[Mn-at-large] Weekly Update: Dec. 2

Wed Dec 5 03:30:29 UTC 2018

>
>From: NFBMN-News 
>[mailto:nfbmn-news-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>Of NFBMN President via NFBMN-News
>Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2018 1:38 PM
>To: nfbmn-news at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Nfbmn-news] Weekly Update: Dec. 2
>
>Greetings, fellow federationists,
>On Friday at our convention, members met to 
>discuss membership building and fundraising, and 
>there they shared stories of how they got 
>involved in our organization. One of the common 
>themes that came up regularly was being asked to 
>do something by a current member.
>It feels good when someone asks me to do 
>something. It might also feel intimidating or 
>daunting at times, but my overall feeling is one 
>of gratitude. When someone asks something of me, 
>they are, in essence, saying to me “I need help 
>with a thing, and I trust you enough to ask 
>you.” Being trusted feels empowering, and 
>empowerment, particularly for us, is crucial.
>My first real exposure to the NFB was in 
>Nebraska, when then president Carlos Servan 
>asked me if I would run for president of the 
>Nebraska Association of Blind Students. I had no 
>leadership experience to that point, and I was 
>barely a member of the organization. Carlos saw 
>something in me, though, and he made sure I had 
>the support I needed to help our student 
>division grow. That was the first time I can 
>remember a stranger ask me for a big favor, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
>As you do the work of your chapters, I would 
>encourage you to include other people in your 
>efforts. Reach out to people you don’t see very 
>often or to people who you know, but who don’t 
>attend chapter meetings. Trust others to help us 
>do the work of the Federation. You will be amazed at the impact you will have.
>
>Washington Seminar
>Washington Seminar, where we go to educate our 
>state representatives and senators on the truth 
>about blindness, is just under two months away. 
>If you are planning to attend, you can make your 
>reservations now. If you are interested in 
>attending and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
>The Washington Seminar is one of our most 
>crucial efforts, and we need your help to 
>advocate for the rights of all blind people. To 
>learn more, you can go to 
><http://www.nfb.org/washington-seminar>www.nfb.org/washington-seminar
>
>Letters from Santa
>If you know a child who would like to receive a 
>Braille letter from Santa Claus, you’re in luck. 
>Santa has made our National Center staff 
>honorary elves this year, and they will be 
>sending out Braille letters to interested boys 
>and girls. To sign up a child to receive one of 
>these letters, you can go to 
><http://www.nfb.org/santa-letters>www.nfb.org/santa-letters
>
>Rideshare Survey
>We are still looking for feedback from people 
>who travel with service dogs on the experiences 
>they have using ride sharing services. If you or 
>someone you know is a dog guide user, I 
>encourage Lyft and Uber passengers to share 
>their experiencesboth positive and negativeat 
><http://www.nfb.org/rideshare>www.nfb.org/rideshare. 
>There is a survey there which will only take two 
>minutes to complete, but which will be very helpful for all our members.
>
>Member Spotlight
>If you would like to be featured in an upcoming 
>member spotlight, please send me a brief bio or 
>a few notes about you, and I’ll be sure to include you in a future update.
>This week, we get to know Corbb O’Connor, a 
>recent-ish transplant, our webmaster, and 
>someone who was instrumental in handling convention logistics in St. Cloud.
>Corbb grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and had 
>consistent training from highly qualified 
>braille and orientation-and-mobility teacher. 
>Thanks to the Braille Bill passed with the 
>advocacy efforts of the National Federation of 
>the Blind, the topic of braille came up at 
>Corbb’s IEP meeting in fifth grade. Even though 
>he could have had braille instruction every day 
>for more than an hour, his parents let him 
>decide if he wanted to learn braille. He 
>did
butin the words of his vision teachersonly 
>as a “backup” to large print to be used 
>“someday.” To this day, he regrets that decision 
>and is sad that his parents let him decide. 
>(Strangely, one of his most vivid memories is 
>teaching himself the slate and stylus with the 
>aid of a large print poster one summer afternoon!)
>Throughout high school and college, Corbb 
>consistently thought that he wasn’t as smart as 
>everyone around him. In reality and in 
>hindsight, the truth was he wasn’t able to read 
>at the same speed because his eyes were strained 
>from reading large print. He switched to audio 
>textbooks, butnot having used synthesized 
>speech until trying to make it through an 
>“Introduction to Islam” textbookhe quickly found a remedy to insomnia.
>Fast forward several years, and Corbb graduated 
>from The George Washington University and the 
>Louisiana Center for the Blind. While in the 
>city of Ruston, Corbb met his now-wife Briley, 
>learned how he should have been using a cane for 
>the previous 14 years, and finally learned braille.
>Before moving to Minneapolis, Corbb lived in 
>Illinois; Washington, DC; Virginia; and 
>Kentucky. He now leads a group of accessibility 
>testers for the software company Siteimprove. He 
>spends most weekends exploring the city with 
>Briley and their three-year-old son Silas, 
>andmost of allhe looks forward to powering up 
>a Ham radio (call sign K0RBB) or climbing aboard a kayak.
>
>Dates to Remember
>    * Jan. 28-31, 2019: Washington seminar, Washington DC
>    * July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, NV
>    * Oct. 25-27, 2019: NFBMN Annual state Convention, St. Cloud
>
>Have a great week!
>Ryan
>
>
>Ryan Strunk, President
><mailto:president at nfbmn.org>president at nfbmn.org
>www.nfb.org
><http://www.nfbmn.org>www.nfbmn.org
>(612) 872-9363
>Live the life you Want.
>
>
>
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