Please check back as we populate this calendar with additional events. Registration links will become available at least two months in advance.
Are you a registered student and need more individual attention related to career readiness? Our staff would love to provide this level of attention as needed. Please send us an email and describe what you are looking for and how quickly you need the assistance.
Getting Around: Transportation Independence for Every Trip
Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Deadline to register: Wednesday, September 30
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
Getting where you need to go, on your own terms, on your schedule, is one of the most direct expressions of independence there is. This session covers the landscape of transportation: from navigating a local bus route on a weekday morning to planning a multi-city trip on your own. Whether you are commuting to a job, traveling to an interview in an unfamiliar city, or figuring out how to get home after a late shift, the same core skills apply, and this is where you build them.
Key Highlights
- Learn how to research and plan trips using accessible tools including WMATA's trip planner, Google Maps, the Transit app, and long-distance options like Amtrak and rideshare platforms, all with screen reader compatibility
- Walk through commute planning from start to finish, including how to identify accessible routes, build in contingency time, and develop a reliable routine you can count on
- Explore longer-distance travel scenarios: booking accessible transportation, navigating airports and train stations independently, and knowing your rights when accessibility features fail to deliver
- Discuss how to request accommodations from transit providers, including paratransit eligibility, reduced fare programs, and airline or rail accessibility services
- Practice handling a real disruption: your train is delayed, the elevator is out, and you have somewhere to be in thirty minutes
Getting around is a skill set, not a personality trait. The more you know the systems, the more the systems work for you. Click here to register for Getting Around.
NFBV State Convention
Date: October 22-25, 2026
Deadline to register: Friday, September 25
Time: Thursday 5:00 PM to Sunday at 12:00 PM
Format: In-Person
The NFBV State Convention is one of the most concentrated gatherings of blind and low vision Virginians of the year, and for Project RISE students, it is one of the highest-value experiences in the program calendar. This is not a field trip. It is four days inside a community of people who have navigated exactly what you are navigating, found careers, built lives, and are willing to talk about how they did it.
Key Highlights
- Attend general sessions, workshops, and division meetings with blind and low vision professionals, advocates, and leaders from across Virginia and beyond
- Put the transportation planning skills from October 7 into direct practice navigating the Herndon area and the convention venue independently
- Compete in or observe the NFB Mock Trial, one of the convention's signature student experiences, where participants argue a case before a panel and put advocacy, reasoning, and public speaking skills to the test in a format that mirrors real courtroom procedure
- Connect with blind mentors working in fields you are curious about and have conversations you could not arrange any other way
- Engage with the NFB community as a participant, not a visitor, and leave with at least one new contact and one new idea about your future
Project RISE will provide pre-convention coaching and post-convention debrief support to help you make the most of every day. Details on convention registration and logistics will be shared with enrolled students directly. Click here to register for the state convention.
Your Name Before You Walk In: Building a Personal Brand That Works
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Deadline to register: Wednesday, October 21
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
Your personal brand is not just your Instagram. It is the impression you leave every time you interact with someone, in person, online, in an email, on a phone call, or across a table. It is built from the way you communicate, the way you carry yourself, the consistency between what you say and what you do, and the reputation that follows you into rooms you have not entered yet. Most people let that reputation build by accident. This session is about getting intentional with all of it before the stakes get high.
Being blind or low vision adds a layer that nobody talks about enough: you are often managing other people's assumptions about you before you have said a single word about your qualifications, your goals, or who you actually are. A strong personal brand does not erase that dynamic, but it gives you tools to work inside it with confidence and strategy rather than frustration.
