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.
PAM ALLEN: Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for being with us for the Presidential Release tonight. We are exciting to be broadcasting live from Washington, D.C. Thank you so much for being with us as we are celebrating Blind Equality Achievement Month.
If you have questions, please send them now through the Q&A feature on the web or mobile app or send an email to [email protected].
Along with the closed captions in Spanish and on Zoom, we are using the captioning feature of 1CapApp that can be used for captioning at your own pace. We'll add that link through the web or the mobile app.
We'll be getting started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Thank you again so much for being here tonight at the National Federation of the Blind. We know that we can live the lives we want.
(Music playing)
SPEAKER: Announcement regarding Spanish interpretation (Speaking in Spanish)
(Music playing Live the Life You Want)
PAM ALLEN: Good evening, everyone. And are we out there, Washington, D.C.?
(Cheering)
PAM ALLEN: Who are we?
ALL: NFB!
PAM ALLEN: It's so great to be with all of you. Welcome, everyone, to the October presidential release. President Riccobono, how are you?
MARK RICCOBONO: I'm doing great. How are you, Pam?
PAM ALLEN: I'm doing great. Sounds like quite a crew there?
MARK RICCOBONO: Energetic crowd for Blind Equality Achievement Month. We wish you were here.
PAM ALLEN: I know. We are there in spirit for sure. It's been great getting things started there with a busy weekend ahead. We have a lot of state conventions happening in October. So we are very honored to be with you on our great D.C. affiliate live. So I'll turn it over to you to get things started.
MARK RICCOBONO: All right, Pam. We've got a lot of work to do tonight. And I know you'll probably have questions people are sending. Just remember, we have to be done by 9:07.
PAM ALLEN: All right, I'll keep that in mind.
MARK RICCOBONO: 9:07. You know why, right?
PAM ALLEN: Of course. I know there's some pretty exciting things happening.
MARK RICCOBONO: Yeah, yeah, because Milwaukee is going to beat the Cubs starting at 9:08. (Laughter)
PAM ALLEN: We are going to be watching very carefully. We are going to be watching the time so we can celebrate that win.
MARK RICCOBONO: But of course, you know, we'll do what we need to do.
PAM ALLEN: That's right. That's right. Priorities. Priorities, right?
MARK RICCOBONO: All right. It's great to be with you.
PAM ALLEN: Good to be with you, too.
MARK RICCOBONO: Greetings, fellow Federationists. Tonight is Thursday, October 9, 2025. And this is Presidential Release Live Number 52 live from the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C.!
(Cheering)
MARK RICCOBONO: And great to have this as a kickoff to the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of the District of Columbia. And we're going to hear more from our affiliate later in this gathering this evening.
We do have a lot of business to get to just for those that might be tuning in in various ways. We are streaming audio tonight. But we are not streaming video. But this crowd looks fabulous, I can tell you that. It looks fabulous. (Laughter).
So let's start off by talking about Blind Equality Achievement Month. Since 1940, blind people have taken ownership for speaking and acting for ourselves. And that includes educating the public about the true capacity of blind people. About the truth about blindness.
For us, October gives us an opportunity to put an extra big effort, an extra big spotlight on our history that we have made together. And more importantly, our hopes and dreams for the future.
What we have achieved as blind people is important and significant. And we need to consider where we might go in the future. Where we want to go is even more exciting than where we have been. And we have not yet found the limits for blind people. And we are not fully integrated into all aspects of society like we would like to be. So what will be achieved when our blind children have quality and timely access to competent Braille instruction.
And access to devices like the Monarch. What will we learn from blind people breaking down the barriers in innovative areas like being part of the astronaut core? And what understanding will be created when we have five or ten blind people serving in the halls of Congress instead of just one? How will employment opportunities be different when we educate nonblind people from the youngest ages that blindness is just a characteristic that does not limit people from living the lives they want.
And how much stronger will our society when newly blind seniors get access to the resources and especially the understanding of blindness that we share together and to continue to be able to live in their homes with joy and purpose.
This is why we use October to highlight the achievements of blind people working together toward equality, toward the equality that we deserve in society. This is why we share our hopes and dreams and seek ways to enlist allies in helping us achieve those dreams.
