[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for August 29, 2016

Tue Aug 30 14:27:50 UTC 2016

August 29, 2016
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,

The shine of the National Federation of the Blind has never been brighter. Our team of members and staff who participated in the 2016 Joint General Assemblies of the World Blind Union and the International Council for the Education of the Visually Impaired demonstrated the Federation spirit and philosophy for eight days of meetings in Orlando. The blind of the world were greeted with blind hosts who showed them around, gave spontaneous cane travel lessons, and shared our empowering philosophy. From the logistics to the presentations on the main and breakout stages, the Federation showed the best of what we have built as a movement. Congratulations to Dr. Fred Schroeder who was elected president of the World Blind Union and who will now serve for the next four years in that office.

The work of the Federation continues as we move into the fall convention season. I am looking forward to welcoming another leadership seminar to our headquarters this weekend, and I anticipate a busy fall with travel to conventions and new projects. In other words, the work of the Federation is as active and forward looking as always.

Thank you for all you do.

News:

TIME Act Developments:
There have been some exciting developments regarding the TIME Act (Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act) (H.R 188/S. 2001). Since our Washington Seminar in January 2016, both the Republican and Democratic parties have endorsed our bill in their 2016 platforms. Therefore, we should take this opportunity to follow up with our legislators and let them know that their parties support this important initiative to repeal Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act that allows employers to pay disabled workers less than the minimum wage.

As you may be aware, members of the US House of Representatives and Senate will soon be returning to DC from their August recess. It is crucial that we send them emails which let them know that their party endorsed the TIME Act in their platform and request them to cosponsor the bill. Please copy Kimie Beverly at KBeverly at nfb.org<mailto:KBeverly at nfb.org> on any email you send to your senators' or representative's office so she can follow up with additional information.

Thornberry Thank You letters:
We have had a tremendous response to our thank-you-letter writing campaign to Representative Mack Thornberry, chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services. He included our Space Available bill in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act which would allow all blind or otherwise disabled medically discharged veterans to participate in the Space Available program. Currently, only those injured on or after September 23, 1996, can participate in this program that allows retirees and active duty military to travel for free on military owned or operated aircraft. We have heard that Congress is currently conferencing this portion of the National Defense Authorization Act and we need to give Chairman Thornberry as much leverage as possible. Please fill out the letter at https://nfb.org/thank-you-thornberry; it will only take about two minutes. Then share the link on Facebook and Twitter.

A press release thanking Chairman Thornberry has been issued. You can read the whole release at https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-texas-commends-congressman-thornberry-support-veterans-disabilities.

Membership Cards:
We've run into a problem regarding our membership cards. We are out of stock in the Independence Market. This is a good problem to have because it means that our chapters are busy recruiting new members into the Federation. We will send out an announcement once the cards are back in stock. Until then, let's keep building the Federation and filling out the new member form.<http://www.nfb.org/oaform>

Also, remember that you can order other materials through the Independence Market for your Meet the Blind Month events. Now is the time to ramp up your planning and get the word out.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

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

*        August 31: Deadline for experienced NFB BELL Academy affiliate representatives to register for the NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar, September 30-October 2, 2016. Please choose: Advanced or Novice/Intermediate, registration form<https://nfb.org/bell-seminar-registration-form>

*        September 8: Deadline for prospective NFB BELL Academy affiliates to apply to host an NFB BELL Academy for the summer of 2017, application form<https://nfb.org/bell-program-online-application>

*        September 15: Deadline for representatives from accepted prospective NFB BELL Academy affiliates to register for the NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar, October 20-23, 2016. Please choose: Novice/Intermediate, registration form<https://nfb.org/bell-seminar-registration-form>

*        September 30-October 2: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Advanced) in Baltimore, Maryland

*        October 20-24: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Novice/Intermediate) in Baltimore, Maryland

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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