By Richard Strong, Director, Minnesota State Services for the Blind.

(Editor’s Note:  This presentation was given at the Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota on October 8, 2011.)

Madame President, thank you for this opportunity to update you and the membership of the largest consumer organization of the blind in Minnesota about your state agency.

When it comes to SSB it’s safe to say these are the best of times and in the worst of times.

By Esther Levegnale

(Editor’s Note:  This article is reprinted from the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 issue of The Federationist In Connecticut, a publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut.)

By Maureen Pranghofer

Though my eyesight has been up and down at various points in my life for all practical purposes, you could say I’ve been blind since birth.  I consider myself well adjusted, independent and confident in my abilities.  Yet at the age of 57, I am still finding that my perceptions of things are often incorrect.

These are some of the things I’ve discovered and how I’ve found out about, what to other people who have had vision, are simply normal parts of life.

By Maxine Schrader

My six-year-old great granddaughter A’mya is the inspiration for this article.  Whenever she sees braille — in elevators, on doors, signs, ATM machines, and so forth — she loudly and proudly announces to the public “that’s braille; my great grandma can read it!”  What a little advocate she is.

By Chris Kuell

(Editor’s Note:  This is the winner of the 2011 Metro Chapter essay contest.)

In addition to being an organization focused on consumer advocacy for blind people and promoting a positive philosophy of blindness, the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota is also a family.  Here is a new column we will print from time to time, containing items that would not normally be sent out on our membership listserv but which are noteworthy and of interest to members.  Did you or a Federationist you know get a new job?  Go on a major trip?  Win an award?  Have a child?  Something else important to you?  If you have news you would like sha

By Jennifer Dunnam

During one of our activities for blind children not long ago, we discovered that many of the young participants had no idea what a cassette tape was.  It was amusing yet a little sobering to introduce them to this item which had long been such a staple in the lives of many of us but which is fast slipping into the ranks of artifacts of history!  Now, even the Braille Monitor, the flagship publication of the National Federation of the Blind, is no longer being produced on cassette.  Time certainly does march on. 

Volume 78, Number 1

Quarterly Publication of the

National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, Inc.

100 East 22nd Street

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404

Voice:  (612) 872-9363

Website:  www.nfbmn.org

Tom Scanlan, Editor

E-mail tom.scanlan@earthlink.net

WE ARE CHANGING

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.

Tim Aune duplicates the cassette tape edition and makes the master copy for the Compact Disc edition.

Jennifer Dunnam transcribes the braille edition.

No one understands blindness as well as those who live with it daily.  To apply this know­ledge to solving the problems of blind­ness, blind people formed the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota (NFBM).  NFBM is the state's largest and oldest or­ganization of the blind.  It provides self-help programs for blind people of all ages and activities.