By Judy Sanders, Secretary

Excitement was building as Federationists came from all over Minnesota to gather in New Ulm at the Holiday Inn on September 29, 2006 for the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota.  People who arrived for the Friday activities were treated to a variety of opportunities that were fun, educational and productive.

"Blind People Experience Accessibility and Privacy in Voting—a demonstration of the AutoMARK Voting Machine" was available from the Office of the Secretary of State.  A fun ballot with such weighty issues as our favorite fair food gave us the chance to practice for the real thing in November.  Hot competition ensued between mini doughnuts and pork chops.  Enterprising Federationists found a way to turn the voting into a fundraiser.  Mini doughnuts were proclaimed the winner at the banquet.

The Power Showdown was a fun game where blindness ruled.  All players had to wear sleepshades if they had any amount of vision.  Jim Mastro showed everyone how to have a good time playing this game.

Anyone wanting to explore what is new in the marketplace for blind people had the chance to talk with and examine products from Kevin Nicholson and the Minnesota Low Vision Store.  Special thanks to Kevin for the many door prizes he donated to our convention.

While some of us were playing, serious business was being conducted.  A meeting of the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille in Minnesota (NAPUB) planned for ways of bringing Braille literacy to the attention of the public.  NAPUB elected the following officers:  president, Melody Wartenbee; vice president, Kathy McGillivray; secretary, Trudy Barrett; and treasurer, RoseAnn Faber.

Our resolutions committee, ably chaired by Jennifer Dunnam, put together two resolutions that appear below.  Our resolutions are vitally important to this organization; it is how we set our policies for blind people in Minnesota.

One last opportunity was available to conventioneers.  A hybrid car was on display in the parking lot of the hotel.  Observers discovered that it is extremely quiet when not moving and must get up to a certain speed before it makes a discernible noise.

"Advocacy:  the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" was the theme for this year's meeting of the Minnesota Parents of Blind Children.  Their election brought the following results:  president, Carrie Gilmer; vice president, Nadine Jacobson; secretary, Charlotte Czarnecki; treasurer, Phillip Richardson; and board member, Jean Bening.

The last meeting of the evening was that of the Minnesota Association of Blind Students.  Their guest speaker was David Reeves, an employee of the U.S. Department of Education who came to speak to both students and parents about federal grants for higher education.  Mr. Reeves spent the entire weekend with us.

We ended our evening with gracious hospitality from the Riverbend Chapter.  Old friendships were rekindled and new contacts were begun.

Saturday morning began a long and productive day.  Kathy McGillivray began the morning session with an invocation followed by welcoming remarks from Charlene Childrey, president of the Riverbend chapter.  We also welcomed Anil Lewis, president of the NFB of Georgia, member of the national board of directors and our national representative.

Anil Lewis gave us a national report that demonstrated that we are alive and well.  We have a newly designed website that you can access at www.nfb.org.  Everything you ever wanted to know about blindness, the NFB and its activities is available at this website.  The Materials Center is now called the Independence Market and is located in the Jernigan Institute.  We are planning NFB Youth Slam for blind youth in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  We are also sponsors of the Possibilities Fair that highlights opportunities for blind seniors who want to know how to keep control of their lives.  Training and Organizing People to Serve (TOPS) is another leadership program sponsored at the Jernigan Institute.  Among other things, it teaches us creative ways to recruit members into the Federation.

Mr. Lewis reminded us that October is "Meet the Blind Month" and our Washington seminar will begin on January 29, 2007 and end on February 1st.  We might still be working on accessible voting and insuring that textbook access is available for all students.  This could include expanding access to blind college students.  We must protect the Books for the Blind program by keeping money from being transferred from the National Library Service to the general library fund.  We will also be working for dedicated funding through the Telecommunications Act for funding for NFB-NEWSLINE®.  We may have issues to protect the Randolph-Sheppard program. 

The 2007 national convention will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning on June 30.  The most dramatic point in the convention will be the March for Independence.  Anyone raising a minimum of $250 for the Imagination Fund can be a part of this historic march.  The Imagination Fund supports the many programs described above run by the Jernigan Institute.  This is an opportunity to get our friends and relatives to contribute to these stellar efforts.  We can register for the march on the NFB website.

Anil ended his talk with a poignant reminder of why we have all these programs in the NFB.  We are working together to open new horizons for all blind people; we are raising our expectations and those of others.  We encourage each other and we inspire each other.  That is why we spend time at this convention and doing the work that we do.

