General Session III Transcript

This is being provided in a rough-draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: The morning session will be in order.

(Cheering)

Good morning, everybody! I suspect that many of the people in the room were part of the early crowd standing at 5:00 a.m. waiting to get their AfterShokz headphones.  That was quite a crowd.
If I could have your attention, please, I would like to begin with our invocation and hear to give our invocation is the chair of our NFB in Judaism group.  He also serves as president of the Tidewater Chapter of the NFB of Virginia.
(Cheering)

Yeah, absolutely, Virginia! He's a member of the Bethel congregation in Norfolk, Virginia, and a long-time member of the National Federation of the Blind, here is Stewart Prost.

(Applause)

STEWART: (Native language) Hear, O Israel, our God is one. This line from Deuteronomy, Chapter 6:4 is said every morning and evening by many Jews throughout the world. It talks about the oneness of God.  And in that way, the National Federation of the Blind has operated with a single unified purpose, a oneness to better the lives of blind people for over 80 years. We are thankful for being here today, and every time there is a gathering of family and friends, there is a prayer that is said.

(Speaking Native Language)

Blessed are you, God, sovereign of the world, who grants us life, sustains us and brings us to this moment. We have not always been able to be at this moment.  As you remember, for two years in that row, the beginning of -- in 2020 and 2021, we were not able to be present together, and therefore every time the family and friends get together, this is the prayer that people say.  I want to leave you with a prayer for peace.  I want to leave peace among everyone and their families, among friends and people in the chapters and affiliates throughout the Federation.

And also a prayer for peace throughout the world.  May God grant us the voice to be heard with our message to the world, to blind people and to the general public.  And that may God grant the ability for people to hear what we have to say.  Going back to the Shema, the first word there is "here," and that's what Moses in the Bible said he wanted the Israel people to hear what he had to say.  It is nice to know that in the Bible, hearing is more important than seeing in a world where "sight is right."

(Applause)

May God bless all of us with wisdom and strength to be working to make the lives of blind people in the United States and throughout the world better, making it possible for all blind people to live fulfilling lives.
Finally, may the one who brings -- who creates peace on high bring peace to us and to all who live on earth, and all together now, let us all say "amen."

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you, Stewart.

(Applause)

Thank you very much, Stewart.  Let's have a door prize.

SPEAKER: We absolutely do.  Good morning! !

AUDIENCE: Good morning!

SPEAKER: We are starting the morning strong.  We are giving away 200 dollars and a blanket from I believe Arizona. So thank you! And thank you to all of you who have donated door prizes and money and thank you for your support. So that goes to Bavini Patel from Paul's Valley, Oklahoma. Not here?  Is that correct? What about Scott Gyrus from Indianapolis, Indiana?

SPEAKER: Not here?

SPEAKER: What about Antonio Gimerez from Austin, Texas? Okay.  What about Christina Clift from Littleton, Tennessee?

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Tennessee.

SPEAKER: Sorry, my apologies.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Did we find her over there? No? They say she's over there.  You got to jump higher, Christine. Got her?

SPEAKER: Apparently not.

SPEAKER: Oh, we got her.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay, good. We're going to have a quick update from Marilyn Green on the PAC Plan.

(Music playing)

¶ the best things in life are free ¶

MARILYN: Thank you, President Riccobono.

¶ that's what I want ¶

Thank you, good morning, my Federation Family! I would...  I am jumping up and down because we are busy at the PAC table.  Thanks to all of you.  Keep my friends back there at the PAC table busy.  Where are you my PAC friends? PAC mates are over there. All right!

We are so excited to keep the numbers and the energy rolling about the dollars that you help to fund our movement.  Every single dollar is important to making sure that all blind people can live the lives that we want.  I have had some people back there at the table asking about their cards, making sure that they are up to date.  If you are not sure if you use a debit card and just need to check, please go back there to one of my PAC mates and ask them to check and make sure that your card is up to date.  You can use your bank account information, and we appreciate it so very much.  The AfterShokz are going very well.  Remember that just for an increase of at least 10 dollars a month, if you are already signed up for PAC, or starting a PAC with 10 dollars or more a month, you can get a pair of AfterShokz. So please, please, please, keep my friends over at the PAC table very hot, so that we can continue to live the lives that we want.

I want to make sure that I announce the gift card winners for the first set of gift card winners for people who started or increased their PAC contribution. We have Sue Bellamer from Vermont. We have Lori Malleoli from Massachusetts. We have Kathryn Carlock from Georgia.  And Michael from New Jersey.  And Ever Lee Hairston from California. Please go back to the PAC table and pick up your 25 dollar gift card.  Hopefully the president indulgence me later I will give an update on the competition because I know you want know who is going home with the Rat and Mule and PAC a derm.  Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: I wanted to give an update on attendance at the end of yesterday.  Still time to get registered.  North Carolina still one person -- no, two people behind South Carolina.
So North Carolina, you could creep up if you get a couple more.  New York still has 101 people registered, Louisiana still at 104.  I called out Colorado and California is not having any movement the day before.  Colorado stayed the same, but California pulled the 116.

So they are tied at 116 registered.  And, you know, Arizona is only at 119. So could get interesting there. And Texas is only 122.  Third place could go to anybody. Maryland is still at 199, hasn't been able to turn over to 200 and Florida, 244, first place.

(Cheering)

We do have 76 international folks with us here at this convention for a total of 2,585 people registered. Now, I noticed that on the social media there has been a little talk about the virtual experience registration.  These numbers have not included the virtual experience. So virtual experience individuals registered, 640. We have a lot of business to do today.  We are going to turn our attention to the financial report, and there are a number of things to talk about in the financial report, and I know the treasurer has asked me to convey a number of things to you.  Our treasurer, if you don't know, is Norma Crosby.  She does a great job in so many aspects of our work.

We're first going to talk about our audited financial from 2023.  Obviously dated December 31, 2023.  It starts with the letter from the auditors, and the auditing firm we have used in Baltimore for many, many years.  RSNF. And it starts with -- their letter starts with their opinion, which is the most important part of their letter. And it says that we have audited the financial statements of the National Federation of the Blind, a nonprofit corporation, which comprised the statements of financial position as of December 31, 2023, and the related statements of activities, functional expenses and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements.

In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements referred to above present fairly in all material respects, the financial position of the Federation as of December 31, 2024, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Which means they believe we have had a perfectly clean audit.  Which we like.

(Applause)

We work very hard to keep our financial house in order. The first statement in the audit financial is the statement of financial position.  I will not give you the hundreds, so only the millions and the thousands.
We start on this statement with assets. And the assets go like this... Cash and cash equivalents, 2,614,000 dollars. Prepaid expenses, 534,000 dollars. Receivables, 96,000 dollars.

Investments...

(speaker off microphone)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you. I'll do that again. Receivables I told you 96,000, so just add 900,000 to that.  It's 996,000.  A bigger number.

Investments, though, are 25,407,000 dollars. Other investments, life insurance is 3,065,000 dollars. Property and equipment net, 127,000 dollars.  Giving us total assets of 32,745,000 dollars. We list liabilities here.  Accounts payable and accrued expenses of 1,099,000 dollars. Deferred revenue, 275,000 dollars.

Let's see...
Accrued annuity benefit of 28,000 dollars, giving us total liabilities of 1,403,000 dollars. Therefore our net assets, which are broken down in two categories with donor restrictions and without donor restrictions, I'll give you the total first. Total net assets is 31,342,000 dollars.  Of that number, 4,307,000 is with donor restrictions. So the balance of 27,000 -- 27,034,000 represents assets that have no restrictions and are fully available to us.

Again, total liabilities and net assets, 32,745,000 dollars. Maybe I should just read the whole number.  That's what is tripping me up.  I'm trying to speed it up. We have many millions, that's the good news on that report.

(Applause)

Now the next report is the statement of activities, and this breaks it down into more detail on these categories.  And, again, the revenue items are listed, income items are listed adds with donor restrictions and without.  I will read you the total, and if there is a portion that is with donor restrictions, I'll give you that number. Hopefully with the right description.  (chuckling) Under revenue and gains, we have public support contributions total for last year, 14,762,000.  Of that, 183,000 were contributions with donor restrictions. Donated services total 6,933,000. Government grants and contract services are 1,692,000.

We have...  let's see. Net assets released from restrictions. So the total is actually zero because these two numbers net each other off. So we had 168,000 dollars we released from -- with donor restrictions.
So it shows as a negative there and a positive without donor restrictions. So these are funds that we fulfilled the obligations related to them. We have total public support then 23,000,340 -- let me try again.
23,394,000 dollars, of which 14,000 dollars is with donor restrictions. Then the next revenue category is sales of Independence products.  We have a total of 287,000 dollars.

Net investment income...  always like to see that be a positive... It was 2,940,000 dollars.  Giving us a total revenue in this category of 3,227,000 dollars of which 539,000 are with donor restrictions.
So that gives us overall total revenues and gains, 26,622,000.  Again, 554,000 with donor restrictions. So that's a good number for income for 2023, but believe it or not, we did have expenses. And we have these expenses broken down by our program service categories.  The first is blindness integration.  These are all totals. Blindness integration we spent 10,366,000 dollars.  Civil rights, advocacy and self organization, 9,135,000 dollars.  Nonvisual access systems is 5,183,000.  Giving us total program services of 24,685,000 dollars.

And then under supporting services we have management in general, 796,000 dollars.  Fundraising, 996,000 dollars for total supporting services, 1,793,000. Adding those together you get the total expenses of 26,478,000 dollars.  This brings us to a change in net assets for last year, a positive, 143,000 dollars.

(Applause)

Now, in this category, one thing that is interesting, of course, is the "with donor restrictions" is 554,000 dollars.  That's a positive number.  The "without donor restrictions" is actually a negative number of 410,000 dollars. But we did overall end up with a positive number for last year. So our net assets at the beginning of 2023 were 31,198,000 dollars of which 3,752,000 were with donor restrictions.  Net assets at the end of the year total 31,342,000, and the "with donor restrictions" number 4,307,000 dollars. So I always like to be on the positive side of the ledger.

Now, the next report goes into much greater detail on our functional expenses for all of these categories.  I can go through every line by line, but you probably just want the totals.  Because this is just a different way to look at the same information. So these are, again, expenses.  I'll give you the total for all the functional categories. 

Grand totals... Volunteer services, 3,478,000 dollars. Salaries, 4,912,000 dollars. Payroll taxes and related expenses, 950,000 dollars. That gives us total salaries and related expenses of 9,340,000 dollars. We had 425,000 dollars in supplies. Postage and shipping, 1,005,000 dollars. Printing and publications, 2,735,000 dollars. Travel, 445,000 dollars. Conferences and conventions, 560,000 dollars. Professional fees, 5,017,000 dollars. Telephones, 16,000 dollars.

Occupancies, 727,000 dollars.  Donated media, 3,455,000 dollars.  Awards and grants, 768,000 dollars.  Information technology, 1,633,000 dollars. Equipment rental and maintenance and repair was 41,000 dollars. Equipment, Braille and technology center, 52,000 dollars. Data processing, 220,000 dollars.  And the other, 6,000 dollars.  For total expenses before depreciation, 26,453,000 dollars. Depreciation for 2023 was 25,000 dollars, giving us the total expense number, 26,478,000 dollars.

