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The Eyes of Texas

Fall 2006

Joe Orozco, Editor

WWW NFB of Texas

The National Federation of the Blind of Texas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of blind people throughout the state. It is an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, based in Baltimore, which engages in a number of activities to promote the equality, security and opportunity of blind individuals across America. With affiliates in the fifty states, including Puerto Rico, and 700 local chapters, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is considered to be the most influential force in the blindness field today.

In addition to a united cause to change what it means to be blind, the organization hosts a number of interest groups designed to address specific issues in a variety of professions and specialties. Since 1940, the NFB and its supporters continue to pave the way toward new horizons once thought unreachable.

Additional services include:
• NFB Jernigan Institute: The world's state-of-the-art research and training center.
• Independence Market: Provides a wealth of literature as well as aids and appliances used by the blind.
• International Braille and Technology Center: Provides the most complete evaluation and demonstration for speech and Braille technology around the world.
• NFB-Newsline®: Free talking newspapers via telephone.
• Jobline: Free telephone job database.

To contact our national headquarters, please write or call:

National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
(410) 659-9314
www.nfb.org

To learn about, or join, list-servs devoted to a number of special topics of interest to the blind, visit: www.nfbnet.org

To find a complete list of NFB literature, click here for NFB publications.

The National Federation of the Blind of Texas is proud to offer a statewide newsletter, available to its members and any other interested persons in various accessible formats, including the NFB-Newsline system. Persons or businesses interested in making special announcements for distribution via our newsletter should submit these no later than January 31, 2007 in preparation for the next issue. Note: In complying with state and federal law, announcements are not printed for the purpose of advertisement.

For questions, suggestions or article submitions, please write to:

The Eyes of Texas
P.O. Box 1453
San Marcos, Texas 78667
E-Mail Joe Orozco, Editor

To contact the National Federation of the Blind of Texas, call or write:

Tommy Craig, President
National Federation of the Blind of Texas
314 East Highland Mall Blvd.
Suite 253
Austin, Texas 78752
(512) 323-5444
www.nfb-texas.org

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In This Issue:

Foreword
From the Editor

Dear Faithful Readers:

Introductory comments are generally not necessary. This is a rare occasion, but I promise there is a point to my initial ramble.

Editing the state affiliate newsletter is one of my most exciting assignments, one I have enjoyed fulfilling for almost two years. Yet, its completion is one of the most challenging. Collecting articles is a little more difficult than one might think, and then there is a question of coding the material to be uploaded to our web site.

Recently I was reviewing our last issue of the newsletter. By some random stroke of inspiration I decided to check the formatting of the text and discovered to my horror that all of the text descending from the Table of Contents was shown in italics. No one had ever pointed this out to me, and while I could blame blindness for the oversight, the truth is that as your editor, I should have been a little more mindful of the atrocious error. My apologies. The truth is that while people may believe I am up-to-date with web design, I am only familiar with HTML and do all of my coding by hand. One missed slash or quotation mark and the page you later see could be disastrous. Regardless, I wonder what people must have thought upon seeing this visual nonsense? Actually, don't answer that. Rest assured my knowledge keeps expanding. Our membership's talents keep enhancing, and in issues to come you will be able to see our newsletter explode into a communication avenue that will be as audibly gratifying as it will be visually asthetic.

For now, I am happy to report three new features of our current and future newsletters. First, each issue henceforth will feature a new column titled: In the Spotlight, a segment dedicated to giving us all some background on some of our celebrated leaders in the Federation. While some of the special guests will be from Texas, others will hail from other parts of the country to show the organization's strength and vitality. Second, though this practice was somewhat started in the last issue, I plan to make it common habit to link up our articles to the web pages for the information the article is sharing. Often times our authors will make reference to important names or services that would require engine searches to find more information on the source. No longer. Now readers accessing our newsletter via will be able to click on the links within the articles to directly access these sources of information. Finally, readers accessing our newsletter via NFB Newsline will be able to enjoy our publication in the form of separate items rather than the continuous selection that has previously been heard.

Finally, no assignment in the NFB is possible without the help and support of a dedicated team. Thanks to our president, Tommy Craig, for having enough faith in me to keep me in this post, though one wonders how long this will last given my last admitted shortcoming. In addition to being a great friend and supporter, Tommy provides immense guidance and mentorship throughout the fulfillment of this and all other assignments. Thanks to Elizabeth Campbell for transmitting the publication to NFB Newsline. Elizabeth Campbell is our Scholarship Committee chair and serves as president of our Fort Worth Chapter. Thanks to Arika McCoy for visually editing the newsletter to ensure there are no future mishaps by yours truly. Arika is a senior at Texas Tech University, majoring in political science and minoring in the ambitious task of helping to bring out the best in me for you. And of course, thanks to our contributors for making this one more successful issue of "The Eyes of Texas." Your writing is what genuinely makes this publication come alive.

