[nfb-talk] brief history of the NFB

[Heather Field]

Hi Sherri,
I'm sorry this is probably a bit late for you today, but I've posted a brief
history of the NFB below. I can't quite remember which publication I got it
from but I know it was part of NFB material. I think it might have been part
of a press release and, if memory serves me, I think I may have edited it a
bit to make it shorter. Anyway, it's what I use when I'm speaking publicly
about the NFB.
Hope it's useful.
Best, 

Heather Field

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND:
Information about the organization 
Brief History 
In 1940, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, a noted civil rights lawyer and scholar who
happened to be blind, led a group of blind friends and colleagues to found
the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).  Over the next sixty years the
NFB expanded, with the consistent critical mission of promoting
independence, hope, and a sense of personal responsibility among the blind.
>From these humble beginnings, the NFB has grown to become a credible force
for advancing the cause of independence and opportunities for the blind of
the world.  
As the largest organization of blind and visually impaired individuals in
the country, with 50,000 members and state and local affiliates in all fifty
states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, we have over 62 years of
experience in self-help initiatives.  This growing national organization is
uniquely positioned to provide useful information, resources, and personal
support to the rapidly increasing number of seniors who find themselves
suddenly challenged by diminishing eyesight.
Mission

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is changing what it means to be
blind.  Our mission is:
To achieve widespread emotional acceptance and intellectual understanding
that the real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight but the
misconceptions and lack of information which exist.  We do this by bringing
blind people together to share successes, to support each other in times of
failure, and to create imaginative solutions.
The NFB includes blind and visually impaired individuals, parents of blind
children, and interested friends, families, elected and appointed
governmental representatives and professionals working in the fields of
blindness, vocational rehabilitation and special education.

Accomplishments

Technology: The road to the future
.	The NFB developed and operates NFB-NEWSLINER, a free national
text-to-synthetic-speech telephone-based service that delivers the text of
articles from more than 90 newspapers across the country to approximately
40,000 blind users in communities around the U.S.
.	The International Braille and Technology Center (IBTC), located at
NFB headquarters in Baltimore, is a comprehensive evaluation, demonstration,
and training center with over $2 million worth of speech and Braille access
technology for the blind-every significant device available today. The IBTC
provides direct training and consultation services to blind people,
rehabilitation and education professionals, and parents, as well as state,
federal, and private-sector technology coordinators. Thousands of others are
assisted through phone calls, e-mail, and publications. 
.	The National Federation of the Blind Research and Training
Institute--The Jernigan Institute--houses (among other things) a research
library on blindness, an auditorium, classrooms, and research facilities.
Here blind and sighted professionals apply the NFB's experience and
expertise to achieve breakthroughs in teaching blind children,
rehabilitating blind seniors, improving employment prospects for blind
adults, and conducting useful and sensible research to assist blind people
of all ages.
Education and rehabilitation services 
.	The NFB leads a national effort to guarantee that the blind have
choice in rehabilitation services, thus stimulating improvements in training
opportunities and encouraging self-determination among the blind.
.	Three model NFB residential rehabilitation centers place over 90% of
graduates in employment or higher education.
.	Federation publications include a monthly news magazine in the
blindness field, a quarterly for parents of blind children, and a quarterly
newspaper for blind diabetics. Also, over five million copies of Kernel
Books (a series of twenty-five large print, Braille, and tape books that
include inspirational stories told by blind people about themselves) have
been distributed around the world in the last twelve years.
.	Braille literacy promotion projects of the NFB include the Braille
Readers Are Leaders Contest; Braille Is Beautiful, a disability awareness
curriculum designed to teach sighted children and their families about
Braille and blindness; Braille Story Hours; and Braille technology seminars
for parents of blind children.
.	A national scholarship program sponsored by the NFB awards over
$100,000 in scholarships every year and provides mentoring relationships for
blind students with some of this country's most dynamic blind professionals.