[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for August 31, 2015

Tue Sep 1 18:53:43 UTC 2015

August 31, 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,

We had a great victory in our battle for accessible information last week. We were successful in getting the New York City schools to postpone a contract slated to go to Amazon for the provision of digital ebooks to all students. Amazon reports having a similar agreement with 130 other school systems. Please continue to watch for contracts of this type and ensure that they contain real requirements for accessibly. Our Kindle books<https://nfb.org/kindle-books> page on our website contains up-to-date information about our work with Amazon and provides detailed comparisons of accessibility features that Amazon has failed to implement.

On another note, Natalie Shaheen who has served as director of education for us will be pursuing her PhD full time. Natalie will continue to work with us on our STEM initiative, but all other education program questions should now be directed to Anil Lewis. Of course, Natalie continues to be an active member of the National Federation of the Blind as she pursues her advanced degree.

Critical actions this week:

I cancelled the protest planned for last week when New York City schools agreed to postpone the vote on the $30 million Amazon contract implement the ebook marketplace. More details can be found in the Daily News article<http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/e-books-nyc-public-schools-leave-blind-advocates-article-1.2336926?cid=bitly> and in the Education Week article<http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2015/08/30_million_amazon_contract_in_ny_city_schools_held_up_by_accessibility_concerns.html>.

News:

St. Louis City Ordinance:
The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, the most active advocacy organization of blind people in the state, applauded the St. Louis Board of Aldermen today for passing an ordinance that will ensure that workers with disabilities within the city limits of St. Louis will be guaranteed the same wages that able-bodied workers receive. Prior versions of the ordinance (B.B. 83), included an exemption which permitted the payment of subminimum wages to people with disabilities, but the final version of the ordinance removed that exemption.

Onkyo Braille Essay Contest:

The Onkyo Corporation is again sponsoring a Braille essay contest for people of all ages. Contest winners receive cash prizes valued from $500 to $2,000. Essays must be received by September 13. The link for full information and application for the contest is http://www.nfb.org/onkyo-braille-essay-contest. Please help spread the word!

NFB GWR Posters:
We are making plans to have posters made featuring the image from our GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS(tm) title. The plan will be to make these posters available to affiliates in batches of 100. These posters could be used as incentives to donors or in other ways our affiliates find to build our organization. Please watch for news about this new offering very soon.

Reminders:

Meet the Blind Month Membership Drive:
You should have received a message last week about KIT (Keep in Touch) event, a community open house to be held in the month of October. If you have any questions, contact Jeannie Massay at 405-600-0695 or at Jeannie.massay at nfbok.org<mailto:Jeannie.massay at nfbok.org>. You can also contact Danielle Trevino at 410-659-9314, extension 2358, or at dtrevino at nfb.org<mailto:dtrevino at nfb.org>.

Ensuring Digital Accessibility through Process and Policy
Dr. Jonathan Lazar, Dan Goldstein and Anne Taylor collaborated to produce a new book that will serve as the "bible" on accessibility. To purchase either an accessible electronic or print copy go to http://store.elsevier.com/. Interested NFB members can use the promo code "LAZAR40" to get a 40 percent discount.  The electronic version uses the new epub3 standard.

Order Your Own Personalized GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS(tm) Certificate of Participation:
Remember that time we made history and broke a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS(tm) title for the largest umbrella mosaic?! Well, now you can order proof of your accomplishment. For an accessible ordering process, please contact the NFB Independence Market at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216 or IndependenceMarket at nfb.org<mailto:IndependenceMarket at nfb.org>, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Market will be taking orders for certificates until September 30, 2015.

Dates to keep in mind:

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

*         October 2-4, 2015: NFB STEM2U Leadership Academy

*         November 4, 2015: Web Accessibility Training Day<https://nfb.org/web-accessibility-day>

*         November 5-7, 2015: NFB STEM2U Arizona

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

*         May 19-21, 2016: NFB STEM2U Minneapolis

*         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/>

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the individuals or entities originally addressed, and may contain confidential and privileged information protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents of this email is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy or printout.