Presidential Release #541, September 2024 Transcript

This file 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.

MARK RICCOBONO:. Greetings, fellow Federationists.  Tonight is Tuesday, September 3, 2024, and this is Presidential Release number 541, and here we are in September, entering a new season of change, a new season of action, and a new season of building for the National Federation of the Blind.

We just got done with our leadership seminar this past weekend, our 96th leadership seminar. So a really great group of emerging leaders, and we have for the next day or so here at our national office, we're proud to be hosting the caravan for Disability Freedom and Justice, and coming up later in September, got a lot of things going on.  The weekend of September 19th, we'll be hosting our new cohort of our Teachers of Tomorrow program with 20 participants from 15 of our affiliates.  And that same weekend, we'll be hosting the 2024-'25 class of the Kenneth Jernigan Leadership and Service program, where we'll have 16 individuals representing 16 of our affiliates.

So a lot of building going on here this month, and into the last quarter of the year. I have a lot to talk about this evening, but I want to start by highlighting voting, of course. September 16th is National Voter Registration Day, and we're a real champion for that.  We do want to encourage all blind people to get registered to vote, and then get out to vote.  It's important that we, as blind people, exercise our rights, and also our voice in the political process, whatever that is for you, and it's really important that we use the voting systems that are out there, we demand our accessible ballots either at the polls or absentee.  You can learn more about the voting process in your state through the NFB resources.  

Really, the National Federation of the Blind should be the place that you send people for information -- blind people -- for information about resources related to voting, including, we have a series of videos demonstrating how to use ballot-marking devices of various types and how to get access to those machines.  You can get access to the latest news in the election cycle on NFB NEWSLINE, of course, and then we have resources by state available.  All of that is on our website, and it's a really simple URL to send people to: Nfb.org/vote.  That's the place to send people and find information.  Encourage blind people in your community to get registered to vote.  Help them register to vote.  A great day to do that for our chapters and affiliates would be September 17th.

Now, I also do want to remind you to put on your calendar for November, besides Election Day, make sure that you put a marker down to fill out our blind voters survey.  Since 2008, we've been collecting information about the experience of blind voters in using that in our advocacy efforts.

So your participating in that, whether your experience is outstanding, fully accessible, or really horrible, is important, because that gives us data we can use in our advocacy efforts. So let's all get prepared to vote in this very important upcoming election, and series of elections across the country. Now, I want to talk to you for a moment about the Presidential Release.  It's sort of unusual to talk to you about it when we're right here in it!

You know, the Presidential Release, since the early 1970s, has been a monthly forum for engagement between the members of the Federation and their elected president -- our elected president. And it's intended to communicate information across our national movement so that we all have a common bond that we can share, we all can be focused on important issues, and it allows us an avenue for our elected president to speak directly to the members, and to encourage you to recognize that you can speak and engage and give feedback to our elected president.

And I can tell you that over the last decade, I've found it an important avenue for members to be able to get to know me and my voice before I show up at a convention or engage with people at national convention.  And people do reach out as a result of the Presidential Release, and it's a really great way for us to communicate to Federation members that we truly mean it when we talk about having elected leaders who are responsive to the people.

In April 2020, of course, we built this new format, which we've continued to offer since that time as a monthly vehicle for us to get together live.  It was interesting at the beginning (laughing), a little different! But we've settled into a nice routine, and we keep doing some new stuff.

And we've tried to make a recorded version of this live event available to chapters on a monthly basis, and I have been asking about what we can do to further sharpen and enhance that work. And so as a result of the feedback from you across the nation, we will be changing our recorded presidential release, and we will be changing it to have the recorded monthly release, played at chapter meetings, be a specific packaged message to be played at chapter meetings.  It may or it may not intersect with this live event.  And our goal will be to continue to offer this live platform so we can have interactive discussions and get timely information out.

But we're going to repackage the recorded version. Now, we will continue to offer the live event, of course, on YouTube.  You'll be able to get it on our YouTube channel, and we will continue to podcast it as well.
The chapter recording, our goal will be that it will be available by the first of the month.  Our target has been the first Saturday, but we're going to be now shooting for the first of the month, recognizing that some chapters may be meeting before the first Saturday.

