[IL-Talk] Chicago Chapter Minutes, February 2024

[Deborah Kent Stein]

NFBI CHICAGO CHAPTER MINUTES

February 10, 2024

TGI Friday's Restaurant 

153 E. Erie St., Chicago 

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

Chicago Chapter President Denise Avant called the meeting to order at 1:02
PM. She thanked everyone for attending at the new location. Over the past
two months we have been searching for a new meeting space, and this has been
the best so far in terms of location, cost, and convenience. She asked for
feedback from everyone in attendance. 

 

Persons in attendance included Michal Nowicki, Jemal Powell, Dustin Cather,
Marco Giannotti, Mary Grunwald, Bill Reif, Ken Borst, Chris Millsap, Dan
Tevelde, Melissa Fuller, Glenn Moore, Michelle Ault, Kira O'Bradovitch,
Bruce Paul, and Marilyn Green. Bart Hickey, Ken Schad, Alicia Green, Eileen
Truschke, Bob Lee, Abdelaran Osman, John Holtgreve, Gary Jones, Steve
Hastalis, Wayne Smith, Patti Chang, Francisco Chang, Debbie Stein, Bob
Hansen, Ed Birmingham, Pam Gillmore, and Dilip Shah attended on Zoom. Denise
extended condolences to Jemal for the recent loss of his father.

 

PROGRAM

 

Dustin Cather played two articles from the January Braille Monitor regarding
voting and electronic vote by mail. The first was "Why Do Some Voting
Advocates Fight Equal Access for the Blind?" by President Mark Riccobono.
The other was "Online Voting by the Blind: Security Should Not Supersede
Access," by Curtis Chong. 

Denise explained that thirty-two states allow electronic ballot delivery and
return for overseas voters. Thirteen of those states allow electronic
delivery to blind voters, either due to legislation or a lawsuit. Since 2020
we have been trying to secure the right to full and equal access for
absentee voting in Illinois. In 2022 we at least secured electronic
delivery, so we can use our computers to mark and verify our ballot in
Chicago. However, we still have an issue about returning our completed
ballots. Political leadership in Springfield has blocked our efforts. Common
Cause and several other organizations have cited security concerns. We have
tried to address these concerns, chiefly the idea that the voter's device
can be hacked. In the states that allow electronic return there has been no
known breach of the election system. 

 

A bill is currently pending in the Illinois General Assembly that would not
allow for electronic ballot return until after the 2024 election. The
consumer organizations are trying to draft a response. 

 

NFBI President Marilyn Green visited the Chicago Board of Elections to talk
to them about what we need from poll workers. Marilyn reported that they had
the Rules of Courtesy we distributed, and she reviewed the list with them.
They asked some good questions and seemed quite interested.

 

STATE REPORT

 

NFBI President Marilyn Green announced that the next NFBI Board meeting will
take place on February 27 at 7 PM over Zoom. A meeting reminder and the
agenda will be sent out a week before the meeting. Attending the board
meeting is a great way to learn about our activities and initiatives.

 

Seven Illinoisians attended the 2024 Washington Seminar: Kira O'Bradovitch,
Dustin Cather, Denise Avant, Dilip Shah, Abboo Elfaki, Michelle Ault, and
Caitlyn Ryan. We had the chance to meet in person with some of our
Congressional reps, which was very exciting. 

 

The Midwest Student Seminar is coming up, so we should spread the word among
college students. Anyone interested can talk to IABS vice president Sara
Luna or Hunter Kuester at NABS. Go to Nabslink.org for more inwithmation.
The seminar takes place the weekend of March 22.

 

Kira O'Bradovitch and Dave Meyer co-chair the NFBI Scholarship Committee
this year. An initial email went out recently to our university contacts and
to former applicants. Now we are making individual outreach calls. The
committee meets every other week on Tuesdays at 6 PM. If you know anyone who
is eligible for an NFB or NFBI scholarship, please share the information
with them. Information about our state scholarships can be found at
nfbofillinois.org/scholarships. National scholarship applications are due on
March 31, and NFBI applications are due on April 30. 

 

Our week-long residential Springfield program will take place July 15-19.
Our Chicago program will run July 22 through August 2. It is a two-week day
program located at the Chicago Lighthouse. Bridget Hickey will be our lead
teacher for both programs. If you'd like to be a mentor, please reach out to
Debbie Stein, dkent5817 at att.net. 

 

FEDERAL LEGISLATION

 

Dustin Cather gave an update on legislation that is currently on the floor
of the House and Senate. The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act is
H.R. 1528 in the House, introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. It
has sixty-one cosponsors in the House, five of them from Illinois: Mike
Quigley, Sean Casten, Jesús García, Danny Davis, and Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The companion bill in the Senate, S. 3621, has one sponsor.

 

The Website and Software Application Accessibility Act is S. 2984 in the
Senate. It was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth and currently has five
cosponsors. The House companion bill, H.R. 5813, has sixty cosponsors, none
of them from Illinois.

 

The Access Technology Affordability Act, H.R. 3702, has eighty-one
cosponsors, four of them from Illinois: Mike Bost, Mike Quigley, Brad
Schneider, and Jan Schakowsky. The Senate companion bill, S. 1467, has
eighteen cosponsors, none of them Illinoisians.

 

The Transformation to Competitive and Integrated Employment Act is H.R. 1263
in the House. It has twenty-eight cosponsors, including Robin Kelly and Mike
Quigley from Illinois. The Senate companion bill is S. 533, which has three
cosponsors, none from Illinois.

 

During the Congressional reception at Washington Seminar a new bill was
introduced to the floor. It deals with autonomous vehicles. The bill would
ensure that one does not need a driver's license to use an autonomous
vehicle. More information will be forthcoming.

 

Denise noted that it's always a good idea to thank our reps who have met
with us, and especially to thank those who have signed onto our bills.

 

NATIONAL REPORT

 

NFB President Mark Riccobono recorded Presidential Releaease 535 following
Washington Seminar. He hoped that Federationists were able to tune in to the
Great Gathering In, where Rep. Pete Aguilar of California came and spoke. He
chairs the House Democratic Caucus and has spoken to us before. His
grandfather was a Randolph-Shepard vendor who handled the courthouse in San
Bernardino. One of our members from California, Max Duarte, ran that same
facility many years later. 

 

We had more than four hundred meetings on the Hill, and we persuaded many
members of Congress to cosponsor our bills. We need to keep the pressure up
now that we're back home. 

 

We hosted a Congressional reception on Tuesday night of Washington Seminar.
A record number of members of Congress attended. The reception was held in
the Cannon House office building. Speakers included Sen. Roger Marshall of
Kansas, Rep. John Rutherford of Florida, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina,
Rep. Greg Stanton of Georgia, Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, Rep. Rashida
Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina, Rep. Tim Burchett of
Tennessee, and Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Rep. Pete Sessions announced
that he plans to be the lead sponsor for the Blind Persons Return to Work
Act. 

 

Our affiliates brought many first-timers, and it's great to see new people
learning to do advocacy on Capitol Hill. We had a great students' meeting
and a Parent Leadership meeting. Before Washington Seminar our affiliate
presidents and members of our Kenneth Jernigan Leadership In-Service Program
met in Baltimore. 

 

In October 2001 we broke ground for the NFB Jernigan Institute, which opened
on January 30, 2004. Since that time we have transformed our approach to our
advocacy work and have changed the way blind people are seen in society.
Participants in the Washington Seminar had the chance to take a grand tour.
We have had some amazing milestones over the past twenty years. We still
need to do more to amplify the stories of blind people, but we should
celebrate the tremendous things we have accomplished. We need members to
share our stories about living as a blind person. Stories can be shared by
emailing story at nfb.org. Include your name, state, contact information, and a
bit about how our advocacy could help alleviate your situation. You also can
leave a voicemail at 410-659-9314, Extension 2444. Email
communications at nfb.org for more information. 

 

We have a variety of publications, including the Braille Monitor; our blog
at nfb.org; our podcast, The Nation's Blind; Future Reflections; and our
social media channels. Our publications include information about our awards
programs: the Bolotin Awards and our awards for blind educators and
educators of blind children. Please nominate individuals and organizations,
and be sure to promote our scholarship program. 

 

This month Gmail will be transitioning the web interface from HTML to the
Standard Version. The standard version of Gmail is accessible, but it takes
some learning. Go to nfb.org/cena to find out more.

 

The Performing Arts Division is hosting a Federation song contest. Music and
lyrics are welcome. Learn more at nfb-pad.org. 

 

The NFB National Convention will take place from Wednesday, July 3 through
Monday, July 8, 2024, at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. Registration
will open in March. We can book rooms already. Details can be found in the
Braille Monitor or at nfb.org/convention. 

 

SECRETARY'S MINUTES

 

Jemal moved and Steve seconded approval of the January secretary's minutes.
The minutes were approved unanimously.

 

TREASURER'S SUMMARY

 

Chicago Chapter Treasurer Kira O'Bradovitch reported that on February 9 we
had $3289.65 in the chapter treasury. We have checks for $28.74 and $10 to
deposit. We also anticipate the expense of our annual donation to the Museum
of the Blind People's Movement. We received $18 in dues today.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

Advocacy: Kira thanked everyone who wrote in for our write-in campaign to
the CTA. We sent about fifty letters, and the office was quite surprised by
the response. Unfortunately, only two letters were read at the January
meeting. However, because of our input they plan to have a discussion about
our suggestions. The Advocacy Committee will meet on February 26 at 6 PM.

 

Bruce Paul is working with an organization called ChiHack that is gathering
data to identify areas where sidewalks are inaccessible due to snowfall. A
Youtube presentation can be found at chihack/sidewalks.  

 

Kira said she has applied for the Vote by Mail option, and she's wondering
when she will receive the link. When she finds out when it will be sent out
she will report on IL-Talk.

 

Wayne Smith said he has been working with Rep. Quigley about bike lanes and
the bike walls along the lanes, which can make areas inaccessible. Denise
urged him to reach out to Kira and get involved with our Advocacy Committee.

 

Melissa Fuller reported that PACE and CTA have rolled out some great
opportunities for people with disabilities. Jemal serves on the PACE ADA
Advisory Committee, and he is welcome to report on developments. Denise
noted that information about PACE and Paratransit is posted on IL-Talk, and
it also can be reported at chapter meetings under New Business.

 

Fundraising Committee: The next Fundraising Committee meeting will be posted
to IL-Talk.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Marilyn announced that she is the brand-new PAC Plan chair. The PAC Plan is
a way for members to contribute monthly to the organization. 

 

Steve announced that Ventra is making many changes to the fare structure.
The ten-ride ticket is now gone. Ticket agents are working as transit
ambassadors. They can help with the vending machines as needed. Reach Steve
at 773-848-5307 if you have questions. 

 

Denise thanked our server and thanked TGI Fridays for hosting us. She
thanked everyone for coming out to the new venue.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

Patti moved to adjourn, and the ayes had it. The meeting adjourned at 1:43. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Debbie Stein, Secretary

 

 

 

   

  

 

 



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