[Nfbwv-talk] President Mark Riccobono's Notebook for August 24, 2015

Tue Aug 25 15:19:16 UTC 2015

August 24, 2015
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,

The fall convention season is now official underway. Our South Carolina affiliate has recently concluded their annual convention, and has elected Frank Coppel as president. Please welcome Frank to our affiliate leadership list.

Our Performing Arts division has recently had some financial irregularities which we are working on addressing. Pending the outcome of our investigation and our review of other division-related documents, I have put the division on suspended status. I have asked them not to do fundraising and not to develop new programs until these issues are resolved. I know that a number of affiliates responded to fundraising appeals that the division made with the understanding that funds were to support the activities of the Diamond Anniversary Choir at our convention. I urge you not to supply funding to this division until further notice.

Finally as you might imagine, we are working vigorously for preparations for our protest in New York City later this week. Please take a moment to help us spread the word as this action will have implications for school districts across the country.

Critical actions this week:
NYC DOE / Amazon Protest:
On Wednesday, August 26, we will be participating in a protest outside M.S. 131 in New York City, where the city school system's Educational Policy Panel will meet later that evening to consider a proposed $30 million contract under which Amazon, Inc. would construct an electronic storefront for New York City schools and become the primary provider of electronic textbooks and related educational materials for students. More details can be found in our media alert at https://nfb.org/media-advisory-blind-americans-protest-proposed-amazon-deal-new-york-city-schools. Please spread the word to anyone you know in the New York area to come join us. The New York City school district is the largest in the country in terms of number of blind students. This means that Amazon's ability to secure a contract will likely have negative implications for blind students around the country. Please take a moment to share information about this issue and encourage people to turn out on Wednesday night. Our blog about this issue is at https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/we-must-stop-amazon-fail.

Legislative Alert:
Please call your member of Congress to ask for an appointment while he or she is in town during the August recess, which runs from August 3 through Labor Day, September 7. We need your representative to cosponsor H.R. 188, the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment ("TIME") Act.
Also, we now have a Senate bill, introduced in the Senate (S. 2001) by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). Please try to meet with your senators during the August recess to encourage them to co-sponsor the bill. More information can be found at https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-legislation-integrate-workers-disabilities.

News:

Scholarship winners:

This year's scholarship winners were announced. More information, including the list of winners, can be found in the press release found at https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-recognizes-thirty-outstanding-blind-students.

Calendars Available:
The NFB 2016 Nineteenth Century Masterpiece Paintings art calendar is now available.  Chapters can order boxes of one hundred for $100.00.  We will pay all shipping costs.  To order, please call 410-659-9314, extension 2287, or email nfb at nfb.org<mailto:nfb at nfb.org>.

Video:
In the latest NFB video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P5LfEpFdqA>, Judy Sanders tells her story about being a member of the National Federation of the Blind since 1970. Though she didn't think the Federation was for her when she first learned about us, she changed her mind and has been active ever since.

Did you know?
Protecting the Rights of Parents and Prospective Parents with Disabilities:
This is a new technical assistance document, recently issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights Administration for Children and Families, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. The document is the first being issued under a new partnership between DOJ and HHS to advise state child welfare agencies on their obligations to avoid and prevent discrimination in the provision of services. For more information about how blind parents successfully care for their children every day, watch this video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD1PWeSDlMQ> produced by the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, or read the NFB brochure Parenting Without Sight<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/brochures/blindparents/parentingwithoutsight.html>.

Uber or Lyft:
Tim Elder is cataloging issues with ridesharing companies. Please forward any reports of denials by Uber or Lyft to telder at trelegal.com<mailto:telder at trelegal.com>. Legal advocates are collecting a national database of instances where passengers with service animals are being denied by Uber or Lyft drivers. Reporting these denials will help the legal advocates hold the ridesharing companies accountable and verify that drivers are being terminated or disciplined. Please encourage all individuals to report the discrimination.

Dates to keep in mind:

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

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

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

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

*         August, 2016: WBU-ICEVI General Assembly

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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