The National Federation of the Blind national office, which we refer to as the Jernigan Institute, has four departments: Office of the President, Advocacy and Policy, Operations, and Blindness Initiatives. Below we give a brief overview of each along with information on the current heads of those departments. Though three of the four departments have an executive director, all employees of the National Federation of the Blind report to the President of the organization and serve at his discretion. In addition, while our core mission remains the same, the way we fulfill that mission is flexible enough to adjust to current demands. Hence, some programs and initiatives are added, some are retired, and some are changed to be overseen by another department.
Office of the President
President: Mark Riccobono
[email protected]
410-659-9314, request to be connected to President Riccobono
The Office of the President is charged with coordinating, directing, and overseeing the staff of the National Federation of the Blind. The Office of the President houses outreach efforts, legal initiatives, social media outreach, accounting, communications, mailing services special projects, and several other programs. Staff members who work in these programs are directly supervised by President Riccobono. Staff members who work for the Operations, Advocacy and Policy, and Blindness Initiatives departments are supervised by their executive directors, who in turn report to President Riccobono. As described in the “Role of the President” section of this guide, our President is not only tasked with running the organization but also with directing, overseeing, and managing the staff and all other operational aspects of our national office.
Advocacy and Policy
Executive Director: John Paré, Jr.
[email protected]
410-659-9314, extension 2218
The Advocacy and Policy department is divided into two main components: sponsored technology and government affairs. The sponsored technology group is primarily responsible for the NFB-NEWSLINE® program, including its operations, marketing, funding, and billing. The sponsored technology department was also responsible for the original KNFB Reader program. Today it is responsible for coordinating KNFB Reader sales. Other new technology development may be assigned to this group by President Riccobono.
The government affairs group is responsible for coordinating national legislation and supporting affiliates with state and local legislative initiatives. It is also a general resource on all regulatory issues, including regulations regarding Individualized Education Programs, Individualized Plans for Employment, Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Air Carrier Access Act, Free Matter for Persons Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, and the Randolph-Sheppard Business Enterprise Program.
With regard to national legislation, the government affairs team develops and distributes fact sheets, coordinates legislative alerts, organizes and runs our Washington Seminar, and serves as a resource for affiliate leaders and members on all questions of advocacy and policy.
We urge NFB leaders and members to develop a relationship with your elected officials at both the federal and state levels. This can be done by visiting your official’s local office, attending town hall meetings, and by inviting your local official to speak at affiliate conventions and/or chapter meetings. Many of our national bill sponsors have sponsored our legislation because of excellent relationships established at the local level. If a member of Congress is scheduled to speak at one of your events, please be sure to let the government affairs team know so that we may maximize the value of the visit.
Blindness Initiatives
Executive Director: Anil Lewis
[email protected]
410-659-9314, extension 2374
Blindness Initiatives, formerly the Jernigan Institute, is the first and only research and training entity developed and directed by the blind, for the blind. Blindness Initiatives leads the quest to understand the real problems of blindness and to develop educational programs, accessible technologies, innovative products, and services that help the world’s blind to achieve independence. Blindness Initiatives manages and coordinates the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, the leading evaluation and training center on technology for the blind in the world—housing a comprehensive collection of speech and Braille technology worth over $2.5 million. The Jacobus tenBroek Research Library and Archives; science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and other educational programs; and Help America Vote Act projects all fall under the Blindness Initiatives leadership.
Our membership directs our research. We target research to address the problems that we experience. We take advantage of the opportunities that we identify. In this manner, we can develop and implement projects, programs, and strategies that are authentic to our organization and a true reflection of our belief in the capacity of blind people.
The work we do through Blindness Initiatives gives us an opportunity to leverage our talent and expertise in blindness through partnerships with universities and corporations toward the development and implementation of best practices and model programs. Our members work to replicate our national programming on a state and local level.
Operations
Executive Director: John Berggren
[email protected]
410-659-9314, extension 2329
The Operations department oversees the recording studio, logistics, organizational technology, mailing services, and shipping and receiving services. The main objectives of the Operations department are to ensure that our events run smoothly, whether held in or out of our building, and to ensure that our building in Baltimore is well maintained, which includes day-to-day jobs like custodial work and sending and receiving mail. In addition to physical infrastructure, Operations also oversees organizational technology, which ensures that those systems are working correctly and are constantly improved for more productivity and efficacy. Additionally, John Berggren has served as the NFB’s chairman of convention organization and activities for several years. As such, he manages everything from securing meeting rooms for all our meetings to assigning staff members to specific convention duties.