[NFB-Utah] NFB of Utah August minutes and NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 08/06/2024

[nfbutah at gmail.com]

National Federation of the Blind of Utah August 2024 Board Meeting


National Federation of the blind of Utah www.nfbutah.org<http://www.nfbutah.org>
801-631-8108

"You can live the life you want; blindness does not hold you back!"

June 11, 2024
7:30 - 8:55 PM. MST.

1.            Roll Call:
NFB of Utah Board            of Directors:
president -                                          Everette Bacon: Present
1st Vice President -         Cheralyn Johnson:           late
2nd Vice President -        Karl Smith:                          Present
Treasurer -                                          Mark Turley:       Present
Secretary -                                          Barbie Elliott:     Present
Board Members:
Willie Black:        Present
Laura Vincent:   Present
Ken Duke:            Present
Ned Lindholm:   Present
Jesse Kramer:     Present

The general public was invited to join the meeting. 21 participants were in attendance.

2.            Reports from chapters and divisions:
a.            Red Rocks: Jessie delightfully shared that they enjoyed having over 12 participants yesterday at their end of summer themed meeting, with described outfits, humor, and fun. They had a guest speaker talk about dating challenges and relationship styles. Alzheimer's walk on September 14th in Cedar City. October is BEAM month with fund raising membership and planning committees. Jessie will send out an email about the Alzheimer's Walk, and she is having her birthday on September 14th in the evening and invited anyone who is coming to the walk to her family and friend event.
b.            Utah Valley chapter: Laura announced that Saturday was their hike and BBQ. Students joined them. The second week of September will be their chapter meeting. Public library BEAM in October with 2 possibilities either a community fare with booths and parents' division or a described movie at the library open to the public. November will be a thankful for technology theme.
c.             Salt Lake Kenn reports that their July event was a couple of weeks ago at Gardner Village at the Happy Camper's Café pavilion. It was rainy so using their pavilion with purchases of food was a happy win win. In August their annual BBQ will be at Murray Park at 5:00 PM on Friday. Everette will be bringing pulled pork. There will be fun and games etc. September will be a chapter meeting at DSBVI. BEAM is possibly a booth at a table in Gardner Village to present to the public during their October fall  festival. November Chapter meeting and Christmas party.
d.            Weber-Davis: Willie stated  that  they enjoyed a fun BBQ at Barbie's house with 51 participants. They had a bounce house, burgers and a jam session. Later in August, they will continue their annual tradition of  attending the Ogden Farmer's Market and Far's Ice Cream Parlor. September will be a hike, October will be BEAM, November game night, and December 7th Christmas party.
e.            Students: Zachary reflected that the students are busy. They voted Sean Fletcher as their new secretary. They joined Utah valley with a fun hike and BBQ. 2 new students joined this event. August 10th will be on Zoom at 7:00 playing jeopardy and having fun. September will be a membership drive with a transition open house with speakers to include high schoolers to prepare to transition to higher education. October spooky advocacy meeting.
f.             Spanish Division: Ulvia responded that their next meeting will be on September 7th at the Latinx Health fare. September 30th will be a zoom call. They will meet every 2 months.
g.            Science without sight is exciting: Ned communicated that their activity on July 20 was super fun for the 5 of the 9 registrants that showed up. They had a chemistry experiment with gravity and chemicals pouring liquids together to create a solid non-visually. Ned's Highlight was hearing Kailie get excited when her detector went off. Ned was grateful for the volunteers who came to help.
h.            BELL Academy: Karl chimed in and proclaimed that this year there were more students and fewer staff than ever before. 20 children came. Sarah Erb, Laura, Barbie and many other wonderful volunteers came to help during the 2-week program. Tara did a fantastic job in her first year as coordinator and has lots of good ideas for next year. Lisa at the library had a fantastic job with a planets and fun things. Karl thinks we should make a resolution recognizing Lisa for her amazing work with the BELL Academy.
i.              Museums: Karl added that the natural History Museum has 3 accessory bags for people who want a tactile experience. Karl is brailing labels for these bags. Karl will send us the exact date for a free night at the museum for this to be shared. AIRA is free at the U of U museums.

3.            Public Comment:
a.            Laura reported that the disability fare was well done including a mention of the NFB with questions and answers including asking for information about making parks accessible. Mayor Mendenhall was there.
b.            Ned has a request. He wants someone to help him get audio descriptions of pictures. Everette will send Kirt Manwaring's contact information to Ned offline.
c.             Melissa has a job interview on Monday and she would love our good luck wishes.
d.            Cynthia says that they had 15 people at the Red Rocks chapter meeting.

