[NFBNJ] President Riccobono's Notebook, National Items of Interest and Dates to Keep in Mind for week of October 11, 2021

Wed Oct 13 22:23:08 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,

As the crisp air of fall moves in and snow begins to touch certain parts of
our country, I am feeling the familiar sense of the fall Federation
convention season. I will be visiting some in-person conventions in the
coming weeks and hope to drop in on some virtual gatherings. In contrast to
the cooler weather, our advocacy work at the federal level is heating up.
Please continue to keep the local members engaged and pushing on our
priorities. I am optimistic that our efforts will put us over the line with
ATAA in the coming weeks.

Thank you to Denise Valkema and Ron Brown who have recently transitioned
out of their affiliate presidencies and are now supporting our newest
presidents. We appreciate your service and your modeling of the effective
continuation of the chain of leadership at the local level.

Friday is White Cane Awareness Day! Thank you for your work to build
equality and opportunity for the blind every day. Let’s celebrate
independence and freedom because of our collective work in the organized
blind movement. Take a walk, demonstrate the Federation spirit in action,
and use the hashtag #BlindMonth when you share it on social media.
News: Double Your Dollars: Matching Gift Opportunity:

A generous supporter of the National Federation of the Blind has pledged to
match the first $50,000 in contributions made during Blind Equality
Achievement Month. Double your dollars and help turn dreams into reality
with employment and beyond. Thank you for helping us continue our important
work to raise expectations.

Three ways to give:

   -  Online at nfb.org/donate
   - Mail a check to National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells
   Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
   - Contribute by phone using a credit card by calling 410-659-9314,
   extension 2282

Where the Blind Work Webinar:

In celebration of Blind Equality Achievement Month, this upcoming webinar
is a panel discussion with blind and low-vision professionals. On Thursday,
October 14, at 8:00 p.m., eastern, hear about what a typical day looks
like, discover elements that prepare for career success, learn about
alternative techniques and strategies used to do these jobs, as well as how
to advocate for accommodations on the job. Register for the webinar today
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=23101&qid=>.
Share the Free White Cane Program:

October 15 is White Cane Awareness Day
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/blind-equality-achievement-month/white-cane-awareness-day>.
Each year the National Federation of the Blind distributes free white canes
across the county. Any blind individual in the fifty states, the District
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico can request a cane for their personal use.
Requests can be made as often as every six months. Celebrate October 15 and
share the Free White Cane Program
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program>.
AbilityOne NPRM:

On October 7, the AbilityOne Commission held a virtual public meeting. At
that meeting they discussed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that
would be published in the Federal Register on October 12. The NPRM was
published and is twenty-seven pages long and is entitled “Prohibition on
the Payment of Subminimum Wages Under 14(c) Certificates as a Qualification
for Participation as a Nonprofit Agency Under the Javits Wagner O'Day
Program
<https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/12/2021-22118/prohibition-on-the-payment-of-subminimum-wages-under-14c-certificates-as-a-qualification-for>.”
As the title indicates, the proposed rule phases out subminimum wages on
all AbilityOne contracts. We are working on our comments and hope to
officially submit them and then publish them on our website within the next
two weeks. We will then have additional information about how we can all
bolster those comments.
Scholarship Program Update: Applications Opening December 1:

The National Federation of the Blind's annual scholarship program is the
largest of its kind in the nation. Every year, we award thousands of
dollars to blind scholars across the country. Save the date: the 2022
scholarship program application will open December 1, 2021.

https://nfb.org/scholarships
New Group: NFB in the Kitchen:

Welcome to our newest National Federation of the Blind group, NFB in the
Kitchen, chaired by chef Regina Mitchell. This group is intended to serve
as a resource for blind individuals with any level of cooking experience,
as well as to serve as an advocacy resource within the Federation to
advance the accessibility of online cooking resources and important home
appliances. The listserv is coming soon. Learn more about all of our
Federation groups
<https://nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/groups>.
Blind Equality Achievement Month Twitter Chat, October 21:

Join the National Federation of the Blind on Twitter to discuss employment
and Blind Equality Achievement Month on October 21 at 1:30 p.m., eastern. A
Twitter chat is a scheduled, organized, topical conversation on Twitter
centralized around a specific hashtag. For this chat, we will be using
#BlindMonth. The questions will be shared in advance. Learn more about
Twitter to prepare for the chat <https://nfb.org/get-involved/twitter-chats>
.
Dates to Keep in Mind: (all times eastern)

   - October 14: Where the Blind Works Webinar
   <https://nfb.org/programs-services/blind-month/2021_where_the_blind_work_webinar>,
   8:00 p.m.
   - October 15: White Cane Awareness Day
   <https://nfb.org/programs-services/blind-month/2021_where_the_blind_work_webinar>
   - October 21: Blind Equality Achievement Month Twitter Chat, 1:30 p.m.
   - November 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
   - November 18: NFB Training Centers Meeting, 8:00 p.m.
   - 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

-- 

Warmly,
Linda Melendez, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
732-421-7063
Email: president at nfbnj.org
*Website: **www.nfbnj.org* <http://www.nfbnj.org/>
*Facebook: **https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238*
<https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238>
*Twitter: **@NFBNewJersey* <https://twitter.com/nfbnewjersey>
*YouTube: **NFBNJTransformDreams*
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKEDbjGsCYHMlwd4gqpBPjg>

*Live the life you want.*
*The National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey is a community of
members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s
blind. Everyday we work together to help blind people live the lives they
want.*
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