[Nd-talk] NFB of North Dakota Newswire - Vol. 1, Issue 3

Thu Apr 20 01:26:08 UTC 2017

NFB of North Dakota Newswire

Vol. 1, Issue 3

Next meeting of the NFB of North Dakota

We will be holding our next meeting on Saturday, May 6 2017 from 11:30 at
the Raddison Hotel at 201 5th Street, North, Fargo, North Dakota. We have a
private room reserved on the second floor next to the Zest Restaurant. This
is a luncheon meeting and meals can be ordered off the menu.

For those who cannot make it to the meeting, you can join us by phone via
Free conference by dialing-in to (712) 832-8300 and entering the room code
9381122#. The phone line will be opened at 12:45 for those calling in and we
expect the meeting to last until around 2:30 PM.

Guest are all invited to either attend the luncheon or joining us by phone. 

So, plan on joining us either at the Raddison or by phone to find out what
is going on with the National Federation of the Blind and the National
Federation of the Blind of North Dakota.

Schwan Food Care Fundraiser

The first 45-days where we earned the most on purchases ended on April 15.
For the next 90-days, we will earn 5% of items purchased from Schwan and 10
% on gift cards purchased.

There are two ways you can place your order-

1.	Call (855) 870-7208 and provide the campaign ID 31609
2.	By the web at https://www.schwans-cares.com/c/31609 

The date for the end of this 90-day campaign will end on Friday, July 14.
So, help spread the word and help us reach our goal of $1,500.00!

Uber Monitoring

Last year Uber was sued by a few Federationist in California who use guide
dogs because they were denied rides by Uber drivers. As a result of the
suit, the National Federation of the Blind has entered into an agreement to
monitor drivers and riders to see that they are not discriminated against or
denied rides because of a guide dog and its handler.

I have asked Sherry to Coordinate this reporting effort to our National
Office and I will have a link on the website once this monitoring program is
launched. The date for the launch is May 8, 2017 and it will run for 2-years
with a possibility of an extention of a third year. The monitoring is not
limited to only NFB members but anyone who uses a guide dog and wants to
help in this project. More details will be forth coming in a later issue of
the Newswire.

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund

The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund was established at our 1998
convention in Dallas, Texas. The support from members and friends has been
both generous and enthusiastic. The committee is again sponsoring a limited
edition raffle to raise money for the Kenneth Jernigan Fund. The ticket cost
is ten dollars. This drawing will yield at least $10,000 net for the Kenneth
Jernigan Fund.

You might ask, "What's in it for me?" Here is what's in it for you. If you
are the winner of this drawing, you will receive round-trip air
transportation for two to and from Orlando, Florida, for the National
Federation of the Blind National Convention in July 2018. You will also
receive lodging at that year's convention hotel for seven days during the
convention. You will receive registration and banquet tickets for two. In
addition, you will receive a cash prize of $1,000. On the other hand, if you
don't win but you sell the winning ticket, your chapter will receive $500.

You do not have to be present to win.

Please have checks made payable to the National Federation of the Blind and
note KJ Fund on the memo line.

Legislative Update

The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act, also known
as "AIMHIGH", H.R. 1772

Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and

Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced this legislation in the House of
Representatives earlier today. H.R. 1772 will promote instructional
technology and content that are accessible to the blind and other students
with print disabilities. 

he Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017 (ATAA) H.R. 1734 and S. 732

These companion bills were introduced by Representatives David Young (R-IA)
and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in the House and by Senators John Boozman
(R-AR) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) in the Senate on March 28, 2017. Please
remind your Senators and Representative that this legislation will establish
a per-person individual refundable tax credit to be used over a multi-year
period to offset the cost of access technology for blind people. 

The Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act of 2017
(H.R. 1377)

The TIME Act is still a priority of the National Federation of the Blind. It
just wasn't front and center at the 2017 Washington Seminar. The bill was
introduced by Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) on March 8, 2017, to remove
barriers to employment opportunities for people with disabilities by phasing
out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act and facilitating the
transitioning of people with disabilities now working in segregated
employment settings into competitive employment opportunities in their
communities. There is low hanging fruit we can secure from cosponsors of
previous iterations of the TIME Act. Please see if your Senators and
Representative will cosponsor this bill in the 115th Congress, especially
members of the House of Representatives who have done so before.

Call to Action

Please call both of your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 732, the
Access Technology Affordability Act.  Also, Please call your Congressman or
Congresswoman and ask him or her to cosponsor the AIM HIGH Act (H.R. 1772),
the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1734), and the TIME Act (H.R.
1377).

This is an excellent opportunity to circle back with your Senators and
Representative to provide them with updates on legislation, which will help
blind Americans live the lives we want.  The number to the Capitol
Switchboard is 202-224-3121. From there, the operator can transfer you to
your desired contact.

Marakesh Treaty

As of this writing there have been 27 countries that have ratified the
treaty. This was found on the World Blind Union Twitter feed about a week
ago. The National Federation of the Blind expects things to be moving in the
next couple of months, so stay tuned.

* *

I hope these Newswire messages are helpful to you so that you can keep up
with the activities both locally and nationally. Please feel free to share
the Newswire with your friends and family.

Articles that you think would be of interest can be sent to me via e-mail
to: mota1252 at gmail.com <mailto:mota1252 at gmail.com> 

If you have suggestions please also let me know.

ENJOY!

Sincerely,

Milton Ota, President

National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota

Web: http://nfbnd.org/

909 8th St., S.

Fargo, ND 58103-2723

Cell: (701) 731-0511

E-mail: mota1252 at gmail.com

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.

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