And I would ask that every chapter play the recorded release.  Many of you already do. But I know that with the live release, that has slipped a little bit in some places. So I'm asking all chapters to plan for it in your agenda, plan to play the Presidential Release, and there will be times when we'll build components into it so that it can spark discussion, conversation as part of the chapter meeting.  We will be working to keep that recording to 15 minutes or less.  That's our commitment.  We're going to see how it works out.  Obviously, if we have something very, very pressing and complicated, that REALLY needs to be out there, we will exceed that.

But that's going to be our commitment. And it does mean that these live events are going to become even more important for timely announcements, information, Federation family news that is not going to happen in the recorded release. So we've been listening, and we think this new format is going to present some possibilities.

So watch for those resources in October.  And especially pay attention to when our next Presidential Release live will be, because it won't be on the first of the month! Now, for some time, we have been discussing the fact that both of the leading rideshare companies, Lyft and Uber, are failing to meet their obligations to ensure that their drivers are not discriminating against blind individuals, especially those of us who use guide dogs.  It is time for us to take the next increased action to try to get change in both of these companies and to bring awareness in the public of this issue.  We announced last month, and so I'm announcing it for the first time here on the Presidential Release, that next month in October, we will have a rideshare rally at the Lyft and Uber headquarters on October 15, 2024, in San Francisco, California.

And it -- our effort to turn up the heat is working.  There was a story, actually, on NBC Nightly News last Thursday about this issue, and naming the National Federation of the Blind, and the work that the Department of Justice is doing looking at this.  We need every affiliate to work to have representation at our rideshare rally in California.

Uber and Lyft are not meeting their responsibilities, and we want to be out on the streets, create awareness, so that these companies can meet a number of requests.  This, of course, includes that drivers must not discriminate.  They must pick up and transport blind passengers.

Secondly, rideshare companies need to have a zero-tolerance policy for violators of their policies and refusing to transport blind individuals. Rideshare companies must do all they can to reduce the burden that's placed on blind people when they are discriminated against and attempt to report an incident.  It's way too hard, way too complicated.  The burden should not be on the person who is discriminated against.

Also, rideshare companies MUST deliver better driver education on the policies and laws relating to passengers who are blind, especially passengers using guide dogs. So you can join our demonstration to pro test the rideshare discrimination that has been happening for far, far too long.

And, look, I know all of you have been very patient!  We have been working to try to get Uber and Lyft to do the right thing, to try to get them to move faster, to try to negotiate. But the time has come for us to turn up the heat, and the only way we can do that is if you show up in San Francisco to help out.

We are asking that those who are interested in participating, that you would express your interest in participating by filling out a form on our website that can get you into the communication channels for this as we're working out the details.  We don't want to put ALL of the secrets out there as the plans come together and we put in place what we need to.

So please let us know as soon as possible, and the way you do that is by submitting the interest form for the rideshare rally, which can be found on our homepage at nfb.org. Some of the exact details about where things will start and how will be coming, and we are currently still negotiating a hotel for those of you who need lodging in the San Francisco area.  We will have transportation available.  The form asks you if you need a room, and that's very helpful, because that will allow us to plan for what kind of room block we'll need at the hotel.

So please complete the interest form very soon.  I know many of you already have.  Share it with your friends.  Get folks to come out.  And of course we want individuals who have guide dogs to come, definitely.
But it's not limited just to those individuals.  Any Federationists can come, and I do encourage each of our affiliates to make sure that we have more than one person represented so we have a very good group there in San Francisco.

I'm looking forward to it.  I happened to be in San Francisco with my mom last month, and so I took the opportunity to stroll by the Uber and Lyft headquarters, scout things out.  It's gonna be a nice location for us to create some awareness.  Looking forward to being out on the streets to create awareness for White Cane Awareness Day 2024.

Now, a number of other topics to cover.  One of them relates to the AbilityOne program and National Industries for the Blind. In June, I sent a letter to the leaders in Congress reaffirming the Federation's position that Congress should not create any kind of new mandate to provide a guarantee increase in the percentage of government contracts, especially Department of Defense contracts, that go to the AbilityOne program.  That's not a new position for the Federation.  We've held this position for a long time.

It is and has been our position for many years that significant reforms need to happen in the AbilityOne program before we could support Congress creating a mandate and an increase in the program.
The first of those changes that we've been calling for, well, since 1940, is the elimination, of course, of the 14(c) provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Now, it is to the credit of the current commissioners of the AbilityOne program that they've been able to get that provision to really have some teeth to it and to go into effect.  It's been something that's been worked on for a long time.  Obviously it should have happened a long time ago.

