                       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.
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