[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook

Tue Feb 10 14:18:04 UTC 2015

Dear West Virginia Federationists,

Our national president, Mark Riccobono, is posting what he calls “President’s Notebook” on a weekly basis.  I am going to pass it on to all of you so you can be kept updated on what is going on in our organization on a national level and across the country as well as assist with any items you feel appropriate.  If you have any questions or if you feel you can assist with any topics you read in President Riccobono’s newsletter, the preferred protocol is that you go through me, your state president, first.

I think this is a great format President Riccobono is using, and I hope you find it as informative and helpful as I have found it.

Charlene

From: "President, National Federation of the Blind via State-affiliate-leadership-list" <state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org<mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org>>
Date: February 9, 2015 at 11:48:39 AM EST
Subject: [State-affiliate-leadership-list] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/09/15

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 need your help! I would like to start highlighting innovative activities and programs of local Federation chapters in order to encourage greater participation and growth in our chapters. Please send along short descriptions of chapters and/or leaders in those chapters who have undertaken imaginative activities that might be worth highlighting on the presidential release. The more we share new ideas, the greater the number of innovative programs we will be able to create.
Critical actions this week:

H&R Block Accessibility:

The NFB is investigating the accessibility of the H&R Block tax filing website and online documents (http://www.hrblock.com). If you have recently experienced problems with this website, please send an email to vyingling at nfb.org<mailto:vyingling at nfb.org> as soon as possible. Please include the following information in the email: your name, your contact information, a brief description of the barriers you faced, and the approximate date when you accessed the site.
Smarter Balanced Assessments:
We are seeking information from students, parents, and teachers regarding the Spring 2015 Smarter Balanced summative assessments. If you are aware of a student who requires text-to-speech or Braille, or has been denied a necessary accommodation because of Smarter Balanced’s accommodation policy, please contact Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org<mailto:vyingling at nfb.org> or 410-659-9314, extension 2440, as soon as possible. The following states will be administering the Smarter Balanced assessments this spring: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. For information regarding Smarter Balanced’s accessibility barriers and policies, see theNFB’s letter to Smarter Balanced’s governing board<https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/national-federation-blind-urges-smarter-balanced-fix-accessibility-barriers-and>.
News:

Convention Sponsors:
We are currently working on soliciting sponsors for this year's national convention. If you have contacts that you think would be good candidates for sponsorship, please reach out to them. The documents you will need can be found on our website at https://nfb.org/sponsor-and-exhibitor-info. These materials include a form letter for you to customize. Once you have made contact with the potential sponsors, please let Stephanie Witt know at switt at nfb.org<mailto:switt at nfb.org>.

Video:
The NOPBC is spotlighted in the latest video,Meet the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children<http://youtu.be/gN0eaygOrXA>. In the video you will meet NOPBC President Carlton Anne Cook Walker and learn how the NOPBC helps to raise expectations of blind children and ensure they live the lives they want. 
Reminders:

Presidential Release:

The February Presidential Release is available online athttps://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/pr436.mp3.

Dates to keep in mind:

·         <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Spring affiliate conventions<https://nfb.org/state-conventions>

·         < !--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->March 12-15, 2015: NFB STEM2U Boston (MA), Museum of Science

·         < !--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->March 26-27, 2015: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

·         < !--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->May 14-16, 2015: NFB STEM2U Columbus (OH), COSI

·         < !--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->June 7, 2015: NFB 6 DOT DASH

·         < !--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->July 5-10, 2015: 75th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind

·         < !--[if !supportLists]-->August 2-8, 2015: NFB STEM EQ
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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