[Iabs-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/05/2018

Wed Feb 7 15:28:29 UTC 2018

Hello all,

I am forwarding the entire notebook from President Riccobono as there are many critical pieces of information. Please read, and Enjoy. 

Thanks to all of you who attended Washington seminar on behalf of Illinois.

Denise R. Avant, President

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

Live the life you want.

For more information about NFBI, 

Go to www.nfbofillinois.org.

From: President, National Federation of the Blind [mailto:OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 3:19 PM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/05/2018

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind

Mark A. Riccobono

officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org> 

(410) 659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

I can still feel the energy from our 2018 Washington Seminar. It was great to visit with so many of you. The reports of our success on the Hill are truly encouraging, especially those from our rookies who were visiting Congress or leading a delegation for the first time. Congratulations to all; the next phase of our advocacy work is now underway. Please follow up with those you had meetings with.

Special congratulations for our Iowa delegation who secured our first Senate cosponsor since Washington Seminar for our accessible instructional materials bill. Senator Ernst from Iowa joins Senator Hatch in support of this important legislation, and we hope that other affiliates will follow by securing needed support. For other cosponsor updates, read below.

It was great to have so many affiliate presidents for a thoughtful twenty-four hours of engagement before Washington Seminar. A number of follow-up items are coming your way soon, so stayed tuned. Thank you for your input and helping to make our organization work as well as it does.

Critical Actions This Week:

Presidential Release:
The February release is available at https://nfb.org/presidential-releases-en/presidential-release-469-february-2018.

News:

Service Animals:
I wanted to bring everyone up to date with where we are with regard to the situation with Delta and their new service animal policy. We had a face-to-face meeting with them in Atlanta last week and are continuing to negotiate. There has been some press around this issue. One story can be found at https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/airplane-mode/growls-are-growing-over-delta-s-new-rules-flying-service-n841376.

And just today we put out a press release commending United Airlines for announcing that their policy would not change regarding travelers with dog guides and other service animals, as opposed to animals that may fit other categories.

Washington Seminar:
Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's Washington Seminar; it was a tremendous success. The fruits of your labor are already beginning to pay off. Six new cosponsors have been added to Aim High in the House and at least fourteen House offices and one Senate office have said that they will be cosponsoring the Access Technology Affordability Act. We also did a great job educating members of Congress about the dangerous ramifications of H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017. And to top it all off, we are hoping to hear substantive news regarding the Marrakesh Treaty in the next few weeks. 

Thanks to our Florida affiliate and its strong relationship with Congressional offices, we were able to have Congressman Gus Bilirakis speak at this year's Great Gathering-In. Along with supporting our core issues, Congressman Bilirakis continues to champion the right of disabled veterans to participate in the Space Available program. 

On the topic of veterans, our tactile art exhibit and reception at the Newseum was undoubtedly one of this year's highlights. As the first fully accessible photography exhibit in a major American museum, the Newseum's Marines and Tet exhibit displays ten of the most powerful and moving images of the Vietnam War in a way that can be experienced by all. If you were unable to visit the Newseum during your time in Washington, I highly encourage you to make the trip during the exhibit's run, which will conclude in July.

The National Federation of the Blind and Aira News: 
We have negotiated a special pricing plan exclusively for NFB members. Visit the Aira website <http://go.aira.io/nfb>  to learn more. 

The Jernigan Institute now offers free Aira site access to any Aira Explorer when they are on-site. Minutes used while in the building will not be deducted from your plan. In addition, NFB state conventions and our national convention will be Aira “pop-up” site access locations in 2018 and 2019. This means that for specific dates at convention locations, access will be free and time using an Aira agent will not be deducted from your monthly plan. Stay tuned for more information and details as they become available for a location near you.

Attention Blind and Low-Vision Students:

Are you a blind or low-vision teen or do you know one who wants to spend their summer learning, meeting new people, and having a great adventure? Join the National Federation of the Blind at our NFB EQ program. NFB EQ is a jam-packed week of fun and learning. Participants spend each day engaged in activities designed to strengthen their knowledge of engineering as well as their problem-solving abilities. In the evenings, participants hang out with the twenty-nine other teen participants while exploring the local community and participating in various recreational activities. Throughout the week, participants will forge new friendships while increasing their engineering knowledge, problem-solving abilities, self-confidence, and independence.

To learn more and to apply, visit http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq.

Amazon’s Employment Practices:

The National Federation of the Blind is trying to understand access barriers experienced by blind individuals who work for, are subcontracted to work for, or are seeking employment with Amazon. Our goal is to help Amazon provide fully accessible workplaces and processes for its blind employees. Barriers may include inaccessible online applications or pre-employment screenings, a refusal or unnecessarily long delay in providing workplace accommodations, or inaccessible software used at Amazon worksites. If you have experienced any one of these barriers, or an access barrier not listed, please contact Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>  or (410) 659-9314, extension 2440.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium <https://nfb.org/law-symposium> 
*	March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship applications, www.nfb.org/scholarships <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships> 
*	April 15, 2018: Deadline for 2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award competition <https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main> 
*	July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the Blind National Convention <https://nfb.org/convention> , Orlando, Florida
*	July 29-August 4, 2018: NFB EQ <http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq> 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

Mark A. Riccobono

President

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>  

 <https://nfb.org/> 

                          <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>      <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>      <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> 

The National Federation of the Blind 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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