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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><h1>The Vigilant: November 2019<o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Joe Orozco, Editor<o:p></o:p></h2><h2><o:p> </o:p></h2><h2>From the President's Desk<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It's November. Winter feels as though it has come, even if unofficially. For my family, November’s highlights are the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia convention and Thanksgiving, and in my extended family in the Federation, there is much to be thankful.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h3>Thank You for a Great Convention!<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>After our great 2019 NFB of Virginia convention, I am invigorated and excited for our work together. As we look forward towards Thanksgiving, we are grateful for many blessings including the tremendous love and support within our NFB of Virginia family. If you were at convention, I am certain you felt the sense of community and solidarity at this weekend’s event. The convention was a rich learning experience combined with the warmth of a celebration of friends and family. Our Federation family reunion was vibrant and exciting. Over the coming months, we will be sharing great content from this event. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you attended the convention, we would like your feedback before Sunday, December 1. Your feedback will influence the programming for the state convention next year. Please complete our brief survey found at:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://nfbv.org/survey">http://nfbv.org/survey</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please know we recognize the hard work by so many to make this convention possible. Please know we appreciate your efforts and we could not have made the convention the success it was without your help. Later in this newsletter we will do our best to directly thank some of the people we are aware who volunteered their time and energy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h3>Membership Coins<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At the convention, each chapter president was provided the membership coins for their chapter. We recognize that some chapter members were not at the convention. Please make certain you attend your local chapter events so you can be recognized and receive your membership coin. Each chapter should do something special at a local chapter event to recognize members who were not present at the state convention. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h3>Fundraising Success at the Convention<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our Virginia Federation community was extremely generous at the convention. Between the auction, the Portsmouth Regatta, the NFBV VIP fundraiser, and sales of membership coin pendant coin holders, we raised over $8,000.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please take some of the exciting ideas from the convention and implement them within your local community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h3>Final Thoughts<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Words cannot do justice at expressing the gratitude I feel at having the privilege to work with such a wonderful team in the Virginia affiliate. If our state does so well, it is in large part because we have a deep bench of leaders willing to step up and own a variety of tasks that push our programs and services to a higher level. We raise the bar in our great commonwealth, and I want you to know how blessed I am to count you in our ranks.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Organization aside though, I am individually grateful for you. I am intrigued by your individual stories of success. I am saddened by your more challenging experiences. Together, you and I make great fellow Federationists, but friendship first. If I can ever help you with anything, you need only call or write. If I cannot help you, I will connect you with someone who can. All I ask is that you extend the same love and kindness to those around you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please keep warm. Take care of each other. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but we are so fortunate to have one another to get it all done.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yours in service,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tracy Soforenko, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>This Month's Words of Inspiration<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”--Henri Frederic Amiel<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Richmond Seminar 2020<o:p></o:p></h2><h2>By Nijat Worley<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is a powerful force advocating for blind Virginians. Please join us for the Richmond Seminar on January 20-21, 2020 to ensure our voice is heard in the offices of the General Assembly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you have never attended a Richmond Seminar, we strongly encourage you to attend and participate in representative democracy in action. Everyone is assigned to a team with an experienced leader. The General Assembly members and their staff are very receptive and welcoming. They know we are organized, articulate, and well versed in the subject matter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We will put everyone on the team to work, sharing our issues and answering the questions of legislators and their staff.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The issues we will bring to Richmond are still under consideration but will most likely include:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Expanding resources for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired; <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Special Hiring Authority for Virginia State Government jobs; and <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Web Accessibility standards. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The final list of issues will be presented at the board meeting on Monday, January 20. We have bills being drafted that will need co-sponsors. Chapter Presidents should make contact with their General Assembly members in their local offices before the end of the year. If you need assistance in identifying them, contact Tracy Soforenko.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A meeting with our elected legislators in their home districts will go a long way in establishing the recognition that is needed for our visit to Richmond.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All Chapter members are encouraged to participate. If you intend on doing a meeting or need help setting one up, please contact Nijat Worley or Tracy Soforenko.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our board meeting is scheduled for 1:00 PM Monday afternoon, January 20, which is Martin Luther King Day. lunch will be available at the cafeteria on the premises. The Board Meeting will be held on the DBVI Campus on Azalea Avenue in Richmond.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our General Assembly visits will be Tuesday, January 21. The affiliate will reimburse transportation expenses and hotel expenses.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Chapter presidents should arrange cost effective transportation for their chapter members. Individuals are expected to share hotel rooms and must obtain hotel reservations themselves at the NFB of Virginia rate. If you need assistance identifying a room share, please contact Joe Orozco via email: jsorozco@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hotel rooms are available at the Delta Hotel.) The complete contact information is:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Delta Hotels by Marriott Richmond Downtown<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>555 East Canal Street<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Richmond, VA 23219<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The group rate is $139 plus applicable taxes. You may begin making reservations at any time by booking it online, or calling the reservations line at 844-781-7397and referencing the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. Please note reservations must be made no later than Friday, January 3, 2020.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you run into any problems with making reservations or need assistance at the hotel, please call our Operations Coordinator, Joe Orozco.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Chapter presidents must provide an initial list of the names of the individuals planning to attend from their chapter to Nijat Worley by Sunday, January 5, 2020 and additional names as they are known so we can establish and update teams in advance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Finally, if anyone in your chapter is interested in being a team leader, have them reach out to Nijat Worley directly. If you have any questions, please contact Nijat Worley at 720-219-9517, or nijatnfbv@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>2019 PRESIDENTIAL REPORT<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>Editor’s Note: The audio format of this presidential report will soon be posted to our affiliate website when the item is migrated to our blog.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>DELIVERED BY TRACY SOFORENKO, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Saturday, November 2, 2019<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>WELCOMING:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When I think of welcoming, I think of my family’s traditional Passover meal. Some of you might know this meal from the Last Supper. Regardless of your traditions in your family, all cultures and communities have large and diverse family meals with a really complex family. For our Passover meal, we invite family, friends, and even strangers to a fabulous meal made by my wife, Sharon. We have a lot of storytelling as we break bread together. At this meal, we welcome people into the tent of our home and family. The goal is to encourage questions and participate in the discussion. You can learn a lot about people from the questions they ask. Our family and friends are really diverse. To encourage our children to ask questions when they were young, we would give them a coin for each question they asked. Even if they were bad questions, we still gave them a coin. Each of you received a coin over this weekend so I have you covered. But at the end of my remarks, I ask you to put that coin in your hand so we can participate together. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When you look at a set of individuals in our Federation family, we’re going to describe them in four different areas. They are the wise, the difficult, the young, and the clueless. Isn’t that the worst soap opera title ever? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The wise people ask certain kinds of questions. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>How can I get involved? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>How can I participate? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>What can we do together to make things even better? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You know from the kind of questions they ask; you know that they want to contribute and feel like they’re part of the community. They are a pleasure to have at our table.