National Federation of the Blind

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1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314
Website: www.nfb.org (exit DHFS)

Also see their Deaf/Blind resource area www.nfb.org/states/deafblin.htm (exit DHFS)

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), founded in 1940, is the nation's largest and most influential membership organization of blind persons.

With fifty thousand members, the NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters. As a consumer and advocacy organization, the NFB is considered the leading force in the blindness field today.

The purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is two-fold:

• to help blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect
• to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind.

Members of the NFB strive to educate the public that the blind are normal individuals who can compete on terms of equality by providing:

• public education about blindness
• information and referral services
• scholarships
• literature and publications about blindness
• aids and appliances and other adaptive equipment for the blind
• advocacy services and protection of civil rights
• job opportunities for the blind
• development and evaluation of technology
• support for blind persons and their families

Special services of the National Federation of the Blind include:

• Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB), a free service to blind persons seeking competitive employment
• A Materials Center containing over eleven hundred pieces of literature about blindness
• Four hundred different aids and appliances used by the blind

In addition, the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind is the world's largest and most complete evaluation and demonstration center for all speech and Braille technology used by the blind from around the world.

Publications of the NFB include:

• the "Braille Monitor," which provides a positive philosophy about blindness and discusses events and activities of the Federation and in the blindness field
• "Future Reflections," a publication of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a Division of the NFB
• "Voice of the Diabetic," which focuses on special interests and needs of diabetics and is a publication of the Diabetes Action Network, also a Division of the National Federation of the Blind.

This organization also runs independent living centers which assist blind and visually impaired individuals by helping them develop the necessary skills to become productive members of society.

Last Revised: September 08, 2006