Now, there are notes in the financial.  They start on Braille page 27. Well, not on...  there is the statement of cash flows, but we don't use any debt in our organization.  We raise the money and that tells us what we can spend.

(Applause)

So there is nothing new to learn there.  The notes start on Braille page 29, and they go to page 65 maybe. There's no new notes here.  This tells the nature of the organization and what we do. So there is nothing notable in the notes this year. So I would submit that that is our financial report for last year. And we had positive numbers.

(Applause)

So let me give you a little information about the year to date.  You have heard me say on the presidential release that we continue to watch our finances very closely.  Some of our traditional methods of raising money are going away.  One of the primary ways of doing that has been through the mail.  I don't know when the last time you looked at your mail was.  You know, it's not a lot of interest.  Sometimes they come. So that is a harder thing to do. So we are looking very carefully of what the future of our fundraising program looks like.

So when we talk about the important need for all of us to get out and tell our friends and family about the work of the Federation, that is an important thing, because we need to build that donor base to make up for some of the changes. I have the five month financial report.  We get a monthly financial report from our great fiscal services team at the National Office.  They do a great job.

(Applause)

And it gives us an estimated number of some things, for example, outstanding revenue.  This is broken down into two categories.  Our insurance investment change, which is for the first five months of the year up 6,000 dollars. And we still do a lot of raising through our fundraising through the mail, which we call the mass mail program, and we have 940,000 dollars of fundraising material, which we expect to generate revenue.

So we count that here as total outstanding revenue of 920,000 dollars through May 31st. And we had actually received revenue, operating revenue, total 9,663,000 dollars. So our grand total of revenue for the first five months of the year, 10,584,000 dollars.  But, again, we did have expenses in that time.  The expenses for the first five months, 8,178,000 dollars.
So as of May 31st, we have an estimated change in assets of positive 2,405,000 dollars. So that's a good number.

(Applause)

It's a good number. But what I would say is one of the most expensive things we do during the year is right here.  Much of that cost is not reflected here.  And, of course, we have a lot of programs yet to cover this year. And we have a lot of income that comes in at the end of the year, during the end of the year giving. So when you hear us talking about that, it's important because the end of the year giving is also beyond the convention one of the most important times for bringing in dollars to the organization. Now, we have asked affiliates and Chapters and divisions to make contributions as part of our roll call of states.  Honor roll call we used to call it.

We now have you send it in in advance so that we can process those dollars as quickly as possible. We have a report for the contributions and pledges you have made through July 5th.
Now, if your affiliate has not yet made a pledge or a payment to one of our funds, we would invite you to do so.  These do not include individual contributions through the GIVE25 program.  This is simply our affiliates and divisions.  We received in pledges or actual payments through July 5th for the Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund, 21,580 dollars. For the Kenneth Jernigan Fund, 22,630 dollars. SUN shares, 17,435 dollars.  And for the White Cane Fund, 38,955 dollars.

(Applause)

Giving us -- well, those are the totals.  I don't have a total.

(chuckles)

That's okay, that's right. So good job on getting contributions in, and please know that you don't have to stop giving affiliates in July. One other comment I wanted to make about our financial work is that you heard in the presidential report, we do many things, but one thing is we have a very significant legal program.  Our two largest cost areas are our staff who are invaluable to the work that we do.

(Applause)

And our legal program.  And our legal program has a measure of risk to it.  We spend somewhere between 2 and a half million and sometimes as much as 4 million in a year on our legal program.
In a typical year, we recover about one third of that in our victories.  Why do I bring that up? Some people say we make money on our legal program. But first of all, we're not in it to make money.  Although if anybody figures out a way, we'd be okay with it. But that is not our goal, right? Our goal is to change society and to help create equality.

So our team does work hard to recover fees where we can. But at the end of the day, we're in it to get injunctive relief for blind people. So we want it fixed!

(Applause)

So I just wanted to share with the convention that I did a little five-year analysis and we're at about 33% of recovering fees. Now, that report in one sense is a smoke screen because, take example, I did not talk yesterday in the presidential report about our work with Los Angeles County Community College District, LACCD.  We have been litigating that case since 2017.  Someday we will see a significant number, I think a seven-figure number returned to us in that case. But for now it's all expenses.  It has been for over five years.

So I just want to make sure everybody understands that there is a long-term investment we are making here.  And that also skews the numbers from time to time in terms of our work. I guess there is one other thing to say, and that is to say that we, as you know, are embarking on the Museum of the Blind Peoples movement. And we have been taking pledges.

(Applause)

Yeah!  We have to do this work in and above all of the other things that we are doing.  We have gathered in commitments of well over 4 million dollars.  That's commitments in the form of pledges, not necessarily fulfilled pledges.  It's going to cost us much more than that, somewhere upwards of 20 million dollars. So we are managing very carefully what this looks like going forward, and we have set up a number of markers where if our fundraising doesn't get there, we are going to have to put our development work on the museum on pause. All that is to say we're working very hard to manage that in a way that is responsible for the organization.  We are interested in dreaming big for the future but not at the full expense of today.

So we have to do both. So we will continue to do that.  We manage our finances.  We are always looking at are there ways to do things more efficiently to save dollars, but we are also not afraid to spend dollars to make sure that we are achieving the outcomes we need to. I believe that is the balance of the financial report.

SPEAKER: How about a door prize?

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Well, let me see if there are questions or if you would like to approve the report. We have a motion to approve the financial. And many seconds.  Are there any questions or discussion? Okay, all those in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say no. All right, the ayes have it and the financial is approved.  And Bennett, the floor is yours.

BENNETT: I apologize, we've got 40 dollars, and I want to include our virtual participants. So we have 40 bucks for the next three people that I name here if they send a message to [email protected]  and use the password NFB BELL. And the names are Wesley Burton of New Jersey.  Will Hendrick of Maryland, and Allison Hillocker of Arizona.

SPEAKER: All righty, we're doing an in-person door prize.  We are giving you an Echo Dot and another blanket to make your home homier, according to Elizabeth.  Thank you.  That is going to Aniston Bonditer from Littleton, Colorado! please stand up if you are Aniston and you are here. Okay, we've got them I'm pretty sure DCTVs yeah.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: All right, we got her, right?

SPEAKER: Oh, we don't have Aniston.  Oh, she's here? Please make noise if you're Aniston. That was multiple people and I know there are not multiple Anistons.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: I'm going to have to start taking ID for these.  (chuckling) Did we find them?

SPEAKER: Okay, we got her.  Thank you.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay.  Great! All right.  We are going to move next piece of business is to move to our elections.  Yesterday we appointed the nominating committee and Pam Allen was appointed as chair of the nominating committee.  The committee has met, so for their report, here is Pam Allen of Louisiana.

PAM: Good morning!  Thank you, President Riccobono.  I want to also thank everyone who served on the Nominating Committee, and thanks to Seth Lamkin for assistance and support. It is my pleasure to share our report.  We list the following candidates. For president, Mark Riccobono, Maryland.

(Applause)

For First Vice President, Pam Allen, Louisiana.

(Applause)

Second Vice President, Everette Bacon, Utah.

(Applause)

Secretary Barbara Manuel, Alabama.

(Applause)

Treasurer, Norma Crosby, Texas.

(Applause)
And we have six board positions.
Board position 1, Shawn Callaway, District of Columbia.
Board position 2, Jamie Richey, Nebraska.
Board position 3, Jim Marks, Montana.
Board position 4, Donald Porterfield Arizona.
Board position 5, Ben Dolan, Wisconsin.
And board position 6, Sheila Wright, Missouri.

Thank you, President Riccobono, that concludes my report.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It's been moved to accept and seconded.  This is accepting the report of the nominating Committee.  Any discussion?  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no." Okay, so now that we have accepted the report of the Nominating Committee, we will move to the election in a moment.  I just want to remind everybody that in order to be elected to our national board, you have to be a member of the organization.  First and foremost, you have to be a blind person. So if there is any doubt whether someone is a member, we will verify.  Serving on the national board is an important responsibility of the organization. And it takes energy and imagination. If there is a situation, we do vote by voice, and otherwise if the chair cannot make a determination, we will go to the delegates for roll call I am going to turn the start of the elections over to Pam Allen.

PAM: Thank you, President Riccobono.

(Applause)

So the name of Mark Riccobono has been placed in nomination for office of president.  Are there other nominations? Are there other nomination  are there other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and he be elected by acclimation. All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed?

Congratulations, Mr. President.

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Well, thank you very much. I think I said everything I needed to say yesterday. But I want to thank you all again for the tremendous privilege and honor to serve you all.  It continues to be challenging, but extremely rewarding to witness what we do together.  And nothing happens in this movement because of one person.  It truly is a team effort. I do want to acknowledge my awesome family, my wife Melissa who is here.

(Cheers and applause)

It makes so much of what we're able to do possible. My daughter Elizabeth is here somewhere. But also my daughter Cynthia and Oriana who are not here. You know, also should acknowledge my mom, who couldn't be at this convention. But she wants you to know that it's Ringo Starr's birthday, and she texted me to say that at noon Ringo is telling everybody to say, "peace and love, peace and love."
So there you go...  that's for you, Mom! And I don't want to start naming names, because it's really the whole group that makes it so powerful. But I do have to say that serving with our board members, we have extraordinary leaders, and they are tough.  They are not folks that just say yes.  They ask hard questions, but they are the best group of leaders you could serve with.

So thank you for that. And it doesn't feel like ten years, but I continue to be inspired and learn from my mentor, Marc Maurer, Patricia Maurer.

(Applause)

I noticed that during the opening ceremonies, they were dancing in the aisle. So they haven't lost it at all. And I do want to acknowledge my left hand up here at the podium all these years, our chief of staff, Beth Braun.

(Applause)

So I love you all.  And that's the best I can say.

(Applause)

So as already demonstrated, we will call for nominations three times. The nominating committee has placed the name of Pam Allen of Louisiana into nomination for the position of First Vice President.  Are there any other nominations?  Are there any other nomination  are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and we elect Pam Allen by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(Cheers and applause)

Opposed say "no."

The ayes have it.  Congratulations, Pam!

(Cheers and applause)

PAM: Thank you.  Thank you so much.  I am deeply honored and humbled to serve as your First Vice President.  This is more than a title for me.  It is a call to action to uphold our core values and to serve you with integrity, compassion and determination. Together we will turn challenges into triumphs, celebrate our achievement, and create a future of possibility for all blind people.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your trust and support.  Your faith in me is not taken lightly. I am also grateful to serve with our distinguished board of directors, and with you, President Riccobono, a cherished friend.

I am so thankful for your unparalleled commitment to each of us for the example that you and Melissa set for all of us and the way that you motivate us all. I also want to acknowledge my husband Roland, who is my rock.  Your love and support keep me grounded, give me strength and bring me joy.  As your vice president and as a passionate member of this organization, I am here not only to lead but to walk alongside each of you.  Together we have already achieved so much, reshaping policies, breaking down barriers, and creating systemic change.

