[NFBofSC] FW: NFB Presidents Notebook - Week of 05/20/2024

Mon May 20 22:24:27 UTC 2024

Good Evening All,

Lots of great information in this Presidents Notebook. Please take a look.

My Best,

Marty

Marty R. McKenzie, President

From: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org> 
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2024 5:22 PM
To: State Presidents <StatePresidents at nfb.org>; NFB-Division-Leaders at nfbnet.org; NCB Staff <NCBStaff at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB Presidents Notebook - Week of 05/20/2024

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind

Mark A. Riccobono

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

410-659-9314

Dear Federation Family,

This weekend we hosted Federationists from the District of Columbia and Virginia for two different program offerings here at our national center. It is incredible to think about how effective our staff is in being able to maximize our Federation offerings to our members.

One of the Virginia students asked me about those who have been my mentors during my journey. Being that we are coming on the completion of twenty-eight years, that is a long list—it continues to grow even today. However, it got me thinking about this week twenty-five years ago when I arrived in Denver and was welcomed by the Colorado Center for the Blind as a student. I did not know what I did not know, and I had no idea how deeply important the intense focus on our philosophy would benefit me through a lifetime. I expand on that learning every day as I continue to try to keep the core of my training fresh in my life and in the lives of others around me. I arrived in Colorado during the first few months of Julie Deden’s time there as executive director of the CCB. I understand the board at the CCB met this past weekend and honored Julie’s quarter of a century of leadership. Let me add my own public congratulations for the huge difference Julie Deden has made in my life and in the lives of countless others who are now giving back the world over.

For those of you who have not yet visited an NFB-affiliated training center to know what they are really about, I strongly encourage you to make that happen. If I can help you find a way to visit one of our centers, please let me know. It is a good investment in your leadership development.

Critical Actions:

June Presidential Release is May 30:

The  <https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> June Presidential Release LIVE is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. Each Presidential Release Live includes a question-and-answer session. These questions can be about recent activities or common questions members have about being in the organized blind movement. Please submit questions early to  <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org--questions> cdanielsen at nfb.org. Zoom ID: 952 9095 1843

Convention:

Deadline Approaching for National Convention Registration:

Get access to the latest information as it is made available and more for the 2024 National Convention. Online registration ($25) closes May 31. Onsite registration ($30) will be available in Orlando. Plan to register early to avoid the increased registration fees.  <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=592> Register for the 2024 National Convention now! 

Reminder: Promote the convention using the hashtag #NFB24 on affiliate and division social media accounts. 

Convention Resolutions:

The national convention is just six short weeks away! Our Resolutions Committee, chaired by Donald Porterfield, is currently accepting proposed resolutions for the convention to consider. Proposed resolutions should be emailed to the committee at  <mailto:resolutions at nfb.org> resolutions at nfb.org. Don’t forget, the deadline to submit a resolution is Tuesday, June 4, at midnight, eastern. 

Register Affiliates and Divisions to Exhibit:

The National Federation of the Blind state affiliates and national divisions have the opportunity to promote special offerings and resources in the National Convention Exhibit Hall. Online registration is available and required to secure a table. When filling out the application, be sure to choose "NFB affiliate exhibitor" as the exhibitor type. Space is limited, so apply today!  <https://nfb.org/form/affiliate-and-non-affiliate-exhi> Learn more and complete the National Convention Exhibitor Application now. 

This year’s exhibit hall will take place on July 4 and 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on July 6 from noon to 1:45 p.m. and 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. If you know any vendors or service providers who might be interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the national convention, please share the convention information with them. The deadline to apply is May 31. Thank you for all of your work—we're looking forward to another great convention. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Held at  <mailto:rheld at nfb.org> rheld at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2423.

National Convention Career Fair:

Be sure to register for the in-person career fair at the National Convention, our largest gathering of blind people in America. We expect employers from a variety of industries from around the country to attend. Jobseekers, find that dream job. Employers, add notable talent to your team. Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., eastern. Registration ends May 31. 

 <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=33724&qid=9768544> National Convention Job-Seeker Registration

 <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=597> National Convention Employer Registration 

Please direct all questions to Lia Stone, employer liaison, at  <mailto:evangeliastone at gmail.com> evangeliastone at gmail.com or Jennifer Wenzel, jobseeker liaison, at  <mailto:jenwen319 at gmail.com> jenwen319 at gmail.com. 

DeafBlind Division Needs SSP Volunteers:

The DeafBlind Division is seeking volunteers to assist deafblind members as SSPs. There is a  <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/support-service-provider-volunte> sign-up form on the convention website. Anyone that needs more information should reach out to Maurice Mines at  <mailto:nfbdbpresident at mmines.org> nfbdbpresident at mmines.org.  

Calling All Door Prizes:

The NFB door prize team is hard at work planning for this year’s convention. If your affiliate or division wants to donate to the in-person door prizes, you can deliver it to Bennett Prows or Kenia Flores on the stage before or during breaks of the general session. Please label the prize in Braille and print, so our team knows what it is and who donated it. If you are donating cash, put it in an envelope labeled with the amount and who it is from—our team wants to acknowledge your generosity. 

Our registered virtual attendees are also eligible to win Visa gift cards or Independence Market gift certificates. You can help NFB with virtual door prizes by writing a check payable to National Federation of the Blind and mailing it to 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, Attention: Fiscal Services – Virtual DP, and write Virtual Door Prizes in the check memo.