Key Highlights
- Understand what a personal brand actually is beyond social media, including the role of reputation, reliability, consistency, and social manners in how others perceive and remember you
- Examine how first impressions form within the first few seconds of an interaction and what you can control about that process as a blind or low vision person navigating primarily sighted spaces
- Explore how professional etiquette, including how you greet people, follow up after a meeting, handle an awkward moment, and communicate when something goes wrong, signals character before your resume ever enters the room
- Build a short personal positioning statement: a clear, confident answer to the question everyone will ask you, which is some version of who are you and what do you want
- Discuss how your digital footprint functions as one layer of your overall brand and how to make what already exists online work in your favor rather than against you
How you show up is a skill, and like every skill it is learnable and improvable. Register below and come ready to think honestly about the impression you are already making. Click here to register for Your Name Before You Walk In.
Non-Visual STEM Day
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Deadline to register: Wednesday, October 28
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Eastern
Format: In-Person
Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind
104 VSDB Drive
Staunton, Virginia 24402
What does it look like to do science without relying on sight? It looks like this. Non-Visual STEM Day is a hands-on, full-day exploration of the scientific method using the NFB's own STEM curriculum, designed from the ground up for blind and low vision students. Students will experiment, collaborate, make a mess, and present their findings, all in an environment built around how they actually learn best.
Key Highlights
- Learn and apply the scientific method as a framework for every activity throughout the day, from your first experiment to your final presentation
- Participate in Balloon Blast, a hands-on challenge exploring the science of gas and chemical reactions without relying on visual observation
- Experience Thermo Thrills, an activity exploring temperature changes produced through chemical reactions using tactile and auditory feedback
- Work in small groups to design and execute an original science project, then present your findings and the science behind them to the full group
- Discover what a career in STEM can look like for blind and low vision people, and walk away with evidence that science is something you can do, not just something you learn about
Lunch is provided. Students should dress comfortably and be prepared to get their hands into the work. Click here to register for Non-Visual STEM Day.
From Grievance to Solution: Turning a Bad Experience Into a Winning Argument
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Deadline to register: Wednesday, November 18
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
Every student in this program has a story about a time a school, a business, a system, or a person let them down. A teacher who would not provide materials in an accessible format. A business that had no idea how to assist a blind customer. A process so poorly designed it excluded you before you had a chance to try. This session starts there, with real experiences, and works forward to something more powerful: the ability to take a legitimate grievance and turn it into an effective, professional, documented push for change.
Key Highlights
- Share and examine real experiences where a system, institution, or individual failed to provide equitable access or fair treatment, and identify what made those situations difficult to challenge
- Learn the difference between venting and advocating, and why the transition from one to the other is one of the most important professional skills you can develop
- Practice translating a personal experience into a clear, formal statement of what happened, what should have happened, and what resolution you are requesting
- Explore the different channels available for escalating a complaint, from a direct conversation to a written grievance to a formal ADA or civil rights complaint, and understand when each is appropriate
- Role-play a real scenario in which you have to make your case to someone with authority, under pressure, without losing your composure or your credibility
The ability to advocate for yourself effectively in a difficult situation is the foundation of everything that comes next. Register below.
Holiday Service Project: Giving Back to Our Community
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Eastern
Format: In-Person | Location TBD, Northern Virginia
December's in-person event inverts the usual direction of the program: instead of students receiving something, they give. This service project is designed to help students experience the full arc of what it means to be part of a community, not just a participant in it.
Key Highlights
- Contribute meaningful time and effort to a community organization serving individuals in need in the Northern Virginia area
- Practice collaborative teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in an unstructured, real-world environment alongside peers and mentors
- Engage with community members and organizational staff, building the kind of interpersonal confidence that transfers directly to professional settings
- Participate in a facilitated opening and closing conversation connecting the service experience to themes of leadership, responsibility, and the professional character that employers notice
- Leave with a completed volunteer experience you can speak to in interviews, applications, and conversations about who you are and what you value
Location and partner organization will be confirmed and shared with registered students in advance. Register below.
Richmond Bound: Planning Our Winter Empowerment Experience
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2027
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
The Winter Empowerment Seminar in Richmond is one of the most dynamic events on the Project RISE calendar, and this session exists to make sure students arrive ready to get the most out of it. Rather than showing up and seeing what happens, students will help shape a component of the experience before they ever leave home. This is a real planning session with real decisions to make, and the quality of what you put in tonight will show up directly in what you get out of Richmond.
