Gear Up for Greatness!

A registration fee of $150.00 will be charged for each accepted student and parent/chaperone pair. The cost of travel, room, board, and program materials will be covered by the NFB Jernigan Institute for all student and parent/chaperone pairs.

FAQ's about the program

Do I need to make any hotel arrangements if my child is selected?

No. It is our expectation that families stay in our accommodations at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute as this lends itself nicely to evening family interactions in our “Harbor Room”—a common/family style room located down the hall from the sleeping rooms—and helps foster informal mentoring of participants (both child and parent) by blind adult mentors. This on-site lodging also helps us maximize our event time and keep our events on schedule (Baltimore is a large city and can be difficult to navigate with traffic, especially if you are not familiar with the city). This also helps us to minimize transportation costs for us and our participants. 

Who can attend with my child?

We recommend that a parent/guardian attend with the child participant. However, if a parent/guardian is not able to attend, a grandparent, family friend, teacher, or other family member whom the parent has authorized can attend. Older siblings can also serve as the child’s chaperone if they are over the age of 18. 

Where will selected participants stay? 

 Selected participants and their guardians will stay together in dorm-style rooms located here in our building. 

What is the setup of the rooms?

The sleeping rooms in our building are similar to those you might find in a dorm room or hotel. They each have their own bathroom with a shower/tub combination. All linens are provided. Each room contains at least two twin beds. However, some of our rooms contain more than two twin beds. In these situations, families should expect to be paired up with other families of a similar gender makeup. For example, mother/daughter partnerships will most likely be rooming with other mother/daughter pairs. This also applies for father/son pairings. Mother/son or father/daughter pairings will most likely have their own rooms. 

What kind of transportation will be provided and who will make these arrangements?

All participants will have their transportation arranged for them by our staff upon selection. Our staff will work with each family to make appropriate arrangements from their area to Baltimore and back. Where it is realistic to do so, we will ask families to drive (i.e. those in close proximity to Baltimore) and reimburse their travel costs.  Otherwise, we will arrange for flights or train tickets depending on your location and pricing of these tickets. Any changes to our transportation arrangements (e.g., you want to stay in the area for a few extra days or are traveling to a destination other than your original point of departure) must be managed by the parent/guardian, and the parent/guardian is responsible for any additional charges to the fare. Individuals who opt for a different mode of transportation than what is provided by us (e.g., you are not comfortable flying and would prefer to drive or take a train) will only be reimbursed up to the cost of what our organization would have paid for the original arrangement. 

For what additional fees or expenses might the families be responsible?

All room, board, and travel arrangements are covered and arranged by our staff as noted on the Web site for selected applicants and one parent/guardian.  There are no other fees except for the $150 registration fee which would be due upon selection.  Again, all room, board, and transportation costs are covered by the program.  However, participants would be responsible for any bag fees, changes to airline or train tickets made by the participant, incidentals, or souvenirs purchased by the participant. 

Can I arrange for additional family members (e.g., second parent/guardian, siblings, grandparent, teacher, etc.) to accompany me and my child to the event, and participate in the event even if they can stay in accommodations off site?

We would love to have additional sources of support for participating families be a part of this event. However, due to the logistical nature of this program we are unable to allow for this. If this were offered to one family, it would then become only fair that we offer this to all selected participants and we are not equipped to accommodate the extra logistical issues this would raise. We understand some families have other children for which to care, and would therefore like to bring them to the program as well. Unfortunately, we cannot allow for this at this time and recommend that families find an alternative caregiver for the days they will be here, or reconsider their application for this program. Families who make vacation arrangements to coincide with this program can invite family members to attend the closing social, held on the Saturday evening of the program, if they let our staff know ahead of time for logistical purposes. 

How will I know if my child is selected?

Selected participants will be notified by e-mail, followed by a hard-copy letter. Applicants who are not selected or who are placed onto the waitlist will receive a hard-copy letter. All selection decisions should be finalized by mid-April. 

How will selected applicants be determined? 

We will be looking at a number of factors when determining who to select for this program. We regret that we cannot take more than the appointed number of students per session (fifteen per session). First we will look to see that the child meets the eligibility requirements (see flyer or general information on the Web site for more info). Then, we will consider a number of other factors such as the child’s home state, gender, exposure to similar programs, and experience with our organization. We want to select a pool that will have a good mix of boys and girls and represents a wide range of states. We also will give preference to children who have not previously had the opportunity to attend an NFB event. If the child fairs well in all these areas, but is still not accepted, it is most likely because of the overwhelming amount of applications we received and is no fault of the parent or child (in 2008, we had to turn down over one hundred qualified applicants). In cases where we have several highly qualified applicants, it may come down to random selection from that pool.   

For questions about the application process, please contact:

Emily Neubeck
Project Assistant
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2419
eneubeck@nfb.org

For all other questions about the NFB Junior Science Academy, please contact:
Mary Jo T. Hartle
Director of Education
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2407
mhartle@nfb.org

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