[Ohio-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 01/02/2018

Wed Jan 3 15:42:43 UTC 2018

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,

Although it is cold outside, I can distinctly feel the bright shining sun coming through the front windows of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute as I write to you today. It is something like twelve degrees outside, which is warmer than in other parts of the country. Yet the warm sun contributes to the hope and opportunity that I feel as we begin the new year of our movement.

We plan to tackle a number of big things this year. Your help in that effort is essential to our success. Communication is always critical in our work. I encourage you to continue to use this notebook as a guide in focusing on the top national issues of the week. I also invite you to share your ideas for what I can do to more effectively help you manage your work as leaders of our organization.

This year we are planning to undertake some new program development, spark a new fundraising initiative, and begin designing and remodeling the next-generation space at our national headquarters. All of this will be in addition to the work we are doing every day to raise expectations and build a stronger organization. Later this week I will make our January Presidential Release where I will discuss some of the priorities for this year from my perspective. At our gathering at the end of the month, I anticipate learning about what is happening at the local level and how to help you transform your dreams into reality.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2018 in the Federation Family.

Critical Actions This Week:

Alert: 
If you learn of any instances of previous NFB scholarship applicants being called and asked for personal information by an individual claiming to be the President of the Federation, please report them to me with all relevant information that you have about the situation. 

News:

Ban of Blind People on Mt. Everest: 
A number of Federation members have reached out regarding reports circulating in the news about the ban on blind people climbing Mt. Everest. This notebook is going out prior to our official statement on this matter, but you can be confident that we will be speaking out against this arbitrary application of low expectations. You will be able to read our official statement later today or early tomorrow.

Braille Certification Training Program: 
We are pleased to inform you that the National Federation of the Blind has been awarded the contract from the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, to conduct the courses leading to Library of Congress certification in Braille transcribing and proofreading. Our previous contract expired in July 2017, and we regrettably had to put our work on hold until the new contract was awarded. We have been actively participating in the competitive bid process for the past six months, and we are pleased to have been chosen to administer the program once again. We would greatly appreciate your patience while we work as quickly as possible through the backlog that has accumulated. For more information about the program, please visit: https://nfb.org/braille-certification.

Tours of the NFB Jernigan Institute: 
We have decided not to offer formal tours of our national headquarters during Washington Seminar this year. Demand for tours has not been significant during the past few years probably due to many more people visiting our national office for other meetings. We are likely to offer tours during the 2019 seminar. 

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 <https://nfb.org/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 <https://nfb.org/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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