Key Highlights
- Review the Richmond Seminar schedule and identify the sessions, activities, and networking opportunities most relevant to your individual goals
- Work as a group to plan a shared outing within Richmond, selecting a dining destination and a recreational or cultural activity that works for the full group within a set budget
- Build a transportation plan for navigating Richmond independently, applying the transit research and contingency planning skills developed in October
- Identify accessibility considerations for each venue and discuss how to contact businesses in advance to confirm what you need before you arrive
- Leave the session with a personal agenda for the seminar, a group outing plan, and a budget breakdown ready for execution
Richmond is what you make it. This session is where you start making it. Register below.
Winter Empowerment Seminar
Date: Sunday, January 17 through Monday, January 18, 2027
Time: Full residential program
Format: In-Person | Richmond, Virginia
Two days. One city. Zero passive programming.
The Project RISE Winter Empowerment Seminar in Richmond is not a conference you sit through. It is an immersive overnight experience designed to push students into new situations, new conversations, and new ideas about what they are capable of. Timed to coincide with the NFBV Legislative Seminar, students will find themselves at the intersection of advocacy, community, and action during one of the most energized weekends on the blindness calendar in Virginia.
Key Highlights
- Participate in legislative advocacy alongside blind Virginians from across the state, learning what it looks like to walk into a lawmaker's office and make a case for something that matters
- Execute the group outing planned during the January 7 session, putting your research, budget management, and transit planning into direct practice in an unfamiliar city
- Engage in structured Project RISE programming designed around independent living, self-advocacy, and the kind of peer conversations that only happen when you are all in the same place at the same time
- Experience Richmond as an independent traveler: navigating a city, managing your time, and problem-solving in real conditions with a safety net nearby but not in the way
- Reflect on the seminar experience in a facilitated debrief that connects what students observed, attempted, and learned to their individual development goals
Full details on programming, logistics, and what to bring will be shared with registered students in advance. Space is limited. Register below.
Shop Smart: The Art of Comparison Shopping
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2027
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
Every purchase you make is a decision, and most people make those decisions badly: on impulse, without comparing options, without reading the fine print, and without thinking about what they are actually optimizing for. This session uses the practical skill of comparison shopping to build something bigger: the ability to evaluate options, weigh trade-offs, and make a confident decision with incomplete information. That skill transfers directly to choosing a college, evaluating a job offer, and signing a lease.
Key Highlights
- Work through a real shopping scenario using accessible tools and platforms, comparing products across price, quality, reviews, and return policy
- Learn how to identify hidden costs, misleading marketing, and the difference between a good deal and a good product
- Discuss how the same analytical framework applies to larger life decisions, including financial aid packages, insurance plans, and employment offers
- Explore accessible platforms and browser tools that make comparison shopping more efficient for blind and low vision consumers, including review aggregators, price tracking tools, and accessible retailer sites
- Practice making a final decision and being able to explain and defend your reasoning to someone else
Good decisions are a skill, not a personality trait. Register below and bring a purchase you have been putting off. We might just help you make it.
NFB National Scholarship: Application Deadline
Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2027
Time: Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern
Format: Online application at scholarships.nfb.org
This is not an event. It is a deadline, and it matters. The NFB National Scholarship Program is the largest scholarship program of its kind in the country, awarding thousands of dollars annually to blind scholars across the United States in recognition of academic achievement, community involvement, and professional promise. Finalists are notified by May and brought to the NFB National Convention in Austin at Federation expense, where scholarships are awarded at the convention banquet.
