas House of Representatives; Fred
Puente, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Blind Industries and
Services of Maryland; Donald Ellisburg, labor lawyer and
consultant; William Gross, Assistant Administrator of the Wage
and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration in
the U.S. Department of Labor; and Austin Murphy, Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Labor Standards, Occupational Health, and Safety
of the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Taken together these presentations provided a
strong argument for doing away with certificates of exemption for
shops employing blind workers. 
     On Wednesday afternoon and evening Federationists went their
separate ways, taking part in a number of possible activities.
The Texas affiliate had outdone itself with an array of tours to
fit every interest. But there were also wonderful possibilities
to choose at the hotel. Of course there were workshops and
committee meetings for those with work to do. One of the most
popular of these was the annual workshop for applicants,
advocates, and recipients of Social Security Administration
programs. 
     But there was also fun to be had. The exhibit hall was open
all afternoon, and for the first time at an NFB convention there
was a show and sale of art by blind artists. The Louisiana Center
for the Blind also hosted the Federation Follies, where
participants could sing Federation songs and play all kinds of
NFB games like Federation Trivial Pursuit. In addition, the
Louisiana Center Players presented Federation Heritage, a play
depicting the history of the National Federation of the Blind.
That evening hundreds of people flocked to the annual Monte Carlo
Night, sponsored by the National Association of Blind Students. 
     At 9:00 a.m. Thursday, however, delegates were in their
seats, ready to enjoy and take part in the day's crowded agenda.
President Maurer invited Art Schreiber, one of the leaders of the
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico and currently a
candidate for election as the Mayor of Albuquerque, to address
the convention for a moment. Art thanked the organization for
giving him the confidence to know that he is capable of holding
this important job. 
     Carl Augusto, Executive Director and President of the
American Foundation for the Blind, then delivered his "Report
from the American Foundation for the Blind." In this address Mr.
Augusto outlined the plans and changes for the future that the
Foundation has decided to undertake. 
     Frank Kurt Cylke, who the following day would celebrate his
twentieth anniversary as Director of the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of
Congress, then delivered his annual report to the convention,
entitled "Twenty Years of Service and Twenty Years to Come." He
reviewed the changes that have come about in the National Library
Service since 1973 and looked ahead to the future. 
     Next Ramona Walhof, Secretary of the National Federation of
the Blind, delivered a stirring address, "Braille: A
Renaissance." This speech, which combined personal experience,
exemplary anecdotes, and sound advice about reading and writing
Braille, is printed elsewhere in this issue. 
     "Mainstreaming, Schools for the Blind, and Full Inclusion:
What Shall the Future of Education for Blind Children Be?" was
the title of a panel discussion which included presentations by
Fred Schroeder, Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission
for the Blind and formerly Director of Low Incidence Programs in
the Albuquerque Schools; Dr. Phil Hatlen, Superintendent of the
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Dr. Michael
Bina, Superintendent of the Indiana School for the Blind and
President of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of
the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER); and Dr. Ralph Bartley,
Superintendent of the Arizona State School for the Deaf and
Blind. All of the panelists raised serious questions about the
concept of full inclusion as it is currently being practiced in
many schools, opting instead for the principle that each blind
child should be provided with the instruction he or she needs in
the setting that is most appropriate at the time. 
     The final speaker of the morning was Patricia Stenger,
Senior Vice President of the American Diabetes Association. Her
title was "Diabetes: A Leading Cause of Blindness in the United
States." In recent months the American Diabetes Association has
shown increased willingness to work with the National Federation
of the Blind, and certainly Ms. Stenger's appearance at the
convention was an indication of the growing spirit of cooperation
between the two organizations. 
     The opening agenda item of the afternoon session was an
address by Louis Enoff, Acting Commissioner of the Social
Security Administration. His title was "Social Security and SSI:
Meeting the Challenge for Modernization for the Decade of the
90's and Beyond." Mr. Enoff reported on a number of efforts to
improve service and reiterated SSA's eagerness to work closely
with the organized blind movement to improve service to program
recipients. As always there were many questions from the audience
and much concern about problems, but as both President Maurer and
Mr. Gashel commented, the honesty, good faith, and willingness to
correct injustices demonstrated by senior staff members of the
Social Security Administration give hope and encouragement to all
those who strive to improve the lives of blind people. 
     The next item was a panel presentation titled "Diversified
Tasks: The Blind in the Workplace." Panel participants were
Richard Realmuto, a high school technology teacher; Kathy
Kannenberg, a middle and high school mathematics teacher; Dr.
Michael Gosse, an electrical engineer; and Alan Downing, a high-
performance engine builder. All four explained something of how
they do their jobs and discussed the role of the Federation in
helping them accomplish their goals. 
     The final speaker of the afternoon was Congressman Jim
Ramstad of Minnesota, sponsor of the pending legislation that
would include people with severe disabilities in the Small
Business Act. His title was "The Americans with Disabilities
Business Development Act: What Is It, What Does It Mean for the
Blind?" Mr. Ramstad urged delegates to encourage their Members of
Congress to co-sponsor his bill, H.R. 794, and insist that
hearings on it be held soon. 
     "The banquet of the 1993 Convention of the National
Federation of the Blind is now in order." With these words Dr.
Jernigan signaled the opening of the banquet festivities on
Thursday evening, July 8. A serious effort was made this year to
shorten the banquet agenda, and despite the exuberance of the
audience, it was successful. Cheering, singing, Division-
sponsored drawings, and wonderful prizes were all present in
abundance. But the program moved along, fueled by excitement and
enthusiasm. The National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille (NAPUB) presented its first ever Golden Keys Award to
honor an individual who has made a notable contribution to
promote the use of Braille. This award was presented to Mr. Deane
Blazie for his production of the Braille 'n Speak. A full
description of this award ceremony appears elsewhere in this
issue. 
     Peggy Pinder, Chairman of the NFB Scholarship Committee,
presented the twenty-six scholarships to this year's winners.
Jennifer Lehman, a junior at the University of Minnesota, was the
winner of the American Action Fund Scholarship in the amount of
$10,000. A full report of the scholarship award ceremony appears
elsewhere in this issue. 
     As always, however, the high point of the banquet and of the
entire convention was President Maurer's banquet address, the
title of which was "The Continuity of Leadership: Twin
Requirements." The response of the crowd demonstrated again that
the organized blind are prepared to do whatever is necessary to
define our own destiny and win freedom for ourselves and one
another. Here are the final words of that address: 

          "It is of utmost significance to respond with
     decision and determination in times of crisis. We, the
     organized blind, must be prepared to take concerted
     action whenever our collective effort can solve the
     immediate problems we face. However, of even greater
     importance is the need to stimulate an atmosphere of
     understanding--of acceptance of the blind on terms of
     equality. This must occur all over the nation--in our
     homes, our immediate neighborhoods, and our broader
     communities. The leadership that inspires this attitude
     must be a part of our thoughts and actions every day.
          "If we collectively and individually do not meet
     the challenge of leadership which is now before us, the
     odd-ball notions and crazy ideas about us will continue
     to impede our progress and stifle our growth.
     Furthermore, there is nobody that can do it for us--we
     must meet the challenge ourselves. Let the sighted
     march with us, and increasingly they do. Let the
     governmental and private agencies join the effort, and
     ever growing numbers are doing so. But in the final
     analysis others cannot shape the future for us. We must
     make our own tomorrow. We know what our problems are,
     and we know how to deal with them. We know how to find
     the means and how to focus the effort. We cannot fail
     or turn back. The stakes are too high and the prize too
     great. In the spirit of Dr. Perry, who was the
     precursor; of Dr. tenBroek, who was the founder and
     pioneer; and Dr. Jernigan, who has been the organizer
     and builder--yes, and also in the spirit of those who
     will look back to test our actions and judgment, we of
     this generation must and will do what is needed to
     bring the blind closer to full membership in society.
     We will respond to crisis as we must, but we will also
     be creative and plan ahead. In the certainty of our
     strength to do what must be done and our belief in each
     other and ourselves, we face the future with confidence
     and joy. We are the organized blind. We are the
     National Federation of the Blind. My brothers and my
     sisters, we will make it come true!"

     The 1993 banquet address is reprinted elsewhere in this
issue.

[PHOTO: Friends dance at the Hoe-Down. CAPTION: The
Colorado Hoe-Down didn't begin until the banquet ended
Thursday evening, but Federationists were still going
strong.]
 
     Following the excitement of the banquet most people streamed
into the Colorado Hoe-Down, jointly sponsored by the National
Federation of the Blind of Colorado and the Colorado Center for
the Blind. The warmth of Western hospitality and the exuberance
of Western dance music were the order of the day, or should one
say the late evening and early morning hours? 
     Yet at 9:00 a.m. Friday morning the crowd was back in the
ballroom again, this time for the final day's program. Dr.
Jernigan, who chairs the Finance Committee, presented the
financial report, and James Gashel, Director of Governmental
Affairs, gave the Washington report. In addition, Euclid Herie,
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind and Treasurer of the World Blind Union;
Geraldine Braak, President of the Canadian Council of the Blind;
and Mr. Pecharat Techavachara, President of both the Thai Blind
Union and the Foundation for the Employment Promotion of the
Blind in Thailand and Chairman of the Lighthouse for the Blind in
Thailand, addressed the convention briefly. Dr. Herie reported on
the actions of the World Blind Union and the role of the North
America/Caribbean Region. Mrs. Braak drew parallels between the
Canadian Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the
Blind.

[PHOTO: Mrs. Jernigan holds a bouquet of 4 roses made
from 5 $5 bills. CAPTION: One of the more unusual door
prizes this year was a rose constructed of $5 bills. In
fact, several of these horticultural wonders were given
away to lucky Federationists. Mrs. Jernigan is pictured
here holding a bouquet of very valuable flowers.]

     Mr. Techavachara, who was the first blind student in
Thailand to be educated alongside sighted students and has earned
a degree in economics from the Wharton School in Philadelphia,
told delegates of the struggle of the blind of his country to win
the right for blind people to participate in deciding the
direction of the programs that control their lives. Because of
his success in business--he manages two family-owned enterprises-
-Mr. Techavachara has been able to achieve some victories for
blind people, and he and his blind colleagues are determined to
continue their fight for self-determination. Dr. Jernigan
concluded this discussion of the blind in the world by saying:
"You can see from these reports that a lot is going on concerning
the blind around the world, and we as an organization have been
active, doing what we can to try to promote the well-being and
best interests of blind people in other countries."
     The final agenda item of the morning was a brief report from
Aundrea Moore, who works for the Attorney General of Texas to see
that materials concerning child support issues are available in
alternative media for those who need them. In describing how she
got her job, Ms. Moore pointed out that people who are entitled
to child support and who are also receiving SSDI should remember
that child support payments are not to be counted as income in
determining SSDI eligibility. Such payments may count against SSI
recipients, but even so, medical assistance may be available.
People who believe that they are not getting the child support or
SSA benefits they are entitled to would be well-advised to
contact the Federation for assistance. 
     The afternoon session was devoted primarily to the
consideration of resolutions. Final reports of several week-long
campaigns were also made. Perhaps the funniest moment of the
session occurred shortly after Shelley Alongi of California, who
was attending her first national convention, won a door prize
which consisted in part of a box of Armadillo Droppings. Boxes of
this Texas confection had figured prominently in the door prize
activity all week long, and there had been a good bit of playful
discussion from the platform about the propriety of opening one
of the boxes to see what on earth Armadillo Droppings actually
were. Shelley Alongi came to a mike to tell President Maurer that
she would be pleased to offer him an Armadillo Dropping since it
would be one way for her to meet him. Much to the delight of the
convention, she brought the box to the platform, and President
Maurer then described with great precision what the candy looked
and tasted like. 
     The entire encounter livened up the proceedings and
delighted everyone, except perhaps those who never did get a
taste of Texas Armadillo Droppings. 
     The final report on Pre-authorized Check Plan contributions
showed exciting increases during this convention. When the
convention began, 1,322 Federationists were members of the PAC
Plan. The PAC Committee set a goal of 1,400 members by
adjournment Friday afternoon. The actual final figure was 1,432,
with 110 new members, 23 of whom were from one state, California.
The amount being contributed annually on PAC at the beginning of
the week was $307,068, and by the close of the convention the
Committee's goal of $325,000 had been left in the dust. The
annualized contribution at adjournment Friday was $328,888. The
week-long campaign to raise at least $40,000 in new contributions
to the Deferred Investment Giving Program resulted in gifts and
pledges of $43,661 by Friday afternoon. 
     A few moments before the final gavel of the 1993 convention
sounded, Dr. Jernigan sought the floor to remark how pleased he
was about the convention and what it had accomplished. To judge
from the applause that followed his farewell as he left the hall
to conduct last-minute business, the audience clearly agreed with
him.
     At the very close of the convention an event occurred that
demonstrated with high good humor both the fundamental democracy
of the NFB and its deep affection for its leaders. It happened
like this: Diane McGeorge, door prize chairwoman, drew Dr.
Jernigan's name for a prize several minutes after he had left the
room. The audience was noisily and delightedly divided on the
question of whether he was ineligible to receive it because he
was out of the room or should be given it because he has given so
much to the organized blind movement and, after all, he was
conducting Federation business. Finally, a mock-serious vote was
taken and, as a result, Diane drew again.

[PHOTO: Baby in stroller with hands on print/Braille
book. CAPTION: Miranja Silvert attended her first
convention this year. Though she was only eight months
old when this picture was taken, she had already begun
to learn the value of Braille. Here she is enjoying a
Twin Vision book.]

[PHOTO: Hazel tenBroek and Joe DeBeer seated in
convention audience. CAPTION: Joe DeBeer of Minnesota,
at 91, was the oldest Federationist at this year's
convention. He and Mrs. tenBroek visit together here as
they have at conventions since the 1940's.]

     With high spirits and higher hopes for the future, laughter
and determination to change present hopes into future reality,
members of the National Federation of the Blind said good-by to
Dallas and set forth on the year-long journey to Detroit,
Michigan, and the 1994 National Convention. With enthusiastic
invitations from the Michigan affiliate to come to the Motor City
and "Bring a friend" ringing in their ears, Federationists packed
up and returned home. The challenges facing us in the coming year
will be significant and the obstacles formidable as always, but
the movement of blind Americans toward first-class status and
full participation in society is unstoppable. Now we shift our
sights to July 2 to 9, 1994, the dates of next year's Convention
of the National Federation of the Blind. Meantime it's business
as usual for the organized blind movement, changing what it means
to be blind.



[PHOTO: Mr. Maurer standing at podium microphone.
CAPTION: President Marc Maurer delivers his annual
report to the 1993 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind.]

                       PRESIDENTIAL REPORT
                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                          DALLAS, TEXAS
                          JULY 6, 1993