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yesterday morning, you heard from the McDonald Fellowship and Jernigan scholarship winners. They attended their first national convention to learn and grew together with us and 3,000 other people in Las Vegas this year. We are committed to growing our movement. Over the past four or five years, we’ve been working to build the next generation of leadership. This is consistent with what Jennifer Kennedy was saying on Friday about building the next generation of leadership. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our chapters are the incubators building leaders by giving people new roles and saying we believe in the capabilities of blind people. This afternoon, we are going to run a chapter leadership university to help grow leaders in our chapters. We are committed to bring exciting ideas back to your local community. Our chapters are leading as well. We have really been growing through our chapters in many ways in the past four years. Nine of our chapters have new presidents. We want to recognize that many leaders in our movement have lovingly supported new leaders to give them the opportunity to learn and grow in new roles. We recognize those leaders for the true gift of passing the leadership mantle on to others. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We have developed our Chapter Leadership Institute to develop and grow chapter leaders by building on strengths and reducing weaknesses. The Chapter Leadership Institute or CLI takes the best of leadership concepts in the marketplace and applies them to a Federation setting. Joe Orozco and Domonique Lawless have been key to making this happen as the leaders of this program developing innovative programming. They have really pushed our participants in this program and guided them in a supportive and loving way. We are very grateful for the investment and compassion that has come from these leaders. I want to highlight two of these leaders. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Jacki Bruce is in our Williamsburg chapter. When she first started the program, Jacki expressed concern about running a chapter meeting. We did a mock chapter meeting. At the beginning of each chapter meeting, there is the white noise that happens at every chapter meeting with all of us talking. She could not overcome the white noise of our mock meeting. She was reduced to tears because she couldn’t get over this challenge. Since then, she worked in her chapter. She worked with her husband at home to try to work through this challenge. In August at the next exercise when put to the task, she whipped us into shape. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Brittany Ingram is a member of our Fredericksburg chapter. She would describe herself as shy and she had a challenge saying no and therefore, couldn’t always deliver on everything she signed up for. Brittany has worked hard in the program and she has really developed her inner voice and her inner confidence is truly powerful. She now uses that inner strength advocating for her daughter’s health needs and for her chapter. Brittany is the new chapter president of the Greater Fredericksburg Area Chapter. We are truly excited for these individuals and all the participants in our Chapter Leadership Institute. We are really proud that we have another year for the CLI. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Instead, now let’s talk about the second group. We all have them in our family. They are the difficult ones. They ask:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Do we have to do this?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Is this really necessary?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Does it really make a difference?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]> Why can’t we just eat?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I bet you have these people in your family. The trick about the difficult people is they don’t think they need to do the work of the family. They don’t need to participate in the work of our Federation family. They believe that discrimination is a thing of the past. Things are just going to get better and I don’t have to do anything about it. There is a set of employers who discriminate against us as they talk about their openness to be a work force that allows for all. I’m going to share a couple of stories.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Edy Parker is a member of our Williamsburg chapter. In the evenings, Edy works cleaning for a contractor supporting the offices of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She is really valued by her employer and she was recognized by the CFO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The contract went up for renewal and a new nationwide company won the contract. They brought on all the existing employees, gave them a new badge and told them they should keep doing their job. But they started asking Edy all kinds of questions. Because Edy is a low vision person, they questioned whether she could do her job. She couldn’t fill out the paper time sheet, an unessential component of the job, and we came up with all kinds of suggestions of how she could do this task non-visually. Edy’s boss brought her into the office and said, “We’re worried. You could hurt yourself. You’re a risk. You’re fired.” With help of the Disability Law Center that we heard from yesterday, Edy has filed an Equal Employment Opportunity case and is looking for a new job. But don’t think this couldn’t happen to each and every one of us. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mitchell Ford is a member of our Potomac chapter. For the past six years, he has worked at George Washington University initially as a part-time Arabic tutor and his students loved him so much, they demanded he start teaching classes and GW brought him on full-time as an instructor in Arabic. During evenings over the summers, Mitch used Skype to tutor students remotely. As his vision continued to decrease, Mitch thought, “I should up my blindness skills. I should go to BLIND, Inc., our National Federation of the Blind training center in Minnesota and develop the skills over the summer while still working nights for George Washington University as a tutor. This was a reasonable accommodation George Washington University rejected and Mitch went and asked the EEO office, “Hey, what’s going on with this? Can I appeal?” Within two weeks, Mitch was demoted to part-time, stripped of his teaching responsibilities, moved to hourly at half the rate he started at six years ago. You should know that Mitch is being represented by NFB funded attorneys, Scot LaBarre and our very own Deepa Goraya. Mitch has also moved on. He is now a teacher full-time at Fairfax High School teaching Arabic and he is a Project RISE mentor. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>These examples talk about employment discrimination and they happen all the time. Discrimination happens and suddenly, oftentimes we hear people reach out to me and say I’ve got a challenge. When these people reach out to me, maybe they’re coming to the National Federation of the Blind for the first time. They’ve known about us, but they never thought they needed to get involved. We sometimes help them even though they’re not members. But the first question President Riccobono asks me is, is this person an active member? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Low expectations are insidious, and discrimination does happen. We need you to be a member and actively participating in the National Federation of the Blind when times are good and everything is okay because there may be times when things are not so good and you’re facing discrimination and you need the support of the National Federation of the Blind. We need you to be an active member to be there to support others in their efforts. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Moving on to the third group, the young, they ask different kinds of questions. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>What is going on? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Can I do what everybody else does? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Can I dream? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is committed to ensuring that students and their parents are able to be successful. We support students and parents in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. For students in K through 12, as Beth mentioned, Sandy Halverson, Nancy Yeager and a number of others have crisscrossed the state to ensure that students are getting the educational resources they need, that alternative techniques are being taught and they get access to a quality education. We are grateful for their efforts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Braille Readers Are Leaders program is a national effort to encourage Braille literacy and encourage people for academic success. Virginia had more than any other state; 23 students participated in the Braille Readers Are Leaders program and we recognized every one of those students.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our scholarship program led by Patrick Johnson had six finalists this year and you just heard from them. We have our Virginia Association of Blind Students led by Gerald Meredith that is an active force in our community encouraging people to be members and helped us pull off a great seminar back in August for students across the southeast. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I want to highlight, though, our probably largest commitment which is Project RISE. As Kathryn mentioned, this is a pre-employment transition program for students 14 to 21. We have 35 students in the program across the state. We ran four statewide weekend-long seminars, five Saturday programs in northern Virginia. We have students from across the Commonwealth and this program was just a dream two years ago and now is a powerful force in our community. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I want to highlight two of our students in the program who are really achieving results but before that, I just want to give you a couple of things to think about. We had 15 informational interviews, four job shadows, six summer internships. How did that happen? Many of that happened because you, our members, helped make that happen. We are focused on delivering service that is remarkable because of the membership of the National Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Lizzie Schoen is a senior in high school. She has a bright future and real aspirations. Before connecting with us, she had positive mentors, but no one was blind. She believed that blindness created true complication to anything that she would achieve. On day one of our program two years ago, she would never be found with a cane. Through Project RISE, she was able to realize all—understand what could be possible. Over her education, she had received no Braille education and not a lot of access technology and she is now struggling to keep up with her demanding academic course work. Over the summer, she spent two weeks at BLIND, Inc., our National Federation of the Blind training center in Minneapolis and she had a complete immersion in blindness skills. She is now, with the help and advocacy of Kathryn Webster, our program coordinator, receiving an hour of Braille every single day of her senior year in high school. You will not find Lizzie without a cane. She will always have her cane and you will find Lizzie is a competent, confident adult ready to take on college. She is currently the vice president of our Virginia Association of Blind Students and I had the pleasure of working with her both in Richmond and in Washington seminars where she helped advocate for the issues important to us with our legislators. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A second student is Andrea Ortiz. Andrea would describe herself before the program as someone who was really fearful of her vision loss and she never used a cane and she lacked confidence in her skills. She had no blind role models and she was hesitant each and every day of her life. Through Project RISE, she has connected with a community and she considers the Federation a family. She has now started using her cane all the time and started learning Braille. You heard from her yesterday as one of our McDonald Fellowship winners and she really connected with people at convention—people from across the country. She worked the past two summers at the D.C. BELL program and this year, she was using learning shades with the other students to make sure she could—as she worked the program, learn from the program. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This program has a dynamic team of leaders, Kathryn Webster and Arielle Silverman, our program coordinator and deputy coordinator. Kathryn brings creativity, positive energy and insights well beyond her years. Arielle brings intelligence, organizational skills, and a commitment to our students. These women love our students and our students love them. In addition, we have mentors. over the past year, John Bailey, Marc Canamaso, Sarah Patnaude, Susie D’Mello, Mitchell Ford, Vivian Friedtas, Deepa Goraya, Jeremy Grandstaff, Jimmy Morris, Evelyn Valdez, and Joe Orozco served as our Project RISE mentors. But really what worked was all of you also volunteering and helping to make this possible. All these individualized things happen because all of you helped make these things possible. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The last group is the clueless. Most people don’t have any idea how you get anything done and they need us to explain how we do things and what we really need. It’s our job whether we like it or not. Legislators are amongst that group. They don’t know and sometimes, they need us to explain that to them. Sometimes, I’m surprised by the things in the Virginia General Assembly or the Congress, where things that are really important, they have no idea should move forward and other things they think should move forward are really, really bad ideas. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank goodness for the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. You have advocated. You took—you have taken the call to participate actively. In Richmond, 50 people participated in our Richmond Seminar and we kept coming after you to help with our advocacy for rehabilitation services and to fight off efforts to reduce the protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Through this effort, you have helped convince Governor Northam that he should veto this horrible legislation and we know that we accomplished this by all the work we did together. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We partnered with other disability groups in a broad partnership, but it was the leadership of the National Federation of the Blind and our members who really were there calling members in the Virginia General Assembly and making it clear that this was just bad. Now the credit unions are probably one of the strongest lobbyists in Richmond but they’re not bad. They’re just unaware and we stand ready to partner with them to show them all that is possible because we know what is possible for blind people. Derek Manners, Mark Roane, and Earl Everett were key to many of the committee meetings in Richmond and we are truly grateful for their leadership in our legislative efforts. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In Washington, we had 30 people—30 people participate in our Washington seminar coordinated by Deepa Goraya. Our efforts in Washington helped us really connect with members of Congress and we had meetings with all of the offices of our entire Virginia congressional delegation. Through that, we build relationships and I want to highlight one of those relationships because Congressman Bobby Scott, chair of the House Education and the Work Force Committee, is coming to our banquet. He is the—Congressman Scott is the sponsor of the Transition to Competitive Employment bill, bipartisan legislation in the House and the Senate to eliminate subminimum wages. People are getting paid below the minimum wage if they are a person with a disability. It is a discriminatory artifact of the 1930s that’s still around. Congressman Scott is a stalwart supporter, but he didn’t start out that way. It happened because our members in our local chapters built relationships, explained how horrible this was and how he could make a difference. At our banquet, we should recognize his support and make sure it’s clear we want him to push hard to eliminate subminimum wages and move this legislation forward. We really appreciate the Congressman’s willingness to be a champion. We also really appreciate the efforts of our members to build these relationships. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So, in addition to this, we have a whole effort to ensure that we reach out beyond that to the general public and to the blind in the community. Our efforts include a variety of events like:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>The Winchester Apple Blossom Festival<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>The rivers and Bays, Fredericksburg and Richmond walks with the blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>The Potomac and Greater Alexandria Chapters efforts to read to schools<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]> The Fairfax Chapter’s Rita’s Ice event<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We are ensuring we get our name out there and we are in the community. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I want to highlight two of these events. In Richmond, I had the pleasure to attend the Richmond chili cook-off this year. The chili was great, but the event was special because in addition to raising funds, we connected with the community. Many of the individuals in this effort were in the community partnering with us. I enjoyed the phenomenal Lucky Charms Beer. That was magically delicious. What I really enjoyed was the sense of our presence in the community. What is really special, we are part of the fabric of our community. We are members of our community and we did things together. Those are the kinds of programs we need to run. Our Potomac chapter ran a high-and low-tech fair where we invited the general community and we had 25 people who we didn’t know, come to this event, learn about technology. I had the opportunity to demonstrate at this event the Google Home which is actually the only woman that actually listens to me in the Soforenko household. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But through this process, we were able to meet new people and some of those new people are here at this convention today. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>What are you doing within your chapter to grow the Federation and reach out to new people? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>How are we opening the tent and working to make sure that all are able to participate and learn from our Federation? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>-<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>What are we doing to make sure that people learn about the gift that is our positive philosophy? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you’re wondering what is this philosophy thing that he’s talking about, come to our welcome lunch today and come to the banquet and learn about our positive philosophy, where we share all of what is possible for blind people.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When I think about what it takes to do this work, I think what a pleasure it is to serve as your president and to serve and preside over this convention. We appreciate the hard work within your chapters and across the affiliate to make our efforts a success. We have the great work of our host chapters, the Peninsula and Tidewater chapters. Our presidents, Uricka Harrison and Stewart Prost have been instrumental to making this family reunion a success. An affiliate runs because so many people work hard and tirelessly to make it happen. When I think about the people at the leadership table of our Federation, I think of a few people. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From a financial resources perspective, there is no better steward of our resources than our treasurer, Mark Roane. Through our efforts in Project RISE, the volume of our financial transactions has gone through the roof but also Mark is often described as our man in Richmond advocating for us in the Virginia General Assembly. Every leader needs somebody they can bounce ideas off and my go-to person for that is our vice president, Sandy Halverson. Sandy lets me bounce ideas around, encourages me, but also tells me when I’m going off the deep end and you should be really grateful she ensures we don’t go off the deep end. Thank you, Sandy. Joe Hobson is my special advisor who encourages me to be bold but also tells me when I’m taking myself too seriously. Joe Orozco served as boss dog for this convention. This convention happened because Joe coordinated across so many of you and he also keeps us informed through the newsletter. With the help of Sarah Patnaude and Cathy Schroeder, Joe re-launched our web site. Sarah Patnaude has increased our presence on Facebook and now on Twitter. We are really moving forward to make sure communication happens in the National Federation of the Blind. At the head of the table, for my personal family, the rock of my personal family is my wife, Sharon Soforenko. I could not do this job without her and I am so grateful to have her as my partner. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Now I ask you to takeout that membership coin. Here’s my charge to you. Take the coin and put it in your hand. On the face of it, it says tgr in Braille, which is the contraction for together. All we accomplished, we accomplished together. It takes each and every one of you, while each coin is exactly the same, each of us is different. Our differences are the strength of the National Federation of the Blind. There is no cookie cutter way to be a Federationist but each of you gets the same charge. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Don’t keep your connection to the National Federation of the Blind a secret. Share our Federation with others in your local community. Take ideas from the convention on Friday’s empowerment seminar to help us reach out to underserved communities. Take ideas that you learn at the convention and bring them back to make our chapters more engaging and make yourself more successful. Find ways to share the gift that is our belief in the capacity of blind people. Invite people to the table. Show them the love that brought you into the Federation and together, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. We are the National Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Uno at Uno’s<o:p></o:p></h2><h2>By Annette Carr, President - Fairfax Chapter<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“UNO!!!” was the word of the day on Saturday, November 16 when The Fairfax Chapter hosted their first, and not their last “Uno at Uno’s Tournament” fund raiser, held at Uno Pizzeria & Grill located in Falls Church Virginia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>If you have not already heard, the NFB partnered with Target to sell decks of Uno cards with braille in stores and through Target.com. To celebrate this step in creating a more inclusive world, the Fairfax Chapter decided to yell Uno from the rooftops and host a tournament style Uno card game.