[NFBofSC] From President Riccobono

Mon Jun 22 22:28:40 UTC 2020

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Today is June 22 and in twenty-two days it will be July 14, the start of our national convention. The excitement is truly building here at the NFB Jernigan Institute. I know you all are anticipating the release of the agenda—which is coming soon.

Good news: we are planning for the Presidential Suite to be open during the convention. This will be a great way for you to welcome your first-timers.
I will be dedicating as much time as I can to meetings in the Presidential Suite (tempted to write that with a Z for Zoom instead of an S) in order to continue the valuable practice that gives our members access to their elected President.  Below are the hours the suite will be open. I will not take appointments during all of these times, as other convention activities may conflict. However, members will be able to come by, leave messages, request appointments, put their name in for committee appointments, and maybe socialize with Federation leaders.  Please promote the suite; more details will be coming soon.

Finally, I hope all the dads out there had a great Father's Day. I enjoyed spending time with my family and taking a brief break from the convention prep. Thanks to those of you who sent along well wishes for Father's Day.
Convention:National Convention – Registration Is Closed:

Registration for the 2020 National Federation of the Blind National Convention is closed. Those who registered will receive helpful introductory emails as well as be eligible to vote in elections and receive door prizes. However, if you did not register you are still welcome and encouraged to participate in all convention events as listed in the agenda.
Find the latest information on national convention at nfb.org/convention.
 Presidential Suite Hours:

Tuesday, July 14                9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 15         9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
                                                6:00-9:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 16              9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
                                                5:00-6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 17                    9:00-10:45 a.m.
Saturday, July 18               9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
 Requesting Captioning Services:

For those deafblind attendees that will be joining us for the 2020 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, we are committed to providing captioning for every general meeting and for other meetings that will be attended by deafblind participants. Once the convention agenda has been published, we will need a list of the convention sessions you will be attending. You may also connect with the NFB DeafBlind Division to learn more <https://www.nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/divisions>.

News:NFB Independence Market Now Taking Phone Orders:

Although our building is still closed to the public, our NFB Independence Market is now accepting orders via telephone. Our helpful staff is ready to take orders for slates and stylists, cane tips, and cooking utensils. To place an order, call 410-659-9314 and press 3 for the Independence Market.
Please take into consideration that we have been closed for a significant period of time due to COVID-19, and we would appreciate your patience as we work to provide quality customer service to every customer.

ATAA Letter to Congress:

We issued a legislative alert on Friday regarding the Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA). In the alert, we made reference to a letter <https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/ataa-support-letter-for-subcom-on-select-revenue-measures.pdf>
that
I wrote to the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, in support of the Access Technology Affordability Act.
This letter was mentioned at a subcommittee hearing <https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings/tax-relief-support-workers-and-families-during-covid-19-recession>
on
Thursday, and entered into the official record by Subcommittee Chairman Mike Thompson, who is also the sponsor of the ATAA in the House. All of this means that the ATAA is being given major attention and serious consideration by those who have the power to make it pass. We need to make sure this legislation stays top of mind for all members of Congress by continuing to make calls and send emails asking them to cosponsor it.

Your Stories Needed for Our StoryBank—Impact of NABS:

We are soliciting stories from our members. This month we are looking for quick quotes from members about ways that NABS impacted their career readiness. Did NABS challenge you? Did NABS train you? Did the networking you participated in help you to be more career ready? Please send approximately one hundred words to pchang at nfb.org to share your story.
Don’t worry about polishing it; please just tell it. We have a myriad of uses for our storybank. We use stories for our *Imagineering Our
Future* newsletter,
for fundraising, for membership recruitment, and for our general communications and outreach work. Please take a few minutes to help.

Convention Reminders:

*Veterans’ Celebration of Freedom:*Vernon Humphrey, president of the National Association of Blind Veterans, is reaching out to all veterans that will be taking part in the national convention so they can participate in the annual Celebration of Freedom. Please contact him at mr_president at nabv.org or 706-329-7960 if you are, or you know of, a military veteran that will be at convention this year.

*Message from Sharon Maneki, NFB Resolutions Committee Chair:*

The deadline for resolution submission is June 30. Do you think we should change a government policy, take a stand concerning an agency for the blind, or create new regulations? If you do, consider writing a resolution.
At the 2020 National Convention, the Resolutions Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 15. The committee will debate and discuss resolutions on a wide variety of subjects. If passed by the convention, these resolutions will become the policy statements of the organization. To ensure that your resolution will be considered by the committee, please send it to Sharon Maneki (nfbmd at earthlink.net) or to me by June 30, two weeks before the committee meeting. Since things are always busy leading up to the convention, sending them earlier will be appreciated. If you email a resolution to Sharon and do not receive an acknowledgement email in two or three days, please send it again.

If you miss the deadline, you must get three members of the committee to sponsor your resolution and then get it to Sharon before the meeting begins.

*Convention Door Prizes:*

The National Federation of the Blind is excited to continue our tradition of door prizes during the national convention in July. All affiliates and divisions who wish to make door prize donations can do so in two ways.
Organizations and groups that want to donate products like Louisiana spices, Iowa scissors, or Wisconsin cheese curds (yes, please), please send an email to FSteam at NFB.org with a description of the prize(s), quantity being donated, and the name and contact information of the person in the affiliate or division who is responsible for providing the prize. To reduce shipping expenses, we will provide affiliates and divisions the winners’
information describing where prizes are to be sent. Affiliates and divisions will send product prizes directly to the winners.

Organizations and groups that want to donate cash prizes, please send an email to FSteam at NFB.org with the amount of the funds you are sending for the door prize and the exact name of the organization or group donating the prize. A check payable to “National Federation of the Blind” should be sent to NFB, ATTN: Conv – FS, 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. Please note in the memo on the check that it is for “Door Prize(s).” The national organization has controls in place and a relationship with a company to issue gift cards. Winners’ names will be collected during the convention and a list of winners, with addresses, will be provided to the company to process and mail Visa gift cards directly to the winners.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

   - June 22-July 3: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
   - June 30: Deadline for resolution submission <nfbmd at earthlink.net>
   - June 30: Accessibility Boutique: Technology and Training Options for
   Seniors
   - July 27-August 7: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
   - July 7: #NFB20 Rookie Round Up

   - July 14-18: NFB National Convention <https://www.nfb.org/convention>,
   Everywhere

   - February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In

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.

Mark A. Riccobono, President

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org