[Nfbv-announce] 2014 State Convention Agenda

[Fredric Schroeder]

56th ANNUAL CONVENTION

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA

Voice of the Nation’s Blind

 

Fredric Schroeder, President

 

November 7 - 9, 2014

 

Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina

700 Settlers Landing Road

Hampton, VA 23669  

HAMPTON, VA 23669 

757 - 727 - 9700

866 - 727 - 9990

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

 

Hosted by the Peninsula Chapter of the 

National Federation of the Blind of Virginia 

Natasha Hubbard, President

 

THE FEDERATION PLEDGE

“I 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.”




Convention Registration 

Convention Registration will be held in the Coat Check Room, located in the
meeting room area, 1st floor at the end of the hallway. The cost of onsite
registration is $25.00. Registration will be open on Friday, November 7,
from 12:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and on Saturday, November 8, from 8:00 A.M. to
10:00 A.M. and from 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. Door prizes and auction items can
be brought to the registration desk beginning on Friday morning. 

 

Meal Functions 

Tickets for all meal functions are available at the registration desk.
Banquet and Box Lunch Tickets must be purchased by 10:00 A.M. on Saturday,
November 8. 

 

Banquet: Banquet tickets may be purchased onsite for $35.00.

 

Box Lunch: Box lunch tickets may be purchased onsite for $16.50. There are
only a limited number of box lunches available for sale for those who did
not preorder. 

 

Note: For more information about registration or meal functions, please
contact Michael Kasey at (540) 760 - 3885.

 

Door Prizes

Door prizes will be drawn periodically throughout convention sessions on
Saturday and Sunday and at the banquet. To be eligible for door prizes, you
must be registered for the convention and present in the room when your name
is called.

 

Action Auction

Throughout the convention we will be holding an Action Auction to raise
money for the affiliate. The auction will be great fun with many valuable
items up for bid. You will have a chance to preview auction items on Friday
afternoon in the exhibit area. For more information contact Jacki Brown,
Chairperson and Auctioneer.

 

Contact Table

If you need assistance from the NFB OF VIRGINIA (such as helping a blind
child get a good education, help getting access to blindness skills
training, or help resolving an employment discrimination problem), please go
to the Contact Table. After the convention, a member of the NFB OF VIRGINIA
will contact you. In addition, if you would like to sign up to receive any
of our publications or would like to get regular updates about our programs
and legislative efforts, please also visit the Contact Table. The table will
be open during the board meeting, after the opening ceremonies on Saturday,
at the end of the banquet, and all morning Sunday. For more information,
please contact Kierra Davis, Contact Table Coordinator.

 

Youth Track

Youth Track is coordinated by the Virginia Association of Blind Students and
will run parallel to the main convention program. The Youth Track will:
connect students with positive role models and peers throughout the state;
challenge students to think about themselves and their role in the civil
rights movement; introduce students to our positive NFB philosophy on
blindness; educate students about their choices for blindness skills
training; and put these new experiences to work through a travel activity
outside the convention hotel. For more information please contact Tracy
Soforenko at (202) 285 – 4595

 

Childcare

 

Childcare will be available for infants through fifth graders on Friday
evening and throughout the day on Saturday. Childcare will be located in the
Executive Suite, room 823. We will have activities and games for the
children. 

 

Childcare will be offered at the following times:

Session 1 Friday evening 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.

Session 2 Saturday morning 8:45 A.M. to 12:15 P.M.

Session 3 Saturday afternoon 12:15 P.M. to 5:15 P.M.

Session 4 Saturday evening 6:45 P.M. to ½ hour after the banquet adjourns 

 

Snacks will be provided during Session 2 and Session 3. Even though
Childcare will be open and fully staffed during lunch on Saturday, lunch
will not be provided. Parents should either pick their children up for lunch
at the end of Session 2 or provide a lunch for their children to eat in the
Childcare room. Also, dinner will not be provided on Saturday evening.
Parents should feed their children dinner prior to bringing them to Session
4. The cost of Childcare is $5 per family per session. 

 

Assistive Listening Devices

A limited number of assistive listening devices are available during all
convention sessions and at the banquet. For an assistive listening device,
please go to the registration desk located in the Coat Check Room.

