[Nfbwv-talk] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 06/11/2019

Tue Jun 11 22:06:20 UTC 2019

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 2:30 PM
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 06/11/2019
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,

If you are like me, you feel the excitement of the national convention
building every day. I am very much anticipating being with each of you and
discussing the next phase of what we want to do together. Knowing that we
will have a big group of first-timers at the convention and that we have a
location we have not met in, I am counting on this group to be our best
resource for sharing information and ensuring things run smoothly.

If you registered for the convention by May 31—you did that right?—you will
be receiving our pre-convention emails that will have a lot of key
information you will need. We are anticipating the agenda being publicly
available soon. When it is posted to the web, we will send you a text alert.

There is more to say but I will save my words for the national convention.
Back to writing...

News:

Exclusive Convention Sale: Orbit Reader 20:
The National Federation of the Blind has secured an exclusive deal on the
Orbit Reader 20. It will be available for sale at national convention in
Las Vegas for the cost of $549. This fifty-dollar savings won’t be
available any other time. The Orbit Reader 20 is a Braille display, book
reader, and note-taker and includes an SD card, charger, and a USB cable.
Learn more about the device at
https://www.orbitresearch.com/product/orbit-reader-20/.

Template for Prospective New Members—Overview with Chapter Information:
The attached Prospective-New-Member Template is a tool for chapters to
customize with their contact information as well as the affiliate
information. This handout is a guiding document for membership chairs or
mentors to have an initial conversation with a prospective member about who
we are and what we do. In order to access the form fields, simply use the
arrow keys to read the text, and then use the tab key to move through the
form fields. Please use and share this template.

Nevada’s Blind Parents’ Rights Bill:
Nevada’s blind parents’ rights bill passed last week. The legislative
outreach liaison of the NFB of Nevada was in Carson City for the governor’s
signing of the bill.

ODEP’s 14(c) Online Dialogue:
The US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
is currently facilitating an online dialogue regarding the use of special
wage certificates under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. From
the announcement: “Please share your ideas, individual stories, and
personal experiences illustrating the impact of Section 14(c) on the
employment of people with disabilities. The goal of this online dialogue is
to capture perspectives about Section 14(c) based on individual input from
those ‘on the ground.’ Information gleaned from the comments will then be
summarized to provide ODEP an overview of Section 14(c) at the state and
national levels.”

Supporters of special wage certificates are actively dominating the
conversation. It is imperative that we counter their stories regarding this
discriminatory practice. Please urge all Federation members to engage with
this online dialogue by visiting https://14cdialogue.ideascale.com/. The
deadline is June 21, 2019. For more information, visit ePolicyWorks at dol.gov
<ePolicyWorks at dol.gov?subject=14(c)%20Online%20Dialogue%20-%20Assistance>
or call ODEP at 202-693-7880. And if you have any questions, please
contact Kimie
Eacobacci <keacobacci at nfb.org>.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

   - June 15, 2019: Deadline to register for NFB Camp
   <https://nfb.org/nfb-camp-registration-form>.
   - June 16-22, 2019: NFB EQ
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/national-center-blind-youth-science>,
   Baltimore, Maryland
   - June 25, 2019: Accessibility Boutique - Nonvisual Accessibility of
   G-Suite Products
   <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/accessibility-boutiques>,
   Baltimore, Maryland
   - July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention
   <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention>, 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://www.google.com/maps/search/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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<http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>    [image: Twitter]
<https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>    [image: Youtube]
<https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>

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