2006 STATE CONVENTION
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF ILLINOIS
“COMRADERY, COLLABORATION, & COMMITMENT”
2006 IABS Presidential Report
Download the IABS Presidential Report Microsoft Word Format
Illinois Association of Blind Students
Fall 2006
Presidential Report
The Illinois Association of Blind Students has been actively engaged in changing what it means to be blind in Illinois. In the coming months, we anticipate facilitating activities, hosting events, and pursuing issues that assist blind students in receiving high-quality educations. Our aim is to serve the blind community through advocacy, educational programming, leadership, and empowerment. Only through comradery, collaboration, and commitment, can IABS effectively serve its membership.
Last summer, a number of Federationists began taking steps toward the reformation of a student division in Illinois. They conducted research, sought advice, drafted document after document, and repeated this process over and over again. Thanks to the advice and support of Patti Chang, Debbie Stein, Kelly Doty, Bill Reif, Cathy Randall, Carmen Dennis, Lois Montgomery, Russ Montgomery, Brian Johnson, Steve Benson, Ronit Ovadia, Ryan Strunk, Connie Davis, Ronza Othman, Dave Wright, Lori Brown, Jennifer Justice, David Harlow, Bruce Paul, Christella Garcia, Tiffany Jolliff, Megan Joost, Patrick Olson, Brad Kuhn, Joe Hamilton, Nathanial Weills, Joe Orozco, Bryan Bashin, Mary Anne Parks, Rob Hobson, Jeff Thompson, Shawn Mayo, and Stacy Survenka, IABS created a Constitution.
In August, IABS held a General Business Meeting. There, the members adopted the Constitution and elected officers. The National Association of Blind Students recognized IABS as a state chapter. The Board of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois ratified the Constitution in September and generously pledged a charter grant of $1000 to help fund IABS programs and activities.
In October, IABS, along with the Chicago Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, collaborated to co-sponsor a Meet the Blind Month event at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Members distributed literature and wrote people’s names in Braille for them. They also demonstrated technology and equipment such as JAWS, a portable CC-TV, a Braille Lite, and Braille watches and compasses. More than 200 people received literature and interacted with NFB members. The event was so successful that the group ran out of literature. Thanks to Steve Hastalis, Joe Monti, Patricia Foxx, and Ronza Othman for working this event.
Two nights ago, IABS began what we hope will become an annual tradition by instituting the Fall IABS Outing. Thirty-two Federationists and their families and friends attended “Wicked, the Musical” in downtown Chicago. The theater provided us with Braille and large-print programs and audio captioning for those who wanted it. We enjoyed emersion in an experience of psychosocial consciousness at one of Chicago’s hottest attractions, and we did so as a Federation family.
Yesterday afternoon, IABS hosted an interactive workshop. NFB Family Feud provided Conventioneers with an avenue for discussing issues and stereotypes associated with blindness. The Jernigan Institute conducted a survey earlier this year concerning ranging issues involving blindness and compiled responses in a game-like manner. By encouraging participants to think about questions such as what may be found in a blind child’s bookbag, or which jobs blind people cannot perform, individuals can begin dispelling their own misconceptions and better understand those held by others. We must first understand our own values and potential before we can renew our commitment to spreading the message to the unenlightened.
Later today, IABS will be hosting the annual Student Luncheon. We will discuss issues relevant to blind and visually impaired students. In addition, this year’s scholarship and internship winners will introduce themselves. We will learn about the NABS scene. Moreover, IABS will present Excellence in Teaching Blind Students Awards to two very deserving educators. In order to insure high-quality education for the blind in this state, the organized blind must collaborate with educators and administrators. Illinois boasts some of the most talented and committed teachers in the country. It is time we recognized them for their dedication and skill. Without them, none of us would be here.
Effective programs require financing. IABS has been very busy building a sound treasury. Thanks to assistance from Peggy Elliott, IABS has obtained a Tax ID number and opened a banking account. Bob Gardner has generously agreed to serve as our authorized signatory from the NFBI Board. We’re ready to begin spending money on programs. Now we just need money to spend.
Last night, IABS hosted IABS Idol. Members performed acts and songs before a critical and honest panel of judges. This event generated $210. Congratulations to David Meyer on an award-winning performance. Thank you to everyone who participated. Special thanks to Byron Lee and Blaire Alper for an amazing job handling all our sound needs. We’re also grateful to Jaelyn Leary for working the music board and coordinating the acts.
