The Blind Missourian
                                       December 2016

Table of Contents

Planting Seeds by Chris Tisdal and Debbie Wunder        1
Empowering Yourself to Employment 
       and Success Seminar Review by Halley Korff          2
My Life by Dan Flasar                                                      3
Board Meeting                                                                  6
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
          2017 Scholarship Program by Julie McGinnity         7

2017 National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
      State Convention  by Gene Coulter                          12

PLEDGE OF THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.

Planting Seeds
By Chris Tisdal and Debbie Wunder
When a farmer starts to prepare for the next season’s crop, much planning, labor, love, time, and nurturing goes into the future success of his farm. In comparison, this is also how to grow, strengthen, and diversify an affiliate. 
Several months prior to the August membership seminar, the Membership and Outreach Committee spent time, planted seeds, and labored with love to strengthen the Saint Louis area of the National Federation of the Blind. Many phone calls were made, many email invites were sent, and the committee used working lists of blind people that we have heard of to invite them to spend  the day with us. The goal of all this work was to share with others the importance of our federation, how it can affect their lives--not only by what they receive, but by what they can give back to their blind brothers and sisters.
The seminar was held at the University City Public Library on August 6. Many topics were discussed: networking for employment; history and cases on behalf of the blind; divisions within the federation; the KNFB Reader and how you can use it to read printed material at home, on the job, or even on the go.  Discussions also included the importance of attending a center to learn or improve on the blindness skills that one has and needs to be a success in life.  
A farmer cannot plant and tend his crops alone; it takes good farm hands to make it a bountiful farm; again, this is the same with our affiliate. You never know when you plant a seed just when or if it will be harvested. We believe that at the end of the day, we have sowed seeds that may take a while, but if we remember to nurture them, they will grow.
Let us make 2017 the year of sowing seeds; together we can by raising expectations. We can teach our blind brothers and sisters that they can live the life they want!

Empowering Yourself to Employment and Success Seminar Review
by Halley Korff

    If you are a blind or visually impaired person sitting there thinking that you cannot get a job, then I would like to introduce you to thirteen blind and visually impaired people who think you should reconsider: Alice Conway, Chair of the Employment Research Committee; Gary Wunder, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri; Chris Tisdal; David Hertweck; Dacia Cole; Kim Killian; Shelia Wright; Daniel Garcia; Robin House; Julie McGinnity; Debbie Wunder; Halley Korff; and Shawnee Korff.

In the conference room of the St. Louis Society for the Blind, these thirteen people met with college students, unemployed adults, and those anticipating a job change for a three-day Empowering Yourself to Employment and Success Seminar on October 21 to 23. The purpose was to teach, discuss, and participate in finding, interviewing for, keeping, and managing a job.

Guest speakers included Anil Lewis, executive director of the Jernigan Institute and Jim Brinkmann, district supervisor of Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind.

In addition to these distinguished speakers, each committee member presented from their career and personal expertise, information on the subjects related to getting and keeping a job. The agenda included such subjects as: resume writing, interviewing tips, reasonable accommodations, handling your non-work life so you can be successful at work, Social Security, and finances. So much information was shared that each participant was given a thumb drive that recapped each speaker's presentation for review at a later time. That document alone was seventy print pages.

Knowing that so many visually impaired and blind people are out there wanting to support you should encourage you to change your conviction of "I cannot get a job" to "I want to get a job" or, better yet, "If they can, I can get a job as well." Your fellow members and friends in the NFB have a wealth of support and are just waiting for you to make the first move. Email Gary Wunder and ask him to put you on the list for the next Empowering Yourself to Employment and Success Seminar.
My Life
By Dan Flasar

Editor’s note: Normally I take the notes that people send me and compile an article about that person. Dan did such a great job that I felt I should just let him tell you about himself.
 
