From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Aug 1 17:51:49 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 13:51:49 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: City of Alexandria Boards and Commissions Vacancies In-Reply-To: <51315203.12109650.1501601200888.JavaMail.appuser@conn02.ne02.us-west-1b.prd1.ebcolo.com> References: <51315203.12109650.1501601200888.JavaMail.appuser@conn02.ne02.us-west-1b.prd1.ebcolo.com> Message-ID: <00ed01d30aee$d9e2f3e0$8da8dba0$@gmail.com> Here?s an opportunity to serve the community and bring our perspective to the issues these boards and commissions address. From: Alexandria eNews [mailto:noreply at everbridge.net] Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2017 11:27 AM To: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: City of Alexandria Boards and Commissions Vacancies You are subscribed to the free Alexandria eNews service. Replies to this message will not be received. For correspondence, please use the contact information in the body of the message. The Alexandria City Council is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on boards, commissions, and committees. All applicants must complete a Personal Data Record Form no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, 2017 for consideration at the September 12, 2017 City Council meeting. For a complete list of vacancies, go to: https://www.alexandriava.gov/boards/info/default.aspx?id=2202 To change your subscription choices, click here to login . To request removal of your account, email enews at alexandriava.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Aug 1 20:42:30 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 16:42:30 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: From crash victims to advocates: Alexandria Families for Safe Streets In-Reply-To: <044701d30b02$acb17ef0$06147cd0$@gmail.com> References: <4038803982.446786810@org.orgDB.reply.salsalabs.com> <044701d30b02$acb17ef0$06147cd0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <013101d30b06$b28f6e50$17ae4af0$@gmail.com> Good evening, Please find below a message that Bob Hart asked me to forward to the chapter? It?s an important issue, and another opportunity for us to be involved in changing our community for the better. Brian M President Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia From: Robert Hartt [mailto:bobmhartt at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2017 4:14 PM To: bonnoday at gmail.com; brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: FW: From crash victims to advocates: Alexandria Families for Safe Streets Brian ? Can you send this out to our chapter list? Thank you, Bob From: waba=waba.org at mail.salsalabs.net [mailto:waba=waba.org at mail.salsalabs.net] On Behalf Of WABA Advocacy Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2017 2:51 PM To: bobmhartt at gmail.com Subject: From crash victims to advocates: Alexandria Families for Safe Streets Image removed by sender. Image removed by sender. Robert, Last year in Alexandria, at least 90 pedestrians were struck by vehicles and injured. Four people struck in 2016 did not survive. Alexandria residents who have been personally harmed, or have a close family member who has been harmed or killed in a traffic crash, are coming together to form a local chapter of ?Families for Safe Streets,? a group first formed in New York City that has become a powerful voice for ending traffic deaths and serious injuries. If you or a close relative have been harmed in a traffic crash, your story can be a compelling part of the public discourse that moves decision makers to action. You can get involved by sending an email to Mike Doyle at alxffss at gmail.com. Mike survived a devastating crash last December, and is determined to make Alexandria a city where no one else has a similar traumatic experience. (You can read his personal invitation to Alexandria crash victims here.) On January 24, 2017, Alexandria?s City Council adopted a Vision Zero policy with the goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2028. City staff are currently developing an Action Plan that outlines the strategies the city will use to reach that goal. While it is great to have a policy and goal in place, the risk with a 10+ year timeframe is that the planning, investment, and tough decisions necessary for success may be put off for ?later,? when we need immediate, urgent action to prevent people from being hurt. A draft Vision Zero Action Plan will be submitted for public comment this September, and then a final plan will go to City Council for approval. This will be an important opportunity for us to stress the urgency of being bold; of choosing traffic safety initiatives that will yield the best results the most quickly. Alexandria Families for Safe Streets is primarily for crash victims and their families. If you know someone who has been harmed in a crash, please spread the word. If you are not a crash victim or family member of a crash victim and would like to help make Vision Zero in Alexandria a success, please stay tuned and we?ll provide more information about opportunities to engage as soon as they become available in the weeks ahead. Thanks for your advocacy, Tamara Evans Advocacy Director Join today _____ Home | News | Events | Maps | Bike Laws | Advocacy | Join | Donate Image removed by sender. Facebook Image removed by sender. Twitter Image removed by sender. Instagram Image removed by sender. Flickr Image removed by sender. RSS Washington Area Bicyclist Association 2599 Ontario Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009 waba at waba.org | Phone: 202.518.0524 | Fax: 202.518.0936 Subscribe Here | Unsubscribe Here Image removed by sender. empowered by Salsa Image removed by sender. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ~WRD025.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2783 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 338 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 332 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Wed Aug 2 18:50:10 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 14:50:10 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind In-Reply-To: <020c01d30bbe$9ef58a60$dce09f20$@gmail.com> References: <046901d2cbf9$fa02fa00$ee08ee00$@gmail.com> , <00f301d2d945$9b7395e0$d25ac1a0$@gmail.com> , <003101d30577$ec0c9110$c425b330$@gmail.com> <020c01d30bbe$9ef58a60$dce09f20$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <022201d30bc0$2be32850$83a978f0$@gmail.com> Good afternoon members of the GAC, I just wanted to share the below email I sent to vice-mayor Wilson. I should thank all of you as well for making this such a successful event. I think it is a good start toward raising awareness of who we are and what we are about. Thanks all for being there and for your contributions to a great chapter meeting. Sincerely, Brian Miller President The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia From: BrianMiller [mailto:brianrmiller88 at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2017 2:39 PM To: 'Justin Wilson' Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Dear Vice Mayor Wilson, I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to come and speak to the Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I know after work meetings make for a long day, and I want you to know how much we appreciated you delaying your dinner on our behalf. You clearly did your homework and were prepared to address the topics we raised in our questions sent you prior to the meeting. You were open and honest with us as we discussed concerns and issues facing our community. As I noted to you in our meeting Thursday night, we are a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization speaking as blind and visually impaired residents of this community. We are blind and visually impaired individuals from a very diverse range of cultures, faiths, and political persuasions, but we are agreed on the importance of ensuring access to all of the facilities and programs in Alexandria, and promoting educational, recreational, and employment opportunities for our members and our community. I hope you will come to see the NFB as a resource for information and advocacy as we seek to make Alexandria an accessible, as well as amazing place to live, work, and play. We look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead. Please let us know how we can best support you and the work of the city council. Sincerely, Brian R. Miller, PH.D. President The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 11:27 PM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Thanks. Sounds good. I'll see you on Thursday night. ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 2:57 PM To: Justin Wilson Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Hi Councilman Wilson. The Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind is looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening, July 20 at 7:30 PM in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. Please let us know how long you will be able to be with us, so we can better plan our time with you. Here are some topics for discussion at the meeting. We know each of these could be an all-night discussion, but perhaps you could address each briefly and then we can open it up for questions. 1. Vision Zero: What is it and how will it improve safety for pedestrians, particularly pedestrians with disabilities? 2. Transit: What is Alexandria's funding commitment to Metro, Dash buses, and DOT paratransit? Are there any plans for expansion or changes in the future? 3. Internet: What is the status of bids for additional Internet providers in Alexandria? Will there be competition among providers anytime soon? 4. Waterfront: What is the plan to expand the Alexandria Waterfront? Will any new waterfront designs ensure pedestrian friendly pathways? 5. If I wanted to work for the City of Alexandria, is the application process accessible to people who use screen readers to access print information? Please address the City's commitment to accessibility of software and computer applications for city employees. 6. How familiar are you with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and how it supports people with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired, to vote independently? Have you ever used an accessible voting machine to cast a vote? Would you be willing to give it a try in the November election? To whom should we direct comments if we have problems with voting machines? 7. How familiar are you with some of the challenges blind and visually impaired individuals face in navigating Old Town Alexandria? Challenges may include curb cuts that are not aligned with crosswalks, informational kiosks that are not accessible, and lack of audible traffic signals at some key intersections. What can the city council do to address these challenges? We look forward to our meeting with you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O'Day NFB of VA, Alexandria Chapter From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 5:23 PM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind That works for me. Thanks for the invite! ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:06 AM To: Justin Wilson Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Hi Councilman Wilson. We would appreciate if you could speak to us on Thursday July 27 at 7:30. Our meeting will be held in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. We will suggest some topics for discussion prior to the meeting. Please let us know if this date and time would be convenient for you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O'Day, member Alexandria Chapter National Federation of the Blind From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 12:03 AM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: BrianMiller Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Ms. O'Day, Thanks for the invite. I should be able to make this date/time work. We can discuss as we get closer to make sure I cover the issues of interest. Have a good week! ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2017 11:02 AM To: Justin Wilson Cc: BrianMiller; Bonnie ODay Subject: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Good morning Mr. Wilson. An Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind has just been created. The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind and low vision individuals across the country to improve the lives of blind people across the country. We have strong chapters in Arlington, Fairfax and Washington DC, and recently formed a chapter in Alexandria. We are interested in having you address our chapter later this summer, potentially on Monday August 14 at 7:30 PM in the clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. We expect about 20 individuals would be present. We would be happy to develop and send you a list of potential topics for discussion prior to the meeting. Please let us know if this date and time work for you. If not, we can be flexible in arriving at a date and time that work for you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O'Day 703 845-3436 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Thu Aug 3 00:10:05 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 20:10:05 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Message-ID: <02a401d30bec$dca6e970$95f4bc50$@gmail.com> Here is vice mayor Wilson?s response to my email? From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2017 7:57 PM To: BrianMiller Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Brian, Thanks again for inviting me to participate last week. I very much enjoyed the conversation and I look forward to working with the Alexandria chapter in the future. Let me know how I can help. Have a good week. ---- Justin M. Wilson, Member Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov On Aug 2, 2017, at 11:39 AM, BrianMiller wrote: Dear Vice Mayor Wilson, I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to come and speak to the Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I know after work meetings make for a long day, and I want you to know how much we appreciated you delaying your dinner on our behalf. You clearly did your homework and were prepared to address the topics we raised in our questions sent you prior to the meeting. You were open and honest with us as we discussed concerns and issues facing our community. As I noted to you in our meeting Thursday night, we are a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization speaking as blind and visually impaired residents of this community. We are blind and visually impaired individuals from a very diverse range of cultures, faiths, and political persuasions, but we are agreed on the importance of ensuring access to all of the facilities and programs in Alexandria, and promoting educational, recreational, and employment opportunities for our members and our community. I hope you will come to see the NFB as a resource for information and advocacy as we seek to make Alexandria an accessible, as well as amazing place to live, work, and play. We look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead. Please let us know how we can best support you and the work of the city council. Sincerely, Brian R. Miller, PH.D. President The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia From: Justin Wilson [ mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 11:27 PM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Thanks. Sounds good. I'll see you on Thursday night. ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day < bonnoday at gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 2:57 PM To: Justin Wilson Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Hi Councilman Wilson. The Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind is looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening, July 20 at 7:30 PM in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. Please let us know how long you will be able to be with us, so we can better plan our time with you. Here are some topics for discussion at the meeting. We know each of these could be an all-night discussion, but perhaps you could address each briefly and then we can open it up for questions. 1. Vision Zero: What is it and how will it improve safety for pedestrians, particularly pedestrians with disabilities? 