February Bulletin

Greetings Fellow Federationists,

“If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy”. Thomas Jefferson

Washington Seminar 2014
Even Thomas Jefferson would have opposed sub-minimum wages for disabled persons. This past week hundreds of members of the National Federation of the Blind roamed the halls of congress to visit representatives to ask for their support for HR 831 Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2013, HR 3505 The Technology, Education and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act (TEACH Act) and seeking a sponsor the Air Carrier Technology Accessibility Act.
The California delegation broke up into four teams and visited all fifty four representatives and senators from our state. This year, many of us had the opportunity to meet with our representatives who were in town for the State of the Union address by President Obama. The national office will be updating us with the responses that we received. To stay informed go to www.nfb.org and read about the highlights of the 2014 Washington Seminar.

Chemistry Camp 2014
Applications are being accepted for a three day accessible science experience. We are looking for blind high school students ages 14-18 who have a desire to learn about how a blind person can study science. During this exciting and busy three day experience, students will get to learn how blind and visually impaired people use chemistry in their careers. If you know of any blind and visually impaired high school students, please have them contact Angela Fowler at 530) 902-0987 or email her at fowlers@syix.com.

Accessible Tax Forms
The IRS has made tax forms and other products available to taxpayers with disabilities. Please help us to spread the word about these services which are available at http://www.irs.gov/uac/IRS.gov-Accessibility.

Job Opportunities for Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired (TVI’s)
There are several open positions for teachers of the blind and visually impaired in California. As you know, there is a shortage of teachers with the expertise of Braille instruction and/ or orientation and mobility. If you know of a qualified TVI, please contact Santa Clara County Office of Education, San Benito County Office of Education, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, and the Orange County Office of Education.

San Francisco State University and California State University Los Angeles TVI programs have received a federal grant to assist applicants with financial support for this fall. Please help locate applicants for the programs at San Francisco State University and California State University, Los Angeles. Check with recent college graduates, paraprofessionals who enjoy working with students with visual impairments, individuals who are seeking a fulfilling career change, and other general/special ed teachers who wish to add VI credential.

The Program in Visual Impairments at San Francisco State University is accepting applications for Fall 2014 semester.
If you know of anyone seeking a rewarding professional career and would like to become a TVI, please refer them to the following websites for more information. Program in Visual Impairments
http://www.sfsu.edu/~visimp/index.htm

Application requirements
http://www.sfsu.edu/~spedcd/applyedsp.html

How to Apply
http://www.sfsu.edu/~spedcd/apply.html

National Federation of the Blind Commends Microsoft and GW Micro for Groundbreaking Accessibility Partnership
During the Washington Seminar Californians discussed the issues blind people face in dealing with technology that is not accessible. Recently, GW Micro and the Microsoft Corporation announced a partnership to make Window-Eyes, a screen reading software program, available for free to users of Microsoft Office 2010 or higher. More details about this groundbreaking offer are available at www.WindowEyesForOffice.com.

Announcing the 2014 Microsoft Disability Scholarship Fund
We are excited to share details of the new Microsoft Disability Scholarship Fund targeting students with disabilities entering college in the fall. This is a new initiative from Microsoft and the Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG), built in partnership with Seattle Foundation. The scholarship website is open to applications until March 15th. Contact:
Disability Employee Resource Group
Microsoft Corporation
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/programs/microsoftdisabilityscholarship.aspx

NFB Scholarship Application Deadline March 31, 2014
The NFB Scholarship Program invites blind students who will attend college in Fall 2014 to apply for a scholarship. The National Federation of the Blind offers 30 awards, worth from $3,000 up to $12,000, plus assistance for the 30 winners to attend the July 2014 Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. For full information and the online application form, go to http://www.nfb.org/scholarships

Mary Willows, President
3934 Kern Court
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 462-8575
mwillows@sbcglobal.net