[NFBNJ] National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey: Chapter/Division/Committee Business Meetings at the 44th State Convention.
Ellen Sullivan
ems553 at comcast.net
Thu Dec 3 13:45:23 UTC 2020
>From the Desk of Linda Melendez, President, National Federation of the Blind
of New Jersey
Submitted by Ellen Sullivan, Affiliate Secretary
Chapter/Division/Committee Business Meetings at the 44th State Convention.
Please read and learn about what is going on in our "virtual community" of
the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey. All are invited to
participate or become members of these groups.
Warmly,
Linda Melendez, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
732-421-7063
<mailto:president at nfbnj.org> president at nfbnj.org
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
44th State Convention conducted on the Zoom platform
Senior Division Business Meeting Minutes November 18, 2020, 1:00 p.m.
1. Welcoming Remarks:
President Jane Degenshein called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM.
Jane gave a giant woo hoo as the seniors open the convention.
Encouraging words were shared with the group.
2. Roll Call:
There were approximately 60 members and participants in attendance.
Officers and Board Members present:
Jane Degenshein, President
Mary Jo Partyka, First Vice-President
Jennifer Uchanow, Second Vice-President
Linda DeBerardinis, Secretary
Andrew Rees, Treasurer
Ada Crandle, Board Member
Anne Marie Harris, Board Member
Ward Biondi, Board Member
Guest speaker: Ruth Sager, President of the National Association of Senior
Blind
3. NFB Pledge: Led by Jane Degenshein and recited by all.
4. Overview of 2020
The Senior Division was busy in 2020.
We held meetings during the months of January through June and then again in
September, and October.
We had an average of 30 in attendance for these monthly meetings.
We have 3 committees that reported each month:
A. Caring Calls and Cards: Marie Sawyer
B. Birthday Calls: Ada Crandle
C. Our Senior Corner: Jennifer Uchanow/Janie Degenshein
We have our own NFBNJ Senior Division listserv and I post fun trivia
questions and quotes here.
Join us by going to:
<https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbnj-seniors_nfbnet.org>
https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbnj-seniors_nfbnet.org
We had 7 book clubs that were well attended.
We also began a student supporting seniors project that was appreciated by
all. The Student Division phoned our Seniors, and this took place during the
pandemic which was a great way to connect with different generations.
We also began a Senior Division chat session during the summer months that
was a super way to reach out and feel supported. These were held at 10 AM
and it was the equivalent of a coffee clutch.
We started the project so all seniors could read during the pandemic, while
our state library was not producing cartridges. We purchased thumb drives
and reached out to our senior population, even those not in our Senior
Division to download NLS BARD books for them.
Many sent them back to me and I would download them again and resend.
We had one woman who was in a nursing home and her daughter reached out to
me as her mom was only reading. Now with the library closed she was at a
loss. She won the gold star as she alone returned the thumb drive so many
times that her total was 150 books red!
I have totaled the numbers and they are staggering. We sent out 35 thumb
drives multiple times and downloaded 2,675 books!
Kudos to all!
5. Plans for 2021
First, there was a decision that we would not hold elections but roll over
to 2021 for the elections of our officers and board.
Can I have a motion to accept this option?
Motion: Annemarie Cooke
Second: Sherry Rollins
Please give a show of hands of those that do not agree with this.
Seeing none, the motion passes.
We will continue with calling each other, reading books and sharing
together.
I am hopeful that we can continue on our path to empowering our senior
population and bonding together so that all on our zoom calls feel a part of
this warm and inclusive division.
6. How to make dues payments for 2021.
You can make your check out to: NFBNJ Senior Division
The amount is $5 per year, so if you wish to write it for $10 then you will
be paid through 2022.
In the memo: dues for 2021.
Send it to our treasurer:
Andrew Rees
129 Drake Road
Somerset, NJ 08873
If you have or use mobile on- line banking, then that is also an option.
(PayPal may be a possibility for some Divisions/Chapters: details will be
forthcoming.