October is not the only time we do this. But it is an important time for us to bring focus. This month we put extra energy and imagination into getting out into the public with our message of hope for blind people. We have so much more work to do. And we will make the achievements of the blind come true by working together.
We recognize that we are stronger together. We link arms to imagine and build a future full of opportunities. And so, my sisters and brothers, let me be the first to say, Happy Blind Equality Achievement Month!
(Cheers)
MARK RICCOBONO: To kick off this release and our Blind Equality Achievement Month, I wanted to give just a couple of moments to a gentleman who serves on the National Board of Directors for the Federation.
And he serves as President of the National Federation of the Blind of the District of Columbia. He knows a lot about equality and the struggle that blind people face. And he's doing something about it. Ladies and gentlemen, here is Shawn Callaway.
(Cheers and applause)
SHAWN CALLAWAY: Thank you, President Riccobono.
My fellow Federationists, especially those out in Zoom land, I tell you, Blind Equality Achievement Month means so much to me.
One of the things I want people to understand is that when you seek equality, you must have confidence in your blindness. Before becoming a Federationist, I did not have much confidence in being blind. But as I became a Federationist, my confidence grew. And I began to seek equality. And that's a big deal when it comes to this month for me.
I know many of you have heard many times, and I don't mind continuing to talk about my princess. I have no problem talking about my princess. Because I know for a fact, because of the Federation, I'm on equal footing to be a father with anyone, any man in this country and in this world. You can't question my ability as a blind father.
I just want to let you all know that when it comes to blindness, Blind Equality Achievement Month, always remember your confidence will take you a long way. And it is your confidence to create equality and inclusion for us as all blind people. You are walking awareness.
When people see you out in the street, they see a confidence, independent blind person. That's what we are as Federationists. And I want you all to remember that. Thank you so much. And have a wonderful evening.
MARK RICCOBONO: All right, thank you, Shawn.
(Cheers and applause)
MARK RICCOBONO: All right. We got a lot to talk about this evening. And we have already enjoyed some time here at the D.C. Convention talking about the nature of the work that we do. But I do have a few announcements and things to share with Federationists across the country and certainly considering that we're here in Washington, D.C., it seems most appropriate to start by acknowledging that there are many pressing issues that we are concerning about and continue to work on within the National Federation of the Blind.
But I want to acknowledge that a number of our members, especially right here in D.C., but not exclusively in D.C., who are blind, are impacted by the Government shutdown. Many of them are being asked to continue to do their work even though they are not being paid. So while we read about and hear on the news about the shutdown, we should recognize that blind people are significantly impacted by this as well.
And of course, we spent a good portion of this year trying to support blind people in this affiliate and others who have been ripped from government positions. So we will continue to advocate for the work we do while standing with our blind brothers and sisters who are impacted by the broader changes in the government and the inability of Congress to get along. You know? So I just wanted to put that out there to start, because I know it is having a direct impact on the lives of people right here in the room this evening.
Now, we got a lot of bills that we are making things happen with in Congress. And I'm really pleased to announce that on Friday, September 26th, with the support of Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, were able to get the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Cheers and applause)
MARK RICCOBONO: Now, as a reminder, this bill will require the Food and Drug Administration to create a set of nonvisual accessibility standards for home use, community use, in home medical devices with a digital screen. And I know many of you who already deal with accessibility issues with those devices today.
Manufacturers of these devices will be compelled to make sure that they are accessible. The bill was introduced with 12 originating co sponsors, which is really significant, especially since we had representation from both parties in Congress. We had co sponsors from California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. So congratulations to those states.
Of course, Illinois wasn't on the list, but the sponsors from Illinois. So this is a great opportunity for you to call or email your Members of Congress and ask them to support this bill. You know, we have worked hard to get the bill introduced. And so now we need to move it through Congress. The Bill number is H.R. 5605. And I encourage you to work on that as soon as possible.
I do want to say that our advocacy work is making a difference. And the work that you do to reach out to Congress, let them know about our priorities, does make a difference. Over the past six weeks, our advocacy and policy group has sent out six separate legislative alerts that all of you across the country have been activated on.
