[Ohio-Talk] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/30/2019

Tue Oct 1 19:21:39 UTC 2019

Sent: Tuesday, October 1, 2019 8:06 AM

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,

As we come into the final quarter of the year, there are many reasons to be excited about the opportunities ahead for the National Federation of the Blind. If you read nothing else below, please observe the announcement in the critical section as it finally reveals what we have been waiting to tell you all for a number of months. Our exciting work with Mattel will put the name of the National Federation of the Blind on store shelves across the world, and we all will benefit from the increased promotion of Braille and name recognition.

I want to again remind each of you about our call scheduled for October 2. If you cannot make the call, please let Beth Braun know and we will be sure to make alternate arrangements for you. This gathering is for affiliate presidents only. 

Since it is now October, you can expect a Presidential Release to be available on Friday. As always, the goal is for it to be available before the first Saturday of the month. Please be sure your chapters continue to share this resource. I continue to welcome feedback from you about how to make this communication tool stronger for our chapters.

Critical Actions This Week:

National Federation of the Blind and Mattel Games Introduce UNO® Braille Today!:
The National Federation of the Blind partnered with Mattel Games to launch UNO Braille, the first official UNO® card deck featuring Braille. UNO is globally the number one card game by Mattel. UNO Braille features Braille on the corner of each playing card to indicate the card’s color and number or action. UNO Braille is doing more than making this beloved game more accessible. It’s also helping promote the importance and normalcy of Braille by putting it in places people might not expect and integrating it into the play of blind children. It will be available through Target, online beginning today and in stores in the next week or so. More information is available in our press release <https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/uno-introduces-first-official-braille-deck> . 

News:

#LetUsPlayUs Update: 
Earlier this year we protested the CW regarding their new show In The Dark for casting a sighted actor to play the lead role of blind character. This led to a resolution that was passed at the 2019 National Convention <https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2019-resolutions#14> . 

This week the popular show This Is Us on NBC has cast a blind actor as a significant blind character. Not only is the actor blind, the storyline shows a blind person living the life he wants; blindness does not hold him back. 

While we don’t have a direct correlation that the protest influenced the show, we do know the casting happened after the initial run of #LetUsPlayUs and that we have provided consultation to This Is Us. We strive to encourage more opportunities for blind actors throughout all sectors of the entertainment industry. Thank you for your part in supporting these efforts. 

Legislative Update:
Our three-week Congressional blitz has come to an end. Both chambers of Congress will be off for the next two weeks until Tuesday, October 15. We’ve seen the influx of emails that John Paré has been copied on, and we know that many phone calls were made as well. We cannot stress enough how much your efforts really do make a difference. To date, the status of our current legislation is as follows:

Access Technology Affordability Act
House – H.R. 2086 – 32 cosponsors
Senate – S. 815 – 14 cosponsors

Transformation to Competitive Employment Act
House – H.R. 873 – 52 cosponsors
Senate – S. 260 – 7 cosponsors

Greater Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology Act
House – H.R. 3929 – 4 cosponsors

Once this two-week break ends on October 15, Congress will effectively be in session until the last week of November. We need to make another strong showing of support for our legislation to garner as many cosponsors as possible. A more detailed legislative alert is in the works and will be sent out in the next few days.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	October 1, 2019: First day of Meet the Blind month
*	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
*	June 30-July 5, 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. 