[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB Presidents Notebook - week of 03/ 18/2019
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Wed Mar 20 03:11:20 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 Fellow Federationists,
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>Congratulations to our first twenty affiliates
>that have received or are about to receive
>membership coins. It has been a lot of work, but
>it is setting a great foundation for what we
>need to do next. On the topic of membership
>lists, I continue to hear incorrect information
>related back to me, so I want to address two
>items that came up during this weekend's leadership seminar:
>
>
>* Members can certainly be members of multiple
>chapters. Our database has been designed to
>handle multiple memberships. There is no reason
>for affiliates to reduce duplication when a
>member is active in multiple chapters.
>
>
>* You do not need to have an at-large chapter in
>order to list your at-large affiliate members.
>There are many cases where members are only
>members of the affiliate, not of a local
>chapter. That is fine. List them on your
>at-large spreadsheet. Some people apparently
>have the impression that they only count as
>members if there is an at-large chapter. Again,
>we build the database to reflect our best
>practices in our constitutions, and people can
>be affiliate members without being members of a local chapter.
>
>
>We did have a great eighty-eighth leadership
>seminar this past weekend. Remember, I always
>welcome recommendations for participants for
>future seminars as we continually update the
>list of potential candidates. I learned that
>recently some affiliate presidents took my
>general call as a request for spots for the next
>seminar. Please continue to send your
>suggestions at any time of the year, even for
>individuals not in your affiliate. However, do
>keep in mind that it is a requirement that they
>have been to state convention and to a national
>convention. Remember also that this is not a
>basic introduction to the Federation but is a leadership building seminar.
>
>
>We started construction yesterday on new
>sleeping rooms and visitor space at our national
>office. I believe this is a project that each of
>us will be very proud of once it is completed.
>It has been almost forty years since our
>original visitor sleeping rooms were built, and
>they have served us very well. I anticipate this
>new space serving us for at least as long.
>
>
>A number of important notes can be found below.
>Thank you for all you do to keep up on the work
>of our organization. I am off to Chicago for our
>first community outreach lunch. Hopefully we can
>bring one to your community soon.
>
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>News:
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>In the Dark:
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>On April 4, the CW television network, which is
>affiliated with CBS, plans to launch a
>television series called In the Dark that
>features a blind character. This series is just
>the latest in a long line of shows and movies
>about the blind, without the blind. The National
>Federation of the Blind was not consulted at all
>by the CW during the writing or casting process,
>and the producers claim they could not find a
>blind actress to play the leading role. For this
>reason, and in light of resolutions passed by
>our conventions on this topic, we issued a
>strong
><https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-americans-protest-refusal-entertainment-industry-cast-them>statement
>urging the cancellation of the series. We now
>need to follow up with action. We cannot allow
>Hollywood to define us any longer. The blind
>belong at the center of our own stories, playing
>blind characters and taking our place on screen
>alongside our sighted colleagues. All affiliates
>should be amplifying this message on your social
>media platforms using the hash tag #LetUsPlayUs.
>Members who have been rejected for acting roles
>on the basis of blindness or who have
>successfully participated in acting or
>performance should email their stories to Chris
>Danielsen at
><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org.
>Finally, it may be necessary for us to publicly
>protest if the CW and the showâs producers do
>not respond to efforts we have made to discuss
>this issue with them. Please stay tuned for word
>of action that may be planned in the New York City area in early April.
>
>
>
>Introduction of ATAA:
>Last week the Access Technology Affordability
>Act (ATAA) (S. 815) was introduced by Senators
>John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). This
>bipartisan legislation removes an employment
>barrier commonly experienced by blind Americans
>who cannot afford the high cost of access
>technology by creating a refundable tax credit
>in the amount of $2,000 to offset the cost of these technologies.
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>Blind Users Innovating and Leading Design (BUILD):
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>Technologies are being developed every day that
>affect the way we all live, work, and play.
>Given the continuing and rapid proliferation of
>advanced technology, we need your help to ensure
>that this technology is accessible to blind
>people. The NFB is growing a database of blind
>users to test and evaluate the accessibility of
>websites, home-use medical devices, home
>appliances, fitness equipment, and other
>products and services. Testers in our BUILD
>program will periodically receive requests to
>evaluate various websites, products, or services
>for usability and accessibility. In order for us
>to obtain real-world experiences, we are seeking
>information from novices to experts. Although
>most are volunteer opportunities, some of these
>projects may offer compensation, premiums like
>gift cards, or product discounts. If you are
>interested in building the next generation of
>accessible products and services, please
>register to become a tester in our BUILD program
>by visiting the following link and completing an
>application:
><https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/blind-users-innovating-and-leading-design>https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/blind-users-innovating-and-leading-design
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>Reminders:
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>Convention Preregistration Opened March 1:
>Online preregistration will be available from
>March 1 to May 31, 2019. Additionally,
>registration will be available on site in Las
>Vegas. When purchased online by May 31, the
>preregistration fee for convention is $25 ($30
>on site) and the cost of a banquet ticket is $70
>($75 on site). For more information regarding
>preregistration and other details, please visit
><https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention>https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention.
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>
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
> * March 28-29, 2019:
> <https://nfb.org/law-symposium>Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
>
>
>· March 31, 2019:
><https://nfb.org/scholarships>NFB scholarship application deadline
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>· April 15, 2019:
><https://nfb.org/programs/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards>Dr.
>Jacob Bolotin Award application deadline
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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
>
>
>
>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
>
>
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>
><https://nfb.org/>
>National Federation of the Blind
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><http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>
>Facebook
> <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>
>Twitter
> <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>
>Youtube
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