[Ohio-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/26/2016

[richard]

From: President, National Federation of the Blind [mailto:OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org] 
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2016 4:46 PM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/26/2016

 


President’s Notebook


National Federation of the Blind


Mark A. Riccobono


officeofthepresident at nfb.org


(410) 659-9314


 

Dear Fellow Federationists,

 

The busy activity of the fall convention season is underway. There are a number of pieces of Federation business moving very quickly. Please be aware that our work on the #HowEyeSeeIt campaign is unfolding quickly, and it needs the attention of each and every affiliate and chapter. Presidents of affiliates will be asked to participate on a call later today, so please watch for that information.

 

We also can celebrate an interim victory with the introduction of our accessible instructional materials legislation. We should use this as a springboard to get members of Congress activated on our legislation in order to build momentum going into the next Congress.

 

Finally, we assist affiliates in tracking affiliate financial issues. A number of affiliates are behind in supplying information to the national organization. I am hesitant to call out specific affiliates. If you do not know if your affiliate is up to date, I urge presidents to check with affiliate treasurers on the status of that affiliate's records. 

 


Critical Actions This Week:


AIM-HE Legislation Action:
Last week Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced H.R. 6122, the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM-HE) Act. This act will promote instructional technology and content that are accessible to the blind and other students with print disabilities. The bill would establish an independent commission to develop voluntary guidelines for accessible electronic postsecondary electronic instructional materials and related technologies to ensure students with disabilities have access to the same educational materials as non-disabled students. 

 

Now, we need as many members of Congress as possible to join them in supporting our legislation by cosponsoring H.R. 6122. Please contact your representative and ask them to help remove barriers for blind students in the classroom by cosponsoring this legislation. For more information, and to access the updated fact sheet, visit www.nfb.org/aim_he or contact Gabe Cazares at extension 2206, or by email at gcazares at nfb.org.

 

 

Seeking Member Experiences Regarding Social Security Intake-Processing Kiosks: 
Though the NFB continues to push the Social Security Administration toward accessibility, many SSA office intake-processing kiosks remain inaccessible to the blind. If you visited an SSA office after April 22, 2016, and were prompted to use a touchscreen self-service kiosk to sign in for your meeting, the NFB needs to hear from you. Specifically, we need to know whether or not the kiosk was accessible and at what office the kiosk was located. Please contact Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2440, to share this important information.

 


News:


Spanish Version:
The Spanish version of the September Presidential Release is available at https://nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/pr/spanish/pr_453_spanish.mp3. 

 


Reminder:


Last Call on Department of Justice Web Accessibility Comments:

As you know, we have been gathering comments as part of our organized response to the Department of Justice Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on web accessibility.  The deadline has been extended through October 7, 2016.  At this point, we are asking that comments be submitted directly to the Department of Justice.

 

You may submit electronic comments to www.regulations.gov.  There, you can follow the directions as appropriate.  When submitting comments electronically, you must include CRT Docket No. 128 in the subject box, and you must include your full name and address.  We need your help to generate substantial numbers of comments to reflect the public interest on web accessibility.  Please think of one personal experience, positive or negative, and share it with the Department of Justice.

 


Dates to Keep in Mind:


·         Fall Conventions <https://nfb.org/state-conventions> 

·         September 30-October 2: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Advanced) in Baltimore, Maryland


·         September 26:  <https://nfb.org/free-accessibility-training-boutiques> Free Accessibility Training Boutique: Accessible Websites, Made Accessibly: An Introduction to Drupal


·         October 20-23: NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar (Novice/Intermediate) in Baltimore, Maryland

·         September 12-17, 2017: BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark A. Riccobono, President

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place

Baltimore, Maryland 21230

Phone: (410) 659-9314

Fax: (410) 659-5129

Email: officeofthepresident at nfb.org

Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice

Web:  <http://www.nfb.org/> www.nfb.org

 

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.