[NFBNJ] NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 10/16/202

[Linda Melendez]

*President’s Notebook*



* National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono *
officeofthepresident at nfb.org
*410-659-9314*



Dear Federation Family,



This year’s White Cane Awareness Day prompts me to think deeply about how
well we are getting outside of our typical circles and truly helping the
public know who we are. One example is that I notice a lot of local
fundraising efforts for the Federation where effort is put into pitching
the fundraiser to other Federation members across the country. It often
appears as though the effort to get the word out beyond the organized blind
movement is much more limited. Why is that? I believe it is because we
could do more to stretch ourselves and also be strategic about our
communications. If you want someone to support the work of the National
Federation of the Blind, you have to be able to articulate why it makes a
difference to those who do not know us. If you ask me to support the
Federation, I already know the difference it makes. If you ask your
neighbor, it might take more effort and have a bigger return.



As we close the second half of our Blind Equality Achievement Month for
2023, I encourage all of our leaders to reflect on our work to determine if
we can do it even better in 2024. However, you have one more thing you can
do this week. The Federation has a triple-matching opportunity available to
us for just this week. Can you think of three people that you can go to,
who do not know the Federation already, and invite them to join the
movement by providing us with a financial contribution? You already get to
sell them on having their money tripled—can you articulate the value of the
movement in a way that moves them to action? I believe you can, and I am
asking each of us to ask three new people this week.


Thank you for your work to raise expectations every day!


Critical Actions: Triple Your Impact with Matching Gift Opportunities:

During our October *Presidential Release*
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>*,*
President Riccobono announced that HumanWare has generously offered a
matching grant. HumanWare will match gifts to the National Federation of
the Blind up to $50,000 during the months of October, November, and
December. In addition to that challenge grant, an anonymous donor has
offered a $25,000 matching grant for gifts to the National Federation of
the Blind during the week beginning October 15 in honor of White Cane
Awareness Day. Donors can triple their impact by giving from October 15
through October 22. Participate by visiting our *donate page*
<https://nfb.org/donate> and share with your friends and family. Learn more
about the *HumanWare challenge grant and watch our launch video*
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/matching-gift-opportunity>.


News: October Presidential Release Chapter Version Available:

The National Federation of the Blind *Presidential Release #531 chapter
version*
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> is
available. Please mark your calendars for the next Presidential Release
scheduled for November 1, 2023, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. Zoom details coming
soon.
On #BlindMonth Branding and Social Media Posting:

We love the energy and enthusiasm of this #BlindMonth and how you have
translated that to social media. It’s wonderful reading about how your
chapters, divisions, and affiliates are celebrating the power of blind
people. As a reminder for promoting this month’s activities, the short form
of Blind Equality Achievement Month is Blind Month. Acronyms can represent
any number of things, and we want to be clear to blind and non-blind people
alike that we are celebrating blind people and the power and progress of
our organization.


Additional reminder for social media: please include alt text (image
descriptions) for the pictures that are posted and consider adding
contextual information to explain why the picture is being posted. For
example, add context by identifying the event where the picture was taken.
We are excited to share your #BlindMonth posts.
Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act:

On Thursday, September 28, the Websites and Software Applications
Accessibility Act was introduced in both the Senate and the House. In the
Senate, the bill is sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, with
Senators Warren and Markey of Massachusetts as original cosponsors, and the
Senate bill number is S. 2984. In the House, the bill is sponsored by
Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland, with Representative Pete Sessions
of Texas as original cosponsor, and the bill number is H.R. 5813. Please
call or email your senators and representatives and ask them to cosponsor
the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act.
Dates to Keep in Mind: (all times eastern)


   - October: Blind Equality Achievement Month
   - October 18: *Where the Blind Work* Webinar, 8:00 p.m.
   - October 26: National Federation of the Blind Virtual Career Fair, 1:00
   p.m.
   - November 8: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 3-8, 2024: National Convention; Orlando, Florida
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