[NFBSF] June 2022 Meeting Minutes

Wed Jun 22 00:21:22 UTC 2022

Terry, 

Would you please forward tonight's meeting link? 

Lisa 

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBSF <nfbsf-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Taryn Morris via NFBSF
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:53 PM
To: nfbsf at nfbnet.org
Cc: taryn.ann.morris at gmail.com
Subject: [NFBSF] June 2022 Meeting Minutes

Hello San Francisco NFB:

Hello and hope everyone is doing great and had  a great weekend.  Below you will find the June 2022 meeting minutes and as always if anyone has any questions or corrections needed please let me know.  Thank you.  

June meeting Minutes

*       Introductions

*        Secretary Report

*       Treasurer Report

*             Presidential release Recap

*        Legislative Announcements 

*       Announcements

*       Diversity Equity and Inclusion Discussion

*       Discussion

*       Bell Ringers

Members

*       Amy- San Francisco, Attending convention in person

*       Sheri- Alameda, attending convention in person

*       Taryn-Millbrae, attending convention virtually

*       Laura- Colorado, attending convention in person

*       Bobbi-Oakland, attending convention in person

*       Monica- Oakland, attending convention virtually

*       Cindy- Concord, attending convention virtually

*       Steven- San Pablo, first NFB meeting, not sure if attending convention

*       Jaime- San Ramon, cannot attend convention

*       Robin- Berkeley, not sure if attending CONVENTION

Secretary Report 

*       May meeting minutes were sent out to the list serve 

*       Motion was made by Sheri and all approved of secretary report

Treasurer Report  

*       No Treasurer report this month

*       If anyone is still needing to pay dues, the information will be relayed in the meeting agenda and minutes going forward

*       If using PayPal to make payments please use the online webpage in order to avoid weird service fees

*       If anyone wants to pay dues and is using PayPal or venmo please use this information to pay:  Sara Hadsell, 510-387-0766

*        <mailto:SaraAHadsell at gmail.com> SaraAHadsell at gmail.com, if anyone needs to pay with a different mode, please email sara or call her

Presidential Release Recap

    ⁃    Honoring Memorial Day and those who have served

    ⁃    Celebrating pride month

    ⁃    Happy Father’s Day

    ⁃    Strategic plan: working with mission minded and a steering committee from the Blind Community to engage in the process of developing an extensive strategic plan, and that work is going to be underway starting this month through really much of the next year leading up to our 2023 convention. move our organization to the next phase of where we want to go, including working on building our membership capacity, improving our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and so many other things.

    ⁃    Blind history museum: finishing up a Feasibility study. Everyone can take part. Take oral histories of people in your community.  Plan to do oral histories with key people in your chapters and affiliates that we don't want to miss capturing their story.  Make sure you're gathering documents and highlighting the achievements of blind people in your local community, and get those in to our archive here in Baltimore.  There is a call to assign affiliate historians.

    ⁃    Bored amendment resolution: This amendment is to the membership section of the constitution, and it helps to clarify the process for having the board manage the responsibility of taking action, disciplinary action, against individual members as well as it codifies our Code of Conduct as a requirement within the constitution, and it specifies the process for appealing decisions of the board to the national convention.  So, I encourage chapters to review that constitutional amendment, talk about it in advance of the national convention, and our board unanimously urges members of the Federation attending the convention to support this important amendment to our constitution.

    ⁃    Ride share advocacy: continuous efforts have been to document ride denials by individuals who are using the Uber ridesharing service.  We are investigating denials of blind individuals who travel with a service animal or white cane.  If you use Uber or for that matter if you use Uber through one of the third-party services such as Go-Go Grandparent or via paratransit or some other third-party provider or if you use somebody else's Uber account to take rides and you've had a denial, we need to hear from you, continue to hear from you, about your individual stories so we can document them and continue our accountability work with Uber.

So, the NFB would like to hear from you, and you can contact Valerie Yingling at our legal email address, which is  <mailto:legal at NFB.org> legal at NFB.org, or you can reach Valerie at extension 2440 here at our national office, which if you don't know that number, (410)659-9314. 

    ⁃    Access technology affordable act: Our advocacy efforts in D.C. are continuing at a strong pace.  Since our last presidential release, we've picked up 16 cosponsors on our suite of bills that we have in Congress.  The Access Technology Affordability Act, HR431 in the House has gained five new cosponsors.  Congratulations to the affiliates in Tennessee, New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, and Minnesota for gaining cosponsors there.

    ⁃    Our Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act: HR4853, has picked up six new cosponsors.  Congratulations to the affiliates of California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Florida, and Maryland.  Maryland picking up two cosponsors on that bill. 

    ⁃    Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, HR2373: we have picked up five new cosponsors, and thank you to the states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Kansas, and California, as well as Washington for picking up new cosponsors.

    ⁃    The House and Senate will be back in session next week.  So, the week of June 6th.  And they will remain in session through our national convention.  So, there is plenty of time to pour on the steam and get even more cosponsors going in to our national convention.  We are already at a total record number of cosponsors across our bills. 

