Current Events

Tactile American Flags!
In contracted or uncontracted braille, $5.00
All ages!

Does your child or student know what the American flag looks like? Have
they read the Pledge of Allegiance?

These brilliant, red, white and blue flags from KBTI feature tactile
stars and stripes. The tactile horizontal red stripes are labeled with
the lower case "r" at the far right, and the white stripes are labeled
with the lower case "w."

The Pledge of Allegiance is displayed in large print over the red and
white stripes, in alternating black and white lettering, and is also
written in braille over the red stripes. Immediately beneath the flag is
a key in braille. Flags measure 7.5" x 9.5".

Select either Contracted or Uncontracted braille!

See the flag or order at
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/FLAG.html

******
To order any books, send payment to:
NBP, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302

Or call and charge it: toll-free (800) 548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 ext
20. Or order any of our books online at

http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org

Court Rules that National Conference of Bar Examiners Must Provide Individualized Testing Accommodations to Blind Law School Graduate

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Denies NCBE Motion to Stay Preliminary Injunction

San Francisco, California (February 24, 2010): The Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals yesterday refused to stay a preliminary injunction requiring the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) to provide a blind law school graduate with the technology-based testing accommodations she needs to take two exams required to become a member of the State Bar of California. A federal judge had previously granted the preliminary injunction requiring the accommodations, but the NCBE appealed the ruling. The Ninth Circuit's ruling allows the plaintiff, Stephanie Enyart, to take the February 2010 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and March 2010 Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) on a laptop computer equipped with the assistive technology software Ms. Enyart relies upon for screen reading (JAWS) and screen magnification (ZoomText).

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "The court's action puts an end to Stephanie Enyart's year-long ordeal to get the accommodations she needs to take this crucial step in her chosen career. As we have said before, those who control admission to the practice of law must themselves obey the law."

The suit was filed on November 3, 2009, due to the NCBE's refusal, on multiple occasions during the past year, to allow Ms. Enyart to use the same technology on the MBE and MPRE that she has used on university and law school exams and in various jobs and internships. The suit charged that the NCBE violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act by denying accommodations on the MBE and the MPRE.

NCBE had argued that it fulfilled its legal obligations to Ms. Enyart by offering alternative accommodations, such as a human reader, notwithstanding evidence that these alternatives did not, in fact, fully accommodate Ms. Enyart's disability. In rejecting NCBE's argument, the court's ruling paves the way for other individuals prevented from pursuing their professional dreams by high stakes testing providers who take a rigid approach to disability accommodations.

The plaintiff is represented with the support of the National
Federation of the Blind by LaBarre Law Offices, P.C., in Denver,
Colorado, and by Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, in Baltimore,
Maryland. The plaintiff is further represented by Disability Rights Advocates, a nonprofit law center that specializes in civil rights cases on behalf of persons with disabilities, based in Berkeley, California.

November 3, 2009
 
CONTACTS:
 
Chris Danielsen, Director of Public Relations, NFB, (410) 659-9314, ext.
2330
 
Scott Labarre, Labarre Law Offices, P.C., (303) 504-5979
 
Daniel Goldstein, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, (410) 962-1030
 
Larry Paradis, Disability Rights Advocates, (510) 665-8644
 
 
National Conference Of Bar Examiners (Ncbe) Discriminates
Against Blind And Low Vision Law School Graduates

 
OAKLAND, Calif. - A suit filed today in Federal court alleges that
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) discriminates against
blind and low vision law school graduates. The suit charges that the
NCBE is violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and California's civil rights law by denying accommodations on
the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and the Multistate Professional
Responsibility Exam (MPRE) to a law school graduate who is blind.
 
The Plaintiff is represented with the support of the National
Federation of the Blind ("NFB") by Labarre Law Offices, P.C., in
Denver, CO, and by Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, in Baltimore, MD.
The Plaintiff is further represented by Disability Rights Advocates
(DRA), a non-profit law center that specializes in civil rights cases
on behalf of persons with disabilities, based in Berkeley, CA.
 
