[IL-Talk] August 12, 2023 Chicago Chapter Draft Minutes

[Deborah Kent Stein]

I have made one small correction under Program; Michelle Ault attended the
Rookie Roundup *and* a technology seminar.

Debbie S.


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From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Denise Avant
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Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2023 8:22 AM
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Subject: [IL-Talk] August 12, 2023 Chicago Chapter Draft Minutes

 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND CHICAGO CHAPTER

August 12, 2023

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

NFBI Chicago President Denise Avant called the meeting to order at 1:02 pm.
In-person attendees were Jemal Powell; Steve Hastalis; Marilyn Green; Mary
Grunwald; Melissa Fuller; Dave Meyer; Paul Shepherdson; Marco Giannotti;
Kira O'Bradovich; Ken Borst; Debbie Stein; Michelle Ault; Eileen Truschke;
Ken Schad; Dan Tevelde; Chris Millsap; Dustin Cather; Pam Gillmore; Glenn
Moore; Juliette Walker; and Reuben Reese and his partner, Heather. Three
first-time attendees, all students at ICRE-Wood, were Jocelyn Colón, Tanisia
Bowman, and Haron Cole. Attending on Zoom were Alisha Green, Bob Lee, Gary
Jones, Robert Hansen, and Bob Widman. Ken Borst announced that he
interviewed Bob Hansen for CAN-TV about his work as a substitute teacher
with the Chicago Public Schools. President Avant welcomed the new attendees
and encouraged them to join the chapter. Dues are $5 for the year. Dues
should be given to Kira O’Bradovich or sent by Zelle at
treasurer at nfbofillinois.org <mailto:treasurer at nfbofillinois.org> . 

 

PROGRAM

 

Dustin Cather introduced the program, which focused on the impressions of
first-time convention attendees. Michelle Ault attended the Rookie Roundup
and a technology seminar on her first day. She was very impressed that Dan
O'Rourke appeared at the Illinois meet-up. She realized the extent to which
the NFB is connected with corporations in and beyond the blindness field. We
are changing what it means to be blind to help ourselves and to help future
generations. She said she didn't want to miss a thing.

 

Abdelrahman Osman said he had been warned that he wouldn't get much sleep at
convention. He discovered that was very true! He couldn't possibly list all
of the meetings and events he attended, and sometimes the choices were very
hard. He enjoyed meeting people from all over the US and from other
countries as well. He was up till four-thirty in the morning sometimes
having discussions with his roommates. He enjoyed volunteering at the
Independence Market. 

 

Denise announced that Marilyn Green has been elected to serve on the NFB
Board of Directors. Denise has stepped off the board, but will serve on the
tenBroek Board, which is responsible for managing the Federation
headquarters. Illinois is the second affiliate with two members now on the
tenBroek Board. Marilyn is the other affiliate that has two members. 

 

PRESIDENTIAL RELEASE

 

NFB President Mark Riccobono recorded Presidential Release 529 on August 1.
He thanked the hundreds of people who helped make our 2023 National
Convention a success, including fifty-four staff members. HE extended
special thanks to the Texas affiliate for their hard work. He asked all
convention-goers to complete the feedback survey at nfb.org/convention. It
is available in English and Spanish. You also can complete the survey by
phone; call 229-632-7878, or use the toll-free number, 833-632-7878. 

Feedback will help with planning for the 2024 convention. Convention
highlights are available at the NFB website and on our YouTube channel. The
2024 Convention will take place at the Rosen Center in Orlando, Florida,
July 3-8. Through Norma's negotiations, President Riccobono threw out the
first pitch at a Houston Astros game. 

 

On July 25 the US Access Board held its annual meeting at the Jernigan
Institute. The meeting was recorded and is available on the YouTube channel
of the US Access Board. 

 

Discrimination by rideshare drivers was a topic at Convention. On July 27
Uber held a listening session with Federation members. Another will be held
on August 16. President Riccobono urged members to use the Civil Rights
Division of the Department of Justice to end rideshare discrimination. A
separate complaint must be filed for each incident at
civilrights.justice.gov/report. Download or print a copy of the confirmation
page, which will include a record number and forward it to legal at nfb.org
<mailto:legal at nfb.org> . 

 

The Department of Justice has sent out proposed Title II rule-making to the
ADA on website regulations. We have been asking for these regulations since
2010! We will review them very carefully and make official comments. Input
is welcome. If you have expertise on website accessibility, reach out to
John Paré at the National Office: jpare at nfb.org <mailto:jpare at nfb.org> . 

 

On July 26 the House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce held a meeting
about autonomous vehicles. President Riccobono was honored to testify about
the importance to blind people of accessible technology in these vehicles.
He was the only person with a disability to testify. John Paré represented
the NFB at the White House. The full hearing is available at the Department
of Energy and Commerce YouTube channel. 

 

Dan O’Rourke’s Ride for Literacy kicked off on July 27 from California. He
spoke from Arizona and sounded in excellent spirits. 

 

October will be Blind Equality Achievement Month. Chapters come up with all
kinds of innovative ways to celebrate. nfb.org/blindmonth is a good source
of ideas.  

 

STATE REPORT

 

NFBI President Marilyn Green welcomed our visitors and new members. She said
she is grateful and humbled to serve on the National Board. The NFBI Board
meeting will be held on August 19 at the Chicago Naperville Marriott Hotel.
State Convention will have a different format, being held on Friday and
Saturday, October 13 and 14. We will have an evening General Session on
Friday night, followed by IABS Idol. General Sessions will take place all
day Saturday, followed by the banquet. Information will be posted on IL-Talk
and IABS-Talk. Rooms are $129 for a king bed and $139 for two queens.
Financial assistance is available through Chappell-Dennis. Applications must
be submitted by 11:59 PM on September 1. 

 

Battle of the Chapters: Last year the State Board lost to the At-Large
Chapter at IABS Idol. The At Large Chapter has selected snacks as this
year's IABS Idol theme. Send ideas for songs to Denise, and we will vote on
them at the September meeting. We still need an overall convention theme. 

 

NATIONAL LEGISLATION

 

Dustin Cather reported on our three bills that are currently on the floor in
Congress. The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, HR 1328, was
originally sponsored by Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. Currently it has
forty-five cosponsors in the House, five of them from Illinois: Mike
Quigley, Sean Casten, Chuy Garcia, Danny Davis, and Raja Krishnamoorthie.
There is as yet no Senate companion bill.

 

The Transformation to Competitive and Integrated Act has been introduced to
both houses of Congress. IN the Senate it is S. 533, with just one
cosponsor. Its companion bill in the House is HR 1263, with twenty
cosponsors. Robin Kelly is the only cosponsor from Illinois. 

 

The Access Technology Affordability Act also has been introduced in both
houses. It is S. 1467 in the Senate, with eight cosponsors, and HR 3702 in
the House, with twenty cosponsors. One cosponsor is from Illinois, Rep. Mike
Bost. Please reach out to your representatives and senators and urge them to
sign on to these pieces of legislation. THE dates for Washington" Seminar
will be confirmed soon. 

 

Illinois BELL Academies: BELL Coordinator Debbie Stein reported that our
Chicago and Springfield BELL Academies were very successful. Head teacher
Bridget Hickey and her assistant, Adina Buetow, ran Chicago BELL. they went
shopping, and visited the Chicago Children's Museum and the Lincoln Park
Zoo. In Springfield Adina Buetow served as head teacher with Pauline Smith
from Michigan as her assistant. We had great volunteers in both programs:
Ellen Bartelt, Sara Luna, Bill Reif, and Raven Wilson. Altogether ten
children participated in our programs this year, including two in BELL At
Home Edition.

 

NFBI Scholarships: Debbie Stein reported that the NFBI Scholarship Committee
selected two finalists, who we will meet at our state convention. Charles
Miller and John Holtgreve have been confirmed as finalists. 

 

RIDE FOR LITERACY

 

Dan O'Rourke will arrive in Chicago at the end of his Ride for Literacy on
September 8. Dustin Cather and Patti Chang are co-chairing the committee
planning our welcome celebration. On Friday, September 8, we will gather at
the sign that says "Route 66 Starts Here" and walk to the Harold Washington
Library. At the library we will go to the ninth floor for presentations.
President Riccobono will be there, and some of our Federationists will do
Braille reading to show the importance of Braille in our community. We have
been working to get the word out to all of the blindness organizations and
agencies in the area. The event at the library will start at approximately
9:30 AM, and the walk over will start at 8:30. We'll be at the library for
an hour or an hour and a half. The Presidential Release Live will be
broadcast from Chicago on September 7. Watch IL-Talk for further
information, but be prepared to be somewhere on the evening of September 7.
We'll all want to be in the room where it happens! 

 

CHICAGO CHAPTER MINUTES

 

Jemal moved and Ken Borst seconded approval of the minutes. Chris Millsap
corrected the spelling of his name. The June minutes with corrections were
approved.

