[NFBMV] fyiq

[richard]

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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

The shine of the National Federation of the Blind has never been brighter.
Our team of members and staff who participated in the 2016 Joint General
Assemblies of the World Blind Union and the International Council for the
Education of the Visually Impaired demonstrated the Federation spirit and
philosophy for eight days of meetings in Orlando. The blind of the world
were greeted with blind hosts who showed them around, gave spontaneous cane
travel lessons, and shared our empowering philosophy. From the logistics to
the presentations on the main and breakout stages, the Federation showed the
best of what we have built as a movement. Congratulations to Dr. Fred
Schroeder who was elected president of the World Blind Union and who will
now serve for the next four years in that office. 

The work of the Federation continues as we move into the fall convention
season. I am looking forward to welcoming another leadership seminar to our
headquarters this weekend, and I anticipate a busy fall with travel to
conventions and new projects. In other words, the work of the Federation is
as active and forward looking as always.

Thank you for all you do.

News:
	TIME Act Developments:
	There have been some exciting developments regarding the TIME Act
(Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act) (H.R 188/S.
2001). Since our Washington Seminar in January 2016, both the Republican and
Democratic parties have endorsed our bill in their 2016 platforms.
Therefore, we should take this opportunity to follow up with our legislators
and let them know that their parties support this important initiative to
repeal Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act that allows employers
to pay disabled workers less than the minimum wage. 

	As you may be aware, members of the US House of Representatives and
Senate will soon be returning to DC from their August recess. It is crucial
that we send them emails which let them know that their party endorsed the
TIME Act in their platform and request them to cosponsor the bill. Please
copy Kimie Beverly at KBeverly at nfb.org on any email you send to your
senators' or representative's office so she can follow up with additional
information.
	
	Thornberry Thank You letters:
	We have had a tremendous response to our thank-you-letter writing
campaign to Representative Mack Thornberry, chairman of the House Committee
on Armed Services. He included our Space Available bill in the House version
of the National Defense Authorization Act which would allow all blind or
otherwise disabled medically discharged veterans to participate in the Space
Available program. Currently, only those injured on or after September 23,
1996, can participate in this program that allows retirees and active duty
military to travel for free on military owned or operated aircraft. We have
heard that Congress is currently conferencing this portion of the National
Defense Authorization Act and we need to give Chairman Thornberry as much
leverage as possible. Please fill out the letter at
https://nfb.org/thank-you-thornberry; it will only take about two minutes.
Then share the link on Facebook and Twitter. 

	A press release thanking Chairman Thornberry has been issued. You
can read the whole release at
https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-texas-commends-congressman-thornbe
rry-support-veterans-disabilities. 
	
	Membership Cards:
	We've run into a problem regarding our membership cards. We are out
of stock in the Independence Market. This is a good problem to have because
it means that our chapters are busy recruiting new members into the
Federation. We will send out an announcement once the cards are back in
stock. Until then, let's keep building the Federation and filling out the
new member form. <http://www.nfb.org/oaform> 

	Also, remember that you can order other materials through the
Independence Market for your Meet the Blind Month events. Now is the time to
ramp up your planning and get the word out. 

Dates to Keep in Mind:
*	Fall Conventions <https://nfb.org/state-conventions> 
*	August 31: Deadline for experienced NFB BELL Academy affiliate
representatives to register for the NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar,
September 30-October 2, 2016. Please choose: Advanced or
Novice/Intermediate, registration form
<https://nfb.org/bell-seminar-registration-form> 
*	September 8: Deadline for prospective NFB BELL Academy affiliates to
apply to host an NFB BELL Academy for the summer of 2017, application form
<https://nfb.org/bell-program-online-application> 
*	September 15: Deadline for representatives from accepted prospective
NFB BELL Academy affiliates to register for the NFB BELL Academy Training
Seminar, October 20-23, 2016. Please choose: Novice/Intermediate,
registration form <https://nfb.org/bell-seminar-registration-form> 
*	September 30-October 2: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Advanced)
in Baltimore, Maryland
*	October 20-24: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar
(Novice/Intermediate) in 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
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Email: officeofthepresident at nfb.org
Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice
Web: www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> 

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.





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