[Ohio-Talk] Important information.

Wed May 28 17:00:57 UTC 2025

Greetings members of Ohio,

I wish to thank all of you for praying for my sister and checking on me she
is back home and doing better.

If you have been keeping up with the emails from Suzanne, then you know that
it has been a few busy months and with the national convention approaching
soon it will not be slowing down soon.

Please read the important information that follows and share with others.

You may contact me or any of the leaders to find out about items that you
may need clarification about.

I want to encourage members to submit their registrations this week before
online registration closes. There are plenty of rooms left at our overflow
hotel, which also will house our exhibit hall, so do not hesitate to
encourage members to reserve rooms at the Sheraton. 

Finally, a heads up that we will have a Presidential Release recording for
chapter meetings in June but then will not have one in July. There continues
to be some confusion about the live Presidential Release events and the
chapter recordings. Per the request of many of you, we have kept the
recorded version short and specific to chapters so that it gets played.
Apparently, some of our chapters are still playing the live version or
choosing not to play it because the live version is too long or there was no
live release in that month. 
Playing the release has great value to the members and should be played at
the meetings 

Convention:
	Volunteers Needed:
	New Orleans is the place, and the Independence Market is the space!
We are looking for folks who are interested in helping to make the 2025 NFB
National Convention a huge success. You can help by volunteering in the
Independence Market at the national convention! We are currently looking for
volunteers to serve as demonstrators, storekeepers, and line marshals during
all four days the Independence Market is open. The dates and times are as
follows: 
*	Tuesday, July 8: 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. or 12:45 to 5:00 p.m.
*	Wednesday, July 9: 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. or 12:45 to 5:00 p.m.
*	Thursday, July 10: 12:00 to 1:45 p.m.
*	Friday, July 11: 12:00 to 1:45 p.m.
	The Independence Market at the national convention would not be
possible without the support, dedication, and hard work of our numerous
volunteers. For more information or to volunteer, please complete our new
market volunteer form
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/market-volunteer>  or
contact Jen White at 410-659-9314, extension 2236, or email her at
jwhite at nfb.org <mailto:jwhite at nfb.org>  today.

	Independence Market Convention Schedule:
	Independence Market telephone orders will close on Monday, June 30,
at 5:00 p.m., Eastern, and reopen on Thursday, July 17, at 8:00 a.m.,
Eastern. This is to ensure that orders can be processed and shipped before
our market employees travel to New Orleans for this year's national
convention. However, the ecommerce system will remain open and continue to
accept and process your orders during those days. 

	Congratulations to the 2025 Scholarship Finalists:
	The National Federation of the Blind announced the finalists for its
annual scholarship program, which provides financial assistance and connects
students with blind mentors and other resources. Congratulations to the
thirty outstanding finalists.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/celebrating-outstanding-blind-students>

	National Federation of the Blind National Convention Career Fair:
	Join us for the National Federation of the Blind National Convention
Career Fair on July 9, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Central. Hosted by the National
Employment Committee, this event is an opportunity for blind and low-vision
people seeking jobs to connect with employers and is an opportunity for
employers to seek more talent for their teams. 
	National Convention Jobseeker Registration
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/employment/career-fair-jobseeker-registra
tion> 
	National Convention Employer Registration
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&action=preview&id=621> 
	To prepare jobseekers and employers, the Employment Committee will
be hosting "Getting Career-Fair Ready: For Jobseekers and Employers,"
virtual seminars designed to provide strategies for creating the most
positive experience while attending the fair. Individuals will automatically
be registered for these events once they have registered for the career
fair. For more information on the career fair or virtual seminars, please
contact Charles Bennett, jobseeker liaison, at cbennett at cocenter.org
<mailto:cbennett at cocenter.org> , or Kris Colcock, employer liaison, at
Kris at colcok.com <mailto:Kris at colcok.com> .

