[NFBNJ] Week of August 23, 2021 President Riccobono's Notebook, National Items of Interest and Dates to Keep in Mind

[Linda Melendez]

Greetings all,


To help stay connected with our National Office and with the work of our
organization I am sharing some of President Riccobono's weekly notebook,
National Items of Interest and Dates to Keep in Mind.


Warmly,
Linda Melendez, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
732-421-7063
Email: president at nfbnj.org
President’s Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
410-659-9314
officeofthepresident at nfb.org News: Plan to Attend the September
Presidential Release
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=464>—Captioning
and Spanish Available:

The next Presidential Release of the National Federation of the Blind will
be Wednesday, September 1, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. There will be an
opportunity for questions after President Riccobono’s remarks. Submit
questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR508 in the subject
line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473. Closed captions and Spanish
interpretation will be available. Zoom details coming soon.
Straight Off the Canvas Film Screening:

As mentioned in the board meeting during the 2021 NFB National Convention,
the National Federation of the Blind is hosting a special, post-convention,
virtual film screening. Between August 23 to August 30, national convention
attendees will be able to watch an award-winning, audio-described
documentary, *Straight Off the Canvas*. Attendees will receive an email
with a password-protected link to the film, which will be available for the
entire week. On August 29, at 7:00 p.m. eastern, there will be a live
screening with Q&A via Zoom. Learn more at nfb.org/nfb21.
Legislative Alert: Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act Introduced
into House:

The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 4853) was introduced
in the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, July 29. This
act calls upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create nonvisual
accessibility standards for medical devices with digital displays. Members
of the National Federation of the Blind are urged to contact your
representatives regarding the important legislation. Please review the
alert to learn how to help promote the MDNA
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/view?id=2349&reset=1>.
Back-to-School Season: Educational Technology Survey and Advocacy Resources:

The National Federation of the Blind gathers information and shares
resources to help support blind people in the education environment.
Leaders of the organization may receive a higher volume of questions or
concerns this time of year. To help us gauge the accessibility of
educational technology used in our nation’s schools (kindergarten through
graduate level), please have students, teachers, or families complete
the Education
Technology Survey
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey>.
Some additional resources to share are the *Self-Advocacy in Higher
Education Toolkit*
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/self-advocacy-higher-education-toolkit>
 and *A Blind Parent’s Essential Guide to Effective Communication from
Public and Private Schools*
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/blind-parents-essential-guide-effective-communication>
Amazon Fulfillment Center Employment:

As it relates to our recent agreement with Amazon
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/amazon-make-more-employment-opportunities-available-blind>,
the National Federation of the Blind is hoping to speak with individuals
who have had workplace accommodations denied, been placed on unpaid leave,
and/or otherwise experienced discrimination related to Amazon fulfillment
center employment. Please contact Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org to
report your Amazon fulfillment center experience.


Subminimum Wages Congressional Hearing:

Last month our very own Anil Lewis testified in a joint hearing
<https://youtu.be/KVnUWfsH07o?t=2598> of the House Subcommittee on
Workforce Protections and the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human
Services. One of the purposes of this hearing was to discuss the
Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 2373), which
would phase out subminimum wages over a five-year period. After the
hearing, the bill gained four new cosponsors, bringing the total number up
to twenty-three. For further information, we strongly encourage you to
read Anil’s
written testimony
<https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/LewisAnilTestimony072121.pdf> to
the committees.
Special Thanks:

Special thanks go out to the NFB of Iowa, the NFB of Texas, the NFB of
Oregon, the NFB of Missouri, and the NFB of Maryland Baltimore Chapter for
their generous gifts. We continue to grow stronger together with the
support of our affiliates and chapters.
National Dates to Keep in Mind: (all times eastern)

·       September 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.

·       October 1: Presidential Release, 12:00 p.m.

·       November 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.

·       December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
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