     During the past twelve months the National Federation of the
Blind has experienced substantial progress. Our extensive
programs have expanded, and our activities have diversified. As
we gather for this convention, our feelings are harmonious and
enthusiastic. This by no means suggests that we are passive.
There is a restless, throbbing energy throughout the Federation.
That driving force is focused, and we are finding solutions to
our problems.
     Within our movement (the organized blind movement) there is
a place for blind professionals, for blind students, for parents
of blind children and the children themselves, for blind
merchants, for blind workers in industry and the sheltered shops,
for administrators and workers in the field of work with the
blind, for sighted family members and friends, for blind people
hunting work, and for blind retireesfor everybody. The only
requirements are that we possess belief in the founding
principles of our movement and that we be willing to put that
belief into practice. We have forged an agreement. Our
organization is for everybodyeverybody, that is, who is prepared
to work, to believe, and to dream. As we prepare for the year
ahead, and as we review our progress during the past twelve
months, that commitment remains the vital connective tissue of
our organization.
     Increasingly the National Federation of the Blind is
recognized by governmental agencies, nonprofit institutions, and
commercial companies as the most knowledgeable organization in
the nation regarding blindness. The Golden Corral Restaurant
chain provides activity books to the children who come to dine.
One of these books contains a story about a blind child named
April, who travels in time. April is depicted using a cane and
reading Braille. We were asked to review the story and offer
comments. Included in this Golden Corral Restaurant publication
is a message from the Federation, which says: For more
information about blindness, contact the National Federation of
the Blind. This booklet is scheduled to appear in September. Our
message will be included in each copy distributedall two million
of them.
     Our interaction with Golden Corral Restaurants is indicative
of a growing phenomenon. Ever more frequently the National
Federation of the Blind is consulted when the subject of
blindness is being considered. When one of the readers of Dear
Abby wrote to inquire about blindness and newspapers for the
blind, Dear Abby called us. When the Washington Post needed
background information about the capabilities of blind people, it
called the National Federation of the Blind. When editors at the
Simon and Schuster publishing company were seeking information
about Braille literacy, they called us. When planners at the
Senate Printing Office wanted to know the best way to produce
Braille, they visited the National Center for the Blind.
     The National Federation of the Blind was instrumental in
making the 1993 presidential inauguration accessible to the
blind. Several of the documents prepared by the inaugural
committee were Brailled by the National Federation of the Blind
for distribution to blind participants in the inauguration
ceremonies. The inauguration was carried on television
nationwide. The visual portions of the broadcast were described
for blind people in the television audience through the
Descriptive Video Service. One of the major sponsors of this
descriptive video broadcast, prepared by WGBH television of
Boston, was the National Federation of the Blind.
     On November 16, 1990, on the fiftieth birthday of our
movement, we established the National Braille and Technology
Center for the Blind. Because of the scope of activity in this
Center, it has been renamed the International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind. This facility houses the most
extensive collection of technological devices for the blind
anywhere in the United Statesor, for that matter, the world. We
are committed to including among the devices in the Center at
least one of every piece of useful hardware that can be obtained
(along with all of the useful software packages) capable of
producing information in speech, in refreshable Braille, or in
hard copy Braille. Although this Center is less than three years
old, it has already outgrown its original quarters, a spacious
demonstration hall twenty-six feet wide and one hundred twenty
feet long with accompanying offices and classrooms. Nothing like
it exists (or has ever existed) anywhere in the world.
     Available to be examined in the International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind today are twenty-five kinds of
speech synthesizers; five kinds of stand-alone reading machines;
nine kinds of computer-based reading systems; eight kinds of
refreshable Braille displays; two kinds of Braille laptop
computers; seven kinds of portable electronic note takers; twenty
kinds of Braille embossers; nine kinds of Braille translation
software; twenty kinds of screen review programs; five kinds of
printers for creating Braille and print on the same page;
numerous pieces of miscellaneous software, such as scientific
calculators, banking programs, speech-based reference materials,
database managing systems, and other computer programs;
miscellaneous hardware, such as graphics devices; a talking cash
register; and the computers needed to make all of this work.
     The second floor of the Johnson Street wing in the main
building at the National Center for the Blind is presently being
remodeled to house the ever-expanding International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind. In addition to extensive
demonstration space there will be eleven new offices, meeting
facilities, a museum, and a kitchen. The International Braille
and Technology Center for the Blind will, in these new quarters,
be more than two and a half times as large as it is today.
     One aspect of the Technology Center is our computer bulletin
board, NFB NET. This service makes available by telephone, to
people with a computer and computer modem, information about
blindness, services for the blind, the organized blind movement,
computer technology of interest to the blind, computer programs,
and suggestions that will improve information availability to the
blind. In addition, this service provides a communications system
where topics of interest to the blind can be researched and
discussed. There have been 9,215 calls to the bulletin board
within the past twelve months. There have been 1,924 files sent
to the board by phone, and over 6,000 transmissions of
information from our service.
     The International Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind is valuable because it brings opportunities to blind people
who would not otherwise have them. But this is only part of the
reason for its existence. The cooperation among agencies doing
work with the blind, organizations involved in the blindness
system, and blind consumers is stimulated and enhanced through
meetings that are planned to discuss technological applications
and related matters. In 1991 the National Federation of the Blind
sponsored and hosted the first U.S./Canada Conference on
Technology for the Blind. This conference brought together for
the first time the decision-makers of all of the major
manufacturers and distributors of technology, organizations
working with the blind, and organizations of the blind in the
United States and Canada. We are now planning to sponsor and host
the second U.S./Canada Conference on Technology for the Blind.
Again, it will be convened at the National Center for the Blind.
The specific results coming from these conferences are far more
than the improvement and dissemination of technology. They also
encompass a new spirit of harmony and cooperation among all of
those involved in blindness and work with the blind on the North
American continent.
     Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, President Emeritus of the National
Federation of the Blind, serves as President of the North
America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. His leadership
has created greater unity of purpose and a clearer focus
regarding the common problems of those involved in work with the
blind than there has ever been in the past. Last fall Dr.
Jernigan led the North America/Caribbean delegation to the third
quadrennial convention of the World Blind Union, held in Cairo,
Egypt. In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Jernigan, Federationists who
attended included Don and Betty Capps; Patricia Miller; my wife,
Patricia Maurer; and me.
     Before reaching Cairo, Dr. and Mrs. Jernigan visited
programs for the blind in Athens, Greece; Amman, Jordan; and
Istanbul, Turkey. While in Istanbul, Dr. Jernigan was invited to
an audience with the then Turkish President Turgut Ozal. For
almost an hour, Dr. Jernigan and the members of the Turkish
Federation of the Blind discussed with President Ozal matters
dealing with blindness in Turkey and throughout the world.
     The participation of the National Federation of the Blind in
the World Blind Union has not only given those of us in the
United States perspective about what we are doing in this
country, but it has also produced a spirit of cooperation in the
blindness field throughout this region of the world which would
have been unimaginable even as recently as a decade ago. The
Committee on Joint Organizational Effort (JOE) has grown out of
the international meetings which were initiated through the World
Blind Union. In the spring of 1993, the members of the JOE
committee met at the National Center for the Blind, in Baltimore.
For the first time in affairs dealing with blindness there was
general agreement among the agencies and organizations present to
cooperate to seek major changes in programs for the blind. These
changes are expanded availability of Social Security Disability
Insurance for the blind and a much broader scope of education for
blind children in the reading and writing of Braille.
     To the extent that we can, we are providing encouragement
and assistance to the blind not only of this country but also
throughout the world. Literature and materials about blindness
are being distributed to: Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Australia,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada,
Chile, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France,
Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holland, Hong
Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya,
Liberia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico,
Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Guinea, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
Scotland, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tobago, Trinidad, Turkey, Ukraine,
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Zambia.
     Early last fall two members of the Turkish Federation of the
Blind, Lokman Ayva and Selahattin Aydin, visited the National
Center for the Blind for several weeks of intensive training in
the techniques of blindness and the use of computer technology.
When blind people from other nations are seeking to expand
opportunities for the blind and to encourage independence by
blind people within their borders, we feel a natural kinship with
them. When working together, the friendships we form are lasting
and deep. Dr. Jernigan's visit with the President of Turkey,
accompanied by members of the Turkish Federation of the Blind, is
one instance of our continuing relationship, but this is not all.
Mr. Lokman Ayva graduated with a bachelor's degree in management
this spring. He applied immediately to take the Turkish national
scholarship examination for study in other nations and paid the
required fee. Scholarships are awarded based upon performance in
this examination. One of the questions on the application asked
if he was disabled. Lokman Ayva replied that he is blind. Eight
days before the examination was to occur, the Turkish department
of education denied him the opportunity to take it on the grounds
of blindness. But Mr. Ayva did not give up. He protested to the
department of education and the newspapers. He also contacted his
friends in the National Federation of the Blind of the United
States. At Mr. Ayva's request, we sent letters of protest about
the denial to the department of education in Turkey and to the
principal newspaper. Three days before the examination was to be
given, the Turkish department of education changed its mind. The
administrator of the department complained to the press that the
denial of opportunity for Mr. Ayva to take the examination had
received more attention in the papers than the news about the
presidency of Turkey. Lokman Ayva competed with the others who
are seeking scholarships to study management outside the borders
of Turkey. Blindness has not prevented him from further education
even though the attitudes of administrators in the department of
education might have. Such is the measure of international
cooperation between the National Federation of the Blind and
like-minded individuals throughout the world.
     We have also been involved during the past year with a
number of legal cases. Jillian Brooks is a blind X-ray technician
living in California. She was hired by Redding Radiology late in
1990. Although she had discussed the alternative techniques she
would use to perform the daily functions of a radiologist,
officials at Redding Radiology had not regarded her as a blind
person until they saw her adaptive aids being used on the job.
One week after she was employed, Jillian Brooks was fired on the
grounds that she is blind and that no blind person can do the
work of a radiologist.
     Jillian Brooks was not only fired; she was told that if she
complained, Redding Radiology would have her blacklistedbanned
from the profession altogether. It is not a coincidence that
Jillian Brooks turned for assistance to the National Federation
of the Blind. She is president of her local chapter, and she is
one of our leaders in California. A lawsuit was filed charging
discrimination on the grounds of blindness. That case has now
been settled. There is a price to be paid by those who
discriminate against the blind. The payment to Jillian Brooks
came to one hundred eighty thousand dollars. And there are those
who wonder what value there is in becoming a member of the
National Federation of the Blind.
      In Alabama, we are facing a situation which is complex,
unconscionable, and ugly. There is extensive systematic
discrimination in the Alabama vending program. An investigation
conducted by the Office for Civil Rights of the United States
Department of Education discovered that the average income in the
vending program for white vendors is $6,000 greater than the
income for black vendors. During the past three years,
ninety-five percent of the new locations in the state have been
awarded to white vendors. The locations received by black vendors
produce the smallest amounts of money, and they are in high-risk
areas. It was noted in the report that two of the vendors had
been killed while they were operating their vending facilities.
Both were black.
     Although these findings are, to say the least, shocking, the
agency for the blind in Alabama has shown virtually no interest
in taking action to correct this pattern of discrimination. We
have proposed to officials of the state agency that affirmative
action programs be implemented to accelerate the advancement of
the black vendors who have been systematically deprived of
promotions in the program, that facilities in high-risk areas be
closed and the operators transferred to safer and more lucrative
locations, and that additional training be offered to black blind
vendors to compensate for the past refusal to teach the basic
skills required for business. When the Randolph-Sheppard Act was
adopted, it created a vending program for blind vendorsall blind
vendors, not just those of a particular class. Those who believe
that it is all right to discriminate against one or another
segment of the blind must learn that they will have to face the
united force of the National Federation of the Blind. We are the
blind, and we stand together. That is why we have the National
Federation of the Blind.
     Two years ago I reported to you that we were helping with a
lawsuit on behalf of Larry Reynolds. The case involved his right
as a blind father to have his daughter visit him without sighted
supervision. Now, the case has come to an end. The blatantly
discriminatory requirement that a sighted supervisor be with him
twenty-four hours a day is no more. A father and his daughter
have been reunited without artificial barriers and discriminatory
conditions. It happened because of the National Federation of the
Blind.
     Maureen Symes is a student who has earned an A average at
Linfield College in Oregon. Last year she applied to travel to
Mexico for an extended period to study art. Students were
accepted for the trip based upon academic standing and their
responses to questions in a personal interview. Although Maureen
Symes received high scores in the interview (and she does have
that A average), she was denied the opportunity to take the
trip because of her blindness. Then, she learned of the National
Federation of the Blind, and she asked for help. When we informed
the president of the college that there had been violations of
both state and federal law, the college changed its ruling. It is
worthwhile to be a member of the National Federation of the
Blind. Maureen Symes can tell you the reason why.
     Henrietta Brewer is a child-care provider in Michigan. Last
fall she applied to be director of an after-school day care
program operated by the public school. However, the state of
Michigan denied her the necessary license. The reason is the same
old tired piece of make-believe that is almost always trotted
outsafety. Knowing that Henrietta Brewer was thoroughly capable,
the local school offered to hire her anyway without state
approval, but officials from the certifying agency threatened to
close the child-care program. Henrietta Brewer called upon the
National Federation of the Blind. With our help a complaint has
been filed under the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no
reason why Henrietta Brewer cannot perform child-care duties. She
knows it; those in the school district know it; the blind know
it; and state certifying officials are about to learn it.
     Janet Roberts had been an exemplary employee at Sacred Heart
Hospital in Eugene, Oregon, for seven years when she became
blind. Although the hospital employs 2,500 people in dozens of
different work assignments, Janet Roberts was informed that she
would be terminated because of her blindness. There was no talk
of reasonable accommodation, no discussion of retraining, no
consideration of the alternative techniques that Janet Roberts
could use to perform the essential functions of the job that she
had managed with an outstanding record for seven years. Janet
Roberts was blind; that, according to the hospital, was enough.
     With the help of the National Federation of the Blind, Janet
Roberts commenced legal action. Just before Christmas of 1992,
the hospital offered Janet Roberts a new job, and she was paid a
sizable cash settlement. Although the settlement agreement
prohibits disclosure of the dollar amount, I strongly suspect
that Janet Roberts is now able to consider the purchase of a new
home. A job, a home, and no more discriminationthis is what
comes of being a member of the National Federation of the Blind.
     Connie Leblond serves as President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Maine. Several years ago she applied
for a job as a telephone answering machine operator at Sentinel
Service of Portland, Maine. Sentinel had advertised that the job
paid $5 an hour, that no experience was necessary, and that
on-the-job training would be provided. Nevertheless, when Connie
Leblond appeared for an interview, she was summarily dismissed
without being given the chance to demonstrate her ability to do
the work. Sentinel personnel said that the operator of the
telephone answering machine must be able to read and that blind
people are not able to do that. Despite her protests, Connie
Leblond was peremptorily rejected. Using the combined know-how of
the Federation at the national and state levels, we brought legal
action against Sentinel. A trial occurred, and the decision has
now been reached. Although the order of the court has been
appealed to the Supreme Court of Maine, the decision is clear and
unequivocal, and I suspect that it will not be overturned.
Sentinel has been ordered to cease and desist its discriminatory
policy, to pay $1,000 in civil damages to Connie Leblond, to
reimburse us for the attorney fees expended in the case, and to
issue a check for back wages to Connie Leblond amounting to
$20,700. This is one more reason for the National Federation of
the Blind.
     The National Federation of the Blind has been active in
protecting the rights of blind vendors. In 1987, the Maryland
state licensing agency was taking seventeen percent of vendors'
net income in set-aside payments. These charges had not been
approved by the federal government even though the
Randolph-Sheppard Act requires it. Furthermore, the agency had
proposed set-aside charges of over twenty percent. These
practices are clearly contrary to the federal requirement that
such charges be approved by the Department of Education, so with
the support and encouragement of the National Federation of the
Blind seventeen Maryland vendors decided that they would make no
further payments until the Maryland agency came into compliance
with federal rules. The state agency responded with an ultimatum
to the protesting vendors, saying that they must pay up or be
expelled from the program in thirty days. The termination notices
served as the basis for a complaint in the federal court.
     The Maryland vendors' case lasted five years. In 1992,
settlement papers were signed. No vendor was terminated for
failing to pay set-aside, and the state agency may not retaliate
against blind vendors for participating in the lawsuit. The
extraordinary set-aside rates have been dropped to eight and a
half percent and will be dropped to three percent by 1995. Every
vendor's personal income will increase as a direct result of our
efforts, and each vendor will also receive $2,000 per year for
fringe benefits. The set-aside rate may not be increased by the
state licensing agency before 2009. Vendors in Maryland would
still be paying an exorbitant amount to the state agency if it
had not been for the work of the National Federation of the
Blind.
     One of the ongoing activities of the Federation this year
has been assistance to individuals with Social Security problems.
Because the specialized rules regarding disability claims for the
blind are different from those for other disability groups,
mistakes sometimes occur. The Richard Realmuto case is a striking
example. He became blind in December of 1989. He took a leave of
absence from his industrial arts teaching job with the New York
public school system and applied for Social Security Disability
Insurance. After the five-month waiting period, he was awarded
benefits, but three months later (in September of 1990) with
assistance from the National Federation of the Blind, Richard
Realmuto returned to his position as an industrial arts teacher.
Indeed, the experiences of Richard Realmuto as a blind teacher of
the sighted are illustrative. He will be making a presentation
later during the convention.
     Not long after his return to work, the Social Security
Administration notified Richard Realmuto that he would be
required to refund the entire amount paid to him from June of
1990. However, our examination of the case indicated that Richard
Realmuto was entitled to every penny of the Social Security
benefits that he had receivedand then some. We proved it in a
hearing. Rather than being required to repay almost $10,000 to
the Social Security Administration, Richard Realmuto and his
dependents received more than $12,000 of additional money. The
outcome would undoubtedly have been the reverse if it had not
been for our knowledge, our ability to do the research, our
determined effort, and our capacity to apply the law to the
facts. Richard Realmuto is bright, but he is not accustomed to
the intricacies of federal regulation. When it comes to blindness
and fighting for his rights, he is a relative newcomer. He needs
the National Federation of the Blind, and of course, we need him,
too. Working together we can solve the problems we face. This is
why we have the National Federation of the Blind.
     The National Federation of the Blind is among the most
outspoken proponents of Braille. We produce and distribute more
Braille each year than any other organization in the United
States except the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped. Through our Parents of Blind Children
Division, we conduct the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest to
promote the learning of Braille for blind children. We have this
year promoted the study of Braille by sighted students in the
high school grades, and we have granted scholarships to attend
this convention to three who have completed the National Library
Service transcribing course. We have established and continue to
expand the International Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind. We have been working jointly with the American Printing
House for the Blind to create teaching materials for courses of
study in Braille. We have joined with the Creative Director of
the nationally-syndicated cartoon Pluggers to employ the blind
character Zackaroo to promote Braille literacy. In this effort we
have adopted the slogan Braille is finger food for the mind.
And we promote Braille literacy programs in schools and in
libraries throughout the United States. As an example, early in
August, I will be reading Braille to five-year-olds who are
participating in the story hour program of the Baltimore County
Public Library. Within the past year the Blind Person's Literacy
Rights and Education Act (more commonly known as the Braille
Bill), which we drafted, has been adopted in one form or another
by the legislatures of five states. So far, eighteen states have
Braille literacy laws on the books. Although there is a great
deal of work yet to be done, literacy for the blind is today more
of a reality than it has ever been. Reading is essential. We of
the National Federation of the Blind know this in our minds and
our hearts. We will never quit until every blind child has the
chance to learn to read.
     At our convention last year, we discussed at length a plan
which had been proposed by a small group within the
rehabilitation establishment to create a national commission on
blindness. The purpose of this commission was ostensibly to
conduct research and provide advice on the subject of blindness
to Congressional leaders, to officials in the executive branch of
government, and to all other interested persons. The real purpose
behind the proposal was to take control of the rehabilitation
establishment for the blind and to prevent blind consumers from
having significant input into the decision-making process. This
proposal was included as a part of the Rehabilitation Act
Amendments of 1992. Although the bill to reauthorize the
Rehabilitation Act was signed by the President last October, the
national commission on blindness was no longer a part of it. We,
the organized blind of this country, had voiced strong opposition
to a commission that would interpret for us our needs and wants.
Our voice was heard in the halls of Congress. We opposed the
commission on blindness, and it was defeated.
     I am pleased to report that included in the Rehabilitation
Act Amendments of 1992 are provisions that those who are blind
are presumed to be eligible for rehabilitation services and that
blind clients have a right to choose among those who will provide
those services.
     During the past year we have initiated (in conjunction with
others) three new programs. The Information Access Training
Program, funded by the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research, is devoted to training blind people in
the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act regarding
accessible information. The Work Incentive Training Program,
funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, is designed
to provide information about the Social Security and Supplemental
Security Income work incentive provisions to rehabilitation
professionals and consumers. The Braille Literacy Training
Program is a cooperative venture with the American Printing House
for the Blind to develop improved Braille training systems and
materials for blind adults. The in-depth experience of blind
people throughout the nation is essential to all of these
programs. There is no other organization that can provide the
kind of experience and background that we can bring to the
performance of these endeavors.
     Hank Dekker is a blind sailor. We will be hearing from him
later during the convention. Ten years ago he sailed alone from
San Francisco to Hawaii. A second solo trans-Pacific voyage was
completed three years later. This summer, on July 26, Hank Dekker
plans to pilot a sailing sloop, the NFB, from Baltimore harbor
into the Atlantic. His destination is Plymouth, England. This
event, named To Sea with a Blind Sailor, will demonstrate the
capacity of the blind and will focus attention on the fundamental
reality that we who are blind have the same hopes, desires,
abilities, and dreams possessed by everybody elseincluding the
dream to sail alone on the high seas. As we have so often said,
blindness cannot stop us, but misunderstanding may. This summer,
we the National Federation of the Blind will be supporting the
blind blue water sailor, Hank Dekker, in his voyage. We believe
in the blind; we believe in our member Hank Dekker; we believe he
will successfully complete the voyage; we believe in the National
Federation of the Blind.
     With the adoption of the Americans With Disabilities Act,
many who hoped to make a bundle by restructuring the world for
what they perceive to be the unfortunate blind began to create
proposals to install raised warning surfaces for us all over the
country. Bumpy handrails; knurled doorknobs; sandpapery strips at
the tops and bottoms of staircases; specialized tiles with large
rounded bumps on them called Braille tiles, pathfinder tiles, or
the like; and even homes with rounded corners and easy-to-follow
floor plans specifically designed for the blind. All of these
have been promoted as essential architectural alterations
mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Such
modifications are not required by the Act, and they do more harm
than good. Changes to the environment should be welcomed when
they help but rejected when they don't. Our focus in the
Federation is not on modifying the world but on having the
opportunity to live in it as it is.
     Last fall Peggy Pinder, Second Vice President of the
National Federation of the Blind, was appointed by the President
of the United States to serve as a member of the Architectural
and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the federal agency
responsible for deciding what modifications are required to
ensure that handicapped people have full access to
newly-constructed or remodeled public buildings and facilities.
Her service as a member of this board has already been effective.
The Architectural Barriers Board has for the first time reviewed
the standard for Braille which should be used in creating signs
for the blind. Prior to this review (even as recently as six
months ago) much of the Braille produced on signs was completely
unreadable. In addition, the Architectural Barriers Board has
rejected some of the harmful proposals which have been made such
as the one to require the installation of tiles with raised
surfaces. We believe that this board should adopt the policy that
those architectural changes which clearly do some good will be
considered for inclusion in federal regulationsand that those
which do not won't. This spirit seems evident in recent decisions
of the board.
     Fred Schroeder is Executive Director of the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind and a Member of the Board of Directors
of the National Federation of the Blind. He is one of the most
knowledgeable individuals about Braille in this country. For
several years he has served as the representative of the National
Federation of the Blind on the board of the Braille Authority of
North America. He has been an active proponent of a unified
Braille code in the United States, and his influence in promoting
Braille has been felt in other nations as well. In 1992, the
International Council on English Braille was established to serve
as a catalyst to bring uniformity in the printing of Braille to
all English-speaking countries. Fred Schroeder was elected as its
first President. In June, a few weeks prior to our convention
here, Fred Schroeder presided at the conference of the
International Council on English Braille in Sydney, Australia.
While in that country, he appeared on the program of the National
Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia. He also traveled to
New Zealand to present the keynote speech at the Braille
Conference of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind in
Auckland. Although it is essential that we address problems in
our own country, it is also beneficial to have interaction with
those abroad.
     We continue to publish and distribute the most extensive
array of information about blindness produced in the United
States. Our magazine, the Braille Monitor, provided in Braille,
in print, on cassette, and on talking book record, is the most
widely-read general information magazine in the field of work
with the blind, having a circulation of more than 30,000 a month.
Our publication the Voice of the Diabetic, with a circulation of
over 60,000, is the most widely-distributed magazine about
blindness in the nation. The magazine for parents and educators
of blind children, Future Reflections, is being sent to over
10,000 individuals and institutions. And there are also the
publications of state affiliates, other national divisions, and
local chapters. In our studios at the National Center for the
Blind, in addition to recording the Braille Monitor, Future
Reflections, and the Voice of the Diabetic, we produce a number
of other publications, including Job Opportunities for the Blind
Bulletins, the American Bar Association Journal, Presidential
Releases, recorded issues of our books, and a number of
specialized publications and materials.
     We are releasing at this convention two new books in the
Kernel Book series: As the Twig is Bent and Making Hay. These
general-interest publications about blindness capture the essence
and spirit of our movement. We who are blind yearn for the
opportunity to be independent and successful. These volumes bring
inspiration and education to the homes of the general public. The
response from those who have received our books shows that our
approach to the subject of blindness is new, impressive,
exciting, and convincing. We have now distributed more than two
million of the Kernel Books, and more are coming.
     Our public education program continues through our public
service announcements. The capabilities of blind people have been
broadcast this year on all of the major television and radio
networks, and our service message has reached the homes of an
estimated two hundred million people.
     And then, there is the balloon. The name of the National
Federation of the Blind may appear almost anywhere. Our flag and
our banner were flown from a hot air balloon that participated in
the 1992 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
     There are now more than 200 types of aids and appliances
being distributed from our Materials Center. We also distribute
literaturenow over 800 different items. Our reference book, What
You Should Know About Blindness, Services for the Blind, and the
Organized Blind Movement, has been sent to over 40,000 people
this year, and a newly-published critical examination of the
social status of the blind, entitled The Struggle of Blind People
for Self-Determination by Professor C. Edwin Vaughan, has
recently become available. The items that have been distributed
this year from our Materials Center number about two million.
Among them were 16,806 cane tips. I asked certain members of the
Federation how long a cane tip lasts. The information I collected
indicates that tips are good for at least thirty miles. At thirty
miles a tip this is over half a million miles of cane travel. One
thing is certain, Federationists get around.
     This has been a year of accelerated growth for the
Federation, but not all of our encounters have been positive. In
1992 David Robinson, a Federationist of long standing, was
appointed as Administrator of the Ohio Client Assistance
Programthe agency funded under the Rehabilitation Act to assist
rehabilitation clients in gaining their rights. The Client
Assistance Program is supposed to be an independent agency; the
provisions of the Rehabilitation Act make this clear. Soon after
his appointment, David Robinson learned that the Client
Assistance Program in Ohio was being directed by the same
administrators who were expected to provide rehabilitation
services. This watchdog agency was (in violation of federal law)
under the thumb of the people it was intended to watch. David
Robinson complained about this condition and tried to get it
changed. Within a few months, he had been relieved of his duties.
Shortly before he was discharged, David Robinson was ordered to
stop talking with Federation membersall Federation membersat
least while he was at work.
     We in the Federation have a right to be a part of this
movement, and working for the state of Ohio cannot strip us of
that right. It is guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the
United States. In May of this year David Robinson and the
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio filed suit. The case is
not over; indeed, it is only beginning. But the principle that we
will speak and act freely and independently, and work with each
other to bring opportunities which have not previously been
available to the blind is fundamental to us. We must and we will
protect our right to be a part of the movement and to speak our
minds. Such action is essential to maintain and achieve our
freedom, and freedom of action we will have. In other words we
intend to win the David Robinson case. This, too, is the meaning
of the National Federation of the Blind.
     As President of the National Federation of the Blind this
year, I have encountered blind people matriculating in the
schools; participating in civic affairs; working in offices,
factories, and workshops; engaging in politics; creating art;
writing books; planning international travel; sailing the seas;
raising families; and enjoying leisure activitiesin short,
participating in every aspect of daily life. Although I am
pleased to work with those outside our organization (public
officials, representatives of agencies for the blind, members of
the business community, and individuals from the academic world),
my inspiration and my faith in the future come from you, the
members of the National Federation of the Blind.
     As I come to this convention, I know that the problems in
the weeks, the months, and the years ahead will be great, but I
also knowI am absolutely certainthat we as a people will do
what we need to do. We will muster the resources; we will find
the strength; we will have the dedication to meet the challenge.
We in the Federation have made a commitment and a solemn promise.
We will believe in each other and in ourselves; we will care for
our blind brothers and sisters; and we will support our
organization. Our movement is a sacred trust. We cannot do less
than give it the energy, the resilience, and the spirit that is
ours. This is the promise of our movementthis is the reality of
the National Federation of the Blind. And this is my report for
1993.

[PHOTO: Dr. Jernigan standing at podium microphone.
CAPTION: Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, President Emeritus,
discusses the nature of independence with convention
delegates at the Tuesday afternoon general session.]

                   THE NATURE OF INDEPENDENCE
                     An Address Delivered By
                        Kenneth Jernigan
                    At the Convention of the
                National Federation of the Blind
              Dallas, Texas, Tuesday, July 6, 1993

     Shortly after last year's convention, I received a number of
letters from students at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. It
was clear that the letters were written as the result of
discussions held at the Center and that, although the apparent
topic was independent mobility, the real issue was independence
in general, and how blind persons should live and behave. I want
to share those letters with you, then tell you how I answered
them, and finally say a few things about what I think
independence really is. The letters are all dated July 23, 1992.
Here is a composite of them:

     Dear Dr. Jernigan:
          I am a sophomore in high school. Right now, I am
     in a teenage program that the Louisiana Center for the
     Blind is sponsoring. It is the STEP program. That means
     Summer Training and Employment Project. We are allowed
     to get jobs and make money as well as have classes.
          A few weeks ago I attended the national
     convention. I really enjoyed all your speeches and
     everything. People noticed that you and Mr. Maurer
     walked sighted guide sometimes, [I interrupt to call
     your attention to the almost code-word use of the term
     "sighted guide." Not "walking with a sighted guide" or
     "walking with a sighted person" or "holding the arm of
     a sighted person," but "walking sighted guide." This
     makes it clear that the concept of "sighted guide" has
     been the topic of considerable conversation. But back
     to the letter.] and we thought you all would never walk
     sighted guide, because you all are so highly involved
     in the NFB. I never thought sighted guide was OK until
     then. So why did you all use sighted guide? I know
     there are many reasons why this might be. We discussed
     this in one of our talk times and came up with one
     reason this might be. We know that you all have to be
     at meetings all the time, and it would be faster if you
     would use sighted guide. [I interrupt again to call
     your attention to the use in the following sentences of
     the depersonalized "it." Now, back to the letter.] I am
     sure you don't use it so much that you lose your cane
     travel skills. I am not trying to say this is wrong. I
     was just wondering why you do this. Someone brought up
     that if we, as the people being trained at the moment,
     were caught using sighted guide, they would fuss at us.
     And I realize that you are not the one in training, so
     it is not wrong. We couldn't use sighted guide, because
     we might want to use it more than the cane if we use
     too much of it.

