[MN-at-Large] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/ 18/2020

Wed May 20 01:26:39 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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>Today we are eight weeks from our national 
>convention and it is reflected in the 
>announcements you find below. Help share and 
>amplify these announcements with the membership. 
>In particular, I want to call out our current 
>work with the College Board regarding advanced 
>placement exams. It is truly critical that you 
>help families get connected with us so we can 
>understand the scope of the problem while we 
>advocate on behalf of blind students.
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>Thank you again to those affiliates who have 
>donated additional funds to support our national 
>Braille enrichment efforts. Your outreach at the 
>local level, as well as financial resources at 
>the national level, are making connecting, 
>engaging, and protecting blind students possible across the nation.
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>Critical Actions:
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>College Board AP Tests:
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>Last week, five blind high school students and 
>the NFB filed a complaint against the College 
>Board with the United States Department of 
>Education Office for Civil Rights and Department 
>of Justice on behalf of themselves and all other 
>blind and deafblind students who are registered 
>to take the May 2020 advanced placement (AP) 
>tests from the College Board. Read the press 
>release and complaint at 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/rulings-filings-and-letters#highstakes>https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/rulings-filings-and-letters#highstakes. 
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>If you are a blind high school student or the 
>parent of a blind high school student who is 
>scheduled to take a College Board AP test this 
>spring and requires accommodations, including 
>but not limited to Braille and tactile graphics, 
>please contact our legal coordinator, Valerie 
>Yingling, as soon as possible at <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>vyingling at nfb.org.
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>Please Help Us Spread the Word to Federal Employees:
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>The Office of Personnel Management has launched 
>a special solicitation window for the Combined 
>Federal Campaign (CFC). This campaign is in 
>support of nonprofit organizations that are 
>working overtime to fight the coronavirus 
>pandemic and will run through June 30, 2020. 
>Please help us spread the word to federal 
>employees. If you are in a position to give as a 
>federal employee, or know someone who can, 
>please consider donating to the National 
>Federation of the Blind by selecting Blind Federation of America, number 11162.
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>News:
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>Advocacy and Policy Update:
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>The staff of the Jernigan Institute has remained 
>hard at work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 
>Some recent activities include a 
><https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/letter-to-secretary-of-education-regarding-rethink-k-12-grant-program.pdf>letter 
>I sent to the US secretary of education 
>regarding a grant program for local education 
>agencies that would aid in their 
>distance-learning pursuits during these 
>quarantines and lockdowns. We urged Secretary 
>DeVos to remember students with disabilities in 
>the Department of Educationâ€™s review of the 
>grant applications. I also wrote an 
><https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/open-letter-to-school-districts-concerning-rethink-grant-applications.pdf>open 
>letter to school districts that urged them to 
>remember students with disabilities in their grant requests.
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>In other news, the House and Senate are both 
>expected to be back in Washington the week of 
>June 1. Thereâ€™s a good chance they will use 
>that week to negotiate the provisions of the 
>most recent COVID-19 relief bill, the HEROES 
>Act. We need to make sure that all members of 
>Congress know about the major priorities we want 
>included in that legislation. One of those key 
>priorities, the Access Technology Affordability 
>Act (ATAA), currently has eighty-eight 
>cosponsors in the House and twenty-two in the 
>Senate. We believe that Congressional leaders 
>will really take notice of this bill if we can 
>reach one hundred cosponsors in the House. With 
>that kind of support, our Congressional 
>champions would have more leverage to argue for 
>the billâ€™s inclusion in the larger piece of 
>legislation. So please call or email your member 
>of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the ATAA 
>(H.R. 2086/S. 815). We are so close, but weâ€™re 
>going to need to work harder than ever to ensure this bill passes.
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>Elections:
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>As a number of states begin to relax the 
>restrictions that were put in place due to the 
>coronavirus pandemic, many upcoming primary and 
>local elections will remain all vote-by-mail 
>elections. If your state and/or local 
>jurisdiction does not provide an accessible way 
>to mark a vote-by-mail ballot, the Accessible 
>Vote-by-Mail Toolkit, developed by the National 
>Federation of the Blind with grant funds from 
>the US Department of Health and Human Services, 
>will provide our members with the information 
>they need to know to advocate for accessible 
>vote-by-mail. Visit our 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/national-center-nonvisual-election-3>Voting, 
>Accessibility, and the Law webpage to download a 
>BRF or MS Word file of the toolkit. You will 
>also find many other important voting-related 
>resources on this webpage. If you have questions 
>or need assistance in your advocacy efforts, 
>please contact Lou Ann Blake, deputy executive 
>director of Blindness Initiatives at 
><mailto:lblake at nfb.org>lblake at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2221.
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>National Telecommuting Institute:
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>We would like to speak with anyone who has 
>either worked for National Telecommuting 
>Institute (NTI) or who applied to work for NTI. 
>Additionally, we would be interested in speaking 
>with anyone who is actively looking for customer 
>service work who wishes to work from home. 
>Please contact Valerie Yingling at 
><mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>vyingling at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.
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>The Give $20 Campaign—A Donation Drawing:<
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>Each year, Federation members purchase tickets 
>to drawings or make donations during national 
>convention to various funds that support blind 
>people. In 2020, your generosity is still needed 
>to fund our great programs. Give $20 or more 
>between May 15 and July 18 at noon eastern to 
>one of the specified funds, and be entered into 
>the Kenneth Jernigan convention drawing to win 
>BIG! Learn more about 
><https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/give-20-campaign>the 
>Give $20 Campaign.
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>Presidential Release—Behind the Scenes and More:>
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>Go behind the scenes of the presidential release 
>live in the newest episode of the Nationâ€™s 
>Blind Podcast. Join this conversation with 
>President Riccobono on the history of the 
>presidential release and the recent new 
>direction. Check out the 
><https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/nations-blind-podcast>Nationâ€™s 
>Blind Podcast 
><https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/nations-blind-podcast>now.
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>Save-the-Date:
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>The next live presidential release will be held 
>June 4, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. eastern with the 
>opportunity for questions and answers again. 
>Send your questions in advance to 
><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org 
>and put PR495 in the subject line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473.
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>New Contest—Share Your First Convention Experience:
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>Attending the NFB National Convention is a 
>memorable experience. And the first one is life 
>changing for so many. Share a video or audio 
>message about a special memory of your first 
>convention in less than sixty seconds to be 
>entered to win a cash prize and have your story 
>shared at this yearâ€™s convention. Learn more 
>about the contest rules and prizes for the 
><https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/convention-memory-minute-contest>Convention 
>Memory Minute Contest.
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>Upcoming Accessibility Boutiques:
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>We host accessibility boutiques that are 
>workshops or introductions to best practices and 
>latest trends in access tech. Take advantage of these free, upcoming boutiques:
>Â·       Donâ€™t Make Us Do This! Tricks We 
>Shouldnâ€™t Have to Use to Get through a Website on May 19 at 2:00 p.m. eastern
>Â·       The COVID-19 Response: Keeping 
>Employees and Students Connected from Home on May 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern
>Â·       Textbook-Provider Showdown on May 26 at 8:30 a.m. eastern
>Â·       Comparison of Cloud Storage Solutions on June 2 at 2:00 p.m. eastern
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>Learn more about 
><https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/trainings/accessibility-boutiques>accessibility 
>boutiques and register today.
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>Blind Parents—Attend Discussion this Week:
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>Join the national dialog regarding blind parents 
>this Thursday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. eastern. 
>Chat with some of our nation's leaders in the 
>blind parenting community on whatâ€™s keeping 
>you sane during this time, distance learning and 
>children in school, social distancing, and more. 
>Share your experiences, ask questions, and let 
>us know what topics you would like to have us 
>discuss on future calls. Register today for the 
><https://www.nfb.org/our-community/blind-parents>national 
>dialog regarding blind parents.
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>Graduates: Participate in NABS Graduation Celebration:
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>Itâ€™s graduation season! Many graduations are 
>being put on hold or going virtual. This year, 
>the National Association of Blind Students, a 
>division of the National Federation of the 
>Blind, wishes to celebrate the class of 2020 
>through a virtual ceremony on June 6 from 5:00 
>to 6:00 p.m. eastern via Zoom (Zoom meeting ID: 
>467 883 3687). The celebration is open for 
>anyone to join and blind students who are 
>graduating are asked to submit the 
><https://forms.gle/bVarvstZg344syYb9>graduate 
>celebration form by June 1 if they wish to be 
>recognized during this virtual celebration.
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>Virtual Choir for Convention:
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>This year, the Performing Arts Division will be 
>putting together a virtual choir project for 
>national convention. It will be a great time to 
>unite with one another and make music together. 
>Rehearsals will be held over Zoom every Friday 
>from June 5 until June 26 at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 
>and music will be made available online. Members 
>will submit recordings of themselves singing 
>their parts to be put together into a virtual 
>choir recording to be played during convention. 
>We will be sending out more details as they 
>become available, but if you would like to 
>participate, please email 
><mailto:nfbpad at gmail.com>nfbpad at gmail.com with 
>your name, contact information, and voice type.
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>Dates to Keep in Mind:
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>Â·       June 1-12: NFB BELLÂ® In-Home Edition
>Â·       June 4: Presidential Release Live
>Â·       June 10: Membership Open House
>Â·       June 14: National Leadership Call during #COVID19
>Â·       June 22-July 3: NFB BELLÂ® In-Home Edition
>Â·       July 27-August 7: NFB BELLÂ® In-Home Edition
>    * July 14-18: 
> <https://www.nfb.org/convention>NFB National Convention, Everywhere
>Â·       February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In
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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
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>
><https://nfb.org/>
>National Federation of the Blind
>
>
> 
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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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