But there are many, many more reforms that need to happen to improve this program for people with disabilities.  It has come to my attention that some of the local National Industries for the Blind associated agencies are now telling -- I guess I would say threatening Federation members that because of the Federation's position and our action in Congress, that individual blind people's jobs are in jeopardy at the local level.

This is simply not true.  We have NEVER advocated for a reduction in the AbilityOne program or for the elimination of contracts that would impact blind people's jobs, or for that matter, other people with disabilities.  This is the same claim that's been used against us related to 14(c).  It's not true.
Nothing stops these agencies from going out and competing for more contracts.  As a matter of fact, there is not a limit on the contracts that these agencies can get from the government.  They're now currently getting about half of a percent, a little more than half of a percent, from the Department of Defense, which is a huge, huge number on an annual basis.  The misinformation is simply a game intended to divide Federation members from the leaders and to create dissention in our movement.  Don't believe it.  It's completely irresponsible for these agencies to threaten Federation members because we want quality reform in this program.

Furthermore, a number of these agencies have threatened to pull their sponsorship support or exhibit support from affiliate conventions simply as a way to get sympathy for their position.  Don't believe it!
And if they need to take their money and don't want to be part of the local convention, tell them see ya later. Don't sell out blind people.

Our Federation would NEVER, under any circumstances, work to eliminate jobs for blind people. But we're working to create a future where competitive, integrated employment is the standard. And we need to press forward with reform of the AbilityOne program.  This is going to help blind people and all people with disabilities.

Also, don't let these agencies make you think that the policies aren't sent by the members themselves.  The members of the Federation acting in our convention set the policies that we're pursuing.  It's not some grand group of people sitting in a room somewhere in Baltimore that's made these decisions.

I appreciate those Federation leaders across the country who have raised this to our attention.  I have sent a letter to the CEO of National Industries for the Blind and also the chair of the Association of the NIB Agencies to discuss this issue.  They, uh, haven't responded to the letter yet, but I suspect they will, and we'll be prepared to talk to them.

But I would encourage you not to buy in to the spin -- to stick with blind people and to stick with our efforts to raise expectations. If you have any questions, I'd be happy for you to reach out to me, or you can reach out to one of our Governmental Affairs Specialists. If you are in a local NIB agency and you are receiving retaliation because of the position that the Federation has taken, please let us know.

Now, on to something a little more positive and fun!  Is how we're going to break some barriers and take a little action in the month of November to create opportunities for blind people.  I'd like to thank our National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, which is leading an NFB team to build the Federation family and make connections for our end of year fundraising campaign.  NOPBC cordially invites you to join the NFB Bay Bridge Run team.  Every member across the country can participate.

Once a year, pedestrians can cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge here in Maryland.  This year, you can do so and build a bridge to the future to connect people within the organized blind movement. You are invited to join Team NFB, led by our NOPBC board, to walk or run across the Bay Bridge, and you can do so either in person, or you can participate in Team NFB virtually, which is a great way for everybody across the country to help out.

You can register for the Team National Federation of the Blind Dreamers, which will be part of this effort. National Federation of the Blind Dreamers. And if you are going to register, the registration cost for the Bay Bridge event will be reduced to $65 for each team member.

Our goal is for every team member who registers to also raise at least $300 to go to benefit the National Federation of the Blind in our end of year fundraising campaign.  The deadline to register will be November 1st.  We don't have all of the information together when I'm recording this release.

So I'm going to encourage you to look for more information on our webpage.  It will be there in about a week. So please watch for emails.  It will tell you about how to participate in person, but also virtually. And it sounds like a fun thing to do! Also, our outreach group here at the national office will be holding an information session some time in the coming weeks, so watch for that information if you want to get on Zoom and hear about the Bay Bridge effort and what it might mean to participate in person or virtually.  

And of course, every member of the Federation is encouraged to help raise money for our end of the year campaign. So please consider coming out on November 10, 2024, and be part of the National Federation of the Blind Dreamers team on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

I guess sticking with the theme of being active, I want to acknowledge that the Paralympics are currently going on in Paris, with over 4400 athletes, among them, of course, many blind Paralympians competing in goalball and archery and judo and all sorts of other categories.  NFB is proudly rooting for Team USA, and of course, we have a number of our members who are competing in this year's Paralympics.