Two of these legislative alerts had to do with appropriations or funding matters that we are concerned about in Congress. And four of the alerts asked you to call or email Members of Congress about specific issues. So I just wanted to quickly remind you about these alerts, because they still need your urgent attention.
One of the issues that we have asked Federationists to call in support of is the CONNECT for Health Act. And this bill will preserve telehealth benefits under Medicare which technically did expire on October 1st.
Now, this is not simply a blind issue, right? There's lots of people all over the country who are benefiting from telehealth. In fact, even the doctors like it. But blind people, because we have less access to transportation, we're not allowed to legally drive.
And Waymo is not in every place, but it is in D.C. now, right? That's pretty cool. But you still want to be able to get the benefit of telehealth. So we need to help push on that bill.
And also, of course, we have had the legislative alerts about our other bills in Congress, the Access Technology Affordability Act and our website bill. You can read all the alerts on our website.
And if you have already taken action on these six alerts, please keep up the pressure. Please follow up with your Members of Congress. And see why they haven't yet sponsored these initiatives.
If they have signed on as co sponsors, thank them. Call them and thank them for doing it. And if you haven't yet taken the opportunity to talk to Members of Congress, now is your opportunity to commit to helping with these bills. It is not too late. We still have to get a number of these issues passed through Congress.
How do you find out about the advocacy alerts if you haven't already? NFB.org/advocacy. You can read all about it.
Well, since we are talking advocacy, and since we are right here in the district, it seems appropriate to talk about the 2026 Washington Seminar. Yeah. Absolutely. As we approach the end of the year, it is time to think about the Washington Seminar, which will kick off on Monday, January 26th, 2026. And it will run through Thursday, January 29th.
And I bet the D.C. affiliate will make it a warm and welcoming place, especially with Krispy Kreme. We will again be at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol on the National Mall. It's been a great host to us for many, many decades now. So we know it well. Room rates for the 2026 Washington Seminar are 194 dollars per night. I can tell you that's less expensive than what I'm paying to stay in this hotel this weekend. Or we're paying, I should say.
Plus tax. And our room block for this event is now open. So you can make your reservations now to stay for our Washington Seminar. Details are available on the Washington Seminar page, which is NFB.org/Washington seminar. So get your room reservations early, because they may go quickly. And we got a lot of work to do, right? So we need four, five, 600 people to show up in Washington, D.C. in January.
Now, we are in Blind Equality Achievement Month. And this is also known as Disability Employment Month. And so, I want to give those who are tuned in a final reminder that we do have coming up later this month a Virtual Career Fair. So all of the job seekers out there who might want to participate, the deadline is quickly approaching.
The National Federation of the Blind 2025 Virtual Career Fair will take place on October 28th of this month from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. And that will be via Zoom. This is hosted by the Federation's Employment Committee. And this event is free for job seekers. And you must register for the event in advance by October 14th. So you only have until next week. Just a few more days.
So I wanted to get it in here. For more information, go to NFB.org/employment. And please do so now. We would love as many blind job seekers as possible to be part of this. Obviously, we want to put blind people to work, right? So please sign up if you are interested in some new employment opportunities.
Now, we also as part of observing Blind Equality Achievement Month want to promote employment for the blind. And so, we have scheduled our next "Where the Blind Work Webinar," that's kind of hard to say. And "Where the Blind Work Webinar."
Will it will celebrate moment this month in this area. And it is a great opportunity to bring the community together. So this will happen on October 30th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Again, via Zoom. And you will hear from three professionals, blind professionals, working in arts and entertainment, which is not something that many of us do.
So that's pretty cool. You have to register for that. Again, it is free. But you can do that also on our employment page. Again, NFB.org/employment.
Now, we are also talking a lot this time of year about movement. And a little a few days ago we officially kicked off Blind Equality Achievement Month with our announcement about our matching gift challenge campaign for 2025. And this campaign is meant to fuel our progress and advance the lives of blind people by helping encouraging others to contribute financially to the work of the Federation.
So, let's kickoff our discussion about the campaign by hearing the announcement.
It is a sunny and warm afternoon in Baltimore and the staff at the National Federation of the Blind is coming together to go for a walk at Riverside Park during their lunch break. All right, everybody, let's move! NFB walking club heads to the, pa. Why do we move?
