[Ohio-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 11/20/2017

Tue Nov 21 19:07:55 UTC 2017

Here you go.

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, November 21, 2017 11:36 AM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 11/20/2017

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind

Mark A. Riccobono

 <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org> officeofthepresident at nfb.org

(410) 659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

Happy Thanksgiving to you! I am thankful for the love and hard work you put into our organization every day. The scope of projects we have going on and the tremendous number of areas where our organization has impact is remarkable. The fact that we continue to evaluate what we do and keep it authentically grounded in the hopes and dreams of blind people is what makes it effective and powerful. Thank you for being part of that engine of hope.

I would like to take a brief moment to thank Carl Jacobsen for his leadership with our New York affiliate. Both Carl and Mindy have touched a lot of blind people in New York and encouraged them to pursue their dreams with confidence. We now have a new president in New York, Mike Robinson, and our incoming group of elected leaders, who have been taught and inspired by our previous leaders, is eager to build on the foundation that Carl and Mindy have left in New York. 

I encourage you not to slow down in the final month of the year. We have a lot happening with our federal legislative priorities and preparations for 2018, including Washington Seminar. Those of you who have signed up to be with me at the presidents meeting will be receiving a survey request asking for information about the topics that might be most useful to you.

I hope that each of you finds great joy in the Thanksgiving holiday this week. I will be spending time with my immediate and extended family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Next week, we will be in full holiday and strategic planning mode at the NFB Jernigan Institute as we decorate for the season, welcome our supporters for a partnership dinner, and host the meetings of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind and the Board of Directors of the Jacobus tenBroek Fund. It will be nice to get away with the Riccobono family before doing some intense planning with the Federation family. I hope that your Thanksgiving gatherings are fun and relaxing and that any travel you undertake is safe and uneventful.

Critical Actions This Week:

Legislative Updates:
On Thursday, November 16, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act (S. 2138) in the United States Senate. The legislation will authorize the creation of voluntary guidelines to help colleges and universities meet the needs of blind students and students with other disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to read print. Please contact your two senators to encourage them to cosponsor S. 2138.

As you call your senate offices regarding S. 2138, please also encourage your senators to cosponsor our Access Technology Affordability Act (S. 732). Immediately following the Thanksgiving recess, the Senate will devote its attention entirely to tax reform, and it is crucial that senate offices hear from us during this critical time. You can reach your senate offices by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Finally, don’t forget to start making plans to attend our 2018 Washington Seminar. You can find more information regarding how to make hotel reservations and other logistics for 2018 by reading the  <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1710/bm171010.htm> Braille Monitor.

News:

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.

Eligible Sprint Customers Can Get a KNFB Reader Enterprise License for Free:
Starting November 20, 2017, Sprint customers who purchase a new line of service or eligible upgrade through Sprint Accessibility will receive a free license to download the KNFB Reader Enterprise app on up to two mobile devices. All you need to do is: 

1.	Visit sprint.com/vision <http://www.sprint.com/vision>  or a Sprint store to purchase a new line of service or eligible upgrade. 
2.	Call (855) 885-7568 and ask a Sprint Accessibility Care representative for the KNFB Reader Enterprise app. 
3.	Sprint will provide you with the information you need to create a username and password that will activate your new KNFB Reader Enterprise license. 
4.	Download the KNFB Reader Enterprise app (free) and not KNFB Reader (for $99.99) from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Windows 10 Store. 
5.	When you launch the app, enter the username and password from step 3 above, and you’re all set! 

To learn more about the KNFB Reader Enterprise, visit www.knfbreader.com <http://www.knfbreader.com> .

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	January 29, 2018: Great Gathering-In
*	January 28-February 1, 2018: Washington Seminar <https://nfb.org/washington-seminar> 
*	March 22-23, 2018: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
*	March 31, 2018: Deadline for scholarship applications, www.nfb.org/scholarships <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships> 
*	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.

With gratitude for your leadership and friendship,

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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