[Mn-at-large] 2017 Annual Convention Agenda
Jennifer Dunnam via NFBMN-News
nfbmn-news at nfbnet.org
Fri Oct 20 00:05:48 UTC 2017
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF MINNESOTA
Live the life you want 2017 Annual Convention
October 2022, 20177 Minneapolis Marriott
Northwest 7025 Northland Drive North Brooklyn
Park, MN 55428 President: Jennifer Dunnam
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota 100
East 22nd Street Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612)
872-9363 www.nfbmn.org Twitter: @nfbmn Facebook:
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota
National Representative: Amy Buresh Member, Board
of Directors, National Federation of the Blind
President, National Federation of the Blind of
Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska Convention Hashtag:
#NFBMN17 The National Federation of the Blind of
Minnesota 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. Registration $10.00 if received before
the convention, $15.00 on-site. Banquet tickets,
$40.00. Senior breakfast tickets, $20.00.
Saturday lunch tickets, $22.00. Membership dues
(if not already paid prior to the convention)
$5.00. Please make sure we have your most current
contact information, including email address. If
you do not currently receive the Braille Monitor,
our national monthly magazine, please let us
know, and we will sign you up. Bake Auction: The
bake auction will take place throughout the
convention, beginning on Saturday morning and
continuing through the Sunday session. (Charlotte
Czarnecki, Auction Coordinator). Door Prizes:
Door prizes will be awarded throughout the
convention. To be eligible, you must be
registered and in the room when your name is
drawn. (Matt Langland and Alyssa Gourley, door
prize table co-chairs; special thanks to Amy
Baron, Tom TeBockhorst and John TeBockhorst for
gathering an amazing amount of door prizes!).
Live Streaming: For those unable to join us in
person this weekend, the convention will be live
streamed. Go to the following link and then
choose your player:
www.nfbmn.org/streaming/index.htm Childcare:
Childcare will be provided during scheduled
meetings and during the banquet. For more
information contact Briley O'Connor at (703)
380-8876. Community Shares Raffle: A 50-50 raffle
will be conducted during the convention, the
winner to be drawn during the banquet. The
proceeds will support Community Shares of
Minnesota, which in turn supports the NFB of
Minnesota. Tickets $2. NAPUB Raffle: The
Minnesota Association To Promote The Use Of
Braille (NAPUB) will be conducting a raffle
during state convention. The winner will receive
a $50.00 iTunes gift card to be drawn at the
banquet on Saturday night. Tickets are one for
$1.00 or six for $5.00. Tickets can be purchased
from NAPUB members during the convention. Get On
the PAC Plan: The Pre-Authorized Contribution
(PAC) Plan has come to be an ever-more important
part of financing the movement. According to the
chairman of the NFB’s PAC committee, Scott
LaBarre, the Federation has raised more than ten
million dollars over the years through the PAC
Plan. The PAC Plan allows members, affiliates,
chapters, and others to make recurring monthly
donations by direct withdraw of funds from a
checking account or a charge to a credit card.
Because of the costs associated with operating
the program, the minimum donation is $5 a month
and there is no restriction on how much you
donate. Please sign up at the convention to begin
a new PAC contribution or to make changes to your
current contribution. Your donation will help
the blind live the lives we want. Friday
Afternoon/Evening, October 20 2:305:00
Registtration (Minnesota Foyer). Registration
will also be open at other times during the
convention. Those who pre-registered should pick
up breakfast/lunch/banquet tickets and agendas.
There is a registration fee of $15.00 for those
registering at the convention. Banquet tickets
are $40.00; tickets for the seniors' division
breakfast are $20; and tickets for the BLIND,
Inc. lunch are $22. 3:00-10:00 Exhibits/Sales
(Minnesota foyer) • BLIND, Inc.: BLIND,,
Incorporated is a nonprofit adjustment to
blindness training center that offers training
for adults, children, teenagers, and seniors. We
teach the skills that blind people need to become
independent and employable such as braille, home
management, the use of the white cane, computers
with screen reading software and more. But just
as importantly, we instill in our students the
confidence to put these skills into practice. We
utilize the positive view of blindness of the
National Federation of the Blind. We work from
the premise that blindness doesn’t have to be a
tragedy. We know that, if given training and
opportunity, blind people can live full and
productive lives. In addition to information at
our table, we also have t-shirts available for
$15 and hats for $10. www.blindinc.org. •
Low-vision Weekly Calendar/Planner: Do you need
to keeep track of a busy schedule and prefer a
print product designed to be carried with
you? If so, be sure to stop by and check out the
unique EZ2 See Weekly planner calendar designed
and produced by Rochester Federationist, Edward
Cohen. The 2018's are now on sale in the exhibit
area for $20 including tax. • AIRA: Aira
leverages the power of mobile communications —
together with a confluence oof technologies (such
as smart glasses, Augmented Reality, machine
learning, geolocation and sensors), and
professionally certified human agents — to
provide instant acceess to information for blind
and visually impaired people. Aira users, just by
tapping a button on the Aira app, connect within
seconds (via the smart glasses they are wearing)
to a network of distributed, trained agents who
help those with vision loss gain immediate and
unprecedented access to real-time information and
assistance in a myriad of everyday activities.
