<html>
<body>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><br>
<h1><b>President's Notebook</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>National Federation of the Blind</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>Mark A. Riccobono</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b><a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a></b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>(410) 659-9314</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
Dear Fellow Federationists,<br>
I hope that everyone has had some degree of spring break. The holiday
weekend provided great weather here in Baltimore for opening up the house
and cleaning off the deck for the summer. You can really feel things
coming to life. When I woke up early this morning, I listened to the
sound of a lone oriole outside our window. After some time, a number of
other birds joined in the chorus. The symbol of the moment made me
reflect on what a joy it is to join in with each of you in our work to
raise expectations for blind people every day. Often we get into
something new because one Federationist calls out and we all come join
in.<br>
<br>
We are in the thick of planning for the national convention now—in three
months the convention will be done. There havee been a number of great
spring Federation conventions to get us geared up for our national
gathering. I had the opportunity to attend the Wisconsin convention where
growth and innovation is in evidence. In Missouri, we have elected a new
president, Sheila Wright, and we have celebrated the dedicated work of
Gary Wunder who served for many decades as president in Missouri. In true
Federation tradition, Gary has not gone away. He is doing whatever is
needed in Missouri but he is also continuing to edit our <i>Braille
Monitor</i>. If you wish for Gary not to get bored, I recommend flooding
him with great <i>Monitor</i> articles to occupy his time. Thanks to Gary
for his decades of leadership and congratulations to Sheila as she gets
settled in the chair.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
<i>Do You Dream in Color?:<br>
</i>We are working with the filmmakers to host screenings of <i>Do You
Dream in Color?</i> across the country. For more information about the
film, go to
<a href="http://www.doyoudreamincolor.com/">
http://www.doyoudreamincolor.com/</a>. <br>
<br>
<br>
Seeking Information Involving Epic EHR Software:<br>
The National Federation of the Blind is assisting Manuel G. Morse in a
lawsuit against Epic Systems Corporation and others because the
inaccessibility of Epic's software has made it impossible for Mr. Morse
to perform his job as a hospital dispatcher. You can read the full press
release about the litigation at
<a href="https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-supports-blind-healthcare-workers-discrimination-claim">
https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-supports-blind-healthcare-workers-discrimination-claim</a>
<br>
Have you had an experience similar to that of Mr. Morse? If so, we need
to hear from you. Please contact Valerie Yingling, legal program
coordinator at the NFB Jernigan Institute, at (410) 659-9314, extension
2440, or <a href="mailto:vyingling@nfb.org">vyingling@nfb.org</a>. <br>
Items from the Independence Market:<br>
We recently discovered some vintage NFB music boxes with the
Security/Equality/Opportunity logo that play “Glory, Glory
Federation.” We are making them available for $5.00 each, plus shipping
and handling, while supplies last. Please note that these music boxes
must be shipped via UPS. If you are feeling nostalgic, you might like to
add an NFB stoneware mug to your order. These handsome mugs with NFB in
raised Braille, which are now $5.00 each, show the older side of the NFB
headquarters building and feature the same triangle logo as the music
box. <br>
<br>
And speaking of mugs, we just have a few of the seventy-fifth anniversary
Irish coffee glass mugs left for $7.50 each. Don’t miss out on any of
these NFB memorabilia—supplies are limited! To order, call the
Independence Market at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216.<br>
<br>
NFB NEWSLINE ® Update:<br>
We have added four more publications: <i>New York Times Online</i>,
<i>International Business Times</i>, <i>McClatchy DC</i>, and <i>Rome
News-Tribune</i> (Rome, Georgia). <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
·
<a href="http://nfb.org/state-conventions">Spring conventions</a><br>
· May 1, 2017: Deadline for
<a href="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/distinguished-educator-of-blind-students-award-form-fillable.pdf">
Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award</a> nominations<br>
· <b>May 1, 2017: Deadline for
</b>
<a href="https://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=8025&qid=1760005">
Blind Educator of the Year Award</a><b> </b>nominations<br>
· June 4, 2017:
<a href="https://nfb.org/dot-dash">6K Dot Dash</a> <br>
· July 10-15, 2017:
<a href="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161101.htm">
National Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando,
Florida</a><br>
· July 23-29, 2017:
<a href="http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam">Youth Slam</a>,
Towson University<br>
· September 12-17, 2017:
<a href="http://blindmerchants.org/blast-2017/">BLAST</a>, Nashville,
Tennessee <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>
Mark A. Riccobono<br>
President<br>
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<br>
(410) 659-9314 |
<a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a> <br>
<br>
<br>
<a href="https://nfb.org/">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20170417210003.022bb050@visi.com.4" width=210 height=76 alt="National Federation of the Blind">
</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20170417210003.022bb050@visi.com.5" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20170417210003.022bb050@visi.com.6" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20170417210003.022bb050@visi.com.7" width=24 height=24 alt="Youtube">
</a><br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind.
Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
<br>
<br><br>
</blockquote></body>
</html>