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<DIV> Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>I have pasted several items of interest for your review and sharing
pleasure.</DIV>
<DIV>Highlight-Great News:</DIV>
<DIV>Marrakesh Implementation Act passed </DIV>
<DIV>with an unanimous vote in the House of
Representatives</DIV>
<DIV>Our voices were heard!</DIV>
<DIV>You can and did make a difference!</DIV>
<DIV>2. Baltimore Orioles and Braille </DIV>
<DIV>3. Tactile Graphics </DIV>
<DIV>4. Meet The Blind Month </DIV>
<DIV>5. Braille Readers Are Leaders </DIV>
<DIV>6. Terry Rupp Article </DIV>
<DIV>7. Important Dates </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Again, to all receiving, your continued support, interest and effort
assists with raising expectations to live the life we want!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: The National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey’s 42nd state
convention is less than five weeks away.</DIV>
<DIV>Please visit the state website for information pertaining to the NFB
and
the state convention.</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo,
President
<BR>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri>**</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>President’s Notebook</DIV>
<DIV>National Federation of the Blind</DIV>
<DIV>Mark A. Riccobono</DIV>
<DIV>officeofthepresident@nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org></DIV>
<DIV>(410) 659-9314</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Fellow Federationists:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The National Federation of the Blind continues to be in the news and on
the
move, and it is all fueled by your leadership at the affiliate level. Let me
start this notebook by thanking Charlene Smith of West Virginia and Joy
Breslauer of Montana who have both transitioned the affiliate presidency to
new
affiliate presidents: Sheri Koch and Jim Marx respectively. I appreciate the
service of these two women and their commitment to the successful transition
of
leadership in our affiliates. Please be sure to welcome our new presidents
to
the state affiliate leadership listserv.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We had a great night celebrating the National Federation of the Blind
at
Orioles Park at Camden Yards last week. We have included some of the great
national coverage we received. I know some of you participated in the online
auction of the Braille jerseys. We are now hoping to get the other Major
League
Baseball teams to participate in something similar in 2019—I am particularly
hoping for the future world champion Milwaukee Brewers.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>While there is much news this week, it is important that we take a
moment
to celebrate getting the Marrakesh Implementation Act through the House of
Representatives on unanimous consent. While the president of the United
States
still has to sign the bill and the State Department still needs to send the
instrument of ratification to the World Intellectual Property Organization,
the
heaviest of the lifting has been done. It is thanks to the tremendous team
of
local advocates and skilled leaders like Scott LaBarre, the visionary
leadership
of our Immediate Past President Marc Maurer, and the tactical moves of our
staff, especially John Pare and Gabe Cazares, along with a supporting cast
of
many that made this possible. Congratulations and thank you to each of you
for
your dedication and persistence.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>One reason I am sending this today is that I am out much of next week
visiting technology companies in Israel. The impact of the Federation is
felt
globally, and our relationships with companies and organizations around the
world is part of what helps us be effective in our activities within the
United
States.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>News:</DIV>
<DIV>Marrakesh Treaty Update:</DIV>
<DIV>After almost a decade of negotiations, drafting, and advocacy, the
Marrakesh Treaty is closer than ever before to becoming a reality in the
United
States. On Tuesday September 25, 2018, at 7:19 p.m. EST, the US House of
Representatives unanimously passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act
(S.
2559). The bill will now go to the president for his signature. This is a
major
victory for the members of the National Federation of the Blind; because of
our
hard work, soon blind people all across the globe will enjoy a vast
collection
of accessible materials. Special thanks to Scott LaBarre who has been
serving as
the principal negotiator on the Federation’s behalf for all of these years.
Read
our press release about this tremendous development at <A
href="https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act">https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act</A>.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>National Federation of the Blind Night at Camden Yards:</DIV>
<DIV>The Orioles organization dedicated the September 18 game to the
National
Federation of the Blind in honor of our forty-year anniversary in Baltimore.
