[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for 2/27/17

Tue Feb 28 19:29:33 UTC 2017

February 27, 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,

As leaders in the National Federation of the Blind it is important for us to remember that we represent our organization all of the time. That responsibility governs both our behavior and our mindset with respect to talking about our organization with the general public. It is amazing how many times I find an opportunity to connect something with the resources of our organization or discover opportunities for us just by talking to people about blindness. Often the partnership opportunities come when I am least expecting it.

Sometimes I have carried Kernel Books in my briefcase to give to people when I come across them. Although we have not published a new Kernel Book in over a decade, the content and stories are as relevant today as they were when the first books came out in the 1990s. We have plenty of print Kernel Books available for distribution, and I would urge you to consider how you might use them in your own personal outreach and then with the work you do as a leader in our affiliates. In the next month we will be distributing further information about our stock of Kernel Books and ways that affiliates might use them to build our organization.

If you have other ideas of tools that you might need to better represent our organization during your day-to-day work, please share those thoughts with me and I will determine if we can put together some new resources.

Critical Actions This Week:

State Presidents Please Take Notice:
Our advocacy efforts in the National Federation of the Blind are vital not only at the federal level, but in state capitols across the nation. Sometimes our advocacy at the affiliate level is necessary to defeat legislation that would be harmful to the blind community. In Arizona for example, SB1198, a bill that would diminish rights under that state's version of the ADA, was considered by the Judiciary Committee in the Arizona State Senate within the past week and was sent to the senate floor for a vote. You can read it at https://legiscan.com/AZ/text/SB1198/2017.

Like similar bills introduced in the last Congress, the Arizona bill would require people with disabilities to notify covered entities about accessibility barriers and give additional time for covered entities to comply with accessibility laws before being permitted to seek a legal remedy in the courts.  The ADA was enacted nearly thirty years ago, which seems to us a sufficient amount of time for covered entities to comply with the law.

It is absolutely essential that Federation leaders across the nation be vigilant in watching for bills that have a negative impact on our rights as blind citizens.  Our rights can be placed in jeopardy at any time.  Please make it a recurring practice to check online for legislation containing words such as "blind" or "disability" in your state.  If we do not respond when legislation about us is introduced, it might be assumed that we do not care.  But we most certainly do care and will take all steps at our disposal to protect our rights.

News:

New York Times article:
I was interviewed for an article published today in the New York Times, "Aids for Vision Loss, From Those Who've Been There<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/well/live/aids-for-vision-loss-from-those-whove-been-there.html?action=click&contentCollection=well&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article&version=column&rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fpersonal-health>."

Dare to Be Remarkable:
Registration for the Dare to Be Remarkable conference is live at https://nfb.org/dare-be-remarkable. Dare to Be Remarkable is a three-day national training conference for education and rehabilitation professionals who work with blind students and adults. After ten years of progress, professionals will once again assemble to share successes, strategies, and goals for the future. The conference will take place at the NFB Jernigan Institute from November 6-8, 2017, and will consist of plenary presentations, topical group work, and breakout sessions.

NFB Social Media:
The National Federation of the Blind is as active as ever before in social media efforts. Stephanie Eller has taken over social media coordination for us. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about social media or how to implement a local social media strategy, you can reach Stephanie at seller at nfb.org<mailto:seller at nfb.org> or (410) 659-9314, extension 2423.

Braille Book Fair:
The NOPBC board is busy working on our upcoming convention this summer. Please see the attached letter for details on how you can help by donating Braille books. The text of the attachment is copied below for your convenience.

Reminder:

Preregistration Opens:
Preregistration for the 2017 National Convention opens Wednesday, March 1.

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>

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

Hello NFB State Affiliate and Chapter Presidents!

The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind plans to make the 2017 Braille Book Fair our best yet!

As many of you know, we host the Braille Book Fair every year at the NFB National Convention. We invite everyone who attends the Braille Book Fair to take as many books as they would like, free of charge, and UPS helps us box the books and ship them via Free Matter for the Blind so children and adults can enjoy them after returning home from Convention. We ask your state affiliate and local chapters and divisions to help us by donating to this much-anticipated event.

There are two ways to donate this year. As always, we welcome gently-used print-Braille or Braille-only books. We cannot accept Braille magazines or textbooks, but we appreciate all other book donations, including cookbooks. These can be newly-purchased books, or they can be books you have enjoyed but no longer read. Please ship all books, via Free Matter for the Blind, to the NFB Jernigan Institute; Attn: Melissa Riccobono, 2017 Braille Book Fair; 200 East Wells St.; Baltimore, MD 21230.

For the first time, the NOPBC has launched a campaign to collect financial contributions for the Braille Book Fair. We will use all donated funds to purchase print-Braille books. We can never meet the demand for print-Braille books, and we often run out very quickly. Our youngest Braille readers, their blind and sighted parents, and their blind and sighted grandparents rely on print-Braille books as a window to literacy, as do blind parents wanting to read to their sighted children. Please consider making a financial donation so we can make more print-Braille books available this year. Please send financial donations only, made payable to the NOPBC, to Sandra Oliver, Treasurer; 15707 Knauff Ranch Ct; Cypress, TX 77429.

Thank you in advance for your donations.

Sincerely,

Kim Cunningham

President, NOPBC

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