[Ohio-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/17/2018

Wed Sep 19 06:46:12 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

Fellow Federationists:

As the fall convention season begins to swing into high gear, there are a number of things to keep at the top of our priority list. I am sure you are all eager to know about our members in North Carolina. I have talked with our affiliate president and as far as we know, none of our members have been physically harmed, but many members lived in areas completely devastated by Hurricane Florence. Our members who have been impacted the most have not yet been able to return to their homes to assess the damage. As with our hurricane relief efforts last year, we are prepared to help but it will take time to assess where that help is most needed. If you wish to make contributions to the Federation's hurricane relief project, you can use the general donation form at nfb.org and indicate hurricane relief project as a comment.

We have previously mentioned the site access for Aira at all NFB state conventions. Gary Wunder is managing some of our relationship with Aira. If you have questions about Aira, about distributing the information in affiliate communications, or about Aira participation at your convention, please speak with him at gwunder at nfb.org <mailto:gwunder at nfb.org> . 

Some of you have asked about an affiliate president gathering. We are beginning to consider the content for such a gathering immediately before the Washington Seminar. The Great Gathering-In is scheduled for Monday, January 28, 2019. We would again plan to meet all day Sunday and potentially part of the day Saturday prior to the Gathering-In. We would again plan for people to travel to Washington, DC, for Sunday night. All affiliate presidents should plan to attend. New affiliate presidents elected within the past twelve months should plan to come early for some specific training. Please do not make any travel plans yet. We will be sending out a survey in order to begin building an agenda. As always, you can send ideas about what topics/information would be most helpful to you whenever they come to mind.

Today is September 18 and the Baltimore Orioles are honoring the National Federation of the Blind this evening. If you are not able to be there in person, I hope you will share the information about the online auction of the first Braille jerseys to be used by a professional sports team, found at orioles.com/auctions <http://orioles.com/auctions> . Furthermore, you should consider putting in a bid. Today is also my mother's birthday—she is an active member of the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin. I will be celebrating Mom's birthday by throwing out the first pitch at the game tonight. Happy birthday, Mom!

News:

Advocacy Update:
Thank you for all of your calls and emails regarding the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559) and the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1734/S. 732). Regarding Marrakesh, Neil Romano, chair of the National Council on Disability and presidential appointee, has written a letter to House leadership urging them to pass the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act. Mr. Romano spoke at our most recent convention and his letter can be found at https://ncd.gov/publications/2018/ncd-letter-house-judiciary-committee-and-house-leadership-regarding-marrakesh. 

Regarding the ATAA, we are up to thirteen cosponsors in the Senate and we are hoping to get the score from the Joint Committee on Taxation later this week. 

Please continue to call Chairman Goodlatte and urge him to discharge the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act back to the full House, and please also call your representatives and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1734. If you need additional information, you can email John Pare at jpare at nfb.org <mailto:jpare at nfb.org> , or reach him by phone at 410-659-9314, extension 2218.

Meet the Blind Month: 
Meet the Blind Month is upon us! We would like to create a new page listing the 2018activities. Please email events you have planned to kanderson at nfb.org <mailto:kanderson at nfb.org>  or share them with us via social media, and we’ll add them to our website <https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month> . We have updated White Cane Awareness Day <https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day>  web content. You may use the www.nfb.org/wcad <http://www.nfb.org/wcad>  URL in local communications if you wish. Please be on the lookout for an email later this week with more details and resources regarding October events.

Parent-Affiliate Teamwork Program:
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children—NOPBC, a proud division of the National Federation of the Blind—announces the creation of the Parent-Affiliate Teamwork program (PAT).  National parent leaders are available to come to your state to speak at events, provide workshops on various topics, assist in creating and building a state Parents Division, and serve as mentors to families.

To take part in the PAT program, the affiliate would request a parent leader and/or let us know the topics you’d like to cover (or brainstorm topics with us). The NOPBC can work with the affiliate to identify a parent leader in a nearby area or determine the speaker who would be best for the topics of interest. We then would work together to determine how best to cover transportation costs, meals, and lodging. To request a speaker, please contact NOPBC president Carlton Walker at  <mailto:nopbcpres at gmail.com> nopbcpres at gmail.com or at 717-658-9894 (voice or text).

Dream Makers Circle:
Building the Federation for the Next Generation 

We need to plan for the fiscal health of the National Federation of the Blind for the future. Our legacy society, Dream Makers Circle, helps do that.

We want to grow our legacy society, but we need your help. In order to ask others to become members, it is important for us to show that our leadership supports our legacy society. It is easy to join. In some cases, you can become a part of our Dream Makers Circle with a quick trip to the bank. You can name the Federation or your affiliate as the beneficiary or partial beneficiary of a life insurance policy, IRA, or pension plan. The Federation can be a contingent beneficiary after you plan for loved ones. Please call 410-659-9314, extension 2422, or email pchang at nfb.org <mailto:pchang at nfb.org>  to explore the possibilities. 

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	Fall conventions <https://nfb.org/state-conventions> 
*	October 11-12, 2018: Tactile Graphics Symposium

*         November 1, 2018: NFB scholarship application period begins

*         November 15, 2018: Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application period begins

*	January 28, 2019: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
*	March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium
*	July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada

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. 