[NFB_of_Georgia] President's Notebook National Federation of the Blind

Tue Apr 28 04:34:02 UTC 2020

President’s NotebookNational Federation of the BlindMark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org410-659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

It is hard to believe that April is coming to a close. I know that all of
you must feel the same way. I continue to appreciate all that you are doing
to connect and protect blind people through our affiliates.

Please help us spread the word about supporting the National Federation of
the Blind on Giving Tuesday Now (May 5). We need your help amplifying the
messaging in advance, but we definitely need your active engagement on May
5 to help the Federation get noticed and maximize the funds being
generously offered to us by the Gibney Family Foundation. Stay tuned for
more details.

Critical Actions:*This Friday, May 1—Presidential Release LIVE: *

Attend the May Presidential Release (Zoom details available)
<https://www.nfb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=367> of the National
Federation of the Blind on May 1, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. After the
remarks, the organization's first vice president, Pam Allen, will moderate
questions. Members of the Federation are encouraged to attend, and
non-members are warmly welcomed. Send your questions in advance to
cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR494 in the subject line or call 410-659-9314,
extension 2473.

News:

*Hotel Room Credits:*If you booked a hotel room in Houston, Texas, for the
national convention, a full refund will be issued, so please do not call
the hotel to cancel at this time. Both the Hilton and Marriott reservations
staff are working to cancel reservations and providing full refunds to the
credit card used to secure the room. Because both hotels are working
reduced hours with limited staff, it may take up to two weeks for your
refund to be issued. If you have not seen a credit to your account by May
8, please send an email to Susan Skaarer at sskaarer at nfb.org with your
confirmation number, so we can confirm the cancellation of your reservation
with the hotel. For those of you who may have made a separate reservation
for room nights before or after our convention, you will need to contact
the central reservations line at 800-236-2905.

*Accessibility of State COVID-19 Websites:*

A recent article
<https://themarkup.org/2020/04/21/blind-users-struggle-with-state-coronavirus-websites>
alerted
us to a comprehensive study by Web AIM <https://webaim.org/> finding that
most state websites that provide information about the coronavirus pandemic
have accessibility barriers. Affiliates who have not done so already should
reach out to state governments to alert them to accessibility issues. If
your state’s website is flagged in the study or if you find accessibility
issues, please share through social media channels or by sending an email to
accessiblenow at nfb.org, especially if a point of contact or information
about the responsible government office cannot be found. If you can
identify a point of contact, consider sending a statement to the website
administrator, or to the department responsible for the site (often the
governor’s office or health department) such as the following:

I am writing to you on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind of
[state or territory name] to advise that your dedicated website [or web
pages] intended to provide coronavirus information is not accessible to
blind users. [Provide details or examples here.] Blind residents of our
state need accurate and timely information about this pandemic just like
all other residents, and state and federal laws require that we have equal
access to all information provided by our government. We therefore strongly
urge you to rectify these accessibility barriers as soon as possible. We
are happy to provide expertise and to connect you with blind people who can
conduct user testing. We will appreciate your immediate attention to this
critically important matter.

*Advocacy and Policy Update:*

I wanted to start out with a quick update regarding Economic Impact
Payments. For recipients of Social Security retirement, survivors, or
disability insurance benefits (SSDI) automatic payments of $1,200 are
scheduled to begin arriving this week. If you are a recipient of one of
these federal benefits and entered your eligible dependent information into
the IRS system by April 22, you will also receive an additional $500 for
each eligible dependent. If you were unable to enter your eligible
dependent information into the IRS system by the above deadline, you will
still be able to receive the additional $500, but you will need to file a
tax return for year 2020.

For SSI and VA benefits recipients, the IRS announced a deadline of May 5
to enter your eligible dependent information into the Non-Filers Tool
<https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here>. If
you are unable to enter your eligible dependent information into the IRS
system by the May 5 deadline, you will still receive your $1,200 payment
and you can apply to receive the additional $500, but you will need to file
a tax return for year 2020.

The Treasury Department will make these automatic payments to Social
Security retirement, SSDI, SSI, and VA recipients. Recipients will
generally receive the automatic $1,200 payments by direct deposit, Direct
Express debit card, or by paper check, just as they would normally receive
their benefits. A special note for Direct Express account holders, you may
use the Non-Filers tool, but you cannot receive your and your children’s
payment on your Direct Express account. You may only select a bank account
for direct deposit or leave bank information blank and receive the money by
mail.

In legislative news, we continue to advocate for the inclusion of the
Access Technology Affordability Act into upcoming COVID-19 relief
legislation. We are also working to include a waiver to eliminate the
waiting periods for SSDI and Medicare during the COVID-19 emergency.
Congress is scheduled to reconvene as early as next week, and your calls
and emails on these topics are sure to make a difference. Our Advocacy and
Policy team will be sending out a legislative alert with further
instructions in the next few days.

*Celebrate #GivingTuesdayNow with Us:*
#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity, set to take place on
May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by
COVID-19. Our partner, the Gibney Family Foundation, is generously matching
all donations made. If you are able, please help us continue to advocate
and provide essential services by contributing on #GivingTuesdayNow.

Seeking Those Applying for SSDI Benefits:

We are seeking blind persons who have recently been in the process of
applying for SSDI benefits and have had to sign various forms for Social
Security.  Additionally, we wish to speak with those blind persons who
recently have had to fill out the SSA Form 1696.  This is the form which
allows you to appoint someone else to represent you before SSA.  This is
time sensitive.  Please contact Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org or
410-659-9314, extension 2440.

*Requesting Information about Inaccessible State Unemployment Websites:*

We are investigating access barriers on state unemployment websites. If you
have recently attempted to file for unemployment benefits via your state’s
website and encountered access barriers, please contact Valerie Yingling at
vyingling at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.

*Virtual Background for Federation Zoom Meetings:*

Zoom offers the option to display virtual backgrounds during a Zoom video
call. For Federation virtual meetings hosted on Zoom, please consider using
a branded background that contains our logo if video is being used. If
interested in the branded background, please send a request to Suzanne
Shaffer atsshaffer at nfb.org. The background we will send you is a repeating
pattern of the National Federation of the Blind logo in white over a faded
green to blue backdrop.

Here are some tips on setting up the virtual background: position your
camera so you have a solid, single-color background behind you. Although
using a green screen gives the best results, a plain wall or curtain is
fine. Open your Zoom client, and in the settings menu, select Virtual
Backgrounds. Click Add Image and then select the image you want from your
computer (or choose to add a video). There is an option to mirror image
that you want to be sure is unselected or the logo will be backwards.

*Veterans’ Celebration of Freedom:*Vernon Humphrey, president of the
National Association of Blind Veterans, is reaching out to all veterans
that will be taking part in the national convention so they can participate
in the annual Celebration of Freedom. Please contact him at
mr_president at nabv.org or 706-329-7960 if you are, or you know of, a
military veteran that will be at convention this year.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

·       May 1: Distinguished Educator Award
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/distinguished-educator-blind-students-award>
nomination
deadline

·       May 1: Live Presidential Release

·       May 5: Giving Tuesday Now

·       June 1-12: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

·       June 10: Membership Open House

·       June 22-July 3: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

·       July 27-August 7: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

·       July 14-19: NFB National Convention <https://www.nfb.org/convention>,
Everywhere

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.

Mark A. Riccobono, President

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org

[image: National Federation of the Blind] <https://nfb.org/>

                         [image: Facebook]
<http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>    [image: Twitter]
<https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>    [image: Youtube]
<https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>

-- 
Dorothy Griffin - President
National Federation of the Blind of Georgia
dgriffin at nfbga.org
770-374-4832

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.