But our work is far from over.  We need you!  We need all of us. Now is the time to ignite even greater commitment and purpose.  We must be bold in our actions and steadfast in our resolve, ensuring our diverse voices are heard and our rights are upheld. Michelle Obama says success is not about how much you make.  It's about how much of difference you make in the world.
Let us reflect on these words, united in our pursuit for equity and justice for all blind people, I love you all, I look forward to serving and working with you as we write the next chapter of our Federation story.
Thank you!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: For the position of Second Vice President, the nominating committee has placed into nomination the name of Everette Bacon from Utah.  Are there any other nomination Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and we elect Everette Bacon of Utah to position of Second Vice President by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

Congratulations, Everette!

(Applause)

EVERETTE: Thank you, my Federation Family.  It is truly an honor to serve with and for all of you.  I think about the person that came in this role before me, Ron Brown, a man...

(Cheering)

A man that I admire, a man that I know I am going to have some huge shoes to live up to, and I'm proud to be able to get the opportunity to stand upon his shoulders.
I also think about my close friends on the board of directors, and, of course, in the officer level.  I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the role model that President Riccobono is to me.  The friend that he is, the mentor that he is, and honestly we share so much in common that I lean on him, and he lean on me and I'm just so proud to have that opportunity and to have that close relationship with him.  I think of the wonderful relationships I have with Pam and Norma, who both are so caring and so loving, of every single member of this organization.

And I'm really excited to serve with the rest of my friends on the board of directors, people like Shawn Callaway, who I aspire to live up to in his likeness as well. I have faced adversity as a blind person, like many of you.  Henry Ford once said that when everything is all stacked against you, remember that the airplane flies against the wind, not into it. Challenges are a part of growth.  When I came to this organization, I didn't believe in myself as a blind person.  I doubted what I had become. And I definitely sold myself short.  My wife Angela, my friends in this room, and especially the teachings of the NFB Movement has taught me that I can overcome and that I have overcome the challenges of blindness, and that it is truly respectable to be blind.

(Applause)

So with hope, love and determination and the strength of all of you, I am so proud and honored to be able to say that I am and will be living the life that I want! Thank you all so much.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Everette!  You just can't convince him to stop rooting for the Angels, but, you know... (chuckling) For the position of...  I had to get it in before Shawn Callaway said anything, you know (chuckling) For the position of Secretary, the nominating committee has placed the name of Barbara Manuel from Alabama into nomination. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations?

Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and we elect Barbara by acclimation all in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no." Congratulations, Barbara.

BARBARA: Thank you so much, Mr. President, and to my National Federation of the Blind family, it is truly an honor and a privilege to serve in whatever capacity that I can actively work with you toward making a change for our blind community.  I was honored two years ago to step on to the board, and I am truly thankful to each and every board member who I have gained from you tremendously.
And I thank you for that.  President Riccobono, working with you is truly an honor and greatly, greatly appreciated.

I want to say thank you to my family, who have worked with me.  There are so many times they are constantly there right by my side, assisting me, to carry out the tasks that I have. By the way, I would like to say happy birthday to my son, whose birthday is today.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: All right, happy birthday!

(Applause)

BARBARA: To the entire family, you are greatly appreciated.  I joined this organization in 1987.  I've been here on this journey, never imagining that I would be able to serve in the capacities that I am currently serving.  It want to make a difference.  We all have the same goal to enhance what it means to be blind for our children, our adults, from infancy to the grave. This organization has made a difference.  And everyone in here, and other blind people across the world have benefited from the changes that we have made. Again, thank you so much!  I am here to serve.  And please, please know that I will always be available, whatever capacity I am serving in, I am passionate about our movement, and making significant changes in every area of blind individuals' lives.  God bless you.

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you, Barbara.  For the position of treasurer, the nominating committee has placed the name of Norma Crosby of Texas into nomination. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease and we elect Norma Crosby by acclimation.  All those in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no." Norma, congratulations!

NORMA: Thank you, sir.  Thank you.  For our first timers this year, I want to say welcome to the House That Built Me.

(Applause)

43 years ago, I was a young blind person not sure where I was going in life and not sure I could succeed. But all of you were the foundation to that house that I'm talking about that built me.  Every member of this organization has shown me nothing but love and support, and I hope that I can offer the same back to you. I love serving on the board with my friends, just as other people have said. But I want to say that all 17 of us know that we don't have the right to serve on the board.  We serve on the board at your pleasure, and we serve on the board in honor of you. So I'm not a long speech giver, as y'all know, but I want to say that I love each and every one of you.  Come by the Texas flag and see us any time.  We enjoy serving, and I thank everyone for making that possible. Thank you!

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you, Norma.  Bennett, how about a door prize for the officers?

BENNETT: Yeah, and the virtual people want benefit of this too.  We've got 50 dollars each for the next three names I call.  If you go to [email protected], send an email with "Orlando" as the password. And the people that will be there will be Gene McMahon. And then there's Casey Pedesla from New Jersey, and Eric Smith from Minnesota.  You got half an hour to send a message to [email protected] with "Orlando" in it. Now here is Kenia for in person.

KENIA: We are giving away 50 dollars -- sorry, 100. Oh, wait, no, no, 150!

(Cheering)

And a Rubik's cube! Yeah.  That goes to David Bradburn from Drummondville, Canada.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: David Bradburn from HumanWare.

KENIA: Not here?  Doesn't sound like he's here. What about...  I'm sorry I'm going to butcher this, but I'm doing my best.  Kyle Shatmu from Massachusetts. No?  Doesn't sound like he's here. What about Bob Yashaw, Littleton, Colorado, but I know is in California.  No? I don't think anyone is here today.

(Cheering)

What about Grace Carbonelle from Kissimmee, Florida? What about Joshua Snyder from North Paladin, New Jersey.?

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Didn't think it would be so hard to give something away. What about Leonardo Gaines from -- this is Boynton Beach, Florida? Who? The name is Leonardo Gaines from...  it says Doyton Beach, Florida, but maybe Daytona Beach, Florida? He's here?

Please stand up if you are Leonardo!  Make some noise. Oh, Grace is here. Okay.  Thank you, Grace, please make some noise.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Now, if you want to get your door prize you know, you should wave your friend's guide dog in the air or something.  You've got to get noticed.  This is a big room. All right, well, we got the winner, so we're going to return to the elections. For board position number 1, the name of Shawn Callaway from the District of Columbia has been placed into nomination.

Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and Shawn Callaway be elected by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

Congratulations, Shawn!

(Cheers and applause)

SHAWN: Thank you, President Riccobono.  Norma stated that she does not give long speeches.  Well, I do!

(Laughter)

First of all, I got to thank God.

(Applause)

When I tell you He has brought me a mighty long way, He really has brought me a mighty long way. I got to acknowledge my wife who is in the audience.  I want to thank her.  We'll be celebrating 19 years in August.

(Cheering)

Just thank her for her love and support. Also, I want to acknowledge my parents, who are in the audience as well.

(Applause)

You know, I lost my sight at 19, and they advocated for me before I was able to advocate for myself. So if you know my spirit of advocacy is strong, it comes from them. And of course I got my princess next to me.  That's my baby! Two years ago I talked about how when I wake up, she's asleep, and when I get back to the room, she's asleep. Well, this convention when I wake up, she's already woke, and when I get back to the room, she is still not there. But just my baby and I just thank God for her.  I'm proud to be a blind father because of her.

(Cheers and applause)

So people refer to her as the princess, and she definitely is a princess.  And to Everette Bacon, right back at you, my friend!  I admire you so much for your strength as a leader, how you have represented this organization to the fullest.  I'm surprised you and I are good friends because you root for the Dallas Cowboys. I won't be long.  I do want to take this time...  I don't want to use my excessive speech to talk about myself.  I want to use it to talk about Ron Brown.

I joined the Federation in 2009 and I attended my first state convention in 2010.  And Ron was the national rep.  One thing that stood out about Ron was that, number one, he was a Black man like me in leadership.  The second thing was we both lost our eyesight due to a gunshot wound. The third thing was his love for this organization. But the fourth thing that I truly admired Ron about was the love for his wife Jean.

(Applause)

When I started my sort of progression into leadership, Ron has always been a sense of -- a strong mentor for me.  I've been able to go to him for many things.  When I became a member of the Scholarship Committee, Ron took me under his wings along with a man named Bennett.  When I became a member of the national board, once again Ron took me under his wings.  I'm so grateful for him teaching me so many things and how to represent this organization.  But, again, one thing I always respect him for is how he represents this organization, how he loves this organization, and how humble he is.  He has held the title Second Vice President for years, but when you talk to him, he doesn't sit above you.  He always sits with you, right?  He always walks beside you.

And I'm always appreciative of that. Lastly, we do have to give another round of applause for his lovely wife Jean Brown for supporting him.

(Applause)

Because one thing I learned, behind every great man there is a great woman.  And Jean Brown is definitely that. I don't want to conclude by saying a few years ago I will never forget talking to a long time Federationist. And he talked about how you know, his affiliate was putting him off the pasture because of his age, and he spent so much time in leadership and that he's not getting the respect that he deserves.  Well, I say that to Ron Brown you won't be put off the pasture.  I will make sure, as I continue to lead, you will be right there teaching me.
But also mentoring teaching other people.  You are a valuable part of this organization and it's going to remain that way.
(Applause)

And, again, special shout out to also Adelmo Vigil and Carla McQuillan.  It was an honor to serve with you as well on this board. God bless you all! I said I was long winded, but God bless you all!  Take care!

(Cheers and applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Shawn.  Glad the princess and the rest of the families are here. For board position number 2, the name of Jamie Richie has been placed in nomination.  Are there any other nominations?  Are there any other nominations?

Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and Jamie be elected by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

Congratulations, Jamie.

JAMIE: Good morning, Federation Family.  I am so honored Ford your support. A year ago when we were at convention, I was right up front, like I am this year, which I think means President Riccobono is trying to keep an eye on me, I sat there and I thought, what is the greatest need that I could fill?  I wanted to talk to President Riccobono and see what the need could be.  Less than a month later I got a call and turns out that need was in Minnesota, which I was not expecting.

So I was happy to serve in that capacity, and now this need has come up and I am so grateful for the opportunity. My Federation Family in Nebraska has been so supportive over the last couple years as state president, and I know they will continue to give their support as I go forward and meet new affiliates across the country.  I also want to give a shout out to my husband for his great support, Jeremy. And of course to kids and family at home.  We have four generations of family in our affiliates, from grandma to children. So it's very family oriented.

Not all of us have the opportunity to serve on the national board because, of course, there are so many positions, but as President Riccobono said, we are a team. So just because you do not sit on this board does not mean you are not valued. We all have to work together. Teamwork makes the dream work. Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind! Thank you.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Jamie.  When Jamie was helping out and providing leadership at Blind Incorporated, one of my colleagues from Nebraska who shall remain nameless said...  she cannot leave Nebraska!  I didn't have anything to do with it, Jamie said, I'm not leaving Nebraska. The name of Jim Marks of Montana has been placed in nomination.  Are there any other nomination

Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and Jim Marks from Montana be elected.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no." Congratulations, Jim.

JIM: Thank you very much, President Riccobono and fellow Federationists.  Being from Montana, I noticed that grizzly bears and Federationists have two things in common. The first thing that is in common is that allegedly the grizzly doesn't see very well.  And you can say the same about a lot of Federationists. The second thing is that it doesn't matter.  The grizzly goes where it wants to go, and so do we, Federationists.