4.            National news:
a.            Everette sent an email with national information and links to Barbie that she will forward to the board with the minutes.
b.            President Riccobono would like ideas for the presidential release. Everette reminded everyone to please play it at chapter meetings.
c.             There is a survey about the national convention for all participants virtual and in person.
d.            Washington Seminar has been set for February 2.
e.            Blind Equality and Achievement Month has a website send email to web at nfb.org<mailto:web at nfb.org> to get chapter and division events on the national calendar

5.            State news and updates:
a.            There are a lot of sponsors and cosponsors for the bills that have been presented. Unfortunately, we have no Utah congress sponsors for our bills. If you want to get involved to send letters to our congress people contact Everette.
b.            If you have pac plan donations questions, contact Kriss Wycoff to find out if your donations have been working correctly.
c.             to get publicized on the national website.
d.            Everette says that the accessible farmacy bill has been started.
e.            Karl is in contact with his local representative about getting the property tax abatement increased.
f.             Next year's state convention is May 1, 2, and 3. The Provo Marriott has offered us rooms for $129.00 which includes a grant of $5 per night. The BYU Woman's Conference is going on that same weekend but shouldn't be a conflict. Provo Marriott has been very aggressive about having us there, they are also having a ski for light event in February. Everette plans to encourage some NFB participation in that event. We will go ahead with holding our convention in Provo next year.
g.            Everette has resigned from the HearSee Mobility board. Everette felt that some of their new fund raiser ideas such as holding a "dining in the dark" event are not things he supports and doesn't want the NFB of Utah's name listed as a supporter. He is encouraging members who want to participate and support them to please do so. Everette said that he and their president are still friends, and that he still supports them as they work on their cane, but does not want his name or the NFB of Utah's name listed in any of their PR announcements at this time due to their fund raiser strategies.

6.            Shary Newton with Disability Law has a survey.
A.            They are setting goals for the next 2 years and would like some survey responses. Shary had questions about how the disability law center can help blind people as they create their goals for the next 2 years.

7.            Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 PM.


Dear Federation Family,

I hope you all are staying cool as we enter the August summer heat. I wanted to acknowledge that we are starting our fall conventions with South Carolina, which has long been the traditional first convention in our long list of fall conventions. I will be traveling to a number of conventions this fall, and I look forward to the opportunity to engage members at the local level.

When you tuned into the Presidential Release Live last week—oh I am sorry you missed it—well, if you had tuned in, you would have heard me talk about my desire to receive feedback from members about the Presidential Release. As you know, we have the live event and the recorded version. The recorded version is intended to be played at every chapter meeting across the country. As leaders, you know that the aim is to help every member of the Federation understand their connection to the nationwide movement and to have a direct connection to our elected President. We wish to prevent people being stuck on only the local priorities. I will remind you that I want feedback about how we can improve, especially the recorded message intended for our local chapters.

Please send your ideas via email using the hashtag #PR-Feedback. Or you can also text your thoughts to our Mark AI at 833-564-2271. If you send a text, consider putting something like this at the beginning: I have some feedback on your Presidential Releases…

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspectives.


Critical Actions:
National Convention Attendee Survey:

Please share feedback in the National Federation of the Blind survey<https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nfb24> available in English and Spanish<https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nfb24esp> or by phone in English. To complete the survey by phone, call 229-632-7878 or toll-free 833-632-7878. The phone survey is in an automated system and will require it to be completed in one session. There is an option to pause the survey for five minutes and the pause can be extended as needed. Push the pound key for help. Please share the phone survey option with members who may not have internet access. Thank you for sharing your feedback.



Presidential Release #540 Available:

The National Federation of the Blind Presidential Release #540<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> for chapters is available. Mark your calendar for the next Presidential Release on September 4, 2024, at 8:00 p.m., eastern.



News:
National Convention Highlights:

Thanks again to our members, sponsors, exhibitors, and everyone who made #NFB24 a success. Access the 2024 National Convention highlights now<https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/past-conventions/2024-national-convention>.



Calling All PAC Donors:

If you participate in the Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) plan and have not checked your donor status recently, please reach out to us at PAC at nfb.org<mailto:PAC at nfb.org> or call 877-632-2PAC (2722) to confirm you are still an active PAC donor. Sometimes members think they are actively supporting the NFB each month through a credit card or bank account, but a change on the account may have stopped the monthly donation. The NFB’s policy is to deactivate any account that is declined or returned to make sure we don’t waste funds on return fees. By proactively confirming your PAC donor status you will help the NFB continue our important work on behalf of blind people.



Blind Equality Achievement Month Planning:

The National Federation of the Blind celebrates the organized blind movement during October each year. Chapters across the country organize local outreach events. Submit your events, activities, and celebrations to web at nfb.org<mailto:web at nfb.org>, so they can be posted on nfb.org/blind-month<https://nfb.org/blind-month>. If you need items or ideas, review past activities and also the White Cane Awareness Day Proclamation<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/view?id=2378&reset=1>. Remember history. Advance equality. Celebrate accomplishments.



