[NFB_of_Georgia] NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 10/20/2021

Wed Oct 20 16:30:52 UTC 2021

Please share with members who do not have email.

Dear Federation Family,

Blind Equality Achievement Month is halfway through, and there is so much
great Federation activity still to come. Please stay tuned for a number of
important Federation announcements in the coming weeks. We are starting to
plan for our 2022 activities and the increased number of in-person
Federation meetings. I encourage everyone to continue to follow best
practices, and I also encourage us to find creative ways to bring people
together in a physical space again. I am hearing from members every day
what a difference this is making. I am anticipating heading to Colorado
next week for an in-person affiliate convention for the first time since
the fall of 2019, and I am excited about the trip. I am lifting a cup of
hot chocolate to the hard work you all put into keeping our members safe,
supported, and moving forward.

Critical Actions:*Next Presidential Release, Monday, November 1:*

The November Presidential Release of the National Federation of the Blind
will be Monday, November 1, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. There will be an
opportunity for questions after the remarks and updates. Please submit
questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR510 in the subject
line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473. Closed captions and Spanish
interpretation will be available. Zoom details coming soon.

*TOMORROW: Blind Equality Achievement Month Twitter Chat, October 21:*

Join the National Federation of the Blind on Twitter to discuss employment
and Blind Equality Achievement Month on October 21 at 1:30 p.m., eastern. A
Twitter chat is a scheduled, organized, topical conversation on Twitter
centralized around a specific hashtag. For this chat, we will be using
#BlindMonth. Access the questions now and learn more about the chat
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/twitter-chats>.

News:*Share Our Newest PSAs:*

The National Federation of the Blind has several public service
announcement (PSA) audio files that can be shared to radio stations. There
are three new PSAs: General NFB PSA on Civil Rights (MP3; 30 Seconds;
English)
<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-10/NFB-2021-PSA-Civil-Rights.mp3>,
 NFB PSA on Connecting to Your Chapter (MP3; 30 Seconds; English)
<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-10/NFB-2021-PSA-ConnectToYourCommunity.mp3>,
and Changing Vision PSA (MP3; 30 seconds; English)
<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-10/NFB-2021-PSA-VisionLoss.mp3>.
While these are being shared nationally throughout the country, affiliates
and chapters can take advantage of them to build relationships with their
local stations. Included on the webpage is a template that can be used when
sharing to your local stations. https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/psas

*Get On the PAC Plan or Update Today!:*

You can support the National Federation of the Blind by signing up for our
PAC (Pre-Authorized Contribution) Plan, a monthly donation program. To
become a PAC Plan contributor, please go tohttps://www.nfb.org/PAC to
complete the form. If you are a current member and you want to update your
contribution information including amount, address, credit card, or bank
account, you can now go tohttps://www.nfb.org/PAC to update this
information online. If you have any questions or need assistance with the
form, please contact us at PAC at nfb.org or call 410-659-9314, extension
2622, or toll free 1-877-632-2722 (NFB-2PAC). We appreciate your support!

Just so you know, we are doing well on the PAC Plan with an annualized
amount of over $502,000. Let’s keep this up and keep growing our ability to
fund the movement!

*Coming Soon! Braille Readers Are Leaders—A Contest for Children and
Adults:*

Get your reading lists ready! The National Federation of the Blind is
partnering with the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults to
present the 2021-2022 Braille Readers Are Leaders contest to encourage
Braille literacy and reading for pleasure. Children across the United
States will compete against their same-grade peers, and adults will compete
against other adults, to read the most minutes of Braille from December 1,
2021, through January 19, 2021. Registration will open in November 2021.
Stay tuned for more details. This contest is a good opportunity for
Federation affiliates to do outreach and to encourage Braille reading and
mentoring within chapters and affiliates.

*Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment for 2022:*

The Social Security Administration released most of its Cost of Living
Adjustment Information (COLA)
<https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2022.pdf> for 2022 last
week. The overall COLA is 5.9 percent. The average SSDI benefit will go
from $1,282 to $1,358 in 2022. The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) for
blind recipients will go from $2,190 in 2021 to $2,260 in 2022. Regarding
SSI the benefit will go from $794 in 2021 to $841 in 2022 for an individual
and $1,191 to $1,261 for a couple. Note that the SSI resource limit of
$2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple did not change. Also, the
SSI $20 unearned income and $65 earned income exclusions did not change.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

   - October 21: Blind Equality Achievement Month Twitter Chat, 1:30 p.m.
   - November 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
   - November 18: NFB Training Centers Meeting, 8:00 p.m.
   - December 1: NFB Scholarship Program
<https://nfb.org/scholarships> applications
   open
   - December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 5-10, 2022: National Convention, New Orleans

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

[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.