     Yours truly,
                      ____________________

     Dear Dr. Jernigan:
          During this past convention in North Carolina some
     of us noticed that you did not walk with a cane. I do
     not understand this at all. I can understand that you
     have to be in many places in a short amount of time at
     the conventions, and that might be the reason you went
     sighted guide. But I also know that when you came for a
     tour of the Center, you also went sighted guide. We do
     not understand this. 
          We all have our own theories as to why you went
     sighted guide, but we want to get the correct answer
     straight from the horse's mouth.

     Your fellow Federationist,
                      ____________________

     That's a very clear-cut letter, and I am pleased to be
called that end of the horse. Here is the last one:

     Dear Dr. Jernigan:
          This year I came to Charlotte to attend my third
     national convention of the NFB. I am currently a
     student at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in the
     STEP program for blind teenagers. This program stresses
     cane use, Braille literacy, employment readiness, and
     self-confidence based on achievement. While at the
     convention I heard from a friend that you were never
     actually seen using your cane. I discussed this with a
     group of friends, and it was decided that you most
     likely had many places to go and had to get to them
     quickly. This made sense, and the question seemed
     settled. Then one of the group remembered you using
     sighted guide during a tour you took of the Center
     while passing through Ruston on the way to the Dallas
     convention in 1990. This was such a hectic situation,
     and the question was no longer settled because the only
     alternative travel technique anyone noticed you using
     was sighted guide.
          I do not mean this letter to imply any disrespect
     towards you, the Federation, or its many achievements.
     If the Federation had not pushed so hard for
     independence for the blind, I would have no grounds on
     which to write this letter. It is because of my own
     personal convictions about independence that I ask why
     the figurehead of the NFB is not himself using the
     alternative techniques that his student, Joanne Wilson,
     has been teaching for nearly ten years in Ruston.
          I would prefer to end the letter on a positive
     note. I realize that you are responsible for the
     training I am currently receiving, and I am grateful
     for it. I am not implying that you have no cane skills,
     because I do not honestly know.

     Sincerely,
                      ____________________

     These are straightforward letters, seriously written. They
raise fundamental questions, questions that deserve a reasoned
answer. Here is the expanded substance of what I wrote:     

     Baltimore, Maryland
     July 29, 1992

          Under date of July 23, 1992, the three of you
     wrote to ask me why I didn't travel alone with a cane
     during the national convention in Charlotte and why on
     a visit to the Louisiana Center in 1990 I took a
     sighted person's arm instead of walking alone with a
     cane. I appreciate your letters and will tell you why I
     do what I do. 
          In the first place let us assume that I didn't
     have any cane travel skills at all. This might be
     comparable to the situation of a parent who had no
     education but dreamed of an education for his or her
     child. That parent might preach the value of education
     and might work to send the child to high school and
     then to college. The parent might, though personally
     uneducated, feel tremendous satisfaction at the
     learning and accomplishment which his or her effort had
     made possible. In such circumstances what attitude
     should the child have toward the parent? The child
     might be critical of the parent for his or her poor
     grammar and lack of education and might even be ashamed
     to associate with the parent--or the child might feel
     gratitude for the sacrifice and the work that had made
     the education possible. 
          This is not an apt analogy since I have perfectly
     good cane skills, but it has elements of truth about
     it. When I was a child, there were no orientation
     centers or mobility training. The only canes available
     were the short heavy wooden type, and we youngsters
     associated carrying a cane with begging, shuffling
     along, and being helpless.
          It was not until I finished college and had taught
     for four years in Tennessee that I first carried a
     cane. It was made of wood and had a crook handle. I
     might also say that it was longer than most of those in
     vogue at the time, forty inches. I started using it in
     1953, just before going to California to work at the
     newly established state orientation center for the
     blind. The Center had been in operation for only a few
     months and had enrolled only four or five students by
     the time of my arrival.
          In those days the California Center was using 42-
     inch aluminum canes. They were a tremendous improvement
     over the 40-inch wooden cane I had been carrying, and I
     immediately adopted the new model. Even so, it seemed
     that something better was needed. I worked with the
     person who had been employed as the travel teacher, and
     we experimented with different techniques and canes.
          In the mid-1950's the solid fiberglass cane was
     developed. It was first made by a blind man in Kansas,
     but we at the California center popularized it and
     brought it into general use. We also worked to improve
     the tip. Our students received intensive training,
     those with any sight using blindfolds (or, as we called
     them, sleep shades), and our students and graduates
     were identifiable in any group of blind persons because
     of their competence and ease in travel. Since they had
     enjoyed the benefit of our study and experimentation,
     as well as intensive instruction and the time to
     practice, many of them probably became better travelers
     than I--and I felt pride and satisfaction in the fact.
     We were advancing on the road to freedom and
     independence.
          In 1958 I went to Iowa as director of the state
     commission for the blind, and I carried with me the
     experience and knowledge I had acquired in California
     plus a 48-inch fiberglass cane and a head full of new
     ideas and hopes for the future. I hired a young sighted
     man who had no experience at all with blindness and
     spent several days giving him preliminary instruction
     in mobility, using blind techniques. First I had him
     follow me all over Des Moines, watching me use the cane
     while crossing streets and going to various places.
     Then, he put on sleep shades, and I worked with him to
     learn basic skills. Next I sent him to California for
     three or four weeks to gain further experience and to
     compare what I had taught him with what the California
     Center was doing. Finally he came back to Des Moines,
     and I spent several more weeks working with him until
     (though sighted) he could (under blindfold) go anywhere
     he wanted safely and comfortably using a cane.
          During all of that time I worked with him on
     attitudes, for unless one believes that he or she is
     capable of independence as a blind person, independence
     in travel (as in other areas) is not truly achievable.
     This travel instructor's name is Jim Witte, and he
     developed into one of the best I have ever known.
          Iowa students rapidly became the envy of the
     nation. You could single them out in any group because
     of their bearing, their confidence, and their skill in
     travel. As had been the case in California, some of
     them undoubtedly traveled better than I, and I felt a
     deep sense of fulfillment in the fact. Joanne Wilson
     (the director of your own Louisiana Center) was one of
     those students, and I am sure she has told you how it
     was at the Iowa Center--how students were treated, what
     was expected of them, the relationship between staff
     and students, our dreams for the future, and how we set
     about accomplishing those dreams. Arlene Hill (one of
     your teachers) was also an Iowa student. Both Joanne
     and Arlene are living examples of what we taught and
     how it worked. So are President Maurer, Mrs. Maurer,
     Peggy Pinder, Ramona Walhof, Jim Gashel, Jim Omvig, and
     at least fifty others in this audience.
          It was in Iowa that we developed the hollow
     fiberglass cane. It was an improvement over the solid
     cane, lighter and more flexible. We also gradually
     began to use longer and longer canes. They enabled us
     to walk faster without diminishing either safety or
     grace. As I have already told you, I started with a 40-
     inch wooden cane. Then I went to 42-inch aluminum--and
     after that to solid fiberglass, then to hollow
     fiberglass, and (three or four years ago) to hollow
     carbon fiber. As to length, I went from 40 inches to
     42, then to 45, 48, 49, 51, 53, 55, and 57. At present
     I use a 59-inch cane. It seems about right to me for my
     height and speed of travel. Will I ever use a still
     longer cane? I don't know--but at this stage I don't
     think so. Obviously there comes a time when a longer
     cane is a disadvantage instead of a help.
          I've told you all of this so that you may
     understand something of my background and approach to
     independence in travel, and independence in general.
     The doctors who established the medical schools a
     hundred years ago were (with notable exceptions) not
     generally as competent and skilled as the doctors they
     trained, for they did not have the benefit of the kind
     of concentrated teaching they themselves were
     providing. Obviously they could not stand on their own
     shoulders. Through their students they extended their
     dreams into the future, building possibilities that
     they themselves had not known and could never hope to
     realize.
          So it is with me in relation to you. You are the
     third generation of our mobility trainees, having the
     benefit of what I have learned and also of what Joanne
     and the other Iowa graduates have learned. Unless you
     make advances over what we have done, you will, in a
     very real sense, fail to keep faith with those who have
     gone before you and those who will follow. In this
     context I would expect and hope that some of you will
     become better travelers (and, perhaps, better
     philosophers and teachers) than I, and if you do, I
     will take joy in it.
          Having said all of this, let me come back to my
     own travel skills. During the 1950's I traveled
     completely alone on a constant basis throughout this
     entire country, going to almost every state and dealing
     with almost every kind of environment--urban area, city
     bus, taxi, complicated street crossing, rural setting,
     hired private car, country road, and almost anything
     else you can imagine. During late December and early
     January of 1956 and 1957, for example, I traveled alone
     to fourteen states in eleven days, writing testimony
     for the NFB's Right to Organize bill. It was no big
     deal, and not something I thought about very much. It
     was simply a job that had to be done, and the travel
     was incidental and taken for granted. I have taught
     travel instructors and have developed new techniques
     and canes. I travel whenever and wherever I want to go
     in the most convenient way to get there--and sometimes
     that means alone, using a cane.
          Once when I was in Iowa, students observed that I
     walked to a barber shop one day with another staff
     member, and they raised with me some of the same
     questions you have raised. That afternoon in our
     business class (you may call it by some other name--
     philosophy or something else) I dealt with the matter.
     I told the students some of the things I have told you,
     and then I went on to say something like this:
          "Although what I have told you should mean that
     even if I couldn't travel with much skill at all I
     might still not merit your criticism, we don't need to
     leave it at that. Follow me. We are going to take a
     walk through downtown traffic--and see that you keep
     up."
          I took the lead, and we walked for eight or ten
     blocks at a fast clip. When we got back to the
     classroom, I didn't need to tell them what kind of
     travel skills I had. They knew.
          Then, we talked about why I had walked to the
     barber shop with another staff member. In that
     particular instance I had matters to discuss, and I
     felt I couldn't afford the luxury of doing nothing
     while going for a hair cut. As a matter of fact, in
     those days I often made a practice of taking my
     secretary with me to the barber shop and dictating
     letters while getting my hair cut. Of course, I could
     have made a point of walking alone each time just to
     make a visible demonstration of my independence, but
     somehow I think that such insecurity might have made
     the opposite point and would certainly have been
     counterproductive.
          In the Iowa days I was not only director of the
     state Commission for the Blind but also first vice
     president and then president of the National Federation
     of the Blind. Both were full-time jobs, requiring me to
     use to best advantage every waking minute. 
          I was up before 6:00 to go to the gym with the men
     students; I wrote over a hundred letters a week; I
     entertained legislators and other civic leaders an
     average of two or three nights a week to gain support
     for our program; I traveled throughout the state to
     make speeches; and I spent long hours working
     individually with students. Besides that, I handled the
     administrative details of the Commission and the NFB on
     a daily basis. At the same time I was doing organizing
     in other states and dealing with problems brought to me
     by Federationists throughout the country.
          In that context it would have been a bad use of my
     time (and both Federationists and Iowa students and
     staff would have thought so) for me to spend much of my
     day walking down the street to make a visible show of
     my independent travel skills. I traveled alone when I
     needed to, and I gave demonstrations to students,
     legislators, and others when I needed to do that--but I
     never did either to convince myself or to establish in
     my own mind the fact of my capacity or independence. It
     didn't seem necessary.
          So what about the NFB convention in Charlotte? I
     was in charge of convention organization and
     arrangements, and there were a thousand details to
     handle. There were four hotels and a convention center,
     each with its own staff and each requiring separate
     handling and a myriad of decisions. Sometimes I had not
     only one but two or three people with me as I went from
     place to place, talking about what had to be done and
     sending this person here and that person yonder.
          Even so, I might (you may say) have refused to
     take the arm of one of the persons with me and used my
     cane to walk alone. But for what reason? When a blind
     person is walking through a crowd or down a street with
     somebody else and trying to carry on a meaningful
     conversation, it is easier to take the other person's
     arm. This is true even if you are the best traveler in
     the world and even if both of you are blind.
          In fact, I contend that there are times when
     refusing to take an arm that is offered may constitute
     the very opposite of independence. If, for instance,
     you are a blind person accompanying a sighted person
     through a busy restaurant closely packed with tables
     and chairs, do you create a better image of
     independence by trying to get through the maze alone,
     with the sighted person going in front and constantly
     calling back, "This way! This way!" or by simply taking
     the sighted person's arm and going to the table? What
     is better about following a voice than following an
     arm? From what I have said, I presume it is clear which
     method I favor. Of course, if no arm is conveniently
     available, you should be prepared to use another
     method, regardless of how crowded the restaurant or how
     labyrinthine the path. In either case you should do it
     without losing your cool. But I'll tell you what
     alternative is not acceptable in such circumstance--
     pretending that you don't want anything to eat and not
     going at all. That's not acceptable.
          But back to the convention. When you are trying to
     get through crowds quickly to go from meeting to
     meeting, and possibly also trying to find different
     people in those crowds in a hurry, the efficiency of
     sighted assistance multiplies. Incidentally, even if I
     were sighted and doing the things I do at national
     conventions, I would want two or three persons with 
     me--to look for people in crowds, to send for this and
     that, and to talk and advise with.
          As an example, consider what happened at last
     year's convention with respect to Secretary of
     Education Lamar Alexander. He has normal eyesight and
     is in every other way, so far as I know, able-bodied
     and energetic. I am sure that he can drive a car and
     walk vigorously. Yet, he sent an assistant to Charlotte
     a day in advance of his arrival. The assistant scouted
     out the convention and then went to the airport to meet
     the Secretary. The assistant drove the car from the
     airport to the convention, accompanied the Secretary
     into the meeting hall, went with him to the platform,
     met him at the edge of the platform when he finished
     speaking, and drove him back to the airport. If the
     Secretary had been blind, I wonder if somebody would
     have said, "Just look! He's not independent. He has to
     have a sighted person with him at all times,
     accompanying him everywhere he goes and driving his
     car."
          Since I am not a student trying to learn to travel
     independently or to establish within my own mind that I
     can compete on terms of equality with others, and since
     I can and do travel by myself when that is most
     convenient, I feel no particular obligation to make a
     demonstration when it is more efficient to do
     otherwise. If I were a student, I should and would
     behave differently. As an example, I think a student
     should always use a rigid (not a collapsible) cane. But
     I generally use one that is collapsible. Why? Students
     often are uncomfortable with canes, and if they are
     allowed to use those that fold or telescope, they may
     tend to hide or conceal them because they think (even
     if subconsciously) that it will make them look less
     conspicuous. I have carried a cane for so long that I
     would feel naked without it, and I always carry one
     whether I am with somebody or not. Because they were so
     rickety, I refused to carry a collapsible cane until we
     developed the telescoping carbon fiber model. I pull it
     to such a tight fit that it doesn't collapse as I use
     it, and I almost never collapse it unless I'm in close
     quarters. Again, it is a convenience, and my sense of
     independence is not so brittle that I think I have to
     carry the rigid cane to prove to myself or others that
     I am not ashamed to be seen with it or uncomfortable
     about blindness. 
          When I was teaching orientation classes in
     California and Iowa, I often said to those in
     attendance that students at a center tend to go through
     three stages: fear and insecurity, rebellious
     independence, and normal independence--FI, RI, and NI.
     During fear and insecurity one tends to be
     ultracautious and afraid of everything, even if at
     times putting on a good front. During rebellious
     independence one tends to be overly touchy, resenting
     anybody who attempts to offer him or her any kind of
     assistance at all, even when the assistance is
     appropriate and needed. In the rebellious independence
     stage one is likely to be a pain in the neck, both to
     himself or herself and others--but this is a necessary
     step on the road from fear and insecurity to normal
     independence. Unfortunately some people never get
     beyond it.
          Hopefully one will eventually arrive at the stage
     of normal independence, with relatively little need
     constantly to prove either to oneself or others that
     one is capable of independence and first-class
     citizenship. This means maturity in dealing with
     condescending treatment, and it also means flexibility
     in accepting or rejecting offers of assistance,
     kindness, or generosity. Sometimes such things should
     be graciously or silently taken, sometimes endured, and
     sometimes rejected out of hand--but the reason should
     never be because you doubt your own worth, have inner
     feelings of insecurity, or wonder whether you are
     inferior because of blindness.
          Normal independence also means not rationalizing
     your fear or inability by saying that you are just
     doing what is convenient and efficient and that you
     don't feel the need to prove something when in reality
     you are just covering up the fact that you are as
     helpless as a baby--and it means not going so far the
     other way and being so touchy about your so-called
     independence that nobody can stand to be around you. It
     means getting to the place where you are comfortable
     enough with yourself and secure enough with your own
     inner feelings that you don't have to spend much time
     bothering about the matter one way or another. It means
     reducing blindness to the level of a mere inconvenience
     and making it just one more of your everyday
     characteristics--a characteristic with which you must
     deal just as you do with how strong you are, how old
     you are, how smart you are, how personable you are, and
     how much money you have. These are the goals, and
     probably none of us ever achieves all of them all of
     the time. Nevertheless, we are making tremendous
     progress--and we are farther along the road now than we
     have ever been.
          I am pleased that you wrote me, and I am
     especially pleased that you are able to receive
     training at the Louisiana Center. It is grounded in
     Federation philosophy, and it is one of the best. You
     are getting the chance while you are young to learn
     what blindness is really like, and what it isn't like.
     You have the opportunity to profit from the collective
     experience of all of us--the things we tried that
     didn't work, and those that did. On the foundation of
     love and organizational structure which we have
     established, you can make for yourselves better
     opportunities than we have ever known--and I pray that
     you will. The future is in the hands of your
     generation, and I hope you will dream and work and
     build wisely and well.

     Sincerely,
     Kenneth Jernigan
                      ____________________

     That is what I wrote, and there have been a number of
subsequent developments. One person, hearing these letters, said,
"I can see your point, but don't you think you should try to be a
role model?"
     To which I replied, "I thought that was what I was doing."
     Then, there was the letter I got about a month ago from a
person who attended a seminar at the National Center for the
Blind last Christmas. She said in part:

          The discussion about the letter from the students
     at the Louisiana Center for the Blind has stuck with me
     and helped me in two ways. I no longer feel the deep
     embarrassment I had been experiencing about being
     unable to read Braille and having less-than-perfect
     travel skills. I remain painfully aware that I could be
     much more efficient than I am, particularly if I could
     read and write Braille, but I no longer feel that I am
     less worthy because of the lack. And, by the way, I
     hope to take care of my deficiencies in that area soon.
          The discussion also helped me better to appreciate
     and respect my dad, who was blinded by an on-the-job
     accident when he was 26. After he became blind, he went
     to law school, and I have always admired his relatively
     quick adjustment to blindness. On the other hand, I
     have always felt somewhat embarrassed that when
     traveling he uses a sighted guide the majority of the
     time. (For instance, I was horrified and disbelieving
     when I heard my dad flew to Alaska by himself to go
     fishing without his guide dog or a white cane!) He has
     a guide dog but only used him when he was going to
     work. I have never seen him use a white cane although I
     have just learned that he used one while in his office
     at work. However, the seminar discussion helped me to
     understand that everyone's situation differs and that
     the opportunities available are not uniform. My dad has
     accomplished a lot: He was an administrative law judge
     until he retired last month; he is an avid fisherman;
     and he is as pro-Braille as anybody I have ever met.

     That is what the seminarian wrote me, and her letter makes a
point. It is simply this: We absolutely must not become so rigid
and dogmatic about the means and precise details of achieving
independence that we make ourselves and everybody else around us
miserable. Down that road lies bigotry, as well as the loss of
any real independence or true normality.
     Usually when I go to bed at night, I read myself to sleep
with a recorded book. A few months ago somebody took me to task
for this. The person said something to this effect: "You should
not read recorded books. You should use Braille. After all, the
Federation advocates Braille literacy, and if you use tapes and
talking books, you decrease the circulation of Braille from the
libraries, and you also set a bad example. What kind of statement
are you making? What kind of image are you creating? You have an
obligation to serve as a role model."
     I didn't argue with the person. It wouldn't have done any
good. Yes, I use Braille; and as you know, I find it helpful.
More than that. My life would be poorer without it. But Braille
is a means. It is a vehicle, not an article of faith. I am
conscious of the fact that I have an obligation to be a role
model, and I do the best I can to meet the requirement. But the
kind of role model I want to be (for anybody who cares to see me
that way) is that of a competent, well-balanced human being, not
a caricature. The fact that I don't want to die of thirst doesn't
mean that I want to drown.
     What is independence? I would define it this way. With
respect to reading, it means getting the information you want
with a minimum amount of inconvenience and expense. For me that
means Braille, but it also means using live readers, recordings,
and (despite my limited competence in that area) a certain amount
of work with computers. For somebody else the combination may be
different, but any active blind person who lacks skill in Braille
will be limited--not necessarily unable to compete but definitely
limited.
     As to travel, independence is the ability to go where you
want when you want without inconvenience to yourself or others.
Probably none of us (blind or sighted) ever fully achieves that
goal all of the time--and almost all of us achieve at least some
of it some of the time. Usually we are on a continuum.
     If I could not travel by myself without discomfort or great
expense, there are times when it would be a real problem. What
about the trip I made to Kansas City in May of this year to meet
with local Federationists and speak at a JOB seminar? My wife had
other things to do, and it would have been inconvenient to take
somebody else. I went alone. Did I have any assistance during the
trip? Yes. At times--when it was convenient for me and not
inconvenient to others.
     What about the time last month when I was called for jury
duty? It would have been very difficult for a guide to have
accompanied me to the jury box or the jury room--so, of course, I
went by myself. Does that mean that nobody showed me where the
jury box was or gave other assistance? No. It means that I went
where I needed to go without inconvenience to me or those around
me. That is what I call independence.
     Just as with the sighted, there are times when you as a
blind person want privacy--want to go somewhere (to see a
boyfriend or girlfriend, for instance) without being accompanied
by your daily associates, want to buy a present for a friend or a
loved one, or just feel like following a whim. In such cases a
dog or a cane is helpful. On the other hand, there are times when
the assistance of a sighted person is extremely beneficial. Taken
by itself, the use or lack of use of a sighted guide has very
little, if anything at all, to do with real independence. In
fact, the whole notion of independence (not just in mobility but
also in everything else) involves the concept of doing what you
want when you want, and doing it without paying such a heavy
price (either monetarily or otherwise) that the thing is hardly
worth having once you get it or do it.
     In conclusion, I say to each member of this organization:
Hold your head high in the joy of accomplishment and the pride of
independence--but not because of dog or cane or human arm, and
not because of your ability to read Braille or use a computer.
These are the trappings of independence, not the substance of it.
They should be learned, and used when needed--but they should be
regarded only as means, not ends. Our independence comes from
within. A slave can have keen eyesight, excellent mobility, and
superb reading skills--and still be a slave. We are achieving
freedom and independence in the only way that really counts--in
rising self-respect, growing self-confidence, and the will and
the ability to make choices. Above all, independence means
choices, and the power to make those choices stick. We are
getting that power, and we intend to have more of it. That is why
we have organized. That is why we have the National Federation of
the Blind. We know where we are going, and we know how to get
there. Let anybody who doubts it put us to the test. My brothers
and my sisters, the future is ours! Let us meet it with joy; let
us meet it with hope; and (most important of all) let us meet it
together!