Key Highlights
- Eligible applicants must be legally blind in both eyes, residing in the United States or its territories, and pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time postsecondary course of study in the fall of the application year
- A complete application includes the online application form, a personal essay of no more than 700 words, at least one letter of recommendation, and a completed interview with the NFB of Virginia affiliate president or designee
- The interview with the NFBV affiliate president must be requested and completed before the March 31 deadline, unless the president elects to schedule it afterward
- The 2027 application opens in December 2026, which means the window is shorter than it looks: do not wait until spring to start
- Project RISE students interested in applying should reach out to Joe Orozco well in advance for guidance on the essay, the affiliate interview process, and how to make the strongest possible case
If you are a blind high school senior or current college student, this scholarship was built for someone exactly like you. The application opens at scholarships.nfb.org in December. Start there.
Money in Motion: A Financial Simulation
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2027
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
You just got your first job offer. The salary sounds good until you run the numbers. This session drops you into a realistic financial scenario, complete with a paycheck, a city, and a set of bills, and asks you to make it work. No lectures. No slides full of definitions. Just the experience of managing money under real constraints and the conversation that follows when it gets hard.
Key Highlights
- Receive a simulated employment scenario including salary, location, and a basic set of living expenses, and build a monthly budget from scratch
- Navigate trade-offs between fixed and variable costs, including rent, transportation, food, utilities, and savings, on an income that does not quite cover everything without planning
- Encounter mid-simulation surprises, including an unexpected expense or a change in income, and adjust your budget in real time
- Compare your decisions with other students and discuss what different choices reflect about priorities, risk tolerance, and financial values
- Walk away with a personal budget template you can actually use and a clearer sense of what your financial life is going to look like when it arrives
This session is not about being scared of money. It is about being ready for it. Register below.
When the Tech Stops Working: Troubleshooting as a Professional Skill
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2027
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Eastern
Format: Virtual
Assistive technology does not always work. Screen readers crash, Bluetooth disconnects, software updates break the settings you spent an hour configuring, and none of that stops happening just because you are in a job interview or a meeting with your professor. This session is about what you do when the tech fails and why the way you handle it says more about you than the failure itself.
Key Highlights
- Work through a series of real-world troubleshooting scenarios involving common assistive technology failures, from JAWS not launching correctly to a braille display losing its connection mid-task
- Learn a systematic troubleshooting approach that works regardless of the specific technology involved: isolate the problem, identify likely causes, test solutions in order, and know when to escalate
- Discuss how to communicate a technology problem to a sighted colleague, employer, or IT department clearly and without oversharing personal information about your disability
- Explore what it means to have a backup plan and how professionals with disabilities build redundancy into their technology setup so one failure does not become a crisis
- Share your own worst tech failure story and what you learned from it
The goal is not to never have a problem. The goal is to be the person who solves it calmly and keeps moving. Register below.
NFB National Convention 2027
Date: Friday, July 2 through Wednesday, July 7, 2027
Time: All day
Format: In-Person | Austin, Texas
The NFB National Convention is the largest gathering of blind people in the world, and for Project RISE students, it represents the program year's most ambitious destination. What happens in Austin is not replicable anywhere else: hundreds of sessions, a career fair, a scholarship banquet, peer networking, and an environment where blind people are not the exception in the room but the entire room. If the state convention in Herndon showed you what organized blindness looks like in Virginia, Austin shows you what it looks like at full scale.
Key Highlights
- Attend sessions spanning career development, technology, education, advocacy, and independent living, with content relevant to every stage of the transition from school to adult life
- Participate in the Career Quest program, the NFB's signature convention experience for blind students exploring employment and career pathways
- Engage with employers at the convention career fair, including federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies actively recruiting blind talent
- Attend the scholarship banquet, where NFB scholarship finalists are recognized and awards are presented, and consider whether next year your name belongs on that stage
- Build relationships with blind professionals, advocates, and peers from across the country who will remain part of your network long after the convention ends
Project RISE will coordinate authorization requests, travel logistics, and pre-convention preparation for eligible students. Space is limited and planning begins early. If you are interested in attending, reach out to Joe Orozco as soon as possible.