[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update Christmas Edition

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Buckeye Update
December 24, 2016

It is Christmas Eve morning. We have much to be thankful for in the National Federation of the Blind. We have had a tremendous year of growth and accomplishments, but most of all we can be thankful for each other and our Federation family.

This week I had lunch with the Love family and their staff at Love Chiropractic. This was there Christmas celebration and the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio was included. Last year they told us that NFB Ohio was going to be their charity for 2015. On Tuesday they presented me a check made out to the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in the amount of $10,000. MaKenzie Love has been one of our BELL students since our Ohio program began in 2013. Thank you to the Love family for giving us MaKenzie and the contribution.

The BELL Program truly is a blessing for this affiliate. We have a great group of kids that keep coming back. Yes we need to grow the program. We need to find more kids and more volunteers. But we are blessed with the kids and families we have so far.

We have had a great 2015, and I am looking forward to the new year. The year to come is going to be one of the most challenging we have had in the organization, but I know we will meet the challenges. The work we have ahead of us in Congress and in the State House is formidable, but I believe we are going to do some unbelievable things on both levels in 2016. 

I continue to hear people say how much they enjoyed the convention. I too thought it was a great convention. We had a good group that helped with the planning and who worked to see that everything with the convention went smoothly. 
I am grateful for everyone who made the convention such a success. I am looking forward to a bigger and better convention in 2016.

Please get newsletter articles and other information to Barbara Pierce as soon as possible. We are already behind schedule, but that is because we all need to get materials to Barbara. barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com <mailto:barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com>

I am pasting to sets of minutes that the board of Directors approved in our December meeting. The December minutes and committee appointments will come out soon.

Merry Christmas, and Happy new year. Happy Holidays. Enjoy any and all holidays that you celebrate during this time of the year, and may you all be blessed. Reenergize so that you are ready to continue to build the Federation in 2016.


Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

November 19, 2015



	1. President Eric Duffy called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m. We met at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 6200 Quarry Lane, Independence, Ohio 44131, (216) 447-1300, in Petit A. and B. 

	2. All board members were present. Three board members were fined  $1 for not being clad with NFB insignia. A large number of guests were present and were also fined $1 for not being clad with the NFB insignia. 

	3. Eric announced that a board meeting would be held in executive session on Friday, November 20, at 12:10 p.m. in the hospitality suite, Parlor 121. 

	4. Eric stated that the next board of directors meeting would be held by teleconference call on December 10, 2015. This is to appoint committees for the upcoming year and to discuss the 2016 state convention. 

	5. Richard Payne moved that the September 26, 2015, minutes be approved as circulated to the board by email. Barbara Pierce seconded the motion. The motion passed. 

	6. Sheri Albers, convention arrangements chair, made some remarks.

	A. Put your cell phones on vibrate. If you have a call, you should take it outside of the meeting room and away from the door. 

	b. She gave information on dog relief area. 

	C. Meal tickets will be passed out during registration. These are required in order to receive a meal. Do not lose them. 

	D. Doors to the hotel will be locked at night with the exception of the main entrance. You can use your room key to open the doors. 

	E. Everyone has a late check out on Sunday. It is 1:00 p.m.

	F. Agendas are available this evening. Take only one, and be sure to keep track of it. 

	G. Registration opens at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. 

	7. Eric announced that we will not have name badges this year. This idea came from the Pennsylvania affiliate convention, which he attended with Shelbi Hindel and Bob and Barbara Pierce. It saves a lot of work. 

	8. Eric gave a quick overview of the workshops  to  be held on Friday morning. Be aware of the level of participation and the number of participants. In the afternoon there will be an advocacy workshop.

	9. On Friday there will be exhibits from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Deborah Kendrick spoke briefly about the exhibitors that will have booths. She said each had been asked to contribute a door prize with at least a $50 value. To enter this drawing, you must have a vendor’s name and your name on a slip of paper and drop it in the box near the door of the room. Only one entry per person. The drawing will take place on Saturday. 

