Winter 2025
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
These last few months have been busy and exciting for the NFB of Idaho. On October 15, National White Cane Day, over 200 blind people, including Krystal White, Yiska Hugo and myself, joined a rally to protest ride denials of blind people by Uber and Lyft. We marched in front of both the Uber and Lyft headquarters, carrying signs and shouting slogans. We also had great music to keep us moving. As a result of our efforts, Uber has initiated an option where a blind person can let the driver know that they will be bringing a service dog. While some people may not use this option, because it discloses a disability, I’m glad the option exists, and I plan to use it.
On February 16-19, the NFB of Idaho hosted our first Silver Bells program for seniors and others, who are losing vision, and have not had much training in blindness skills. We had 12 participants. We also had some spouses and significant others accompanying the participants. The event, which was held at the Holiday Inn in Boise, featured classes in cane travel, technology, daily living, and braille, as well as a discussion class. Our six teachers, Sandy Streeter, Ramona Walhof, Dana Ard, Joe and Cindy Grover, and Jennie Facer were joined by ICBVI rehab teachers, and chapter members, Marcie Chapman, Deeann Solis, and Kebbie Young. We thank ICBVI for allowing the rehab teachers to work at Silver Bells. This project was proposed at our 2024 convention, and we hope it can be an annual event.
Four individuals attended our Washington Seminar, Ramona Walhof, Joe and Cindy Grover, and Krystal White. The three legislative issues were the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, and the Blind Americans Return to Work Act. For more information go to nfb.org/Washington
Our 2025 convention is fast approaching. Once again, it will be at the Burley Best Western Inn and Convention Center, March 27-29. Rooms are $106.00, which includes taxes. You can make your reservations by calling 208 678-3501. Convention registration will be on the website soon. The convention committee is working hard to have an interesting, informative agenda. Our national representative is Donald Porterfield, National Board member, and president of the NFB of Arizona. Treasure Valley Chapter is chartering a bus, so we want to fill it with enthusiastic Federationists.
I hope to see everyone at the convention. Let’s keep building our National Federation
of the Blind.
Preparation for Washington Seminar
Susan Bradley
There are a lot of things that have to be done in preparation for Washington Seminar by our National Organization and our State Affiliate. National sets the date with the hotel. They decide on what three legislative issues we will be covering when we speak with the congress members in their offices. National also writes up the Fact Sheets that we use to speak to them, and they go into the packets that we leave with them.
While our National Organization is working on their part, our State Affiliate starts on our part around the first of December. The first thing Dana does is make hotel reservations for the group that will be accompanying her to Washington DC. We don’t want to wait and miss out on getting our reservations at the Holiday Inn Capital. There is usually an overflow hotel, but it is nicer to be in the hotel where the activity is. Susan works with Dana, and we send out an email to each of the four offices of our congressmen. We also send this email to the schedulers. Sometimes we get an email back that tells us that they no longer work in the office, but they also give us the correct name and email for the person we need to contact.
Washington Seminar 2025
Cindy Grover
I found going to Washington Seminar to be extremely interesting. In my family growing up, my parents never were into politics or speaking to their congressmen. I knew there were lobbyist that would bring forth their concerns to congress; however, I didn’t realize that the National Federation of the Blind was one of those lobbyist groups. The NFB has been lobbying in Washington DC for 52 years. (Continued on next page)
At Washington Seminar, we went to the Great Gathering, which was where all of us Federationists met to hear the issues and to listen to many wonderful speakers, including President Mark Riccobono.
