Richard Payne, President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937-396-5573or 937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com
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
From: President, National Federation of the Blind [mailto:OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 1:15 PM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 12/11/2017
President’s Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
(410) 659-9314
Dear Fellow Federationists,
As many of you know, the Riccobonos live five blocks from the front door of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. This means my commute to the office is fairly short on most days—with the exception of those days I am on the road of course. On my short trip in, I try to ask myself what do the members of the Federation need me to do today. That simple question is one I try to use to drive my priorities for the day, but on most days it is a hard question to answer because there are so many things that need to happen to serve all the various urgent matters facing members of the Federation. If you are like me, you struggle with this question every day and you hope that you make the best decision you can on a daily basis.
I bring this up because I am particularly grateful to those of you who face this decision every day. I am also feeling especially inspired today by those who are not elected leaders in our organization but who face great obstacles to stand with us. On Monday of next week, I will be on the West Coast for a mediation in one of our discrimination cases in higher education. The blind students we are supporting are facing great struggles in their own situations but they are completely and fully committed to making sure that the problem gets solved for all blind students—in other words they are not prepared to sell out for their own benefit if the problem does not get solved for everyone. This attitude is the value of a solid Federationist, but it is often a commitment that goes unrecognized in today’s fast-paced world of interactions. Similarly, I had the opportunity to talk to a family shortly after an IEP meeting at which our affiliate president and some of our legal experts helped to negotiate a proposed outcome. The parent shared that she made over thirty calls before finally coming across the National Federation of the Blind and finding someone that was prepared to help her son. Again, an example of dedication and drive that goes mostly unrecognized. These two examples are some of the things that I think about as I grapple with the question of what I need to do next. Most importantly, they keep me motivated to keep struggling because their stories are our stories. Thank you for the difficult and often unrecognized struggles you undertake daily, and for the difference it makes to those who are fighting the fight with us across the country.
I think there will be one more notebook entry before the end of the year so I will save some of my end-of-the-year comments for next week. There are a number of timely items below that require your attention. Thank you to those attending the retreat next month who filled out the survey. I will be studying those responses this week and beginning to build the agenda for our gathering at the end of January. I call your attention to the important announcements regarding Washington Seminar 2018, which you will not want to miss out on.
News:
Washington Seminar Update:
Note: We have recently learned that the State of the Union is scheduled during the same time as the reception detailed below. We are evaluating the timeline, but wanted to get the general information out to everyone. We will be sending updates as the final schedule is determined.
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting our third annual Washington Seminar Congressional Reception on Tuesday, January 30, 2018. However, this reception is going to be slightly different than those in the past. We’re still inviting all 535 members of Congress, and you will still have an opportunity to converse with them, but instead of it being held in a Congressional meeting room, we have moved a little farther up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Newseum <http://www.newseum.org/about/> .
The Newseum, located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, is a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to showcasing the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition). On January 26, only a few days prior to our congressional reception, the museum will open a new exhibit, “The Marines and Tet <http://www.newseum.org/exhibits/upcoming/the-marines-and-tet/> ,” featuring some of the most famous photographs taken during the Vietnam War. John Olson, the award-winning photographer whose work will be featured in the exhibit, has taken it upon himself to turn ten of these photographs into three-dimensional tactile pieces to be experienced by blind and sighted visitors to the museum. Since the date of our congressional reception coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the Tet Offensive, we could not pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor our military while promoting Mr. Olson’s development of accessible photographs.
The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Newseum’s main atrium, where you can speak with your congressional representatives, enjoy drinks, passed hors d’oeuvres, and other light food options. During this time, you will be encouraged to visit the photography exhibit located on the second floor of the building. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. we will move to the Annenberg Theater, located on the museum’s first floor, to begin the seated portion of the program where you will hear remarks from John Olson, other special guest speakers, and me. More information regarding this exciting reception will be available in the coming weeks.
In other Washington Seminar-related news, if you have not already booked your hotel accommodations, please do so as soon as possible. Rooms are filling up quickly. Please be sure to book your room by no later than Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Check-in at our booking rate begins Friday, January 26, 2018, with a check-out by Friday, February 2, 2018. The rate is $192.00 per night. This rate does not include DC sales tax, currently 14.8 percent. You may book your reservations directly online by using this link to the Holiday Inn Capitol website <https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/washington/wassm/hoteldetail?qAdlt=1&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv.ul.vn.ki.sp.nd.ct&qChld=0&qFRA=1&qGRM=0&qGrpCd=FB8&qIta=99801505&qPSt=0&qRRSrt=rt&qRef=df&qRms=1&qRpn=1&qRpp=20&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qSrt=sBR&qWch=0&srb_u=1&icdv=99801505> that will include our booking code. You may also make reservations by calling (877) 572-6951 and referencing booking code FB8.
We will also be conducting a short legislative directors’ seminar Monday, January 29, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Holiday Inn Capitol.
New Procedure for Soliciting Research Participants:
Our membership is a vast resource for researchers conducting research into all aspects of blindness. However, we want to be sure that the research studies in which our members participate follow proper protocols for human research studies and further the research interests of our organization. Any requests you receive to post solicitations to participate in research studies to one of our NFBnet email lists should be forwarded to Lou Ann Blake in the Jernigan Institute, at lblake at nfb.org <mailto:lblake at nfb.org> , for review by our research advisory council (RAC). Solicitation announcements for research studies approved by the RAC will be emailed for posting to the moderator of the appropriate list. If you have any questions, please contact Lou Ann Blake at the above email address or by calling (410) 659-9314, extension 2221.
Reminders:
NFB Independence Market:
Our market will be closed for business the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Thus, the last day to place an order from the market in 2017 will be December 22.
Publication Survey:
If you received an email last week regarding the brochure and publication survey, please remember to fill that out by Friday, December 15. Thanks for your input.
Dates to Keep in Mind:
* January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In
* January 28-February 1, 2018: Washington Seminar <https://nfb.org/washington-seminar>
* March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship applications, www.nfb.org/scholarships <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>
* March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
* April 15, 2018: Deadline for 2018 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award competition <https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main>
* July 3-8, 2018: National Federation of the Blind National Convention, Orlando, Florida
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
(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
<https://nfb.org/>
<http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind> <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice> <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.
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