With great humility and gratitude, I accept this responsibility. You know, what the Federation has done for me over the decades, it has taught me to believe in myself and believe in the abilities and capabilities of blind people.  We get there collectively.  We lean on one another.  And when we face trouble, we get through it.  We make good things happen. I am so happy to get the opportunity to serve on the board of directors, and I'm looking forward to building the Federation. Thank you.

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Jim. For board position number 4, the name of Donald Porterfield of Arizona has been placed into nomination.

Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and Donald Porterfield of Arizona be elected.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."  Ayes have it.  Congratulations, Donald.

DONALD: Thank you, President Riccobono, fellow members of the board, and more importantly, members of the National Federation of the Blind. I joined this organization back in 2011, and I'm going to begin with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King.  He said that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.

And I truly believe that this organization, the Blind Peoples Movement embodies that.  In 2011 I wouldn't have found the National Federation of the Blind if not for my wife, Amy Porterfield.

(Applause)

She has been an incredible stabilizing force and motivating force in my life ever since we met. And I want to say, Amy, thank you.  I love you very much.

(Applause)

I also have to give thanks to the individual that gave me my first opportunity to do more, to help move this movement forward by giving me a leadership role.  And that was Bob Kresber, our prior affiliate president. And I have to give thanks to President Mark Riccobono, who has been an incredible guiding star, mentor, in this movement.  I had the opportunity to meet him before he became president, and it was -- I was sitting in the back seat of car that he was driving.

(Laughter)

And that was here in Orlando back in 2011. And it showed me an incredible amount about the National Federation of the Blind and that it is truly, truly the most transformative movement of blind people. We do...

(Applause)

...  what we need to do in order to bring about justice, to travel along that arc that Dr. King talked about.  And every day we live, and we breathe what the National Federation of the Blind stands for.  Everything that has happened to me since 2011, you know, I believe was intended to happen.  You know, as Shawn said, you know, I give thanks to God, because a lot has happened to me 2007. But I don't ask, "Why me, God?"  I asked, "What am I supposed to learn?"

And I asked the same thing about struggles and challenges that us as blind people face, because people don't understand that we truly have a high capacity to perform in every aspect of society when we're given the tools, the training and the opportunity to show that blind people are just as competitive as sighted people.

(Applause)

Being a part of this board has been an opportunity that has been incredible.  I have met an incredible number of you in if audience through the opportunities I have been given, whether it was on the board of directors, whether I was a national rep, or even the Resolutions Committee.

And I thank you guys for your comments, for your support, and I...  I'm running out of words. So I'm going to say thank you for your trust in me.  Please feel free to reach out if you have comments, if you have questions, or if you simply want to talk.  Because we have a family.  I joined this family in 2011 and it welcomed me in its warm embrace of the Blind Peoples Movement. So let's go build the National Federation of the Blind!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Donald. For board position number 5 the nominating committee has placed the name of Ben Dowlan of Wisconsin into nomination.

Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It has been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and we elect Ben of Wisconsin by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

The ayes have it.  Congratulations, Ben!

BEN: Thank you, President Riccobono and fellow Federationists.  Your vote of support means more to me than I can say. I came to this organization having been very fortunate and blessed to have been raised with a positive -- what we would call a positive philosophy of blindness by my parents in rural Alaska and Nevada.

And they taught me that I could achieve my dreams through hard work, and they had high expectations of me, and provided as many unique opportunities as I could. When I start mid involvement with the Federation in 2011, however, I was coming to a realization of the barriers that existed in my life.

Also, as I became familiar with the Federation, I saw that many people and friends and acquaintances that I was getting to know had some freedom and independence that I didn't quite have at that time.  And that's why I decided to attend the Louisiana Center for the Blind and met so many great friends and mentors, some of whom are not here, are no longer with us, but I think of daily.  And had such a big impact on me, more than I can say.

And I was able to gain more of that freedom and independence, and that is, of course, still an ongoing process. But that is what inspires me.  And that is what has inspired me since then, through my work in the Federation and especially in these last two and a half years as an affiliate president, is to help others gain that freedom and independence and break down barriers that I see. And I'm just amazed at how much -- I'm still learning about the important and vital work that our organization does to improve people's daily lives.

And it is so important and so vital, and that is what motivates me. And I also just wanted to say that I am so aware that many of us have daily struggles that we don't always verbalize or that other people may not be aware of, whether they have to do with barriers that exist for blind people or otherwise, there are so many struggles that people have, and that's not -- that doesn't have to be a negative, but, again, inspire us and shows how important the work is that we do.

And it inspires me. And I plan to bring that perspective to the board.  As well as I like to think I'm independent minded.  I was quite sure what President Riccobono thought the first time that I was at the national -- well, not the first time I was at the national center, but at one leadership session with him and some of the discussions we had, I wasn't exactly sure what he thought.

But it looks like I might be vindicated somewhat. So I just really appreciate that.  I'm so grateful for the mentorship and friendship of Pam and Everette over the years, and I'm so anxious to work and get to know the rest of the board.  I know I have so much to learn from you all and from everyone here, again, I appreciate your support so much.  Lastly, I will just very briefly give thanks, of course, like Donald and Shawn, I will thank God for his love and preserving me and bringing me here today.

(Applause)

My wonderful family, my bride Chelsea cannot be here today.  She is returning to work, her very important work appointment Wisconsin Center for the Blind, but she is listening and just so thankful for her and her never failing support. My sisters as well. And so many close friends, both inside this room and outside who have been with me through the happy times and through the dark times and have supported me.  I'm forever grateful for you, and I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Congratulations, Ben. For board position number 6, our final position, the nominating committee has placed the name of Sheila Wright of Missouri into nomination.

Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? It's been moved and seconded that nominations cease, and we elect Sheila Wright from Missouri by acclimation.  All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

Congratulations, Sheila!

SHEILA: Thank you so much.  It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve on the board of directors, and it's because of all of you that I am there to represent you, my colleagues. I want you to know that sense I am there to represent you, I'm always open to hear and listen to what you have to say, your ideas, your concerns.  Please feel free to reach out to me.

I have to thank my God, because when I don't know what to do, I can call on Him and He always is there.

(Applause)

I also have to thank my husband Jeff, who always stands behind me.  And when I think I need to take a deep breath, he reminds me of that when I forget to. I have to thank my South Carolina affiliate and my Nebraska affiliate.  Because they have taught me so much. And if it were not for the Missouri affiliate and the love and support I get, I am not sure I would go on.
I'm here to serve.  Thank you very much!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: How about a big Federation cheer for our board and our outgoing board members also.

(Cheers and applause)

The door prize folks seem to be sleeping.  Maybe they need a fit break.

BENNETT: I'm awake!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: They need a fit break.

SPEAKER: How can we come to Florida without riding on a rollercoaster.  I need everybody to stand up. All right, we got some music.

(Music playing)

SPEAKER: All right, we're going to put our hands above our head.  You have to put your hands above your head.  Lean right.  Lean left. Lean right.  Lean left. Now up on your tippy toes and squat.  Up on your tippy toes. Keep those hands up.  Tippy toes.  And squat.  Lean right.  Lean left.  Lean right. Now spin around!

(Music playing)

Tiptoes.  And squat.  Tiptoes.  And squat. Lean right.  Lean left. Now everybody scream! Ayyyyyyy!
Tiptoes.  And squat.  Tiptoes.  And squat. Tiptoes. Now shake it off! All right! Thank you.

BENNETT: Now I got door prizes.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Good.  It's about time, Bennett!  I don't know what we have been waiting for.

BENNETT: We've got for our virtual folks, we've got $50 for the next three people I call their names, if they go and send a message to [email protected] with the password of NFB camp.  How about that, NFB camp, what a great place!  Some people tell me I should be in it.
Anyway...

(Laughter)

Okay, we've got 50 bucks for William Meeker of Wisconsin. And Perry Sandler from New Jersey.  And Betty Love from Arizona.
Kenia.

KENIA: For in person door prize we are giving away a bag from Hawaii that contains some Hawaii chocolates and some Skittles and 25 dollars. And we're also giving away a Brailled exploding kittens card game. And that goes to...  I'm sorry if I butcher this...  Cartique from Englewood, Colorado!

It doesn't sound like he is here. What about Amy McBride from Lilburn, Georgia? What about Benjamin Xiang from Woodbury, Minnesota?
Wow, no one is here today! What about Sonya Biggers from Freehold, New Jersey? Not here. What about Grace Anderson from Chelsea, Alabama? She's here!  We got her.  Thank you!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Wonderful.  Just want to let everybody know we might have time this morning to start the Resolutions. So we may get a couple in this morning. We'll see.  We've got two more presentations first, and then we'll see. This next presentation is often on our agenda.  We know that having access to books and materials is very important, and this gentleman is here with us again to talk about expanding access to the world's knowledge.

He has come to be a good friend of the National Federation of the Blind, having served as the director of the nation's Library for the Blind now for some time. We've had a long standing many decades tight relationship with the library.  Obviously we have a very strong interest.  I told you last year that the director has shown he is a gentleman of true heart and dedication for the work.  I also would add to that this year that I think he is not fooled easily.

And we should be glad that we have him as a champion inside the Library of Congress.  I think he is doing a great job of navigating what will ultimately always be the bureaucracy of any federal institution, but he is doing that in an authentic way that reflects what blind people want.

So we've got to give him a lot of credit for that.  He also has been at this convention and having a good time, and he's not afraid to be in and amongst the constituents and learning about what we want in a library.  I'm very interested to see what he says to the crowd this year, since he boosted the number in Amish romance last year with his speech. Here from the National Library Service Jason Broughton!

(Music playing)
¶ there were pictures here and there ¶
So it wasn't hard to bear ¶
¶ The day I read a book ¶

JASON: Oh, good morning, thank you for that wonderful but unexpected musical selection.

(Laughter)

It is always wonderful to be amongst you and have such a wonderful time here and being that we are in the humid but wonderful state of Florida, it has been extraordinary to be having lots of conversations about what we're doing at the Library of Congress and at the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.  I will not be before you very long, but with that I want to thank President Riccobono, the board, the newly elected officers, and members for having me here today.

As we start, though, I would like to give a little description about who I am, for those who kind of want to imagine what I might look like.
So I am 6' 1", 210 pounds, an African American male from the South.  Hail from South Carolina.

(Cheering)

But I had a wonderful time in Vermont as a state librarian there.  Pronouns are he/him/his but on a stressful day the word "mine" comes up.
Physique of a Greek god.

(Laughter)

The smile that can span the globe. Humor of a comedian. And infectious laughter like a child. That is who I am as your Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.

(Applause)

And before I fully get started with these updates, and since we are on the subject of thanking so many wonderful women of all the things that you do to make life wonderful, it reminds me of a great quote.  Some of you have heard this, because you have been around.
"Do you want to talk to the man in charge or to the woman who knows what is really going on?"

(Applause)

So my topic today is expanding access to the world's knowledge.  At NLS, it is always important to understand that knowledge is essential for so many human activities and values.  It includes agency over one's life, freedom.  Freedom to read.  Freedom to learn.  Freedom to go. Freedom to travel.  The exercise of political power, economics, social and personal development.