"What's Going Around and What's Coming Around at State Services for the Blind?" was presented by Chuk Hamilton, director of State Services for the Blind (SSB).  His report appears previously in this issue.

Chuk was asked by Anil Lewis if assistance was available for clients of SSB to attend NFB's national convention.  Chuk said that if it could be shown that the convention would help a customer reach a vocational goal it was not out of the realm of possibility. 

Joyce expressed concern about many signs that are occurring at SSB which are being modeled after the general rehabilitation agency.   These include clerical staff being promoted to rehabilitation technicians without extensive training in blindness; contracts are being signed with job placement specialists that work with the general agency and they do not have experience with blindness; and counselors must do a lot more work filing reports on their computers instead of spending time with customers.  It could lead to the thought that both agencies should be combined—an idea that is unalterably opposed by the NFB and other members of the blindness community.

Chuk responded that because SSB is located in the Department of Employee and Economic Development (DEED) it is inevitable that there will be some common resources and job descriptions.  He agreed that we should always be vigilant against a combined agency, but he does not believe that the Department has any plan to make such a change.

Shawn Mayo asked specifically for the rationale of moving clerical staff into tech positions.  Chuk said that this practice has been going on for at least five years.  This is being done with more frequency for the Older Blind program because a master's degree is not required to provide services.  These people will receive training that is more extensive.  Counselors must determine eligibility, develop a plan and handle closure.  Hopefully, techs can do much of the paperwork.

Andy Virden asked about how much money SSB must expend to the Department to pay for workforce expenses.  Would they save money if they had their own office space?  Chuk could not give an exact figure, but said that there is no general fund to which they must contribute.  They would have to pay building expenses no matter their department.  He pointed out that there are bills in Congress dealing with workforce centers that put limits on how much money rehabilitation agencies could be charged for the upkeep.  It remains to be seen how it will actually pass.

Kathy McGillivray asked if the Communication Center had plans to digitize the production of recorded textbooks to keep up with the National Library Service and Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic.  SSB, says Chuk, is behind in this project.  They are having difficulties with their contractor.  They are not ready to scan books either.

Jeff Thompson asked how SSB was implementing informed choice with customers.  Chuk said that SSB worked with the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind to develop a form which counselors must fill out explaining what they did to insure informed choice.  In particular, the form tells what adjustment to blindness centers the person toured and how they made their choice.

Monica Buboltz asked how rehab techs can be ready to handle the emotional side of adjustment to blindness with such little training.  Joyce added to the question by wanting to know when SSB would reexamine how staff training was given.  Chuk said that the contracts with Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND) and the Lighthouse for the Blind in Duluth had just been renewed but that the program should be evaluated before the next round of contracts.

"Rocket on! Camp” was presented by Jordan Richardson, a participant in last summer's program.  He summarized their experiences that lead up to building their own rocket.  It was launched and was the most successful of all launches in the last three years.  This camp was conducted with the partnership of NASA scientists.  Jordan expressed gratitude to members of the NFB who made all this possible.

Catherine Durivage presented her 2006 report regarding library services in Minnesota.  Her report appears previously in this issue.

Our afternoon session began with remarks from Rod Haworth to talk about "Pathways to Employment: an Overview."  Rod is the project manager for this program.  He is a former member of the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind.  This is a five-year program funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Its partners are the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the Department of Human Services and the State Council on Disabilities.  There are six goals connected with this project:

1. Form partnerships with business.  This involves educating business leaders about the capabilities of people with disabilities.  The state must become a model employer if we expect business to employ people with disabilities.  Toward this end, there will be a fulltime employee to see that this happens.  The second step for working with businesses will be to establish internships to increase opportunities.  The state will hold an annual summit to talk about the transition between school and employment.
2. Examine public policy and competitive employment of people with disabilities.  They will examine public policy that might hinder employment such as Social Security earned income.
3. Coordinate services and supports.  They are helping the Work Incentives Connection transition from being a state-supported nonprofit to becoming private.  They have provided funding for this purpose. 
4. Coordinate information and communication system.  There are so many places to go for services.  They are making an effort to organize all of these so that the disabled can have access in one place. 
5. Strengthen transition services and work experiences for youth and young adults.  They are sponsoring a mentoring day and want to make it a statewide program.  They are also working with PACER. 
6. Standardize data collection analysis and outcomes.   They want agencies that are accumulating the same data to share what they have.  It may take legislation to bring this about.

Pathways does not provide direct service; rather, it helps already existing agencies to do a better job.

During the question and answer part of Rod's remarks Joyce emphasized that while there might be some things that agencies can share it was important for this program to recognize the unique services given to blind people.  No one else learns Braille; uses a white cane; or must find access to printed material.  Rod assured us that from his background on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind he learned his lesson well.

Jean Martin, director, Minnesota Resource Center for the Blind in Faribault coordinates services to blind children for the Department of Education.  Her topic, “Expectations for Minnesota's Students Who are Blind,” showed an active pursuit of high standards for all blind students.  Her report appears previously in this issue.

"Employment: Achieving Success after Training" was a panel moderated by Dick Davis.  We heard from three people who found employment after graduating from BLIND, Incorporated.  Beth Moline is working as a receptionist; Jeff Thompson is the new industrial arts instructor at BLIND; and Joe Veader is now working as a cabinetmaker.  Dick introduced Joe as his hero. Joe came here from Massachusetts where he had been employed in a sheltered workshop.  Joe had the courage to become a student at BLIND where he gained newfound skills and confidence in himself.  He now is competitively employed.

Shawn Mayo, director of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND), introduced current students to talk about their experiences.  David Starnes just recently lost his drivers license so is new to all this.  Kelvin Heath is also a novice blind person who wants to return to being his old normal self as a father, husband and nurse.  Allen Zderad, while a new student, has been blind since childhood.  Laura Parrish worked hard to get the right to be a student here from Virginia.  She had many bad experiences with other agencies before she found this training on the internet.

Shawn gave us an analogy about the complex parts of the gumball machine made in the industrial arts class being very confusing when view separately.  However, when put together it makes sense and its purpose is understood.  The same thing can be said for adjustment to blindness training; when taken separately the individual classes may not make sense; but when put together it really works.

Carrie Gilmer, president of our parents division, is always inspiring.  She did not disappoint us with her talk entitled "What Gets in the Way."  She eloquently imparted the message that she has learned from members of the National Federation of the Blind that blindness need not be limiting.  She did not undermine the courage it takes to conquer the myths about blindness.  Carrie continues to bring a strong message to parents and teachers.

The high point of every NFB convention is our banquet.  This is partly so because we take the time to honor those who have contributed in some way to improving attitudes toward blindness.  One way in which this is done is the essay contest sponsored by our Metro Chapter.  This year's winner is Tom Scanlan.  You can read his essay in the fall 2006 issue of the Minnesota Bulletin.  Another prize was given through a random drawing from those who entered the contest.  Pat Barrett's name was drawn.  Pat and Tom both received a fifty-dollar prize.

The NFB of Minnesota presented a $1,000 scholarship to Lao Xiong, a freshman at Riverland Community College.  He is studying sports management.  Lao told us that we, in the NFB, are the first blind people he has met.  We hope this will be the beginning of a positive experience as it has been for all of us.

Everyone in the Federation is a member for his or her own reasons.  Our Federation banquet speakers often share their reasons; in addition, they remind us of the value of working together and how we all benefit.  Anil Lewis shared his poignant story with humor and strong emotion.  He became blind as an adult.  He reclaimed his independence because he came to be involved in the NFB.  While he received rehabilitation services before he knew about the Federation none of those services motivated him to use the skills he was learning.  Only through the Federation was he challenged to do so.

After being truly inspired, Joyce and Anil challenged us to put our money where our thoughts were.  We were given the opportunity to increase or start a new PAC Plan.  PAC is the Preauthorized Check Plan; this is one way for members to make an automatic monthly contribution to the NFB from our checking accounts.  Federationists once again demonstrated their generosity and commitment.

Charlene Childrey kept the entire evening at a fast pace as she hosted the banquet.

Federationists not only know how to make a serious commitment but we know how to have fun.  The banquet was followed by hospitality sponsored by the Riverbend Chapter.  We were treated to entertainment from an Elvis Presley impersonator. 

After a late night of hospitality, many energetic Federationists attended the traditional Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND) Sunday morning breakfast.  This is our chance to hear in detail about the accomplishments of BLIND's students and to meet the staff.  This is a real partnership between the Federation and BLIND, which demonstrates that blind people can run their own agency.

Our Sunday morning business session yielded the following results.  We began on a somber note with a memorial service for those Federationists who died during the past year.  Lavern Cruzen of St. Cloud, Kathleen Sebranek of La Crosse, Wisconsin,  and St. Paul, Dr. Jim Goff of Mankato, and Larry Kettner of Minneapolis were those that we honored.  Ben Ties and Eunice Lynch from our Rochester chapter were also recognized.

Retaining and recruiting members was the focus of our membership committee.   Pat Barrett suggested that the best way to keep members is to make meetings exciting and relevant.  Be sure to welcome new members and call all members for meetings.  One of the ways to teach Federation philosophy is to read a Kernel Book story at a chapter meeting and then have a discussion.  Charlene Childrey focused on getting new members.  Even if someone does not seem interested in the beginning we should never give up.  Stay in contact and become their friend.  Jeff Thompson reminded us about using our website, www.nfbmn.org, to engage new and old members.  We also link to our national site, www.nfb.org.  It was determined that we would have a statewide membership seminar in the spring.  Each chapter can designate participants. 

The Federation is involved in the blindness community through its representatives on various committees.  Steve Jacobson reported on progress being made to bring access to the voting machine for blind people.  A cheer went up from those who used the new machine in the primary election.  We are being asked to fill out a survey telling of our experience for a working group that will evaluate the equipment. 

Nadine Jacobson serves on the Board of Governance for the State Academy for the Blind in Faribault.  Five employees have been laid off because of budget cuts.  Two of those who lost their jobs were deaf; two were blind and one was not disabled.  They do not have many innovative programs and now they have lost some people who served as role models for students.  The school needs a definite shot in the arm.

Charlene Childrey will begin serving on the Academy's Site Council.  Joyce thanked Janiece Duffy for her long service on that council as our representative.

Jennifer Dunnam serves as chair of the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind.  Steve Jacobson, Judy Sanders and Liz McDevitt also serve on that Council.  Many other Federationists serve on Council committees.  The Council serves as one place where we can influence SSB programs.  The Council was forced to spend much time rewriting our State Plan because of technicalities called to our attention by representatives from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration.  Jennifer pointed out the importance of audience participation by Federation members at Council meetings.  

It is our hope to purchase a sign for our building.  Shawn Mayo reported that the committee has had two meetings to bring this about.  Tom Scanlan is researching city requirements; Al Spooner and Jeff Thompson have been researching designs for it.  Joyce is trying to contact the Minneapolis Heritage Perseveration Commission because our building is on the historical register.  Pat Barrett is also working on the committee. 

Carrie Gilmer reported on the activities of the parents division.  At the convention, they sponsored a workshop on advocacy.  Saturday School will continue and Emily Wharton and Jeff Thompson will be in charge of a teen night once a month.  Carrie needed to leave early because Jordan, her son, is on the honor role and to keep him there he had to go do his homework.

Jennifer chaired our resolutions committee.  She presented two resolutions.  Both passed unanimously.  The first resolution dealt with audible pedestrian signals.  There is a move to put these signals in Minneapolis; we urge careful consideration before installing these signals.

The other resolution was critical of State Services for the Blind for allowing rehabilitation technicians to serve in a manner that should be reserved for counselors.  Both resolutions are printed elsewhere in this issue.

Steve Jacobson, Shawn Mayo and Sheila Koenig also served on this committee.

Joyce called to our attention that we have some members who have served the Federation for a long time.  Andy Virden joined in the fifties; Marie Whitteker joined in 1947 and Maxine Schraeder joined in 1942.  Maxine was 19 years old and it was necessary to change the rules to let such a young person become a member.

Elections were held with the following results:  vice president, Jennifer Dunnam; treasurer, Tom Scanlan; board members, Pat Barrett and Steve Jacobson.  Those officers and board members who were not up for election are president, Joyce Scanlan; secretary, Judy Sanders; and board members, Jan Bailey, Charlene Childrey and Beth Moline.

Our local chapters reported on their various activities for Meet the Blind Month, in fundraising, on program items for meetings and membership recruitment.  The Federation is alive and well throughout the state.  These reports included one from our student chapter under the capable leadership of Jeff Thompson.

We have proclamations regarding Meet the Blind Month from the governor and several mayors.

The minutes for the 2005 annual convention were approved as printed in the Minnesota Bulletin.  The semiannual minutes were also approved.

Tom reported that the move-a-thon raised over $4,400.  Al Spooner and his dedicated core of volunteer auctioneers led us to raise $2,983 for this year's bake auction.

With thanks to Anil Lewis for his inspiration, thanks from Anil for his appreciation of all that our affiliate does and thanks to the Riverbend chapter for a wonderful job as hosts, the convention adjourned.