edited by Sharon Strzalkowski
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
Ski for Light
The 41st annual Ski for Light (SFL) International Week will take place from Sunday, Jan. 24th through Saturday, Jan. 30th, 2016. It will take place in northwest lower Michigan on the grounds of Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire, Mich. Located just 45 minutes from the Traverse City airport, Shanty Creek Resorts is a 4,500-acre complex containing three housing and entertainment villages, both cross-country and downhill ski trails, a tubing hill, several swimming pools and hot tubs, a fitness center and spa, and much more.
If you are a novice and want to learn how to cross-country ski, or if you have skied before and just want to be matched with an experienced guide and meet new friends for a wonderful week of fun in the snow, this is the event for you!
Applications are due Nov. 1. Late applications will be considered on a space-available basis. For more information, or to apply, visit www.sfl.org/event. If you have questions, contact Bob Hartt at [email protected], or by calling (703) 845-3436 between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Sierra Regional Ski for Light
Sierra Regional Ski for Light provides guided cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for the blind and visually impaired. The experience of gliding through the snow in the Sierra Mountains is simply magical. Our friendly and experienced guides and coordinators are ready to welcome you.
SRSFL provides transportation from Sacramento, Calif. to Tahoe Donner Cross Country. For more information, scholarship opportunities, and the skier application, visit www.srsfl.org and click on “Skier Information.”
The 2016 schedule is as follows:
Saturday day trips: January 23, February 6, April 2. For more information about day trips, contact Betsy Rowell at (916) 362-5557, or e-mail [email protected].
Three-day event: March 5-7. The hotel is the Best Western in Truckee, Calif.
You are invited to join us Friday night, March 4, at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Rancho Cordova; it costs an additional $47. SRSFL will hold an informal meet and greet from 6 to 8 p.m. Be sure to bring money for salad and pizza. We will depart at 7:15 a.m. Saturday from Sacramento to Truckee, Calif. For more information, contact Cindy Quintana at (510) 483-2948, or e-mail [email protected].
Want to Be an Intern at NASA?
NASA has internships for high-school students and for rising freshmen through doctoral students in STEM fields. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 for college and 3.0 for high school. High-school students must be at least 16 years old at the time the internship begins.
Students can apply now for summer 2016 internships. The deadline for submitting applications is March 1, 2016. To apply, register for an account at the One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI): NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships (NIFS) at https://intern.nasa.gov/, then take a look at the opportunities available. Internships run for 10 weeks for college students and six weeks for high-school students.
Internships are available at all NASA centers nationwide. Students can submit a completed application whether they apply to an opportunity or not. However, applying to opportunities has the advantage of allowing applicants to be considered by mentors who work in disciplines of interest. You may apply to as many as 15 opportunities.
Students who are selected for summer internships will receive an offer by e-mail sometime after Jan. 15, 2016. They will then have five days to accept or reject the offer. If you have questions, or need help applying, contact Kenneth A. Silberman at (301) 286-9281, or via e-mail, [email protected].
Survey on Workplace Accommodations
Stacy Rademacher, a graduate student in the department of education at Florida State University, is looking for individuals with disabilities who have made decisions about asking for accommodations in the workplace.
You are invited to share your perceptions on job accommodations requests by (a) answering a few questions about yourself and the organization you work with, and (b) completing a few measures on your ability to request accommodations. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes.
Individuals who complete the survey will be eligible to enter a lottery and have a chance to win one of four $25 Amazon gift cards.
If you are an individual with a disability (18 years of age or older), and have had a need for an accommodation in your workplace within the past three months, go to https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G4a8EiZAXIIQct to take the survey.
If you have any questions about the research study, or need alternate formats of the survey, contact Stacy by e-mail at [email protected].