[Ohio-Talk] Greetings from the president

Fri Aug 27 00:57:35 UTC 2021

Greetings from the President,

Normally I do not share much about my family. But, I am sad to say that over
the last two months, I lost two additional  family members that are near and
dear to me; one to a stroke and the other suffered and died from COVID-19.
Both were in what we thought were good health. The two were brothers who
were raised in the same household with me; when school was out and during
most weekends.

I share this to say that family is very important to me in and outside of
the federation, many of us have begun taking part in events that are in
person. Please be mindful of the guidance and protect yourself which will
also keep others safe.

I have attended the Springfield Chapter picknick and the Miami Valley
Chapter outings. Both chapters done what was needed to keep safe and I am
currently making plans to attend the Cleveland Chapter's picknick as well.
As a reminder, the leadership would be honored to attend your meetings or
events if a request is presented. So, if you have plans and would like
representation, either I or another officer can attend or perhaps  both will
be there.

By now you know that we have been planning the Columbus seminar and we
cannot stress enough how much we have a need for you to attend. At this
time,  there are 25 members that have committed. However, that is not
enough! We will do our best, but, your assistance is very much needed. I
would like to plead again for you to highly reconsider attending this
important endeavor. Also, leaders whatever you can do to help members get to
Columbus, do it!   

Consequently, when you fill out your information on our web page, I will
arrange your room whether you will be paying or not it is ok for you to call
the hotel to confirm, and or change the dates if your circumstances changed.

I think that several of you are like me and watching the news but still have
high hopes to attend this year's State of Ohio's Convention. I am happy to
report, that the convention planning is in full   swing. If you have
suggestions, please  let Suzanne know. This would be   thoughts for
presentations to be considered for the agenda. Also, let me know as well. 

Moreover, we also need your help with getting door prizes and names of
vendors for the Exhibit Hall.  Each Chapter and Division can have a table in
the Exhibit Hall by reaching out to Suzanne for the information.

Upcoming News

	Plan to Attend the September Presidential Release
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=464> -Captioning and Spanish
Available:
	The next Presidential Release of the National Federation of the
Blind will be Wednesday, September 1, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. There will be
an opportunity for questions after President Riccobono's remarks. Submit
questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>  and
put PR508 in the subject line, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2473. Closed
captions and Spanish interpretation will be available. Zoom 

	details coming soon.

	Straight Off the Canvas Film Screening: 
	As mentioned in the board meeting during the 2021 NFB National
Convention, the National Federation of the Blind is hosting a special,
post-convention, virtual film screening. Between August 23 to August 30,
national convention attendees will be able to watch an award-winning,
audio-described documentary, Straight Off the Canvas. Attendees will receive
an email with a password-protected link to the film, which will be available
for the entire week. On August 29, at 7:00 p.m. eastern, there will be a
live screening with Q&A via Zoom. Learn more at nfb.org/nfb21
<https://nfb.org/nfb21> .

	Legislative Alert: Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act
Introduced into House:
	The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 4853) was
introduced in the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, July
29. This act calls upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create
nonvisual accessibility standards for medical devices with digital displays.
Members of the National Federation of the Blind are urged to contact your
representatives regarding the important legislation. Please review the alert
to learn how to help promote the MDNA
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/view?id=2349&reset=1> .

	Back-to-School Season: Educational Technology Survey and Advocacy
Resources:
	The National Federation of the Blind gathers information and shares
resources to help support blind people in the education environment. Leaders
of the organization may receive a higher volume of questions or concerns
this time of year. To help us gauge the accessibility of educational
technology used in our nation's schools (kindergarten through graduate
level), please have students, teachers, or families complete the Education
Technology Survey
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/education-technology-survey
> . Some additional resources to share are the Self-Advocacy in Higher
Education Toolkit
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/self-advocacy
-higher-education-toolkit>  and A Blind Parent's Essential Guide to
Effective Communication from Public and Private Schools
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/blind-parents
-essential-guide-effective-communication> .

	Training for Post-Pandemic Fundraising:
	Everett Bacon, Patti Chang, and Seth Lamkin will be conducting a
training for affiliate and chapter fundraisers on September 30 at 8:00 p.m.,
eastern, via Zoom. Join a discussion about how our experiences over the past
sixteen months can inform fundraising approaches for 2022 and beyond. The
meeting ID will be 7733076440 and the password is 72632. Please mark your
calendars and let your affiliate and chapter fundraisers know about the date
and time, too. 

	Amazon Fulfillment Center Employment: 
	As it relates to our recent agreement with Amazon
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/amazon-make-more-employment-opportuniti
es-available-blind> , the National Federation of the Blind is hoping to
speak with individuals who have had workplace accommodations denied, been
placed on unpaid leave, and/or otherwise experienced discrimination related
to Amazon fulfillment center employment. Please contact Valerie Yingling at
vyingling at nfb.org <mailto:vyingling at nfb.org>  to report your Amazon
fulfillment center experience.

	Subminimum Wages Congressional Hearing:
	Last month our very own Anil Lewis testified in a joint hearing
<https://youtu.be/KVnUWfsH07o?t=2598>  of the House Subcommittee on
Workforce Protections and the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human
Services. One of the purposes of this hearing was to discuss the
Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 2373), which
would phase out subminimum wages over a five-year period. After the hearing,
the bill gained four new cosponsors, bringing the total number up to
twenty-three. For further information, we strongly encourage you to read
Anil's written testimony
<https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/LewisAnilTestimony072121.pdf>  to
the committees. 

Dates to Keep in Mind:
	(All times eastern)
*	September 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
*	October 1: Presidential Release, 12:00 p.m.
*	November 1: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
*	December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.

Richard Payne,  President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com <mailto: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.