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"Supporting
Students; Encouraging Leadership."
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The Student Advocate is a newsletter created by members of NABS and for any interested parties.
Below you will find the current issue of the Student Advocate, or browse previous
issues for your reading pleasure.
Current Issue: Winter 2007
Student
Advocate
A Publication of the
National Alliance of Blind Students
Volume XXIV Number 1
Winter 2007
Table of Contents:
1. President's Message
2. Case of the Accessible Electronic Voting Machines
3. Meet and Greet the NABS Board
4. Guide Dog on High: Bringing My Dog to High School
5. NABS Visits Gator Country
6. Being Safe At SafeWay: Accessible Checkout for the Visually
Impaired
7. White Cane Safety Day
Hello fellow students and supporters,
I hope the first half of the school year treated you well. This unusually long cold snap the country is seeing is keeping many indoors, and when I am stuck indoors, I am reminded of projects that were started and never completed. It becomes a vicious, stressful cycle of developing old projects and keeping up with present tasks. I'm sure all you other young leaders out there can relate.
Your 2006-2007 national officer team has come up with some good goals to meet by the end of the year to increase membership, broaden our resource network, create fun and informative events, and get our organization's name heard in local communities everywhere. We have already successfully introduced the importance of White Cane Safety on high school and college campuses across the country back in October during National Disability Awareness Month.
I am honored to have been elected to serve a two-year term as your National President. One of my personal goals is to increase the amount of teamwork in the organization and help others find their niche as a leader. The more leadership roles we take on, the better quality of awareness we can provide about the important issues facing blind and visually impaired students. I think you, as a part of NABS, have a lot of potential, and I look forward to seeing that come out in your civic activities, ideas on the list serve, work through committees, projects in your state and local affiliates, and all the other innovative avenues you are taking to ensure the future is bright for other blind and visually impaired students.
A couple reminders for you:
Never hesitate to contact us if you have an idea or question. We would love to hear from you! You can send general inquiries to blindstudents@gmail.com or you can contact one of the national officers individually.
Good luck this semester!
Cammie Vloedman
National Alliance of Blind Students President
Case of the Access Electronic
Voting Machines
by Bibi Baum
September 21, 2006 was the day of a crucial hearing that took place in the Denver County District Courthouse in Denver, Colorado. Accompanied by my guide dog, Odie, I went to attend the hearing as a witness to be on the stand to testify in regards to the electronic voting machines. These devices consist of speech software and buttons that are designed for individuals who can no longer use their hands.
It all started out earlier this year when the accessible electronic voting machines appeared on the news. Claims that stated the machines were not being fully secured were circulating rapidly. Concerns were brought up that ballets could be easily tampered with, and that the machines would print out the ballets incorrectly. This issue finally was taken to the district courthouse, as the Secretary Of State was sued over the credibility of these machines.
The first part of the hearing began September 20, 2006. On that Wednesday morning, the proceedings began with a review of the accessible electronic voting machines. The plaintiffs gave their testimony on why the machines should be decertified, stating that they were not only unreliable, but would not offer any benefits whatsoever to those who have disabilities such as blindness or being wheelchair bound.
These thirteen plaintiffs had no idea what consequences would lie ahead if the machines were to be decertified. The first part of the hearing took the entire day; therefore, it had to be continued.
The second part of the hearing took place on Thursday afternoon around 1:30 PM. I was the first to testify on the witness stand; I discussed my experiences with voting machines in the early voting during August. I described the freedom and independence that I was granted by being able to utilize the new voting machines. I reminded them that, thanks to the accessible voting machines, I would no longer require a sighted assistant to read the materials to me. In the past, when I had voted with the help of a sighted individual, it had taken longer than an hour. Though it wasn't so, it felt as if I were standing at the voting machine for two and a half to three hours. Throughout the duration of this experience, I worried that I was taking up too much of the person's time. There was constant pressure to reach a final decision quickly. Since my intriguing experience with these new machines, however, the experience was much more bearable, even pleasant. I was able to carefully ensure that I completed all sections of the voting process. Perhaps one of the most satisfying aspects of this new process was that I was able to check all my selections after the actual voting was complete. I finished my explanation of independence and proceeded to the next part of my testimony, which involved answering questions from the cross examiner, who I felt was rather intimidating. His goal seemed to be to distract me as a witness by attempting to get me to change my mind about the accessible electronic voting machines. I made it impossible for him to complete his task, however, as I wasn't planning on changing my mind. I vowed that I would stick to my testimony and its values to the end.
