[Ohio-Talk] Happy Friday

Fri Aug 21 12:22:14 UTC 2020

Dbear Fellow Federationists,

I thought that it would be nice of me to share with you that my purchases at
smile.amazon.com will support Ohio Council of the Blind Inc.
<https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/dashboard/ref=smi_se_mirp_dshb_smi> See
your impact

You've placed 55 orders supporting charity at smile.amazon.com so far.

I hope that you are getting geared up for the state convention and that you
will attend other conventions held by other states also. We will start
talking about the convention and several other matters that should get you
more active in the affiliate so stay tuned. 

I would also like to thank all of the leaders across Ohio for your work and
ask that we continue to meet the needs of our membership in these difficult
times.

Meet our national rep for this year's state convention.

Scott C. LaBarre, Esq.

Scott C. LaBarre owns and operates LaBarre Law Offices p.c., (LLO).  LLO
specializes in employment law, disability rights, Social Security appeals,
estate planning,
<http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Randolph-Sheppard_Act.asp?SnID=4909605>
Randolph-Sheppard Act cases, and business law  Mr. LaBarre has appeared in
federal and state courts throughout the United States securing many
important victories for his clients.  He is permanently admitted before the
<http://www.supremecourtus.gov/> Supreme Court of the United States, the
United State Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Tenth Circuits, the
<http://www.co.uscourts.gov/> United States District Court for the District
of Colorado, and the  <http://www.coloradosupremecourt.com/> Supreme Court
of Colorado.

Mr. LaBarre shares office space and often co-counsels with the firm of
Scobie and Morlang L.L.P. who specialize in estate planning, tax planning,
business law, and other civil litigation.

Photo courtesy of  <http://www.ericlarsbakke.com/> Erik Lars Bakke

Prior to launching his own firm in July of 1998, Mr. LaBarre acted as
general counsel for the  <http://nfb.org/> National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) of Colorado, where he specialized in laws affecting the blind and
disabled.  Mr. LaBarre served in that capacity for five years.  Even after
establishing LLO, he remains very active in the NFB through his volunteer
service in many leadership roles.  In October of 2005, members of the NFB of
Colorado elected LaBarre their President.    He also serves as Chairman of
the PAC Committee, one of the Federation's major national fundraisers.
Additionally, he is President of the  <http://www.blindlawyer.org/> National
Association of Blind Lawyers and serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors for the <http://www.cocenter.org/>  Colorado Center for the Blind.
>From 1996 until June of 2002 he served as President of the
<http://www.nfbdenver.org/> NFB of Denver.

He is active in national, state and local bar associations through his
service in many roles.  Currently, he serves as Chair of the
<http://www.abanet.org/disability/> American Bar Association's Commission on
Mental and Physical Disability Law, a commission appointed by the ABA's
president and charged with increasing opportunity for lawyers with
disabilities in the profession.   Also, the Commission publishes the
<http://www.abanet.org/disability/publications/lawreporter/home.shtml>
Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter along with several other legal
publications.   Mr. LaBarre is also active in the ABA's
<http://www.abanet.org/genpractice/> General Practice Solo and Small Firm
Division through his service on its governing council and as Vice Director
of the Division's Internal Affairs Group.  In the last several years, he has
also served in the roles of a Director in the ABA's
<http://www.abanet.org/yld/> Young Lawyers Division, Vice Chairman and a
member of the ABA-YLD Bar Leadership Team, YLD Liaison to the ABA Commission
on Mental and Physical Disability Law, a member of the
<http://www.cobar.org/group/index.cfm?EntityID=CBOG> Colorado Bar
Association Board of Governors, and Treasurer and a member of the Executive
Council of the Denver Bar Association's Young Lawyers. 

Mr. LaBarre received his Juris Doctor from the
<http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/index.php> University of Minnesota in 1993
and his Bachelor of Arts from  <http://www.csbsju.edu/> St. John's
University in Collegeville, Minnesota in 1990.  He left Minnesota in 1993 to
work at the  <http://nfb.org/> National Headquarters of the National
Federation of the Blind.  He moved to Colorado in June of 1994.  He is
married to a lovely woman who originally hales from Armenia, Anahit
Galechyan.  Anahit and Scott have two small children, Alexander (born
October, 2002) and Emily (born December, 2004).

