[NFBNJ] NFBNJ: Important Items Of Interest Updates State convention and Hotel Deadline is Approaching

Mon Oct 1 04:12:17 UTC 2018

Greetings to all!
We have reached the month of October and this means that the 42nd state 
convention is only five weeks from today.
Please take special notice on the items of interest and updates pertaining 
to the state convention.
The deadline to reserve your hotel room is October 5, don’t hesitate!

Thanks,
Joe

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
Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!
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

***

Greetings to all!

Several items of interest:

  1.. We are collecting for a local food pantry and Please consider bringing 
non perishable food items and or personal items for the community outreach 
project.

  2.. We are collecting white canes, new or somewhat used.  Please bring and 
contact Veronica Gaspa, 434 968 1868.   Drop off area will be at the door 
prize table.  Last year, Vee collected nearly 30 canes for fixing and 
shipping to foreign countries where the gift of independence is needed.

  3.. Special Note:
The following information was available at the national convention this past 
summer.

Ghrhrhrhrhrhrhrate NEWS!

During the 42nd state convention of the NFBNJ, AIRA will be participating 
with an opportunity for all with an iOS device to experiment the opportunity 
to have and get to assist with verbal discussion to obtain with orientation. 
In addition, during the dates of the state convention, AIRA will be 
available at the Woodbridge Plaza.

Read below and as additional updates become available,we will distribute and 
post on the state website.

Again, FREE during the state convention at the hotel and the Woodbridge 
Plaza.

Free Aira Site Access at National Federation of the Blind State Conventions

The National Federation of the Blind has partnered with Aira to provide free

Aira Site Access to NFB members during our 2018 state convention. Aira

subscribers who are National Federation of the Blind members can use the

service at our convention for free without having minutes deducted from

their plans. In addition, those interested in Aira have the unique

opportunity to try out the service for free while at our convention. This

convention-wide, free site access is available only at NFB state

conventions, giving NFB members an exclusive opportunity to test-drive Aira

in a convention setting.

Aira allows blind individuals to connect via live video to a trained agent

through a mobile app or wearable glasses to get real-time visual information

or assistance. Learn more about Aira and special pricing available for NFB

members at go.aira.io/NFB.

How it Works

Before you head to convention or as soon as you get there, download the free

Aira app from the App Store, and create a guest account if you are not

already an Aira subscriber. Also, make sure your phone’s GPS feature is

enabled. When you enter the convention Site Access location, your phone will

receive a notification letting you know that the space you are in is part of

the Aira Network. When you connect with an agent, he or she will also

confirm that you are now covered by the network, and no minutes will be

deducted from your account.

When you leave or enter convention areas that are covered by the Site Access

network, you will be informed by the Aira agent.

To learn more about Aira and the special plan available exclusively to NFB

members, visit go.aira.io/NFB.

**

reminder:  Updates DistributedMonday, October 1, 2018

As of this writing, 201  of the 225 rooms in our Block have been reserved!

Don’t hesitate, make your room reservations ASAP!

The hotel has informed me that the block will be lifted on  Friday, October 
5.

There is another function in the hotel the same weekend as the state 
convention and therefore, once October 5 is upon us, the block will be 
lifted and if we have any remaining rooms, they will be put back into the 
system.  This means, a hotel room will be a greater amount than the price of 
$106 per night, plus tax.

Also provided below is the biography of national representative Carla 
McQuillan. ,

Note: Please save the date of Monday, October 15 at 8:00 pm for a call with 
Carla and updates pertaining to the state convention.

 Call: 605 468 8005

Code: 40994

Greetings to all!

The 42nd state convention of the National Federation of the Blind of New 
Jersey,

Live The Life You Want; Blind With Vision will be held from

Thursday, November 1  through Sunday, November 4, 2018.

For early arrivals, there are a number of rooms reserved for Wednesday, 
October 31.

There will be another function in the hotel and rooms will vanish quickly.

Don’t hesitate.  Please make your room reservations as soon as possible.

Note: As of this email, 184  rooms have been reserved!

Last year, the room block was sold out prior to the block deadline date and 
therefore, DON’T HESITATE!

The room block deadline is October 5, 2018.

When making hotel room reservations,you need to secure via credit card.

There will be no charge to your card until you arrive at the hotel.

With this said, if  you are thinking about attending, if you are somewhat

positive that you will attend, not quite sure you will attend and to those

that know that they will attend, PLEASE make your hotel reservations as soon 
as possible.

Note; if you can not attend and you have made hotel reservations, don’t call 
the hotel to cancel.  Please call me at 973 743 0075.

I usually have a waiting list to review as many learn about the state 
convention after the

date of October 5.  if the block is not sold out, the remainder of rooms

will be released to the public.  In years past, the block sells out prior to

the deadline and therefore, Please, don’t hesitate!

Note: If I  have’t mentioned it, don’t hesitate!  GRIN!

There are a limited number of refrigerators and if you are in need for

medical reasons,please inform the staff when making your hotel reservation.

