National Federation of the Blind of Missouri - Columbia Chapter

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is a transformative membership and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the interests of blind people in the United States. Emphasizing that blindness does not define a person's future, the NFB works to raise expectations and remove barriers that arise from low expectations. We focus on building an inclusive community that supports blind people in achieving their dreams, highlighting that with the right resources and support, blindness is not a limitation to living a fulfilling life.

Formed in 1974, the Columbia Chapter has been a force at all levels, from the local area to the state of Missouri to the depth and breadth of the United States of America. We helped to create the first reading machine for the blind that would convert print into speech and were successful in bringing one to the citizens of Columbia. That machine, which once took up a desktop, can now have its reading functions performed on a smart phone, and our showing that this could be done has generated a number of competitors, all of whom enrich the experience of blind people in getting access to the printed page.

 We were the driving force in getting the first blind person a daycare license in the state of Missouri, and she operated a business here in Columbia for twenty-five years. We helped a blind Social Security recipient who was alleged to owe $137,000 in overpayments. Our work not only dismissed that overpayment but got him additional benefits to which he was entitled. We played a big part in getting a newborn child placed back in the custody of her parents a after social worker said that she could not in good conscience send a beautiful young infant home with two blind parents. 

We got the Congress and the President to understand that quiet cars are good but silent cars are deadly both for blind and sighted people.

 As dramatic as some of these things are, the change we make in how blind people feel about themselves and the way the public regards us probably is more important than anything else we do. When we give blind people hope, connect them with resources for education and technology, we reshape how they feel about being blind. How often we see people who come to us with the image that they are broken human beings and come away understanding that they are still vital, contributing members of their families and our community.

Even with all that we who are blind give financially to support this organization, we could not do what we do without your help. Many people, even giving just a little, help us with the financial obligations that are part of doing what we do. We thank you not only for the contributions but for the faith they represent in our capability to give back and to be a real part of the world in which we live. We are not so ambitious as to believe we will change the world, but we know that, through our work, we do positively change many lives of people who have a different view of the world and their place in it. Thank you for making this possible as we work to live the lives we want.