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy reading about a quarter life crisis gone successful, a glimpse into possibilities after high school graduation, an impending march through Atlanta, soda bottles crashing on the other side of the glass doors and so much more. And, stay warm. Maybe I miss Texas weather, just a little.

Yours sincerely,
Joe Orozco, Editor

From the Desk of the President

By Tommy Craig

Hello everyone:

It’s been a while since our last newsletter and a lot has happened during this time. I will do my best in this article to bring you up to date on the things that have happened over the past few months and give you an idea of what to expect during the near future.

I’d like to start by wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season. I know that many of our chapters will be holding holiday celebrations and I would love to come and visit all of you. This of course is never possible but I will try and see at least some of you during the next few months.

Before I started this article I reviewed what I had written in our previous newsletter. ... Wow we’ve all been very busy! In the last issue I discussed the Louis Braille coin legislation. At that time we were still trying to assure passage of that bill. Well thanks to all of your help we did it. The coin legislation was passed just prior to our national convention and so now we have a means of funding some great Braille literacy activities for blind children. Once again thanks to everyone who wrote, called or traveled to Washington to help pass this legislation.

I also talked about the beta test of the Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader. Well as most of you know it is no longer being tested. We introduced the reader at the national convention in Dallas. We have sold a lot of readers and we have now just released the second software upgrade since the product release. One of the newest features of the reader is the addition of RealSpeak as an additional voice for reading documents.

As most of you know we hosted a great convention in Dallas. Many of you worked in the Texas suite, the information tables or in the exhibit hall. Thanks to all of you. I have heard from people all around the country and they all say this was one of their favorite conventions ever. Of course those folks who aren’t lucky enough to live in Texas don’t realize that everything is really bigger and better in Texas. We found out in Dallas that they will get at least two more chances to learn this though. The 2008 and the 2010 national conventions will also be held at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas.

I remember asking all of you to help us set an attendance record for Texas at the national convention this summer. Boy did you! We not only broke our record but Texas broke the record for any state for attendance at a national convention. We registered 401 people this summer. We should all be very proud of this record and start trying to find ways to break it again in 2008.

We conducted several fundraising projects in Dallas. We ordered t-shirts but the company didn’t ship them in time for us to sell them. We are getting a refund on the shirts and we’ll try again in the future. We also had a variety of Texas hot sauces and gift packs for sale. Some of the items sold out right away and others didn’t do as well as we had hoped. I do believe that people were starting to catch on toward the end of the convention. I think if we continue this fundraiser that our customers will tell their friends and our sales will increase. We do have some of the gift boxes left that we need to sell. We have the Taste of Texas gift boxes and the Chuck Wagon Sampler gift boxes left. The Taste of Texas sell for $10 and the Chuck Wagon Sampler sells for $20. They make great Christmas gifts for family and friends. If you’d like to give some tasty presents and help our affiliate raise some money give us a call.

After the national convention, we were very busy working on obtaining funding for a number of projects. We have now finalized our grant from DARS for mentoring students at the Texas school for the blind. If you’d like more information about this project please contact Angela Wolf. We were also selected to be one of the states to implement a statewide mentoring program for 16 to 26 year old blind Texans. Although we know we have been selected for this program, the details are still being worked out. I’ll have more information on this project in the next newsletter.

We also finalized our funding for Newsline. We have received our first checks and we have opened our new state office. We have hired our first employee and we have a lot of wonderful things planned for the near future. (You will notice our new address at the front of this issue.) Many of you met our first employee at the state convention. We have hired Marilyn Monroe as our Administrative Assistant. Marilyn spent her first day on the job driving a van full of people to state convention. She will help us be much more efficient with all our affiliate projects. You can contact Marilyn by calling the office or by writing her to: mmonroe at nfb-texas.org. If you get to Austin please come by and visit our office. It is certainly one more thing to be proud of.

We have also been awarded an Imagination fund grant to conduct a state leadership seminar. Details haven’t been worked out yet but it will be held sometime in the spring at our new office. This will give us a chance to help grow and strengthen our chapters and affiliate.

In September the Texas affiliate conducted two seminars. We had both a Texas Association of Blind Students and a Texas Parents of Blind Children seminar in Houston. Both were extremely successful. We found new members and shared a lot of information with the people who attended. Everyone also got a chance to see the hotel were state convention would be held. I’d like to especially thank Marsha Lindsey, Brenda Dunn, Dianne Yoder and Angela Wolf for helping plan the parent seminar.

October 27-29 the only place to be if you were a blind Texan was Houston. The NFB of Texas held our annual convention at the Houston Hilton Hobby hotel. We once again set an attendance record. We registered 216 people at this years convention. Gary Wunder was our national representative and we had guest speakers from Louisiana and Tennessee. Although many exciting things happened at this year’s convention, I think the most exciting was the formation of a Parents of Blind Children’s division. Laura Adair of Houston was elected president. Laura is already hard at work tracking down new members and planning for the future. I look forward to working with Laura and the other members of the Parents Division to make the future of blind children it Texas brighter.

