From the NFB in Computer Science list serve posted by Mika Pyyhkala,

Greetings,

I wanted to write and make sure that #gaad was on your radar. I had heard of the event before at CSUN 12, but I only really got engaged and excited about the event on Sunday night, yesterday!

Global Accessibility Awareness Day will feature real world and virtual events on Wednesday May 9th.

What makes #gaad different?

In many if not all accessibility or disability events, we are largely preaching to the choir. In other words, at a major trade show like CSUN, your talking to people who largely on some level already know about and perhaps believe in accessibility or universal design. After all, they had to spend time and resources to attend an event like CSUN or an NFB convention.

With #gaad we are trying to reach people, eg most people, who don’t know much if anything about accessibility, or how or if a blind person can use a computer or moble device. Global Accessibility Awareness Day is flexible in that there are a number of ways you can
participate:

I’m going to give you a list here in how I have and plan so far to participate. You can do the same things, or come up with your own ideas once you read the list:

Facebook: Like it and post about it
On Facebook I liked the page

http://facebook.com/GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay

by the way its also available on the mobile site http://m.facebook.com/GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay
I have already posted on my time line about it. It would also be good to refer to the page on the profile of a company or organization that either needs to do more about accessibility, or where you want to say job well done. You can now use the at sign @ with the main Facebook site to link to people and organizations, tag, similar to Twitter.
Takeaway: If blind people don’t speak up ourselves in social media, who will speak up for us?

Twitter: Tweet about and to people and organizations with the #gaad hashtag. I have tweeted to several brands as well as product managers with in brands asking them to incorporate #gaad in to their teams activitys on Wednesday. There are also some organizations where I needed to check on the status of an accessibility related support request, so I tweeted those organizations to check and also referred to #gaad as well as the web site shortcut which is easy to remember

http://bit.ly/gaad2012

I just heard back from the vp of engineering @nestmatt at Nest Labs, maker of the Nest thermostat which you can control with your iPhone, that he would check out #gaad I also mentioned that Victor from Yahoo
@vick08 was a nearby local resource to the Nest corporate office.
BTW, Victor will be speaking at a Los Angeles based #gaad event at Yahoo.
Takeaway: If your not on Twitter please join as it is a way for us to collectively influence organizations, and if your already on twitter tweet with #gaad over the next few days, and support NFB members and initiatives via Twitter going in to the future. Twitter is so much easier than some of the communication tools we had to use in the past, and facilitates a 1 to many conversation. How can you beat that?

Email: I’ve sent a customnized email to several organizations, including product managers and disability policy evangelists at several of the airlines, encouraging them to Preach Beyond the choir in their organizations and incorporate #gaad in their day on Wednesday. I’ve listed specific accessibility challenges and accomplishments that are specific to and customized for each airlines own accessibility situation. A similar approach could be taken with any product or service category.
Takeaway: You can use email, but don’t just blast out generic forwards. Customize and personalize parts of the message and the ask for the recipient and their respective organization. Make sure the person knows you thought about this, and didn’t just spend 2 seconds pressing the forward button. #gaad also has a neat autoresponder set up if you email gaadpromo@gmail.com you’ll get an automated message about the event. I usually include this information at the bottom of my customized emails. It may help to tell people to email that address in some cases especially in person or over the phone.

Attend an Event: The #gaad web page has details about in person events around the world, as well as web events:

http://bit.ly/gaad2012

My understanding is that events may be added over the next 24 hours as well. Tweet, post on Facebook, etc. about attending the event or any accessibility stories you have in the course of attending. Again, these could be accessibility triumphs or failures. The http://audioboo.fm service and associated app is excellent for recording from the field, and may be easier than typing posts longer than a tweet from a mobile device. You can link your Audioboo account with Facebook and Twitter and post with the, you guessed it, #gaad hashtag. #gaad is also looking for people to post what it was like to learn about or use accessibility for the first time.
Takeaway: Events will be both fun and informative & reading the #gaad day in the life stories will be interesting.

I also just learned that one of our members bought an inaccessible coffee maker with touch screen only controls, so once I find the companys social media and executive contacts, I will incorporate #gaad in to the question about the inaccessible appliance. Especially with large companys, its often best to find both key executive decision makers in addition to front line gatekeepers who often just want to and can only briefly and politely thank you for your suggestion. You can find information about executives at companys through google, investor information, investor conference calls, linkedin, media contacts, as well as college alumni forums.

You can also meet company executives if you attend product launches, etc.

But don’t just shrug off that inaccessible coffee maker, literally or figuratively. If you shrug it off, how will things like new coffee makers ever become accessible? If the blind do not pressure industry to make current and future coffee makers accessible, who will do that for us?”

I’ve been worshiped, praised for having super powers, treated like I might be contagious, and threatened to be under paid because I cannot write in print. What is it like for someone who is blind to work in the sighted world? Truthfully, it is normal most of the time. My name is Taryn, I am an LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist), and I am blind. My journey through three semesters of massage school, a fifty hour internship, and my first real job as a practicing therapist provided me with knowledge and experience that could never be assigned a value.

I was taking classes at Austin community College when, after switching majors for the third time, DARS (Division of assistive and rehabilitative Services) informed me I had been playing around enough and that my case would be closed if I didn’t get it together. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and my counselor at the time suggested massage therapy. Well, I just wanted an answer at the time, so I talked myself in to it like a lost adult who has just found their faith. After some research I chose Texas Lauterstein-Conway Massage School TLC. I was determined to go to that school due to their high national and local rank, so I was ready to provide ideas and recommendations to complete the program successfully as a blind person. The Staff at TLC were receptive and provided me with a tutor who needed to take the classes over again to apply for license reinstatement. I got the help I needed, and from this grew an excellent friendship. In order to feel what the class was seeing my instructor used me for in-class demonstrations. Oh, this was just awful; I got a massage every class day. My biggest hurtle while attending TLC was the anatomy and physiology coloring book. This was often a homework assignment given to help students learn the systems in the human body. I didn’t wish to omit this section of my learning, so I suggested using an application that I’d seen in my first semester of school. In that semester anatomy was taught by sculpting the muscles out of modeling clay on a plastic half-sized skeleton. By this time, I was in my second semester and the study of the human body had gotten rather in-depth. I worked on my model for weeks, and I’d built layer upon layer of clay muscles on this two foot tall skeleton. When I brought in the finished project, the school decided to keep it as a demonstration. Who knows, they may still have it today. I attended a third semester at TLC. By this time, I had already completed my required internship, and was working at the Graduate Clinic offered by TLC. That last semester was a joy and a breeze. I love going back to TLC to take my Continuing Education Classes.

