[Nfbnet-members-list] Information and Instructions for NFB Independence Market Product Demonstrators at the 2014 National Convention

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Wed Jun 18 02:11:21 UTC 2014



Information and Instructions
for NFB Independence Market Product Demonstrators
at the 2014 National Convention


Thank you for volunteering to work in the NFB 
Independence Market as a Product Demonstrator at 
our convention this year. Your role in the market 
is crucial in our operations. Without your help, 
we would not be able to recreate the Independence 
Market at convention to give everyone the 
opportunity to get a unique, hands-on look at 
many blindness products. We know that your 
efforts will help to make the Independence Market 
experience a positive one for many other 
convention attendees. This year we are providing 
you with information in advance, which we hope 
both first-time volunteers and veteran Product Demonstrators will find useful.

The Independence Market will be open to the 
public during the following days and times:
Wednesday, July 2­9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 3­8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Friday, July 4­12:00-1:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 5­12:00-1:45 p.m.

You will be contacted separately about your individual work schedule.

The kickoff meeting for all convention workers 
will be at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2, in the 
Signature II room on the second floor of the 
Rosen Centre Hotel. At that time, general 
information relevant to all convention workers 
will be shared and all are encouraged to attend, 
even if you don't have a work shift immediately 
following the meeting. The Independence Market 
contingent will then adjourn to the exhibit hall, 
so that everyone can learn about the layout of the market.

The Independence Market will be located with the 
Exhibit Hall in the Orange County Convention 
Center, Level 2, West Hall, just across the 
covered walkway from the Rosen Centre. This is 
the same location as last year. As you enter the 
exhibit hall, you will be facing south. The 
Independence Market will be in the southwest 
(back right) corner of the exhibit area. Our 
tables will be arranged in a rectangle, with the 
checkout/pay station area on the south (back) 
side of the rectangle. Canes will be at the 
southeast (back left) corner of the rectangle. 
Other Independence Market products will be on 
display on all sides of the rectangle of tables. 
There should be two chairs behind each table displaying products.

Product Demonstrators should come in to the 
rectangle at the northwest (front right) corner 
of the rectangle. When you arrive for your work 
shift, please check in with Jenivieve White about 
your specific work assignment. Feel free to 
mention if you would like to demonstrate 
particular items. We will try to accommodate your 
preferences as much as we can. However, keep in 
mind that we may have already given that spot to 
someone else and that we may need you to 
demonstrate other items. Your flexibility to help 
out wherever needed will be much appreciated.

Your job will be to show the demo products in 
your area to interested passersby. You will not 
be handling the actual stock. Please make sure 
that the demos come back to you, once potential 
customers have examined them. Ellen Ringlein will 
come around and train you on each of the items 
you are demonstrating. Please pass on any 
feedback from Independence Market visitors to her.

Each demo item is labeled with a laminated 
Braille/large print tag, with paper print labels 
behind it. If someone is interested in purchasing 
a product, pull off one of the paper tags and 
give it to the potential customer. If the 
customer wants to buy more than one of the same 
item, just give them one tag and ask them to 
mention at checkout how many of a specific 
product they wish to buy. Please attract the 
attention of Jenivieve White or Brenda Rollins if 
you have run out of paper tags for an item. They 
will replenish the paper tags. If we have sold 
out of an item at convention, they will attach a 
Braille/print “Sold Out” tag. Some products have 
a “Demo Only” tag, as we did not bring any stock to convention for that item.

As a courtesy to your fellow volunteers, please 
arrive on time for your work shifts and stay the 
entire shift. If you need to take a short break, 
ask one of your neighbors to cover your area.

Below is a list indicating what will be on each 
table as well as some general information about 
the overall layout. This information will give 
you an idea of the types of products available at 
the Independence Market and help you to direct others to specific areas.

Table 1: The first table at the southern end of 
the west side (in the back right corner) of the 
Independence Market rectangle of tables

•Literature related to NFB History

Table 2:

•Blind Driver Challenge shirts

•Specialty items, including NFB jewelry, the 
Louis Braille commemorative silver dollar, and 
the National Center stoneware mug, as well as the 
NFB songbook and the Christmas Programs CD.

