[NFBNJ] NFBNJ:NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/04/2020

Mon May 4 21:28:19 UTC 2020

Greetings to all!
I have provided the entire Presidential Notebook for week of May 4, 2020.
Please read through the valuable information as we grow during this time of 
COVID-19.
Special Note: The affiliate will be making a donation for Giving Tuesday in 
the morning.
Judy and I will be making a gift.
All donations/gifts are matched, see below.
If possible, please consider making a donation for Giving Tuesday.
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

Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/04/2020

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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

We need your help pushing Giving Tuesday Now. Please share our Facebook 
event, solicit your networks, encourage the Federation spirit, and give if 
you can. Thank you so much to those affiliates and divisions that have 
already reached out with gifts above and beyond the normal contributions 
that would be given this time of year. The generosity of the Federation 
network is incredible.

Also, please take a moment to write a thank you note to The Gibney Family 
Foundation and email it to outreach at nfb.org. It would be outstanding to have 
a thank you from each of our affiliates to our partner for Giving Tuesday 
Now.

Have a great week and keep building the Federation.

Critical Actions:
Celebrate #GivingTuesdayNow with Us:
#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity, set to take place on 
May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by 
COVID-19. Our partner, The Gibney Family Foundation, is generously matching 
all donations made. If you are able, please help us continue to advocate and 
provide essential services by contributing on #GivingTuesdayNow, and join us 
on Facebook to see how we’re doing.

News:
May Presidential Release Live:
In case you missed it on Friday, the May Presidential Release recording and 
English transcript are now available at 
https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases.

Advocacy and Policy Update:
Several times in recent weeks I’ve made it a point to mention that the 
COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped, or even slowed, the work of the National 
Federation of the Blind. On April 10, we sent a letter to Secretary of 
Education, Betsy DeVos, urging her to not recommend any waivers for IDEA or 
the Rehabilitation Act during this national emergency. On April 27, 
Secretary DeVos sent her report to Congress and recommended no unnecessary 
waivers for the requirements of IDEA or the Rehabilitation Act. Today, we 
sent a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the relevant House and 
Senate committees urging them to heed the secretary’s recommendations, while 
making a few of our own that will strengthen educational opportunities for 
students with disabilities during the pandemic and beyond.

In other legislative news, we continue to impress upon members of Congress 
the importance of the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 2086/S. 
815). Most of you undoubtedly read John Paré’s legislative alert last week 
that was partially on this topic. While I’m sure many of you have already 
called or emailed your senators and representative, I would like to urge 
those of you who haven’t made those calls or sent those emails to do so as 
soon as possible. The next coronavirus relief legislation is just over the 
horizon, and we want to make sure that we build up enough support for the 
Access Technology Affordability Act to have it included in the bill.

May Issue of the Braille Monitor:
Check out the latest issue of the Braille Monitor, the National Federation 
of the Blind flagship publication. There are a number of articles this month 
about issues related to COVID-19 that may be of interest and an article 
about counseling and the coronavirus, a perspective on well-being, authored 
by Candace Chapman and Jeannie Massay. Read the May 2020 Braille Monitor.

Accessibility Boutiques for May:
Accessibility boutiques are workshops presented by access technology experts 
that provide introductions to accessibility best practices and the latest 
trends in access tech. The National Federation of the Blind is providing the 
following boutiques in May:

·       How to Create Accessible Documents on May 12 at 2:00 p.m. eastern

·       The COVID-19 Response: Keeping Employees and Students Connected from 
Home on May 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern

·       Textbook-Provider Showdown on May 26 at 8:30 a.m. eastern

Learn more about accessibility boutiques and register today.

Distance Education—Daily Activities and Request for Feedback:
The National Federation of the Blind is providing daily distance-education 
resources, from reviewing a calendar to creating a chain of kindness. Share 
the videos of how-to activities and story times. Join the upcoming live, 
interactive Zoom lesson on the slate and stylus—a versatile, portable tool 
for life. Learn more about the distance-education resources. All of the 
videos can be found on the National Federation of the Blind YouTube channel.

Request for Students—Submit Feedback on Access Barriers:
As a result of COVID-19, many schools have shifted to virtual instruction. 
The National Federation of the Blind is gathering information regarding the 
accessibility of virtual instruction and education technology. If you are a 
student, parent, teacher, or administrator please take time now to complete 
the education technology survey.

Reminders:
National Convention Door Prizes:
Door prizes can be sent to the address below.

National Federation of the Blind
Attn: Convention—FS
200 East Wells Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230

Dates to Keep in Mind:
·       May 5: Giving Tuesday Now

·       June 1-12: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

·       June 4: Live Presidential Release

·       June 10: Membership Open House

·       June 22-July 3: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

·       July 27-August 7: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition

  a.. July 14-18: NFB National Convention, Everywhere

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.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnj_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200504/5a521283/attachment.html>