[NFBofSC] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 03/27/2023

Mon Mar 27 21:23:03 UTC 2023

Please see below.

My Best,

Marty

From: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2023 4:37 PM
To: State Presidents <StatePresidents at nfb.org>; NFB-Division-Leaders at nfbnet.org; NCB Staff <NCBStaff at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - Week of 03/27/2023

President’s Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
410-659-9314

Dear Federation Family,

I just got back to Baltimore from the convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska. It was an energetic and fun time of building the movement this weekend. It was pointed out at the convention that we are experiencing a period of time where the dates are all palindromes - 3/27/23 being today’s date. During the convention we also had the opportunity to create some origami together with instructions given by a blind teacher.
I bring this up because it speaks to some important skills we need to build as leaders.

Recognizing patterns and utilizing those patterns to maximize our impact in society is really important. Sometimes we need to be able to recognize patterns from the ways that public policies impact blind people. Other times, we need to be able to effectively respond to patterns of behavior among members of the Federation. Often the patterns relate to how we communicate our practices and policies.

I challenge you to consider how you can better recognize patterns in your work and develop systems to more effectively lead our local affiliates and national divisions. Are there problems that we repeatedly deal with that could be solved with a systemic fix? Are we having difficulty getting local chapters to understand a specific practice we use in our movement? If so, are there solutions we can apply that will solve the problem and allow us to focus our limited energy and imagination on building the movement?

I thought our Nebraska family did a great job of getting blind people to work together to recognize patterns, innovate solutions together, and then share those innovations for next time. One simple thing our affiliate in Nebraska has done is establish a committee to assist chapters and divisions on archiving the history of work done through the affiliate. What has your affiliate board done to recognize patterns and maximize the opportunities those patterns provide? If you have something innovative, share it on the state affiliate leadership listserv so others might benefit from your local wisdom.

Critical Actions:
Next Week: April Presidential Release:
Attend the next Presidential Release #526 on Tuesday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. Submit questions for the Q&A sessions by sending an email to cdanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> with the subject line #PR526. Closed captions and Spanish interpretations are available. Presidential Release Zoom ID: 948 2166 5754<https://zoom.us/j/94821665754>.

Convention:
Independence Market Convention Volunteers:
Part of preparation for our national convention in Houston is scheduling volunteers for the Independence Market in the exhibit hall. I ask our affiliate presidents to consider who might be willing and able to assist in the market this year. The market will be open Sunday, July 2, through Wednesday, July 5. The market is open the first two days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the final two days during the lunch recess only. We encourage volunteers to work one four-hour shift on one of the long days and one lunch-time shift.

All presidents will soon be receiving an email from Jenivieve White listing those in their affiliate who worked last year. The email will ask you to identify who can again volunteer, who cannot, and anyone new who could assist this year. The smooth operation of the market at convention depends on having plenty of volunteers lending a hand. Your recruitment efforts are appreciated.

News:
Zoom Licenses:
We are preparing to renew our Zoom licenses for the next twelve months. The national office will continue to subsidize licenses for affiliates and national divisions at the cost of $150 for a three-hundred-participant license. If your affiliate or division is using an NFB-provided Zoom account, your license will automatically be renewed unless you contact John Berggren (jberggren at nfb.org<mailto:jberggren at nfb.org>) by April 7. In other words, you needn’t do anything if you’d like to continue with your current Zoom account. If your affiliate or division is not using an NFB-provided Zoom account and would like to be assigned a license, contact John Berggren (jberggren at nfb.org<mailto:jberggren at nfb.org>) by April 7. Invoices will be issued following the April 7 deadline. The full price of the license will be displayed on the invoice. Should your affiliate be able to cover that full cost, we would be pleased to accept your check in the larger amount. If, on the other hand, even the subsidized cost of a Zoom license is more than affiliate coffers can bear, please let me know this by April 7 so we may plan accordingly.

New Issue of Future Reflections:

The latest issue of Future Reflections is now available. This issue contains an article on encouraging play in blind infants and young blind children, a high school student’s thoughts about returning to face-to-face school after the COVID closure, articles by blind chef Regina Mitchell and Bolotin Award winner Jeanetta Price, and much more. Check out Future Reflections Vol 42, No. 1.<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr42/1/fr4201tc.htm>

New Episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast:

Hosts Anil and Melissa dig into the NFB-supported case, Orozco v. Garland, in the latest Nation’s Blind Podcast. They share an interview with Chris Danielsen and Ronza Othman. Access the episode, “NFB Helps Win Battle for Blind Federal Employees<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/nations-blind-podcast>.”

Congress Is in Session this Week:
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are in session this week before they begin a two-week recess on Monday, April 3. That makes this week a perfect opportunity to call or email your members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor our legislation. In the House please ask your member to cosponsor the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 1263) and the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328). The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act currently has forty-two House cosponsors, and we would be thrilled to see it reach fifty (or more) before next week’s recess. In the Senate, please ask your senators to cosponsor the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (S. 533).

Increased Appropriations Request for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program:
Earlier this month we sent a letter to both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding increasing the annual appropriation for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) program. The federal funding for the OIB program has remained stagnate for several years and is woefully inadequate to help all of the individuals who are eligible for its services. An increase in funding would dramatically help the OIB serve the growing population of aging blind Americans. Both letters are posted on our Policy Statements page<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements>, and I urge you to read them.

Letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Regarding Discriminatory Driver’s License Requirements on Job Applications:

Last week we sent a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2023-03/EEOC-Drivers-License-Reconsideration-3-21-2023.pdf> (EEOC) regarding companies requiring job applicants to possess a driver’s license, even when driving is not an essential function of the job. This topic was the subject of Resolution 2022-05<https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2022-resolutions#05> at last year’s national convention in New Orleans. Under the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, it is unlawful for companies to impose qualification standards or selection criteria based on an individual’s uncorrected vision unless it is required to perform an essential function of the job. By definition, a driver’s license would fall into this category. This is already prohibited in the current rule, but we are requesting that the EEOC add a clarifying update to the rule to make it explicitly clear.

Upcoming Event: Basics of PDF Remediation:

On Tuesday, April 25, the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access will present an Accessibility Boutique on creating accessible PDF documents. Come learn strategies experts use to make digital documents readable by screen readers! Register for the Basics of PDF Remediation boutique<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=28168&qid=8111077> today.

Reminders:
Where the Blind Work—Investigating the News with Blind Journalists:
Journalism involves interviewing, research, and sometimes extensive travel, all of which could potentially present barriers to entry for blind people given society’s low expectations. We are severely underrepresented in the field, making our perspective even more valuable. Some blind journalists have been immensely successful. Join us on April 20, 8:00-9:15 p.m., eastern, to find out how. Registration information is available on our website<https://nfb.org/programs-services/employment/where-the-blind-work-webinars-registration>.

Dates to Keep in Mind:
(all times eastern)

  *   April 20: Where the Blind Work, 8:00 p.m.
  *   May 10: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
  *   June 1 and 4: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Member Engagement and National Convention)
  *   July 1-6, 2023: National Convention; Houston, Texas
  *   August 9: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
  *   September 7 and 10: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Blind Equality Achievement Month)
  *   November 8: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
  *   December 7 and 10: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Planning the Year Ahead)

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

[National Federation of the Blind]<https://nfb.org/>

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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.

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