7. Our guest speaker: Ruth Sager, NFB National Senior Division President.
Ruth started by commending the NJ Senior Division for our wonderful book
club and book share.
It is especially good during this time.
This year was our first virtual National Senior Retreat. The past 2 years
we met in person. When we can have them again we will continue to do so. We
wanted our virtual retreat to be as much as possible like the normal
retreat. We did have a week-long retreat. We spoke about using the word
blind, regaining our independence, and adapting new tools to gain
independence. New Jersey had the most of any state, with 11 participants.
Twenty states were represented. There was a lot of help from our hosts and
the ZOOM administrators.
Our schedule: Cane Travel, hobbies, adapting old favorites, technology,
organization, and daily living skills. Our format seemed to work; most
participants were present all the time. The discussion between classes was
interesting and informative. Thank you to all the speakers and all the
participants. I may take up with the senior board to have another virtual,
as well as in person retreat. We were surrounded by positive role models and
participants shared their contact info.
The entire retreat was recorded, therefore if you missed the retreat, or any
part of it you can listen by going on our website:
<http://seniors.nfb.org/Retreat%20page.html>
http://seniors.nfb.org/Retreat%20page.html
Robert Newman applauded us all for being here. He added we can always learn
something.
New members joined after the retreat. The dues are only $5 per year. Join
at seniors.nfb.org
Many think because they are a member of their state senior divisions, they
are automatically a member of the National Senior Division; this is not
true!
Also, if you are not already on our National Seniors listserv, please join.
There you will find archived articles we found from friends' experiences to
seniors' activities and naturally blindness. We have a monthly calendar, so
please check it regularly. There are 16 states with their own Senior
Divisions, with 2 states starting theirs shortly. You can go on our senior
website on the calendar to find when each state is having their meetings,
the topic & phone numbers. It's always great to join other states.
Ruth Williams stated : New Mexico joined Nebraska once for a combined
meeting.
Robert Newman: That was really fun! Their executive director is from Peru.
We always have fun with him.
8. Around the Zoom:
Angela (Perone: I invited a lovely lady, Vanessa the President of the
Georgia Senior Division to join our call.
Vanessa Meadows: I am pleased to be here and enjoyed all the information.
Ada Crandle: Thank you Ruth Sager for being here. It was very informative,
because naturally, seniors are special!
Jennifer Uchanow: Thanks Janie, for keeping our minds active. Thank you for
helping us all to get through the summer.
Anne Marie Harris: Thank you Ruth Sager; I found your talk very interesting.
I am also excited about our NJ State Convention!
Janie Degenshein personally thanked everyone for being on our business
meeting today.
Braille calendars for 2021 are available by calling:
410-659-9315. There is always something new to learn.
Jane reminded us the next Senior Division call is January 18th and
Technology Division is at 2 PM today.
9. Adjournment:
Jane thanked all for their support and love for each other.
Keep up the great work and see you in January!
Motion: Linda Melendez
Second: Annemarie Cooke
The meeting was adjourned at 1:50 PM by President Jane Degenshein.
Respectfully submitted by,
Linda J. DeBerardinis, Secretary
Reviewed by
Jane Degenshein,
President NFBNJ Senior Division
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
44th State Convention conducted on the Zoom platform
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Technology Division NJABTU
1. Meeting call to order by Janie Degenshein at 2 P.M.
2. Roll Call:
There were 95 in attendance.
Officers included: Janie Degenshein, President
Tony Santiago, Vice President
Recording Secretary, Mary Jo Partyka
Treasurer, Annemarie Cooke
Board Members included: Mario Brusco, Anne Marie Harris, Brian Keene, and
Andy Smith
Guest Presenter, Eileen Levin
3. NFB Pledge:
Ellen Sullivan recited the NFB Pledge.
4. Overview of 2020
We have a very large division with 65 paid members.
Our Technology Division held meetings monthly from January through June and
again in September and October.
