[NFBMT] Current Agenda: Still can be changed

[Bruce&Joy Breslauer]

For those of you who can't or don't visit the web site, here is the most
current agenda to date.  I have heard from two out of the three vendors I
have contacted, neither one of which may be able to come.  So that could
change things a little.  Joy 

 

Welcome to the Fifth Annual Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind of Montana!

Friday-Saturday, September 22-23, 2017
Holiday Inn
5 East Baxter Lane
Bozeman, Montana 59715
Hotel Reservation Phone Number: 406-587-4561, or 877-859-5095

Nestled against the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Gallatin Valley and just
minutes from Gallatin Field, Montana State University, and the Museum of the
Rockies, the Holiday InnR Bozeman is the area's premier full service hotel
and conference center. With easy access to and from Interstate 90, you'll be
able to find everything that you need, for business or pleasure, right near
our property. At the Holiday Inn Bozeman, patrons enjoy the best amenities
such as a complete fitness center, Bozeman's largest indoor pool and Jacuzzi,
and award winning service. Our on-site restaurant, 3 Rivers, serves
mouthwatering Montana cuisine, and our lounge, the Dry Fly Saloon, offers
daily food and drink specials. Stay with us and find out why we're one of the
finest hotels in Bozeman, MT.

Joy Breslauer, President, National Federation of the Blind of Montana
Jeannie Massay, National Representative, National Federation of the Blind

STRIDING TOWARD OUR FUTURE

Founded in 1940 in Pennsylvania by sixteen members from eight states, the
National Federation of the Blind is now the largest and most influential
consumer and advocacy organization of the blind in the United States, with a
nationwide membership of over fifty thousand, and affiliates in all fifty
states as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The NFB improves the
lives of blind people through advocacy, education, research, technology, and
programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. The NFB works toward
the removal of legal, economic, and social barriers to full participation by
blind people in all aspects of community life. We are not an organization
speaking for the blind; we are the blind speaking for ourselves.

As a state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, the National
Federation of the Blind of Montana is an organization in which the blind
members and their families and friends come together to plan and carry out
programs to raise the expectations of blind people and those with whom we
live, work, and play, because we know that low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. We believe that we can live the lives we
want; blindness is not what holds us back.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW

Hotel check-in time is 3:00 P.M. Check out time is 12:00 P.M.

The Three Rivers restaurant is open daily from 6:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. and
from 5:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. They are staying open after 11:00 A.M. on
Saturday with a limited menu just for us to have lunch.

You must be registered for the convention in order for your name to be drawn
for door prizes! Please come to the registration table in the meeting room to
pick up your registration packet.

You must be present in the meeting room when your name is drawn in order to
collect your door prize!

You must be present in the banquet room when your name is drawn in order to
collect the grand door prize.

Want to go to next year's convention absolutely free? At the banquet on
Saturday evening, we will have a drawing for the grand door prize, an
all-expenses paid trip to next year's NFB of Montana convention, plus two
hundred dollars cash. To take advantage of this exciting opportunity, you
must be present in the banquet room when your name is drawn in order to win
the Grand Door Prize.

Fifth Annual

NFB OF MONTANA

CONVENTION AGENDA

SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2017

 

Friday morning, September 22, 2017

*	7:30 A.M.: Chapter Presidents Breakfast with National Representative
Jeannie Massay
*	9:00 A.M.: Introducing our Vendors
*	9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.: Exhibit Hall
*	9:05 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.: NFB of Montana Board Meeting, the Montana
State University Room. All are welcome.
*	11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.: Lunch on your own

Friday Afternoon, September 22, 2017

*	1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.: Registration
*	1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.: Technology Seminar: Each One Teach One:
Victor Reader Stream, KNFB Reader, how to use a thumb drive on an NLS Player,
etc. Please bring your favorite toy.
*	3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.: Chapter Building; Membership Building
*	5:00 P.M.: Dinner on your own

Friday Evening, September 22, 2017

*	7:00 P.M.: Convention Call to Order: The Montana State University
Room
*	Welcome to Bozeman: Mayor Carson Taylor, or Deputy Mayor Cynthia
Andrus
*	Welcome to the Fifth Annual Convention of the National Federation of
the Blind of Montana: Joy Breslauer, President
*	Invocation: Travis Moses
*	Moment of Silence for those who have passed on from our midst
*	Color Guard
*	The Star Spangled Banner: All sing together
Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at
the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through
the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the
night that our flag was still there; Oh say does that star-spangled banner
yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
*	The Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.
*	The NFB Pledge:
I pledge to participate actively in the effort 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 One Minute Message:
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.
*	The NFB Tag Line:
Together with love, hope, and determination, we transform dreams into
reality.
*	Live The Life You Want (chorus): Live the life you want. Nobody can
stop you. Shoot for the sun, and break on through. So you're blind, you'll be
fine. We've got good news. You can live the life you want, 'cause we know the
truth.
*	The PAC Plan in Montana: Ted Robbins, Montana PAC Plan Coordinator
*	The PAC Plan Song: (sing it twice) Get on the PAC Plan. Sign up
today. We need your contributions right away. Funding our movement, it must
be done, So that our battles can be won.
*	Welcome from Jeannie Massay, our National Representative
*	Discussion: What is the NFB Philosophy? How has it helped you to live
the life you want?
*	8:45 P.M.: Nominating Committee Meeting: Closed. This is the only
meeting of the weekend not open to the general membership, but only to those
appointed to the committee.
*	9:00 P.M.: NFB Trivia

