By Judy Sanders, Secretary

Our very own headquarters was the place!  Saturday, May 8, was the day.  Over 70 Federationists gathered for our one-day semiannual convention.  A combination of tradition and innovation made for a full day of activities.

President Jennifer Dunnam called the convention to order with the announcement that we have a new sound system which, judging from the applause, was an improvement from the old one.  The new Metro Chapter president, Sheila Koenig, gave welcoming remarks.  She acknowledged the new people in the crowd.

Hearing about blind Federationists in new jobs is always a popular item on a convention agenda.  Amanda Swanson, a recent college graduate and NFB scholarship recipient, has a temporary position with the Nature Conservancy as an operations assistant.  This involves light reception duties and data entry work.  She keeps her phone extension list in braille and her computer is equipped with JAWS.  She is hopeful that this will evolve into a position with more tenure.

Jan Bailey recently retired from a career as a rehabilitation counselor with State Services for the Blind, and is starting her own business as J B Rehabilitation Enterprises.  She will be teaching braille, white cane travel and will spearhead classes for senior citizens.  She points out that there is a lot more to starting a new business than one might realize.  From registering with the Secretary of State to buying insurance, there is much to consider and expenses involved.

Our treasurer, Tom Scanlan, reported that we had a loss of a little over $2,000 in this last fiscal year.  Considering the state of the economy, it was felt this was not too dismal.  The treasurer's report was unanimously approved.  We also approved a budget of $52,800 for the coming year giving our board of directors the authority to make any necessary changes.

One item that is usually auctioned during our bake sale is a couple of hours on the back of Chuk Hamilton's Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Since it did not happen in the fall, it was auctioned at this convention.  Our auctioneer is new to Minnesota but not to the Federation—he is Ryan Strunk, the new communications instructor at Blindness: Learning In New Dimensions (BLIND), Incorporated.

Learning about the latest in technology is becoming a most popular part of NFB conventions.  We heard from Earl Harrison from Handy Tech North America, who began by donating a license for software to make a cell phone talk.  The license was auctioned in lively bidding.  Earl demonstrated the universal accessibility offered by Apple Macintosh.  Instead of needing a screen reader made for blind users, the computer comes with VoiceOver capabilities that are usable by anyone and a braille display can be attached to this computer.  Earl offers classes in how to use this product, called "The Mac Academy.” 

This was another banner year for the NFB of Minnesota and blind people at the state legislature.  Jennifer reported on our efforts to strengthen counselor certification qualifications for State Services for the Blind (SSB).  In 2009, the NFB worked with Representative Tom Rukavina and Senator David Tomassoni to introduce a bill that required counselors hired at SSB to participate in adjustment to blindness training using sleepshades.  This will mean that such training will not occur at the whim of any one director.  Federationists spent 2009 building support for this legislation.  We were ready in 2010 and, with the active support of many Federationists and now having the support of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), SSB's department; it appeared the bill would have clear sailing.  It passed the Senate easily and we expected the same in the House.  On the floor of the House, an amendment was offered by Representative Torrey Westrom to make all public state documents available with nonvisual access by 2013.  While this may seem laudable (who doesn't want access) it was not germane to this bill and it was weaker than provisions that the Federation had already supported.  The bill, with its amendment, passed; however, thanks to our authors it would appear that we would not lose the stronger access standards passed in 1998.

The NFB joined others in the blindness community to support harsher penalties for those who willfully harm dog guides or other service animals.

On the transportation/pedestrian front, the NFB worked with a coalition of groups supporting a concept that turned into legislation called "complete streets” that is criteria for communities that want a design to benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.  We testified at hearing to make sure that planners understand that special accommodations such as accessible pedestrian signals need not necessarily be a part of their plans.

An important part of any convention is an update from Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB).  This was the first time for us to hear from Richard Strong as the permanent director of SSB.  His full remarks appear earlier in this issue.  Among other news, he told us that SSB is updating its administrative rule that governs its policies and will affect services to its customers.  The NFB was instrumental in writing the original rule adopted in 1986; we will now be heavily involved in writing the amendments.

Jennifer Dunnam and Steve Jacobson were elected as delegate and alternate delegate respectively to the NFB convention in Dallas.

The Imagination Fund is our primary method of seeking outside contributions to support our national treasury and the Jernigan Institute.  We heard via phone from Parnell Diggs, our national chair.  Individuals can work in teams to raise money and we have established Team Minnesota to increase our efforts.  This year the race is through our actions to raise money rather than a march as in past years.  We can have fun, raise money and publicize our activities.  A symbol of this activity is our development of a car that blind people can drive.  It is never too late to be a part of this effort—for this year or any other year.  We are each asked to raise a minimum of $250.  A portion of the funds comes directly back to Minnesota.