News

Action Fund 2021 Braille Calendars:

The 2021 Braille calendars are ready! You can order up to three calendars at
<https://actionfund.org/resources/braille-calendars>
https://actionfund.org/resources/braille-calendars, by calling 410-659-9315
and pressing 2, or by emailing  <mailto:actionfund at actionfund.org>
actionfund at actionfund.org. These calendars are available courtesy of the
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. 

Advocacy and Policy Update:

We still need the legislative director name and contact information for many
affiliates. This information is critical in order for us to send out
important alerts and messages pertaining to federal legislation. I urge you
to send this information to Jesa Medders (jmedders at nfb.org
<mailto:jmedders at nfb.org> ) as soon as possible. 

Last week I wrote a letter to Senator John Cornyn
<https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/safe-to-work-act-lett
er.pdf>  (TX) regarding language in a COVID-19 relief bill he introduced in
the Senate, the SAFE TO WORK Act (S. 4317). Section 181 of the bill would
suspend critical protections of the ADA, and we cannot let that happen.
There is still time to contact your members of Congress and ask them to
remove any mention of the ADA from Section 181 of the SAFE TO WORK Act. For
more specific details, please refer to the legislative alert that was sent
out on August 3. 

Braille Books:

You may occasionally be asked whether the Federation has use for Braille
books. As you know, we host a Braille book fair, sponsored by the American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, at convention each year-at least
at our in-person conventions. While we gladly accept Braille book donations
for the fair, the needs are specific. Books should be in good condition and
titles that an adult or child would enjoy reading. We do not typically
accept textbooks or magazines. Anyone donating more than a title or two
should send a list of available titles to Melissa Riccobono at
melissa at actionfund.org <mailto:melissa at actionfund.org>  before shipping
anything to the Jernigan Institute. Those who would still like to share
titles that may not be suitable for the book fair can create an account on
ShareBraille (https://www.sharebraille.org) and post any available titles.

Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research:

The National Federation of the Blind's Journal of Blindness Innovation and
Research is the scholarly journal created by blind people designed to
address the real problems of blindness. Some of the topics in this newest
issue include:

*	Association between mentoring and STEM engagement
*	Adjustment to blindness
*	Route learning

Read the latest
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/jbir/jbir20/jbir1002tc.html>
JBIR articles now. JBIR is also available on NFB-NEWSLINER. 

New Blog-When Assertiveness and Confidence Made All the Difference:

Dr. Marc Maurer, Immediate Past President of the National Federation of the
Blind, stated in one of his iconic speeches that we are tired of being told
to sit down and wait, that we spend too many hours waiting, and that we
intend to take control of our own lives. Read Ever Lee Hairston
<https://www.nfb.org/blog/when-assertiveness-and-confidence-made-all-differe
nce> 's experience where she refused to sit and wait for a flight.

NFB In the News:

As the leading advocate for all blind Americans, the National Federation of
the Blind is often featured in a variety of news outlets at both the
national and local level. Recent articles include topics on mail-in ballot
discrimination, access to voting, and Netflix's new playback speed. Check
out the latest articles in our press room
<https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room> . The press room also includes
important press releases, news briefs, and public service announcements. 

Enjoy the Many NFB Songs:

One of the more unique organizational traits of the National Federation of
the Blind is the central role that songs have played in our community. Enjoy
the 2020 National Convention Choir songs and the many other songs in our
Jacobus tenBroek Library vault. Access the NFB songs now
<https://www.nfb.org/resources/jacobus-tenbroek-library/collections/nfb-song
s> !

Unemployment Benefits Survey:

The National Federation of the Blind is investigating barriers and denials
related to unemployment benefits. If you have been terminated or laid off
from your job within the last two years, please take time to complete our
important survey, available at www.nfb.org/legal <http://www.nfb.org/legal>
.  

Dates to Keep in Mind

*	September 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	September 13: Open-House Gathering call, 4:00 p.m. eastern
*	October 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	October: Meet the Blind Month
*	November 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	December 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	December 9: Open-House Gathering call, 8:00 p.m. eastern
*	February 8, 2021: Washington Seminar Great Gathering-In

Richard Payne,  President

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

937/829/3368

 <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> 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.

Richard Payne,  President

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

937/829/3368

 <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> 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.

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