Thus, Aira enhances the use of the white cane,
guide dog and limited assistive devices to secure
greater access to information instantly, anywhere
and anytime for mobility, independence and
productivity in daily life. www.aira.io • Gilbert
Law PLLC: Gilbertt Law PLLC works in partnership
with the United Blind of Minnesota, Inc. to
provide legal representation and advocacy to
Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, or visually
impaired at no cost. These services are free to
the consumer through funding from the United
Blind of Minnesota. If you are experiencing
discrimination because of your vision disability,
you may qualify for free legal representation and
advocacy by Gilbert Law PLLC. Heather Gilbert is
an attorney that is also a certified sign
language interpreter proficient in tactile
signing. (651) 528-8466 www.GilbertLawPllc.com. •
Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceuuticals is
dedicated to raising awareness of Non-24-Hour
Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24) and supporting the
blindness community. Non-24 is a rare circadian
rhythm disorder affecting up to 70% of people who
are totally blind. Visit the table to learn about
Non-24 and sign up for additional information.
www.vandapharma.com. Meetings 3:00 Everything You
Always Wanted to Know About Getting and Keeping a
Job A workshop coordinated by nationally
recognized employment experts Dick Davis and
Brian Dulude, this session will be packed with
useful presentations and information you can put
into practice when seeking and retaining
employment. (Minnesota Salon 1). 3:00 Resolutions
committee Ryan Strunk, chair (Minnesota Salon 2).
7:00-8:00 Registration: $15.00. Banquet tickets,
$30.00. Lunch tickets, $20.00. Senior breakfast
tickets, $20.00. (Minnesota Foyer). 7:008:30
Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Associatioon to
Promote the Use of Braille Amy Baron, President
(Minnesota Salon 2). 7:008:30 Annual meeting of
the Minneesota Association of Blind Students Cody
Beardslee, President (Minnesota Salon 2).
7:00-11:00 Hospitality and Trivia! The Metro
chapter of the National Federation of the Blind
of Minnesota invites you to an evening of
hospitality and trivia! Light snacks will be
provided and there will be a cash bar [cash only,
no credit cards or checks] You won't want to miss
the trivia game, which begins at 8:45. Join a
team and test your knowledge of a wide variety of
topics —and you could win a cash
prize! (Fireside RRoom). Saturday Morning,
October 21 7:00 a.m. Breakfast and Annual
Meeting of the National Federation of the Blind
of Minnesota Seniors Division (Breakfast $15.00)
Joyce Scanlan, President (Fireside Room). 8:15
a.m. Registration: $15.00 (Minnesota Foyer).
Coffee and muffins available. 9:00 Call to order
(Minnesota Ballroom) 9:05 Opening Ceremonies
Invocation Welcome from Metro Chapter (Ryan
Strunk, President) Convention
arrangements/announcements. 9:15 Performance by
the Choir of the Minnesota State Academy for the
Blind Jennifer Pelletier, Conductor 9:30 National
Report Amy Buresh, Board of Directors, National
Federation of the Blind, and President, National
Federation of the Blind of Nebraska 10:00 What's
New At The Academy John Davis, Director,
Minnesota State Academy for the Blind 10:20 Blind
Students Changing The World Tarik Williams,
National Student Representative; Masters Student
at Louisiana Tech 10:40 Aira: Explore Your World
Kevin Phelan, Vice-President of Sales &
Marketing, Aira 11:05 News From our Braille And
Talking Book Library Catherine Durivage,
Director, Minnesota Braille and Talking Book
Library 11:35 Funding Our Movement, It Must Be
Done (Pre-Authorized Contribution Plan) Bob
Raisbeck, Chair, Pre-Authorized Contribution Plan
Committee 11:40 President's Report Jennifer
Dunnam, President, National Federation of the
Blind of Minnesota 11:55 Announcements
12:00 Adjourn 12:15 PM BLIND, Inc. Lunch
(Fireside room, $22.00). Students and staff of
BLIND, Inc. and other Federationists will
celebrate the progress and accomplishments of our
consumer-directed training center. Saturday
Afternoon, October 21 2:00 Call To Order
(Minnesota Ballroom). 2:10 Why I Am A Part Of The
Future: Voices Of Our Youth Cody Beardslee,
Special Education Student, Minneapolis Community
and Technical College (panel leader); Tarik
Williams, Graduate Student, Guidance and
Counseling, Louisiana Tech; Matthew Gip, Student
of Psychology, Fresno City College; Kia Yang,
Graduate Student in Rehabilitation Teaching,
Louisiana Tech 2:35 Dialog with State Services
For The Blind Lisa Larges, Outreach Coordinator,
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
3:0 Dancing Through Life Alex Loch, Physical
Therapist/Dancer; President, Twin Ports Chapter,
Duluth 3:15 Fit Break Kyle Hanneman, Fitness
Consultant, Minneapolis 3:20 Members and More
Members! Building Our Movement 3:50 Learning to
Live The Lives We Want Dan Wenzel, Executive
Director, Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions
(BLIND), Incorporated; and Staff and Students
4:20 Minnesota Department of Education Update
Contributed by Kristin Oien, Specialist for the
Blind and Visually impaired, Minnesota Department
of Education. 4:30 The Well Diggers' Wisdom Ryan
Strunk, Lead Accessibility Consultant, Target
Corporation, and President, Metro Chapter
4:50 Reports/Announcements 5:00 Adjourn.
