[MI-ABS] MIABS Mosaic Vol. 2.1- Feb. 1, 2026

[Jeffery Crouch]

The MIABS Mosaic
Feb. 1, 2026

Message from the President: Jeffery Crouch
  Greetings to everyone. We would like to welcome you back to the MIABS Mosaic. We have officially put one full month of the Mosaic's in the books. We are now on to volume 2 And in this edition, we have an exclusive interview that you will not want to miss. We also have some exciting events coming up in the month of February. With that being said, let's go ahead and get in to it.
  If you have anything that you would like to see in the MIABS Mosaic, please email miabs-president at outlook.com.

Advocacy Updates
  As many of you know, the country experienced a pretty bad winter storm system the week of Washington Seminar. This unfortunately caused issues for our Michigan delegation and our students were not able to attend this year. However, the snow storm couldn't freeze the collective determination of the Michigan affiliate. While our state was mostly shut down, our federationists were hard at work, their hearts fueled by the burning desire to improve the lives of blind Michiganders.
  Over this past week, dedicated federationists met with several US congressional members for Michigan on the zoom platform. They explained our priorities in hopes of gaining support.
  I met up with Donna Posont for an exclusive interview. She led these efforts along with several others. She explained the importance of gathering support and went over the priorities with us. She gave an exciting update regarding where we are in obtaining co-sponsorship for these bills. We need the support of everyone. You can call the capital switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your House of Representative or Senate member. Once you have been connected, you can briefly ask for support over the three priorities that we are working on.  Check out the full exclusive interview with Ms. Posont by clicking
here.<https://youtu.be/Tlp2NDj2dIc>

Announcements
  Come join us for the All Hearts Align Brunch happening on February 14TH at 11:00A.M. in Kalamazoo Michigan. This is a great way to meet other students in Michigan and create connections for years to come. We want to thank Rehabilitation Way and Kalamazoo Family Counseling and Mediation Services for partnering to host this event to support blind students in Michigan to attend Midwest Regional Student Seminar. All proceeds from this event will go to support our students in attending this amazing and life changing event in Chicago in March. The event is free for members and $10 for guests. The food is being catered by Crow's Nest and we will provide the menu once we have that information.
  Later that evening, Vice President Riley Letterman will be putting on a virtual crafting event. This will be a great opportunity for everyone to gather, have snacks and put together a craft. Supplies will be sent to those who indicated that they wanted to take part during the first part of February. Digital directions will be provided and Riley will be on the zoom line to guide everyone through the project.
  Speaking of supporting blind students, the MIABS XOXO Have a Heart, Take a Part fundraiser is still going on. We are off to a great start but our momentum can't stop. Please share to anyone you know. We have amazing items up for bids. If bidding or items are not your thing, you can make a cash donation to us in two different ways. If you have zelle, search for nfbmiabs and you'll find us. If you use paypal, you can visit
our Paypal page<http://paypal.me/nfbmiabs>
To make a donation.
  You can find our auction at
this page.<http://32auctions.com/miabsxoxo>

Calendar of Events

  *
Feb. 7th at 1:00P.M.- MIABS business meetingg

  More dates in February will be in your inbox or your social media platform of your choosing very soon.

Connect With Us
Youtube<http://youtube.com/@miabs_social>
Kick<http://kick.com/miabs-social>
Facebook<http://facebook.com/miabssocial>
Instagram<http://instagram.com/miabs_social>
Tiktok<http://tiktok.com/@miabs_social>
X<http://x.com/@miabs_social>
Mastodon<http://mastodon.social/@miabs_social>
Blog<http://miabssocial.wordpress.com>

In Closing
  We want to thank you for reading this weeks installment of the Mosaic. If you want to watch this Mosaic and the exclusive interview with Donna Posont, please head over to our Youtube page.
  Next Sunday join Riley Letterman for some membership updates and find out what she's been up too.

Let's go build the federation!






      
The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and all blind people in the United States. We know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination, and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

Sincerely,
Jeffery Crouch
President: Michigan Association of Blind Students