[NFBA-Phoenix] Minutes from our last Meeting

[Sharonda Goode]

Hello NFB Phoenix chapter and friends,
Below you will find the minutes from our last meeting on September 5, 2026.
In addition, today, you'll have the agenda for our upcoming meeting this
Saturday, October 3, 2026.
We will be going to Oregano's after our meeting, so I hope we have a great
turnout to enjoy delicious food!
The 9/2/2026 minutes are below:

*National Federation of the Blind of Arizona*

*Phoenix Chapter Meeting Minutes*

Date: September 5, 2026

Location: Both in person and on Zoom


1. Call to Order and Welcome

President Michael Smith called the meeting to order at 9:33 a.m. and
welcomed everyone to the Phoenix Chapter’s September business meeting.


2. Roll Call

President Smith took roll, starting with those gathered in person at Saavi
and then moving to those joining on Zoom. Members and guests participated
both in person and online, and additional members and guests joined as the
meeting went on.


3. Pledges and Belief Statement

The chapter recited the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the NFB pledge.
Secretary Sharonda Goode then read the NFB belief statement, and several
members recited as well.


4. Prayer Requests

President Smith opened in prayer, giving thanks for bringing the chapter
together and for a wonderful state convention, and asking for continued
blessings on the chapter. The floor was then opened for prayer requests.
Members lifted up those affected by natural disasters in Tibet, Nepal, and
around the world, family members facing health concerns, and wisdom and
stamina for members returning to school. President Smith closed the prayer
by asking that the chapter be honored and blessed in all that it does going
forward.


5. Presidential Comments

President Smith shared how proud he was of the Phoenix Chapter at state
convention: “We showed up.” He thanked everyone who helped staff the
chapter’s popcorn table and everyone who bought popcorn, and said it was a
very fun convention. He noted that the chapter now looks ahead to October
and Blind Equality Achievement Month (BEAM), with more details to come
later in the meeting.
  6. Secretary’s Report

Secretary Sharonda Goode read the minutes of the August 1, 2026, business
meeting. Monica moved to accept the secretary’s report; Cheryl seconded and
the motion carried.

During discussion, Lori followed up on the Emanuel Caddy memorial. Thanks
to Cindy Garfio, who contacted ACBVI, the chapter learned that ACBVI is no
longer offering memorial paver bricks, so that plan can no longer move
forward. Sharonda shared some background for newer members: after Emanuel’s
passing, his family asked that, rather than giving money to the family, the
chapter direct funds toward a blindness-related cause. She suggested that
returning the $70 currently set aside to the chapter’s account would be in
keeping with the family’s wishes. Teresa suggested a friendship bench as a
possible alternative, though it was noted this would cost considerably more
than $70.

The chapter agreed to save this for a later discussion.
  7. Guest Presentation – Lumen

With the President’s approval, the agenda was adjusted so that the chapter
could hear from our guest speaker in order to respect his time. Joe Goode
introduced Pat Quinn and developer Sriram Ganesh of Lumen, an iPhone app
that lets users read, reply to, and send email simply by talking to it.

Sriram, an engineer based in San Francisco, shared how his own experience
with vision loss, and how hard it became to read text on screens and in the
world around him, led him to build a tool that could help both himself and
the wider blind community. Lumen was designed accessibility-first: it is
VoiceOver friendly and has just two buttons, one to connect and talk to
Lumen and one to manage accounts. The app launched about two months ago at
the NFB National Convention in Austin, Texas, has passed 700 users, and is
currently free. The team asks only for feedback in return.

During a live demonstration, Lumen summarized and prioritized unread email,
described a photo attachment, drafted and sent replies by voice, summarized
an attached Word document, and switched between several voice options. Joe
added that he has used Lumen to open a spreadsheet, pull out only his own
class schedule, and email it to himself, and he offered to help any members
who want to get started.

Questions and answers included:

•        Vicki Farley asked about attaching files. Lumen can currently read
PDFs, images, PowerPoint slides, and Excel sheets, and the ability to
attach files is coming soon.

•        Mark Felice asked whether Lumen helps with restaurant menus.
Sriram said he photographs the menu and sends it to himself, and Lumen
recommends dishes based on his preferences.

•        Mark also asked about BlindShell phones for seniors who don’t use
touchscreens. The team started with the iPhone to stay focused, but plans
to expand to other platforms, including eventually calling Lumen by phone,
and intends to reach BlindShell as well.

•        Kimberly Fetterman expressed interest in a presentation for
seniors; Pat will follow up with her through Joe.

