[MN-at-Large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 03/ 30/2020

Thu Apr 2 01:03:54 UTC 2020

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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,
>
>The activity around the Federation seems as busy 
>as ever, even if the activity is different than 
>it was just one month ago. I want to call your attention to a few things:
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>1.      I am hosting Presidential Release Live 
>(#493) on Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. eastern. 
>Spread the word far and wide so we get as many 
>participants as possible online with us.
>
>2.      Attached to this notebook is the 
>promised guidance for affiliates on common 
>branding for Federation virtual events. If you 
>are doing things you find particularly effective 
>that you recommend we add to this document, please share your ideas.
>
>3.      We have also attached a guide regarding 
>COVID-19 response actions for our affiliates. 
>These are suggestions based on discussions held 
>around the organization over the past couple of weeks.
>
>4.      You can expect guidance from the Office 
>of the President soon regarding procedures for 
>managing virtual Federation meetings and 
>conducting votes with members virtually.
>
>5.      Do not forget to spread the word about 
>the Presidential Release Live on Thursday 
>evening, April 2, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. The 
>information to connect via Zoom or by dialing in is:
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>Join Zoom Meeting
><https://zoom.us/j/2368918214>https://zoom.us/j/2368918214
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>Meeting ID: 236 891 8214
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>One tap mobile
>+14086380968,,2368918214# US (San Jose)
>+16699006833,,2368918214# US (San Jose)
>
>Dial by your location
>  +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
>  +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
>  +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
>  +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
>  +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
>+1 253 215 8782 US
>  +1 301 715 8592 US
>Meeting ID: 236 891 8214
>Find your local number: 
><https://zoom.us/u/ab3E5IUcW>https://zoom.us/u/ab3E5IUcW
>
>
>6.      Thank you for your continued work to 
>connect and protect blind people during these unusual times.
>Let's go build the Federation!
>
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>News:
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>PR Briefings:
>The National Federation of the Blind is 
>receiving some requests from the media about the 
>impact of COVID-19 on our community. Reporters 
>are often adopting the premise that we are 
>especially vulnerable during this time because 
>we rely on our sense of touch. We are explaining 
>that tools like white canes mitigate the need to 
>touch objects directly, and that we are of 
>course just as capable of washing our hands as 
>everyone else. We are also trying to refocus 
>reportersâ€™ attention on the true impact 
>COVID-19 is having on blind people, particularly those of us who:
>
>Â·       Are students in public school systems 
>that are closed or in 
><https://www.governing.com/news/headlines/Bill-Aims-to-Give-Same-Higher-Ed-Tech-Access-to-All-Students.html>colleges 
>and universities that have moved courses online
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>Â·       Are expected to 
><https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-employee-sues-beacon-health-options>work 
>from home using remote services and platforms that have accessibility barriers
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>Â·       Need to order groceries, food 
>deliveries, prescription drugs, medical supplies, or other essential items
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>Â·       Need to connect with their medical 
>providers virtually rather than visiting the 
>office or clinic, or are encountering 
>inaccessible registration kiosks and other technology at healthcare facilities
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>Â·       Need to access healthcare instructions or other critical information
>If you receive media inquiries, please 
>coordinate with Chris Danielsen, our director of 
>public relations, so that he can help you with 
>more in-depth talking points on these topics. 
>This coordination is especially crucial if the 
>media outlet that has reached out to you has a 
>national scope (e.g., New York Times, NBC 
>Nightly News). We will want to explore the 
>opportunity for President Riccobono to be 
>interviewed in those situations. You should also 
>feel free to share local examples of the 
>problems that blind people are experiencing with 
>Chris so that he can direct reporters who 
>contact us to those stories. You can reach him 
>by calling 410-659-9314, extension 2330, or by 
>emailing <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org.
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>Connect to NFB-NEWSLINEÂ® to be informed on COVID-19:
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>In an effort to bring the latest news on the 
>coronavirus (COVID-19) to our subscribers, we 
>are pleased to offer a new information source in 
>our Breaking News Online category. This source 
>of information is being provided by Johns 
>Hopkins University and is titled COVID-19 
>Pandemic Data. Johns Hopkins University is 
>considered one of the leading worldwide 
>resources concerning statistics on this pandemic 
>and we are pleased that we can offer it in an 
>accessible audio and Braille format to our subscribers.
>
>There are various sections in the COVID-19 data 
>that you may access and they are broken down by 
>total state cases, as well as world/country data 
>cases. To further provide specific state or 
>international detail, you can select states or 
>world regions in an alphabetical range. This 
>data is continuously updated throughout the day 
>with the most recent statistics.
>Just like with the breaking news search results, 
>which we added to everyone's Alexa's favorite 
>number 1, we have added this to everyone's 
>favorite number 2 for ease of access. You can 
>access this new information source by issuing 
>the command: "Alexa, ask National Federation to 
>read favorite 2." Recall that we do have an 
>electronic file containing other commands that 
>you can use with the NFB-NEWSLINE skill for 
>Alexa. If you would like a copy, please contact us.
>
>Access the COVID-19 information using the 
>telephone by pressing 5 from the main menu, then 
>press 1 for the Breaking News Online category, 
>then press 1 for the virus search results or 
>press 2 for the Johns Hopkins data. If you are 
>using the NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile iOS app, look for 
>the virus information under the All Publications 
>section. Web-News-On-Demand users can find the 
>COVID-19 information by selecting "Publications 
>Organized by State," and then "Breaking News Online."
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>We hope that you find the COVID-19 information 
>on NFB-NEWSLINE to be beneficial to keeping you 
>and your family safe during this health crisis. 
>If you have ideas on other coronavirus-related 
>material that you would like to see on 
>NFB-NEWSLINE, please write Scott White at 
><mailto:swhite at nfb.org>swhite at nfb.org or call 866-504-7300.
>
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>NFB-NEWSLINE Presentations Possible:
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>Blog Post: Gratitude for the Women of the Movement:
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>March is Women's History Month and it is a time 
>to celebrate the vital role of women in history. 
>In this weekâ€™s blog post, learn more about 
>BLIND, Inc.â€™s executive director, Jennifer 
>Kennedy, and her connection to many women of the 
>Federation. The National Federation of the Blind 
>is proudly affiliated with the countryâ€™s 
><https://www.nfb.org/about-us/training-centers>leading 
>training centers for the blind, which offer a 
>variety of programs for all ages that help build 
>blindness skills and encourage independence, 
>which includes BLIND, Inc. Read the 
><https://www.nfb.org/blog/gratitude-women-movement>Voice 
>of the Nationâ€™s Blind Blog.
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>Continued Celebration for Women's History Month:
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>To continue celebrating women's history month, 
>the Presidentâ€™s banquet speech from the 2018 
>NFB National Convention highlighted a sampling 
>of the hundreds of female leaders of our 
>movement whose stories illuminate the 
>characteristics that have allowed us, as diverse 
>individuals who happen to be blind, to synergize 
>a movement that cannot be divided. The role of 
>blind women within the National Federation of 
>the Blind is clear and powerful. 
><https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/convent/banquet-speech-2018-2.html>Access 
>the banquet speech. The 
><https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/2018_convention_highlights/2018_banquet_speech.mp3>audio 
>of the speech is also available.
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>Reminders:
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>Cayte Mendez on Scholarship Letters:
>Presidentsâ€™ letters are due by April 15 at the 
>latest. Presidents need not sit on entire 
>batches like nests full of eggs; they are 
>welcome to send them in as they are completed. 
>They can email them to us at 
><mailto:scholarships at nfb.org>scholarships at nfb.org 
>  or upload them. Thanks again for the hard work 
>everyone did to accomplish the last outreach 
>push. Since Wednesday afternoon, we have 
>received approximately 120 additional 
>submissions, and the clock hasnâ€™t run out yet.
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>    * March 31: Deadline for 
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program>scholarship 
> applications
>Â·        April 15: 
><https://www.nfb.org/bolotin>Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application deadline
>Â·        May 1: 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/distinguished-educator-blind-students-award>Distinguished 
>Educator Award nomination deadline
>    * June 21-27: 
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/national-center-blind-youth-science/nfb-eq>NFB 
> EQ; St. Paul, Minnesota
>    * July 14-19: 
> <https://www.nfb.org/convention>NFB National Convention, Houston, Texas
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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>
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>     <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>
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>     <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>
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>
>
>The National Federation of the Blind is a 
>community of members and friends who believe in 
>the hopes and dreams of the nationâ€™s blind. 
>Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
>
>
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