[GreaterPhilly] Fwd: [NFB-Announce] THE DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION 2021

[DENICE BROWN]

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Begin forwarded message:

> From: Suzanne Turner via NFB-Announce <nfb-announce at nfbnet.org>
> Date: October 3, 2021 at 5:28:59 PM EDT
> To: nfb-announce at nfbnet.org, nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org, State Affiliate Leadership List' <state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org>, <Chapter-Presidents <chapter-presidents-bounces at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: smturner.234 at gmail.com
> Subject: [NFB-Announce] THE DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION 2021
> Reply-To: Suzanne Turner <smturner.234 at gmail.com>
> 
> 
> 
> THE DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION 2021
> 
> BY SUZANNE TURNER <>
> 
> Editor's note: Suzanne Turner is vice president of the NFB of Ohio. She also
> chairs the convention planning committee. After investing months of planning
> for an in-person convention this November, she has accepted the covid
> handwriting on the wall and changed gears to organize a virtual convention.
> This is what she says:
> 
> 
> 
> Happy birthday, National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. You are 75 in this
> year of 2021. We honor and celebrate your outstanding accomplishments,
> innovation, and advocacy. Through your members' active participation you
> have continued to keep our pledge by fighting for equality, opportunity, and
> security for the blind. Without you blind Ohioans would not have the
> opportunity to witness confident blind people living the lives they want, so
> we salute you and invite anyone who has interest or concerns for the blind
> to come and help us celebrate your birthday. More details are below.
> 
> 
> 
> You are cordially invited to a birthday party at the Ohio annual state
> convention. The theme this year is "back to the basics and engaging the
> future." the location and time of this grand event is anywhere and
> everywhere on November 5 and 6, 2021. We will shine bright like a diamond
> because it is Ohio's 75th anniversary.
> 
> 
> 
> Considering the ongoing impact and wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19
> pandemic, the 2021 state convention will be held virtually. Registration is
> now open and free. Go to nfbohio.org to register now.
> 
> 
> 
> Come one and all and join us as we celebrate on a virtual platform this
> year. We will expand our circle of participation, connecting blind
> Americans, not only across the state, but anywhere and everywhere for what
> we expect will be the largest gathering of blind people in the history of
> Ohio.
> 
> 
> 
> All events will be held on the Zoom Platform and in the Eastern Standard
> Time Zone.
> 
> 
> 
> Zoom Meeting Connection Information
> 
> 
> 
> One meeting link will be used for the Board Meeting, General Sessions, and
> the Banquet. Closed Captioning will be available in these sessions.
> 
> 
> 
> Here are helpful commands:
> 
> 
> 
> Phone command to mute and unmute: *6
> 
> 
> 
> Phone command to raise and lower hand for speaking: *9
> 
> 
> 
> PC shortcut to mute and unmute: Alt A, Mac command: command shift A
> 
> 
> 
> PC shortcut to raise and lower hand: Alt Y, Mac command: option Y
> 
> 
> 
> Zoom Meeting Etiquette
> 
> 
> 
> Keep in mind that, when joining convention, you will be placed on mute. If
> you wish to speak and are not on the agenda, you may raise your hand. A host
> will get to you as soon as possible; do not unmute yourself until you are
> prompted to do so. If you are on the agenda, the host will unmute you as we
> approach your presentation. Stay on mute if you are not a presenter. If on
> video, please do not eat or move about in any way that could be a
> distraction to others watching. We recommend that you not activate your
> video unless you are speaking.
> 
> 
> 
> About the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio: The NFB-O is a 501 (c)3
> not for profit organization and a founding affiliate of the National
> Federation of the Blind. We are proud to be an integral part of the oldest
> and largest organization of the blind in the United States. We are a diverse
> group of people dedicated to changing what it means to be blind. Our members
> work tirelessly to break down the legal, social, and personal barriers to
> living the lives we want.
