[Mn-at-large] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 11/20/ 2017

Wed Nov 22 15:54:41 UTC 2017

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,

Happy Thanksgiving to you! I am thankful for the 
love and hard work you put into our organization 
every day. The scope of projects we have going on 
and the tremendous number of areas where our 
organization has impact is remarkable. The fact 
that we continue to evaluate what we do and keep 
it authentically grounded in the hopes and dreams 
of blind people is what makes it effective and 
powerful. Thank you for being part of that engine of hope.

I would like to take a brief moment to thank Carl 
Jacobsen for his leadership with our New York 
affiliate. Both Carl and Mindy have touched a lot 
of blind people in New York and encouraged them 
to pursue their dreams with confidence. We now 
have a new president in New York, Mike Robinson, 
and our incoming group of elected leaders, who 
have been taught and inspired by our previous 
leaders, is eager to build on the foundation that 
Carl and Mindy have left in New York.
I encourage you not to slow down in the final 
month of the year. We have a lot happening with 
our federal legislative priorities and 
preparations for 2018, including Washington 
Seminar. Those of you who have signed up to be 
with me at the presidents meeting will be 
receiving a survey request asking for information 
about the topics that might be most useful to you.

I hope that each of you finds great joy in the 
Thanksgiving holiday this week. I will be 
spending time with my immediate and extended 
family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Next 
week, we will be in full holiday and strategic 
planning mode at the NFB Jernigan Institute as we 
decorate for the season, welcome our supporters 
for a partnership dinner, and host the meetings 
of the Board of Directors of the National 
Federation of the Blind and the Board of 
Directors of the Jacobus tenBroek Fund. It will 
be nice to get away with the Riccobono family 
before doing some intense planning with the 
Federation family. I hope that your Thanksgiving 
gatherings are fun and relaxing and that any 
travel you undertake is safe and uneventful.

Critical Actions This Week:

Legislative Updates:
On Thursday, November 16, Senator Elizabeth 
Warren (D-MA) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 
introduced the Accessible Instructional Materials 
in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act (S. 2138) in 
the United States Senate. The legislation will 
authorize the creation of voluntary guidelines to 
help colleges and universities meet the needs of 
blind students and students with other 
disabilities that make it difficult or impossible 
to read print. Please contact your two senators 
to encourage them to cosponsor S. 2138.

As you call your senate offices regarding S. 
2138, please also encourage your senators to 
cosponsor our Access Technology Affordability Act 
(S. 732). Immediately following the Thanksgiving 
recess, the Senate will devote its attention 
entirely to tax reform, and it is crucial that 
senate offices hear from us during this critical 
time. You can reach your senate offices by 
calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Finally, donâ€™t forget to start making plans to 
attend our 2018 Washington Seminar. You can find 
more information regarding how to make hotel 
reservations and other logistics for 2018 by 
reading the 
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1710/bm171010.htm>Braille 
Monitor.

News:

NFB Independence Market:
Our market will be closed for business the week 
between Christmas and New Yearâ€™s. Thus, the 
last day to place an order from the market in 2017 will be December 22.

Eligible Sprint Customers Can Get a KNFB Reader Enterprise License for Free:
Starting November 20, 2017, Sprint customers who 
purchase a new line of service or eligible 
upgrade through Sprint Accessibility will receive 
a free license to download the KNFB Reader 
Enterprise app on up to two mobile devices. All you need to do is:
    * Visit 
<http://www.sprint.com/vision>sprint.com/vision 
or a Sprint store to purchase a new line of service or eligible upgrade.
    * Call (855) 885-7568 and ask a Sprint 
Accessibility Care representative for the KNFB Reader Enterprise app.
    * Sprint will provide you with the 
information you need to create a username and 
password that will activate your new KNFB Reader Enterprise license.
    * Download the KNFB Reader Enterprise app 
(free) and not KNFB Reader (for $99.99) from the 
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Windows 10 Store.
    * When you launch the app, enter the username 
and password from step 3 above, and youâ€™re all set!
To learn more about the KNFB Reader Enterprise, 
visit <http://www.knfbreader.com>www.knfbreader.com.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

    * January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In
    * January 28-February 1, 2018: 
<https://nfb.org/washington-seminar>Washington Seminar
    * March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
    * March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship 
applications, <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>www.nfb.org/scholarships
    * April 15, 2018: Deadline for 
<https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award competition
    * July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the 
Blind National Convention, Orlando, Florida

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.

With gratitude for your leadership and friendship,

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 nationâ€™s blind. 
Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

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