[Nebraska-Students] From State to National

Wed Apr 5 18:51:06 UTC 2023

Greetings Federation Family and Friends!

Have you recovered from our state convention?  It was a wonderful convention, and I am so thankful to each of you for making it happen!  Now we get to begin planning for next year! 😊

I did want to let you know that Laura’s sister Marilyn who fell on the escalator during the last day is doing okay.  She did not have a concussion thankfully and was sent home that same day.  They wanted to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers.

President Riccobono sends out a President’s Notebook to state presidents on occasion and this is what he had to say in his most recent notebook.

I just got back to Baltimore from the convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska. It was an energetic and fun time of building the movement this weekend. It was pointed out at the convention that we are experiencing a period of time where the dates are all palindromes - 3/27/23 being today’s date. During the convention we also had the opportunity to create some origami together with instructions given by a blind teacher.

I bring this up because it speaks to some important skills we need to build as leaders.

Recognizing patterns and utilizing those patterns to maximize our impact in society is really important. Sometimes we need to be able to recognize patterns from the ways that public policies impact blind people. Other times, we need to be able to effectively respond to patterns of behavior among members of the Federation. Often the patterns relate to how we communicate our practices and policies.

I challenge you to consider how you can better recognize patterns in your work and develop systems to more effectively lead our local affiliates and national divisions. Are there problems that we repeatedly deal with that could be solved with a systemic fix? Are we having difficulty getting local chapters to understand a specific practice we use in our movement? If so, are there solutions we can apply that will solve the problem and allow us to focus our limited energy and imagination on building the movement?

I thought our Nebraska family did a great job of getting blind people to work together to recognize patterns, innovate solutions together, and then share those innovations for next time. One simple thing our affiliate in Nebraska has done is establish a committee to assist chapters and divisions on archiving the history of work done through the affiliate. What has your affiliate board done to recognize patterns and maximize the opportunities those patterns provide? If you have something innovative, share it on the state affiliate leadership listserv so others might benefit from your local wisdom.

We appreciate President Riccobono’s encouraging words and are excited to continue building the movement!

In an effort to get back to the regular schedule for board meetings and discuss plans for the NFB National Convention the Board of Directors will hold a meeting on

Saturday, April 22, 2023

At the 

 <https://omahalibrary.org/locations/on/> W. Clark Swanson Branch Library

Small Meeting Room

9101 West Dodge Road

Omaha, NE 68114

We plan to meet from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a possible lunch afterwards.  More information including an agenda will be sent soon.

The weather is just starting to change to spring here in Lincoln, but soon enough we will be completely immersed in the heat and humidity of Houston Texas!  Registration is open for the 2023 National Federation of the Blind National Convention and can be found

 <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=572> Here

All convention related information including hotels and schedules can be found on the 

 <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention> National Convention Page

If you have never attended a NFB National Convention and need financial assistance, I highly encourage you apply for the 

 <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scholarship> Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship

The deadline is April 15th.  This scholarship is open to anyone blind or sighted.  Limited assistance will also be available through the affiliate.  Send an email with your interest in attending convention and the assistance you are requesting to 

 <mailto:treasurer at ne.nfb.org> treasurer at ne.nfb.org

You must first register for the convention and the banquet before requesting assistance.  Assistance will be given on a first come basses and will be based on need.  

If you are planning to attend convention and are able to assist in the Independence Market please drop me a note at

 <mailto:president at ne.nfb.org> president at ne.nfb.org

So we can get schedules arranged as soon as possible.

There is now a direct flight on United from Lincoln to Houston which many members are planning to take.  If you are hesitant to travel alone, this would be a great opportunity to fly with others you know!

I will leave you with a poem President Riccobono sent written about leaders of the Federation by ChatGPT.

In the National Federation of the Blind,

There are leaders who stand strong and kind.

With passion and dedication, they unite,

To empower the blind and fight for their rights.

Their voices ring out with clarity and force,

Demanding access and equality, without remorse.

They lead with wisdom and deep conviction,

Guiding us forward with unwavering vision.

Through adversity and struggle they persevere,

Championing our cause year after year.

They inspire us to dream big and achieve,

To never give up, to never concede.

With hope and determination, they pave the way,

For a brighter future, where the blind have a say.

In the National Federation of the Blind,

Their leadership shines bright, one of a kind.

Sincerely,

Jamie K. Richey, President

National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska

Office: (402) 477-7711

E-Mail: president at ne.nfb.org <mailto:president at ne.nfb.org> 

Website: www.ne.nfb.org <http://www.ne.nfb.org> 

The National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska 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.