[Ohio-Talk] President's note

Mon Mar 29 23:42:28 UTC 2021

When I started this note, it was   around 75 degrees in Dayton. that was
amazing! the weather person decided that was too good, so it is 29 degrees
this morning. 

We find ourselves springing into the convention season. I encourage the
membership to join and support our friends in the movement from across the
country by participating in virtual conventions. We all can learn, and it
will help the state to find out what others are doing that may benefit the
blind of Ohio. I attended the Mississippi state convention this past weekend
and it was just like going back home.   They were small in numbers but
mighty in the federation the affiliate is getting stronger, and I am sure it
will continue to grow. 

The zoom platform has allowed us to be connected in a way that many of our
members have not been afforded in the past. This brings up another thing   I
want to remind you of. this is especially important if you are in any of our
meetings that are being held on the  zoom platform.  We are all  responsible
for abiding by the code of conduct. We have dealt with concerns but do not
expect to encounter others because we know that the family will take care of
each other.  right?

The leadership held a training where all elected officers were requested to
attend and several of you were not in attendance.  we must do better, and
the membership should remind you that one of your responsibilities is to be
available to represent the body. Many of you have done just that and others
have neglected to do so.  The membership should be able to have the
confidence that the leadership of our chapters and divisions will take
advantage of all trainings and meetings available to them.  understand that
those who have been elected to leadership positions in chapters and
divisions were elected, because you have been entrusted to help grow and
build this organization at every level. Your appointment to serve on
affiliate committees has been approved by the Affiliate.

   We also had a meeting with OOD, and a large part  of our membership was
not in attendance.  this must change, not just for show,  but as part of
your commitment  to being active as a leader. 

Revised Committees for 2021. Thank you all for serving.

AWARDS COMMITTEE

Charge: To oversee the awards process, to provide information and feedback
when necessary, and to make reasonable decisions about NFBO awards.

Annette Lutz, Chair; Jerry Purcell; Ali Benmerzouga; and Emily Kiehl

BELL COORDINATOR

Charge: To communicate and help with planning the inhouse BELL Program and
to organize the BELL Academy and plan efficient ways to promote and execute
this important program.

Eric Duffy, Coordinator

COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE

Charge: To educate the Ohio affiliate about the professional and personal
benefits of community service; to encourage chapters, divisions, and
individuals to participate in projects in their communities; to encourage
members to identify or develop and implement their own service projects; and
to educate the public about NFB philosophy and the skills and abilities
blind people bring to community service.

Cheryl Fields, Chair; Pat McPherson; Maggie Stringer; Candice Armstrong;
Shelley Duffy; Gary Williams; Gloria Robinson; and Joann Williams

CONSTITUTION and RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

Charge: To make sure that all NFBO constitutions follow the state and
national constitutions, both philosophically and rhetorically, and to
oversee the submission process and to write and distribute clearly
articulated and philosophically sound resolutions.

Barbara Pierce, Chair; Eric Duffy; Debbie Baker; Todd Elzey; Jessica Stover;
and Andra Stover 

DEAF-BLIND coordinators 

Charge: To aid and provide information to those who are in this community
and to serve as a vehicle to foster a positive relationship between the
deaf-blind community and other members of the NFB.

William Turner and Suzanne Turner, Co-chairs

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Charge: To advise the president about policies, legislation, strategies, and
initiatives in which NFBO should be engaged to improve educational
opportunities for blind youth throughout the state.

Suzanne Turner, Chair; Ali Benmerzouga; Chris Sabine; Debbi Baker; kinshuk
tella; Wilbert Turner; Caroline Karbowski; Marianne Denning; Anne Casey; and
Sadie McFarland

FINANCING THE MOVEMENT COMMITTEE including SUN coordinator, Jernigan Fund
coordinator, and PAC coordinator

Charge: To make members aware of these specific organizational fundraising
opportunities and to implement strategies to increase participation.

