[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 10/ 23/2017

[David Andrews]

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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,
>
>As we get into the heart of the fall convention 
>season, the vibrancy of the Federation's work 
>can be felt stronger than ever. I am looking 
>forward to heading to the NFB of Illinois 
>convention this weekend. I anticipate it being a 
>good one, and I hope the disappointment is not 
>too great for the Illinois football fans as the 
>Wisconsin Badgers are also coming to Illinois this weekend.
>
>I wish to send a large Federation thank you to 
>Jennifer Dunnam for her service to our Minnesota 
>affiliate. Jennifer elected not to run for 
>president again and supported Ryan Strunk who 
>was elected unanimously. Jennifer continues to 
>serve our affiliate as treasurer, and she will 
>be quite busy with the transition as she assists 
>our new president—among her other Federation 
>work. I appreciate Jennifer's commitment, and 
>her dedication to a strong transition should be 
>an example to all of us of the type of 
>leadership model we strive for in our 
>organization. The continued growth of our 
>Minnesota affiliate and our training center 
>there are accomplishments we can all enjoy celebrating.
>
>This past week we posted an 
><https://nfb.org/accessibility-policy>accessibility 
>policy to the NFB website. I encourage each of 
>our affiliate presidents to study it as the 
>level of equal access we seek in all Federation 
>activities. I encourage affiliates to have a 
>similar policy at the state level. Similarly, we 
>have added a 
><https://nfb.org/diversity-statement>diversity 
>statement to our website to express our 
>commitment to bringing a broad cross section of 
>individuals into the Federation family. As you 
>have heard me say many times during the past 
>three years, diversity is a central component to 
>our strength as an organization. Diversity also 
>challenges us to find ways to effectively learn 
>from each other and adapt to different 
>communication styles. I would think that the 
>accessibility policy and diversity statement are 
>both items that will require some discussion during our meeting in January.
>
>
>Critical Actions This Week:
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>
>
>Temporary Shut Down of Braille Certification:
>Affiliate leaders should be aware of this 
>situation so you know where to refer questions. 
>Since 2007, the National Federation of the Blind 
>has administered the program leading to 
>certification of Braille transcribers and 
>proofreaders for the National Library Service 
>for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 
>Library of Congress (NLS). The contract to the 
>National Federation of the Blind ended in late 
>July 2017. Currently, the contract for this 
>program is undergoing a solicitation and review 
>process by NLS. Operation of this program is 
>temporarily on hold until a new contract is in 
>place. The National Federation of the Blind has 
>placed a bid and hopes to be awarded the 
>contract, but until then, we cannot afford to 
>continue to operate the program without the 
>financial support from NLS. If you have 
>questions, please contact Tamara Rorie, Braille 
>Development Officer at NLS, at 
><mailto:tror at loc.gov>tror at loc.gov or (202) 707-3001.
>
>Parent Leadership Program:
>The NOPBC is gathering names of parents of blind 
>children to invite to the Parent Leadership 
>Program (PLP) at Washington Seminar in January. 
>If you know of a parent who shows the commitment 
>and leadership potential to found or strengthen 
>a parents’ division in your state, please send 
>the name and contact information to Carol 
>Castellano at 
><mailto:carol.joyce.castellano at gmail.com>carol.joyce.castellano at gmail.com 
>or Kim Cunningham at 
><mailto:kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>kim at gulfimagesphoto.com. 
>Parents from your state who are already in the 
>program will also be sent invitations. We hope 
>that your affiliate or state POBC can assist in 
>getting the parent to DC. The NOPBC may be able 
>to provide some financial support.
>
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>News:
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>Diversity Statement & Accessibility Policy:
>Last week we posted our new 
><https://nfb.org/diversity-statement>diversity 
>statement and 
><https://nfb.org/accessibility-policy>accessibility policy to the NFB website.
>
>Podcast:
>The next episode of the Nation's Blind podcast 
>is available at 
><https://nfb.org/nations-blind/nations-blind-podcast-episode-19-october-2017>https://nfb.org/nations-blind/nations-blind-podcast-episode-19-october-2017. 
>
>Lawsuit Settled:
>Federation member Timothy Nonn has settled a 
>lawsuit with the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified 
>School District. Mr. Nonn, with assistance from 
>the NFB, had sued the district and its 
>superintendent because the school board had 
>voted against his request to use an aid to read 
>documents to him at school board meetings. More 
>information about the agreement can be found at 
><https://nfb.org/blind-school-board-member-has-settled-school-district>https://nfb.org/blind-school-board-member-has-settled-school-district.
>
>Expedia Web Accessibility:
>As part of our relationship with them, Expedia 
>has recently announced enhancements to their 
>website—featuring expanded accessibility. 
>Details are 
><https://nfb.org/expedia-unveils-enhancements-website-accessibility>in 
>the press release.
>
>
>
>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>
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>    * <https://nfb.org/state-conventions>Fall Conventions
>    * November 1, 2017: 
> <http://nfb.org/scholarships>2018 Scholarship Application period begins
>    * November 6-8, 2017: 
> <https://nfb.org/dare-be-remarkable-call-presentations>Dare 
> to Be Remarkable Conference, Baltimore, Maryland
>    * November 15, 2017: 
> <https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>2018 Dr. 
> Jacob Bolotin Award competition begins, deadline April 15
>    * January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In, Washington, District of Columbia
>    * March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek 
> Disability Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland
>
>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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