I was born on November 22nd, 1949, to my parents, Ella Gudelauski Flasar and Joseph Flasar in East St. Louis, Illinois. I have an older brother who is a veterinarian in Chesterfield, Missouri and a younger sister who is a homemaker in Davenport, Iowa. We grew up in the house my father built with his brothers in Collinsville, Illinois, about eight miles from St. Louis. We received a Catholic education from grade school through college, my brother and sister at St. Louis University, I at Loyola University in Chicago. I graduated from Assumption High School, East St. Louis in 1967. 

My father worked as a butcher for a neighborhood grocery store for more than fifty years and was a union member of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters of America throughout his working life. Most of the families who lived in the new post-war suburbs springing up all over the towns east of the river made a good living working union jobs in the many local factories, mills, and public works. Many were first and second generation European immigrants - and we were no exception - we were miners, seamstresses, milkmen, meatpackers, and machinists. Aside from the economic security these jobs provided, the benefits were just as important, especially health insurance.
 
At the age of two I was diagnosed with kidney failure after a strep throat infection went systemic. For most of the next three years I was either in Children's Hospital or heading off to the renal clinic twice a week. We were lucky that the Washington University Medical School was right across the river - and just as lucky to have had comprehensive health insurance. We were also lucky that only a month after diagnosis, a new antibiotic, Streptomycin, was released, stopping the kidney failure, but leaving me with 40 percent function.

Although there were still plenty of trips to the clinics, I was able to start grade school on time, living a normal life all the way through high school. I played trumpet in the school bands, was a member of the Boy Scouts, and spent as much time as possible hiking through forests, fields and parks, swimming at our public pool and biking as many of the rural back roads I could get to. In high school I was on the debate team, worked on our student newspaper and yearbook, a short time on the track team, but I was never much for sports.  I pretty much liked all my classes; especially science, math, history, English, and Latin - not so much religion. The CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) was a big part of our social scene in addition to the good circle of nerdy gals and guys I was a part of. 

My only goal for a career was to become a doctor, specifically a pediatrician. My heroes were the doctors, nurses, and researchers I'd gotten to know over the years at the clinics and in the wards. I chose to attend Loyola University in Chicago for my undergraduate pre-med studies.
 
The week after high school graduation, my renal doctor had me check into the hospital for a week of testing. I'd thought I was through with all this illness stuff; so I spent the time (when not being scanned, x-rayed, stuck, collected, and examined) at the solarium pool smoking my pipe, flirting with the candy-stripers, and growing side-burns. There were two months of summer ahead before I headed to Chicago and, like anyone else, I wanted to make the most of it.
 
So, it was quite a shock at the end of the week when my doctor came into the room followed by fifteen other physicians from the Renal Department. He said, and I quote:  "At some point, we're not sure when, you're going to need some of our more exotic treatments - such as dialysis and a kidney transplant."  At that time both of these therapies were very new - exotic was the right word. For a seventeen-year-old kid, that was bad enough, but the last part was the worst.  "No medical school will ever accept you given your uncertain future health.  You'll need to find another career path."
   
As it turned out, my kidneys gave up the ghost at the beginning of my second semester in January 1968. Since that time, I have received three renal transplants (the first was donated by my maternal aunt, Tofelia Norbury, in the fall of 1969. I've had eight years of dialysis and two cadaveric transplants, the last of which was in 1990. It has worked without a single rejection ever since, more than twenty-six years. Now at the age of sixty-seven, those 'exotic treatments' have given me fifty years... and counting.

There's an old saying that “to those with great power there is given great responsibilities."  My modification is "Those who have benefited from the efforts of many people have a responsibility to earn it." In this case, it was the luck of the draw. Anything can happen to anyone, at any time. I was lucky enough to have a father who, due to the hard work of the labor movement, was able to provide good health insurance, as well as the government insurance my mother received when she took a job as a secretary for the Internal Revenue Service. I was lucky enough to have benefitted from federal and state laws that provided funding for procedures that insurance could not pay for. I was lucky to have parents who never gave up and lucky enough to have benefitted from the dedicated work of countless doctors, researchers, technicians, and staff who devoted their lives to bring cures where none had ever existed; and lucky that at one time the people of the United States thought it was a good thing to provide funding for medical research. I want to do whatever I can to make sure every American has these resources.