In addition, there are a limited number of assessable rooms and if needed,

don’t hesitate, make it known when you are making your room reservation.

Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel, 515 US Highway 1 South, Iselin, NJ, 08830

Note: If traveling via Access Link, please inform the trip coordinator the 
following.

You must state that the hotel is in Woodbridge.  For some reason, Iselin

does not work as the location.

Cross street: Gill Lane

If traveling via train,  the station nearest the hotel is the Metro Park 
Station.  The hotel provides a shuttle from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm

The address to use for those driving is 4 Gill Lane.

It is a bank that is across the street from the hotel.

To make your hotel reservations, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week please call

(732) 634-3600

Please use code: NFB

The best time to call is during regular business hours, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Standard Room

$106.00, plus tax.

Junior Suite

$146.00, plus tax.

Hotel’s room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes

(currently 14.625%) in effect at the time of check-out.

       Breakfast Buffet included in rate for up to two guests.

Note: The guide dog relief area will be announced at a later date.

We have distributed  the pre registration information to all on the NFBNJ 
distribution list in late August.  In addition,via on the state website and 
on Newsline. don’t hesitate to reserve your hotel room

As updates are needed to distribute, we will do so.

 Thanks to all as we continue to raise expectations to live the life we 
want!

Joe Ruffalo, President

National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey

973 743 0075

nfbnj1 at verizon.net

www.nfbnj.org

Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!

Meet our national representative, Carla McQuillan.

Greetings to all!

I am proud to announce that Carla McQuillan has been assigned as the

national representative for the 42nd state convention of the NFBNJ, Live The

Life You Want; Blind With Vision!

Her biography is provided below.

As my policy, I will invite Carla to a conference call probably in mid 
October with our members to formerly introduce her to the NFBNJ Federation 
family.

Details will be forthcoming.

Warmly,

Joe

****

Carla McQuillan

Executive Director of Main Street Montessori Association

Carla was born and raised in Southern California in the early 60's, the

youngest of 4 children. In the summer before fifth grade, Carla lost a great

deal of vision but did not notice it until she started school in the fall

and was unable to read the chalkboard from the front row. A few years

earlier, her older brother had been diagnosed with a rare genetic eye

condition called Stargardt's disease, which resulted in the loss of central

vision. It was soon confirmed that Carla had the same condition. She was

diagnosed legally blind in 1971.

Because of her remaining peripheral vision, Carla did not "look blind", so

she was not taught Braille or any other alternative techniques of blindness.

She had very little experience with blind people. The only blind person she

knew was her brother, and he was forever using his blindness as an excuse

for standing on the sidelines. Carla knew that this was not the life she

wanted and was determined to do everything in her power to convince the

world that she was not blind.

After high school Carla went to Humboldt State University in Northern

California. There she met her husband Lucas. They were married in the summer

of 1981 and moved to San Diego for Lucas's master's degree program. Though

Carla had not completed her bachelor's degree, she was more than happy to

put her college career on hold and work to support the couple. Her one year

of college had not been very successful. Without the ability to read Braille

and eyesight too poor to read print, Carla, who had been an A student in

high school, saw her grades drop.

She got a job as a Montessori Preschool teacher in San Diego while Lucas

completed his master's degree. Their daughter Alison was born in 1983. In

1985 the family moved to Illinois. Lucas enrolled in a doctoral program at

the University of Illinois, and Carla decided to complete her bachelor's

degree. With Lucas' encouragement, Carla asked for accessible textbooks and

decided to learn Braille. The staff at the university's disabled student's

services office told her how difficult Braille would be to learn and how

inefficient it would be. Discouraged and defeated, Carla wondered if there

was any hope for her future. Fortunately she learned of a scholarship

program through the National Federation of the Blind. She won a scholarship

from the organization's Illinois affiliate in 1988. The state convention

changed her life. Her negative attitudes about blindness and about her own

potential to be a successful professional were replaced by confidence and

self-assurance that remain a hallmark of her character today.

After both graduating with High Distinction from the University of Illinois

in 1988, the McQuillans completed their family with the birth of their son

Duncan. They moved to Oregon to be near Carla's family. Carla started her

own Montessori preschool, which later expanded to include 3 schools and a

Montessori Teacher Certification Program. Carla served as President of the

National Federation of the Blind of Oregon from 1992 until 2006, when her

business responsibilities became too demanding. She also served on the NFB's

national board of directors from 1998 until resigning from that position as

well in 2006. She was re-elected president of the Oregon affiliate in 2012

and still serves in that capacity. She is the director of NFB Camp, the

program that offers child care during the annual convention of the National

Federation of the Blind. Carla was again elected to the national board of

directors in 2016.

"I had such horrible misconceptions about blindness for most of my childhood

and early adult life," Carla says. "I thought I knew what blindness 
meant,and I didn't want any part of it. The National Federation of the Blind 
taught me that blindness was only as limiting as I allowed it to be. My 
friends and colleagues in the movement have been more than ideal role 
models; they have saved me from a life of regret and underachievement."

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