[IL-Talk] Chicago Chapter Minutes, May 11, 2024

Thu May 30 03:16:23 UTC 2024

CHICAGO CHAPTER MINUTES

May 11, 2024

CALL TO ORDER

Chicago Chapter President Denise Avant called the meeting to order at 1:00
PM. Members participated in person at TGIFridays and on Zoom. Present in
person were Chris Millsap, Dan Tevelde, Jemal Powell, Steve Hastalis, Dave
Meyer, Mary Grunwald, Ken Borst, Syed Yusufuddin, Debbie Stein, Marco
Giannotti, Michal Nowicki, Dustin Cather, Ken Schad, Eileen Truschke, and
Paul Shepherdson. On Zoom were Marilyn Green, Juliette Walker, Kira
O'Bradovitch, Glenn Moore, Bob Lee, Greg Rosenberg, and Bart Hickey.

Denise reminded everyone that dues are five dollars per year. Dues can be
paid in person or by going to treasurer at nfbofillinois.org. Make sure to
designate that the money is for Chicago Chapter dues.

TREASURER'S REPORT

Chicago Chapter Treasurer Kira O'Bradovitch reported that we ended our first
quarter with $2,698.91. So far in the second quarter we have had $100 in
expenditures due to two monthly fifty-dollar donations to our national
office. Our income has been $296. Also we had $108 from the first quarter
that posted in the second, giving us a current balance of $3,002.91. 

ADVOCACY

Dustin reported that a meeting of the CTA Board was held on May 8. There was
no public comment about our issue around having bus signage relay meaningful
information in accessible formats. The next meeting will take place on
Wednesday, June 12, at 10 AM. We need Chicago Chapter members to attend and
provide public comment. Contact Dustin at 309-267-7670 or
cather.dustin at gmail.com <mailto:cather.dustin at gmail.com> . You can also
contact Michelle at 312-375-0820 or michtlua at aol.com. Kira said she plans to
be at the June 12 meeting. Denise said we've been working on this issue for
the past year, so it's important that we show up and register our comments.

SECRETARY'S MINUTES

Ken Borst moved and Jemal seconded approval of the April Secretary's
minutes. Dan Tevelde corrected the spelling of his last name. The minutes
were approved.

PROGRAM

Dustin played two articles from the Braille Monitor for discussion. The
first was "Simple Accessibility Solutions" by Dan Tevelde. After the article
was played, Dan explained that we learn of many high-tech devices that are
gravely lacking. In many cases we are better off with low-tech devices such
as the long white cane. Jemal added that we should always have a cane
available as a backup. Some of the new mobility gadgets are very cumbersome.
Everyone applauded Dan for a great article.

The next article was "Enhancing Live Radio Broadcasts at Major Sporting
Events: A Partnership with the Utah Jazz" by Everette Bacon and Mark
Riccobono. The article was an update on a national resolution passed in
2023. Everette was able to work with the Utah Jazz and obtained an audio
access device the next time he attended a Utah Jazz game. He also suggested
we advocate for Aira accessibility at sports stadiums. Denise said she met
with Utah Jazz officials while she was at the Utah convention. She
encouraged them to talk to commissioners in other leagues to convince them
to make their games accessible, too. 

PRESIDENTIAL RELEASE

Presidential Release 538 was recorded on May 1, two months away from our
2024 national convention. We will be celebrating Global Accessibility
Awareness Day later this month, and there will be several spring
conventions. 

Voting: We are in primary voting season. We have the right to cast our
ballots privately and independently. If you encounter a barrier to voting,
in person or remotely, report to the US Department of Justice at
voting.section at usdoj.gov or 800-253-3931. Notify the NFB by copying Jeff
Kaloc: jkaloc at nfb.org. Report your experiences on our blind voters survey in
the fall. We have been collecting data since 2008.

National Convention: All things convention can be found at
nfb.org/convention. Several nights at the Rosen Centre already have been
sold out. Our overflow hotels are the Rosen Plaza and the Rosen Shingle
Creek. We can get convention rates at the overflow hotels as well as the
main one. 

Convention ambassadors are a big part of making convention run smoothly. On
the website you can sign up to be an ambassador. Write to
ambassador at nfbmn.org to sign up with chair Corbb O'Connor or Dan Burke.

Resolutions: Proposed resolutions are now being accepted. Proposed
resolutions should be emailed to the committee at resolutions at nfb.org by
June 4. 

Career Fair: The Career Fair will be held on July 3 at 1 PM. Jobseekers and
employers are welcome. The registration deadline is May 31, separate from
our regular convention registration. 

Dream Big, Give 25: Gifts of $25 donated between May 25 and July 6 will go
into the Dream Big Give 25 drawing. You can win up to two thousand dollars,
a Monarch device, or an expense-paid trip to our 2025 convention, while
contributing to our ongoing initiatives to help blind people.

