[NFBNJ] Week of May 24, 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

Federation Family,


It is hard to believe that the end of May is upon us. It is also hard to
believe how the past year has flown by. I approach this week with a mix of
feelings remembering the emotions of a year ago as our nation experienced
the killing of George Floyd and the tremendous wave of pain, action, and
reflection that followed in that first week. Obviously, the effects are
still being experienced today. I want to mark this anniversary by calling
upon this leadership group to review our statement of solidarity
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-stands-solidarity-all-those-impacted-racial-injustice>
to remind us about the careful work we need to do to intentionally build
the Federation to reflect the deep and broad diversity we want among our
members.


It is also the twentieth anniversary of Erik Weihenmayer summiting Mt.
Everest with the support of the National Federation of the Blind. It is
always fun to look back upon the achievements that we have helped transform
into reality through this movement. What is our next Mt. Everest moment?
Might it be Dan Parker's world record attempt under our Blind Driver
Challenge or something else? While we should remember the big moments, we
should also keep in mind that the heartbeats of our movement are the small,
personal, day-to-day connections and actions that drive the power of our
public work.


As you already know, this is the final week to register people for the
convention if they wish to vote during the business portions. Please give
this your attention this week. People will be able to register after May
31, but will not be able to participate in voting.


Critical Actions:Register for the 2021 National Convention Before May 31:

The National Federation of the Blind National Convention is July 6 through
July 10, 2021, from anywhere and everywhere. A member toolkit was sent via
email last week to encourage members to promote registration—please share
registration promotions in your local area. Early registration, by May 31,
provides voting eligibility for members, enters registrants’ names for door
prizes during convention, and enables registrants to receive pre-convention
emails. Additionally, the registration process provides the opportunity to
make access support requests. We are committed to making our meetings a
safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for everyone. Register now at
https://nfb.org/registration.
News:Plan to Attend the June Presidential Release—Captioning and Spanish
Available:

The next Presidential Release of the National Federation of the Blind will
be delivered on Tuesday, June 1, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. After the remarks
there will be an opportunity for questions. Submit questions in advance to
cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR506 in the subject line, or call 410-659-9314,
extension 2473. Closed captions and Spanish interpretation will be
available. Mark your calendars! The link to join is
https://zoom.us/j/91778192252 and other Zoom details will be available soon.
Amendment to the Endless Frontier Act from Senator John Thune:

Update: Last week we told you about the Endless Frontier Act in the Senate
and how Senator John Thune of South Dakota introduced an amendment that
contained two important provisions to ensure that people with disabilities
would be included in the design and utilization of highly automated
vehicles. The first would create an exemption classification for
manufacturers who “provide transportation access for individuals with
disabilities (as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)), including non-visual access for individuals
who are blind or visually impaired,” as long as the vehicle was
equivalently safe to a non-exempt vehicle. The second would prohibit a
state from issuing a “motor vehicle operator’s license for the operation or
use of a highly automated vehicle in a manner that discriminates on the
basis of disability.” For a more detailed summary of these provisions,
please read the recent letter to Senators Cantwell and Wicker
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-chair-cantwell-thune-amendment-endless-frontier-act>
that
I wrote in support of the amendment. The Endless Frontier Act is still
being debated in the Senate this week, so you still have a chance to make
an important impact through your calls and emails. Please contact your
senators and ask them to support Senator Thune’s automated vehicles
amendment.
We Reached Our Goal! Thank You for Your Support:

We did it! Thanks to everyone who contributed last week, we reached our
goal of $25,000. Because of the generosity of Deque Systems and an
anonymous donor, that amount will be doubled in honor of Global
Accessibility Awareness Day. That means that every dollar you gave will go
twice as far in advocacy, education, and helping blind people live the
lives we want. Thank you!
Recent Blog: “Lack of Awareness Makes Accessibility Inaccessible”:

Many people have their lives needlessly disrupted due to the lack of
knowledge of the tools that would make it possible for them to maintain
their quality of life despite the onset of blindness. We must promote
awareness of the availability and need for accessibility. Read Anil Lewis’s
story in our recent *Voice of the Nation’s Blind Blog*
<https://nfb.org/blog/lack-awareness-makes-accessibility-inaccessible>.
Career Opportunities at the National Federation of the Blind:The National
Federation of the Blind is seeking flexible, hard-working individuals who
will work with us to ensure independence and equality for all blind
Americans. Currently we have several opportunities to include: Braille
proofing and production specialist, program assistant NFB Independence
Market, operations specialist for NFB-NEWSLINE, outreach program
coordinator. Learn more about our career opportunities
<https://nfb.org/about-us/career-opportunities>.Dates to Keep in Mind: (all
times eastern)

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

·    June 9: App Development Seminar, www.nfb.org/cena

·    June 29: Rookie Roundup, 8:30 p.m.

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