2. Transit: What is Alexandria?s funding commitment to Metro, Dash buses, and DOT paratransit? Are there any plans for expansion or changes in the future? 3. Internet: What is the status of bids for additional Internet providers in Alexandria? Will there be competition among providers anytime soon? 4. Waterfront: What is the plan to expand the Alexandria Waterfront? Will any new waterfront designs ensure pedestrian friendly pathways? 5. If I wanted to work for the City of Alexandria, is the application process accessible to people who use screen readers to access print information? Please address the City?s commitment to accessibility of software and computer applications for city employees. 6. How familiar are you with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and how it supports people with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired, to vote independently? Have you ever used an accessible voting machine to cast a vote? Would you be willing to give it a try in the November election? To whom should we direct comments if we have problems with voting machines? 7. How familiar are you with some of the challenges blind and visually impaired individuals face in navigating Old Town Alexandria? Challenges may include curb cuts that are not aligned with crosswalks, informational kiosks that are not accessible, and lack of audible traffic signals at some key intersections. What can the city council do to address these challenges? We look forward to our meeting with you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O?Day NFB of VA, Alexandria Chapter From: Justin Wilson [ mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 5:23 PM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind That works for me. Thanks for the invite! ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day < bonnoday at gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:06 AM To: Justin Wilson Cc: 'BrianMiller' Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Hi Councilman Wilson. We would appreciate if you could speak to us on Thursday July 27 at 7:30. Our meeting will be held in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. We will suggest some topics for discussion prior to the meeting. Please let us know if this date and time would be convenient for you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O?Day, member Alexandria Chapter National Federation of the Blind From: Justin Wilson [ mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 12:03 AM To: Bonnie O'Day Cc: BrianMiller Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Ms. O'Day, Thanks for the invite. I should be able to make this date/time work. We can discuss as we get closer to make sure I cover the issues of interest. Have a good week! ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Bonnie O'Day < bonnoday at gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2017 11:02 AM To: Justin Wilson Cc: BrianMiller; Bonnie ODay Subject: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Good morning Mr. Wilson. An Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind has just been created. The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind and low vision individuals across the country to improve the lives of blind people across the country. We have strong chapters in Arlington, Fairfax and Washington DC, and recently formed a chapter in Alexandria. We are interested in having you address our chapter later this summer, potentially on Monday August 14 at 7:30 PM in the clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. We expect about 20 individuals would be present. We would be happy to develop and send you a list of potential topics for discussion prior to the meeting. Please let us know if this date and time work for you. If not, we can be flexible in arriving at a date and time that work for you. Thank you very much. Bonnie O'Day 703 845-3436 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Mon Aug 7 22:57:47 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2017 18:57:47 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: [Nfbv-announce] Apply for the Expanded NFB of Virginia College Scholarship & Attend the 2017 NFBV Convention On Us In-Reply-To: <021001d30f1f$9c6899e0$d539cda0$@gmail.com> References: <021001d30f1f$9c6899e0$d539cda0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <010801d30fd0$9c549740$d4fdc5c0$@gmail.com> Just in case you didn't get this... I am the chair of the Virginia scholarship committee, and would appreciate your help in spreading the word about the scholarship program far and wide. Not only can one potentially win a scholarship, all eligible applicants will receive support from the affiliate to attend the state convention in November... What's not to love about that? If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks, Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia -----Original Message----- From: NFBV-Announce [mailto:nfbv-announce-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Soforenko via NFBV-Announce Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2017 9:51 PM To: nfbv-announce at nfbnet.org Subject: [Nfbv-announce] Apply for the Expanded NFB of Virginia College Scholarship & Attend the 2017 NFBV Convention On Us >From Brian Miller, NFB of Virginia Scholarship Committee Chair brianrmiller88 at gmail.com THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA 2017 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM The NFB of