On The Importance of Training for the Experts

By Jennifer Dunnam

Volume 77, Number 2

Quarterly Publication of the

National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, Inc.

100 East 22nd Street

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404

Many people are involved in getting this issue to you. The writers can write and the editor can edit, but until the material is printed, brailled, recorded, and distributed, it is just a computer file. Therefore, we owe great thanks to the following people for the work they do in producing this publication.

Dave Andrews marks up and posts the NFB-NEWSLINE® edition.

Metro Chapter — Twin Cities area; meets at 2:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month at NFB of MN Headquarters, 100 East 22nd Street in Minneapolis

Riverbend Chapter — New Ulm area; meets at 9:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month in New Ulm; contact Monica Buboltz at 507-354-5680 for meeting location

Rochester Chapter — Rochester area; meets at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester

Exciting times are coming in NFB conventions. Keep these in mind as you plan your activities throughout the coming year.

The Annual NFB of Minnesota Convention will be October 7-9, 2011 in Bloomington. Members will receive a letter with details about a month before the convention, and the letter will be on our website at www.nfbmn.org.

By Patrick A. Barrett

(Editor’s Note: Pat Barrett is first vice-president of our Metro Chapter and a member of the NFB of Minnesota board of directors.)

By Elizabeth Slaughter

(Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Slaughter is an NFB of Minnesota member living in Bemidji. She can be contacted by telephone at (218) 755-1271 or e-mail at manutips@paulbunyan.net.)

I hold many things learned and experienced throughout my life to be critical to my education, independence, socialization, and financial security. Chief among them all is my learning and using braille.

By Deborah Kendrick

(Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Que Pasa, the NFB of New Mexico newsletter. It originally appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on February 20, 2011. Deborah Kendrick is a blind Cincinnati, Ohio writer and advocate for people with disabilities, and has served as secretary of the NFB of Ohio and coordinator of Ohio's mentoring program.)

(Editor’s Note: This article appeared on the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Multicultural Financial Advisors Forum on April 18, 2011. Harrison Hoyes graduated from Blindness: Learning In New Dimensions (BLIND), Inc. in 2009 and is now part of a financial advising team that manages over $5 billion in assets.)

Harrison C. Hoyes is a Registered Marketing Associate with the Rasweiler Group in Morristown, New Jersey. Previously, he was a Financial Advisor with AXA Equitable.

By Steve Jacobson, Vice President

One of the trademarks of the work we do in the Federation is that we try to take the long view of the issues with which we deal. This has certainly been true of our ability to use computers, software, and access documents that are important to us. While the road behind us and ahead of us is long, occasionally it is well worth taking our eyes off the long road and observe the scenery along the way.