[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/ 11/2019

Tue Feb 12 14:22:20 UTC 2019

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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 Federation Family,
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>Last week was a beautiful reminder of why I love 
>the people in this organization. The outpouring 
>of love and support that came from all of our 
>affiliates for the loss of Rachel Olivero was 
>really tremendous. You should know that we had a 
>wonderful celebration of her life here at the 
>National Federation of the Blind Jernigan 
>Institute on Friday, which was helpful to 
>Rachel's biological and Federation families. In 
>case you missed it, you can write a note that 
>will be included in a book about Rachel at 
><http://www.bit.ly/rachelolivero>http://www.bit.ly/rachelolivero.
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>Congratulations to our affiliates in Alabama, 
>Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, North Dakota, 
>Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. These are the first 
>affiliates to have their membership coins 
>shipped. We are working hard to process the 
>complete lists that we have received from other 
>affiliates, and we still have a number of 
>affiliates that we have not heard from at all. 
>If you need assistance, please let us know.
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>Things have really taken off since our 
>Washington Seminar. I believe we can get a lot 
>of movement on our priorities by the time of our 
>national convention. Now is the time for you to 
>make the local follow up and help push some of 
>our initiatives forward. Please note the legislative items below.
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>I spent my Saturday at the Maryland Braille 
>Challenge where it was clear that the work of 
>the National Federation of the Blind is 
>unparalleled. Everywhere I turned the impact of 
>the Federation's work to raise expectations and 
>advance Braille literacy was in evidence. Thank 
>you for helping to bring that impact to the 
>local level and improve opportunities for the next generation.
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>News:
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>Ratification of Marrakesh Treaty:
>On Friday February 8, 2019, over a decade of our 
>persistent advocacy culminated with the United 
>States' official ratification of the Marrakesh 
>Treaty. By submitting the necessary paperwork 
>with the World Intellectual Property 
>Organization (WIPO), the United States is days 
>away from benefiting from access to the world's 
>knowledge. Read our news brief at 
><https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-celebrates-ratification-marrakesh-treaty>https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-celebrates-ratification-marrakesh-treaty, 
>and WIPO's announcement at 
><https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html>https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html.
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>Supporting Elimination of 14(c): Transformation to Competitive Employment Act:
>H.R. 873 was introduced on Wednesday, January 
>30, 2019, by Chairman Bobby Scott and 
>Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. S. 260 was 
>introduced on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, by 
>Senators Bob Casey and Chris Van Hollen. This 
>bill phases out and sunsets Section 14(c) of the 
>Fair Labor Standards Act over a six-year period.
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>February Presidential Release:
>The release is available at 
><https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases. 
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>Lawsuit Against EPIC Systems:
>I had the opportunity to talk to Wisconsin 
>Public Radio about our legal action and this 
>piece gives a nice overview of our work, 
>perspectives, and strategy. The interview is 
>available at 
><https://www.wpr.org/listen/1395591>https://www.wpr.org/listen/1395591.
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>Internal Revenue Service Forms and Written Communication:
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>The NFB is investigating the accessibility of 
>Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and written 
>communication. If you have requested or would 
>like to request alternative format documents 
>from the IRS—such as Braille, large print, or 
>audio—please contact Valerie Yingling, legal 
>progrram coordinator, at 
><mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>vyingling at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.
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>Job Search Engines and Pre-Employment Testing:
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>The NFB is investigating the accessibility of 
>job search engines and pre-employment 
>assessments offered by companies including Zip 
>Recruiter, Caliper, and Indeed. If you have 
>encountered access barriers while searching or 
>applying for a job, please contact Valerie 
>Yingling at 
><mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>vyingling at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>    * March 28-29, 2019: 
> <https://nfb.org/law-symposium>Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
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>Â·         March 31, 2019: 
><https://nfb.org/scholarships>NFB scholarship application deadline
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>Â·         April 15, 2019: 
><https://nfb.org/programs/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards>Dr. 
>Jacob Bolotin Award application deadline
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>    * 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
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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.
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>
>Mark A. Riccobono, President
>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
>(410) 659-9314 | 
><mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>officeofthepresident at nfb.org
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>
><https://nfb.org/>
>National Federation of the Blind
>
>
> 
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