[Cinci-nfb] National Federation of the Blind of Cincinnati, Meeting Minutes for January 2018

Tue Feb 6 16:37:57 UTC 2018

National Federation of the Blind of Cincinnati

Meeting Minutes for January 2018

1.       The January 2018 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of
Cincinnati was convened by President Sheri Albers at approximately 2:00 P.M.
on January 27 2018 at the Washington Platform Restaurant in Downtown
Cincinnati. In attendance were: Sheri Albers, Diane Carmony, Deanna Lewis,
Christopher Sabine, Dave Perry, Emily Pennington, Lisa Hall, Paul Jordan,
Walter Mitchell and Cassandra Proud. Cassandra Proud submitted her dues to
the Cincinnati Chapter at today's meeting. Julie Proud and Tonya Cooper also
attended today's meeting as guests of the Chapter.

2.       Walter Mitchell moved to approve the November 2017 minutes as
emailed; Emily Pennington seconded. The motion passed. Please note that this
meeting is referred to as the November 2017 meeting in these minutes, though
the meeting took place on December 2 2017.

3.       Emily Pennington presented this months Treasurer's Report. Deanna
Lewis moved to approve the report as read. Paul Jordan seconded, and the
motion passed.

4.       Sheri Albers discussed future committee assignments, stating that
she would like all Chapter members to serve on at least one committee. The
current chairs have all agreed to continue in their current roles:
Christopher Sabine is chair of the Membership Committee, Walter Mitchell is
chair of Fundraising, and Annie McEachirn Carson reportedly agreed to
continue chairing the Recreation Committee in a discussion with Sheri prior
to today's meeting. Sheri Albers and Annie McEachirn Carson have reportedly
agreed to chair the Meet the Blind Committee. The Chapter also agreed to
assign a member to liaise with City Hall and the Southwest Ohio Regional
Transit Authority (SORTA), the agency that operates all mass transit
services in the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, including ACCESS.
This person will inform Chapter membership on relevant activities of City
Council and its Committees and dates and times of SORTA Board meetings. Paul
Jorden agreed to accept this position without a motion. Sheri expressed that
the Board of Directors agreed to disband the "We Care / Benevolent" Program.
Instead, members with needs can post them directly to the Chapter
listserv-without going through a point of contact or chain of command. Sheri
also reported that the Board agreed to change the program's name to The
Sunshine Fund. Christopher Sabine moved to change the name of the "We Care /
Benevolent Program" to the Sunshine Fund and maintain it through the
existing fee structure for annual membership dues (which the Chapter moved
to accept when it originally established the "WE Care / Benevolent Program"
in 2016). Emily Pennington seconded. The motion passed. 

5.       Sheri Albers gave an overview of preparations for the Flying Pig
Marathon in response to a question from Paul Jordan. Sheri expressed that
the Affiliate participates in the event in two ways: handing out tissues at
the "Best Little tissue" (BLT) Station at the event and participating in the
"Piggest Raffle ever." All proceeds from the Flying Pig Marathon go to the
Ohio Affiliate, and Sheri Coordinates the Federation's participation in the
event in her capacity with the Ohio Affiliate. Applications for those
interested in signing up as a volunteer for the Flying Pig Marathon will
begin after the next organizational meeting for the event set for February.
The Flying Pig Marathon is scheduled for the first weekend of May. Raffle
tickets are now available online for $5 each, but participants will also be
able to purchase 6 tickets for $25. This rate is not available online, but
Sheri indicated that she will have paper tickets available for Chapter
members to purchase at next month's meeting.

6.       Walter Mitchell gave a report from the fundraising Committee, which
reportedly met twice in December and January. Walter expressed that the
Committee is currently working on a "Chili Challenge" to showcase the
cooking abilities of the Blind in our community. The event is planned for
April 7 2018 at the St. Bernard Municipal Building, located at 110
Washington Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Plans for this event are still in
the works. However, the Committee is discussing having local chili
parlors-including Skyline Chili, Gold Star and Camp Washington Chili-
sponsor the event and offer samples for participants to judge against Blind
contestants from the Chapter. Contestants will pay a $25 registration fee
which will go to the Chapter; all others attending will pay $5 for
admission. All proceeds from the event will go to the Chapter. All
contestants will be asked to provide a 4 court crock pot of their chili for
the event. Dave Perry indicated that the initial cost of this event to the
Chapter will be $300-with $200 refundable after the event. It was agreed
that the event will take place from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Emily Pennington
moved that the Chapter allocate $300 to secure the venue. Dave Perry
seconded, and the motion passed. Sheri Albers expressed that the Chapter
post an ad for the event on the Chapter listserv and produce a flier to
promote the event.