So we send them an extra-special boost of positive athletic energy as the Paralympics happen.
You can find the schedule and information about the Paralympics by going to Teamusa.com, and best wishes to all Paralympians from the members of the National Federation of the Blind.

Now, the National Federation of the Blind encourages all of us to be more active in our communities. Frequently, when people experience blindness for the first time, they think  their period of activity and getting around independently is over, and one of the things we do is help them understand that is not true.  Get them a white cane in their hand and get them out and moving in the community.

And of course, our Sports and Recreation Division is one of the ways that we really encourage people to get active and live actively by getting involved in competitive sports and other things.  But, of course, simply pushing ourselves to make sure that we are living as healthily as possible.

We recently asked some Paralympians that we've interacted with the question of, what would you say to blind children and adults who have been told, or think, they can't play sports or be very active?  I have two clips from individuals that we've heard from recently.  One is Christella Garcia, who is competing in these Paralympics in judo.  She was one of our initial leaders in developing the NFB Sports and Recreation Division.  Here's what she says to the question.

CHRISTELLA: Sports is fun!  That's it.  Whatever sport you choose that you like.  And try all of them.  You know, it's not a one size fits all. But have fun.  You know, sometimes when you have a disability such as blindness, there are so many people who are going to tell you the reasons why you can't and why you shouldn't, and so you should want something so badly that you'll do anything that it takes to be able to accomplish your goals.

And I'd also really like to, you know, tell parents to really just try to support your kids and really get them active and get them moving.  It's going to foster a lot of independence and growth.  Through my sport, I've traveled all over the world and so many crazy countries.  And there's so much that you learn on the field, but you grow more off of it.  The relationships and friendships that I've been able to build and opportunities I've been able to have.  I think the coolest thing my parents did was let me fall down and get hurt, perfectly honestly, doing things that I didn't need to do. But I also learned to get back up and be stronger

MARK RICCOBONO: And again, good luck to Christella in the Paralympics this year. And another individual who is a competitor in goalball was actually at our convention this year to help teach goalball to members during our Sports and Recreation activities.  This is Mindy Cook, who we also asked this question to.

MINDY: I would absolutely say that blind kids should try.  I mean, nobody is going to go chase your dream but yourself.  You have to ask the questions and really just start competing.  Or even just practicing.  One step at a time.  It's a very slow process, but chasing your dream is so important, and just keeping that in mind, and just, like, and just try!  Because it's going to take fear and working through that.
But what I always say is on the other side of fear is opportunity, and the world is yours!

MARK RICCOBONO: All right. So let's use this cooler temperatures of September, maybe, to get out and be a little more active and get ready for that Bay Bridge walk/run.  I can tell you, if I'm participating, it's gonna be a walk, but at least I'll be out there!

So see what you can do in your chapters to push a little more activity! Now, I've talked about both change and action so far. So let's talk about a season of building capacity.  And this is an item I'm really excited to bring to Federationists here for the first time this evening.

You know, every year, after our national convention, we always take some time and examine the work that we're doing, reset our operations, and make changes that will help us fulfill the aggressive agenda that the convention has set for the organization.

Often new projects or even new approaches have been brewing for months, and sometimes years.  Sometimes the stars have to align, the resources have to be there.  Sometimes conversations are going on in and amongst the leaders and members for a long time.

And, you know, before the convention, we rarely make dramatic changes in our operations in the month leading up to the national convention.  I think for obvious reasons.

For a number of years, I've been attempting to more closely align our technology work with our strategic priorities, to make sure that we're influencing the accessibility and systemic changes that we need to have happen for blind people.

Among the biggest technology companies -- well, among all of the sized technology companies, big or small -- at our convention this year, the Bolotin Award Committee selected the Living Blindfully podcast, led by Jonathan Mosen of New Zealand, to receive recognition from the Federation.

Living Blindfully, and specifically Jonathan Mosen, has been contributing significantly to the organized blind movement for some time through his community building efforts, his advocacy with technology companies, and his articulation of a positive philosophy of blindness, which clearly has been influenced by the development of the Federation and the shared wisdom of our members and leaders throughout the organized blind movement.