And what we are doing at NLS is we are trying to understand and navigate within four realms specifically this year.  Our strategic goals are:
Increase availability and discoverability. Elevate your digital experiences. Modernize ourselves. And last but not least, one reason that we're here... Understand our users.

Which means having conversations with you about what we do, how we do it, and what you would like to see in the collection. With that, we're in the era of what is call "The Era of Enhancement."  Under my goal we are looking to upgrade a lot of items, refine it, accentuate it, almost try to make them perfect to give you a great experience to access what we have.

It's important to make sure that we listen to you and understand how we want to navigate to make these things accessible.  Because for those who do not know right now, accessibility is the new sexy thing when it comes to helping people. So you will hear that phrase thrown about by some of the biggest and the best. But when I tell people, we have been here for 95+ years...

(Cheering)

...  at the Library of Congress and for the nation, we kind of helped start that term. So things that we're rolling out, as you know, we are upgrading items to BARD, which is our Braille and auto reading download, make it more scalable.  We're navigating between Android and iOS systems. A unique thing we have done just in the physical items, we have helped network libraries across the country get access to Braille LEGO kits.

And it has been astronomical as far as the amount of feedback they are getting, as they start to roll those out.  We are looking at also having more data on what we would like to do for a smart speaker. So know that is coming closer to fruition.  We thank all of you who participated in our actual reviews and our testing of this product.  We look forward to bringing that forward to you in the future. Another specific thing is we like to hear from our users.

So programming is important that we provide to you out of the nation's capital, at the NLC, as we say.  And our goal is to hear from you about what shortcuts, what items you feel might be more beneficial, how to create book shelves and different items in our apps and on our platforms. A very unique thing is we are looking to include an international language search option to allow users to have up to four languages in our app. This is a big item because of what we have as what is known as the Marrakesh Treaty, which allows us to access and get material from across the world.

(Applause)

With that we also have a lot of unique items, and to my group that I know when I took the position, I did not have a really clear understanding of, to my low vision users, I have heard you.  We are looking at making sure that we have color contrast between selected and unselected search categories.  We are definitely looking at light inverse and dark modes. And we also have a host of items that will help with visual impairments.

As we go forward, we continue to upgrade our systems and navigate them by hearing from you and listening to you.  My last update, because I said I want to keep it brief, because I love talking with people.  For those who know me as a Southerner, I love to stay up late and talk.  Love it!

If you haven't heard, we are, after 57 years of being away, for those who have visited us on what would be known as Georgia Avenue and Pembroke District in D.C., we are moving.  We have begun that process.  And after 57 years of being away, we are moving back to the capitol complex into the Library of Congress.

(Applause)

While we definitely will miss our location, this offers you the opportunity to now visit NLS at the Library of Congress on the capitol complex.

(Applause)

We look forward to having official visits open up in 2025. But I want to give you some things on what the library is doing that you can do even though we are still in transition.  You might not know this, but the Library of Congress has tactile tours and experiences for you at the library itself.  You can feel the exterior, interior, you can have audio items for the exhibits we have, and you can have assistance to navigate the entire item, including if you would like special requests to see certain types of collections.  Don't forget you have U.S. copyright, the congressional research service, and NLS as those entities that are there.

But people might not know.  We have the world's largest comic book collection.  The world's largest Barbie collection.  Yes, Barbie is a thing.  Who cannot forget there is a doll called Ken. So let's not forget the male side of this.  You can have a -- you can look at Ken as well.
As I say this, we look forward to you visiting us.  I thank you again for having me at this conference, and I really appreciate being the Director of NLS, because it has wonderfully allowed me to be amongst you and have a lot of things that I never thought I would be able to experience.  And as I say this, I appreciate all that you guys have done to allow us to know what it is that we can do better and how we can navigate.

I want to leave you with a poem.  A good librarian does these types of things, you know.  This is by Langston Hughes.  It is called

"Shadows."

We run.
We run.
We cannot stand these shadows.
Give us the sun.
We were not made for shade.
For heavy shade and narrow space of stifling air.
That these white things have made, that these people who have hated us.
We run.  Oh, God, we run.
We must break through these shadows.
We must find the sun.
Because that's what we all as human beings live to adore, to be able to have agency over our lives, to navigate our own future and have the information and progress to do so.

Thank you.

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: He's yielding time back to us.  How about a door prize for the library?

BENNETT: Okay.  We've got a door prize with a board game.  We've got 25- and 25-dollar gift certificate and a blanket, a folding blanket. And that is going to go to... Harris Stots...  anyway, where is she from?  Florida. Sarah Skoller, is she here? We got her.

(Cheering)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Let's see.  We've got an announcement from Carla McQuillan that says Blind Inc.  will hold a listening session this afternoon from 12:15 to 1:15 in Salon 24, if you are a training center alum and would like to share your ideas, please join us. We do appreciate the work of the Library for the Blind and we have regular meetings with the Library, and, of course, we have a number of projects with them.  The library is a great supporter of the NFB NEWSLINE system.

(Cheering)

And, of course, we have been a great champion for the library to move back to Capitol Hill.  In fact, although we think it's nice that the Library of Congress has welcomed them in, we think the library should have its very own building on Capitol Hill. And we're going to continue to work on the advocacy side to press Congress for that to happen. So blind people are recognized. And we think that will do a lot for Braille.

If people can go to Capitol Hill and find a Braille library right there, that would be great. I do want to say that the Director is being thoughtful about a number of policy considerations and we're talking with the library about future developments as the government continues to put new things in place to make sure that blind people aren't limited in the materials that we can access since this is the best library in the world for blind people.

So we appreciate the library team being here. We now have a panel to talk about indoor navigation. We have long been interested in how blind people can be at the forefront of utilizing technology to get access to information that we don't have about the environment around us.  And every blind person I'm sure has experienced this problem that traveling in the environment physically is not so much the problem as it is getting access to the information we need to navigate in environments, and I first came to my first convention in 1996.  

At that time the convention was part of testing new outdoor technology in Anaheim.  I didn't do it myself, but people were walking around Anaheim with big backpacks and testing things out, and one person that was involved in that and has always been involved in the cutting edge of navigation and technology is Mike May.

(Applause)

Some people are still missing their Cendero maps. And Mike as a blind person has continued to push on the edge of technology to make sure that blind people are included in the full range of technology, especially as it relates to navigation, first outdoors and now indoors, as a blind person, again, has lived experience, has been key in this.

And if you come across him in any environment, he is always trying to push the edge for us as blind people.  We have invited -- so I invited Mike to moderate this panel, as I think his experience is very worthwhile.  On this panel we have invited GoodMaps, who has presented to us before.

And we also have invited a company that is not new to us, but I think they have not been on this stage before, which is Waymap.
Now, there are many other companies working on various aspects of this, but these are two that we have -- working on various aspects of this, but these are two that we have had conversation with us and part of this panel is to talk about blind people's role in defining the technology and we wanted to do it because a lot of times the technology developers love to tell us what's good for us. But we need to be the ones defining our own solutions.

So these are not to highlight these two solutions, but to have the conversation.  And as long as we are on that, let me say that it's not just about this type of navigation solutions. Hopefully you have got to visit XR Navigation in the Exhibit Hall.  There are others working on innovative solutions.  Blind people should be the ones to decide which ones are awesome and which ones should go away.
And then we should be asking public accommodations to make their environments provide us with the information to enable these technologies, because, by the way, lots of people have trouble getting around places whether they can see or not.

So here to introduce the panel is a good friend from the great state of Nevada, here is Mike May!

(Music playing)
¶ we'll drink the water ¶
¶ There seems to be something in it everyone ¶
¶ I'm going to drink that sun ¶
¶ I'm gonna love you good and strong ¶
¶ While our love is good and young ¶

MIKE: Good morning!  It's great to be here.

AUDIENCE: Good morning!

MIKE: I was hoping we could request our own walk-up song.  I wanted the Talking Head song called "Blind."  Check it out. I have lived by the motto that very simply defines what we're up to here, and I think I'm preaching to the choir.  The better you get around, the better you engage in life.  End of story.

There is a lot of different ways to do that, and we all do it in different ways. So that is really what we're going to be adding information to today. Certainly fun reflection back on 1996 going across that huge Disneyland parking lot, trying to find a way from the hotel from the Hilton to the front gate of Disneyland.  We've come a long way since then, but a lot of the same problems really exist. But it's all part of using the tools and techniques to get around.

I went to my first NFB conference...  I think it was in Baltimore in the '70s.  I have been on various Chapters, starting out in D.C. and then California and Oregon, Washington, Kansas, and now Nevada. Centero Group is where we started with that backpack GPS and evolved into a lot of different technologies. But to Mark's point, when we had multiple options, that's really when the accessible outdoor GPS took off.

So now I have a spreadsheet of many, dozens of indoor navigations, outdoor navigation apps, and it's great to have some of the leaders in that presenting some of the best options. I had the opportunity to work with GoodMaps on the indoor navigation.  I now work for American Printing House, which is the majority owner of GoodMaps. But I also have been on panels with Tom before in the past, because we share the passion for this kind of technology and developing options to get around.

And by the way, I hope one of these days we're going to have ways to have maps on the Monarch which you've heard lots about. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention our forefathers, because people have been getting around independently for a long time before we had digital stuff.  We had James Holman in the 1820s and Dr. Bolotin in the 1920s and all of us and all these options  in the 2020s.

I have a number of questions to go through quickly so you can get perspective from Way maps and GoodMaps.  I'll let you hear their voices and introduce you to Charlie Meredith from GoodMaps.

CHARLIE: I am Charlie Meredith, pronouns he/him/his.  I'm the Chief Technology Officer at GoodMaps.  I've been a programmer all my life.  I earned a master's degree in computer engineering and computer science.  Five years ago I had the opportunity when American Printing House was creating at the time what was called Access Explorer, that eventually turned into GoodMaps.  I was hired as the first full time programmer.  I joined this team of four with the goal of solving the very, very complex problem of indoor navigation.  And in that tomb I moved into the Chief Technology Officer role where I oversee product and engineering teams.  

I oversee all of our navigation algorithms that are built out of those.  I oversaw the initial buildout of GoodMaps explorer, which I know many of you have used, as well as the new app GoodMaps indoor navigation.  We've had an Adam mow here and I've had the opportunity to meet several you and show you the app.  I'm excited to talk more.  Very honored to be on the stage.  Thank you, President Riccobono for inviting me I'm not sure that I deserve to be here, but I'm thankful to be here.  And thank you, Mike, for organizing this.

MIKE: We're depending on you Charlie.  You definitely deserve to be here.  And Tom Pey from Waymap.

TOM: I'm an Irishman working in London and founder and chief executive of Waymap.  I started out like Mike here, many years ago trying to do indoor navigation with big backpacks on people's back. So I understand trying to get from A to B with a big backpack was where all this started. Waymap started because I was the chief executive of the Blind Society for Blind Children and we were having a meeting with the representative council of our young people, and they wanted to get around London Underground like everyone else.

