[Nfbwv-talk] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 04/08/2019

Mon Apr 8 19:42:52 UTC 2019

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: Mon, Apr 8, 2019 at 2:45 PM
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 04/08/2019
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

Dear Fellow Federationists,

As we enter the second week of April, I am keenly aware that the national
convention will be here in less than three months. That means the pace of
activity is picking up each day. I encourage you to pay close attention to
the items listed in the notebook as we go forward. I often hear from
leaders that they did not know something and when I remind them it was in
the notebook they say that they have not read it yet. If that is you, you
likely have not read this sentence yet. However, I want to remind all
leaders that the purpose of the notebook is to batch together information,
so you have one convenient place to find, at least, the basics. If you keep
every notebook in a single folder, you should have all of the programmatic
information you need easily available.

I want to give a special congratulations to the NFB of Georgia for getting
a parental rights bill through the Georgia legislature. This was not an
easy battle, but they got it done with spirit and determination. Thanks to
our Georgia leadership for expanding the circle of protection for blind
parents.

A number of states have not responded to recent emails from Julie McGinnity
regarding affiliate membership lists. If you do not have your membership
coins and if you have not heard anything in some time, I urge you to reach
out to Julie McGinnity to keep things moving. You do not want to be without
the membership coins at the national convention. Julie can be reached
at *jmcginnity at nfb.org
<jmcginnity at nfb.org> *or 410-659-9314, extension 2509 (link for calling
directly from smart phone 4106599314,,2509).

Keep those convention ideas coming and keep pushing back on the *In The
Dark* show using our #LetUsPlayUs campaign hashtag.
News:

April Presidential Release
This month’s Presidential Release is available at
*https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>*.

Affiliate and Division Exhibiting at the National Convention:
Online registration for affiliate and division exhibit tables at the
national convention is available through May 31. You can find *information
about exhibiting and the exhibitor application form online on the NFB
website <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/exhibit-hall>*.
When filling out the application, be sure to choose “NFB affiliate
exhibitor” as the exhibitor type.

If you have any questions, please contact Anna Adler at *aadler at nfb.org
<aadler at nfb.org>* or 410-659-9314, extension 2282.

Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award:
Please be sure to nominate those wonderful BELL Academy teachers and other
teachers of blind students who go above and beyond to provide quality
instruction and experiences for our blind students. The deadline is May 1,
2019. You can contact Carla McQuillan at *president at nfb-oregon.org
<president at nfb-oregon.org>* or 541-653-9153.

Legislative Update:
On Thursday, April 4, 2019, Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee Chairman
Mike Thompson (D-CA-5) and Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) introduced
the Access Technology Affordability Act of 2019 (H.R. 2086) in the US House
of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation removes an employment
barrier commonly experienced by blind Americans who cannot afford the high
cost of access technology by creating a refundable tax credit in the amount
of $2,000 to offset the cost of these technologies. Bipartisan companion
legislation was introduced in the US Senate as S. 815 earlier this year.
Please call your representative and senators to encourage them to cosponsor
the Access Technology Affordability Act. You can reach the relevant offices
by calling the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. If you are contacting
them via email, please copy Gabe Cazares at *gcazares at nfb.org
<gcazares at nfb.org>* in your correspondence.

NFB BELL Academy Dates:
Below are the dates of some additional NFB BELL Academies. These are in
addition to those listed in the previous notebook.

   - 7/22-8/2 St. Louis, MO
   - 7/22-8/2 Columbia, MO
   - 7/27-8/25 Tonawanda, New York
   - 8/5-8/9 Harrisburg, PA

Dates to Keep in Mind: ·         April 15, 2019: *Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award*
<https://nfb.org/programs/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards> application deadline

   - May 1, 2019: *Distinguished Educator Award*
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/distinguished-educator-blind-students-award>
   nomination deadline
   - June 16-22, 2019: *NFB EQ* <http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq>,
   Baltimore, Maryland
   - July 7-12, 2019: *NFB National Convention
   <https://nfb.org/convention/2019>*, Las Vegas, Nevada
   - February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins

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*
<officeofthepresident at nfb.org>

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

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