The NCBE provides standardized examinations for the testing of
applicants for admission to the practice of law. Two of the tests it
controls, the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and the Multistate
Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) are required for
admission to the bar by most states. The California Bar examination
has two sections; a California section and the MBE. Although both
parts of the exam are administered by the California State Bar, the
NCBE controls the type of accommodations each state can offer test
takers with disabilities for the MBE portion of the bar exam.
 
Even though the California State Bar is a named Defendant in the
suit, they have offered to provide the Plaintiff with all the
accommodations she requested for the California section of the bar
examination. However, the NCBE refuses to allow the California Bar
Examiners to give the Plaintiff certain of the accommodations that
she needs on the MBE portion of the bar exam. The California State
Bar is fulfilling its legal obligation and is only named in the
complaint as an indispensable party. Plaintiff hopes that the lawsuit
will convince the NCBE to follow the California State Bar's example
and provide the requested accommodations on the MBE portion of the bar exam.
 
The NCBE has also denied Plaintiff the accommodations at issue on the
MPRE exam.  This is a separate exam that bar applicants need to pass
to be admitted to practice.  The ACT is also named in the complaint
since it administers the MPRE examination for NCBE and is thus also
an indispensable party.
 
The Plaintiff Stephanie Enyart is a law school graduate who is
legally blind and requires accommodations to take the MBE and MPRE.
She has requested to take the exams on a laptop computer equipped
with screen reading (JAWS) and screen magnification (ZoomText)
software. Ms. Enyart has relied on this combination of assistive
technology as an accommodation on her exams throughout law school and
in her current legal work.
 
The NCBE has refused to allow Ms. Enyart these reasonable
accommodations for the MBE and MPRE on several occasions during the
past years. In recent discussions with Plaintiff's counsel, the NCBE
has indicated that it will continue to deny Ms. Enyart her requested
accommodations.  Instead, the NCBE has offered alternative
accommodations that are not suited to Ms. Enyart's disability and are
not effective. The NCBE's denials of accommodations are preventing
Ms. Enyart from obtaining admission to the bar, impeding her career.
 
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB), supporting the lawsuit, said "Too often law students who are
blind or have low vision have to prolong their prospects for
licensing while they fight to get the same accommodations they've had
throughout their educational history. Those that opt to settle for
inadequate accommodations usually struggle to pass or sometimes do
not pass at all. Those who control admission to the practice of law
must obey the law."
 
Janice Ta, President of the National Association of Law Students with
Disabilities (NALSWD), which expressed support for the lawsuit, said
"The legal profession must recognize and be prepared for the spectrum
of conditions and disabilities that law students have. Testing
entities need to be open to a wide range of accommodations. But we
find that time and again they don't seem to understand their
obligation for providing individualized accommodations and adaptive
technologies that reflect the way real law students with disabilities
get tested, study, and make their way around the world."

Priced at $99, the iBill is a breakthrough in independent living for 
the blind and visually impaired

WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbit Research today 
announced the introduction of the iBill, the world's first affordable 
Talking Banknote Identifier for the blind and the visually impaired. 
Priced at $99, the 1.5 ounce, pager-sized iBill represents a 
breakthrough in enabling the blind and the visually impaired 
community achieve independence in the everyday necessity of using 
paper currency, which sighted people take for granted. At about a 
third of the cost of existing devices, the iBill offers unrivaled 
features, ease of use and accuracy of identification.
 
The iBill is an exceptionally convenient and affordable solution that 
can be used by each and every blind or visually impaired individual. 
Measuring just 3 inches by 1.6 inches by 0.7 inches, the ultra-slim 
and compact "key-fob" design provides the ultimate in convenience, 
allowing it to be carried unobtrusively in a pocket, purse, clipped 
to the belt or attached to a keychain or lanyard. Among the features 
that set it apart from other such devices are the extremely high 
accuracy (better than 99.9%) and the near-instantaneous speed (less 
than one second in most cases) with which it identifies banknotes.
 
The iBill is designed with the sole purpose of providing the 
simplest, fastest and most accurate means to identify U.S. banknotes. 
Its unique ergonomic design permits easy and intuitive use without 
the need for any training or practice. Upon insertion of a banknote 
into the device, its denomination is identified at the press of a 
button. Based on the user's preference, the denomination is announced 
by a clear and natural voice, or by tone or vibration for privacy. 
The unit identifies all U.S. banknotes in circulation and recognizes 
them in any orientation. Banknotes in poor physical condition are 
indicated as unidentifiable and are not misread. The unit is also 
upgradeable to recognize new banknote designs.
 
The iBill achieves all of this while operating on a single, commonly 
available AAA battery which lasts for over a year with typical use. 
Its durable construction and sealed design ensure trouble-free use. 
The unit is backed by a one-year warranty from Orbit Research, and 
toll-free customer support.
 
"Orbit Research has once again demonstrated its commitment to the 
development of breakthrough technology and products that make a 
direct and measurably positive impact to the daily lives of the 
community we serve," said Michael Nolan, President of Orbit Research.
 
Orbit Research has filed patents on the technologies employed in the 
iBill, which enable its groundbreaking compactness, performance and
features.
 
Samples of the iBill are available for evaluation now and Orbit 
Research is accepting orders.
 
Specializing in the development and manufacture of products for 
people with disabilities, Orbit Research's mission is to employ 
cutting-edge technology to develop innovative and affordable products 
that are essential for an independent and productive lifestyle.
 
     Contact:
 
     Carla Morris, (888) 606-7248
     Email: morris.carla@orbitresearch.com
 
     Orbit Research
     3422 Old Capitol Trail, Suite 585
     Wilmington, DE 19808, U.S.A.
     Tel: (888) 60-ORBIT
 

     http://www.orbitresearch.com

By JENNIFER 8. LEE
NYT 8/18/09

Yes, even dogs can get heat stroke.

August 13, 2009
By CHRIS MASCARO
chris.mascaro@newsday.com

FROM: http://www.newsday.com

The last place Albert Rizzi thought he'd be after losing his vision 31/2 years ago was behind the wheel of a car.
But there he was on Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway, guiding a borrowed car through 10 laps on the quarter-mile track. There was a catch.

Everyone was "blind" for this race, as Riverhead held its "Blindfolded Taxicab Race,'' in which drivers race with a bag over their head while a co-pilot navigates them through the turns. Rizzi lost the lead in the last lap but still finished second.

"Obviously, I couldn't tell where I went wrong," the Bellport resident joked, before adding, "It was the biggest rush I ever had. It was like those roller- coaster rides where you don't know what's going to happen until you are bumping off things.''

Rizzi, 45, who lost his vision after contracting meningitis, teaches diversity training through the Sayville Learning Center. He got the idea to race from one of his students. 

"I asked him to give me his best, so I had to step up and do my best,'' Rizzi said.

So what did he think of driving in a race? "It was a trip and a half,'' he said. "You're not normal if you're not scared.''

Albert Rizzi drove in a race at Riverhead Raceway. Albert is blind.  All of the other drivers had bags over their heads so they couldn't see either. He drove yellow car number 11 and came in 2nd place!

Congratulations, Albert! 

Albert explained how it worked, "Each driver has a passenger who shouts directions. No one got hurt."

"I took 2nd place in the race. It was fantastic and I had a great time. I was in the lead for most of the race.  I am talking to the raceway owners about doing this race with nothing but blind and visually impaired drivers as a possible annual event. I am in the yellow car number 11.

" Check it out on YouTube --the Blindfolded taxi race at Riverhead Raceway.