[Mn-at-large] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/26/ 2016

[President, National Federation of the Blind]

President’s Notebook


National Federation of the Blind


Mark A. Riccobono


<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>officeofthepresident at nfb.org


(410) 659-9314


Dear Fellow Federationists,

The busy activity of the fall convention season 
is underway. There are a number of pieces of 
Federation business moving very quickly. Please 
be aware that our work on the #HowEyeSeeIt 
campaign is unfolding quickly, and it needs the 
attention of each and every affiliate and 
chapter. Presidents of affiliates will be asked 
to participate on a call later today, so please watch for that information.

We also can celebrate an interim victory with the 
introduction of our accessible instructional 
materials legislation. We should use this as a 
springboard to get members of Congress activated 
on our legislation in order to build momentum going into the next Congress.

Finally, we assist affiliates in tracking 
affiliate financial issues. A number of 
affiliates are behind in supplying information to 
the national organization. I am hesitant to call 
out specific affiliates. If you do not know if 
your affiliate is up to date, I urge presidents 
to check with affiliate treasurers on the status of that affiliate's records.



Critical Actions This Week:

AIM-HE Legislation Action:
Last week Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Joe Courtney 
(D-CT) introduced H.R. 6122, the Accessible 
Instructional Materials in Higher Education 
(AIM-HE) Act. This act will promote instructional 
technology and content that are accessible to the 
blind and other students with print disabilities. 
The bill would establish an independent 
commission to develop voluntary guidelines for 
accessible electronic postsecondary electronic 
instructional materials and related technologies 
to ensure students with disabilities have access 
to the same educational materials as non-disabled students.

Now, we need as many members of Congress as 
possible to join them in supporting our 
legislation by cosponsoring H.R. 6122. Please 
contact your representative and ask them to help 
remove barriers for blind students in the 
classroom by cosponsoring this legislation. For 
more information, and to access the updated fact 
sheet, visit 
<http://www.nfb.org/aim_he>www.nfb.org/aim_he or 
contact Gabe Cazares at extension 2206, or by 
email at <mailto:gcazares at nfb.org>gcazares at nfb.org.


Seeking Member Experiences Regarding Social Security Intake-Processing Kiosks:
Though the NFB continues to push the Social 
Security Administration toward accessibility, 
many SSA office intake-processing kiosks remain 
inaccessible to the blind. If you visited an SSA 
office after April 22, 2016, and were prompted to 
use a touchscreen self-service kiosk to sign in 
for your meeting, the NFB needs to hear from you. 
Specifically, we need to know whether or not the 
kiosk was accessible and at what office the kiosk 
was located. Please contact Valerie Yingling, 
paralegal, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2440, to 
share this important information.



News:

Spanish Version:
The Spanish version of the September Presidential 
Release is available at 
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/spanish/pr_453_spanish.mp3>https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/spanish/pr_453_spanish.mp3. 




Reminder:

Last Call on Department of Justice Web Accessibility Comments:
As you know, we have been gathering comments as 
part of our organized response to the Department 
of Justice Supplemental Advanced Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking on web accessibility.  The 
deadline has been extended through October 7, 
2016.  At this point, we are asking that comments 
be submitted directly to the Department of Justice.

You may submit electronic comments to 
<http://www.regulations.gov>www.regulations.gov. 
There, you can follow the directions as 
appropriate.  When submitting comments 
electronically, you must include CRT Docket No. 
128 in the subject box, and you must include your 
full name and address.  We need your help to 
generate substantial numbers of comments to 
reflect the public interest on web 
accessibility.  Please think of one personal 
experience, positive or negative, and share it with the Department of Justice.



Dates to Keep in Mind:

·        <https://nfb.org/state-conventions>Fall Conventions
·        September 30-October 2: NFB BELL 
Academy Training Seminar (Advanced) in Baltimore, Maryland


·        September 26: 
<https://nfb.org/free-accessibility-training-boutiques>Free 
Accessibility Training Boutique: Accessible 
Websites, Made Accessibly: An Introduction to Drupal

·        October 20-23: NFB BELL Academy 
Training Seminar (Novice/Intermediate) in Baltimore, Maryland
·        September 12-17, 2017: BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee













Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Email: <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>officeofthepresident at nfb.org
Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice
Web: <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org

The National Federation of the Blind knows 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. You can live the life you 
want; blindness is not what holds you back.

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