THE NFBT NEWS Volume 2, Number 1 June, 1993 Tommy Craig, Editor --------------------------------------- NFBT NEWS UPDATE Its been a long time since our last issue of the NFBT NEWS. There have been a lot of changes concerning the newsletter. The most significant change is that Zena Pearcy who served as Editor of the newsletter for many years has moved to Louisiana. Zena accepted a job at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Although we all miss her, and the rest of the Pearcy family, we wish them the best of luck in their new endeavor. With the loss of our Editor, we have had to make some changes in our volunteer staff. The biggest change is that Tommy Craig of Austin is our new editor. In addition we have added new technology that will help us get the NFBT News to you on a more regular basis. Finally, Our mailing address has changed. The New address is: NFBT NEWS 6909 Rufus Drive Austin, TX. 78752-3123 Please let us know if we need to update your mailing address. Also we would love to know what you think of the newsletter. If you have comments or suggestions for future articles please let us know. NFBT 1993 convention The 1993 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas was held March 5th through 7th. This year we met at the Romada Inn Northwest Crossing in Houston. Over 200 people attended this years convention and took part in a full weekend of exciting activities. Activities started early Friday afternoon with registration and a seminar for parents of blind children. The parents who attended this seminar enjoyed presentations on a wide range of subject. Some of the presentations were, orientation and mobility, parental rights under the Education of Handicapped Children Act, the Texas Braille Literacy Act and much more. The parents also met and talked with successful blind adults who proved that blindness doesn't keep a person from living a full and independent life. Friday evening kicked off with a hospitality room full of food, drink and companionship. Everyone had a chance to meet new friends and to renew old acquaintances. The evening continued with meetings of many of the Federations committees and divisions. Among these were the Resolutions committee, the Blind Industrial Workers of Texas, the Dog Guide Committee and the Committee to Promote the Use of Braille. The general session of the convention began on Saturday morning. The audience heard a wide range of speakers. They included: Allen Harris, Treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind, Ken Miller, Director of School and Student Services Texas School for the Blind, and Sy Smeltzer, Texas Commission for the Blind. The general session concluded with the Presidential report by state President Glenn Crosby. The annual banquet of the NFB of Texas was Saturday evening. Highlights of the banquet included the awarding of scholarships and the keynote address by Allen Harris. This years scholarship winners are: Kimberly Cole from Austin, Cynthia Thomas from Dickinson, Jay Wolf from Wichata Falls and Jenifer Parrish from Houston. Our congratulations go to all the winners. We also awarded a charter of affiliation to our new Arlington chapter. The evening concluded with a dance which everyone enjoyed. The Sunday morning session included, election of officers, the Secretary's and Treasurer's reports and consideration of resolutions. Election results were as follows. Doris Henderson of Dallas, First Vice-President Tommy Craig of Austin, Secretary Lola Pace of Wichita Falls, Board Member Raul Rayas of McAllen Board Member For the first time, a Spanish translation service was available for those who requested it. This service worked very well and it will be available at future conventions. The convention adjourned promptly at Noon. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE On Monday May 23, 1993 the Texas Legislature passed SB-183. This bill proposed by the National Federation of the Blind of Texas, amends the tuition exemption law. With the passage of this amendment blind students only have to provide proof of blindness once instead of every semester. This means that it is now much easier for blind students to attend state supported colleges and Universities. This change should not only make life easier for blind students but it should also reduce the amount of paperwork for state agencies. Senator Gonzalo Barrientos of Austin introduced this legislation. Representative Elliott Naishtatt of Austin sponsored it in the House. We would like to thank them and their staff for all the hard work they did to pass SB-183. If you have questions about this legislation, contact the NFBT at 1800 662-2866. 1993 National Convention The 1993 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take place at the DFW Hyatt Regency July 3-10. If you haven't already made your plans to be there, do so now. To make hotel reservations contact the DFW Hyatt at: Hyatt Regency DFW, Post Office Box 619014, International Parkway, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Texas 75261. You can also call the Hyatt at (214) 453-1234. Room rates this year are, $31 singles, $35 doubles and twins, $38 triples and $40 quads. The sales tax added to all room charges is %12. You must register with the convention to receive these excellent room rates. As usual, this years convention will host one of the largest displays of technology for the blind in the world. Exhibitors from across the country and around the world will be present to show their latest products. You will find everything from talking computers to slates and sylusses in the exhibit room. The exhibit hall will be open all week long and it may take you a week to see it all. So come to the exhibit hall early and often. A new feature to enrich the 1993 NFB National Convention will be a display of the work of blind artists. The NFB Artists' Exhibit will be Wednesday afternoon and evening, July 7th. If you are an artist interested in exhibiting your work, contact Mrs. Janet Bixby. You can reach her at 208 West Boscawen Street, Winchester, Virginia 22601 or call (703) 722-4712. As usual, child care will be available during the 1993 convention. The volunteer director of child-care services is Mary Willows. Mrs. Willows is an experienced educator, the mother of two children, and a long-time leader in the National Federation of the Blind of California. Child care is provided during the parent seminar, the convention sessions, the banquet, and other special meetings as resources allow. We ask parents to make these donations for child care: $50 for the week (including the banquet) for the first child and $25 for each additional child. If you do not need the full week of day care, we ask for a donation of $10 per child per day plus $10 for the banquet. Parents who cannot give the suggested donation should contact Mary Willows to discuss what donation they can make. Mary will be available in the child care room before and after sessions. On Saturday, July 3, there will be several seminars and workshops of interest. The Parents of Blind Children Division of the NFB will sponsor a seminar for all parents and educators of blind children. The seminar will last from 9:00am-5:00pm, and you can register with the seminar, beginning at 8:00am. There will also be a Braille 'n Speak seminar sponsored by the NFB in Computer Science and conducted by Dean Blazie, President of Blazie Engineering. The seminar will take place from 1:00-5:00pm. The 1993 JOB seminar will take place from 1:00-4:00pm. We will be hearing from several interesting presenters about the employment of blind persons. So, if you are an employer interested in hiring the blind, or, if you're a blind person looking for work, come to this popular seminar. The National Association of Guide Dog Users will hold its annual meeting from 1:30pm until 5:00pm. The directors of the three NFB supported rehabilitation centers will be present to discuss how guide dog users can integrate into their programs. So, come visit this lively and informative meeting. If you lie awake at night wondering what ZMODEM is, if you don't know what a QWK packet is, or if you just want to learn how to use your modem to upload or download files, then come to the NFB NET training seminar. The seminar will be from 9:00 a.m. until noon and from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The morning session is for beginners, and topics covered will include the basics of telecommunications and how to use NFB Net. The afternoon session is for more advanced users and those who attended the morning session. Topics covered include sending and receiving files, locating files, changing your parameters, using off-line readers, and more. "The Organized Communicator: Your Best Defense Against Stress," is a seminar sponsored by the NFB Merchants Division. It will run from 9:30am-12:30pm, and the cost is $20.00 per person, payable at the door. This is a workshop emphasizing strategies for dealing with time, people, and problems. On Sunday, July 4, convention registration will begin. The exhibit hall will also be open. Both will open at around 10:00am and will be open throughout the day. There will also be several committee meetings, beginning on Sunday afternoon. At 7:00pm on July 4, there will be a seminar on technology for the deaf blind. This seminar is sponsored by the Committee on the Concerns of the Deaf-Blind. We will provide the text of the presentations in braille. If you will be needing interpreter or other assistance during the convention please let us know at this meeting. If you can't make it on Sunday evening but need help, you should contact either Brenda Mueller or Connie Ryan with the necessary information. You can contact them by calling their rooms at the Hyatt Regency. Also, at 7:00pm., the National Association of Blind Students will conduct its annual seminar. The agenda is packed, and all high school and college students should attend. The registration lines for this seminar are usually long. So, come early. On Monday, July 5, our Board of Directors will hold its annual meeting, and we encourage everyone to attend. Several issues will be discussed. Since we will discuss some of these issues later in the week, it's a good idea to be there so you'll know what's going on. The board meeting will take place from about 9:00-11:30am. Then, on the afternoon of July 5, many division meetings will be held. They include: Blind Industrial Workers of America, National Association of Blind Lawyers, National Association of Blind Educators, NFB in Computer Science, Parents of Blind Children, Public Employees Division and more. These meetings will all begin at 1:00pm. You can get exact meeting times and places from your agenda, once you have registered. On Monday evening, there will also be several division meetings. The NFB Diabetics Division will meet at 7:00pm and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille at 8:00pm. On Tuesday, July 6, we will begin our general sessions. General sessions will be all day Tuesday, until noon on Wednesday, and all day Thursday and Friday. All general sessions will be in the East Tower of the Hyatt Regency. Many of the smaller seminars will be in the East Tower, as well. You should consult your agenda carefully, as a few of our meetings will take place in meeting rooms located in the hotel's West Tower. On Wednesday afternoon, July 7, there will be an outreach seminar on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income: What Applicants, Advocates, and Recipients Should Know. This seminar is conducted jointly by the National Federation of the Blind and the Social Security Administration. It will provide information on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for the blind. Presenters will be Sharon Gold, President of the NFB of California, and J. Kenneth McGill, Special Assistant to the Associate Commissioner for Disability, Office of Disability, Social Security Administration. July 7 is also tour day, and the NFB of Texas has arranged for lots of good tours. If you want to purchase tour tickets, you may do so at the convention. A tour desk will be available for those who have not been able to purchase tickets in advance. You can get information about the tour desk at our NFB of Texas information tables located in the lobby of the East and West Towers. You may also call the NFB of Texas Suite. Just dial 1015 inside the hotel. As you can see, we have an outstanding convention planned, and we have only scratched the surface. So come join us in Dallas. You don't have to be a member to attend. Federation meetings are open to the public. If you need additional information about the convention consult your April Braille Monitor, Or call 1-800-662- 2866. Cassette version read by Gary Ketler. Spanish version read by Mary Ward. Chapter Presidents National Federation of the Blind of Texas Amarillo Eura Mae Harmon 1418 South Eastern Amarillo, Tx 79104 (806) 376-8454 Arlington Ruth Fabel 2611 Lynwood #131 Arlington, TX. 76013 (817) 861-8304 Austin Tommy Craig 6909 Rufus Drive Austin, TX 78752-3123 (512) 451-1717 Brownsville Mario Medellin P.O. Box 1864 Brownsville, TX. 78522 Dallas Doris Henderson 505 Heyser Dr. Dallas, TX 75224-1907 (214) 942-2612 Fort Worth Elizabeth Campbell 3840 Tulsa Way Fort Worth, TX. 76107 (817) 738-0350 Galveston County William Harmon, JR. 1919 13th Avenue North #246 Texas City, TX. 77590 (409) 948-6825 Houston Norma Crosby 1403 Cheshire Lane Houston, TX 77018 (713) 956-4909 McAllen Raoul Reyes RT. 2 Box 938 Edinburg, TX. 78539 (210) 783-5070 Permiam Basin Connie Eckard 4100 North Golder #38 Odessa, TX. 79764 (915) 368-564666 San Antonio Martha Laque 130 Camino De Oro #408 San Antonio, TX 78224 (210) 921-2530 Wichita Falls Lola Pace 1310 Westridge Iowa Park, TX 76367-1130 (817) 592-5757