NABS Online Center

The National Association of Blind Students, a division of the National Federation of the Blind, has many conference calls to talk about various topics. The latest call (which ended about an hour ago) was called Philosophy 101 and was about the NFB philosophy. Before now, the only way to listen to the conference call was to call in from your phone. If you’re like me and don’t have long-distance for free, then you have to get patched through on someone’s three-way or not get to listen. Now, however, there is a quick and easy way to listen to the conference calls through online streaming or downloadable podcasts afterwards.

The organization’s new online center can be found at this link , and has links to podcasts and live streaming during a conference call. It even tells you when there is a conference call going on!

Remember the last post talked about the NFB discussion groups at nfbnet.org? Well, NABS is one of those groups that has a listserv there, and joining that listserv will gain you access to announcements of when the conference calls will be, as well as a multitude of topics of interest to students, whether in high school years, undergraduate years, or graduate years. Give it a try, and you might find yourself learning something useful!

NFB Discussion Groups

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has a huge variety of discussion groups for blind people and their families. Nearly every U.S. state has a group, and some states have several. For example, North Carolina has a group, plus there is a North Carolina Association of Blind Students group. The range of topics runs the gammit from albinism to guide dog ownership to careers (and specific careers, like journalism and teaching) and parents of blind children, as well as having a few general discussion groups (like blindtalk). To find the full list of NFB discussion groups, go to NFB.org , click on "Topic Index" and then on "Discussion Groups". This will bring you to a page that will tell you how to join or change your settings for a group. You do not need to be a member of the NFB to join these groups; they are open to everyone. However, many of the topics are related to NFB philosophies and advocacy projects. I am currently a member of blindtalk, NFB Science, NFB Krafters Korner, NABS, NCABS, NAGDU, and several others. I have to constantly choose whether the topic is something I really want to get involved in, because most of the groups are *very* active, especially the NABS (National Association of Blind Students), NFB Krafters Korner, and NAGDU (National Association of Guide Dog Users) lists.

I know that's a small topic for this week, but I'm still trying to find more really interesting programs and software for you all!

~Jewel