[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's 6/7/18 Notebook

[Smyth, Charlene R]

June 7, 2018
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,

Here we are, it is June, and the national convention is right in front of us. There has been quite a bit going on since the last notebook so I urge you to examine the items below closely.

Here are a few things in no particular order:

  *   The convention agenda will be out soon. There was a bit of last-minute shuffling as our agenda gets more complex every year. As soon as we post the agenda, we will push our first text communication to the presidents that have opted into that communication channel. The agenda for this year's convention is top notch.
  *   As you know, we have been attempting to talk with the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) regarding their rebranding of the National Accreditation Council. In May, I finally heard from their executive director-long past the promised January meeting time. We have now had a series of letters go back and forth. I regret to say that instead of a real in-person conversation, we were offered a token seat in the accreditation meetings, which have now been happening for a number of months. I invited AER to speak at our convention, but that offer was also turned down. This means that we will need to discuss this matter at our national convention and decide what direction we wish to take.
  *   We had a great Dot Dash on June 3 (Dr. Maurer's birthday, by the way). A big thanks to the support of our Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey affiliates that turned out Federation teams for the race. New Jersey gets an extra high five for entering the biggest team overall.
  *   We will be conducting some focus groups at the convention regarding strategic priorities for our organization. Please watch for information about those and be considering individuals you might recommend who could offer a variety of perspectives to those small-group, information-gathering sessions.
  *   There is quite a bit of news below so read closely. I call your attention to the convention assistance piece.

Critical Actions This Week:
Assistance to Convention Attendees:
As you know, convention is both an exciting and busy time for all of us. For some of our members and new attendees it can also be overwhelming and potentially, anxiety provoking. In order to assist convention attendees who may be experiencing feelings of anxiety or of being overwhelmed, several measures have been put in place for this year's convention. We need your help in making sure that convention attendees who are feeling this way do not fall through the cracks as this is a super busy time for everyone. To that end, please make sure to put the following into your affiliate action plan for convention:

1.       Please make sure that everyone you know of who is attending convention from your affiliate knows how to get in touch with you and with other leaders from your affiliate.

2.       If you are contacted by someone feeling anxious or obviously overwhelmed, try to help from your end first. Let them know that it is quite normal to feel this way and that they will be okay. Taking time to speak in person, in a quiet place usually helps. Please do so, if at all possible.

3.       The Hospitality Suite is a good place for someone to take a break and wind down a bit. There will be someone on hand to help those in mild distress or in need of a quiet place during the hours that the Hospitality Suite is open. Encourage attendees to contact you or another leader within your affiliate if they need your help.

4.       If you feel that you are not equipped to help, for those who are experiencing moderate to severe anxiety, please contact this number to seek assistance for the person experiencing distress: 443-457-3401. A mental health professional will answer the line and will help develop a plan of action with you.

5.       If there are reports of harassment of any kind or of events that need to be reported such as unwanted sexual advances or physical violence from anyone attending our convention, please stay with the person who has confided in you and immediately call 443-457-3401 for assistance.

Your help in making certain that everyone attending our convention is safe and that any issues are handled appropriately is greatly appreciated. While we don't expect for issues to arise, we want to be prepared in case they do.



News:
National Scholarship Finalists:
Below is the list of national scholarship finalists, listed with their state of residence and their career goals. The scholarship winners will be announced at the banquet on Sunday, July 8.

