[il-talk] chicago minutes february 8

[David Meyer]

NFBI Chicago Chapter Meeting

February 8, 2014

Exchequer Pub and Restaurant

226 S. Wabash, Chicago

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

Chicago Chapter President David Meyer called the meeting to order at 1:02
PM. Twenty-seven members were in attendance.

 

PROGRAM

 

Amy Serpe, ADA Compliance Officer with the Chicago Transit Authority, gave a
detailed presentation about the Ventra program. Ventra is the new fare
payment system that CTA has adopted. The old system will be in place until
sometime in the summer. Metra, PACE, and CTA will all be on the same system.


Several reduced fare programs can be used with the Ventra fare card. People
who have a reduced fare card should have received a Ventra card in the mail.


The customer service number for RTA is 312-913-3110. They have information
on all reduced-fare customers. Activating and registering are different. 

When you register, your card comes in the mail. To activate the card, call
877-669-8368. You can put money on your card at any CTA station, at CVS, or
online. You can also attach your card to a bank account or credit card to be
replenished automatically. Paratransit does not yet accept Ventra, but
eventually it will. You can check your balance online, over the phone, or
with the machine at the station. On the train full fare is $2.5, reduced
fare is $1.10, and student fare is 75 cents. Buses still accept cash. A
transfer for full fare is 25 cents. With a reduced fare, a 30-day pass is
$50.

 

PRESIDENTIAL RELEASE

 

NFB President Marc Maurer reported that Parnell Diggs is running for
attorney general in South Carolina. John Paré talked about Washington
Seminar, which focused on the Fair Wages Bill, the Air Carrier Accessibility
Act, and the Technology, Education, and Accessibility in College and Higher
Education Bill (TEACH). We also got more than ten new sponsors for the Space
Available Bill. He urged all of us to follow up with our members of
Congress. Anil Lewis explained that we need Imaginators to help fund our
movement. Shawn Mayo has resigned as director of BLIND Inc., and Dan Wenzel
will take her position. Ray Kurzweil, a longtime friend of the NFB, received
the Visionary Award from the American Visionary Art Museum. Jim Gashel
reminded members to nominate candidates for the 2014 Jacob Bolotin Awards. 

The awards are granted to persons who have made outstanding contributions in
the field of blindness. On March 3 the nation will celebrate literacy with
Read Across America Day. Braille readers will be part of the event. Send
pictures of people reading Braille, especially if they are taken near
recognizable landmarks. Submit photos and videos at
www.nfb.org/read-across-america. Joe Ruffalo will talk about Washington
Seminar on his Thru Our Eyes online radio program.

 

STATE REPORT

 

NFBI President Patti Chang reported that we have a board meeting scheduled
on February 11. On April 4 we will have a seminar for teachers of the
visually impaired, and on April 5 we will hold concurrent seminars for
parents and students. The student seminar is being planned by IABS. We need
people to call parents and encourage them to attend. We are planning a
two-week BELL program in June in Chicago and a one-week BELL program in
Bloomington in July. The board still needs to approve the Bloomington
program. Assistance to attend national convention is available through the
NFB Jernigan Fund and the NFBI Chappell Memorial Fund. Chappell applications
are on the NFB of Illinois website, www.nfbofillinois.org. The Naperville
Marriott will host our state convention from October 31 to November 2. Rooms
will cost $89 a night. Spread the word about our national and state
scholarship programs.

 

FUNDRAISING

 

The Chicago Chapter is holding a fundraiser at Dick's Last Resort on March 

13. Tickets cost $40. Money must be received by March 8. We will have a 

Beggars Pizza fundraiser on April 23. We are trying to interest blindness 

agencies such as BSA, the Lighthouse, and Second Sense in taking part; they 

all benefit from our free publicity on Newsline. For Beggars Pizza you bring


in a flier and the Chicago Chapter gets a 20 percent cut on purchases. You 

can call in orders from other locations downtown.

 

SECRETARY'S REPORT

 

The minutes of the January 11, 2014, meeting of the Chicago Chapter were 

approved.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

Treasurer Steve Hastalis said that when our next contribution to the 

national office clears we will have a balance of $2,617.06. We have not had 

such a low balance in a long time, which is why our fundraisers are 

especially important. Jessie Hughes will look into an event with the Beggars


Pizza in the south suburbs for next year.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Steve Hastalis announced that the city has a service to provide fire safety 

brochures in Braille. Dave Meyer announced that several members of the 

Chicago Chapter attended Washington Seminar: Denise Avant, Steve Hastalis, 

Jemal Powell, and Glenn Moore. More than sixty representatives have signed 

onto HR831, the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act. The TEACH Act,


HR4505, has bipartisan support. S556, the Air Carrier Technology Access Act 

amendments, will amend the act that was passed thirty years ago to cover 

some of the new technologies. We need a companion bill in the House. S556 

only affects access once we are on board the plane. We'd like a House bill 

to cover other forms of airline access such as kiosks.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:05.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Debbie Stein, Secretary 

 

 

---

This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus
protection is active.

http://www.avast.com

 

David Meyer, NFB of Illinois

Coordinator and channel administrator, NFB-NewsLine

Chicago Chapter President