Cynthia Washington also chaired a meeting of Diabetics. We are looking at the possibility of establishing a Diabetics division. If you are interested, please contact Cynthia Washington at:.

P.O. Box 1917
Temple, Texas 76503

This year was our main election year. The following officers were elected:

Sam Jackson was not up for election this year and Jose Marquez was elected to fill the remainder of the board position previously held by Mark Harris.

Lawrence Doiron was not reelected to the board this year. I’d like to take a moment to thank Lawrence for his many years of service to the Federation. Lawrence has served in many positions in the Houston chapter and on the state level. Lawrence was one of the people who helped us organize the Houston Lighthouse. It has been a real privilege to work with Lawrence through the years and I’m sure that he will continue to help us grow our affiliate.

Well it is the time again to start planning for Washington Seminar. Tonight, at our quarterly board meeting, the board unanimously decided to grant transportation and hotel assistance to ten active members. Chapter and division presidents are absolutely required to submit their list of persons to be considered for this assistance no later than Sunday, December 17, with one exception. Joe Orozco has requested that members of the student division not able to sign up by way of a chapter's list send in their names to him no later than December 1. No names will be taken after these dates, no exceptions. I would encourage people who are interested in going to Washington to let your chapter president know. We always have many more request than we can afford so if you can get there on your own dime it will make it much easier for others to go. And, if you travel on your own funds, we will do what we can to offer you hotel accommmodations. The student gathering will be held Sunday, January 28. The general briefing will be conducted Monday, January 29, and our visits with congressional offices will be carried out Tuesday through Thursday, January 30 through February 1. The Texas delegation, despite it having thirty-four offices to cover, typically finishes by early Wednesday morning.

In the way of fundraising efforts to aliviate expenses like Washington Seminar, it seems appropriate to use this time to remind local chapters of a long-standing policy to contribute half of one fundraiser's proceeds to the affiliate's treasury a year. Chapters may choose any fundraiser they wish, which is to say that if five fundraisers are conducted and the range is somewhere between a thousand dollars and twenty dollars, the chapter is at liberty to contribute half of the twenty dollars to meet this requirement. Naturally, the more we contribute, the healthier our financial standing and the more we can accomplish for you our members. In the end, it is you who benefits. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

As you can see, the NFB of Texas has been busy. We have many things to be thankful for and many things to be proud of. We still have a lot of work to do. We need many more chapters. We need to grow the chapters we already have and we all need to find ways to work together and communicate better. I believe we can and will do all of these things. Sometimes things don’t happen as quickly or in the exact way we’d like, but I don’t think anyone can say we aren’t making progress. I’d like to once again thank each and everyone of you for your hard work and support over the past few years. The things we have accomplished are only the beginning but none of them would be possible without everyone working together. I look forward to working and talking with all of you in the near future.

Why I Am A Federationist

By Joleen Kinzer

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Editor's Note: To say that the National Federation of the Blind is merely for the blind would be to deny the partnership the movement has established with our sighted advocates. If our objective is to show that blindness can blend into the general society, then it only makes sense to welcome and embrace efforts by members of the general public to pick up and carry our philosophy. Joleen Kinzer was not only introduced to our ranks, she actively became a part of them, and in this article we learn a little bit about what brought us one of our newest rising leaders in the affiliate, effectively proving that you do not have to be blind to feel the spirit of our united cause.

My presence in the NFB seems to be a mystery to the locals. Most people want to know how I got involved in the first place. I had no blind friends or relatives to introduce me into the NFB, no favored teacher to tell me about the O&M program at Louisiana Tech University, and . . . I’m sighted. So, how did I wind up teaching O&M and advocating the NFB philosophy? Really, how I got here is a story of fate or faith (take your pick); why I’ve stayed is because I believe in you.

A few years ago, I was going through what I “lovingly” refer to as my quarter life crisis. I felt stuck; I had a college degree, but a passionless job. I wanted to go to graduate school, but I didn’t know what I wanted to study. So, in the process of figuring everything out, I worked with the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired for a summer. My job was to hang out with teenagers all day. We went swimming, camping, running, and hiking; we had water balloon fights and rope swing contests. I can’t tell you how much ice cream I ate! It wasn’t a difficult job to enjoy! Well, my enthusiasm was recognized by several staff members who subsequently recommended I look into TVI and O&M programs.

I was ecstatic. Never mind that I didn’t know about blindness, I was being offered a way out of my vocational uncertainty. I called several schools about O&M programs. They all offered professional opportunities (and scholarships that were hard to ignore), but I noticed something immediately different—something exciting and positive—about the Louisiana Tech University program. The attitude of the O&M programs towards blind people was obvious in those brief phone calls; Louisiana seemed to care about where blind people were coming from and what they needed while the other programs seemed to emphasize what sighted people could do for the blind. Remember, I didn’t just want a job, I wanted to be passionate about my job, and the passion of the O&M program in Louisiana reeled me in. Six weeks later, I found myself in Ruston, LA where I attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind and was inundated with the NFB philosophy.

