Allan Schneider, Editor • Dana Ard, President •
aaschneider@hotmail.com pres.nfbidaho@gmail.com
(208) 870-4831 (208) 345-3906
President’s Address
Dana Ard, President, NFB of Idaho
It’s convention season!
On March 27-29, the NFB of Idaho held its state convention at the Best Western Hotel and Convention Center in Burley. Donald Porterfield, president of the Arizona affiliate, was our national representative. In addition to his excellent banquet speech, where he discussed his transition into blindness including his career change to become a prosecuting attorney, he and his wife Amy, provided leadership training, which was helpful. He also assisted our resolutions committee and six resolutions were passed. Thanks go out to Krystal White, who chaired the committee, TJ Squires, who read the resolutions on the convention floor and prepared them in final form, and Kevin Pirnie, whose writing skills improved the language of the resolutions. Our open mic, held on Friday evening, featured many enjoyable performances, and featured some of our scholarship winners. We had four scholarship winners this year, each winning $3,000. They were Miah Hallett, Storm Sorbel, Emily Groves, and Jade Wardon. Hopefully these students will become active in our organization.
We held our major election this year. The officers and the board are unchanged. Those re-elected will serve a 2-year term. Our 2026 convention will be held April 23-25 at the Best Western Vista Inn in Boise. Room rates will be $129.00 plus 13% tax. The state affiliate will work with chapters to assist those who may need some financial assistance to attend. (Cont. on page 4 )
My First National Convention Experience
Wassim Hussni
Imagine always going to state conventions when you’re younger, then one day you decide it’s time to go to the national convention and thinking the national convention is going to be just like the state convention. Man was I wrong! When I actually got to the convention, I was shocked to find out that there were 2,600 people attending it. I was in absolute shock. I had never met so many blind people all at once before. It was very incredible and very empowering; it was an incredible experience getting to see what all of them have accomplished with their lives. There were astrologists, scientists, and even doctors; how incredible! I have never been to such a massive hotel before as well; 41 stories tall. Of course I can only go up to the third floor, but still, I was already having a hard enough time trying to find my way around, but also it was a great opportunity to increase my independence and my orientation and mobility travel skills. And when I found out that we were creating a museum for the blind, I was so thrilled and exhilarated. I was so proud to be part of that community. I was also so grateful to Shane Ostermeier, the Treasure Valley Vice President for paying for all the students to go on a river cruise. We got to go on a paddle boat and go down the river. What a fun time. I also got to look at so much new technology that is helping the blind like the Stellar Track which is an accessible GPS system that has buttons that blind people can use to navigate around. I also got a chance to look at all the new features that Jaws is coming out with which was very incredible. I also got a chance to look at the Meta glasses, pretty much sunglasses that can take pictures and you can video call with them. That was very awesome to have to be able to experience that. I definitely want a pair for myself now. I also got a chance to check out the Odyssey camera, which is a camera that can take pictures of documents, mail, and all kinds of paper material and read it to you. I’m so proud that blind people have created such incredible technology to help people who can’t see adapt and learn and have the same opportunities like any sighted person. For any first time wanting to attend the national convention, all I can tell you is it’s an experience you’ll never forget. You’ll make so many wonderful and incredible people; and you’ll feel like you’re part of a big family of people who care and love each other and no matter what they will always support you and have your back. So if you’re thinking, and considering going to the national convention, my advice is do it. You’ll never regret it, and you’ll have such an incredible experience. I hope to get the opportunity to go next year.
My First National Convention:
Firsts!
Shane Ostermeier
WOW! This month has been filled with a lot of firsts for me. It in many ways has been a time of personal growth and self-exploration. When I lost my sight in my mid-30s, I honestly wondered if my adventurous days where long gone. After attending my first NFB National Convention, I can truly say my adventures are just starting.
This year’s convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. A big first for me involved traveling to this great city. I had not been on an airplane since losing my vision. I was very nervous, but I had received great advice from other NFB members that helped me accomplish this first.
Escalators, yikes! Another first for me during convention was escalators. I want to thank Joe and Cindy Grover for teaching me how to handle these moving stairs. I am no longer nervous about getting on or off of them.
Not only my first convention, but my first opportunity to speak during a General Session. I was honored to participate on a panel discussing the importance of creating the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement.
I enjoyed all of my firsts and I look forward to more adventures, but the best first was meeting fellow NFB members from around the country. Their stories will help me stay motivated to further our movement.
(President, Cont. from page 1) Our national convention took place in New Orleans from July 8-13. We had four new members in attendance: Cindy Barajas, Alynn James, Wasim Husni, and Shane Ostermeier. Cindy and Alynn each won a Jernigan scholarship to help cover expenses. Jan Gawith, age 93, was part of our Idaho delegation, and was the oldest member in attendance at the convention. Shane Ostermeier and Ramona Walhof participated on a panel explaining their reasons for contributing to our Museum of the Blind People’s Movement. When the funds are raised, and the museum is completed, it will show the world how the NFB is continuing to change the lives for all blind people.
I urge everyone to read the President’s report, and the banquet speech. With our unity of purpose, we are changing what it means to be blind and helping to create opportunities for blind people around the world. Also, our flagship publication The Braille Monitor will feature convention presentations throughout the year.
You can read further in this newsletter to see what else has taken place since our last newsletter. In the meantime, let’s share our great message as we work to build the National Federation of the Blind.
Summer Programs Report
Alison Steven
I am in the middle of the NFB BELL and Beyond Camp as I write this in late July so will be keeping it brief! It has been a wonderful summer so far. We have had ups and downs and because of the fabulous teams we’ve had, everything has run so smoothly!
Thank you to ICBVI for the BELL Grant that they provide, and to the ICBVI staff who supported in all sorts of ways recruiting students, working as job mentors, providing blindness skills training, working with students, collecting and collating paper work, and being on the planning team for VIEW, Work Readiness Camp and College Days. Thank you to IESDB for running Work Readiness Camp and teaching, transporting and supporting the NFB BELL and Beyond Program. Thank you to all the individuals who contributed to the NFB/VIEW adaptive sports and picnic, to Dana for her workshop on budgeting, to Laine, Earl, Ramona, John and Nicole for being interviewed over dinner!
Thank you to all the businesses that worked with our students to give them fabulous work experiences. Thanks to all the VIEW staff who worked so well together to support our participants day-in and day-out for five weeks. (Contin. on next page)
Thanks to our College Days teachers, Tyler, Kathy and Jerry, who are always such an inspiration. Thanks to Jared at CWI for a wonderful tour. Thanks to NWABA and to Sam for providing great activities, and to Nate Holm and Nicole Hill for teaching as part of our Adult 101 class.
I am so grateful to Adaptive Wilderness Sports of McCall for their incredible support of our BELL and Beyond program. Chris (Director of AWeSOMe) even had "Merchants of Groove” come play for us.
I could go on and I know there are many others that have come together to make this a rewarding, spectacular summer. Maybe I can write more about what we did in a future newsletter. For now I will close with a huge thank you to my biggest supporters and most competent companions, Rocio and Jackie, for everything they did without reservation or hesitation! Now I must go because it’s time for Readers’ Theater . . .
Book Club Update
Joe Thompson
Does anyone remember coming to the book club when we had author, Buddy Levy, on? He joined us at 4 AM his time in the remote area of Norway researching a new book. That book has recently been published, and the title is Realm of Ice and Sky. It's really good. He talks about the race to be the first person to reach the North Pole. As usual, it has high adventure, heartbreak, and the will to survive in stark details. If enough of us read it, we may try to have him back on to talk about it.
Barring that, our meetings will follow our new guidelines of coming and talking about the whatever book we're reading at the time. It's been working out really well and has generated a little more interest. We will be meeting the second Wednesday of the month at 6 PM Pacific, 7 PM mountain time. The time change was to give the Boise area people extra time at the end of the day to slow down before cashing in their chips and heading off to dream time.
Keep reading and recommending. Joet@uidaho.edU
Peruvian Adventure
Colleen McFadden
My husband and I recently traveled to Peru. Much like our visit to Italy last year, we found Peru to be a country filled with delicious new foods, exotic (to us) animals, fascinating historic locations, and some of the most challenging terrain we've encountered yet.
There was an abundance of organic fruits and vegetables! Potatoes in particular were a hot item, and they claimed to grow up to 5,000 different varieties. A surprising local delicacy was guinea pig meat. I did not try guinea pig, but I wish I had.
Speaking of guinea pigs, these were just one of many delightful species we encountered. Peru will now always remind me of llamas,
donkey birds, and even the pink dolphins that we encountered at the Muyuna Lodge on the Amazon River. In Cusco, we visited a museum dedicated to medicinal plants, where we learned about these plants' many uses, and I was able to feel the texture of different seeds and bark.
As for the terrain, we toured Old Catholic churches and ventured into the ancient Machu Picchu and Cherchero ruins. There was so much climbing! I don't regret any of it, but now that I'm 70 years old, I've decided that I've climbed enough mountains. From now on, our travels will be to places much less strenuous.
We live in an amazing world, and I'm grateful that my husband and I have experienced so much of it.
Heard Birds Summer 2025
Steve Bouffard – Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, College of Idaho
The amount of bird song has decreased since spring, but there is still a wide variety to hear. Since most bird song is either to claim territory or to attract females, the amount of singing decreases after the end of nesting.
But if there is adequate food available many songbird species will attempt a second nest. The renesting males continue to claim their territories through song. This gives us the opportunity to hear bird songs later in the summer. To make things interesting, some species that have finished nesting in the far north and at higher elevation are starting to migrate. The mix of migrants and local species offer something new through fall. In addition to territorial and mate attraction songs, most birds have a repertoire of various communication calls, such as chips, contact, begging, alarm calls and other types of vocalizations. (Cont. on next page)
These calls are often used all year long. They often have subtle differences between species, but they can be learned. Sparrows, warblers, flycatchers and hummingbirds are beginning to migrate now. Have you tried the “Merlin” APP? It may not be adapted for visual impaired yet, but the APP listens to a song or call and identifies the most likely species. It is very useful in the field.
Since it is hot and dry in summer, many animals are drawn to water. This summer’s column will focus on birds around water. Unlike most birds, waterfowl lose their flight feathers all at once. They are flightless for about a month. Females usually are flightless after their eggs hatch, males later in summer. They are very quiet during that time; they don’t want to attract predators if they can’t fly. Most of the geese tend to regain flight capability in July. Any day now you will suddenly hear a lot more geese, and you’ll know that they have regrown their flight feathers. Along rivers you can hear waterfowl, gulls, great blue herons, bald eagles, ospreys, belted kingfishers, song sparrows, and five species of swallows. If there are rocky cliffs along the river, you may hear rock and canyon wrens. If the stream has scattered rocks with eddies, you may be fortunate to hear an American Dipper. Around lakes and ponds you may hear migrating shorebirds. There are 10-12 shorebird species that you can hear over the summer and fall. Unfortunately, shorebirds don’t make very distinctive calls during migration. Shorebirds have differential migration. Adult females migrate as early as June and July followed by adult males in August, and lastly by juveniles, as late as September. In marshy habitats you can hear waterfowl and gulls, you can hear American coots, Pied-billed and western and Clark’s grebes, Virginia and sora rails, white-faced ibis, green herons and black-crowned night-herons.
You may also hear osprey and bald eagles and northern harriers. Songbirds you might hear are marsh wren, red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, and up to five species of swallows.
Happy Birding by Sound
VIEW Fun Day
Susan Bradley
The Treasure Valley Chapter has a tradition of meeting with the students from across the state who are in Boise for the Visually Impaired Experiencing Work or VIEW program. We like to enjoy different activities such as beep baseball, tandem bikes, soccer ball goal kicking and yoga. The balls either beep or rattle. We follow our activities with a picnic. This year Dana had NFB members teamed with specific students to sit together for lunch. It was a great idea; many times the adults would sit with their friends and the students with theirs. It is nice to be able to visit with the students while enjoying our picnic. The students are able to experience doing activities and visiting one-on-one with blind adults.
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Reach Our Goal of Personal Independence.
The National Federation of the Blind provides advocacy, training, and access to opportunities that help individuals
with disabling vision loss become independent. Your tax-deductible donations help us to help our members "live the lives they want!"
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