[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for July 27, 2015

[Smyth, Charlene R]

July 27, 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,

On the heels of many celebrations for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we should remember our progress has come from our self-determined work as blind people. Our most immediate task is to encourage the White House to release regulations related to accessibility on the Internet. You can read more in the blog post cited below. If you are participating in community events around the ADA, you should continue to use those appearances as an opportunity to raise this issue with people in your local areas.

Critical actions this week:
"Time for the White House to Upload the Internet Regs":
The link to Sunday's blog post is https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/time-white-house-upload-internet-regs.

Legislative Alert:
Please call your Congressman and 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 Congressman to cosponsor H.R. 188, the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment ("TIME") Act. This task is specific to the House of Representatives. There will be other things to do with this legislation soon, but for now, we need your Congressman onboard, and timing is crucial.



News:
Video:
In this video, Federation leader John Halverson shares how he came to know the National Federation of the Blind, the assistance the NFB provided him in pursuing his education, and how the Federation's help inspired him to become more involved in the National Federation of the Blind.



Reminders:

Send Recommendations for Leadership Seminar:
The hope is to have a leadership seminar before Labor Day. If you have recommendations that you have not yet sent, now is the time to do so.



Dates to keep in mind:

*         August 2-8, 2015: NFB STEM EQ

*         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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