[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/ 28/2018

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Fri Sep 28 22:44:31 UTC 2018 

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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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>Fellow Federationists:
>
>The National Federation of the Blind continues 
>to be in the news and on the move, and it is all 
>fueled by your leadership at the affiliate 
>level. Let me start this notebook by thanking 
>Charlene Smith of West Virginia and Joy 
>Breslauer of Montana who have both transitioned 
>the affiliate presidency to new affiliate 
>presidents: Sheri Koch and Jim Marx 
>respectively. I appreciate the service of these 
>two women and their commitment to the successful 
>transition of leadership in our affiliates. 
>Please be sure to welcome our new presidents to 
>the state affiliate leadership listserv.
>
>We had a great night celebrating the National 
>Federation of the Blind at Orioles Park at 
>Camden Yards last week. We have included some of 
>the great national coverage we received. I know 
>some of you participated in the online auction 
>of the Braille jerseys. We are now hoping to get 
>the other Major League Baseball teams to 
>participate in something similar in 2019—I am 
>particullarly hoping for the future world champion Milwaukee Brewers.
>
>While there is much news this week, it is 
>important that we take a moment to celebrate 
>getting the Marrakesh Implementation Act through 
>the House of Representatives on unanimous 
>consent. While the president of the United 
>States still has to sign the bill and the State 
>Department still needs to send the instrument of 
>ratification to the World Intellectual Property 
>Organization, the heaviest of the lifting has 
>been done. It is thanks to the tremendous team 
>of local advocates and skilled leaders like 
>Scott LaBarre, the visionary leadership of our 
>Immediate Past President Marc Maurer, and the 
>tactical moves of our staff, especially John 
>Pare and Gabe Cazares, along with a supporting 
>cast of many that made this possible. 
>Congratulations and thank you to each of you for 
>your dedication and persistence.
>
>One reason I am sending this today is that I am 
>out much of next week visiting technology 
>companies in Israel. The impact of the 
>Federation is felt globally, and our 
>relationships with companies and organizations 
>around the world is part of what helps us be 
>effective in our activities within the United States.
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>News:
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>Marrakesh Treaty Update:
>After almost a decade of negotiations, drafting, 
>and advocacy, the Marrakesh Treaty is closer 
>than ever before to becoming a reality in the 
>United States. On Tuesday September 25, 2018, at 
>7:19 p.m. EST, the US House of Representatives 
>unanimously passed the Marrakesh Treaty 
>Implementation Act (S. 2559). The bill will now 
>go to the president for his signature. This is a 
>major victory for the members of the National 
>Federation of the Blind; because of our hard 
>work, soon blind people all across the globe 
>will enjoy a vast collection of accessible 
>materials. Special thanks to Scott LaBarre who 
>has been serving as the principal negotiator on 
>the Federation’s behalf for all of these 
>years. Read our press release about this 
>tremendous development at 
><https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act>https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act.
>
>National Federation of the Blind Night at Camden Yards:
>The Orioles organization dedicated the September 
>18 game to the National Federation of the Blind 
>in honor of our forty-year anniversary in 
>Baltimore. Our members passed out Braille 
>alphabet cards and the Orioles player and coach 
>jerseys had the names in Braille. One of those 
>shirts will be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame 
>and the rest were auctioned off, with the 
>proceeds coming to our national office. I was 
>honored to throw out the first pitch. You can 
>read some of the press coverage of the evening in the links below.
>WJZ, Baltimore CBS affiliate: 
><https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/>https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/
>Washington Post: 
><https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c
>People magazine online: 
><https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/>https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/
>
>Last Chance to Register for the Tactile Graphics 
>in Education and Careers Symposium:
>Registration for the Tactile Graphics in 
>Education and Careers Symposium will close on 
>October 7. Parents of blind and low-vision 
>children, teachers (both K-12 and 
>post-secondary), and disability support services 
>staff should not miss this exciting opportunity 
>to learn about innovations in the production of 
>tactile graphics (both high-tech and low-tech), 
>the use of tactile graphics in the classroom, 
>how to teach tactile literacy, what constitutes 
>good design, and more! The Tactile Graphics in 
>Education and Careers Symposium will take place 
>October 11-12, 2018, at the National Federation 
>of the Blind Jernigan Institute. For more 
>information, to view the agenda, and to 
>register, please go to the 
><https://nfb.org/tactile-graphics-education-and-careers-symposium>Tactile 
>Graphics Symposium webpage.
>
>Meet the Blind Month:
>Meet the Blind Month is almost here. We have updated our related webpages:
><https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month>https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month
>https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day
><https://nfb.org/free-cane-program>https://nfb.org/free-cane-program
>Continue to email information about events you 
>have planned to 
><mailto:kanderson at nfb.org>kanderson at nfb.org or 
>share them with us via social media, and we’ll 
>add them to the 
><https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month>website. You 
>may use the updated 
><http://www.nfb.org/wcad>www.nfb.org/wcad URL in 
>local communications if you wish.
>
>Braille Readers Are Leaders:
>The National Federation of the Blind of 
>Illinois, in partnership with the NFB Jernigan 
>Institute and the American Action Fund for Blind 
>Children and Adults, again announces the annual 
>nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders (BRAL) 
>contest for kids. Students must be K-12 and must 
>reside in a state registered for the contest. 
>Entrants compete to read the most Braille pages, 
>going against other students in similar grades 
>across all participating states. The contest 
>runs for seven weeks, encouraging students to be 
>proud of their Braille reading ability and to 
>work to improve their Braille skills—while 
>possibly winning prizes iin the process.
>
>If you have questions, email the contest 
>administrator, Deborah Stein, at 
><mailto:dkent5817 at att.net>dkent5817 at att.net 
>(please put “Nationwide BRAL Question” in 
>the subject line) or phone 773-203-1394
>
>Terri Rupp Article:
>In case you haven’t seen the article yet, 
>Terri Rupp was featured in Good Housekeeping 
>magazine: 
><https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/>https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>    * <https://nfb.org/state-conventions>Fall conventions
>    * October 11-12, 2018: Tactile Graphics Symposium
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>·         November 1, 2018: NFB scholarship application period begins
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>·         November 15, 2018: Dr. Jacob Bolotin 
>Award application period begins
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>    * January 28, 2019: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
>    * March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
>    * July 7-12, 2019: 
> <https://nfb.org/convention/2019>NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
>
>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>
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>     <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>
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>     <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>
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>
>
>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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