[NFBNJ] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/24/2020

Tue Feb 25 14:28:32 UTC 2020

Greetings to all!

Each week, President Riccobono forwards the Presidents Notebook.
At times, I provide items for all , at times I paste several items and at 
times, I do not forward as the items are for presidents of the affiliates.
With this said, I have provided the notebook for February 24, 2020.

Warmly,
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

From: President, National Federation of the Blind
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 8:53 AM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/24/2020

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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Hey look, we get one extra day this year to spread the love and positive 
message of the National Federation of the Blind, and it is a good month to 
do so. You will find below a collection of links to a number of outstanding 
pieces featuring Federation members who share the additional common 
characteristic of being black. These folks are great friends and mentors of 
mine, and I am so pleased that they have spread our message through their 
stories. You should share these far and wide to promote the diversity we 
want in our movement. As Ever Lee says, let's grow and go!

This week I will be welcoming the eighty-ninth leadership seminar to the 
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. I expect that this year 
we will have a seminar in the fall as well—we did not have one last year 
because of the construction. Some of you continue to believe that 
recommendations should only come when there is a seminar planned. Keep in 
mind, there will always be another seminar someday. Send your 
recommendations, and they can be for people outside your state. Also keep in 
mind that we should continue to seek diversity in our leadership pool. If 
you recommend someone and they have additional qualities that would add to 
the diversity of our leadership seminar, please let me know that. This data 
is only for my use. Often the only thing I know about a person is who 
recommended them and when. If I happen to have met them, it helps me know 
more about them. Since I cannot meet everyone, the data you share with me is 
useful. We should be intentional about developing a diversity of leaders in 
our organization. You should know this is important to me personally and it 
is critical to our organization's advancement. Thank you in advance for your 
recommendations.

As I am sure you are aware, March 1 is the opening for our 2020 National 
Convention online registration (The link, once it is live, will be 
nfb.org/registration.) Please be sure to spread the word and help make this 
our best-attended convention ever. Come on, even Louisiana is cheering for 
this to be our biggest convention ever—even if they think Houston cannot top 
New Orleans! I am really excited for this year's convention, and I continue 
to welcome your ideas for speakers and program items.

Finally, committee appointments are in the works; you should find those 
hitting your email boxes soon. Thank you for your work to keep the 
Federation moving forward in all areas by serving on national committees.

News:
Federationists Featured in #DisabilityRightsInBlack Series:
The National Disability Rights Network is recognizing remarkable 
contributions of past and present black disability rights advocates and 
attorneys by presenting a different profile each day in February. We are 
proud of the following National Federation of the Blind leaders to be 
featured and hope you watch their brief videos of their stories: Anil Lewis, 
executive director of Blindness Initiatives; Ever Lee Hairston, member of 
the NFB Board of Directors and 2019 Jacobus tenBroek Award winner; Sam 
Gleese, 2014 Jacobus tenBroek Award winner, past affiliate president, and 
past member of the NFB Board of Directors.

Nation’s Blind Podcast: Celebrating Black History:
The newest episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast celebrates Black History 
Month with a contemporary discussion with Denise Avant, Ron Brown, and Shawn 
Callaway, all affiliate presidents and members of the NFB Board of 
Directors. They talk about the intersectionality of being African-American 
and blind. Listen to the Nation’s Blind Podcast.

Partnership with Aira:
Federation leaders will remember that a number of years ago we secured a 
special membership deal through our partnership with Aira granting that 
every Federation state convention would be a free Aira access site. Thanks 
to our partnership, the Federation conventions were the first free Aira 
accessible meetings in the nation. That agreement we had with Aira expired 
in January 2020, but we continue to have a strong partnership with them. As 
you likely know, the company has been going through a number of changes. I 
understand that many of our affiliates with spring conventions have reached 
out to Aira asking about free site access. Our conventions no longer have 
that benefit as a right through an existing agreement. We continue to talk 
with the company about what the future partnership with the organized blind 
movement will include and how we will execute on that relationship. If you 
reach out to them, and they tell you that they cannot provide free access, 
do not be surprised. We will be posting an update about Aira to the Voice of 
the Nation’s Blind Blog later today. If you have questions, please let me 
know.

Take the Braille Monitor Survey:
The Braille Monitor is our flagship publication and contains critical 
content as we continue to build the Federation. It reflects many of our 
traditions, but it also must evolve enough to clearly be relevant in this 
decade and those to come. Please help us by telling us what you want, what 
you need, and what you will read. Please complete the quick, five-minute 
Braille Monitor survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium:
Registration is still open for the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law 
Symposium, scheduled March 26-27 at the National Federation of the Blind 
Jernigan Institute. It is a two-day conference that continues Dr. tenBroek’s 
lifelong pursuit of dignity, equality, and full participation in society by 
the disabled by bringing together attorneys, advocates, and those with lived 
experiences. The agenda includes roundtable discussions, presentations, 
workshops, plenary sessions, and an evening networking reception. This year’s 
theme is Race, Diversity, Inclusion, and the Right to Live in the World. 
Review the agenda and register today!

#ReadAcrossAmerica #WithBraille:
National Read Across America Day is Monday, March 2. Although we promote the 
importance of Braille literacy year-round, let’s make sure our voices are 
included on this national day. The goal of Read Across America is to help 
motivate kids to read, bring the joys of reading to students of all ages, 
and make all children feel valued and welcome. This must include blind and 
low-vision children. Let’s promote reading with Braille by sharing videos of 
children reading Braille or posting about the importance of Braille on 
Monday, March 2, on social media platforms and use the hashtags 
#ReadAcrossAmerica #WithBraille.

Dates to Keep in Mind:
  a.. March 26-27: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, Baltimore, 
Maryland
  b.. March 31: Deadline for scholarship applications
  c.. April 15: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application deadline
  a.. May 1: Distinguished Educator Award nomination deadline
  a.. April 14-17: NABM BLAST, Chicago, Illinois
  b.. April 14-16: Nonvisual Access Conference, Baltimore, Maryland
  c.. June 21-27: NFB EQ; St. Paul, Minnesota
  d.. July 14-19: NFB National Convention, Houston, Texas

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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