I knew I wanted more schooling, but I had to get through internship. I was so afraid; I’d worked on friends, family and classmates, but not the public. These people I’d been working on were people I knew and people who knew me. It was time to face strangers in a professional setting. I went to tour and spend time in the clinic before the internship began, so that I would be familiar with the procedures. A client, with a disorder called Fibril Mialgia, arrived for her appointment. Fibril Mialgia is a disorder that can cause extreme discomfort in various places in the body. After about two minutes into the session, she asked that the session end and she would reschedule. She seemed uncomfortable and given her condition I understood. I was comfortable and confident at this time, so I was more than prepared for something like this. I lead her to the receptionist desk and walked away to speak to the clinic manager about getting the last hour I needed. After I left the client, apparently she informed our staff receptionist that her discomfort was related to my blindness. She asked, “How can you let that blind girl work here?” Our manager responded with, “If you feel that way about one of our best students, we do not need your business.” The staff seemed to be more upset than I was about this incident. I knew that things like this were going to happen. I did not really expect it this day, but understood that situations like that would happen when involved with people unfamiliar with blindness.

I was working at the Graduate clinic and living off SSI when an opportunity for another part time job landed in my lap. One evening I received a call from a classmate who wanted to go back to working part time. He had a position at a chiropractor’s office as the massage therapist and knew I needed a job. I was hired after a short five minute interview in January of 2006. I was both nervous and excited, because I was not only working on the public but having to generate my own session notes and other written material. It was a small private practice, but the work load was quite heavy. Some of my patients worshiped me because I was “so amazing”, and placed me on a pedestal. One particular patient told me I could be a God in my own right because I offered the world more than anyone else could or did. That makes me wonder about her life experience. To other patients I had super powers. “You must be the best for this job, because your senses are better than other peoples’” a woman once told me. To some, I was special and could do things they could not. I would remind them that I’m human and clumsy so you would think they had proof. My favorite patients were the patients who appreciated my work and understood that I was just blind. One of these patients noticed that I needed a new coffee mug, and one day presented me with one for my hard work. I still have the coffee mug today.
Unfortunately I ran in to some complications. The Doctor didn’t like that I could not write in print, and I overheard him talk to the office manager about paying me less. When I was first hired I had offered solutions to that problem which were turned down. He wanted the office manager to talk to me and get me to agree to take a lower pay; she would not. The office manager was offended and informed him that those kinds of things were not legal or fair. Another incident occurred when a patient came to his appointment with exceptionally muddy feet. This patient left a trail all over the office and a pile of dirt on the massage table. When The Doctor arrived he accused me of the mess simply because he knew I couldn’t see my feet. I pointed out that my shoes were outside on the porch and held up a foot with a clean slipper incasing it. Once again my office manager stood up for me. She was angry that he would accuse me simply because I couldn’t see my feet. The Doctor typically exhibited behaviors such as these. The office manager always stood up for me, and we both learned to stand our ground. The office manager was an awesome lady. She and I would go to lunch, and because she was a therapist also we would trade sessions. She was always helpful. If my clothes were stained, or I had something in my teeth, she would tell me without being offensive. Not only did I practice massage for the Doctor, but I cleaned his office, put up his badly wrinkled laundry, and stuffed envelopes with billing and advertisement information. Then my paycheck started being late. After about a year and a half I informed him that if he paid me late one more time, I was going to turn in a two week notice. This continued for a while longer, and I was forced to quit and look for another job. I really loved that job in spite of The Doctors poor business management and people skills. The location was good, the patients were great, and I love the medical side of massage therapy.

Throughout my education, internship and real work experience, I’ve learned a lot about other people and myself. One of the most valuable things I learned was: In order to work in the sighted world you must think about your appearance and how you carry yourself. Sometimes, I think this gets overlooked by blind people. If you look unapproachable from fifteen feet away who would want to get any closer. I also learned that one must be ready to ask for accommodations and know how to accomplish what is necessary for the job. It is not your employer’s responsibility to figure out how you can accomplish your job, but it is the employer’s responsibility to accommodate within reason. I now work in administration at Travis Association for the blind, but I have a small private practice of my own. I hope to one day have a position similar to the one I have written about above. In addition to having a private practice, I also provide my services at special events. I will be providing chair massage at the NFB National Convention to raise money for the Austin Chapter. I could write a novel about my experiences as an LMT who is blind, and there are always more stories to tell.

Health and Welfare

Robert was in the hospital because of diabetic issues. Jesse Hardel is back at work after his accident at Washington Seminar. Angela is having a baby girl. Jeanine thanked the chapter for her get well gift.

The treasurer reported a balance of $3,864.68.

Presidential Release 404

1. The block of rooms for convention is reserved until June first, so reservations should be made before that time.
2. Registration for National Convention costs $25.00, banquet tickets cost $50.00, and tickets for the barbecue cost $40.00. All of these may be purchased through the NFB website.
3. If you require specific accommodations for National Convention please notify Patricia Miller by May 31^st of your needed accommodation.
4. The CARS division has changed its name to the National Association of Blind Automobile Enthusiasts.
5. Marc Riccabono flew on NASA’s zero g simulator.
6. The National Center conducted a BELL program to prepare leaders of BELL programs in more states.
7. The governor of Michigan has issued an executive order disbanding the Commission for the Blind in Michigan. We in the federation oppose this decision and furthermore believe it to be illegal, so the federation will take steps to protect the Michigan Commission for the Blind.

