Michigan Association of Blind Students (MIABS)
The purpose of this organization shall be to promote educational opportunities and the general well being of blind students in this nation and the state and to function as an integral part of the National Association of Blind Students and the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan.
During the year, information highlighting scholarships, workshops/seminars, national/state conventions and internship possibilities are distributed. An in person meeting is conducted at the state convention and presentations are held throughout the year.
Please visit our FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/MIBlindStudents. In addition, please subscribe to our email listserv, https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/mi-abs_nfbnet.org.
The division conducts monthly conference calls via phone. For a schedule of upcoming meetings, please contact President Rachel Pavone at 810-701-1614 or students@nfbmi.org.
To join as a member of the division, please complete our membership form and pay your $10 a year membership dues at www.nfbmi.org/students/membership-form.
During the 2021 NFBMI State Convention the division will be hosting a virtual dance party taking place on November 12 at 7pm via Zoom. To register for the event, please complete the registration form at www.nfbmi.org/students/dance-night-registration. If you register prior to November 12, the registration fee is $7 per person. If you register on November 12, the registration fee is $10 per person. During the dance party, the division will be holding a 50/50 raffle. Ticket prices are 1 for $3, 5 for $10, and 10 for $20. To register and purchase your raffle tickets to possibly win a HP laptop and keyboard, please visit www.nfbmi.org/students/raffle.
Those attending postsecondary education needing self-advocacy tips, please read the following self-advocacy resources:
- Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit Version 2.0
- High-Stakes Testing Self-Advocacy Toolkit
- Higher Education Accessibility Online Resource Center
The National Association of Blind Students now has a YouTube channel titled “how blind students see it”. On this YouTube channel, it will be a platform for different blind students to show us what is going on in their lives and their different successes. This channel will also have different videos educating people on different situations that blind people face and how blind students accomplish their goals. Here is a link to our YouTube channel and our first video introducing the board. We hope to have you subscribe and like our videos. We look forward to connecting with all of you in the future!
Things That We Are Working On
We are working on getting textbooks and materials that are online in accessible formats for high school and post secondary students. This includes the Aim High movement.