Upcoming Events
October 2012: Meet the Blind Month
Each October, the National Federation of the Blind holds Meet the Blind Month, a nationwide public awareness campaign. Chapters and affiliates host events in local areas demonstrating the capacity of blind people and sharing the many resources available through the NFB. Members regularly make presentations to school-age students and seniors facing vision loss, host literature tables at local fairs and festivals, and participate in various community service events. To learn more about this year’s campaign, please visit http://www.nfb.org/meet-blind-month and follow the #NFBMTBM12 hashtag on Twitter!
April 12-13, 2013: Tactile Graphics and STEM Education for the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute will host a conference on how tactile graphics can and are being made, and how the use of tactile graphics enhances STEM education for the blind. This subject is especially relevant in light of the recently published BANA guidelines, the rapid adoption of digital textbooks, and the 2010 DOJ letter and 2011 FAQ to colleges and universities and K-12 schools mandating equal access to educational materials. Registration is now open. For more information, please visit www.nfb.org/tactilegraphicsconference.
What's New
NFB Applauds Landmark
Court Ruling
The National Federation of the Blind has applauded a decision issued on October 10, 2012, by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which permits the distribution of millions of books to blind and print-disabled people. The ruling in Authors Guild, Inc., et al., v. HathiTrust, et al. held that providing access for students with print disabilities constitutes a “transformative use” under the fair use provision of the Copyright Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and that Section 121 of the Copyright Act (the “Chafee Amendment”) permits university libraries to digitize their collections for distribution and use by the blind. As a result, the University of Michigan will now be permitted to make its entire 10 million volume digital collection available to all blind Americans, revolutionizing access to digital books by the blind and print disabled. For more information about this landmark court ruling, please read the October 12 Education Week article or the official press release.
October Braille Monitor
Now Available!
The October 2012 edition of our flagship publication, the Braille Monitor, is now online! Read this month's issue, which includes a firsthand account of the 2012 National Convention by one of our scholarship winners, a review of a new refreshable Braille display, and much more. And for even more NFB news, listen to Dr. Maurer's most recent Presidential Release.
NFB Collaborates with AccuWeather®
The National Federation of the Blind and its newspaper service for the blind, NFB-NEWSLINE®, have announced a collaboration with AccuWeather®, an online weather information service, to provide emergency weather alerts to blind and print-disabled subscribers throughout America. NFB-NEWSLINE® is a free audible information access service that provides over three-hundred newspapers and magazines to the blind. The AccuWeather® information service will be offered on NFB-NEWSLINE®, giving blind and print-disabled people instant access to emergency weather alerts. For more information, please read the official press release.