[NFBofSC] NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 7/18/2022

Wed Jul 20 10:08:19 UTC 2022

Dear Federation Family,

Thank you! You all made our 2022 National Convention in New Orleans so amazing. Our host affiliate was fabulous, and each of you stepped up along with our ambassadors, dealt with unforeseen circumstances, and brought many positive interactions to the convention. I recognize that many of you have continued to work with affiliate members who tested positive for COVID in the later stages of the convention or afterward. Thank you for all of the behind-the-scenes work you are doing.

Our work has continued after the national convention. While many members of our national staff also had COVID, we have been moving a number of things forward as you will find below  I am especially excited that our NFB BELL® Academy In-Home Edition kicked off today. The next three weeks will be truly special for these young Braille readers.

I want to emphasize the opportunity we announced at the NFB board meeting.

“Host a Presidential Release LIVE in your affiliate! By chapter, affiliate, or even region, we are asking you to submit a brief proposal to have the October Presidential Release LIVE in your area. We will come to you! Please email  <mailto:membership at nfb.org> membership at nfb.org your pitch on what the release setup would be and any details that would help us determine that your chapter is the right host for this opportunity. Why should we come to you? Be creative and share stories on how it will help your chapter build the Federation. Ideally the release would take place on September 30, October 1, or October 2, 2022. Deadline to submit your proposal is Sunday, August 28, and we will announce the accepted proposal on the September release.

News:

Revised Constitution:

The newly updated constitution, approved by the Convention, has been posted at  <https://nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/constitution> https://nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/constitution.

Mark Your Calendar for August Presidential Release:

The next  <https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> Presidential Release of the National Federation of the Blind is scheduled for August 2, 2022, at 8:00 p.m., eastern time. Zoom details coming soon.

#NFB22 Highlights Coming Soon:

The 2022 NFB National Convention highlights, in various formats, will be available by July 30. Access the Presidential Report, resolutions, banquet speech, and YouTube archives:

*        <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=26642&qid=> Spirit, Togetherness, and Service: The Signature of the Blind People's Movement

*        <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=26643&qid=> 2022 Presidential Report

*        <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=26644&qid=> 2022 Resolutions

*        <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=26645&qid=> YouTube Playlist of General Sessions

Thanks again to our members, sponsors, exhibitors, and everyone who made #NFB22 a success. 

Read Our Latest Post on Voice of the Nation’s Blind Blog:

Longtime Federationist, Todd Elzey, wrote about his employment experiences and excitement for the promotion of self-employment opportunities in the recent post,  <https://nfb.org/blog/entrepreneurism-solution-unemployment-and-underemployment-blind> “Entrepreneurism: A Solution to Unemployment and Underemployment of the Blind.”

July Braille Monitor Available:

The latest issue of our flagship publication is now available. Read about the coverage on the “We’re With U!” concert, discussion on chapter chatter, stories from members, and more.  <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm22/bm2207/bm2207tc.htm> Access the Braille Monitor now.

We Did It!:

Thanks to all of you and a gift from Netflix, we reached our goal of $50,000 in the Give $20 campaign. HumanWare will match that gift. Everyone who contributed, spread the word, and otherwise made this possible can be pleased by the results.

Thank You to the #NFB22 Sponsors—More Virtual Opportunities Available:

We greatly appreciate the  <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/sponsors> 2022 National Convention Sponsors who support the work of the Federation. Continue the #NFB22 learning experience with  <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/2022-national-convention-virtual-experience#1> more virtual seminars presented by our sponsors:

*    July 19, 2:00-4:30 p.m., eastern: Digital Accessibility at Target: >From Shopping to Employment.  <https://target.zoom.us/j/94951605699?pwd=cDVHRlIvTmZrNDZjV1ZhWERvTE5VZz09> Join the Digital Accessibility at Target Meeting. Meeting ID: 949 5160 5699. Passcode: 341747

*    July 25, 3:00–4:00 p.m., eastern: Job Training Without Limits, presented by Clusiv.  <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85835889308?pwd=bGVlRzRCKysrRXUwZ1Jld1BoWW02QT09> Join the Job Training Without Limits, presented by Clusiv.

Independence Market:

The Independence Market was unfortunately closed all last week. It reopened today (July 18), and we are working to complete our backlog as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience.

Self-Employment Opportunities with Synergies Work:

The National Federation of the Blind has partnered with Synergies Work, an Atlanta nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs with disabilities, to empower blind and low-vision entrepreneurs across the country to launch new businesses and grow existing enterprises through  <https://synergieswork.org/i2i/> Synergies Work's Idea to Incubation (i2i) Program. No experience required but space is limited. 

 .

CENA Event:

Learn some of the basic-but-powerful techniques experts use every day to build accessibility into their documents. Join the NFB’s Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access on July 26, 2022, from 2:00-3:30 p.m., eastern, to learn how to make Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files accessible for all.  <https://nfb.org/form/accessibility-boutique-reg> Register today

SSA Kiosks:

The NFB continues to seek information about the accessibility of the Social Security Administration’s current visitor-intake-processing methods. If you have visited an SSA field office since their reopening in April 2022, plan to visit an office soon, or would be interested in being a tester for the NFB, please contact Valerie Yingling at 410-659-9314, extension 2440, or  <mailto:legal at nfb.org> legal at nfb.org. We are specifically gathering information on whether the field offices are using kiosk, web-based, or human check-in processes, and whether these processes are accessible to blind individuals.

Uber and Lyft Ride Denials:

The NFB continues to gather information regarding ride denials not only due to service animals, but also related to a traveler’s use of a white cane, as well as access barriers on the companies’ apps. We know that Uber and Lyft drivers continue to discriminate and request that you complete  <https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/rideshare-discrimination-survey> NFB’s survey and share your experiences with us for our continued legal advocacy. We are especially interested in hearing from individuals who use Uber and who do not have their own account, using either a third-party service such as GoGo Grandparent; paratransit, concierge, or medical appointment dispatchers; or who use Uber via a friend, spouse, or other individual’s account.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

*	August 2: Presidential Release
*	August 31: Deadline for affiliates to request Action Fund Braille calendars
*	January 30, 2023: Great Gathering-In
*	March 23, 2023: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

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 |  <mailto:Officeofthepresident at nfb.org> Officeofthepresident at nfb.org

Twitter: @Riccobono

Pronouns: he, him, his

 <https://nfb.org/> 

                          <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>      <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>      <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> -- 

Dorothy Griffin - President 

National Federation of the Blind of Georgia

dgriffin at nfbga.org <mailto:dgriffin at nfbga.org> 

770-374-4832

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.

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