[MN-at-Large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 01/ 20/2020

Thu Jan 23 02:29:14 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,
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>You are on the move and making great things 
>happen already in 2020. It is always impressive 
>how the Federation spins back into action after 
>the end-of-the-year slow down, but this year it feels extra powerful.
>
>If you listened to the January Presidential 
>Release, you heard that I laid out some things 
>for us to think about in our chapters and 
>affiliates. I continue to hear from members who 
>say their chapter will not play the release or 
>that the leader of their chapter decides to play 
>only certain parts. I continue to seek feedback 
>from you about the value of the release and how 
>we can use it more effectively—or whether we 
>should stop producing it and spend our time at 
>all levels on other priorities. I continue to 
>get great feedback from people about the 
>release, but I am also aware that there is a 
>need to open conversations about our 
>communications strategies. As you prepare to 
>come for our Presidents Retreat, I encourage you 
>to give this topic honest reflection and share your ideas with me.
>
>We are poised to have one of the strongest 
>Washington Seminars ever. Thank you for your 
>leadership in preparing to make that happen. I 
>anticipate being with you in just a little more than two weeks.
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>Critical Actions This Week:
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>Washington Seminar Conference Call:
>I will be holding a conference call for all 
>affiliate presidents and legislative directors 
>on Wednesday, January 29, to review all aspects 
>of the upcoming Washington Seminar. The call-in 
>information is 877-853-5257, meeting ID 392 942 
>896. The Washington Seminar legislative agenda 
>and fact sheets are available in a variety of 
>formats on our website. They can be found at 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar>https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar. 
>This information has also been posted on NFB 
>NEWSLINEÂ® and can be found using the free NFB 
>NEWSLINE mobile app—choose Publications, Publication Options, All Publications.
>
>Please be sure to submit your Washington Seminar 
>appointments to 
><mailto:hillappointments at nfb.org>hillappointments at nfb.org and to include:
>Â·         Member of Congress
>Â·         Meeting date and time
>Â·         Meeting location
>Â·         Staff contact
>Â·         NFB contact
>Â·         NFB contact cell phone
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>News:
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>NFB EQ Registration Now Open:
>Share this summer opportunity with blind or 
>low-vision teens: The National Federation of the 
>Blind Engineering Quotient (NFB EQ) program will 
>be held June 21-27, 2020, at the Science Museum 
>of Minnesota. NFB EQ is a week-long adventure 
>into engineering and problem solving. No 
>specific level of engineering experience is 
>required. The 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/national-center-blind-youth-science/nfb-eq/nfb-eq-application>online 
>application for the 2020 NFB EQ program is now 
>open. The deadline to apply is March 29, 2020. 
>Also, check out 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/summer-programs>additional 
>summer programs available for young students to adults.
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>NFB STEM2U:
>We will be hosting a training seminar in 
>Baltimore (scheduled for May 8-9, 2020) for 
>affiliates interested in hosting a STEM program 
>for youth in the fall of 2020. Contact Karen 
>Anderson at 
><mailto:kanderson at nfb.org>kanderson at nfb.org or 
>410-659-9314, extension 2243, for more information.
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>Accessibility Boutique: Comparison of Cloud Storage Solutions:
>Tuesday, January 28 | 8:30-10:30 a.m. | Zoom 
>Teleconference. Attend this two-hour session to 
>explore the tools that blind students and blind 
>professionals use to create digital work in 
>Word, Excel, and other applications. This 
>boutique will compare the features and 
>accessibility of the most popular cloud storage 
>services including but not limited to Dropbox, 
>OneDrive, and Google Drive. The National 
>Federation of the Blind hosts free monthly 
>accessibility boutiques that cover best 
>practices and latest trends in access tech. 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/trainings/accessibility-boutiques>Register 
>now.
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>Automated Production of Braille Math Books in the Works:
>With a grant from the American Action Fund for 
>Blind Children and Adults, along with support 
>from the National Science Foundation, a working 
>group of members of the National Federation of 
>the Blind and other researchers developed an 
>automated method for creating textbooks in 
>Braille. The American Institute of Mathematics 
>just announced the production method and a 
>week-long workshop to explain and improve on it. 
>Learn more from 
><https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/automated-production-braille-math-books-works>our 
>press room.
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>January Presidential Release:
>The January release can be found at 
><https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases. 
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>The Shoe Fits: #RunForNFB Fundraiser:
>Lace up your shoes and join Terri Rupp in 
>raising $50,000 for the National Federation of 
>the Blind. Terri Rupp, national board member and 
>president of the National Federation of the 
>Blind of Nevada, is completing her first 50K on 
>February 14, 2020, in Las Vegas, and she wanted 
>to combine her love for running with her love of 
>turning dreams into reality. You donâ€™t have to 
>literally run, but 
><https://www.nfb.org/blog/shoe-fits-runfornfb-fundraiser>share 
>her story and this fundraiser. #RunForNFB
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>    * February 10: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
>    * March 26-27: Jacobus tenBroek Disability 
> Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland
>    * March 31: Deadline for 
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program>scholarship 
> applications
>    * April 14-17: 
> <http://www.blindmerchants.org>NABM BLAST, Chicago, Illinois
>    * June 21-27: 
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/national-center-blind-youth-science/nfb-eq>NFB 
> EQ; St. Paul, Minnesota
>    * July 14-19: 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.
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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
>
>
><https://nfb.org/>
>National Federation of the Blind
>
>
> 
><http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>
>Facebook
>     <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>
>Twitter
>     <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>
>Youtube
>
>
>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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