Chapter Check-up

We discussed our platform for the year. We are planning three major events this year. First of all because it is the last time National Convention will be in Texas for a while we need to be as active as we can at the convention. We will be staffing the hospitality suite for at least one day if not more. We will be doing dollar a minute massages and selling breakfast tacos in the hospitality suite. We will be working at the Texas table in the exhibit hall. Finally we will be helping out at the information table at the beginning of convention. We have not yet decided whether or not we will charter a bus to convention.

Shortly after National Convention we will be hosting the BELL Program at TSBVI from July 30^th through August 9^th. Captain Whosit made an appearance at the meeting to help a young blind girl with residual vision read as fast as her peers!

For Meet the Blind Month we will be walking down the runway in a variety of designer evening ware at our blind fashion show! Our model was wearing the latest in rainy Saturday morning casual ware, but the models in our show in October will be looking beautiful wearing creations donated by designers here in Austin.

State Committee

The Texas board is meeting in Dallas the last weekend in March to familiarize everyone with the hotel and begin to engage with the community for a community service project. Richie is taking several students to Youth Leadership Academy at the National Center. TABS is having a seminar the weekend of our next chapter meeting. Richie and Heather will both be at the TABS Seminar. We need to volunteer to help out wherever we can for convention.

Membership Committee

Sarai, our NFB intern called and reminded all of us about the chapter meeting.

Activities Committee

We covered our activities in the chapter check-up.

Finance Committee

The breakfast taco sale at convention is our next big fund raiser. We are still working out the details on a musical event at convention. We are looking into selling items at the City Wide Garage Sale. We also discussed selling candy or some other item, possibly salsa, throughout convention in addition to the breakfast tacos.

Old Business

• The mentoring pairs got together with some students from Criss Cole for a career fair.
• At the BELL workshop we learned that there are ten states participating in the BELL program this year.

New Business

• Richie will have to be out of town for the April, May, and June meetings, but other board members will run the meetings in those months.
• We are looking into a situation where a local grocery store is allegedly only providing shopper’s assistants during certain hours. If this turns out to be true it is not acceptable, and we will discuss steps to be taken.

There were no new members in this meeting. There were 4 brags and 5 complaints. The meeting adjourned at 12:00 pm.

Health and Wellfare

There were 4 birthdays since our last meeting. Congratulations to One of our members who is going to have a baby! Nicole is now a grandmother.

The treasurer reported a balance of $3,754.76.

Richie presented his 2011 presidential report on NewsLine®.

Your 2012 board of directors

• President: Richie Flores
• First Vice President: Pamela Chesser
• Second Vice President: Jeanine Lineback
• Secretary: Thomas Stivers
• Treasurer: Heather Stivers
• Board Member I: Marcey Gonzalez
• Board Member II: Taryn Schriewer

Presidential Release 402

1. The Braille Monitor will be shipped on USB drives.
2. The presidential release will no longer be available on casette.
3. The early explorers program provides an introduction for young children to the long white cane.
4. The Braille Readers are Leaders contest is over as of January 4^th.
5. Washington Seminar ended on Thursday.

Old Business

• Richie thanked us for helping with state convention.
• Sarai Hernandez was announced as the winner of the Washington Experience scholarship.

New Business

• We had fun with our friends from BELL Camp at our second BELL Saturday on January 21,sup>st.

The meeting adjourned at 12:05 pm.

(Blind Insight February 2012 Issue)

Editor’s note: Sarai is a senior in High School, and has had the chance to intern with the NFB of Texas office. She was the recipient of the third annual NFB Austin Glen and Norma Crosby Washington DC Student scholarship. This scholarship assisted Sarai in joining 500 other Federationist on Capitol Hill to legislate for the rights of blind Americans. Here is the essay that secured the award:

Blind people have the ability to accomplish anything by using skills gained through either training or experience. However, three issues affect their independence: the use of quiet cars on streets, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and voting technology.

Automobile companies have developed cars that are environmentally friendly, but they are very quiet. This presents a problem for blind and sighted pedestrians. Blind people use the sound of traffic to orient themselves when crossing streets. Quiet cars present a danger because blind people don’t know when they’re present. While most people can see them, blind people need to be able to hear them. People should not be afraid to cross a street simply because a quiet car may be around.

Another challenge to the independence of blind people is Section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which declares that people with disabilities can be paid below minimum wage. People can’t control that they have a disability, yet this law seems to punish them for it. If a person with a disability works as hard as others, then he or she should be paid equally. The law is unfair and should be amended — equal pay for equal work. .

A third issue that affects blind people is voting technology. Some blind people cannot vote on their own and need assistance with the machines. Blind people have the right to vote anonymously and can’t do that if they have to tell someone to enter their choice. There is a risk of that person purposely or accidentally selecting the wrong candidate, so all voting machines should be accessible to the blind.

Congress plays an important role in passing laws that benefit all Americans, including the blind. Legislation that ensures safe streets, fair wages, and secure voting would increase the independence of blind people to fully participate in society.

With the blessing of our chapter members I was honored to be re-elected to serve as your Chapter President in January 2011. I will tell you from the bottom of my heart that it has been quite the experience. I have learned, listened, and grown to love the beautiful thing that we become when we gather each month. We should be proud of our accomplishments, acknowledge our needs for improvement, and keep marching together toward future successes.

In 2011, this chapter participated in a number of good deeds promoting the good news of blindness to the Austin area. We began by electing a diverse, intelligent, capable, respectable, and hard working board of directors. I thank my colleagues on the board for their help this year. These leaders in the Austin blind movement have represented us as professionals and experts in blindness. I thank Pamela, Janine, Heather, Thomas, Mike, and Angela. Because of you, this chapter continues to succeed. Because of you, I will continue to succeed as a leader in this movement.