NIKKI: Hi, I'm Nikki Jackson. Employment coordinator at the National Federation of the Blind. And I help blind job seekers find the careers they want.
ELIZABETH: I move because so many people in the NFB moved before me. And it is my turn to pay it forward for the people who come next.
KAREN: I'm Karen Anderson. And I move to help blind youth reach their full potential.
CHRIS: I'm Chris Danielsen, and I move to help tell the stories of blind people pursuing the lives we want.
RACHEL: Hi, I'm Rachel. Outreach Coordinator at the National Federation of the Blind. And I move to build relationships and raise funds to bridge the gap between blind people and their dreams.
SPEAKER: I move because the Federation means family to me.
Traveling on walking back.
MARK RICCOBONO: I'm Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. And together with members of our organization across the country, we're on the move to advance opportunities for blind people.
Thanks to the generosity of HumanWare during this year's campaign, we have a tremendous opportunity to double every contribution that comes in up to 50,000 dollars. And we really Appreciate HumanWare's dedication to helping blind people in be on the move to empower all blind people to live the lives they want.
SPEAKER: The NFB walking club approaching the final hill of their walk.
MARK RICCOBONO: Move to live the life you want and double your dollars. Give online at NFB.org/donate. Mail a check to National Federation of the Blind. Contribute by phone by calling 410-659-9314 extension 2430. Thank you for your support. National Federation of the Blind. Live the life you want.
All right. So now is an important time for each and every one of us to go out and try to generate contributions to our organization. Because that will allow us to match those generous funds from HumanWare and get an additional 50,000 dollars. Nothing to sneeze at, right? But here's the other cool thing. Now, we're coming up next week on White Cane Awareness Day.
Wednesday will be White Cane Awareness Day. So during the week of White Cane Awareness Day, there will be an additional match for any contributions during that week. That means next week every dollar will be tripled, which is really cool, right? So every dollar donated turns into 3 dollars.
What is great is we would like Federationists to give. But more importantly, you can go out and get other people to give to our organization. You can tell them for every dollar they donate; it will turn into 3 dollars. And there is something more.
In addition, thanks to HumanWare, there is a bonus opportunity for those who donate to win a Stellar Trek. The Stellar Trek is a device that helps to encourage movement. So movement through exploration starts with knowing where you're going.
And during the week of White Cane Awareness Day, which will be October 12-19, every contribution that is made during the week will receive an entry to be in a drawing for the Stellar Trek, which is an AI driven GPS and OCR device from HumanWare. So not only can you encourage other people to give, but but you can get raise money for something we care about and maybe win something. So please go out and promote our movement campaign.
Of course, I do want to acknowledge White Cane Awareness Day. It is an important day for blind people. It is a day that all of our affiliates can be proud that because of the work of the National Federation of the Blind, we have laws in all of the places in this country that protects our right to be out in the world with our canes or guide dogs. And that's significant, right? Yeah.
So use that White Cane Awareness Day as an opportunity to get out and talk to people about the importance of blind people and the work that we have done to establish our own right to move freely in society. It wasn't that long ago in the 1960s when we started to get white cane laws passed. That's not a long time ago. Not a long time ago when you consider history.
There's a lot of other movement stuff happening. So I want to give you another quick reminder that it is not too late for chapters or individuals to sign up to participate in person or virtually in our Movers Campaign. And since we are in D.C., I want to encourage all of us here in the room to come walk in person at our Bay Bridge run or walk on November 9th. Who is going to come to the Bay Bridge? Okay, I'm counting on you.
Now, I'm suspecting those who said yeah, you haven't registered yet, because I saw how many people registered to walk in person. And we only have we do have a number of chapters who have signed somebody up to be part of the virtual campaign.
There's a lot more chapters out there in the country that could sign up to walk virtually. And you can designate someone to be your kind of champion for this. But we would love to have, especially the local folks here, come out to walk on the Bay Bridge on November 9th. I'll be walking on the Bay Bridge. You can get more information at NFB.org/movers. NFB.org/movers.
Okay. In addition to movement, we are preparing for Braille literacy. And in partnership with the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, we are preparing for the next Braille Readers are Leaders contest. And we are really proud to be a supporter of this contest. And I want all of our Federation chapters to know that this contest is not just for kids. Right?
