[nabs-l] NABS Notes October 2015

[Hindley Williams]

Fellow Federationists,
Below and attached, you will find the NABS Notes for the month of
October. This edition features several upcoming NABS events, as well
as a variety of state updates. If you have any questions or
suggestions regarding the NABS Notes, please feel free to reach out to
me at hbwilliams16 at gmail.com. Happy reading!
All Best,
Hindley

NABS Notes October 2015

The National Association of Blind Students --
A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind.

In this edition of NABS’ monthly bulletin:

1.	Last Chance to Join the 2015 Legislative Leadership Workshop
2.	October Membership call: Meet the NABS Board
3.	State Updates
4.	NABS Board Meeting Minutes for October

Last Chance to Join the 2015 Legislative Leadership Workshop

Are you passionate about shaping the future for blind students through
legislative initiatives? Are you interested in advocacy, but don't
know how to get started?
If so, join the National Association of Blind Students and the
National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut for an empowering and
interactive legislative workshop!

WHO: Any students who have an interest in legislative action.  Both
experts and novices are welcome and will benefit from this exciting
workshop.
WHAT: An afternoon of interactive breakouts, moderated discussions and
informative presentations that will provide you with the skills and
know-how that will prepare you to improve accessibility of technology
and educational opportunities for the blind by passing laws in
Congress.
WHEN: Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Holiday Inn, 35 Governor Winthrop Blvd. New London, CT 06320

Interested? Act now! Space is limited, and the NFB of CT has
graciously volunteered to cover the cost of registration, lunch and
banquet dinner on the day of the event for the first 20 registrants.
Hurry up and register today:
http://goo.gl/forms/HLd0DC6RWF
Have questions? Get answers!
Email Sean Whalen at nabs.president at gmail.com or call 262 309-1034.

We hope to see you in Connecticut in November. Let’s build up
legislative leaders and build a brighter future for blind students
across America!

October Membership Call: Meet the NABS Board

Have you been wanting to know more about this year’s NABS Board?
Wondering what new and exciting things NABS is doing? Well, wait no
longer! Join the Membership Committee for its October Membership
Call! We will be introducing the members of our board and updating
you on the new structure of our committees and what each of them will
be doing this year!

Please join us Sunday, October 25th at 7 p.m. eastern for this month's
membership call. Use phone number 605-475-6700 and use code: 7869673.
As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach
out to Candice Chapman, membership committee chair at
chapman.candicel at gmail.com.

State Updates

All announcements are printed below as they were received from their senders.

Arizona:
Greetings from the Arizona students association! Here in the valley of
the sun we are all thankful for the October month because with it
comes a slight weather change!!!
 This year our students division is hard at work planning for a state
wide seminar we would like to host. During this seminar we plan to
conduct presentations on blindness, recruit new members, and out reach
with the general public. It is our goal to not only increase our
student involvement but also increase the knowledge of the general
public regarding blindness. We all understand that we are capable of
living the lives we want through hope, love, and determination, but
there are some people who do not know this fact so we are hard at work
spreading the word that here in Arizona, blindness is not what defines
us!
 We are looking forward to this year and all the impact we will make
either through the recruitment of new members or social awareness of
blindness. Have a great October and awesome Halloween from all of us
in AABS!!!

California:
My my how time does fly! The NFB of California State Convention is
less than two weeks away. We will gather in Newark, CA at the
Doubletree hotel on Thursday, October 29, and our convention will run
through Sunday, November 1. There will be much excitement, including a
CABS pizza social immediately followed by our annual business meeting,
entitled Feeling the Power! We even have something for your sweet
tooth, as we will be selling high quality chocolates from Trader Joes
and Whole Foods. So come join us, meet new people, be inspired, and
let's Feel the Power!

Colorado:
CABS just held a student leadership seminar on September 26th, 2015.
We educated students from all corners of Colorado about advocating and
succeeding in college.  Presenters spoke about rehabilitation services
for blind college students and financial aid as well as other positive
topics.  We are now getting ready for our student meeting which will
be held on Saturday October 31st at the Colorado State convention.  We
have some exciting fund raising planned for the convention.  One of
them includes selling hand made key chains.  There is a handful of the
key chains that say in braille the NFB's quote: "Live the life you
want." Mark Riccobono is our National Representative for convention.
We will have more updates after the Colorado State convention. Thanks!

Connecticut:
The Connecticut Association of Blind Students (CTABS) will hold its
fourth annual business meeting, including elections, on Saturday,
November 7, as part of the National Federation of the Blind of
Connecticut State Convention, at which we will continue our snack pack
fundraiser. We are proud that a graduate of the summer program at
BLIND, Inc., has recently joined our division: until that point, the
Louisiana Center for the Blind was the only one represented in our
entire state affiliate. Our membership continues to grow as, together,
with love, hope, and determination, we are transforming dreams into
reality.

Georgia:
GABS held our state convention from October 9-11. On Friday night, the
Gems program, a mentoring program composed of students,  hosted a
pizza dinner. Afterword, we had a card game fundraiser. The next day
at our business meeting, we spoke about vocational rehabilitation,
scholarships, stenography, heard from our NABS rep Hindley Williams,
and more. Elections were held, voting in Justin Heard as president,
Joseph Pier-louis as vice-president, Nautica Whitehead as secretary,
Jackson Schwoble as treasurer, and Ernic Eyma as a board member. We
look forward to the year to come.

Illinois:
Our state convention will be held from October 30-November 1. There
will be lots of fun things going on including IABS Idol, a costume
contest, and a student lunch where our NABS rep Candice Chapman will
present.

Kansas:
Fellow students, I am writing to share with you some exciting updates
in our lovely state of Kansas. We are proud to announce that the NFB
of Kansas has recently established a student division, and we are
delighted to finally join our big family. We are working hard on
recruitment, and hopefully soon we will bring in many more people to
build the federation together. During this month we elected the board,
voting in Anya Avramenko as president, Alosha Moore as vice president,
Ashley Neybert as secretary, and Pavan Chelikani as treasurer. We are
rapidly approaching the time of our state convention, which will take
place in Wichita, Kansas on November 20 through 22nd. We are very
excited about this event because it will be our first convention where
the members of our newly-formed student division will have a chance to
get together to brainstorm ideas and to create a plan for our future
activities and projects. We have invited our national liaison from
NABS, Hindley Williams, who will help us generate ideas about making
our student division active and successful. We might be able to stream
our convention online, and everyone is invited to virtually join and
enjoy our great convention with us. Later we will be posting the
information about the means through which the streaming will be
available. Anybody who would like to come and participate is also
welcome!
We are very excited that, despite all the challenges, we were still
able to create the student division in Kansas, and we greatly
anticipate collaborative work with NABS in the future. All the members
of Kansas student division are very involved, dedicated, and
enthusiastic, and I am looking forward to working with them on
building the lives we want.
For any questions, comments, or suggestions, please reach the
president Anya Avramenko at: (720)499-4730, or via e-mail at:
annita.co.usa at gmail.com
Or vice president Alosha Moore at (316)312-3454 or via e-mail at:
aloshamoore at gmail.com

Maryland:
The 49th convention of the NFB of Maryland is just around the corner,
and the Maryland Association of Blind Students is hard at work
planning a variety of activities which will empower you to live the
life you want as a blind student. The focal point of our activities
will be our annual business meeting, which will take place on Friday,
November 13 from 2:00-4:00 PM. We have a jam-packed agenda planned,
including a presentation from a blind chemistry professor who shows
that blindness need not hold you back from participating in
college-level science classes, inspiring remarks from our affiliate
President about how students serve as a valuable part of our movement,
an informational presentation on the ABLE Act and how it can benefit
you as a blind student, a panel of college students who share their
firsthand perspectives on the college experience, and much more. Also,
we are planning a fun and inspiring luncheon just for students on
Saturday afternoon, featuring an opportunity to get to know our
members and leaders, a keynote address by our national representative,
Jeanie Massay, and—oh yes—pizza! This will be a convention you will
not want to miss! Join us November 13-15 at the Carousel Hotel in
beautiful Ocean City as we learn together how the Maryland Association
of Blind Students is transforming dreams into reality!

Massachusetts:
MASSABS hosted our fall student meeting on Saturday October 17 at
Harvard Law School. We had around 20 people in attendance including
three newbies. We are also beginning to plan our state convention
agenda for February 2016 in Boston.

Michigan:
The Michigan Association of Blind Students is busy planning for a weekend of
federation fun, food, and friendship to take place during our state
convention on November 6 - 8, 2015 in Lansing, Michigan. The festivities
kick off on Friday evening with a student dinner followed by ice breaker
games. The activities continue On Saturday with a business meeting during
the convention lunch break where we will hear from our national
Representative, Kevan Worley, along with electing new members to our board.
We will also be holding a raffle fundraiser with three fabulous prizes. For
more information on how you can get involved with these fun activities,
please contact MABS President, Jordyn Castor, at students at nfbmi.org

Minnesota:
The Minnesota Association of Blind Students has a new board! The new
officers are as follows:
President: Cody Beardslee
1st Vice President: Jessica Katzung
2nd Vice President: Megan Bening
Secretary: Quinn Haberl
Treasurer: Candice Chapman
I am excited to be working with the new Board! We look forward to
keeping you posted with all of our news and events!
-Candice Chapman

North Carolina:
Hello and Happy Halloween from the students of the North Carolina
Association of Blind Students, better known as NCABS!!!The focus of
our conference call this month was to lay out the goals for NCABS over
the next year. Five committees were appointed to help us reach our
goals and continue to make NCABS better and better. The Event Planning
Committee will be planning events for blind students across the state.
The Fundraising Committee will be creating ways for us to raise money
and help fund the movement. Our Legislative Committee will be
advocating for equal access legislation. We will be spreading the word
about NCANS and the NFB through our Media and Publicity Committee. And
last, but not least, our Membership Committee will be using creative
and strategic methods to increase the number of people participating
in our great organizations. So as you see, NCABS has a lot planned for
the next year and with our dedicated members we are sure to reach them
all. Please stay tuned for more NCABS updates, and spread the word
about us to any blind students you know in our great state!

Pennsylvania:
The Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students is gearing up for what
is sure to be a memorable state convention! Our state convention will
be taking place from November 13-15 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. We are
excited to have President Mark Riccobono at our convention as the
national rep. We are also excited for our student activities,
including a business meeting on Friday evening, and a fifty-fifty
raffle fundraiser. For any questions about how to attend our state
convention, please contact Hindley Williams at hbwilliams16 at gmail.com.

Texas:
Here in Texas, we are looking forward to our state convention to be
held in Austin on November 13-15. We have a jam packed business
meeting happening on Friday night in which elections will be held.
TABS will be selling snack packs and breakfast tacos during the
convention. These snack packs are filled with tons of goodies and are
worth their $5.00. We will be having a lunch for students on Saturday
afternoon. As usual, our convention promises to be filled with fun,
food, and federation friends and family.

Virginia:
We are 2 weeks away from what will be an amazing convention!!
Convention will be held at Tyson's Corner in Falls Church, VA. We have
a great youth track planned which will involve a halloween themed meet
and greet on Friday evening where students will meet other students
and mentors and participate in icebreakers. In addition students will
have a travel excursion to the Metro and will have a seminar lead by
one of our great leaders in the Federation, Dr. Fred Schroeder.
Saturday afternoon, the student division will conduct our annual
business meeting, which will include elections. It will be an exciting
time as new leaders emerge. We are also planning to have two different
fundraisers during convention, one of which is a jailbreak fundraiser
borrowed from the North Carolina Association of Blind Students. The
other will be a bake sale at the exhibit hall. We are looking forward
to have a great time and welcoming Kathryn Webster, our NABS rep, to
Virginia.

October NABS Board Meeting Minutes

National Association of Blind Students

Board Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2015

Meeting called to order at 9:04 p.m.

Members Present:

Sean Whalen (President)
Candice Chapman (1st Vice President)
Bre Brown (2nd Vice President)
Kathryn Webster (Secretary/Treasurer)
Hindley Williams (Board Member 1)
Chris Nusbaum (Board member 3)

Treasurer’s Report:
Checking account: $4,848.82
Authorization needed for Hindley’s reimbursement and Candice’s agenda copies.
No outstanding checks.
We are going to handle Stitchville by sending Al Elia a check.

Committee Reports

Communications: Bre, Hindley, and Chris
NABS Notes: In need of state updates; due to Hindley Monday at
midnight. Email hbwilliams16 at gmail.com.
We will start incorporating our one-minute message in NABS Notes.
Social Media: Increasing followers and friends on Twitter and Facebook
(respectively.) Please join and share our event for the “2015
Legislative Leadership Workshop” that will take place during the 2015
Connecticut State Convention on Saturday, November 7.
Blog: BELL blog is coming.
Bre is working on scholarship page. Bre and Kathryn will begin
incorporating new links into our website to list scholarship
opportunities.

Fundraising: Kathryn
Please spread Gofundme (www.gofundme.com/blindstudents) to family,
friends, colleagues, different Facebook groups/pages.
Distribute funding packet to local businesses,
sororities/fraternities, Lions Clubs, Elks lodges, etc.
We are having a Chile’s fundraiser on October 21 in Ruston, LA.
We have an Applebee’s fundraiser in December.

Legislative: Sean and Kathryn
Legislative workshop: Registration is still open. The first 20
registrants will receive free registration, meals, and banquet dinner
for the CT State Convention courtesy of the CT Affiliate. You can find
the workshop registration link on our website. Please encourage your
states to register. If in need of transportation funding, reach out to
local chapters and affiliates.
Letter campaign: We are pushing for 250 by early to mid-December.
Please write one if you have not; and please encourage your states to
do the same.
College update: Progress at Arizona State University, Wake Forest
University, and Ramapo College

Membership: Candice
Interested in doing a “Meet the Board” conference call. This is
planned for Sunday, October 25 at 7 p.m. eastern. Let your states
know; and Candice will handle the blast through NABS-L and NFB Student
list.

Website: Kathryn
Please send state president updates to Kathryn as conventions happen.

State Updates
Minnesota: new Board; new president; excited for the upcoming year;
Candice was in attendance.
Georgia: Went really well; Hindley was the NABS Rep. Good fundraisers
Maryland: Convention November 13-15; Chris would love for board members to come
Michigan: Candice will handle it if it’s either Friday evening or Saturday
Colorado: We will not be sending a NABS Rep since it is two weeks
away, but we will hopefully appear through Skype.
Note: NABS Reps should be in contact with the National Rep prior to Convention.

Old Business:
Matching for Washington Seminar: We will be distributing the
application for student sponsorship very soon. Forms are due on
November 22 and decisions will be made on December 15. Please recruit
future leaders, current leaders, and your states. Funding will be
determined based on how much we raise by the deadline. Anil, Patti,
Kathryn, and Sean will be discussing further details this week.
Note: Dates are tentative for application and turn around.

New Business:
We will be putting our NFB logo on all social media accounts and website.
Creating a NABS Rep follow-up form for state presidents to fill out
after State Conventions.

Washington Seminar activities: Legislative training on Monday
afternoon potentially. Instead of our Resource Fair, we could
distribute a resource packet.
We will be in contact with President Riccobono on his thoughts, since
there is a legislative training already held each year.
Fundraising during Washington Seminar: NABS Auction on Monday or
Tuesday? Will be decided at next meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 10:13 p.m.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions,
concerns or suggestions. The NABS Board works for you, and we want to
know how we’re doing! Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back in
November.

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.


-- 
Hindley Williams
hbwilliams16 at gmail.com
(443) 823-0867
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