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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>
Dear Fellow Federationists,<br>
<br>
As we come into the final quarter of the year, there are many reasons to
be excited about the opportunities ahead for the National Federation of
the Blind. If you read nothing else below, please observe the
announcement in the critical section as it finally reveals what we have
been waiting to tell you all for a number of months. Our exciting work
with Mattel will put the name of the National Federation of the Blind on
store shelves across the world, and we all will benefit from the
increased promotion of Braille and name recognition.<br>
<br>
Since it is now October, you can expect a Presidential Release to be
available on Friday. As always, the goal is for it to be available before
the first Saturday of the month. Please be sure your chapters continue to
share this resource. I continue to welcome feedback from you about how to
make this communication tool stronger for our chapters.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
National Federation of the Blind and Mattel Games Introduce UNO® Braille
Today!:<br>
The National Federation of the Blind partnered with Mattel Games to
launch UNO Braille, the first official UNO® card deck featuring Braille.
UNO is globally the number one card game by Mattel. UNO Braille features
Braille on the corner of each playing card to indicate the card’s color
and number or action. UNO Braille is doing more than making this beloved
game more accessible. It’s also helping promote the importance and
normalcy of Braille by putting it in places people might not expect and
integrating it into the play of blind children. It will be available
through Target, online beginning today and in stores in the next week or
so. More information is available in
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/uno-introduces-first-official-braille-deck">
our press release</a>. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
#LetUsPlayUs Update: <br>
Earlier this year we protested the CW regarding their new show <i>In The
Dark</i> for casting a sighted actor to play the lead role of blind
character. This led to a
<a href="https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2019-resolutions#14">
resolution that was passed at the 2019 National Convention</a>. <br>
<br>
This week the popular show <i>This Is Us</i> on NBC has cast a blind
actor as a significant blind character. Not only is the actor blind, the
storyline shows a blind person living the life he wants; blindness does
not hold him back. <br>
<br>
While we don’t have a direct correlation that the protest influenced
the show, we do know the casting happened after the initial run of
#LetUsPlayUs and that we have provided consultation to <i>This Is Us</i>.
We strive to encourage more opportunities for blind actors throughout all
sectors of the entertainment industry. Thank you for your part in
supporting these efforts. <br>
<br>
Legislative Update:<br>
Our three-week Congressional blitz has come to an end. Both chambers of
Congress will be off for the next two weeks until Tuesday, October 15.
We’ve seen the influx of emails that John Paré has been copied on, and
we know that many phone calls were made as well. We cannot stress enough
how much your efforts really do make a difference. To date, the status of
our current legislation is as follows:<br>
<br>
Access Technology Affordability Act<br>
House – H.R. 2086 – 32 cosponsors<br>
> Senate – S. 815 – 14 cosponsors<br>
> <br>
Transformation to Competitive Employment Act<br>
House – H.R. 873 – 52 cosponsors<br>
> Senate – S. 260 – 7 cosponsors<br>
> <br>
Greater Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology
Act<br>
House – H.R. 3929 – 4 cosponsors<br>
> <br>
Once this two-week break ends on October 15, Congress will effectively be
in session until the last week of November. We need to make another
strong showing of support for our legislation to garner as many
cosponsors as possible. A more detailed legislative alert is in the works
and will be sent out in the next few days.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
<ul>
<li>October 1, 2019: First day of Meet the Blind month
<li>February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
<li>March 26-27, 2020: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, Baltimore,
Maryland
<li>April 14-17, 2020: <a href="http://www.blindmerchants.org">NABM
BLAST</a>; Chicago, Illinois
<li>June 30-July 5, 2020: NFB National Convention, Houston, Texas
</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, 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>
<br><br>
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