[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook

Tue Mar 10 14:27:32 UTC 2015

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: March 9, 2015 at 1:57:54 PM EDT
Subject: [State-affiliate-leadership-list] NFB President's Notebook - week of 03/09/15
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,
Last weekend I was in Massachusetts attending our affiliate convention. Although many of the snow banks were at my shoulder or higher, there were many reasons to feel warm and fortified by our work there. I am in Utah for a quick meeting with an important relationship I am cultivating for our organization and this weekend I have the pleasure of joining the Federation family in Tennessee for our convention there. In case the winter chill has you a little down, I thought I would share this note to get you fired up. Here is part of a note from Joy Breslauer, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Montana:
"I am writing to bring to your attention an email I received this morning from Sheila Leigland, one of the delegates from the National Federation of the Blind of Montana whom you met with on January 27th. You may remember that her husband, who is blind, currently is employed by an entity which holds a special wage certificate allowing him to be paid subminimum wages.
Sheila gave me a few more background details to include in her email below. I send it to you with her permission.
"My husband had a 30-minute timing at work last July that raised his wages from $4.33 an hour to $7.61 an hour. He had a timing yesterday that took over four hours, and as a result of that timing he is now making $2.75 per hour for the next thirty days, a training wage. A committee of fourteen people revised the way the timing was done. The timing consisted of doing tasks that he does not normally do on his job. He has requested a new timing based on these results. In this timing he was to place five toys in each bag, and he was to find toys that have at least some way in which they were alike or could be matched together. There were items that he couldn't identify, and even some people with vision had no idea what they were. We believe the timing is discriminatory. I don't know of any nondisabled person that would accept this kind of treatment. He has requested another timing, and they have proposed doing a timing to see how many Beanie Babies he can place in bags in thirty minutes. If he doesn't receive an appropriate timing, he will be deciding what his next step will be. He only gets 12 hours at work as it is, and that barely covers his transportation costs, especially at $2.75 an hour. this is an excellent example of why section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards Act needs to be totally abolished.""
My friends, I ask you, doesn't this get you fired up?! Isn't it TIME for us to get our legislation passed and change the nature of work opportunities for the blind once and for all? I challenge every state to get one member of Congress on to this bill this week. Let's have a little bragging rights on the Affiliate Leadership List. Ready, set, go
Critical actions this week:
Summer Internship Applications:
The application deadline for the 2015 National Federation of the Blind Summer Internship Program is quickly approaching. If you are interested, please send the required documents tojerniganinstitute at nfb.org<mailto:jerniganinstitute at nfb.org> by March 13, 2015. the following is a brief description of the program, more information can be found at:https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/national-federation-blind-2015-summer-internship-program.
Our National Federation of the Blind 2015 Summer Internship Program will provide an opportunity for individuals to contribute to the programs of the Federation, while gaining valuable experience at the center of innovation in the blindness field. Our 2015 summer interns will be hosted at the NFB headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Internship placements are currently available for the summer of 2015. NFB internships will begin on June 1 and end on August 7, 2015 (ten weeks). The internship experience includes a stipend and can include sleeping accommodations at the NFB Jernigan Institute, if necessary. One of the requirements of the internship is participation in program activities at the 2015 NFB National Convention to be held in Orlando, Florida, from July 5-10.
2015 summer interns will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of program areas including:
*         Access technology
*         Civil rights-especially advocacy around voting rights and educational accessibility
*         Data management
*         Education programs
*         Governmental affairs
*         Information technology
*         Jacobus tenBroek Library
*         Membership building
*         NFB NEWSLINE(r) for the Blind
*         Outreach and fundraising
*         Public relations & social media
If you are interested in applying for an internship with the National Federation of the Blind, you should prepare the following materials and submit them in an accessible electronic format no later than March 13, 2015:
1.      < !--[if !supportLists]-->A cover letter expressing why you are uniquely qualified for an NFB internship, listing the program area(s) in which you are most interested in gaining experience, and describing the projects that drive your passion in those program area(s). Be sure to include a description of any previous involvement you have had with the Federation. Please feel free to include any innovative new projects that you might want to help initiate during your internship. Also note any scheduling conflicts that would prevent you from being available from June 1 through August 7.
2.      < !--[if !supportLists]-->A resume including current contact information.
3.      < !--[if !supportLists]-->Two or three references with complete contact information.
Send all of your materials, preferably via email, to:
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
Attn: Anil Lewis
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Email: jerniganinstitute at nfb.org<mailto:jerniganinstitute at nfb.org?subject=National%20Federation%20of%20the%20Blind%202015%20Summer%20Internship%20Program>
Questions regarding NFB internships can be directed to Anil Lewis at 410-659-9314, extension 2357, orjerniganinstitute at nfb.org<mailto:jerniganinstitute at nfb.org?subject=National%20Federation%20of%20the%20Blind%202015%20Internship%20Program>. We anticipate selecting our 2015 internship class by April 14, 2015.
News:
Video:
Our latest video, Convention Time<http://youtu.be/iYZCBHkZj0Q>, begins with Immediate Past President of the National Federation of the Blind, Marc Maurer, gaveling in the 2014 National Convention in Orlando, Florida. A slideshow of pictures follows illustrating the various activities and memories captured at national convention such as: Marc Maurer reading Braille to children, banquet photos, presentation speakers, convention goers, UPS volunteers, the exhibit hall, scholarship winners, division meetings and various Federationist members and their excitement of attending national convention. At the conclusion of the slideshow President Riccobono urges Federationists - new and old, to attend 2015 National Convention and celebrate our 75th Anniversary. For more information please visit: www.nfb.org/convention<http://www.nfb.org/convention>.
Dates to keep in mind:

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

*         March 12-15, 2015: NFB STEM2U Boston (MA), Museum of Science

*         March 26-27, 2015: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

*         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

*         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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