The Great Gathering really pumped us up, motivated us to visit our congressmen to tell them our concerns. The topics we discussed were making medical devices (CPAP’s, insulin pumps, oxygen monitors, etc.) auditory. We also talked about making the internet and computer applications accessible to the blind. The last topic was on making the earning cliff in SSDI be a gradual slope; for every two dollars earned over GSA, you would give back one dollar. We also talked to our congressmen about existing laws that we wanted them to maintain and continue funding. I enjoyed speaking to my congressman and or their staff about the issues facing blind Americans. I was a little nervous at first, but as I spoke, I realized they are no different than I am; it’s just that they work for a congressman and live and work in Washington DC. I would encourage all of you to take the opportunity to go and speak to your congressmen at Washington Seminar in the future. Also let me give you one piece of advice: if you go, wear good
walking shoes.
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NFBI-TVC Christmas Party
Lisa Baker
The Treasure Valley Chapter held their Annual Christmas Party on December 7, with over 60 people in attendance. It was a great celebration with food, conversation, music, and readings. A big thank you to Santa Clause for taking time to stop by and visit.
Nearly $250 was raised to donate to Boise Rescue Mission. This amazing event would not have happened without the hard work of the committee. Thank you to everyone who helped plan the Christmas Party.
Cycle for Independence
Joe Grover
Cycle for Independence 2025 is well underway. The event is scheduled for May 17th at RiverGlen Jr. High at 6801 N. Gary Lane. Much of the preliminary work has begun. The ancillary supporters have been contacted. Riders’ bibs and socks are ordered and arrived. We have new water stop tents that have been donated. We have four new sponsors from the Caldwell community. Our sponsor captains have the information regarding previous sponsors and are ready to begin reaching out to previous sponsors. The volunteer list has been compiled into a word document and those captains have that information and are also ready to begin making phone calls to ensure we have volunteers in place for every position. All of our team captains are in place and a big thanks to the chapter members who volunteered so willingly. We have been fortunate to have picked up a few new volunteers for 2025. The website and Bike Reg have been set up and I have been notified that we even have a few folks that have already registered. We are always welcoming volunteers from the chapter. The more blind guys that are involved the more awareness we raise. Two big positions that still need to be filled are someone to post the signage for the 10-mile ride and collect those signs after the ride. We are also looking for folks who can come for the second shift to help with the cleanup which is always a huge job. Please invite your friends and family and plan to ride in Cycle for Independence 2025. If you have questions, please reach out to joecindygrover@gmail.com
A Tribute to Shelley Newhouse
Dana Ard
Shelley Newhouse: Baker, Camper and Federation Builder
On January 2nd, I, along with several other NFB members, attended Shelley Newhouse’s funeral. I met Shelley in the early ‘80s when she worked at the White Cane Bakery, owned and operated by Ramona Walhof. Shelley, along with her husband, Noel, lived the lives they wanted. They loved camping, and that is how they spent their honeymoon. Shelley loved to bake, and our convention hospitality room was often filled with her delicious cookies. Shelley and Noel were Federation builders, starting a chapter in Sand Point, and in Twin Falls, and holding the 1998 convention in Sand Point. Several years ago, Shelley survived a devastating illness, which left her hospitalized for a year and a half, and resulted in the loss of her kidney function, leading to dialysis. Despite this, Shelley continued to participate in chapter activities and conventions. Shelley was a true Federationist, and she will be missed.
Book Club Update
Joe Thompson
Our February selection is: The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. Yeah, another one by her. She's been cranking out books one after another seemingly on a yearly basis and some of them are very good.
We meet on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 PM Pacific time/8 PM mountain time.
We have not been getting a lot of attention, and I am kind of wondering why. We all have access to BARD, and it's a real gift to be able to select from many thousands of titles. But, I understand that not everyone wants to read the same book. I have been considering having a meeting where we get to come together and talk about the book we just happened to be reading at the time. That way, we all get to hear what turns people on and may get inspired to diversify our reading selections.
I know personally myself, when I read a great book, I want to share it with everyone. In fact, I'm reading one now that I truly believe that everyone should be required to read. It's all about our health system and what we can do about taking charge of our own health and well-being.
It's called Good Energy by Casey Means, and it's a real page turner. Unfortunately, it's not on BARD yet, but I believe it will probably be there soon. I had to get it on Audible.
