NABS Notes | September 2021

“The freedom to do your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.” -Colin Powell Welcome to the September edition of our NABS Notes! As summer rolls into fall, we hope you’ll break away from your busy schedule to exercise some self-care, and if you find AN OPPORTUNITY, we’d love for you to take some time to read up on all things new and exciting in our student movement. If questions arise while you’re diving into the latest and greatest NABS news, we invite you to reach out to anyone in NABS leadership. Read on to learn more about our upcoming events and updates from committees. In this edition you will find:

September Blog Post
September Episode of the NABS Now Podcast
Committee Updates
Stay Connected | NABS Social Media

September Blog Post | The Nonprofit Rollercoaster

Join Juhi Narula, a blind student from Maryland on her journey to start a nonprofit in this month’s blog post. Her story is one of many through which our students prove time and again that determination and grit are far stronger factors when it comes to success than any potential deterrent blindness has to offer.

September Episode of the NABS Now Podcast | Cooking with Creativity

On this month’s episode of the NABS Now Podcast, we are conquering the kitchen! NABS board member Robert Parsons shows us how to make a yummy and special dish step by step. Later, hear our fellow student Elizabeth Sheeler’s story about how blindness skills training enhanced her love of food and creating in the kitchen. We hope you will have fun cooking with us. Be sure to let us know how your dish came out by connecting with us on NABS social media! Thank you to special guests Robert Parsons and Elizabeth Sheeler. Created and produced by Seyoon Choi, Nina Marranca, and Kinshuk Tella. Are you interested in assisting with the planning and production of the NABS Now Podcast? Email Nina at: ninam0814@gmail.com for more information. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or see our Anchor page for more ways to listen!

Committee Updates

Creativity & Community

The NABS Outreach Committee had a great, dynamic call this month. We discussed new strategies for marketing our initiatives, so stay tuned to see NABS in many new places! And, if you’re filled with passion, creativity, or a combination of the two, we’d love for you to join our next meeting. Please join us for our next committee call, taking place on Sunday, October 10 at 8 PM EST, and reach out to committee chair Nina Marranca with questions on how to get further involved.

Bring in the Big Bucks with BEAM!

The NABS Fundraising Committee is tremendously excited to announce our Blind Equality Achievement Month Trivia Night fundraiser! Join us on Saturday, October 16th at 8:00 PM EST for a great night of friendly Federation competition and a celebration of the movement of the organized blind. You can register for the event now and pay your $5 to play. To encourage as much recruitment and participation as possible, we will be giving 25% of the proceeds to the state student division that correlates with our winning team’s affiliation! So, go out into your community and get as many people to represent your state as possible; all are welcome to play! You won’t want to miss out on the action or the door prizes we have planned. Questions? We’ve got answers waiting for you at our next meeting. Please join us for our next committee call, taking place on Sunday, October 10 at 9 PM EST, and reach out to committee chair Logan Stenzel with questions on how to get further involved.

Defining Self-Advocacy – A Collaboration

The NABS Legislative and Self-Advocacy thanks those who participated in our latest discussion on the meaning of self-advocacy, how one develops self-advocacy skills, and why these skills are important to us as blind students. We also encourage students to get involved with the current NFB legislative initiative to gather cosponsors in the Senate regarding the Access Technology Affordability Act. Contact LSAC Co-Chair Lizzy Schoen with questions on how to contribute or for more information. Please join us for our next committee call, taking place on Sunday, October 17 at 8 PM EST, and reach out to committee chair Elizabeth Rouse with questions on how to get further involved.

Inclusivity in Identity and Interest

The NABS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is hard at work, gathering information and creating spaces that allow for blind students to thrive as their authentic selves. Part of this endeavor includes discussing topics that are both important and interesting to our membership, such as relevance, benefits, and implications of being part of a fandom or fan army, which we discussed during the month of September. Interested in getting in on these conversations? Remember to check out our weekly social media campaigns, Talk About It Tuesdays and Spotlight Saturdays, where we continue these discussions and lift up the achievements of diverse blind students nationwide. Please join us for our next committee call, taking place on Sunday, October 17 at 9 PM EST, and reach out to committee chair Robert Parsons with questions on how to get further involved. … And don’t forget our monthly membership call, taking place on Sunday, October 24 at 9 PM EST!