I must admit that I feared that my testimony would fall on deaf ears and not be convincing. I was reassured that I was doing well, and that my preoccupations did not come across to the court. I was determined to make this cross examiner understand that, should these machines be decertified, the disability community would be severely shaken. We would have to expect others to do the reading for us interminably, and, consequently, our independence would be permanently shattered. Not having the access and freedom we had gained with these machines would be unpleasant for all the people who had tested the machines on our own and discovered that they were indeed usable and reliable. The cross examiner had no choice but to accept my pronouncements; he admitted defeat toward the end of my testimony, as he knew he would lose his battle by trying to convince me to change my opinion.
At the end of these proceedings, I was told that my testimony had been vital to the Secretary Of State and the disability community as a whole. It not only helped the Secretary Of State win her case, but it also prevented those of us in the disabled community from losing something of much value: access, freedom and independence.
Odie played an important part for me during this case. He was not only an outstanding guide up to the witness stand, but he took the whole situation in stride well, and helped me overcome my intimidation and nervousness. I wish that I could have given him more credit for having accompanied me to the hearing. At the early voting, he was given a voting sticker as well, despite the fact that he wasn't the one who sat for an hour, painstakingly completing a ballet. He had slept quietly through both the early voting and hearing. I know that Odie will be a confident guide who will guide me through my career of working court cases, and perhaps more hearings involving these machines.
My future entails becoming involved in Criminal justice with a bachelor's masters and justice doctorate. I hope to be a judge and to work with probation issues. Upon introducing myself at the hearing, I was asked what organization I was involved in, I made the judge smile by stating my goals for my future. I was glad I had made his day.
As for the hearing, I feel that it went well and was certainly worth attending. I learned a good deal from the experience; to be in an actual court room and sit in a witness stand to testify in a genuine court environment was a unique and educational adventure. It made a difference to me and to other individuals with disabilities. It also assisted the Secretary Of State upon facing decertification of these new machines.
Let's hope that we may not have to face the reality of losing these accessible electronic voting machines that we worked endlessly to receive. With luck, the disabled community will eventually have opportunities that mirror those of our able-bodied peers in the voting booths.
Our NABS Board boasts a group of ambitious, driven and successful individuals. Some are in high school, some are in college, and still others have left college. But all share a wish to be a functioning part of NABS and to help benefit noteworthy blindness causes. They have many unique interests, careers and goals for the future.
Cammie Vloedman, our NABS President, attends Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Aside from playing an active role in the ACB and NABS, Cammie enjoys caring for and showing horses and socializing with friends via the computer and phone. Although Cammie does not yet know what the future holds for her, she hopes to find a career that will make her both happy and successful.
NABS' First Vice President, Olivia Norman, is currently in the process of looking for legal assistant jobs at various law firms in the Washington, DC area. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, watching sports, listening to music, reading law cases and socializing with friends. Olivia aspires to attend law school in 2008, with the ultimate goal of becoming an attorney and working in medical malpractice litigation.
Steven Kannel, NABS' Second Vice President, attends Miami University. He enjoys using computers and technology in general, as well as socializing with his friends and listening to music. He is also a football and basketball fan. In college, Steven currently majors in Computer Science. However, he intends to switch to a business school major revolving around Management Information Systems.
Dave Bahr, the secretary of NABS, is a student at the University of Denver. He loves reading, writing, listening to music, working on the computer, and making people laugh. An ambitious student, Dave's goals include being a professor, law student or a cognitive researcher.
NABS' treasurer John Lipsey, a student at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, works with NABS not only on a national level, but at the state level as well. President of the Blind and Visually Impaired Students of Utah (BVISU), John spends his free time singing in the Westminster College Chamber Choir, skiing and writing. After graduating from Westminster College in the Spring of 2007, John plans to transfer to the University of Utah, where he will major in Special Education in the hopes of becoming a teacher of the visually impaired.
Caitlin Hernandez, NABS' Student Advocate Editor, is a junior in high school. She lives in California and enjoys reading, writing, hanging out with family and friends, traveling with her guide dog, Lancaster, and singing in two choirs--one in school and one outside of school. Caitlin plans to go to a four-year college, where she looks forward to becoming a middle school English teacher, who writes and sings on the side.