The reason for that was that a couple nights before, one of the young ladies was on a date, and because both of them were blind, they had to have sighted guides going around and it kind of spoiled the fun. So she wanted an app to get around just like everyone else.
And we applied to Google.org and they gave us a million dollars to go out and change the world for blind people.

And from that we spoke to thousands of us, because I am visually impaired myself.  We spoke to thousands across the world.  And from that we developed the world's first standard for audio-based navigation, which is part of the UN code of standard, and deeply embedded in Nothing About Us Without Us.

And today that has moved along, and we are -- today we are Waymap, and, again, a bit like Charlie, I don't feel like I deserve to be here, but it is really nice to be here.  The weather here is an awful lot better than in London. So thank you!

MIKE: Thank you, Tom.  I should mention that we have been testing a number of the techniques for indoor navigation at NFB for a number of years.  As Charlie said, it's a very complex challenge.  We installed the first Bluetooth beacons at NFB headquarters and Wi-Fi fingerprinting and evolved to cameras and LIDAR.  And techniques keep changing.  We're going to get into the weeds a little bit, so you get a feeling for how complicated it is, but also what it is doing for us.

I should also mention a little bit of a comparison between indoor and outdoor navigation.  Indoors you don't have streets and sidewalks and named streets.  You don't have named hallways. And the hallways bend around, they're not on a grid. And they're pretty wide. So you navigate somebody down the middle of the hallway or does somebody want a shoreline.  All these different issues come up.  You don't want them zigzagging like they're drunk down the road following the technology.

So that is quite different in how we navigate indoors. And, of course, you don't have GPS, so that is not really even in the equation. So let me start with Charlie and ask about -- there's three pieces of the puzzle here, generally speaking.  And one is the positioning. So outdoors you have GPS.  Indoors you have different techniques.  You have maps, and many databases of maps have been developed outdoors, Google and Tomtom and Apple and so forth. And then you have the user interface, and that's a huge part where NFB has come in and gives feedback on how this user interface works.  Charlie, tell us about positioning mapping and UI.

CHARLIE: I think one of the biggest challenges outright is when you're outdoors, you have the grid system, the road system you can navigate people on.  Indoors it's a completely Wild West environment. So one of the biggest challenges that we have had is figuring out how to build the user experience.

And I'm a big believer that you can have amazing technology, but if you don't fuse that with an incredible user experience, then that technology kind of goes to waste. So our approach is completely computer vision based.  As you mentioned, GPS is not accurate enough indoors, especially to navigate someone who is blind.  You can imagine being in an office environment or somewhere with very tight hallways, and we really need that, like, centimeter level accuracy to be able to provide that accurate turn by turn navigation.  We use a computer vision approach and we're very proud of what we have built.  We say we have an accuracy of under one meter, but really it's more around 25 centimeters we're able to find where you are within a building.

And we fuse that with user experience that we have tested with hundreds of blind users. So sorry, I should say about 100 blind users, but dozens of focus groups.  We have been all over the world.  Currently we are in 12 countries.  We have a great partnership with Seattle Sound Transit.  If you are from Seattle, we are starting to map several of their train stations.  We're very excited about that Portland international airport, we have a great relationship with them.

And if any are from the UK, we also have mapped most of the major national rail stations. So King's Cross, Paddington, all the ones you have heard of.  We have worked with tons of blind users.  We have met with you all here, and I really believe in listening to feedback.  It's not about ego, right?  I have gotten some pretty good criticism, but also some very positive reactions.  That's what it is all about, right?  I think it's important to iterate and listen and listen to the feedback and try to make it work for everyone.
So it's all about listening to users, and that's what we're all about at GoodMaps.

MIKE: Ongoing process.  Tom, what about the positioning mapping in UI of Waymap?

TOM: Well, people want accurate instructions so you can navigate from A to B quite easily.  And with a minimum of anxiety.  And, of course, behind that is a lot of technology. So our location technology works indoors and outdoors.  It will work with -- it will take a GPS signal just to make it -- to check it outdoors from time to time. But GPS is very inaccurate. So indoor to outdoor, outdoor to indoor transition was really important for us.

And the other thing is that we do use the visual positioning cameras like GoodMaps, but we don't use it to -- we only use it if you feel you need it or it tells us that we remain unable to solve the problem without Connecticut and that should never happen, but just in case it does. We don't want to lose you.

The other thing that we did was that we downloaded. We don't rely on using your data.  If you put your phone on airplane mode, for instance, you should still get a positioning response, because everything you need is built into the phone.  Because we use a very powerful algorithm, which initially were built for the U.S. military.  We use those to position you to within 1 meter accuracy, and we use all the sensors on the phone to know that you are going the way you should be.  We can also measure up and down.

And so we know if you are going upstairs, downstairs, using an escalator, elevator, so on. But we are about to launch across the entire city of Washington, D.C. So if anybody is here from Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia...

(Cheering)

So at the end of August, the entire 11,000 bus stops and the 1150 stations, with the exception of the Pentagon, will be available. So please come and do it. And we're also -- if anybody here is from Singapore, please try us out over there as well. Thank you.

MIKE: Tom, how do you do the mapping?

TOM: Mapping is a big, big problem, and it's actually the biggest barrier to accessible mobility, because at this present moment in time, we need to take a card from the customer.  I think GoodMaps in themselves are the same, and we do a LIDAR scan of the area to make sure that we have the accuracy of mapping.

But this is an area where we actually have put millions of dollars into improving mapping and taking the mapping technology to a place where it should not be a barrier to entry, and fingers crossed in the lab we are currently testing a system which won't require LIDAR scanning, and that would mean that we should be able to make our system not just our system, but we should be able to make the data available to people who want to provide indoor navigation for blind and partially sighted people, because we believe sharing is caring.

MIKE: Absolutely.

(Applause)

I always have enjoyed being on the cutting edge of technology, but maybe my tolerance level for failure is a bit higher than other people's, because I'm intrigued by it. So one of the questions for both of them is about the strengths and weaknesses.  Because I think generally speaking, people want something to be reliable, at least 90% of the time.  I mean, think about GPS and you have gotten used to its foibles and we use it all the time and you curse it all the time, but you use it.

And I think indoor navigation has to be at least that good in order to be something that you will bother with, otherwise you will try it and say, well, that's interesting, and you get a demo, but you won't use it in your day-to-day life. So Charlie, what are the strengths?  Talk about what are the weaknesses of the technology at this point.

CHARLIE: Yeah, I mean, I'll start with weaknesses.  I think that with any AI computer vision approach, you know, AI is not perfect.  Even those of us who have used ChatGPT you know it has a tendency to hallucinate and to make up things. And so definitely we have encountered that problem.  I think we have come a long way in terms of reducing hallucinations, like ChatGPT has gotten better and better about not providing fake informing.  We're at the point now where we pretty much built out those hallucinations completely, and the issue we run into is user experience.  How do you tell someone and tell people of varying abilities and backgrounds how to navigate indoor spaces.  Turn left may mean something different to one person from the next.

So it's very difficult to get language in that spot where it works for everyone and realizing that for our app we really need to start providing more customization to really make sure it works for everyone and everyone's preferences as well. And I think the other challenge is our mapping. So very similar to what Tom and Waymaps does, we provide a LIDAR scan and have a team that creates very, very detailed maps with all the destination information labelled. So it's very, very rich data.

But the moment that we leave, that map is outdated, because as you know, indoor environments change, elevators go down, escalators go down.  I think it was maybe yesterday or the day before, one of the escalators was down coming back from Exhibit Hall here at the Rosen Center.  Thou is a problem we're starting to address head on.  I like the way Waze handles this for outdoor navigation where they use crowd source data, relying on users to report when there is broken down -- yeah, I'm glad that is resonating.

That is our goal, to report things that have changed but tools for building owners to make updates when they change things as well.  That is the next big problem we're starting to take on.

MIKE: Hear, hear for user input.  This is something we started at Cindero in the early days and built up maybe 15 thousand user points of interest contributed by users.  There's often just the points that we want, you want to cut across the field or parking lot, and if that is marked in the database and you share with other people, they could take advantage of it.  Tom, tell us about the particular weaknesses of Waymap so far.

TOM: There is no technology that is out there today that works perfectly for blind people. And I think it's fair to say that in working with -- if you can make it work for blind people, I will work for everybody. To get to a kind of 95% success rate. And I think we can promise that with a lot of confidence, probably better. But let's say 95% for the moment.

A couple of things...  you can't use just one system.  You know, because a lot of feedback that we got is that blind people don't want to be carrying their phone outside of their body.  They want to put it in their pocket or in their handbag, just like everybody else. And, yeah, that costs a lot of money, a lot of time, but we solved the problem.

So again, try it out in Washington, D.C. and break at for us, because we want to make it better, rate? The other thing that we found out was that people want to change their mind when they are...  you know, so they start out and they want to go to -- I don't know, they want to go to the pizza place, and then somebody says, no, let's not meet at the pizza place, let's meet somewhere else. So mid-stream they want to change their mind.

So we put that feature in again, the technology to do that is massive. The strengths of it is that our system works on the basis of AI.
So if we take it that we are the people who need a lot of support to get around you know, the routes need to be accurate, the step counts need to be accurate.

But if you are not visually impaired, you can do it with less accuracy.  You are going to take -- you are going to work out better routes than we are with using mathematics. So we have a system whereby people who are not visually impaired can share their steps. So in other words, we would pick up data from them.  We look at the routes and we will update the routes so that you get the best route going.  It also means that we mitigate against lots of changes in the environment.

But Charlie brought up the biggest point of all, which is the minute that you finish a CAD drawing, the environment changes.  We have now worked out a system where be our data -- so if, for instance, in Washington the elevator goes out, the very minute that the market tells the customer that the elevator goes out, we have that data, and it changes the route for the customer.

So we can then reroute somebody to a different elevator or to the escalators or to whatever, but also there is a wheelchair customer coming through, we can advise them to go to the next station where they get off a bus or something so that they don't change. But, again, that requires human input.  We know that operators don't always put the data into the environment.  They upset more than just blind people with bad information, but nonetheless, I think, you know, the main stuff like changes of platform, delays in trains, delays in buses, all of that we get and we can reflect it in the app, so that you have the most up to date information and ability to solve the problems that is available to anybody else.

MIKE: Yeah, that's -- those are great points.  I would add two things to the weakness.  One is, number one is probably the lack of maps. There are so few places where you even have indoor maps.  I sure wish we had some between the Rosen Plaza and here.  The first morning I came over here, it took me 40 minutes.  There was not a soul in that convention center to say, am I headed in the right direction? I've got Aira on the phone, and they looked around and they didn't see any signs either, and they tried to pull up some maps.

So 40 minutes.  Eventually I got it down to under 20 minutes back and forth. But no maps. And the sighted people I'm sure would have the same problem. And the other thing is location information.  People are so geared towards destination-oriented travel.  Tell me where to turn. And that's the way all the car GPSs are set up.  If I had to choose between give me a route or give me tall information I would passing, I would choose that.  I call it location literacy pup

(Applause)

So let me ask the gentlemen, what about integrations?  There is so much information we're trying to access, transit information, other databases in hotels.  There might be what rooms are available or what, you know, you want to get to a building, or you want to schedule something.

