[NFBNJ] Week of May 3, 2021 President Riccobono's Notebook, NationalItems 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



Dear Federation Family,


May the Fourth be with you! Approaching quickly our national convention is.
Yet, still to be accomplished, much other work is. Don’t worry; I am far
too busy to write this entire letter in the syntax of a Jedi Master.


Please take some time to encourage all members to complete our RAINN
Climate Assessment Survey (details below). We want the broadest
participation possible and the timelines are short. If you or other members
utilize the new telephone survey option we have built, we want your
feedback. We believe this system has many possibilities for us in the
future, especially to expand participation. Send your feedback to Stacie
Dubnow at sdubnow at nfb.org.


I anticipate a number of advocacy efforts ramping up in the coming weeks,
so stay tuned and get ready to rally the troops. We have some opportunities
to move some legislative and policy priorities, but we will need to keep
the pressure on.


Meanwhile, in Baltimore we await the arrival of the seventeen-year cicadas,
which are nothing like cute little Ewoks. However, like the Federation,
these bugs are determined and play the long game. They may also be just as
noisy as a convention full of Federationists. I would rather have the room
full of. For now, stay safe and avoid the cicadas.


The great work you should keep up; for all you do, thank you.
Critical Actions: Register for the 2021 NFB National Convention:

The 2021 National Federation of the Blind National Convention is July 6
through July 10. Registration is open and free. By registering, you will
get access to the latest information as it is made available, the
opportunity to win door prizes, and more! Register for the 2021 NFB
National Convention online now.
<https://www.nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=432> Or, if someone
you know needs help with registration or would prefer to email or mail in a
registration, please use the 2021 National Convention Registration Form
(fillable PDF)
<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/files-pdf/2021-national-convention-registration-form-fillable-web.pdf>
.
Please Share Feedback by Completing the Climate Assessment Survey:

RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, is
partnering with the National Federation of the Blind to gather feedback
from the blind community, including NFB members and nonmembers, in an
anonymous climate assessment survey to help inform recommendations for
further sexual misconduct prevention and response programming. It may take
approximately thirty to forty-five minutes. Participate in the assessment
survey via SurveyMonkey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/rainn-nfb2021> or
take the survey via phone by calling 229-632-7878 or toll free 833-632-7878.
News: LYFT Offering Free Rides to Federation Members:

Our rideshare partners at LYFT, through their LyftUp Vaccine Access
program; will be providing access to free and donated rides. The code is
being made available for use through June 30. It should be used to travel
to and from COVID-19 vaccination appointments. There will be a code for
dose one and a separate code for dose two. Members will need to contact
affiliate presidents to receive a code. Please do not share or post on
social media.
Summer Program for High School Students: Deadline Approaching for NFB EQ:

The National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient (NFB EQ)
applications is open. NFB EQ is going virtual July 5-30. High school
students can join us on a month-long adventure into engineering and
problem-solving activities. No specific level of engineering experience is
required. Engage in activities designed to strengthen knowledge and grow
interests. The deadline to apply is May 10. Learn more and apply now at
www.nfb.org/eq.
NFB BELL® Academy Deadlines:

The deadline for our first NFB BELL Academy In-Home session is quickly
approaching. If you wish to participate in the session starting June 7, the
application deadline is Friday, May 7, 2021. This year options are
available for beginning Braille readers, intermediate Braille readers, and
those who know the whole code. Please visit nfb.org/bell for more
information or to apply.
Calling All Veterans:

Vernon Humphries, the president of the National Association of Blind
Veterans, is looking for all veterans to include in the convention’s
Celebration of Freedom. This year he is asking to receive a ten-second
audio recording of each of veterans introducing themselves and providing a
short glimpse of their service. He is requesting that you all spread the
word and to assist veterans who might have difficulty in creating an audio
recording. He would like to receive these at mr_president at nabv.org before
June 6.
Legislative Update:

We continue to build cosponsor support on the Access Technology
Affordability Act. We are up to seventy-four cosponsors in the House and
seventeen in the Senate. Please continue to call your representative and
senators and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 431 and S. 212.

Regarding voting, we are expecting Senators Merkley and Klobuchar to
release text for a proposed amendment to S. 1, the For the People Act, in
the near future. We expect this amendment to address many of our concerns
with the bill. Specifically, we are hoping it preserves the right of states
to allow for the electronic delivery, marking, and return of ballots for
voters with disabilities. In addition, we are hoping it mandates that
ballot-marking devices used with in-person voting be available to people
with and without disabilities, that there is more than one ballot-marking
device per polling location, and that voters are specifically and actively
offered to use these machines.

With regard to a national framework for testing autonomous vehicles,
Senators Thune and Peters are planning to offer an amendment to the Endless
Frontier Act sponsored by Senator Schumer. This amendment specifically
creates a new exemption for testing vehicles that “provide transportation
access for people with disabilities including non-visual access for
individuals who are blind or visually impaired.” The final amendment text
will be released late this week or next. It is likely the Senate Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will vote on the amendment next
week.

With regard to both voting and autonomous vehicles, please keep on the
lookout for legislative alerts in the near future. Once the final amendment
text is released, both of these items are likely to move quickly.
Independence Market:

There are two products of the month: the standard click rule (AID01R,
$95.00) and the metric click rule (AID01M, $120.00). And there are several
sale and close-out items: Nine Men’s Morris (AIG74N $10.00); stereo earbuds
with volume control (AIA47H, $5.00); NCB stoneware mug (with NFB in tactile
Braille) (LSMXX1N, $5.00); and a set of four playing card holders (AIG25P,
$4.00).
Dates to Keep in Mind: (all times eastern)

·       May 7: NFB BELL Academy application
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy> deadline (for session
one)

·       May 10:  NFB EQ application <http://www.nfb.org/eq> deadline

·       June 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.

·       July 6-10: NFB National Convention, anywhere and everywhere
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