[Nfbc-info] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 10/9/2017

[EverHairston]

Ever Lee Hairston, President
National Federation of the Blind of California
H: 323 654.2975
C: 323 252.9188
ever.hairston at gmail.com

You Can Live The Life You Want


Begin forwarded message:

From: "President, National Federation of the Blind" <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: October 9, 2017 at 12:59:29 PM PDT
To: "President, National Federation of the Blind" <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 10/9/2017

President’s Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org
(410) 659-9314
 
Dear Fellow Federationists,
 
Today I want to call your attention to two things. First, there has been a great deal of interest in getting our affiliate presidents together prior to Washington Seminar. We will plan to start at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 27. We will plan to bus everyone to the Capitol Holiday Inn after dinner on Sunday, January 28. Please confirm that you will (or will not) attend with Beth Braun (at bbraun at nfb.org) no later than close of business on Thursday, October 19. I do not need to know your travel plans right now, but we do need to know if you are planning to attend. We will also be hosting some of our student leaders, and we need to carefully plan the weekend. In other words, get into the mix while you can. I think bringing our affiliate presidents together has tremendous value, and I am hopeful that each of you will be able to attend.
 
Second, note the numbers on our Cardtronics testing below. We were hoping to have all of our tests wrapped up by October 15. We are going to need to hustle to make that happen. We are already assigning extra tests to affiliates that have completed their allocation of tests. If you cannot get it done, please let Valerie Yingling know as soon as possible so we can ask others to complete tests for the Federation.
 
Thank you for all you do.
 
Critical Actions This Week:
Cardtronics ATM Testing:
Congratulations to the NFB affiliates in New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Arkansas for completing their assigned Cardtronics ATM testing and winning a copy of KNFB Reader for Windows. The next six affiliates to finish their testing will also receive a redemption code for one copy of KNFB Reader for Windows that they can use as a door prize at an upcoming convention.
 
To date, the NFB has received 227 completed tests and 373 ATMs remain to be tested. We are asking that all tests be completed by October 15. Please contact your affiliate’s testers this week to remind them of the testing deadline. If a tester in your affiliate has not yet received his or her testing instructions or Request Tracker (RT) login and password, please contact me as soon as possible at vyingling at nfb.org.
 
News:
Presidential Release:
The October Presidential Release is available on the NFB website.
 
Video:
As I mentioned in last week’s Notebook, we have produced an informational video about the white cane and White Cane Awareness Day. It can be found on the Nation’s Blind YouTube channel. I encourage you to share this with our members, and to use it as a tool to educate the public on the white cane.
 
#WhiteCaneAwarenessDay Video Now Available:
As I mentioned in last week’s Notebook, we have produced an informational video about the white cane and White Cane Awareness Day. It can be found on the Nation’s Blind YouTube channel. I encourage you to share this with our members, and to use it as a tool to educate the public on the white cane.
 
Meet the Blind Month Activities:
Remember to share with us the activities your affiliate has planned for Meet the Blind Month. We would like to include details about as many events as we can on our Meet the Blind Month events webpage. Details can be sent to communicationsteam at nfb.org.
 
New Member Form:
If you welcome new members this month, please complete the new member form online so they receive the welcome emails we have put together to introduce them to the Federation. If you have run out and would like to request additional membership cards, please email independencemarket at nfb.org to place an order.  
 
Voice of the Nation’s Blind Blog:
I am pleased to report that we have launched a redesign of the Voice of the Nation’s Blind blog. This redesign will improve usability for visitors, so that our blog can become another resource for people hoping to learn about topics ranging from parenting to technology and more. If you have ideas for topics for the blog, or would like to submit a post for consideration, please contact communicationsteam at nfb.org.
 
Dates to Keep in Mind:
Fall Conventions
November 1, 2017: 2018 Scholarship Application period begins
November 6-8, 2017: Dare to Be Remarkable Conference, Baltimore, Maryland
November 15, 2017: 2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award competition begins, deadline April 15
January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In, Washington, District of Columbia
March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland
 
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
 
 

 
                                  
 
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.