[IL-Talk] Chicago Chapter May Meeting Notes

[Cathy Randall]

Hello my Illinois Federation Family,

  Wow, what a lot of vital information, thanks Denise and all of you.  I am
back from Spain, Portugal and Greece.  Talk with all of you on June 20.

	Love, Cathy Randall

-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk <il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of denise avant via
IL-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 12:12 PM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List' <il-talk at nfbnet.org>; 'Illinois
Association of Blind Students List' <iabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: denise avant <davant1958 at gmail.com>
Subject: [IL-Talk] Chicago Chapter May Meeting Notes

Chicago Chapter May 2022 Meeting Notes 

Hybrid (At Exchequer & on Zoom) 

May 14, 2022

 

**Secretary's Note: Due to sound and technical issues there may or may not
be missing or have incorrect notes, but the secretary did the best that she
could, going through the recording multiple times. The sound improved
throughout and was the worst during introductions. If there are people
missing or information that you are aware of that is not included, please do
not hesitate to comment and the secretary will be happy to amend. 

 

 

Denise began the meeting sharing that she is the president of the Chicago
Chapter and we are having some technical difficulties as the PA system is
not working so she's going to ask everyone for their cooperation to keep the
volume down for the people on zoom. When you have questions please relay
them to Patti who will relay them to the rest of the room. We do apologize
and we do have guest speakers here today.

 

For those of you who are present in the room, Denise asked that you please
wear your face mask, we want to protect our families and our friends in the
federation, this is good practice for those going to the National Convention
where you will be asked to wear a mask to help keep everyone safe. She said
she'd go around the room to ask everyone to start by introducing themselves
and asking if you have a hobby and if so, what is it. 

 

Denise Avant - Chapter President, hobbies include reading & Cross-country
Skiing

Patti Chang - VP of Chicago Chapter, for those that do not know her, "we
dance"

Marco Giannotti - hobbies include anything to do with music, going to
concerts, being outdoors etc.

Francisco Chang - hobbies are eating, reading, and dancing 

Max Bever - from the Chicago Board of Elections and he will be giving a
presentation, very happy to be here and loves to go to museums which he just
did this morning 

Michal Nowicki - Treasurer, his hobbies are travelling, watching sports, and
listening to eastern European music

Melissa Fuller - her hobby is operating her real estate company and we have
a visitor from South Carolina *Secretary could not hear the name of the
visitor due to feedback

Glenn Moore - his hobbies are listening to music, reading, & traveling

Nikki - *Secretary could not hear hobbies or name clearly

Sara Luna - hobby is practicing Judo and she will be obtaining her black
belt

Juliette Walker - her hobbies include animals, movies, and crafts

Steve Hastalis - hobbies are music and reading braille 

Christopher Milsapp - hobbies include technology 

Dan TeVelde - hobbies are reading, listening to podcasts, anything
technology, and music

Ken Chad - *Secretary could not hear hobbies

*Additional Attendee spoke here but secretary could not hear

Ellen Bartelt - student division president, hobbies include traveling and
swimming

Edward Ocompo - hobbies include watching anime

Paul Shepardson - *Secretary could not hear hobbies

Debbie Stein - hobbies include chairing the scholarship committee, leading
adult programs, and reading

Ken Borst - hobbies are reading, listening to music especially the oldies,
long walks, and a lover of gourmet ice cream 

Dustin Cather - hobbies include walking around in the woods 

Mary Lou Grunwald - hobbies are Chicago, Milwaukee, and just being out in
the world and she loves her business

Charles Miller(joined meeting after introductions)

 

In Zoom (because of PA issues Denise just asked that names be read)

David Meyer

Ed Birmingham

Greg Rosenberg

Kira O'Bradovich

Robert Hansen

Bob Whitman

Jemal Powell

Pam Gilmore

 

Denise then went to the next item, sharing that soon accessible vote by mail
will be available for the entire state of Illinois for the general election,
but we also hope that will be available for the primary. However, for both
elections, it is available here in the City of Chicago, so she asked Max
Bever from the Chicago Board of Elections to come and talk to us about
accessible vote by mail and how it works and turned it over.

