<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Read the announcement from Mark Riccobono beliw.</div><div>Catht<br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Riccobono, Mark via State-affiliate-leadership-list" <<a href="mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org">state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> June 20, 2014, 10:51:28 AM EDT<br><b>To:</b> "State Affiliate Leadership (<a href="mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org">state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org</a>)" <<a href="mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org">state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[State-affiliate-leadership-list] Response to Focus Group Request from NIB for NFB Convention</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "Riccobono, Mark" <<a href="mailto:MRiccobono@nfb.org">MRiccobono@nfb.org</a>>, State Affiliate Leadership List <<a href="mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org">state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<p class="MsoPlainText">Dear Federation Leaders:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Yesterday, an announcement was circulated to NFB lists from Tiffany Jolliff, research coordinator at National Industries for the Blind (NIB). This announcement notes that “NIB is focused on its mission to create and sustain employment
opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired,” and that the researcher is “interested in conducting focus groups with people between the ages of 45 and 64 who are blind” at our national convention. It is important to note that the circulation
of this request for participation in our convention is not an endorsement of this activity.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Federation leaders should remember that NIB still allows their associated agencies to pay subminimum wages to their blind employees. This is in direct conflict with the policy set by our convention that calls for the elimination of
14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.<span style="color:#1F497D"> T</span>he Federation has declined recent offers from NIB to be a sponsor of the national convention and we have said that we will not reconsider any offers of sponsorship until NIB changes
its own policy on 14 (c). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Our advocacy efforts to improve the wages being paid to those employed under NIB contracts has resulted in significant improvement for most, but not all. We have no interest in doing anything to “create and sustain opportunities” that
advance subminimum wage employment. To that end, I encourage all Federationists to keep this in mind when considering the message that has unfortunately circulated throughout our listservs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Mark A. Riccobono, M.S.ed<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Executive Director, Jernigan Institute<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><ns0:street><ns0:address><span style="color:#1F497D">200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place</span></ns0:address></ns0:street></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><ns0:place><ns0:city><span style="color:#1F497D">Baltimore</span></ns0:city><span style="color:#1F497D">,
</span><ns0:state><span style="color:#1F497D">Maryland</span></ns0:state><span style="color:#1F497D">
</span><ns0:postalcode><span style="color:#1F497D">21230</span></ns0:postalcode></ns0:place></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Phone: (410) 659-9314 ext. 2357</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Fax: (410) 659-5129</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Email:
<a href="mailto:mriccobono@nfb.org" title="blocked::mailto:mriccobono@nfb.org">mriccobono@nfb.org</a></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Web:
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/" title="blocked::http://www.nfb.org/"><span style="color:purple">www.nfb.org</span></a></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">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.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>State-affiliate-leadership-list mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:State-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org">State-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/state-affiliate-leadership-list_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/state-affiliate-leadership-list_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for State-affiliate-leadership-list:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/state-affiliate-leadership-list_nfbnet.org/cathyj1949%40gmail.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/state-affiliate-leadership-list_nfbnet.org/cathyj1949%40gmail.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>