I’m not going to say that it was an easy ride—rehab can be hard! I needed to learn to believe in myself and my capabilities as a blind individual just like any fellow LCB student. I also needed to learn how to teach others those same skills and attitudes about blindness. The more challenging aspect, however, was learning how to appropriately challenge the mainstream opinion of blindness and actually help change what it means to be blind. While being trained to become an O&M instructor and advocate for the NFB philosophy, I felt productive, not because I was going to be helping “poor” blind people, but because I was going to stand up against social negativity and teach blind people to help themselves.

In the short time I was in Louisiana, I met some wonderful people. Some blind, some sighted, all passionate people intent on changing what it means to be blind. That kind of attitude is addicting!! I owe a lot to my instructors at LCB, my adoptive NFB parents, Dr. Ferguson and his wife Jan, my friends Rosy, Marco, Mandi, Mary Jo, Amber—the list goes on. My new colleagues had encouraged me throughout the O&M program, but they cautioned me that it would be an uphill battle once I got out to the real world. Their cautions proved true. I am teaching O&M, but I am also trying to change the perspectives and attitudes of conventionally trained blindness professionals, which is a much harder task.

I enjoy my job, but I have my moments. Sometimes, trying to get blind people to recognize their own potential to be fully independent is tiring. Sometimes, trying to get blindness professionals to stop being custodial of the blind wears on me, discourages me, and takes the joy out of working with the blind. When my job gets me down, the NFB revives my passion about blindness. My passion isn’t necessarily to improve the condition of blindness, but to teach everyone, blind and sighted alike, that the blindness is just another characteristic. I am the “average sighted individual” you hear so frequently about, and I am your colleague. What can I do now except teach others that a characteristic should not define a person’s ability to achieve. Blindness itself is not shameful, pitiable, or treacherous. The way the world reacts to a blind child, however, is shameful, the lack of competitive employment for the blind is pitiable, and a blind person choosing to be a second class citizen because it’s easier is treacherous.

I continue to stay involved with the NFB because I believe people who are vying for a fair chance, and who are willing to work for that chance, deserve one.

The Post-Secondary Mentoring Project:

The Post-Secondary Program (PSP) is a collaborative program between the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and DARS, Division of Blind Services (DBS). This program serves legally blind students, ages 18-22, who have graduated from high school or achieved the equivalent. PSP is designed to give students the opportunity to experience the “Real World” in a supportive environment. Students participate in training at the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, receive academic remediation and support from TSBVI, and integrate skills from all areas in apartment living and volunteer/work experiences in the community. The program is student-driven, and we help students set long and short-term goals, enabling them to be more successful in their vocational endeavors.

Students live in efficiency apartments, where they learn the independent living skills of cooking, cleaning, and budgeting. In addition, students have the opportunity to complete thirty hours of volunteer service in the Austin area and participate in a two-month internship in the field in which they are interested. Post-Secondary students work diligently to fulfill the high expectations that have been established, but often do not have access to a variety of successful blind people, who are living normal, productive lives. In the fall of 2005, the Post-Secondary Program recognized the need for students to meet and network with positive blind role models. To support this effort, the program has worked closely with the National Federation of the Blind of Texas (NFBT) and DBS to secure the funds to enable mentors to be an integral component in PSP student training. The mentoring project officially began on September 1, 2006, and we are currently taking applications for mentors.

What will mentors be asked to do?

Individuals interested in participating as a mentor will need to complete an application and undergo a background check. All mentors will be compensated for their time. Each mentor will be paid $25 per hour, not to exceed four hours for one session. A mentor should be willing to commit to at least one to two hours of time, and should be confident in sharing his/her experiences and skills with blind young adults. A mentor session will not exceed four hours, and may include recreational activities, as well as more instructional activities within an apartment setting. The Post-Secondary Program focuses on the “Big Six” areas of training, which include adjustment to blindness, independent living, travel, communication, support systems, and vocational. All sessions will fit within at least one of these areas.

For more information about the Post-Secondary Program mentoring project, please contact The NFBT office at (512) 323-5444 or the Post-Secondary office at (512) 374-1664.

Let’s Go to the March!

By Mark Harris

Editor's Note: Mark Harris is president of the Brownsville Chapter, heads up our Texas Merchants' Division and was recently elected as first vice-president of our affiliate. A diligent worker, Mark never shies away from the job and has taken on the dedicated responsibility of recruiting scores of Texans to join us for a special occasion next summer.

What? The March for Independence

When? July 3rd 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Marriott Hotel the site of our NFB national convention.

Beginning at 6:00 AM we, the nation’s blind, will leave from the hotel for a 5K March for Independence on the streets of Atlanta, GA.  We hope to gain some major public awareness about our NFB philosophy and the real abilities of blind people.  The media coverage is being planned.  Having 1,000 blind people, or more, marching through the streets of Atlanta on the day before we celebrate our Nation’s own Independence Day.  We, the blind, want to say to the public that we are changing what it means to be blind in this country.

