The Importance of Putting Yourself Out There
By Chelsey Duranleau
(Student Editor’s Note: Chelsey Duranleau grew up in New Hampshire, after college she attended BLIND, Inc., where she now works as a communications instructor. Here is her advice to all students:
Knowing Your Rights
By Samantha Flax
(Editor’s Note: Samantha Flax grew up in New York, and after college moved to Minnesota to attend BLIND, Inc. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Minnesota pursuing a human rights degree. This is what she has to say about getting the correct accommodations in school.)
The Art of Fly Catching
By Briley O’Connor
(Editor’s Note: Briley O’Connor is the Vice President of the Metro Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota. For years she has worked as an advocate for blind students as a teacher, and parent. Here, Briley shares her story and her tips for being successful when communicating with rehab counselors. Just like all of us, all counselors are different, many of them are extremely experienced and passionate advocates for their clients.
President's Column
By Cody Beardslee
(Editor’s Note: In this issue, the column normally prepared by Ryan Strunk, our NFB affiliate president, has been written by Cody Beardslee, the President of our Minnesota Association of Blind Students.
Editor's Note
(Welcome to our very first back-to-school issue of the Minnesota Bulletin. The content of this issue has been written by members of our Minnesota Association of Blind students. The authors cover a variety of topics including knowing your rights, communicating well with your State Services for the blind counselor, and taking the initiative to put yourself out there by becoming involved in extracurricular activities. Even if you’re not a student, there are lessons for all of us in this issue.
Fall 2019
Volume 86, Number 2, Fall 2019
A 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
Ryan Strunk, President
e-mail president@nfbmn.org
Kathy McGillivray, Editor
E-mail gilgal63@gmail.com
Acknowledgements
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.
Background and Purpose
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.
Chapter and Other Meetings to Remember
At Large Chapter — statewide, consisting of those who live outside a chapter area and/or cannot attend a meeting in person; meets at 7:00 p.m. on the third Sunday of every month by teleconference call. The telephone number for the call is 605-475-6700 with access code 9458023.
Central Minnesota Chapter — St. Cloud area; meets at 12:00 on the second Saturday of every month (with an optional lunch for purchase at 11:00) at Pizza Ranch, 110 2nd Street South Suite 119 in St Cloud.
It's Habit-Forming
By Judy Sanders
(Editor’s Note: I have known Judy Sanders since I joined the Federation over twenty years ago. In fact, she was one of the primary people who recruited me into the organization. If you know Judy, you know she is always learning something new and always willing to teach what she learns. In this essay, we discover the importance of keeping track of our possessions, and we also learn how to problem-solve when we inevitably lose track of something., as we all do from time to time.)