We usually had an average of 40 members on each call.
We featured our own incredible members in guest slots like Tony and Andy and
had others to add to the information including:
Denny Huff who was the original moderator of the iDevice listserv who spent
an hour with us and taught some tricks regarding Alexa, (This session was
attended by over 70 listeners), Shane Lo who will be demonstrating the
Supersense app on Saturday morning at our convention, and Aneesh Karppur,
a senior at the Pingry school and his app Louie, who will be on the agenda
in tomorrow's tech seminar.
We have a vibrant listserv which is the best way to communicate throughout
the month and get your tech questions answered by a member of our division
or others that have joined our NJ Tech Div listserv.
You can join by going to:
<http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org
We were also involved in a pilot program with Verizon Volunteer, Eileen
Levin which we will discuss a bit later on in this meeting.
5. Plans for 2021:
We hope to meet up again from January through June and September and October
on the second Monday night of the month at 7 PM via zoom.
That means we meet again on Monday, January 11, 2021.
We will have guests during several months so if you know of someone or
something for the officers/board to consider, kindly email me at:
<mailto:jdegen16 at comcast.net> jdegen16 at comcast.net
We will hope to continue the valuable Verizon Volunteer Pilot Project.
6. How to make dues payments for 2021:
We currently send a check for dues to the Treasurer ,but you can also
consider if you have an online bank account, then it can be sent that way as
well.
In 2021 we hope to have a PayPal account so that is the third option.
If you choose a check, then make it in the amount of $5 and payable to:
NFBNJ Technology Division and in the memo: field, write dues 2021
Mail to:
Annemarie Cooke, Treasurer
7 Mayfair Road
Southampton, NJ 08088
7. Jane introduced our Verizon Volunteer, Eileen Levin who spoke about the
Verizon project that we completed in 2020. She provided 50 hours of
volunteer technology training. Recipients were chosen by the committee and
technology lessons were provided and documented for our pilot program.
Eileen said how much she enjoyed her interactions with members and plans to
continue this program in 2021. Please stay tuned to see how to apply.
8. Brief synopsis of other issues discussed.
Since we are virtual, we are not having elections, we have stated this
twice and now we are stating it for the third time and need a motion to roll
over the current officers and board until next year when we meet in person
in November 2021.
Motion: Andy Smith
Second: Ken Lawrence
The motion passed.
9. Adjournment
Jane thanked this super division for their time and enthusiasm in assisting
each other.
We will meet on the second Monday of January which is January 11, 2021 at 7
PM via zoom
Call to adjourn:
Motion: Roman Dodia
Second: Mario Brusco
The meeting was adjourned by Janie Degenshein at 2:50 P.M.
Respectfully submitted by,
Mary Jo Partyka, Recording Secretary and reviewed by Janie Degenshein,
President
NFBNJ Technology Division
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
44th State Convention conducted on the Zoom platform
Sports and Recreation Division Business Meeting
November 18, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
1. Meeting call to order by President, Linda Melendez at 3:00 PM.
2. Roll Call: 64 members and participants in attendance.
Officers and Board Members:
Linda Melendez, President
Annemarie Cooke, Vice President
Vee Gaspa, Secretary
Jocelyn Santiago, Bookkeeper
Board Members: Trish Ebel, Tony Santiago
Guest Speakers: Jessica Beecham, President National Sports and Recreation
Division, Veronica Stocker NFBNJ Scholarship Winner/Central Jersey Chapter
Member/Certified Yoga Instructor
3. NFB Pledge was recited.
4. Overview of 2020:
a. Winter Challenge
Non pandemic we hold three yearly challenges, due to the pandemic we
encouraged everyone to continue their challenge goals and create new ones
during our stay at home orders and quarantine.
b. Spotlight topics and speakers
We promoted and encouraged all to participate in the many NFB affiliate zoom
events. We had Elsa Zavoda; from Vision Loss Alliance of NJ to discuss the
different programs being held virtually and Kevin Schott from the Penn
Museum to talk about the Ancient Egyptian history dial in virtual meeting.
c. Book Club: Janie Degenshein
The book club read three books in 2020 and has been reading books for about
three years. Going forward, the book club will be combined with a couple of
Janie's book clubs. They will try to meet monthly. More information will be
emailed to Linda as soon as it is available.
d. Pampered Chef Fundraiser: Trish Ebel, Board Member
Their website is accessible, and there is also a consultant that can help
place your order. There are gift ideas at all price points. The Sports and
Rec Division has already banked over $270.
