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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>
Here we are, it is June, and the national convention is right in front of
us. There has been quite a bit going on since the last notebook so I urge
you to examine the items below closely. <br>
<br>
Here are a few things in no particular order:
<ul>
<li>The convention agenda will be out soon. There was a bit of
last-minute shuffling as our agenda gets more complex every year. The
agenda for this year’s convention is top notch.
<li>As you know, we have been attempting to talk with the Association for
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)
regarding their rebranding of the National Accreditation Council. In May,
I finally heard from their executive director—long past the promised
January meeting time. We have now had a series of letters go back and
forth. I regret to say that instead of a real in-person conversation, we
were offered a token seat in the accreditation meetings, which have now
been happening for a number of months. I invited AER to speak at our
convention, but that offer was also turned down. This means that we will
need to discuss this matter at our national convention and decide what
direction we wish to take.
<li>We had a great Dot Dash on June 3 (Dr. Maurer’s birthday, by the
way). A big thanks to the support of our Maryland, Virginia, and New
Jersey affiliates that turned out Federation teams for the race. New
Jersey gets an extra high five for entering the biggest team overall.
<li>We will be conducting some focus groups at the convention regarding
strategic priorities for our organization. Please watch for information
about those and be considering individuals you might recommend who could
offer a variety of perspectives to those small-group,
information-gathering sessions.
<li>There is quite a bit of news below so read closely. I call your
attention to the convention assistance piece.
</ul> <br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
Assistance to Convention Attendees:<br>
As you know, convention is both an exciting and busy time for all of us.
For some of our members and new attendees it can also be overwhelming and
potentially, anxiety provoking. In order to assist convention attendees
who may be experiencing feelings of anxiety or of being overwhelmed,
several measures have been put in place for this year’s convention. We
need your help in making sure that convention attendees who are feeling
this way do not fall through the cracks as this is a super busy time for
everyone. To that end, please make sure to put the following into your
affiliate action plan for convention:<br><br>
1. Please make sure that everyone you
know of who is attending convention from your affiliate knows how to get
in touch with you and with other leaders from your affiliate. <br><br>
2. If you are contacted by someone
feeling anxious or obviously overwhelmed, try to help from your end
first. Let them know that it is quite normal to feel this way and that
they will be okay. Taking time to speak in person, in a quiet place
usually helps. Please do so, if at all possible. <br><br>
3. The Hospitality Suite is a good
place for someone to take a break and wind down a bit. There will be
someone on hand to help those in mild distress or in need of a quiet
place during the hours that the Hospitality Suite is open. Encourage
attendees to contact you or another leader within your affiliate if they
need your help. <br><br>
4. If you feel that you are not
equipped to help, for those who are experiencing moderate to severe
anxiety, please contact this number to seek assistance for the person
experiencing distress: 443-457-3401. A mental health professional will
answer the line and will help develop a plan of action with you.
<br><br>
5. If there are reports of harassment
of any kind or of events that need to be reported such as unwanted sexual
advances or physical violence from anyone attending our convention,
please stay with the person who has confided in you and immediately call
443-457-3401 for assistance.<br>
<br>
Your help in making certain that everyone attending our convention is
safe and that any issues are handled appropriately is greatly
appreciated. While we don’t expect for issues to arise, we want to be
prepared in case they do. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
National Scholarship Finalists:<br>
Below is the list of national scholarship finalists, listed with their
state of residence and their career goals. The scholarship winners will
be announced at the banquet on Sunday, July 8.
<ul>
<li>Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa, VA: Diplomat
<li>Alexandra Alfonso, DC: Music, Education, and Pre-law
<li>Tasnim Alshuli, AZ: Professor
<li>Millad Bokhouri, PA: Medical program designer
<li>Tyron Bratcher, MD: Rehabilitation counselor
<li>Chrys Buckley, OR: Physician
<li>Ozgul Calicioglu, PA: Environmental sustainability specialist
<li>Olivia Charland, MA: Conservation biologist
<li>Purvi Contractor, TX: Aerospace
<li>Kenia Flores, NC: Civil rights attorney
<li>John Harrison, WI: Advocate
<li>Eric Harvey, CA: Near East cultural specialist
<li>Justin Heard, GA: Teacher
<li>J.D. Humphrey, MI: Ethnomedicine
<li>Trisha Kulkarni, OH: Software engineer
<li>Amanda Lannan, FL: Teacher education
<li>Shane Lowe, KY: Cyber security and business administration
<li>Seth Lowman, ID: Sound design and music production
<li>Sara Mornis, VT: Writing and psychology
<li>Connor Mullin, NJ: Cane travel instructor
<li>Sara Patnaude, VA: Victim’s advocate
<li>Menuka Rai, ND: Physical therapist
<li>Elizabeth Rouse, IA: Attorney
<li>Yasmine Marie Sarraf, AZ: Forensic scientist
<li>Caitlin Sarubbi, NY: Physician
<li>Rilee Sloan, OK: Attorney
<li>Harry Staley, Jr., TX: Autonomous vehicle development
<li>Matt Turner, ID: Economics and technology
<li>Cathy Tuton, OK: Dietician
<li>Paige Young, ME: Business administration
</ul> <br>
Marrakesh Treaty:<br>
The Foreign Relations Committee of the United States Senate voted
unanimously late in May in favor of advancing the Marrakesh Treaty to the
full Senate for its advice and consent.<br>
<br>
Space Available:<br>
The Senate Armed Services Committee released the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 on Wednesday, June 6, and
our Space Available language was included. This means that language
authorizing veterans with a service-connected permanent disability rated
as total to participate in the Space Available program was in the House
version of the bill that passed on May 24, 2018, and is in the proposed
version of the Senate bill. The Senate is currently debating their
version of the bill, and we expect that they will vote on it soon. We
will continue to closely monitor any and all amendments to ensure that
there are no changes to this provision. <br>
<br>
BECU Agreement:<br>
We have reached an agreement with the Boeing Employees’ Credit Union
(BECU). As a part of this agreement, BECU will work in collaboration with
us to make its website and mobile banking app fully accessible to blind
customers. The website accessibility is expected to be completed by March
31, 2019. Improvements to the mobile app will begin this summer and will
be completed by May 31, 2019. More information is available in
<a href="https://nfb.org/blind-will-soon-be-able-bank-becu-through-mobile-and-online-banking">
the full NFB press release</a>. <br>
<br>
Lawsuit against US Department of Education:<br>
We, along with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have filed a
lawsuit against the US Department of Education over new procedures that
allow its Office for Civil Rights to dismiss complaints that it
determines to be burdensome or a drain on the department’s resources.
Earlier this year the department changed its case-handling manual to
allow the department to dismiss complaints if they represent a pattern of
complaints or if they are filed against multiple recipients. The lawsuit
is addressed in a segment (starting at 11:09) on the online news series,
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jIfYh4Q8dU">The News with Dan
Rather</a>. <br>
<br>
Convention Welcome Concert:<br>
Allan Pineda Lindo, best known as apl.de.ap from The Black Eyed Peas,
will perform live at the welcome concert scheduled to take place July 6,
at 7:00 p.m., at the Rosen Shingle Creek. More information will be listed
in the convention agenda. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Action Item:</b></h2><br><br>
Feedback Needed: <br>
We would like your feedback. Our
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O41xcFDMCZk">supporter thank you
video</a> was designed so that our affiliates could use it to talk about
our programs or to thank our supporters and volunteers. We are
considering another video this year. Toward that end, we would like to
know which affiliates have used the video and for what purposes. Are
there things that you think could be improved or should be included? Are
there affiliates who were not aware of this resource? Please email Patti
Chang at <a href="mailto:pchang@nfb.org">pchang@nfb.org</a> with your
comments. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Reminders:</b></h2><br><br>
<br>
<h2><b>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.</b></h2><br>
<br><br>
<h2><b> </b></h2><br><br>
<br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
<ul>
<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:7.1.0.9.2.20180608215244.007364e0@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:7.1.0.9.2.20180608215244.007364e0@visi.com.5" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180608215244.007364e0@visi.com.6" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20180608215244.007364e0@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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