The Vigilant Blog

How often have you had a question you felt too shy to ask? Sometimes you work up the courage and just ask. At other times, it’s better to read about someone else’s experience at your own speed and in the privacy of your own space.

Our blog is a collection of posts aimed at stimulating discussion about assistive technology, independent living, and blindness philosophy. Please comment freely to keep the discussion moving, and please share content you find thought-provoking with your social networks to help spread the discussion to people we might otherwise not reach.

And, please don’t forget to check out the publications from our parent organization. The Braille Monitor, our general magazine, and Future Reflections, our publication for parents, are just two examples of the excellent resources you’ll find in our NFB library.

Do you want to write a guest post? Send us a note, and tell us about your idea!

Join Us for a Virtual Richmond Seminar

Submitted by Joe Orozco on December 24, 2020 - 8:39pm

The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is a powerful force advocating for blind Virginians. For 2021, we will be conducting our legislative advocacy over the Zoom platform and we will need you to commit to attending a few brief Zoom meetings with your legislators. Interestingly, virtual appointments mean you are not required to make as large of a time commitment to participate. However, it also means we need to tell legislators that we have a constituent attending or they won’t meet with us.
Here is the 3 step process:

Tags: 
Advocacy
Richmond Seminar

2020 Presidential Report

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on December 24, 2020 - 11:05am

Before there was Zoom, the internet, telephones, or even the Postal Service, we needed ways to share messages and keep people connected. In ancient Israel, to mark the calendar, people needed to know when the new year began.
To mark the start of a new year in the fall, every community would build a bonfire on the top of a hill. On the first night of the new year, they would light the bonfire. Others would observe and lite the fire on their own hill. From community to community, each would know the start of a new beginning and celebrate the connection that kept them all together.

I Saw You Pour Your Water

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 5, 2020 - 1:00am

By Lauren Merryfield

I recently moved to a retirement center where most of the residents are quite active.

One woman wanted to help me with every little thing, but, as she said, she was doing it because she didn't think a blind person could do this or that.

Tags: 
Blindness
Seniors

Use of Ballot Marking Tool for Print Disabled Voters

Submitted by Joe Orozco on September 29, 2020 - 11:39am

The following guidance is required by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Gary v. Virginia Dept. of Elections (Case No. 1:20-CV860) as the result of a consent decree.

Tags: 
General Announcement
Advocacy

How the Blind Advocate for Ourselves in Richmond

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 28, 2020 - 1:00am

By John Bailey

Some of us were nervous. Several had canceled at the last minute because of safety concerns. In any case, we were here in Richmond, Virginia to do a very important job for the blind of Virginia and we were not going to be deterred.

Annually, the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia hosts an event called the ‘Richmond Seminar’. For this two-day event, the vision-impaired and their friends gather in the city of Richmond to advocate for the blind by scheduling meetings with our elected officials.

Tags: 
Advocacy
Richmond Seminar

Would You Go to a Blind Doctor? How the Blind Respond

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 28, 2020 - 1:00am

By John Bailey

“Would you go to a blind doctor?", was the first of many challenging questions asked by Trisha Kurkarni At the February leadership seminar cohosted by the National Association of Blind Students in Falls Church, Virginia.

Tags: 
Blindness
Philosophy
Students

I am a Federationist

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 21, 2020 - 1:00am

By Jessica Reed

Editor’s Note: Jessica Reed is a member of the Historic Fredericksburg Chapter. She is the coordinator for the Blind Parents Group in Virginia, and in this rare insight into her story, we learn a little bit about what makes her one of our most valuable members in the movement.

Tags: 
Blindness
Philosophy
Parents

Are You Following Someone Else's Dream?

Submitted by Joe Orozco on September 14, 2020 - 1:00am

Too many young people wind up in jobs they hate because they followed someone else's advice about how to use their talents. You would think that after a certain age we would be capable of making major choices independent of the influence of family, friends, or career guides, but too often we allow someone else's well-intentioned promptings to steer us in directions we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Tags: 
Students

Project RISE: From Low Expectations to High Impacts

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 7, 2020 - 1:00am

By Lizzy Schoen

Resilience, Independence, Self-Advocacy, Employment: that is what the RISE in Project RISE stands for. Going into the program, I had low expectations; everything I had done so far had not prepared me for what I got. The power of Project RISE is not in the curriculum, though it is extremely beneficial, it is in the people who you meet and the lives the mentors are willing to share with you and teach you to attain.

From a young age, a blind person is taught two universal truths that, though probably not said out loud, are said by actions:

Tags: 
Project RISE
Students

Virginia Agrees to Provide Accessible Absentee Voting Option for Voters with Print Disabilities

Submitted by Joe Orozco on September 1, 2020 - 12:10pm

For Immediate Release
Media Contacts
American Council of the Blind: Clark Rachfal, crachfal@acb.org, 202-467-5081
disAbility Law Center of Virginia: Colleen Miller, colleen.miller@dlcv.org, (804) 225-2042
National Federation of the Blind: Chris Danielsen, cdanielsen@nfb.org, 410-262-1281
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP: Steven Hollman, shollman@sheppardmullin.com,

Tags: 
General Announcement

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