From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Sun Apr 1 20:47:01 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2018 16:47:01 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Self-Defense Seminar at Relentless MMA, Sunday, April 8th 2018...Join us! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <006201d3c9fa$96a32e80$c3e98b80$@gmail.com> The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Presents: Self Defense and Personal Protection Seminar for the Blind Instructor: David Carter, Founder of Relentless MMA and his staff of instructors Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018 Time: 11AM (Beginning promptly and all 3 options begin at 11AM) Location: Relentless MMA 14700 - K Flint Lee Road Chantilly, VA 20151 Coach Dave will only be able to take up to 14 participants; first come, first serve basis Participants have 3 options- . 1 Hour Info Session (if participant only wants 1 hour info) $15 . 2-Hour (info session, scenarios, and demos being applied)- $20 . 3 Hour (info session. Scenarios and demos being applied)- $25 This Self Defense and Personal Protection seminar will only focus on realistic and simple goals, techniques, and tactics that have been proven to work for the blind. Our seminar will focus on Martial Arts that blind people practice and compete in regularly. Grappling styles like wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo where blind participants compete and the only modification they have over sighted people is that they are allowed to touch one part of their opponent at the beginning of the match, usually on the wrist to give them a since of range, balance, and movement so they can utilize their attacking and defending techniques. Using what already works this seminar will focus on using contact to off balance and attack key areas on your attacker while at the same time maintaining balance and dominant position aka the "High ground" to protect ourselves or render our opponent unconscious or unable to continue attack due to high levels of pain. To be covered: . How to keep your base under Attack . How to control your attackers arms to avoid being hit and to force them down . How to defend yourself on ground . How to escape various grabs and holds . How to hit with knockout force or create enough pain that your attackers give up his attack If you would like to participate, please register with Evelyn Valdez by replying to this announcement via email: evelyn.valdez212 at gmail.com or txt/call: 908-803-4891. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Self-Defense Seminar.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 21409 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Mon Apr 2 16:53:40 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2018 12:53:40 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: City of Alexandria shelter exercise In-Reply-To: References: <9438EBD8-4D13-46FB-8051-6B25505B6E03@comcast.net> <027d01d3c7ad$96d1fc50$c475f4f0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <013c01d3caa3$27d029f0$77707dd0$@gmail.com> Good afternoon, Please find below a link to register for the Alexandria emergency shelter exercise taking place on May 7. Thank you, Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFBV -----Original Message----- From: Teresa Scott Hoggard [mailto:Teresa.Scott at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Monday, April 02, 2018 7:08 AM To: BrianMiller Subject: RE: City of Alexandria shelter exercise Good morning Brian, I have a link for you to use to register for the emergency shelter exercise on Monday, May 7. The link is below: https://www.volunteeralexandria.org/opportunity/a0C0P00000pYPzD If you have any issues with registering, let me know. Thank you, Teresa Scott Hoggard, MS, CEM Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Regional Planner Alexandria Fire Department Office of Emergency Management 900 Second St. Alexandria, VA 22314 703.746.5267 office 571.414.7698 cell teresa.scott at alexandriava.gov AEM(r) and CEM(r) are registered trademarks of the International Association of Emergency Managers -----Original Message----- From: BrianMiller [mailto:brianrmiller88 at gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 6:31 PM To: Teresa Scott Hoggard Subject: RE: City of Alexandria shelter exercise Dear Teresa, Yes, I would be happy to forward. I may be interested in participating in this event myself once details are firmed up in early April. Please keep me posted. Thank you so much for thinking of me and the Alexandria Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Brian Miller Chair ACPD -----Original Message----- From: Teresa Scott Hoggard [mailto:Teresa.Scott at alexandriava.gov] Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 9:42 AM Cc: Brian Miller; Miladis Martinez Gutierrez Subject: RE: City of Alexandria shelter exercise Good morning Brian. I work with the Office of Emergency Management. The City is conducting a sheltering exercise on May 7, 2018, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, at one of the City's sheltering facilities. (Location will be determined by April 2). I would like to extend an invitation to members of your commission to see if any of them would like to participate in the exercise. Would you mind forwarding this email to members of the Commission On Persons With Disabilities to see if anyone would like to participate in the exercise? If anyone has any questions or interested in participating, they can send me an email. Thank you, Teresa Scott Hoggard, MS, CEM Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Regional Planner Alexandria Fire Department Office of Emergency Management 900 Second St. Alexandria, VA 22314 703.746.5267 office 571.414.7698 cell teresa.scott at alexandriava.gov AEM(r) and CEM(r) are