[NFBofSC] President Riccobono's Notebook Items of Interest For The Week Ending September 18 2020

Mon Sep 14 23:58:35 UTC 2020

Steve Cook

If you would like to join the Computer Science & Technology Division list serve, please send a message to  <mailto:cstdofsc+subscribe at googlegroups.com> cstdofsc+subscribe at googlegroups.com

District 2 State Board Member of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

1st Vice President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

Board member at large of the Columbia chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

The National Federation of the Blind of SC owns and operates Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center.  Below is a link to read more about Rocky Bottom and to make a reservation for a mountain retreat!

 <http://rockybottomofsc.com/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center

Please join the National Federation of the Blind of SC on Face Book at any of the below links!

 <https://m.facebook.com/NatFedofSouthCarolina/> National Federation of the Blind of SC on Face Book

 <https://m.facebook.com/Computer-Science-Technology-Division-of-the-NFB-of-SC-343263089815304/> Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

 <https://m.facebook.com/RockyBottomofSC/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center 

South Carolina Association of Blind Students

 <https://m.facebook.com/groups/375092969314880?_rdr> South Carolina Parents of Blind Children

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind

Mark A. Riccobono

officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org> 

410-659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

I hope this message finds everyone doing well. I know that, for many of our leaders, the back-to-school time is particularly challenging with children and grandchildren needing support with education. I am sending positive thoughts to each of you along with the strength to keep working it out.

News

Election 2020:

We are currently developing a section on NFB-NEWSLINE® for election 2020 materials. These items will be made available on the service as they become available to us. Yesterday we released the “candidate 2020 searches” section, which contains several searches for “Biden” and “Trump.” There are searches of the top one hundred newspapers, breaking news, international newspapers, and magazines provided in this section. In order to access this information on a telephone, you will first need to select option 1 off the main menu, followed by option 2 for the election 2020 materials. If you are using the NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile app, first select “all publications” followed by selecting “candidate 2020 searches.” The election 2020 materials will be available to all NFB-NEWSLINE subscribers, including those subscribers who reside in non-sponsored states.  

Speaking of Election 2020:

Stay tuned for more news about how we are securing the rights of blind voters across the nation. In the meantime, we have a fun surprise that will help affiliates and chapters encourage members to vote! That surprise is an original parody, "Our Vote," inspired by the song "My Shot" from the musical Hamilton, composed and performed by NFB member Precious Perez.

Equal Access in Education Blog Post:

As schools reopen this fall, some virtually, some in person, and some in a hybridized format, blind students may encounter new and challenging accessibility barriers; some students already have. Many questions remain regarding how schools will implement instruction this fall, but with certainty the NFB will continue to prioritize equal access to education within all the work we do. To find out what we are doing and how you can participate, please read our new blog post, “Equal Access in Education: An NFB Priority.”

Braille Readers Are Leaders:

Once again, the National Federation of the Blind is partnering with the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults to present the 2020-2021 Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. With categories for children and adults alike, the contest aims to encourage Braille literacy and reading for pleasure. The contest will run from December 1, 2020, through January 18, 2021. Participants will log the number of pages they read in order to compete for prizes. More information regarding how to register will be coming soon.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	September 24-25: Nonvisual Access Conference 
*	October 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern 
*	October 1: Inclusive Publishing Conference 
*	October: Meet the Blind Month 
*	November 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern 
*	December 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern 
*	December 9: Open-House Gathering call, 8:00 p.m. eastern 
*	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 <mailto:Officeofthepresident at nfb.org> 

Twitter: @Riccobono

Pronouns: he, him, his

  <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/nfblogo.png> 

                           <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/facebook.png>       <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/twitter.png>       <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/youtube.png> 

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. 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200914/7f0fe176/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: Untitled attachment 00005.txt
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200914/7f0fe176/attachment.txt>