Every one of you from Texas is needed and wanted as a participant in the March for Independence.  The march is also a way of raising much needed funds for our Jernigan Institute through the Imagination Fund.  Anyone can sign up to march.  If you are willing to pledge or donate $250 between now and May 31, 2007.  You can ask for support from friends, family and acquaintances.  They can sponsor you in the march.  You have plenty of time to raise the money.

You can sign up at our NFB website, You can also call Kristy Bowman at the national office, (410) 659-9314, or you may telephone Kevan Worley, Chairman of the Imagination Fund to sign up.  His telephone number is (719) 527-0488 during normal business hours.

If you cannot walk the entire distance or do not feel that you can raise the $250.00 you can still be a part of the March effort.  There will be plenty of important tasks that you can be involved in during the March.  Do not think that your presence is not wanted or needed.  Currently there are ten people from Texas who are signed up for the March for Independence.  Let’s get every one who is planning to attend our national convention signed up.  If we have say 50 or 60 people from Texas attend the national convention in Atlanta, it would be outstanding for us to have 100 percent participation from our delegation.  We have some ways to go, but we can get it done, please sign up today.    See you in Atlanta for our national convention.  Remember, on Tuesday morning July 3rd the March will commence at 6:00 AM, after the March we will return to the Hotel for our always upbeat opening session.  Let’s Go to The March!

In the Spotlight

Gary Wunder

Programmer Analyst-Expert and Electronics Technologist

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Editor's Note: In the debut of our In the Spotlight column, it only makes sense to reintroduce our state convention's national representative for 2006. Possessed of a warm demeanor and polished presence, Gary Wunder brought a new dynamic to our state's largest gathering of blind residents, culminating his visit with a rousing banquet address the evening of October 28. He serves as president of the NFB of Missouri, president of the National Web Master's Division and secretary of the organization at large. Here is a little more background on one of our most distinguished leaders.

Gary Wunder was born three months prematurely in 1955, the oldest of four children. His family lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and Wunder remembers that, since he was blind from birth, he managed to persuade everyone in his family except his father to do precisely what he wanted. It would be many years before Wunder could appreciate his father's instinctive understanding that Gary had to learn to do things for himself.

Wunder tells with amusement the story of his dawning awareness of his blindness. When he was quite young, his home had sliding glass doors separating the living room from the patio. When those doors were closed, he could not hear and therefore did not know what was happening on the other side and assumed that no one else could either. One day he found several soft drink bottles on the patio and broke them. His father then opened the doors and asked if he had broken the bottles. Gary said he had not and that he did not know how they had been broken. His father then astonished him by saying that both his parents had watched him break the bottles and that his mother was now crying because she had thought surely her baby couldn't tell a lie. Gary's response was to say, "Well, she knows better now."

Wunder attended grades one through five at a Kansas City public school. When he was ten, a boy who attended the Missouri School for the Blind persuaded him that he was missing real life by staying at home. At the school, his friend told him, kids rode trains and buses. They could bowl and swim and didn't have to listen to parents. As a result Wunder did some persuading at home and was on hand for sixth grade and some necessary but painful lessons about that real world.

At the close of seventh grade Wunder returned to public schools, having learned several vitally important lessons: he knew the basics of using a white cane; he recognized that his father's demands on him had sprung from strong love and eagerness for his son to succeed; and he understood that people beyond his own family had worth and deserved his respect. But he had also learned that the school for the blind was not the Promised Land, and he was delighted to be once more in public schools for eighth grade and high school. He was elected to the National Honor Society his senior year but struggled with the mechanics of getting his work done. Braille was not readily available, and readers were hard to recruit without money to pay them.

Wunder planned to attend the University of Missouri at Kansas City in order to live with his grandmother, but, after a taste of freedom at the orientation center in Columbia, Missouri, the summer before college, he decided to enroll at the university's Columbia campus, where everyone walked everywhere and where he could contrive as many as three or four dates an evening if he hurried from place to place.

Wunder enjoys recounting the adventure which persuaded him that a blind person should always carry a white cane: "I was having dinner with a young woman who lived near me, so I had not brought my cane, figuring that I wouldn't need it. To my consternation and her distress, my plate of liver and onions slid into my lap. She asked if I wanted her to walk me home so that I could change. I was already so embarrassed that I assured her I would be right back and that I did not need her assistance. The busiest intersection in Columbia lay between me and clean slacks, and after I successfully survived that street crossing, I swore that I would never again be caught without my cane."

Wunder decided to major in political science and philosophy because he felt compelled to avoid the science and math that he loved but feared to take. During his sophomore year he met a professor from Central Missouri State University who suggested that he was ducking the challenge. Together they explored the question of whether or not a blind person could follow schematics and read voltmeters. The answers seemed to be yes, so Wunder transferred to Central Missouri State, where he graduated in 1977 with a degree in electronics technology.