Our
members passed out Braille alphabet cards and the Orioles player and coach
jerseys had the names in Braille. One of those shirts will be sent to the
Baseball Hall of Fame and the rest were auctioned off, with the proceeds
coming
to our national office. I was honored to throw out the first pitch. You can
read
some of the press coverage of the evening in the links below.</DIV>
<DIV>WJZ, Baltimore CBS affiliate: <A
href="https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/">https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/</A></DIV>
<DIV>Washington Post: <A
href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c</A></DIV>
<DIV>People magazine online: <A
href="https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/">https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Last Chance to Register for the Tactile Graphics in Education and
Careers
Symposium:</DIV>
<DIV>Registration for the Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers
Symposium
will close on October 7. Parents of blind and low-vision children, teachers
(both K-12 and post-secondary), and disability support services staff should
not
miss this exciting opportunity to learn about innovations in the production
of
tactile graphics (both high-tech and low-tech), the use of tactile graphics
in
the classroom, how to teach tactile literacy, what constitutes good design,
and
more! The Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers Symposium will take
place
October 11-12, 2018, at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute.
For more information, to view the agenda, and to register, please go to the
Tactile Graphics Symposium webpage.<<A
href="https://nfb.org/tactile-graphics-education-and-careers-symposium">https://nfb.org/tactile-graphics-education-and-careers-symposium</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Meet the Blind Month:</DIV>
<DIV>Meet the Blind Month is almost here. We have updated our related
webpages:</DIV>
<DIV><A
href="https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month">https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month</A></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day">https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day</A></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="https://nfb.org/free-cane-program">https://nfb.org/free-cane-program</A></DIV>
<DIV>Continue to email information about events you have planned to
kanderson@nfb.org<mailto:kanderson@nfb.org> or share them with us via
social media, and we’ll add them to the website<<A
href="https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month">https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month</A>>.
You may use the updated www.nfb.org/wcad<<A
href="http://www.nfb.org/wcad">http://www.nfb.org/wcad</A>> URL in local
communications if you wish.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Braille Readers Are Leaders:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, in partnership with
the
NFB Jernigan Institute and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and
Adults, again announces the annual nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders
(BRAL)
contest for kids. Students must be K-12 and must reside in a state
registered
for the contest. Entrants compete to read the most Braille pages, going
against
other students in similar grades across all participating states. The
contest
runs for seven weeks, encouraging students to be proud of their Braille
reading
ability and to work to improve their Braille skills—while possibly winning
prizes in the process.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you have questions, email the contest administrator, Deborah Stein,
at
dkent5817@att.net<mailto:dkent5817@att.net> (please put “Nationwide
BRAL
Question” in the subject line) or phone 773-203-1394</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Terri Rupp Article:</DIV>
<DIV>In case you haven’t seen the article yet, Terri Rupp was featured in
Good
Housekeeping magazine: <A
href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/">https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/</A><<A
href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/">https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dates to Keep in Mind:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> * Fall conventions<<A
href="https://nfb.org/state-conventions">https://nfb.org/state-conventions</A>></DIV>
<DIV> * October 11-12, 2018: Tactile Graphics
Symposium</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>· November 1, 2018: NFB
scholarship application period begins</DIV>
<DIV>· November 15, 2018:
Dr.
Jacob Bolotin Award application period begins</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> * January 28, 2019: Great Gathering-In; Washington
Seminar begins</DIV>
<DIV> * March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law
Symposium</DIV>
<DIV> * July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention<<A
href="https://nfb.org/convention/2019">https://nfb.org/convention/2019</A>>,
Las Vegas, Nevada</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between
blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is
not
what holds you back.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mark A. Riccobono, President</DIV>
<DIV>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230</DIV>
<DIV>(410) 659-9314 |
officeofthepresident@nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>[National Federation of the Blind]<<A
href="https://nfb.org/">https://nfb.org/</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
[Facebook] <<A
href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind</A>>
[Twitter] <<A
href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice</A>>
[Youtube] <<A
href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>