[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] Minutes May Meeting Potomac Chapter

[John Halverson]

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. and 21 members were present. During introductions, everyone
shared a new restaurant they discovered or a new dish they learned to make
The newly elected board was sworn in with the NFB pledge.
Christine Grassman was elected as the chapter delegate, and John Halverson was elected as the alternate delegate.
The treasurer's report was approved as written. The chapter has a current balance of $530.53 in the general fund and $1750.00 in the youth fund. John Halverson clarified that the chapter has just received an additional $1000 from the Kiwanis Club which is designated for the youth fund.
The minutes from the April 15 meeting were approved. During discussion of the minutes, a question was raised about the chapter's pledged contribution to the White Cane Fund. After some discussion, the chapter voted to pledge a minimum initial donation of $100 to the White Cane Fund, with up to an additional $400 pledged for donation by the end of the year. This amount will be dependent on the chapter's ability to fund-raise later this year, given the uncertainty of COVID.

Affiliate president Soforenko gave a legislative update:

  *   On the national level, Rob Wittman agreed to co-sponsor the Access Technology Affordability Act.
  *   The national office is looking to connect with individuals who are applying for SSI or SSDI during this time. Contact Tracy if you wish to provide information about your experience.
  *   Virginia is developing an accessible option for mail-in voting, allowing blind voters to independently mark a paper ballot using a computer. The new system is OK but still has some issues that need to be resolved. More importantly, we need to put pressure on county-level election officials to implement the new system. The new system may be ready for piloting by our June primary. Christine suggested appointing an action committee to make our voices heard on this important issue through phone, email and social-media campaigns.
  *   The Arlington Talking Book library has monthly meetings for blind people who may not be part of any advocacy organization. This could be a good way to do outreach by inviting them to a Zoom meeting to introduce the NFB.
The question was raised of whether or not these individuals can access Zoom.
It was suggested to have a casual first meeting without packing in a lot of advocacy information right away. Get to know the group and their needs.

Tracy led a philosophy discussion regarding home appliances. Should we have to pay more for accessibility, or sacrifice other features that matter to other members of our household? Many opinions were shared.

Everyone is encouraged to register for the national convention at: www.nfb.org/registration<http://www.nfb.org/registration>

Christine mentioned some new business including the following:

  *   Committees: We should have at least two committees: ways and means (fund-raising) and a committee to plan social activities outside of chapter meetings.
  *   Christine would like to organize some virtual meetings to share information about health, safety and finance apps. If members have expertise in using specific apps, or other ideas for Zoom programming, contact Christine.
  *   Facebook page: Jonathan and Sarah Blumberg will work on the Facebook page. Others who are interested should contact Christine.
  *   Youth fund: The chapter now has $2,750 in the youth fund after receiving the latest check from Kiwanis. We have to do some youth activities with the funds. It was suggested to direct some or all of these funds toward the Virginia BELL academy this year. Since a larger proposal for the BELL academy will be considered at our May 16 affiliate board meeting, the chapter board agreed to revisit this idea after the affiliate board meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Arielle Silverman, Secretary, Potomac Chapter, National Federation of the Blind


Arielle Silverman, Ph.D.
Disability Wisdom Consulting
Phone: 240-630-1154
Email: arielle at disabilitywisdom.com<mailto:arielle at disabilitywisdom.com>

<2020-05-14 Minutes.docx>


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