[NFBOH-Cleveland] Cleveland Chapter January Meeting Reminder!

Fri Jan 12 00:49:09 UTC 2018

Hello Cleveland!

Despite the weather, the work of the Federation must go on.

Cleveland Chapter Meeting Friday January 19 Time: 5:30 P.M.- 7:00 P.M.

Location: Cleveland Sight Center 1909 East 101st Street Cleveland, Ohio
 Invite a Friend, Neighbor or Family Member!

All Love Birds Raffle Ticket Money Must Be Turned In, The Prize Winner
Will Be Chosen At This Meeting.

Natassha is accepting 2018 annual dues and other donations.

If you are unable to join us, call in at 216-658-4532.

Below you will find items of interest at the Affiliate and National
platforms. Thanks you and see you at the meeting!

Cheryl E. Fields Secretary

National Federation of the Blind of Cleveland

NFB Ohio Board Meeting Monday January 22 Time: 7 O'clock P.M.
Call: 712/775/7031 code 240281423

 Hello Federation, we need your help to see if this website is working
correctly, please go to the website below and donate. After donating
share this fundraising campaign to get it moving. Thanks, Lucas

https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-ohio

Lucas Cassi, Chairman of Fundraising
National Federation of the Blind
614-315-6607
Lucas.cassi1 at gmail.com

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono

office of the president at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>

(410) 659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Although it is cold outside, I can distinctly feel the bright shining
sun coming through the front windows of the National Federation of the
Blind Jernigan Institute as I write to you today. It is something like
twelve degrees outside, which is warmer than in other parts of the
country. Yet the warm sun contributes to the hope and opportunity that
I feel as we begin the new year of our movement.

We plan to tackle a number of big things this year. Your help in that
effort is essential to our success. Communication is always critical
in our work. I encourage you to continue to use this notebook as a
guide in focusing on the top national issues of the week. I also
invite you to share your ideas for what I can do to more effectively
help you manage your work as leaders of our organization.

This year we are planning to undertake some new program development,
spark a new fundraising initiative, and begin designing and remodeling
the next-generation space at our national headquarters. All of this
will be in addition to the work we are doing every day to raise
expectations and build a stronger organization. Later this week I will
make our January Presidential Release where I will discuss some of the
priorities for this year from my perspective. At our gathering at the
end of the month, I anticipate learning about what is happening at the
local level and how to help you transform your dreams into reality.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2018 in the Federation Family.

Critical Actions This Week:

Alert:
If you learn of any instances of previous NFB scholarship applicants
being called and asked for personal information by an individual
claiming to be the President of the Federation, please report them to
me with all relevant information that you have about the situation.

News:

Ban of Blind People on Mt. Everest:
A number of Federation members have reached out regarding reports
circulating in the news about the ban on blind people climbing Mt.
Everest. This notebook is going out prior to our official statement on
this matter, but you can be confident that we will be speaking out
against this arbitrary application of low expectations. You will be
able to read our official statement later today or early tomorrow.

Braille Certification Training Program:
We are pleased to inform you that the National Federation of the Blind
has been awarded the contract from the Library of Congress, National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, to conduct
the courses leading to Library of Congress certification in Braille
transcribing and proofreading. Our previous contract expired in July
2017, and we regrettably had to put our work on hold until the new
contract was awarded. We have been actively participating in the
competitive bid process for the past six months, and we are pleased to
have been chosen to administer the program once again. We would
greatly appreciate your patience while we work as quickly as possible
through the backlog that has accumulated. For more information about
the program, please visit: https://nfb.org/braille-certification.

Tours of the NFB Jernigan Institute:
We have decided not to offer formal tours of our national headquarters
during Washington Seminar this year. Demand for tours has not been
significant during the past few years probably due to many more people
visiting our national office for other meetings. We are likely to
offer tours during the 2019 seminar.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*       January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In
*       January 28-February 1, 2018: Washington Seminar
<https://nfb.org/washington-seminar>
*       March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship applications,
www.nfb.org/scholarships <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>
*       March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
<https://nfb.org/law-symposium>
*       April 15, 2018: Deadline for 2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
competition <https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>
*       July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the Blind National
Convention <https://nfb.org/convention> , Orlando, Florida

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>