Rubik’s Cube: In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Rubik's Cube,
SpinMaster has added nonvisual elements to create a Rubik's cube that is
fully accessible. The Rubik's Sensory Cube has tactile elements and Braille
on the front. It will soon be available in the Independence Market. If
you're a fan of the Rubik's Cube, reach out to communications at nfb.org. We
want to include blind people in every aspect of the world.

STATE REPORT

NFBI President Marilyn Green encouraged people to pre-register for National
Convention by May 31. Our face-to-face NFBI board meeting will  be held
August 17 at the Chicago Marriott Naperville Hotel. We will meet from 9:30
AM to 2 or 3 PM with a break for lunch. We can make room reservations or
call in on Zoom. State convention will run October 18-20 at the same hotel.

Legislation: Legislative Chair Dustin Cather reported on our federal
legislative initiatives. The Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act,
H.R.1228, was introduced by Jan Schakowski of Illinois. It has 84
cosponsors, including Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Jesús García, Danny Davis,
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jonathan Jackson, and Robin Kelly. Altogether it has 78
Democratic and six Republican cosponsors. S.3621, the companion bill in the
Senate, has just one cosponsor, a Republican. 

The Website Software Applications Accessibility Act, S.2984, was introduced
by Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. It has five cosponsors, all of them
Democrats. Its companion bill, H.R.5813, has 33 cosponsors, including Mike
Quigley, Jan Schakowski, Jesús García, Jonathan Jackson, and Sean Casten
from Illinois. The sponsors are 32 Democrats and one Republican.

We have a new cosponsor from Illinois, Darrin LaHood, for the Access
Technology Affordability Act, H.R.3702. Our other cosponsors are Mike Bost,
Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider, Jan Schakowski, and Raja Krishnamoorthi. On
that bill we have 55 Democrats and 33 Republicans. S.1467, the companion
bill, has eighteen cosponsors in the Senate, eleven Democrats and seven
Republicans. 

H.R.1263, the Transformation to Competitive and Integrated Employment Act,
has thirty-one cosponsors. Two are from Illinois, Robin Kelly and Mike
Quigley. Twenty-eight Democrats and two Republicans have signed on
altogether. S.533, the companion bill in the Senate, has three cosponsors,
two Republicans and one Democrat. 

H.R.7126 is one of our newer pieces of legislation. It is the Autonomous
Vehicle Accessibility Act. It has four cosponsors, none so far from
Illinois. 

We need to call our representatives to support H.R.3935, the Growth and
Leadership in America's Aviation Act. We support it because the Senate
version includes some accessibility measures.

2024 BELL Academy: Debbie Stein reported on our Chicago and Springfield BELL
programs. We have only two students signed up for Springfield, so we need to
work on getting more families involved. On the other hand, we have eight
children signed up for Chicago BELL and one more expected. We may have to
create a waiting list for the first time in our history. This is a happy
problem for us to have. We need to recruit some energetic and enthusiastic
volunteers. 

NFBI Scholarships: Dave Meyer reported that we have fourteen applicants this
year. The Scholarship Committee will review their applications and make its
decisions in June. 

CHAPTER FUNDRAISING

Dave Meyer said the Fundraising Committee is looking into hosting a Games
Night at Exchequer. It looks possible, but we don't have a date yet.
Exchequer is still remodeling. We're working on a bowling fundraiser that
will probably take place in August at the Fireside Lanes. We encourage
people to recruit participants from outside the affiliate. The person who
recruits the most outside participants will get a meal costing up to $75 at
the committee chair's expense. On May 14 the Metro Chapter of ICB will have
a fundraiser at Panera Bread, 1938 W. Fullerton. They support us in many of
our fundraisers, so we should reciprocate by supporting them. 

OLD BUSINESS

Denise extended her condolences to Eileen Truschke on the passing of her
mother. She announced that the chapter collection brought in seventy-nine
dollars.

NEW BUSINESS

Dave announced that the Horizons for the Blind Weekenders Group will hold
its annual meeting and picnic at Horizons for the Blind headquarters, 125
Eric Street in Crystal Lake, on June 15. For information call Horizons at
815-444-8800. 

Denise said that she serves on a Disability Access Committee for the
Democratic National Convention. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is
seeking volunteers, not necessarily in an area related to disability. We'd
love to see blind people getting involved, regardless of their political
affiliations. To learn more or to sign up, visit chicago2024.com. 

The Chicago Police Department is doing outreach related to the consent
decree they entered. It has to do with how the police relate to people with
disabilities. They have reached out to learn how best the Chicago Police can
interact with blind people. Denise encouraged everyone to think about ways
we can respond to this outreach effort. There is no rush, as the police will
be very busy with the upcoming convention. 

Our next chapter board meeting will take place over Zoom. 

Denise wished everyone a happy Mother's Day and a happy and respectful
Memorial Day.

ADJOURNMENT

Dustin moved and Dave seconded adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 2:50
PM. Dave held a mini auction after adjournment. The auction brought in $55.

Respectfully submitted,

Debbie Stein, Secretary  

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