[NFBNJ] NFB President's notebook January 22 2018

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
As state president, I receive the President’s Notebook each week.  With this 
said, I have pasted several items of interest for our membership.
Thanks for all you do.

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

**
For review:
I wanted to alert you to the fact that some of our national divisions have 
received fake emails that look like communications between our division 
president and the division treasurer. These emails often attempt to 
authorize a payment for something. Although I am not aware of any affiliates 
receiving these false communications, I urge all divisions and affiliates to 
be sure that the authorization procedures are clear and tightly followed. I 
also urge you to share fake emails with me so we can determine if any 
patterns exist. In the world of electronic communications, we should 
continue to be very careful about the management of our information and our 
finances to ensure that we cannot be hacked.


News:
Autos2050SM Award:
This Wednesday, I will be receiving one of the inaugural Autos2050SM awards 
being presented by the Auto Alliance and the Alliance for Transportation 
Innovation. The award is in recognition of the work of the National 
Federation of the Blind, and we will be among twelve state and national 
political leaders and automotive innovators who will be honored at a dinner 
and awards presentation in Washington, DC. The award recognizes our work to 
influence the direction of autonomous vehicle technology so that it will 
enhance the independence and mobility of blind people. More information can 
be found in our press release.



Great Gathering-In on Facebook Live:
If you cannot attend the Great Gathering-In at Washington Seminar next 
Monday, January 29, you can still be part of the action via Facebook Live. 
We will be streaming the Great Gathering-In on the National Federation of 
the Blind Facebook page beginning at 5:00 p.m. eastern, and I invite you to 
tune in.



The January Braille Monitor is now available:

I’d like to call to your attention an article I wrote for the January 
Braille Monitor, “Ending Accreditation without Authenticity: A Call to 
Action for the Fourth Generation of the Federation.” I encourage our members 
to read the article and take action via email and social media to urge AER 
to end NAC. You can read the entire Braille Monitor online.



New Nation’s Blind Podcast Bonus Series:

We’ve created a bonus series of the Nation’s Blind Podcast called 
“Government Affairs of the Blind (GAB) Session,” wherein members of our 
government affairs team break down some of our legislative priorities. The 
first three episodes are available now and cover three of our Washington 
Seminar issues: H.R. 620, ATAA, and AIM High.



Presidential Release Transcripts:
Each month when the Presidential Release is recorded and posted to the NFB 
website, we also post the links to the English and Spanish transcripts. This 
is particularly useful for our deaf-blind members.



Sponsor Links:
Sponsorship forms are now available for both the 2018 NFB National 
Convention and the Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium.



Dates ToKeep in Mind:

  a.. January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In
  b.. January 28-February 1, 2018: Washington Seminar
  c.. March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
  d.. March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship applications, 
www.nfb.org/scholarships
  e.. April 15, 2018: Deadline for 2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award competition
  f.. July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the Blind National Convention, 
Orlando, Florida
  g.. July 29-August 4, 2018: NFB EQ


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

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org













The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends 
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work 
together to help blind people live the lives they want.


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