It's a good example of how our work in this nation impacts blind people all over the world. Jonathan's attendance at our convention gave me an opportunity to speak with him about his work and about our strategic priorities.  This led to our having a number of intense conversations about our hopes and dreams for the future, both the Federation's hopes and dreams and Jonathan's perspectives.

I want to talk to you about the conclusion of those conversations now and what it means for the National Federation of the Blind. A couple of days ago, Jonathan publicly announced that he -- that his venture, Living Blindfully, would cease publication at the end of September. Now, this is certainly a surprise to members of the Federation who enjoy his podcast.  I count myself as one of them.

So I'm sure many of you who have enjoyed the positive content that Jonathan has been producing were quite surprised at this announcement.  And especially considering that our movement awarded him a significant recognition through our Bolotin Award program.

I do want to assure you of three things. The first is that Jonathan had no plans to cease publication of Living Blindfully when he graciously accepted, in a heartfelt way, the Bolotin Award during our convention this summer.  Second, our Bolotin Award Committee made a great choice in Living Blindfully, and we should recognize that the recognition by the Federation in this program is not simply to hope that something great will happen in the future.  Bolotin Award recognition is to acknowledge significant work that HAS been done, consistent with the values of the National Federation of the Blind, with the hope that that work will continue to make a difference in the future.

My third assurance for all Federation members is that Jonathan's work will make a difference in the future. Since the convention, my conversations with Jonathan have included how he might contribute his talents and abilities, perspectives, and strong philosophical understanding to the priorities of the National Federation of the Blind.

And I've also closely observed Jonathan's keen skill in communications and in engaging a broad cross-section of blind people from around the world in creating blind-centered conversations, and I've been interested in how that kind of talent and communications skill might add value to how we communicate our mission and values.

So I have asked Jonathan Mosen to take on strategic work related to the Federation's technology accessibility and communications priorities to build further capacity within the organized blind movement.
Really excited to share that with you for the first time here on this release.

The details of that work will be unfolding in the coming months.  I'm not going to detail it all to you today for a number of reasons. But for now, if you are like me, you recognize that there's a lot more work we need to do.

And I feel a great sense of excitement about having Jonathan Mosen prepared to work on our strategic priorities within the National Federation of the Blind. Related to Living Blindfully, Jonathan considered very carefully whether he could continue Living Blindfully and take on the strategic work that we were hoping he would pursue.  Ultimately, he decided that both were not possible, and I want to say that I fully support that decision.

I also am confident that our combined efforts will create even more systemic synergy that will foster the kind of communications and engagement that have been found in the Living Blindfully community.  I think we can really exceed those efforts.

And I think it will be to the credit of the Living Blindfully community that Jonathan's work within the organized blind movement will be even further enhanced by combining our talents with Jonathan's. We recognize that the Federation is a global leader for blind people.  While our work is primarily in the U.S., we have a responsibility to set a philosophical leadership tone, which we have now for many decades, that has inspired blind people all over the world.  

We also recognize that we play a unique role as America's civil rights membership organization of blind people, where the most -- some of the most important technology companies in the world are right here on our home soil, and we potentially have the greatest opportunity to influence their accessibility efforts and to drive them in a direction that doesn't shut us out.

So that means we have a responsibility to the global blind community.  And our intent in bringing Jonathan into our work is to meet the spirit of that commitment in a new and dynamic way.  Together, we truly will transform dreams into reality.

Now, let me make a couple of other more personal comments about this announcement. I've had many deeply personal conversations with Jonathan over the past couple months. And I am completely confident that I know the heart and personal values of the man, and I think they're completely consistent with our movement.

I also know the personal struggles that he has faced, including the common concerns that we all share and experience as blind people.  Jonathan is what I think of as a long-time Federationist, and some of you may be saying, whoa, wait a minute, that's kind of radical!

But although he has not lived in country and has not been, quote, active in the National Federation of the Blind in the way that we often think of it, his understanding of the experience of blind people, his commitment to giving back, his desire to change the public image of blind people, comes from that very same collective heartbeat that we share in this movement together.

I anticipate that many of you will get more of an opportunity to get to know Jonathan in a real way, more than simply a voice and a personality coming from your podcast, in a way that I've had the opportunity to get to know him. And I expect that the next phase of his work and your getting to know him will present opportunities for all of us that we can only dream of today.

