[NFBC-Info] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 10/12/2020

[Ever Hairston]

Ever Lee Hairston, Member,
Board of Directors,
National Federation of the Blind
H: 323 654.2975
C: 323 252.9188
everhairston03 at gmail.com

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nations Blind. Every day we work together to help Blind people live the lives we want.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "President, National Federation of the Blind" <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: October 12, 2020 at 12:53:09 PM PDT
To: State Presidents <StatePresidents at nfb.org>, "Jayne Seif (president at nfbofky.org)" <president at nfbofky.org>
Cc: NCB Staff <NCBStaff at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 10/12/2020


President’s Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org
410-659-9314
 

Dear Fellow Federationists,

It is a chilly, fall day in Baltimore but it is truly warm inside after some fantastic virtual conventions this past weekend. It was really great to be with the Federation family in Indiana (great convention, Ron), but also to jump into other conventions. I noted a number of other Federation leaders convention hopping as well.

Thank you to those of you who participated on our call last night. I am excited about the groundbreaking work we will do with our 2021 Washington Seminar. I look forward to hearing about your interesting approaches to how we advocate for our issues. Please keep sharing those ideas.

It is only three weeks until Election Day. Please continue to encourage all blind people to vote and to complete our blind voters survey so we can track the next phase of our push for equal access in the American democracy.

 

Critical Actions:
Washington Seminar Logistics:
Every year the National Federation of the Blind conducts a concentrated and focused set of meetings to educate members of Congress about issues affecting blind Americans. This event is referred to as the Washington Seminar. This year’s Washington Seminar will be virtual. The Great Gathering-In will still be Monday, February 8, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. eastern. We urge affiliates to schedule their Congressional meetings either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, February 9, 10, or 11.

We will be announcing our issues sometime during the month of December and will be distributing our fact sheets in early January. We will also be conducting extensive training during that month.

It’s too early to begin scheduling your Congressional meetings—most offices will not want to begin scheduling meetings for 2021 until January, but affiliates should begin thinking about how they can maximize constituent participation, especially in House meetings.

If you have members who are uncertain who their representative is, they can look it up at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

In the meantime, we still want to build cosponsor support for each of our seven bills. Doing so will help us when we restart in 2021 or may even help get them passed during one of the few remaining times Congress will be in session this year, so watch for upcoming legislative alerts.

 
News:
Meet the Blind Month Twitter Chats:
Join us each Wednesday during Meet the Blind Month on Twitter to discuss our lived experiences with various intersectional identities—which are also subject to inequalities, public misconceptions, and injustices. This Wednesday, October 14, at 2:00 p.m. eastern, our Twitter chat will be a discussion of lived experiences with blindness, race, and ethnicity. Participate and follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #MeetTheBlind. Questions for the chat will be posted soon on our Twitter chat page.

 
 
Training All about Soliciting Bequests and other Planned Gifts:
Is your affiliate soliciting planned gifts? Would you like to help bring in unrestricted money to both our affiliate and to our national organization? Do you want to understand all the ways that planned gifts can be made? Shall we share ideas about how these gifts can be solicited? If you answered yes, this upcoming training is for you or someone you designate. We plan to offer two training sessions. You can elect either Monday, November 9, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. eastern, or Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. Please mark your calendars.
 
The Zoom information is as follows:
https://zoom.us/j/7733076440?pwd=ZXAzZUNlMCttRndMN2R1MllzV25jZz09
Meeting ID: 773 307 6440
Passcode: 632632
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,7733076440#,,,,,,0#,,632632# US (Chicago)
+13017158592,,7733076440#,,,,,,0#,,632632# US (Germantown)
 
 
CENA Wayfinding Survey:
The National Federation of the Blind Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility is conducting a survey of wayfinding technology. This survey seeks to gather information from developers of wayfinding products and services about their offerings and the level of nonvisual accessibility they have. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JSR6SQ8

 

Jeopardy! Online Test Now Accessible:
As a result of negotiations between the National Federation of the Blind, the show producers, and a blind man attempting to be a contestant, the entrance test for Jeopardy! is now accessible. The prospective contestant was unable to successfully take the online test because it was not accessible, but now it will be fully accessible with screen-reader technology.

 
 
Dates to Keep in Mind:
October: Meet the Blind Month
November 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
December 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
December 9: Open-House Gathering call, 8:00 p.m. eastern
February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In (Virtual)
 

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
 
 

 
                                 
 
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.