Fifty years gave me the chance to marry and have children.  My daughter Lara is forty-six and lives in Carbondale, Illinois and my son Alex is thirty-five and works in Chicago.  I have a stepdaughter, Amy, who is fifty-two and lives in Columbus, Ohio and has given me three grandchildren - Eli, Lela, and Sophie.

It took a while to decide on a new career path once medicine was closed, but after many years and a hard realization that my health was never going to be consistent, I opted to look for a skill that I could do no matter what my state of health, that paid well enough to support a family, was always in demand, and that no one else would want to do.

That left statistics and proctology. So, choosing the less savory of the two, I went on to study post-graduate classwork in statistics for medical research at the Washington University Math Department. I landed a position at the School of Medicine in 1980 as a clinical research analyst where I stayed for almost thirty years.

Working for the University, under grants from the National Institutes of Health, gave me the opportunity to attend conferences all over the country, including Washington, Texas, Washington DC, California, Georgia, and Boston. I fell in love with Seattle and have probably made twenty trips to the amazing Olympic Peninsula. The best trip of all was the one I took to meet, my son Alex in Holland, where he was studying a semester abroad. We took two and a half weeks and traveled to Amsterdam, Prague, and Venice.   
 
I'm not a religious person - preferring to “let the mystery be,” but sometimes there seems to be a cosmic sense of very wry humor that gives me pause. Having thought I'd accounted for all the issues that might be a roadblock, losing a good part of my central vision in 1996 was definitely unanticipated. The Irish have a saying - "Just when you think you have a handle on it all, God will kick your arse."  There's a horselaugh in there somewhere.
       
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind and Washington University provided the accessibility technology and training I needed to keep analyzing clinical data for another twelve years, which I'm very grateful for. Discovering the National Federation of the Blind was, and is, just as important in adapting to a life in which vision, so long my primary modality to work within the world, was no longer possible. No matter how much training and gadgets, there is no substitute for the opportunity to share experiences with the people who have walked the same path with you.

What John F. Kennedy said in another context makes sense to me - "God's work must truly be our own."  We should all look out for our neighbor, we should all heal the sick, we should all house the homeless, and we should all welcome the stranger. And we can't do it alone.   

Board Meeting
The next Missouri Affiliate Board Meeting will be on January 21, 2017, in Jefferson City, Missouri. For more information, contact Melissa Smith, President, Jefferson City Chapter at: 573-473-8584

National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
2017 Scholarship Program

The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri announces our 2017 Scholarship Program. We will be accepting applications from November 1, 2016 to February 1, 2017. We invite all qualified candidates to apply. Applicants must be legally blind and plan to enroll in a post-secondary school for the fall of 2017. Applicants should be a resident of Missouri but need not be a member of the National Federation of the Blind. Scholarships begin at $500 and are based on merit. We recommend all materials be submitted via email. All materials, no matter what the format, are due no later than February 1st, 2017. An application can be downloaded from our webpage at www.nfbmo.org or obtained through email. Acknowledgment of applications and documents will be sent upon receipt. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Scholarship Chair. 

A complete application consists of the official application form and a student essay plus these supporting documents: student transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a letter from an NFB of Missouri Scholarship Committee Member, and proof of legal blindness. 
 
In an effective essay the applicant may consider sharing about his or her life in a way that gives the committee insight into him or her. The essay should cover the ways in which one lives successfully as a blind person and describe personal goals for the future. Committee members give the essay a great deal of attention.