 

Max said hello to all. He said he'd use his theatrical training to project
and thanked Denise for the invite. They are looking at four elections coming
up and he wants to speak about accessible options for the primary election
on June 28th and hear some feedback. The Primary election will nominate the
people to be on the ballot for the November 8th Gubernatorial elections
including state representatives, state legislatures, governor, judges, and
quite a bit more that's on that ballot. Primary elections are when you
choose your preferred political party, democratic, republican, libertarian,
and also one that is referendum-only. There was going to be a ward map
non-partisan ballot but that may be taken off this upcoming Monday when the
city votes on new ward maps. You can choose the ballot and vote on your pick
from the party and then that will head to November 8th for the general. The
municipal election will follow on February 23rd and April 4th the city
elections will take place to vote for mayor and alderpeople. The city
council votes on that next week, with people finding themselves in new
wards. Many are already finding themselves in new districts for this next
election so be sure to check. This happens every ten years after the census
and despite it being a very political process it is mandatory every ten
years to redraw.  

 

He then said he wanted to speak about two accessible information for voters
vote by mail and in person. In person accessible voting option is available
at all early voting and election day voting sites and that is by an audio
ballot. It comes with an audio controller that is similar to a video game
controller similar to his PlayStation controller. The machines are
completely audio accessible. What is new and available this year is the
accessible vote by mail option. Unfortunately, it's not a perfect system so
they are taking as much feedback as they can but there is an option to
receive an accessible ballot that was created for those living abroad or
someone who is military personnel which allows for marking the ballot online
and then printing out and mailing back the ballot to the board of elections.
Unfortunately, right now there is no option to vote entirely online and he's
not sure that will ever happen but everything that is related to voting does
have to be on paper, there is nothing that is connected to the internet and
nothing that can be done online to submit. 

 

Max shared that when it comes to election law everything is about a decade
behind. He began his role with the Chicago Board of Elections about a year
ago, but he just found out that they only started using email about 8 years
ago, so it's a bit like the 1970s at the county board office. However, he
said they are working to push everything into the 21st century as much as
they can, including the website. He knows the website right now is not the
most accessible so one of his goals that is a part of the upcoming budget
request from the government is for a new website that is completely
accessible. One that has audio options and is in line with accessible
technologies like Jaws with an audio option for all of their webpages. He
then went back to talk about the accessible vote by mail program, it is part
of the uniform and overseas program and is being updated to be an accessible
program and they are trying to use the program and adapt with their tech
team but also split them as much as possible to be independent programs. 

 

The best way to sign up for the accessible vote by mail program is to email

fpca at chicagoelections.gov <mailto:fpca at chicagoelections.gov>  or call (312)
269-7900, because if you reach out, they want to work with you. They want to
make sure there's no questions and that you can successfully vote, and they
do ask that you reach out directly so the staff can work with them as well.
You can then mark and complete your ballot in the privacy in your own home
as a everyone should be able to vote privately and independently. The
deadline to request a ballot is June 23rd, but they do recommend everyone
reach out by mid-June to ensure there is time. The election is on June 28th
and the deadline June 23rd so the sooner you reach out the better. The
program just went live this last Friday and that date is in line with early
voting. Starting on June 13th all 50 ward sites open for early voting and
they all have the audio ballot accessible voting option too. Once you finish
the application process you will be emailed your online vote by mail ballot,
you can privately mark that with an audio system, and then it will need to
be printed out and mailed back. So, with any needs for more instructions
please reach out to the board as that ballot does still need to be mailed
back to the board of the elections to be counted and they want to ensure
there is communication to avoid confusion. They very much appreciate the NFB
for its important feedback including some critical feedback from our own
member, Michal, on ensuring the program is separate from military or
overseas and is accessible. 

 

Denise asked how long it will take someone to get back to them if they reach
out and Max shared that the staff is working to respond the same day. If you
email, you can set up a call or you can call directly, and a staff member
can help those who are interested in the vote by mail program and walk them
through it directly. He has worked there long enough to know that the
government isn't the most timely in getting back to people because there are
1.6 million registered voters in the city. When it comes to accessibility
programs however, the staff is knowledgeable, and they want to be able to
respond the same day. If it isn't happening, he is leaving his contact
information and he will work to make it happen. They do not want any
lingering questions. Patti noted she did not receive any word back in 2020
before the presidential election and hopes it will be better this time as
she was quite disappointed, she also asked if he could discuss the
envelopes. She said that if you use the board envelope there are special
areas to sign and asked him to review those. He noted that every ballot
requires a signature of one kind or another in order to identify people
rather than create a voter ID program. He also said that as long as you are
a good standing you should have both a voter number and a signature on file
and that's what the board uses to identify as a voter. But if there are
questions please follow up with the board. 