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The tournament started with 12 players in Round 1, with only 3 players moving on to Round 2. As with any game of Uno, alliances were made and broken as these 3-finalist battled it out to be the first one to yell “UNO” and be able to play their final card. When it was all said and done, Sean McMahone took home the 3<sup>rd</sup> place prize, Alex Diaz 2<sup>nd</sup> place prize, and 1<sup>st</sup> place was taken by Joe Orozco.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The word on the street is that these 3 winners will be back to defend their titles, and the other players are ready to take these 3 guys down. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>We will let Joe, Alex and Sean continue to think they are the big winners, when in reality we were all winners. We spent time with friends, made new ones, enjoyed great food, and the Fairfax Chapter earned around $300 from the actual tournament and from donations made prior to the event, plus a $100 anonymous donation from a restaurant patron. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>If you have not already picked up your own deck of braille Uno cards from Target, the sooner you do it, the better prepared you will be to try your hand at being the next Fairfax Chapter Uno tournament “Numeral Uno Winner”. To learn more about the braille Uno deck of cards and how to play this family friendly card game with a few new rules that guarantee equal access for all players, visit:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.mattelgames.com/en-us/uno-braille"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>https://www.mattelgames.com/en-us/uno-braille</span></a><span class=MsoHyperlink><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></span></p><h2>Thank You From the Bottom of Our Hearts!<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Dear all,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Because I will inevitably forget someone who volunteered, please accept my apologies in advance, and know that your service is no less valued.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>First, I want to thank President Tracy Soforenko for taking it in stride when, typically around mid October, I start to get a little snappy. He’s pretty resilient and knows not to take my pointed comments personally. Tracy’s a great guy and does so much for this organization all year long and not just during the convention planning season. Do buy him a drink next time you have the opportunity. And it would be ridiculous to leave out Sharon. When we elect one person to lead, we invariably elect their spouse, and she plays a key role in supporting Tracy and the organization at large.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our contract examiners play a very early role in the convention planning process. Joe Hobson and Charlie Brown help ensure all our contracts are fair and reasonable. When there are issues, they help me come up with the right language to negotiate better rates and amenities for our convention.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The following individuals were great in general. They responded reliably each time they were called upon throughout the weekend for a variety of tasks, and trust me, they were called often: Rich Tyas; Kathryn Webster; newly elected student president, Nick Petrillo; and Syed Rizvi. I am especially grateful to Rich for damn near being omnipresent. He was especially instrumental with helping Project RISE, and anyone who takes extra care of our students is a winner in my book.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Speaking of students, a warm thank you to Kathryn Webster, Arielle Silverman, and Jerald Meredith for coordinating the student track. Though Project RISE is its own entity outside of convention logistics, we should take a moment to acknowledge our mentors: Evelyn Valdez, Susie D’Mello, Deepa Goraya, Mitch Ford, John Bailey, and Jimmy Morris.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Of course the convention hospitality was in large part owed to our excellent chapter hosts from the Peninsula and Tidewater chapters. It’s possible I like Uricka Harris a little more, because I found myself slamming Stewart Prost with request after request from the affiliate. I figured I would try to break his spirit a little, but no, he remained steady with anything I threw at him. And Debbie, his better half? I’m so glad she has a great sense of humor. A huge thanks to both chapters in general for training the hotel staff, having our restaurant menus embossed, lining up hospitality entertainment, orchestrating our opening ceremony, setting up child care, and doing pretty much anything else I begged of them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A huge thank you to President John Halverson and Sean McMann of the Potomac Chapter for coordinating the bus from and back to Northern Virginia. Their service made for an easy transportation experience door to door.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My two floor managers during General Session this year were Domonique Lawless and Kris Lewis. I am highly selective about who I pick for these roles. They keep the agenda moving seamlessly. They need to be reliable and detail-oriented on a whole higher level and need to roll with the stress of dealing with a variety of personalities. I was incredibly blessed to have chosen well.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our presidential runner this year was Jessica Reed. I’m grateful for her debut on the convention floor team and look forward to cultivating another reliable source.