Sherry Ruth and Colleen Roth, Co-chairs

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

Charge: To investigate additional opportunities to increase NFB-O resources
and to implement effective fundraising strategies and programming .

Candice Armstrong. Chair; Maggie Stringer;  Todd Elzey; Colleen Miller;  and
Marion Parker

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

Charge: To increase the organization's visibility and effectiveness in the
state legislature and to continue to support our efforts in Washington
throughout the year.

Eric Duffy, Chair; Todd Elzey; Chris Sabine; Jordy Stringer; Andra Stover;
and William Turner

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Charge: To implement effective strategies to recruit and retain members and
to reinvigorate the chapters and divisions of NFB-O.

Carolyn Peters, Chair; Sheila Hardy-Wilson; Maggie Stringer; Pat McPherson;
William Turner; Haley Thurston; Asia Quinones-Evans; Susan Day; and Gloria
Robinson

PROMOTION AND PUBLICITY, WEBSITE, AND NEWSLINE COMMITTEE

Charge: To assist with updating the webpage content and the NEWSLINE
service, as well as promoting and advertising NEWSLINE. Members on this
committee should be proficient computer users.

To develop content and suggest creative ways to promote NFBO branding.
Responsibilities include researching audience preferences and discovering
current trends, creating engaging text, image, and video content, designing
posts to sustain readers' curiosity and creating buzz around new issues,
staying up to date with changes in all social platforms, ensuring maximum
effectiveness, training leaders how to use social media in a cohesive and
beneficial way, developing an optimal posting schedule considering web
traffic and engagement, and overseeing social media accounts.

Todd Elzey, Chair; Cheryl Fisher; Chris Sabine; Maggie Stringer; and Candice
Armstrong

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

Charge: To conduct the affiliate scholarship program and to develop and
implement effective strategies to increase the visibility of the program and
increase participation in both the Ohio and national programs.

Jordy Stringer, Chair; Cassandra Jones; and Suzanne Turner

Critical Actions:

Scholarship Program-Deadline to Submit Is this Week, March 31:

The National Federation of the Blind awards more than $120,000 to blind
scholars across the country. There is still time to apply for the 2021 NFB
Scholarship Program. Share this opportunity that invests in the future of
blind people. Learn about the eligibility criteria and other requirements of
the
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-p
rogram> 2021 NFB Scholarship Program.

NLS eReader Pilot Program:

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) began a
pilot ereader program in four states last September. It is now time for this
program to roll out nationwide. If you are interested in getting an NLS
eReader, we urge you to call the talking book library in your state,
regardless of whether it is part of the pilot program. They should be able
to get you a pilot machine or put you on a waiting list. If you have any
questions, please contact Stephanie Flynt at  <mailto:sflynt at nfb.org>
sflynt at nfb.org. 

News:

National Convention Registration:

A number of you have asked about registering members for convention who do
not have an email account of their own. We strongly encourage you to not
register these members using your email address. This will likely add to or
overwrite your contact information in our database. Instead, you can
complete an accessible, fillable, PDF registration form on the member's
behalf that may be sent to the national office via email or printed and
mailed via US mail. This form will be available on our convention
information page at  <http://www.nfb.org/convention> www.nfb.org/convention
by the end of March. Those members wishing to make a donation to the NFB to
defray convention expenses may include a check when mailing in their
registration form. Email and snail mail address information will be included
on the registration form. 

Apply for 2021 Bolotin Awards:

The National Federation of the Blind is accepting nominations of individuals
or organizations who are a positive force in the lives of blind people and
help us transform dreams into reality. Each application must include a
letter of recommendation.
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolo
tin-awards/application-information> Learn more and submit a nomination for
the 2021 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards.