registered trademarks of the International Association of Emergency Managers -----Original Message----- From: Mollie [mailto:mdanforth2 at comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 9:21 AM To: Teresa Scott Hoggard Cc: Brian Miller ; Miladis Martinez Gutierrez Subject: Re: City of Alexandria shelter exercise I am no longer with ACPD. Brian Miller is the chairman. I forwarded your email to him. Mollie Danforth 703-370-9454 > On Feb 20, 2018, at 6:30 AM, Teresa Scott Hoggard wrote: > > Good morning Mollie. > > I wanted to let you know that the City of Alexandria will be > conducting a shelter exercise on May 7, 2018, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. I would like to invite you or anyone else from the Commission on Persons with Disabilities that would be interested in participating in this exercise. Right now we are still in the planning phase, but once details are finalized, I would be more than happy to share that with you and the members of the Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Also, if you know of anyone that has a service animal, we would also like to welcome them to participate in our exercise. > > If you have any questions, let me know. > > Thank you, > > Teresa Scott Hoggard, MS, CEM > Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Regional Planner Alexandria > Fire Department Office of Emergency Management > 900 Second St. > Alexandria, VA 22314 > 703.746.5267 office > 571.414.7698 cell > teresa.scott at alexandriava.gov > AEM(r) and CEM(r) are registered trademarks of the International > Association of Emergency Managers > > > From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Apr 3 01:46:25 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2018 21:46:25 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Save the date: April 19, next chapter meeting - our first anniversary! Message-ID: <01f801d3caed$947ee380$bd7caa80$@gmail.com> Good evening fellow Greater Alexandria chapter members and friends! Please mark your calendars for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, April 19, from 7:00-9:00pm. The meeting will take place on the 25th floor of the Meridian At Eisenhower building, 2351 Eisenhower Ave in Alexandria. The Meridian is directly across the street from the Eisenhower Ave metro station. Thanks to the generosity of Paradigm Cos, the Meridian's parent company, we continue to have use of this terrific facility free of charge. A more complete agenda will be sent out closer to the meeting date, but you won't want to miss the opportunity to celebrate together our chapter's first birthday! We'll have an election, get an update on plans for our technology seminar later this spring, discuss our organization's code of conduct, enjoy some birthday cake, and much more! Ok, maybe not too much more, because that's a lot already! So make your plans to be there, and bring a friend! Bring two friends! Bring ten friends! Ok, maybe not ten friends. We'd run out of cake! See you on April 19! Brian R. Miller, Ph.D. President Greater Alexandria Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Virginia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Wed Apr 4 14:43:27 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (BrianMiller) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 10:43:27 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Self-Defense Seminar at Relentless MMA, Sunday, April 8th 2018...Join us! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <03c301d3cc23$4bbf8280$e33e8780$@gmail.com> Good morning colleagues, I hope you would be interested in this event! Please disseminate amongst your networks. Also, please register with me ASAP with either the 2-hour option or 3-hour option and you can bring cash or credit as payment the day of the event, Sunday, April 8th at 11am (please be there 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork). Coach Dave can only take 14 participants, so email/call/txt me soon! Hope to see you on Sunday, April 8th! The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Presents: Self Defense and Personal Protection Seminar for the Blind Instructor: David Carter, Founder of Relentless MMA and his staff of instructors Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018 Time: 11AM (Beginning promptly and all 3 options begin at 11AM) Location: Relentless MMA 14700 - K Flint Lee Road Chantilly, VA 20151 (if taking Uber, please enter unit J instead of "K" because for some reason, the GPS for Uber is sending people to another unit if you enter Relentless MMA's unit K) Coach Dave will only be able to take up to 14 participants; first come, first serve basis Participants have 3 options- . 1 Hour Info Session (if participant only wants 1 hour info) $15 . 2-Hour (info session, scenarios, and demos being applied)- $20 . 3 Hour (info session. Scenarios and demos being applied)- $25 This Self Defense and Personal Protection seminar will only focus on realistic and simple goals, techniques, and tactics that have been proven to work for the blind. Our seminar will focus on Martial Arts that blind people practice and compete in regularly. Grappling styles like wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo where blind participants compete and the only modification they have over sighted people is that they are allowed to touch one part of their opponent at the beginning of the match, usually on the wrist to give them a since of range, balance, and movement so they can utilize their attacking and defending techniques. Using what already works this seminar will focus on using contact to off balance and attack key areas on your attacker while at the same time maintaining balance and dominant position aka the "High ground" to protect ourselves or render our opponent unconscious or unable to continue attack due to high levels of pain. To be covered: . How to keep your base under Attack . How to control your attackers arms to avoid being hit and to force them down . How to defend yourself on ground . How to escape various grabs and holds . How to hit with knockout force or create enough pain that your attackers give up his attack If you would like to participate, please register with Evelyn Valdez by replying to this announcement via email: evelyn.valdez212 at gmail.com or txt/call: 908-803-4891. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Self-Defense Seminar.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 21409 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Apr 17 00:07:30 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 20:07:30 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting, April 19 References: Message-ID: <7C0654B1-DE3C-4EBD-80EF-3D64179D9675@gmail.com> Good evening, Please see the agenda below for our chapter meeting on Thursday, April 19, at 7:00pm at the fabulous Meridian at Eisenhower Station. Thanks to Evelyn Valdez for putting it together! Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter NFBV Begin forwarded message: > From: "Valdez, Evelyn" > Date: April 16, 2018 at 6:48:50 PM EDT > To: "brianrmiller88 at gmail.com" > Subject: Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting > > Good evening Brian, > I am still hurting in the face and so it takes some energy to speak. I feel like I am slurring my speech. I have to keep my eyes closed because when I open my eyes, the weight on my face causes some discomfort, thank goodness for JAWS and non-visual techniques of blindness. I just want to feel like myself again, loud and excited, but I do not feel like that yet. I have a doctor?s appointment tomorrow and another appointment on Friday to remove the rest of my stitches. I am hoping to feel better very soon. > Thanks for sending me the Elections Protocol, I will take a look at it. Did Tracy send you a sample template of a donation letter? > Here?s the agenda, I hope I didn?t forget anything. Tonight is the first time I have gotten on my laptop since Wednesday, > > Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting, Thursday, April 19, 2018 > > Welcoming Announcements-5 minutes (Evelyn) > Elections-15 minutes (Evelyn) > Code of Conduct- 30 minutes (Brian) > Fundraising-15 minutes (Susie Q & Evelyn) > Audio Description seminar-10 minutes (Evelyn) > Tech Corner: Demo of Be My Eyes-10 minutes (Brian) > Celebration of 1-Year Anniversary!!! Yayyyyy!!! > > With Warmest Regards, > > Evelyn Valdez > 1st VP, Greater Alexandria Chapter > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Tue Apr 17 03:05:40 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 23:05:40 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting References: Message-ID: > Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting, Thursday, April 19, 2018 > > Welcoming Announcements-5 minutes (Evelyn) > Elections-15 minutes (Evelyn) > Code of Conduct- 30 minutes (Brian) > Fundraising-15 minutes (Susie Q & Evelyn) > Audio Description seminar-10 minutes (Evelyn) > Tech Corner: Demo of Be My Eyes-10 minutes (Brian) > Celebration of 1-Year Anniversary!!! Yayyyyy!!! > > With Warmest Regards, > > Evelyn Valdez > 1st VP, Greater Alexandria Chapter > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bonnoday at gmail.com Tue Apr 17 15:30:20 2018 From: bonnoday at gmail.com (Bonnie O'Day) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 11:30:20 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Agenda for Greater Alexandria Nominating Committee Report Message-ID: <007401d3d660$ffa3dd90$feeb98b0$@gmail.com> Hi everyone. The nominating committee submits the report below for your consideration at the chapter meeting. President. Brian Miller First Vice President: Evelyn Valdez Second Vice President: Jeremy Grandstaff Secretary: Terri Nettles Treasurer: Susan D'Mello Board members: Andre Tynes and Renee Valdez Looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening. Bonnie O?Day Nominating Committee Chair From: NFBV-Alexandria [mailto:nfbv-alexandria-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brian Miller Sent: Monday, April 16, 2018 11:06 PM To: nfbv-alexandria at nfbnet.org Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting Agenda for Greater Alexandria Chapter Meeting, Thursday, April 19, 2018 Welcoming Announcements-5 minutes (Evelyn) Elections-15 minutes (Evelyn) Code of Conduct- 30 minutes (Brian) Fundraising-15 minutes (Susie Q & Evelyn) Audio Description seminar-10 minutes (Evelyn) Tech Corner: Demo of Be My Eyes-10 minutes (Brian) Celebration of 1-Year Anniversary!!! Yayyyyy!!! With Warmest Regards, Evelyn Valdez 1st VP, Greater Alexandria Chapter -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Wed Apr 18 20:26:19 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 16:26:19 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Walking directions to the Meridian Message-ID: <000601d3d753$84f9b0d0$8eed1270$@gmail.com> Good afternoon all, Don't forget the fabulous Greater Alexandria Chapter will hold its next meeting tomorrow, Thursday, April 19, at 7:00pm at the Meridian at Eisenhower Station, 2351 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22314, on the 25th floor clubhouse. Come for the cupcakes, stay to learn some stuff! Here are the walking directions from the metro station: Take the yellow line toward Huntington and get off at Eisenhower Avenue station. Exit the fare gates and then exit to the right out to a service road running left and right in front of you. Find the curb cut and cross to the other side and turn left to go down the sidewalk toward Eisenhower Ave - you will hear heavy traffic in front of you. When