National Federation of the Blind

We’re pleased to announce Living Blindfully as a winner of our seventeenth annual Dr. Bolotin Awards presented at #NFB24. Jonathan Mosen is the host of the Living Blindfully podcast that provides information to help blind people live their best lives. “This is incredibly special, so thank you so much to the Bolotin committee and the National Federation of the Blind in general for this award,” Jonathan said. “Media usually ignores us and when it doesn’t, we often wish it did because it frequently underestimates us and misrepresents us…So, Living Blindfully seeks to give you an oasis from all of that…Remember that when you’re out there with your guide dog, you’ve harnessed success and with your cane, you’re able.” Congratulations to all of the Dr. Bolotin Award winners! Read more about the Dr. Bolotin Awards Program on our website: https://buff.ly/3Wi6UTj

Join us in celebrating Handid Braille Services for being selected as a winner of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award presented at #NFB24. Don Winiecki is the founder of Handid Braille Services, which provides Braille documents in multiple languages, including many (such as Arabic and Japanese) that do not use the Latin alphabet. “Learning to read these languages has changed my life,” Don said. “The knowledge that I’m producing materials enabling independence is transformational…It is immeasurably more meaningful to me that the National Federation of the Blind recognizes this and ratifies what I do with the Bolotin award. There is no collection of individuals more able to assess the value of what I do than you, my federation family.” Congratulations to all of the Dr. Bolotin Award winners! Learn more about the Dr. Bolotin Awards Program on our website: https://buff.ly/3Wi6UTj

We are honored to have been invited by The White House Office of Public Engagement to attend The White House Disability Pride Month Convening yesterday afternoon. President Riccobono joined senior disabled Biden-Harris Administration leaders and advocates to discuss the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (#ADA), disability pride, and our shared mission to promote independence and ensure that blind and all disabled people are given the opportunities and respect that we deserve so we can live the lives we want. #ADA34

We are excited to announce Donna Posont as a winner of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award presented at #NFB24. Donna is the founder of an innovative program at the Environmental Interpretive Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn that helps blind people of all ages learn about birding and explore nature. “I wanted to learn about nature, so that I could share it with others who are blind,” Donna said. “It wasn’t so much about me anymore. I wanted to make it accessible to other blind people because through working at camps and so forth, I realized that they had been often denied the opportunity to learn about the birds and the trees and the insects and the frogs and I wanted to change that. So, during that time I started a program called “Birding by Ear and Beyond” where we learned to identify birds by their sound…It’s not about the birds, it’s about sharing with blind people and helping them gain the confidence they need to travel the trails of life.” Congratulations to all of the Dr. Bolotin Award winners! Read more about the Dr. Bolotin Awards Program on our website: https://buff.ly/3Wi6UTj

Please join us in congratulating Deborah Kendrick on being selected as a winner of our seventeenth annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards presented at #NFB24. Deborah is a writer whose body of work advances understanding of blindness and disability and provides useful information to the blind community. “When I was 16, I met my first blind grown up. He was a vocational rehabilitation counselor. He held the key, in other words, the money to my college education. He said a blind girl couldn’t be a writer. Years later, with a pile of awards from both journalism and advocacy organizations as evidence that I was not only a writer but a writer who got it right, I learned about Kenneth Jernigan who was also discouraged from choosing his chosen career,” Deborah said. “In my jobs, books and elsewhere, I have told stories of people who were blind or had other disabilities and about the work they do. Many, too many, told me that they were first told that a blind boy or a blind girl could not do what they wanted to do but they did it anyway. Then in 2007, I read the book, ‘The Blind Doctor.’ I learned about Jacob Bolotin who not only did it anyway but became a doctor against the odds of his environment and swarms of naysayers and became a truly gifted healer and dedicated physician. To be deemed worthy to be among those honored as following his example is both humbling and exhilarating.” Congratulations to all of the Dr. Bolotin Award winners! To learn more about the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Program, visit our website: https://buff.ly/3Wi6UTj

