[NFB_of_Georgia] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind COVID-19 Policy Relating to Public Events

[Dorothy Griffin]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 5:08 PM
Subject: National Federation of the Blind COVID-19 Policy Relating to
Public Events
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>


Dear Colleagues,

Please give immediate attention to the below policy directive from the
Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind related to the
immediate postponement of public meetings of the organization. In addition
to this statement, you can hear an emergency Presidential Release related
to this matter at
https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-covid-19-policy-relating-public-events
.


National Federation of the Blind COVID-19 Policy Relating to Public Events



The National Federation of the Blind is closely following the rapidly
evolving situation with respect to the novel coronavirus and its associated
illness known as COVID-19. Since we issued our initial guidance on this
situation on March 11, public officials across the nation have escalated
their response to the virus and issued new and more aggressive directives.
Generally, while specific directives as to the size of permitted public
gatherings vary across states and local jurisdictions, public health
officials agree that it is advisable to engage in “social distancing” in
order to prevent or mitigate the spread of the virus, and people are being
directed to minimize proximity and/or physical contact with others outside
the home as much as possible. As a result, the National Federation of the
Blind Board of Directors met on March 13 and developed this policy
directive related to public meetings of the organization.

The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest nationwide
organization of blind people, with affiliates in all fifty states, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; hundreds of local chapters; as well
as statewide and national special-interest divisions. Together these are
comprised of some fifty thousand members and countless volunteers and
supporters who conduct various public meetings and events. The health and
safety of our members and friends is our top priority, and we are also
mindful of our obligation to follow public health directives and to engage
responsibly with the general public. We also recognize the need for
consistent guidance across our organization as our affiliates, chapters,
and divisions consider or plan meetings and public events.

To that end, the President and Board of Directors of the National
Federation of the Blind hereby direct that all meetings, events, or public
gatherings that are currently planned by affiliates, chapters, and
divisions to take place within thirty days from today, March 13, 2020, are
to be canceled or postponed until sometime after April 12, 2020. This
includes, but is not limited to, statewide conventions or meetings, local
chapter meetings, and statewide or local division meetings. Of course,
where practicable, meetings to conduct the ongoing business of the
Federation may be held via phone call or videoconference. Furthermore, the
outreach and advocacy priorities of the organized blind movement can and
should continue despite the disruption to public meetings, including
monitoring unique barriers that blind individuals encounter due to the
extreme circumstances. However, no official business of the organization
should be conducted via in-person gatherings during this period. The
national leadership will re-evaluate the situation on or shortly after
April 12, 2020, and issue additional guidance if needed.

We are issuing this directive to align with the best available public
health advice as well as with multiple state and local directives, and to
carry out our general obligation to protect the health and safety of
everyone in our Federation family. We wish everyone the best as together we
meet the challenges and make the sacrifices required by this public health
emergency.



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>



The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we
work together to help blind people live the lives they want.










-- 
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.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: National Federation of the Blind COVID19 Policy on Events.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 20624 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb_of_georgia_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200313/d57324a2/attachment.docx>