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<h1><b><a name="OLE_LINK9"></a>President's
Notebook</b></h1><a name="OLE_LINK9"></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>
If you are like me, you are probably wondering how it got to be the
twenty-first of May. I was considering how many things we currently have
going on and the progress we are making as an organization. It is truly
impressive and the work that each of you undertakes at the local level is
critical to our success. Thank you for your continued response to our
calls for action to move our legislative priorities. We will have many
things to celebrate at the convention.<br>
<br>
All recipients of the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarships have been notified.
Please encourage your members to take advantage of the preregistration,
which is open for another week. You will be receiving information in a
future notebook about some new supports we are putting in place for
individuals who might be stressed by the convention experience or who
might encounter difficult situations like harassment. This is in line
with the expectations of our code of conduct and our efforts to make sure
that our gatherings meet the expectations we have for a welcoming,
professional, and fun place to learn, grow, and work together. Speaking
of fun, I think our host committee has an interesting announcement coming
later this week.<br>
<br>
We are getting ready to test drive our text communication system that
some of you requested during our meeting in January. If we have not heard
from you, we have assumed you are not interested in receiving updates and
alerts in that form. I anticipate that we will send out our first text
blast in the next two weeks. This system should be helpful to have during
our national convention and beyond. Please recognize that we will want
feedback as we roll this out to make sure it is most useful to our
leaders. <br>
<br>
I continue to receive feedback that the notebook is a helpful
communication tool. We have been working hard to streamline information
so that it appears in the notebook to minimize the number of
informational alerts you receive. If you have feedback on tools we might
use to put information in front of you, please let me know. Our affiliate
presidents get hit with a lot of information and it is my goal to make
the communication channels as easy as possible to track.<br>
<br>
Let me pause to note that on Friday I am celebrating the sixteenth
anniversary of my marriage to Melissa. I know that many of you are
already aware of the tremendous heart, spirit, and time she puts into our
movement. I wish to publicly acknowledge her work and all of the things
she does behind the scenes to make it practical for us to do what we do.
I am blessed that she is my partner in life and in the responsibilities I
am honored to have as President of this organization. I know that many of
you are also supported in your work by great partners. I could not resist
sharing publicly my love and appreciation. Join us in lifting a toast on
Friday.<br>
<br>
Finally, although I am busy working on convention matters, I will be in
Canada next week for the meeting of the World Blind Union Executive
Committee and the North American Caribbean Regional meetings. If you need
to get at me, this week is preferable. I imagine that between meetings in
Canada, I will be locked away writing.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
Convention Announcements:<br>
Once again this year, we will have a place to post exhibit
hall/fundraising announcements so as not to overwhelm our members’
inboxes. Affiliates, divisions, exhibitors, and sponsors can post their
announcements via the submission form at
<a href="https://nfb.org/convention/exhibitannouncements">
https://nfb.org/convention/exhibitannouncements</a>. All posted
announcements will be displayed at
<a href="https://nfb.org/convention/exhibits">
https://nfb.org/convention/exhibits</a>. This will allow for filtering
based on the following categories: affiliate, division, exhibitor, or
sponsor.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
NOPBC Seeking Recommendations for Parent Leadership Program (PLP):<br>
If you have a recommendation for the PLP to be held at our national
convention, please send them to Carol Castellano at
<a href="mailto:carol_castellano@verizon.net">
carol_castellano@verizon.net</a> or 973-377-0976. To participate in PLP,
parents will need to arrive in Orlando by Monday, July 2, so that they
can attend the NOPBC seminar on Tuesday, July 3, along with special PLP
meetings, mentor matches, and other NOPBC and NFB events throughout the
week. <br>
<br>
About the PLP: Since 2006, the PLP has been empowering parents with the
critical leadership and advocacy skills to build a strong state division
of the NOPBC through special workshops and training sessions, mentoring,
phone conferences, and opportunities to meet key Federation leaders and
see the Federation in action. Our main events take place at the NFB
National Convention and the Washington Seminar.<br>
<br>
KNFB 3.0 for iOS Devices Launched:<br>
Last week, version 3.0 of the KNFB App for iOS devices was released
through the Apple Store. <a href="https://knfbreader.com/">KNFB Reader
3.0</a> now reads ebooks and documents in the ePub format, as well as
PDFs. This makes it ideal for students and professionals who must read
content in multiple formats from multiple sources. The app is also
customizable, so that people with different reading needs can tailor its
settings to meet those needs. The app is now able to recognize and read
documents in over thirty languages.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Reminders:</b></h2><br><br>
Legislative Reminder:<br>
Please continue to call your senators and urge them to cosponsor S. 116,
and also urge them to include the language of the bill in the National
Defense Authorization Act. You can reach your senator by calling the
Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for the office in
question. <br>
<br>
Thanks to Jon Tester of Montana, Christopher Coons of Delaware, Gary
Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Bill Nelson of
Florida for cosponsoring the bill. Special thanks go to Dean Heller of
Nevada for being the sponsor of the bill.<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>
<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:7.1.0.9.2.20180521212015.007374d8@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:7.1.0.9.2.20180521212015.007374d8@visi.com.5" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180521212015.007374d8@visi.com.6" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180521212015.007374d8@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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