[NFBNJ] Week of January 18 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 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.


Please read and save for future reference.


Warmly,
Linda Melendez, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
732-421-7063
Email: president at nfbnj.org

****

President’s Notebook
Week of January 18, 2021
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono



Dear Fellow Federationists,



Here's hoping everyone had a great day of service for the 2021 Martin
Luther King Jr. Day. Our headquarters was closed yesterday in honor of the
holiday, and I know our diversity and inclusion work coming up in 2021 will
be consistent with the values that Dr. King worked toward every day. An
important part of our work this year is to provide anti-bias training to
our leaders; more information coming soon.



As we speed toward Washington Seminar, I just wanted to note that the Super
Bowl is on February 7. I note that Pam Allen's Buffalo Bills and my Green
Bay Packers are still in the hunt. Hats off to Pam and the other Bills fans
for stepping up to honor Baltimore's quarterback who suffered a concussion
during the game. This outstanding gesture of kindness and generosity is
what we need more of in this great nation. We have a lot of work to do
before Sunday's games, so let's go build the Federation with love, hope,
and determination.


2021 Washington Seminar Legislative Priorities – Fact Sheets:

The fact sheets for our 2021 legislative priorities
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-seminar-agenda>
have
been posted to the website. This year we have decided to bring four issues
to Capitol Hill: the Access Technology Affordability Act, the Medical
Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, the Twenty-First Century Mobile Apps
and Website Accessibility Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Voting
Rights Act. With these priorities, we strive to remove obstacles to
economic opportunity, home-use medical devices, websites, and civil rights.
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-seminar-agenda



COVID-19 Memorial:

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) is hosting a memorial to
remember and honor the lives lost to COVID-19. On January 19 at 5:30 p.m.
eastern, Americans are invited across the country to come together for a
national moment of unity and remembrance. As part of the memorial, the
National Federation of the Blind has on our building’s rooftop digital sign
an image of a lit candle on a black background with the words “In
remembrance” above it. We send our love to blind Americans, family,
friends, and everyone impacted by COVID-19. Learn more about the memorial
at

https://bideninaugural.org/covidmemorial/*. *


Presidential Inauguration:

Audio Description, live closed captioning, StreamText captions, and ASL are
available for the National COVID-19 Memorial (January 19) and the
Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (January 20). For the audio
description, ASL, and caption links, visit

https://bideninaugural.org/accessibility/.


For the schedule of events, visit
https://bideninaugural.org/schedule/.


Apply for 2021 Bolotin Awards:

The National Federation of the Blind is accepting nominations of
individuals or organizations who are a positive force in the lives of blind
people and help us transform dreams into reality. Each application must
include a letter of recommendation.

Learn more and submit a nomination for the 2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards/application-information>.



Scholastic’s Dragon Masters:

Dragon Masters is a book series from Scholastic written by Tracey West. The
series is about the adventures of a variety of eight-year-old boys and
girls who are teamed up with dragons. In book sixteen of the series, Tessa
is the Dragon Master to the Sound Dragon, Sono. Tessa is clever, brave, and
blind. Access BRF files of the book series at

https://www.actionfund.org/resources/dragon-masters.


Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

   - February 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - February 8: Washington Seminar
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar> Great
   Gathering-In
   - March 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - March 24-26: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
   - March 31: Scholarship application
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program/scholarship-program-application-checklist>
   deadline
   - April 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - April 15: Bolotin Awards <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin> nominations
   deadline
   - May 2: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - June 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 6-11: NFB National Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana
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