We can get our chapters engaging blind adults, maybe newly blind adults in learning Braille during our Braille Readers are Leaders Contest. More details will be coming out in the next few weeks. The contest will begin in December. And we know that as a community, we can do a lot to support the journey that blind people are on in terms of their literacy and use of Braille. And the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest is a great way to do that. So I encourage the chapters to be preparing for that.
Now, I see that people in the room love their iPhones. Because they are going off all over the place. That's a hint. But since we're talking about iPhones, do you all use podcasts on your iPhones?
SPEAKER: Yes, I do.
MARK RICCOBONO: Okay, good, some people. Nobody whose phone is going off though. So I just want to let you know that you can use your phone starting in November to get a very new podcast that we will be launching during or on November 16th, which will be the official 85th anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind.
And this podcast will be our new way of delivering Walking Alone and Marching Together, which will bring to life the book by the same name that tells the stories of the first 50 years of the National Federation of the Blind from 1940 to 1990. Now, you will get the content of the book, but you'll also get some extras. And it will be broken down in to manageable segments that we can consume over time.
Now, if you have read "Walking Alone and Marching Together" and you're in this room, say aye.
SPEAKER: Aye.
MARK RICCOBONO: Fair number. Anybody read it in the last year? That's what I thought. You probably have forgotten some of the cool details. And I noticed that many of you have not read it. Well, because we have broken it down this way, this is a great opportunity for chapters to use it. Because we have already divided it up. And you'll be able to consume it together in local meetings or maybe have regular discussions about it.
So on November 16th, we are going to release three episodes of this new podcast in honor of our anniversary week. And after that, we will be releasing an episode, a new episode, each and every week thereafter. In case you didn't know, "Walking Alone and Marching Together" is 1116 print pages. It is a long book. So you're going to get podcasts all the way until next September or something. So this is a great tool that our affiliates can use, our chapters can use.
Of course, you can find this and all of the publication information at NFB.org/publications. Really eager to hear what you think of this new format. And get your input and advice about how you might like to experience other Federation content in podcast form or other innovative ways.
All right. We're going to get to questions in just a minute. I am going to turn it back to Pam, but I did want to remind everybody that in the recorded Presidential Releases, we often take Federation family news and share it on the recorded release. So we're generally not doing that on the live release, because people said, hey, we still want that at our chapter meeting. So please continue to send information about Federationists who we may have lost. And more importantly or equally as important, we love to hear about new Federation members.
And so, I have one of those announcements here, because I didn't want to let it go, because it was already late in getting to me for the release. But I'm really happy to announce, in case you hadn't heard, that on August 6th, Ronan Dean Wong was born weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces to proud parents, Collin and Destiny Wong. Collin serves as President of the greater Seattle chapter. And you may know he serves as President of the National Blindness Professional Certification Board. So I would like our D.C. crowd to welcome Ronan as the newest member of the National Federation of the Blind.
(Cheers and applause)
MARK RICCOBONO: One last thing about our Federation family notes is I also invite Federationists and our chapters to send me ideas about topics, burning questions, philosophy items that you would like discussed on the recorded release. We have tried to make our recorded Presidential Releases more topic focused. And we have been trying to push out the announcements through other ways.
But if you have ideas or your chapter's grappling with something, or you would love to hear about a topic because our recorded Presidential Releases, they get played at chapter meetings and discussed. So please know your ideas are welcome. And by the way, you can also send your customary endings to me if you want. I'll take recordings as well. Especially if you want to get recordings from little kiddos. That's cool. But just remember that this is family friendly. Family friendly high quality dad jokes.
Okay. Pam, I think we are up to Q&A. Back to you.
PAM ALLEN: Thank you, President Riccobono. We have a lot going on at the National Federation of the Blind. We have wonderful questions this evening. So I understand we have a few live from D.C. So are we ready with the microphone?
Okay. So our first question this evening is from Janice.
MARK RICCOBONO: They love their phones in the room, Pam.
PAM ALLEN: I know. They are getting ready for our podcast. So our first question tonight is from Janice Samuel. So I'll turn it over to Janice.