In addition to receiving the monetary award, the scholarship recipients will attend the convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, April 7-9, 2017, at the Adam’s Mark in Kansas City, Missouri. Hotel accommodations, convention registration, and planned meals during the convention will be included. We are also happy to help coordinate transportation to ensure this is not a barrier to our scholarship applicants. The type of transportation assistance may vary based on what part of the state the winner will be coming from and available transportation resources in that community. 

Throughout the convention scholarship winners will have an opportunity to learn about the National Federation of the Blind and network with successful blind people. In addition, final interviews with the Scholarship Committee will aid the committee in determining which scholarship each winner will receive.

You should know that merit scholarships from the National Federation of the Blind go directly to the winner and should not be considered as a similar benefit by Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. Therefore, students can use funds to meet expenses not already covered by other funding sources. Also, merit scholarships are viewed very favorably when included in a resume.

The 2017 scholarship form has been developed to increase accessibility when using technology. It can be obtained as an e-file through leaders of the NFB of Missouri, educators, or rehabilitation professionals.   It can also be downloaded from the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri’s webpage shown below. If you have any questions about our scholarship program, please contact the Chair:

Julie McGinnity, Chair
Scholarship Committee
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
C/O Gary Wunder
3910 Tropical Lane,
Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: 314-610-7740 
Email: NFBMO.Scholarships@gmail.com
Web Page: www.nfbmo.org

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
OF MISSOURI
2017 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Scholarships may range from $500 to $2,500.
 
Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted by February 1, 2017. Student generated documents should be submitted via email at NFBMO.Scholarships@gmail.com, when possible.      

Name (Please include any birth or other names): 

Home address: 

Address of lodging at school (if different): 

E-mail address: 

Your Phone number: 

Alternative Phone: 

Are you legally blind? 

Educational history
Name of institution you are currently attending with location, dates and class standing (freshman, sophomore): 

Current cumulative grade point average at this institution: 

List other high school(s) and post-secondary institutions attended, including dates, location, and cumulative grade point average: 

ACT or SAT scores (high school seniors only): 

Rank in graduating class: 

Significant honors and awards received: 

Future plans
College or post-secondary institution to be attended in fall of 2017 with class standing: (If accepted after application deadline, indicate this and submit documentation as soon as possible under separate cover.) 

In what area do you plan to major? 
   
What are your career goals? 

Additional documentation
1. Write an essay of no more than 1,000 words which introduces you to the committee.

2. Provide two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic performance. These should be sent directly to the Scholarship Committee Chair. 
List the names of your references below. 

3. Provide under separate cover transcripts from your high school and/or the college(s) you have attended. Although high school transcripts can be helpful, they are not required for applicants that already have at least 30 college credit hours.

4. Schedule an interview with a member of the scholarship committee.  Request a letter evidencing the fact that you have discussed your scholarship application with him/her.  You may contact Julie McGinnity to learn the name of the appropriate person in your area. 

5. Provide proof of legal blindness. This could be from a doctor, school, or agency whose services are based on legal blindness.

To help us with distribution of application forms in the future, please indicate how you obtained information about this scholarship.  

Students who are selected to receive a scholarship will be invited, with assistance from the NFB of Missouri, to the state convention April 7-9, 2017, in Kansas City, Missouri. Final interviews determining the awards will take place during the convention, and scholarships will be presented at the banquet on Saturday evening. Recipients should arrive on Friday morning and plan to participate in the entire convention.  Scholarship winners will receive at least $500.  Winners will be notified by March 1, 2017, to allow students time to make their convention arrangements.

Applications and all documentation, including letters of recommendation, must be emailed or postmarked no later than February 1, 2017. For applications or additional information, please visit www.nfbmo.org or feel free to contact Ms. McGinnity.

