[Nfbv-announce] The Vigilant, February 2018

Sat Feb 17 17:26:24 UTC 2018

Full text follows. If you would rather read the newsletter online, please
visit:

http://www.nfbv.org/vigilant-february-2018/

The Vigilant, February 2018

Joe Orozco, Editor

>From the President's Desk

We're almost two months into the new year. Already our affiliate has seen a
whirlwind of activity. Our legislative advocacy efforts are an ongoing
effort. Project Rise is hosting the first of its activities as this
newsletter goes out for publication. Our various chapters are busy planning
and carrying out a number of social enrichment activities. Convention
planning at the state and national levels is underway. Anyone who says
Federationists are lethargic have clearly not spent enough time around our
movement.

I hope this message finds you well. Yes, things are busy on different
fronts, but I should hope we are never too busy to remember that basic need
to connect with people around us. Please take a moment to reach out to your
fellow members, not to ask for an organizational status, but rather, to make
sure they are doing okay. Remember, this movement is about people first.

As always, if I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to reach
out. Anything I should be made aware of, whether it be blindness-related, or
some new development in your life, I would be all too glad to hear from you.

Yours in service,

Tracy Soforenko, President

National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

This Month's Words of Inspiration

"You need to either be shown how to do something or figure it out yourself,
then practice. The experience you gain will not only improve your skills but
your confidence in tackling other tasks. Nobody is good at cane travel right
away. It takes a lot of practice, some getting lost, some figuring out what
to do next, and some sighs of relief when you make it to your destination.
Learning Braille takes practice. Learning how to navigate a computer with
screen reading software takes practice, confronts you with some stressful
moments when your computer freezes up, and requires the assistance of
friends who can help you figure things out when you are at your wits
end."-Chris Kuell, from the February Braille Monitor
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm18/bm1802/bm180204.htm>

>From the Editor

I want to take a brief moment to remind you that this newsletter is for your
benefit. If there is anything you would like to see included, please do not
hesitate to bring it to my attention. Starting this month, I have made a
concerted effort to connect with chapter and division presidents about
announcements they might be interested in sharing with the affiliate at
large. Yes, some items you will see published twice, both here and in the
NFBV Announcement list. I apologize for the occasional duplication, but
sometimes, I really do scramble to gather material. Hence, your assistance
will always be appreciated in helping me provide more content. Thank you for
reading, and if any of this material was of some benefit to you, please help
us pass it along to other Virginians who may also find it helpful.

Kind regards,

Joe Orozco, Editor

Richmond Seminar Update

Changing the law in Virginia requires patience and persistence. 2018 has
required significant commitment and the results from this year's General
Assembly session are mixed.

We had three Legislative priorities.

Cross Disability Parents Rights (HB 491/SB70)

Our legislation, modeled after laws in 7 other states would require that the
judges not discriminate in custody, adoption, foster care or other family
law legal matters, that judges document when a parent's disability is the
primary reason for denying the parent custody and why supportive services
like training could not ameliorate the challenge.

We worked across the spectrum of disability organizations to build a
community of disability advocates to support the legislation.

For over a year, we have been seeking to find common ground with The Family
Law component of the Virginia Bar association with no success. The
"compromise" offered by the Family Law component of the Virginia Bar was to
add a simple one sentence statement not to discriminate against parents with
disabilities. While this is very nice, with no protections or procedures to
ensure compliance, the sentence is a hollow promise with no true protection.
After a calculated discussion and with advice from our National office, we
agreed that this compromise probably would not truly help anyone.

While we convinced the House Courts of Justice sub-committee that there was
a problem faced by blind parents and others with disabilities, they wanted
us to come to common understanding with the Family Lawyers. The committee
chair was clear, find a common understanding or the bill will fail. The
family lawyers were not willing to negotiate and would only agree to the 1
sentence solution.

Instead of letting the legislators vote down the bill, we pulled the bill
and will figure out how to move forward for 2019.

Opposition to Virginians with Disabilities Act Education and Reform Act
SB199

Together with the set of disability advocates we met through the
Cross-Disability Parents Rights legislation, we advocated against a Virginia
Senate Bill to weaken the protections in the Virginians with Disabilities
Act. This bill is based on some flawed understanding of Virginia law and the
set of disability advocates succeeded in stopping the bill.

Improving Education for Blind and Low Vision Students HB336)

We have been working to improve the education of Virginia's blind and low
vision K-12 students. Over the past 6 months, we have partnered with the
Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind (AER) to agree
on language that worked for all parties. HB336 passed the House Education
Committee and was very well received. Unfortunately, the bill died on
February 7 in a House Appropriations subcommittee. The Subcommittee
explained that they were not there to discuss the merits of the bills, just
the financial impact. The committee didn't believe it was the committees
role to place new burdens on local jurisdictions.

Mark Roane presented in favor of the bill using the talking points including
the 2013 increased Standards of Quality funding, the fact that the
requirements to assess and teach Braille were required under Federal and
state law, and we were simply providing guidance on ensuring assessment
followed Federal law. However, the School Superintendents and the School
Boards presented in opposition. They stated that this bill would Cost local
school districts money; they questioned the availability of Standards of
Quality funding; they stated that schools were already required to teach
blind children; and there really wasn't a problem. There was no discussion
and the bill were laid on the table.

Passing bills is intentionally difficult, Derek Manners was critical to
leading out legislative priorities in Virginia and we are very fortunate.
Derek is recognized by other disability advocates, AER, the staff of
Virginia Legislative Services and Delegates and Senators as an articulate,
extremely competent and prudent negotiator. Mark Roan and Earl Everett are
our advocates in the halls of the General assembly who represent us well.
Fred Schroeder has been extremely valuable in our discussions with AER.
Finally, over 50 people were in Richmond on January 16 for our legislative
advocacy day.