> 
> 
> 
> The mission of the National Federation of the Blind is to achieve widespread
> emotional acceptance and intellectual understanding that the real problem of
> blindness is not the loss of eyesight but the misconceptions and lack of
> information which exist. We do this by bringing blind people together to
> share successes, to support each other in times of failure, and to create
> imaginative solutions.
> 
> 
> 
> Those who pre-register for the Ohio convention by October 27, 2021, will be
> eligible for door prizes. Door prizes will be drawn during pre-convention
> festivities, general sessions, and the banquet. Registration is required,
> and you must be present to win. When your name is called, please virtually
> raise your hand or email ohioprize at gmail.com <mailto:ohioprize at gmail.com>
> <mailto:ohioprize at gmail.com> within two minutes, which is the designated
> window of time to claim your prize. Also, if you would like to donate a door
> prize, please alert Ohio's door prize facilitator, Annette Lutz, at
> president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com <mailto:president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com>
> <mailto:president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com>.
> 
> 
> 
> Resolutions: All resolutions must be submitted to the Resolutions Committee
> chair, Barbara Pierce, no later than October 24. Resolutions will be
> considered at the general session on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
> 
> 
> 
> If you plan to vote in the election or on issues brought to the Convention,
> you must opt in to vote by registering your name, the phone number you will
> use, your chapter or division, and an email address at the NFB of Ohio
> website, nfbohio.org. You will receive an email acknowledgement. This means
> that you can call in to vote. You must opt in to vote by October 24. I
> reiterate that this is a separate procedure from registering for the
> convention, which you must have already done before going to the website to
> opt in.
> 
> 
> 
> The Ohio affiliate is pleased to have Everette Bacon as our national
> representative for 2021. We extend a warm welcome to Everette, who is a
> national leader in the National Federation of the Blind.
> 
> 
> 
> Everette Bacon was born in Huntington Beach, California. At the age of five
> he was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy, a condition which had run in his
> family on his mother's side for thirteen generations, causing rapid-onset
> blindness primarily in female family members. Despite the diagnosis
> Everette's family took the advice of teachers and medical experts, believing
> (or, more accurately, hoping) that, since Everette was male and his vision
> was not deteriorating rapidly like that of other family members, he was
> unlikely to go blind. As a result Everette did not learn Braille or other
> alternative techniques during his school years. Looking back, Everette says,
> his mother and other family members wish that they had encouraged him to
> learn Braille and other blindness skills.
> 
> 
> 
> When Everette was about eighteen, his entire family moved to Texas. Everette
> pursued a degree in church music at Dallas Baptist University. He jokes that
> he was pushed toward music because "you know, blind people sing." His first
> job was teaching a seventh grade choir, but he found teaching not to his
> liking. Searching for other employment in order to earn money to help his
> wife through medical school, Everette ultimately accepted a management
> position with Blockbuster Video in 1997. He was very successful in this
> position, winning several awards and steady promotions. By 2004 he was
> managing ten stores in the Houston area.
> 
> 
> 
> Everette's eye condition began to worsen, but instead of giving up, he
> adapted by using alternative techniques. "I started carrying a cane, mainly
> for identification, but I was using it when I felt I needed it." "I was
> never embarrassed or ashamed about becoming blind because I grew up around
> blind people, adapting was something you just became accustomed to doing."
> However, when he asked for reasonable accommodations from his employer,
> instead of granting these accommodations, Blockbuster terminated his
> employment despite his outstanding record. The company even went so far as
> to describe Everette's conduct as "fraudulent," implying that he had
> deceived the company about his capabilities, even though he had previously
> been praised and awarded for his work.
> 
> 
> 
> This experience traumatized Everette and his family. His wife, mother, and
> other family members sent angry emails to everyone they could; urging
> readers to avoid shopping at Blockbuster based on discrimination against the
> blind. One of these emails found its way to Scott LaBarre, the president of
> the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and a successful disability
> rights attorney. Scott took Everette's case, and ultimately Everette
> received a settlement from Blockbuster. More important, though, he learned
> about the National Federation of the Blind and the many battles the
> organization has fought in the effort to advance and protect the civil
> rights of blind people. "I had heard of the Federation and been told that
> they were militant," Everette says, "but my experience taught me the
> importance of our advocacy." There are so many reasons to be proud of who we
> are as blind people, and the Federation has paved the way for our climb to
> the top of the mountain of civil rights!