7.       Sheri Albers reported that Suzanne Turner is chairing Ohio's table
at National Convention, which is set for July 3-8 2018 in Orlando, Florida.
She expressed that if the Chapter is interested in selling items at National
Convention, a representative of the Chapter must staff the table. Walter
Mitchell expressed that the Fundraising Committee is reconsidering another
campaign involving the "Meet the Blind" T shirts and will discuss this in
Committee.

8.       Christopher Sabine gave a report from the Membership Committee.
Christopher and Dale Barta discussed outreach efforts. Christopher asked all
Chapter members to connect with community organizations concerning outreach
and asked that those with existing efforts in the works to move forward.

9.       Deanna Lewis reported that she will staff a booth with Federation
literature at Ohio's Braille Challenge, which is scheduled for March 2 2018
at the Clovernook Center.

10.   Sheri Albers reported that Ohio's Bill to establish a new
consumer-driven state rehabilitation council (Ohio S.B. 144) and Ohio's
parental rights bill (Ohio H. B. 309), are coming up for a vote in the Ohio
House of Representatives. This is the last step for S. B. 144 before
reaching the desk of Gov. John Kasich for his signature. H. B. 309 will move
to the senate for debate if passed by the House. State Representatives
Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Scott Lips (R-Warren County) are set to hold
an Interested Party meeting on February 23 2018 in Columbus concerning
Ohio's service animal rights bill. Deanna Lewis, Marianne Denning and Debbie
Baker will attend the meeting representing the Ohio Association of Gide Dog
Users, and Sheri Albers will attend the meeting as Legislative Director for
the Ohio Affiliate. Sheri also reminded Chapter members that the next
Columbus Seminar is scheduled for Tuesday April 10 2018.

11.   Sheri expressed that she is introducing a new segment at each Chapter
meeting in which a member can discuss a particular Blindness-related topic
he or she is facing and bring it up for discussion. She also expressed that
she would like the Chapter to discuss an article from the current month's
issue of the "Braille Monitor." IT was agreed that each member will discuss
an article from that month's issue each month. Paul Jordan agreed to
introduce the article for the next Chapter meeting in February. In the
meantime, Sheri asked all members to read the article "Ending Accreditation
without Authenticity" by NFB National President Mark Ricobono from the
January "Braille Monitor." 

12.   Sheri Albers led a discussion of this year's upcoming Washington
Seminar, which is set for January 29 to February 1 2018. The National
Federation of the Blind is set to discuss four pieces of legislation at this
year's seminar:

a.       The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (Aim-He)
Act would create an independent commission to establish voluntary guidelines
concerning accessible instructional materials in post-secondary education.

b.      The U.S. ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty would establish
copyright exception to enable the international exchange of accessible
materials.

c.       The Access Technology Affordability Act would establish a
refundable tax credit of up to $2,500 for the purchase of assistive /
accessible technology for Blind people, such as refreshable Braille
displays.

d.      The ADA Education and Reform Act-introduced to curb so-called
"drive-by" lawsuits--would severely curtail civil damages under the
Americans with Disabilities Act. The National Federation of the Blind is
opposed to this bill.

13.   Deanna Lewis concluded today's meeting by presenting an auction item.
Paull Jordan won this month's auction.

14.   Walter Mitchell moved to adjourn today's meeting. Emily Pennington
seconded. The motion passed. The January 2018 meeting of the Cincinnati
Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind was adjourned at 3:47 P.M.
on January 27 2018.

Respectfully Submitted,

Christopher Sabine

Secretary

National Federation of the Blind of Cincinnati

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