2021 NFB BELLR Coordinator Information Needed: 

The 2021 NFB BELL Academy In-Home Edition applications are open, and
families are making their summer plans. We want to make sure families in our
NFB BELL Academies are connected with local Federationists who can answer
questions and be mentors for them for years to come. We also want to make
sure that contact information is being handled responsibly. Please send the
name and contact information of the individual who should receive contact
information for your state's NFB BELL Academy applicants to
<mailto:bell at nfb.org> bell at nfb.org by Friday, March 27. 

New Resource for Blind Parents of School-Age Children:

The NFB's new resource, "A Blind Parent's Essential Guide to Effective
Communication from Public and Private Schools," is now available at
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/blind-parents
-essential-guide-effective-communication>
https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/advocacy-resources/blind-parents-
essential-guide-effective-communication. Please share this guide with other
blind parents in your network.

Access Technology Affordability Act:

Last week proved to be another productive week in gaining cosponsors for the
Access Technology Affordability Act. In the House we had four new cosponsors
sign on: Chuy Garcia (IL-4), Tim Burchett (TN-2), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), and
John Moolenaar (MI-4). This brings our total number of House cosponsors to
66. In the Senate, Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri signed on as cosponsor
bringing our total number of cosponsors in that chamber up to thirteen. Well
done Illinois, Tennessee, Michigan, and Missouri! Keep up the great work! It
is essential that we continue to build support for this bill. We will be
sending out a legislative alert with further details early this week. 

Latest Blog Post: "Finding a Therapist Who Moved Beyond My Blindness":

The Voice of the Nation's Blind Blog highlights personal experiences and
stories of blind people. In the recent article, Gary Wunder shares his
experience needing and finding the assistance of a therapist. Read the blog,
<https://nfb.org/blog/finding-therapist-who-moved-beyond-my-blindness>
"Finding a Therapist Who Moved Beyond My Blindness." If you are interested
in sharing a story, please email  <mailto:CommunicationsTeam at nfb.org>
CommunicationsTeam at nfb.org. 

Apple Mobile Development Seminar:

On Wednesday, March 31, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. eastern, the National
Federation of the Blind, in collaboration with Apple, is hosting an app
development seminar focused on accessibility. Anyone who develops or is
considering developing apps is encouraged to register for this Zoom event.
There are also limited opportunities to meet directly with Apple engineers
to discuss your app and have your accessibility questions answered. Take
advantage of this free opportunity,
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/traini
ngs> register for the mobile application development seminar today! 

New Podcast Episode: A Conversation with the Survivor Task Force:

Nation's Blind Podcast hosts, Anil and Melissa, talk with Marci Carpenter
and Daphne Mitchell of the NFB Survivor Task Force. They discuss who is a
survivor, specific challenges and misconceptions blind survivors face, and
more. Listen to
<https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2021-03/A%2520Conversation%2520with%252
0the%2520NFB%2520Survivor%2520Task%2520Force.mp3> the latest Nation's Blind
Podcast now.

National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient (NFB EQ) Program:

NFB EQ applications are now open. NFB EQ is going virtual July 5-30. High
school students can join us on a month-long adventure into engineering and
problem-solving. No specific level of engineering experience is required.
Engage in activities designed to strengthen knowledge and grow interests.
The deadline to apply is May 10. Learn more and apply now at
<http://www.nfb.org/eq> www.nfb.org/eq.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

*	March 31:
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-p
rogram/scholarship-program-application-checklist> Scholarship application
deadline

*        April 5: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. 

*        April 15:  <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin> Bolotin Awards nominations
deadline

*	April 15: Survivor Task Force Open Call

*        April 18: Survivor Task Force Open Call

*        May 1:
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/distinguished
-educator-blind-students-award> Distinguished Educator of Blind Children
Award  nominations deadline

*        May 3: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. 

*	May 7:  <https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-bell-academy> NFB
BELL Academy application deadline (for session one)

*        May 10:  <http://www.nfb.org/eq> NFB EQ application deadline

*        June 1: Presidential Release LIVE, 8:00 p.m. 

*        July 6-10: NFB National Convention, anywhere and everywhere

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

 <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.