Shawn Mayo, executive director of BLIND, Incorporated (Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions), introduced us to several current students.  First was Jennifer Heath from West Virginia who, when she arrived, knew only how to cook something from a box or spaghetti.  She is now cooking meals for 40 from scratch.  When she arrived, she did not know her cardinal directions, but now completed a two-mile walk on her own.  She is learning many new things about computers and exploring possible careers.  She is now comfortable using power tools and with all this is almost ready to move on in life.

Hannah Furney is a woman who knows what she wants.  She learned about NFB training centers through a national seminar and knew that here was a program for her.  Hannah is from Ohio where she attended a training center in Cleveland that emphasized her remaining vision.  She believed that sleepshades training would be far more beneficial so she set her sites on coming to BLIND.  The Ohio agency for the blind would not send her here so she moved to Minnesota.  She is postponing her college education while she learns her skills.

Michelle Corso is the current student body president at BLIND.  Michelle has been blind for about a year.  Her reaction to this caused mental and physical problems but her rehabilitation counselor, Jan Bailey, knew that adjustment to blindness training was imperative.  Michelle said that Al Spooner answered all her questions and, although she thinks she has a long way to go, things are much more positive.

Shawn also introduced two new instructors:

• Ryan Strunk is a former national student division president and has now moved to Minnesota to teach communication skills such as computers and braille.  His teaching experience came from the Nebraska and Hawaii agencies and he is greatly impressed with the people here.
• George Wurtzel migrated here from Michigan to be our industrial arts instructor.  George has spent 30 years as a blind carpenter.  He wants his students to know that they can buy furniture, bring it home and put it together; they can do home repairs and they can undertake many other challenges.

The Jacobus tenBroek Fund supports our national center for the blind in Baltimore.  Every year Federationists from Minnesota make pledges to the fund and we match those contributions from our treasury.  This pledge amount is announced at the national convention.  Al Spooner shepherded us through making our individual pledges with a total individual and match of $2,360.

Jennifer announced several items for the national convention.

• We will be staffing an exhibit table that will have Minnesota food products for sale and information about BLIND; we will sell the Minnesota Word Scramble from the Metro chapter. 
• Once again, BLIND will sponsor karaoke night. 
• People can enter a raffle to win an all-expense paid trip to next year's national convention in Orlando, Florida.  This raffle benefits the Jernigan Fund that helps bring first-time convention attendees. 

Through an Imagination Fund grant, we will be sponsoring a transition fair for high school students. 

We are holding conference calls for at-large members in the state so they can be more in touch with our activities.

Our next annual convention will be in St. Cloud.  The likely dates are November 5-7, 2010.

Charlene Guggisberg announced that our next move-a-thon will be on September 25 and a picnic will follow courtesy of the Metro Chapter.  Get ready to bring in pledges, move and eat!

Mike Sahyun introduced us to a piece of technology that has built-in accessibility from the manufacturer.  He was available for a hands-on experience with it.

The session closed with the awarding of a $50 door prize donated by our Metro Chapter won by Jennifer Heath.

After our morning session, we were treated to an academic lunch provided and sold by our Minnesota Association of Blind Students.

For our afternoon session, we broke up into small workshops that were informative and fun.  The following reports are from each session as told by their facilitators.

NFB 101: A Look at the Basics and Why They Matter

By Sheila Koenig

Coordinated with Jennifer Dunnam

In lives that are swirling with activity, we Federationists do not often look back to who or what brought us to the National Federation of the Blind.  The Federation has become so much a part of who we are that we forget what our first steps in the Federation were like.  We may have struggled with philosophy, misunderstood the structure, or questioned how the NFB works.  Likely, too, is that we sought to connect with other blind people and wonder at the possibilities of our lives.  A small group of us gathered to teach and learn about some NFB basics as well as get to know new members.

The fundamental goal of the National Federation of the Blind is to integrate blind people into society.  With 50,000 members nationwide, we are the largest organization of blind people, and we work to improve the lives of blind people through advocacy, education, technology, and research.  We believe that blindness is only a characteristic and that with proper training blind people can compete with sighted peers on equal footing.  So it is not blindness itself which handicaps people, it is the attitudes we encounter that hinder or confine us.

Our organization operates in three branches: locally, statewide, and nationally.  We establish our policies through adopting resolutions.  During our National Convention each summer, members submit resolutions to a committee that discusses, revises, and votes upon them.  When a resolution is voted affirmatively, it is read on the floor of the convention, engaging the entire membership into discussion and deliberation.  Adopted resolutions then become our policy.  State conventions follow the same procedure.

