[NFBOH-Cleveland] From the presidents desk September 2023

Mon Sep 18 00:41:54 UTC 2023

>From The President's Desk
September 2023

Richard Payne, Ohio Affiliate President
(937) 829-3368
RCHPAY7 at gmail.com

In this edition, you will find critical information, such as,
1: Pre-registration information for the 77th Annual State of Ohio Convention
2: New Member Profile coming soon
3: Co-sponsors are needed for H.R.1328, H.R3702 and S.1467
4: Submit Blind Equality Achievement Month Activities
5: and more

Ohio members, welcome to Fall! Although, it doesn't officially start until
August 23rd. I want to be the first to encourage you to enjoy the cool
weather, football, baseball and soon basketball, which is my favorite sport.
It is nice sometimes to take one's mind off of troubling issues in our
family and even across the country. So, please take time out for yourselves
to breathe and enjoy nature, a good book or sports. 

While the Ohio State Board Members are preparing to have the first in-person
meeting for this year, a reflection of the last few months come to mind. As
I understand, this Affiliate has been faced with a few complex problems,
some you are aware of and several that you do not know about. These critical
situations that affect the membership is also that of the Affiliate
President. It is important to establish a tone using communication and the
skills that will allow the membership to trust and follow him/her, which
varies according to a number of things, but nevertheless it has proven to be
successful for most. I have never thought that my representation was limited
to only those who voted for or against me. However,  after the votes have
settled it is time to continue the work. The Federation and thousands of
blind people across Ohio and the nation are counting on us.  If you were
able to attend the National Convention, a member of the  National Board of
Directors, said that this Affiliate is one of the strongest that we have in
this organization. It did not start with me, and full disclosure it will not
end with me. So, let's make our part of the people's movement stronger and
larger together.

You will find the google form for state convention assistance and another
for pre-registration for the state convention. I also included an attachment
that you may review.  the links are in the body of this message.

This first link should take you to the pre-registration page.
https://forms.gle/cnWzoCHD4kqmc81U7

The next link will take you to the state convention assistance form. 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJDEcdGity71z53goy68Yy_eqpynfVQjIk
tBgOhjdqmP2c4A/viewform?usp=sharing

See you at the convention and for any questions or problems with the links
contact me off list.

New Member Profile Coming Next Month
We all received this month a link to the Member Profile! This new,
self-service platform is for members of the Federation to update their own
contact information and review their memberships, subscriptions, and member
benefits. There is also a FAQ section and a place to change username and
password. This is the first version of this exciting platform, and we
anticipate adding more features soon.
What to Expect 
.	All current and recently expired members for whom we have an email
address on file will receive an email soon after Labor Day. The email will
include a link to activate your Member Profile account and to set your
password. 
.	Next, you will receive another message confirming the activation and
providing a link to the Member Profile. Once you receive it, bookmark the
link so you can return to it whenever you want to update your contact
information or check your memberships, subscriptions, or member benefits.
The email address is a unique identifier so can only be linked to a single
Member Profile account. For those of you that share email addresses, only
one of you have a Member Profile account for now. 
.	Later this fall, we will announce a process by which members who
previously used a shared email address can notify us of a unique email
address they want to use, and we will create new Member Profile accounts for
those people. 

Member Profile:
The self-service Member Profile tool has launched, and we need feedback from
you after you have explored it. If there are members within your chapter,
division, or around the affiliate who have not received the email invitation
to log in to the profile, please collect their names, email addresses, and
the group they are a member of and send them to subscriptions at nfb.org so
that we can provide the profile invite. 

Congress Is Back in Session:
Following their annual August recess, both the House and the Senate are back
in session starting Tuesday, September 12. This is a perfect time to contact
your senators and representatives and urge them to cosponsor some of our key
pieces of legislation before the end of the year. In the House of
Representatives, please ask your representative to cosponsor both the
Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328) and the Access
Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 3702). In the Senate, please ask your
senators to cosponsor the Access Technology Affordability Act (S. 1467). If
you would like to know whether your representative or senators are already
cosponsors on the above legislation, please contact Lindsey Walsh in our
Advocacy and Policy Department at lwalsh at nfb.org. 

Submit Blind Equality Achievement Month Activities:
Throughout October, members of the National Federation of the Blind conduct
activities in our local communities such as white cane walks, film
screenings, and social events. Please submit your affiliate or
chapter-related #BlindMonth activities, including the white cane
proclamations, with a brief description to web at nfb.org. They will be posted
on the Blind Equality Achievement Month page at nfb.org/blind-month. 

 Reminders:
Outreach Assistance:
Patti Chang has asked that we send out language that can be included in
newsletters, webpages, and/or convention agendas regarding our legacy
society, PAC, and our vehicle donation program. It would be extremely
helpful if you could incorporate the below language whenever possible in our
affiliate publications.
Dream Makers Circle
You can help build a future of opportunity for the blind by becoming a
member of our Dream Makers Circle. It is easier than you think. You can
visit your bank and convert an account to a POD (payable on death) bank
account, which is payable after your passing to the National Federation of
the Blind or one of our affiliates. Your legacy gift to the National
Federation of the Blind or the National Federation of the Blind of {insert
state} can be made in the form of a will or living trust, an
income-generating gift, or by naming us as the beneficiary of a retirement
plan, IRA, pension, or a life insurance policy. You can designate a specific
amount, a percentage, or list the NFB as one of several beneficiaries. For
additional information, please contact Patti Chang at 410-659-9314,
extension 2422, or at pchang at nfb.org.
Vehicle Donations
The National Federation of the Blind uses car donations to improve the
education of blind children, distribute free white canes, help veterans, and
so much more. We have partnered with Vehicles for Charity to process donated
vehicles. Please call toll-free 855-659-9314, and a representative can make
arrangements, or you can donate online by visiting
www.nfb.org/vehicledonations.
Preauthorized Contributions (PAC)
Can you help the National Federation of the Blind on a regular basis? Please
consider joining our preauthorized contribution plan. Starting at $5
monthly, you can help us turn dreams into reality and raise expectations for
blind people. Visit nfb.org/pac to fill out the online form or email
pac at nfb.org for additional information.

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>From the presidents desk September 2023

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