[PHOTO/CAPTION: President Maurer delivers the 1993
banquet address.

[PHOTO: Aerial view of ballroom during 1993 NFB
convention banquet. CAPTION: The ballroom of the Hyatt
Regency hotel was filled with Federationists eager to
enjoy the banquet festivities and hear President
Maurer's address.]

         THE CONTINUITY OF LEADERSHIP: TWIN REQUIREMENTS
                     An Address Delivered by
                           MARC MAURER
           President, National Federation of the Blind
             At the Banquet of the Annual Convention
                   Dallas, Texas, July 8, 1993

     There are two fundamental kinds of leadership that may be
exercised by nations, by individuals, or by social action
organizations. The first (and more common) is reactive. In times
of crisis the political leader must find ways to bring positive
results from circumstances which present no good alternative. The
second (and perhaps the more important) is creative. The
political leader must anticipate what might be caused to occur if
an action is taken or avoidedeven though there is no event that
demands an immediate response.
     Leadership is essential in a crisis if disaster is to be
averted. But even more significant, leadership is vital when no
crisis is imminent. In times of turmoil or stress it is perfectly
clear that something must be done. When there is no impending
calamity, there is also no obvious need for leadershipbut
without leadership there is only stagnation. If progress is to be
realized, there must be leadership. Especially when the
exigencies of circumstance do not demand it.
     In 1970 the sixth largest corporation in the United States
(Penn Central) declared bankruptcy. It did so because it owed
hundreds of millions of dollars in short-term debt. Shortly
before the filing with the bankruptcy court, leading financial
planners contemplated the possible results. As soon as this
mammoth corporation defaulted, all short-term debt obligations
for all companies in America would become suspect. The short-term
debt at that time amounted to over forty billion dollars. The
default would almost certainly cause widespread financial panic.
The companies that had loaned the hundreds of millions to the
bankrupt could not get the money back, and they would not be able
to meet their own financial needs. If they could not obtain
immediate credit, many of these companies would, in their turn,
be faced with ruin. Layoffs would be massive, and there would be
no new jobs for those who had become unemployed.
     The disaster did not occur because individuals at the
Federal Reserve Bank anticipated the need for extraordinary
amounts of money, and (within less than two days) created the
mechanism to assure American bankers and capital managers that
credit would be found to meet the ongoing demands of business
despite the multi-million-dollar loss. Although a catastrophe of
monumental proportions had been avoided, this remarkable feat of
monetary management was not widely reportedeven though the
bankruptcy of Penn Central was.
     The most important form of leadership is not reactive but
creative. It examines conditions as they exist and imagines what
may be possible if energy and resources can only be focused. It
dreams not of solving the present crisis or avoiding anticipated
tragedy. Instead, it seeks to explore new avenues of thought and
to build social structures, human understanding, and
technological applications that have never been tried.
     The history books tell us that the American Revolution began
in 1775 and that the Declaration of Independence inaugurated our
nation on the fourth of July, 1776. The leadership which
propelled the American Revolution is well-documented and
dramatic. But if the focus of the historian is on the period of
the revolution alone, an essential element in the reallocation of
political and social balances is omitted. The leadership that
occurred during the revolution is of the kind that reacts to dire
circumstance. The Declaration of Independence lists the evils
which the revolution was intended to correct. However, there is a
theory which maintains that the most important form of leadership
on this side of the Atlantic transpired before the first shot was
fired and long before the Declaration was signed.
     To be successful, the revolution had to occur within a
society which believed that the old order was no longer tenable.
The military strategists could synthesize and implement the
alteration, but the underlying reality of the thought processes,
at least in large measure, needed to be in place. Otherwise, the
population on the North American continent would not have
tolerated the revolution. The leadership which brought the
citizens of the colonies to believe That these United Colonies
are, and of right ought to be FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES
occurred long before the march to Lexington and Concord in 1775.
That leadership had already created in the minds of the American
colonists the conviction that our country should be free and
independentthat reliance on those governing other lands was no
longer endurablethat an entirely innovative form of government
should be adopted.
     Although certain patterns of human behavior recur, the
complex fabric of being is ever new. As we meet here tonight in
the largest gathering of the blind that will assemble anywhere in
the United States this year, the opportunities for leadership
will be (and are) abundant. What will our reaction be to the
challenges of today? But even more to the point, what can we
create through focused energy and collective imagination for
tomorrow?
     In 1940, when Dr. Jacobus tenBroek and a small group of
other blind people brought the National Federation of the Blind
into being in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, conditions for the
blind were exceedingly poor. There was very little training,
almost no opportunity for employment, and (except for occasional
social encounters) almost no chance for meaningful interaction.
Schools for the blind had been established in many states, but
almost without exception these institutions had not found a way
to encourage their students to become productively employed. Some
sheltered workshops had been created, but the work was simple and
repetitive, and the pay was dismally low. Modern training centers
had not yet been invented. Almost no blind person had learned to
travel confidently with a cane. Training in the manual arts, home
economics, and communication skills was not readily available.
When the Federation came into being on that eventful day in 1940,
the notion of widespread productivity for blind people was no
more than a shadow and a dream.
     What a dramatic contrast with conditions as we find them
today after more than fifty years of effort! Blind people are now
students in the schools, colleges, and universities, both public
and private. Employment opportunities for the blind are (for many
of us) not a matter for the decades to come but a reality of the
present. Blind people have become teachers, farmers, factory
workers, restaurant operators, scientists, engineers, and
financial consultants. Increasingly, the blind are accepting the
responsibilities of a job, a home, and a place in the community.
Not only are we becoming participants in the social structure of
our country, but ever more often we are helping to shape it. Some
of us have become active in politics, and others of us are
sailing the seas and managing race cars. Not all of the problems
faced by the blind have been solvedfar from it. But many have.
Not all of the negative attitudes about us have been eradicated,
but it is fair to say that all of them have been affected by our
years of effort. The reason for the alteration can be found in
this room tonightin the sacrifice, the commitment, and the
belief of the blind of this nationin our organization, the
National Federation of the Blind.
     Until the establishment of the National Federation of the
Blind in 1940, leadership in matters involving the blind was
provided (to the extent that it was provided at all) by those in
the governmental and private agencies doing work with the blind.
It was assumed that blind people themselves should not attempt to
become leaders because the effort would meet with inevitable
failure.
     In 1937 (and I remind you that 1937 was more than a third of
the way through the present century) a book was published that
today would be unimaginable. It would either be the target of
intense anger or uproarious laughter. And it was written by a
blind authora man of some renown at the timeHenry Randolph
Latimer. Entitled The Conquest of Blindness, it contains the
following astonishing statements:

          To what extent may the physically blind person,
     with safety, lead the physically blind?
          Time and time again, here and there, all-blind
     societies have been formed with the avowed purpose of
     taking over the affairs of blind people, only to
     disintegrate through dissensions incident to their
     self-imposed isolation.
          At best, [Latimer continues] blindness is a
     negative bond of common action. As such, like any other
     human want, it weakens and disappears in exact
     proportion as its needs are met. Accordingly, all-blind
     clubs and societies include among their active
     membership comparatively few of the independently
     successful blind people.

     That's what he says, and I want you to keep in mind that
he's talking about you and me. I wonder how he'd feel if he could
be here with us tonight in our thousands. Regardless of that,
here is some more of it:

          On the other hand, their stronger members tend to
     become lukewarm and to seek more practical outlets for
     their superfluous energy. Thus the less experienced and
     less capable members assume leadership in the affairs
     of the club, causing the society to lose impetus and
     prestige.

     Here, I guess, he's talking about me and those of you who
are national board members, state and local presidents, and state
and local board members. But back to brother Latimer.

               So it is, [he continues] with few
          exceptions, that such societies contain
          within themselves the conditions of inertia
          and decay. It is as literary, musical, or
          otherwise mutually beneficial societies that
          all-blind organizations prove most useful.
               It cannot, then [he continues], be
          through the all-blind society that the blind
          leader of the blind finds adequate
          opportunity for the exercise of his
          leadership. The wise leader will know that
          the best interests of each blind person lie
          within the keeping of the nine hundred and
          ninety-nine sighted people who, with himself,
          make up each one thousand of any average
          population. He will know, further, that if he
          wishes to promote the interests of the blind,
          he must become a leader of the sighted upon
          whose understanding and patronage [patronage,
          he says] the fulfillment of these interests
          depends. There is, nevertheless, no advantage
          accruing from membership in an all-blind
          organization which might not be acquired in
          greater measure through membership in a
          society of sighted people.

     Federationists, take note!
     Three years after Latimer's publication about the futility
of the blind trying to lead the blind, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, the
blind person who would serve as the most striking illustration of
the capacity of the blind for the next twenty-five years, founded
the National Federation of the Blindand, incidentally, tangibly
refuted Latimer's thesis. In addition to leading the Federation,
handling a full-time teaching load, and raising a family, Dr.
tenBroek published scores of articles and five full-length books.
One of these received the Woodrow Wilson Award as the best
treatise for political science for the year, and the others are
quoted in law schools and legal periodicals to this day. The
quality of his leadership came to be reflected throughout the
National Federation of the Blind and set the standard for the
quality of leadership throughout the organization as a whole. How
different has our experience been from the theory propounded by
Henry Randolph Latimer.
     Although the Latimer thesis could not easily have been
refuted at the time it was written, such is no longer the case.
By the early 1950's Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, one of the most
profound philosophers and powerful writers ever to consider the
subject of blindness, had become a part of the organized blind
movement. For more than a generation Dr. Jernigan has continued
the tradition of Dr. tenBroek. He has led; he has taught; he has
inspired others. We who have heard that resonant voice have
understood the truth and recognized the wisdom. The struggle to
achieve independence by the blind has been conducted in every
part of our nation, and the single most powerful instrument in
this effort has been our organizationthe organization conceived
by Dr. tenBroek and built by Dr. Jernigan with the help of so
many othersour movement, the National Federation of the Blind.
     If we who are blind possess leadership talents, why are we
not leading? In many instances, of course, we are, but the
examples of leadership among us have almost always been
dismissed. They have not been regarded as a part of the normal
pattern of human behavior. Instead, they have usually been
ascribed to inspirational and miraculous powers. Miracles don't
need to be explained. If you can explain them, they aren't
miracles, but only science.
     A contemporary of Dr. tenBroek's is the blind World War II
resistance fighter Jacques Lusseyran, who was blinded at the age
of eight. This Frenchman began his work of organizing one of the
French underground resistance movements in 1939 when he was
sixteen. With an original membership of fifty-two boys, all under
the age of twenty-one, this organization grew within a year to
over 600. In 1943 Lusseyran was captured by the Gestapo and sent
to a Nazi prison camp. When inmates of the camp were freed in
1945, Lusseyran was one of the few survivors.
     After the war was over, Jacques Lusseyran sought a
professorship at the university. Despite his heroism in fighting
for his country, and despite his brilliant accomplishments at the
Sorbonne, Lusseyran was barred from the classroom. In the 1950's
he was eventually permitted to teach in France. He later became a
teacher in the United States, and finally achieved the status of
full professor at Case Western Reserve University, in Ohio. The
leadership potential of this blind man cannot be doubted. Yet,
the blind organizer and leader of the French resistance was
prohibited from teaching in the very country he had helped to
save. And why? Because he was blind.
     The notion that the blind can and should lead the blind is
still sometimes resisted, even today, by some of the officials of
the more reactionary governmental and private agencies for the
blind, who attempt to dissuade us from taking independent action.
The notion that we might have full lives or think and act for
ourselves is not even considered. We are depicted as so lacking
in talent, so shrouded in misery, and so racked with pain that
all we needin fact all we can useis custody, and care. Custody
and care, incidentally, provided by these agencies. Custody and
care requiring a lot of moneyeither from the public or the
government, or preferably from both. Consider, for instance, this
language from a recent appeal made by the National Association
for Visually Handicapped. Think about it carefully. Here is what
it says:
                             Summer
             A Time Filled With Sunshine and Leisure
                      But Not For Everyone

          There are those to whom the glare of bright
     sunlight means pain, to whom longer days mean longer
     periods of emptiness, to whom the change of season
     brings only heat and further isolation.
          Our unique services help ease the pain with visual
     aids, temper the heat with warmth and caring, [you'd
     think, by the way, that at least they would offer
     coolness and caring, but back to their appeal] and fill
     the emptiness with youth activities and large print
     books.
          The National Association for Visually Handicapped
     [their letter continues] is the only national health
     agency solely devoted to the partially seeing.
          We reach out to people who live with the
     Heartbreak of Being a Little Bit Blind, to whom the
     brightness of the day does nothing to clear the blur
     that is a loved one's face, nor offer a world different
     from that viewed as if through a rain-splattered
     window.
          Won't you help us add a ray of hope to the summer
     sunshine?

     That, in part, is what the letter of the National
Association for Visually Handicapped saysand what a picture! Are
blind people ever lonely? Of course, we are. Does blindness
isolate? Sometimes. It can. Are these the overwhelming
experiences of blindness? Only if we leave the management of our
lives to people like those who wrote this appeal. Only if we
suffer the ministrations of the National Association for Visually
Handicapped and their ilk. Only if we accept the misconceptions
about blindness typified by this letter. Only if we default on
the challenges of leadership.
     The National Association for Visually Handicapped says that
it is working on behalf of the over eleven million visually
impaired in the United States. Do you think they're working for
you and me? Maybe we would be better off if they weren't working
so hardand, incidentally, collecting so much money. If their
help consists of telling the world how lonely and isolated we
are, how racked with pain, we can do without it. Let them keep
their visual aids and youth activities. We can do without them.
Let them keep their syrupy speeches and tearful fund-raising
appeals in our name. We can do without. We are finding our own
way, and the road we are traveling leads to first-class status
and full membership in society. Yes, and we are providing our own
leadership.
     In 1991, Pantheon Books released the American edition of
Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness by the blind
professor John M. Hull. This book contains the introspection of a
man who has become blind in middle life.
     Hull's feeling of dependence, resulting from his belief that
the blind are less capable than the sighted, is expressed in his
attitude toward walking with a friend. Here are portions of the
text:

          When I am walking into work, [says Hull] it is not
     unusual for people to ask if I need any help.
          Now, with me, a curious thing takes place. I lose
     my independence as soon as I accept my friend's
     company. This is because I must put a finger under the
     elbow of my companion, in order to locate him, to keep
     abreast of him, so as not to keep walking into him. I
     am like a hitch-hiker. I am being towed, moving more
     rapidly than would normally be possible.
          Moreover [he continues], we have to have
     conversation. If you are walking along with somebody
     for company, you talk. This means that I cannot devote
     to my route the concentration which it would normally
     require.
          This means that a sighted person cannot simply
     accept my company. Through no fault of his own, he has,
     by walking with me, deprived me of my independence.
          Through no fault of my own, I have sacrificed my
     independence for the sake of his company. He then
     becomes responsible for me. He becomes like a car
     towing a caravan. It is his responsibility to make sure
     that the vehicle he is towing is still there, i.e.,
     that I do not become detached from him at some crucial
     point of the route.

     These are some of the thoughts of Professor Hull. Blindness
is (for him) an all-pervasive and all-important element of his
lifebut this formulation is manifestly not the truth. Blind
people are not less able than others to manage the ordinary
activities of everyday life. Walking with a friend does not strip
us of our independence.
     Professor Hull believes that sight is essential and that
although the blind can sometimes substitute other senses, the
substitution is always inferior. For example, stimulation of the
urges of the body for food and (you guessed it) sex are,
according to Hull, primarily visual. Here, in part, is what he
says:

          Early in infancy we learn to associate our desires
     with the visual images of the things which satisfy
     them. So complete is the identification of desire with
     image that it becomes difficult to distinguish between
     I feel hungry and I want to eat that food which I
     see there.
          Blindness dislocates this primordial union of
     desire and image.
          [I interrupt to say that I really wonder whether
     these high-flown notions have any connection with
     everyday life. Is there really a primordial union of
     desire and image? Has your primordial union suffered a
     dislocation in your attempt to eat your dinner tonight?
     But back to Professor Hull.]
          Naturally [he continues], sight is not the only
     sense to be involved. As always, however, sight is the
     foundation upon which the other senses build.
          I am often [says Hull] bored by food, feel that I
     am losing interest in it, or cannot be bothered eating.
     At the same time, I have the normal pangs of hunger.
     Even whilst feeling hungry, I remain unmotivated by the
     approach of food.
          Something rather similar [he continues] seems to
     happen in the case of sexual desire. The image [visual
     I presume he means] of that which satisfies is quite
     inseparable from the realization of the desire itself.
          So it is possible, I think [says Hull], for a
     heterosexual blind man to be bored by women and yet to
     be conscious of sexual hunger. The trace of a perfume
     and the nuance of a voice are insubstantial when
     compared with the full-bodied impact upon a sighted man
     of the appearance of an attractive woman. There must be
     many [blind] men who wonder whether they will ever
     again be capable of genuine sexual excitement.

     To which I respond, don't you believe it. When you are
hungry, do you find yourselves uninterested in food? Are blind
people generally a lot skinnier than the sighted? And speaking of
desire, perhaps I should address myself to the men. Do you wonder
whether you will ever again be capable of genuine sexual
excitement? Take a moment, think of women. Are you bored? And
what do you women say? Have you lost the power of romantic
encounter?
     It is a temptation to dismiss the writings of Professor Hull
as the work of a nut. However, the Washington Post says of his
book that it glows with a light that enables the sighted to see
a world beyond ordinary experience, and the blind reader to
identify with a role model of uncommon courage and sensitivity.
We must all be grateful [the Post says] for the appearance of
this stunning book.
     That is what the Washington Post says, but Professor Hull is
no model for us to follow. He is headed in the wrong direction.
He believes that he is weaker and less capable than his sighted
colleagues, and perhaps he is, but the problem is not his
blindness. If he could only know the members of the National
Federation of the Blindif he could know and follow the example
of that other professor, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, what might his
life become?
     Within the past few years a number of books have been
written which have attempted to capitalize on the special needs
or unusual requirements of the blind. One of these books,
entitled One Way or Another: A Guide to Independence for the
Visually Impaired and Their Families, is a compilation of helpful
hints. There is apprehension for the newly blinded and their
families about what lies ahead. Nevertheless, I wonder whether
the suggestions in this book will help to alleviate the distress
or will simply enhance the uncertainty. Here are some of the
suggestions:

          Before you even begin the process of reorientation
     [say the authors], discuss it at length with the
     visually impaired person. You can suggest tasks that
     are safety oriented, such as dialing the phone, and
     finding the front door.
          Don't make decisions for him. If he wants to keep
     the elaborate furniture arrangement and learn to
     navigate around itso be it! Applaud his sense of
     adventure and determination. Don't insist that he move
     all the furniture against the walls just because it
     would make the reorientation easier for you.

     These are the exact words of the book, and the question
comes to mind, are the authors serious? Is it advisable to adopt
a special arrangement of the furniture for the blind? Why would
it be easier to push the furniture against the wall? But there is
more.

          If [the authors say] your loved one is reluctant
     to leave his bedroom, allow him that. But help him
     explore that roomshow him every inch. As he gains
     confidence in his bedroom, he will soon want to branch
     out and reacquaint himself with every room in the
     house. Ask if he would like you to set up guide ropes
     or landmarks, as temporary aids, to help him find his
     way around.

     This is what the authors say, and you would think that they
were talking about small, not very bright childrenbut they
aren't, they're talking about adult blind people. They're talking
about you and meincluding guide ropes in the living room.
Although I have been totally blind for a great many years, and
although I have known thousands of blind people (many of them
newly-blinded), I have never yet met a blind person who had guide
ropes installed in his house to get from room to room.
     In 1568, the Flemish artist, Pieter Bruegel, painted The
Parable of the Blind also entitled The Blind Leading the Blind.
Six blind men are depicted traveling together. The six form a
line by having the second man hold to the first, the third hold
to the second, and so on until they are all connected. The
leading blind character has fallen into a brook, and the second
is in the act of falling. Those still erect are clearly headed
for the same fate.
     The blind men apparently suffer from at least five different
kinds of eye diseases. The accuracy of detail in the painting is
noteworthy because, at the time it was completed, very little was
known about diseases of the eye. Blindness, it was believed, was
the result of bad gasses rising from the stomach. Advice from
doctors of the sixteenth century to those suffering eye disorders
was that an attendant should be found to blow into the eye
gently with a breath sweetened by chewing cloves or fennel.
     The Bruegel painting would be interesting only for
historical purposes, except that it has served as the basis for a
novel by Gert Hofmann entitled The Parable of the Blind,
published in Germany in 1985, and translated for publication in
the United States in 1986.
     The novel relates the events of the day in the lives of the
six blind men who posed for the Bruegel painting. At dawn they
are awakened from sleep in a barn by a banging on the door. At
dark they are again locked in the barn for the night. The hours
between are described in painful detail. The six are shown as
cringing, self-centered, suspicious, but above all bumbling,
unfit, inept. It may be that there are six blind people in this
country today who are so lacking in perception that they could
fit the portrayal, but I doubt it. When they wake in the barn,
they do not know their own names but must take a moment to
remember. They are not certain how many of them are present. They
feel themselves all over to recall what they are like and to seek
some identity with what they were yesterday and what they may
become tomorrow. But, let Mr. Hofmann speak for himself. Here are
his own words:

          A knocking on the barn door drags us out of our
     sleep. No, the knocking isn't inside us, it's outside,
     where the other people are.
          Yes, we call as we crouch there. Now what do you
     want of us?
          And he asks if we've forgotten about being painted
     today.
          So we must get up now and go to the village green.
     It's time, the knocker says. We have to walk around in
     the village a bit, to practice.
          And why walk around?
          Because we've got to practice the walking that
     will be painted, the knocker says. Especially the
     stumbling and falling, the different kinds of fall.
          But aren't we going to be painted sitting?
          No, not sitting, the painter says.
          So we're going to be painted walking?
          Stumbling and falling and screaming.
          Do we have to practice screaming?
          He doesn't know. Probably we'll have to.
          Wait, we call, we're coming.
          Slowly, clawing at one another, we get out of the
     straw, struggle to our feet. Then we grope at ourselves
     and at one another. Then we pass our hands over our
     bodies. Yes, we're still the same people as yesterday.
     And probably to the end we'll be yesterday's people and
     gradually now we remember ourselves better, down to the
     smallest details. Everything comes back again, even
     that which was buried, and we're very startled. We
     remember our names again too, the names we call one
     another. And this morning, as we feel our heads, arms,
     and sticks, we're probably the same for others. This is
     how we'll be painted, it will be quite a big picture,
     because there are several of us, six perhaps.

     That is what the author says, and despite the surrealist
style, the depiction of the blind is the same old tiresome lie
which has been monotonously told from the beginning of time. Do
you wake in the morning and rub yourself all over to remember who
you are? Do you have to work to recall your own name? The
author's fantasy is just thatfantasy! But of course, he may
argue that he was not describing fact but creating an allegory.
He may say that the behavior of the characters is exaggerated for
emphasis. Indeed, there is dialogue later in the book which might
suggest this thought. Consider this portion of the text:

          Isn't that it? the painter says. And he's very
     excited now by the sight of us (the sight of us on the
     bridge and on the canvas). Which, as he exclaims again
     and again, does wondrously sum up the ways of the world
     and the fate of man. Nor do we know [the novel
     continues] what the sight of us sums up for the
     painter, we just go on saying: All right, now we'll
     fall, all right, time to fall. And let ourselves be led
     back to the bridge, stumble, scream, and fall. But we
     can't leave the scene yet, we're still being painted.
     The painter is the only person who isn't worn out,
     while his good friend calls out to him over and over
     again how excellent he finds what's being painted, and
     that if the painter means to paint a masterpiece he
     only has to go on like this. Until we suddenly feel
     we're not needed anymore, until somebody even shouts
     this to us. Somebody who'd been silent till now shouts
     it from the window.
          Stop now, he shouts, take them away.

     Both the Flemish painter and the twentieth century author
apparently believe that the blind are a striking example of the
benighted guiding the ignorant. The predetermined result is
inescapable disaster. But their characterization is not the
truth. We who are blind are not forever bound in intellectual
isolation. Blindness does not equate with stupidity. We possess
talents, and we are living demonstrations that we can be
creative. We have the curiosity, the commitment, and the energy
to play a full part in the society in which we live.
     There is at least one other way to interpret the Hofmann
parable. Time and time again the blind are used to achieve
somebody else's private ends regardless of the harm that may be
caused to the blind. The parable of Hofmann's book may be that if
the blind do not lead the blind, there will be oppression,
tyranny, and humiliation. The real moral of the novel (the one
that Hofmann himself probably did not understand) is that we must
accept the demands and challenges of leadership and the direction
of our own lives. If we do not, the theorizing about blindness
and the shaping of public attitudes concerning the blind will be
left to othersto writers like Hofmann and Hull. We cannot, and
we will not let this happen. Hofmann's parable is not ours. It
may have had power for a different era, but that time is no more.
We are the blind, the organized blindand we intend to lead. We
have come together from every part of the nation, and we have
formed a common bond. We think and write and act for ourselves.
We are the National Federation of the Blind.
     Blindness and blind people have been misrepresented, falsely
portrayed, and misunderstood from the beginning of recorded
history. The thinkers, the dreamers, the shapers of political
thought and cultural comprehension have almost always been
sighted. If they ever thought about blindness, they gave it only
the briefest attention. They assumed that they themselves would
not be able to compete effectively if they lost their sight, and
they attributed this presumed incompetence to us as well, to all
of the blind. Leadership with respect to the affairs of the blind
has proceeded during almost all of history from the viewpoint of
the sighted. Until quite recently blind people have not, to any
great extent, been leaders of the blind.
     When the National Federation of the Blind was founded a
fundamental change in emphasis and prospect was initiated. But
the creation of a body of philosophical understanding which would
permit the establishment of a pattern of leadership by blind
people could not be fully developed in a year, a decade, or even
half a century. The notion that the blind could and would lead
the blind demanded a change in the basic thought processes of
societyin the entire culturenot only of the sighted but also of
the blind.
     It is of utmost significance to respond with decision and
determination in times of crisis. We, the organized blind, must
be prepared to take concerted action whenever our collective
effort can solve the immediate problems we face. However, of even
greater importance is the need to stimulate an atmosphere of
understandingof acceptance of the blind on terms of equality.
This must occur all over the nationin our homes, our immediate
neighborhoods, and our broader communities. The leadership that
inspires this attitude must be a part of our thoughts and actions
every day.
     If we collectively and individually do not meet the
challenge of leadership which is now before us, the odd-ball
notions and crazy ideas about us will continue to impede our
progress and stifle our growth. Furthermore, there is nobody that
can do it for uswe must meet the challenge ourselves. Let the
sighted march with us, and increasingly they do. Let the
governmental and private agencies join the effort, and ever
growing numbers are doing so. But in the final analysis, others
cannot shape the future for us. We must make our own tomorrow. We
know what our problems are, and we know how to deal with them. We
know how to find the means and how to focus the effort. We cannot
fail or turn back. The stakes are too high and the prize too
great. In the spirit of Dr. Perry, who was the precursor; of Dr.
tenBroek, who was the founder and pioneer; and of Dr. Jernigan,
who has been the organizer and builderyes, and also in the
spirit of those who will look back to test our actions and
judgment, we of this generation must and will do what is needed
to bring the blind closer to full membership in society. We will
respond to crisis as we must, but we will also be creative and
plan ahead. In the certainty of our strength to do what must be
done and our belief in each other and ourselves, we face the
future with confidence and joy. We are the organized blind. We
are the National Federation of the Blind. My brothers and my
sisters, we will make it come true!


[PHOTO: Class portrait of 1993 scholarship winners.
CAPTION: NFB SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, 1993. Front row (left
to right): Tina Ektermanis, Zuhair Mah'd, Brigid
Doherty, Angie Matney, Ann Edie, Colleen Wunderlich,
Kathleen Hart, Chuck Strickland. Center row (left to
right): Denise Howard, Al Fogel, Mary Hurt, Jim Salas,
Saeed Golnabi, Bill Cuttle, Matthew Brink, Christopher
Smith, Maren Christensen. Back row (left to right):
Jennifer Lehman, Jack Allord, Laura Biro, Janelle
McEachern, Christopher Foster, Jonathan Mize, Carolyn
Scharkey, Marvelena Desha, Sally Nemeth.]

                  THE SCHOLARSHIP CLASS OF 1993

     The task of the National Federation of the Blind Scholarship
Selection and Award Committees is never easy. During the spring
the members of the selection committee must pore over many
hundreds of scholarship applications to choose the group of
finalists, who will attend the convention to compete for the
various awards. Then during convention week, when there are
always at least five things one wants to do with every free
moment, the awards committee members must find the time to get to
know each of the twenty-six winners in order to make the final
judgments in the competition. This year the job was particularly
difficult. The Class of '93 is talented and energetic. A number
of its members are already active in the Federation, and during
the convention many others began to demonstrate deep interest in
and personal response to our philosophy and commitment to
changing what it means to be blind. Here are the 1993 scholarship
winners as they presented themselves to the Board of Directors at
its Monday, July 5, meeting. Peggy Pinder, Chairman of the
Scholarship Committee, introduced each person and listed first
the state from which the winner comes and then the state in which
he or she will be a student this coming fall. This is what the
winners had to say in the few seconds they were given in which to
introduce themselves:

     Jack Allord, Wisconsin, Wisconsin: "Good morning, everyone.
I'm Jack Allord from Shawano, Wisconsin. I went to Illinois
School of Technology and studied mechanical engineering. After
that I went into the Army, and they saw fit to make a Korean
interpreter out of me. After the Army I went to Northern Illinois
University and got a degree in biology, studying genetics. After
that I went to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and got a
doctor of dental surgery degree. Right now I'm at the University
of Wisconsin in Green Bay, studying administration science. I
hope to go into health care administration. Extracurricularly,
I'm on the Independent Living Council of Wisconsin. I'm a speaker
for the visual impairment program at North Central Technical
College. I am very active in Free Masonry--I'll be the Grand
Master of Free Masons in Wisconsin in 1996. Thank you."
     Laura Biro, Michigan, Michigan: "Good morning, fellow
Federationists. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the
National Federation of the Blind not only for honoring me with a
scholarship, but for your continued love and support. I am
currently a junior at Sienna Heights College in Adrian, Michigan,
where I'm pursuing a career in social work. My ultimate goal is
to obtain a master's degree and work with handicapped children.
Thank you."
     Matthew Brink, Michigan, Michigan: "Thank you, Miss Pinder,
and good morning to you all. I am presently at Western Michigan
University, academically focused right now in psychology,
specifically working with clients with traumatic brain injury. I
also co-instruct in a class in abnormal psychology and just
finished an internship in Battle Creek. I am also learning from
the National Federation of the Blind, for which I am grateful and
hope to contribute to the '93 convention, as well."
     Maren Christensen, Montana, Montana: "Hello. My name is
Maren Christensen. I'm currently a student at the University of
Montana. I'm enrolled in a joint degree program, receiving my law
degree and a master's in public administration. I intend to work
as a lawyer with particular emphasis on implementing progressive
public policies. I am honored to be here. I have enjoyed the last
two days of meeting, talking with, and listening to this group of
dynamic, intelligent, and active, dedicated individuals. I'm real
pleased to be here, and I'm particularly pleased with my new NFB
long white cane. Finally I can move as fast as I want to.
Thanks."
     Bill Cuttle, Massachusetts, Massachusetts: "Hello, everyone.
This is my first convention. I'm very grateful to be here, not
only for the scholarship, but also I have just met so many nice
people. To be honest, I'm a little overwhelmed with everything
that's here. I'm going to be going to Boston College Law School
in September, and I'm going to be focusing on the field of family
and juvenile law. I received my bachelor's degree at Bridgewater
State College in psychology and a master's degree also in
counseling psychology from the University of Massachusetts and
have been working in the field of mental health for the past
seven years as a clinical director of programs for kids. I'm
thirty-one, and I'm going to be trying a new career. I'm hoping
to combine my background with law to help other people. Thank
you."
     Marvelena Desha, California, California: "Hello. My name is
Marvelena Desha, and I'm from San Francisco, California. This is
my first convention, and I must say that I am very impressed with
the Federation. In September I am going to be attending the
University of California at Berkeley with a major in linguistics
and foreign language. I hope to pursue a career as a foreign
language interpreter."
     Brigid Doherty, Oregon, Oregon: "Good morning, everyone. I
am a junior at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. I
am majoring in international studies. I have been out in the work
force for the past twelve years, working as a legal secretary and
office manager among other things. I'm very pleased to be back in
school, working toward a better understanding between cultures. I
would like very much to work either in a governmental capacity or
in business, helping people to learn to communicate with other
cultures as they are traveling overseas--also just to have a
better understanding door to door, neighbor to neighbor. We're
all living in an increasingly interdependent world, and I think
it's very, very important that we learn to understand one another
better. I thank you for the opportunity of being here."
     Ann Edie, New York, Massachusetts: "Good morning and thank
you all for the opportunity to be here at the NFB convention. My
background is teaching Asian studies and Chinese. In the fall
I'll be going to Boston College to study teaching of the blind. I
hope eventually to combine these two interests by teaching blind
people the skills that they need, by teaching sighted people
Braille and other skills that will help them understand the
abilities of blind people, and by teaching both sighted and blind
people Chinese and Asian studies and Asian cultures. I'm very
happy to be here, and thank you very much."
     Tina Ektermanis, Missouri, Missouri: "Hi. My name is Tina
Ektermanis. I'm a senior at Northwest Missouri State University
with a major in computer science and a minor in mathematics. I
ultimately plan to go on for a master's degree. I'm not exactly
sure where yet, but I plan to work in the field of adaptive
technology or network administration. Thank you."
     Al Fogel, New York, (Washington, D.C. this summer) and New
Jersey: "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Al Fogel.
I've just completed my first year at Rutgers Law School in
Newark, New Jersey. This summer I'm working at the Department of
Justice with the ADA. I have a bachelor's degree in accounting
and Talmudic law. I hope to be a corporate attorney with an
emphasis on bringing more disabled people into the corporate
field. I can say that starting next year, working with Rutgers,
we'll be getting the first disabled student to go into a New
Jersey law firm. I'm glad to be here. I'd like to thank the
Scholarship Committee, and I'd really like to thank the Texas
people for some down-home hospitality. Thank you."
     Christopher Foster, California, California: "Good morning.
I'd like to thank the Federation as well as the committee. This
is my first convention, and I have learned a lot in the last few
days. I also have my brand new long white cane. Again I'd like to
thank you all. I'm going to be a freshman at Sierra Community
College in Rockland, California, where I will start my studies in
English and computer science. I hope to then go on to the
University of California at Davis, where I will continue and hope
to get a master's in computer science. I would like to go into
possibly design engineering or something like that, just to sort
things out and do the follow-through work at companies and
things. Thank you very much."
     Saeed Golnabi, Ohio, Ohio: "Good morning, everybody. My name
is Saeed Golnabi. I am very happy and pleased to be here. This
week I have had the best experience in my whole thirty-two years.
Right now I am at the University of Cincinnati. I'm working on my
Ph.D. in mathematics, and I hope I will graduate in a couple of
years. Thank you."
     Kathleen Hart, New York, Washington: "Thank you. Good
morning. I previously have been a teacher of special education
and a counselor. I hold both a bachelor's and a master's in
education. I am currently a senior at Colgate Rochester Bexley
Crozer--that is a seminary. I am working on my master's in
divinity and will be graduating next May 14. I am looking for
ordination in the Episcopal Church as a deacon and have about
four more years to go till that happens. I have been a
Federationist for two years. My first convention was two years
ago. About a month after that my state affiliate's president
invited me to a state leadership conference, and I also met my
fiance at my first convention, so the Federation has been
wonderful!
     Denise Howard, Georgia, Georgia: "Good morning. My name is
Denise Howard, and I'm from Savannah, Georgia. I recently
graduated from high school. In the fall I'll be a freshman at
Spelman College. I plan to double major in English and elementary
education. Thank you."
     Mary Hurt, Kentucky, Kentucky: "I'm Mary Hurt from
Louisville, Kentucky. My first convention was in '87. I'm a past
treasurer of the Diabetics Division and Kentucky State
representative for the Diabetics Division. In 1991 I raised
$10,000 for that group, and I am a senior at the University of
Louisville, studying business administration. I plan to pursue a
career in the world of corporate finance, and I'm very honored to
be here."
     Jennifer Lehman, Wisconsin, Minnesota: "Good morning,
everyone. My name is Jennifer Lehman. I'm a recent graduate of
BLIND, Inc. in Minnesota. I am President of the Minnesota
Association of Blind Students, and I was elected last night to be
the Secretary of the National Association of Blind Students. I'm
also a member of the Metro Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind of Minnesota. Right now I am a junior at the University
of Minnesota. My major is sociology. My minor is communication
and speech and hearing science. I would eventually like to be a
speech clinician, working with preschoolers. I want to say that I
am very honored to be a scholarship winner and very glad to be
here for my third convention."
     Zuhair Mah'd, Florida, Florida: "Good morning, fellow
Federationists. I've always been told how hard it was to speak in
public, but I guess I know now what it means. My name is Zuhair,
and I am studying computer science at Florida Atlantic
University. I also work for the Office for Students with
Disabilities as a computer consultant in assistive technology.
I'd like to take the opportunity here to thank the National
Federation of the Blind very, very much for the help and the
honor it has bestowed upon me. I'd like to make a pledge here to
be, for everyone else that I meet, as helpful as the National
Federation of the Blind has been to me. Thank you very much."
     Angie Matney, West Virginia, Virginia: "Good morning. My
name is Angie Matney. I recently graduated from Iager High School
in Iager, West Virginia, and I will be attending Washington and
Lee University in the fall, where I plan to major in English
and/or computer science to pursue a career either in post-
secondary education or in the field of adaptive technology for
the blind. I would just like to thank each and every one of you
for the opportunity that you have given me to attend my first NFB
convention as a national scholarship winner and also to thank you
for my new long white cane. Thank you very much."
     Janelle McEachern, Arizona, Arizona: "Good morning,
everybody, and greetings from the great state of Arizona, the
home of the almost world champion Phoenix Suns, almost, I say. My
name is Janelle McEachern, and I hold my bachelor of arts degree
from Arizona State University. It's a history degree in American
and European military history. I am currently in law school, ASU
College of Law. I'm studying to be a lawyer, and I am also taking
my master's degree in American and British constitutional and
legal history. I'm doing both at the same time, so I'm either
desperate or crazy--I haven't figured out which yet. I hope to be
both an attorney and a professor of constitutional and legal
history for either American or British--I haven't figured out
which. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. In my
spare time I do disability advocacy. I am a prospective board
member for the Arizona Bridge to Independent Living. I am a
volunteer consultant on ADA accessibility guidelines for area
historical museums and zoos. I also do local missionary work for
my church, and I am a civil war history buff. Thank you."
     Jonathon Mize, Texas, Texas: "Good late morning, close-to-
lunch late morning. Welcome to Texas, where you have wide-open
spaces and always pleasant-smelling faces--the only place where
it costs a $10 cab fare just to get out of the airport. My
previous background in education--I got an associate in science
degree with emphasis in public administration from South Plains
College in Levelland, Texas, and transferred to Stephen F. Austin
University as a junior majoring in public administration. I will
continue to get my master's degree at the University of Texas at
Austin, where I will also have the public administration
master's. In the near future I plan to be a city manager or work
in some of the state agencies--Lord knows they need help. Thank
you."
     Sally Nemeth, West Virginia, Ohio: "Good morning. How y'all
doing out there? Good, I hope. I thought I'd try a little bit of
Texan. This is my first NFB experience, and I have to say, what
an incredible initiation! My background is in communication and
psychology. I have a strong interest in the area of wellness. I
am a member of the ADA Training and Implementation Network. This
fall I'll be beginning a degree in counseling at the Franciscan
University of Steubenville. I hope eventually to obtain a Ph.D.
in either counseling or counseling psych and with that to teach,
to conduct seminars on a national basis, to write, counsel,
engage in community service, and eventually join the Peace Corps.
I thank you for your generosity in helping me to obtain my
goals."
     Jim Salas, New Mexico, New Mexico: "Good morning, everybody.
I'm Jim Salas. I'm attending Webster University, pursuing a
master's degree in human resources development. I'm interested in
the people side of organizational effectiveness. For the last
four years I've been the associates program chairman in New
Mexico. Over that period of time we've quadrupled the number of
associate recruiters, and we are the two-time defending national
champion. They're going to be telling us in a little while who
the champion is for this year, and we have some pretty good
numbers again. If we win, great, congratulations to us. If
Missouri or Maryland or California or one of those pretenders
happens to get in this year, well congratulations to them; but
remember there is always next year! In the immortal words of
Arnold Schwarzenegger, `vi'll be back!'"
     Carolyn Scharkey, Missouri, Missouri: "Hi. It's good to be
here. I was the first licensed hairdresser in the state of
Missouri as a blind person, and I then had three children of my
own, two foster children, and just loved people. I decided to go
into social work so will be entering the University of Missouri,
St. Louis, in the fall. Thank you."
     Christopher Smith, New Jersey, Rhode Island: "I just
recently graduated from Ridgewood High School in northern New
Jersey. I'll be a freshman at Brown University this September,
and I plan to major in English, creative writing, with the goal
to become a professional writer. This is my first experience with
the Federation. I'd like to thank everyone for their truly
sincere welcome, and I look forward to a long and committed
future with the Federation. Thank you."
     Chuck Strickland, California, California: "I have a master's
degree in physics with a minor in computer science from Southwest
Texas State University, which is where I've mostly been, in
Texas. I was a participant in the Young Scholars program
sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and I was a science
counselor there. It was held at SWT. I'm now going for a Ph.D. in
physics. I hope to teach at the university level and do
theoretical physics, make some contribution. I'm attending the
University of California at Riverside. Thanks for your
consideration."
     Colleen Wunderlich, Illinois, Indiana: "Good morning. I
would like to begin by thanking the Federation for the
opportunity they have given me to be here today. I feel very
fortunate to have received influence from these Federationists. I
feel that they have a great sense of inner strength and pride,
and I hope that I will achieve my dream of becoming a
psychiatrist. Right now I will be attending Purdue University in
the fall, where I will major in pre-med and psychology. Then I
plan to go to medical school. I believe that the Federation will
be here to help me achieve my dream. When I do so, I'd like to
give that back to future generations to come. Thank you very
much."

     Peggy Pinder: "And there, Mr. President and members of the
National Federation of the Blind, are the twenty-six scholarship
winners this year."[applause]

     As you will observe, it was an impressive group of students
this year. Here are the awards they received:

     $2,000 NFB Merit Scholarships: Marvelena Desha, Tina
Ektermanis, Al Fogel, Saeed Golnabi, Kathleen Hart, Denise
Howard, Jonathon Mize, Christopher Smith, and James Strickland.
     $2,000 Ellen Setterfield Memorial Scholarship: Janelle
McEachern, 
     $2,000 Hermione Grant Calhoun Scholarship: Angela Matney.
     $2,000 Kuchler-Killian Memorial Scholarship: Ann Edie.
     $2,500 NFB Scholarships: Jack Allord, William Cuttle,
Christopher Foster, Mary Hurt, and Zuhair Mah'd.
     $2,500 NFB Educator of Tomorrow Scholarship: Sally Nemeth.
     $2,500 NFB Humanities Scholarship: Colleen Wunderlich.
     $2,500 Frank Walton Horn Memorial Scholarship: Carolyn
Scharkey.
     $2,500 Howard Brown Rickard Scholarship: Maren Christensen.
     $3,000 Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship: Matthew Brink.
     $4,000 NFB Scholarships: Brigid Doherty and James Salas.
     $4,000 Anne Pekar Memorial Scholarship: Laura Biro.
     $10,000 American Action Fund Scholarship: Jennifer Lehman 


[PHOTO: Jennifer Lehman stands on stage during the
banquet speaking into a microphone. CAPTION: Jennifer
Lehman, winner of the 1993 American Action Fund
Scholarship.]

