[NFBofAlaska] Notes from our National Office

Fri Feb 18 06:23:04 UTC 2022

Greetings to all my NFB Friends and Family,

The following email focusses primarily on notes from our National Office. I
hope you find them helpful. Please read carefully and let me know if you
have any questions. 

>From the Affiliate president's newsletter sent each week, President Mark
Riccobono says:

"Dear Federation Family,

I am still fired up from our gatherings before and during the 2022
Washington Seminar week. You all continue to inspire me and fuel my love for
the work of this movement.

We are heading into a busy spring convention season and planning for our
first in-person convention in three years. There is much ahead to get
excited about and to bring us together again."

Washington Seminar Thank You:

Thanks to everyone who participated in Washington Seminar. As a result of
our advocacy our bills garnered many new cosponsors. The Access Technology
Affordability Act in the House jumped from 118 to 130 cosponsors and in the
Senate increased from 34 to 35. The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility
Act jumped from 10 to 18 cosponsors. The Transformation to Competitive
Integrated Employment Act, in the House, jumped from 24 to 34 cosponsors. In
addition, the lead Senate cosponsor of the Transformation to Competitive
Integrated Employment Act, Senator Steve Daines, spoke at our Great
Gathering-In. 

Template Letters Regarding Inaccessible Education Technology Software:

The NFB has posted to our website template letters for blind students, blind
parents, and parents of blind children to use when they encounter
inaccessible education technology software at their or their children's
schools. As the templates recommend, please copy NFB on any letters you send
via the email address  <mailto:advocacy at nfb.org> advocacy at nfb.org.

*
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/blind
-parent-template-letter-regarding> Blind Parent Template Letter Regarding
Inaccessible Education Technology 

*
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/blind
-student-template-letter-regarding> Blind Student Template Letter Regarding
Inaccessible Education Technology 

*
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/support-and-resources/paren
t-blind-student-template-letter> Parent of Blind Student Template Letter
Regarding Inaccessible Education Technology

Please also continue to report information about accessible and inaccessible
education tech software through NFB's Education Technology Survey:
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey
>
https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey.

Accessible Self-Service Kiosks at McDonald's Restaurants:

As a part of the NFB's collaboration with McDonald's to improve access for
blind McDonald's customers, the attached list includes the corporate-owned
McDonald's restaurants that now feature screen-reading software, tactile
keypads, and the ability for customers to connect their headphones or ear
buds to the kiosk and independently place their orders by responding to
audio prompts. For more information about the NFB's collaboration with
McDonald's, please visit
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/mcdonalds-and-national-federation-blind
-collaborate-self-service-kiosks>
https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/mcdonalds-and-national-federation-blind-
collaborate-self-service-kiosks. To watch the McDonald's kiosk video shared
during the NFB's 2021 National Convention, please visit
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/past-conventions/2021-nati
onal-convention>
https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/past-conventions/2021-natio
nal-convention.  

KJ Fund and SUN Fund Program Years:

In recent years we adjusted the PAC program and membership years to coincide
with the calendar year. As of January 1, 2022, we changed the Kenneth
Jernigan Fund and SUN Shares Fund program years to the calendar year.
Reports will now begin with funds received as of January 1 and end as of
December 31. All pledged funds are to be received by December 31. This
adjustment makes it easier to account for funds in the correct program year
and follows our fiscal year. 

 Take Your At-Home COVID-19 Test with Aira, Sponsored by the National
Federation of the Blind: 

*	The National Federation of the Blind is committed to providing
at-home COVID testing solutions and holding the government accountable for
making these tests accessible. As part of that commitment, we are sponsoring
the use of Aira for any blind person in the United States taking an at-home
COVID-19 test. If you are not already an Aira Explorer, you can set up a
free account and then use the visual interpreter service to complete
COVID-19 at-home tests. As part of the promotion, you'll be asked a few
questions that will help provide important data for our at-home test
accessibility efforts. For more information on this promotion and our
overall at-home testing efforts, visit  <http://nfb.org/covidtests>
http://nfb.org/covidtests. We will continue to update this page so check
back often.

February Braille Monitor Available:

The latest issue of the National Federation of the Blind flagship
publication is now available. Read about raising expectations every day, our
Code of Conduct, determination to achieve excellence, history of the KNFB
Reader, a call for change, and many stories from members.
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm22/bm2202/bm2202tc.htm> Access
the Braille Monitor now.

(Note): You may access a complete reading of the Braille Monitor by asking
Alexa to "Play the National Federation of the Blind Braille Monitor."  

Lyft Denials Due to Service Animals:

The NFB and NAGDU continue to gather stories in video format from
individuals who were denied rides because of their service animals by Lyft
drivers between January 24-30. If you travel with a service animal and were
denied a ride by Lyft during those dates, please visit
<https://forms.gle/jLY8NiL7G6GgbrHS6> NAGDU's webform. If you have
experienced discrimination by Lyft drivers anytime other than last week, or
for any reason other than traveling with a service animal, or if you have
experienced discrimination by Uber drivers, please take a moment to complete
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/rideshare-discrimination-su
rvey> NFB's rideshare discrimination survey.

 Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

*	March 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
*	March 31: Deadline to submit  <https://nfb.org/scholarships>
scholarship application

*	April 15: Deadline for the
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolo
tin-awards/application-information> Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award nominations

July 5-10: National Convention, New Orleans

If you have read to the end of this long email, here is a link to a song by
a group called the Nuther Brothers. Tom Torvie, a member of the NFB of
Alaska passed away last year and his group played for our fund raiser in
February of 2020, right before the pandemic. This song is not from our event
but here it is. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYMgGMEijoY
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYMgGMEijoY&list=OLAK5uy_m0dRRKsNsKS5UljaON
xVZgpjUA-Ig5z5A&index=13>
&list=OLAK5uy_m0dRRKsNsKS5UljaONxVZgpjUA-Ig5z5A&index=13

(I'd love hearing from you if you heard the song!)

Warmest Regards,

Bonnie Lucas
President
National Federation of the Blind of Alaska
Cell: 907-301-6808

Email: lucas.bonnie at gmail.com <mailto:lucas.bonnie at gmail.com> 

Web: alaskanfb.org <https://alaskanfb.org/> 
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.

[Delegate-BML]

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