[IABS-Talk] President Riccobono's notebook for the week of August 23

[Marilyn Green]

News:

Plan to Attend the September Presidential Release—Captioning and
Spanish Available:

The next Presidential Release of the National Federation of the Blind
will be Wednesday, September 1, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. There will be
an opportunity for questions after President Riccobono’s remarks.
Submit questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR508 in the
subject line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473. Closed captions
and Spanish interpretation will be available. Zoom details coming
soon.



Straight Off the Canvas Film Screening:

As mentioned in the board meeting during the 2021 NFB National
Convention, the National Federation of the Blind is hosting a special,
post-convention, virtual film screening. Between August 23 to August
30, national convention attendees will be able to watch an
award-winning, audio-described documentary, Straight Off the Canvas.
Attendees will receive an email with a password-protected link to the
film, which will be available for the entire week. On August 29, at
7:00 p.m. eastern, there will be a live screening with Q&A via Zoom.
Learn more at nfb.org/nfb21.



Legislative Alert: Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act
Introduced into House:

The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 4853) was
introduced in the United States House of Representatives on Thursday,
July 29. This act calls upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
create nonvisual accessibility standards for medical devices with
digital displays. Members of the National Federation of the Blind are
urged to contact your representatives regarding the important
legislation. Please review the alert to learn how to help promote the
MDNA.



Back-to-School Season: Educational Technology Survey and Advocacy Resources:

The National Federation of the Blind gathers information and shares
resources to help support blind people in the education environment.
Leaders of the organization may receive a higher volume of questions
or concerns this time of year. To help us gauge the accessibility of
educational technology used in our nation’s schools (kindergarten
through graduate level), please have students, teachers, or families
complete the Education Technology Survey. Some additional resources to
share are the Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit and A Blind
Parent’s Essential Guide to Effective Communication from Public and
Private Schools.



Training for Post-Pandemic Fundraising:

Everett Bacon, Patti Chang, and Seth Lamkin will be conducting a
training for affiliate and chapter fundraisers on September 30 at 8:00
p.m., eastern, via Zoom. Join a discussion about how our experiences
over the past sixteen months can inform fundraising approaches for
2022 and beyond. The meeting ID will be 7733076440 and the password is
72632. Please mark your calendars and let your affiliate and chapter
fundraisers know about the date and time, too.



Amazon Fulfillment Center Employment:

As it relates to our recent agreement with Amazon, the National
Federation of the Blind is hoping to speak with individuals who have
had workplace accommodations denied, been placed on unpaid leave,
and/or otherwise experienced discrimination related to Amazon
fulfillment center employment. Please contact Valerie Yingling at
vyingling at nfb.org to report your Amazon fulfillment center experience.



Subminimum Wages Congressional Hearing:

Last month our very own Anil Lewis testified in a joint hearing of the
House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and the House Subcommittee
on Civil Rights and Human Services. One of the purposes of this
hearing was to discuss the Transformation to Competitive Integrated
Employment Act (H.R. 2373), which would phase out subminimum wages
over a five-year period. After the hearing, the bill gained four new
cosponsors, bringing the total number up to twenty-three. For further
information, we strongly encourage you to read Anil’s written
testimony to the committees.





Special Thanks:

Special thanks go out to the NFB of Iowa, the NFB of Texas, the NFB of
Oregon, the NFB of Missouri, and the NFB of Maryland Baltimore Chapter
for their generous gifts. We continue to grow stronger together with
the support of our affiliates and chapters.





Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

September 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
October 1: Presidential Release, 12:00 p.m.
November 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.

-- 
Marilyn Green, President
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
312-343-8396
www.nfbofillinois.org