Where the Blind Work Webinar:
Join us for an informative discussion featuring a panel of blind professionals who are finding employment success in the world of remote work. This event will be held August 22, 8:00–9:00 p.m., eastern, via Zoom. Our panelists are:

1.      Danara Barlo, Agency Program Coordinator/Contracting Specialist, United States Airforce, Kansas

2.      Brandi Major, Customer Service Professional, Lighthouse Works, North Carolina

3.      Mike Forzano, Senior Software Engineer, Amazon, New York



We look forward to your participation. Register to get the Zoom details at Where the Blind Work Registration <https://nfb.org/programs-services/employment/where-the-blind-work-webinars-registration>

Blind Voter Registration Drives:

Hosting a voter registration drive is a meaningful way that protection and advocacy personnel, consumer organizations, and service groups can encourage blind people to participate in the electoral process. It is also an opportunity for blind people to learn about the organized blind movement. The National Federation of the Blind developed a guide that contains suggestions for planning and conducting a voter registration drive that will be accessible to the blind. Access the Blind Voter Registration Drive Guide.<file:///C:/Users/LamkinSeth/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/PXN5EKPU/Blind%20Voter%20Registration%20Drive%20Guide%20(HTML)> Learn more at nfb.org/vote<file:///C:/Users/LamkinSeth/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/PXN5EKPU/nfb.org/vote>.



Dare to Be Remarkable Conference:
Mark your calendars for the National Federation of the Blind 2024 Dare to Be Remarkable<https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/dare-be-remarkable> conference, a three-day national conference for education and rehabilitation professionals who work with blind students and adults. The conference will be held from November 11 through 13 at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. We also invite you to submit your presentation proposals for this event to Edward Bell at ebell at latech.edu<mailto:ebell at latech.edu>. The deadline to submit proposals is September 2.
Registration is $400 until October 5 and $500 after October 6. Registration details are coming soon.
Please direct all inquiries to the conference organizers, Edward Bell, at ebell at latech.edu<mailto:ebell at latech.edu> or 318-257-4554, or Anil Lewis, at alewis at nfb.org<mailto:alewis at nfb.org> or 410-659-9314, extension 2374.

Virtual Career Fair:
Mark your calendars for the National Federation of the Blind Virtual Career Fair being held October 22, 1:00–4:00 p.m., eastern, via Zoom. Jobseekers, this is an opportunity to find your occupational passion. Employers, this is a chance to connect with great talent. Registration details are coming soon.




Legislative Update:

In the last couple of weeks, we have seen increases in cosponsor support across several of our bills. On the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 3702/S. 1467), we have gained four new cosponsors in the House: Representative Suzan DelBene (Washington), Representative Chellie Pingree (Maine), Representative Jim Costa (California), and Representative Don Bacon (Nebraska). We now have a total of ninety-five cosponsors on the House version of the Access Technology Affordability Act.



Our Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328/S. 3621) also gained a new cosponsor in the House, Representative Valerie Foushee of North Carolina, bringing the total number of House cosponsors to eighty-five.



The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 1263/S. 533) also gained a new cosponsor in the House, Representative Grace Napolitano of California, marking thirty-four total cosponsors in the House of Representatives.



The Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (H.R. 4858/S. 2494) also gained three new cosponsors in the House: Representative Jill Tokuda (Hawaii), Representative Grace Napolitano (California), and Representative Mark Takano (California). There are now twenty total cosponsors on the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act in the House. This is all outstanding progress, and we must continue to press on and call or email our members of Congress to build as much support for our legislation as possible.





Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act Letter to Senators Sanders and Cassidy:

On July 24, we sent a letter to Senators Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Bill Cassidy (Louisiana)<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-include-transformation-competitive-and>, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, to urge them to include the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act in the upcoming Apprentice and Workforce Package. The full letter can be read on our Policy Statements page<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements>.





NABS Mid-Atlantic Student Seminar:
Registration has been extended for the National Federation of the Blind National Association of Blind Students Mid-Atlantic Regional Seminar. Hosted by the Maryland Association of Blind Students (MDABS), the seminar will take place from August 16-18 at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. It is an opportunity to discover “Who Am I? Who Are You? Who Are We?” through engaging workshops, skill-building activities, and networking opportunities. Please direct questions to MDABS President Qualik Ford at qford at bism.org<mailto:qford at bism.org>.
Mid-Atlantic Seminar Registration Form <https://nabslink.org/civicrm/event/info?id=4&reset=1> is where you can register for this event. Registration closes on August 7.



Dates to Keep in Mind:
(all times eastern)

  1.  February 3, 2025: Great Gathering-In
  2.  February 3-6, 2025: Washington Seminar
  3.  July 8-13, 2025: National Convention; New Orleans, Louisiana