[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for March 1, 2016

Wed Mar 2 16:16:37 UTC 2016

March 1, 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,

Every dollar that we have in the Federation contributes to our progress. Therefore, I am constantly evaluating our activities against the "PAC Plan" test. Does an expense build the organization in the way that meets the spirit, intent, and sacrifice of the membership? Recently we have reviewed some of our practices around shipping our audio publications. In our review, I was impressed by the percentage of members who have sent back flash drives so we could reuse them. I continue to appreciate the thoughtful actions of our members to use our resources efficiently.

Likewise, I want to give a shout-out to the team of leaders that we had in Baltimore for our Federation Convention Planning Seminar. During our evening banquet, I asked participants to make financial contributions to our national organization. We received cash and pledges throughout the weekend totaling more than $4,500. The personal investment of these leaders and their active engagement during the seminar gives us great hope for the future leadership of our organization.

Finally, our 2016 victories continue to stack up. Last week we secured a great victory for Yasmin Reyazuddin who faced discrimination due to the implementation of inaccessible workplace technologies. This victory is a great example of our dollars effectively working at a national level for blind people in all parts of this country. Yasmin is not unlike many blind people who are employed or who are seeking employment across the country. This victory is a key moment in our work to secure equality in the adoption of workplace technologies. Stay tuned for more news on this topic and our fight on other fronts.

News:
Another Victory in the Courts:
In the matter of Yasmin Reyazuddin vs. Montgomery County, the jury found that the county failed to provide Ms. Reyazuddin, who is blind, with a reasonable accommodation, as required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by refusing to implement accessible software so that she could continue to work as an information specialist in the county's 311 call center. More information can be found in our press release<https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-jury-verdict-montgomery-county-woman>.

Nation's Blind Podcast:
Episode 1 of the new Nation Fed of the Blind Nation's Blind podcast is now available at https://nfb.org/images/nfb/nations_blind_podcast/nations_blind_episode_1_february_2016.mp3.While the episode can be directly downloaded from our website immediately; we expect the iTunes version will take another week. In the future, the iTunes version will be available simultaneously.

Marrakesh Treaty Update:
The National Federation of the Blind, along with fifteen other supporting organizations issued a joint statement urging the Senate to act immediately to consent to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, and calling on Congress to enact its implementing legislation. You can read the statement at https://nfb.org/joint-statement-support-rapid-ratification-marrakesh-treaty. For more information on the treaty, please visit https://nfb.org/marrakeshfactsheet.

Convention Preregistration is Open:
Starting today, you can preregister for the 2016 National Federation of the Blind Convention at http://www.nfb.org/registration. You can also mail a completed preregistration form which can be found in the Braille Monitor. Preregistration will close on May 31, 2016.

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund:
The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund is accepting letters requesting funding assistance through April 15, 2016. Details can be found in the Braille Monitor article<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1603/bm160310.htm>.

Rhythm of the Movement CD:
Rhythm of the Movement: The Federation Philosophy in Song is now available on iTunes<https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/rhythm-movement-federation/id1050966287?at=11lM9p&mt=1&app=music>.

ICEB:
In partnership with the Braille Authority of North America, we will be hosting the International Council on English Braille 6th General Assembly from Saturday, May 21, through Thursday, May 26. Details on the event are available at http://www.iceb.org/iceb6thga.html.

Videos:
Check out this week's video for Read Across America Day<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpjlUsoWTw> which is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 2.

And our previous video, highlighting the STEM 2U program, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf2FeygSDdM.

KNFB Reader Brochures:
KNFB Reader brochures are now available in print form. To order the brochures, you may call the NFB Independence Market at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216 and ask for product #LPK17P 2/16. A Braille version will be made available soon.

Reminders:

NFB Scholarship Program Deadline:
The deadline is March 31, 2016-just one month away! Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships<http://www.nfb.org/scholarships> for complete rules and requirements.

Dates to keep in mind:

*        March 3-5: NFB STEM2U San Francisco

*        March 31: NFB Scholarship Program application deadline, https://nfb.org/scholarships

*        March 31-April 1: 2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium<https://nfb.org/law-symposium>; Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working Together to Achieve the Right to Live in the World

*        April 15: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program nomination deadline, https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main

*        April 15: Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund deadline, https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1603/bm160310.htm.

*        April 25: NFB EQ student application deadline, https://nfb.org/nfb-eq-form

*        May 1: Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award application deadline

*        May 17-20: BLAST, Chicago

*        May 19-21: NFB STEM2U Minneapolis

*        May 21-26: International Council on English Braille 6th General Assembly

*        June 19-25: NFB EQ (first iteration)

*        June 30-July 5: National Federation of the Blind Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida

*        July 31-August 6: NFB EQ (second iteration)

*        August 18-25: WBU and ICEVI General Assembly, Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida, www.wbu-icevi2016.org<http://www.wbu-icevi2016.org>

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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