 

Patti said that her signature is pretty much not readable and that original
signatures for many of us were done years ago, so asked what happens when
the polling judge does not look like it matches. He noted that when it comes
to the accessible vote by mail system it is processed by the board but there
is a little bit of wiggle room with the accessibility program, that is the
understanding. His has changed from what is on file and so what he has found
from voting they are not trained to hassle voters in any way. However, there
will be a new form that will allow people to update their signatures on file
with a simple voter id form and he noted his is far more of a doctor's
scribble now as well. They do not want to hassle voters over their signature
but also want to do their best to recognize voters without requiring an ID
if you are already a registered voter in good standing. 

 

Patti asked if they would email you if your ballot is provisionally
rejected. He asked that we please email him or even his executive director
in case help is needed to ensure they can get to the bottom of things, not
to wait too long or have people dealing with it who may not know how to help
on these specific issues. Denise then asked if there were more questions
about accessible or in person voting and Eileen asked if there would be
trained staff at the voting booths who know what they are doing. He shared
that they do have a section on accessible voting in the handbook and online
training videos but that this year they will be able to do in person
training. He said to go to the voting site and ask for an audio ballot. It
is a touch screen program, with headphones and a controller. They will
assess everything they need through the controller. The audio ballot will
confirm all of your voting options, won't move on without your confirmation
and will take you through in 13 different languages including Spanish,
Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, Tagalog, Urdu, Ukrainian, Russian, & Arabic.
There's a big budget request this July to continue improving these systems.

 

Nikki shared that she is an in-person voter and in the past has had to wait
when she arrives, that they just look at her and say they do not know how to
work the machine so she wondered if we could be trained to operate them and
if so, could we be assigned to help other blind people use the audio
ballots. To register to volunteer or be trained you can email Max at
mbvr at chicagoelections.gov <mailto:mbvr at chicagoelections.gov>  or call (312)
269-7857.

 

Max also shared that coming out of the pandemic, they've increased options
with 70% of voters voting by mail in 2020 for the first time ever and they
really like that. For instance, now, you do not have to be a resident of
that site to vote there, you can vote anytime, anywhere and the early voting
sites this year will be open on election day as well and those locations
will have better trained staff than voting day sites since those workers are
only there for only one day, the early voting site staff are actually hired
positions and they are hired directly and are far more knowledgeable on
assisting voters and are specifically trained on the accessible machines. 

 

If people are interested in voting in-person, they will email that
information so that you can show up at any of those 50 sites from June 13
and even on election day on June 28 and they will have more professional
staff. They've found many benefits from the trained early voting staff, he's
been an election judge himself and the system and continually always improve
flexibility, options to vote, and locations.

 

Kira then asked if they planned to have feedback sessions or opportunities
following the primary election and if so, could we be invited. Max said they
definitely plan to do so as they did with feedback through equip for
equality and through us prior to the primary.

Jemal then asked what company makes the audio ballot machines. Max said the
machines are from Dominion and come through the Illinois Election
Authorities. All of the audio is recorded in house. Denise stated that she
would share anything Max sends to us via the list serve and Dave will upload
it to NFB Newsline for those who do not use the internet for both primary
and the general elections. 

 

Juliette then asked how to apply to be an election judge. Max said you can
call if you are interested and reach a very nice perons, Polina who can work
with you over the phone but it's also available on the website, about three
pages of questions for the application process. 

 they are always looking for election judges and coordinators. And, as
mentioned earlier, the new position early voting officials who work for
three weeks with additional training. you can apply on the portal or even
call and let them know. Three different poll positions exist: election
judge, day of on election day, election coordinators who help out at
different polling stations, and early voting officials who work at early
voting sites. 

