[NFBNJ] Highlights From PresidentRiccobono's Notebook

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
I have pasted several items of interest from President Riccobono's Notebook 
for July 24.
Thanks for your continued support to raise expectations to live the life we 
want!

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking
www.carshelpingtheblind.org
or call 855 659 9314

***
Dear Fellow Federationists,



I am fully energized after a great 2017 national convention. Thank you for 
the work each of you did to make it a smooth, energetic, and powerful 
convention this year. The number of first-timers was impressive as always, 
and I noted a number of leaders helping to make sure our rookies had a great 
experience.



This morning I was in Towson, Maryland, for the kick-off of our 2017 NFB 
Youth Slam. It is impressive to me that we have a number of Federationists 
who grew up in the NFB Youth Slam program now serving as mentors in 2017. 
Moreover, we have some of our mentors back again who began working with our 
STEM programs back in 2004 when we first started this journey. It is really 
inspiring to watch our students become mentors and it gives me great hope 
for the plans we have in store for the next five years. Our educational 
programs are among the most important things that we do—let's keep building 
the pipeline that brings young people into our organization.



I note that we are also in the middle of a number of NFB BELL Academies—many 
happening for the first time in certain states. I encourage you to follow 
the hashtags #NFBYouthSlam and #NFBBELL to keep up on the milestones being 
achieved this summer.



This week is the twenty-seventh anniversary of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA). This past Saturday, I participated in an ADA 
celebration in Maryland. As Senator Ben Cardin said at that event, "We can 
celebrate for the next hour or so and then it is back to work." As you 
engage in ADA events across the country, continue to remind people of the 
importance of having a National Federation of the Blind and the need for us 
to continue emphasizing our advocacy priorities at the local, state, and 
national levels. We should be proud of what we have built, but we should 
recognize that it continues to thrive because we work on building it every 
day.



News:
Links to Speeches:
For those members of your affiliate that were unable to attend convention or 
who want to enjoy the convention speeches again, I am sending the links to 
the 2017 President Report and the banquet speech, Innovation, Blindness, and 
the Emerging Pattern of Thought.


ADA Regulation Update:
The National Federation of the Blind has been working to encourage the 
promulgation of ADA Title II and Title III internet regulations. On July 20, 
2017, the Office of Management and Budget released the Unified Agenda of 
Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions announcing that the Administration was 
suspending action on hundreds of regulations, including the ADA Title II and 
Title III internet regulations. We are evaluating next steps, and I will 
keep you informed on needed advocacy.

USPS Service Issues:

Over the weekend our Oregon affiliate created significant social media 
traffic resulting from a member being denied assistance at a post office. 
You may recall I wrote about this in the May issue of the Braille Monitor. 
If members of your affiliate are experiencing similar problems, and you are 
unable to persuade postal officials that the USPS policies do not prohibit 
them from assisting blind people, please let me know. We may wish to take 
more advanced actions to help break down this barrier for blind people.