[Mn-at-large] Presidential Update: The stop before St. Cloud

Mon Mar 25 00:31:51 UTC 2019

>
>Greetings, fellow federationists,
>Each year we gather in Minneapolis for our 
>semiannual convention, a tradition that brings 
>together a number of federationists from across 
>the state to celebrate our successes, learn 
>about legislative and state happenings, and be 
>inspired by our shared efforts to improve the 
>lives of blind Minnesotans. In addition, our 
>semiannual convention is home to a number of 
>breakout sessions where members can exchange 
>tips and advice on everything from community involvement to technology.
>Last year we heard from Tom TeBockhorst, a 
>long-time federationist, on his first trip to 
>Washington Seminar. Judy Sanders, who answers 
>phone calls from the public, shared some of the 
>stories of the calls she receives. Isac Kautto 
>spoke about his decision to become an 
>orientation and mobility instructor, and Sam 
>Flax told a story of how friendship helped to strengthen her philosophy.
>This year’s semiannual convention will take 
>place on May 18. I hope you will make plans to 
>attend and join our gathering. If you need a 
>place to stay, I will find you a place to stay. 
>If you have suggestions for the agenda, I want 
>to hear them. I want everyone to know that you 
>can be a vital part of this event, and I need your help to make it a success.
>
>Legislative Update
>On Tuesday, March 5, federationists attended 
>hearings for both the voting rights legislation 
>and our bill to establish a program to educate 
>new teachers of blind students. The voting 
>rights bills were laid over for inclusion into 
>the omnibus bill in the house, and our bill to 
>provide funding for a university program has 
>gone through committees in both the house and 
>senate. In addition, the funding called for by 
>our education bill can now be given to the 
>secretary of higher education, which means it is 
>no longer tied to a specific college or 
>university. This can give us more flexibility 
>when looking for a school willing to create the 
>program as more of them are now eligible to receive the funds.
>We are not at the end of our work yet; we still 
>have a lot to do before any of this legislation 
>is passed, but I know we’ll keep pushing. Things 
>are happening, and we should be proud of that.
>
>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. Please call our senators as 
>soon as possible and encourage them to cosponsor 
>this legislation. The number for the capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
>
>
>Blind Users Innovating and Leading Design (BUILD)
>Technologies are being developed every day that 
>affect the way we all live, work, and play. 
>Given the continuing and rapid spread 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
>I have participated in this program myself, and 
>it’s a great opportunity to try out new sites 
>and services before anyone else sees them. It’s 
>also a great way to gain experience with 
>accessibility testing and ensure your opinion is heard.
>
>Braille book fair
>It’s time to sort through all those boxes of 
>Braille books and donate those gently used but 
>no longer needed Braille books to the 2019 
>Braille Book Fair sponsored by the National 
>Organization of Parents of Blind Children and 
>the American Action Fund for Blind Children and 
>Adults. Our primary goal is to get more Braille 
>books (in good condition) into the hands of 
>children, youth, and beginning adult readers, so 
>we need print/Braille storybooks (i.e., Twin 
>Vision®), leisure reading (fiction or 
>nonfiction) books, cookbooks, and poetry. We do 
>not accept magazines, textbooks, or audio books 
>at this time. Ship your donations to:
>
>2019 Braille Book Fair
>National Federation of the Blind
>200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
>Baltimore, MD 21230
>
>Please note that you are shipping the books Free 
>Matter for the Blind; you do not need to pay 
>shipping cost for Braille items. Handwrite, 
>stamp, or affix a label to the upper right-hand 
>corner of the box stating: FREE MATTER FOR THE 
>BLIND. Take your package(s) to your local post 
>office. There is no shipping fee for Free Matter 
>for the Blind when mailed through the USPS.
>Remember, you can offer a book at any time of 
>year to the Braille Book Fair by posting it to 
>ShareBraille.org and designating it for the Braille Book Fair.
>
>NFB-NEWSLINE®
>NFB-NEWSLINE is now offering monthly training 
>sessions for subscribers to become better 
>acquainted with the many access methods and 
>tools of NFB-NEWSLINE. Past topics included 
>using the Amazon Alexa skill and using the NFB-NEWSLINE mobile app.
>If anyone interested in these trainings does not 
>have an email address on file or needs to update 
>their information, please call or email the 
>national office so they can update your 
>information and ensure you receive notices of 
>training sessions. Have an idea for a topic to 
>be covered? Call the Newsline team at 
>866-504-7300 or email <mailto:swhite at nfb.org>swhite at nfb.org.
>
>Member Spotlight
>If you would like to be featured in an upcoming 
>member spotlight, please send me a brief bio or 
>a few notes about you, and I’ll be sure to include you in a future update.
>This week we get to know Jan Bailey, the 
>president of our Rochester chapter, the chair of 
>our membership committee, and one of only four 
>people to hold a lifetime membership in the 
>National federation of the Blind of Minnesota.
>My name is Jan Bailey and I was a rehabilitation 
>counselor for 31 years at State Services for the 
>Blind.   I have a master’s degree in 
>rehabilitation counseling from Utah State University.
>I have been blind all my life. ten years ago, I 
>became a contract vendor for the state of MN and 
>started my own business JB Rehabilitation Enterprises.
>I teach classes to seniors to help them adjust 
>to their vision loss, I teach Braille, daily 
>living and cooking skills to blind teens and adults,
>I’m also president of my local National 
>Federation of the Blind chapter and I have been 
>on the NFB of MN state board as secretary.
>I’m a member of the board of the MN State 
>academies and have been the chair of the state 
>rehabilitation council   of the blind for SSB.
>I’m a member of the Lions Club, and I do a lot 
>of volunteer work for my church.
>In my spare time I enjoy cooking and reading.
>
>Dates to Remember
>    * March 31: NFB national scholarship application deadline
>    * April 15: NFB of Minnesota Scholarship application Deadline
>    * May 18: Semiannual Convention, Minneapolis
>    * July 7-12: NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, NV
>    * Oct. 25-27: NFBMN Annual state Convention, St. Cloud
>
>Enjoy the sunshine,
>Ryan
>
>Ryan Strunk, President
><mailto:president at nfbmn.org>president at nfbmn.org
>www.nfb.org
><http://www.nfbmn.org>www.nfbmn.org
>(612) 872-9363
>Live the life you Want.


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