[nabs-l] NABS Notes April 2016

[Hindley Williams]

Hello Fellow Federationists,
Attached, pasted below, and available at the following URL, you will
find the April edition of the NABS Notes. If you have any
feedback/suggestions regarding the Notes, feel free to contact me at
hbwilliams16 at gmail.com . There are lots of exciting updates this
month, including some great state updates as well as some
announcements about National Convention. Enjoy!
URL:
http://nabslink.org/content/nabs-notes-april-2016
And the text:

NABS Notes April 2016

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

In this edition of the NABS monthly bulletin:
1.	Must-Read! Self-Advocacy In Higher Education Toolkit
2.	Have You Registered for the 2016 NFB National Convention?
3.	Volunteering with NABS at National Convention
4.	State Updates
5.	April NABS Board Meeting Minutes

Must-Read! Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit

The NFB’s Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit can be found at
the following here:
https://nfb.org/self-advocacy-higher-education
This link will bring you to many options, including a Spanish version
of the text, as well as a feedback Web form through which you can
provide suggestions or give feedback on this toolkit.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact
Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org or by phone at (410) 659-9314,
extension 2440.


Have You Registered for the 2016 NFB National Convention?

National Convention is swiftly approaching! With only two months left
until the convention begins, make sure you pre-register and make your
room reservation. You will not want to miss the networking
opportunities and the exciting events that our annual convention
promises to provide.
For more information about how to pre-register, as well as Convention
location, please visit our site here:
https://nfb.org/convention


Volunteering With NABS at National Convention

Whether this is going to be your first Convention experience, or you
are a familiar face among us, we look forward to seeing you at all of
the various events that NABS has planned. Our annual NABS Social will
kick it all off, followed by our Business Meeting which will feature
informative and engaging presentations that you won’t want to miss.
And, right before the Convention week ends, come socialize and play
some fun card games with your fellow Federation family at Monte Carlo
Night! We will also be having an Exhibit Hall table, and details are
soon to follow on what you will find there. But, in order to make all
of this happen, NABS needs your help. From marshalling for these
events, to staffing the Monte Carlo Night, to volunteering at the
Exhibit Hall table, we want to work with you. If you have any initial
interest in volunteering with NABS at this year’s National Convention,
please email Bre Brown at bbrown at nfbtx.org  or Kathryn Webster at
kathrynwebster.nfb at gmail.com.
We look forward to working alongside you, and reconnecting and meeting
students from all across the country at this year’s Convention!

State Updates

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

Colorado:
The last month has brought with it some exciting events.  We had a
Leadership Seminar for our leaders to spend the day connecting with
state leaders and learning more about NFB history, and to work on
future planning with them as well.  We also had an informative student
seminar that allowed us to connect with a new student, and with the
new director of the Blind services at the Department of Vocational
Rehab here in CO.  The seminar was full of good discussion and has
resulted in the possibility to work more with TVI's in the future, in
addition to students.  We've decided to sell 5 hour energy shots at
the national convention.  So look for us after those late nights!  We
are all looking forward to summer and planning on visiting some
different chapters throughout the state to connect with more people
and talk to them about student issues.

Georgia:
We have enjoyed some growth and activity in our division. In March, we
had a student seminar, during which students were able to learn and
hear from affiliate leaders. Through this seminar, we were also able
to reach out to new people and organizations to make them aware of
this event, as well as our division. We will be raffling off a Kindle
Fire at this year’s National Convention, so make sure you stop by the
Georgia table in the Exhibit Hall and buy yourself a ticket! You do
not have to be present to win.

Kansas:
We are excited to announce that we are working hard on our recruitment
efforts, and they are paying off! Several weeks ago, we held an
informational session about our division at Wichita State. We worked
with the Disabilities Services Office at the school to help us
advertise the event, and we are thrilled to say that it was a success.
We are looking to do more events like this in the future at colleges
and universities across Kansas. We also will all gather as a division
to celebrate the end of another successful school year, and are hoping
to do so in May at a picnic that we are organizing.

Massachusetts:
Happy April from MASSABS! Here in Massachusetts, we just had our
spring student social on Saturday, April 16, and it was amazing! The
social was held at Wheelock College, and we had an outstanding
attendance of about 20 students. Shout out to our treasurer Steven
Max-Faults for getting pizza donations from Upper Crust and Otto’s! At
the social, we had a presidential update, legislative updates, NFB
philosophy, and a great time hanging out with all of our MASSABS
friends. We also discussed financial aid opportunities to help
students attend National Convention and encouraged everyone to attend.
We also got a visit from a student who is going to attend university
in Massachusetts next year, and we are so excited to welcome her into
the MASSABS family! We are continuing with recruiting efforts and hope
to keep building the Federation. Next stop, Orlando! See you all at
National Convention!

New Jersey:
In the beginning of April NJ put on a seminar at the College Of New
Jersey with PA. It was great to see both states come together to put
on an amazing seminar. The attendance was low, but it can only get
better from here. NJ is thinking about selling something at National
Convention but details have not been finalized as of now. Best wishes
from your New Jersey Federation family!

Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania was thrilled to work with New Jersey on a collaborative
student seminar at the beginning of April. We are now gearing up for
our National Convention fundraiser, and many of us are looking forward
attending National Convention from PA. Stay tuned for our announcement
about our fundraiser, and we are looking forward to Orlando!

Texas:
On April 08-09, the NFB of Texas hosted our annual youth conference
put on by the Texas Association of Blind Students and the texas
Parents Organization of Blind Children. This year, we had
approximately 60 participants. It is such a joy to welcome new
students and families to the federation. Along with our exhibits,
student and parent breakouts, and social events, we had presentations
on school involvement, the Pearson math editor, rehab transitions in
Texas, mentoring, journeys in to the federation, and so much more. We
would like to thank everyone who came and everyone who helped to make
youth conference a success. We are certainly looking forward to next
year already.


April NABS Board Meeting Minutes
National Association of Blind Students

Board Meeting Minutes
April 17, 2016

Meeting called to order at 9:07 p.m.

Members Present:

Sean Whalen (President)
Candice Chapman (1st Vice President)
Bre Brown (2nd Vice President)
Kathryn Webster (Secretary/Treasurer)
James Garret Mooney (Board Member 2)
Michael Ausbun (Board Member 4)

Treasurer’s Report:
Checking account balance: $7,115.32
I closed our savings account since there is no reason to have one. We
are not incurring any fees from the bank.
I will send Candice a check for reimbursement to Mississippi.
Bre has been sent $495. For Oklahoma and Alabama combined.
Michael has been sent reimbursement for Utah

Committee Reports

Communications:
Scholarship page is up.
Blog post will be up for April.

Fundraising:
Update for National Convention, read below.

Legislative:
There was a meeting at Harvard last week. Hopefully there will be some
progress with accessibility testing.
Keep collecting letters from your states and sending them to Sean and Kathryn.

Membership:
Membership call on Sunday, April 24 at 7 p.m. eastern. It will be a
flashback to Washington Seminar with a piece from our national office
and then a discussion from students about getting involved on campus
and outside of the classroom. Our guest speakers will be Kathryn
Webster, Michael Ausbun, Chris Nusbaum, and Gabe Cazares.

State Updates

Colorado had a seminar recently that was very successful.
Arizona put on their first student seminar in years with a strong attendance.
Texas had a great Youth Conference.
South Carolina is working on membership and fundraising.
Ohio is having a meeting soon.
Oklahoma had a great Convention.
Louisiana: New student president Yadiel.
Mississippi had a great Convention with solid fundraising; much
revitalization.
Virginia is having a student seminar in conjunction with the affiliate
at the beginning of May.
Maryland is having a student seminar on May 14.
Wisconsin had a good Convention with new board, same president.

Fundraising at National Convention:
Exhibit Hall sales: Water and soda
Flash drives: We will sell them at the table and around Convention.
They will have lots of transition materials, software tutorials,
screen reading software, advocacy documents, sample cover letters,
etc.
Penny Wars: Kathryn will invite all divisions and we will have
different levels based on sizes of divisions in order to have three
weight classes.

Monte Carlo:
Charge an entry fee
Chips will be $10 for one bag, $15 for two bags.

Mentoring Program:
Will work on logistics

Meeting adjourned at: 10:04 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 May.

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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