     In introducing Jennifer during the banquet for brief
remarks, Peggy Pinder said:

     Jennifer took time out during her undergraduate years to go
to a training center for blind people when she met the Federation
and realized that she needed what the Federation and its training
centers have. She hasn't been in school this last year. She's
going for the first time to the University of Minnesota (ranked
as a junior), where she is earning a bachelor of science degree
in sociology. As I think many of you know, Jennifer is an active
and loved member of both the Minnesota and the Wisconsin
affiliates and intends to be a pre-school speech clinician. Now
here, for a few remarks, is this year's $10,000 scholarship
winner, Jennifer Lehman.

     Jennifer Lehman: Thank you all so much. I am very, very
honored to be chosen as this year's top scholarship winner. I
want to thank President Maurer and Dr. Jernigan and everyone in
the National Federation of the Blind for all the help and support
you have given me during the past three years.
     I would not have been able to make it through a lot of
situations that have happened in the past three years if it had
not been for all the support from the members of the Federation
family. I can't even tell you how I feel right now or how much
the NFB means to me. So I just want to say that I will continue
to be active in this organization and help to change what it
means to be blind. I want to help get more people into the
movement so that everyone's life can be changed as much as mine
has been by this wonderful organization. Thank you all.[applause]


[PHOTO: Ramona Walhof standing at podium microphone.
CAPTION: Ramona Walhof addresses the convention.]

                     BRAILLE: A RENAISSANCE
              An Address Delivered by Ramona Walhof
                    at the Convention of the
                National Federation of the Blind
                   Dallas, Texas, July 8, 1993

     When I was in the sixth grade at the Iowa School for the
Blind, my class was given a timed reading test. Afterward, each
student was called in for a private conference. I was
congratulated and told that my Braille reading speed was very
good: 91 words per minute.
     I remember very vividly knowing that something was wrong. I
was not a good reader, and I did not like the prospect of never
getting any better. Still, I had no idea how to improve, and the
message was clear. I should not expect to. I knew a few students
who read faster in Braille than I did--although not many. The
prevailing attitude was: Most people can't read Braille very
fast. How futile and discouraging for a young blind student! And
I now know how incredibly wrong!
     As many of you know, I was the second of three blind
children. Our attitudes about Braille did and do vary
considerably. That is explainable and may be significant as we
examine attitudes toward Braille. In my family we had a sort of
mini laboratory.
     My brother is the oldest and took kindergarten and first
grade in public school, where he was provided large print books
that he couldn't read. Anyone can imagine the frustration a child
in this situation must experience. Unfortunately, many children
must repeat it still today. When my brother went to the school
for the blind after Thanksgiving of his second grade year, he was
behind the other students. He did learn Braille, but was slow.
The other students said he read like a tortoise, with the accent
on the second syllable for emphasis. I can never remember my
brother's reading much in Braille, except (as he grew older) the
Braille Technical Press. He became quite good at getting adults
to read technical material aloud to him. In college he used
readers and tapes. Shortly after college graduation, he was
married, and his wife has read for him ever since. Never has he
had adequate motivation and encouragement to build good Braille
reading speed. It's not that he is incapable. His slow speed is
not just fate. It has causes and, if he chooses, a cure.
     I enrolled at the school for the blind after Thanksgiving of
my first grade year. I could not see the large print books in
public school either, but I was humiliated to go to a school
where the children had not started to read at all. When we did
start reading at the beginning of the second semester, we were
given flash cards that did not have enough letters. I could
understand look (L-O-O-K), but there was something wrong with
Sally. Nobody told me about an A-L-L-Y sign. By the end of that
year, I had read and memorized one little book Happy Days--and I
had learned something else, that it was bad to read Braille.
     My sister, a year younger, started to the school for the
blind after Thanksgiving of her kindergarten year and learned the
Braille letters from blocks that had nails arranged in the
formation of Braille letters. She remembers that once near the
end of that year another student and I came from the first grade
into the kindergarten room to demonstrate reading Braille. She
remembers thinking we were not good readers. She was right. She
said that she decided right then and there to read better than
her older sister--which she did.
     For me during second and third grades Braille was dreary.
The students who used Braille never read all the material in the
textbooks, and nobody indicated that we could or should do
better. The students who used large print read faster than we
did, and they read more stories. This just reinforced our notion
that Braille was bad, although nobody ever said so. Once in third
grade we went to the library and checked out books. Crazy as it
sounds, we were not permitted to take the books to the dorm, nor
were we permitted to read them in the classroom. Therefore, at
the end of the month we took our books back to the library
unread, and never checked out any more. My sister, on the other
hand, did take library books to the dorm and read them. She took
a timed reading test in the third grade and read 110 words a
minute. Nobody could understand how she got so fast. There was a
boy in her class who also read rapidly. Perhaps they provided
stimulation for each other. Since then, I have met children who
were reading 150 words per minute or more in the third grade.
Some were reading print, and some were reading Braille.
     News commentators read between 160 and 180 words a minute.
Thus, 150 is a comfortable speed for reading aloud, and probably
a low average for good readers.
     As we grew older, the best encouragement I had was my little
sister's reading speed, which was better than mine. I did get
faster, but a little direction and encouragement might have
helped. It wasn't until after I graduated from high school and
found people reading Braille at three and four hundred words per
minute that I began to work on speed for real. And it made a lot
of difference. Today my reading speed varies, depending on how
much Braille I have used recently. Even at my relatively slow
speed in high school, I read every Braille book the librarian
would recommend, and some that she didn't. The library had far
too few titles, even for a small school--another disincentive for
Braille readers.
     I had a different experience with Braille writing. My
brother brought home a Braille slate and stylus after his third-
grade year. That summer I took possession of it and taught myself
to write. I could write better with the slate than with the
Braille writer when I went back to school that fall, much to the
frustration of the man who was supposed to teach me. To this day
I still enjoy using the slate, and I always carry one in my purse
and briefcase. As I once undiplomatically told a colleague in
college: If you can't write an address or phone number when you
need to, you are illiterate. And how many blind people still find
themselves in that trap?
     Most of the teachers at that school for the blind read very
little Braille, and when they did, they read with their eyes and
followed the text, if necessary, from print teachers' manuals.
They had no real idea what the expectations for Braille should
be. You can speculate about how their attitudes were formed:
Blindness is bad. Therefore, it is bad to read Braille. Further,
reading and writing Braille are probably slow. Some teachers even
asked us (their students) how much would be a reasonable amount
for us to read for an evening history or science assignment. If
any student had said, "give us a big, fat reading assignment,"
that person would have been lynched by his or her classmates. But
all of this was developing our attitudes about Braille and
blindness. This was the climate that largely shaped our thinking
about our potential as blind people.
     All this causes one to ask why some blind people read
Braille as well and as rapidly as they do. The answer is simple.
Somebody provided encouragement and helped these people believe
that it was possible for them to be good. It may have been family
members. It may have been another blind person who read Braille
well. It may have been the need to keep up with print readers in
public school. It may even have been a teacher at a school for
the blind. One thing is sure. Somebody or some combination of
circumstances helped good Braille readers believe in
Braille--helped them understand that Braille can be used rapidly
and for virtually anything for which you can use print.
Expectations have a lot to do with performance. Both blind
children and blind adults will read and write better if we
provide encouragement and sensible advice. The National
Federation of the Blind knows how to do this, and we intend to do
more and more of it.
     Recently at a state convention of the NFB, I became involved
in a discussion about Braille. There seemed to be a consensus
that, in order to become a fast Braille reader, it is necessary
to begin reading at an early age. Along with everyone else, I
agreed that this is desirable. However, it is not the only way.
It is not reasonable to assume that anybody who learns Braille
after age 7 or 10 or 15 will never be able to read quickly and
enjoy it. There are simple techniques for increasing Braille
reading speed. Read with both hands, and generally keep at least
six fingers on the Braille lines. Learn to skim. Read easy
material, and re-read it going faster. Read Braille while someone
else is reading the same text faster. A tape recording of the
same text you are reading in Braille will work just fine. Most
important, read a lot. An hour or two a day will do, but more is
better.
     As a language major in college, I was at a
disadvantage--along with most of the other students--because I
only started studying Russian and French at age 18. There were
some native speakers in our classes who had flawless accents and
a big head start because of their early introduction to the
languages. That did not mean it was impossible for those of us
who were not native speakers to become proficient in Russian or
French or whatever language was being learned. Most of us had a
slight accent, but our use of the language became clear and good.
Some of the people in that class are now employed as translators
and teachers. I had no trouble making myself understood in the
Soviet Union when I was there, and other students had similar
experiences.
     Braille is not a foreign language. But reading and writing
Braille are fairly complex skills, as are reading and writing
print. With proper training and opportunity, an adult can develop
good facility in Braille, even though starting earlier would have
been an advantage. Many factors affect the development of these
skills.
     The age one begins to read and write is certainly one of
them. Others are: use of language generally, level of education,
self-discipline, motivation, availability of material to read,
amount of time spent reading and writing, and the quality of
instruction. More basic than any of these is the attitude about
Braille and Blindness.
     As you know, most state affiliates of the NFB have supported
legislation to improve Braille literacy for blind children. Some
have already passed such laws. Of course, the reason these laws
are necessary is because so many educators and others don't
regard Braille as good in comparison with print. They wouldn't
want it put that way, but that's what it comes to--and we see
plenty of evidence. Most of us have been educated by teachers
with these attitudes, and many of us read and write less well
than we should because we have sold Braille short. I recently
talked with a certified teacher of blind children who was taught
in college that the average Braille reading speed is 70 words per
minute. That was his reason for teaching most of his students
large print. He really believed none of them could be expected to
read Braille rapidly under any circumstances. I did my best to
show him that he had been misinformed. This teacher was thrilled
and went away intending to teach more Braille. There are bound to
be encounters that will shake his resolve, but we can change
attitudes only a little at a time--just as we eat an elephant--
one bite at a time.
     It is important for each of us to examine our attitudes and
determine whether we are limiting ourselves in the use of
Braille. If we wish to improve, it is most certainly possible. We
may choose not to use Braille at all. That is respectable. Some
blind people can read and write print efficiently. If so, that
too is respectable. The closed circuit t.v. enlarger is a useful
piece of equipment and should not be discouraged. But it will be
most useful as a supplement to Braille, not a substitute. We
should be honest--at least, with ourselves--about why we choose
to teach Braille or print and why we choose to use one or the
other ourselves. We may decide that it is worth the trouble to
discipline ourselves to become rapid and accurate Braille readers
and writers. Most of us can do this if we wish, including
diabetics. I have taught many diabetics to read Braille, some of
whom were told they did not have adequate feeling in their
fingertips.
     You and I know a number of people who learned Braille as
teenagers or adults and are now quite good at it. Peggy Pinder
and Fred Schroeder learned Braille in high school. Neither needs
apologize for Braille skill. Joyce Scanlan, Allen Harris, Mary
Ellen Halverson, Joanne Wilson, Seville Allen, and Betty Sabin
are other good Braille users who did not read Braille as
children, and, of course, I cannot begin to list them all.
     Mabel Nading and I were teaching Braille in the mid 1970's,
and some of our students grew discouraged because learning
Braille took them so long. Mabel and I thought we could speed up
the process, so we wrote Beginning Braille for Adults. We used
our students as guinea pigs to test the lessons, and our success
surprised us all. Not just one student, but many, learned Braille
more quickly than was formerly the case and began to pick up
speed. One of our students learned Grade 2 Braille in 3 weeks and
built her speed to 150 words per minute in six months. She worked
at it 3 to 4 hours a day. She had been a very rapid and constant
reader of print, and a better than average student. She was being
trained in a climate where she was in constant contact with
people who used Braille well. Her speed continued to improve, and
she is not the only person to make this kind of progress.
     I want to tell you about Norm Gardner. When I first moved to
Idaho, Norm was president of the Federation's state affiliate.
One night he and I made presentations to the legislature at a
dinner. After an event like that, we frequently want to review
what happened and evaluate the reactions of some of the guests.
But after most people had left that night, Norm wanted to talk
about something else. The first words out of his mouth were: "I
am determined to learn Braille." I responded that it was a good
idea but asked why it was on his mind right then. He said with
some vehemence, "You had eye contact with the audience, and I had
my nose down on the lectern in my notes. I do a lot of lecturing,
and Braille notes would be so much better." I thought I could
understand how he felt. That was several years ago. I suggested
the methods and techniques I knew, and Norm began (as he could)
to work on Braille.
     Then he moved to Arizona, and I had very few occasions to
talk to him about Braille. A couple of years later, though, I
observed at the Washington Seminar that Norm had all the Arizona
appointments written in Braille. He was working at it when he
could. He was proud of his progress, and so was I. Then came the
evening I called Norm about something totally unrelated to
Braille. When he heard my voice, he said: "I just have to tell
you what I was doing when the phone rang. I've been reading the
Hardy Boys in Braille." He was as happy as a child with a new
toy, and he went on: "This is my third Hardy Boys book. My
brother Bruce and I are both reading them. I never could read for
fun when I was young. It was all I could do to get people to read
school work to me, and I only discovered tapes in college. Now
I'm reading Braille for fun almost every day." As I talked with
Norm that night, I kept wishing that all the people who
constantly say that adults can't learn Braille could be hooked in
on that phone line.
     Then there are the people who assume that you have to teach
writing primarily with the Perkins Brailler because the slate is
so slow that most people never develop good speed or accuracy. 
Consider the following:
     There was a time when Braillers did not exist--and later, a
time when they were scarce. And during all of these times they
were not affordable for many of the blind. Children learned to
write with the slate and stylus, and it is hard to believe that
all youngsters are dumber or less well coordinated today than
they were forty years ago. If we were to take pencils and pens
away from sighted children, their skill would deteriorate just as
has happened with blind children who are never encouraged to
become skilled with the slate and stylus. There is nothing wrong
with the Brailler--but it is too big, too noisy, and too
expensive to be a substitute for the slate and stylus. 
     Kim Boshart in Nebraska started teaching preschoolers to
write with the slate and stylus because she didn't know they
couldn't learn it that young. And guess what! They did learn.
     There was a day when a college-bound student came to me with
a question. She wanted to know how to develop good enough writing
speed with a slate and stylus for college note-taking. She had
started to learn Braille about a year before and could read
better than she could write, but she needed to build speed
generally. Skeptic that I am, I felt rather sure she would not
take my advice, but I did the best I could. I told her: Don't
take a pen or pencil or tape recorder to class. Take your slate,
and do the best you can. At first you will miss things and make
some mistakes. Remember that most college freshmen are still
learning to take notes. If you make yourself depend on the slate
even when you think you are missing things, you will be taking
good notes well before the end of the first semester. You will
have required yourself to write two or three hours a day. I also
advised her to use light weight paper so her arm would not rebel.
Having done all I could, I forgot about the whole conversation.
At Christmas break, this student came to me for a piece of
information. I told her what she wanted to know, and she wrote
it. Suddenly, I realized that she had written it on a slate, and
very quickly.
     I was delighted and said, "Carolyn, you did it!" At first
she was puzzled and asked what I was talking about. I reminded
her of her concern about college notes on the slate.
     "Yes," she said, "I haven't thought about it lately. I did
what you recommended, and it worked." I say to you that if
Carolyn can do it, so can thousands of others, given
encouragement and a little advice.
     Another project from my past came to mind not long ago when
I was discussing with some blind college students the kinds of
employment they might find. You never know when a skill might
come in handy, but if the skill is not there, you cannot use it.
I was one of forty-five blind students enrolled in two projects
sponsored jointly by Georgetown University and the old Department
of Health, Education, and Welfare. Most of us studied the Russian
language, and a few took German. As you may know, the Russian
language is written with the Cyrillic alphabet. The Braille was
easy enough to learn, but the average Braillist couldn't
transcribe Russian. In order to improve our vocabulary and read
material from the Soviet Union (which we could get through the
Library of Congress) we desperately needed a Braille dictionary.
Somebody (it wasn't I) thought up the idea of our transcribing a
large Russian-English dictionary into Braille ourselves. We could
get our professors to record the dictionary on tape and we could
transcribe it into Braille. Most of us didn't have Braille
writers, but we could afford to buy forty-cell board slates.
     Slate writers were in clover, because we were paid (I think)
$2.40 per hour. In any case, it was more money than I had ever
before earned in my life. I suppose ten or twenty of us
participated in copying that dictionary. There were some who
worked more hours than I, and some may have used Braille writers-
-but I was quite happy with the arrangement. I understand that
this dictionary may still be in use by blind translators working
for the Department of Defense.
     I mention this not just for the sake of a little nostalgia.
A lot of books were put into Braille using the slate and stylus.
Many of us here today have read some of them. It was quite an
adequate method. The Braille writer is faster, but that does not
mean that the slate is worthless. Just as the computer keyboard
will not soon, if ever, replace the need for pens and pencils,
the Braille writer has not made the slate undesirable--and
probably won't.
     As I have said, Federation affiliates in most states have
been working on legislation for better Braille instruction and
for better Braille literacy. This will in time improve the
reading and writing skill of today's and tomorrow's blind
children. Belief in the value and potential of Braille is again
improving. Ten years ago it was declining. You and I know the
cause of this change--the National Federation of the Blind. We
have reversed a trend. We must continue to work, and our progress
will accelerate.
     I have a friend named Marian who is in kindergarten. She is
intelligent, active, and blind. She and her mother have become
good Federationists. Recently Marian and her mother stopped at my
office, and I took the opportunity to see how Marian was coming
in Braille. She could tell me how to make most of the letters,
and she could write many on the Braille writer. However, when I
gave Marian a piece of paper with whole lines of individual
letters written on it, she could not identify any of them. I
thought this was odd since Marian knew these letters. I did not
believe she was playing games.
     When I looked at her hands, I found she had placed them flat
on the page so that her fingertips were slightly raised off the
paper. She was not using her hands the way you do to read
Braille. I showed Marian and her mother how she needs to hold her
hands to feel the Braille dots, but it was clear to Mom and me
that we have a lot of work to do to see that blind children have
adequate opportunity to learn Braille--and to learn it in a
usable manner. This was an unfortunate experience for Marian.
Thankfully she has lots of Federation friends to fight for her.
This was an example to set before the legislature as we worked
for better Braille literacy in Idaho. Marian's teachers are
trying, and Marian is bright--but we must work to build a better
system for teaching Braille to young blind children.
     It takes a long time to get the information about blindness
so distributed that it can be found by those who need it. Think
of the Braille Monitor, Future Reflections, The Voice of the
Diabetic, the Kernel Books, our public service announcements, our
JOB literature, our state and local newsletters, our public
speaking, and all of the individual work we do. Even so, we still
come across people who seem never to have heard a positive word
about blindness.
     Last summer I was helping my daughter get settled in her
first apartment after college just before she started her first
full-time job. I managed to schedule a weekend in Chicago in the
middle of a business trip, and one of the things we did was to go
grocery shopping. I don't need to tell you who was paying the
bills. My daughter was far in debt in spite of her college jobs
and all the help I could give her with college expenses. As we
walked side by side behind the grocery cart toward the used
pick-up she was driving (a college graduation present from me), a
car passed very near. The driver's window rolled down, and the
woman said, "She is so lucky to have someone like you to take her
out!" 
     That woman was not talking to me about Laura. Before either
of us could say a word, the window rolled up, and the car drove
on. How could there be a more eloquent description of the work we
have left to do? I am lucky to have a daughter like Laura, and
I'm proud of her. But the picture of blindness in that woman's
brain could not have been more wrong. 
     If anyone believes that reluctance to teach and promote
Braille is not intertwined with the same notion about blindness
expressed by the woman in the supermarket parking lot, then that
person has a different understanding of the world from the one I
have. The image of blindness and the image of Braille are very
closely related whether we like it or not. As we in the National
Federation of the Blind--tens of thousands of us--work together
to change what it means to be blind, we will at the same time
inevitably be changing what it means to read and write and teach
Braille. We support and use Braille because it is a good way of
reading and writing, not because we are making the best of a bad
business. We have made progress.
     It took a generation before more than a few of Louis
Braille's close associates would accept his work as the wonderful
breakthrough it was. How much of the reason was because he was
blind? It was another seventy years before Braille was accepted
as the standard in this country. Braille reached its peak in the
1930's, or perhaps the 1940's. Back-sliding is not unusual for a
new system, no matter how good it is. Braille will have another
new day. You and I, together with thousands of other members of
the National Federation of the Blind, will make it happen.
     Today the cost and time necessary to produce Braille are
decreasing with new developments in Braille translation software
and low-cost Braille printers. We are leaping forward in the use
of Braille. New instruction materials, new laws, and better
teachers are coming forth. The dark ages of the 1960's and 70's
have been succeeded by a new awakening for Braille. As we move
toward the turn of the century, we are truly in the midst of a
Braille Renaissance.
     This is part of the work of the National Federation of the
Blind. We know where we are going, and we know how to get there.
We will meet roadblocks and detours along the way, but we are
determined, and there are more and more of us each year.
Increasingly, the road is paved with love for each other, with
belief in ourselves and other blind people, and with the
increasing effectiveness of the largest organization of the blind
in the world. My brothers and my sisters, I am proud to be a part
of the National Federation of the Blind; I am proud to use
Braille; and I am proud to have each of you as a colleague.


















                 ******************************

     If you or a friend would like to remember the
National Federation of the Blind in your will, you can
do so by employing the following language:
     "I give, devise, and bequeath unto National
Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a District of Columbia
nonprofit corporation, the sum of $_____ (or "_____
percent of my net estate" or "The following stocks and
bonds: _____") to be used for its worthy purposes on
behalf of blind persons."

                 ******************************
[PHOTO: Emerson Foulke holds award plaque. CAPTION: Dr.
Emerson Foulke, 1993 Blind Educator of the Year.]

[PHOTO: Gail Katona holds award plaque. CAPTION: Gail
Katona, 1993 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children.]

[PHOTO: Standing with Marc Maurer and Betty Niceley,
Deane Blazie and Kenneth Jernigan hold award plaque.
CAPTION: Deane Blazie (far right) is the first
recipient of the Golden Keys Award, presented by the
NFB's National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille.]