Virginia is pleased to announce the launch of its James F. Nelson merit scholarship program for the academic year 2017-2018. Up to three scholarships of $1500.00 will be awarded based on academic achievement, community engagement, and leadership potential. The NFB of Virginia believes that all blind and visually impaired students who apply for a James F. Nelson scholarship can benefit from the experience of attending the state convention. As such, the NFBV will cover reasonable costs associated with attending the convention for all eligible applicants, including a room at the hotel, most meals, and the cost of registration and a banquet ticket. Scholarship applicants will be reimbursed for these expenses at the convention, so please notify the committee if you do not have access to a credit card or other means of covering pre-convention costs. Applicants are expected to pre-register in order to signal their intention to attend the state convention and to assist the scholarship committee to make hotel reservations. The Scholarship Committee will review all applications and select the scholarship recipients. All decisions of the Scholarship Committee are final. Please read all instructions carefully and pay close attention to the deadlines. To be eligible to receive a James F. Nelson scholarship, all applicants must: * Be legally blind or have a visual impairment that qualifies them to receive services under IDEA or from a state vocational rehabilitation program; * Be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or be attending full time an accredited institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia; * Plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in the 2017-2018 academic year; and * Participate in the entire NFB of Virginia state convention and in all scheduled scholarship program activities to be held November 3 to 5, 2017, at the Westin Tysons Corner, Falls Church, Virginia. Individuals who have already won two James F. Nelson scholarships should contact the scholarship committee chair before applying. The intention of the committee is to not award scholarships more than twice to the same individual except in extraordinary circumstances. Exceptions to this policy will only be made by decision of the committee chair and the NFBV affiliate president. Completed scholarship applications and all supporting documentation should be sent to the NFB of Virginia scholarship committee chair, Dr. Brian R. Miller, at brianrmiller88 at gmail.com with the words "scholarship application" in the subject line. Deadline: Applications must be received no later than October 1, 2017. Applicants must submit at least one letter of recommendation from a teacher, professor, counselor, or academic advisor who is familiar with their scholarship. Applicants are encouraged to provide additional letters of recommendation or references, including from employers, individuals working in the applicant's field of interest, or leaders from the blind movement or other groups engaged in social change advocacy. Letters of recommendation may be submitted in email form. An electronic copy of the applicant's transcripts must be provided in support of the application. Unofficial transcripts in PDF form from the accredited institution are acceptable. APPLICATION Please complete this application by entering your responses after each prompt. All applications must be received by October 1, 2017. All supporting documents (i.e., letters of recommendation and transcripts) must be received by October 7, 2017. 1. Full Name: 2. Email address: 3. Preferred phone number (indicate if mobile or home): 4. Mailing Address - Street, City, State & ZIP: 5. Date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY): 6. Year of study - i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student: 7. Your current or expected field of study (major): 8. What is your degree objective? (Associate, bachelor's, master's, law degree, or doctorate): 9. Name of the high school you attended or attend if you are an incoming freshman, and cumulative GPA: 10. Name of the college or university you will be attending in the 2017-18 school year: 11. If you are not an incoming freshman, please provide your cumulative GPA for the college or university where you currently attend: 12. List other colleges or universities you've attended, degrees earned, and cumulative GPAs as appropriate: 13. What is your long-term career goal? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years? 14. Describe extracurricular activities or community service in which you have been or are currently involved: 15. What specific techniques and/or attitudes do you think are essential to live independently as a blind person? Describe the skills and strategies you employ as a blind or visually impaired person to accomplish your goals: 16. Provide examples of ways in which you've demonstrated leadership - this could be in your community, school, place of worship, or as part of a social organization outside the home: 17. What do you think is the most important challenge facing blind students today? 