We held true to our focus on Youth Initiatives by supporting a High School senior; Krista Akridge of the Texas School for the Blind, to experience the Blind Driver Challenge and the National Association of Blind Student Washington Seminar. With the NFB of Austin financial assistance and mentorship, Krista experienced first-hand the empowering drive, innovation, and voice of the Federation. The investment the NFB of Austin made on Ms. Akridge proved to be worth the expense. This young woman then attended her first National convention in Orlando, and is considering an NFB training center for her rehabilitation. Continuing the spirit of Youth Programming the NFB of Austin hosted its first ever BELL Camp for Blind Children. Together we celebrated the independence of blind people through fun activities in Braille, blindness lessons, and adjustment. Eight students had fun with the NFB of Austin mentors at BELL 2011. We continued to give back to the blind community by sponsoring a Diabetic Awareness March, wrapping gifts for Barns and Noble patrons each holiday season-showing the world what blind people can do, reading Braille to sighted students at the Campfire After School Program, sponsoring and participating in Austin’s White Cane Day celebration, enlightening the Daily Local Newspaper and interested community of the independence and legislative initiatives of the blind, and hosting social gatherings outside our business meetings at local restaurants and member’s homes.

We have expanded our presence on the web thanks to our members and our awesome web master. Thomas Stivers a long time friend of mine has found his nitch in our band. Please join us to celebrate our accomplishments, plans, and federationism at: www.nfbaustin.org. This site makes the Austin blind movement accessible and informative to all. Because of our presence on the web I have received many calls, we gained new members, and our current membership is enjoying this new innovative outlet in furthering our communication with each other and the World Wide Web. Our web page includes: information about blindness relative to Austinites and across the country. The web site continues to promote the calendar of events, meeting podcast, and a message board blogging feature for members. This year we added Blind Insight: our monthly publication written by our members that emphasize the good news of the blind. In addition, we now have philosophy, announcements, Braille awareness, cool pictures, video footage, and much more on our awesome web site. Thomas continues to help us with the call out service that takes a 30-second message, and will call out to all the members on our list.

The Chapter benefited from over 3000 dollars of fund raising efforts. These were represented by a few dances with Dinner’s in the Dark Blind Café events, Holiday Auction, Bake Sales, convention hospitality massages, convention King Size Candy Sale, BELL Camp Registration Fees, and donations. Jane Lansaw and Heather Stivers and their tireless effort organizing the Barns and Noble gift wrapping opportunity also should be recognized for contributing to our finances.

The NFB of Austin has accomplished the networking aspect to our community involvement. We have invited the community to meet the blind on many occasions this year. Our chapter has reached out to community partners such as: The Camp Fire Project-after school program for elementary children, Austin Statesmen-the local newspaper, a summer music camp for elementary aged children, AISD and UT Music Graduate Student Teachers for our BELL Program PE, music, and Art classes, and a private inventor interested in developing blind technology. NFB Austin will continue to broaden our horizons by networking, learning, and shaking hands with community partners.

Finally, we have grown in leadership and membership. The members list of the NFB of Austin has surpassed 100 contacts. We welcome Marcy Gonzalez who has helped our Board of Directors in local projects like: state convention logistics, establishing a presence for a Diabetic Action Network for NFB of Texas, assisting in BELL Camp 2011, and the Dinner in the Dark. We are blessed to have found hard workers such as John Franks, Travis Weed, Taryn Schriewer, Max Nguyen, and Oumar Diallo who have all stepped up this year to help with our chapter projects, events, and fundraisers.

There are a number of areas of improvement in which I hope we work on. First, our voice for the Austin blind needs to raise in volume. As President I have come in contact with agencies of the blind, blind persons themselves, and sighted people that have miss-information about what the NFB really is about. This only means that we aren’t educating the public enough about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. This begins and ends with a sound philosophy, that in my opinion this chapter can work on establishing. Let’s find our voice, tune it up, and scream the good words, works, and wisdom regarding blindness.

Secondly, because our membership has grown, the chapter needs to find places for everyone. The Austin Chapter membership participation outside of showing up to a meeting has progressed some, but still can use some tuning up. Perhaps this is the fault of your board of directors, it could also be that our membership is unaware of the work that is needed, in fact, I believe it’s a little of both. This needs to change. This is a member’s movement, and we cannot promote our cause without the contributions, voices, strengths, and talents of everyone. Let’s all find a job in this chapter and fit in to this affiliate. Find a job that you enjoy, and take satisfaction from. If you don’t know what to do, ask someone who might have an idea, be open to that idea and give it your best shot.

Lastly, this chapter can work on follow through with the responsibilities it has committed too. The Board of Directors had many dreams our first meeting back in February. I know that we tried many new things, and we learned from each project. I feel with a re-evaluation of our unified philosophy, group participation, and individual commitments we can change what it means to be blind in Austin. I thank you for the opportunity to lead this chapter, and I hope I have represented you well. To next year federationists.

The popular holiday story of the Christmas Carol depicts a man named Scrooge, who despises the holiday season, cheer, giving nature, being Mary and such. Scrooge receives some late night ghostly visitors who show him how his past, present, and future can be heavily affected if one doesn’t take part in happiness, meaningful relationships, and community involvement.  In comparison to my own 30-years of personal experience with blindness this concept rings true as well.  Take note on the following examples of how my Blindness past, Present, and Future have played a significant role in where I am today.

My Blindness past consisted of: cancer in the retinas at 2, loss of total vision at 3, and hurray Braille and canes at 4! In elementary school I learned abacus in the 80’s, Braille N Speaks, Lite’s, Key-Note Goals, Perkins Braille and Print gadgets, and my favorite the clunky Apple2 E, that even had some blind kid video games on it.  This game called Space Invaders was quite annoying for an adult, but I was the kid at the time, so I’m sure I began at a young age providing headaches for my Teacher of the Visually Handicapped as it was referred to then.  I had it pretty good in Elementary school; I was literate, social, the only blind kid in a small town, so a bit of a celebrity, and pretty full of myself.  Blessed with a supportive family, good teachers, and a network of school friends, I at times would pretty much forget that I was blind. Images of my blindness past are: rollerblading with friends, playing football in the back yard with the neighborhood boys, hunting with my dad, first kiss at 12, and doing well in all my classes through the sixth grade.  Middle school brought a new direction in my blindness path.