> 
> 
> 
> In 2004 Everette and his wife, Dr. Angela Peters, moved to Salt Lake City,
> Utah. Everette became involved in the Utah affiliate of the NFB and
> developed what he describes as life-changing relationships with dedicated
> Federationists like Nick Schmitroth, Karl Smith, and Deja Powell. These
> friends helped Everette improve his blindness skills and grow in the
> movement. Everette was also looking for new employment opportunities in Utah
> and heard about a job opening as a Blindness Skills Teacher at the Utah
> Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Everette remembers
> speaking with Ray Martin about the fact that he knew nothing about teaching
> blind people; Martin told him that being blind was the most important
> qualification. The agency supported Everette in his pursuit of a master's
> degree in rehabilitation. He went from teaching technology to supervising
> the technology staff and now serves as the agency's field services
> coordinator, overseeing all of the agency's technology and employment
> services, supervising a staff of nine.
> 
> 
> 
> Everette began advocating for Utah's blind residents with an effort to
> encourage a prominent local cinema chain to incorporate audio description
> technology into its theaters so that blind people who wanted to experience
> movies with audio description could do so. An avid movie fan with an
> extensive collection dating from his Blockbuster days, he believes that
> audio description can enable blind people to connect more easily with their
> sighted peers when discussing entertainment. "One of the most valuable
> lessons I have learned from the NFB is the understanding that blending into
> society is an important skill. Being able to relate to our sighted
> colleagues about movies, television, politics, and sports are excellent
> paths to opportunities that help change common misconceptions about
> blindness."
> 
> 
> 
> In 2012 Everette was elected president of the National Federation of the
> Blind of Utah <https://nfb.org/about-us/state-affiliates/utah>. He is proud
> of the affiliate's successful advocacy for a state mini-508 law requiring
> accessibility of new state websites and procurement of accessible electronic
> and information technology, subject to fines when agencies fail to comply.
> His advocacy for accessibility made him an outstanding candidate to serve as
> the Federation's representative on the Disability Advisory Committee to the
> Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He was nominated for appointment to
> this committee by President Riccobono and duly appointed to serve by the FCC
> in 2015. Everette is also chair of the Utah Library Advisory Board. He also
> sits on the Utah Assistive Technology Council and the Library of Congress'
> National Library Service for the Blind's Audio Equipment Advisory Committee
> (Western Region). He was unanimously elected to the Board of Directors of
> the National Federation of the Blind at the organization's 2015 convention.
> He and Angela and their two dogs live in Salt Lake City, but Everette still
> roots for his beloved Dallas Cowboys.
> 
> 
> 
> Convention Highlights and Activities:
> 
> 
> 
> Rookie Roundup: Wednesday, November 3 at 6:30
> 
> 
> 
> Exhibit Seminar: Thursday, November 4, at 3:00 pm
> 
> Lab Computers, Inc, Ohio Dept. of Insurance, Vispero, Vanda Pharmaceuticals,
> and more: these and more vendors will be on hand to demonstrate their
> high-tech and low-tech products for blind and visually impaired users.
> 
> 
> 
> Happy Hour: Thursday, November 4 at 7:00 pm
> 
> Music, BYOB, Door Prizes, and More
> 
> 
> 
> Here are a few convention opportunities:
> 
> 
> 
> .      Network with blind people from all parts of the country.
> 
> 
> 
> .      Encourage blind people to expand their knowledge of resources.
> 
> 
> 
> .      Attend workshops designed to promote leadership, membership-building,
> and successful employment strategies and attitudes.
> 
> 
> 
> .      Attend the banquet and cheer three blind students as they receive
> scholarships.
