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<h1><b><a name="OLE_LINK7"></a>President's
Notebook</b></h1><a name="OLE_LINK7"></a><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>
<br>
Exactly two months from now we will be kicking off our 2018 National
Convention in Orlando. Things are shaping up well and the usual
excitement about our family reunion is spreading across the
organization.<br>
<br>
There are a number of pressing items to pay attention to this week.
Please give our advocacy for the Marrakesh Implementation Act immediate
attention as action will be most effective in the coming days.<br>
<br>
I am recording the Presidential Release later today so you should plan
for it to be available on May 4—in time for the first Saturday of May. A
trip to Seattle to work with Amazon prevented me from having it ready for
this notebook.<br>
<br>
I encourage our affiliates to be thinking about contributions to our
national movement at the national convention. Local support is critical
to our success and it is always a wonderful experience to hear the
generosity of our affiliates.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
Marrakesh Treaty Action Requested:<br>
The US Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up consideration
of the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559) at its next
executive business meeting. The meeting may be held as soon as May 10,
with consideration of the treaty itself by the Foreign Relations
Committee to follow very shortly thereafter. Ahead of these votes, we
have been encouraged to urge senators to cosponsor the bill. Please call
both of your US senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 2559, the Marrakesh
Treaty Implementation Act, which will put more accessible books in the
hands of blind Americans at home and abroad. You can reach your senate
offices by calling the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.<br>
<br>
Fraudulent Requests for Membership Lists: <br>
We have been notified by several state presidents that they have received
requests for membership lists for the purposes of updating a member
directory. Some of these requests have come from
<a href="mailto:alfredsmithuk@gmail.com">alfredsmithuk@gmail.com</a>.
When reviewing any such request, please keep in mind the following: valid
requests from the national organization for membership information will
only be sent from an nfb.org email address; such requests will contain
the full signature of the requesting staff member (including name, job
title, contact information, and NFB logo and social media icons); and
these requests will specifically cite the Connections database. If you
have any questions about the validity of a request for membership or
other generally protected information, please don’t hesitate to contact
me for clarification.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
Blog Post:<br>
The National Federation of the Blind engages in strategic legal action to
defend the rights and advance the equality of blind people. While we do
not have the financial resources to assist every blind individual who
experiences discrimination, we help individuals bring legal action where
we believe that the result is likely to be important systemic change.
Please take a moment to read
<a href="https://nfb.org/blog/article/3546">my blog post</a> about a case
we have brought against one of the largest school systems in our country
to defend the rights of a blind employee and force the system to procure
accessible technology so that blind staff, faculty, and students will be
treated equally.<br>
<br>
April Podcast:<br>
The April podcast,
“<a href="https://nfb.org/nations-blind/nations-blind-podcast-episode-25-april-2018">
Technology and Its Role in Living the Lives We Want</a>,” is now
available.<br>
<br>
<i>Here & Now</i>:<br>
I was interviewed recently for <i>Here & Now</i>, a nationally
syndicated radio show. The interview is available at
<a href="http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/04/26/blind-people-apps-technology">
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/04/26/blind-people-apps-technology</a>
. <br>
<br>
Membership Chairpersons:<br>
During the presidents' meeting prior to Washington Seminar we discussed
the need to appoint a membership chairperson for each affiliate. This is
to request that affiliate presidents make this appointment no later than
May 15. The person you appoint should be passionate about and committed
to growing our membership locally and within our national organization.
The membership chair will be the point of contact for the membership
committee and, along with you as affiliate president, be responsible for
the growth of your affiliate. Please make sure that you have had a
conversation with the person you appoint before doing so. And once the
appointment has been made, send the following contact information to
<a href="mailto:membership@nfb.org">membership@nfb.org</a>: affiliate,
name, email address, and best contact phone number.<br>
<br>
BELL Volunteer Background Checks:<br>
I have authorized use of the national office's Verified Volunteers
account for the NFB BELL Academy background checks. State coordinators
should send the volunteers' names and email addresses to
<a href="https://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=10929&qid=2229542">
BELL@nfb.org</a>. We will enter their information into the system, and
each volunteer will receive an email with instructions and a link to
login where they will enter their personal information. Once the
background search has been completed, we will make sure to get the
information to the coordinator for review and decision making. We will
then invoice the states the costs of the background check; most reports
are $23 a person. <br>
<br>
Medicare Information to Be Accessible:<br>
The National Federation of the Blind and three blind individuals have
reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Health and Human
Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The
settlement resolves the allegation brought forth in a 2016 lawsuit that
CMS discriminated against blind and low-vision beneficiaries by failing
to provide meaningful and equal access to Medicare information. The full
press release is available at
<a href="https://nfb.org/medicare-information-become-accessible-blind-beneficiaries">
https://nfb.org/medicare-information-become-accessible-blind-beneficiaries</a>
. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
<ul>
<li>May 31, 2018: Deadline for
<a href="https://convention.nfb.org/">preregistration for 2018 National
Convention</a>
<li>July 3-8, 2018: <a href="https://nfb.org/convention">National
Federation of the Blind National Convention</a>, Orlando, Florida
<li>July 29-August 4, 2018:
<a href="http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq">NFB EQ</a>
</ul> <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:7.1.0.9.2.20180503203501.05672450@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:7.1.0.9.2.20180503203501.05672450@visi.com.5" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180503203501.05672450@visi.com.6" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180503203501.05672450@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>
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