Julie McGinnity 
NFB of Missouri Scholarship Committee
C/O Gary Wunder
3910 Tropical Lane
Columbia, Mo 65202

Phone: (314)610-7740
** Email: NFBMO.Scholarships@gmail.com

55th Annual Convention
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Adam’s Mark Hotel
9103 E 39th Street; Kansas City, Missouri 64133
816-737-0200
April 7-9, 2017

The Kansas City Chapter is excited to host the 2017 annual state convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, April 7-9, 2017, at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. Our chapter members are preparing for our Federation Family to join us in Kansas City where history is saluted throughout the metropolitan area. Whether your interests are jazz, barbecue, sports, the arts, or history the Kansas City area has lots to offer. The historic Liberty Memorial recognizing World War I Veterans, the Harry S. Truman Library, and the Negro League Baseball Museum are just a few attractions that are unique to our area. 
Did you know, Kansas City has been the site where Federation history has occurred as well? Plan now to come and be a part of the happenings at the 55th Annual State Convention as we celebrate our accomplishments and continue making history that allows blind people to live the lives we dream.
You are invited to share in the celebration from April 6-9, 2017 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. Room rates are $87.00 a night plus 15.85% tax as well as an additional arena tax of $1.73 for up to four in a room. To make reservations call 816-737-0200. The Adam’s Mark is conveniently located at exit 9 along Interstate 70 across from the Truman Sports Complex.
The hotel has an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, luggage storage, free Wi-Fi, and a business center. This is a smoke-free hotel. Hotel Check-in is 4:00 PM and checkout is at 11:00 AM.
The KC Sports Bar and Grill is open from 6:30 AM until 10:30 AM, 11:30 until 1:30 PM, and 4:00 PM until 10:00 PM daily. Room Service is also available from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The Market is the gift/snack shop in the lobby selling coffee, soft drinks, breakfast items, lunch items, ice cream, and sundries.
This is also the home of the Coco Key Water Resort. Admission to the water park for our members staying in the hotel has been discounted to $12.00. Special for this year is a “One Touch” self-defense seminar with sessions being held tentatively Thursday evening and Friday. There will be a wide range of activities on Friday including a seminar for families of blind children, a diabetes seminar, and a special event for students that evening. The Board of Directors will meet at 1:15 PM Friday. Convention registrations post marked on or before March 27, 2017 will be $15.00 after which the cost will be $20.00. Registration will be open on Friday morning from 8:15 to 9:00 and from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and again on Saturday morning from 8:00 to 8:30.
Hospitality and Exhibits will be open on Friday evening from 5:00 to 10:00. 
We have several planned meals throughout the weekend at extraordinary prices. The highlight will be our Saturday banquet for $30.00. We will also have a planned lunch Friday and Saturday for $15.00 and our annual Prayer Breakfast Sunday morning at a cost of $12.00.  The planned meals are open to everyone. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of these meals since there are not many other restaurants easily accessible. An important note: There will be an additional charge for meals purchased after the above deadline, therefore the banquet price will increase to $35.00, lunches to $18.00, and breakfast to $15.00.
We again will be offering child care, for those children in need of supervised care. Exhibit tables will be available again this year. Please see the appropriate forms for more information.  If you have door prizes to donate, please contact Door Prize Chair Jeff Giffen at 517-575-1213 to notify him of any donations.

National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
2017 State Convention Registration Form
Kansas City, April 6-9, 2017 

Please use one form per residence.  Several registrations may be combined on one check if they are sent in the same envelope. There are separate forms for child care and exhibitors.
Registrant Name: ________________________________________________
Second registrant: _________________________________               
Street Address: __________________________, Apt.:________
City: ______________________, State: ____, Zip Code: _________
Phone Number: ______________, Email: _____________________ 
Select preferred agenda format: 	__ Braille, ___ Print, ___ Electronic
Desired Blind Missourian format: ___Print, ___Email, ___Thumb Drive, __None
Desired Braille Monitor format: ___Print, ___Email, ___Thumb Drive
Select the items or events that you would like to purchase below:
*Convention Registration: Preregistration prior to March 27, 2017
Number of registrants: ___ at $15.00 		               Total: $______
Annual Banquet: 	____ tickets needed at $30.00       Total: $______
Friday Luncheon: ____ tickets needed at $15.00         Total: $______
Saturday Luncheon: ____ tickets needed at $15.00    Total: $______
Prayer Breakfast:	____ tickets needed at $12.00 	    Total: $______
                                                                                 Total amount enclosed:   $______
*For registrations postmarked after March 27, 2017 please adjust amounts as follows: registration - $20.00, lunches - $18.00, banquet - $35.00, and breakfast - $15.00. Add amounts on all forms enclosed and make your check payable to: NFB of Missouri. Please mail to: Carol Coulter, 1504 Furlong Drive, Columbia, MO 65202.  	
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Convention Child Care Registration
April 8-9, 2017

