National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina

03/17/2026

🎙️ Exciting Guest on NAGDU Unleashed!
We are thrilled to welcome Stacie Gallegos as a guest speaker on the latest episode of the NAGDU Unleashed podcast! Stacie will share her insights, experiences, and stories, giving listeners a unique perspective on guide dog partnerships and the adventures that come with them.
Tune in to hear Stacie’s inspiring journey and learn more about the incredible work happening in the guide dog community. Don’t miss this engaging and informative conversation!
📧 Have questions or comments for Stacie? Send them to [email protected].
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform!

Be sure to like, subscribe and share this information about NAGDU Unleashed!

Steve Cook
National Association of Guide Dog Users Board Member
President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

Steve Cook
National Association of Guide Dog Users Board Member
President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

02/10/2026

CSTD 60–40 Fundraiser Announcement

The Computer Science & Technology Division (CSTD) of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina is excited to announce our 60–40 Fundraiser!
One lucky winner will receive 60% of the total funds raised from ticket sales. The remaining 40% will support the work of CSTD, with 10% of that portion set aside for a student scholarship, to be awarded at our NFB of SC State Convention in August 2026.

This means you not only have a chance to win big — you’ll also be helping support a student’s education and investing in the future of blind students in South Carolina.

How to Enter
1. Complete the webform at www.nfbofsc.org and look for the heading 60/40 Fund Raiser!!!
2. Submit payment for your tickets via PayPal.
If you do not have a PayPal account, please still complete the webform so we have an electronic record of your information. You may then:
• Mail a check to:
Steve Cook, CSTD President
2446 Harrison Road
Columbia, SC 29204
Be sure to put in the memo field 60/40 Fund Raiser
• Or call 803-260-1292 to discuss alternative payment options.
Once your webform and payment are received, you will receive a confirmation message verifying your entry into the 60–40 fundraiser.

Drawing Information
The drawing will be held electronically using Excel on March 28, 2026, during the NFB of SC Leadership Seminar.

Ticket Prices
• $5 for 1 Ticket –
$10 for 3 Tickets –
• $20 for 7 Tickets –
$30 for 10 Tickets –

Don’t miss this opportunity to win while making a meaningful difference. Thank you for supporting the Computer Science & Technology Division and our students!

Steve Cook
National Association of Guide Dog Users Board Member
President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

The National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; b...

10/14/2025

09/17/2025

"Under no circumstances will we again allow our stories to be misrepresented, and under no circumstances will we stop crafting our true narrative," President Riccobono said. "Every day we struggle against persistent low expectations, but we do so with hope and our truth that it is respectable to be blind. But equality in society is not yet ours. We deserve a world where every heart and mind know the truth of our story. The only way we can get to that future is together through the courage, determination, and creativity of a diverse, shared movement.

This is the commitment we make to each other. This is the love, hope, and determination felt in our movement. This is the bond of faith that fuels our hope for our tomorrows. Let us go together to find those blind people who have not yet discovered the power of their story. Let us show that we belong in the world and that we make it better."

Read more of Creativity, Persistence, and Hope: Reclaiming Our Stories Through the Organized Blind Movement in the August/September issue of the Braille Monitor: https://buff.ly/LprLh2B

09/09/2025

This is Disability Voting Rights Week, a nonpartisan movement that advocates for accessible voting, encourages voter registration and emphasizes the importance and right for disabled people to vote. Are you registered to vote? Learn more about blind voter resources at nfb.org/vote

07/28/2025

35 years ago today, on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. AAPD co-founder and disability rights activist Justin Dart was by his side on the White House lawn as President Bush declared, "Let the shameful wall of exclusion come tumbling down."

35 years later, the shameful wall of exclusion still exists, and is being built higher by policies and executive orders that force disabled people into institutions, take away our healthcare, and protect employers who discriminate against us.

The current attack on disability rights makes celebrating the ADA today...complicated. But celebrating the ADA's passage reminds us that the dedication and persistence of disabled Americans have changed this country time and again. Disability advocacy is powerful. Our community is powerful. And in this moment, our power is needed more than ever.

We are so grateful for the ADA and the advocates who fought for it. We will honor and continue their legacy by ensuring the ADA is the floor, not the ceiling, of disability inclusion and civil rights.

In the words of legendary disabled advocate Anita Cameron, "Civil rights aren't given. You have to fight to get them, and then fight to keep them."

We'll be fighting alongside you for the next 35 years and beyond, ❤️ Happy !

Image description in alt-text and comments.

07/08/2025

"Society tends to frame blindness through a deficit-based lens, automatically associating it with dependence, inability, or diminished ambition," Kristopher Crawley said. "These assumptions manifest in education systems that deny blind students the full rigor of academic challenge, in hiring managers who discount qualified blind candidates, and in casual interactions where strangers assume we need help simply because we are navigating the world differently. Over time, these small signals become a steady drumbeat of limitation.

But what took me years to realize is that expectations, however prevalent, are ultimately external. They come from outside voices, opinions, and projections. Standards, on the other hand, are internal. They are the principles and demands we place upon ourselves, not because someone else insists, but because we choose to live by them. That distinction, between living under expectations and living by standards, has shaped my journey as a blind professional and person.

When you live by standards, you begin to reclaim your agency. You stop allowing the world’s assumptions to dictate your direction. Instead, you begin to define your own measures of success, your own benchmarks for growth, and your own understanding of what it means to live fully and independently."

Read more of "Living by Standards: When Blindness Isn't the Limitation" in the July 2025 issue of the Braille Monitor: https://buff.ly/TzdRXmp

06/24/2025

Congratulations to NFB of SC Board secretary Shannon Cook for having her first article published in the braille monitor, our national publication! Her article does a fantastic job of explaining the true spirit of the Federation family, and how we all can find our place in it. 

"The more involved I got [in the NFB], the more I wanted to get involved. I was accepted in a way I never felt before in my life," Shannon Cook said. "Blindness was the characteristic that gave us all a connection, but it became secondary in our interpersonal relationships because we all shared it. No one was known as 'that blind person,' as we often are in other contexts. We had deep discussions about music, books, politics, religion, myths of blindness, and our own misconceptions. Because of our particular perspectives, we were stronger together. Each member found their purpose and sought to fulfill it."

Read more of "What Is Your Of?" in the June 2025 issue of the Braille Monitor: https://buff.ly/ZUBGV1W