So what about integrations of your technology with some of these others.  And particularly not just with transit, but with outdoor apps, because in the end we really would like to book a complete trip, door to door, and not have to be running 10 apps.  Charlie.

CHARLIE: Yeah, so to kind of start off talking about transit, with our partnership with Seattle Sound Transit, we have worked with them to build the elevator integration that is you just mentioned, where with our app, as soon as an elevator goes offline, it actually connect to Sound Transit and we get that informing immediately and able to route you around down escalators or elevators.

And we're hoping to work with more building providers.   not everyone has that real time level of information but some of our other transit providers in the UK I know have that data.  We're starting to work on that a little bit more. In terms of integrations with outdoor apps, we actually have an app called GoodMaps outdoors.  Some have used that.  We have a deep link that jumps over to that app.  Me personally I'm wanting to do more than a deep link.  I want a deeper integration.

So I talked to a couple other exciting folks who are doing something similar to what we are doing except for outdoors, where it is actually more of a camera-based approach for outdoor navigation.  I'm excited to move those conversations forward.  The thing that I personally am most excited about, and I know there is a few enthusiasts in this room are smart glasses. So I have seen...

(Applause)

I have seen a lot of people wearing the Ray Ban Meta smart glasses and have AI and cameras on them.  The good news about our technology is we have tried to be forward thinking and know these devices are going to be more protective leapt.  I very much hope we can form connections with Meta and those who create the glasses, so you don't have to have your phone out the entire time using GoodMaps.  I'm excited about the camera based approach for that reason and if you layer AI on top of that, I think it can be a compelling experience where you take the camera information, we're able with our technology to figure out exactly where you are within a building and then using our very, very detailed mapping data using the AI to actually synthesize what is around you and tell you, you've got a bathroom 20 feet in front of you.  What are some good restaurants near my gate?

Okay, there's a Wendy's, a burger restaurant, and there is Asian food, right? So being able to take the mapping data and have AI actually tell you what is around you and what is around the place you are going to be at in the next ten minutes or so. I had the opportunity to try Waymap at the Braddock station Washington, D.C. Metro system.  And what impressed me was the integration with the transit I knew when the Metro Yellow line was coming along and gave when, the exact minute.  How is that coming, Tom?

TOM: Basically to be nerdy about it, it's a GTFS feed. So all of that information is available in the web someplace. So it's a matter of being able to scrape it and organize it so it comes out and is available to you without you having to do anything.  It just comes up. But it also changes the routing, because there's no point in knowing that the train platform has been changed to platform 3 from platform 2 if you can't get from platform 3 to platform 2.

So we updated the route immediately. So you can get to where you are. So it's going very well. I mean, Charlie made a really good point, because actually, you know, it is very clear to everybody in the tech world that the era of the mobile phone is going to die over the next five to ten years.  And wearable devices are going to become more prevalent.

But for that to work for people like us, then this whole technology around visual positioning has got to get better. You know, the probability of failure at the moment is just too high for us to rely on it. But nonetheless we are working with a number of universities both in the United States and in Europe and in the United Kingdom where some really cool technology sort of solutions are happening to that, because we need to get the -- this visual positioning, the probability of failure up to about 98% for it to be effective as sole way of getting around. Great. Thank you.

MIKE: Hear hear.

(Applause)

Let me move toward what is happening in the future a little bit.  Charlie touched on the hands-free glasses, and that has been a pet project of mine, to try to link up a lot of companies to talk to each other.  Because we obviously have one hand tied up with a cane or a dog and maybe a hand rolling a bag and there's no hands left. So what are we going to do?

And these lanyard neck wallets, the one that I have on me right now is one approach.  The Meta glasses and visionary AI glasses and there are so many coming out, those are all important, and they offer the AI as well.  And something when I walk through an airport now, I'm less likely to call and get streaming video assistance, and I'll just turn on Seeing AI and let it blurt to me the signs that it is seeing, and I can find my gate that way.

Charlie, what is happening, what do you think in the bigger picture as we get AI video, which shh coming next in GPT4.0.  It might help.  It's still going to be slow connectivity, but it can augment what is happening with the maps that you guys created.  How do you see that working in the future collaborating with AI?

CHARLIE: I'm very excited about what I am seeing with ChatGPT and the new 4.0 model and how fast that is.  Again, I think that it's all about the fusion of this technology. So I don't ever envision us just having a page that just is using 4.0 and not really adding anything.  I think for us we'll be figuring out ways to integrate that very deeply with our navigation and with other features that we are working on.
But, yeah, I think that it's an incredible tool.  I think that it has come a really long way.

The other thing that I think for our future -- and this is not as exciting as AI, but kind of going back to the challenges that we mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges is getting building owners to adopt this technology and to come on board and to say, you know, yes, we want to make our spaces more accessible.  And a lot of our partners actually, you know, accessibility, that is the only reason they need to come on board.  But, you know, other people that we have talked to want to see other reasons that they can get value out of this.  And one of the most common things we have heard is they actually want GoodMaps to plug into their app.  They don't want their building guests to have to download another app and I'm sure you all in this room also don't want to have to download another app.

So how do we work with these, you know, airport providers to, for example, integrate GoodMaps into their map in an easy simple way, that is something we're going to be working on in the next several months. So that we can get that adoption up.  Our number one goal right now is to grow and bring GoodMaps to more and more places so you can use it and benefit from it.

MIKE: Yeah, it's amazing that accessibility in a hotel means Braille on the doorways and giant bathrooms. And there would be one -- it would be wonderful the building code someday said they mandate maps.  That would benefit sighted people and blind people.

(Applause)

Tom, what do you think about AI in our future?

TOM: Well, I want to have a big shout out to a friend of mine, Amos Miller, who is absolutely breaking the sound barrier when it comes to accessibility for blind people.  His system, which I know is in the early stage of development.  This is the future for wayfinding for blind people.  The integration of a solution like GoodMaps or Waymap into the white cane, where the white cane would develop the maps itself as it goes around.  Hey, guys, you know, we get to solve the problem for ourselves.  We don't depend on the good nature of hoteliers to help us get around, we do it ourselves.  That is the only way we're going to do it.
So good job.

CHARLIE: Hear hear.

MIKE: Well, for more information, where would people follow up with GoodMaps?

CHARLIE: Follow us on social media and GoodMaps.com, you get the links you need there.  We also have an advocacy page.  If you go to GoodMaps.com and scroll down in the footer there is a page that will tell you kind of how to advocate for getting indoor navigation to your local airport or your local shop mall, museum, any building like that, we work a lot with malls and museums. So please check out our website and use that advocacy page, and hopefully you will soon have a GoodMaps building near you that you can use.

MIKE: Yeah.  And hopefully we will have GoodMaps and Waymaps side by side in New Orleans.  Wouldn't that be nice?  Tom?

TOM: Yeah, like GoodMaps, we're at Waymapnav.com.  We want a way for blind people to get around like everyone else, and that doesn't mean using Waymap, that means getting around like everyone else, and we're going to integrate with any technology we can.  Yes, just follow us on social media.  Encourage us and criticize us, because that is the only way we're going to get better and solve problems for you.  Thank you for having me here.  Thanks for the good weather!

MIKE: Tom, I know you are close to wrapping things up in the Washington, D.C. Metro.  When will people be able to try it, a real date?

TOM: The first of September of 2024.  It's answer going live.  We have been signed off by the safety people or Marta. So all we're doing now is arranging the comm so they can get the information to you guys.  Please try it September 1st, 2024.

MIKE: All right, let's hold his feet to the fire.

TOM: And we want 20,000 people using it by the end of the year.  Because that is, again, the only way that you are going to get anybody, whether GoodMaps or us or some other supplier, is if we start using it and we show them that it's benefiting us. So download it and go for it! And for God's sake don't walk out in front of a train while doing it.  (chuckling)

MIKE: I'm going to close here and just mention a couple of my favorite terms.  Of course, the better you get around, the better you engage in life.  I often talked about alternative tools and techniques and the toolbox, and I was just counting up my toolbox.  Just coming over here, I have 11 things add one more thing to your toolbox, which is accessible navigation.  Fortunately other than maybe glasses, you don't really have to have anything physical.  I know my backpack is full, full, full.

And I also would encourage you to follow up with the American Printing House, as we will be doing all sorts of things.  I'm officially the navigation technology adviser. So I think you will see a lot of cool things that overlap with indoor navigation, outdoor navigation.  I really want to see GoodMaps outdoors get some attention, since 95 98% of navigation is outdoors. So let's make that better as well.
Finally, another saying to go away with...

All of this leads to something that I call the power of getting un lost.  There is a lot of benefits to getting lost, but you can't do it unless you have tools to get un lost. So take that away with you.  Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Thank you very much, gentlemen.

(Applause)

Tom, great to have Waymap here for the first time.  We hope you will be back many times again.  GoodMaps, good to have you here.  And Mike May, a appreciate your work to be an active participant in the organized blind movement.

(Applause)

Now, if you don't get a door prize in there, Marilyn Green is going to jump in, so...

BENNETT: There is a door prize. And we've got for our virtual participants, we have 40 dollars for each, the next three names I call if they use the code word Riccobono.  Who the heck is that? If we use the Riccobono word you get 40 bucks, and if you go to [email protected] and send an email saying, I'm here, and the names are Adele Lejeune from Kentucky. Dania Zapata from Texas.  And Madeleine Sparks from Texas.

Now...

KENIA: For the in-person door prize we are giving away $50 Visa gift card and certificate for Computers for the Blind.  And that goes to Lane Height from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Yay, she's here!  Thank goodness.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Did we get them? Okay, great. We are going to take up a couple resolutions before noon. So to help us prevent going over later today. But before we do that really quickly, PAC update, Marilyn is at a floor mic.

PAM: Yes, sir, I am here!  I am here to talk about the contest.  I'm here to let you know Arizona has taken off!  They are ahead of the pack so far. Arizona is up by 150 dollars a month. But friends in South Carolina are not far behind.  Come up with 25 more dollars a month, South Carolina, and you can be at the top of the list.  Behind them is Colorado!

Get back there and try to get that rat so you can be at the top of the pack. The next thing is Vermont, you're still in the lead for the percentage.  Go Vermont! Puerto Rico you have a little way to go, but I know you can do it!  Get back there to the PAC table right now!
And then we have the division seniors.  I am so proud of you.  Look at you, you have taken off since yesterday.  You have added about 12 more people.

But guess what...  the students were listening to me.  They're not too far behind.  Students, you just need 11 more to beat them.  Get back there to the PAC table. And then parents...  parents, I need you to do it.  You just need four more people to overtake the students.
So I ask all of you to get back to the PAC table to increase our contributions.  Mr. President, can I just mention the gift card winners for this session?

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Go for it.

MARILYN: I'll try it.

(singing)
¶ it must be done ¶
¶ So all our battles can be won ¶

That was filler while I was trying to get to numbers for my people.  Shoot, can't find it.  Sorry! Too many people like me.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: We're going to move to a resolution as soon as we get this.

MARILYN: So Ron Fields of Maryland.  Let's see... Welsy Alberts, Amara Taron from Arizona.  I met him yesterday. Tammy Linski, Arizona.
And I got one more.  Sorry, sorry... Cortez Corvair, North Carolina.

Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay, keep up the great activity at the PAC Plan table. Now, the Resolutions Committee met on July 4, and I understand we have 22 resolutions to be considered by the convention.  Let's see if we can get a couple in before the noon hour.
So here is the chairman of the Resolutions Committee from Arizona, Donald Porterfield.

DONALD: Thank you, Mr. President.  The Resolutions Committee met on July 4th.  At that time the discussion was between the committee members only.  Today everybody that is a member will have an opportunity to vote, and we will take comments, and the floor mics, not the center aisle, but the two aisles to the left and right of the center aisle, is that correct, Mr. President?

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: That is correct.  Same place they were yesterday.

DONALD: So if you would like to speak on a resolution you need to get to a microphone quickly.  We have 22 resolutions.  We're going to start with 2024 01 regarding the accessibility of theme parks. Whereas, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requires that theme parks be accessible to individuals with disabilities;

And whereas, the United States Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing the ADA; And whereas, large theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios claim to provide accessible theme park experiences, but these experiences are insufficient and often ineffective to provide blind and low vision guests with equal access to the parks' attractions, experiences, and information; 

And whereas, Walt Disney World and Disneyland both post tactile maps of their theme parks, but these maps are large and stationary, meaning blind and low vision guests do not have accessible map information while moving about the park; 

And whereas, both Walt Disney World and Disneyland offer to blind guests a reasonable accommodation of a physical book containing park information concerning rides, attractions, shows, and food venues in large print or Braille, but this book is heavy, cumbersome, and potentially inconvenient to carry around the park and store while riding attractions; 

And whereas, neither Walt Disney World nor Disneyland offers an electronic version of this information, meaning those who use a reading media other than Braille or large print have no meaningful access to the information contained in this book; 

And whereas, Walt Disney World and Disneyland both offer an audio description service using a Disney provided handheld device available for rent, which includes information such as general area descriptions, queue and pre attraction descriptions, real time attraction audio description, nearby restrooms and restaurants, and service animal relief areas; 

And whereas, the handheld device uses beacons Disney has installed to trigger the description service, which is supposed to update as a guest navigates the park; 

And whereas, users report that some of the issues they've experienced with Disney's handheld devices include outdated hardware, short battery life requiring guests to return to guest services to replace their devices, frequently failing to connect to location beacons, attraction descriptions that are not properly synchronized with the attraction experience, descriptions for attractions that have been discontinued for many years, and general unreliability; 

And whereas, Walt Disney World and Disneyland both offer mobile applications that enable guests to perform tasks such as scheduling visits, scheduling rides using the Disability Access Service (DAS) and GeniePlus, joining attraction virtual queues, checking wait times for attractions, pre ordering food, getting walking directions to attractions and activities, and more; 

And whereas, most of these features and tasks are not accessible to those using the mobile applications with assistive technology;  And whereas, Disney's DAS program, with certain limitations, offers guests with disabilities and their traveling parties the ability to schedule ride times without having to wait in the stand by queue; 

And whereas, Disney recently changed its DAS program to grant access only to those with developmental disabilities;  And whereas, many blind Disney guests also have other disabilities which would make standing in a queue difficult or impossible, such as heart conditions, cancer, being immunocompromised, anxiety, and mobility disabilities; 

And whereas, Disney has denied the DAS applications for guests with intersectional disabilities including blindness, telling them they can use scooters, wheelchairs, and companions they bring as alternative accommodations;  And whereas, these guests have communicated that such alternative accommodations are ineffective because many blind guests cannot drive scooters, cannot push themselves in a wheelchair, or cannot provide a companion to push them, but Disney still denied their reasonable accommodation requests; 

And whereas, Disney's new DAS approach ignores those with intersectional disabilities related to mental health and immunity;  And whereas, Disney's one size fits all approach to disability accommodations fails to ensure that blind guests with intersectional disabilities have equal access as do non disabled guests to their theme parks;  And whereas, the Universal Studios mobile application also has significant accessibility challenges for those accessing the app with assistive technology; 

And whereas, Universal Studios does not offer an audio description service at all, and instead only offers access to attraction scripts in large print and Braille but not electronic formats;  And whereas, these scripts are only accessible at Guest Services, meaning guests cannot remove the scripts from that location or read the scripts while experiencing the attraction;

And whereas, though Universal Studios' attraction scheduling service application process for individuals with disabilities, including those who are blind with intersectional disabilities, is individualized and consistent with ADA disability definitions, the Universal Studios disability scheduling service uses a paper ride scheduling pass that is not accessible to the blind or others with print disabilities;  And whereas, blind guests, including those with intersectional disabilities, have a desire and a right to experience theme parks and their attractions and to be effectively accommodated when visiting: 

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this 7th day of July, 2024, in the City of that we call upon Orlando, Florida, that we call upon Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios to establish tactile maps that blind guests can take with them as they move about the parks;  And be it further resolved that we strongly urge Walt Disney World and Disneyland to make available their park information books in an accessible, electronic format and permit guests with disabilities including blindness to access them on their personal devices; 

And be it further resolved that we strongly urge Universal Studios to make available to its guests with disabilities including blindness Universal Studios' attraction scripts in an accessible, electronic format and permit guests to access these scripts on their own devices; 
And be it further resolved that we strongly urge Walt Disney World and Disneyland to update, modernize, and maintain their audio description services program and devices and strongly urge Universal Studios to implement an audio description device for its parks;
And be it further resolved that we strongly urge Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios to make their mobile applications fully accessible to guests with disabilities and that they consult with the National Federation of the Blind to ensure these apps are accessible and usable by the blind; 

And be it further resolved that we condemn and deplore the decision of the Disney Corporation to apply a one size fits all approach to reasonable accommodations for its guests, including those who are blind with intersectional disabilities; 

And be it further resolved that we demand that the Disney Corporation revise this discriminatory policy to make its DAS program comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, affording an individualized assessment for guests with disabilities; 

And be it further resolved that we strongly urge the Department of Justice and any applicable state entities with jurisdiction to immediately enforce the ADA with regard to theme park accessibility at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios. 

(Applause)

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: I assume the committee recommends do pass, Mr. Chairman?

DONALD: Yes, Mr. President, the Committee recommends that Resolution 2024 01 due pass.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It's moved and seconded.  I notice a line of people at the microphone.  Give me a moment.  First of all, if you are not interested in participating in the discussions or listening, I would encourage you to go out in the hall, not just stand in the doorway.
Number one.
(Applause)

Number two, we will take comments.  I would encourage people to keep their comments brief and not reiterate one of the whereas in the resolution.  Do we have someone against the resolution?  Tiffany Manosh.  Go ahead.

TIFFANY: Thank you, sir.  I have to say that for the majority of this resolution, I am in favor of it. However one whereas talks about the mobile applications, and then the whereas after that says that many of these are inaccessible.  That should have stated that only some and not many.  Because there are some that do work, such as finding the wait times being able to get in queues and so forth.  The only opposition that it says "many," however, I have spoken to one of the authors and understand the intent was to say some, but I just wanted everyone to be aware that some of those applications are accessible. Thank you very much, sir.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay.  Hold on.  Just to note, of course, we do not edit resolutions.  Our job is vote up or down, and reminder that if we vote a resolution down, not creating a policy, simply say, I don't adopt that policy.

SPEAKER: I'm for, but want to yield to Gallegos.

SPEAKER: I don't want to quibble over the definition of some or many.  I do respect Tiffany, I call her a friend, but I would like to say on the accessibility, if it takes somebody 15 minutes to get something done because it might be technically accessible versus usably accessible, then we need to vote this up.  We should take 30 seconds or one minute at most to get something done. So please vote for.  Thank you.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay, I see there is many more people at the microphones.  Do we have another person who wishes to speak in opposition to the resolution?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We do.  We do.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Are they at a microphone? Remember that you should be at the microphone if you are ready to speak.

THOMAS: Hello, my name is Thomas Dugman.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: You're against the resolution?

THOMAS: Not strongly, but some.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: If we someone to speak in opposition, if not we take a vote.  You can quibble with the resolutions, but your choices  are up or down. Okay, the question has been called. All in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no."

The ayes have it.  The resolution passes.
(Cheers and applause)

Mr. Chairman, you think we can get one more in?

DONALD: I believe we can, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Go for it.  One more.

DONALD: Resolution 2024 02 Regarding Legislation to Create a National Framework for Fully Autonomous Vehicle Deployment.
Whereas, the National Federation of the Blind advocates for equality, security, and opportunity for blind Americans in order for us to live the lives we want;

And whereas, the right to freely move and travel is a cornerstone of our society, enriching life and fostering economic opportunity; And whereas, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) outlines six levels of driving automation starting with Level 0, which is limited to warnings and momentary assistance such as a lane departure warning or automatic emergency braking system, and ending with Level 5, which is fully autonomous driving under all conditions with no geographical limitations;

And whereas, the advent of Level 4 autonomous vehicles, which are fully autonomous but restricted to operation only within specific geographical boundaries, presents a unique opportunity to revolutionize automotive travel, increasing transportation opportunities for the blind to the extent that blind people can now travel alone, in a fully autonomous automobile throughout several cities across the United States including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix;

And whereas, twenty-four states have passed legislation expressly permitting autonomous vehicles to operate within their borders;
And whereas, many bills that would limit the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles, and even specifically require a licensed driver in every fully autonomous vehicle have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, essentially stripping away a dream that is now a reality:

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the National Federation of the Blind that we call upon members of Congress to work with the National Federation of the Blind to pass legislation that would create a national framework for autonomous vehicles that ensures equal access to transportation for blind and low vision people, addresses potential access barriers to the use of autonomous vehicles by blind and disabled people, and promotes the inclusion of blind people in the testing and continued development phases of autonomous vehicle technology.

DONALD: Mr. President, the committee recommends do pass.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It's been moved and seconded to pass the resolution.  Is there any discussion? It doesn't appear that anybody is at a microphone.  Or making their way toward a microphone. Last call.  Any other discussion? Okay.  The question has been called.  All those in favor say aye.

(ayes respond)

Opposed say "no." The resolution passes.

(Applause)

So we're going to get a door prize here in a second. But let me say that a reminder that you can go to NFB.org /resolutions to read all of these resolutions.  They have been posted there many days now.  The text will be there any time you want to access in the afternoon during our discussions. Let's have a door prize.  We can maybe adjourn a minute early.

BENNETT: It's a good idea. And we've got 30 dollars for the next three people who are virtual participants for us.  If they go to [email protected] with the code word "museum," these people will get the 30 dollars.  Mary Ann Migliore from Colorado. And Lisa Golden of Texas.  That's an easy one. And Chante Aaron from Florida. And now we have an in-person prize or two.

KENIA: So we have the bag from Hawaii with chocolate and Skittles, 25 dollars and a warm blanket.  And that goes to Shannon Canton from High Park, Massachusetts!  I think I hear Shannon. Shannon is here.  Thank you!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: That's how you win a door prize! Do you want to give one more?

KENIA: Sure, we can give one more.

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: Okay, one more. Remember there is a great lunch offering by the hotel.

KENIA: The winner is Liam Carol from Tucson, Arizona! Is Liam here? Yes? Okay.  Great!

PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: All right, we will stand adjourned until 2:00 p.m.