    ⁃    Give 20: for every $20 that you give in our Give 20 campaign, you get entered to win an important drawing for an opportunity to come to our 2023 national convention.  Or if for some reason you want to take the alternate prize, the less important prize, you can take a cash prize.  Once you've given, if you're also going to the national convention in person and you send your COVID test in in advance of the convention, you will get one additional entry into the drawing.  Now, in addition to that, if you take the opportunity to make a video and post it to social media, what we call a movement moment video, you will get one additional chance to win.  So, once you give, you can continue to get a couple of other chances to win based on those activities.  So, you do encourage you first and foremost to go to  <http://www.nfb.org/give20> www.NFB.org/give20 and provide the funding that the Federation needs.  

    ⁃    Could’ve conduct review committee: The committee is asking to hear from Federation members feedback on the Code of Conduct specifically on both how well the process works for those who have participated in the process, and about the provisions of the code, the training that's provided, how clear the information is.  The committee will be putting forth a number of opportunities for Federation members to provide feedback on the code, and some of those opportunities will be coming up at the national convention.  There will be office hours to speak to the committee. Those interested in meeting during the office hours of the convention are asked to schedule their appointment by emailing  <mailto:codefeedback at NFB.org> codefeedback at NFB.org, or calling (410)659-9314 and dialing extension 2284 By June 30 so that they can schedule them.

    ⁃    Online virtual experience: This is the way that we will be delivering online streaming content of the convention, and if you register for the virtual experience, you will be eligible, for example, for special door prizes for our virtual convention experience attendees. Registration for the online experience will remain open up until convention, you can register here NFB.org/convention. To be very clear we are not having an online or hybrid convention they are having an in-person convention with some limited streaming services of main events. Every day there will be some virtual component available to those participating in the virtual experience, and of course as we have done in the past, all of the general sessions of the convention.  So please register.  It will make you eligible for door prizes and other benefits of the convention.  

    ⁃    NFB bLind Muslim’s group: they are organizing online events to help people learn how to use zoom you can find the information here the training, the drop-in hours will be offered on June 18 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  To participate in that, you do have to get on Zoom, and the meeting ID for the training is 867 7955 6646.

    ⁃    The agenda: Will be out mid-June NFB-NEWSLINE once it is publicly released, and you can read the agenda in all of the ways that you can get NEWSLINE.  If you're on the telephone, you'll want to go press 5 on the main menu.  And then press 5 again.  And then follow the prompts from there.  You can also get it in the mobile app of course.  And for those coming to the convention, of course the agenda will be available in all the traditional formats.

    ⁃    Door prizes: encourage chapters and affiliates to send in door prizes.  However, the last 2 years we've been collecting door prizes differently.  So, I want to remind you that while we're requesting door prizes for this year's national convention, we're going to ask you to bring those to New Orleans, or to send them ahead of time depending on what they are.  So, all cash door prizes and gift cards should be brought directly to the convention and should be given to our door prize master, Bennett Prows.  <mailto:prize at NFB.org> prize at NFB.org Cash or gift cards, please bring those directly to New Orleans and give them to the door prize team. For those that because we're in person are seeking again to donate products or baskets or other cool things, you can send those items ahead of time to Louisiana, and you can send those to Tammy Green at the NFB of Louisiana at this address:  4401 Kennon Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70122.  So please send your door prizes in.

    ⁃    Covid masking protocols: We will be providing masks.  Of course, we encourage people to bring their own, and we will respectfully ask that people mask in the exhibit hall and in public areas of the hotel when not eating and drinking, and in the meetings.  And again, this is something that each and every one of us can do to make sure that we're all safe.  I personally had the opportunity to talk with some of the leading companies providing COVID tests, and they really reiterated to me in terms of our convention that masking is one of the best things that we can do to encourage the safety and health of all of our attendees.

    ⁃    Covid testing quote: Now, if you're coming to convention, we do and will require from you a negative COVID test before you will be permitted to participate in convention meetings in the hotel.  So, I do encourage as many people as possible to get a COVID test in advance of coming to New Orleans.  First of all, always a good idea before you travel anyway, just to be sure.  You can take that COVID test up to 72 hours before your check in at the hotel.  You don't have to take a test in advance of the convention, but we do encourage you to because there will be some incentives for those who test in advance, plus you won't have to wait in line for that component at the convention.

    ⁃    We will accept both a laboratory test, a PCR test, or a rapid antigen test.  We will accept an at-home test.  We ask you to send your test results in advance via email to  <mailto:testresults at NFB.org> testresults at NFB.org.  And again, I'm sharing this with you. including your full name as you are registered because we're going to match that to your registration record.

   ⁃        ⁃    Now, you can also bring your proof of negative test directly to the convention.  If you're taking an at-home test, of course you'll need to take a picture of that test because they tend to expire after 15 minutes or something.  So, you'll need to take a picture and send that time-stamped picture to  <mailto:testresults at NFB.org> testresults at NFB.org. AIRA have agreed to assist convention attendees with testing and submitting their test results.  