you get to the corner, turn right. Eisenhower will be on your left, and lovely green grass will be on your right. Walk one block until you hear the crossing signal which will be clicking. Push the button, then cross left when the signal indicates to cross. The intersection is not quite perpendicular, so head a bit leftward as you cross. When you get to the other side of Eisenhower, turn left, and walk about 20 feet, and the front door to the Meridian will be on your right. There are two sets of double doors which all take you into the lobby. The front desk person will let you in, and send you up to the 25th floor when you tell them you are here for the NFB meeting. The elevators are in a bay right in front of you as you come in the front door. The front desk is on your right and facing into the lobby. Once you reach the 25th floor, the door to the club room is just ten feet from the elevator, right or left depending on which side you come out. Walk a couple of feet, the tile ends, and you are in a carpeted hallway running to your left and right, the door is just in front of you, slightly to the right. The bathroom is slightly to your left. All rooms are braille labeled. There is a subway sandwich shop just past the front door of the building on Eisenhower. It is open until 8:30pm. Tell them Brian sent you! There is also a side entrance to the Meridian on Mill Race. If you are dropped off at that door, come in and the front desk will be off to your left, and the elevator around the corner to the right. You should here the jazz playing - there is a speaker directly over the front desk. Head toward the jazz, and then when you are at the front desk, the elevator bay is behind you and a bit to the left. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Wed Apr 18 20:36:28 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 16:36:28 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Roster of chapter members Message-ID: <0fda01d3d754$eda16b40$c8e441c0$@gmail.com> Good afternoon, Please find attached a copy of the chapter roster of current dues-paying members as of March, 2018. The list has been updated to reflect a few errors from the prior list sent out a few weeks ago. Please let me know if we've missed anyone, or if there are any errors. Thanks, Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Virginia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: gacnfb Members and dues paid.doc Type: application/msword Size: 44544 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Thu Apr 19 00:11:49 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 20:11:49 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] NFB Code of conduct Message-ID: <000001d3d773$07caabd0$17600370$@gmail.com> Dear chapter members, A month or so ago I sent out an email with the NFB code of conduct attached and in the body of the email. I asked everyone to read it and be prepared to discuss it at our next chapter meeting. As the code of conduct is one of our topics of discussion tomorrow, I wanted to be sure everyone had another chance to read and review it so we can have a substantive discussion at our meeting. I promise I won't test you on the details! But this is important, so I thank everyone for their attention to this matter. Below I've pasted in the text of the code, and I've also attached it as a word document for your convenience. Thanks, Brian Miller, Ph.D. President Greater Alexandria Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Virginia Code of Conduct I. Introduction The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. The Federation 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. To help carry out the Federation's vital mission, this Code of Conduct sets forth policies and standards that all members, especially Federation leaders, are expected to adopt and follow. II. Diversity Policy The National Federation of the Blind embraces diversity and full participation as core values in its mission to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind. We are committed to building and maintaining a nationwide organization with state affiliates and local chapters that is unified in its priorities and programs and is directed by the membership. We respect differences of opinion, beliefs, identities, and other characteristics that demonstrate that blind people are a diverse cross section of society. Furthermore, the organization is dedicated to continuing to establish new methods of membership and leadership development that reflect the diversity of the entire blind community. In promoting a diverse and growing organization, we expect integrity and honesty in our relationships with each other and openness to learning about and experiencing cultural diversity. We believe that these qualities are crucial to fostering social and intellectual maturity. Intellectual maturity also requires individual struggle with unfamiliar ideas. We recognize that our views and convictions will be challenged, and we expect this challenge to take place in a climate of tolerance and mutual respect in order to maintain a united organization. While we encourage the exchange of differing ideas and experiences, we do not condone the use of demeaning, derogatory, or discriminatory language, action, or any other form of expression intended to marginalize an individual or group. The National Federation of the Blind does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, marital status, age, genetic information, disability, or any other characteristic or intersectionality of characteristics. III. Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy The National Federation of the Blind will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, marital status, age, genetic information, disability, or any other characteristic or intersectionality of characteristics. Harassment on the basis of any of these characteristics similarly will not be tolerated. Although this Code of Conduct establishes a minimum standard prohibiting discrimination and harassment, nothing in this Code should be interpreted to limit in any way a person's right to report abuse or harassment to law enforcement when appropriate. Sexual harassment is prohibited by state and federal law and also will not be tolerated by the National Federation of the Blind. Complaints of harassment may be lodged by a female against a male, by a female against a female, by a male against a male, or by a male against a female. Sexual harassment is defined as "unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical contact, or other verbal or physical conduct or communication of a sexual nature." The following conduct is either considered conduct that by itself is sexual harassment, or that has the potential risk of causing sexual harassment to occur, and this conduct is therefore prohibited: . unwelcome inappropriate physical contact or touching; . repeating of sexually suggestive jokes/references/innuendoes and comments about an individual's body/sexual prowess/physical attributes/dress; . the use of sexually derogatory language/pictures/videos toward/about another person; . the use of inappropriate sexual gestures; . sexually suggestive propositions; and . explicit or implicit threats that failure to submit will have negative consequences. Under this policy, harassment can be verbal, written, or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law; or that of his or her relatives, friends, or associates, and that a) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment; b) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's performance or involvement in the organization; or c) otherwise adversely affects an individual's opportunities for participation/advancement in the organization. Harassing conduct includes epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts including bullying; denigrating jokes; and written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group that is placed on walls or elsewhere on the organization's premises or circulated by email, phone (including voice messages), text messages, social networking sites, or other means. IV. Social Media and Web Policy All members of the Federation, but especially officers of the Federation as well as those in leadership positions such as state affiliate presidents, should follow these recommended guidelines when making comments online, posting to a blog, using Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/YouTube/Pinterest/Instagram/similar tools, and/or using other platforms that fall under the definition of social media: . Promote the mission and branding message of the organization in comments/posts. . Recognize that you are morally and legally responsible for comments/pictures posted online. . Be aware that the audience includes members and nonmembers of the NFB, both youth and adults, representing diverse cultures and backgrounds. . Refrain from using profanity/derogatory language. . Post/respond with integrity. Though you may disagree with a post, be respectful and factual. Do not fight or air personal grievances online. . Do not post materials that are inappropriate for children/minors to view/share/read. V. Conflict of Interest Policy Each NFB officer, national board member, or state affiliate president (hereafter Federation leader) is expected to take appropriate responsibility to protect the Federation from misappropriation or mismanagement of Federation funds (including funds of an affiliate, chapter, or division in which the Federation leader assumes a leadership role). Each Federation leader is expected to disclose the existence of any potentially conflicting personal financial interest or relationship to the full National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors and seek its review and approval, as specified below. For example: . A Federation leader must seek board review and approval of his or her receipt of salary or compensation of any kind from the Federation (including an affiliate, chapter, or division). . A Federation leader must seek board review and approval of receipt by his or her spouse, parent, child, sibling, or other close relative of salary or compensation of any kind from the Federation (including an affiliate, chapter, or division). . A Federation leader must seek board review and approval of any ownership interest exceeding 5 percent in or of any salary, compensation, commission, or significant tangible gift from any commercial venture doing business or seeking to do business with the Federation (including an affiliate, chapter, or division). This process will also apply to the review of such interests involving spouses, parents, children, siblings, or other close relatives. . In reviewing matters brought pursuant to this section, the officer or national board member seeking national board review and approval will refrain from voting. . Each Federation leader shall take appropriate steps to avoid unauthorized or inaccurate appearances or official endorsement by the Federation (including an affiliate, chapter, or division) of any product, service, or activity that has not been so endorsed. For example, because the Federation never endorses political parties or candidates for elected office, any Federation leader participating in the political process must take care to avoid creating an appearance of official Federation endorsement. VI. Policy While Interacting with Minors For purposes of this Code of Conduct and consistent with most legal standards, a minor is any individual under the age of eighteen. While interacting with any minor, a national officer, national