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<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>
Fellow Federationists:<br>
<br>
I hope this message finds you doing well. I want to note that this is a
relatively short notebook but the primary item in it is of top
importance. Note the deadline of later today. <br>
<br>
Congratulations need to go to Greg Aikens (Georgia) and Kevin Whitley
(Alaska) who recently transitioned out of the presidencies of their
respective affiliates. Thank you for your work and for your continued
commitment to the Federation through your active participation and
unwavering support of new leaders. Welcome Dorothy Griffin to the
president's chair in Georgia and Bonnie Lucas to the president's chair in
Alaska.<br>
<br>
You have heard me mention previously that we are going to send a letter
to each of the Major League Baseball teams regarding our work with the
Orioles. We have now sent that letter and we have copied the text of the
letter below in this email for your information. If we hear from the
team(s) in your affiliate we will let you know as the goal is to work
closely to put the affiliate out front in the relationship. If you would
like a copy of the letter that you can share with contacts you may
already have with one of the teams, please reach out to Beth Braun at
<a href="mailto:bbraun@nfb.org">bbraun@nfb.org</a>.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
Lyft - Your Immediate Attention to GOTV (Get Out the Vote):<br>
The time is now for you to plan and act if you want your affiliate to
take advantage of our partnership with Lyft to assist people in getting
to the polls on Election Day and early voting. We have only had five
affiliates request to be included in the Lyft-NFB Election Day
partnership. If you want your affiliate added to the list, you need to
immediately send an email to Julie McGinnity, NFB program assistant, at
<a href="mailto:jmcginnity@nfb.org">jmcginnity@nfb.org</a> providing name
and contact information for the individual that will be managing the
codes on behalf of the affiliate, and giving a brief description of your
plan to distribute the codes. Remember, the goal is to identify and
support blind people who do not have easy access to the polls. Please
include how many codes you believe you could use with your plan, assuming
that each promotional code might be valued at up to $15. Affiliates
should be prepared to promote the project in social media and be prepared
to report the outcomes of the program. <br>
<br>
<b>**If your email is not received by midnight eastern time tonight, we
will assume your affiliate has no interest in participating and we will
not include you in the Election Day program.**<br>
</b> <br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
Promoting the Local Affiliate with National Leaders: <br>
I wanted to share this link to a quick piece that was put together by the
NPR affiliate in Buffalo this weekend. One person made a call to the
local NPR station and pitched what a unique opportunity it would be for
them to interview me since I was in Buffalo for the state convention. It
resulted in an audio interview and this written piece, showing how a
little bit of outreach can get us some exposure. Utilize the talent of
national leaders coming to your affiliate for opportunities like this.
<a href="http://news.wbfo.org/post/national-federation-blind-adding-outreach-center-buffalo">
http://news.wbfo.org/post/national-federation-blind-adding-outreach-center-buffalo</a>
<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://nfb.org/state-conventions">Fall conventions</a>
</ul><br>
<h2><b><a name="_Hlk523813585"></a>
· November 1, 2018: NFB
scholarship application period begins</b></h2><br><br>
<br>
<h2><b>· November 15,
2018: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application period begins</b></h2><br><br>
<ul>
<li>January 28, 2019: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
<li>March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
<li>June 16-22, 2019: NFB EQ, Baltimore, Maryland
<li>July 7-12, 2019: <a href="https://nfb.org/convention/2019">NFB
National Convention</a>, Las Vegas, Nevada
</ul> <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, 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="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/nfblogo.png" width=210 height=76 alt="National Federation of the Blind">
</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">
<img src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/facebook.png" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/twitter.png" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/youtube.png" 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>
Dear Major League Baseball Franchise:<br>
As president of the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind
people, and a longtime baseball fan, I am writing to propose an exciting
opportunity for your club to partner with the National Federation of the
Blind (NFB) in the tradition of public and community service that has
always been a part of Major League Baseball. As you may be aware, we have
recently partnered with the Baltimore Orioles for a first-of-its kind
game-night event highlighting the National Federation of the Blind, the
Braille reading and writing system that is used by blind people all over
the world, and the capacity of blind sports fans everywhere to live the
lives we want. Our work with the Orioles was significant in raising
public awareness and for outreach to fans with disabilities, and we
believe it can serve as a model for programs all over Major League
Baseball.<br>
In their game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 18, Orioles
players and coaches wore specially-designed jerseys with Braille
lettering of both “Orioles” and each player’s last name, becoming
the first team in American professional sports history to incorporate
Braille lettering into their gameday uniforms. The jerseys were then
autographed, authenticated, and auctioned to benefit the National
Federation of the Blind. In addition, NFB members handed out cards
featuring the Braille alphabet and a Braille message for fans to decode,
co-branded with the NFB and Baltimore Orioles logos. I also had the honor
of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the game.<br>
While our event with the Orioles was tied to the fortieth anniversary of
the National Federation of the Blind establishing our national
headquarters in Baltimore, there are opportunities that we could
highlight locally through a partnership with your club during a similar
event in 2019. The National Federation of the Blind has a local chapter
in your community. That chapter, in turn, is part of our statewide
affiliate in the state where your club is based. Partnering with our
chapter and affiliate for a gameday event would connect your club with
its blind fans, support local programs to teach blind children Braille
and other skills, and foster greater understanding between blind and
sighted fans, leading to more opportunities for blind people in the area
your club serves. One of the great programs we could highlight is the
largest Braille instruction program in the countrythe NFB’s Braille
Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academy. We are prepared to
support the engagement with our local chapter and affiliate through our
national communications staff who coordinated the night with the
Orioles.<br>
Both the National Federation of the Blind and the Baltimore Orioles are
delighted with the positive reaction to this event in Baltimore and
beyond. NFB members were able to share our love of baseball, our
commitment to Braille literacy, and our positive outlook on blindness
with the Orioles fan community. The Orioles demonstrated a spirit of
inclusion by partnering with our blind members in an authentic way. Both
organizations feel that the event has, in short, been a grand slam.<br>
I will be happy to discuss how we can work together at your earliest
convenience. I am also enclosing a list of news clips and articles that
have been generated by our event with the Orioles, as well as one of the
co-branded Braille alphabet cards and some photographs from the event. I
sincerely hope that we will be working with your club in the coming
baseball season. Feel free to reach out to me at
<a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a> or 410-659-9314.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
Mark A. Riccobono, President<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br>
<br>
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