About The California Association of Blind Students

The California Association of Blind Students (CABS) is the largest statewide organization of blind students across California. CABS provides advocacy training and assistance, resources on the various aspects of blindness, and endless networking opportunities for blind students in California. We are a division of the National Federation of the Blind of California and an affiliate of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS). Our statewide and national affiliation with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) allows us to be an effective resource, recognized advocate for blind students in California, and a voice for blind students on a national level.


Throughout its history, CABS has advocated for equal, accessible education for blind students at all levels of education. We have advocated for blind children to be taught Braille in public schools and for equal access to printed information and other material at state colleges and universities.


CABS has a considerable amount of information to offer to all blind students. We invite you to check out our college scholarship, employment opportunity, and adaptive technology resources. We are pleased to participate in national forums concerning the educational roadblocks which blind students face. We do this by attending the NFB national convention each year, by being a part of the NFB of California state convention, and by having virtual discussions via teleconference and listserv. We invite you to subscribe to the National Association of Blind Students (NABS), CABS, and NFBC listservs. You will find easy-to-follow subscription instructions on by going to the NFBnet website. This is a great way to network with other blind people of all ages across the country, and we would love for you to be a part of it.


The National Federation of the Blind and the California Association of Blind Students share a positive philosophy regarding blindness. We do not believe that blindness is the tragedy that literature, movies, and television often portray it to be. We believe that given proper training in blindness-alternative techniques (including Braille, safe white cane or guide dog travel, et cetera) and fair opportunity, blind people can be just as successful in education, employment, and society as our sighted counterparts. Often, society's negative perception of blindness keeps blind people from having opportunities in education and employment, so we seek to educate others about blindness to better society as a whole.


CABS is proud to be a resource for educating both sighted and blind persons about the reality of blindness, particularly when student issues are involved. We recognize that many blind people have been denied adequate opportunities to learn the integral alternative techniques used by successful blind individuals; this is in part because some educators and counselors have low expectations, and are unaware of what blind people are capable of. We are pleased to be able to provide information about training centers operated by leaders of the National Federation of the Blind, where students from all across the country can learn the techniques that are vital to achieving success in higher education, employment, and society. We invite you to check out these centers and the training they offer, and we hope that you will contact us with any questions you may have.


CABS looks forward to reaching out to blind students and interested sighted persons in every possible way. We appreciate your interest and hope that you will fully explore and make use of our site.


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