[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook

[Smyth, Charlene R]

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 am inspired by the tremendous enthusiasm for our upcoming national convention. The Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza hotels are now completely sold out. We are aware that there are more people who need rooms for our convention and we are working closely with the team at the Rosen hotels to find alternatives. The number of first timers will certainly be significant at this convention; therefore, we should all be prepared to get to know our new members and teach them about the organization. We hope to have information about hotel alternatives very soon. In the meantime, don't forget to encourage members to preregister by May 31 and to sign up to participate in our world-record attempt on July 8.

Critical actions this week:

The deadline for preregistering for the 2015 National Federation of the Blind National Convention is May 31.



News:

New staff:
We are pleased to welcome Gabe Cazares as a governmental affairs specialist for the National Federation of the Blind starting today. Gabe will be working under the direction of Lauren McLarney, and can be reached at the national office or via email at gcazares at nfb.org<mailto:gcazares at nfb.org>. Gabe will add a new energy and personal perspective to our work on the TEACH Act, as well as other legislative priorities of the Federation.



Scholarship finalists:
The 2015 National Federation of the Blind finalists are listed below with their home state and vocational goal.
·         Katie Adkins, KY: Teacher
·         Douglas Alt, MI: College professor
·         Karen Arcos, CA: Policy advocacy
·         Annika Ariel, CA: Disability law
·         Liliya Asadullina, PA: Naturopathic doctor
·         Michael Ausbun, NV: Foundational professor
·         Brianna Brown, TX: Education
·         Mary Church, CA: Psychology
·         Chase Crispin, NE: Public school band director
·         MarChé Daughtry, VA: Law
·         Bryan Duarte, AZ: Software engineer
·         Alexandra Engraf, ND: Human services, counseling
·         Lashawna Fant, MS: Counselor
·         Robert Gulledge, AL: Secondary education
·         Dezman Jackson, MD: Health education
·         Mary Abby Jusayan, RI: Teacher for visually impaired
·         Kaitlyn Kellermeyer, TX: Government service or investing
·         Miriam Lozneanu, SC: Programmer
·         Nefertiti Matos, NY: Helping/teaching profession
·         Sarah Myer, FL: Mental health counseling
·         Mark Myers II, MO: Computer and software design/development
·         Crystal Plemmons, NC: Community college instructor
·         Jason Polansky, MD: Youth ministry, counseling, or civil engineering
·         Karolline Sales, LA: Braille teacher
·         Kaitlin Shelton, OH: Music therapy
·         Christopher Stewart, KY: Legal field
·         Teri Stroschein, OR: School counselor
·         Kelsi Watters, WI: Spiritual counseling
·         Hannah Werbel, WA: Biomedical engineering
·         Tamika Williams, AL: Blind services/entrepreneurship/social services




Delta Airlines offers NFB Convention Travelers a Discount:
Individuals flying Delta Airlines from July 2 through July 13, 2015, to attend the NFB national convention in Orlando (from anywhere in the country) can receive a discount ranging from 2 percent to 10 percent, based on their specific travel information. Reservations and ticketing are available via www.delta.com/meeting<http://www.delta.com/meeting>. Select Book Your Flight to book your flight and take advantage of the discount. After entering your departure and arrival city and dates, enter the meeting code "NMLJV" in the box provided. Complete the rest of the transaction as you would normally book a flight.



Reservations may also be made by calling Delta Meeting reservations at 800-328- 1111 Monday through Friday, 7:00 am-7:00 pm CDT. *Please note that there is a direct ticketing fee for booking through the reservation number above.





Aleeha Dudley lawsuit:
The Justice Department has moved to intervene in the Aleeha Dudley case, alleging that Miami University has violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by requiring current and former students with disabilities to use inaccessible websites and learning management system software, and by providing these students with inaccessible course materials. More information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-intervene-disability-discrimination-lawsuit-alleging-miami.


Video:
In today's video https://youtu.be/qbmV0LbnHkU, Cindy Bennett describes her first encounter with the National Federation of the Blind at Washington Seminar; how she learned that blind people could have fun together and take things in stride, and how she decided to seek intensive blindness training to improve her skills and confidence. Cindy says that she went from an "emotional mess hiding behind paper successes" to a capable, confident blind person who can make her own choices and live the life she wants.



Reminders:

Patricia Maurer is organizing the volunteers to work in the Independence Market at convention this year. Please forward the names and contact information of anyone in your affiliate that is available to help out to her at pmaurer at nfb.org<mailto:pmaurer at nfb.org>.



Dates to keep in mind:

·         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)

·         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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