We will be offering child care for those children in need of supervised care.  The cost is $30.00 for the weekend for the first child and $20.00 for each additional child from the same family. Care will be provided on Saturday during the morning and afternoon sessions, the evening banquet until 9:00 PM, and the Sunday morning session which will adjourn at 12:00 PM.  Meals are not provided in child care so parents need to make arrangements to feed their children.  Important: Parents wanting care for their children must send this request on or before March 17, 2017.

Name of Parent or Guardian: _____________________
Address: ________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ________________________________
Cell Phone: _______________ Home Phone: ________________
Names and Ages of Children: ________________________________________
Special Concerns: __________________________________________________
Number of Children: _____ Total enclosed: $___________
Mail form and Check made payable to NFB of Missouri to Carol Coulter, Treasurer, 1504 Furlong Drive; Columbia MO 65202. 

National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Exhibitor Registration State Convention April 7-8, 2017
The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri is pleased to announce the opportunity to those interested in renting exhibit space during our 55th annual convention at the Adams Mark Hotel in Kansas City. Exhibit space will be available on a first come basis for April 7 and 8. 
Outside exhibitors are welcome for a cost of $35.00. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for an additional cost. Contact Eugene Coulter at MizzouFan1979@GMail.com for additional information.  Exhibit space is free to the chapters and divisions of the NFB for federation fundraising and information distribution Exhibit hours will be from 5:00 PM until 10:00 PM Friday evening, from 8:00 until 8:30 Saturday morning, and from Noon until 1:30 PM on Saturday. All space must be reserved before March 27, 2017. 

Name of Organization: ___________________________
Name of Contact person: _________________________
Address: ________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________
Phone: ________________ Email: __________________
Items exhibiting: ________________________________
_____Check here if you are a NFB chapter or division and mail in form.
_____check here if you are an outside exhibitor and send form and check for $35.00.
          Make checks payable to NFB of Missouri and mail to Carol Coulter, Treasurer
         1504 Furlong Drive Columbia, MO 65202

Board of Directors
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Officers:
Gary Wunder, President			           Shelia Wright, First Vice President 
Julie McGinnity, Second Vice President         Dacia Cole, Recording Secretary
Erin Magoon, Corresponding Secretary          Carol Coulter, Treasurer

Board Members:
Eugene Coulter 			                      Gene Fleeman
Roger Crome					 Dan Flasar
Chris Tisdal						 Melissa Smith 
Daniel Garcia

Chapter Presidents
Debbie Wunder, Columbia                  		   Helen Parker, South Central
Melissa Smith, Jefferson City	        		   Erin Magoon, Springfield
Ruby Polk, Kansas City                		   Bryan Schulz, St. Louis
Chris Tisdal, Lewis and Clark	        		   Dan Keller, Show-Me State Chapter
Roger Crome, Mineral Area Chapter		   Amy Plumlee, Old Drum Chapter

Blind Missourian Editor Carol Coulter
Proof Readers Helen Stevens, Shelia Wright, and Gary Wunder
Read by Elisabeth Coulter                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

FREE MATTER FOR THE
BLIND AND PHYSICALLY
HANDICAPPED

NFB of Missouri
1504 Furlong Dr.
Columbia, MO  65202