5. Plans for 2021:
a. Tony Santiago Board Member & Chair Activities and Events Committee Shared
his thoughts about upcoming challenges and encouraged members to send
suggestions to him.
b. Fundraiser: Annemarie Cooke Vice President
Annemarie talked about a possible 50/50 division raffle for 2021, stay tuned
for details.
c. Possible January Virtual events such as yoga, Penn Museum Ancient
Egyptian history dial in virtual meeting where discussed.
d. Linda encouraged all to get involved in our National Sports and
Recreation Division membership outreach programs.
e. Linda invited members to submit their suggestions for possible spotlight
speakers and topics.
6. How to make dues payments for 2021:
Dues are $5.00 and can be mailed to Geri McGinty, Treasurer at 89 Schindler
Court, Somerset NJ 08873.
We are working on setting up PayPal, stay tuned for details in January 2021.
7. Jessica Beecham talked about what the national division has been up to
since the pandemic started. Jessica also talked about how NJ division
members can get involved on the national level. All social media information
for the national division was shared as well.
8. Veronica Stocker talked about her journey to becoming a blind certified
yoga instructor and a class being held during our convention on Friday,
November 20 at 5:30 pm.
9. Brief synopsis of other issues discussed.
Andy Smith motioned to table elections until 2021, Ken Lawrence seconded,
and the motion was passed unanimously.
Linda announced to the division she will not be seeking reelection as
President of Sports and Recreation in 2021.
10. Adjournment: 3:52 PM
Minutes respectfully submitted by Vee Gaspa, Secretary
Reviewed by Linda Melendez, President, Sports and Recreation Division
NFBNJ
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
44th State Convention conducted on the Zoom platform
At Large Chapter Meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
1. The meeting was call to order by First Vice President Linda Melendez at
4:01 p.m. President Ruffalo joined the meeting a few minutes late due to
access issues. President Ruffalo welcomed all to the Nov/Dec At Large
Chapter Meeting and explained that this chapter was founded in 2009 (11
years ago) to meet the needs of blind and vision impaired people in the
state of New Jersey who were unable to attend a local chapter meeting. It
has been expanded and now includes members who are also affiliated with a
local chapter. All who live in the state of New Jersey are welcome to become
members. While we are a Federation of the Blind we also welcome sighted
members.
2. Roll Call: There were 51 participants at the meeting including guests
from NC, PA, and Utah.
Officers:
Joe Ruffalo, President
Linda Melendez, First Vice President
Ellen Sullivan, Secretary
Board Members:
Annemarie Cooke
Jane Degenshein
Linda DeBerardinis
Bookkeeper: Brian Mackey
3. NFB Pledge: Ellen Sullivan led the group in the recitation of the NFB
Pledge.
4. Overview of 2020:
* This chapter has approximately 60 dues paying members.
* The chapter meets by Zoom on the last Thursday of the month and
usually has about 30 members in attendance.
* We discuss issues relevant to the Federation and state. Meetings are
informative and provide information that may normally not be presented at
the regular chapter meetings. We always have a lot of information to share
and everyone has a voice.
* We encourage our members to actively participate in supporting
"Legislative Issues" that support the blind. One voice is heard, and many
voices are a roar. Our motto is "Nothing about us without us".
* President Ruffalo thanked Linda DeBerardinis and Katie Maunder and
members of the "Reminder Call Committee". President Ruffalo believes
reminder calls increase attendance.
* Our Affiliate held four Townhall meetings: CBVI, Accessible Voting,
BookShare and Local Paratransit's. We will continue this in 2021 since they
were well attended and informative.
* President Ruffalo suggested that we conduct the meeting as an "Open
Meeting" to encourage participation and sharing.
5. Plans for 2021:
* President Ruffalo will be stepping down and "not stepping out" this
year. Our newly elected NFBNJ President will serve as the President of the
At Large Chapter. Joe commented that with the help of our members we have
built a strong foundation of the NFBNJ. If the foundation is strong then we
can continue to build on it.
* We have goals to increase membership by recruiting "Active Members"
who want to become involved; we only succeed if we have participation and
communication. The best way to get new members is to invite them to a
meeting or a chapter/division event.
* We want to groom new "young" leaders in the NFBNJ to carry the
message of the Federation.
* We need to plan to engage more within our communities.
* In 2021 the meetings will be held on the last Tuesday of the month
at 7:00 p.m. and we will plan to continue on the Zoom platform.
6. How to make dues payments for 2021.
Ellen Sullivan said our dues is $5 per year and you may pay your 2021 dues
by sending a check made out to NFBNJ with "AL dues 2021" in the memo.
Members are welcome to pay for more than one year. Dues should be sent to:
Andrew Rees
129 Drake Road
Somerset, NJ 08873
If anyone has questions about their dues please contact Ellen Sullivan (
<mailto:ems553 at comcast.net> ems553 at comcast.net).
8. Around the Zoom:
Joanna Baccan shared that she was one of the first members of the At Large
Chapter since there is not a "brick and mortar" Chapter in her area.
Many members (new and old timers) thanked Joe for his 27 years of
leadership and service. Members shared personal experiences of how Joe
mentored and encouraged them to raise their expectations.
9. Adjournment: The meeting ended at 4:48 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Ellen Sullivan, Secretary, At Large
Chapter
Reviewed by Joe Ruffalo, President , Linda Melendez, First Vice President
NFBNJ
******
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 44th State Convention
Braille Committee Business Meeting
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
7:00 P.M.-Conference Call
1. The meeting, was conducted on the Technology Division conference call
line, and was called to order at 7:05 PM by Mary Jo Partyka., Chair.
2. Roll Call:
There were 31 persons in attendance.
Officers:
Mary Jo Partyka, Braille Committee Chairperson
Linda DeBerardinis, Recording Secretary
Guest Presenters:
Sandy Halverson. Past President of the National Association to Promote the
Use of Braille and the Secretary of the American Action Fund for the Blind
Kaleigh Brendle, Student
Madeline Mau, Student
3. NFB Pledge:
Recited by Mary Jo Partyka
4. Overview of 2020:
The Braille Committee met quarterly in January, April, June, and September.
There were approximately 10 to 12 in attendance. We focused on the
following areas
The Braille Challenge which was held in February 2020.
Difficulties mentoring Braille students who live in rural areas which are
not Access Link-accessible.
Brailing index cards for the exhibit tables at state convention; because
our convention was virtual this year, this project was suspended until 2021
5. Plans for 2021:
Publicizing our Braille mentoring program so that people who are in need
can learn Braille.
Discussing the use of the new E-reader which is now ready for testing.
Encouraging BELL parents to find ways to help their children learn and
practice Braille.
6. Synopsis of Presentations:
Sandy Halverson is the past President of the National Association to Promote
the Use of Braille and the Secretary of the American Action Fund for the
Blind. She discussed the following topics: Braille Readers are Leaders
contest, the E-reader, and Sharebraille which is sponsored by the American
Action Fund for the blind.
Madeline Mau is a freshman who lives in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. She
enjoys reading and biking. This was her first Braille Challenge and she won
first place in her division. Kaleigh Brendle is a senior and participated
in 11 Braille Challenges and won first place in all of them. Kaleigh
advocated for herself this past year in a lawsuit against the American
College Board Association because its officials refused to allow her to
use Braille to complete her examinations. She won the lawsuit. She also
established a Serenity Choir with blind persons from all over the world.
