[DSM-Iowa] COVID-19 update and more!

[Scott Van Gorp]

Good Evening Fellow Federationists:

This is going to be a bit of a lengthy update, so hang in there with me.
Here are a few things you should know.

First, I am going to be on weekly leadership calls with President Riccobono
and leaders throughout the organization so updates may come more frequently
based on information I receive from those calls. After the call last Sunday,
the governor of Maryland ordered all nonessential businesses to close due to
COVID-19 concerns. While the national organization very well could have made
a case to be an essential service to the blind and remain open, as of 5pm
Eastern yesterday, it was decided that the complete closure plan would be
implemented. Roughly two-thirds of the staff were already working remotely
in anticipation of this, so the only real disruption will be to the
Independence Market and free white cane and slate and stylus programs. Those
programs and the market will remain out of operation for the time being.
Applications for the free white cane and slate and stylus programs can still
be submitted online and will be fulfilled once operations resume. In the
meantime, if you need to reach Federation staff, you can still do so through
the normal channels as the rest of the Jernigan Institute's operations are
still functional remotely.

The National Federation of the Blind and Lyft have joined forces in a
partnership to provide emergency transportation services as a result of the
COVID-19 situation to those who need them through March 31 through a limited
number of ride vouchers. If you need more information on this, please
contact me directly so that I can assess need and distribute the vouchers
appropriately since they are being tracked at the national level on their
usage.

The national organization is putting together a collection of both
federation and non-federation resources around COVID-19. You can find the
most updated information from the organization at 

http://www.nfb.org/covid19

If anyone knows of any resources that are not up there that you feel might
be helpful, please let me know and I can pass them along. President
Riccobono shares the following:

  Accessible Executive Orders:
We have urged the governors of all states to ensure that their executive
orders regarding the coronavirus emergency are posted to the internet in
accessible formats that blind people using screen-access technology can
easily download and read. The full press release is available on our website
in our Press Room
<https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-urges-gov
ernors-issue-accessible-executive-orders> .

 

Now, let's talk about the national scholarship program. I've had tremendous
response so far, and the applications are still coming in. If you have not
completed yours yet, time is running out. They are due March 31, and I will
need to have a conversation with any candidates who I have not talked to yet
so I can send in my letters as part of the process.

Speaking of education, if you are facing issues with online course work as
you transition back to school in the coming weeks, please feel free to reach
out so that we can provide strategies for dealing with it. We will also be
finding resources at the local, state, and national level to tackle these
challenges.

To wrap this up, I need to pass on a few reminders for National Convention.
First, despite what may be circulating out there, national convention is
still scheduled for July 14-19 in Houston. If there are any changes, I'll be
sure to pass them along. Kenneth Jernigan scholarship applications are due
by April 15th, and if you plan to apply, I need to also send a letter for
those, so please contact me sooner rather than later. 

I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and please feel free to reach
out if there are any questions on any of the above information. Let's go
build the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa!  

 

Scott Van Gorp, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
Phone: 515-720-5282
 <mailto:svangorp at nfbi.org> Email

 <http://www.nfbi.org/> Website 
 
<https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823
082570/posts> Facebook 
 <https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa> Twitter 
Live the life you want.

The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is a community of members and
friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day
we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

 

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