In the organized blind movement, we oppose discrimination against blind people and ensure that they are given the rights that we deserve, including within the school system. In celebration of the upcoming 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we’re highlighting our support for blind parents to receive effective communication from their children’s schools. Too many blind parents encounter inaccessible technology and communication through their child’s school and have been prevented from fully and equally participating in their child’s education, including helping their child with homework, monitoring their grades, checking the school’s lunch and events calendars, and more. However, the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities and guarantee your right to communication in the format of your choice, whether through accessible electronic communication, large print, Braille, or another form. If your child’s school refuses or fails to provide you with effective communication, even after you request it, there are a variety of ways you can advocate. Visit our toolkit for resources that can help you advocate at the school, state, and federal level: https://buff.ly/3S2l8oi You can also notify us of technology used at your child’s school by completing the National Federation of the Blind’s Technology Survey: https://buff.ly/3S2l8oi

Be My Eyes, an innovative leader in AI technology for blind and low-vision people, is starting an initiative that will provide video data to organizations to train their AI models in a more inclusive way. There is a societal-level risk that AI development could neglect accessibility and generate biases and misconceptions about blind people. So, by providing relevant AI-training content as a proactive step, Be My Eyes aims to ensure that future AI technologies are developed without such biases, and that they accurately reflect the lived experiences of people with disabilities.  Be My Eyes is also strengthening their data and privacy policy, and is explicitly excluding the use of Be My AI photos and their generated descriptions from being shared for AI training purposes, and introducing a new opt-out program before any video data is shared. “Be My Eyes’ principles demonstrate leadership and a true commitment to shaping AI by centering on the blind experience,” said President Mark Riccobono. “There is no model that can substitute for the truth of our lived experience, and it is critical that other companies follow this example of taking meaningful steps to ensure AI models accurately and thoughtfully reflect our reality.” #ADA #ADA34 Read the full announcement:

Today we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). #ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and guarantees that they have the same opportunities as everyone else in the area of employment, the purchase of goods and services, and participation in state and local government programs. Employers, state and local governments, businesses that are open to the public, commercial facilities, transportation providers, and telecommunication companies must follow the requirements of the ADA. The National Federation of the Blind supports Title II and Title III of the ADA to ensure that blind people receive equal rights within state and local governments, and are accommodated in places like doctor’s offices, grocery stores, art museums, and private schools.

We commend the United States Department of Justice for their work and dedication to ensure that state and local government websites and mobile apps are accessible for people with disabilities. This is in support of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (#ADA). The growing use of technology and digital platforms over the years has caused state and local governments to move more of their services, programs and activities online. However, these organizations did not fulfill the ADA requirement to make their online content accessible for individuals with disabilities. So, this ruling from the Unites States Department of Justice will help to remove barriers and ensure that people with disabilities can do important activities such as apply for government benefits, register to vote, access course materials, renew government issued IDs, file taxes, pay fines, obtain up-to-date health and safety resources, request copies of vital records, access mass transit schedules and more. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke quoted a public comment from a stakeholder who emphasized the importance of the ruling. They said “As blind adults, we live just as independent, productive, and self-sufficient as anyone would. We use websites and mobile applications with screen readers on our computers and smart devices to complete any number of daily tasks including banking, budgeting, shopping, scheduling rides, tracking health records, researching, school assignments, career exploration and staying connected to loved ones. Our privacy, confidentiality, and livelihoods depend on full unrestricted accessibility of any website and mobile app available to anyone else.” We are still advocating for Title III of the ADA to ensure that blind people receive public accommodations for digital spaces. #NFB24 #ADA34

Attend our final #NFB24 virtual post-convention session with Wells Fargo on Thursday, July 25 at 2 p.m. ET. Learn about investment & estate planning and how to leverage trust options, including special needs trusts. Visit our website to register: