[Ohio-Talk] NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/17/2019

Thu Sep 19 02:26:27 UTC 2019

From: President, National Federation of the Blind 
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:44 AM
To: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: NFB President’s Notebook - week of 09/17/2019

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,

The impact of the National Federation of the Blind is felt in many aspects of society. Our dynamic network of local advocates coordinated through our national board helps us be in all of the right places. Below you will find some items related to improving our coordination. As always, your ideas are welcome.

Yesterday I was back in Las Vegas to follow up on some museum accessibility work that came out of presentations at our national convention. With the skilled work of our affiliate president in Nevada, Terri Rupp, we were able to meet with individuals representing over a dozen museums in the state of Nevada. We also had an opportunity to talk to Nevada's governor, Steve Sisolak, about museum accessibility, including websites. We expect some interesting partnerships to emerge because of these meetings. Our hope is that Nevada may set an example for what other state governments can do to promote equal access in cultural institutions. 

We are now in National Hispanic Heritage Month; I encourage you to use this as an opportunity to engage potential new members in our organization by doing outreach to Latinx individuals. I would ask you to share content regarding our members that we can promote in social media during the next month. If you need some ideas about outreach, I recommend that you reach out to Rosy Carranza and Shawn Callaway who lead our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

Critical Actions This Week:

Chapter President Listserv:
Our Membership Committee has brought to my attention that not all of our chapter presidents are included on the chapter president listserv, that it includes many who are not currently chapter presidents, and that overall it needs a good cleaning up. In order to streamline communication with our chapter presidents and facilitate more chapter development, it is necessary to edit and purge the chapter president list. I will be sending a message to the listserv requesting that everyone who is not currently a chapter president and who wants to remain on the listserv email me by September 27 letting me know why they feel it necessary to remain on the list. If I do not hear from someone, I will assume that they do not want to be on the list. Current chapter presidents will not need to take action at this time.

After September 30, 2019, only those who are currently a chapter president and those who have communicated with me regarding the list will be included in the listserv.

News:

Presidential Release:
The September Presidential Release can be found at https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases.

New-Member-Form Links:
Please be aware that two links to the new-member form have been mistakenly circulated. You should ensure that all chapter and affiliate leaders use the correct link: https://www.nfb.org/civicrm/newmember/form/. If you have questions about the new-member form or continue to experience technical difficulties submitting new members, please send an email to membership at nfb.org <mailto:membership at nfb.org>  or call 410-659-9314, extension 2509. 

Legislative Alerts:
We are now in the second week of our three-week Congressional support blitz. Last week, we gained two cosponsors, Congresswoman DeGette of Colorado and Congresswoman Shalala of Florida, for the Access Technology Affordability Act in the House. While this is good, let’s try to do even better this week when we call our senators and representatives about the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (H.R. 873/S. 260). As a reminder, this legislation would phase out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act over a six-year period, at which point the provision would officially be sunset. You can contact your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. If you email your representative or senators, please copy John Pare at jpare at nfb.org <mailto:jpare at nfb.org> . Remember, your calls and emails make a difference.

Early Childhood Initiatives:
As blind children are settling into the back-to-school routine, the National Federation of the Blind early childhood initiatives <https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives>  are great resources for them and their families, providing guidance on literacy and independent travel. At no cost, families with young blind children up to eight years old can sign up for the Braille Reading Pals Club, which provides Braille books and other fun Braille activities, and our Early Explorers Initiative, which encourages independent travel and exploration. Share the programs and early childhood application <https://nfb.org/programs-services/early-childhood-initiatives/early-childhood-application>  today! 

Dates to Keep in Mind:

*	September 18, 2019: Open-House Gathering; email membership at nfb.org <mailto:membership at nfb.org>  to sign up
*	September 24, 2019: Accessibility Boutique on Website Accessibility Basics; email KZimnik at nfb.org <mailto:KZimnik at nfb.org>  to sign up
*	February 10, 2020: Great Gathering-In; Washington Seminar begins
*	March 26-27, 2020: Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland
*	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. 