We can be proud of our efforts and we will be talking more about the path
forward. We welcome your advice and appreciate your willingness to make a
difference in Virginia.

Potomac Chapter Wine Tasting

We hope that you can join us for a wine tasting event and seminar to benefit
the Potomac Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. The event will
fund outreach programs for blind youth, seniors and working age adults. The
deadline to RSVP is Tuesday, February 27, so we can provide a final count to
the organizers. Drop ins that day will not be accepted due to limited space.

The details:

National Federation of the Blind Wine Tasting

Saturday, March 3, 2018

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Cost: $45 per person. Please make checks payable to PC-NFB. Cash and credit
cards are also accepted.

This year, our wine tasting has an exciting Spanish theme. A variety of
Spanish wines will be offered along with pairings of fine cheeses,
chocolate, crackers, and breads. An expert on Spanish wines representing
Bistro 360 wine bar, shop and restaurant in the Rosslyn/Courthouse area will
be pouring and explaining the wines. Each wine will be presented in a
relaxed lecture format with plenty of time to enjoy each wine, mingle, and
socialize with friends.

If you have always wanted to learn more about wine or just wanted to expand
your horizons, this event will be a great time.

About Bistro 360:

Born out of a desire to bring the best of the world's cuisine, wines and
beers to the neighborhood, Bistro 360 Wine Bar, Market & Restaurant, located
in-between Rosslyn and Courthouse, offers: a comfortable neighborhood
restaurant with an innovative menu drawn from cuisines around the world.

A contemporary wine bar where patrons can order from the full restaurant
menu and choose from a curated selection of wines and beers from around the
world as well as craft cocktails. A gourmet retail market with chef-prepared
takeaway meals for office or home and a great mix of wines, beers, ciders,
cheeses, charcuterie, fresh-baked breads and desserts, and much more.

Where: Bistro 360 is located at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Quin
Street, half way between Rosslyn and Courthouse Metro stations. Bistro 360
1800 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22201

703-522-3600

#1.) Bistro 360 will give a 15% donation for ANYTHING purchased from our
wine tasting in the store on the evening of March 3. This also includes the
pairings of cheeses, chocolates and specialty foods. How convenient to just
take it home with you!

#2.) Bistro 360 will donate a gift basket for raffle.

#3.) Bistro 360 additionally has offered to provide 15% of dinner proceeds
back to the PCNFB to further expand our fundraising potential. Consider
staying for dinner at Bistro 360.

#4.) Reservations & Payment: This special event, which will be hosted in
Bistro 360's restaurant facility, can accommodate 40-45 attendees, with some
limited flexibility. Advance reservations are required. The wine tasting
price is: $45.00 per person, cash or check made payable to the PCNFB.

Please bring your check to the event or mail it to our treasurer: 

Sean McMahon

2677 Avenir Place

Apt 3205

Vienna, VA 22180

You may also bring your payment to the wine tasting event.

To ensure your reservation is confirmed, please contact John Halverson at
jwh100 at outlook.com, or by phone at 703 379-1141. 

#5.) DO NOT HESITATE! Plan now to be among the movers and shakers and join
us at Bistro 360 on Saturday, March 3. Enjoy some outstanding wines, tasty
pairings, and good fellowship! Then, afterwards, you can enjoy dinner at
Bistro 360 or at any of the numerous excellent nearby restaurants along
Wilson Boulevard.

Thank you. 

John Halverson, Ph.D., President

Potomac Chapter, National Federation of the Blind

Chili Cookoff

Are you in the mood for tasting some of the most savory, delicious chili
dishes that Virginia can offer? If the answer is yes, you are cordially
invited to the 2nd Annual Richmond Chapter Chili Cookoff. At this exciting
event full of laughter, love, friendship, and togetherness, you can compete
against some of Virginia's best chili cooks, meet some of our celebrity
judges, devour decadent desserts, and converse with some of the state's best
chili taste testers.

Here's the information you need:

When:

Saturday, March 24, 2018 from 11:00AM-3:00pm

Where:

St. Bridget's Catholic Church

6006 Three Chopt Rd.

Richmond, VA 23226

Contestants: $10 entrance fee

Attendees: $7 advance cover charge| $10 cover charge at the door

All contestants must be paid and registered for the competition by Saturday,
March 10, 2018. This is a firm deadline. All attendees wishing to take
advantage of the advance cover charge price must pay and register prior to
the date of the event. 

There will be a 50/50 raffle at the event and a door prize of a brand-new
crock pot. The Richmond chapter is also accepting any donations to be used
for additional door prizes. Prizes for first, second, and third place chili
contestants will be awarded.

To register to compete, attend, or donate, please contact Richmond Chapter
Event Planner, Gerald Meredith, at 804.243.3980.

For additional questions, contact Robert Parsons (804.801.7674) or Brittany
Fraher (804.274.8908).

We look forward to enjoying this event with you all.

Google Accessibility Support

Ever wished you could get more help with the accessibility of your google
products? Now you can. After being in beta for several months, Google now
offers a dedicated accessibility support team for all your accessibility
questions.

They will be able to answer questions about using google products in
conjunction with your existing accessibility solutions, as well as questions
about accessibility solutions implemented by Google. Between 8 AM and 5 PM
PST Monday through Friday, agents will be available to answer accessibility
questions. The team can be contacted via email at:

disability-support-external at google.com

A representative will respond to your email within 72 hours. For now,
questions and responses must be in English, though more languages and
contact options may be added in future.

NFB Pledge

I pledge to participate actively in the effort 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.