[Mn-at-large] Fwd: NFB President’s 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:
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>* 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.
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>* 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 show’s 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.
>
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>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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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
>    * March 28-29, 2019: 
> <https://nfb.org/law-symposium>Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
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>·         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
>
>
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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
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>(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>
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