[NFBOH-Cleveland] Cleveland Announcements

Thu Jan 9 19:47:04 UTC 2020

Cleveland Members, Happy New Year!

I trust that your Holiday's were joyous and peaceful.

It is time to get back to work providing awareness, services and advocacy
for the blind of Cleveland, Cuyahoga and Ohio. I am enthusiastic about what
is to come in 2020. Our National President, Mark Riccobono has coined this
year as the year of "Blind Wisdom". This means that we are to imprint our
commitment, dedication and contributions on the work of educating the world
about the National Federation of the Blind. Thus, we must promote vigorously
the  mission and purpose of this great organization. I am encouraging you
all to step out of the box and do something that you have not done in the
federation. This includes, attending the National Convention, attending the
Ohio State Convention in a different City, joining the PAC Plan and even
volunteering with BELL. It is "Blind Wisdom" that will not only serve others
but you and those next to you as well.

January Cleveland Chapter Meeting:

The January Chapter meeting will be a teleconference call, held on January
17, 2020 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:15 P.M. The conference information is listed
below. This meeting is to provide all members the opportunity to
participate. I am requesting that members use the buddy system for those who
are not able to join the conference call independently.

Ohio Affiliate Board of Directors:

On January 27, 2020 at 7:00 P.M. the Ohio Affiliate Board Meeting will also
be held by conference call. I am highly encouraging members to attend. I
will send out a reminder with the conference number one week prior to the
meeting.

Upcoming Seminar:

The National Federation of the Blind of Cleveland will offer a seminar call,
Adjusting to Blindness, An Introductory Seminar on January 25, 2020 at 10:30
AM to 4:30 PM. The location is Cleveland Public Library, 3096 Scranton Road,
Cleveland Ohio 44113. This is an introductory Seminar for newly blind
individuals that will highlight best practices by Peer Mentors  from the
National Federation of the Blind of Cleveland. The philosophy of the NFB
will be presented,  along with the "value of alternative techniques of
blindness, and the solid belief that it is okay to be blind." It is up to
you to determine your degree of "newly" as a blind individual. Members are
encouraged to attend as well.  Here are some of the topics.

Part I

The goal of this Session is to introduce the National Federation of the
Blind (NFB).

Part II

The goal of this session is to introduce Basic Techniques and products for
everyday use.

Part III

The goal of this session is to Identify, explore and recommend community
resources to enhance activities, to become involved in one's residential
area, and to increase peer interaction and support.

For questions and to apply, , please contact Suzanne Turner at (216)
990-6199 or  email by SMTurner.234 at gmail.com <mailto:SMTurner.234 at gmail.com>
.

Washington Seminar:

On February 10th thru 12th, 2020, Cleveland members, Theresa McKenney,
Wilbert Turner and Albert Elia will attend the Washington Seminar. They will
go on the Hill with three legislative bills. Please review them and we will
discuss organizing calls and emails to support these initiatives. We wish
them well and await their return!

1: The Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA) (H.R. 2086/S. 815) The
cost of critically needed access technology is out of reach for most blind
Americans. By providing a refundable tax credit for qualifying purchases,
Congress will stimulate individual procurement of this technology and
promote affordability of these tools. Learn more about the Access Technology
Affordability Act (ATAA) (H.R. 2086/S. 815).

2: The Greater Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology
(GAIN) Act (H.R. 3929) Advanced digital interfaces create barriers that
prevent blind individuals from independently operating essential devices
that enhance quality of life. Congress must end the digital divide that
threatens the independence of blind Americans by developing minimum
accessibility requirements for such devices. Learn more about the Greater
Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology (GAIN) Act (H.R.
3929).

3: The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act
(H.R. 5312/S. 3095) Until a market-driven solution for accessible
instructional materials is achieved, blind college students are denied
access to critical course content. The AIM HIGH Act will remove these
barriers to equality in the classroom by creating a set of guidelines that
clearly define accessible instructional materials. Learn more about the
Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act (H.R.
5312/S. 3095).

Yearly Dues:

Although, we will not gather at the Cleveland Sight Center for our meeting,
dues are currently due. Please have your dues paid as soon as we return to
our face-to-face meeting. Dues are $10.00 with $5 for benevolent. We pay
dues once per year. If you would like to email them. Send it to

NFB of Cleveland

PO Box 141077

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Ohio Fundraisers:

The Ohio Affiliate has two fundraisers that I want to bring to your
attention. 