 




Friday, November 7, 2014

 

9:00 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. NFB OF VIRGINIA Board of Directors Meeting (Open to
All): Ballroom A

 

12:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. Registration: Coat Check Room

 

12:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Exhibits: Peninsula Room (located next to convention
registration)

 

1:00 P.M. - 2:15 P.M. What are Employers Really Looking for? Ballroom B

Carrie Schroeder, Human Resources Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP



This seminar will discuss job seeking from the perspective of the employer.
Come prepared to learn what employers look for in interviews. Following the
seminar, you will have the opportunity to participate in a private mock
interview with an experienced human resources professional. If you wish to
have a private session, come dressed for an interview, bring your resume and
be ready for genuine, helpful feedback. 

Note: To insure you have a slot for a mock interview, please schedule in
advance by contacting Carrie Schroeder at carrie.schroeder at us.pwc.com

 

1:00 P.M. – 2:15 P.M. Getting More Out of Your Smartphone: Ballroom C

This seminar will discuss the latest In useful Apple apps used for the blind
– ride sharing, the KNFB Reader, public transit tools, and many more. 

 

2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Legislative Leadership Seminar: Ballroom B

Learn how you can become a leader in advancing our mission through advocacy.
Learn from experienced Federationists on how you can advance our mission on
the local, state and national levels.

 

2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Social Media: Why Should You be using it? Ballroom C

In this seminar, you will learn why social media is essential for today’s
jobs, how to make it work for blind people, and how it can advance our
mission.

 

3:45 P.M. – 4:45 P.M. Unified English Braille (UEB) Seminar: Ballroom B

Sandy Halverson, Presenter

UEB will be here before you know it. This seminar will explain the
differences you will see when the UEB is implemented in 2016

 

3:45 P.M. – 4:45 P.M. Building an Advocacy Corps: Ballroom C

     Stewart Prost, NFB of Virginia Vocational Rehabilitation Advocate

If you understand the vocational rehabilitation system, your fellow blind
Virginians need your help. Together, we can help people understand the
choices and process for obtaining the services they need to live full and
productive lives.

 

5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Public Meeting on Rehabilitation Services: Ballroom C

Susan Payne, VR Director, Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision
Impaired

 

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. At - Large Chapter Reception: Presidential suite, Room
924

Rick Holly, Chairperson, At - Large Chapter

 

7:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. Hospitality: Ballroom A

Hosted by the Peninsula Chapter

7:00 P.M. - 8:15 P.M. Student Hospitality: Chesapeake Room (2nd floor)

Tracy Soforenko, Coordinator 

 

7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. Braille Carnival: Peninsula Room

Nancy Yeager, Coordinator

 

7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Seminar for Chapter Presidents and Treasurers:
Ballroom C

Charles Brown & Mark Roane, Coordinators

 

8:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. Resolutions Committee: Ballroom B

Jennifer Shields, Chairperson

 

8:30 P.M. – 10:00 P.M. One - on - One Hands on Workshop: Apple Products,
Tips & Tricks for using Voiceover and Useful Apps: Ballroom C

This will be a drop in session with four tables and four trainers.

 

Table 1 - New to Voice Over: Trainers will work with people who are new to
Apple devices, including how to configure a device and establish the
settings.

 

Table 2 - Basic Apps: Trainers will help with core Apple applications such
as mail, phone, calendar, and camera.

 

Table 3 - Specific Applications: Training on GPS apps, the KNFB Reader
Mobile, ride sharing, Tap Tap See, Bard and NFB Newsline.

 

Table 4 - Low Vision: How to use low vision resources on your device.

 

9:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. Virginia Association to Promote the Use of Braille:
Peninsula Room

Nancy Yeager, President

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, November 8, 2014

 

8:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Registration: Coat Check Room

 

General Session: Ballroom A

 

9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. Opening Ceremonies

 

Call to Order: Fredric Schroeder, President, NFB of Virginia

 

Invocation: 

 

Presentation of the Colors: 

 

Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Federation Pledge:

 

Greetings from Our Host Chapter: Natasha Hubbard, President, NFB OF
VIRGINIA, Peninsula Chapter

 

Convention Arrangements: Michael Kasey, Chairperson, Convention Organization
and Arrangements

 

9:30 A.M. - 9:45 A.M. The Congress Is On Our Side

The Honorable Robert “Bobby” C. Scott Member of the U.S. House of
Representatives, 3rd Congressional District of Virginia (invited)

