[Nfbf-l] NFB of Palm Beach November's Newsletter

Thu Nov 2 13:17:17 UTC 2017

NFB OF PALM BEACH NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER 

Let’s recite the NFB Pledge:

I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation
of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind;
to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its
constitution.

The mission of the National Federation of the Blind is to achieve widespread
emotional acceptance and intellectual understanding that the real problem of
blindness is not the loss of eyesight but the misconceptions and lack of
information which exist. We do this by bringing blind people together to
share successes, to support each other in times of failure, and to create
imaginative solutions.

Greetings Federation Family! The National Federation of the Blind Palm Beach
Chapter is honored to have you at our monthly meeting on Saturday November
11th at our new location, Duffy’s 11935 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, FL
from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. During this meeting, we will have a guest speaker
to share details on his organization: Back Into Life Again.” If you are not
a member, you can join today with an annual membership for only $10. There
are many benefits to joining are wonderful chapter to be a part of the NFB
family! With love, hope, and determination, we will continue to build the
federation! 

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!

Helen Keller

Our state Affiliate is open to innovative ideas that can enhance the lives
of our members. We would like for everyone to work together for the purpose
written in our pledge and philosophy. 

Participating actively in the National Federation of the Blind, through
support of the programs and policies of the Federation, is defined by
fundraising; legislation; having at least one representative from your
chapter attending conference calls; volunteering at State and national
Conventions; and effective communication within our Affiliate

Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary from the NFB Palm Beach Chapter if you
are celebrating any special occasions this month. Enjoy each moment like it
is your last and many blessings!

The Sound of Success

by John Paré

John ParéFrom the Editor: No man has worked harder to make electric and
other quiet cars loud enough that they can be heard by blind people who
travel the streets of our nation than John Paré. His work in building key
alliances, writing persuasive documents, making repeated telephone calls,
getting himself invited to make difficult presentations, and continuing to
send the message that the lives of blind people are valuable and deserve to
be protected is unparalleled. Here is what he has to say in this ongoing
saga to make the streets safer for all pedestrians:

After four delays by the Department of Transportation, the Pedestrian Safety
Enhancement Act final regulation went into effect on Tuesday, September 5,
2017. The National Federation of the Blind has been working on this issue
for fourteen years. We first worked for eight years to define the problem,
develop key partnerships, write the legislation, and work to get the
legislation passed. But our work was not over. The National Federation of
the Blind then worked for six more years participating in studies,
advocating with individual car companies, responding to proposed
regulations, and doing our own research. In the end, our relentless
attention to detail, our consistent messaging, and our unwavering passion
made the difference.

There are two articles from previous issues of the Braille Monitor which
detail, at great length, the history of this legislation. The first is an
article from the June 2011 issue of the Monitor titled “Belling the Cat: The
Long Road to the Passage of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act” by
Deborah Kent Stein which details the bill from its inspiration and inception
to its passage. It can be found online at
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm11/bm1106/bm110602.htm>
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm11/bm1106/bm110602.htm. The
second is an article I wrote which was published in the April 2017 issue
titled “Progress on the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act: The Regulations,
the Law, and What They Will Mean for the Blind.” This second article details
everything that happened after the law was passed, including the long and
arduous fight to get the final regulation published, and can be found online
at  <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1704/bm170403.htm>
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1704/bm170403.htm. 

The key points of this regulation ensure that America’s streets will be
safer for all pedestrians, and in particular blind pedestrians. The final
regulation prohibits a pause switch, manufacturer supplied selectable
sounds, and any tampering with the device, solidifying its classification as
a safety feature. Generally, the vehicle must emit a sound of at least 44
decibels when stationary or traveling in a forward speed of less than 10
kph. For vehicles with an automatic transmission, this includes all times
when the vehicle is not in motion and the shifter is not in the "Park"
position. For manual transmission vehicles, this includes any time the
parking brake is not engaged. When traveling at a speed of greater than or
equal to 10 kph, but less than 20 kph the vehicle must emit a sound of at
least 51 decibels. When traveling at a speed of greater than or equal to 20
kph, but less than 30 kph the vehicle must emit a sound of at least 57
decibels. When traveling at a speed of 30 kph the vehicle must emit a sound
of at least 62 decibels. At rates of speed higher than 30 kph, tire-road
noise and wind resistance are considered sufficient, and the additional
alert sound is no longer required. A sound of at least 48 decibels is
required when the vehicle is moving in reverse. The regulation requires all
four-wheeled hybrid-electric passenger vehicles under ten thousand pounds
produced on or after September 1, 2019, to be compliant. Fifty percent of
all hybrid-electric vehicles produced on or after September 1, 2018, must
meet the above requirements.