The students both pointed out that they couldn't do as well in school and
other facets of life without knowing Braille. The girls talked about the
events in the Braille Challenge which included: reading comprehension,
proofreading, interpreting charts and graphs, etc. They both mentioned the
spirit of friendly competition among the participants. The BELL In-Home
Edition program was also discussed. Shay Collazo and Christine Aguilera
Murphy (two of our BELL parents) described the program to the membership and
said they appreciated all the work that the National Office did to put the
program together and bring it to fruition. All of us are hoping BELL
will be in person next year.
7. Synopsis of Other Issues:
Debbie Gabe, the President of the Hawaii Affiliate told the group that they
conduct a story hour every other Saturday during the year where children and
adults both read Braille to those on the call. She will contact Mary Jo
with the information.
Two participants requested to be mentored in Braille and several people
offered to help them.
8. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 PM.
The next meeting of the Braille Committee will take place on the regular
conference call line on January 4, 2021 at 7:00 PM.
Motion: Linda DeBerardinis
Seconded: Mary Jo Partyka
Minutes submitted by Linda DeBerardinis and reviewed by Committee Chair,
Mary Jo Partyka
NFBNJ
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 44th State Convention
Diabetic Committee Business Meeting
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
8:30 P.M.-Conference Call
1. The meeting was called to order by committee chairman Ed Godfrey at 8:34
P. M.
2. Roll Call:
There were approximately 20 people in attendance.
Officers:
Ed Godfrey, Chair
Angela Perone, Co-chair
Joe Ruffalo, Affiliate President
Guest Presenters:
Jean Brown, Vice President, Diabetic Action Network (DAN)
Jocelyn Santiago, Diabetic Committee Member
3. The following items were discussed:
Jean brown talked about the Diabetic Action Network (DAN) she said that the
purpose of the network is to be a support system for each other about
diabetes and managing it. It also helps fight for diabetic rights and for
equipment to be accessible such as Glucose meters, Glucose control
monitoring systems and insulin pumps. Jean also encouraged people to
subscribe to the diabetes talk list serv which can be found at :
<https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org>
https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org.
Jean said that everyone should consider joining the Diabetic Action Network
. The cost is $10.00. She said that she would email Ed the address of the
treasure and he will forward to members of the Diabetic Committee.
Jean Brown will be speaking at our January meeting .
4. Jocelyn Santiago talked about pre-diabetes what it is and how to prevent
it. Jocelyn will be talking in more detail about this subject at our
February meeting.
5. Questions and Answers:
Finally, participants concluded with a question and answer session.
6. Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned by acclimation.
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 6, 2021 at 7:00 P. M.
Where we will be discussing future speakers and topics.
Minutes submitted by Elizabeth Morgan and reviewed by Ed Godfrey, Diabetic
Committee Chair
NFBNJ
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 44th State Convention
Guide Dog Committee Business Meeting
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
7:50 P.M.-conducted on Zoom
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:50 p.m. by Dan Facchini, Chair,
Guide Dog Committee.
2. Roll Call: There were approximately 30 participants in attendance.
Committee Officers and Board Members:
Dan Facchini, Chair
Brianna Murray
Pat McKenna
Patricia Ebel
Presenters:
Joe Ruffalo, President, NFBNJ
Raul Gallegos, President of the National Association of Guide Dog Users,
NAGDU
Glenn Hoagland, President, Seeing Eye
3. NFBNJ President Joe Ruffalo, welcomed everyone to the call and thanked
are representatives from NAGDU and Seeing Eye. He shared about the upcoming
events at the 44th State Convention.
4. Raul Gallegos President, NAGDU, talked about the present and future of
the Division. He also discussed the importance of being involved in a
national organization.
