[Ohio-talk] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/11/2019

Wed Feb 13 14:27:56 UTC 2019

Thanks a lot Richard!

There is really a lot of good stuff to go through. I urge all members to go over every bit of it and as soon as possible, namely, the 14-C Bill, the presidential Release, the Wisconsin Public Radio interview with our President, Mark Riccobono, the membership coin, Marrakesh Treaty,  the Maryland Braille Challenge,  the IRS Accessibility, Search Engines for Employment Accessibility, ,  etc..

Have a great day.

Ali
NFB Member – Cleveland Chapter, Board Member
Chair of Cleveland Chapter Legislative Committee
Cell Phone - 440-590-0315
***
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.
***

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Richard Payne via Ohio-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 5:42 AM
To: 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List' <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Richard Payne <rchpay7 at gmail.com>
Subject: [Ohio-talk] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 02/11/2019

President’s Notebook

National Federation of the Blind

Mark A. Riccobono

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

410-659-9314

Dear Federation Family,

Last week was a beautiful reminder of why I love the people in this organization. The outpouring of love and support that came from all of our affiliates for the loss of Rachel Olivero was really tremendous. You should know that we had a wonderful celebration of her life here at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute on Friday, which was helpful to Rachel's biological and Federation families. In case you missed it, you can write a note that will be included in a book about Rachel at http://www.bit.ly/rachelolivero.

Congratulations to our affiliates in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. These are the first affiliates to have their membership coins shipped. We are working hard to process the complete lists that we have received from other affiliates, and we still have a number of affiliates that we have not heard from at all. If you need assistance, please let us know.

Things have really taken off since our Washington Seminar. I believe we can get a lot of movement on our priorities by the time of our national convention. Now is the time for you to make the local follow up and help push some of our initiatives forward. Please note the legislative items below.

I spent my Saturday at the Maryland Braille Challenge where it was clear that the work of the National Federation of the Blind is unparalleled. Everywhere I turned the impact of the Federation's work to raise expectations and advance Braille literacy was in evidence. Thank you for helping to bring that impact to the local level and improve opportunities for the next generation.

News:

Ratification of Marrakesh Treaty:
On Friday February 8, 2019, over a decade of our persistent advocacy culminated with the United States’ official ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty. By submitting the necessary paperwork with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United States is days away from benefiting from access to the world’s knowledge. Read our news brief at https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-celebrates-ratification-marrakesh-treaty, and WIPO’s announcement at https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2019/article_0002.html.

Supporting Elimination of 14(c): Transformation to Competitive Employment Act:
H.R. 873 was introduced on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, by Chairman Bobby Scott and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. S. 260 was introduced on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, by Senators Bob Casey and Chris Van Hollen. This bill phases out and sunsets Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act over a six-year period.

February Presidential Release:
The release is available at https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases. 

Lawsuit Against EPIC Systems: 
I had the opportunity to talk to Wisconsin Public Radio about our legal action and this piece gives a nice overview of our work, perspectives, and strategy. The interview is available at https://www.wpr.org/listen/1395591.

Internal Revenue Service Forms and Written Communication:

The NFB is investigating the accessibility of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and written communication. If you have requested or would like to request alternative format documents from the IRS—such as Braille, large print, or audio—please contact Valerie Yingling, legal program coordinator, at vyingling at nfb.org <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>  or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.

Job Search Engines and Pre-Employment Testing:

The NFB is investigating the accessibility of job search engines and pre-employment assessments offered by companies including Zip Recruiter, Caliper, and Indeed. If you have encountered access barriers while searching or applying for a job, please contact Valerie Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>  or 410-659-9314, extension 2440.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	March 28-29, 2019: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium <https://nfb.org/law-symposium> 

*         March 31, 2019:  <https://nfb.org/scholarships> NFB scholarship application deadline

*         April 15, 2019:  <https://nfb.org/programs/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards> Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award application deadline 

*	June 16-22, 2019:  <http://www.blindscience.org/nfbeq> NFB EQ, Baltimore, Maryland

*	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> 

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