Table 3:

•Men's and women’s Braille watches

•Men's talking watches

Table 4:

•Women's talking watches

•A Braille clock and the smaller talking clocks

Table 5:

•Talking desk clocks

•Kitchen aids, including timers, a cooking 
thermometer, and a liquid level indicator

Table 6: The last table at the northern end of 
the west side (in the front right corner) of the table rectangle

•Kitchen aids, including a knife with a slicing 
guide, double spatula/tongs, a talking kitchen scale, and the cornbread kit

•Various measuring cups and spoons and an egg separator

Table 7: The first table at the western end of 
the north side (in the front right corner) of the table rectangle

•Sewing aids

•Clothing organizers, including a color identifier

Table 8:

•Tactile and audio labeling aids, including 
stick-on bumps, the Penfriend, and Braille food labels

•Digital recorders, including the Wilson and the 
Victor Reader Stream as well as Recording and Playback Devices Accessories

Table 9:

•Household items, such as various locating devices and accessible padlocks

•Household items, including a large button phone, 
an indoor/outdoor thermometer, and a thermostat

•Talking calculators and an abacus



Table 10:

•Measuring devices, including a click rule, 
tactile rulers, and a talking measuring tape

•Measuring devices, including a light sensor, an 
audible battery tester, and the iBill banknote identifier

•Talking bathroom scale

Table 11:

•Other medical devices and the Choose Your Foods book

•Magnifiers

Table 12:

•Low vision products, including the book So You 
Don't See As Well As You Used To, large print 
record keeping aids, dark lined writing paper, and 20/20 Pen

•Writing guides

Table 13:

•Braille slates

•Braille styluses and eraser

Table 14:

•Braille paper and a notebook

•Braille labeling aids, including various plastic index cards

Table 15: The last table at the eastern end of 
the north side (in the front left corner) of the table rectangle

•Various Braille learning aids, including the 
print/Braille book Sadie Can Count

•Literature about learning Braille

Table 16: The first table at the northern end of 
the east side (in the front left corner) of the table rectangle

•Literature about learning Braille

•Other literature related to Braille

Table 17:

•Various coloring and activity books as well as raised line drawing boards

•Various balls and a Frisbee

Table 18:

•Various card games and tactile Dice

•Board games

Table 19:

•More board games

Table 20:

•Literature relating to education and rehabilitation and training


The cane demonstration area is between tables 20 and 21.

Table 21: The first table past the cane 
demonstration area at the eastern end of the 
south side (near the back left corner) of the table rectangle

•Topographical puzzle map of the United States

•Various travel related items such as cane tips, 
a talking compass, a talking pedometer, and sleepshades

Table 22: The last table before the checkout/pay 
station area, which is also on the south (back) side of the table rectangle

•Literature related to teaching cane travel

•UPS shipping box

Please let us know if the information provided in this document was helpful.

We appreciate that you are generously donating 
your time to contribute to the success of the 
Independence Market at convention. We would not 
be able to pull off such a complex operation 
without everyone’s help. Thank you again for all your efforts.


(Mrs.) Patricia A. Maurer

Director of Reference, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Jernigan Institute

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

200 East Wells Street

      at Jernigan Place

Baltimore, Maryland  21230

Phone:  (410) 659-9314, extension 2272

Fax:  (410) 685-2340

E-mail:  <mailto:communityrelations at nfb.org>communityrelations at nfb.org



The National Federation of the Blind knows that 
blindness is not the characteristic that defines 
you or your future. Every day we raise the 
expectations of blind people, because low 
expectations create obstacles between blind 
people and our dreams. You can live the life you 
want; blindness is not what holds you back.



To make a donation to the National Federation of 
the Blind Imagination Fund campaign, please visit 
my page at 
<https://app.mobilecause.com/public/social/9738>https://app.mobilecause.com/public/social/9738. 

















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