[Nfbwv-talk] Fwd: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 03/18/2019

Tue Mar 19 13:47:06 UTC 2019

 Below is the presidents notebook. Enjoy!

Sheti
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: President, National Federation of the Blind <
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 9:14 AM
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 03/18/2019
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,

Congratulations to our first twenty affiliates that have received or are
about to receive membership coins. It has been a lot of work, but it is
setting a great foundation for what we need to do next. On the topic of
membership lists, I continue to hear incorrect information related back to
me, so I want to address two items that came up during this weekend's
leadership seminar:

* Members can certainly be members of multiple chapters. Our database has
been designed to handle multiple memberships. There is no reason for
affiliates to reduce duplication when a member is active in multiple
chapters.

* You *do not* need to have an at-large chapter in order to list your
at-large affiliate members. There are many cases where members are only
members of the affiliate, not of a local chapter. That is fine. List them
on your at-large spreadsheet. Some people apparently have the impression
that they only count as members if there is an at-large chapter. Again, we
build the database to reflect our best practices in our constitutions, and
people can be affiliate members without being members of a local chapter.

We did have a great eighty-eighth leadership seminar this past weekend.
Remember, I always welcome recommendations for participants for future
seminars as we continually update the list of potential candidates. I
learned that recently some affiliate presidents took my general call as a
request for “spots for the next seminar.” Please continue to send your
suggestions at any time of the year, even for individuals not in your
affiliate. However, do keep in mind that it is a requirement that they have
been to state convention and to a national convention. Remember also that
this is not a basic introduction to the Federation but is a leadership
building seminar.

We started construction yesterday on new sleeping rooms and visitor space
at our national office. I believe this is a project that each of us will be
very proud of once it is completed. It has been almost forty years since
our original visitor sleeping rooms were built, and they have served us
very well. I anticipate this new space serving us for at least as long.

A number of important notes can be found below. Thank you for all you do to
keep up on the work of our organization. I am off to Chicago for our first
community outreach lunch. Hopefully we can bring one to your community soon.
News:

*In the Dark*:

On April 4, the CW television network, which is affiliated with CBS, plans
to launch a television series called *In the Dark* that features a blind
character. This series is just the latest in a long line of shows and
movies about the blind, without the blind. The National Federation of the
Blind was not consulted at all by the CW during the writing or casting
process, and the producers claim they could not find a blind actress to
play the leading role. For this reason, and in light of resolutions passed
by our conventions on this topic, we issued a strong statement
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-americans-protest-refusal-entertainment-industry-cast-them>
urging the cancellation of the series. We now need to follow up with
action. We cannot allow Hollywood to define us any longer. The blind belong
at the center of our own stories, playing blind characters and taking our
place on screen alongside our sighted colleagues. All affiliates should be
amplifying this message on your social media platforms using the hash tag
#LetUsPlayUs. Members who have been rejected for acting roles on the basis
of blindness or who have successfully participated in acting or performance
should email their stories to Chris Danielsen at cdanielsen at nfb.org.
Finally, it may be necessary for us to publicly protest if the CW and the
show’s producers do not respond to efforts we have made to discuss this
issue with them. Please stay tuned for word of action that may be planned
in the New York City area in early April.

Introduction of ATAA:
Last week the Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA) (S. 815) was
introduced by Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). 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.

Blind Users Innovating and Leading Design (BUILD):

Technologies are being developed every day that affect the way we all live,
work, and play. Given the continuing and rapid proliferation of advanced
technology, we need your help to ensure that this technology is accessible
to blind people. The NFB is growing a database of blind users to test and
evaluate the accessibility of websites, home-use medical devices, home
appliances, fitness equipment, and other products and services. Testers in
our BUILD program will periodically receive requests to evaluate various
websites, products, or services for usability and accessibility. In order
for us to obtain real-world experiences, we are seeking information from
novices to experts. Although most are volunteer opportunities, some of
these projects may offer compensation, premiums like gift cards, or product
discounts. If you are interested in building the next generation of
accessible products and services, please register to become a tester in our
BUILD program by visiting the following link and completing an application:
https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/blind-users-innovating-and-leading-design

Reminders:

Convention Preregistration Opened March 1:
Online preregistration will be available from March 1 to May 31, 2019.
Additionally, registration will be available on site in Las Vegas. When
purchased online by May 31, the preregistration fee for convention is $25
($30 on site) and the cost of a banquet ticket is $70 ($75 on site). For
more information regarding preregistration and other details, please visit
https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention.

*Dates to Keep in Mind:*

   - March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
   <https://nfb.org/law-symposium>

·         March 31, 2019: NFB scholarship application
<https://nfb.org/scholarships> deadline ·         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

[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