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<h1><b>President’s Notebook<br><br>
<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
<br>
Mark A. Riccobono<br><br>
<br>
<a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org<br><br>
<br>
</a>(410) 659-9314</b></h1> <br>
Dear Fellow Federationists,<br>
<br>
The busy activity of the fall convention season is underway. There are a
number of pieces of Federation business moving very quickly. Please be
aware that our work on the #HowEyeSeeIt campaign is unfolding quickly,
and it needs the attention of each and every affiliate and chapter.
Presidents of affiliates will be asked to participate on a call later
today, so please watch for that information.<br>
<br>
We also can celebrate an interim victory with the introduction of our
accessible instructional materials legislation. We should use this as a
springboard to get members of Congress activated on our legislation in
order to build momentum going into the next Congress.<br>
<br>
Finally, we assist affiliates in tracking affiliate financial issues. A
number of affiliates are behind in supplying information to the national
organization. I am hesitant to call out specific affiliates. If you do
not know if your affiliate is up to date, I urge presidents to check with
affiliate treasurers on the status of that affiliate's records. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2>AIM-HE Legislation
Action:<br>
Last week Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced H.R.
6122, the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM-HE)
Act. This act will promote instructional technology and content that are
accessible to the blind and other students with print disabilities. The
bill would establish an independent commission to develop voluntary
guidelines for accessible electronic postsecondary electronic
instructional materials and related technologies to ensure students with
disabilities have access to the same educational materials as
non-disabled students. <br>
<br>
Now, we need as many members of Congress as possible to join them in
supporting our legislation by cosponsoring H.R. 6122. Please contact your
representative and ask them to help remove barriers for blind students in
the classroom by cosponsoring this legislation. For more information, and
to access the updated fact sheet, visit
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/aim_he">www.nfb.org/aim_he</a> or contact
Gabe Cazares at extension 2206, or by email at
<a href="mailto:gcazares@nfb.org">gcazares@nfb.org</a>.<br>
<br>
<br>
Seeking Member Experiences Regarding Social Security Intake-Processing
Kiosks: <br>
Though the NFB continues to push the Social Security Administration
toward accessibility, many SSA office intake-processing kiosks remain
inaccessible to the blind. If you visited an SSA office after April 22,
2016, and were prompted to use a touchscreen self-service kiosk to sign
in for your meeting, the NFB needs to hear from you. Specifically, we
need to know whether or not the kiosk was accessible and at what office
the kiosk was located. Please contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at
(410) 659-9314, extension 2440, to share this important information.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2>Spanish Version:<br>
The Spanish version of the September Presidential Release is available at
<a href="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/spanish/pr_453_spanish.mp3">
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/spanish/pr_453_spanish.mp3</a>. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Reminder:</b></h2>Last Call on Department of Justice Web
Accessibility Comments:<br>
As you know, we have been gathering comments as part of our organized
response to the Department of Justice Supplemental Advanced Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking on web accessibility. The deadline has been
extended through October 7, 2016. At this point, we are asking that
comments be submitted directly to the Department of Justice.<br>
<br>
You may submit electronic comments to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
There, you can follow the directions as appropriate. When
submitting comments electronically, you must include CRT Docket No. 128
in the subject box, and you must include your full name and
address. We need your help to generate substantial numbers of
comments to reflect the public interest on web accessibility.
Please think of one personal experience, positive or negative, and share
it with the Department of Justice.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in
Mind:</b></h2>·
<a href="https://nfb.org/state-conventions">Fall Conventions</a><br>
· September 30-October 2: NFB
BELL Academy Training Seminar (Advanced) in Baltimore, Maryland<br><br>
<h2><b>· September 26:
<a href="https://nfb.org/free-accessibility-training-boutiques">Free
Accessibility Training Boutique</a>: Accessible Websites, Made
Accessibly: An Introduction to
Drupal</b></h2>· October
20-23: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Novice/Intermediate) in
Baltimore, Maryland<br>
· September 12-17, 2017:
BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee<br>
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Mark A. Riccobono, President<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br>
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place<br>
Baltimore, Maryland 21230<br>
Phone: (410) 659-9314<br>
Fax: (410) 659-5129<br>
Email:
<a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a><br>
Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice<br>
Web: <a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a><br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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