He had done well with the courses, but he did not see how he could run a repair shop with its responsibility for mastering hundreds of schematics for appliances. He could teach electronics, but the professors from whom he had learned the most were those who had firsthand experience. He didn't want to be the theory-only kind of teacher.

Wunder looked for interim jobs after graduation while he tried to decide what to do, and he discovered the hard way that blind job-seekers have to be better than the competition in order to be considered at all. He vowed to become so well trained at doing something that would-be employers could not ignore him. He enrolled in a ten-month course in computer programming offered by the Extension Division of the University of Missouri. No blind person had ever entered the program before, but Wunder completed it successfully and was hired immediately (in the fall of 1978) by the Pathology Department of the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics in Columbia. Years and promotions later Wunder is successfully working at the hospital and is now a programmer analyst-expert in the Information Services Department.

Wunder first learned about the National Federation of the Blind the summer before his senior year of high school. He says, "In the beginning I thought this talk about discrimination was a pretty good racket. No one did those things to me, and I assumed that all this Federation talk about jobs being denied and parents having children taken away from them was an effective way of raising funds. I didn't realize that my father's name and reputation in my hometown were protecting me from the worst of real life. So far I had gotten what I wanted, including a motorcycle to ride on our farm and my own horse. It was some time before I recognized that these talented and committed blind people whom I was getting to know in the Federation were trying to teach me about the world that I was going to inherit. They frightened me a little, but more and more I wanted to be like them."

In late 1973, several months after Wunder started college in Columbia, Missouri, a Federation organizing team arrived to establish a new chapter, and he took an active part in the preparations. Wunder was elected president, and when he transferred to Central Missouri State two years later, he organized a chapter in Warrensburg. In 1977 Wunder was elected first vice president of the NFB of Missouri, and in 1979 he became president. Except for one two-year term he has continued in that post ever since. Wunder was elected to the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind in 1985 and in 2002 was elected secretary of the organization.

Looking back over the years of his involvement with and commitment to the Federation, Wunder says: "Despite all I learned from my parents about honor, responsibility, and the necessity to be competent, what I could never get from them was a sense of where blind people fit in a world composed mostly of sighted people. Friends and loved ones had always told me how wonderful I was (wonderful for a blind person, that is), but until I came to know members of the National Federation of the Blind, no one had the experience or knowledge to say how I could expect to measure up alongside the sighted. The NFB was the first place where I didn't get a round of applause for performing the routine activities of life. If I wanted my Federation colleagues' recognition and admiration, I had to merit them.

It sounds contradictory, but while I was learning that I wouldn't be applauded for insignificant accomplishments, I was also learning that I didn't have to possess special compensatory senses or talents to make my way in the world. When you believe that your only opportunity for success lies in being a musician but you know that your only musical talent is in listening and then you suddenly find that you are capable of doing the average job in the average place of business, your sense of freedom, hope, and possibility knows no bounds."

Gary now lives with his wife Debbie in their new home in Columbia, Missouri. Debbie is the president of the Columbia Chapter and serves as the corresponding secretary for the affiliate.

Meeting the Incoming President
By Jose Martinez

Editor's Note: At the 2006 NFBT State Convention the Texas Association of Blind Students held its annual business meeting. Among other items, the membership elected its new board, to begin their term in January of 2007. The new board looks as follows: Jose Martinez, President - Texas State University; Janice Jeang, First Vice-President - Texas A&M University; Juan Del Rosario, Second Vice-President - Houston Community College; Carla Valpeoz, Secretary - Texas Tech University; Faith Nicole Penn, Treasurer - Texas Tech University; Melissa Reyna, First Board Member - Houston Community College; and Adam Rodenbeck, Second Board Member - Austin Community College. The student division plays an integral role in affiliate building, and we all wish the new generation of leaders the very best in their ambitious endeavors.

My name is Jose Martinez, also known as A. Z. I am a senior at Texas State University in San Marcos working on a public relations major. With a business administrations minor. I currently am an on air DJ with the universities radio station. Some of the things I like to do are: I like to watch and play sports, I enjoy singing and listening to music and I truly enjoy helping people.

I have been a part of the student division since 2003. In my time with the division I have gladly served as the treasurer and 1st-vice president. I have attended national convention, Washington Seminar and this past August was a part of one of the National Center's Leadership Seminars.

I believe TABS has always been about presenting a positive image for all students. And in the upcoming year we will continue to do the same, with mentor programs, our annual student seminar and events that are in the works. I welcome all your suggestions and assistance with helping to continuing to expand what has become the country's leading state student division.

Malcolm's Corner:
Resignation of Chairman Mal Press Release
By Malcolm Graham

Editor's Note: Writing editorial comments as a precursor to articles can be a daunting task. In this case, it was downright challenging. Yet we believe in diversity as much as anybody else, and in this commical rendition, one of our most active Austin chapter members sadly shares news of his retirement, in a rather amusing fashion. Mind you, his thoughts are all his own and at no point were they forced, coerced, threatened, bullied, taunted, tricked or fooled into coming out of his imaginative little head. In fact, are we entirely sure he's one of ours?