> 
> 
> 
> .      Visit the Hospitality Room, which will be open virtually to mix and
> mingle Friday, November 5, from 9:00 to 10:15 am and on Saturday, November
> 6, from 12:00 noon to 1:45 P.M.
> 
> 
> 
> .      Enter a drawing when you register online to win one hundred dollars
> by donating ten dollars or more to assist with the work of the Ohio
> affiliate. Each ten dollars donated will add your name that many times into
> the pot.
> 
> 
> 
> The gavel will fall on Friday, November 5, promptly at 2:00 pm for the
> opening ceremonies and general session. We will have a series of speakers
> covering a wide range of topics, including a report from our Ohio president,
> a welcome to Columbus by the Capital Chapter, our national representative,
> Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), and educational and
> inspirational presentations. Annette Lutz will have exciting door prizes as
> well.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday evening will see a flurry of activities. The At-Large Chapter, the
> Ohio Community Service Committee, the Ohio Association of Blind Students,
> and the Ohio Association of Blind Merchants will hold their annual business
> meetings that evening. The Nominations and Resolutions Committee meetings
> will also take place.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday morning, November 6, we will begin with a breakfast meeting of the
> Diabetes Action Network (DAN) and its business meeting at 7:30 a.m. If you
> are interested in becoming a member of this division, you should strongly
> consider attending.
> 
> 
> 
> The gavel falls again promptly at 9:00 am to continue general sessions. We
> will break at 12 noon for lunch. The NFB of Ohio Senior Division and the
> Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users (OAGDU) will conduct their annual
> business meetings. The afternoon includes workshops on promoting leadership,
> membership building, and successful employment strategies. Therefore, this
> year we are offering an exciting opportunity for businesses, nonprofits, and
> employers to attend the ability seminar that will offer awareness of the
> tools and techniques that members of the blind community use to interact in
> formal and informal settings; to provide descriptions of how blind people
> perform professional tasks in paid or volunteer work; and Explain the vital
> role that a positive philosophy and attitudes about blindness play in the
> development of capable successful blind individuals. Finally, chapters and
> divisions will also have the opportunity to conduct fundraisers during the
> afternoon as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday night's banquet will surely be the highlight of the convention.
> This is an opportunity for fellowship and for all of us to share a meal. Our
> keynote speaker for the evening will be our national representative Everette
> Bacon. We will also have our Gavel Awards ceremony to celebrate chapter and
> division accomplishments from the past year. The finale of the banquet will
> be the announcement of the 2021 scholarship winners and the annual Money for
> the Movement fundraiser that supports Ohio's programs and services. Be sure
> to order or prepare your convention banquet meal before you come into the
> Zoom Room. Don't worry, the night is not over-plans are in the works for an
> exciting after-banquet activity.
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, our Convention Planning Committee is committed to making your
> convention experience memorable and enjoyable. Therefore our goal is to
> bring you the most up-to-date information on the convention. So please feel
> free to contact the committee chair, Suzanne Turner, with any questions,
> concerns, or requests for accommodations at SMTurner.234 at gmail.com
> <mailto:SMTurner.234 at gmail.com>  <mailto:SMTurner.234 at gmail.com>. Anette
> Lutz , president, along with the Capital Chapter will be ready to greet you
> bright and early at 8:30 am on Friday morning, November 5, 2021. Please
> notify Anette Lutz of any donated door prizes. You can email her at
> president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com <mailto:president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com>
> <mailto:president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com>. Eric Duffy and the tech team
> will ensure that all technological issues are addressed. Consult the
> convention agenda on how to connect to all meetings and how to contact the
> team.
> 
> 
> 
> The Ohio President, Richard Payne, along with our affiliate Board of
> Directors, will be on hand to welcome you. We are excited and looking
> forward to seeing you at the 2021 75th annual virtual Ohio convention.
> Together, with love, hope, and determination, the members of the National
> Federation of the Blind transform dreams into reality. You can live the life
> you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
> 
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