  *   Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa, VA: Diplomat
  *   Alexandra Alfonso, DC: Music, Education, and Pre-law
  *   Tasnim Alshuli, AZ: Professor
  *   Millad Bokhouri, PA: Medical program designer
  *   Tyron Bratcher, MD: Rehabilitation counselor
  *   Chrys Buckley, OR: Physician
  *   Ozgul Calicioglu, PA: Environmental sustainability specialist
  *   Olivia Charland, MA: Conservation biologist
  *   Purvi Contractor, TX: Aerospace
  *   Kenia Flores, NC: Civil rights attorney
  *   John Harrison, WI: Advocate
  *   Eric Harvey, CA: Near East cultural specialist
  *   Justin Heard, GA: Teacher
  *   J.D. Humphrey, MI: Ethnomedicine
  *   Trisha Kulkarni, OH: Software engineer
  *   Amanda Lannan, FL: Teacher education
  *   Shane Lowe, KY: Cyber security and business administration
  *   Seth Lowman, ID: Sound design and music production
  *   Sara Mornis, VT: Writing and psychology
  *   Connor Mullin, NJ: Cane travel instructor
  *   Sara Patnaude, VA: Victim's advocate
  *   Menuka Rai, ND: Physical therapist
  *   Elizabeth Rouse, IA: Attorney
  *   Yasmine Marie Sarraf, AZ: Forensic scientist
  *   Caitlin Sarubbi, NY: Physician
  *   Rilee Sloan, OK: Attorney
  *   Harry Staley, Jr., TX: Autonomous vehicle development
  *   Matt Turner, ID: Economics and technology
  *   Cathy Tuton, OK: Dietician
  *   Paige Young, ME: Business administration

Marrakesh Treaty:
The Foreign Relations Committee of the United States Senate voted unanimously late in May in favor of advancing the Marrakesh Treaty to the full Senate for its advice and consent.

Space Available:
The Senate Armed Services Committee released the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 on Wednesday, June 6, and our Space Available language was included. This means that language authorizing veterans with a service-connected permanent disability rated as total to participate in the Space Available program was in the House version of the bill that passed on May 24, 2018, and is in the proposed version of the Senate bill. The Senate is currently debating their version of the bill, and we expect that they will vote on it soon. We will continue to closely monitor any and all amendments to ensure that there are no changes to this provision.


BECU Agreement:
We have reached an agreement with the Boeing Employees' Credit Union (BECU). As a part of this agreement, BECU will work in collaboration with us to make its website and mobile banking app fully accessible to blind customers. The website accessibility is expected to be completed by March 31, 2019. Improvements to the mobile app will begin this summer and will be completed by May 31, 2019. More information is available in the full NFB press release<https://nfb.org/blind-will-soon-be-able-bank-becu-through-mobile-and-online-banking>.



Lawsuit against US Department of Education:
We, along with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Education over new procedures that allow its Office for Civil Rights to dismiss complaints that it determines to be burdensome or a drain on the department's resources. Earlier this year the department changed its case-handling manual to allow the department to dismiss complaints if they represent a pattern of complaints or if they are filed against multiple recipients. The lawsuit is addressed in a segment (starting at 11:09) on the online news series, The News with Dan Rather<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jIfYh4Q8dU>.


Convention Welcome Concert:
Allan Pineda Lindo, best known as apl.de.ap from The Black Eyed Peas, will perform live at the welcome concert scheduled to take place July 6, at 7:00 p.m., at the Rosen Shingle Creek. More information will be listed in the convention agenda.



Action Item:
Feedback Needed:
We would like your feedback. Our supporter thank you video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O41xcFDMCZk> was designed so that our affiliates could use it to talk about our programs or to thank our supporters and volunteers. We are considering another video this year. Toward that end, we would like to know which affiliates have used the video and for what purposes. Are there things that you think could be improved or should be included? Are there affiliates who were not aware of this resource? Please email Patti Chang at pchang at nfb.org<mailto:pchang at nfb.org> with your comments.



Reminders:
Convention Announcements:
Once again this year, we will have a place to post exhibit hall/fundraising announcements so as not to overwhelm our members' inboxes. Affiliates, divisions, exhibitors, and sponsors can post their announcements via the submission form at https://nfb.org/convention/exhibitannouncements. All posted announcements will be displayed at https://nfb.org/convention/exhibits. This will allow for filtering based on the following categories: affiliate, division, exhibitor, or sponsor.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

  *   July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the Blind National Convention<https://nfb.org/convention>, Orlando, Florida
  *   July 29-August 4, 2018: NFB EQ<http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq>

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.



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