Currently, IABS is selling raffle tickets for $1 each and 6 for $5. The person who purchases the winning ticket will receive one-half of the proceeds from the raffle. Good luck to everyone who participates.
IABS is also selling shot glasses for $3 each or 2 for $5. These collectibles are square-shaped and boast a design by our resident artist, Jennifer Justice. The artwork consists of the Braille letters “IL” with the print letters “IABS” beneath them, all of which are surrounded by the shape of the State of Illinois. The image is a reddish-orange color. The glasses can also double as stylus holders. Please support IABS by purchasing a shot glass or two, or an entire set for your party needs.
IABS is pleased to announce the launch of our website. Visitors can find updated information about events and activities as well as links to valuable resources. Special and infinite thanks go out to Ruth Anne Wheeler for her hard work in creating and maintaining the site.
The Student Division will be very busy in the coming months. IABS plans to be well-represented at Washington Seminar in January. Students are a critical constituency, and our issues matter. We have an obligation to promote those issues to our legislators. They can only create policy on our behalf if we demand to be heard. We will address Braille literacy, accessible instructional materials at the post-secondary level, and other issues of importance to blind students. We must demonstrate our personal commitment to these issues and convey our refusal to accept the mediocre and the substandard. We will change what it means to be blind at Washington Seminar.
Next March, IABS, along with the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, will collaborate on a youth seminar. “Opening Doors, Opening Minds” will take place the 30th and 31st of March at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. The seminar will emphasize self-advocacy and the role of technology in the classroom. Students will gain skills from successful blind adults. The forum will furnish an opportunity to discuss stereotypes and misconceptions about blindness. The cost is $20 per person, and space is limited. Applications are available at the information table and will soon be posted on the website.
Mentorship is a cornerstone of the student division’s work. We plan to implement a mentoring program that includes this year’s scholarship and internship recipients as well as the spring seminar attendees. Such interaction will continue through the coming year. Mentors will assist students with various areas, including obtaining accessible textbooks, creating education plans with the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and providing reminders about NFB events, seminars, and conventions. It is our duty and responsibility to help those that succeed us, just as those who preceded us paved the way.
Next summer, IABS will partake in the National Federation of the Blind’s most ambitious activity in history. We will march alongside Federationists from all over the country on the morning of July 4th in Atlanta. Our March for Independence will demonstrate to the world, and to ourselves, that we are, as Dr. Maurer reminded us last summer, “on the move.” We are the organized blind, and we will not be stopped, slowed, or thwarted. IABS calls each of you to join the march for independence. We encourage you to begin seeking pledges and sponsors now. Marchers need to have raised $250 to participate. IABS pledges to help spread the message. We will come to schools, distribute flyers, talk to relatives, and whatever else our members need to raise enough money to participate. By marching for independence, we’re changing what it means to be blind in America.
The year 2006 has been very eventful for IABS, and 2007 promises to surpass all expectations. I, as your President, serve at the pleasure of the membership. I am grateful that you believe I can lead this division, and I plan to continue to serve you to the best of my abilities. I am privileged to serve alongside some of the most talented and motivated people I’ve ever known. The IABS Board of Directors works diligently to design programs and events that capture the interest of the membership, while simultaneously pursuing the goals of our organization. Thank you to Dave Wright, Lori Brown, Jennifer Justice, David Harlow, Christella Garcia, and Bruce Paul. Because of who you are and what you do, we are changing what it means to be blind in Illinois.
I ask the membership to remember something a friend of mine once said to another state’s student division.
Please remember that your value to our cause is not measured by whether or not you hold a position on our board. The only thing that separates you from the board is responsibility. History tells us that the most dedicated advocates understood that the message was more important than the title, and if your heart is true, you will discover that the latter is an empty glory without the former. You should hold your board accountable, and you should be just as willing to allow the board to hold you responsible for the fulfillment of their mission that is impossible to implement without your participation.
My fellow IABS members, we are here because of the comradery we share, the collaboration we exercise, and the commitment we foster. May we continue to prosper as a division, as an affiliate, as an organization, and as a movement. We’re absolutely changing what it means to be blind. Thank you.
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