[NFB_of_Georgia] NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 02/15/2022

Wed Feb 16 17:20:28 UTC 2022

Please share with members that may not be on our listserv.

Dear Federation Family,

I am still fired up from our gatherings before and during the 2022
Washington Seminar week. You all continue to inspire me and fuel my love
for the work of this movement.

We are heading into a busy spring convention season and planning for our
first in-person convention in three years. There is much ahead to get
excited about and to bring us together again.

*Critical Actions:*

*Museum Planning Survey Closing February 18:*

Your thoughts, suggestions, and opinions are needed to help us with the
initial planning of a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the civil rights
struggle of blind Americans, including the history of the National
Federation of the Blind as the leader in the blind civil rights movement.
Our museum will highlight the struggles, triumphs, and challenges blind
people have experienced and the contributions we have made as we continue
to secure our place in the world as fully participating citizens. You
can complete
the survey online,
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1byRFNrP1741YzcukC0pcG3s4_1ufxpRuPTGXAM_q-JE/viewform?edit_requested=true>
 or you can complete the telephone survey by calling 229-632-7878 or
toll-free 833-632-7878. The survey will close on Friday, February 18, so
please be sure to let us know your thoughts by then.

*Washington Seminar Thank You:*

Thanks to everyone who participated in Washington Seminar. As a result of
our advocacy our bills garnered many new cosponsors. The Access Technology
Affordability Act in the House jumped from 118 to 130 cosponsors and in the
Senate increased from 34 to 35. The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility
Act jumped from 10 to 18 cosponsors. The Transformation to Competitive
Integrated Employment Act, in the House, jumped from 24 to 34 cosponsors.
In addition, the lead Senate cosponsor of the Transformation to Competitive
Integrated Employment Act, Senator Steve Daines, spoke at our Great
Gathering-In.

 *Template Letters Regarding Inaccessible Education Technology Software:*

The NFB has posted to our website template letters for blind students,
blind parents, and parents of blind children to use when they encounter
inaccessible education technology software at their or their children’s
schools. As the templates recommend, please copy NFB on any letters you
send via the email address advocacy at nfb.org.

·       Blind Parent Template Letter Regarding Inaccessible Education
Technology
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/blind-parent-template-letter-regarding>

·       Blind Student Template Letter Regarding Inaccessible Education
Technology
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/blind-student-template-letter-regarding>

·       Parent of Blind Student Template Letter Regarding Inaccessible
Education Technology
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/parent-blind-student-template-letter>

Please also continue to report information about accessible and
inaccessible education tech software through NFB’s Education Technology
Survey:
https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey.

*Accessible Self-Service Kiosks at McDonald’s Restaurants:*

As a part of the NFB’s collaboration with McDonald’s to improve access for
blind McDonald’s customers, the attached list includes the corporate-owned
McDonald’s restaurants that now feature screen-reading software, tactile
keypads, and the ability for customers to connect their headphones or ear
buds to the kiosk and independently place their orders by responding to
audio prompts. For more information about the NFB’s collaboration with
McDonald’s, please visit
https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/mcdonalds-and-national-federation-blind-collaborate-self-service-kiosks.
To watch the McDonald’s kiosk video shared during the NFB’s 2021 National
Convention, please visit
https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/past-conventions/2021-national-convention.

*KJ Fund and SUN Fund Program Years:*

In recent years we adjusted the PAC program and membership years to
coincide with the calendar year. As of January 1, 2022, we changed the
Kenneth Jernigan Fund and SUN Shares Fund program years to the calendar
year. Reports will now begin with funds received as of January 1 and end as
of December 31. All pledged funds are to be received by December 31. This
adjustment makes it easier to account for funds in the correct program year
and follows our fiscal year.

*Dates to Keep in Mind:*

(all times eastern)

·       March 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.

·       March 31: Deadline to submit scholarship application
<https://nfb.org/scholarships>

·       April 15: Deadline for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award nominations
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards/application-information>

·       July 5-10: National Convention, New Orleans

 Please review the attachment at the bottom of this email.  It is in PDF
format.

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
404-632-5989

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.
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