I was 13, first week at Kenith White Junior High, when my blindness was first ever presented to me which caused me to be embarrassed.  I learned from a friend of mine, that on my street, there were two signs that read: “caution blind child area.”  A young guy interested in remaining cool, and not being singled out as the blind person, I had my friend show me these signs, and without his help took them down, and put them in the family garage.  I found out later that the signs were some local politician’s idea that had approached my loving parents who were just “caring about their energetic and daring blind son’s safety.”  This was an argument that my parents decided to agree to disagree with me, all though the signs stayed down.  “Caution blind child area,” meant people needed to act differently because of me, and I was embarrassed about that.  The dramatic social change in adolescence was in full gear.  I no longer could realistically compete in tackle football. In fact I played the last 3 games when the whole B team failed and the Kenith White Junior High Hawks didn’t even have enough kids to field a team.  Math and Science were no longer solvable with an abacus, I lost my Teacher of the Blind to retirement, and I was struggling with a Teacher’s Aid who was hired to learn Braille who originally wanted to work with the deaf.  Fortunately, I still had some friends, although, my friends began heading down the wrong paths also.

I recall talking one of my classmates who graded my Math homework, in to giving me consistent 85s, whether I deserved them or not.  We got caught, and spent a few days in the in school suspension room together, and that was the last time I ever talked with Rigo.  Who wants to be friends with the blind cheater?  I also had this neat idea that walking without a cane hid my blindness, and therefore people wouldn’t realize I was the only blind person in the room.  That worked up to the point, when at a choir concert I walked off the back risers, twisted an ankle, had some snickers from my peers, and played sick for the next few days.  I would try everything and anything to be cool: which got me in to trouble with my mobility as a blind person, education, and parents.  Walking with the wrong crowd, without a cane, neglecting my studies and holding low expectations for myself and meeting others low expectations of me.  As President of the 8^th grade class, we were responsible for decorating the cafeteria for the Valentine’s dance, and I recall being told by the Student council Sponsor that I was the supervisor, and that I didn’t have to help.  Popular enough to be president, but blind enough to do nothing.  Surely I could have hung balloons, streamers, colored in or cut out hearts.  No one had ever seen a blind person do those types of things, and so the expectations were that I couldn’t.  I accepted this trend of doing nothing, not advocating for myself, getting passed over in education, and equal participation in activities with my peers.  I began to feel sorry for myself. 

I owe all of my success to my blindness present situation.  An awesome mom, who is a teacher herself, who cared, supported, and invested in my education with her heart and love.  She wanted me to be a participant and so talked me in to joining the Future Farmers of America, where I learned to care for a 200 pound lamb, to bulk up for harvesting.  I learned a lot from this experience: responsibility feeding and exercising an animal twice a day, I was able to work with my hands, be outside, and make a new network of friends.  My family also supported my education as a blind teenager, by against my will, recommending that I take Algebra and Geometry over again at the School for the Blind.  Being uprooted and transplanted in to a world of blindness was quite overwhelming at first.  Going from being the only blind person to now having to make friends with blind class and even roommates was quite the experience.  The school for the blind proved to be the answer to many of my educational concerns.  Mainly, because I was able to be guided by a counselor toward applying for scholarships for college, in which I was fortunate to be granted by the NFB of Texas.

If one wins a scholarship from the NFB, it is required that you attend their convention to accept it.  I remember having to miss my School for the Blind prom, to attend a convention in Temple Texas.  Little did I know that I would find the best dance partner of all time at this event?  I got to meet so many successful blind people.  Blind people with real jobs, blind parents, businessmen, pretty girls who danced circles around me with their canes, and and over all presence of confidence, independence, and a positive blind culture.  I found out that many of the cool people I had the pleasure of meeting that weekend all had this boot camp blindness training in nearby Louisiana under this Drill Sergeant named Joanne Wilson.    The very first adult meaningful decision I ever made upon completing High School, was to challenge myself in blindness at this center.  For the first time I had to: cross the interstate, walk from one town to the next, get $100 of groceries home without any car transportation, take a college class, read amd write faster Braille, make a meal for 40 people, build a checker board with my two hands, do something productive with a computer, and have weekly conversations about my opinions, frustrations, and beliefs about blindness with the Sergeant.  You see I may have missed the prom, but I gained a life dance partner with the NFB.  My heavenly ghosts of Blindness Present, or blind guardian angels; Joanne Wilson and her Queen’s Guard.  I recall while in training having to make a pizza for a small group who I wasn’t particularly fond of, and having to clean up someone else’s mess because center instructor rosy Caranza thought it would be a good training opportunity for me.  I promise you Rosy, I now can make a mean pizza from scratch, entertain the four walls around me, and own a pair of these cool shoe looking things that are actual mops to clean and cook at the same time.  Rosy networked me with Jason Ewell who a few years after our training, we traveled the country together building chapters of the NFb, uniting our talents to share the awesome opportunities of the federation.  Because of the NFB, I now had positive blind role models, colleagues, and friends. 

Its meaningful relationships such as the ones I have with the people I just mentioned that assisted me through undergrad and graduate college, and now as a young professional.  Jason use to walk me through college math problems over the phone, rosy always had a listening ear to my daily issues, and Joanne always kept the high expectation that she demands that we succeed.  We cannot buy faith and hope such as that, and for that I am thankful.  For that, I look forward to my Blindness future.  I look forward to continuing to be a loving husband to my lovely wife.  I look forward to advancing my career utilizing my degrees and relative experiences.  I look forward to working with Blind Youth in Texas and across the country with the NFb.  I look forward to being the best friend I can be to others.  I look forward to spending more time with all of you, and getting to know your accomplishments.

