[IL-Talk] President Riccobono's notebook for the week of November 6

Tue Nov 7 16:19:01 UTC 2023

News: November Presidential Release Chapter Version Available:
The National Federation of the Blind Presidential Release #532 chapter
version is available. Please mark your calendars for the December
Presidential Release scheduled for November 30, 2023, at 8:00 p.m.,
eastern. Zoom details coming soon.

2024 Washington Seminar Hotel Information:
The 2024 Washington Seminar will be from Monday, January 29, through
Thursday, February 1, 2024, and will once again take place at the
Holiday Inn Washington Capitol – National Mall, located at 550 C
Street, SW Washington, DC. The room rates for the 2024 Washington
Seminar are $188 per night (not including taxes and fees). To book a
room for the event, please use the booking link on our Washington
Seminar page, or call 877-834-3613 and provide our group code, NF4.
The deadline to make a reservation using our group block and rate is
December 31, 2023, so be sure to make your reservation as soon as
possible.

Happy Federation Anniversary:
The National Federation of the Blind was founded November 16, 1940, in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Celebrate by reading history of the
organized blind movement. Here are two publications: Building the
Lives We Want and Walking Alone and Marching Together.

Share Op-Ed Article Regarding Voting:
Security and accessibility are not mutually exclusive. It is time for
voters with disabilities to be treated as first-class citizens and
afforded full and equal voting rights. As blind people, the National
Federation of the Blind is working toward that goal. Share the
following op-ed published in The Hill to affiliate and division social
media: “Why do some voting advocates fight equal access for the
blind?”

IRS Direct File Pilot Program:
Thirteen states have agreed to participate in the IRS Direct File
pilot program for the 2024 tax filing season. Direct File will allow
taxpayers to file their federal returns directly with the IRS for
free. The thirteen states participating are Alaska, Arizona,
California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For the
pilot, Direct File will only be available for filing simple federal
tax returns. We are reaching out to the IRS to investigate the
accessibility of the Direct File program.

Upcoming Early Childhood Initiatives: Santa Letters and Winter
Celebration Program:
The National Federation of the Blind provides Braille letters
celebrating Christmas and winter holidays for blind children. We are
excited to provide letters in English and Spanish again this year.
Parents of children under age ten can select the option that best fits
their family.

We invite parents to begin requesting these Braille activity packets
online, via fax at 410-685-5653, or via email at
communityrelations at nfb.org on November 6. We will start mailing
celebration packets around December 4, but you can request packets
until December 15.

Each packet will include a Braille letter, a print letter, and some
fun activities for the whole family to share. Learn more about the
Santa Letters and Winter Celebration Program on the NFB website.

Catch Up on Content:
Highlights, news, and stories are available in the most recent Braille
Monitor, Nation’s Blind Podcast, and Voice of the Nation’s Blind Blog.
The following are National Federation of the Blind publications for
you to access and share with Federationists:

November Braille Monitor
Nation’s Blind Podcast episode, #BlindMonth 2023
Blog article, Blind Kids Can: Krystal Guillory’s Federation Story

Career Opportunities at the National Federation of the Blind:
The National Federation of the Blind is always seeking talented
individuals to join our staff team. We have several current openings:
Affiliate Finance Bookkeeper, Hospitality Assistant, Hospitality
Manager, Lead – Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access,
NFB-NEWSLINE® Operations Specialist, and Talent Resource Coordinator.
Please share and refer qualified candidates. Access the benefits guide
and job descriptions to learn more.

NFB EQ for Parents: A STEM Learning Toolkit for Parents of Blind Children:
The National Federation of the Blind understands that with the proper
tools, environment, and encouragement blind people can participate
equally in any career field they choose. As a parent, you want to
support your child in participating actively in all areas of their
education, including science and math. The STEM Learning Toolkit for
Parents of Blind Children was designed to support you as the parent of
a blind child in guiding your child’s successes in STEM and much more.
To learn more about the toolkit, visit
https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/national-center-blind-youth-science/nfb-eq/nfb-eq-parents.

NFB EQ for Teachers: A Nonvisual & Accessible Engineering Curriculum:
The National Federation of the Blind has always been an innovator when
it comes to education, technology, and access. We believe that STEM
learning should be accessible for all, including blind and low-vision
youth. As our world is evolving to become more and more digital, we
discovered a need to create a version of our popular NFB EQ curriculum
that is digitally accessible, free, and publicly available. In other
words, an online, Open Educational Resource (OER) that allows
educators to access the NFB EQ curriculum remotely — from anywhere. To
access the curriculum, visit
https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/national-center-blind-youth-science/nfb-eq/nfb-eq-teachers.

Reminders: Last Call to Scope Out Space! NFB STEM2U:
The National Federation of the Blind works to improve opportunities
for blind students in the areas of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics. NFB STEM2U brings a day of nonvisually accessible
STEM lessons and activities to blind youth. Students of varying ages
across the country will learn fundamental nonvisual tools and
techniques they can use to pursue further education and careers in
STEM. In collaboration with the Center of Science and Industry (COSI),
students will become astronomers through the study of astrophysics and
engineering! Students will build models of the James Webb Space
Telescope and learn about the Earth’s atmosphere. If your affiliate is
interested in holding a STEM2U program in the spring/summer of 2024
please email STEM at nfb.org by November 10. A training seminar for
coordinators will take place December 15-17, 2023, for participating
affiliates at our national headquarters.

Dates to Keep in Mind:
(all times eastern)

November 8: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
December 7 and 10: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Planning the Year Ahead)
Monday, January 29, 2024: Great Gathering-In
January 29 -February 1, 2024: Washington Seminar
July 3-8, 2024: National Convention; Orlando, Florida

2024 Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement:
Wednesday, February 7, 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 8, 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 7, 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 6, 8:00 p.m.

2024 Chapter Presidents Calls:
Thursday, March 14, and Sunday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 13, and Sunday, March 16, at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 12, and Sunday, September 15, at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 19, and Sunday, December 22, at 8:00 p.m.

-- 
Marilyn Green, President
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
312-343-8396
president at nfbofillinois.org
www.nfbofillinois.org
Live the life you want!

The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois 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.