[NFB_of_Georgia] President's Notebook

Wed Jul 1 14:31:51 UTC 2020

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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Two weeks, just two weeks, until we kick off our most dynamic convention
ever. It is hard to believe that we will not be gathering in person. It is
even harder to believe how quickly we have reworked and built a new
convention format for 2020. I have examined the registration numbers, and
you are going to be blown away. The tremendous support and growth in our
movement is because you have led the way in reaching out and building
during this challenging and critical time.

Here is the link you have been anticipating: the agenda for the 2020 Annual
Convention of the National Federation of the Blind can be found at
https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/2020-national-convention-agenda.
This is the HTML version of the agenda and it does not yet include all of
the Zoom meeting ID links. There will be many versions of the agenda to
follow, but we wanted you to have the agenda text as early as possible.

I anticipate being with all of you at the Rookie Roundup on July 7. Please
plan to be there.

On a non-convention-related matter, I want to call your attention to a
couple of blog posts from this week. These are to close out Pride Month.
These posts are part of our ongoing effort to think critically about the
diversity of our movement and actions we can undertake to ensure our
meetings and activities allow all of our blind members to participate
fully. Please be sure to review “What Pride Means to Me
<https://www.nfb.org/blog/what-pride-means-me>” by Connor “Carley” Mullin,
and my post today entitled “Love Is Love: Supporting Our LGBTQ+ Members and
Celebrating Pride Month
<https://www.nfb.org/blog/love-love-supporting-our-lgbtq-members-and-celebrating-pride-month>
.”

Convention*Host a Banquet Party during #NFB20:*

Formal attire. Favorite dishes. Federation family. The annual banquet is
the highlight of each convention and it’s a great opportunity for small
local gatherings. Following local guidance, host a banquet party with
members near you! During banquet, we are going to be dropping into parties
with the chance to say hello to the whole convention. If you’ll be hosting
a banquet party, please email rstevens at nfb.org or call 410-659-9314,
extension 2246, with your contact information by Monday, July 13. More
information on drop-ins during banquet will be provided to the hosts prior
to the start of banquet.
*Legal Office Hours during Convention:*

Disability rights attorneys will be available to discuss employment
discrimination, access barriers, and other concerns with individuals on
Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. eastern.
Schedule your private, twenty-minute appointment by emailing
vyingling at nfb.org.

News*Thanks to Affiliates:*

Many of our affiliates have been contributing to our NFB BELL® In-Home
Edition. Putting on quality, nationwide programming like this takes
resources, and I am happy that our state affiliates stepped up to support
our national organization with financial resources in this regard. Thanks
go out to the following affiliates for your help with NFB BELL this year.

NFB of Alabama

NFB of Arizona

NFB of California

NFB of Connecticut

NFB of Georgia

NFB of Illinois

NFB of Missouri

NFB of New Jersey

NFB of Ohio

NFB of Pennsylvania

NFB of Utah

Please note that if any affiliates are missing from this list, contact
Patti Chang at pchang at nfb.org and we will correct our records.

In addition, many affiliates have made very generous general contributions
meant to support all of our COVID-19 increased expenses and activities.
Those contributions also make a huge difference.

*Access Technology Affordability Act Update:*

The past week has been a banner week for the Access Technology
Affordability Act (H.R 2086/S. 815). We added eight cosponsors in the House
for a total of 109 cosponsors. Special thanks to the following states:

California (Rep. Grace Napolitano)

Florida (Rep. Michael Waltz)

Indiana (Rep. Susan Brooks)

Missouri (Rep. Jason Smith)

North Dakota (Rep. Kelly Armstrong)

Oklahoma (Rep. Tom Cole)

Virginia (Rep. Denver Riggleman)

Washington (Rep. Dan Newhouse)

Please continue to urge your representative and senators to cosponsor this
bill. Congress is likely to begin negotiations on another COVID-19 relief
package when they return from the July 4th recess. The more cosponsors we
have, the more likely Congress will include the provisions of the Access
Technology Affordability Act in that legislation.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

   - June 22-July 3: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
   - June 30: Deadline for resolution submission <nfbmd at earthlink.net>
   - June 30: Accessibility Boutique: Technology and Training Options for
   Seniors
   - July 12 (noon eastern): Deadline for enrolling as an eligible voter
   for the 2020 National Convention (must be an active member and already
   registered for the 2020 National Convention)
   - July 27-August 7: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
   - July 7: #NFB20 Rookie Round-Up

   - July 14-18: NFB National Convention <https://www.nfb.org/convention>,
   Everywhere

   - February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In

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 |
-- 
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.