First, the Piggest Raffle Ever is now open to purchase tickets. They are $5
each and $2 will be put into our treasury and the $3 is given to the Ohio
Affiliate. This is the easiest fundraiser ever. So, have your family
members, friends, siblings and others go on the website and purchase
tickets. the Piggest Raffle Ever website is,

 <http://www.piggestraffle.com/> www.piggestraffle.com.

Just type, National Federation of the Blind of Ohio or the letter N and it
will pop-up. Then choose the quantity of tickets you would like to purchase
and follow the steps. 

Secondly, the PAC Plan is one of the ways we can contribute to the work of
the organization at the National level. You can have as less as $5 withdrawn
from your banking account monthly. We will also discuss this during our
January meeting.

January Presidential Release:

The January Presidential Release is available on the website at
https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases. 

New Video:

Check out our World Blind Day video <https://youtu.be/2-6szTAUJAY> .

Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users:

Deanna emailed a quick reminder that there will be a monthly OAGDU meeting
his Sunday, January 12, at 7:00 PM Eastern.  

Call-in number: (712) 770-4160

Access code: 435 800 pound

I hope that many guide dog users will be able to join! 

NFB of Ohio State Convention:

Our 74th Convention will be held at the Crowne Plaza Dayton Downtown;
located at 33 E. Fifth Street, Dayton, Ohio    45402. Room rates are $109.00
with a 13.50% tax per night, which includes a hot buffet breakfast. The
Crowne Plaza Dayton is in the heart of downtown Dayton Ohio  and offers free
Wi-Fi, televisions with premium HD cable channels, and comfort to help you
unwind at the end of your busy day.

2020 NFB National Convention:

The Hilton Americas-Houston hotel (1600 Lamar Street, Houston, TX 77010)
will serve as our convention headquarters hotel. The room rate is $105 for
singles, doubles, triples, and quads. In addition, the sales tax rate is
8.25 percent, and the hotel occupancy tax rate is 17 percent. Call,
1-800-236-2905 for reservations.

Note:

If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your card
immediately. If a reservation is cancelled before Monday, June 1, 2020, half
of the deposit will be returned. Also, I have inserted below the information
and link on the KJC Scholarship for first-timers. If you need assistance,
please let me know!

KJC Scholarship:

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship 

The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship provides funding support to
National Federation of the Blind members who want to attend a national
convention for the first time.

Eligibility

Active NFB members, blind or sighted, who have not yet attended an NFB
National Convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Starting January 1, 2020, apply online using the Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship online application form. 

The application will ask for the following information:

.Contact Information: Include your full name and both your primary phone
where you can be contacted by your state president and your mobile phone you
might use at convention, if available. Please include your mailing address
and, if you have one, your email address. If you don't have an email
address, please consider if there is a friend or chapter member who might be
able to assist with email correspondence.

.State Affiliate/Chapter Information: Include your state affiliate, your
state president, chapter, and chapter president, if you attend a chapter.

.Mentor Information: Include your personal convention mentor and provide
that person's phone number.

.Funding Request: Include your specific request and explain how much money
you need from this fund to make this trip possible for you. We suggest you
consult with other members to make a rough budget for yourself.

.Essay Questions: How do you currently participate in the Federation? Why do
you want to attend a national convention? What would you receive? What can
you share or give? Provide any special circumstances you hope the committee
will take into consideration.

If you cannot apply online, you can still apply by writing a letter to your
state affiliate president answering the above questions. This letter should
be emailed to your state affiliate president. Once you have decided you will
apply, please contact your state president in person or by phone to request
his or her help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the state affiliate
president when to expect that your application will be submitted and mention
the deadline.

Once your online application has been submitted, your application will be
provided to your state president via email. It is still your responsibility
to contact your affiliate president. He or she must email a president's
recommendation directly to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund
Committee at  <mailto:kjscholarships at nfb.org> kjscholarships at nfb.org. Your
president must email the recommendation no later than the deadline of April
15, 2020. If you have applied outside of the online form, the state
affiliate president must email both the recommendation and the application
letter.

Members who are healing:

Please keep William, Sarah, Davette, Rosa and Charlette in your prayers and
thoughts.

Conference Call info:

T: 605-313-4834

C: 246345

Time: 6 until 7:30 PM

D: January 17, 2020

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio (NFBO)

Suzanne Turner, Ohio Affiliate Vice President

Cleveland Chapter, President

(216) 990-6199

Please click on the links below to learn more about the organization

The Ohio Affiliate

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8

"Live the life you want" featuring, National President, Mark Riccobono

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share

Visit and take a moment to like our Facebook Page!

<https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/>
https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/ 

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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