[NFBofSC] NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 02/02/2

Wed Feb 3 00:29:02 UTC 2021

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Happy Black History Month. Thank you to all of our Black leaders who continue to teach us about the important intersecting characteristics of our movement and how we can use those experiences to drive a stronger future together. I have been reading President Obama’s autobiography, and I have been thinking about it in terms of the experience of Black leaders within our organization. It has further strengthened my appreciation for the multiple of factors these leaders need to grapple with as they seek to engage as elected leaders within our movement. We can all be grateful for the openness and honesty of our Black leaders and the inequalities they have felt within and outside our organization. I continue to value that our leadership welcomes even the hardest of discussions as a way of creating healing and understanding. I welcome reading assignments or other activities from this leadership group that might help enhance my continued learning.

I look forward to being together in activities of our Washington Seminar next week. Please promote our Great Gathering-In meeting (
https://zoom.us/j/97142192062) Zoom information below as widely as possible. The bigger the gathering, the better. We have a lot of great things to accomplish together this year. Let’s show the power of what we can do together.

I made a number of important updates last evening on Presidential Release
#502 <https://youtu.be/v8WxV6U65uM>. Please give attention to the diversity and inclusion activities and our safety updates that I shared last evening.
They are both essential to our ongoing membership development work.

*Critical Actions:*

*Presidential Release:*

In case you missed it last night, the February Presidential Release <https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> is available (or will be this afternoon). The English and Spanish transcripts will be posted as soon as they are available.

*2021 Washington Seminar:*

We are a mere seven days away from the start of the 2021 Washington Seminar, so make sure you brush up on all of our legislative priorities for this year. Fact sheets for all four of our legislative issues, along with an audio file for an example meeting, can be found on our website at www.nfb.org/washington-seminar, and are available in HTML, Word, and audio formats. We also recently posted the full 2021 Washington Seminar Agenda, so be sure to check it out. Finally, we are noticing appointments being entered into the Washington Seminar Portal, but we just want to remind all affiliates that if you do not wish to use the portal for your appointments and ratings, hillappointments at nfb.org is still up and running and you can submit your appointments there. We urge you to get your meetings in as soon as possible.

*News:*

*Raise the Wage Act:*

On January 28, 2021, Representative Bobby Scott, Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, introduced H.R. 603, the Raise the Wage Act. One of the key aspects of this bill is Section 6, which would discontinue the issuance of 14(c) certificates upon its passage and gradually increase, over a period of five years, the minimum wage for disabled 14(c) employees until it was at least at the level of the federal minimum wage. We strongly support this section of the bill.

*Accelerating Accessibility in 2021: Blind Driver Challenge:*

On Friday, January 29, the National Federation of the Blind celebrated our tenth anniversary of the Blind Driver Challenge and the first blind driver to independently drive 1.5 miles.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTHa_5Y5IA4> As part of the celebration this year, we are prioritizing nonvisual accessibility in regards to driverless technology. Learn more about the Blind Driver Challenge <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/blind-driver-challenge>
.

*February Braille Monitor: Access Now:*

The latest issue of the National Federation of the Blind flagship publication is now available. February articles include a request for your thoughts on image descriptions, Federation philosophy, education and advocacy for blind students, and more! Read theFebruary 2021 *Braille Monitor*.
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm21/bm2102/bm2102tc.htm>

*Submit an Article for the Braille Monitor: No Experience Needed*

The National Federation of the Blind is seeking articles for the *Braille
Monitor* that focuses on your lived experiences. Share a blind moment or a strategy that other blind people should know about. To learn more or submit an article, connect with Gary Wunder,*Braille Monitor* editor, at gwunder at nfb.org.

*Independence Market: February Product of the Month and Sale Items:*

The February product of the month is the Kenneth Jernigan Cornbread Kit.
Dr. Kenneth Jernigan loved southern, fried cornbread and he devised this kit. The kit contains a cast iron muffin pan that makes twelve scalloped-shape muffins, an oil measurer, disposable filling cups, and two cooking templates to guide you in getting the batter into the muffin pan.
Dr. Jernigan's "NFB cornbread" recipe is included in print and Braille and the whole kit sells for $15.

The sale items are the carbon-fiber, rigid long white cane with metal glide tip (available in sizes from 49 through 69 inches in two-inch increments) and the solitaire and “Fox & Geese” board games. The carbon-fiber, long white canes are on sale for $15, and the Solitaire and “Fox & Geese” games are on sale for $10. To place an order for any of the above items, please contact the Independence Market by calling 410-659-9314, extension 2216, or by emailing independencemarket at nfb.org.

*Meet Our 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow:*

The National Federation of the Blind is excited to announce the class of
2021 Teachers of Tomorrow. This is an immersive, professional development program that connects teachers of blind and low-vision students to the lived experiences of blind people, equipping participants with knowledge about the skills and attitudes that can help students thrive in a school and beyond. Meet the 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/education/teachers-tomorrow>!

*Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research**:*

Volume 11 Number 1
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir21/jbir1101tc.html> of our *Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research* is now available! The tenth anniversary of our publication of this important online, scholarly journal is celebrated in* “*Why Publish the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research?
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir21/jbir110106abs.html>
*”* by*Braille Monitor* editor Gary Wunder. Other topics covered in this issue include: *Changing Attitudes about Visual Impairment in the College
Classroom*
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir21/jbir110101abs.html>
, *The Validation of the Actigraph GT3X Step Counter in Youth Who Are Blind* <https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir21/jbir110107abs.html>,
and *Natural Order of Braille Contractions* <https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir21/jbir110104abs.html>
*.*

*BELL Academy:*

We are once again excited to be offering our National Federation of the Blind BELL® Academy, In-Home Edition, for the summer of 2021. This year, students will be organized into classes based on their prior knowledge of the Braille code, which means we will be better able to offer challenging and fun content for Braille learners of all levels. The NFB BELL Academy is appropriate for students ages four through twelve; applications for the
2021 program will be opening later this month.

*Dates to Keep in Mind:*

(all times eastern)

   - February 8: Washington Seminar
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar> Great
   Gathering-In
   - March 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - March 24-26: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
   - March 31: Scholarship application
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program/scholarship-program-application-checklist>
    deadline
   - April 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - April 15: Bolotin Awards <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin> nominations
   deadline
   - May 2: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - June 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m.
   - July 6-11: NFB National Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana

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.