Attention Comrades!

It is with a sad heart and considerable heartburn, that I must announce the resignation of our Dear Leader, Chairman Mal, as Secretary General of the Austin Chapter of the Blind Panther Party. The rumor that he was struck by an accessible Capital Metro bus while he attempted to cross Sixth Street to frequent a local bar called “The Chain Drive” is only partially true.

Chairman Mal has asked me to convey his profound regret for attempting to commandeer the Dillo trolley car on Friday, Oct. 13th. He has apologized to Cap Metro officials for threatening to shoot the driver and several obese Republicans traveling to the bar that night. Our Dear Leader does admit that he has a problem with alcohol and Suffers from a severe case of triskaidekaphobia.

Moreover, he is a gay man or a transgender male: It’s not entirely clear to us at this time.

He was not molested by any priest at any time while attending parochial schools in Mobile, Alabama. However, he was gang raped by a herd of wild horses while on a spirit Walk with a Native American tribe somewhere in New Mexico on or about Friday the 13th circa 1969.

He did, as his final act before checking into Rehab. Cast his vote for the next Governor of the State of Texas, Kinky freedman, and voted against all obese republicans on the ballot. This means he may have voted for one anorexic female Republican candidate in a gerrymandered district, only because he was confused by the talking voting machine which apparently announced his selections in Surround Sound Stereo, a result of an unexpected glitch with the electronic voting machine.

Respectfully submitted by, Drew L Spitz, Director of Very Public Affairs, ATC/BPP: POWER TO THE PEEPS!

*Note: chairman Mal will recuperate at the “Last Resort Center for Character Development. It is surrounded by verdant hills and grassy knolls in the Texas Hill Country. Last Resort specializes in cognitive and financial restructuring, Addiction Studies, Tm, BM, and ATM.

PS: Chairman Mal did not call the Interim director of Special Transit Services “a stupid little bitch,” as reported. His speech was slurred, however, and he was attempting to ask the Ralphster, “Will you be a cognitively challenged witch on Halloween this year?”

In Other News

Editor's Note: The following was collected and disseminated by John Reynolds from the Division for Blind Services. Mr. Reynolds his pledged his support for the Texas Association of Blind Students and has already vastly opened up communication between our affiliate and the state agency. As a personal note from the editor, I am excited to welcome his cooperation as we come one step closer to building a solid alliance between our agency and our fellow consumers.

NOTE: The following announcements are for your information only and do not reflect the endorsement or opinion of the Division for Blind Services or the National Federation of the Blind of Texas or any of its chapters or divisions. For further details, please contact these entities directly at the information provided.

The Hartford Ski Spectacular: Disabled Sports USA’s premier annual ski program in Breckenridge, CO, is scheduled for December 3 – 10, 2006.  A level I race, USSA coaches clinic and mentoring program are all exciting additions to the regular program of learn to ski; mid-level development camp; elite level II races, the PSIA adaptive academy and more!!  To register visit www.dsusa.org or call 240-268-0238.

THE WASHINGTON CENTER FOR INTERNSHIPS AND ACADEMIC SEMINARS (TWC): This prestigious educational nonprofit organization, now in its 30th year, through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, provides a limited number of competitive scholarships for undergraduate college students with disabilities interested in working in the executive, judicial or legislative branches of the federal government during the spring 2007 semester. For additional information, visit ww.twc.edu/disability_services.shtml

2007 SUMMER CONGRESSIONAL INTERNSHIP FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Administered by AAPD and sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, second-semester sophomores through first-semester seniors interested in working on Capitol Hill are encouraged to apply. Accepted candidates will work in congressional offices in Washington, DC. Roundtrip air travel and housing will be provided to interns, and each student will receive a stipend. Applications will be available soon from www.aapd.com. Apply by: DECEMBER 11, 2006 (5:00pm, eastern).

2007 SUMMER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (I.T.) INTERNSHIP FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Administered by AAPD and sponsored by Microsoft Corporation, undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in information technology are encouraged to apply. Accepted candidates will work in various agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. Roundtrip air travel and housing will be provided to interns, and each student will receive a stipend. Applications will be available soon from www.aapd.com. Apply by: DECEMBER 11, 2006 (5:00pm, eastern).