                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                         AWARDS FOR 1993

     National Federation of the Blind awards are not bestowed
lightly. If an appropriate recipient does not emerge from the
pool of candidates for a particular award, it is simply not
presented. At this year's convention three presentations were
made:

                Blind Educator of the Year Award

     At the Monday morning meeting of the Board of Directors,
Stephen Benson, member of the National Federation of the Blind
Board of Directors and Chairman of the Selection Committee, made
the Blind Educator of the Year presentation. Here is what he said
as he presented a plaque and check for $500 to this year's
recipient:

     Jacobus tenBroek was a teacher whose influence was and is
felt far beyond the halls of academia. He was an author whose
writing continues to demand attention and respect. He established
standards and expectations for blind people that guide our work
in this organization today. He was a man of great good humor who
loved his blind brothers and sisters. He was quick to give his
time and energy and means to help blind people. In his footsteps
Dr. Jernigan and President Maurer have done the same. The task of
this year's Blind Educator of the Year Award Committee was to
find a teacher who emulates Dr. tenBroek, someone who fully
understands the lasting impact of the teacher and teaching in the
classroom. The Selection Committee believes we have a candidate
worthy of the high recognition our Blind Educator of the Year
Award conveys. He has written literally hundreds of articles. He
has authored and co-authored many books. He has taught at the
university level. He has a Ph.D. in psychology from Washington
University in St. Louis. He has been involved in technical
research and research on human perception, and he has done
extensive work in Braille. He is involved in the construction of
the Braille Code. The award plaque which I will bestow upon our
winner this year says:

                BLIND EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

                National Federation of the Blind
                           Presents to

                       DR. EMERSON FOULKE

                        in recognition of
                   outstanding accomplishments
                   in the teaching profession.
                    You enhance the present.
                  You inspire your colleagues.
                      You build the future.
                           July, 1993

     Here is the plaque, Dr. Foulke; congratulations.[applause]

     When Emerson Foulke came to the microphone, he responded by
saying:

     Well, I thank you very much. I accept this honor with
gratitude, although I am not sure I deserve it. If I am the
Educator of the Year, I guess it is possibly not this year,
because I retired a year ago.[laughter] I did, however, teach at
the university for thirty-three years, and it may even be
possible that I got a bit better at it as time went on. In any
case, thank you very much; I am quite pleased. 

     
                   The Distinguished Educator
                     of Blind Children Award

     Also at the Monday Board of Directors meeting Sharon Maneki,
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and
Chairwoman of the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children
Selection Committee, presented that award. She said:

     We in the National Federation of the Blind constantly
challenge ourselves to find new ways to meet our goals. In 1987
we created the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award
because we not only believed in excellence in education, but we
believe that the best way to help blind people is to make it
better for the next generation. The members of the Committee have
a difficult task. Those members were Jacquilyn Billey, Allen
Harris, Fred Schroeder, Joyce Scanlan, and I. We were able to
find a candidate who reflects what we stand for. She is a
candidate who has been teaching for nine years in the classroom.
Some may say that's like combat duty, but she is a person who
believes in students and passes on the torch, not only of
knowledge, but of confidence in their abilities. This year's
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children is a teacher in Zia
Elementary School in the district of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Gail Katona.[applause] I'm going to present Ms. Katona with a
check for $500 and also with a plaque, and I will read the
plaque:

                    DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF
                         BLIND CHLILDREN

              The National Federation of the Blind
                             honors

                           GAIL KATONA

               for your skill in teaching Braille
                 and the use of the white cane,
               for generously donating extra time
               to meet the needs of your students
                 and for inspiring your students
                           to perform
                   beyond their expectations.
                   Our colleague, our friend,
                  our ally on the barricades, 
                   you champion our movement,
                    you strengthen our hopes,
                      you share our dreams.
                           July, 1993

     After Ms. Katona accepted her plaque, she said:

     I'm overwhelmed. Thank you very much for this wonderful
award. It is a great pleasure and honor to receive it from an
organization such as yourselves. I would like to thank Mrs.
Maneki and the members of the selection committee for selecting
me this year. I would also like to say thank you to Mr. Fred
Schroeder, who, when I was first hired into Albuquerque, was the
coordinator of the program. So Fred was the one who hired me
initially and gave me the opportunity to start the program in
Albuquerque and to teach these wonderful blind children. I'm a
niece of Karen Mayry from South Dakota, so it's no wonder that
I've been a member of the NFB since I was about sixteen or
seventeen years old, and it is through this organization that I
have learned my philosophy and my attitude about teaching blind
children. Blind children are children first--they're kids.
They're little. They need to be taught. Our blind children need
to be taught the skills of blindness. I do my best to make sure
that all of my students get the opportunities to learn and to
grow to their full potential. I think that is done through the
use of teaching Braille so that we have proficient Braille
readers, and we always encourage the use of a long white cane so
the students can become very independent cane travelers. Thank
you again. This is a wonderful honor.

                      The Golden Keys Award

     At this year's banquet the National Association to Promote
the Use of Braille (NAPUB) presented its first ever Golden Keys
Award. NAPUB President Betty Niceley described the award as she
made the presentation: 

     The National Association to Promote the Use of Braille was
established in 1984 to serve as the vehicle for the NFB to
emphasize at all times and influence, where possible, activities
relating to the production and use of Braille. For a long time
NAPUB has discussed and planned the giving of a prestigious award
to demonstrate our appreciation to a carefully selected recipient
who has worked for us and with us to increase the use of Braille.
To this end we have created the Golden Keys Award. I shall
describe it to you. If you imagine it hanging on the wall, the
back is a beautiful walnut wood. On that is a bronze plate, and
inlaid on that is a black enamel plate having gold lettering. At
the bottom of this plaque are seven keys emulating the keyboard
of the Braille writer.
     We in the Federation have been instrumental in orchestrating
the passage and signing of Braille bills in eighteen states, and
there are more to come. Whether you realize this or not, we have
helped to build a company. We have done this because its founder
has sought us out, wanted our comments, listened to us, and then
put into action the suggestions we made. The National Association
to Promote the Use of Braille is very pleased to present this
award. I'm going to read to you what it says:

                 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION TO PROMOTE
                       THE USE OF BRAILLE

                             To you

                          DEANE BLAZIE

                   we award these golden keys
                in recognition of your commitment
                     to Braille and to the 
                    readers who depend on it.
                        To these readers
              you have given keys that unlock doors
                   to the temple of knowledge.

     When he arrived at the microphone, Deane Blazie responded by
saying: 

     Fellow Federationists, I'm Braille 'n speechless. Thank you
so much for what you've done for me. I really appreciate it from
the bottom of my heart, and I promise to spend the rest of my
life paying you back.[applause]



[PHOTO: Hank Dekker standing at podium microphone.
CAPTION: Hank Dekker.]

       THE BLIND SAILOR TRAVELING ALONE ON THE BLUE WATERS
                         by Hank Dekker

     From the Editor: The August issue of the Braille Monitor
carried a story about the attempt that Hank Dekker, the single-
handed blind sailor, and the National Federation of the Blind
made to cross the Atlantic from Cape May, New Jersey, to
Plymouth, England. Major problems with the sloop's equipment
caused Dekker to return to port shortly after he had begun the
voyage. Then, before the necessary repairs could be completed, it
became obvious to many that the hurricane season was now too far
advanced to make it advisable for the sloop NFB52 to start the
voyage this season. It was a bitter disappointment to everyone,
but Federation leaders concluded that the likelihood of danger
was now too great for an attempt to be anything but foolhardy. 
     Dekker, whose courage was not in question, unfortunately did
not see things the same way. He has tried to use the law to force
us to allow him to make the passage, and like the rest of us he
is certainly frustrated and angry at the situation that has
developed because of the accident and the resulting complexities.
     It is not at all clear what will happen next, but nothing
can alter the positive media attention that the abilities of
blind people received across July and into August. Nothing can
change the fact that our decision to cancel the sailing during
the hurricane season probably saved Dekker's life--and nothing
can detract from the power of the life story that Hank Dekker
told the audience at the 1993 Convention of the National
Federation of the Blind on Tuesday afternoon, July 6. We must
always remember that every day there are new people who need to
learn about the National Federation of the Blind and our message
of hope and promise. Here is what Hank Dekker told the
convention:    

     Hello, fellow Federationists. This is my first convention.
What a fool I have been! This is wonderful; I have found a
family. I really mean that. I made a vow today: I am going to
come to the next fifty conventions. I made a phone call and have
arranged to have my body frozen and brought here every year. 
     I know you want to hear about the voyage, but my first
voyage really started in the mid-seventies. That was my voyage
with darkness. I was living in Hawaii, had a wife, two wonderful
children, a home, and a car dealership. Then I started to lose my
vision. I started to run, running from myself actually. I didn't
know what I could do without vision because I didn't know about
the NFB. I moved to Connecticut, where I would have better
medical treatment. My vision continued to deteriorate, and I
started to fall apart. I didn't know about blind people. I had
never talked to a blind person. What could I do without vision? I
thought blind people just sold pencils in front of department
stores. I didn't know about the NFB. 
     I was finally asked by my family to leave them--I had
changed so much. My daughter told me to go. She said, "Daddy, we
know you're going blind, but we don't care. You've changed too
much; you're not our daddy anymore." And I wasn't. I was a
miserable person. I moved to California and started right away as
a general manager of a large dealership, but I couldn't hold a
job. I didn't know how to hold a job. I didn't know about the
NFB, where I could get help. I went from general manager to new
car sales manager, to used car sales manager. Soon I was selling
cars. And then the last job I held was washing cars at a little
dingy used car lot, the butt of all the Mr. Magoo jokes. Then I
gave up entirely because I had no help. I didn't know about the
NFB, that I could turn to them, turn to you people. I wound up in
a gutter south of Market in San Francisco. I became a real bum. I
used to beg for spare change, and I used to eat out of dumpsters.
Worst of all, I had no hope that I could ever be a full person
again because I didn't know about the NFB. 
     Eventually I came out of this somewhat and made my first
mistake by going to a state agency [applause]. I went to a state
agency because I didn't know about the NFB. I started work and
was getting along pretty good, but I started to experience things
I didn't like. I had a hard time getting a job. No one would hire
me; no one thought I could do anything. I had to make my own
jobs. I'm sure that you have all experienced the same things that
I hated, the condescending talk, the state agencies, and the
places like the Lighthouse for the Blind. Just sit back, get your
welfare, SSI, or SSDI. People will say, "Why don't you get a
guide dog? It would be such company for you." Not that I could
possibly have a human friend! 
     In about 1980 a friend took me sailing for the first time in
my life, out of Sausalito, California. I enjoyed it; I really
loved it. It was something I thought I could do. Within about two
months I found a little boat, made a deal with the owner, and
paid him by the month. It wasn't a very expensive boat. I started
to learn how to sail, and I became fairly good at it. And
although I was working now, and I had a sailboat, enjoyed
sailing, I still didn't feel like a whole person. People wouldn't
let me become a whole person. I realized, I was smart enough to
know, that we are a very small percentage of the population; we
are a very minor minority. I know we have to fit into the sighted
world (at least I think we do), that the sighted world doesn't
seem to want me to get into it. They didn't want me, wouldn't let
me in. 
     I was sailing the boat one time with a friend (I had been
sailing for about one year), and I told him my dream, that I
would love to be able to do what those world-famous sailors do--
sail a boat all by myself across the ocean. What a thrill, one of
the last challenges that man could do! This fellow started to
laugh at me. I said, "Why are you laughing?" 
     He said, "These people that sail oceans alone are the
world's best sailors. You're a blind person; you'll never learn
how to sail that good. And if you could learn how to sail that
good, how could you navigate? Blind people can't navigate." 
     I thought, "To hell with that; I know I can do it!" 
     So I set my goal. I wanted to prove to the world that a
blind person can learn something new, learn it in a short period
of time, and execute it well. Maybe that would open up some job
markets, showing that we can learn things, do them well without
needing a whole bunch of expensive, special equipment. I knew I
could do it. 
     It took me three years to put this together. I could have
done it sooner, but I didn't know about the NFB. I had a lot of
negative press before I made the first trip. "It was impossible."
"It couldn't be done." All the experts said so. I made the trip.
It was a twenty-three-day voyage on Dark Star, and we did a fine
job. I survived a hurricane; my navigation was good. I'll tell
you, on that trip I became a whole person again. I knew I could
do anything I put my mind to. 
     But you know, people still don't give you credit because
they still have that stereotype of blind people. A lot of sailors
were very upset that I made this trip because they felt it
belittled them. If a blind guy could sail an ocean by himself,
that means it put them down. So now they started to ridicule my
trip. They said, "Well, you got to Hawaii in twenty-three days,
but you couldn't compete in a real race against real good
sailors." 
     I said, "The hell I can't." 
     There is a race held every two years from San Francisco to
Hawaii. It's a world-class sports event. Sailors come from all
over the world to compete in this--one sailor, one boat. Most of
the guys are highly sponsored and very competitive. Well, I
scraped money together, but I didn't get a sponsor because I
didn't know about the NFB then. Well, we entered the race, and I
didn't win, but I took third place. [applause] It's a funny
thing: as vessels came in one or two days behind me, the first
thing they asked on the radio as they approached the finish line
was, "Where is the blind guy?" 
     They would answer, "Well he's here--well maybe he's at a
restaurant or a bar right now, but he came in a couple of days
ago." [applause] 
     A few years after I made that trip, you all know about Bill
Buckley's column? He wrote a column I think started, "Hubris is
my Co-Pilot." I had to look up "hubris." I didn't know it meant
"arrogance." He was writing about a blind fellow, Jim Dixon, who
was going to attempt to sail the Atlantic. Now Bill Buckley
personally knew that I had sailed the Pacific twice, that it
could be done. But he belittled Jim Dixon. Unfortunately, Jim
didn't make it all the way. He had some problems. But the thing
about the article: it seemed to me that Buckley just tore apart
everything that I had worked for. His article concluded by
saying, Why would a blind person want to sail a boat? He can't
see the clouds; he can't see the waves. What would possess him to
want to do this? And he finished the article, as I recall,
"Cripples can't run; why try?" Well, I have been trying to get
back at Bill Buckley for several years, and I will because now I
know about the NFB.
     On July 26, NFB52--that's the name of our vessel; the "NFB"
and the "52" stands for our fifty-two chapters [applause]--we'll
slip our berth in Baltimore on the third anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, and we will arrive in Plymouth,
England, maybe twenty-three days later, maybe eighteen days,
maybe thirty days. To those in the sighted world who doubt this
trip: I have done two others. There is a risk out there, but if
there were no risks, the journey wouldn't be worth doing.
[applause] 
     This time next year, I'll tell you about the trip to
England. I know we're out of time, so may God bless all of you as
much as He has blessed me. [applause]



[PHOTO: Ramona Walhof, Sheryl Pickering, and Kenneth
Jernigan seated at table during meeting of NFB's
Resolutions Committee. CAPTION: Ramona Walhof (left)
chairs the NFB Resolutions Committee, and Sheryl
Pickering (center) serves as committee secretary.
Debates are lively, and the committee works hard.
Pictured here, Dr. Jernigan is preparing to enter the
discussion.]

          RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE ANNUAL CONVENTION
             OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                           JULY, 1993
                        by Ramona Walhof

     From the Editor: Ramona Walhof is the Secretary of the
National Federation of the Blind and President of the NFB of
Idaho. She also serves as the Chairman of the Resolutions
Committee. Each year she presides over the receipt and handling
of all resolutions until they are acted upon by the Convention.
This is what she has to say about the resolutions considered at
the 1993 convention of the National Federation of the Blind: 

     Monitor readers will recall that the February issue of the
Braille Monitor included an article about the streamlining of the
resolution process beginning with the 1993 convention. As
Resolutions Committee Chairman I for one found this new process
to be a major improvement. Resolutions this year were submitted
well in advance of the convention. When several persons had an
interest in resolutions about the same matters, for the first
time it was possible to put them in touch with each other so that
they could resolve their differences before the committee
considered the resolutions. Thus we were relieved of the need to
find the time to do this during the crush of convention
activities. More important, resolutions presented to the
committee and then to the convention received more thought and
were in better form than had sometimes been true formerly.
     Twenty-five resolutions were brought to the committee this
year. Twenty were sent on to the convention with a recommendation
of "pass," and five were withdrawn. Hence twenty resolutions were
brought to the convention floor, and all were passed by the
convention.
     Resolutions adopted by the National Federation of the Blind
are written policy statements of the organization. Each
resolution is presented to the convention for discussion and a
vote. Prior to coming before the convention, resolutions are
ordinarily presented to the Resolutions Committee for discussion
and a recommendation. The committee may not block a resolution
from coming to the floor; it can only recommend "pass" or "not
pass." Any NFB member may present a resolution to the Resolutions
Committee and, through it, to the NFB convention. If the
presenter chooses to withdraw a resolution based on committee
discussion or for some other reason, that is also possible.
     I wish to thank publicly members of the Resolutions
Committee and others who worked on these NFB Policy Statements.
The 1993 NFB Resolutions which were passed are as follows:
     Resolution 93-01 discusses the use of the word "blind" and
other words and phrases which mean "blind" and states the policy
of the NFB pertaining to these terms.
     Resolution 93-02 commends government agencies for abandoning
their support of detectable tactile warnings in traffic and
architecture in favor of further study and expresses the view of
the NFB that such warnings are not helpful to the blind and may
be harmful to everyone. The resolution raises no objection,
however, to the efforts made by some transit authorities to use
differences in textured surfaces to indicate the various areas in
transit stations. The NFB's objection is to the specially applied
detectable warning tiles. 
     Resolution 93-03 calls upon vocational rehabilitation
agencies for the blind to adopt policies pursuant to the 1992
amendments of the Rehabilitation Act and lists areas to be
included in these policies.
     Resolution 93-04 reiterates the Federation's ability to
represent the blind and states a goal of discouraging other
national organizations which may seek to speak for both blind
persons and groups of persons with other disabilities.
     Resolution 93-05 calls upon the Social Security
Administration to adopt and implement a thirty-day standard for
the approval or denial of a Plan to Achieve Self Support.
     Resolution 93-06 urges President Clinton and the U.S.
Congress to take steps to modernize Supplemental Security Income
in accordance with recommendation of the SSI Modernization
Project.
     Resolution 93-07 seeks instruction for blind children whose
parents wish it in Nemeth Code and the Braille Music Code in
addition to instruction in standard Grade II Braille, and it
seeks instruction for Braille students in the Unified Braille
Code when it is adopted.
     Resolution 93-08 calls upon the Rehabilitation Services
Administration to adopt a policy of presumed eligibility of blind
persons for rehabilitation services, especially those receiving
SSI and SSDI.
     Resolution 93-09 The Randolph-Sheppard Act gives a priority
to a designated licensing agency in each state to establish
vending facilities to be operated by the blind in Federal
buildings. These facilities may be vending machines, of which
part of the income is paid to blind operators. Recently the U.S.
Department of Education ruled that NASA did not need to pay these
fees in a case in Mississippi. This resolution opposes the
position of the Department of Education in the NASA case and
calls upon the department to review its findings and policies and
not take a similar position in the future.
     Resolution 93-10 calls upon the Clinton Administration to
reverse the new and regressive policy of the General Services
Administration to award cafeterias in Federal buildings by
contract bids instead of by permit to State Licensing Agencies as
allowed by the Randolph-Sheppard Act.
     Resolution 93-11 calls upon Attorney General Janet Reno to
see that the U.S. Department of Justice defends the Randolph-
Sheppard Act, not the governmental agencies that violate it.
     Resolution 93-12 condemns the policy of the Federal
Communications Commission which excludes blind persons from being
volunteer examiners and calls upon the FCC to adopt a policy
affirming the ability of blind persons to do this and other
functions.
     Resolution 93-13 supports reauthorization of the Technology-
Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988
and urges improvements in the act.
     Resolution 93-14 states that the NFB wishes to be consulted
about and evaluate assistive technology for the blind.
     Resolution 93-15 opposes employment of blind workers at less
than the Federal minimum wage and requests procurement policies
prohibiting the government from purchasing products produced by
blind persons who are paid less than the minimum wage.
     Resolution 93-16 urges the Social Security Administration to
provide to beneficiaries upon request a clear statement of their
individualized work incentives status.
     Resolution 93-17 urges the Clinton Administration and the
U.S. Congress to provide findings and personnel to implement the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
     Resolution 93-18 commends Congressman Jim Ramstad for the
introduction of H.R. 794 and urges Congress to hold hearings
without delay and pass the bill.
     Resolution 93-19 calls upon Congress to amend the Javits-
Wagner-O'Day Act to provide that blind persons operating for
profit businesses may apply for and receive government contracts
under the same terms that now apply to sheltered workshops.
     Resolution 93-20 commends the American National Standards
Institute for reflecting the true needs of Blind Americans by
excluding any reference to detectable warnings in its published
standards.

     There you have the summaries of this year's twenty
resolutions. Here are the texts of those resolutions: 

                        RESOLUTION 93-01

     WHEREAS, the word blind accurately and clearly describes the
condition of being unable to see, as well as the condition of
having such limited eyesight that alternative techniques are
required to do efficiently the ordinary tasks of daily living
that are performed visually by those having good eyesight; and 
     WHEREAS, there is increasing pressure in certain circles to
use a variety of euphemisms in referring to blindness or blind
persons--euphemisms such as hard of seeing, visually challenged,
sightless, visually impaired, people with blindness, people who
are blind, and the like; and 
     WHEREAS, a differentiation must be made among these
euphemisms: some (such as hard of seeing, visually challenged,
and people with blindness) being totally unacceptable and
deserving only ridicule because of their strained and ludicrous
attempt to avoid such straightforward, respectable words as
blindness, blind, the blind, blind person, or blind persons;
others (such as visually impaired, and visually limited) being
undesirable when used to avoid the word blind, and acceptable
only to the extent that they are reasonably employed to
distinguish between those having a certain amount of eyesight and
those having none; still others (such as sightless) being awkward
and serving no useful purpose; and still others (such as people
who are blind or persons who are blind) being harmless and not
objectionable when used in occasional and ordinary speech but
being totally unacceptable and pernicious when used as a form of
political correctness to imply that the word persons must
invariably precede the word blind to emphasize the fact that a
blind person is first and foremost a person; and
     WHEREAS, this euphemism concerning people or persons who are
blind--when used in its recent trendy, politically correct form--
does the exact opposite of what it purports to do since it is
overly defensive, implies shame instead of true equality, and
portrays the blind as touchy and belligerent; and 
     WHEREAS, just as an intelligent person is willing to be so
designated and does not insist upon being called a person who is
intelligent and a group of bankers are happy to be called bankers
and have no concern that they be referred to as persons who are
in the banking business, so it is with the blind--the only
difference being that some people (blind and sighted alike)
continue to cling to the outmoded notion that blindness along
with everything associated with it) connotes inferiority and lack
of status: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that the following statement of policy be adopted:

     We believe that it is respectable to be blind, and although
we have no particular pride in the fact of our blindness, neither
do we have any shame in it. To the extent that euphemisms are
used to convey any other concept or image, we deplore such use.
We can make our own way in the world on equal terms with others,
and we intend to do it.

