Focal Point
Documentary Film Screenings Bring Together AFB Family and Friends
The forthcoming AFB-produced documentary, Possibilities, was viewed for the first time by friends and family of AFB at two private screening events in September. The full-length documentary has been in the works for several years, and AFB is excited to finally share the film with audiences as 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of Helen Keller first coming to work with AFB.
Keller’s impact while at AFB (1924-1968) resonated across the globe. The stories threaded throughout the documentary capture Helen’s legacy while paving the way for voices that continue to echo her drive to make the world more inclusive for all.
“We’ve been very moved by the positive response we’ve received around the inclusive message that drives the film, and we can’t wait to share it with larger audiences in the coming year,” said Eric Bridges, AFB president and CEO.
The first screening was held in early September at the Huntington Museum of Art. The evening event was hosted by AFB’s office in Huntington, West Virginia. The event was made possible through the support of the Tubert Foundation, who has also been a supporter of the film’s production.
The following week, AFB held a second private screening along with Scott Tennant, the film’s executive producer. The event was held at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas. The film screening was followed by a panel featuring voices from the documentary along with Tennant, other producers, and the film’s director Bill Sarine.
“Momentum is growing as we get ready to release the film next year, and we thank everyone who has helped us get to this point,” said Tony Stephens, AFB’s director of communications who is also a producer on the film.
Sarine, who flew in from Los Angeles for the event, described during the panel how unique the documentary is for the industry. The film Possibilities is one of the first full-length films intended for widespread distribution that includes open audio description. This means that description will be heard by the entire audience. The audio description team was brought in early to make sure the experience flowed seamlessly throughout the film.
In addition, a significant number of crew working on the film were individuals who are blind or have low vision. This included the film’s musical score composers, sound editors, description writers, consultants, and three of its producers. The documentary demonstrates how film can be inclusive both in front of and behind the camera.
Additional screening opportunities will be announced at the end of the year including a special screening on April 18th in Los Angeles as part of the Helen Keller Achievement Awards.
AFB Spotlight
Digital Inclusion Gains Traction in Washington, DC
It has been a busy autumn for AFB’s Public Policy & Research Institute (PPRI). In recent months, both Congress and the Biden Administration introduced changes that will impact web and software accessibility for people with disabilities.
On Sept. 28th, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with Representatives Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Pete Sessions (R-TX) reintroduced the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, which works in concert with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that employers, governments, and businesses follow best standards for producing accessible applications and online content.
AFB has been actively engaged with Congressional offices on the reintroduction of this legislation, along with other advocates from the blind and low vision community. The reintroduced legislation adds language that would make it easier for small businesses to comply with the law. AFB commends Senator Duckworth and Representatives Sarbanes and Sessions as they bring disability law into the digital age.
“Over the past several years, AFB’s research has continued to show that the digital inclusion and accessibility gap is still quite significant and has real consequences for independent living,” said Stephanie Enyart, AFB’s Chief Public Policy & Research Officer. “We’re excited that our leaders in government continue to help us gain traction toward closing this gap.”
Along with Congress, the Biden Administration has also been moving on policy changes that could impact digital accessibility. AFB has been among the leading disability rights groups reviewing and drafting comments for proposed regulatory changes by the Department of Justice that would set web accessibility guidelines for the first time under Title II of the ADA. Shortly after the ADA’s 33rd anniversary, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was opened for comments, which were due on October 3, 2023.
While AFB applauded the release of a proposed rule, AFB raised concerns about the proposed exceptions to the rule that could harm people with disabilities, including students. With AFB’s leadership, a sign-on comment letter was transmitted to the Department of Justice in response to the NPRM by 264 organizations representing people with disabilities.
This activity coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was the first major piece of legislation that secured civil rights for people with disabilities. PPRI staff joined multiple events in our nation’s capital, and even had an opportunity to share chief concerns about the inclusion of people with disabilities with President Biden during a special White House event on October 2nd. AFB will continue advocating for legislative and regulatory changes that carry the ADA into the digital age.
AFB Talent Lab Cultivates Careers in Digital Accessibility
AFB is excited to announce that all four of its AFB Talent Lab apprentices who completed the program this summer have now received their Journeyman status as Program Managers through the State of Virginia, with a focus on accessibility and digital inclusion. Since completing their Talent Lab apprenticeships, two of the graduates have secured full-time employment in the accessibility field while a third has secured a contract position on digital accessibility. Each apprentice brings a unique lived experience around digital inclusion as blind and low-vision experts on digital accessibility.
With the start of fall, the AFB Talent Lab also welcomed five new interns into the program, who will learn the ins and outs of digital accessibility over the course of the coming year. They join two returning interns, who continue to gain mentorship and work alongside accessibility experts who are blind or have low vision. The experience affords them the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding around user experiences as they learn best practices for digital inclusion and accessible design.
