[NFBWV-Talk] Fwd: FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/18/2020

[Sheri Koch]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Sheri Koch <skochnfbwv at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 23, 2020 at 9:54 PM
Subject: Re: FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/18/2020
To: Braun, Beth <Bbraun at nfb.org>


Got it

On Fri, May 22, 2020 at 1:59 PM Braun, Beth <Bbraun at nfb.org> wrote:

> Resending the notebook…fingers crossed!
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* President, National Federation of the Blind
> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:23 AM
> *To:* President, National Federation of the Blind <
> OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
> *Subject:* NFB President’s Notebook - week of 05/18/2020
>
>
> President’s Notebook National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono
> officeofthepresident at nfb.org 410-659-9314
>
>
>
> Dear Fellow Federationists,
>
>
>
> Today we are eight weeks from our national convention and it is reflected
> in the announcements you find below. Help share and amplify these
> announcements with the membership. In particular, I want to call out our
> current work with the College Board regarding advanced placement exams. It
> is truly critical that you help families get connected with us so we can
> understand the scope of the problem while we advocate on behalf of blind
> students.
>
>
>
> Thank you again to those affiliates who have donated additional funds to
> support our national Braille enrichment efforts. Your outreach at the local
> level, as well as financial resources at the national level, are making
> connecting, engaging, and protecting blind students possible across the
> nation.
>
>
> Critical Actions: *College Board AP Tests:*
>
> Last week, five blind high school students and the NFB filed a complaint
> against the College Board with the United States Department of Education
> Office for Civil Rights and Department of Justice on behalf of themselves
> and all other blind and deafblind students who are registered to take the
> May 2020 advanced placement (AP) tests from the College Board. Read the
> press release and complaint at
> https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/rulings-filings-and-letters#highstakes.
>
>
> If you are a blind high school student or the parent of a blind high
> school student who is scheduled to take a College Board AP test this spring
> and requires accommodations, including but not limited to Braille and
> tactile graphics, please contact our legal coordinator, Valerie Yingling,
> as soon as possible at vyingling at nfb.org.
>
>
> *Please Help Us Spread the Word to Federal Employees:*
>
> The Office of Personnel Management has launched a special solicitation
> window for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). This campaign is in support
> of nonprofit organizations that are working overtime to fight the
> coronavirus pandemic and will run through June 30, 2020. Please help us
> spread the word to federal employees. If you are in a position to give as a
> federal employee, or know someone who can, please consider donating to the
> National Federation of the Blind by selecting Blind Federation of America,
> number 11162.
>
>
> News: *Advocacy and Policy Update:*
>
> The staff of the Jernigan Institute has remained hard at work throughout
> the COVID-19 pandemic. Some recent activities include a letter I sent to
> the US secretary of education
> <https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/letter-to-secretary-of-education-regarding-rethink-k-12-grant-program.pdf>
> regarding a grant program for local education agencies that would aid in
> their distance-learning pursuits during these quarantines and lockdowns. We
> urged Secretary DeVos to remember students with disabilities in the
> Department of Education’s review of the grant applications. I also wrote an open
> letter to school districts
> <https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/open-letter-to-school-districts-concerning-rethink-grant-applications.pdf>
> that urged them to remember students with disabilities in their grant
> requests.
>
>
>
> In other news, the House and Senate are both expected to be back in
> Washington the week of June 1. There’s a good chance they will use that
> week to negotiate the provisions of the most recent COVID-19 relief bill,
> the HEROES Act. We need to make sure that all members of Congress know
> about the major priorities we want included in that legislation. One of
> those key priorities, the Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA),
> currently has eighty-eight cosponsors in the House and twenty-two in the
> Senate. We believe that Congressional leaders will really take notice of
> this bill if we can reach one hundred cosponsors in the House. With that
> kind of support, our Congressional champions would have more leverage to
> argue for the bill’s inclusion in the larger piece of legislation. So
> please call or email your member of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the
> ATAA (H.R. 2086/S. 815). We are so close, but we’re going to need to work
> harder than ever to ensure this bill passes.
>
>
> *Elections:*
>
> As a number of states begin to relax the restrictions that were put in
> place due to the coronavirus pandemic, many upcoming primary and local
> elections will remain all vote-by-mail elections. If your state and/or
> local jurisdiction does not provide an accessible way to mark a
> vote-by-mail ballot, the *Accessible Vote-by-Mail Toolkit*, developed by
> the National Federation of the Blind with grant funds from the US
> Department of Health and Human Services, will provide our members with the
> information they need to know to advocate for accessible vote-by-mail.
> Visit our Voting, Accessibility, and the Law
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/national-center-nonvisual-election-3>
> webpage to download a BRF or MS Word file of the toolkit. You will also
> find many other important voting-related resources on this webpage. If you