	10. Shelbi is handling door prizes this year. You can get these to her in room 122 or leave them at registration. 

	11. Sherry Ruth announced that all chapter dues, lists , and reports are in. 

	12. Sherry R. is the chair of the nominating committee. This is a closed meeting. Chapter presidents appoint the person from their chapter to sit on this committee. Get the name of that person to Shelbi. This meeting is Friday evening at 8:30 p.m. Petit C.

	13. Richard announced that there would be a split-the-pot drawing to benefit the state treasury. Tickets are $5 for one or $10 for three. Richard and Carol Akers are the only two people that have tickets. See one of them to make your purchase. There are 150 tickets to be sold. 

	14. Melina Zavoli spoke about the Christmas campaign of our Malley’s chocolate fundraiser. This is the third year for this. There is a wide variety of options to select from, and if you spend $60 or more, the shipping is free. If our sales are $1,500 or greater, we earn 33%. Sell the chocolates to folks outside of our membership as our own pockets are only so deep. 

	15. The Schwan’s Cares project is still in place. Be sure to use our campaign number when ordering, 21538. 

	16. Sheri A. presented a fundraising proposal. It was for tumblers, which she had samples of to show. These are dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe; sweat resistant; and double-walled insulated. They can be used for either hot or cold beverages. They have lids with straws and are made of clear plastic. The size is either sixteen ounces,  $18, or twenty-six ounces, for $24. Our organization would earn half of that amount. There is  also a pint size glass tumbler option for $18. There are several options for logos on the tumblers – official NFL, college logos, breast cancer, and more. It is possible to have our own design such as the new logo and tag line. If we order ninety-six tumblers, the artwork is free. If we order forty-eight tumblers, the artwork would cost $36. The company would ship an order to Orlando at no charge. Individuals would be able to order online, and orders of $65 or more would ship free of charge. Richard moved that we order ninety-six of the sixteen-ounce tumblers with the NFB logo and tagline on them to sell throughout the year. William H. Turner seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. 

	17. Eric said that we were all glad to have William H. back with us after his long illness and rehab process. William assured us that he was glad to be back among fellow Federationists. 

	18. Deborah announced the scholarship winners. Both are known to us: Emily Pennington and Macy McClain. Macy is a sophomore at Cedarville University, studying to be a worship leader. Emily is a tenBroek Fellow, which means she has been awarded two national scholarships. She will be graduating from the Xavier University with a degree in accounting and an MBA. Congratulations to Macy and Emily. Eric stated that he is not involved in the selection of scholarship winners in any way except to encourage the committee to consider the best qualified applicants and not to give out scholarships just because we can do so. The scholarships must be awarded to qualified and deserving applicants, who have earned them. 

	19. We are registered as Ohio Council of the Blind with Amazon Smiles. Sherry R. reported that this quarter we received a check for $8.81. That is the largest amount thus far. Please shop through the Smiles portion of Amazon when using the service so that we receive the benefits of your endeavors. 	20. Sunday morning there will be a leadership breakfast for board members and chapter and division presidents and treasurers.  See the agenda for details. 

	21. If you wish to participate in the Washington Seminar, you need to have your name to Barbara by December 1. The Gathering In will be on Monday, January 25, 2016. We currently have two sponsors for the TIME act and need to get more sponsors. Cleveland chapter has done very well. 

	22. The next issue of our newsletter,the Buckeye Bulletin, will be coming out soon. If you have information to submit for this, please have it to Barbara by December 7. 

	23. Today is Bob Pierce’s birthday. 

	24. Bob read an article from the Toledo Blade about subminimum wages being paid by a sheltered workshop In Seneca County. Disability Rights Ohio filed a petition for investigation of this matter. One of the workers, Joe Majors, attended our national convention this past summer. He was assisted by the national office to attend. This is an example of why we need cosponsors for the TIME Act. 

	25. The meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted,

Shelbi Hindel       





Minutes

Executive Session 

Board of directors Meeting  

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

November 20, 2015



	1. Lunch was served to the members of the board of directors starting at 12:10 p.m. President Eric Duffy called the executive session meeting of the board of directors to order at 12:40 p.m. We met in Parlor 121 of the convention hotel.

	2. Board members Sherry Ruth and William H. Turner were absent. Joining us were Pam and Rolland Allen and Bob Pierce. 

	3.Eric stated that the purpose of this meeting was to discuss a very serious resolution. This is not to be discussed outside the board meeting until it is presented to the convention on Sunday, November 22. Resolutions can come to the attention of the convention in two ways. A. Through the resolution committee. B. The board of directors can bring a resolution to the convention. If neither of these brings the resolution to the convention, it can not be presented. This is a very serious resolution, and everyone on the board needs to be aware that consequences will result from which ever way the vote goes. Each of us needs to understand the issue and all consequences.

   	4. Deborah Kendrick read Resolution 2015-02. It is at the bottom of these minutes.  

	5. The floor was opened for discussion. There was opportunity to ask questions and have them answered and to express concerns.  There was remarkable unanimity among Board members.

	6. Barbara Pierce moved that the board recommend do pass of Resolution 2015-02 to the convention. Macy McClain seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. National representative and NFB first vice president Pam Allen expressed her support of this course of action.  

	7. The meeting adjourned at 1:43 p.m. with the reminder that this topic not be discussed until after its presentation on Sunday. 



Respectfully submitted,

Shelbi Hindel      






Resolution 2015-02 
fRegarding a Request that the State Legislature Convene an Ad Hoc Committee to Study Services for the Blind 

	WHEREAS, a robust economy and healthy tax base require the inclusion of all Ohio citizens who are willing and able to work in order to  participate actively in civic life and to pay their fair share; and
	WHEREAS, the opportunity to take part in the social and economic fabric of our state is no less sought after by blind people than by any other group of citizens; and
	WHEREAS, our  Ohio culture requires equality of opportunity for all; and
	WHEREAS, such a requirement demands a variety of programs and services  to bring appropriate regulation and the fostering of entrepreneurship, education, training and rehabilitation, and job placement to a diverse group of Ohio citizens; and 
	WHEREAS, blind people  must have effective training in specialized skills  in order to be successfully employed and integrated into the economic fabric of the state and nation; and 
	WHEREAS, state vocational rehabilitation programs are mandated by federal and state law and designated and monitored by the United States Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration to provide such services; and
	WHEREAS, effective vocational rehabilitation requires that administrators, supervisors, and counselors providing these necessary services to the blind have an absolute belief in the capacity of the blind and possess a thorough understanding of the nonvisual and low-vision strategies and adaptive technologies necessary for successful rehabilitation of their clients; and
	WHEREAS, Ohio's Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired has far too few counselors serving blind clients and is  not a distinct and separately functioning entity from the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation providing services to blind Ohioans  and does not have supervisors specifically charged with providing services to the blind; and
	WHEREAS, the extensive services often necessary for blind clients are rarely understood by those serving as Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired supervisors and administrators,  despite federal and state requirements for individualized services, which leads to pernicious delays and unjust, incompetent, and illegal denial of legitimate services and or the exercise of federally mandated informed choice; and
	WHEREAS, the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities agency recently created new policies regarding time limits in which services must be provided without giving consideration  to blind clients  or the policy's impact on those blind clients when developing these arbitrary and capricious restrictions; and
	WHEREAS, the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities agency, which houses the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, has time and time and time again submitted a budget which does not allow the state to take full advantage of significant federal 110 dollars, which can be drawn down in direct support of adjustment, training, and job placement for blind people; and  
	WHEREAS, the blind of Ohio can no longer stand by while inadequate services are delivered through the current administrative structure; and
	WHEREAS,  irrefutable evidence exists from the many states that have separate, identifiable services for the blind that better outcomes and reduced costs result from a separate state agency model: 

Now, therefore,

	BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this twenty-second day of November, 2015, in the City of Independence, Ohio, that this organization call upon the President of the Ohio Senate and the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives to convene a special ad hoc committee of the General Assembly to consider how best to address the woefully inadequate  service delivery system of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities; and
	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this committee be asked to create  a separate, dedicated unit within state government to provide the targeted expertise necessary to enhance quality of life and improve employment outcomes for Ohio's blind citizens.