[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono'sNotebook

Tue Dec 8 14:18:18 UTC 2015

Merry Christmas Fellow Federationists,

I do hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Please read the below information from our national president, Mark Riccobono.  Please take special note of the proposed model legislation to protect blind parents and/or parents to be.  I am requesting that Legislative Chairperson Brad Hodges familiarize himself with this information and take the lead on it in our behalf.  I would ask that you make yourself available to Brad if he calls on us to make calls and/or write letters to move this and any other legislation along that will benefit the blind of West Virginia.

I thank all of you for all you do for the Federation and the blind of West Virginia.  Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.  I look forward to talking with you and working with you in the coming year.

Charlene

December 7, 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,

It is hard to believe that it is already the seventh of December. The level of activity within the Federation increases each year and seems to make the year speed by at an increasing rate. Before you get caught up in the end-of-the-year festivities, please remember and remind our members that we have an upcoming deadline for reservations to participate in our Washington Seminar next year. It is important that we get the reservations in immediately.

Critical actions this week:
This message is to advise you all that Washington Seminar will be held January 24-28, 2016, with the Great Gathering-In taking place on Monday, January 25.

The reservations process will be different compared to previous years. You can now reserve a room at the Holiday Inn Capitol (550 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024) for Washington Seminar for check-in beginning Saturday, January 23, 2016, and check-out by Friday, January 29, 2016. You can make your reservation by calling (877) 572-6951 and referencing booking code N9B. You can make your reservation online by going to nfb.org/washington-seminar<https://nfb.org/washington-seminar> and selecting the reservations link within the "Room Rates and Reservations" section. The firm deadline date to make a reservation is Monday, December 21, 2015. Reservation requests received after the deadline date will be subject to availability and prevailing rate.

If you would like to hold a special meeting during the Washington Seminar, please email Lisa Bonderson at lbonderson at cocenter.org<mailto:lbonderson at cocenter.org> just as you have done in past years. Diane McGeorge and Lisa Bonderson will work with the hotel on the assignment of those meeting rooms. To ensure that you get the space you need, please let them know of your meeting space needs by December 10, 2015.

News:
The December Presidential Release:
The English and Spanish versions of the release are posted at https://nfb.org/presidential-releases.

Parental Rights Legislative Template:
One of the most painful discriminations we face as blind people is the low expectations that others have for us as parents, guardians, or caregivers. In our leadership to protect the rights of blind parents and parents-to-be, we have revised our model state legislation to close some gaps we found in our review of our previous legislation. The new model bill can be found at the link below. Affiliates are encouraged to pursue state legislation in order to strengthen our protection for blind individuals.

https://nfb.org/bill-parental-rights-blind

Update to Online Exhibit of NFB Archival Material:
As reported recently, the tenBroek Library has teamed up with Digital Maryland, the state processor for the Digital Public Library of America, to produce an online exhibit of archival documents which deal specifically with the founding of the NFB in 1940. The exhibit is currently available for viewing online at http://collections.digitalmaryland.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/nfnf.

Reminders:
Amazon Smile:
Help increase donations to the National Federation of the Blind this shopping season by signing up on Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com> and identifying the National Federation of the Blind as the charity you would like to receive the donation. We will receive 0.5 percent of every purchase made at Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com>. More information can be found at About AmazonSmile<https://smile.amazon.com/about/?ref=spkl_2_2_1960962002&ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=1FGHB6NTYVVSQQDYX08G&pf_rd_p=1960962002&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=amazon%20smile%20program&qid=1418243450>.

In order for us to get a percentage, you need to be logged into and shop at Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com>. If you shop at amazon.com<http://amazon.com> (instead of Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com>), no donation is made. Products, reviews, and prices are the same between Amazon.com<http://amazon.com> and Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com> for those products sold through both sites; sometimes Smile.Amazon.com<http://smile.amazon.com> will not have a produce your will find on Amazon.com<http://amazon.com>.

Dates to keep in mind:

*         December 10-13, 2015: BELL Seminar

*         January 25-28, 2016: Washington Seminar, https://nfb.org/washington-seminar

*         March 3-5, 2016: NFB STEM2U San Francisco

*         March 31, 2016: NFB Scholarship Program application deadline, https://nfb.org/scholarships

*         April 15, 2016: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program nomination deadline, https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main

*         May 17-20, 2016: BLAST, Chicago

*         May 19-21, 2016: NFB STEM2U Minneapolis

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

*         June 30-July 5: National Federation of the Blind Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida

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

*         August 18-25: WBU and ICEVI General Assembly, Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida

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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