[MN-at-Large] What's Happening in Minnesota this Summer?

Tue Aug 8 22:20:01 UTC 2023

From: NFBMN-News <nfbmn-news-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
via NFBMN-News
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 4:13 PM
To: nfbmn-news at nfbnet.org
Subject: [NFBMN-News] What's Happening in Minnesota this Summer?

Hi everybody,

It has been a while since I have put together one of these updates. With the
high frequency of announcements in may and June, it seemed to me that an
update might have been a bit much then. However, there is a good deal
happening so please read on. 

National Convention Wrap-up

We began July with a great convention in Houston, Texas. There were 67
people registered from Minnesota as attending the in-person convention which
is an increase from last year. In addition, 34 people registered for the
virtual convention experience. Here's hoping that we can be back at our
pre-pandemic attendance next year when we return to the Rosen Center in
Orlando, Florida.

Many of the convention presentations including the presidential report and
President Riccobono's banquet address will be available in our national
publication the Braille Monitor toward the end of September. However, some
presentations will be available sooner at 

http://www.nfb.org/convention

so you can check there as well. Finally, some presentations are available
now on our national YouTube channel. A search for "NFB 2023 Convention
YouTube" will yield a number of results.

Much of the work that we do is driven by the resolutions that are passed at
our conventions. You can find all of the resolutions that were passed at

http://www.nfb.org/resolutions.

NFB of Minnesota Donation Match Results

Thank you to everybody who made a donation to one of our national funds
during our state match. The NFB of Minnesota matched donations of $2,150.
With our state match and the additional Aira match, your donations resulted
in $6,450 toward our national programs. 

Walk for Opportunity

On September 9, we will be holding our annual Walk for Opportunity. Members
and others will be collecting pledges and walking routes at several
locations around Minnesota. Many of us will be walking around the lakes in
Minneapolis similar to what we did last year. For more information, please
read the announcement that appeared on our news list during the past week.
Each person participating in the Walk for Opportunity should sign up as soon
as possible but no later than August 27 by filling out our online entry form
<https://forms.gle/diZgwYgBPR9SMYM98> . The form will ask for your name,
email, phone number, t-shirt size, emergency contact, if you'll be a walker
or checkpoint worker, and if you know of a business that might like to
become a sponsor. 

To make a donation online, go to  www.nfbmn.org <http://www.nfbmn.org>  and
click on "Donate". To credit the donation to a walker, the contributor
should check the box to "Add a Dedication" and then type the walk
participant's name and Walk for Opportunity in that field. The recent
announcement provides several other options for making donations as well.
Also, remember that social media is a very good way to let others know about
this event.

State Convention

The contract for our state convention has been finalized. We will be meeting
on November 3-5 in Rochester at the Kahler Grand hotel. How to reserve a
room along with other information was sent out earlier today. Start thinking
of resolutions you may wish to bring to our resolutions committee and what
you can contribute to our auction. Watch for more details.

BLIND Incorporated News

Last Friday, August 4, Jen Kennedy submitted her resignation as the
Executive Director of BLIND Incorporated. Jen guided BLIND Incorporated
through some very difficult times with the pandemic and the unrest after the
murder of George Floyd. Thank you, Jen, for all of your work and we wish you
the best in the future. You can see more details and Jen's public statement
in a separate email that was sent to this list yesterday.

Get Your 2024 Braille Pocket Calendar

You can request up to three pocket braille calendars from the American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults by using the online form at
<http://actionfund.org/resources/braille-calendars>
actionfund.org/resources/braille-calendars. You can also leave a voice mail
at 410-659-9315, or write to  <mailto:actionfund at actionfund.org>
actionfund at actionfund.org. 

Filing Rideshare Complaints

Whether you had a rideshare ride cancelled because you travel with a guide
dog or because you are blind, our national office is asking that you file a
complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. You
can use the form at

 <https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/> civilrights.justice.gov/report/.

Individuals who file complaints through this multi-step online form should
download or print a copy of the confirmation screen, which contains the text
of the complaint and the record number (example 123987-ABC). The text of a
submitted complaint is not currently included in the confirmation email or
easily available after you leave the submission screen.

Our national legal team is asking members to forward the email confirmation
of the complaints or send their record numbers to  <mailto:legal at nfb.org>
legal at nfb.org so that our legal team may follow up in further advocacy.
Submitting an online complaint through the above website should generate a
confirmation email from
<mailto:civilrightsdonotreply at mail.civilrights.usdoj.gov>
civilrightsdonotreply at mail.civilrights.usdoj.gov. Note that the Department
of Justice has significant enforcement power under the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Several of our members participated in a recent
multi-million-dollar settlement involving discriminatory wait-time fees.
Individuals can learn more about that case at the following website: 

 <https://www.justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-uber-technologies-inc>
justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-uber-technologies-inc.

Please help us advocate for change in the rideshare space by submitting your
complaints to the US DOJ and forwarding the confirmation emails so our
national legal team can follow up.

Minnesota BELL Program update

Due to a number of unanticipated circumstances, we will not be able to
proceed with our in-person BELL Academy originally planned for August 7-18.
However, we are currently looking at an alternative plan to provide this
much-needed program to blind kids in Minnesota including those who signed up
for our program next week. We will need your help, so please watch for
details during the next few weeks. 

Dates to Keep in Mind

*	August 10 - River Bend Chapter Meeting
*	August 12 - Metro Chapter Picnic
*	August 15 - Rochester Chapter Picnic
*	August 19 - Metro Chapter Meeting - 10:00 AM at 100 East 22nd Street
in Minneapolis
*	August 26 - NFB of Minnesota Board Meeting in Rochester
*	September 9 - Walk for Opportunity
*	November 3-5 - NFB of Minnesota State Convention in Rochester

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson, President

National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota

www.nfbmn.org <http://www.nfbmn.org/> 

(612) 872-9363

Pronouns: he, him, his

www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> 

Live the life you Want.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/mn-at-large_nfbnet.org/attachments/20230808/36b32071/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
NFBMN-News mailing list
NFBMN-News at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmn-news_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMN-News:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmn-news_nfbnet.org/dandrews920%40comcast.net