[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for February 6, 2017

[Smyth, Charlene R]

February 6, 2017
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,



POWERFUL: I think that was the brand personality trait that was most in evidence for me during our 2017 National Federation of the Blind Washington Seminar. I was particularly INSPIRED by the work of our blind students. They were passionate, energetic, and out in front in so many ways. Not to mention, if you dropped by the NABS Café, as I did, you noticed how INVITING they were in building our organization.



The question for us is what are we going to do as a follow up to the week? How are we going to close the loop, lock in our members of Congress, and continue the momentum with the members who could not be in Washington? We have an opportunity to INNOVATE some new ways to get our members engaged with our legislative priorities. Please share your ideas for keeping the momentum going on the affiliate leadership list so we can all benefit from the work being done in your affiliate.



Thank you again for your active participation in our state affiliate president retreat. I have received a lot of good feedback, and I encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts with me. We are quickly moving into the spring convention time, and I am looking forward to being out on the road with members in local communities. Please continue to invite me to engage in local activities, and I will do my best to be in all of the places I can and definitely in all of the places where I am most needed.



Critical Actions This Week:

Please Sign the Petition:
Jamie Principato, who spoke<https://www.nfb.org/national-convention-highlights> at our national convention last summer about her experience with inaccessible technology, has launched a petition<https://www.change.org/p/united-states-congress-remove-barriers-to-classroom-equality-ensure-accessibility-of-instructional-materials?recruiter=75359047&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink> calling on congressional leaders to move swiftly to pass our Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act. The petition<https://www.change.org/p/united-states-congress-remove-barriers-to-classroom-equality-ensure-accessibility-of-instructional-materials?recruiter=75359047&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink> further calls upon President Trump to unequivocally commit to supporting this legislation by urging its passage.



News:

Presidential Release:
The February Presidential Release has been posted to our website at https://nfb.org/podcast/presidential-releases-en/rss.xml.



Presidential Release Sources:
One item that was mentioned at the retreat was that all members don't know how they can access the Presidential Release individually. We have produced a one-page document, attached to this message, that describes the different methods by which it can be heard.



Washington Seminar Follow Up:

In case you need additional information so that you can follow up on the Washington Seminar issues back home, the fact sheets can be found at https://nfb.org/washington-seminar#Legislative%20Agenda%20and%20Fact%20Sheets.





Dates to Keep in Mind:

*        March 23, 2017: eBooks and EPUB accessibility event<https://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=6317&qid=1522699>

*        March 30-31, 2017: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium<http://nfb.org/law-symposium>

*        March 31, 2017: Deadline for scholarship applications<http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>

*        April 15, 2017: Deadline for Jacob Bolotin Award applications<https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>

*        May 1, 2017: Deadline for Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/distinguished-educator-of-blind-students-award-form-fillable.pdf>

*        July 10-15, 2017: National Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161101.htm>

*        July 23-29, 2017: Youth Slam<http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam>, Towson University

*        September 12-17, 2017: BLAST<http://blindmerchants.org/blast-2017/>, Nashville, Tennessee



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

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>




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