[Ohio-talk] FW: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/28/2018

Fri Sep 28 23:11:01 UTC 2018

Please enjoy.

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 <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org> 
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2018 4:44 PM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/28/2018

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:

The National Federation of the Blind continues to be in the news and on the move, and it is all fueled by your leadership at the affiliate level. Let me start this notebook by thanking Charlene Smith of West Virginia and Joy Breslauer of Montana who have both transitioned the affiliate presidency to new affiliate presidents: Sheri Koch and Jim Marx respectively. I appreciate the service of these two women and their commitment to the successful transition of leadership in our affiliates. Please be sure to welcome our new presidents to the state affiliate leadership listserv.

We had a great night celebrating the National Federation of the Blind at Orioles Park at Camden Yards last week. We have included some of the great national coverage we received. I know some of you participated in the online auction of the Braille jerseys. We are now hoping to get the other Major League Baseball teams to participate in something similar in 2019—I am particularly hoping for the future world champion Milwaukee Brewers.

While there is much news this week, it is important that we take a moment to celebrate getting the Marrakesh Implementation Act through the House of Representatives on unanimous consent. While the president of the United States still has to sign the bill and the State Department still needs to send the instrument of ratification to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the heaviest of the lifting has been done. It is thanks to the tremendous team of local advocates and skilled leaders like Scott LaBarre, the visionary leadership of our Immediate Past President Marc Maurer, and the tactical moves of our staff, especially John Pare and Gabe Cazares, along with a supporting cast of many that made this possible. Congratulations and thank you to each of you for your dedication and persistence.

One reason I am sending this today is that I am out much of next week visiting technology companies in Israel. The impact of the Federation is felt globally, and our relationships with companies and organizations around the world is part of what helps us be effective in our activities within the United States. 

News:

Marrakesh Treaty Update:
After almost a decade of negotiations, drafting, and advocacy, the Marrakesh Treaty is closer than ever before to becoming a reality in the United States. On Tuesday September 25, 2018, at 7:19 p.m. EST, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559). The bill will now go to the president for his signature. This is a major victory for the members of the National Federation of the Blind; because of our hard work, soon blind people all across the globe will enjoy a vast collection of accessible materials. Special thanks to Scott LaBarre who has been serving as the principal negotiator on the Federation’s behalf for all of these years. Read our press release about this tremendous development at  <https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act> https://nfb.org/us-house-representatives-passes-marrakesh-treaty-implementation-act.

National Federation of the Blind Night at Camden Yards:
The Orioles organization dedicated the September 18 game to the National Federation of the Blind in honor of our forty-year anniversary in Baltimore. Our members passed out Braille alphabet cards and the Orioles player and coach jerseys had the names in Braille. One of those shirts will be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame and the rest were auctioned off, with the proceeds coming to our national office. I was honored to throw out the first pitch. You can read some of the press coverage of the evening in the links below.

WJZ, Baltimore CBS affiliate: https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/09/19/orioles-braille-jerseys-national-federation-of-the-blind/

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/09/19/orioles-become-first-u-s-pro-team-to-incorporate-braille-on-uniforms/?utm_term=.d17a64087c3c

People magazine online: https://people.com/sports/orioles-braille-jerseys-first-pro-sports-team/

Last Chance to Register for the Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers Symposium:
Registration for the Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers Symposium will close on October 7. Parents of blind and low-vision children, teachers (both K-12 and post-secondary), and disability support services staff should not miss this exciting opportunity to learn about innovations in the production of tactile graphics (both high-tech and low-tech), the use of tactile graphics in the classroom, how to teach tactile literacy, what constitutes good design, and more! The Tactile Graphics in Education and Careers Symposium will take place October 11-12, 2018, at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. For more information, to view the agenda, and to register, please go to the Tactile Graphics Symposium webpage. <https://nfb.org/tactile-graphics-education-and-careers-symposium>  

Meet the Blind Month: 
Meet the Blind Month is almost here. We have updated our related webpages: 

https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month

https://nfb.org/white-cane-awareness-day

https://nfb.org/free-cane-program 

Continue to email information about 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 the website <https://nfb.org/meet-blind-month> . You may use the updated www.nfb.org/wcad <http://www.nfb.org/wcad>  URL in local communications if you wish. 

Braille Readers Are Leaders:

The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, in partnership with the NFB Jernigan Institute and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, again announces the annual nationwide Braille Readers Are Leaders (BRAL) contest for kids. Students must be K-12 and must reside in a state registered for the contest. Entrants compete to read the most Braille pages, going against other students in similar grades across all participating states. The contest runs for seven weeks, encouraging students to be proud of their Braille reading ability and to work to improve their Braille skills—while possibly winning prizes in the process. 

If you have questions, email the contest administrator, Deborah Stein, at  <mailto:dkent5817 at att.net> dkent5817 at att.net (please put “Nationwide BRAL Question” in the subject line) or phone 773-203-1394 

Terri Rupp Article:
In case you haven’t seen the article yet, Terri Rupp was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a23132554/terri-rupp-blindness-optic-nerve-atrophy/

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 <https://nfb.org/convention/2019> , 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. 