The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance. |
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Upcoming Events
May 8 - 9, 2009: Early Childhood Conference
The NFB Jernigan Institute will be holding an early childhood conference in Baltimore, which is open to those parents of blind children ages birth to seven who live in the Mid-Atlantic region. Please continue to visit www.nfb.org for more details, or contact the Education Department at the NFB Jernigan Institute at (410) 659-9314.
July 3 - July 8, 2009: National Convention
Please join us for the 2009 NFB convention, held at the Detroit Marriott, Renaissance Center. You won't want to miss the excitement! For reservations and more convention information as it becomes available, please visit the National Convention web page. Pre-register and purchase banquet tickets at the online convention registration page.
July 6, 2009: Motor City March for Independence
Register now or sponsor a marcher for the third annual March for Independence, to be held in Detroit, Michigan, this summer! For more information, please visit www.marchforindependence.org.
July 26 - August 1, 2009: Youth Slam
Attention blind and low vision high school students: join us for the second NFB Youth Slam! This summer academy will not only provide hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and math, but also give you the chance to meet other blind and low vision youth and adults from all over the United States. Apply for the NFB Youth Slam today!
What's New
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
Introduced
On April 21, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced a bill, S. 841, intended to protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of silent vehicle technology. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies. For more information, please read the official press release.
Reading Rights Coalition
Protests Authors Guild
The Reading Rights Coalition, which represents people who cannot read print, protested the threatened removal of the text-to-speech function from e-books for the Amazon Kindle 2 outside the Authors Guild headquarters in New York City on April 7. The coalition includes the blind, people with dyslexia, people with learning or processing issues, seniors losing vision, people with spinal cord injuries, people recovering from strokes, and many others for whom the addition of text-to-speech on the Kindle 2 promised for the first time easy, mainstream access to over 255,000 books. For more information, please see the Associated Press article on the protest or visit www.readingrights.org. If you would like to support the coalition, please sign our petition.
NFB Celebrates Release of 2009
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
The launch of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar took place March 26 at the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore with activities for all ages, and the first opportunity to purchase the Louis Braille Coin. In conjunction with the launch, a groundbreaking report on the Braille literacy crisis in America was also released. Members of the media can visit our press kit page for more information. If you would like to be among the first to purchase a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, visit www.usmint.gov or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). You may watch the video of the launch now in case you missed it or just want to relive it.
