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<DIV> Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>I have pasted information with hopes to benefit our membership and
the Federation family.</DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>**</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri";
FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY:
inline'><B>From:</B>
<A title=OfficeOfThePresident@nfb.org
href="mailto:OfficeOfThePresident@nfb.org">President, National Federation of
the
Blind</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, November 18, 2019 4:23 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=OfficeOfThePresident@nfb.org
href="mailto:OfficeOfThePresident@nfb.org">President, National Federation of
the
Blind</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> NFB President’s Notebook - week of
11/18/2019</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<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>Dear Fellow Federationists,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Happy seventy-ninth anniversary to us! Another November 16 has come and
gone, causing us to pause and reflect upon all that we have accomplished as
a
movement since that date in 1940. I was pleased to share the day with
Federation
members. I know our eightieth year will be marked with many important
milestones, and I know we will think up some new things to pursue along the
way.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy
Thanksgiving. I anticipate that there may not be any urgent news next
Monday,
leaving this as our final notebook before the holiday. I am deeply grateful
for
the service, leadership, and friendship of each of you. It makes a
tremendous
difference in the lives of so many people. It is also a true blessing for my
family to have the opportunity to know you and enjoy time with you. We
appreciate how many of you who have asked for updates on Oriana. Thank you
for
being who you are and doing what you do. We recognize that your best
contributions will go uncelebrated because you do them out of love and
dedication, not to seek award or acknowledgement. Thank you for all of those
unknown kindnesses that may go unrecognized but are deeply impactful and
gratefully appreciated by those of us working in the spirit of the
Federation
family.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>News:</DIV>
<DIV>Celebrating Seventy-Nine Years:</DIV>
<DIV>Saturday was the seventy-ninth anniversary of the founding of the
National
Federation of the Blind. Since 1940, we have worked collectively in a
unified
national organization, improving the lives of blind people throughout the
country, and in some cases, the world. Along with high expectations and
strong
values, our structure continues to empower members of the National
Federation of
the Blind to live the lives we want. Consider sharing the history of the
organized blind movement<<A
href="https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance?fbclid=IwAR1R0E8vvGqkFao45ZMxiQDEf6mgHifKJ2ABQ2OrA01ghYujvK9qHSo59Uk">https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance?fbclid=IwAR1R0E8vvGqkFao45ZMxiQDEf6mgHifKJ2ABQ2OrA01ghYujvK9qHSo59Uk</A>>
and invite members to read Building the Lives We Want<<A
href="https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/building-lives-we-want">https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/building-lives-we-want</A>>.</DIV>
<DIV>Send Comments for Elimination of 14(c):</DIV>
<DIV>On Friday, November 15, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., the United States Commission
on
Civil Rights held a public briefing on the elimination of Section 14(c) of
the
Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows subminimum wages for people with
disabilities. The commission plans to issue a report with actionable
recommendations to address this critical civil rights issue. Review the
testimony from many panelists<<A
href="https://www.youtube.com/user/USCCR">https://www.youtube.com/user/USCCR</A>>,
which included Anil Lewis, Kimie Eacobacci, John Pare, Melissa Riccobono,
and
Derek Manners Panelists also included those who are still in favor of 14(c).
Although it seems like the tides are turning, more voices need to be heard
to
end these discriminatory practices. Submit comments to
subminimumwages@usccr.gov<mailto:subminimumwages@usccr.gov> for the
commission’s consideration no later than December 15, 2019.</DIV>
<DIV>Open-House-Gathering Call this Wednesday:</DIV>
<DIV>The National Federation of the Blind’s next open-house-gathering call
for
people interested in membership will be this Wednesday, November 20, at 8:00
p.m. eastern. This is a great opportunity to learn about joining and its
benefits. The calls cover membership, philosophy, and purpose. Sign up by
emailing membership@nfb.org<mailto:membership@nfb.org> or calling
410-659-9314, extension 2509.</DIV>
<DIV>Apple TV+ Releases New Blindness Show, See:</DIV>
<DIV>A fantasy world in which everyone is blind, and also strong, capable,
and
dynamic. This new show, See, on Apple TV+ could set forth a new way that the
entertainment industry portrays blindness. Additionally, there are five
blind
actors cast in roles, although not in leading roles. This seems like
progress.
Per our 2019 resolution on authentic representation of blind people in the
entertainment industry<<A
href="https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2019-resolutions#14">https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2019-resolutions#14</A>>,
more progress for the growth and inclusion of blind people in the
entertainment
industry is needed. Read the recent blog post regarding the show<<A
href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/treading-carefully-new-blindness-drama-see">https://www.nfb.org/blog/treading-carefully-new-blindness-drama-see</A>>
and share your thoughts on the show.</DIV>
<DIV>Disney+:</DIV>
<DIV>Last week the Disney+ service was launched. A number of blind
grandparents
and parents reported accessibility challenges with the website. We have
raised
this with Disney, and they are working with our team to resolve barriers. We
will send additional news as we have it.</DIV>
<DIV>Dates to Keep in Mind:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> * January 4, 2020: World Braille Day</DIV>
<DIV> * January 9-11, 2020: BELL® Academy Training
Seminar</DIV>
<DIV> * February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington
Seminar begins</DIV>
<DIV> * March 26-27, 2020: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium,
Baltimore, Maryland</DIV>
<DIV> * April 14-17, 2020: NABM BLAST<<A
href="http://www.blindmerchants.org">http://www.blindmerchants.org</A>>;
Chicago, Illinois</DIV>
<DIV> * July 14-19, 2020: NFB National Convention,
Houston,
Texas</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>Disclaimer</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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