APPETIZERS

• Nachos
  
  
  
  • Beans, cheese, tomatoes & jalapenos $5.99
  
  
  • Guacamole & ground beef $7.99
  
  
  • Beef or chicken fajitas $8.99
  
  
  • Veggie Black Beans, white cheese, guacamole & Pico $6.99
  
  


• Quesadillas
  
  
  
  • Sautéed onions, bell peppers, tomatoes & white cheese, served with guacamole, sour cream & Pico de Gallo $5.99
  
  
  • Mushrooms & spinach $7.99
  
  
  • Beef or chicken fajita $8.99
  
  


• Botana
  sampling of nachos top with sour cream & jalapenos, Quesadillas & chicken Flaquitas, served with queso & guacamole $8.99


• Chile Con Queso
  Made With A Fine Blend of Cheeses, Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Tomatoes And Onion $5.50


• Phillip’s Special
  Chile con Queso, taco meat, guacamole, jalapenos and onions $6.99


• Queso Fresco
  Sautéed tomatoes, onions, fresh jalapeno peppers & white cheese, served with corn tortillas $6.99

  Add chicken or chorizo $7.99

• Hot Latin Kisses
  (6) Jalapenos stuffed with shrimp, cheese, then bacon wrapped & grilled, served with a cilantro sour cream sauce $8.50
• Stuffed Jalapenos
  (6) Stuffed with cream cheese, then breaded and lightly fried $6.50
• Trailer Park Tacos
  (4) Mini brisket tacos on corn tortilla served with jack cheese, pickled red onions & Pico $6.99
• Pastor Nachos
  (8) Tostadas topped with refried beans, pastor pork & cheese, served with guacamole, sour cream & jalapenos on the side $7.99

SOUPS & SALADS

• Sopa de Pollo
  A delicious blend of fresh vegetables, chicken and spices, served with white cheese, Pico, Spanish rice and corn tortillas Small $4.99 Large $5.99
• Tortillas Soup
  A delicious chicken soup topped with tortillas strips, white cheese and avocado, served with Spanish rice, fresh lime & cilantro Small $4.99 Large $5.99
• Guacamole Salad
  Guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, & cheese $6.99
• Dinner Salad
  Lettuce, tomatoes & cheese, cilantro vinaigrette or ranch dressing $3.99
• Taco Salad
  Ground beef or chicken, served in a crispy flour shell with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole & cheese, topped with sour cream $7.50

  With fajita beef or chicken $8.99

• Chalupa Dinner
  Two chalupas with beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole & tomatoes $6.99
  • Ground beef or Chicken $7.75
  • With fajita beef or chicken $8.99

ENCHILADA DINNERS

Dinners are served with Tex-Mex Beans and Spanish rice

• Enchilada Queso
  Cheese enchiladas, topped with chili con carne & Chile con queso (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Beef Enchiladas
  Beef enchiladas, topped with chili con carne & cheese (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Beef Fajita Enchiladas
  Beef fajita enchiladas topped with chili con carne, cheese, sour cream, Pico de Gallo, and guacamole, served with rice & charra beans (2) $8.50 (3) $9.99
• Adobo Enchiladas
  Chicken or cheese enchiladas with salsa ranchera & cheese (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Enchiladas Ranchera
  Chicken or cheese enchiladas, with salsa ranchera & cheese (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Verde Enchiladas
  Chicken or Cheese enchiladas topped with spicy green tomatillo sauce, white cheese and sour cream (2) $7.99 (3) 8.99
• Sour Cream Enchiladas
  Chicken or cheese enchiladas topped with a garlic sour cream sauce and white cheese (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Smoked Barbecue Chicken Enchiladas
  Enchiladas stuffed with smoked barbecue chicken topped with sautéed onions and white cheese (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Shrimp Enchiladas
  Cheese enchiladas topped with shrimp, garlic sour cream sauce and cheese (2) $8.50 (3) $9.99

MEXICAN DINNERS

• Mercado Plate
  Chile con Queso, one crispy taco, guacamole salad, and two beef enchiladas, served with beans and Spanish rice $9.99
• El Plato Bandera
  Three Enchiladas stuffed with chicken or cheese, topped with a garlic sour cream sauce, spicy green tomatillo sauce, salsa ranchera and cheese. Served with Chile con queso, guacamole salad, beans, and Spanish rice $9.99
• Super Platillo
  One beef, chicken or cheese Chile relleno, one taco, one cheese enchilada, one chalupa, Spanish rice and beans $10.99
• Flaco Plate
  Chile Con Queso, One crispy beef taco, guacamole salad, served with beans and Spanish
  rice $8.75
• Combo Plate
  One crispy taco, guacamole salad and one beef or cheese enchilada; served with beans and Spanish rice $8.75
• The “CJ” Plate
  One brisket taco, Chile con que3so and one beef or cheese enchilada; served with charra beans and Spanish rice $8.99
• Fajita Dinner
  Marinated beef or chicken grilled to perfection; served sizzling with grilled onions, sour cream, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, cheese, rice, charra beans and flour tortillas $10.99 for one $20.99 for two
• Mixed Grill
  Beef, chicken, shrimp alambre and spicy sausage grilled to perfection; served with grilled onions, sour cream, Pico, guacamole, cheese, rice, charra beans & flour tortillas $14.99

SPECIALITY DINNERS

• Chimichanga
  A large flour tortilla stuffed chicken or beef fajita, Pico de Gallo and cheese, lightly fried, topped with salsa ranchera, sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes; served with guacamole, beans and Spanish rice $9.99
• Burrito
  Large flour tortilla stuffed with ground beef and beans topped with chili con carne and cheese; served with rice, lettuce and tomatoes $8.99
• Chicken Burrito
  Large flour tortilla stuffed with shredded chicken, poblano peppers, tomatoes, onions, rice & jack cheese. topped with garlic sour cream sauce, served with black beans, lettuce and tomatoes $8.99
• Chicken Flautas
  Seasoned chicken rolled In corn tortillas, fried crispy, served with sour cream, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, beans And Spanish rice $8.50
• Carne Guisada Dinner
  Beef tips cooked in a rich Spanish gravy and served with a guacamole salad, beans, Spanish rice and flour tortillas $ 8.99
• Chicken Chipotle
  Grilled chicken breast topped with onions, peppers, chipotle sauce & cheese, served with guacamole salad, beans and Spanish rice $9.75
• Pollo Poblano
  Grilled chicken breast with onions, poblano peppers & tomatoes, topped with white cheese, served with one cheese enchilada with salsa ranchera, beans & rice $9.99
• Pollo En Ajo
  Chicken breast marinated & sautéed In white wine with tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, fresh ajo (Garlic), served over Spanish rice, with black beans & dinner salad $10.99
• Chile Relleno
  Roasted poblano pepper stuffed with beef or chicken and cheese, topped with salsa ranchera and cheese, served with guacamole salad, beans & Spanish rice $10.50
• Camarones Alambre
  (8) Jalapenos stuffed with large shrimp, cheese, then bacon wrapped & grilled, served on a bed of rice, with cilantro sour cream sauce, beans & guacamole salad $14.50
• Pescado A La Veracruzana
  Pan-sautéed tilapia, topped with a veracruzana sauce, sautéed pepper, onions, fresh garlic & green olives in a Ranchera sauce, served with black beans, rice and a guacamole salad $11.99