Saturday Evening, October 21 6:00 Social
Hour/cash bar [cash only] (Great Room South) 7:00
Banquet ($40.00, Fireside Room). Master of
Ceremonies: Sheila Koenig, Board of Directors,
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota
Invocation. Introduction of head table. Drawings.
Presentation of Essay Contest Winners.
Presentation of 2017 NFB of MN scholarships.
Award presentation. Keynote Address—Amy BBuresh,
Board of Directors, National Federation of the
Blind. Hospitality provided by the Metro chapter
will follow the banquet; cash bar. [cash only]
Sunday Morning, October 22 8:15 a.m. (Minnesota
Foyer). Coffee and muffins available.
9:00 Business Session, Call To Order (Minnesota
Ballroom). In Memoriam Welcoming Our New Members
Resolutions Ryan Strunk, Chair, Resolutions
Committee Treasurer's Report Alice Hebert,
Treasurer, National Federation of the Blind of
Minnesota Elections "To Train Or Not To Train": A
Play Presented by the NFB of Minnesota Players
Written by Jennifer Wenzel Chapter and Division
News NFB Committees and Work Groups: Updates and
Joining In Representation on committees and
councils Resource Center Advisory Council—Sheila
Koenig Minnesota State Rehaabilitation council
for the Blind—Jennifer Dunnam and otthers
Minnesota State Academy for the Blind Site
Council—Tim Aune Academies Governance Board—Jan
Bailey Libraryy Advisory Committee—Bryce
Samuelson Announcements 12::00 Adjourn Special
Thanks The activities of this organization can
only succeed with the help and dedication of many
Federationists, and the convention is no
exception. Particular thanks to the Metro chapter
for their hospitality, and to all of the many
Federationists who have worked both out in front
and behind the scenes to make this convention
happen. NFB of Minnesota Board of Directors:
Jennifer Dunnam, Saint Louis Park (President)
Steve Jacobson, Edina (Vice President) Jennifer
Wenzel, Bloomington (Secretary) Alice Hebert,
Minneapolis (Treasurer) Cody Beardslee,
Minneapolis Rob Hobson, Minneapolis Sheila
Koenig, Minneapolis Bryce Samuelson, Rochester
Beverly Stavrum, St. Cloud NFB of Minnesota
Chapters: Central Minnesota—Bev Stavrum,
President Metro—Ryan Strunk, President
Riiverbend—Chris Murphy, President Rochester—Jan
Bailey,ey, President Twin Ports—Alex Loch,
President At Large—D€”David Andrews, President
Divisions, Committees, Work Groups National
Federation of the Blind of Minnesota Seniors’
Division—Joyce Scanlan, President Minnesota
Associattion to Promote the Use of Braille—Amy
Baron, President Minnesota Association of Blind
Students—Cody Beardslee,, President Resolutions
Committee—Ryan Strunk, Chair Pree-Authorized
Contribution Plan Committee—Bob Raisbeck, CChair
Scholarship Committee—Lori Anderson, Chair
Public Relations Committee—Judy Sanders, Chair
Minnesota Bulleetin Editor—Kathy McGillivray
Twitter & Facebook—Jenninnifer Dunnam and Cody
Beardslee Pedestrian Safety—Pat Barrrett, Chair
KNFB Reader Liaison—Chelsey Duranleau Conveention
Door Prizes—Matt Langland and Alyssa Gourley
(co--chairs); Amy Baron, John TeBockhorst, Tom
TeBockhorst (door prize supergatherers!)
Convention Bake Auction—Charllotte Czarnecki, Jan
Bailey, and other auctioneers and bakers
Convention Sound, Recording, and Streaming—Steve
Jaacobson and Tim Aune Convention
Childcare—Amanda Taylor,, Briley O'Connor Dream
Makers Circle You can help build a future of
opportunity for the blind by becoming a member of
our Dream Makers Circle. Your legacy gift to the
National Federation of the Blind or the National
Federation of the Blind of Minnesota can be made
in the form of a will or living trust, an income
generating gift, or by naming us as the
beneficiary of a retirement plan, IRA, pension,
or a life insurance policy. You can designate a
specific amount, a percentage, or list NFB as one
of several beneficiaries. For additional
information, please contact Patti Chang at (410)
659-9314, extension 2422 or at pchang at nfb.org.
Vehicle Donations The National Federation of the
Blind uses car donations to improve the education
of blind children, distribute free white canes,
help veterans, and so much more. We have
partnered with Vehicles for Charity to process
donated vehicles. Please call toll-free (855)
659-9314, and a representative can make
arrangements, or you can donate online by
visiting www.nfb.org/vehicledonations.
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