[Nd-talk] NEWSWIRE Vol. 2, No. 18

Thu Mar 22 16:22:48 UTC 2018

NEWSWIRE

National Federation of the Blind of

North Dakota

Vol. 2, No. 18

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota
will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, you ask,
where:

Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream

2511 South University Drive

Fargo, ND 58103

You can also join us by phone by dialing (712) 832-8300 and entering
93381122 # The meeting will last about 2 hours.

For questions contact Milton Ota, (701) 731-0511 or by sending e-mail to
mota1252 at gmail.com <mailto:mota1252 at gmail.com> 

Also begin to make plans to attend the 2018 State Convention to be held
Friday and Saturday, September 7-8, 2018 in Fargo. You ask where:

Holiday Inn Fargo

3803 13th Avenue, South

Fargo, ND 58103

Room reservations can be made by dialing (701) 2882-2700. Rooms have been
blocked under National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota at a special
rate. Watch for more details about the convention.

Legislative Action:

Our legislative priorities continue to gain momentum in both the House and
Senate. In the House, the Aim High Act has sixty-nine cosponsors, of which
the two most recent are Derek Kilmer of Washington and Dwight Evans of
Pennsylvania. In the Senate, the Access Technology Affordability Act has a
total of ten cosponsors, of which the most recent are Gary Peters of
Michigan, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, and James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Special
thanks to Nebraska and Oklahoma for securing the support of these two
influential senators. 

The Marrakesh Implementation Act was introduced in the Senate on March 15 by
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Other originating cosponsors included
Senators Bob Corker (TN),  Dianne Feinstein (CA), Kamala Harris (CA), Orrin
Hatch (UT), Patrick Leahy (VT), and Robert Menendez (NJ). If your senator is
not on this list, please contact him or her and urge them to cosponsor S.
2559. The introduction of this bill is the direct result of your great
advocacy and it is critical that we now work to build cosponsor support. 

H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act, was passed in the House of
Representatives on February 15 and is now waiting for possible Senate
action. The National Federation of the Blind opposes this legislation.
Senator Duckworth has organized a letter opposing H.R. 620 in the Senate. So
far thirty-seven senators have signed on to this letter but we need
forty-one signatures to have a substantial impact. We are currently
concentrating our efforts on the following ten senators:

1. Maria Cantwell (WA)

2. Joe Donnelly (IN)

3. Martin Heinrich (NM)

4. Heidi Heitkamp (ND)

5. Joe Manchin (WV)

6. Doug Jones (AL)

7. Bill Nelson (FL)

8. Gary Peters (MI)

9.Tom Udall (NM)

10. Angus King (ME)  

These ten Senators should be contacted and urged to sign the Senator
Duckworth letter regarding opposition to H.R. 620.

You can contact your senator by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking
for the office in question. The number is (202) 224-3121. If you email your
senators, please copy me at JPare at nfb.org <mailto:JPare at nfb.org> .

It is critical that we move on this quickly, so please strive to make your
calls and send your emails as soon as possible.

I have also included a short sample ask that could be used for the items
above: 

Most importantly we need to contact Senator Heitkamp. 

to the Honorable [ Senator's name]:

"My name is [name] and I am a constituent of Senator [name]. I am calling to
encourage the Senator to cosponsor the Marrakesh Implementation Act (S.
2559). The Marrakesh Implementation Act would expand reading options for
millions of blind and other Americans with print disabilities. I also ask
that the Senator sign Senator Duckworth's letter opposing the ADA Education
and Reform Act (H.R. 620). H.R. 620 has been sent to the Senate and, if
passed, would significantly erode the ADA and set disability rights back
thirty years. 

Thank you for your support of blind Americans.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]"

2018 National Convention

Online registration is now open until May 31 for the 2018 National
Convention in Orlando, Florida. Go to https://nfb.org/convention to register
and find information about the National Convention. Remember, this is the
last year we will be in Orlando, Florida. The 2019 convention will be
somewhere West of the Missippi and if you want to know first hand it will be
announced at the 2018 National  Convention.

This NEWSWIRE is edited and compiled by:

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. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES.

With Love, Hope and Determination, We Turn Dreams Into Reality.

Together We Change What It Means to Be Blind.

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