> have questions or need assistance in your advocacy efforts, please contact
> Lou Ann Blake, deputy executive director of Blindness Initiatives at
> lblake at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2221.
>   *National Telecommuting Institute:*
>
> We would like to speak with anyone who has either worked for National
> Telecommuting Institute (NTI) or who applied to work for NTI. Additionally,
> we would be interested in speaking with anyone who is actively looking for
> customer service work who wishes to work from home. Please contact Valerie
> Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.
>
>
> *The Give $20 Campaign—A Donation Drawing:*
>
> Each year, Federation members purchase tickets to drawings or make
> donations during national convention to various funds that support blind
> people. In 2020, your generosity is still needed to fund our great
> programs. Give $20 or more between May 15 and July 18 at noon eastern to
> one of the specified funds, and be entered into the Kenneth Jernigan
> convention drawing to win BIG! Learn more about the Give $20 Campaign
> <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/give-20-campaign>.
>
>
> *Presidential Release—Behind the Scenes and More:*
>
> Go behind the scenes of the presidential release live in the newest
> episode of the *Nation’s Blind Podcast*. Join this conversation with
> President Riccobono on the history of the presidential release and the
> recent new direction. Check out the *Nation’s Blind Podcast *now
> <https://www.nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/nations-blind-podcast>
> .
>   *Save-the-Date: *
>
> The next live presidential release will be held June 4, 2020, at 8:00 p.m.
> eastern with the opportunity for questions and answers again. Send your
> questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org and put PR495 in the subject
> line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473.
>   *New Contest—Share Your First Convention Experience:*
>
> Attending the NFB National Convention is a memorable experience. And the
> first one is life changing for so many. Share a video or audio message
> about a special memory of your first convention in less than sixty seconds
> to be entered to win a cash prize and have your story shared at this year’s
> convention. Learn more about the contest rules and prizes for the Convention
> Memory Minute Contest
> <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/convention-memory-minute-contest>
> .
>
>
> *Upcoming Accessibility Boutiques:*
>
> We host accessibility boutiques that are workshops or introductions to
> best practices and latest trends in access tech. Take advantage of these
> free, upcoming boutiques:
>
> ·       Don’t Make Us Do This! Tricks We Shouldn’t Have to Use to Get
> through a Website on May 19 at 2:00 p.m. eastern
>
> ·       The COVID-19 Response: Keeping Employees and Students Connected
> from Home on May 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern
>
> ·       Textbook-Provider Showdown on May 26 at 8:30 a.m. eastern
>
> ·       Comparison of Cloud Storage Solutions on June 2 at 2:00 p.m.
> eastern
>
>
> Learn more about accessibility boutiques and register today
> <https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/trainings/accessibility-boutiques>
> .
>
>
> *Blind Parents—Attend Discussion this Week:*
>
> Join the national dialog regarding blind parents this Thursday, May 21, at
> 3:00 p.m. eastern. Chat with some of our nation's leaders in the blind
> parenting community on what’s keeping you sane during this time, distance
> learning and children in school, social distancing, and more. Share your
> experiences, ask questions, and let us know what topics you would like to
> have us discuss on future calls. Register today for the national dialog
> regarding blind parents <https://www.nfb.org/our-community/blind-parents>.
>
>
> *Graduates: Participate in NABS Graduation Celebration:*
>
> It’s graduation season! Many graduations are being put on hold or going
> virtual. This year, the National Association of Blind Students, a division
> of the National Federation of the Blind, wishes to celebrate the class of
> 2020 through a virtual ceremony on June 6 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. eastern
> via Zoom (Zoom meeting ID: 467 883 3687). The celebration is open for
> anyone to join and blind students who are graduating are asked to submit
> the graduate celebration form <https://forms.gle/bVarvstZg344syYb9> by
> June 1 if they wish to be recognized during this virtual celebration.
>
>
> *Virtual Choir for Convention:*
>
> This year, the Performing Arts Division will be putting together a virtual
> choir project for national convention. It will be a great time to unite
> with one another and make music together. Rehearsals will be held over Zoom
> every Friday from June 5 until June 26 at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and music will
> be made available online. Members will submit recordings of themselves
> singing their parts to be put together into a virtual choir recording to be
> played during convention. We will be sending out more details as they
> become available, but if you would like to participate, please email
> nfbpad at gmail.com with your name, contact information, and voice type.
>
>
> Dates to Keep in Mind:
>
> ·       June 1-12: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
>
> ·       June 4: Presidential Release Live
>
> ·       June 10: Membership Open House
>
> ·       June 14: National Leadership Call during #COVID19
>
> ·       June 22-July 3: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
>
> ·       July 27-August 7: NFB BELL® In-Home Edition
>
>    - July 14-18: NFB National Convention <https://www.nfb.org/convention>,
>    Everywhere
>
> ·       February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In
>
>
>
> 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/>
>
>
>
>                          [image: Facebook]
> <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
-- 
Sheri Koch, President
National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia
304-993-5103