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In addition to others who will soon be mentioned, thank you to Lizzy Schoen for helping to run mics for us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our audio team was once again led by Michael Kitchens. He was supported by Jacob Hamm, Nick Petrillo, and Jeremy Grandstaff. Together the team was responsible for mic positioning and availability across our various sessions, music output, recording, and streaming. I am especially grateful to Jeremy for figuring out the new streaming protocol. I later learned some of the hotel staff were curious about our program and tuned into the banquet keynote. They were understandably impressed by Mr. Ron Brown’s remarks. A big thank you to our audio guys for giving our convention a voice.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And speaking of voice, our social media team this year consisted of Sarah Blumberg on photography as well as Sarah Patnaude, Desmond Walker, and David Bartling on social media channels.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This year we roughly started a new program. Similar to our national ambassadors, Christine Grassman led a team of people responsible for taking an extra step in welcoming people to the convention. It’s a program we hope to further develop at future conventions. Her team consisted of: Jennifer Blinsman, Joe Hobson, Chris Walker, Naim Abu-El Hawa, Bobbie Cohen, and Mausam Mehta. Our special guest handling, including the congressman’s escort, was tackled by Uricka Harris and Tasha Hubbard.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our marshals this year were led by Lois Fritz. She was joined by Jennifer Blinsman, Brittany Ingram, and Renee Rogers. Thank you to them for allowing us to more easily find our way on time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Also thank you to Brittany for coordinating this year’s roommate assistance program. I think the role helped cut down some traffic on the mailing list. Perhaps she’ll agree to coordinate again next year?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Last in our hospitality category was Jacki Bruce. She was very helpful in keeping the traffic moving in our hospitality suite. Friday evening alone saw five different groups moving in and out of the space, so thank you so much for keeping those trains firmly on the rails.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our door prize coordinator was Debbie Prost. She was assisted by Stewart Prost, Rich Tyas, and Michael Matthews. Talk about an excellent collection of door prizes this year!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And of course, a big thank you to our auctioneers, Jacki Brown and Laurie Wages. We are so incredibly lucky to have spirited people to generate so much revenue for our programs and services. They are best, second to none when it comes to auction management. They were assisted by Syed Rizvi and Rich Tyas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Rounding off our staff on the external partnership front, Annette Carr was fantastic as exhibits coordinator. She does so much more than even I give her credit, and we are incredibly lucky to have her in our corner.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This year our information desk was staffed by Alex Castillo and <span style='color:black'>Nijat Worley.</span> This year the information desk generated so much activity that next year I’m kicking them out into the hallway where they can deal with the frenzy a little more comfortably.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our box lunch distribution was handled by Diane Johnson, Jim Walker, Collin Bruce, Rich Tyas, and Nick Petrillo. Yes, I’m aware of the issues there, for which I sincerely apologize, but thank you to this team for hanging in there. We will improve.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our banquet ticket scanners were Mary Durbin, Rachel Schreiman, and Nick Petrillo. I’m aware of the issues there too, and while I already have some ideas to make next year flow a little smoother, I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to count on this team to help with one of the more stressful points of the convention agenda this past weekend. A special thank you to Mary Durbin for stepping in at the last minute.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Last, but never least, our registration team was once again led by Sandy Halverson. Among many other tasks, Sandy directly oversaw our special dietary requests. Our webmaster, Cathy Schroeder, handled online registration. Jessica Reed was among those who assisted with on site registration. And Mark Roane is presently tackling the hardest job of all, settling our master bill with the property.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Though these names will mean little to the vast majority of you, I want to include some of the hotel staff who specifically helped me make Tracy’s agenda come alive. Lee Heft was our technical lead on sound. Debra Hill was our dedicated point person on guest rooms. Krystyn King was our catering manager. Denise Creasman was our lead sales manager who doubled up as event planner at the last minute, and though I am ashamed to admit I have since forgotten her last name, she is so awesome she can be one of those celebrities who only needs a first name. Raff was the person I harassed most about unlocking rooms, servicing meeting spaces, fixing meal orders, and a myriad of tasks I am sure I must have driven her crazy over.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Again, I am sure I have left out some names. This is not intentional. Everyone is valued, and any oversights are my own fault.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On behalf of our president and our entire membership, thank you, thank you, thank you. Truly, the convention could not have happened without you. You are the backbone of this annual gathering, and we could never adequately express just how truly wonderful you are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Most sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Joe Orozco, Convention Operations<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>NFB Pledge<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>