Got a lot of time on your hands? Reed Don Quijote de La Mancha written by Miguel Cervantes in 1605 and finished in 1615 as a two-part book. It's pretty incredible.
Come to the book club meetings and tell us what you like to read and maybe we'll just inspire each other. If you have any suggestions for a better way to do things, let me know. I'm all ears. Joet@uidaho.edU
Heard Birds Winter 2025
Steve Bouffard – Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, College of Idaho
Winter is the quietest time of year for bird calls and songs, but you can still find plenty of birds by sound. A number of local birds do not migrate south for the winter and are here all year. They are augmented during winter by other species that migrate to lower elevations or from nesting areas further north. Our wintering birds won’t be singing their mating calls, but they make a wide variety of flock, alarm, food claiming, chip notes, and even some territorial calls. Bird feeders attract Black-capped Chickadees, House Sparrows, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song and White-crowned Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinches, Brown Creepers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Eurasian Collared-Dove and Mourning Doves. The chickadee’s calls are the most easily recognized. They repeat their name. Nuthatch calls sound like a truck backup alarm coming from up in a tree. You can also hear caws from American Crows and chattering from Black-billed Magpies and European Starlings. A trip to a local pond will yield a number of duck and goose calls, cries of gulls, and the rattle of Belted Kingfishers, and maybe even a chirping Bald Eagle. Did you know that not all ducks quack? Different ducks quack, whistle, squeal or burp. You might hear the loud croak of a Great Blue Heron. It sounds like something you’d hear in Jurassic Park. You can hear flocks of Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings, and American Robins as they feed on dried fruit from all the ornamental trees in town. No, not all robins go south for the winter. Great Horned Owls nest now and you can hear their deep throated hooting after dark. I suggest you use the Merlin APP, a free app, available through the app store on your phone. It was released by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and can help identify the songs you hear. It is easy to use, although you may need help downloading and setting it up on your phone. Your cell phone listens and displays the most likely bird making the call. With decent input it is usually very accurate. I know some people who bird using only the Merlin APP, while enjoying a warm or cold beverage (depending on the season) without ever leaving the porch or patio.
Your Donations Help NFB-Idaho Members
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!"
Use the URL below to visit our online donation page. Donate using any credit or debit card. All transactions are secure and managed by Square.
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Summer 2024
President’s Address
Dana Ard, President, NFB of Idaho
This has been a very busy time for your president.
In late June, I was asked to present a discussion for students in the ICBVI VIEW program. I chose the topic “Be Your Own Best Advocate.” I discussed with the students the importance of presenting their ideas in a clear, cogent manner. We discussed having an introduction, body, and conclusion when presenting an advocacy request. Students presented skits showing both the right and wrong way to present their advocacy proposal. They learned from these presentations.
Photo, Dana Ard
In July, the Treasure Valley chapter held its annual sports activity and picnic for the VIEW students. My long-time friend, and baseball enthusiast, Ken Jenkens, led the beep baseball activity. Al Schneider facilitated soccer, and the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes led cooperative games. Following the sports activities, the Treasure Valley Chapter provided a delicious picnic for students, chapter members, and volunteers. Students were also given information on the National Federation of the Blind of Idaho.
Eight individuals from Idaho attended the 2024 NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Beth Cunningham, ICBVI agency administrator, met with Scott White, NFB Newsline Coordinator, to discuss ways to include usage of Newsline in Idaho. Our member emeritus, Jan Gawith, was attending her 62nd convention. (Cont. on page 7)
Don Winiecki Wins Bolotin Award at NFB National Convention
NFB selected me and Handid Braille Services for the 2024 Bolotin Award for my work producing and promoting braille for languages other than English. In fact most of my work through Handid Braille Services is now focused on languages other than English, especially languages that do not use the Latin alphabet. I regularly transcribe braille in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi/Persian, Hebrew, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese and other languages.