Honor Roll Call:

Convention time is here, which means it’s Honor Roll Call time of year! The Honor Roll Call is an opportunity for affiliates and national divisions to support our sustaining funds: Kenneth Jernigan Fund, SUN shares, White Cane Fund, and Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund. To make your 2024 contributions, write a check payable to National Federation of the Blind and mail it to 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, Attention: Fiscal Services – Roll Call, and write Roll Call in the check memo. Please send an email to  <mailto:rollcall at nfb.org> rollcall at nfb.org detailing the amount to go to each fund and the name of the organization, so we record the contributions correctly. All preconvention contributions will be acknowledged on our website. If your organization is making a pledge to be paid later this year, please send an email to  <mailto:rollcall at nfb.org> rollcall at nfb.org telling us how much is being pledged for each fund and when we can expect the check. All pledges should be fulfilled by August 31.  

PAC Prizes:

Before you start PACing for convention, please consider supporting the PAC program with a contribution toward the PAC gift card prizes. During the convention, those who participate in PAC by either signing up or increasing their donation are eligible to win Visa gift cards. Please support our PAC program with a donation to the prize fund. Checks for PAC prizes are to be payable to National Federation of the Blind and mailed to 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore MD, 21230, Attention Fiscal Services-PAC; include “PAC prizes” in the check memo. Also, please send an email to  <mailto:PAC at nfb.org> PAC at nfb.org to let us know to expect your organization’s support.  

News:

Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act Update:

Congratulations to all on our hard work regarding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act! Because of our tremendous work over the past few weeks, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed H.R. 3935 with overwhelming bipartisan support keeping all of the accessibility provisions intact. On May 16, 2024, President Biden signed H.R. 3935 into law, beginning the implementation process of these vital accessibility provisions for blind air travelers.

Legislative Action:

Heading into the national convention is a great time to boost the support for our issues. Currently, our Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act (H.R. 5813/S. 2984) has thirty-three cosponsors in the House and five cosponsors in the Senate. Our Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328/S. 3621) has eighty-four cosponsors in the House and one in the Senate. Finally, our Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 3702/S. 1467) has eighty-eight cosponsors in the House and eighteen in the Senate. We would love to see these numbers increase by the time of the convention, so please call and email your members in the House and Senate and urge them to cosponsor our legislation. 

Dream Big! Give $25 Drive Toolkit:

Our Give $25 Drive launched on May 16 with a couple of new twists. Contributors can win a Monarch tactile display or a trip to the 2025 National Convention. Supporters can also give their chances to win in honor of someone else, which gives the honoree more chances to win. Our affiliates can magnify messaging about the drive by liking and sharing posts, but affiliates can also post directly on the affiliate social media channels. To make that easier, a toolkit is attached to this email. Please help this to be our biggest drive ever and post to as many of our NFB affiliate channels as possible. You can also visit  <https://nfb.org/give25> https://nfb.org/give25 to see our Dream Big! Give $25 Drive landing page and  <https://nfb.org/give25donate> https://nfb.org/give25donate to see our contribution form.

Congratulations to our 2024 Scholarship Finalists:

The National Federation of the Blind announced the finalists for its annual scholarship program, which provides financial assistance and connects students with blind mentors and other resources.  <https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/2024-nfb-scholarship-announcement> Congratulations to the thirty outstanding finalists.

Urging Sonos to Restore Accessibility:

The National Federation of the Blind shared deep disappointment concerning a recent redesign of the Sonos smartphone apps that has significantly degraded their accessibility to blind users.  <https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-urges-sonos-restore-accessibility> Read the press release regarding Sonos.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services New Accessibility Rule

The National Federation of the Blind applauds the United States Department of Health and Human Services for finalizing its accessibility rule for programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  <https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-applauds-us-department-health-and-human-services-new> Read the press release about the new HHS rule.

MinuteClinic to Implement Accessible Self-Check-In Process:

Julie Dalton, a blind individual residing in Minnesota; the National Federation of the Blind; and MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic inside CVS Pharmacy, have worked together to successfully resolve litigation filed against CVS Pharmacy, Inc. over the accessibility of self-check-in kiosks at MinuteClinic.  <https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-patient-national-federation-blind-and-minuteclinic-resolve-litigation> Read the announcement regarding MinuteClinic.

Reminders:

May Boutique—Document Creation:

There are different options for accessible word processors. Join our document-creation-software boutique on May 28 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. to learn about the features and accessibility of some popular options.  <https://nfb.org/form/accessibility-boutique-reg> Register today.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

*	May 31: Deadline to  <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=592> register online for the national convention
*	May 31: Deadline to secure a table in the exhibit hall
*	May 31: Deadline register for the career fair
*	June 4: Deadline to submit proposed resolutions
*	July 3-8: National Convention; Orlando, Florida
*	Monday, February 3, 2025: Great Gathering-In 
*	February 3-6, 2025: Washington Seminar

Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement

*	Wednesday, August 7, 8:00 p.m. 
*	Wednesday, November 6, 8:00 p.m. 

Chapter Presidents Calls

*	Thursday, June 13, and Sunday, June 16, at 8:00 p.m. 
*	Thursday, September 12, and Sunday, September 15, at 8:00 p.m. 
*	Thursday, December 19, and Sunday, December 22, at 8:00 p.m. 

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
National Federation of the Blind 
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314 |  <mailto:Officeofthepresident at nfb.org> Officeofthepresident at nfb.org

Please engage with me through  <https://riccobono.personal.ai/messaging/profile> Riccobono Personal AI
Mastodon: @President at nfb.social 
Pronouns: he, him, his

 <https://nfb.org/> 

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

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/20240520/1ad89683/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Give 25 Toolkit.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 17622 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20240520/1ad89683/attachment.docx>