[NFB_of_Georgia] Presient's Notebook Week of Jan. 18, 2021

Wed Jan 20 22:36:17 UTC 2021

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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Here's hoping everyone had a great day of service for the 2021 Martin
Luther King Jr. Day. Our headquarters was closed in honor of the holiday,
and I know our diversity and inclusion work coming up in 2021 will be
consistent with the values that Dr. King worked toward every day. An
important part of our work this year is to provide anti-bias training to
our leaders. More information coming soon.

As we speed toward Washington Seminar, I just wanted to note that the Super
Bowl is on February 7. I note that Pam Allen's Buffalo Bills and my Green
Bay Packers are still in the hunt. Hats off to Pam and the other Bills fans
for stepping up to honor Baltimore's quarterback who suffered a concussion
during the game. This outstanding gesture of kindness and generosity is
what we need more of in this great nation. We have a lot of work to do
before Sunday's games, so let's go build the Federation with love, hope,
and determination.

*Critical Actions:**RAINN: Pre-Survey Coming Soon:*

As part of our safety and support initiatives, there will be mandatory
training starting in March for national, affiliate, chapter, and division
boards as well as staff and training center personnel. In order to prepare
for the training we will be sharing a pre-survey in the coming weeks from
RAINN. It is important for RAINN to understand who we are, so your feedback
is important. Please prioritize completing the survey when it is available.
More details coming soon.

*News*:*Request from Our Survivor Task Force:*

As our task force ramps up our efforts, we want to be transparent and
accessible to our affiliates and divisions to provide updates and to offer
a forum for asking questions. If your affiliate/division is interested in
having a task force member share an update with your membership at an
upcoming division or affiliate board meeting, please email survivors at nfb.org.
We highly encourage leaders to take advantage of this opportunity. Please
note that requests are appreciated at least two weeks prior to your
scheduled meeting. Direct questions and concerns to survivors at nfb.org.

*Washington Seminar Training Schedule:*

With the official kickoff of the 2021 Washington Seminar just over the
horizon, we are working diligently to ensure that our members are prepared
to meet with their representatives in Congress and to advocate for the
legislative priorities of all blind Americans. As a part of that effort, we
will be hosting four training sessions over the next two weeks in addition
to our normally scheduled Legislative Seminar on the first Monday of
Washington Seminar. The training schedule is below:

Tuesday, January 19, 8:00 p.m. eastern – General Issue Review and Q&A

Thursday, January 21, 8:00 p.m. eastern – Final Issue Review and Mock
Meeting

Tuesday, January 26, 8:00 p.m. eastern – Washington Seminar Portal:
Appointments & Rankings Tool

Thursday, January 28, 8:00 p.m. eastern – Zoom Moderator Training

The link to join all of these meetings is https://zoom.us/j/7567531013.
Except for the portal training, which should be limited to affiliate
members in charge of entering the appointments and rankings, these
trainings are open to all.

On the topic of Zoom, the national office is prepared to offer a limited
number of additional Zoom licenses to affiliates that request them. Please
keep in mind these licenses are to be used by the affiliates that have
large numbers of representatives in Congress and will have to schedule
multiple meetings for the same date and time. If your state has a small
number of representatives, we strongly encourage you to schedule meetings
in a way that will allow you to use only one Zoom license.

*2021 Washington Seminar Legislative Priorities – Fact Sheets:*

The fact sheets for our 2021 legislative priorities
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-seminar-agenda>
have
been posted to the website. This year we have decided to bring four issues
to Capitol Hill: the Access Technology Affordability Act, the Medical
Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, the Twenty-First Century Mobile Apps
and Website Accessibility Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Voting
Rights Act. With these priorities, we strive to remove obstacles to
economic opportunity, home-use medical devices, websites, and civil rights.

*COVID-19 Memorial:*

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) hosted a memorial to remember
and honor the lives lost to COVID-19, On January 19. it was across the
country for a national moment of unity and remembrance. As part of the
memorial, the National Federation of the Blind had on our building’s
rooftop digital sign an image of a lit candle on a black background with
the words “In remembrance” above it. We send our love to blind Americans,
family, friends, and everyone impacted by COVID-19.

 *Apply for 2021 Bolotin Awards:*

The National Federation of the Blind is accepting nominations of
individuals or organizations who are a positive force in the lives of blind
people and help us transform dreams into reality. Each application must
include a letter of recommendation. Learn more and submit a nomination for
the 2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards/application-information>
.

*Scholastic’s Dragon Masters:*

Dragon Masters is a book series from Scholastic written by Tracey West. The
series is about the adventures of a variety of eight-year-old boys and
girls who are teamed up with dragons. In book sixteen of the series, Tessa
is the Dragon Master to the Sound Dragon, Sono. Tessa is clever, brave, and
blind. Access BRF files of the book series at
https://www.actionfund.org/resources/dragon-masters.

*Braille Readers Are Leaders:*

The 2020-2021 Braille Readers Are Leaders contest reading period ended on
January 18, 2021. This means it is now time to complete and submit your
reading log. Download the form by visiting https://www.actionfund.org/bral,
and submit the log by emailing it as an attachment to
BrailleReadingContest at actionfund.org. Remember, to have your reading
counted you must submit it by February 1.

*Thanks to Missouri Chapter:*

Special thanks to our NFB of Missouri Kansas City Chapter for generously
contributing to our organization. Support from our chapters and affiliates
is essential to our efforts to get it done in 2021. We will all build the
National Federation of the Blind together.

*Dates to Keep in Mind:*

(all times eastern)

   - January 18: Braille Readers Are Leaders
   <https://actionfund.org/programs/braille-readers-are-leaders> registration
   (and page count) deadline
   - January 28: Smart Cities Summit
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/trainings/smart-cities-summit>,
   12:00-8:00 p.m.
   - February 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - February 8: Washington Seminar
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar> Great
   Gathering-In
   - March 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - March 24-26: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
   - March 31: Scholarship application
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program/scholarship-program-application-checklist>
    deadline
   - April 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - April 15: Bolotin Awards <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin> nominations
   deadline
   - May 2: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - June 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 6-11: NFB National Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana

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

Twitter: @Riccobono

Pronouns: he, him, his

-- 
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.