 

An additional question was asked regarding whether or not you can bring your
own headphones? Max confirmed that yes, it's a regular headphone jack, not a
special one. Dave asked whether or not the early voting sites be the same
for the general election as they are for the primaries. Max confirmed that
is correct. He said he hasn't memorized all the general election sites, but
they will be the same. Steve commented that it would be a standard 8-inch
stereo plug and Max shared that they will have headphone covers for each
voter but he understands the wish to use your own. 


With no further questions, Denise thanked him for coming and he said he
appreciated the opportunity to present and looks forward to coming back more
of our meetings in the future and to holding a feedback meeting after the
election as they are desperately trying to get to the 21st century and they
want all the feedback they can get to improve the online vote by mail system
for voters. 

 

Denise then shared that Marilyn had to work so she and others will be giving
state report. The first is on accessible vote by mail for the state of IL.
At the last meeting she'd shared that the state legislature had passed a
stand-alone bill that for the general election. So that means you would need
to go through the process to request a ballot, having them send you a link,
use assistive technology to fill out, print it out, and mail it back in.
Electronic submission is not an option, but we will be working on it. The
bill wen to the Governor's desk about ten days ago and the expectation is
that he will sign it, he has 60 days from the time it reaches his desk to
sign the legislation and we know that he will have it for the general
election. It also appears we will have accessible vote by mail for the June
28th primary for certain counties and we are working on getting it done.
There will be press releases should it happen that will be sent to us, Equip
for Equality, Access Living Chicago, Illinois Council of the Blind, and any
other blindness-related or print disabled related organization so that we
can get the word out because if there is a press release on the 19th, we
won't have but about 6 weeks, not even, to let people know of the option. If
you have friends living in other counties across the state, please let them
know about the option. In 2020 we didn't have enough time to get out the
word just like we won't have time to get it out to the other counties for
this primary, but we promise we will do the best that we can to get the word
out about it. They should not be saying not enough people use it, that
doesn't matter, this Is our right to vote and it should be available, and we
will continue to push for it. So, be on the lookout when that announcement
is made. She shared we won't' be able to play the presidential release but
the registration for National Convention is still open and will be through
May 31st. and it will take place July 5-10 in New Orleans, LA. The two
hotels are the Marriott which is almost full and the Sheraton, the room rate
is $109 for singles and doubles and for triples and quads it's $119, before
the applicable taxes and fees. She doesn't have the telephone number for the
hotel handy but it's on the website nfb.org/convention. 

 

If you plan to submit resolutions the deadline to submit is June 6. Steve or
Jemal, if you are thinking about resolution as you always do, please be
aware of the deadline. Denise said it will follow the traditional pattern of
seminar day, registration day, board meeting and division day, the day
before that is resolution day, and the last three days will be the general
session concluding with the banquet and speech given by President Riccobono.


 

Denise still serves on the national board and they are taking all steps
possible to make sure the convention is a safe environment for our
federation family and friends, so they are requiring everyone to wear masks
in the convention spaces and requiring attendees to take COVID tests
regardless of vaccinations within 72 hours prior to arrival at the
convention. IF you cannot get your test within that time period when you
arrive there will be test available to take but it's best to do your own so
that you don't have to go stand in a long line. Steve asked if you are
positive if your registration cost will be refunded. Denise said that had
not been discussed. It was then asked who to submit results to and Denise
shared that they should be sent to testresults at nfb.org
<mailto:testresults at nfb.org>  and this information is available on the
website. Patti said we are allowing all to take photos of tests and submit. 

 

Jemal asked what would happen if it is known that you are positive while at
convention? Denise shared that it is her understanding that it will be
recorded to the affiliate, but the affiliate will be aware and can share
that with their members, without giving away the individual's name. As a
positive person you will be given the option to stay quarantined in the
hotel or go back home. The best they can do is let the affiliate know and
keep people quarantined. The president will have to determine how best to
handle it. 

Charles Miller volunteered Contact tracing protocols on a state and federal
level would also be initiated and the NFB has the option of cancelling the
event due to the spread so you should be mindful of that. Denise said the
notification process and quarantining will be important. Patti said the best
thing to do is to take your test at home and Denise also said that
continuing to wear your mask in any crowded spaces even outside of the
hotel, will help prevent a positive test. 

 

Denise said that Debbie and Patti will speak on state and national
scholarships. Patti then shared news, the first being that our own Teresa
Fabre has won the National Scholarship as a finalist. She will receive this
is if she attends the National Convention, stays blind, and stays in school
which is highly likely. The second thing she relayed was that the
scholarship committee has confirmed their three state scholarship finalists.
Debbie announced that Vance Herder, Rachel Newland, and Abu Alfaki have been
selected. Two high school students and one grad student. The president has
confirmed all three. They had a really nice pool of applicants this time. We
ended up with 22 complete applications which was great considering
nationwide we were down, so it was an accomplishment. The committee is
following up on all applicants and inviting them to events hoping to convert
them to members and leaders in the federation nationwide. They also chose
three people to receive convention scholarships but they haven't been
notified yet so hopefully they will accept a trip to convention so they can
come and get to know us and we can get to know them. She wanted to thank
everyone on both committees, the outreach and the scholarship selection
committee, and this committee was the most responsible they've ever seen,
got ahold of everyone and did all the interviews, really, really nice job.
Denise then invited Debbie to use her outside voice to share about the Bell
program.

 

Debbie shared that they have two programs going on, the in-person
face-to-face program which is in two components, one in Chicago from July
18-July 29 and the Springfield residential program which takes place at a
hotel where the families and kids stay together from August 1st-5th. They
are looking for volunteers for both of those programs with a basic criminal
background checks required for all who want to volunteer, and they've
already started that for those who have signed up. Please reach out to
Debbie at (773) 203-1394 if you're interested as they need more people. They
also have the in-home Bell edition which is the remote program for people
who can't make it to a face-to-face program, and she does not know if they
have any signed up for the remote program. So far for the in person, they
have about 6 kids signed up for Springfield, 5 for Illinois, and they'd like
to have 8 for face to face so please help us spread the word! A question was
asked regarding the time for the program, she shared that it starts at 8 in
the morning and runs to about 3:30pm or 4pm.

 

Amy Lund will be the teacher again this year, but this will probably be the
last year she does it as she is getting her PhD and has a lot of other
obligations. Patti stated that they really need the volunteers because they
do not have a second teacher this year. It was then asked what volunteers do
and Debbie shared that they do whatever they are asked to do, for instance,
taking a child to the bathroom, walking with a child on a field trip, being
their go to person, sitting down and helping them with braille, working with
them on an art project, you're busy all day long with them. Denise noted
that we have had several members volunteer including Sara, Mary, and others.
So, Denise said if you haven't done it before you could also talk to those
who have volunteered in the past for more information on what the role
entails. And she shared that hearing about all the fun activities she wishes
she was a kid again and Debbie said it's a lot of fun.

 

Dave then shared some comments about the presidential release since we can't
play It today. It's available on the NFB Newsline, our website at
https://nfb.org/presidential-release-516-may-2022  and if you have a
smartphone or a victor reader stream you can receive it as a podcast. 

 

Dustin then updated the chapter on Washington seminar federal legislation.
He asked that everyone please thank Marie Newman for joining HR 4853, the
Medical Device Non-Visual Accessibility Act. So, if you live in IL-3 please
reach out to her office and thank her by emailing or calling her office. We
now have Jan Schakowsky as the original sponsor and 5 cosponsors: Sean
Casten, Danny Davis, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Marie
Newman with a total of 53 cosponsors in the house. We are still waiting on
the senate companion bill. 

 

The HR 431 Access Technology Affordability Act has growing support. We
currently have 153 total co-sponsors including 15 from Illinois, Mike Bost,
Sean Casten, Danny Davis, Rodney Davis, Bill Foster, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia,
Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Darin LaHood, Marie Newman, Mike Quigley,
Bobby Rush, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider, and Lauren Underwood. The
federation is doing good work getting support. The S.212 Senate companion
bill currently has 30 senate co-sponsors in the senate and Duckworth is a
cosponsor from Illinois.

 

HR 2373 Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act has 4
cosponsors from Illinois - Robin Kelly, Marie Newman, Mike Quigley, and Jan
Schakowsky with 49 co-sponsors nationally. The S. 3238 Senate companion bill
currently has only one cosponsor so continue reaching out to your senators
and representatives to continue generate support.

 

The 21st Century Website Accessibility Act still has not reached the floor.
Hopefully we will have updates about that piece of legislation that we
discussed at Washington seminar, hopefuly we can find a sponsor to sponsor
that piece of legislation and will send out a call to action on that piece
of legislation once it's introduced into the house. 

 

Denise said if you didn't hear your representatives name on any of the bills
mentioned to please reach out and ask them to cosponsor. We've done a great
job so thank you everybody. Jemal asked which bills we are focused on this
year and Denise said that HR 431 is the furthest along, but we have been
steadily picking up cosponsors for the other two bills. Both have more
cosponsors than we've ever had before and a lot of it is going to depend on
the work our members are able to do especially since this is election
season. Call, email, go to events where representatives are at and
hopefully, they'll sign on and before this session is up we can get as many
of these if not all passed out of Congress. 

 

Denise then shared they have two final items on Madam President's agenda.
She asked Patti to discuss state convention and board meeting. Patti shared
that the face-to-face state board meeting is open to everyone. Both of these
events will take place at the Naperville Marriot, 1801 Naperville Boulevard
in Naperville and it's a very nice hotel and we've had mostly good luck with
the staff there. The date is August 27th for the state board meeting, you
can call the hotel directly and make reservations for either one now, and if
you have any troubles doing so, email Patti at pattischang at gmail.com
<mailto:pattischang at gmail.com> . Please make your reservation. It is an
all-day event, they do a lot of planning at the meeting for next year, and
you can figure out what's going on at the state level with committees.
October 28-30 will be the convection, some come in on the 27th. Marilyn is
busy planning the agenda for the state convention. Denise added that if you
have ideas for things to cover at the convention please email them to
Marilyn at: president at nfbofillinois.org <mailto:president at nfbofillinois.org>
. Patti shared that the online registration is not yet up but should be
after national convention. Denise then shared that June 20th will be the
last state board meeting before the national convention and before face to
face and you will see a board meeting agenda put up about a week before so
you can be looking for that. That was the conclusion of the state report.

 

Chicago Chapter business was up next, and Denise asked that the February
12th minutes be passed as they weren't posted and therefore were tabled.
They were reposted to IL-Talk and Newsline. Ken Borst made a motion to pass
the minutes, Jemal seconded. Denise called for any changes, none. Minutes
approved. Then she moved to the April 9th minutes which were recently posted
last Sunday, there were corrections made and then posted to Newsline and
IL-talk with the corrections on Wednesday. She asked for a motion to
approve, Patti moved, Michal seconded. Denise asked for any corrections,
none were given. Minutes approved. 

 

She then turned to a short summary of the Chicago Chapter Treasury report.
Steve shared that $4,028 is the current total but we are adding collections
to that now and Denise invited all to still donate in person and on Zelle so
just ensure that you make a note or tell Michal it is specifically for the
Chicago Chapter. 

 

Denise then shared that for fundraising, we are having a fundraiser this
afternoon which will be a karaoke night and there are at least 14 signed up
and there may be more. That will take place after the break after the
meeting. They will begin the event and sit down to pizza, salad, and soft
drinks around 4:30/5 and if anyone else wants to do something afterwards
they will pick I tup then after everyone has been served. That is the latest
fundraising event that we have. Mary asked if anyone has entered the room
since Denise called roll. Charles Millerjoined and would like to join this
evening so he will be paying now since Zelle didn't let him pay. Denise and
all present welcomed Charles to the meeting and the federation.

 

Dave made one final note on fundraisers and asked everyone to please note
deadlines and follow them as it makes everything much easier for those
trying to organize events and Denise agreed and said that if you know about
it you need to let them know for planning and ordering purposes. 


Denise then shifted to advocacy committee news and shared that they have
been working with the City of Chicago as it relates to the scooter project,
they are now in certain areas of the city and there will be braille and
raised/large print on the scooter found either on or just beneath the
handle. Kira noted one change following the roll out, with any issues you
will call 311 instead of individual company numbers, which was the original
plan, and report both the brand of the scooter which is printed on the
scooter with that information and the location to the best of your ability.

