[IL-Talk] President Riccobono's notebook for the week of May 20

Tue May 21 14:41:36 UTC 2024

Critical Actions:

June Presidential Release is May 30:

The
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases>
June Presidential Release LIVE is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, at 8:00
p.m., eastern. Each Presidential Release Live includes a question-and-answer
session. These questions can be about recent activities or common questions
members have about being in the organized blind movement. Please submit
questions early to  <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org--questions>
cdanielsen at nfb.org. Zoom ID: 952 9095 1843

Convention:

Deadline Approaching for National Convention Registration:

Get access to the latest information as it is made available and more for
the 2024 National Convention. Online registration ($25) closes May 31.
Onsite registration ($30) will be available in Orlando. Plan to register
early to avoid the increased registration fees.
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=592> Register for the
2024 National Convention now! 

Reminder: Promote the convention using the hashtag #NFB24 on affiliate and
division social media accounts. 

Convention Resolutions:

The national convention is just six short weeks away! Our Resolutions
Committee, chaired by Donald Porterfield, is currently accepting proposed
resolutions for the convention to consider. Proposed resolutions should be
emailed to the committee at  <mailto:resolutions at nfb.org>
resolutions at nfb.org. Don't forget, the deadline to submit a resolution is
Tuesday, June 4, at midnight, eastern. 

This year's exhibit hall will take place on July 4 and 5, from 9:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., and on July 6 from noon to 1:45 p.m. and 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. If you
know any vendors or service providers who might be interested in sponsoring
or exhibiting at the national convention, please share the convention
information with them. The deadline to apply is May 31. Thank you for all of
your work-we're looking forward to another great convention. If you have any
questions, please contact Rachel Held at  <mailto:rheld at nfb.org>
rheld at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2423.

National Convention Career Fair:

Be sure to register for the in-person career fair at the National
Convention, our largest gathering of blind people in America. We expect
employers from a variety of industries from around the country to attend.
Jobseekers, find that dream job. Employers, add notable talent to your team.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., eastern. Registration ends
May 31. 

 <https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=33724&qid=9768544> National
Convention Job-Seeker Registration

 <https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=597> National Convention
Employer Registration 

Please direct all questions to Lia Stone, employer liaison, at
<mailto:evangeliastone at gmail.com> evangeliastone at gmail.com or Jennifer
Wenzel, jobseeker liaison, at  <mailto:jenwen319 at gmail.com>
jenwen319 at gmail.com. 

DeafBlind Division Needs SSP Volunteers:

The DeafBlind Division is seeking volunteers to assist deafblind members as
SSPs. There is a
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/support-service-provider-v
olunte> sign-up form on the convention website. Anyone that needs more
information should reach out to Maurice Mines at
<mailto:nfbdbpresident at mmines.org> nfbdbpresident at mmines.org.  

News:

Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act Update:

Congratulations to all on our hard work regarding the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act! Because of our tremendous work
over the past few weeks, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed
H.R. 3935 with overwhelming bipartisan support keeping all of the
accessibility provisions intact. On May 16, 2024, President Biden signed
H.R. 3935 into law, beginning the implementation process of these vital
accessibility provisions for blind air travelers.

Legislative Action:

Heading into the national convention is a great time to boost the support
for our issues. Currently, our Websites and Software Applications
Accessibility Act (H.R. 5813/S. 2984) has thirty-three cosponsors in the
House and five cosponsors in the Senate. Our Medical Device Nonvisual
Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328/S. 3621) has eighty-four cosponsors in the
House and one in the Senate. Finally, our Access Technology Affordability
Act (H.R. 3702/S. 1467) has eighty-eight cosponsors in the House and
eighteen in the Senate. We would love to see these numbers increase by the
time of the convention, so please call and email your members in the House
and Senate and urge them to cosponsor our legislation. 

Dream Big! Give $25 Drive Toolkit:

Our Give $25 Drive launched on May 16 with a couple of new twists.
Contributors can win a Monarch tactile display or a trip to the 2025
National Convention. Supporters can also give their chances to win in honor
of someone else, which gives the honoree more chances to win. Our affiliates
can magnify messaging about the drive by liking and sharing posts, but
affiliates can also post directly on the affiliate social media channels. To
make that easier, a toolkit is attached to this email. Please help this to
be our biggest drive ever and post to as many of our NFB affiliate channels
as possible. You can also visit  <https://nfb.org/give25>
https://nfb.org/give25 to see our Dream Big! Give $25 Drive landing page and
<https://nfb.org/give25donate> https://nfb.org/give25donate to see our
contribution form.

Congratulations to our 2024 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.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/2024-nfb-scholarship-announcement>
Congratulations to the thirty outstanding finalists.

Urging Sonos to Restore Accessibility:

The National Federation of the Blind shared deep disappointment concerning a
recent redesign of the Sonos smartphone apps that has significantly degraded
their accessibility to blind users.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-urges-sonos-r
estore-accessibility> Read the press release regarding Sonos.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services New Accessibility Rule

The National Federation of the Blind applauds the United States Department
of Health and Human Services for finalizing its accessibility rule for
programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance under Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-applauds-us-d
epartment-health-and-human-services-new> Read the press release about the
new HHS rule.

MinuteClinic to Implement Accessible Self-Check-In Process:

Julie Dalton, a blind individual residing in Minnesota; the National
Federation of the Blind; and MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic inside
CVS Pharmacy, have worked together to successfully resolve litigation filed
against CVS Pharmacy, Inc. over the accessibility of self-check-in kiosks at
MinuteClinic.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-patient-national-federation-blind
-and-minuteclinic-resolve-litigation> Read the announcement regarding
MinuteClinic.

Reminders:

May Boutique-Document Creation:

There are different options for accessible word processors. Join our
document-creation-software boutique on May 28 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. to learn
about the features and accessibility of some popular options.
<https://nfb.org/form/accessibility-boutique-reg> Register today.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

(all times eastern)

*	May 31: Deadline to
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=592> register online for
the national convention
*	May 31: Deadline to secure a table in the exhibit hall
*	May 31: Deadline register for the career fair
*	June 4: Deadline to submit proposed resolutions
*	July 3-8: National Convention; Orlando, Florida
*	Monday, February 3, 2025: Great Gathering-In 
*	February 3-6, 2025: Washington Seminar

Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement

*	Wednesday, August 7, 8:00 p.m. 
*	Wednesday, November 6, 8:00 p.m. 

Chapter Presidents Calls

*	Thursday, June 13, and Sunday, June 16, at 8:00 p.m. 
*	Thursday, September 12, and Sunday, September 15, at 8:00 p.m. 
*	Thursday, December 19, and Sunday, December 22, at 8:00 p.m. 

Marilyn Green, President

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

312-343-8396

 <mailto:president at nfbofillinois.org> president at nfbofillinois.org

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

Live the life you want!

The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois 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.