18. Describe what you hope to gain from the experience of attending the Virginia state convention: 19. Please indicate whether or not one of the leaders of the Virginia state student division may contact you, and by what preferred means - email, phone, text: 20. How did you hear about the NFB of Virginia James F. Nelson scholarship program? Please tell us anything else you think we should know about you in evaluating your application. Feel free to list any awards you have received, experiences that reflect who you are or anything else you think we might find of interest. Only complete applications will be considered. The Scholarship Committee takes no responsibility for notifying you if required information is missing from your application. Be sure to review your application for completeness before submitting. If you encounter any difficulty in submitting your application, or if you have questions, please contact the scholarship committee chair. NFBV Scholarship Committee Chair Contact Information: Dr. Brian R. Miller Email: Brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Phone: 703-785-9929 List of References: Please provide the names of individuals from whom you intend to seek references, and their affiliation with you as a scholarship applicant. Reference #1: Name, affiliation Reference #2: Name, affiliation Reference #3: Name, affiliation CERTIFICATION STATEMENT By typing my full name and the date below, I confirm that all of the information provided above and in related attachments is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Signature: Date: Tracy Soforenko President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia 202 285-4595 Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2017 NFBV Scholarship Application.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 25650 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: Untitled attachment 00046.txt URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Aug 11 10:31:54 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 06:31:54 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Alexandria Harmonizers Tonight at Market Square! Message-ID: <003201d3128d$0e036ab0$2a0a4010$@gmail.com> Fellow members of the Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB, Looking for something fun to do this evening? Why not catch the Harmonizers at 7:30pm in Market Square in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria? How much does it cost, you ask? Nothing! Free, you say? Yes, free. Come see the Alexandria Harmonizers and support a local chorus that is known around the world, and also one of your chapter members, Aaron Simineau! The show will be cancelled if it is pouring down rain, otherwise, expect it to go on as planned. Have a great weekend, whatever you decide to do! Brian Miller, Ph.D. President -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Sun Aug 20 23:52:46 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 19:52:46 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Save the date - , chapter Board meeting, August 31, Thursday, 7:30pm Message-ID: <026301d31a0f$6cd1d980$46758c80$@gmail.com> Good evening, I would like to call for a board meeting for Thursday, August 31, at 7:30pm. As I've mentioned previously, my plan is to hold a board meeting once a quarter, and August brings us to our next quarter since our last meeting in May. I know this is right before the holiday weekend, so if a majority of the board would prefer to hold the meeting on Wednesday, August 30, let me know, otherwise I'll press on with plans to meet the last Thursday of this month. I will send dialing instructions and a full agenda this coming weekend. If a majority of the board prefers, we can meet face to face here at my new building, The Meridian at Eisenhower, which has a very lovely business center. Otherwise we'll meet telephonically. Please send me any agenda items you want to be sure to address. A few items we will discuss are next month's activity; October's meeting; and the chapter's role in the up-coming state convention in November. One topic I want to discuss with the board is the idea of screening the film, "Do You Dream In Color," here in northern Virginia. This is an open meeting; all members and friends of the chapter are welcome to join the call, so spread the word. I hope everyone has a lovely week - I'm off to Nashville tomorrow morning, where the total eclipse will pass directly over the city at 1:57pm. They are expecting 1.2 million people in downtown Nashville to experience the totality. Sincerely, Brian R. Miller, Ph.D. President NFB of V Greater Alexandria Chapter -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Aug 25 20:37:32 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 16:37:32 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Testing of new voting equipment for Alexandria In-Reply-To: References: <003701d31dc2$f2abc280$d8034780$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <00d801d31de2$05c6b7c0$11542740$@gmail.com> Chapter members, I heard from vice-mayor that the City of Alexandria is moving fast to choose its next generation of voting machines, and we want to be sure to get in there and try out the three different prototypes on display at the registrar's office early this next week. Bob Hart noticed the announcement about the machines and contacted the registrar of voters office. Bob kindly shared his email exchange with me, and I am forwarding it to you so you can see the urgency of the situation and make plans to get down there and try these things out. I urge everyone who is available to go down there and try them out. I hope to do so on Tuesday. We need to make sure these machines meet our needs as blind and visually impaired voters. Thanks so much for your attention to this critical matter. Best, Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia From: Anna Leider [mailto:Anna.Leider at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 3:22 PM To: Robert Hartt Cc: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: RE: Testing of new voting equipment for Alexandria Thanks so much for your email. We hope some members of your organization are available to stop by on Monday or Tuesday. All three of the new systems we are testing have headsets so voters can listen to the ballot, and mark their choices independently. The primary difference between the new systems and our current system is that after voters finish making their choices, the new system prints a paper ballot which reflects those choices and the voter scans his or her ballot into a central scanner along with all the other paper ballots. While each of the three new systems works in the same fashion, there are definitely differences in how they operate, especially for voters who need to use the accessibility features. I'm not sure how much information the companies have on their websites in terms of understanding how the systems really work, but I have provided links below: Hart Verity (Verity Touch Writer): http://www.hartintercivic.com/content/verity-system-overview or http://www.hartintercivic.com/Product/verity-touch-writer ES&S Express Vote: http://essvote.com/products/12/12/universal-voting-system/expressvote/ Unisyn: https://unisynvoting.com/openelect-ovi/ We had hoped to have a much longer testing period, but the state will likely make a sudden decision to require the removal of all paperless systems, so we will be forced to make this change on a very short timeline. Anna Leider General Registrar Office of Voter Registration and Elections City of Alexandria 132 North Royal Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, Virginia 22314 703.746.4050; Direct: 703.746.4527; Fax 703.838.6449 Anna.Leider at alexandriava.gov www.alexandriavoter.org Check your voter registration information at https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. From: Robert Hartt [mailto:bobmhartt at gmail.com] Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 12:55 PM To: Anna Leider Cc: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: Testing of new voting equipment for Alexandria Ms. Leider - Regarding the email below announcing the availability of new voting equipment for testing, I am blind and have enjoyed using the accessible voice output machines currently in use for Alexandrians who are blind. Unfortunately, I will be out of town next week when citizens are invited to try the equipment under consideration. As a member of the Greater Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, however, I am copying our President, Brian Miller, on this email so he can spread the word to our Alexandria members. I am confident we can find one or more of our members to test the equipment during the viewing hours. If you have any information about the accessibility features of the equipment being considered, we would be happy to distribute this to our members. Thank you, Bob Hartt 4005 Ellicott Street Alexandria, Virginia 22304 From: Alexandria eNews [mailto:noreply at everbridge.net] Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 8:51 AM To: bobmhartt at gmail.com Subject: Provide Feedback on Potential New Election Equipment You are subscribed to the free Alexandria eNews service. Replies to this message will not be received. For correspondence, please use the contact information in the body of the message. Alexandria Voters Invited to Provide Feedback on Potential New Election Equipment The Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections is evaluating potential new voting equipment to comply with a state law phasing out electronic ballots. As part of the evaluation process, three voting systems will be available at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections for public viewing and testing on August 28 and 29, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Office is located at 132 N. Royal St. No appointment is needed. Please stop by and provide your input. Elections staff will be present to answer any questions. You are welcome to invite your neighbors, friends, or anyone else who may be interested in Alexandria elections. For more information, contact Anna Leider, General Registrar, at anna.leider at alexandriava.gov or 703.746.4050. To change your subscription choices, click here to login . To request removal of your account, email enews at alexandriava.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Aug 25 21:19:24 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 17:19:24 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Voting Machines In-Reply-To: <23BC5A60-B7AC-4185-88F6-9AD2EED1DBA2@alexandriava.gov> References: <5069DA0C-F5A2-43F4-93D3-952FC95D9B97@alexandriava.gov>, <00ce01d31de0$f135efc0$d3a1cf40$@gmail.com> <23BC5A60-B7AC-4185-88F6-9AD2EED1DBA2@alexandriava.gov> Message-ID: <00eb01d31de7$d68f9020$83aeb060$@gmail.com> Chapter members, Please see my exchange below with vice-mayor Wilson about times when the voting machines are avilable to be tested. Thanks, Brian M From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 4:37 PM To: BrianMiller Subject: Re: Voting Machines Great! They have some open times set up. This is quoted from their website: "The Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections is evaluating potential new voting equipment to comply with a state law phasing out electronic ballots. As part of the evaluation process, three voting systems will be available at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections for public viewing and testing on August 28 and 29, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Office is located at 132 N. Royal St. No appointment is needed. Please stop by and provide your input. Elections staff will be present to answer any questions. You are welcome to invite your neighbors, friends, or anyone else who may be interested in Alexandria elections." ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov On Aug 25, 2017, at 4:30 PM, BrianMiller wrote: Hi Justin, Thank you so much for letting me know about the accelerated schedule for testing the new voting systems. I will spread the word with my chapter and also contact the registrar?s office, and see if we can get down there and check out these machines. Yours sincerely, Brian Miller President NFB of Virginia Alexandria Chapter From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 7:30 AM To: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: Voting Machines Brian, I just talked with the City's Registrar. She is very interested in the Federation's assistance in testing a few of the voting machines they are now evaluating. They have had to accelerate their selection process for our new machines and they want to get it right. Her email address is anna.leider at alexandriava.gov and I'm sure she will be willing to set up a time. Thanks! Have a good week. ---- Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Sat Aug 26 15:37:17 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2017 11:37:17 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] September's chapter activity: Horticulture and Urban gardening Message-ID: <018d01d31e81$33a7b640$9af722c0$@gmail.com> Dear members of the Greater Alexandria Chapter, I am working on putting together our chapter activity for September, which I hope to schedule soon. Likely dates for the activity would be September 23 or 24, or September 30 or October 1. During one of our meeting discussions on possible chapter activities, several of you expressed interest in learning more about urban gardening and horticulture in general. A colleague and friend of mine from work is a certified master gardener and is willing to put together an activity for us where we could learn tips about gardening and horticulture. This would take place at the Fairlington Community Center (address to follow later). I told her I would solicit questions and topics from the chapter to help her construct a lesson plan that would be of interest to us. Here is how she responded: ?Yes! Please forward to me whatever feedback you receive. I am thinking right now maybe a general introductory course on container gardening. Some basics etc. I am also thinking that since we are moving into the Fall?I can concentrate on fall foliage, example mums and houseplants. However, if I can work some herbs in that would be great?however maybe we can do a follow up session in the spring and just do herbs then?? We?ll talk about it. Let?s first get the feedback and I will look into what we have cooking at the nursery.? I also told her I wanted this to be an opportunity to get our hands dirty, so no just sitting there listening to someone talk to us about gardening. She was totally on board with that notion! Please forward me any thoughts and suggestions for topics or things about which you would like to learn more. If you could please get me your feedback on this activity within the next ten days, that would be terrific. I think this will be and exciting and unique opportunity for us to make our thumbs just a little bit greener. And don?t forget, board meeting this coming Thursday evening, August 31 ? dialing instructions to follow shortly. Thanks, Brian R. Miller, Ph.D. President The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Aug 29 16:36:39 2017 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2017 12:36:39 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] GAC board meeting on Thursday Message-ID: <048d01d320e4$fddf2b90$f99d82b0$@gmail.com> Good afternoon, This is a reminder that our next board meeting of the Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia will be this Thursday, August 31, at 7:30pm (EDT). The dialing instructions are as follows: Conference line: 712-432-0220 Passcode: 998-6460 Our agenda is as follows: 1. Approval of agenda, minutes from prior meeting, and treasurer's report - Brian, Terri, and Andre, 5 mins 2. Report of voting machines on display at registrar's office - all, 10 mins 3. Discussion of September's chapter activity, "urban gardening for the blind" - Brian, 5 mins 4. Discussion of October meeting, including: location, and agenda - all, 10 mins 5. Discussion of possible meet the blind month activity, hosting a showing of the documentary, "Do You Dream In Color?" - all, 10 mins 6. Role of Alexandria chapter at state convention in November - all, 10 mins 7. Liaison reports - all, 10 mins 8. Final questions and next board meeting - all, 2 mins I've attached the minutes from our prior board meeting in May for your consideration. Please note that this is an open meeting, and all are welcome to join, so spread the word and share the dialing instructions as appropriate. I look forward to talking to everyone on Thursday evening . Sincerely, Brian R. Miller, Ph.D. President Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: gacminutes may.doc Type: application/msword Size: 26112 bytes Desc: not available URL: