[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 04/ 22/2019

[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,
>
>Spring is in full swing in Baltimore, and we can 
>feel the fresh new start in the air. We can also 
>feel it in our building where our demolition of 
>the fourth floor of the Barney Street wing will 
>be complete this week and construction of the interior space will begin.
>
>I want to make you aware that the board of 
>directors has recently approved changes in our 
>code of conduct policy. We will be sending out a 
>memo to all affiliates about the code and how it 
>applies to the affiliates. The important thing 
>for you to know is that it is not necessary for 
>every affiliate to have its own code. Since the 
>national policy applies to all leaders and 
>members, the board decided to adopt one single 
>code across the Federation. In early May you 
>will receive a memo about this change and how to 
>implement it at the local level.
>
>A few notes below about current happenings. Our 
>scholarship committee is meeting this weekend, 
>so you can anticipate getting lots of questions 
>from applicants about the decisions. Keep in 
>mind that you should not share any news until 
>the official press release comes out from the national office.
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>News:
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>Blind Parents Podcast:
>The Blind Parents Connection Podcast is a 
>component of the Blind Parent Education 
>Initiative supported by the Gibney Family 
>Foundation and brought to you by National 
>Federation of the Blind. We just released the 
>first episode, “Blind Parents Connection 
>Episode 1: Resources,” which you can access 
>from our 
><https://nfb.org/our-community/blind-parents>blind 
>parents webpage. Listen to future episodes by 
>subscribing to the Nation's Blind Podcast in your podcast client.
>
>Governor Ridge’s Op-Ed:
>Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, is 
>currently the chairman of the National 
>Organization on Disability. He wrote 
><https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/opinion/disability-budget-cuts-trump.html>an 
>NY Times op-ed piece addressing proposed budget 
>cuts to programs that affect people with disabilities.
>
>
>Zoom Conference Platform:
>A number of you have asked about the Zoom 
>platform for conference calls. As you know we 
>have moved to using Zoom for teleconferences for 
>the national organization. We have analyzed 
>whether we might be able to get better pricing 
>by bundling all affiliates together that want to 
>use Zoom, but we do not think it will be cost 
>effective for us to manage Zoom accounts through 
>the national organization. Our experience is 
>that Zoom is a very accessible and 
>cost-effective way to have a powerful and 
>reliable tool for conference calls. If it would 
>be helpful to enough affiliates, we could put 
>together a national informational call for 
>affiliates, via Zoom of course, to talk about 
>how you might use it for affiliate business. If 
>this would be helpful, please send an email to 
>Ross Kirschner at <mailto:rkischner at nfb.org>rkischner at nfb.org.
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>
>NFB BELL Academy Dates:
>One correction to the previously listed NFB BELL Academies:
>    * 7/22-8/2 Kansas City, MO (not Columbia, MO)
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>    * May 1, 2019: 
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/distinguished-educator-blind-students-award>Distinguished 
> Educator Award nomination deadline
>    * June 16-22, 2019: 
> <http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq>NFB EQ, Baltimore, Maryland
>    * July 7-12, 2019: 
> <https://nfb.org/convention/2019>NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
>    * February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
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>
>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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