But when does this organizational philosophy and structure become meaningful to the individual, particularly new members who have just met us?

In our group, it became meaningful when one person asked why the braille literacy rate is so low, and others share their stories of being denied braille as children and students.  It became meaningful when one member mentioned concerns about quiet cars, and we discussed how this issue became a national focus after originating in local chapters.  As more and more of us experienced the danger these cars posed to our safety, the need for action became more urgent.  We discussed how a separate state agency for the blind would give us the governance over our own programs, and someone asked how we could make that happen. 

For all of us, this becomes meaningful when we are inspired to act, to work, to lead, and to grow.  There are so many jobs in our organization: in fact, there are over a hundred.  We need people to greet new members, stuff envelopes for mailings, write letters to legislators, prepare and organize food for celebrations, and fundraise, just to name a few.  Every person is important, as they are in a family, and together we work to better the lives of blind people.

The Voice of Experience from the Seniors

By Joyce Scanlan

It was a lively group of 12 seniors who assembled for our very first face-to-face meeting in the communications classroom of our Federation building.  As seniors, we were not at all concerned that our meeting began slightly later than previously announced, because experience has taught us that priorities are established and meetings will always take the time required to accomplish all essential tasks.

Although we had held two previous meetings to organize ourselves—one at the annual convention last October to adopt a constitution and another on December 10 to elect officers and participate in the Metro Chapter Christmas party—we felt it would be helpful to do introductions by sharing a recent adventure/activity/event in our lives from which we had gained pleasure, knowledge, information, a helpful skill, or something particularly meaningful, in addition to identifying ourselves by name.  We found that our group of members makes up a vibrant, diverse, very energetic segment of the state’s population of blind individuals.  We had in our midst a vendor, a clergyman, an attorney, a teacher, a Wal-Mart employee, a masseur, a program director, three domestic scientists—all of whom are now retired, and a state employee who is still on the job.

Our next assignment was to consider proposals for worthy projects/activities/relevant issues we might address to make good use of our individual and collective talents.  We presented many suggestions, discussed them thoroughly, and placed them on a list for further consideration and ultimate decision-making.  Health insurance and the relevant new laws, HIPPA, supporting our members through various steps of the grieving process, social deprivation, the importance of remaining active and involved, dealing with light rail platform borders, reviewing books, socializing by going out to dinner together, cooking together, learning new skills to deal with blindness were all offered and considered as valid possibilities.

By the time we were ready to make decisions, our time was up.  We delegated the task of selecting our initial project(s) to a subcommittee consisting of Harry Krueger, Andy Virden, Craig Anderson, and Joyce Scanlan, who will be ready to make a report within the next month.

The Senior Division of the NFB of Minnesota has a vibrant, enthusiastic, creative, and goal-oriented membership and is ready to move forward with full steam to promote the goals of the National Federation of the Blind; we’re excited to be involved and look forward to building a strong and determined bunch of folks.  And while we’re doing that, we plan to have lots of fun.

Technology Breakout

By Steve Jacobson

Coordinated with Mike Sahyun

Our Technology breakout session proved to be a shining example of the many resources that we have within our own membership.  The session began with a short presentation by each person who was demonstrating a particular piece of technology followed by questions and answers.  During the second half, those attending were able to move from table to table for hands-on experience.  Some of the devices shown included an Apple iPad, an iPhone, the VoiceSense, a BrailleSync display, the BookSense, the Victor Reader Stream, a BrailleNote, and the new Digital Talking Book Player being distributed by the National Library Service.  In a particularly heart-warming twist of fate, Tom teBockhorst demonstrated the VR Stream that he won in a drawing at our annual convention last fall. 

Knowing that technology is ever changing, this was a session that we may well wish to try again in the future.

Calling All Members

By Jan Bailey

Coordinated with Judy Sanders

After introducing ourselves, we first brainstormed about where to find blind people to recruit.  We made the following suggestions: get the names of blind people receiving the homestead tax exemption for the blind from the county assessor’s office, ask friends and relatives, and ask taxi drivers, when you call someone ask them if they know other blind people.  We then discussed some things to remember when talking with someone on the phone such as: offer them some kind of literature and find out what format they would like the literature in, ask open-ended questions so they’ll give more information, invite them to a chapter meeting even if we have to go and bring them to the meeting, promise them that if they give us another name we won’t reveal the source, and there were many other suggestions.  We then did some role playing, and critiqued each other.  Have you ever encountered the "I am not a joiner" person?  How about the person who made it on his/her own?  Or "I am not really blind.”  Everyone left the seminar with goals of how many people he or she wants to try to recruit in the next few months.  Remembering what brought each of us to the Federation is a good place to start developing your recruitment technique.