	Register and Book Hotel for National Convention:
	Promote registration for the 2025 National Federation of the Blind
National Convention <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention> ,
July 8-13, in New Orleans. Let members know to register early because prices
go up if you register on site in New Orleans. Registration includes the
biggest event of the year, access to the event app, and communications on
the latest news and events. The hotel blocks are filling up-there is now
limited space at the Marriott. Reserve your room at the Sheraton New Orleans
by calling 855-516-1090. Ask for the "National Federation of the Blind 2025
Convention" block. Registration will be closing on May 31. Attendees can
still register on site at an increased cost. Promote registration now!

Critical:
	Independence Market Now Available for Online Orders:
	As announced during the May Presidential Release Live, the
Independence Market is now online, making it easier than ever to find and
order reliable blindness-related tools and resources you need. Shop online
now at catalog.nfb.org
<file:///C:/Users/LamkinSeth/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Conte
nt.Outlook/PXN5EKPU/catalog.nfb.org> . 

News:
	Presidential Release Chapter Recording June 1:
	The June Presidential Release chapter recording
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>
will be available by June 1. Please share the chapter recording as part of
your chapter meeting agenda and discuss among members. There will not be a
Presidential Release Live in June or July. Tune into the Presidential Report
during the NFB National Convention on July 11, during the morning session.

	New Partnership Announced: Innosearch AI:
	As announced in the May Presidential Release Live
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases> ,
the National Federation of the Blind is proud to announce a formal
partnership with Inno search AI, an innovative AI-powered accessibility and
shopping platform. Read the press release
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/innosearch-ai-and-national-federation-b
lind-announce-strategic-partnership>  and access the membership benefits in
your member profile <https://nfb.org/member_profile/login> .

	Legislative News: The Website and Software Applications
Accessibility Act:
	The National Federation of the Blind applauds the introduction of
the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, H.R. 3417, into
the House of Representatives by Representative Pete Sessions (Texas) and
lead cosponsor Representative Steny Hoyer (Maryland). This legislation seeks
to eliminate persistent digital accessibility barriers faced by blind and
disabled Americans. Read the full joint press release
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/disability-advocates-commend-introducti
on-websites-and-software-applications> .  

	Two Recent Legislation Introductions:
	The month of May has been great for our legislative advocacy. In the
last two weeks, we have gotten two of our legislative priorities
reintroduced in the 119th Congress. On May 14, Representative Pete Sessions
(TX-17) sponsored our Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act
in the House. He was joined by Representative Steny Hoyer (MD-05) as the
lead cosponsor. And on May 22, Senator John Boozman (AR) reintroduced our
Access Technology Affordability Act in the Senate with Senator Ben Ray Lujan
(NM) as the lead cosponsor. We want to ensure the Congress knows how
important both of these bills are to the blind of America, so please call or
email your members in the House and Senate today and urge them to cosponsor!

	2026 Washington Seminar:
	We know that we're still a month out from the national convention,
but our government affairs group is excited to announce that the 2026
Washington Seminar will take place from Monday, January 26, through
Thursday, January 29, 2026. Next year's Washington Seminar will be located
at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol - National Mall at 550 C Street, SW
Washington, DC. More information about next year's event will be posted on
our website in the coming months. 

Dates to Keep in Mind:
(all times eastern)
*	July 8-13: National Convention; New Orleans, Louisiana
*	June 8, 2025: Deadline to submit resolutions
<mailto:resolutions at nfb.org>  for the 2025 National Convention.
*	January 26-29, 2026: Washington Seminar

Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement
*	Wednesday, August 6
*	Wednesday, November 5

Chapter Presidents Calls
*	Thursday, June 12 and Sunday, June 15
*	Thursday, September 11 and Sunday, September 14
*	Thursday, December 11 and Sunday, December 14

Richard Payne, President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> 

www.nfbohio.org <http://www.nfbohio.org> 

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and
all blind people in the United States. We know 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. Our collective power, determination,
and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

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