DESSERT

• Flan $4.99
• Sopapillas $4.25
• Tres Leches Cake $4.99

SANDWICHES

Sandwiches & Burgers served with your choice of chips & salsa or fries

• *Elmer Burger ½ Lb.
  Burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles & onion $7.99 W/Bacon $8.50
• Smoked Brisket Sandwich
  Brisket rubbed with our special spices and slow smoked to perfection for ten hours, served on a bun with pickles & onions $7.99
• *Chulo Burger
  It May Be Cute But It Bites!! Black pepper crusted ½ Lb. burger with fried jalapenos, Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, & chipotle mayo $ 8.50
• Grilled Chicken Poblano Sandwich
  Roasted poblano chilies, Jack cheese, red onions & tomato $8

VEGETARIAN DINNERS

• Mushroom & Spinach Chile Relleno
  Roasted poblano pepper stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and Rice, topped with salsa ranchera, garlic sour cream & cheese, served with guacamole salad, black beans & rice $9.99
• Vegetarian Black Bean Burrito
  Whole wheat tortilla stuffed with black beans & spinach, topped with your choice of chipotle, garlic sour cream, verde or salsa Ranchera & cheese, served with guacamole salad & rice $8.50
• Enchilada Rico
  Enchiladas stuffed with Pico de Gallo, topped with white cheese, lettuce, tomatoes And Guacamole, served with black beans & Rice (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99
• Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas
  Enchiladas stuffed with sautéed mushrooms & fresh spinach topped with salsa Ranchera & white cheese, served with black beans & rice (2) $7.99 (3) $8.99

• Fresca Plate
  Guacamole salad, one vegetarian taco, one cheese enchilada with your choice of verde, salsa ranchera or chipotle sauce, served with black beans & rice $ 8.50
• Vegetarian Tacos
  Two large whole wheat tortillas filled with black beans, lettuce, tomatoes and white cheese, served with a guacamole salad $8.25

Tex-Mex beans, black beans, Spanish rice, red and green sauces are made without the use of any animal fats or preservatives. All vegetarian dinners may be ordered without cheese or dairy products.

TACO DINNERS

• Tex-Mex Smoked Brisket Tacos
  Brisket rubbed with our special Tex-Mex spice and slow smoked to perfection for ten hours, served on flour tortillas with fresh onions, cilantro, guacamole salad, Charra beans and Spanish rice $8.99
• Achiote Tacos De Pollo
  Achiote & citrus marinated chicken breast grilled to perfection, diced & served on two flour tortillas, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado & Monterey Jack cheese, served with Charra Beans and Spanish rice $ 8.99
• Tacos Al Pastor
  Delicious marinated pork on two flour tortillas served with a guacamole salad, onions, fresh lime and cilantro, Charra beans and Spanish rice $8.99
• Fish Tacos
  Sautéed or fried tilapia served on two flour tortillas, topped with shredded cabbage & chipotle ranch, fresh lime, Charra beans & rice $8.99
• Shrimp Tacos
  Shrimp breaded & lightly fried to a golden brown,
  served on two flour tortillas, topped with shredded
  cabbage & chipotle ranch, fresh lime, Charra beans & rice $8.99
• Fajita Tacos
  Your choice of our delicious chicken or beef fajitas on two flour tortillas and served with grilled onions, Pico de Gallo, cheese, guacamole, Charra beans and Spanish rice $8.99
• Chicken Chipotle Tacos
  Grilled chicken, in a spicy chipotle sauce on two flour tortillas and served with grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, beans and Spanish rice $8.99
• Crispy Tacos
  (3) Beef or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, served with beans & Spanish rice $7.99

$6.50 EXPRESS LUNCH SPECIALS Monday-Friday 11:00 Am-2:00 Pm (Except Holidays)

1. One Crispy Beef Taco,
   Guacamole salad & Chile con Queso over chips
2. One Crispy Beef Taco,
   Spanish rice, beans and one cheese enchilada topped with Chile con Queso and meat sauce
3. Three Beef Enchiladas,
   Topped with cheese and meat sauce, served with lettuce and tomatoes
4. Two Chicken Fajita Tacos
   With cheese, Pico de Gallo, rice & beans
5. Two Chicken Verde Enchiladas,
   W/ sour cream sauce, with beans & rice
6. One Chicken Chalupa,
   guacamole salad & one ranchera cheese enchilada
7. A Cup Of Tortilla Soup
   One chicken taco & guacamole salad
8. Chicken Fajita Taco Salad
   With cheese, lettuce, tomatoes & sour cream
9. Three Crispy Beef or Chicken Tacos
   Served with rice & beans

10. Carne Guisada Dinner
    Served with beans & Spanish rice & 2 tortillas

WEEKEND BREAKFAST SAT & SUN Served till 3:00 P.M.

Huevos can be ordered without peppers

• Huevos Rancheros*
  Two eggs any style, with your choice of salsa ranchera, verde or chipotle sauce $5.25
• Migas*
  Two eggs, mixed with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cheese & corn tortillas strips $5.25
• Huevos Borracho*
  Two eggs, mixed with sautéed tomatoes, onions, peppers & cheese $5.25
• Huevos Vegetarian*
  Two eggs, with mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, onions, peppers & cheese, served with black beans $5.25
• Migas Enchiladas *
  2 enchiladas filled with migas, with your choice of salsa ranchera, verde or chipotle sauce $5.95
• Huevos Motulenos *
  A layered dish of black beans, crispy corn tortilla, two eggs any way you like, topped with a sauce & sliced avocado $5.95

Entrees served with potatoes & beans
You may add these meats to all Entrees

Bacon or sausage $.99 Chorizo $1.50 Beef Fajita $2.99

• Breakfast Quesadilla*
  Two eggs, mixed with cheese and your choice of bacon or sausage, folded in a large flour
  tortilla and grilled to perfection $5.75
• Huevos Carne*
  Two eggs any style, topped with salsa ranchera & served with smoked Tex-Mex brisket $5.99

Entrees served with potatoes & beans

• BREAKFAST TACO* 1.25
  Egg taco & your choice of one item potatoes, beans, bacon, sausage or cheese $.35 for each additional item
• AMERICAN BREAKFAST*
  Two eggs any style
  Served with bacon or sausage, one pancake & fried potatoes $6.25
• Three Pancakes,
  With bacon or sausage $5.25

Water served on request

Frozen Lime Ritas, Bloody Mary’s and Screw Drivers $3.50 Sat & Sun till 5:00 PM

$3.50 Frozen Lime Lunch Rita 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday Nights
$2.99 HOUSE RITAS 5:00 PM TO CLOSE
Frozen, Rocks, Strawberry, Peach, Swirls And Dots!!

For the safety of your children and our employees,
Please have them remain seated at all times!

Complimentary chips & salsa served with dinners
Only (One free refill-Dine-In Only)

Substitutions Are Very Welcomed, But May Be Subject To
Additional Charge

Additional charge for flour and corn tortillas

Additional 3% charge for To Go Orders

17% Gratuity added for parties of five or more

*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food borne Illness

Additional 3% charge for to go orders

Chips & Salsa are an additional charge with all to go orders

Substitutions are very welcomed – But may be subject to additional charge

Editor’s Note: Marcey joined the chapter in early 2011, and has help to spark an interest in beginning a Diabetic Action Network for the NFB of Texas. She has been instrumental in the logistical planning of our Dinner in the Dark, BELL Program and State Convention. She is one of our new leaders in our local movement. The NfB of Austin is proud and lucky to have Marcy on our side. Here is what she has to say about her life struggle with diabetes.:

My name is Marcey Gonzalez and I am a diabetic. This unfortunate illness has caused me to lose a substantial amount of my vision. My poor management of my health is partly to blame for what I know now to be “legal blindness.” It is my hope to educate those who may be struggling with diabetes through my work in the NFB of Texas.

For millions like me, diabetes is an earth-shattering realization that happened when I least expected it. I was always proactive when it came to every facet of my life, except with my health. I just took it for granted that my health would sort itself out. My whole life changed because of poor management of my health. I will admit that at some point I convinced myself that I would be ready to deal with the complications at age 60 or 70, but that wasn’t the case. I now had to deal with the consequences in my 30s, the prime of my life. What I had not planned on is that life is unexpected, and it isn’t always on your terms.

A body needs maintenance checks, just like every other thing out there in the world. For example, a phone, a common thing that everyone has and utilizes daily for everything from email, to games, to facebooking, and sometimes even phone calls. We buy coverage to protect it, we get warranties, extended warranties, and we keep up with the latest technology updates. We even sit around and talk about which versions are the best, and so the list goes on and on. The question is, why don’t we do those maintenance health checks for our body? Why don’t most of us take those extra precautions by eating well, getting the warranties such as by exercising, etc. This concept should be applied to our own health as well.

I got my first “floater,” a little dark shadow spot, in my eye driving home from downtown after a happy hour, thinking my glasses were dirty. I realized when I got home that it was indeed the effects of diabetes, and something that my doctor had mentioned I was going to acquire. Here it was, and as I looked in the mirror, I had a flashback of all that I could have done – and should have done – and now it was too late. The rollercoaster ride had begun.

Blindness is the leading complication of diabetes. It can also cause other complications such as heart disease, strokes, kidney, foot problems (including poor circulation, ulcers, and amputations), nerve damage (including tingling, pain, and numbness or weakness in the feet and legs), and even depression. Most of us know that diabetes is a disease that affects so many, but you don’t necessarily realize that you could be next. Review the risk factors and symptoms listed. If you have any of the following symptoms, please don’t hesitate to discuss with your doctor.

One step toward the goal of improving your quality of life is education. NFB’s Diabetic Action Network can help by standing unified to support and motivate each other toward better levels of nutrition and fitness. Knowledge is power, and we need to empower ourselves with the tools that will help us fight the battle.

I struggle every day with weight issues, with making those healthy eating choices and having the motivation to exercise. There comes a point when you’re staring down at the scale, your inner voice constantly struggling to choose to eat healthy or not, and to be active or not, and knowing the realities of what could happen if you don’t take responsibility for yourself. I’m not claiming to be the perfect example – by far I am not. But I am declaring a statement of commitment moving forward to make better choices with healthier eating and staying active. Empowerment comes within yourself, making those right choices and knowing that you are a healthier person than you were yesterday. Eventually that will turn into a month, then a year, and before you even know it, you have made a lifestyle change.

A person must be their own self advocate. Fight for what you have left, because it’s your LIFE, and there is nothing more valuable than your healthy self. No instant gratification is worth what you will have to face – along with your family and friends, who are ultimately affected as well.

Just remember “Positive thoughts equal positive results.”

Risk Factors for Diabetes
Age over 45 years old
High-risk race or ethnic background
Being overweight (especially around the waist)
Low physical activity level
High blood pressure
Family history of diabetes
Bleeding gums
History of diabetes during pregnancy

Symptoms of Diabetes
Urinating often
Being very thirsty
Being very hungry
Being more tired than usual
Being irritable
Losing weight
Experiencing blurry vision
Hair loss
Darkening ring around neck

Stay active and be healthy!