Five CFB members, including first-timers Gail Copp, Jen Goulden and Heidi Propp, attended the 2011 National Federation of the Blind national convention this July at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. We enjoyed this exciting adventure that fosters empowerment, independence and freedom for the blind.

Thanks to the generosity of the National Federation of the Blind, CFB hosted its first Canada table at the exhibit hall. Those of us who attended the convention took turns manning the table; we sold CFB t-shirts and maple sugar candy, passed out CFB information and met many interesting people, including several Canadians.

Nearly 3000 people attended this year’s convention from across North America and numerous countries. Highlights of the event included advocacy to eliminate the subminimum wage law in the US, which is discriminating against blind people and other people with disabilities by paying lower than minimum wages; a presentation by David Paterson, former New York governor who is blind; and the annual banquet with Dr. Maurer’s excellent address, “Opportunity, Danger, and the Balance of Risk,” which you can hear at the NFB Website.