[New-York-News] Reminder: National Federation of the Blind of New York State Convention

Tue Sep 17 17:11:32 UTC 2019

You Are Cordially Invited to Attend

The 63nd Convention of the National Federation of the Blind

Of New York State

"Be Motivated"

The National Federation of the Blind of New York State will hold its
sixty-third annual convention in Buffalo, NY, from October 18-20, 2019.
Please join us as we strive to build a network of expertise and
encouragement among blind New Yorkers and work together to make a positive
difference in the lives of blind people across New York State.

Who Are We?

The NFB of NYS is an organization of blind and visually impaired New Yorkers
who believe that, with the appropriate training, attitude, and
opportunities, blind people can Live the Lives We Want.  NFB of NYS brings
blind people together to support and learn from one another and to celebrate
our achievements as we work together to improve the lives of the blind of
New York.  

Our Convention Agenda

It is our pleasure to welcome back, as our National Representative, Mr. Anil
Lewis, Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives of the National
Federation of the Blind.  We will be privileged to hear him share
information about the ongoing work of the Federation nationwide.

The theme of this year's convention will be "Be Motivated".  Our speakers
and panel discussions will highlight ideas and tools that will inspire us to
grow, both as individuals and as Federationists.  We hope everyone will come
away from convention feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and motivated to take
the next steps on our personal journeys and to advance the work of the
Federation in each of our communities.

On Friday, October 18, the day will be filled with break-out sessions and
small group meetings.  Among these will be the annual seminars of the
various divisions of the NFB of NYS.  These will include our Seniors
Division, our Student Division, Guide Dog Division, Blind Parents Group, and
our Parents of Blind Children Division.  There will also be seminars on
Small Business and ABLE Accounts.  These meetings are interactive and open
to all convention attendees, so please stop by!

Also, on Friday, we will host a town hall style meeting with Brian Daniels,
Associate Commissioner of the New York State Commission for the Blind.
Everyone is welcome to attend our board meeting where, among other things,
the winners of our 2019 NFB of NYS scholarships will introduce themselves.
Convention attendees are encouraged to explore our exhibit hall, where the
latest technology will be on display and information pertinent to our
community will be shared. In the evening, join us for our hospitality event!
Meet and mingle with other Federation members in a relaxed atmosphere of
food and fellowship.   

All day Saturday the general sessions of the convention will provide us with
the opportunity to hear presentations on topics that are important to blind
people across New York and across the nation.  

The excitement will continue during Our Saturday evening banquet, with an
address by our keynote speaker, Mr. Anil Lewis, auctions, and prize
giveaways.   The banquet will come to a dramatic close with the presentation
of our 2019 NFB of NYS scholarships.  

Please see the "special notes" later in this letter.

On Sunday morning we will hold our annual business meeting to chart our
course for the coming year. We will also consider the resolutions that the
Convention deems vital for our future as we review and update our
organization's policy goals. We will hear Chapter and Division reports from
around the state. We will then return home, revitalized and ready to Live
the Lives We Want, and to share our experiences and our learning with other
blind members of our communities. 

Reservations, Room Rates and Registration

This year's convention will be held in Buffalo, at the Holiday Inn, 4600
Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225. Please make all hotel reservations
through the NFB of NYS office, by visiting
<http://www.nfbny.org/conventions/register>
www.nfbny.org/conventions/register and completing our online registration
form, or by filling out the attached registration form and returning it to
the affiliate office.   Room rates this year are $104 per night, including
doubles and quads.  

Using the same registration form, you will also be able to purchase your
banquet ticket ($30) and pay your $15 convention registration fee.  To make
eating on the go easy during this fun and event-packed weekend, we also
offer the option to purchase boxed lunches both Friday and Saturday, which
can be ordered for $12 each when you register.  All payments including the
hotel room must be made through the NFB of New York. A five percent discount
will be given to anyone who registers by October 1, 2019.  

Limited financial assistance may be available through NFB of NYS to attend
the convention.  For information, please contact the President of NFB of
NYS, Mike Robinson, (716-222-3632) for more information.  

Free childcare will be provided during all our events. Pre-registration for
this service is required by October 1.

Please call the office at 716-222-3632 with any questions regarding this
year's convention.

The convention is shaping up to be a tremendous event.  Come to Buffalo and
share in the excitement.  I look forward to seeing everyone there.

                     Mike Robinson, President NFB of New York

SPECIAL NOTES

*	The Commission for the Blind Town Hall Meeting will take place from
9:00 to 11:00 am on Friday, October 18th.
*	The Board of Director's Meeting will be held from 11:00 am - 12:00
pm on Friday October 18th.
*	Join us on the evening of Friday, October 18th at 7:00 pm for our
Autumn-Themed Hospitality event!  There will be Family Feud between
Chapters, A talent showcase, and more. Refreshments will be served!  All are
welcome.

*	Transportation from the Buffalo airport and the Depew Amtrak train
station to the hotel is simple this year.  The Holiday Inn offers a shuttle
to and from both these locations. If you will be traveling to Buffalo by
bus, you can still take advantage of the hotel shuttle by purchasing a fare
with the Buffalo airport as its destination, and then arranging to take the
hotel shuttle from there.  The phone number for the hotel to arrange a
shuttle is 716-634-6969. 
*	Are you interested in working for yourself?  Perhaps you have
considered self-employment as a career option, or perhaps you have
considered owning your own business. but have faced obstacles to achieving
your goal.  Or perhaps you have had difficulty finding employment in the
traditional workplace and would like to find out if self-employment or
business ownership is a viable option for you.  Or maybe you are already
self-employed or are a business owner.  Whatever your interest in
self-employment or business ownership, bring your lunch and join us to
discuss the types of opportunities available, to share our experiences with
self-employment and business ownership, to identify barriers to successful
self-employment or business ownership opportunities for the Blind, and to
explore the interest in having a group focusing on self-employment
opportunities and/or the development of self-employment/business ownership
training program.
*	Do you have an old, Unused or broken cane laying around?  We are
collecting canes to be rehabbed and sent to third-world countries where they
will be put in the hands of people who might not otherwise have access to a
cane.
*	What is an ABLE account?  How can it help me? How do I start one?
Why should I have one?  All these questions and more can be answered by
attending a free seminar on Saturday October 19 from 12:15 until 1:45. Pick
up your box or takeout lunch and check your agenda for the location.
Financial professionals from AXA Advisors will be presenting regarding ABLE
Accounts and answering all your questions.
*	Are you a diabetic? Do you have questions about diabetes that you
haven't been able to get answered? Come and join us on Friday afternoon as
the Diabetic Action Network exchanges ideas and information. Let's tackle
the challenges of diabetes together!

Mike Robinson, President

National Federation of the Blind of New York State, Inc.

2175 Sheridan Drive

Buffalo, New York 14223

716-222-3632

716-222-3NFB

"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."

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/new-york-news_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190917/f9b6ea16/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Registration form 2019.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 129023 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/new-york-news_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190917/f9b6ea16/attachment.docx>