[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President's Notebook - week of 04/03/2017

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Wed Apr 5 01:10:53 UTC 2017 

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>President’s Notebook
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>National Federation of the Blind
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>Mark A. Riccobono
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><mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>officeofthepresident at nfb.org
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>(410) 659-9314
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>Dear Fellow Federationists,
>
>Happy Opening Day! Baseball season is here and I 
>always find that is a good indication that 
>spring has come. It also marks the three-month 
>countdown to our convention­the excitement is 
>already building. Please send your ideas for 
>convention program items as I will have to 
>finalize the program in the next month.
>As you will notice below, there is a lot 
>happening as we roll into April. ICYMI (that is 
>shorthand for in case you missed it), I 
>encourage you to watch our 
><https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCcbtijv8fE>new 
>video on accessibility that was released on April 1.
>
>Later this week we will be pushing out 
>information on the Do You Dream in Color 
>documentary 
>(<http://www.doyoudreamincolor.com>www.doyoudreamincolor.com). 
>We will have information later this month to 
>help affiliates put together screenings as 
>educational and fundraising activities. I 
>encourage each of you to learn about this 
>documentary and consider how it fits into our broader educational initiatives.
>
>You can also expect the April Presidential 
>Release to be available within the next day.
>
>I want you to know that I will be on the road 
>next week (April 10-15) and will be difficult to 
>reach. I am taking the family to Wisconsin and I 
>hope to maximize my family time while there. 
>Thus, please plan to tag me this week with 
>anything we need to discuss; otherwise consider 
>waiting until April 17. Of course Beth will be 
>here and will know how to find me for any urgent 
>matters. I am well aware that the Federation 
>keeps marching forward so I plan to stay connected.
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>News:
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>
>2017 Blind Educator of the Year Award:
>The Blind Educator of the Year Award pays 
>tribute to a blind teacher whose exceptional 
>classroom performance, notable community 
>service, and uncommon commitment to the NFB 
>merit national recognition. The award, including 
>an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check 
>for $1,000, is presented at the national 
>convention. Nominations should be sent to Dr. 
>Edward Bell, Director, PDRIB, via email to 
><mailto:ebell at latech.edu>ebell at latech.edu, or 
>post mail to PDRIB, 1500 W. Barnett Springs Ave, 
>Ruston, LA 71270. Letters of nomination must be 
>accompanied by a copy of the nominee's current 
>résumé and supporting documentation of 
>community and Federation activity. All 
>nomination materials must be in the hands of the 
>committee chairman by May 1, 2017, to be 
>considered for this year's award. For further 
>information contact Edward Bell at (318) 
>257-4554 or 
><mailto:ebell at latech.edu>ebell at latech.edu. More 
>information can be found in 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161116.htm>the 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161116.htm>Braille 
>Monitor.
>
>
>NFB Youth Slam T-Shirt Design Contest:
>This summer we will hold the 2017 
><http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam>NFB 
>Youth Slam on the tenth anniversary of the 
>inaugural NFB Youth Slam. We are seeking artists 
>who can capture the excitement and energy of our 
>Youth Slam program and design our official tenth 
>anniversary T-shirt. The designs should reflect 
>the brand personality of the National Federation 
>of the Blind: inviting, powerful, innovative, 
>and inspirational. The winner will receive special recognition and a reward.
>1. Your design must include the 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/files/nfb-logo-lg.jpg>National 
>Federation of the Blind logo.
>2. Your design must include the text “Tenth 
>Anniversary National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam.”
>3. Your design must be science, technology, 
>engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related.
>4. All submissions should be in a 
>high-resolution PDF or EPS file format with fonts converted to outlines.
>5. Submit your designs online at our 
><https://nfb.org/media-upload-form>NFB Media 
>Upload Form by the deadline, Friday, April 28, 
>2017. The winner will be announced in May.
>The National Federation of the Blind reserves 
>the right to choose a winner and make any 
>alterations to the design such as color, image 
>size, etc. For further information regarding 
>copyright please refer to our 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/files/nfbterms.doc>media 
>terms and conditions. Questions can be directed 
>to <mailto:STEM at nfb.org>STEM at nfb.org by email or 
>by phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2418.
>
>
>Supreme Court Decision Regarding Individuals with Disabilities Education Act:
>Last week we were pleased to hear of the Supreme 
>Court's unanimous decision in Endrew F. v. 
>Douglas County School District. In his opinion, 
>Chief Justice Roberts said, in part, "The goals 
>may differ, but every child should have the 
>chance to meet challenging objectives. This 
>standard is more demanding than the ‘merely more 
>than de minimis’ test applied by the Tenth 
>Circuit. 
 When all is said and done, a student 
>offered an educational program providing 'merely 
>more than de minimis' progress from year to year 
>can hardly be said to have been offered an 
>education at all." The 
><https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-comments-united-states-supreme-court-decision-regarding-individuals>full 
>press release can be found on the NFB website.
>
>Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017:
>The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017 
>was introduced in both houses of Congress (H.R. 
>1734, S. 732). The bill was introduced by 
>Representatives David Young (R-IA) and Lucille 
>Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in the House and by 
>Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Benjamin L. 
>Cardin (D-MD) in the Senate. The legislation 
>will establish a per-person individual 
>refundable tax credit to be used over a 
>multi-year period to offset the cost of access 
>technology for blind people. Access technology 
>includes items such as text-to-speech 
>screen-access software and electronic Braille 
>displays that blind people use to access 
>computers, tablets, smartphones, and other 
>devices, as well as digital content. More 
>information can be found 
><https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-access-technology-affordability-act>in 
>the press release.
>
>
>AIM HIGH Act Introduced:
>And, in other legislative news, the Accessible 
>Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act 
>of 2017, also known as the AIM HIGH Act (H.R. 
>1772) was introduced by Congressman Phil Roe 
>(R-TN) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT). This 
>act will promote instructional technology and 
>content that are accessible to the blind and 
>other students with print disabilities. The 
>entire press release is available at 
><https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-aim-high-act>https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-aim-high-act. 
>
>
>
>Lyft Press Release:
>Yesterday we sent out a joint press release with 
>Lyft announcing a collaborative effort to ensure 
>reliable and equal service to individuals who 
>are blind and use service animals. Also, Lyft 
>announced the kick-off of their first Service 
>Animal Month. Lyft also announced a new policy 
>that clarifies that every Lyft rider who has a 
>service animal must be accommodated, regardless 
>of a driver’s preferences or circumstances. The 
>full text is available on 
><https://nfb.org/lyft-and-national-federation-blind-announce-comprehensive-accessibility-improvements-lyft-riders-who>the 
>NFB website.
>
>
>Kernel Books:
>As an organization, we deeply value and treasure 
>the real-life stories of hope and inspiration 
>contained in our Kernel Book series. We are 
>working on plans to repurpose these stories to 
>make them more widely available in digital 
>formats. We would like to get the existing 
>copies in our storage facility out into the 
>world and into the hands of those who would 
>benefit from reading them. To that end, we are 
>offering free cases on a first-come, 
>first-served basis of the following Kernel Books published after 2000:
>Oh, Wow
>Safari
>Reaching for the Top in the Land Down Under
>Not Much of a Muchness
>The Lessons of the Earth
>Imagine
>Celebrate
>If you are interested in receiving a case of any 
>of these titles, please contact Ellen Ringlein 
>in the Independence Market at (410) 659-9314, 
>extension 2216, or at 
><mailto:independencemarket at nfb.org>independencemarket at nfb.org.
>
>
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>·        <http://nfb.org/state-conventions>Spring conventions
>·        April 15, 2017: Deadline for 
><https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>Jacob Bolotin Award applications
>·        May 1, 2017: Deadline for Blind Educator of the Year Award
>·        May 1, 2017: Deadline for 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/distinguished-educator-of-blind-students-award-form-fillable.pdf>Distinguished 
>Educator of Blind Students Award
>·        June 4, 2017: <https://nfb.org/dot-dash>6K Dot Dash
>·        July 10-15, 2017: 
><https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161101.htm>National 
>Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida
>·        July 23-29, 2017: 
><http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam>Youth Slam, Towson University
>·        September 12-17, 2017: 
><http://blindmerchants.org/blast-2017/>BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee
>
>
>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.
>
>Mark A. Riccobono
>President
>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
>(410) 659-9314 | 
><mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>officeofthepresident at nfb.org
>
>
><https://nfb.org/>
>National Federation of the Blind
>
>
> 
><http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>
>Facebook
>     <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>
>Twitter
>     <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>
>Youtube
>
>
>The National Federation of the Blind 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.
>
>
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