Our advocacy on this issue is a perfect example of our commitment to help
blind Americans live the lives they want. Fourteen years ago we realized
that silent vehicles threatened our independence and our ability to safely
walk on the streets of America. We refused to accept this possibility and
set in motion the mechanism that would lead to the passage of this landmark
law. Now the sounds of our success will ring freely from sea to sea.

A Worldwide Revolution: The Marrakesh Treaty, the Accessible Books
Consortium, and Global Literacy for the Blind

by Scott LaBarre

Scott LaBarreFrom the Editor: We are blessed to have some very talented
people who have joined in this organization to improve opportunities, not
only for themselves but for other people who are blind. Scott LaBarre is one
such person. His talent has certainly been recognized by the National
Federation of the Blind inasmuch as it has elected him repeatedly as the
president of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. He also
serves as the president of the National Association of Blind Lawyers and as
the chairman of our Preauthorized Check Program. But he also distinguishes
himself in the profession of law, operating his own legal practice and
standing at the forefront of civil rights legislation for the blind.

One of his assignments for the Federation is to work for the passage of the
Marrakesh Treaty. Here is what he said to the 2017 National Convention on
the progress we have made and the work that remains to be done:

Thank you, Mr. President. I've just got to say that in Colorado we are so
proud of Maureen Nietfeld [who spoke immediately before him]. She truly
lives our philosophy. Let's hear it again for Maureen Nietfeld. [cheers].

In 1966 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the international
covenant on civil and political rights. Article 19 paragraph 2 of that
instrument holds that freedom of expression includes the right to
information. Specifically it states that everyone shall have the right to
the freedom of expression. This right shall include the freedom to seek,
receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds regardless of
frontiers. A critical component in exercising this right is the right to
read and otherwise manipulate the written word. For the blind, this right
has been difficult to achieve, and its full realization and permanency are
not yet secured. In addition to the traditional barriers limiting our right
to read, namely the barriers of our inability physically to read the
visually-printed word and the barrier of inaccessible information
technology, there is another significant barrier to our full enjoyment of
the right to access information, and it is copyright law.

Without an exception or limitation, international law makes it abundantly
clear that reproducing a copyrighted work—any kind of copy, whether in
Braille or some other format—violates the exclusive right that the copyright
holder possesses to control distribution of the work. The only way around
this exclusive right has been to ask permission of the right holder to copy
the work in an accessible format. That permission either is denied or has
taken a long, long time. That is why the National Federation of the Blind
joined the Association of American Publishers in 1996 and urged and
ultimately convinced Congress to amend the United States Copyright Act to
include an exception permitting reproduction of published works into
accessible formats such as Braille, audio, and accessible electronic texts,
the so-called Chaffee Amendment. The man most responsible for the Chaffee
Amendment is in this room; let's hear it for James Gashel. [cheers,
applause]

Our domestic exception, however, did not address the great dearth of
accessible works throughout the world. It has been estimated that well over
95 percent of the world's works have not been available in accessible
formats. Think about that for a moment. Unfortunately international
copyright has either outright banned the practice of exchanging accessible
works over international borders or has made it extremely difficult to do
so. This has been a phenomenon, a phenomenon later dubbed "the book famine
for the blind." That is why we engage with our partners in the World Blind
Union to put forward an international agreement that would amend
international copyright law proactively to permit exceptions and limitations
allowing reproduction of works into accessible formats and to allow such
accessible works to flow across international borders.

Four years ago Dr. Fred Schroeder and I had the pleasure and deep honor to
stand before you and report on the miracle that had occurred in Marrakesh,
Morocco, on June 28, 2013. After several years of intense negotiations and
at times stiff opposition, an international treaty had been born: a treaty
holding out the promise to eradicate the book famine for the blind and
signaling a global priority on the right to access information, the right to
access knowledge and literacy for the world's blind and print disabled.

So, what is going on with respect to implementing the Marrakesh Treaty to
Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind,
Visually-Impaired, or Otherwise Print-Disabled? As we join together in this
convention, the treaty has become an official, binding, legal instrument for
all the countries that have ratified or acceded to it. The treaty fully
entered into force when our neighbors to the north—Canada—delivered its
accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on June 30,
2016, becoming the twentieth so-called contracting party to the treaty.
Since Canada, nine other nations have joined the Marrakesh Treaty community.
The full list of countries, in chronological order of ratification or
accession, is: India, El Salvador, The United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Mali,
Paraguay, Singapore, Argentina, Mexico, Mongolia, The Republic of Korea,
Australia, Brazil, Peru, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Israel,
Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Canada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia,
Botswana, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Panama, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, and Kenya.

Now, you are all pretty sharp, and I'm sure that all of you have noticed
that not present in that list of twenty-nine countries is the United States
of America. How can this be? The United States has led the way in producing
accessible titles, both at the governmental level with our National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and at the private level
with organizations like Bookshare. We have one of the most robust exceptions
to our copyright law permitting the creation of accessible formats. This
Federation exercised its leadership and convinced the Obama administration
to support a treaty, and the United States Government turned out to be a
strong advocate for what later became the Marrakesh Treaty. The United
States has, in fact, signed the treaty as of October 2, 2013, indicating its
intent to ratify. And, as you know, our Constitution requires that our
president send the treaty to the Senate for ratification, which requires a
two-thirds vote, and President Obama did in fact submit the Marrakesh Treaty
to the Senate in February of 2016. No Senator has voiced opposition to
ratifying the Marrakesh Treaty, and in fact the vast majority has expressed
support. Why, then, do we not find ourselves among the nations who have
boarded the Marrakesh Express?

It comes down to this: after President Obama forwarded the treaty to the
Senate, along with proposed implementing legislation, key copyright
stakeholders such as the publishers and the library community expressed
reservations or insisted on amendments. For a time it felt like déjà vu all
over again. Because we started relitigating the same issues: the very same
issues that we had talked about ad nauseum in Marrakesh and in Geneva, the
same issues to which we had found solutions, and the US key stakeholders had
agreed to such solutions.

Regardless, I am now happy to report: due to the leadership of the National
Federation of the Blind, we have once again brought the key stakeholders
back to the table. And we have once again re-resolved the same issues that
threatened to scuttle Marrakesh in 2013. With the full support of the
American Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, the
American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the
Association of College and Research Libraries, Benetech (who operates
Bookshare), the Association of Research Libraries, the National Federation
of the Blind, and the National Music Publishers Association we have now
submitted legislative language to the appropriate Senate committees. These
Senate committees are conducting their due diligence, and it is our real
hope and expectation that by the end of the year the United States will
ratify the Marrakesh Treaty. [applause]

It will do so because of us—because of the National Federation of the Blind.
But we must all encourage and urge the Congress to stop waiting around, to
not be late to the station, and to get on the Marrakesh Express!

On the global front, we are very active in the effort to increase the
ratifications and implementation of Marrakesh. We are participating with the
World Blind Union to accomplish this goal. I have the honor of serving as
co-chair of the WBU's ratification campaign committee. And we are training
blind advocates from all over the world on how best to get Marrakesh
ratified in their countries. We have created a thorough and scholarly
implementation guide that advocates and legislators can use to best
implement Marrakesh. I also have the privilege of serving as WBU's
representative on the board of the Accessible Books Consortium. ABC, which
is an entity created by WIPO, serves the purpose of implementing Marrakesh
on a practical level. It is a public-private alliance representing the key
stakeholders in this area. Now there are many entities that serve on ABC's
board, but just to give you a flavor: The International Publisher's
Association, the International Federation of Libraries and Institutions, and
the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations all serve
on ABC. And I want to thank the worldwide community of copyright
stakeholders for their commitment to ending the book famine.

I also want to thank WIPO for taking the leadership and making Marrakesh
implementation a priority. WIPO administers and monitors several dozens of
international agreements and treaties, yet it has made Marrakesh a priority.
[applause]

ABC has three main objectives: number one is to operate the ABC Global Book
Service. This is a platform where authorized entities can list and share
their accessible titles and get them into the hands of blind and
print-disabled individuals around the world. Thus far we have acquired over
400,000 accessible titles in ABC's database. 130,000 blind people from
around the world have downloaded and are using these titles. As countries
ratify and accede to Marrakesh, these numbers will dramatically increase
because it will no longer be required to achieve the permission of the
copyright holder to exchange these titles, so literally hundreds of
thousands of works can start flowing across international borders.

ABC's second major objective is capacity-building. ABC has been working in
six different countries to increase the amount of accessible works, and
these are countries that did not have authorized entities creating works. So
far over 4,000 titles have been created in accessible format—mostly in the
arena of education. And in many of these cases, this is the first time that
the blind of those countries have ever had access to accessible works in
their native language.

The third major objective of ABC is to promote inclusive publishing. This is
an effort to provide techniques and guidance on how to make books and have
them born accessible. ABC has several projects in this area, including the
publishing of a guide for self-publishing authors on how to make accessible
books, as well as a starter kit for accessible publishing. ABC promotes the
international excellence award, recognizing leadership and commitment to
accessible publishing. And ABC has created a charter of accessible
publishing, to which several large publishers and publisher associations
have signed, indicating their commitment to create works that are indeed
born accessible. [applause]

As you can see, there is a great deal going on in the world surrounding the
adoption and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty. When we take a moment
to analyze what is really going on, it is quite simple: these activities
represent a global revolution. For the first time in human history, access
to information, the right to knowledge and literacy for the blind and
otherwise print-disabled is indeed a worldwide priority. The origin of this
revolution comes from right here, right here in the National Federation of
the Blind. [applause]. It is our founder Dr. Jacobus tenBroek who eloquently
said we have a right to live in the world. And indeed, we do. Part of that
right, and in fact fundamental to it, is the right to access information on
terms of equality. We must insist upon full participation in the world's
information marketplace, through which we will transform our dreams into
reality and live the lives we want. The days of restricting the blind to
little or no information are gone. We have touched the flame of freedom, and
it has ignited our hearts, minds, and souls. True freedom is no longer just
a dream; it lies well within our grasps. My brothers, my sisters, let’s now
march forward to the future, shatter the information barrier, and make our
dreams come true! [applause, cheers]

>From the Mail Basket

by Gary Wunder

We all know that being a chapter or an affiliate president means more than
presiding at meetings. Often it means setting the pace by showing through
example one’s commitment to the cause and the ambition to get things done.
But what happens when activity in one area leads to the appearance of
inactivity in another and when those closest to us think we aren’t setting
the right example? A discussion of this type came up recently on our chapter
president’s list, and some of the concerns and observations seemed
appropriate to address here. Names and locations have been changed so that
the discussion is more about concepts than individuals. Let’s see what we
can learn together:

Dear Colleagues,

I am seeking advice. I feel like my chapter presidents and many of my
affiliate members are constantly seeing all the things that I do not do and
not seeing the things that I actually get done. My local chapter president
is upset with me because I missed the June and July chapter meetings. During
the July meeting I was up in Buffalo preparing for our BELL Academy and
attending the Northern Lakes chapter meeting, and during the June meeting, I
was attending a family event for blind children put on by another foundation
here in Kansas. I am being criticized for not supporting or showing up when
the truth is that what I am doing is giving my time freely to the
Federation. It just comes as a shock with this last wave of criticisms—being
told that I am micromanaging by telling the chapter presidents to play the
Presidential Release during their meetings. Our student division is at a
halt with all of the leaders resigning from that division. I am just tired.
How do you all keep on continuing on when you feel like all the work that
you do is not noticed or appreciated? How do you not let the criticisms get
to you? I love this organization and am willing to serve when and where I am
needed. However, sometimes it is just draining to feel alone. 

Thank you for reading, and thank you for any advice that you might be able
to share.

Sincerely yours,

Autumn

One response was offered by Anil Lewis, the executive director of the NFB
Jernigan Institute:

Dear Autumn:

Ah yes. This brings back memories. The joy of being an affiliate president.

One of the ways that I attempted to address this issue is to prepare a
monthly memo to all chapter presidents (I would also copy the chapter board
members) to let them know what I was doing and to guide them with
suggestions on things they could be doing as well. The memo let everyone
know that I was busy doing things we can all take pride in and set an
expectation that they should not be criticizing but working as well. You
could strengthen this by also inviting the chapter presidents to submit
items for the memo as well. It would be more difficult for them to complain
that you are not doing anything if they are not equally as active. Of
course, this is an additional administrative burden for you, but the benefit
outweighs the extra work.

Anil

Scott LaBarre, a veteran president in Colorado offered these observations:

Autumn, you have been getting some great advice. One thing that I would add
is that we follow a practice of inviting all chapter/division presidents to
every board meeting whether they participate on the phone or in person. I
appoint them to committees and keep them very engaged and involved. Other
than having an official vote, they really are acting like board members. You
should also not forget the social aspect for building camaraderie. For
example, just this past Saturday, we held an in-person NFBCO Board Meeting
which several chapter/division presidents attended. Afterwards, we shared
some drinks and snacks and hung out for a while. All in all, it was a great
afternoon. 

Warmly,

Scott 

I took my turn at offering some advice as well:

Dear Autumn:

One of the struggles of any Federation leader is to figure out how much time
to use in one’s life for Federation work and how much time to live out the
goals of the Federation. If one of my goals is to be an integrated member of
my community, I can’t spend all of my time at a writing desk putting
together a magazine. I can’t spend all of my time attending chapter and
board meetings with the message that all of us should be out in the
community if my example does not show that I too am a part of it. I can’t
hope to lead the Federation band without picking up an instrument, but there
can be no Federation band if I am the only instrument playing.

You have to do enough work in the Federation that you deserve the elected
position you have campaigned for, but you have to work at a pace that will
let you run a marathon and not leave our ranks because you thought you were
continually required to run a sprint. Let your heart be your guide, but
don’t leave it exposed. It is a good heart; take care of it for all of us.
You too have the right to live the life you want, and I thank you for
showing us through example how that is done.

Gary

A real pearl was offered by Immediate Past President Maurer who said:

Dear Autumn:

You are not alone. I am a buddy of yours. Now, we don't talk very often, but
that doesn't mean I'm not a buddy of yours.

Being criticized is a badge of honor when the right people are doing it.
Sometimes if your friends do it, this can be painful. However, when you
carry around the notion (as I do) that you know what you want to get of this
organization, things get a lot easier. I know that I want certain things. I
want the subminimum wage to go away. I want employment for the blind to
become practical at many different levels. I want technology to be
accessible and reasonably simple to use. I want educational opportunities
for the blind to exist at every level. I want blind people to be welcomed
into society as valuable members of the community. I can't get these things
without help. If I thought I could get them without help, I would do it.
However, I know I can't. Consequently, I get a bunch of friends about me and
we make plans together to change the nature of the world in which we live.
For example, I need friends like you. What does this mean? Don't give up on
me. I will not give up on you. Don’t worry that I’m perfect because I’m not.
I make lots of mistakes. You can criticize them if you want to. When you’re
done with the criticism, let’s make a plan to change the world. If you plan
with me, I will listen a lot harder to your criticisms. 

Affectionately, 

Marc Maurer

Fundraiser Info:

Let’s have fun selling tickets for our Holiday Starbucks Raffle!

The cost of the tickets are 1 for $3 or 2 for$5. We will have tickets at the
meeting, so let’s make the most of selling tickets while having fun; the
drawing will be held during our holiday festivities in December.

Tell a friend or family member about NFB-NEWSLINE! NFB-NEWSLINE now offers
over 350 newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New
York Times; along with breaking news from news sources such as CNN, BBC, ABC
News, CBS News and ESPN Online; and over 50 magazines like Time,
Smithsonian, Reader's Digest, Every Day with Rachel Ray, PC World and
Macworld. There is also TV listings, job listings, emergency weather
reports, and weather forecasts, not to mention retail ads from Target and
our holiday ads from Giant, Home Depot, Kohl's, Publix, Sears, Staples, Toys
R Us, and Walgreen's. NFB-NEWSLINE Announces Four New Publications

The NFB-NEWSLINE Team is pleased to share some new publications with you.

First is New York Times Online, International Business Times, McClatchy DC.
and Rome News-Tribune. Tell a friend about NFB-NEWSLINE, or better yet, help
them sign up by calling (866) 504-7300 or visiting
<http://www.nfbnewsline.org> www.nfbnewsline.org. And it's still free to use
and free to sign up!

Technology: Tips & Tricks

Accessibility Phone Support from Microsoft and Apple

Microsoft has a Disability Answer Desk (DAD) featuring staff who specializes
in assisting customers with disability as well as proving support using
accessibility settings in Microsoft products.  Help is available for screen
magnifiers, speech recognition software, Microsoft-compatible devices and
accessibility features.  DAD, which can be contacted a 1-800-963-5900, is
available Monday – Friday from 6 am- 10 pm and weekends from 7 am – 6 pm.
For more information, including a 24/7 chat link, visit
Microsoft.com/enable.

Apple also offers a telephone support desk specifically for customer who has
visual, hearing, motor or learning impairments.  Apple accessibility support
is available 24/7 and can be reached at 877-204-3930.  For more information,
visit apple.com/support/accessibility.

KNFB Reader wants you to make the print yours and expand your horizons. KNFB
Reader is a mobile app that reads print aloud. To buy KNFB Reader visit
www.knfbreader.com or visit the App Store or the Google Play Store.  If you
would like a demonstration or instruction contact Jorge Hernandez at Phone:
305-877-2311 or Email:  <mailto:jeh1065 at comcast.net> jeh1065 at comcast.net.

On the behalf of the President of the NFB Palm Beach Chapter, we welcome
everyone to our monthly meetings and if there are any concerns, please
contact the President or any board members. Thanks to all with much love!

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."
Eleanor Roosevelt

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