[Ohio-Talk] National Federation of the Blind Response to COVID-19

[Richard Payne]

	National Federation of the Blind Response to COVID-19
The news has been dominated lately by information about the COVID-19
outbreak. This message will share what the National Federation of the Blind
is doing and recommending. Please know that this is a topic that the
leadership group continues to monitor and discuss on a daily basis. The
health and safety of all of our members, staff, and friends is always our
top priority.
 
Attending a Federation event is a personal decision to be made based upon
your current health status and, when appropriate, in consultation with
medical professionals. For the latest facts about the virus, we encourage
accessing reliable information from sources such as the World Health
Organization (WHO)
<https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019>  or the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
<https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html>  Users of
NFB-NEWSLINE(r) can also access the latest information in the breaking news
section.
 
National Convention and National Headquarters 
The 2020 NFB National Convention is taking place July 14-19 in Houston,
Texas, as planned. At this time we do not believe there is a need to alter
plans for our annual meeting. We will continue to evaluate the situation and
the needs of attendees. We will update the national convention webpage
(nfb.org/convention <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention> )
regarding the status of the event and any related precautions to be taken.
 
At our national headquarters, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute, we are taking extra precautions and implementing sanitation and
safety measures to keep our members, visitors, and staff safe. We are
evaluating our planned meetings and tours and will communicate with
participants regarding the status of previously planned events. While we
have postponed certain large-scale national meetings, we continue to host a
number of smaller meetings where the risk factors are low. These factors are
being constantly reviewed.
 
Large State Meetings and Conventions
Based on current information, the national leadership recommends that state
conventions or other events should be continued as appropriate while
monitoring local conditions and directives. Affiliate leadership should
monitor and follow any directives or guidelines issued by public health
officials in your state or area that are specific to outbreaks there. The
local circumstances should be the strongest guide for adjusting statewide
meetings. State leaders are asked to coordinate their plans with the
President of the Federation so assistance can be provided and clear lines of
communication can be maintained across the nation.
*	If an event is proceeding, take appropriate precautions and let
members know about the details of those precautions or updated information.
Please review the general guidance for executing meetings during COVID-19
offered below.
*	If an event is cancelled, appropriate messaging should be
distributed through all relevant channels. 
 
Local Chapter Meetings and Events
Like state meetings, our current recommendation is that local leadership
should continue activities as appropriate while monitoring local conditions
and directives. Local chapter meeting changes should be coordinated with the
affiliate president.
*	Communicate to members that they should decide their level of
participation based on their own health and safety. Be sure to utilize the
general guidance for executing meetings found below. 
*	Local chapters should communicate with meeting locations to
understand what precautions those facilities are taking to support hosted
meetings.
*	Chapter leaders may want to secure supplies to assist members in
keeping the meeting environment as free of germs as possible.
*	Local leaders should ensure that clear communication plans exist for
sharing updated information to members.
*	For meetings of small chapters or of chapter or division boards,
leaders might consider using a service like Zoom or FreeConferenceCall.com
to conduct virtual meetings as a temporary measure if local circumstances do
not permit public meetings.
	 
General Guidance for Executing Meetings
The most important prophylactic step that Federation members can take is to
encourage those who are exhibiting any type of symptoms related to a
respiratory illness to refrain from attending any organizational events. If
someone has been exposed to the virus in any way, that person should stay
away from Federation events as well. Additionally, those who are in
high-risk groups should consult with their medical professionals and
consider staying at home. At Federation events, it is critical that everyone
practice the highest level of hygiene. 
*	We should refrain from handshakes or physical contact like hugs,
etc. 
*	Hands should be washed frequently and/or hand sanitizer should be
used liberally. 
*	It should be recognized that serving food at Federation meetings is
a potential exposure point. We recommend considering eliminating food at
Federation events during the current circumstances. However, if food is to
be served extra attention should be given to best practices for serving food
and keeping surfaces clean. Specifically, anyone serving food should wear
gloves, and before serving, hands, serving surfaces, and serving instruments
should be sanitized.
 
Again, we will continue to monitor all aspects of this situation as they
develop, focusing first and foremost on the health and safety of everyone in
our Federation family. I wish you, your families, and your colleagues the
best as we address these challenges. 
 
Warmly, 
Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
 
 
Mark A. Riccobono, President
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314 | Officeofthepresident at nfb.org
<mailto:Officeofthepresident at nfb.org> 
Twitter: @Riccobono
 
 
 <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. 
 
 


Richard Payne,  President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937/829/3368
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


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 13570 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200311/0db0aa1c/attachment.bin>