board member, or state affiliate president (hereafter Federation leader) shall recognize that a minor cannot legally give consent for any purpose even if said minor is verbally or otherwise expressing consent. For example, a minor may say that he/ or she consents to physical interaction. However, such consent is not valid or legal and should not be accepted. A parent or guardian must be informed and consulted about any action requiring consent from the minor. A Federation leader shall report any inappropriate interactions between adults and minors to the minor's parents and law enforcement when appropriate. VII. Alcohol and Drug Policy Although alcoholic beverages are served at some Federation social functions, members and Federation leaders may not participate in any such functions in a condition that prevents them from participating safely and from conducting Federation business effectively or that might cause embarrassment to or damage the reputation of the Federation. The Federation prohibits the possession, sale, purchase, delivery, dispensing, use, or transfer of illegal substances on Federation property or at Federation functions. VIII. Other General Principles In addition to the other policies and standards set-forth herein, national officers, national board members, and state affiliate presidents (hereafter Federation leaders) shall adhere to the following standards: . Federation leaders shall practice accountability and transparency in all activities and transactions. . Federation leaders shall foster a welcoming environment at NFB meetings, events, and conferences that is a cooperative and productive atmosphere for all members and nonmembers. . Federation leaders shall interact with NFB staff in a professional manner and follow proper channels of authority and communication. . Federation leaders shall positively promote the NFB through verbal and written communication. . Whenever possible, Federation leaders and members are strongly encouraged to handle conflicts or complaints involving other members privately, directly, and respectfully. Nothing in this standard is intended to limit a Federation leader's or member's right to pursue organizational change through appropriate methods or to limit anyone's right to file a complaint for violation of this Code when necessary. IX. Violations and Complaint Procedure Violations of this Code of Conduct, after first being established through the process set-forth below, are subject to disciplinary action by the Federation. Such disciplinary actions may include but are not limited to counselling, verbal and/or written reprimand, probation, suspension or termination of officer/leadership duties, and/or suspension or expulsion from the Federation. . Any complaint for a violation of this Code of Conduct shall be filed with the Office of the President for the Federation. The President shall appoint a committee of no more than four persons to investigate the complaint and provide a recommendation for action or lack thereof. The committee shall be comprised of persons not directly involved in the matters being raised and who can be completely unbiased about the individuals and issues addressed in the complaint. Every effort shall be made to appoint a committee reflecting the broad diversity of individuals in the Federation. . Complaints shall be treated as confidential in order to protect the identity and reputation of the person about whom the complaint is filed and the person filing the complaint. . All complaints shall be filed as promptly as possible. Except under extreme circumstances, no complaint shall be accepted or investigated after a year from the time of the alleged violation of this Code. . Complaints that turn out to be false and used for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, or retaliating against someone will be subject to the same kind of disciplinary action enumerated above. . Any person dissatisfied with the resolution of a complaint may file an appeal with the National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors, which may, in its discretion, take such action as it deems necessary. No national board member shall participate in the consideration of an appeal under this Code if such board member is the subject of the complaint or if such board member cannot be completely unbiased, impartial, and fair while considering the matter. X. Minimum Standard This Code of Conduct is intended to recite a minimum set of standards expected of Federation members. It sets forth the spirit that the Federation expects of all of its participants toward each other and toward those who work with the Federation at all of its levels. It is intended to be interpreted broadly to instill a respectful, cooperative, and welcoming spirit in members and in the activities of the Federation. XI. Federation Pledge and Acknowledgement of Code of Conduct I, (Federation leader), pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its Constitution. I further acknowledge that I have read this Code of Conduct and that I will follow its policies, standards, and principles. Note: The Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind unanimously adopted this Code of Conduct on January 26, 2018. In adopting this Code, the Board expressed its clear intent that this Code shall be reviewed annually or at any other time as necessary. C2018 All Rights Reserved - Copyright 2018 National Federation of the Blind Privacy Policy Accessibility Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Code of Conduct of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 30780 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Apr 20 12:12:31 2018 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 08:12:31 -0400 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Fwd: Research Study on detectable warnings at complex crossings References: <001801d3d817$2c8a39a0$859eace0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <076595A6-9B99-42AC-96D9-474A790B6632@gmail.com> Good morning! Please see Bonnie?s email below... This is the study that she mentioned at last night?s meeting. I have signed up to participate in this myself - should be interesting. It was great to see everyone last night! Have a wonderful weekend! Brian Miller President Greater Alexandria Chapter NFBV Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: "Bonnie O'Day" > Date: April 19, 2018 at 3:46:56 PM EDT > To: "John Halverson" , "'John Bailey'" , "BrianMiller" > Cc: "Bonnie ODay" > Subject: FW: Research Study on detectable warnings at complex crossings > > Hi John, John and Brian. I have been asked to distribute the following information on a research study to determine the use of detectable warnings or other guidance surfaces at complex street crossings such as roundabouts or unusual intersections. They are looking for 20 participants who meet certain characteristics, described below. I have also attached and pasted below information about who is conducting the research and the funding. > > From: Colleen McNerney [mailto:mcnerneycolleen at gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2018 8:16 AM > To: Bonnie O'Day > Cc: ninajoneill at gmx.com > Subject: Research Study O & M > > Greetings from the Study?s Assistant Recruiters, Colleen McNerney and Nina O?Neill. > Are you interested in being a participant? > > The attached overview contains information about the national research study taking place in Old Town Alexandria between May 11th and May 16th. > > We are seeking people who are blind or have low vision to participate for a 90 minute exercise in street crossing under the guidance of the research team. Nina and I will interview you over the phone to gather basic information and answer any questions. > > Participants in the study will be asked to find and align to 6 roadway crossing situations, 3 with tactile guidance surfaces installed, and 3 without. The sites are in Alexandria, VA, near the King Street Metro in Old Town. > Participants must: > 1. Be unable to see crosswalk lines, curbs & poles in the travel environment. > 2. Be comfortable using a long cane for the study, even if they normally use a dog guide. > 3. Travel independently & cross streets at least a few times each week. > 4. Have no limits to sensation in lower extremities or trouble with balance. > > -Participants will be provided with transportation to & from the study sites in Alexandria VA, and will be compensated with $50 for their time. > -Participants will spend an hour and a half one day between May 11-16 working with the researchers between the hours of 9:30am to 6pm. > > You may be a guide dog user. The testing session, which focuses on street crossing, must be completed using your cane. We will have qualified people present to stay with your dog while you are engaged in the research exercise should you travel there with your dog. > > > You may share my contact information with your friends & colleagues, and they can contact me directly, or you can give me contact information of people who are interested-whatever works best for you. > > Please contact one of us immediately and complete the phone interview. Deadline is Tuesday, April 24th. We both live in the Metro DC area. > > Nina O?Neill, COMS > ninajoneill at gmx.com > 609-203-9432 > > Colleen McNerney, Teacher of the Visually Impaired > mcnerneycolleen at gmail.com > 703-408-2741 > > Your information (gathered from our phone interview) will be sent to the research team. Following a review, the team will confirm your eligibility and notify you on May 2nd to finalize your participation. At that point, Colleen or Nina will contact you to arrange the most convenient day and time between May 11 ? 16th for your participation. > > Thank you for your interest in this national investigation. > Colleen McNerney > Nina O?Neill > > > Attachment > NIDILRR Research: Effect of guidance surfaces on individuals with vision impairments > > Description of project: > This study is part of a research project for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) titled The Effect of Guidance Surfaces on Travelers with Vision and Mobility Impairments. This study is being conducted by Western Michigan University (WMU) and Accessible Design for the Blind. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of guidance surfaces at certain types of complex intersections (roundabouts, channelized turn lanes, large radius corners, skewed intersections and others) to determine if the installation of such surfaces improve alignment and crossing by participants who are blind. The photo below shows the prototype ?bar tile? surface to be used in previous research. > > The research team for this project consists of Rob Wall Emerson, PhD, COMS, Western Michigan University, Janet Barlow, COMS, and Billie Louise (Beezy) Bentzen, PhD, COMS, Accessible Design for the Blind. This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Western Michigan University. > > Each participant in the research will receive an honorarium and reimbursement for transportation expenses. We expect to collect data on alignment and street crossings by 20 people in your city over the course of the study. Our plan is to collect data on 18 participants during our data collection visit of approximately one week. There will be two ?pilot? participants in addition to the 18. > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 212562 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NIDILRR Research Overview.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 422904 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: