[Nfbwv-talk] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/28/2018

Fri Sep 28 20:48:10 UTC 2018

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 28, 2018 at 4:45 PM
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/28/2018
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>

President’s Notebook National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org (410) 659-9314

Fellow Federationists:

The National Federation of the Blind continues to be in the news and on the
move, and it is all fueled by your leadership at the affiliate level. Let
me start this notebook by thanking Charlene Smith of West Virginia and Joy
Breslauer of Montana who have both transitioned the affiliate presidency to
new affiliate presidents: Sheri Koch and Jim Marx respectively. I
appreciate the service of these two women and their commitment to the
successful transition of leadership in our affiliates. Please be sure to
welcome our new presidents to the state affiliate leadership listserv.

We had a great night celebrating the National Federation of the Blind at
Orioles Park at Camden Yards last week. We have included some of the great
national coverage we received. I know some of you participated in the
online auction of the Braille jerseys. We are now hoping to get the other
Major League Baseball teams to participate in something similar in 2019—I
am particularly hoping for the future world champion Milwaukee Brewers.

While there is much news this week, it is important that we take a moment
to celebrate getting the Marrakesh Implementation Act through the House of
Representatives on unanimous consent. While the president of the United
States still has to sign the bill and the State Department still needs to
send the instrument of ratification to the World Intellectual Property
Organization, the heaviest of the lifting has been done. It is thanks to
the tremendous team of local advocates and skilled leaders like Scott
LaBarre, the visionary leadership of our Immediate Past President Marc
Maurer, and the tactical moves of our staff, especially John Pare and Gabe
Cazares, along with a supporting cast of many that made this possible.
Congratulations and thank you to each of you for your dedication and
persistence.

One reason I am sending this today is that I am out much of next week
visiting technology companies in Israel. The impact of the Federation is
felt globally, and our relationships with companies and organizations
around the world is part of what helps us be effective in our activities
within the United States.
  News:

Marrakesh Treaty Update:
After almost a decade of negotiations, drafting, and advocacy, the
Marrakesh Treaty is closer than ever before to becoming a reality in the
United States. On Tuesday September 25, 2018, at 7:19 p.m. EST, the US
House of Representatives unanimously passed the Marrakesh Treaty
Implementation Act (S. 2559). The bill will now go to the president for his
signature. This is a major victory for the members of the National
Federation of the Blind; because of our hard work, soon blind people all
across the globe will enjoy a vast collection of accessible materials.
Special thanks to Scott LaBarre who has been serving as the principal
negotiator on the Federation’s behalf for all of these years. Read our
press release about this tremendous development at
https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act
.

National Federation of the Blind Night at Camden Yards:
The Orioles organization dedicated the September 18 game to the National
Federation of the Blind in honor of our forty-year anniversary in
Baltimore. Our members passed out Braille alphabet cards and the Orioles
player and coach jerseys had the names in Braille. One of those shirts will
be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame and the rest were auctioned off, with
the proceeds coming to our national office. I was honored to throw out the
first pitch. You can read some of the press coverage of the evening in the
links below.

WJZ, Baltimore CBS affiliate:
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/

*Washington Post*:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c

*People* magazine online:
https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/

Last Chance to Register for the Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers
Symposium:
Registration for the Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers Symposium
will close on October 7. Parents of blind and low-vision children, teachers
(both K-12 and post-secondary), and disability support services staff
should not miss this exciting opportunity to learn about innovations in the
production of tactile graphics (both high-tech and low-tech), the use of
tactile graphics in the classroom, how to teach tactile literacy, what
constitutes good design, and more! The Tactile Graphics in Education and
Careers Symposium will take place October 11-12, 2018, at the National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. For more information, to view
the agenda, and to register, please go to the Tactile Graphics Symposium
webpage. <https://nfb.org/tactile-graphics-education-and-careers-symposium>

Meet the Blind Month:
Meet the Blind Month is almost here. We have updated our related webpages:

https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month

https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day

https://nfb.org/free-cane-program

Continue to email information about events you have planned to
kanderson at nfb.org or share them with us via social media, and we’ll add
them to the website <https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month>. You may use the
updated www.nfb.org/wcad URL in local communications if you wish.

Braille Readers Are Leaders:

The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, in partnership with the
NFB Jernigan Institute and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and
Adults, again announces the annual nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders
(BRAL) contest for kids. Students must be K-12 and must reside in a state
registered for the contest. Entrants compete to read the most Braille
pages, going against other students in similar grades across all
participating states. The contest runs for seven weeks, encouraging
students to be proud of their Braille reading ability and to work to
improve their Braille skills—while possibly winning prizes in the process.

If you have questions, email the contest administrator, Deborah Stein, at
dkent5817 at att.net (please put “Nationwide BRAL Question” in the subject
line) or phone 773-203-1394

Terri Rupp Article:
In case you haven’t seen the article yet, Terri Rupp was featured in *Good
Housekeeping* magazine:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/

Dates to Keep in Mind:

   - Fall conventions <https://nfb.org/state-conventions>
   - October 11-12, 2018: Tactile Graphics Symposium

·         November 1, 2018: NFB scholarship application period begins ·
November 15, 2018: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application period begins

   - January 28, 2019: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
   - March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
   - July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention
   <https://nfb.org/convention/2019>, Las Vegas, Nevada

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
<https://maps.google.com/?q=200+East+Wells+Street,+Baltimore,+MD+21230&entry=gmail&source=g>

(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org

[image: 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.

-- 
Sheri Koch, President
National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia
304-993-5103