In addition to NFB, this activity has attracted the attention of translation companies across the Northern Hemisphere, the US Library of Congress, representatives of the Saudi Arabian and Qatari governments, representatives of Native American Tribes, and leaders of Islamic and Jewish organizations.
I learned of the strong need for braille in languages other than English in a chance encounter with a representative of the Bolotin Award US Library of Congress at my first NFB Convention. As I considered the possibilities this could open for me and Handid Braille Services, I received a cold query from an Islamic seminary on the USA East Coast, asking if I could transcribe several books of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Mohammed) into Arabic braille.
Photo, Don accepting
I recalled a saying from John Lennon of the Beatles: "90% of success is just showing up." I decided to "show up" and agreed to do the job. Several months and a lot of learning later, the books were done and delivered. Other Arabic braille jobs soon followed, as did jobs for braille in Chinese, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Thai, and other languages.
If you attend an Arabic language course in any number of Colleges and Universities in the USA, you will use braille that I transcribed. If you visit the Museum of Islamic Calligraphy in Saudi Arabia, you will encounter braille that I produced. If you study Qur'an recitation at a school in the Middle-East, you will use my braille transcriptions. If you have a chance to review government documents in Qatar, you will find my braille. If you read Hebrew language learning books you will find my braille. If you attend a Navajo school in New Mexico, you can find braille that I transcribed. The list goes on and gets more improbable. How is a guy in Boise, Idaho, the one people go to for braille in languages other than English? Just showing up, maybe.
(Continued on page 7)
Book Club Update
Joe Thompson
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer reading. This month we are going to be discussing: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. If I was paying attention I would have recommended: Birding with Benefits. it has an interesting premise. A woman needed a fake date and he took her birding and the benefit was that she fell in love with birding and probably dumped the guy. There are just so many books to read it's hard to keep up. The there’s trilogy starting with: Three Body Problem? I just heard about it and downloaded the first book and will let you know how it goes. I just read a 3 1/2 hour book called: The Light in the Forest. It was published in 1953 and seems to be a first-hand account of a young man who was abducted by Indians and raised as a son. In fact his Indian name was True Son. When he was so-called rescued after 10 years, he had essentially become a true Indian and could not live with his biological parents any longer because it was too regimented and stifling.I hope everyone is getting out and enjoying nature. It's good for the spirit.
We are still meeting the second Wednesday of the month at 7 PM Pacific time via zoom. It would be nice if more people started showing up. Everyone is welcome whether you have read the book or not. We don't even have to talk about the book. It's about getting together and sharing.
If it's too hot to go outside, then crack open your bard app and dive in. If you don't like the one you're reading, then dump it and grab a good one. Given the high temperatures these days I will leave you with a short poem my uncle used to recite:
When it gets too hot for comfort and you can't get an ice cream cone, it ain't no sin to take off your skin and dance around in your bones.
NFBI Summer Programs for Youth
Alison Steven
This year, the ICBVI and NFB summer programs aligned so that it was possible for students to do all three if appropriate! This did not happen but some students did pick two of the three. For the ICBVI View program, I hired 22 staff, and we had 16 students attend. The Visually Impaired Experiencing Work (VIEW) Program is five weeks long and focuses on students getting work experience in the local community. We had students working across the city at the Discovery Center of Idaho, the Boise Zoo, the Grove Hotel, the Riverside Hotel, Computers for Kids, the Boise Co-Op, RISE Inc., Quality Logic, Boise Parks and Rec, and Garden City Police Department. Students relished their work and the employers were engaged and interactive with them.
ICBVI collaborated with the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA), the International School of Protocol, and NFB of Idaho to bring a variety of experiences, and more importantly, new relationships with strong and independent adults. Over the five weeks of the program, students met with Jennie F., Ramona W., Al S., Dana A., Nate H., Kebbie Y., Deanne S., and Earl H., as well as several others of our community at the adaptive sports and picnic event hosted by NFB.