•        Guest Jim Barber offered to connect the Lumen team with the NFB
San Francisco chapter.

•        Judy Clark asked about an Android release date. There is no date
yet, but it is on the roadmap. Support for Microsoft Outlook is the next
major feature coming.

The website is trylumin.ai, and the team can be reached at hello at luminade.ai
or pat at luminade.ai.

President Smith thanked Pat and Sriram for the demonstration, wished them
great success, and gave a shout-out to Joe Goode for inviting them.
  8. Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Donna Silba gave her report. Monica moved to accept the
treasurer’s report; Joe Goode seconded, and the motion carried. Donna also
noted that any dues paid from this point forward will be applied to 2027.


9. Presidential Release #563

Joe Goode played Presidential Release #563 from NFB President Mark
Riccobono, dated August 27, 2026. President Riccobono used the release to
walk through how the Federation is structured. Our national organization
brings together one affiliate from each state, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico. Each affiliate is an independent 501(c)(3) bound by
Federation policy, and chapters exist because the state affiliate
authorizes them and relies on them to carry out its programs locally. He
pushed back on the idea that the NFB is “top-down,” reminding members that
we set the direction through our conventions and elect the leaders who
carry it out. His call to action was to take part in fall affiliate
conventions, respect the will of the majority, and bring what we learn back
to our chapters, especially for newer members.
  10. Legislative Report

Jordan Moon was unable to attend and had planned to email his report; since
it had not been received, there was no legislative report this month.
  11. State and Division Updates

•        *Seniors Division: *Kimberly Fetterman reported that the Seniors
Division has adopted its constitution and elected a new board: Kimberly
Fetterman, President; Mark Felice, Vice President; Sharonda Goode,
Treasurer; Teresa Maresco, Secretary; and Cheryl and Monica Nunez as board
members. The division meets in person at Saavi on the first Friday of each
month from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., with a Zoom option available. Everyone is
welcome.

•        *Parents of Blind Children Division: *Newly elected board member
Diane Taylor deferred the report, and Ashley Moon shared on the division’s
behalf. The division plans to meet twice a month on Zoom, with
announcements coming soon, and is planning an October event and a
Thanksgiving or holiday get-together.

•        *Tech Seminar Wrap-Up: *Joe Goode and Sharonda Goode reported that
the state convention tech seminar went extremely well. This year leaned
into the fun side of technology, with Reaper on Windows, accessible
AI-assisted shopping on Amazon, music creation on the Mac with Slim, Suno,
a comparison of Meta and Echo Vision smart glasses, and a presentation from
HapWare.

•        *State Convention Wrap-Up: *President Smith encouraged everyone to
complete the affiliate’s post-convention survey and share feedback, and he
thanked the affiliate for a great convention. Vicki Farley gave a shout-out
to our own Sharonda Goode, a member of the 2026 affiliate scholarship class.

•        *Southwest Student Seminar: *Amanda Adcook shared that the
Southwest Student Seminar will be held September 18–20 at Saavi Tucson: a
weekend of advocacy, learning, and connecting. Registration closed on
August 31.


12. Membership Report

Vicki Farley reported that the membership committee met on Tuesday and was
not aware of any prospective members attending. She invited any newcomers
to introduce themselves. Guest Jim Barber introduced himself as a retired
computer engineer now living in Mississippi who was in town helping a
friend and was glad to join us. Danielle Jones also brought in Sue Fields
from the East Valley Chapter by phone, and the chapter welcomed both guests.
  13. Outreach – Blind Equality Achievement Month (BEAM)

President Smith announced that the next BEAM planning meeting will be
Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. on the chapter’s Zoom link, with
details going out on the listserv. He shared that the committee has come up
with some exciting ideas, and all interested members are invited to help
plan.
  14. Fundraising Report – Popcorn Fundraiser

Sharonda Goode reported that online popcorn sales are currently around
$475, and the chapter receives 50% of sales. She thanked everyone who has
ordered, encouraged members to share the link with family and friends and
on social media, and offered to help anyone who needs assistance placing an
order. Orders are currently taking about two weeks to arrive because of
FedEx driver shortages, not because of the popcorn company.

At state convention, the chapter sold all 18 bags at $15 each, for about
$270. Because those bags sell for $20 on the website, selling at $20 would
have brought in $360. The strong demand showed that having popcorn on hand
at future conventions is a great idea, and pricing can be revisited outside
of the meeting. Because the popcorn arrived late, some buyers who had
already paid were not present to pick up their bags. Sharonda sold the
inventory on hand and then personally reordered five bags at the $20
website price, plus shipping, so those buyers would receive what they paid
for. All affected buyers have been contacted.

The current fundraiser link runs through September 16. The vendor, Chad,
will then provide a new link so the fundraiser can continue through October.

Vicki Farley moved that the chapter reimburse Sharonda up to $55 to cover
the replacement popcorn and shipping; Monica seconded. The motion carried.
  15. Social Committee Report

Lori invited everyone to the chapter social following the meeting at
Zinburger, 2502 E. Camelback Road. She also shared that planning for the
chapter’s Christmas party, with Kimberly Fetterman’s help, should begin in
October. Thursday late-afternoon or evening meetings work best for her.
  16. New Business – Chapter Elections and Nominating Committee

Continuing the chapter’s series on the November elections, Vicki Farley,
chair of the nominating committee, shared the following:

•        Members must be current on their dues, including the $5 Phoenix
Chapter dues, to vote or be nominated in November.

•        President Smith has appointed Betty Love, Monica Nunez, and Cheryl
as voting members of the nominating committee, with Vicki as chair.

•        Anyone interested in running should contact Vicki by Saturday,
September 12, and share which position they are interested in. Vicki can be
reached by call or text at 602-403-9019.

•        Because so many members have expressed interest this year, the
committee will meet individually with each interested member. Candidates
will receive an email with available dates and are asked to choose three in
order of preference. Candidates are asked not to share the interview
questions afterward.

•        All candidates are asked to read President Riccobono’s 2026
banquet speech; a link will be included in the email.

•        The committee will then meet to select the slate of officers and
board members, which will be presented at the November business meeting
before elections.

•        Members may also be nominated from the floor in November if they
are present, current on dues, and willing to serve and carry out the duties
of the office.

Sharonda asked about the thinking behind the new interview and reading
requirements. Vicki explained that, with a large mix of longtime, newer,
and brand-new members interested, the committee wants everyone on the same
page with Federation philosophy and President Riccobono’s current focus.
There are no right or wrong answers, and the questions have been updated
from when this process was last used two or three years ago. Vicki also
asked for tech help getting the links to paste properly into her document.

Kimberly Fetterman asked whether members attending virtually may be
nominated. Vicki confirmed they may, and said the board will need to
discuss how virtual votes will be collected. In the past, designated
members received votes by text and added them to the in-person tally.
In-person ballots use 3×5 index cards: no corners torn for the nominating
committee’s candidate, one corner torn for the first floor nominee, and two
corners torn for the second, and so on.
  17. Philosophy – “The Nature of Independence”

Joe Goode led this month’s philosophy discussion on Dr. Kenneth Jernigan’s
1993 speech, “The Nature of Independence,” one of his all-time favorites.
He began by asking, “What is independence, and what does it mean to you?”
Members described independence as the freedom to come and go as they
please, the ability to handle their own tasks with tools like a braille
display, confidence, and the means, skills, and choices to do what they
want, when and how they want.

Joe then outlined the three stages of independence described in the speech:
the fearful stage, the rebellious stage in which all help is refused, and
the comfortable stage in which a person is secure enough to accept or
decline help as needed. Members reflected honestly on where they see
themselves. Some said they move between stages depending on the day and the
situation, and others respectfully questioned whether “comfortable
independence” should be seen as the final goal. Members also shared
personal stories about unsolicited help, especially being grabbed without
asking, and how they choose to respond. Joe connected the discussion to an
experience President Riccobono shared in his banquet speech.

Because the conversation was so rich, it will continue as a part two at the
October meeting. A link to the speech is in the agenda, and everyone is
encouraged to read it.
  18. Birthdays

Vicki Farley recognized the September birthdays: Cindy Garfield, Allison
Hilliker, and Aria Renteria (5th); Donald Cosby (7th); President Michael
Smith (8th); Alonzo Cuellar (10th); Hilda Davis (12th); Chris Crawley of
the East Valley Chapter (16th); Sharonda Goode and Amy Porterfield (19th);
and Jean Lynn (27th). Happy birthday to all!
  19. Announcements

•        Members were informed that Vicki Farley will be unavailable on
Tuesday, September 8; please direct any chapter business that day to
President Smith.

•        Nominating committee: contact Vicki Farley by Saturday, September
12, if you are interested in running for office.

•        BEAM planning meeting: Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. on
Zoom.

•        The current popcorn fundraiser link closes September 16, and a new
link will follow.
  20. Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was made. The motion carried, and the meeting was
adjourned.


Respectfully submitted,

*Sharonda Goode*

Secretary | Phoenix Chapter, National Federation of the Blind of Arizona
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