Saturday morning, September 23, 2017

General Session I: The Montana State University Room

*	8:30 a.m.: Call to order
Welcome, Joy Breslauer, President, NFB of Montana!
*	8:30 A.M.: Invocation: Bruce Breslauer
*	8:35 A.M.: NFB of Montana Presidential Report, Joy Breslauer
*	8:45 A.M.: NFB National Report, Jeannie Massay, NFB National
Representative
*	9:15 A.M.: Montana Talking Book Library
*	9:30 A.M.: Beverly Berg, Regional Administrator, Vocational
Rehabilitation and Blind Services
*	9:45 A.M.: First Reading of NFB of Montana 2017 Resolutions
*	10:00 A.M.: First Reading of Proposed NFB of Montana 2017
Constitutional Changes
*	10:15 A.M.: Election of two (2) Board Members
*	10:30 A.M.: Lynn Powers, President, S.W. Astronomy Club, Tactile
books for the blind Developed by NASA
*	11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.: Lunch on your own.

Saturday afternoon, September 23, 2017

General Session II: The Montana State University Room

*	1:00 P.M.: Call to order
*	1:00 P.M.: The PAC Plan in Montana: Ted Robbins, Montana PAC Plan
Coordinator
*	The PAC Plan Song: (sing it twice) Get on the PAC Plan. Sign up
today. We need your contributions right away. Funding our movement, it must
be done, So that our battles can be won.
*	1:05 P.M.: Deaf Blind Presentation: Sheila Leigland
*	1:15 P.M.: Audio Description
*	1:30 P.M.: NFB Bell Academy: Braille Enrichment for Literacy and
Learning
*	2:15 P.M.: Legislative: how to be a legislative advocate; legislation
which interests us; Blind Parents Initiative
*	3:00 P.M.: Break
*	3:15 P.M.: The Real I.D.: What you need to know
*	3:30 P.M.: Uber and Lyft testing
*	3:45 P.M.: Panel Discussion: Why Can't We All Just work together?
Aren't we all working for the same things?
*	4:15 P.M.: Chapter Reports
*	4:30 P.M.: Second reading of -- and voting on -- NFB of Montana 2017
Resolutions
*	4:45 P.M.: Second reading of -- and voting on -- Proposed NfB of
Montana 2017 Constitutional Changes
*	4:55 P.M.: Where do we meet next year?
*	5:00 P.M. Wrap-up and Adjourn

Saturday evening, September 23 ,2016

Banquet: The Montana State University Room
Master of Ceremonies: Rik James



*	7:00 P.M.: Welcome to our Banquet: Joy Breslauer, President, NFB of
Montana
*	Invocation: Ted Robbins
*	Banquet Speaker: Jeannie Massay, NFB National Representative
*	Awards
*	50/50 Raffle
*	Sharing Time
*	Drawing for grand door prize

The check-out time for the hotel on Sunday is 12:00 P.M.

A sincere Thank You to all who contributed time and effort to make this
convention a success, especially Our National Representative Jeannie Massay
and other guest speakers, Sam Robbins, our sound man extraordinaire, The NFB
of Montana Convention Planning Committee, And all of the NFB of Montana
chapters and members who work together to make our mission possible.

SPEAKERS

*  Mayor Carson Taylor, Bozeman 2014-2018

Born in Pennsylvania, raised in Rhode Island, schooled in Massachusetts and
North Carolina, I have spent all of my adult life in California and Montana.
I Moved to Montana in 1994, after "retiring" from the practice and teaching
of law.

I have been married to Dede Taylor, an adjunct professor of art history at
MSU, since 1994. We have four children: a daughter and three sons. Our sons
attended Bozeman schools, the youngest from Kindergarten through Bozeman
High.

 

While licensed to practice law in Montana, since 1994 my primary employment
has been as a neutral (mediator, arbitrator and facilitator) in legal and
public policy disputes or discussions. Work has taken me as far away as
Sweden, but is mostly concentrated in Montana and Wyoming. My work has been
mostly in areas of high conflict, such as family mediation. I have learned
from my Mediation/arbitration/facilitation practice that the key to success
in all consensus processes is to bring together a group of people who have
different points of view and experiences, who are well informed, and who are
able to listen to each other and to competently articulate their
understanding of a situation.  I believe that this is also one of the keys to
good government.