[Ohio-Talk] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 11/18/2019

Mon Nov 18 21:50:02 UTC 2019

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 seventy-ninth anniversary to us! Another November 16 has come and gone, causing us to pause and reflect upon all that we have accomplished as a movement since that date in 1940. I was pleased to share the day with Federation members. I know our eightieth year will be marked with many important milestones, and I know we will think up some new things to pursue along the way. 

In this notebook, I want to prepare you again for the membership-list work we will need to do to document those who paid dues for 2020. As mentioned in our call regarding affiliate streaming, our hope is that working with an existing membership list will help to make it easier. If there is interest, we can schedule an affiliate president call for mid-December to review the process and answer questions. Please let us know if this is desirable. However, do not wait until then to consider how you will get chapters to work with the affiliate on this important membership-tracking process.

I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving. I anticipate that there may not be any urgent news next Monday, leaving this as our final notebook before the holiday. I am deeply grateful for the service, leadership, and friendship of each of you. It makes a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people. It is also a true blessing for my family to have the opportunity to know you and enjoy time with you. We appreciate how many of you who have asked for updates on Oriana. Thank you for being who you are and doing what you do. We recognize that your best contributions will go uncelebrated because you do them out of love and dedication, not to seek award or acknowledgement. Thank you for all of those unknown kindnesses that may go unrecognized but are deeply impactful and gratefully appreciated by those of us working in the spirit of the Federation family. 

News:

Membership Data Updates:
Now that we have added all of the members to the database, we have developed a plan for how that data will be updated. This plan was discussed on the conference call several weeks ago, but I thought you would benefit by having it in writing. More details about each step will be forthcoming as the time draws nearer.

*	In mid-December, we will export and email to affiliate presidents a spreadsheet of members with current contact information, sorted by chapter. For many chapters, this will be essentially the same data sent to us earlier this year. However, any updated contact details and new members will be included in these spreadsheets.
*	Each chapter should track membership renewals. We will provide a column so that members can be marked as current when they have paid their dues.
*	Between March 1 and March 15, affiliates should return spreadsheets with updated member status. Members who have not yet renewed will be marked as “lapsed” in Connections to differentiate from non-members.
*	Details will be forthcoming for lapsed members that pay their dues after March 1.

Celebrating Seventy-Nine Years:
Saturday was the seventy-ninth anniversary of the founding of the National Federation of the Blind. Since 1940, we have worked collectively in a unified national organization, improving the lives of blind people throughout the country, and in some cases, the world. Along with high expectations and strong values, our structure continues to empower members of the National Federation of the Blind to live the lives we want. Consider sharing  <https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance?fbclid=IwAR1R0E8vvGqkFao45ZMxiQDEf6mgHifKJ2ABQ2OrA01ghYujvK9qHSo59Uk> the history of the organized blind movement and invite members to read  <https://www.nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/building-lives-we-want> Building the Lives We Want.

Send Comments for Elimination of 14(c):
On Friday, November 15, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., the United States Commission on Civil Rights held a public briefing on the elimination of Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows subminimum wages for people with disabilities. The commission plans to issue a report with actionable recommendations to address this critical civil rights issue.  <https://www.youtube.com/user/USCCR> Review the testimony from many panelists, which included Anil Lewis, Kimie Eacobacci, John Pare, Melissa Riccobono, and Derek Manners. Panelists also included those who are still in favor of 14(c). Although it seems like the tides are turning, more voices need to be heard to end these discriminatory practices. Submit comments to  <mailto:subminimumwages at usccr.gov> subminimumwages at usccr.gov for the commission’s consideration no later than December 15, 2019.

Open-House-Gathering Call this Wednesday:
The National Federation of the Blind’s next open-house-gathering call for people interested in membership will be this Wednesday, November 20, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. This is a great opportunity to learn about joining and its benefits. The calls cover membership, philosophy, and purpose. Sign up by emailing  <mailto:membership at nfb.org> membership at nfb.org or calling 410-659-9314, extension 2509.

Apple TV+ Releases New Blindness Show, See:
A fantasy world in which everyone is blind, and also strong, capable, and dynamic. This new show, See, on Apple TV+ could set forth a new way that the entertainment industry portrays blindness. Additionally, there are five blind actors cast in roles, although not in leading roles. This seems like progress. Per  <https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2019-resolutions#14> our 2019 resolution on authentic representation of blind people in the entertainment industry, more progress for the growth and inclusion of blind people in the entertainment industry is needed.  <https://www.nfb.org/blog/treading-carefully-new-blindness-drama-see> Read the recent blog post regarding the show and share your thoughts on the show. 

Disney+:
Last week the Disney+ service was launched. A number of blind grandparents and parents reported accessibility challenges with the website. We have raised this with Disney, and they are working with our team to resolve barriers. We will send additional news as we have it.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	January 4, 2020: World Braille Day
*	January 9-11, 2020: BELL® Academy Training Seminar 
*	February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
*	March 26-27, 2020: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland
*	April 14-17, 2020: NABM BLAST <http://www.blindmerchants.org> ; Chicago, Illinois
*	July 14-19, 2020: NFB National Convention, Houston, Texas

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. 