It's truly been an honor to get to know the heart and qualities of Jonathan Mosen, and I'm really excited that he has made the personal commitment to give his time and talent to this movement, which I love so deeply, and I know each of you do as well.

I think you all, when you get the opportunity to get to know him in a real way, through our future activities, I think you're going to find the same things that I have, and I think you're going to be even more excited, and dream even bigger about we can do together.

You know, in a time when it's easier than ever for blind people, some blind people, to say, you know, we've gotten all of these great advantages we never had before, why do we need a movement of blind people?  Jonathan Mosen says something different.  He says, we have all of these great advantages because of the organized blind movement.  And why don't we go the rest of the way together?

And that's what really makes me excited about giving you this announcement, coming first to Federation members.  Those of you who are tuned in this evening will be ahead of the curve, and I hope that you will support this as an important phase of growing our technology and accessibility work into the future.
I think there's only one other thing I can say on this important item at this time, and that's: Let's go build the Federation.  Really, truly excited about this, and you'll hear more from Jonathan and more from me on these topics in the future.

Now, after that, that should be a mic drop, really! But we do have some important folks with us this evening.  I mentioned that we are honored to have the caravan for Disability Freedom and Justice here at the National Center for the Blind here for the next day.

And we didn't have time to talk about it in great detail here.  You will see more about it in our social media.
But my colleague, Chris Danielsen, did capture a little recording earlier today, so I wanted to give you that to whet your appetite to learn about the caravan

Hello, everybody, this is Chris Danielsen, and I have the privilege here of being with the disability caravan, and I'm going to let one of the folks who is part of this effort to introduce themselves.  Sandy, introduce yourself

SANDY: I'm the executive director of Touch the Future, which is the physical agent for the Caravan for Disability Freedom and Justice.  I'm one of the primary drivers and will have driven for about three months of the six month tour.  We just came from Wilkes-Barre

CHRIS: That's right, that's where we were founded in 1940.  Happy to have you come from the place of our founding to the place of our headquarters.  Tell us more

SANDY: The caravan is all about the disability movement and the resources and things that are happening today and looking towards the future. So we're doing a lot with supporting different legislation, whether it's local, state, or federal legislation, as well as getting information out about disability rights for voting, making sure people are registered and informed so that they're making wise choices on candidates that support disability.

CHRIS: Excellent.  And you've got one particular piece of legislation that you're focused on, or maybe you want to give that one, and maybe another example, or just the one example?

SANDY: Sure. The LaTonya Reece Freedom Act is one example and representative of many of the legislations that are out there.  This year, the caravan launched so it would coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Olmstead decision, whereas past caravan tours have been around the passage of the ADA.

What the Act would do is essentially codify the Olmstead decision so it's not just a decision that could get reversed but would make it law.  It says people with disabilities have a right to choose where they live and get services and supports that they need to be able to live there independently.

CHRIS: That's critically important for sure.  We are happy to have you here at the National Federation of the Blind.  We share the belief that disability rights are human rights, and we certainly want to support our fellow disabled Americans in the disability movement, and we certainly support the effort to have us all get out and vote!

MARK RICCOBONO: Thank you, Chris, for capturing that piece, and really honored to have the caravan here and, actually, they're in the room here with us this evening live. So thank you for being here, and hope, if you're in Baltimore, you'll get a chance to come by tomorrow and check out the caravan.  A number of important pieces projecting the important moments in disability rights history are reflected there.  And of course, that's very fitting, knowing that our building here is the future site of the Museum of the Blind People's Movement.

So lots of great synergies with the broader disability movement, and we're honored to host a stop of the caravan, and hope you'll get to participate. Okay, I want to leave some time for questions, so I'm going to move quickly through the rest of the things.  First, I do want to acknowledge our National Federation of the Blind DeafBlind Division, which released a statement last month encouraging the Helen Keller National Center to undertake some significant efforts to be much more centered on DeafBlind individuals and include DeafBlind individuals in their leadership and governance and decision-making.

We definitely support our DeafBlind Division, and I would encourage you to check out their statement on that, and if you're in a position to help the division in its work to encourage greater participation at a real level from the DeafBlind in programs for the DeafBlind, I would level urge you to do that in solidarity with our DeafBlind Federation members.

Couple of announcements.  One more pressing, but one you'll want to plan for. The first is that registration for our National Federation of the Blind virtual career fair is now open! On October 22, 2024, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, via Zoom, our National Federation of the Blind Employment Committee will host the virtual career fair.  This event is free for job seekers, and the registration fee for employers is $100.

You can find the registration forms and information on the National Federation of the Blind employment webpage at nfb.org, and I would encourage job seekers to reach out if they have questions, and also would encourage employers that wish to participate to reach out.

I would urge you to go to the website to get the email addresses to do that, and we do hope that all those that are interested in having a job will participate.  I think our committee has done a really great job at building these virtual career opportunities, and please promote the opportunity to employers that you know of, if you've got an employer that's a great employer and you want more blind people working there, let them know.  Get them to register and look forward to our October 22nd virtual career fair.

Further in the future, 2025, want to announce our Midwest Student Seminar for 2025, Friday, March 22nd, to Sunday, March 24, 2025.  It's gonna happen at the Holiday Inn Chicago, Chicago O'Hare, that is.  And our National Association of Blind Students definitely encourages you to come.  This is an important annual opportunity for students in the Midwest region to come together to learn techniques and tips and tricks for being successful as a blind student and also getting connected into the tremendous network that is the National Association of Blind Students.

You can register using the Midwest Student Seminar registration form.  We'll put that link here in the chat.
But you can also find it at our website by visiting the student Division webpage. And if you have questions about the event, you are asked to contact Hunter Kiester, and his email address is hunter, last name Kuester -- all one word, hunterkuester2 at gmail.com.  Does make you wonder who Hunter Kuester1 was, but I won't confuse the message!

Definitely encourage you to participate in that.

Now, we have had some new folks join our preauthorized contribution program, and so I want to welcome the NFB of Mississippi Magnolia Chapter, as well as the NFB of Mississippi itself, for being the newest chapters and affiliates on our preauthorized contribution program.

I do have just a few Federation family notes to share with you on this release.  I regret to inform you of the passing of Glenn Baker from Florida, who passed away on Thursday, August 22nd, after battling cancer for some time.

Glenn was a long-time member.  He first joined the Federation in our Arkansas affiliate, and later moved to Florida, where he has been very active, along with his wife, Kaye, in the Jacksonville chapter.  Kaye continues to serve as the chapter president there.

In Georgia, we've learned of the passing of Charles Ledgister, who passed away on September 1, 2024, at his home in Jonesboro, Georgia.  He was serving in his first term on the affiliate board and had been a leader and very active in the local chapter.

And finally, from Ohio, we learned of the passing of Henry Butler, Jr., on August 29, 2024.  He was a dedicated member of our Cleveland chapter.

Please keep all of these members and those we may not have known about, their family and friends, in your thoughts and prayers. I do have one joyous piece of news for this release, which is that Tina and Nick Reisner celebrated the birth of their daughter on August 5, 2024, at 2:08 a.m.

Abigail Jeanne Reisner weighed in at 8 pounds -- let's see, 8.13 pounds, and measuring 21 inches long.  I should say that the Reisners live in the great state of Utah, and I'm told that everybody is doing well.
And so I'd like to welcome Abigail as the newest member of the National Federation of the Blind.

Pam, over to you.

PAM ALLEN: Wow, President Riccobono.

Now, that was a jam-packed Presidential Release!

(Laughter)

MARK RICCOBONO: And I shortened it!

PAM ALLEN: Well, it's exciting, we dream big, we lead courageously, that's how we do it in the National Federation of the Blind!

MARK RICCOBONO: That's right, that's right.

PAM ALLEN: Such good news.  We're happy to welcome Jonathan and all of the other things that are happening in our organization. So thank you so much for your leadership.

FAQ

I think we have time for a couple questions.
First of all, we have a question. We know that Blind Equality Achievement Month is coming up, so we have questions from someone on how to participate or initiate activities in their community.  They are not in an area where there is yet a chapter. So they want to know, as an individual, what can they do to promote our message?

MARK RICCOBONO: Well, it's a great question.  What I would say is, even if you're in an area without a local chapter, I would reach out to your state affiliate.  State affiliate may know of other blind people in your community, near your community, that you could partner with, and you could learn about what some of the priorities of the affiliate might be that would be helpful to promote in the local community.  Maybe the affiliate's working on accessible prescription drug labeling, and maybe there's an opportunity to partner to do some public outreach.