 

9:45 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. Action Auction

 

9:50 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. National Report

Gary Wunder, Editor, The Braille Monitor; and President, National Federation
of the Blind of Missouri

 

10:30 A.M. - 10:35 A.M. Action Auction

 

10:35 A.M. - 10:55 A.M. What Blind Children and Youth Need to be Successful
Adults

Garrick Scott, President, National Federation of the Blind of Georgia

 

10:55 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Youth Track

Tracy Soforenko, Coordinator

7th grade and younger: Peninsula Room

8th grade and older: Chesapeake Room (2nd floor)

 

10:55 A.M. - 11:15 A.M. BELL: Early Literacy, A Lifetime of Possibilities

Sandy Halverson, BELL Program Coordinator 

 

11:15 A.M. - 11:20 A.M. Action Auction

 

11:20 A.M. - 11:40 A.M. Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Blind in
Virginia

Raymond Hopkins, Commissioner, Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired

 

11:40 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. The Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and
Vision Impaired: 

>From Revolving Door Rehabilitation To Escalators To Success

Melody Roane, Director, Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and
Vision

Impaired (VRCBVI);

Bryan Baldwin, Student, VRCBVI; and

Jerry Anderson, Student, VRCBVI

 

12:00 P.M. Noon Recess

 

12:05 P.M. - 12:15 P.M. Box Lunch Pickup: Coat Check room

 

12:15 P.M. – 1:45 P.M. Virginia Association of Blind Veterans Organizing
Meeting and Luncheon: Presidential Suite, Room 924

Roy Murphy, Organizing Committee chairperson.

 

12:15 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. NFB of Virginia Blind Seniors Division Luncheon and
Business Meeting: Hampton University Board Room (9th floor)

Nancy Yeager, Division Coordinator (Box Lunch - $16.50)

 

12:15 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. Virginia Association of Blind Students Luncheon and
Business Meeting: Chesapeake Room 

Sarah Patnaude, President (Box Lunch - $16.50) 

 

12:15 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. Virginia Parents of Blind Children Luncheon and
Business Meeting: Ballroom C 

Theresa Willis, President, and Sandy Halverson, NFB OF VIRGINIA Parent
Liaison (Box lunch - $16.50)

 

12:15 P.M. – 1:45 P.M. Virginia Association of Blind Veterans Organizing
Meeting: Presidential Suite, Room 924

Roy Murphy, Organizing Committee chairperson

 

1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Registration: Coat Check Room

 

Afternoon General Session: Ballroom A

 

2:00 P.M. - 2:20 P.M. Why I Am a Federationist

Tracy Soforenko, Second Vice President, NFB of Virginia

 

2:20 P.M. - 2:40 P.M. Lifetime Change in 6 Days: Reflections from Virginia’s
2014 McDonald Fellows and Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund
Winners

Moderator: Tracy Soforenko, Chairperson, McDonald Fellowship Committee and
NFB OF VIRGINIA Liaison, Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund
Committee

Panelists: Edie Parker and Roy Murphy

 

2:40 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Blind Teens: Why Work Experience Matters: A Panel
Presentation

Moderator: Tracy Soforenko

Panelist: Jennifer Kennedy, Working as a Counselor at a Christian Summer
Camp;

Jessica Reed, Working at a Swim Club and as an Intern at the CIA; and

Daniel Ashman, Finding Employers to Provide Unpaid Internships for VRCBVI
Life Program Participants

 

3:00 P.M. - 3:05 P.M. Action Auction

 

3:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Youth Track

Tracy Soforenko, Coordinator

7th grade and younger: Chesapeake room

8th grade and older: Peninsula Room (2nd floor)

 

3:05 P.M. - 3:25 P.M. Opportunities under New Rules for Federal Contractors
and How a Progressive Employer is Meeting the Challenge of Hiring People
with Disabilities

David J. Shaffer, Accessibility Policy Officer, Office of ADA Policy and
Planning; and Ethel Roy, Director of Talent Acquisition, Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

 

3:25 P.M. – 3:40 P.M. Employment of Individuals with Disabilities:
Opportunities within the Federal Service

Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, Esq., Special Counsel, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education (invited)

 

3:40 P.M. – 3:45 P.M. Action Auction

 