    ⁃    Aira and Covid testing: So, you will be able to use AIRA in that window, 72 hours before coming to the convention, to take your test, get the results, and have it submitted to us in the proper form.

    ⁃    Testing on site at convention: We are onboarding a third-party provider to do the testing at the convention.  And that testing will first be available on the afternoon of Monday, July 4th, and that detail we will disseminate more details about that as we get closer to the convention. 

    ⁃    If you test negative for Covid: orange wristband that has Braille on it, and that indicates to convention, anyone in the convention, that you have taken the COVID test and have tested negative.

    ⁃    Now, you will need that wristband to pick up your convention registration materials.  And don't miss this fact:  You will be able to pick up your convention registration materials on July 5th

    ⁃    Dream maker circle has a new person in charge: Austin Michael Colliers of Roanoke, Virginia, for being the newest member to commit to the Dream Makers Circle.

    ⁃    The passing of Federation family members: from the district of Columbia, Jackie Kelly and Jaquita Patrick. From Illinois, Edwin Rodriguez, From New Jersey, Joe Ruffalo. Jeannie Massey of Oklahoma. Don Banning from Louisiana. 

    ⁃     New additions: from the central Arkansas chapter that our member there, Joshua Gillespie and his wife Emily were joined by the newest member of the NFB of Arkansas on May 5th.  Madeline Ray Gillespie 

Legislative Announcements

*       Our board is seeking a member interested to help lead this part of our meeting or help obtain resources

*       Monica is interested and will contact a board member to discuss

Announcements

*       Our chapter is partnering with the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco to participate in the San Francisco Pride parade, members are invited to walk in the parade, the first fifty registered participants will receive a free Pride t shirt, and shirts can also be purchased in the Lighthouse Adaptations store, it will take place on June 26, members can sign up to walk in the parade or watch the parade at lighthouse San Francisco headquarters, or both

*       On May 14, our chapter had a picnic, had a great time, had about ten to fifth teen people, great gathering

*       On June 4th our chapter participated in the Foundation Finding Blindness Vision walk, our chapter had a booth, conversed with walkers about NFB, passed out information, wrote people’s names in braille, and handed out Carnell books about fun stories about blind individuals, had a great turnout

*       Our July meeting will be cancelled due to national convention

*       Our next meeting will be in person with a hybrid option on August 9th, for past in person meetings small food options available, please bring donation money, seating areas available inside as well as outside in-between whole Foods and Lighthouse San Francisco building

*       The California state convention will take place on the first weekend in November in San Diego

*       Lisa Maria Martinez is holding an event for mother’s who work and do a lot of other things, information is posted on various Facebook groups

*       Laura and Bobbi have sent in resolutions to the national convention, please come attend a listen in on the resolutions meeting at the national convention 

*       Sheri announcing information to learn how to sail in the bay, join for a day of learning how to sail, taking place this Saturday, for more details reach out to her

*       California state scholarships applications will be available soon, if you know of any blind student encourage them to apply, includes a trip to convention, mentorship, and other activities

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Discussion 

*       Thoughts of how to make the San Francisco Pride Parade more accessible

*       Amy would like to have registration and any print material made more accessible, and have description made available during the parade or even after

*       Sheri agrees to have registration made easier, if we do not know how to sign up how can any blind member participate

*       Christina would like to have   assistance for people with more than one disability like deaf blind members who would also need an interpreter

*       Amy would like to have transcripts and audio description made available during or even after the parade

Thoughts about describing one’s self during their introduction

*       Sheri can go either way, it does take a lot of time, but if someone wants to describe themselves, she does like it

*       Monica really likes it as it helped her make a decision about work, she had a really great interview experience and it persuaded her to work where she is now

*       Cindy has changed her mind about it, she has been in recruitment for a long time and always thought of first impressions very important and needing to dress to impress, now she is not in that career she does not care anymore about one’s need to fit to impress

*       Laura feels it is very important and needed if it is a professional manner like a   panel, but in a casual space it is not needed

*       Christina feels if someone volunteers to describe themselves that she will listen to it but if not, it is not needed and does take a lot of time

Discussion

*       The national convention will take place in New Orleans on July 5-10, and is also offered virtually

*       Highly recommended to attend the resolutions meeting, two of our members have sent in resolutions, legislative ideas for the national board to work on for this next year

*       You can still register for the virtual up until the day of convention

*       You can not register online for in person option, but you can try to register on site the day of convention

*       Sheri will represent Lighthouse at the exhibit hall, stop by

*       We will be using an app called crowd Compass for the convention, really useful and useable app to find out all the information for the convention

*       For anyone attending for the first time it is highly recommended to attend the rookie roundup to find out a preview of national convention

Bell Ringers

*       Cindy is happy to report she is on her ninth week of cane training, she attended a wedding in Mexico, and used her cane all by herself flying by herself and everything went really well, and felt empowered

There will be no meeting in July due to convention, and our next meeting will be in person with a hybrid option on Tuesday, August 9th.

Amy made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Cindy second the motion, and all approved.

Best Regards,

Taryn Morris

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