Kolby Garrison, the Junior Representative for NABS, is a busy high school senior in North Carolina. Kolby's life is overflowing with activities, from the Drama and Key clubs, to The National Honors Society, to peer tutoring. When she's not at school, Kolby enjoys reading, writing, singing, playing instruments, taking long walks, playing on the computer, shopping, and, of course, hanging out with friends and family. With college in the near future, Kolby wants to double major in Music Education and Music Performance and minor in Linguistics. She also hopes to get a guide dog this summer from Guide Dogs for the Blind in California.
Our Immediate Past President, Rebecca Hodson, divides her time between working for a government contractor in Alexandria, Virginia, and mingling with friends, shopping and cooking. An avid sports fan, Rebecca also enjoys traveling and playing the clarinet and saxophone. The big news in Rebecca's life is her July 2007 wedding, but following that, she plans to earn a master's degree in business administration.
Now that you know our Board, we want to know you! Feel free to contact us through the NABS e-mail list, where many of them can be found contributing to discussions.
Guide Dog on High: Bringing My Guide
Dog to High School
by Caitlin Hernandez
Having graduated from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California this past July, I spent the whole month of August acclimating my male black lab, Lancaster, to his new home environment, and wondering whether or not he would take to my high school. With its large campus, masses of students, and maze-like appearance, my high school intimidates the blind and the sighted alike. I had navigated the school with relative ease during my freshman and sophomore years, but I grew increasingly nervous about whether or not my will-power and skills would be sufficient to teach Lannie the routes from class to class.
I had first taken Lannie to my public high school while at GDB; living close to the campus certainly has its advantages. Lannie had taken to the school at once, and worked well in it, but that was before hordes of students were overtaking its hallways. How would he react to two thousand shoving, screaming, eating, running, basketball-dribbling, gum-chewing, hair-flipping teenagers?
About a week before school was due to start, I had a number of Mobility lessons with my own Orientation and Mobility instructor. As if the prospect of integrating my dog into high school wasn't odious enough, my school was undergoing major construction. Buildings that I trusted and depended upon as unique landmarks were best torn down, and hallways I had previously used as main thoroughfares were being obliterated. And then there was the new Choir building, which seemed to me to be out in the middle of nowhere. I labored and planned, even going as far as to come back to school on my own with Lannie and my mom. The Sunday before school was due to start, we ran my schedule for two and a half hours. At last, I felt fairly confident that I could make it through my first day of school. This was my toughest schedule yet, and it entailed a lot of running back and forth across the campus, but I felt I could live with it.
On the first day of school, I was fortunate enough to receive a schedule change that negated my original need to traipse all the way across the school to get to my second class, and then race back across to where I'd started for my third class. Even with this unexpected and last-minute modification, Lancaster performed beautifully the first day. Perhaps he could tell how freaked out I was; he constantly exuded calmness, and led me carefully, even painstakingly, around the packs of students. Sometimes, I would be unsure of where to go, and I found myself letting Lannie take his best guess. This inevitably led to us getting turned around, but we never became desperately disoriented. I was to learn, among other things, that if I was unsure of my way, Lannie would be equally uncertain, and we would rarely reach our destination by guesswork alone.
As weeks and months went by, Lannie and I became a more comfortable team. Every day is a quest through the hallways, and every day offers new adventures: watching Lannie veer around a pile of trash, praising Lannie for jumping out of the path of a janitor's moving cart, correcting Lannie when he paused to investigate a new row of garbage cans that mysteriously found their way to our relieving spot. Every day brings new challenges and surprises, and every day, Lannie and I are ready to meet them and take home a new piece of knowledge.
NABS members and supporters had a great time in Jacksonville, FL, at the 45th National Convention of the American Council of the Blind. Old friends reconnected, new members got involved, fun was had at various types of events, and fresh ideas were initiated for the upcoming year.
The annual NABS Welcome Party was a huge success with many new faces. With pizza, pop, and M&Ms, everyone had a chance to get to know one another and do some networking. NABS honored the ACB Scholarship winners at its Scholarship Luncheon and helped new individuals familiarize themselves with NABS' mission and goals.
Throughout the week, NABS held informative and fun events for convention attendees to participate in. The events included a panel about the decision of whether or not to apply for a guide dog, a panel with tips and suggestions about being a successful student, and an extremely amusing comedy night featuring Tim Northern from Nashville, TN. For some additional fun, NABS also sold raffle tickets throughout the week of convention, with a cash prize as the incentive. NABS would like to thank all those who bought tickets in support of the organization. We would also like to congratulate Kim Venable for winning the prize and sincerely thank her for donating the money right back to NABS.
Wandering the halls of the hotel late at night delivering the convention newspaper was especially fun this year with several new friends to share the experience. Thanks to those who volunteered their time to help deliver the convention paper, and to the press room for doing a marvelous job at having them ready to go at a decent hour!
The whole week wasn't just about fun, though. NABS also held two business
meetings. Some exciting changes for the organization came with proposed constitutional
amendments. One in particular was the length of terms for elected officers.
The voting delegates at the business meeting voted in favor of having elected
positions last for two years. There will be a rotation schedule so that there
is always some old blood mixed with new blood to form your Board of Directors.
Big congratulations go out to your newly elected 2006-2007 National Officer
Team:
President -- Cammie Vloedman, Oklahoma City, OK;
First Vice President -- Olivia Norman, College Park, MD;
Second Vice President -- Steve Kannel, West Chester, OH;
Secretary -- Dave Bahr, Denver, CO;
Treasurer -- John Lipsey, Midvale, UT.
Shortly after convention Caitlin Hernandez of Danville, CA was appointed Student Advocate Editor and Kolby Garrison of Greensboro, NC was appointed Junior Representative. Additionally, Ardis Bazyn of Burbank, CA agreed to serve another term as a NABS advisor and Terry Pacheco of Silver Springs, MD agreed to serve as a NABS advisor after her retirement from ACB and as NABS Liaison.
NABS is already preparing for the 2007 national convention. Watch for further details!
Being Safe At SafeWay: Accessible
Checkout for the Visually Impaired
BUSINESS WIRE - (http://www.icdri.org/legal/safeway.htm)
October 31, 2006
Safeway Installs New Equipment to Protect Financial Privacy of Shoppers With Visual Impairments
Blind Community Leaders Applaud Safeway's Commitment
In a move praised by state and national blind organizations, Safeway (NYSE: SWY) today announced that it has begun installing equipment to protect the privacy and security of Safeway shoppers with visual impairments. The new devices plug into existing point of sale payment machines and have tactile keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad. They will allow Safeway shoppers who have difficulty reading information on a touch-screen to privately and independently enter their PIN, telephone number, and other confidential information.
Safeway operates stores across the country under the banners Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Pak 'n Save Foods and Carrs stores. Every Safeway store in California has already been equipped with several of the devices, and they will be installed across the country over the next 12 months. Today's announcement is the result of collaboration between Safeway and major blindness organizations including the American Foundation for the Blind, American Council of the Blind and the California Council of the Blind. "ACB and CCB are membership organizations with thousands of members across the country and in California who will benefit from Safeway's commitment," said Jeff Thom, President of the CCB.
Carl Augusto, President and CEO of the AFB also praised Safeway's announcement: "Today's announcement by Safeway demonstrates the Company's commitment to the privacy and convenience of its blind and visually impaired customers."
"Safeway has a long history of supporting our communities and people with disabilities. This decision is one way we can help customers who are blind or visually impaired experience a better shopping experience in every Safeway store throughout the country," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer.
According to the web site of the American Foundation for the Blind, there are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States. About Safeway Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates 1,767 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $38.4 billion in 2005. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
White Cane Safety Day
by Caitlin Hernandez
"The people of this free nation believe in the ability and progression of its citizens, and we must all work together to ensure each person receives equal opportunities and access. Many Americans who are blind or visually impaired use white canes to enable them to enjoy greater mobility, engage in productive work, and participate fully in all aspects of life. On White Cane Safety Day, we celebrate the many achievements of Americans who are blind or visually impaired, and we recognize the white cane as an important symbol of their determination and independence." (Portion of the official proclamation by the President of the United States, 2006).
White Cane Safety Day "celebrates a day for blind youth to demonstrate their successes and promote further development of opportunity and access." NABS embraced this project as a group to help increase blindness awareness in high school and college environments. NABS President Cammie Vloedman contacted officials at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and was able to declare such a day on the campus. Vloedman used a Proclamation that the NABS Board had composed, which, among other things, reiterates that "each of us needs to do our part by taking personal responsibility to recognize individual needs and abilities," starting with such activities as those associated with White Cane Safety Day.
Word of mouth mainly helped White Cane Safety Day catch on this year among the NABS members and across college and high school campuses. In the future, however, NABS not only plans on orchestrating similar campaigns, but expanding and enhancing them with the help of posters, T-shirts, fliers and other entertaining and educational forms of exposure. NABS believes in supporting its members and their lifestyles, and White Cane Safety Day was and will continue to be an avenue through which both members and non-members can teach their peers and their community about the importance of advocacy, independence and integration in school, work and all walks of life.
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