3:45 P.M. – 4:25 P.M. Game Changing Technology

Ride Sharing: Kandace Haney, Member, NFB of Virginia, At-Large Chapter

Accessible GPS Applications : Maurice Peret, Orientation and Mobility
Instructor, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland

The KNFB Reader App: Cathy Schroeder, Webmaster, NFB of Virginia

 

NFB Newsline ® App: John Halverson, NFB of Virginia, Newsline ® Coordinator

NLS BARD: Natasha Hubbard, President, NFB OF VIRGINIA Peninsula chapter

 

4:25 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Action Auction

 

4:30 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Presidential Report
Fredric Schroeder, President, NFB of Virginia

 

5:00 P.M. Adjourn Afternoon General Session

 

6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Pre - Banquet Reception (Cash Bar): Grand Ballroom
Foyer

 

7:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. 2014 Convention Banquet: Grand Ballroom

 

Banquet Program

Master of Ceremonies: Charles Brown, Immediate Past President, NFB of
Virginia

 

Invocation:

 

2014 James F. Nelson Scholarship Awards Presentation: Jennifer Kennedy,
Chairperson, Scholarship Committee

 

Banquet Address: Gary Wunder, Editor, The Braille Monitor; and President,
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri

 

Action Auction: Jacki Brown, Chairperson and Auctioneer

 

10:00 P.M. – 12:00 A.M. After Banquet Activity: Grand Ballroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

 

8:00 A.M. - 8:50 A.M. Devotions: Hampton University Board Room (9th floor)

 

9:00 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. Youth Track: Chesapeake Room (2nd floor)

Tracy Soforenko, Coordinator

 

General Session: Ballroom A

 

9:00 A.M. - 9:05 A.M. Invocation

 

9:05 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. Cane Tips:

Sean McMahon: Using the Washington Metro

Jennifer Kennedy: Traveling without sidewalks

Brian Miller: Traveling abroad 

 

9:30 A.M. - 9:45 A.M. Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act:
“Demonstrating” our Views

Sarah Patnaude, President, Virginia Association of Blind Students

 

9:45 A.M. – 10:00 A.M. 75 Days of Action: Where Do We Go From Here?

Sandy Halverson, NFB of Virginia 75 Days of Action Coordinator

 

10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Business Session

 

Audit Committee Report: Michael Kasey, Chairperson

 

Treasurer’s Report: Mark Roane, Treasurer

 

SUN Committee Report: Sandy Halverson, Chairperson

 

2015 Richmond Seminar: Michael Kasey and Tracy Soforenko

 

2015 National Convention 

 

2015 NFB OF VIRGINIA Convention: Westin Tysons Corner, Falls Church, October
30-November 1, 2015

 

Resolutions: Jennifer Shields, Chairperson

 

Nominating Committee Report: Charles Brown, Chairperson

 

Elections

 

Old and New Business

 

Report of Youth Track Activities: Tracy Soforenko, Coordinator

 

Closing Remarks: Fredric Schroeder, President, NFB of Virginia

 

12:00 P.M. Adjourn

 

 

Thank you to our Peninsula Chapter for hosting the 2014 NFB OF VIRGINIA
State Convention. Your hospitality made us feel like family and it made the
convention one of our best ever.

 

Help build a future full of opportunity for the blind by becoming a member
of the Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society. Your legacy gift to the National
Federation of the Blind can be made in the form of a will or living trust,
an income - generating gift, or by naming the NFB as a beneficiary of a
retirement plan or life insurance policy. You can also become a member of
the Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society by making a legacy gift to your state
affiliate. By committing to support an NFB affiliate, your gift will benefit
both local and national programs as all bequests made to affiliates are
split evenly with the NFB national treasury. In addition to having the
satisfaction of contributing to the future success of the NFB's mission,
tenBroek legacy society members will also receive a specially designed thank
you gift and other benefits. For additional information about the Jacobus
tenBroek Legacy Society, please contact Lou Ann Blake at the NFB Jernigan
Institute by e - mail at lblake at nfb.org, or by telephone at 410 - 659 -
9314, extension 2221.

 

 

 

Fredric K. Schroeder, Ph.D.

 

Make a difference today in the lives of blind children and adults by
donating your used vehicle to the National Federation of the Blind by
calling 1-855-659-9314