While the activities the students participated in were valuable, it is the relationships they develop and the role models they meet that have the greatest impact now and in the future.We had a fabulous staff with just under 40% returning staff and a similar proportion of staff who were blind or visually impaired. They put 100% of themselves into supporting the students, developing solid friendships in the process.
The VIEW program ended on Saturday July 20, and the next day, staff headed to McCall for the NFB BELL and Beyond Program. Two staff and three students moved on to the BELL and Beyond Program at Pilgrim Cove Camp. There were a total of 20 students ranging in age from 9 through 17 years of age, and 15 staff, with Jackie Stallings and myself co-leading the program. We stayed in cabins with bathrooms overlooking the lake and the mountains as our daily backdrop. Students participated in braille and literacy and O&M classes each morning. In the afternoon, we had various activities which always included getting in the lake at some point. This year, the schedule for a group of the older students was different, because for the first time we introduced a "Challenge Track". These seven students spent three mornings practicing putting up tents, making a camp fire, planning food, and canoeing to be ready for an overnight tent camping trip on Thursday evening. (Continued on page 6)
2024 Cycle for Independence
Daniel Solis
The 2024 NFB Cycle for Independence fundraiser was a resounding success, thanks to the combined efforts of our Treasure Valley Chapter and the entire state of Idaho. This event not only brought our community together but also raised funds to support scholarships, conventions, and various activities for the blind across Idaho throughout the year. This year, we had 303 registered participants riding in one of the three routes—10 miles, 25 miles, and metric cenury. Participants came from California, Nevada, Utah, and beyond to support us, participate in the event, and enjoy the beauty of the Treasure Valley.
Each participant received our signature bike socks, designed in Boise State’s blue and orange colors. Following the ride, they enjoyed a delicious barbecue featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, and a variety of beef, turkey, and veggie burgers, complete with all the fixings: fruit, desserts, and cold soft drinks. The event was enhanced by lively music from our DJ, creating a vibrant spring morning atmosphere.
Photo: CFI poster
We were honored to have Mr. Ken Bass as our MC, who kicked off each ride. The event was supported by over 70 volunteers from our community, whose dedication and hard work were invaluable in making the event a success. We deeply appreciate their contributions and hope to see them again next year. Thank you to everyone involved for a fantastic job and to the NFB of Idaho for their continued support. We look forward to another successful event next year!
(Youth, continued from page 4)
With five staff to support them, they had a fantastic trip, mosquitoes notwithstanding, and arrived with a sense of accomplishment. One student told me he had been on camps before, and had always been on the sidelines, never being considered capable of helping out. On this trip he had done everything, paddling, lighting fires, cooking and putting up tents.
As a finale to our week, we had a family day on Saturday, organized by IESDB. Campers and siblings took part in activities run by AWeSOMe, while parents, guardians, and staff shared stories and resources. The campers performed their Readers Theater Selection, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs", before everyone departed for home.
Everyone, that is, except Tyler Merren, Kyle Owens, Rosemary (my niece, visiting from England) and myself, who headed up to Moscow for the start of College Days This year, College Days took place at the University of Idaho to give students the opportunity to get acquainted with another of Idaho's universities. We had seven students participating this year and the University staff were incredibly cooperative and helpful, even providing audio description to their Thursday Screen on the Green community movie night at our request. Students spent time in classes learning Executive Functioning skills with Kathy Nimmer, Self-Advocacy and Listening Skills with Jerry Catt and Liz Alexander, and Fitness and Education with Tyler Merren. They got to know the campus walking from the dorms at the north end to class in the Education Building at the south end. They also had a class with Chelsea, a textiles teacher, who happened to be visually impaired. On Wednesday, we took a side trip to Lewis and Clark State College to expose students to one more option for college that they could take advantage of. We also very much enjoyed seeing Joe Thompson and Janine Sholander representing NFB at the resource fair. By the end of the week, all students felt very much more prepared for college and all the opportunities and challenges it will provide. Another busy summer of youth programming was complete!
Thanks to all the organizations and individuals that collaborated to give our youth the step they need to move towards productive and independent adult lives.
(President, continued from page 1)
NFB has numerous interest groups. I attended the meeting of NAGDU, the National Association of Guide Dog Users. We discussed the ongoing problem with denial of rides by Uber to those of us who use guide dogs, despite a court settlement where Uber agreed to fix this problem. Our own treasurer and operator of Handid Braille Services, Don Winiecki, was awarded a Bolotin Award for $15,000 for his transcription work producing braille in numerous non-Latin-based languages. I always enjoy the President’s report, which outlines the tremendous work we are doing in our organization to make the world better for all blind people. You can read this report, and the banquet speech at nfb.org/conventions. The presentation by Joe Stretchay on his work on the Netflix Series, All the Light We Cannot See, was especially interesting, since the book, on which this series is based, is written by a Boise author, Anthony Door.
I just returned from our 3rd annual BELL and Beyond camp in McCall. We had 20 campers this year. We partnered with IESDB and ICBVI to make this happen. I taught braille writing. In addition to writing, I have a spelling contest with my classes and work on dictated sentences and composition. Next weekend I will join Snake River Valley Chapter for their summer picnic. It’s not too early to plan for Blind Equality Achievement Month in October. Let’s continue to work together to build the National Federation of the Blind in Idaho.
(Award, continued from page 2)
In addition to a very impressive trophy with a braille plaque and an image of Jacob Bolotin, the Bolotin Award came with a $15,000 cash prize. This award is being used to purchase new equipment for scanning and OCR of multiple languages (but OCR for Arabic is terrible. Really. I type most of it by hand.), language learning resources, and seed money for the next endeavor by Handid Braille Services -- instructional materials for learning braille for languages other than English. I figure, if more braille is needed, then I could help to prepare more braille readers too! When I mentioned that to faculty who teach at NFB Centers, and Universities with TVI programs, in conversations at the 2024 NFB Convention, I was met with immediate smiles and excitement!
If I was in a position to have to make a living transcribing braille, I may never have taken that first job. So much learning is necessary in what I do now, that it slows down the speed of production and that has a downward force on cashflow. But because I have a "day job" I can focus on and specialize in something that other transcribers won't consider doing. The learning is challenging. Knowing I am producing a product that fills a need is very rewarding. But in the end, receiving acknowledgement from NFB that contributing to the goals of the Federation is unparalleled. Thanks, Federation Family!
It’s Your Toolbox
Marcie Chapman
Some of my greatest tools besides my white cane and my guide dog, Guiness, are screen readers such as Voice Over on an iPhone/iPad, and JAWS for my PC. My dad recently asked me, after observing me navigating on my phone, “How limited would your world be without all the tools you use?” He added, “ I would imagine that it would be very limiting.” I told him he was very correct. Having these assistive technology tools is so invaluable. Without these screen readers, I would not be able to search for things on the internet, compose/send/edit my own messages and emails, make and receive phone calls, add in my own contacts, check my voicemails, access apps on my phone, pay bills, access programs on my computer such as Windows Explorer, Word, Excel, Outlook, access settings, etc. I wouldn’t be able to access the programs we use at work as well to do my job. With these tools, I can do all of these independently. I also love using Seeing AI and the Be My Eyes apps. They help me to identify text that I can’t see to read, to identify money, colors, products, and scenes around me, no matter where I am. There is literally a whole slew of tools right at your fingertips, and all you need to do is give them a try, and your eyes and your mind will be opened.
Your Donations Help NFB-Idaho Members
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!"
Use the URL below or the QR Code to the right to visit our online donation page. Donate using any credit or debit card. All transactions are secure and managed by Square.
NFB-Idaho Donation URL: https://bit.ly/3tFCxsK