Maybe there's an opportunity to do some educational efforts at the local schools or that sort of thing. I would start by talking to your affiliate, and then connecting with other blind people.  Of course, there's a lot you can do yourself, but I think it's more powerful if you get a group of blind people together.

Of course, we have a lot of literature that you can help disseminate.  And one great way to do that is to find where the local eye doctors are and go drop off positive literature about blindness to those places.  We know that a lot of times, when people are diagnosed as blind, eye doctors say, well, good luck to you, and there's no next steps.

So that would be another positive way you could help out. But I would say definitely connect with your local affiliate.

PAM ALLEN: Definitely, and I know we're all getting ready for great events that are happening. Our next question is related to our national office and what happens at our national office and is there a training center at our national office.

MARK RICCOBONO: Ha ha!!  Well, what happens at our national office?  That's a great question!
First of all, this is our national headquarters, so, you know, the bulk of our national staff work at this building, although they're really working to advance activities all over the country.

So not just here in this building, but a lot of the work is outreach work to benefit folks across the country.
We do have a lot of events in our building. We have had a recent leadership seminar this past weekend, and of course, we have our historical archives. We have our library where we have a number of exhibits.  We have our International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, where we gather every braille and speech-related device, and we test them.  And one of the things we're going to be doing with Jonathan Mosen is thinking about the IBTC of the future.

We do not run a training center here, though.  We made a very specific decision -- convention did -- not to have a training center here at the national office.  You know, our training centers are independently run nonprofit organizations that are proudly affiliated with the Federation.  We could easily -- we have the space, when I say "easily" -- for a training center.

But we've made a very positive decision that that's not something that we're going to do.  We want to make sure we use our national dollars to bring to scale other activities, and we proudly support the training programs that we're affiliated with, like the Louisiana Center for the Blind!

PAM ALLEN: Awesome, and we are grateful for that for sure. And also, President Riccobono, you know, we have a lot of excitement over announcements that are happening tonight.  We had one question related to rideshare.  It said, how do people make reports of ongoing issues with ridesharing services and discrimination?

MARK RICCOBONO: Ah, that's a great, great reminder. So you can still go to nfb.org/rideshare, and you will find our rideshare reporting form there as well. And so we will continue to maintain that, continue to collect data, and we do, as we did at the convention, encourage you to report incidents also to the Department of Justice.  We're fortunate that the Department of Justice has been giving this attention, and so we also want to make sure those incidents get reported to the Department of Justice.

The other thing I would say is, if you're in one of those situations, I know a lot of blind people, when they call a rideshare now and they have a guide dog, are taking video before the drivers even show up, knowing that there's a lot of denials.  We would love to have those videos also so that we can use them with the media and in other arenas to continue to bring awareness to this.

So you can definitely share those with our communications group here at the national office. [email protected]. But definitely fill out the survey form at nfb.org/rideshare.  Regret that we have to keep collecting data, but the only way that we're going to get change is for us to have the data to really demonstrate that this continues to be a significant problem.

PAM ALLEN: Excellent.  Thank you so much, and thank you, everyone, for being with us tonight, for submitting questions.  We really appreciate the participation, and if we did not have a chance to answer your question directly, our outstanding communications team will be following up with you.
So thank you, again, so much for making our Q&A feature such an important part of our Presidential Release this evening.

Thank you so much for being with us tonight. Join us for the next Presidential Release live on Tuesday, October 15th, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and 5:30 p.m. Pacific, live from San Francisco. You can contact President Riccobono at 410-659-9314 or via email at [email protected]. Thank you so much, and I will pass it back to you, President Riccobono.

MARK RICCOBONO: Thank you very much, Pam. That does bring me to the end of an intense and information-packed Presidential Release, talking about a season of change, a season of action, and a season of building capacity.  I can't think of a better way to end but some more customary endings from students that were in our Louisiana BELL Academy.

So here are some offerings, customary endings, from Amelia, Serenity, and Emerson.

Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind!  CHILD: Why did Cinderella get kicked off the soccer team?

Because she ran away from the ball!

What do you call noodles with a cold?  Macaroni and sneeze!

What kind of shoes do robots wear?  Reboots!

The preceding message was brought to you by Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 410-659-9314.  [email protected]  follow on Mastodon.  Just search for at president@nfbsocial.  Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind!