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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Congratulations to Ron Brown and the Indianapolis Thunder for their third World Series championship title in a row!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormalCxSpMiddle style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:105%'>FOR INFORMATION ONLY:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormalCxSpLast style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:.25in;mso-add-space:auto'>The Secret Is Out:<br>On July 26, the United States AbilityOne Commission announced that the American Foundation for the Blind was being appointed as a central nonprofit under the program. This action was taken completely under cover without public comment and without any disclosure even to the other central nonprofits. Read my <a href="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/ballard_third_cna_designation_08032018.pdf">yet-to-be-answered letter to the AbilityOne Commission</a> challenging the lack of consultation with the organized blind movement.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> <o:p></o:p></p><h2>News:<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'>Share the Love:<br>The National Federation of the Blind is partnering with Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats to create Braille and audio “Love Notes” so parents can share messages of love and encouragement with blind children. The Love Notes are an accessible version of the writable wrapper on Rice Krispies Treats, which allows parents to include messages in their children’s lunch boxes. The new, accessible Love Notes are available in two forms: Braille stickers and re-recordable audio boxes. The Braille stickers are heart shaped to match the space on Rice Krispies Treats writable wrappers for written notes. Each Braille sticker sheet includes eight uplifting messages for parents to share with their children, such as “you’ve got this” and “love you lots.” The re-recordable audio box holds a Rice Krispies Treat and, when opened, plays a ten-second, pre-recorded message. The audio box messages can be re-recorded over a thousand times. A video has been produced to promote this partnership, featuring two of our members, Eme and Tabby Mitchell. The plan is to distribute over 6,000 sheets of Braille stickers and co-branded NFB/Kellogg’s Rice Krispy Treats alphabet cards, as well as over 1,500 re-recordable audio boxes. A print/Braille welcome letter will go out in every delivery to reinforce the importance of Braille and ensure everyone gets the same welcome. The National Federation of the Blind will be prominently featured on the website about this program, including a link to subscribe to our <i>Imagineering Our Future</i> newsletter. Our participation in this initiative reflects our commitment to helping parents raise blind children who are prepared to be confident, happy, and productive members of society, as well as our emphasis on Braille literacy and accessibility. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'>To check out the website and order Love Notes for your child, visit <a href="https://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/love-notes.html">ricekrispies.com/lovenotes</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'>AV START Act: <br>I had <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/399503-the-senate-must-act-legislation-so-americans-can-reap-the">an op-ed published in <i>The Hill</i></a> last week supporting the AV START Act and urging the Senate to act on it. Neil Romano, chairman of the National Council on Disability and speaker at this year’s convention, had <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/399752-its-time-for-people-with-disabilities-to-get-paid-their-fair-share">an opinion piece in <i>The Hill</i></a> later in the week. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Advocacy Update:<br>On the legislative front, we continue to gain momentum on the Access Technology Affordability Act. We are up to eighty cosponsors in the House of Representatives, and ten cosponsors in the Senate. In addition, we know that the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) is actively working to estimate the annual cost of the bill, more colloquially referred to in Congress as the bill’s “score.” Getting the JCT to officially score the bill is a significant accomplishment on our part. We need you to build upon this momentum by calling or emailing your senators and representatives in order to obtain as many cosponsors as possible. Our Advocacy and Policy team will be distributing more information on this topic later this week.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Dates to Keep in Mind:<o:p></o:p></h2><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>October 11-12, 2018: Tactile Graphics Symposium<o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>This program is to be held at the Jernigan Institute and if you are interested in attending this seminar, let me know and I’ll see if there is funding available for airfare and lodging available at the Jernigan Institute.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>