 

SECOND QUARTER CHICAGO TREASURER'S REPORT

 

Treasurer Kira O'Bradovich gave her first official quarterly report. On
April 1, 2023, the first quarter ended with a balance of $5,057.55. By June
30, the end of the second quarter, the balance was $3,409.31. 

 

Income: Income for April, May, and June came from the following: three
auction items in June for a subtotal of $100; cane tips sold in May and June
for $8; April collection of $50 and May collection of $83.76, for a subtotal
of $133.76; donations of $10, $150, and $40, for a subtotal of $200; a Games
Night donation for $35; membership dues from five people, amounting to $25,
for a total income for this period of $531.76. 

 

Expenses: On April 3 we sent a check for $2,000 for National Convention
funds. We had three auto payments for our PAC Fund, amounting to $50 per
month. 

 

Our balance as of August 11 was $3,089.54, not counting the yearly $1,000 we
raised with the bowling fundraiser. If you pledged any donations, please
turn them in. Today we raised $84.50 in the collection, and we received dues
of $5 yesterday. Jemal moved and Marilyn seconded approval of the Second
Quarter Treasurer's Report. 

 

A question was raised about whether the report included the collections from
all three months. After some discussion, Marilyn moved and Jemal seconded
tabling the report until September. The chapter voted unanimously to table
the report.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

Advocacy Committee: Kira reported that we continue to work with the CTA
Advisory Board. The board held its quarterly meeting in July. Steve drafted
a statement, and Sara Luna spoke on our behalf regarding signs and digital
announcements at the stations. The digital signs could include audible
announcements. The committee's response did not address our concerns about
information at bus stops, but they did talk about the digital announcements.
There will be a presentation at the October meeting with updates. The
Wayfinding Committee will be reinstated, and we can attend and speak there
about our concerns. Laura Saltzman is the new CTA Advisory Chair. 

 

The Clearing Paths Program will make the city rather than property owners
responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks. This is a one-year pilot
program. We're in contact with the MOPD to see how the scooter program is
working out. We have noticed that many rideshare and delivery drivers have
been parking in crosswalks. 

 

CTA has sent out a survey for people with disabilities. Kira posted the
information on IL-Talk, and it can also be found at transitchicago.com. It
is very important that we all complete the survey and share our ideas and
experiences. The survey will be used to make improvements in service. 

 

The next Advocacy Committee meeting will be held on September 20 at 8 PM. 

 

Robert Hansen explained that you can call 1-888-yourcta (1-888-968-7282)
with any complaints. The email address for complaints is
transitchicago at gmail.com <mailto:transitchicago at gmail.com> . 

 

Fundraising: Dave Meyer reported that the bowling fundraising was very
successful. Money is still coming in. There will be mini auctions in August
and September. The annual Read-a-thon will take place October 28. Dave
requested that every board member contribute something. There is an entrance
fee of $10, but the admission fee will be waived if a participant has
brought in more money. We're also working on a fundraiser at Beggar's Pizza
for November 15. We receive 20 percent of the money raised. In December we
will host our annual holiday auction. 

October is Blindness Equality Achievement Month, and Denise suggested that
maybe we can post something about our Read-a-Thon on the national website
and on our social media pages.

 

Outreach: Michelle Ault reported that she and Ken Borst worked an outreach
event at a disability fair in Aurora. Two people she met are at our chapter
meeting today. They handed out alphabet cards, one-minute messages, And
other information. 

Denise appeared at City Hall on July 19 for Disability Pride Month. The City
Council approved a resolution recognizing Disability Pride Month. The
following week the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities hosted a
lunch with Mayor Brandon Johnson. Denise represented the chapter at both
events. We are trying to raise the profile of the chapter and the work we
do. 

On October 7 we need volunteers to work at the Blind Services Vision Expo,
currently scheduled from 9 to 5. We will hand out literature and talk about
the work we do in the chapter and the affiliate. 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Dave announced that the Horizons Weekenders group is hosting a bowling
activity Labor Day weekend. It will be held at Timber Lanes, 1851 W. 1Irving
Park Road, just off the Brown Line. IF you're interested, call Horizons for
the Blind at 815-444-8800. 

Pam Gillmore auctioned a Lou Mitchell's hundredth anniversary T-shirt and a
gift card. Dave served as auctioneer. The items brought in $50. 

Denise announced that if people had suggestions for songs for IABS, please
email suggestions to chicago.president at nfbofillinois.org
<mailto:chicago.president at nfbofillinois.org> .

 

ADJOURNMENT

There was a motion to adjourn, which was seconded.

 

The meeting adjourned at 3:17 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Debbie Stein, Secretary

 

 

 

   

 

 

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