[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook

[Smyth, Charlene R]

President's Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
(410) 659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

I wanted to make you aware of a situation that is occurring in Massachusetts, but could come up for discussion in other states. The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind announced two weeks ago that it plans to defund the Talking Information Center in Massachusetts by $180,000 a year over the next three years.  You can read the article from the Massachusetts Patriot Ledger, available at

http://marshfield.wickedlocal.com/article/20150311/News/150319299 .

Last week the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) publicized their views in a press release that made several inaccurate statements pertaining to NFB-NEWSLINE(r). One of these misleading statements spoke to the lower expectations that IAAIS has of older Americans and their ability to use the telephone to access information on NFB-NEWSLINE. In the Federation, we work to educate senior citizens that they can still use the telephone after blindness, instead of catering to a model of lower expectations.

On Friday, the NFB announced our support of Paul Saner, commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and his plan to transition federal dollars from the Talking Information Center to job programs for the blind. More information can be found in our press release at

https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-supports-massachusetts-commissioner-blind.

Unfortunately, several radio reading services have contacted us since our statement and have indicated their intent to continue to spread a message of low expectations and misconceptions about blind people. We will not let anyone's low expectations about blind people come between us and our dreams. If you encounter any problem in this area in your state, please let me know.



Critical actions this week:

Bolotin Awards Update:
The Jacob Bolotin award committee has scheduled its meeting later than usual; and, therefore, the deadline for Bolotin Award nominations has been extended until April 15.  Please be sure to nominate exceptional individuals or organizations doing innovative work on behalf of blind people at



BolotinAward at nfb.org<mailto:BolotinAward at nfb.org>.



News:
Video:
In this week's video, Blind People Giving Back to the Sighted, the National Federation of the Blind recognizes that an important part of having equal rights in society is working to fulfill the responsibilities that come with those rights. This is why a cornerstone of the Federation's work has always been giving back. And this April, we're establishing a new program to give back to the sighted members of our community. You can view the video later this week on the NFB channel at

https://www.youtube.com/user/NationsBlind.



Newel Perry Interview:
The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley has digitized excerpts of the recording of their 1955 oral history interview with Newel Perry. This is the same interview that has been available as a transcript (also reprinted in the Braille Monitor) for the last several years. To listen to the voice of Dr. Perry, please go to



https://archive.org/details/cabeuroh_00009. There is an audio player on the page, which may need to be activated.



Reminders:

The deadline for submitting applications to the National Federation of the Blind 2015 Scholarship Program is Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Information is available at



www.nfb.org/scholarships<http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>.



The rooms at the Rosen Centre hotel for the 2015 convention of the National Federation of the Blind are going fast. I encourage you to make your reservations before the room block is gone.  The phone number is (800) 204-7234.



Dates to keep in mind:

*         Spring affiliate conventions<https://nfb.org/state-conventions>

*         May 14-16, 2015: NFB STEM2U Columbus (OH), COSI

*         June 7, 2015: NFB 6 DOT DASH

*         July 5-10, 2015: 75th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind

*         August 2-8, 2015: NFB STEM EQ

*         September 11-13, 2015: NFB STEM2U Leadership Academy

*         May, 2016: WBU-ICEVI General Assembly

*         June 19-25, 2016: NFB EQ (first iteration)

*         July 31-August 6, 2016 (second iteration)

The National Federation of the Blind 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.


Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Email: officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice
Web: www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org/>
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