5. Dan Facchini, Committee Chair talked about being in Seeing Eye and
receiving his fourth seeing eye dog in the beginning of the pandemic and the
measures Seeing Eye took to insure everyone stayed safe and still received
excellent training.
4. Glenn Hoagland, President, Seeing Eye talked about the program in
general and discussed the steps they took to ensure safety of the students
in the March class before the state closure. Glenn also talked about steps
they needed to take to ensure the safety of all the dogs that were on
campus. At any given time, the Seeing Eye could hold up to 250 dogs on
campus getting ready for training or going out to the puppy raisers. Glenn
also talked about the reopening of the school.
5. Seeing Eye Advocacy Specialist Melissa Allman, led us in a brief
discussion on the laws and rights of a guide dog team.
6. Committee member Patricia Ebel, shared about what it was like being in
the first class back to the training center after the reopening and during
the pandemic.
7. There was a question and answer segment, and many good issues were
raised and discussed.
8. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. by acclimation.
Respectfully submitted by Dan Facchini, Chair
Guide Dog Committee, NFBNJ
*****
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 44th State Convention on the
Zoom platform
New Jersey Association of Blind Students Meeting on Saturday, November 21,
2020 at 11:00 a.m.
1. Meeting called to order by Jonathan Zobek at 11:10.
2. Roll call:
* Speakers: Joe Ruffalo, President, NFBNJ; Linda Melendez, First Vice
President, NFBNJ; Vee Gaspa, Board Member, NFBNJ; Lia Stone, Chair, State
Scholarship Committee, NFBNJ; Johna Wright, Liaison National Association of
Blind Students; Michael Hingson, President, The Michael Hingson Group, Inc;
Dr. Cary Supalo, Chemist; Julia Deden, National Representative
* Officers: Jonathan Zobek - President and Henry Young -
Vice-President.
* Board Members: Natasha Ishaq and Claress Knight
* There were about 16 participants in total.
3. Jonathan Zobek gave an update about 2020, discussing Students
Supporting Seniors and mentioned that outreach and recruitment is a possible
goal for 2021.
4. Vee Gaspa ran elections.
* Slate was approved by all members and Jonathan thanked the
nomination committee for their work.
* President: Jonathan Zobek remains President
* Vice-President: Henry Young remains Vice-President
* Secretary Treasurer: Amy Albin to Kaleigh Brendle
* Board Member 1: Natasha Ishaq to Andrew Chin
* Board Member 2: Claress Knight to Roman Dodia
5. Lia Stone introduced scholarship winners and emphasized the
importance of the NFB Scholarship. She encouraged all to apply.
6. Vee Gaspa provided an update from the State level. She
highlighted Convention, state board elections, and Washington Seminar.
7. Johna Wright provided an update from the National Association
of Blind Students, mentioning the At-Large Seminar over Zoom. She also
discussed what the NABS committees are up to:
* Fundraising: Planning for Virtual Washington Seminar. They are
revamping funding packets, which is how they get donations for Washington
Seminar. They are getting sponsors and allowing Committee members to take up
this challenge.
* Communications: Social media falls under this committee, as well as
the "NABS Now Podcast", which is aimed at exploring one different topic
every month and providing resources while being fun and relaxing.
* Legislative and Self-Advocacy: In full swing for Washington Seminar
since it is a really important year with a new Administration and Congress.
They are collecting and compiling testimonies about relevant bills.
* Diversity and Inclusion Committee: Planning awesome meetings, and
they want to make NABS a diverse and comfortable experience for all.
8. Joe Ruffalo noted that all paid members for 2021 can be
reimbursed for the At-Large Seminar. Students need to pay, attend, get a
list of participants, and can be reimbursed by the State Affiliate.
9. Cary Supalo and Michael Hingson gave their presentation about
their experiences in NFB training centers and in the STEM Fields. They
demonstrated accessible science lab equipment as well.
10. The meeting was adjourned at 12:45 p.m.
Minutes written, reviewed, and submitted by Jonathan Zobek, President, New
Jersey Association of Blind Students.
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