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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good Evening Federation Family:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please see the below information regarding the hotel for Washington Seminar. If you still need to book a room, time is running out!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Late yesterday afternoon we learned that the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol – National Mall, the host hotel for our Washington Seminar, was fully booked on Monday, January 29. As a result, President Riccobono included this information in his President’s Notebook that was sent out earlier today. Since then, we have been in contact with the hotel and they have generously made some room adjustments to add a few rooms to our block on Monday, January 29. Due to this development, the room block is once again open to make reservations. However, this will not last long so we urge you to make your reservations as soon as possible. In the event that we need more rooms than the hotel can accommodate, we will continue investigating the possibility an overflow hotel.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Speaking of the President’s notebook, there are a couple of other things to share.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Independence Market Holiday Hours:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The Independence Market will be closed from Friday, December 22 through Monday, December 25, 2023, and then again from Friday, December 29, 2023 through Monday, January 1, 2024.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>January Presidential Release:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'>The National Federation of the Blind </span><a href="https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'>Presidential Release #534</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'> is scheduled for January 4, 2024, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. Zoom ID 943 1629 4822. Each presidential release live includes a question and answer session. Please submit questions early to </span><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'>cdanielsen@nfb.org</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Mark Your Calendar: 2024 Washington Seminar Legislative Priorities Training:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Be sure to mark your calendars and distribute the information to your affiliates regarding the first Washington Seminar training session of the new year on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at 8:00 p.m., eastern. This first session will be an in-depth review of our three legislative priorities for the 2024 Washington Seminar: the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act, the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act, and the Blind Americans Return to Work Act. The Zoom information to log in to the meeting is: </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><a href="https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/92935463825"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue'>https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/92935463825</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Meeting ID: 929 3546 3825 <br>--- <br>One tap mobile <br>+13017158592,,92935463825# US (Washington DC) <br>+13052241968,,92935463825# US <br>--- </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Dial by your location <br>• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) <br>• +1 305 224 1968 US <br>• +1 309 205 3325 US <br>• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) <br>• +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) <br>• +1 646 931 3860 US <br>• +1 564 217 2000 US <br>• +1 669 444 9171 US <br>• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) <br>• +1 689 278 1000 US <br>• +1 719 359 4580 US <br>• +1 253 205 0468 US <br>• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) <br>• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) <br>• +1 360 209 5623 US <br>• +1 386 347 5053 US <br>• +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) <br>• +1 507 473 4847 US</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Access Technology Affordability Act:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The cold winter weather has brought with it a flurry of cosponsor activity on the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 3702/S. 1467). In the House, H.R. 3702 has gained twenty-eight new cosponsors since the beginning of December to bring the total number of cosponsors up to seventy-two. In the Senate, Senators Booker (NJ), Ernst (IA), and Tillis (NC), all added their names to the cosponsors of S. 1467 to bring the total number of cosponsors on the Senate bill up to seventeen. This is fantastic progress to finish out the year. Even though the ATAA was not included in the National Defense Authorization Act, we have to keep working in order to make sure we give it the best possible chance of being included in a larger tax package now scheduled for debate in January or February. Be sure to call or email your representatives and senators to urge them to cosponsor the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 3702/S. 1467).</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>As a side note to this one, we need to contact Senator Grassley’s office and all of our representatives to get them on board! We will definitely be thanking Senator Ernst for signing on!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>One final piece of news deals with BLIND Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The board of directors at Blindness Learning in New Dimensions, Incorporated, (our affiliated training center in Minnesota) announced yesterday its intention to suspend operations in order to reimagine and rebuild the programming in Minnesota.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I know President Riccobono has sat with the board of directors of that great organization, and this is a very difficult decision indeed. I have attached the release about this and also pasted it below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><h1>Announcement: BLIND, Inc. Pauses Services <o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Minneapolis, Minnesota (December 18, 2023):</span></b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> The Board of Directors of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions, Inc. (BLIND, Inc.) regrets to announce that we will temporarily suspend all of our programs and services as of January 1, 2024. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>We take this action with heavy hearts. After extensive deliberation over our current financial and organizational obligations, we believe suspending operations at this time in order to make future plans is the best and most responsible available course of action. This decision comes after a review of compounded circumstances that have developed over a period of years, leaving our organization with inadequate resources to advance our mission at this time. One factor of this evaluation is that our current building, the Pillsbury Mansion, which is on the national historic registry, needs millions of dollars in renovations that must be done in a manner that preserves its historic character. Unfortunately, we have determined that we are not in a position to undertake the necessary building renovations while still providing quality adjustment-to-blindness training.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>We recognize that this decision will be painful to our students, our dedicated staff, and to all of our supporters in the community. We acknowledge that it comes at a particularly difficult time, with the holiday season and new year upon us. We were not able to find a viable way to alter the timing of this decision. Our leadership is working with the National Federation of the Blind, Louisiana Center for the Blind, and Colorado Center for the Blind to help during this transition. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>We deeply appreciate all of the work everyone affiliated with BLIND, Inc. has done over the past three decades to help blind people build the skills and confidence to live the lives they want. Our high-quality training has impacted thousands of people, not only the many students that have walked with us, but also the blind community who connect with the positive philosophy and high expectations demonstrated from our alumni and friends. With the continued support of our board, partners, and community, our goal in the coming months is to re-imagine what adjustment to blindness training can be, and to reopen our doors with fresh approaches and insights and on a sound financial footing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>BLIND, Inc, established in 1986, is a training center and community of blind and low-vision people, proudly affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind. We believe blind people can do anything. Every day, we encourage and challenge each student. When you believe in yourself and experience a thriving community of positive blind people, nothing can hold you back from pursuing your dreams. Our mission and values will continue to guide us to dream without limits, be bold, and work with love. Thank you for your support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>###<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Please direct all media inquiries to </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Chris Danielsen, Director of Public Relations</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>, </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>National Federation of the Blind</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>, </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>410-659-9314, extension 2330</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>, </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>410-262-1281 (cell)</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>, </span><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>cdanielsen@nfb.org</span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>That’s all I have for this message. Let’s enjoy this holiday season, and let’s continue to build the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa and the National Federation of the Blind! <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Website</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Facebook</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Twitter</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><br>The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. 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