 

This coming Thursday, May 19th, the Chicago Mayor's Office for People with
Disabilities is having a digital expo resource fair at 2102 W Ogden Avenue
from 11am-3:30pm. Jemal and Ken will man our table and we will have
hand-outs and resource lists for our national and state organizations, a
letter from Marilyn, and a handout on NFB Newsline at our table. Denise will
also be able to attend and anyone else who does will be able to see a
demonstration of the scooters and vaccines will also be available. Kira will
send out this information on IL-Talk later today so look out for that
information, you will need to register if you plan on attending but it only
requires first and last name and an email address. She also offered that if
anyone needs any help registering for the event, they can contact her via
phone or email kobradov at gmail.com <mailto:kobradov at gmail.com> . Steve shared
that the last time he tried to report something on 311 they wanted an actual
address so he's wondering if we only have the intersection if that's
sufficient, i.e. north of a specific intersection and Kira said it was
acceptable as well and Patti said she thought he got a bad operator and
Denise agreed, we will hope it works. Jemal asked if an individual runs into
a problem with a scooter here in the city and are not a Chicago resident can
they report, and Denise said they she would think that would not matter as
they have still violated the city ordinances. Patti said she knew that you
do not need to be a city resident. Jemal clarified that he wondered how far
outside of city limits you can use 311 and Patti did not know.

 

Denise moved on to old business and shared that they now have cards for new
members with the one-minute message on one side of the card and the NFB
pledge on the other and it is in both large print and braille. She got them
while at the national office, but she only got 50 to start with but we do
have those. One of the members thanked Steve for calling their house to
update on meeting times for the chapter. Denise asked for any other old
business. Eileen shared that she had $86 collected for the collection, Steve
shared he was putting in another dollar, so Denise said that $87 should be
on record. 

 

Denise then asked for any new business. Dave shared that if anyone needs
help to register for the convention for virtual attendance or in person and
does not have email or the ability to register themselves you can call the
main number (410) 659-9314 at the National office and ask for Susan Skaar.
Debbie Stein shared that Freedom Link had planned to take their students to
visit the Glessner house on 1800 S Prairie Street. She said that it's a very
interesting house that she's visited before and they were going to have a
hands-on tour on Sunday, May 22nd at 11am but unfortunately the attendance
for freedom link only has one student who was able to take part, so we are
opening it up to the general populace on a first come first serve basis. She
said she's been there before, and they gave a wonderful hands-on tour of all
kinds of antique furniture and a cast of Abraham Lincoln that they have in
the collection. The head of volunteers is a good friend of Cathy Randall, so
they understand what we need in terms of access so it's a great opportunity
and she'd love to get people to take advantage of it. It's an hour-long tour
and $17 for admission so please let her know if you are interested. They can
take ten people at a max. They need to know soon so please contact her today
at (773) 203-1394. People will have to make their own arrangements for
transportation to and from the Glessner House, but they will meet there on
11am on Sunday, May 22nd. Denise asked for any other new business, Sara
shared that starting in June she will be attending the Blind program at
Blind Inc. and living in Minnesota to complete it, so she won't be at a
meeting for a while. This news was met with much applause.

 

Denise asked that before we close the meeting if Marco Giannotti has any
news on the PR system and there was good news as those zoom performing will
be able to do so. Those participating should stay tuned as the event will
probably start at about 3:30/3:45pm. She shared that the wonderful host for
the event tonight will be Dustin Cather so if you have performances go up to
Dustin and let him know so he can know what order to put everything in. Your
first performance if you paid the $25 for everything is included but each
additional performance is $5. She shared that some people do owe the $25
still so please give her that money and she will let Patti know and if you
want to do additional performance you can also give her the additional money
to give to Patti. There will be two of them handling money and checking the
spreadsheet to see who owes money and ask at the time of this meetings'
adjournment that you come up and pay for what you have not yet paid. Steve
noted that he has been collecting money today from people who did not pay
ahead of time so he will go up to Patti and give her the money and names. He
shared the only person he needed to see was Ann Newman but she was not
present yet. Steve said that there were a couple others he added but will
let Denise and Patti know who those individuals are.

 

Denise then asked for a meeting to adjourned and Patti moved, Jemal
seconded. Meeting was adjourned. Denise thanked everyone for their patience
since this was a different meeting then she's ever had the opportunity to
preside over. 

 

 

Signed and Submitted by, 

Kira O'Bradovich

Secretary

Chicago Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise Avant, ESQ

1st Vice President

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

For more information about NFBI,

Go to www.nfbofillinois.org

 

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