[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for 1/9/17

Thu Jan 12 20:11:38 UTC 2017

January 9, 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,

I had the opportunity to represent the Federation at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) last week. In talking to technology providers, it is encouraging to find more awareness of what "accessibility" means than I did years ago when I last attended CES. It is clear that we are living in an ever-connected world from cars, to homes, to wearables, to the physical environment. I think that our advocacy and technology expertise put the blind in a great position to take advantage of all of these innovations.

Technology will never be the answer. We need to continue to articulate our philosophy about blindness. I think that we need to walk carefully around the use of technology making sure that the blind continue to direct that use in our lives. There are many simple things that do not require a technology solution. However, how can we further leverage technology to give us increased access to information that is expensive or difficult to get in our everyday lives? It will be up to the National Federation of the Blind to define what the cutting edge of technology and independence is, and I am looking to the leaders of the Federation to help by actively participating in those discussions.

Critical Actions This Week:
Washington Seminar:
The Great Gathering-In is exactly three weeks from today. Please schedule appointments with members of your Congressional delegation for January 31, February 1, and February 2. Once your appointments are scheduled, please notify us at Hillappointments at nfb.org<mailto:Hillappointments at nfb.org>, providing as much information about each meeting as you can, including: date, time, meeting location, and (perhaps most importantly) whether you are meeting with a staffer or an actual member of Congress.

The 2017 Legislative Fact Sheets<https://nfb.org/washington-seminar> are online. This is a great time to be studying our issues for the 2017 Washington Seminar and memorizing the fact sheets. Be sure to check back often for updates regarding the Washington Seminar in the weeks leading up to the Great Gathering-In on January 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Capitol.

News:

2017 BELL Academy Program launched:
On Louis Braille's birthday, January 4, we launched the 2017 BELL Academy Program with Wells Fargo. In addition to sponsoring the BELL Academy, Wells Fargo will provide strategic input into the program and offer team member volunteers at select academies.

Presidential Release:
The January Presidential Release has been posted to our website at https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/pr457.mp3.

EPUB 3 Training Seminar:
We will be hosting a training seminar designed to teach how to create and implement accessible EPUB 3 in a variety of different settings and to discuss the upcoming release of the EPUB accessibility conformance specification. This event will be hosted under the auspices of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access to Education, Public Information, and Commerce (CENA), with financial support through the Non-Visual Accessibility Initiative grant from the State of Maryland.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*        January 30, 2017: Great Gathering-In

*        January 30-February 2, 2017: Washington Seminar<https://nfb.org/washington-seminar>

*        March 23, 2017: EPUB 3 Training Seminar<https://nfb.org/ebooks-and-epub-accessibility>

*        March 30-31, 2017: Jacobus tenBroek 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>

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

*        July 21-29, 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>

[National Federation of the Blind]<https://nfb.org/>

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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.

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