[NFBNJ] President Riccobono's Notebook, National Items of Interest and Dates to Keep in Mind for week of November 6, 2021

Tue Nov 9 16:34:41 UTC 2021

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,

A couple of big back-to-back weekends full of affiliate conventions brings
us into November with the good feeling of Federation gatherings. Keep
pushing on the ATAA. We are steadily gaining co-sponsors, which is the
surest way of getting this bill to advance to President Biden’s desk.
News:Access Technology Affordability Act:

Unfortunately, the Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA) is not in the
House version of the Build Back Better (BBB) Act. The House version of the
BBB is waiting for a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score and is likely
to be passed by the House the week of November 15. The good news is the
Senate is extremely likely to change the BBB before passing it. This means
we have an opportunity to get the Access Technology Affordability Act back
in the bill. Another legislative alert will be going out early this week,
but in the meantime, please continue to contact Majority Leader Schumer’s
office and ask him to restore the ATAA into the Build Back Better Act
before it gets passed in the Senate. Furthermore, if your individual
Senator or Representative has not cosponsored the Access Technology
Affordability Act, please ask them to do so.
Teachers of Tomorrow:

Applications to be a part of the 2022 Teachers of Tomorrow cohort will be
opening later this week. The goals of the Teachers of Tomorrow program are
to equip early career teachers of blind students with a positive philosophy
about blindness, to empower them to have high expectations for their
students, and to help them recognize the value in being connected with the
organized blind for themselves and the families they work with. Please
circulate this application to any university programs in your state, as
well as to school districts and any teachers of blind students you know.
https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/teachers-tomorrow
Upcoming Early Childhood Initiatives: Santa Letters and Winter Celebration
Program:

This year, the National Federation of the Blind is not only helping Santa
out with Braille letters to blind children, we are also expanding our
program to have a winter-themed Braille letter for those who do not
celebrate the Christmas holiday. We are excited to provide both of these
letters in English and Spanish. Parents of children under the age of ten
can select one of the options that best fits their family.

Starting November 8, parents can request the Braille activity packet
online, via fax, or email. The celebration packets will start going out to
blind children around the country on December 6. The Braille letter will
also be accompanied by a print copy for the whole family to participate in
the fun activities that accompany the celebration letters. The deadline for
letter requests is December 17 to ensure that a return letter in Braille is
received before the winter season ends. Learn more about the Santa Letters
and Winter Celebration Program.
Response to AbilityOne Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Subminimum
Wages:

On Friday, we submitted our response
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/response-abilityone-commission-nprm-regarding>
to
the most recent AbilityOne NPRM
<https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/12/2021-22118/prohibition-on-the-payment-of-subminimum-wages-under-14c-certificates-as-a-qualification-for>.
The NPRM, published in the Federal Register on October 12, would require
that any nonprofit entity seeking an AbilityOne contract would need to
certify that it has no employees with disabilities being paid subminimum
wages. As you will read in our comments, we strongly support this proposed
rule.
Upcoming Event: Creating and Using Tactile Graphics:

On Tuesday, November 16, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., eastern, the National
Federation of the Blind Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility is
hosting an accessibility boutique on tactile graphic creation. Register now!
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/trainings/accessibility-boutiques/accessibility-boutique-registration>
Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) and National Board for Certified
Counselors (NBCC) Exams:

The NFB is gathering information regarding access barriers with Center for
Credentialing & Education (CCE) and National Board for Certified Counselors
(NBCC) exams. If you have encountered barriers or delays with requesting
accommodations and completing an accessible CCE or NBCC exam, or if you
plan to take a CCE or NBCC exam in the future, please contact Valerie
Yingling, NFB legal program coordinator, at vyingling at nfb.org. Examples of
CCE and NBCC tests include the National Counselor Examination (NCE),
National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), and state
counselor licensure exams, among other tests.
Dates to Keep in Mind: (all times eastern)

   - December 1: NFB Scholarship Program
<https://nfb.org/scholarships> applications
   open
   - December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 5-10, 2022: National Convention, New Orleans
   -
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