RESOURCE GUIDE FOR PARENTS WHO ARE BLIND OR PARTIALLY SIGHTED: Through the Looking Glass and its National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities recently announced the release of the first comprehensive resource guide for parents who are blind or partially sighted.   "Hands-On Parenting: A Resource Guide for Parents who are Blind or Partially Sighted" provides a wide range of practical information, adaptations and resources for parents who are blind or partially sighted. To order this Resource Guide or other publications regarding parenting with a disability, please call 1-800-644-2666.  Or, you can also go to Through the Looking Glass' web site: http://www.lookingglass.org

NEW BOOK ON SERVING CLIENTS WITH DISABILITIES FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS:  “The Disability Factor: Five Simple Tools to Better Serve and Counsel People with Disabilities” by Shayn Anderson is designed as a helpful guidebook for professionals, in particularly counselors, to better service individuals with disabilities who seek their services. For more information on visit ww.diversityshop.com/store/product30.html

NCD ISSUES NEW EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PAPER: The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released The Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on People with Disabilities: A Look Back and Remaining Challenges. This paper focuses on the effects of the hurricanes on people with all types of disabilities. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/hurricanes_impact.htm

EMPLOYER EMPLOYMENT GUIDES: The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation (OSERS) located in the U.S. Department of Education has run out of hard copies of its popular employment guides, but they can be downloaded from their web site. Disability Employment 101 and Disability Employment 101 For Your Business target small- and medium-sized businesses that may or may not have thought of increasing their hiring pool by hiring employees with disabilities. http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/products/employmentguide/index.html

DISABILITY MENTORING GUIDE AVAILABLE ON LINE: The recently published “Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring” is available on line in both PDF and Word formats. It was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth under a grant from the Office of Disability Employment Policy/US DOL. It addressed the needs of youth with disabilities during their transition from school to work. http://www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/mentoring.html

DISABILITY MATTERS:  This Internet talk radio show hosted by businesswoman and disability employment leader Joyce Bender can be heard live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern at www.voiceamerica.com. The broadcast is also closed captioned and has a toll free caller/listener number, 1-866-472-5788. Transcripts and re-broadcasts can be found at www.benderconsult.com.

SUNTRUST BANK: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE VIDEO: Posted in the JAN Presentation Library is a new educational video, "SunTrust Bank: Creating an Inclusive Culture." This 8 minute video details SunTrust Bank's efforts to create an inclusive workplace environment for employees with disabilities. To view this video or other training resources in the JAN Presentation library please go to: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/ppt/

CAREER EXPO 2006 -2007:  CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine’s next four career fairs are scheduled for: November 6, 2006 in Washington, DC; January 31, 2007 in Los Angeles; March 2007 in New York City; and April/May 2007 in Boston. For information visit http://www.eop.com/schedeventsdc.html.

ANNUAL FEDERAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE: The annual “Perspectives on Employment of Persons with Disabilities” Conference is scheduled for December 6-8, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, Maryland. This conference is designed for federal HR specialists, disability program managers and all federal managers involved in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, supervising, retaining and promoting federal employees with disabilities. Program and registration information is available at www.grad.usda.gov/perspectives

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE AND LEADERSHIP FORUM ON ACCESSIBILITY - ACCESSIBILITY IN THE CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT: This event, held in conjunction with ATIA’s 8th Annual Conference, is designed for corporations that are developing their accessibility strategies to address the needs of their employees and customers with disabilities. The ATIA Leadership Forum on Accessibility will be held in Orlando, Florida on January 25-26, 2007. For details contact ATIA Toll-free: 1-877-OUR-ATIA (877-687-2842) or email via at info@atia.org to be put on their mailing list.  http://www.atia.org

JAN 2007 CONFERENCE: The Job Accommodation Network will hold its annual training conference at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Virginia on August 6 & 7, 2007. This conference is held in different areas of the country each year to provide an opportunity for employers, service providers and individuals to benefit from the expertise of JAN’s staff. Save the date and watch for information on the conference by visiting their website at http://www.jan.wvu.edu

DOJ ON-LINE COURSE ON REACHING THE DISABILITY MARKET: The U.S. Department of Justice's Disability Rights Section's has an online course for businesses, “Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities.” The course explains how the ADA applies to businesses in ten short lessons. Putting these lessons into practice enables businesses to both comply with the ADA and attract the disability market. The course is at http://www.ada.gov/reachingout/intro1.htm

SPORTS & RECREATION: Disabled Sports USA offers sports and recreation opportunities to people with disabilities at 85 chapters throughout the United States.  This includes the “Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project”, a program for the service men and women injured in recent conflicts overseas. For more information, a chapter listing and calendar of events visit www.disabledsportsusa.org

AT YOUR SERVICE: WELCOMING CUSTOMERS WITH DISABILITIES: A free, accessible, self-paced web course for people interested in discovering best practices for working with customers who have disabilities. This course has recently been revised and expanded in response to requests from more than 10,000 participants who have taken the course. It was funded with federal dollars for training local public customer service representatives, but has been found to be a valuable training tool for the private sector. http://www.wiawebcourse.org/

Affiliate Registration

Our efforts are for nothing without your support. If you have not already registered as a member of our organization, we invite you to register now so that you can be among the first to know about upcoming events and special developments. Your information will never be shared with a third party without your written consent. Upon your form's receipt, your information will be forwarded to a chapter president in your area if one is available.

All items marked with an asterisk are required.

THE NFB PLEDGE

I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.

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