By Steve Jacobson, Vice President

One of the trademarks of the work we do in the Federation is that we try to take the long view of the issues with which we deal. This has certainly been true of our ability to use computers, software, and access documents that are important to us. While the road behind us and ahead of us is long, occasionally it is well worth taking our eyes off the long road and observe the scenery along the way.

By Jennifer Dunnam, President

A whirlwind of activity has taken place since the Semiannual Convention! What follows includes some of the remarks I made at the convention and many updates to those remarks.

Many people are involved in getting this issue to you. The writers can write and the editor can edit, but until the material is printed, brailled, recorded, and distributed, it is just a computer file. Therefore, we owe great thanks to the following people for the work they do in producing this publication.

Dave Andrews marks up and posts the NFB-NEWSLINE® edition.

The purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is two-fold — to help blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect and to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind.

Metro Chapter — Twin Cities area; meets at 2:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month at NFB of MN Headquarters, 100 East 22nd Street in Minneapolis

Riverbend Chapter — New Ulm area; meets at 9:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month in New Ulm; contact Monica Buboltz at 507-354-5680 for meeting location

Rochester Chapter — Rochester area; meets at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester

Exciting times are coming in NFB conventions. Keep these in mind as you plan your activities throughout the coming year.

The Semiannual NFB of Minnesota Convention will be in May 2012 at the NFB of Minnesota building in Minneapolis. Members will receive a letter with details, and the letter will be on our website at www.nfbmn.org.

By Judy Sanders, Secretary

Close to 70 people gathered at NFB of Minnesota headquarters for our semiannual convention on Saturday, May 21. It was a mini version of our annual convention with something for everyone.

Many people took advantage of advance registration making our line move smoothly and allowing people to get to the doughnuts and coffee more quickly.

By Patrick and Trudy Barrett

(Editor’s Note: Pat Barrett is first vice-president of our Metro Chapter and a member of the NFB of Minnesota board of directors. This article appeared in the Windom Community News, Spring 2011, and is a good example of how NFB of Minnesota members are involved in their local community.)

By Kathryn Elliott

(Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the Minnesota Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Minnesota, on July 7, 2011.)