[Ohio-Talk] A Special Thanksgiving Message

Thu Nov 25 13:07:03 UTC 2021

Dear Ohio,

I wanted to send you A Special Thanksgiving Message
It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind. Go to work, pay bills,
take care of chores around the house, rinse and repeat. And as busy as we
are, it's easy to forget that the whole reason we do these obligatory tasks
is so that we can have time to slow down and appreciate the people around
us; the people in our lives who make that daily grind worthwhile. I don't do
it nearly enough. Fortunately, from time to time, there are days where we
can't help but notice and appreciate our friends, coworkers, and family who
lift us up, give us hope, and inspire us.

Thanksgiving is one of those days.

When I take time to pause and think about it, I'm overwhelmed by the things
that make me grateful. Like many of you in theNFBO, I am fortunate enough to
love my work. Every day I am blessed with a team of dedicated individuals
working to make this world a better place.one member and movement at a time.
I'm grateful for our team and for your work that drives us. I am constantly
exploring new ways to support you and our mission, so that we can spend more
time improving the lives for blind people that we serve. I think about this
each day and my part of the journey with you is humbling.

On this day of giving thanks, and all the days in between, we in the NFB
must continue to be extremely grateful for each other.

Happy Thanksgiving!

News:
	Attend December Presidential Release:
	The December Presidential Release will take place December 2, 2021,
at 8:00 p.m. The monthly Presidential Release provides important updates and
perspectives of the organized blind movement, and the live event includes a
Q&A session. Submit questions in advance to cdanielsen at nfb.org
<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>  and put PR511 in the subject line, or call
410-659-9314, extension 2473. Zoom details and more ways to access are
available. <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=461> 

	Draft Code of Conduct Open Meeting with Blind Survivors Group:
	As announced at the November Presidential Release
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> ,
the National Federation of the Blind is seeking feedback on the most recent.
The comment period for the draft Code of Conduct <https://nfb.org/draftcode>
will conclude at noon eastern time on Thursday, December 2, 2021. The Blind
Survivors Group is hosting an open meeting on Sunday, November 28, at 8:00
p.m., eastern, to review and receive feedback. The Zoom ID for the open
meeting is 2023132945 <https://zoom.us/j/2023132945> .

	Department of Justice and Uber: Share Your Experience regarding
Wait-Time Fees:
	Related to its recent lawsuit against Uber
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-uber-overcharging-pe
ople-disabilities> , the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is gathering
information from individuals with disabilities who have been charged
wait-time fees by Uber. If you have been charged a wait-time fee, please
contact DOJ at uber.fee at usdoj.gov <mailto:uber.fee at usdoj.gov> , 833-591-0425
(toll-free), or 202-305-6786. If you have a copy of your Uber receipt
detailing the wait-time fee, please include this with your outreach to DOJ.
For more information about DOJ's lawsuit, visit
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-uber-overcharging-peo
ple-disabilities. 

	Audio Descriptions: Squid Game:
	The National Federation of the Blind regularly meets with Netflix to
provide insights and feedback on their programs and services. At a recent
meeting, we requested that English audio descriptions be added for Squid
Game, a popular 2021 series produced in South Korea, and they delivered.
Netflix's stated policy has been to provide audio description only in the
program's original language, but our feedback has led to reconsideration in
this case and others. We thank Netflix for their commitment to inclusion by
working with the nation's blind. 

	Accessible Kiosk Walkthrough:
	During the NFB Board of Directors meeting at the 2021 National
Convention, a clip of a McDonald's kiosk walkthrough was presented. The full
demonstration is available on our YouTube for review:
https://youtu.be/plPB9YzR8lQ. Please comment with your experiences. 

	Register for Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest:
	Registration is now open for the 2021-2022 Braille Readers Are
Leaders contest, administered by the American Action Fund for Blind Children
and Adults in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind. The
competition is open to blind children and adults and this year, there is a
refresh to the contest criteria. The contest starts December 1. Details on
how to sign up and important dates can be found at
https://www.actionfund.org/programs/braille-readers-are-leaders. 

	Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act Introduced
in US Senate:
	On Thursday, November 18, Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Steve Daines
(R-MT) introduced the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment
Act in the Senate
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-applauds-intr
oduction-transformation-competitive-0>  (S. 3238). Sheila Leigland, an
active NFB member from Montana and a constituent of Senator Daines, is
featured in a video promoting the legislation on Senator Daines's official
Senate website
<https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/sen-daines-bipartisan-bill-
is-a-game-changer-for-disabled-community> . Please contact your senators and
urge them to cosponsor S. 3238, and contact your representative to urge them
to cosponsor the House companion, H.R. 2373.

	Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Regarding Accessible Voting:
	On October 21, the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) published a request for information regarding an upcoming report on
recommendations for promoting access to voting for people with disabilities.
We submitted our comments today and will have them on the policy statements
page <https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements>  of our
website soon. 

	Grant Program to Incentivize States to End Subminimum Wages in Build
Back Better Act:
	On November 19, the House passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R.
5376). The bill includes language that would create a grant program to
incentivize states to transition employees with disabilities from subminimum
wage employment to competitive integrated employment. While this provision
is helpful, we still need to focus our efforts on passing the Transformation
to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (H.R. 2373/S. 3238). 

	In the News: Share USA Today Article:
	The following recent USA Today article, "'I am not my blindness':
What the blind community wishes you knew," features President Mark
Riccobono. Please share through National Federation of the Blind affiliate
communications channels.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/11/17/what-blind-vi
sually-impaired-people-wish-you-knew/8637271002/  

Dates to Keep in Mind:
	(all times eastern)
*	December 1: NFB Scholarship Program <https://nfb.org/scholarships>
applications open
*	December 2: Presidential Release, 8:00 p.m.
*	July 5-10, 2022: National Convention, New Orleans

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.