To date, 21 participants have joined the AFB Talent Lab. Working collaboratively, they gain hands-on experience in accessible design, solving real world problems with AFB’s consulting services team.
AFB Cornerstone
Remembering Education Leader Dr. Kathleen M. Huebner
In each issue of AFB Focus, we remember individuals who have made a lasting impression on the field of vision loss and whose work aligns with AFB’s mission to create a world of no limits for people who are blind or have low vision. Former AFB staff member and Migel Medal honoree, Kathleen Mary Huebner, Ph.D., died on October 14, 2023.
Dr. Huebner was a leader in the field of education of children who are blind or have low vision. She joined AFB in 1983 as a national consultant. Over the course of a decade, Dr. Huebner represented AFB on the national stage, holding various positions that furthered the education of people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, in addition to her extensive work on improving the quality of teacher training for professionals in the field.
After leaving AFB in 1994, Dr. Huebner joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, now Salus University. While there, she, along with a coalition of representatives from institutions and organizations across the blindness field, worked to establish the National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairment (NCLVI), a federally funded program that addressed the shortage of leaders and faculty in higher education programs encompassing visual impairment.
“One of Kathy’s greatest contributions within the field of blindness was her own leadership toward creating the next generation of leaders in the education of professionals in the field,” said Mark Richert, international program coordinator for the Overbrook School for the Blind.
Richert had the opportunity to work with Dr. Huebner and others as the NCLVI was being established, in his role as the executive director for the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).
“Kathy was the visionary and catalyst behind the NCLVI and the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD),” said Stacy Kelly, Ph.D., professor for Northern Illinois University. Dr. Kelly was one of the early NCLVI fellows who continued to work with the program as it expanded to include other sensory disabilities through NLCSD.
According to Dr. Kelly, the NCLVI has served as a model and as a blueprint for other doctoral and scholar training programs since its inception.
In 2012, Dr. Huebner was awarded the Migel Medal by AFB. In 2020, she was inducted into the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Hall of Fame. She continued to stay engaged with AFB over the years, playing an instrumental role on the advisory board for AFB’s Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB).
“Kathy’s impact is truly immeasurable,” Dr. Kelly added. “She is forever treasured by so many and greatly missed.”
What's on the Horizon
Mark your calendar for two key events in 2024!
First, AFB will hold the annual Helen Keller Achievement Awards during a special event on April 18th at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California. The awards ceremony will be followed by with a special screening of the Possibilities documentary film. A panel with special guests will close out the evening event. Helen Keller’s message on hope and inclusion was deeply embraced during her travels to Japan, and AFB is moved by the opportunity to hold this special event at the museum’s Democracy Center, which is an anchor for inclusion in the Los Angeles community.
Then, join AFB in the land of 10,000 lakes as leaders, practitioners, scholars, and industry partners in the field of blindness and low vision together for the annual AFB Leadership Conference. The three-day convening will take place Sept. 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis’ motto is “Avant,” French for “Forward.” And AFB looks forward to the momentum we can gain by coming together to envision a future full of endless possibilities. Visit the AFBLC event page for more details on the conference. Registration will open in early January 2024.
Off the AFB Newsstand
How to Be Authentically Accepted Without Needing to Perform
AFB’s Director of Research Arielle Silverman, Ph.D., was inspired by a recent article in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) to write a blog entitled, “How to be Authentically Accepted Without Needing to Perform: What Educators of Blind Children Can Learn from the Autistic Community.” In it, she questions the theory behind social skills training, wondering if blind kids should really be taught the skills and behaviors expected by their peers to promote social connections, and draws parallels to similar sentiments among the autistic community.
Blind since childhood, Dr. Silverman wrote, “The social skills instruction I received in school taught me to perform in specific ways to please my teachers, but those behaviors never felt authentic. I was also keenly aware of being singled out to receive this training, when my sighted peers, even those who bullied other kids, were not.”
Dr. Silverman compared her own experiences with those of autistic individuals, “[S]ocial skills training … teaches autistic people to ‘mask’ or ‘pass’ as they pretend to be neurotypical in order to make friends. In the long-term, however, instead of building belonging and connection, this pressure leads to deep feelings of isolation, depression, [and] anxiety. Autistic people often thrive, socially and emotionally, in authentic relationships with other autistic people.” She also wrote of forming relationships with blind peers and being “authentically accepted without needing to perform.” She concluded, “My relationships with blind peers paved the way for me to create meaningful social relationships with both blind and sighted people as a blind adult.”
To read Dr. Silverman’s article, access other publicly available content, or to subscribe to JVIB, visit www.afb.org/jvib.