                        RESOLUTION 93-02

     WHEREAS, in Resolution 92-07 the National Federation of the
Blind strongly opposed all further research on the color, size,
shape, and placement of detectable warnings, insisting instead
that, if further studies are made, the question whether such
warnings are needed or desirable should first be resolved; and 
     WHEREAS, the Department of Justice, the Department of
Transportation, and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board have now suspended application of detectable
warning requirements and guidelines pending further study; and 
     WHEREAS, studies to be made on the question of detectable
warnings must not assume that such warnings are needed and should
fully examine the hazards which the warnings create for blind
people and others, including persons with disabilities: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization commend the Department of
Justice, the Department of Transportation, and the Architectural
and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board for suspending
application of the detectable warnings rules and guidelines,
pending further study; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that studies on matters pertaining to
detectable warnings should critically examine the presumed
justification for such warnings rather than assuming that blind
people cannot travel safely without them; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that while the responsible government
entities are studying the need for detectable warnings, it is the
experience of this organization that the installation of such
warnings is not justified by any facts known to the blind and
that detectable warnings as a concept should be abandoned
altogether. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-03

     WHEREAS, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 were
passed and signed into law at the end of the second session of
the 102nd Congress; and 
     WHEREAS, consumer empowerment is the dominant theme of this
legislation, stating policies such as the following: "respect for
individual dignity, personal responsibility, self-determination,
and pursuit of meaningful careers based on the informed choice of
individuals with disabilities"; and 
     WHEREAS, consistent with this policy, the Rehabilitation
Services Administration (RSA) has instructed each state
vocational rehabilitation agency to revise its state plan and in
doing so to specify among other things: "how clients are given
choice and increased control in determining their vocational
goals and objectives, the vocational rehabilitation services they
receive, the providers of those services, and methods to provide
or secure services"; and 
     WHEREAS, both the law and RSA's instructions have placed
state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their personnel on
notice that meaningful and informed choices by clients are
expected to become the normal way of doing business in
rehabilitation, and the days of counselor or agency mandates
which disregard the clients' expressed views and wishes are over:
Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization call upon all state
vocational rehabilitation agencies serving the blind to adopt a
consumer empowerment philosophy and policies consistent with the
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that among the consumer empowerment
standards to be followed by state agencies, we strongly urge the
following: (1) elimination of restrictive rules that could be and
have been used to impair client choice; (2) directing counselors
to become pro-active in assuring that clients assigned to them
are given choice and increased control over decisions made in
developing and carrying out individualized rehabilitation
programs; (3) mandatory disclosure of known sources for the
provision of service, such as adjustment-to-blindness services,
whether or not such sources are located within the state's
borders; and (4) referral of clients to known consumer groups
from which they may receive advice and advocacy assistance. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-04

     WHEREAS, the needs and characteristics of certain groups of
persons with disabilities are diverse and often even conflicting;
and 
     WHEREAS, there is far too much confusion about the needs and
characteristics of various groups of the disabled; and 
     WHEREAS, there is some real desire to include disabled
persons in the mainstream of society as evidenced by the passage
through Congress of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and 
     WHEREAS, persons with disabilities bear a large share of the
responsibility for helping the rest of society learn about their
needs and characteristics; and 
     WHEREAS, there has recently been a push toward the formation
of a national organization of persons with disabilities; and 
     WHEREAS, the existence and activities of such an
organization would inevitably cause increased confusion about the
differences in needs and characteristics among persons with
different types of disabilities; and 
     WHEREAS, improvements and changes for disabled persons are
best accomplished when they are sought by an organization dealing
primarily with one disability such as blindness; and 
     WHEREAS, in the event that a combined effort is needed on
behalf of persons with several different types of disabilities,
there already exists a coalition of citizens with disabilities:
Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that, as the largest organization of blind persons
in the country, this Federation continue representing the needs
of the blind and taking leadership in making changes for the
blind and continue in its endeavors to advocate for and represent
the blind of the nation; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the
Blind actively resist and discourage the formation of any
national organization of disabled persons which claims to speak
for or represent all disabled persons or all types of
disabilities.

                        RESOLUTION 93-05

     WHEREAS, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program
includes procedures which an applicant or recipient may use to
acquire, save, and spend income or resources to carry out an
approved Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS); and 
     WHEREAS, use of a PASS can be critical for some individuals
in establishing or retaining SSI eligibility or in protecting
benefit rights, including the amount of the benefit entitlement;
and
     WHEREAS, approval of a PASS by the Social Security
Administration is required before the income and resources to be
devoted to the PASS are excluded by the Administration in
determining SSI eligibility and payment amounts; and 
     WHEREAS, since applicants or recipients who submit PASS
applications seldom have control over the time schedule which
must be met in training programs or schooling involved in the
PASS, a prompt response by the Social Security Administration to
approve, amend, or deny a PASS application is almost always
essential; and 
     WHEREAS, the length of time taken by the Social Security
Administration bears no apparent relationship to critical time
schedules involved in implementing the PASS, but rather, once a
PASS is submitted there is often a lengthy wait and a period of
uncertainty before the applicant or recipient learns that a
decision has finally been made, and by then the decision may in
fact be too late; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is joined by
the panel of experts in the SSI Modernization Project who have
also recommended a prompt determination standard for PASS
applications: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization insist upon a thirty-day
prompt determination standard to be met by the Social Security
Administration, with approval by presumption to occur if a
decision has not been made during the thirty-day period following
the Administration's receipt of the application for a PASS; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we ask the Social Security
Administration to implement the prompt determination standard
specified in this resolution, without the necessity for remedial
legislation. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-06

     WHEREAS, the Social Security Administration has undertaken a
project to modernize the Supplemental Security Income for the
Aged, Blind, and Disabled (SSI) program; and 
     WHEREAS, a panel of experts, including Sharon Gold from the
National Federation of the Blind, was used to review the program
and develop recommendations for updating the SSI law,
regulations, and policies; and 
     WHEREAS, among several other changes proposed, the panel of
experts has recommended the following: (1) increasing the Federal
benefit rate so that the standard for an individual would not be
less than twenty percent above the poverty line with equivalent
raises to be made in the SSI couples' benefit rate as well; (2)
raising the resource limits from $2,000 for individuals and
$3,000 for couples to $7,000 and $10,500 respectively; (3)
increasing the monthly general income exclusion from $20 to $30
and applying it to unearned income only; (4) increasing the
monthly earned income exclusion from $65 to $200 plus two thirds
of earned income over $200; and (5) eliminating reductions in SSI
benefits caused by living with families or friends or by the
receipt of in-kind support and maintenance; and
 
     WHEREAS, these recommendations respond forthrightly to the
need for SSI modernization, recognizing that many of the
program's most significant features, such as the basic resource
and income disregards, have not been updated in twenty years,
since they were placed in the original law; and 
     WHEREAS, a continuing national commitment is essential to
preserve and update the SSI program in light of economic and
social changes which have occurred and will occur: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization urge the Clinton
Administration to give priority to Supplemental Security Income
modernization in developing the President's next budget; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Federation inform members
of Congress of the need for a continuing national commitment to
maintain the SSI program as a critical income-support mechanism
for blind people in this country; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the members of the
103rd Congress to take prompt action to enact legislation
designed to update the SSI program in accordance with the
recommendations made by the modernization project. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-07

     WHEREAS, blind and sighted persons who possess a
comprehensive education have greater opportunities for employment
and career advancement; and 
     WHEREAS, literacy, mathematics, and various other areas of
study such as music, the arts, and the physical sciences are
integral parts of a full and complete education for both blind
and sighted persons; and 
     WHEREAS, specialized Braille and print codes exist that
enable both blind and sighted students to acquire a thorough
education; and 
     WHEREAS, a unified Braille code, making Braille mathematics
an extension of literary Braille, would facilitate the learning
and use of Braille by establishing a common standard that would
prevent the confusing duplication of symbols: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization work to ensure that all
blind students pursuing an academic course of study receive
instruction in Grade II literary Braille; the Nemeth Code of
Braille Mathematics; and any other Braille codes, such as the
Braille Music Code, the student and/or the student's parents deem
necessary for a full and complete education; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization work to ensure
that a unified Braille code is adopted and that all blind
students pursuing an academic course of study receive instruction
in the unified Braille code, when it is adopted, and any other
Braille codes, such as the Braille Music Code, the student and/or
the student's parents deem necessary for a full and complete
education.

                        RESOLUTION 93-08

     WHEREAS, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
will soon propose regulations to implement the client choice and
other provisions of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992;
and
     WHEREAS, new provisions for determining eligibility in the
program include a presumption that an individual's blindness or
disability is a substantial impediment to employment if the
individual is eligible to receive disability insurance or SSI
benefits paid under the Social Security Act; and
     WHEREAS, the receipt of such benefits should be evidence
that in most cases the applicant is eligible for vocational
rehabilitation services, particularly with respect to blind
individuals; and
     WHEREAS, regardless of the new presumption favoring
eligibility of blind or disabled Social Security or SSI
beneficiaries, state agencies have argued that eligibility for
any services whatsoever can still be refused if it is decided
that employment can be achieved without services; and
     WHEREAS, restrictive interpretations of the law such as this
have been used in the past to deny needed services, leading
Congress to include in the amendments a strong presumption in
favor of eligibility: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization register its most vigorous
opposition to efforts by state vocational rehabilitation agencies
to undercut the presumption that Social Security and SSI
beneficiaries are to be found eligible for vocational
rehabilitation services in all but the most unusual of
circumstances; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the Rehabilitation
Services Administration to issue clear rules and guidelines
designed to enforce a presumed eligibility policy, particularly
in the case of beneficiaries. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-09

     WHEREAS, the Randolph-Sheppard Act is administered by the
United States Department of Education, through the Rehabilitation
Services Administration, for the purpose of assuring that all
departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States
give priority to blind persons in the operation of vending
facilities on Federal property; and 
     WHEREAS, the priority granted to blind persons under the law
is absolute and is not conditioned upon the ability or
willingness of blind persons to pay proceeds from the vending
facility for the support of Federal employee morale, welfare, or
recreation activities; and 
     WHEREAS, in a dramatic departure from this policy and the
law itself the United States Department of Education provided a
legal opinion to the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), informing that agency that it could insist
upon payment of sales commissions from facilities operated under
the Randolph-Sheppard Act; and 
     WHEREAS, this opinion was issued during the course of an
appeal by NASA of a decision by an arbitration panel, directing
NASA to approve an application for a vending facility permit
filed by Mississippi Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind; and
     WHEREAS, the opinion, which was fortunately rejected by the
Federal District Court, actually supported NASA in a position
taken against the blind vendor program in Mississippi in
contravention of the Department of Education's legal mandate to
provide policy and administrative leadership on behalf of blind
vendors: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization express firm opposition to
the legal position taken by the Department of Education in regard
to the payment of vending facility proceeds for morale, welfare,
and recreation activities of Federal employees; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Federation demand a review
by the Department of Education of the position taken in the NASA
case to the end that a similar opinion will not be issued in the
future.

                        RESOLUTION 93-10

     WHEREAS, the General Services Administration (GSA) controls
and manages buildings in which most of the civilian agencies of
the United States government are housed; and
     WHEREAS, GSA has often been cited as a leader among federal
property-managing agencies in giving priority to blind persons in
the operation of vending facilities as prescribed by the federal
Randolph-Sheppard Act; and
     WHEREAS, GSA'S positive record in awarding vending
facilities for operation by blind vendors is actually quite mixed
in regard to assigning cafeterias, following a policy that is
either variable or variably applied, sometimes favoring the
assignment of cafeterias for operation under the Randolph-
Sheppard Act and sometimes not; and
     WHEREAS, in its most recent actions to award cafeteria
contracts GSA has returned to an old and once-abandoned policy of
requiring state licensing agencies to submit extensive bids which
are judged in competition with those of commercial firms; and 
     WHEREAS, the bidding policy currently applied has never been
announced through any official form of communication with state
licensing agencies, with the National Federation of the Blind, or
in any other way, but it has occurred nonetheless during a time
of change-over in administrations, when bureaucrats, lacking
accountability, could presume to make decisions on their own; and
     WHEREAS, returning to the policy of competitive bidding for
federal cafeterias is not justified and should not be allowed by
regulations governing the vending facilities program: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization express outrage over the
General Services Administration's return to the use of
competitive bidding procedures, which circumvent the goals of
improving business opportunities for blind people promised
through the priority granted by the Randolph-Sheppard Act; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that responsible officials of the
Clinton Administration who are given the authority to do so shall
be urged to review and reverse GSA'S policy change without delay.

                        RESOLUTION 93-11

     WHEREAS, the Randolph-Sheppard Act specifies that the
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is to be the lead
agency in issuing regulations and in coordinating compliance with
the Act by all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of
the United States; and
     WHEREAS, the specification of a lead agency for
administration of the Act was necessary to ensure that priority
for blind vendors to operate vending facilities would be
uniformly applied throughout the Federal government; and
     WHEREAS, the lead agency designation under the law means
that RSA's interpretations of the law should receive deference
over opposing interpretations by other Federal agencies; and
     WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice has
demonstrated a pattern of vigorously defending Federal agencies
whose actions or positions are inconsistent with the goals and
requirements of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, not to mention being
inconsistent with RSA's interpretations of the law; and
     WHEREAS, this pattern of failing to uphold the Randolph-
Sheppard Act is exemplified by the Department of Veterans Affairs
versus the Minnesota Department of Jobs and Training and Dennis
Groshel appeal, in which the Department of Justice is challenging
the constitutionality of the arbitration process which is used
under the Act to resolve disputes; and 
     WHEREAS, continued assaults upon the Randolph-Sheppard Act
by the Department of Justice are deplorable and cannot be
tolerated: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization urge the Attorney General,
Janet Reno, to rein in her Department and insist upon vigorous
defense of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, not the agencies that
violate it. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-12

     WHEREAS, examinations to qualify for amateur radio operator
licenses are administered by volunteer examiners authorized by
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and 
     WHEREAS, the FCC regulations governing the amateur radio
service state that a volunteer examiner must be present for and
observe the entire examination; and 
     WHEREAS, the Chief of the FCC's Private Radio Bureau has
issued an official opinion that individuals who are blind cannot
properly observe examinations because of their blindness; and 
     WHEREAS, despite this official opinion, many blind radio
amateurs have already successfully completed the duties of a
volunteer examiner; and 
     WHEREAS, because blind teachers, professors, instructors,
and volunteer examiners have clearly demonstrated that blind
individuals can competently and effectively administer all types
of examinations, the FCC's current policy amounts to officially
sanctioned and blatant discrimination against the blind: Now,
therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization condemn and deplore the
discriminatory policy of the Federal Communications Commission
which excludes blind persons from serving as volunteer examiners;
and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the
FCC to adopt a policy and issue an opinion which affirmatively
confirms the ability of blind individuals to administer licensing
examinations and carry out any other function under the amateur
radio service.

                        RESOLUTION 93-13

     WHEREAS, Congress enacted the Technology-Related Assistance
for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 to ensure that
individuals with disabilities would have greater access to
assistive technology devices and services; and 
     WHEREAS, the Congress is currently considering legislation
to reauthorize this Act; and
     WHEREAS, the reauthorization proposal holds promise for
improving the Act in several important ways, especially by
emphasizing consumer empowerment; and 
     WHEREAS, with few exceptions technology assistance and
services designed to meet the needs of blind individuals have so
far received short shrift in the implementation of this Act, a
situation which can best be remedied by including in the
reauthorization bill an option for states receiving grants under
the Act to designate an agency specializing in services to the
blind in a manner similar to the designation of agencies under
Title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and 
     WHEREAS, further strengthening of the Act should be made by
adding provisions stating that grants to programs serving
specialized disability needs, such as the needs of blind
individuals, are both authorized and encouraged: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization support legislation to
reauthorize the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals
with Disabilities Act and applaud proposals being made to improve
consumer-responsiveness and self-determination in programs funded
under the Act; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the Congress to
make further improvements in the Reauthorization legislation,
such as those specified in this resolution, which will better
ensure that the technology needs of blind individuals are met.

                        RESOLUTION 93-14

     WHEREAS, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 (ADA) has stimulated development of new assistive
technology with the intent of accommodations for blind persons
and other individuals with disabilities; and 
     WHEREAS, one such area has to do with audible signage; and 
     WHEREAS, such assistive technology may be developed in a
vacuum and subsequently be presented by well-meaning people as
the ultimate solution; and 
     WHEREAS, an accommodation must be practical in its intended
use while not demeaning the user; and 
     WHEREAS, overselling and exploitation of assistive
technology may occur where consumer input is absent or ignored;
and 
     WHEREAS, assistive devices should be unobtrusive and user-
controlled, and enhance a public image of ability not disability:
Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization is eager to consult with
people and organizations seeking to develop, market, and utilize
assistive technologies and to participate in the informal and
formal evaluation of said technologies.

                        RESOLUTION 93-15

     WHEREAS, the federal minimum wage has been established under
the Fair Labor Standards Act to set a floor-level pay standard
for American workers; and
     WHEREAS, blind people who work in special industrial
programs, generally referred to as "sheltered workshops," produce
products bought by the United States Government and valued at
over $200 million annually, and still these workers are not
guaranteed at least the minimum wage for their labor in producing
these products purchased by the government; and
     WHEREAS, it is ironic but true that employers in the
competitive labor force routinely pay their blind employees at
least the minimum wage and more, if for no other reason than
because they fear being charged with violating the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 by virtue of having a double pay
standard; and
     WHEREAS, purchasing policies of the Federal government,
including price determinations made by the Committee for Purchase
from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, are a major
contributing factor to common practices of sheltered workshops
that exploit blind people by paying them subminimum wages; and
     WHEREAS, rather than contributing to or even causing
practices that lead to pay exploitation, the Federal government
should be a model and set an example by refusing to purchase
items from employers, including sheltered workshops, that do not
pay their workers at least the Federal minimum wage: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization oppose as a matter of
principle the employment of blind workers at pay rates that are
less than the Federal minimum wage; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we request the cooperation and
leadership of responsible members of the Congress to adopt
federal procurement policies which prohibit rates of pay below
the minimum wage for the production of products or services
bought by the United States government. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-16

     WHEREAS, the Social Security Administration has regulations
and announced policies to promote incentives to work for
beneficiaries in the disability insurance program; and
     WHEREAS, uncertainty about how the work incentive provisions
apply at particular times and in particular circumstances is a
major if not the major factor which discourages work attempts;
and
     WHEREAS, the Social Security Administration has made efforts
to inform beneficiaries about their benefit rights when they
work, but beyond a point this general information is not
sufficient to overcome the uncertainty and fear of adverse
consequences which may result from work; and
     WHEREAS, this apparent policy not to emphasize careful
tracking of vital work incentive information, such as trial work
or extended eligibility months used and available, leads to
overpayment disputes and ultimately defeats the work incentive
goals: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization urge the Social Security
Administration to institute procedures for supplying
beneficiaries, upon their request, with clear, understandable,
individualized, and written work incentive status reports
including at a minimum (1) a listing of the specific trial work
months already used, (2) a statement of the number (if any) of
trial work months remaining and a reminder about the earnings and
services criteria used to determine trial work; (3) if the trial
work period has ended, information on when the extended
eligibility period began and when it will end; and (4) a reminder
about earnings allowed while receiving benefits during any month
of extended eligibility.

                        RESOLUTION 93-17

     WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
was enacted to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability
in employment, transportation, and public accommodations; and
     WHEREAS, enforcement of the ADA's civil rights provisions is
primarily the responsibility of the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, the United States Department of Transportation, and
the United States Department of Justice; and
     WHEREAS, the new legal rights provided for people with
disabilities under the ADA will have very little practical
meaning unless these government agencies are equipped with the
personnel and financial resources necessary to investigate and
prosecute complaints; and
     WHEREAS, the resources currently devoted to ADA technical
assistance and enforcement are woefully inadequate, even to the
point where those affected by the Act cannot obtain needed
information in response to written or telephone inquiries because
staffing is not sufficient to meet the demand; and
     WHEREAS, the history of civil rights enforcement in this
country amply demonstrates that covered entities will comply
based largely on their perception of the government's commitment
to enforce the law, a commitment which is currently in doubt with
respect to the ADA: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this Federation urge the Clinton
Administration to give priority to vigorous enforcement of the
Americans with Disabilities Act both in funding and assignment of
personnel under the present budget and in its future budget
proposals presented to the Congress; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the Congress to place a
high priority on providing resources for ADA enforcement through
appropriate provisions in relevant spending and authorization
bills. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-18

     WHEREAS, blind persons have traditionally had few
opportunities to become employed and even fewer opportunities to
establish and maintain their own businesses; and
     WHEREAS, Sections 8(a) and 7(j) of the Small Business Act
establish a Minority Small Business and Capital Ownership
Development Program to be conducted by the Small Business
Administration (SBA); and
      WHEREAS, this program is intended in part to foster
business ownership by individuals who are both socially and
economically disadvantaged and to promote the competitive
viability of businesses owned and operated by them; and
      WHEREAS, participants eligible for the program by
definition include members of racial and ethnic minorities, but
exclude persons with disabilities (including blind persons)
unless, on an individual basis, applicants can prove social
disadvantage under criteria not clearly specified; and 
     WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Business
Development Act (H.R. 794) has been introduced in the 103rd
Congress by Representative Jim Ramstad specifically to include
persons with disabilities as a recognized minority group having
the presumed status of social disadvantage for purposes of the
minority small business program: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this Federation commend Congressman Ramstad
for standing tall with the blind of America in his introduction
of H.R. 794; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the
Congress through the Small Business Committees in the House of
Representatives and the Senate to hold hearings on this
legislation and take further action to bring it to a vote and
have this bill enacted as soon as possible.

                        RESOLUTION 93-19

     WHEREAS, Congress enacted the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act
(originally the Wagner-O'Day Act) in 1938 to promote employment
opportunities for blind people through the manufacturing of
products purchased by the federal government; and 
     WHEREAS, non-profit agencies that employ blind people or
others with severe disabilities in their manufacturing operations
can qualify to sell products or services to the federal
government on non-competitive terms; and 
     WHEREAS, since 1938 federal employment policy regarding the
blind has changed dramatically from an emphasis on sheltered
employment to the goal of competitive employment in integrated
work settings; and 
     WHEREAS, full participation in the economic life of our
society involves performing work that is far more complex and
challenging than the assembly line jobs in non-profit agencies
currently supported by contracts under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day
Act; and 
     WHEREAS, the operation of small, for-profit businesses by
blind persons could be stimulated through the use of federal
contracts if the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act allowed such contracts
to be offered to businesses owned and operated by blind
individuals: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED BY the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, 1993, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization urge the Congress to enact
amendments to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act which will permit for-
profit businesses owned and operated by blind individuals to be
awarded federal contracts under essentially the same procedures
and terms that now apply exclusively to sheltered workshops. 

                        RESOLUTION 93-20
 
     WHEREAS, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is
the recognized authority in setting building and construction
standards for private-sector facilities in the United States; and
     WHEREAS, in the latest revision of its standards, ANSI
considered including guidelines for detectable warnings but
rejected the guidelines altogether after learning of the
experience and considered views of blind people; and
     WHEREAS, ANSI's decision not to include detectable warnings
in its guidelines represents a constructive philosophy and an
enlightened view about the true needs of blind people: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in
Convention assembled this ninth day of July, in the City of
Dallas, Texas, that this organization commend the American
National Standards Institute for reflecting the true needs of
blind Americans by excluding any reference to detectable warnings
in its published standards.