MARK RICCOBONO: You got to use the mic. So you'll be heard all across the country.
PAM ALLEN: We need to hear you loud and clear.
JANICE: Hello, Federationists. Here's my question. I apologize if it is wordy. Other than the Blind Americans Return to Work Act, HR 1175 and the Website and Software Accessibility Act, 31417, I don't know, but our legislative priorities to increase employment opportunities in accessibility being taken up by the NFB considering new technology, such as AI. So what are we doing other than those two legislative acts?
MARK RICCOBONO: Is your question about legislation or more broad?
JANICE: Legislation. What are we doing to improve employment for the blind community other than the two legislative acts?
MARK RICCOBONO: Sure. So look, employment is a struggle for many reasons. Now, of course, consider also that we have a bill in Congress to create a refundable tax credit so that you can, we can buy our own access technology. We are not reliant on employers and/or rehab agencies to get technology. Now, why is this important?
Well, you know, if you're seeking employment but you're not eligible for rehabilitation services, or maybe you're a blind person who needs to upgrade your technology at home, because I noticed our employers don't want to buy it. They don't buy our home technology for us. So this is really important to allow us to have personal technology that we can especially use for seeking employment.
And the other thing I would say is we are monitoring the appropriations process. And I recognize that government doesn't have a budget right now. But we have been monitoring the budget process and the funding levels for rehabilitation programs, for programs that blind people need from the government. And we have been doing that during this budget process.
We have a good handle on the funding levels that have been proposed. And we are really glad that, so far, things like the Rehabilitation Program are going to be funded. Now, we have a disappointment there, because I know your question was about employment. But we also have been asking the government to put a lot more money into older blind services.
Now, some older blind people want to go to work. But a lot of older blind people just need to know and have the services that they can continue to live independently in their homes. And the Older Blind Program is woefully underfunded. And unfortunately, at least in the current budget climate we have not gotten more money into that program.
So look, legislation won't fix the employment problem with blind people. There are many, many other factors. But one of the big issues is the Blind Americans Return to Work Act. Because blind people are disincentivized by the substantial gainful activity level.
Sometimes you hear agencies for the blind, I won't name any, but sometimes you hear them talk about employment for the blind as though there's a silver bullet. Like, you can do this one thing, and all blind people will magically work. It is more complicated than that. And so, our approach is to legislatively put things in place that will create opportunities.
But then we still need to connect with blind people, give them training, right? Get them access to good training. Get a community around them that will help them know what to do. When do you disclose blindness? Do I tell them I'm blind on my application or just show up? Things like that. You can only know by engaging with this community. So that's what I would say to that. Yeah.
PAM ALLEN: Thank you so much. Thank you, Janice, for your question. And we have another question from our wonderful audience. This is from Libra Robinson.
LIBRA: Thank you. So my question is, in addition to the Presidential Release and monthly chapter meetings, what advice would you give to chapter leaders in regards to keeping membership engaged in our organizational priorities?
MARK RICCOBONO: So what I would say is the first thing would be to make sure that members are up to date on and connected with our publications. Right? That members are getting the "Braille Monitor." And that they are taking the time to read it, whether it is on "Newsline," whether it is on a thumb drive, whether it is some other way. Making sure they are getting our flagship publication. Because that's where we can dive deep into some of these things.
And another thing is encouraging members to write articles for the "Braille Monitor." Well, how is that engagement? Well, if members are writing articles for the "Monitor" they are thinking about the priorities and the things blind people are talking about and putting it in their own story. So I think we should spend time talking about these things and making sure we are answering questions at the local level about these things.
And then encouraging members to engage with it. Maybe members of your chapter really don't understand the idea of having a refundable tax credit. And how would it work? If you can't answer those questions, well, help write the questions up. And share them with our advocacy team. And maybe that could become an article in the "Monitor," because other people may have similar questions.
The last thing I would say, I think, is that our job as an organization, we are an advocacy organization, right? And so, one way to engage members is to help them feel comfortable going out and talking to other people about our priorities. And talking to Members of Congress. Talking to friends and family. The more that our members are talking about the issues, the more that they will be comfortable with the story and why it makes a difference.
PAM ALLEN: Excellent. Thank you so much, Libra, for the great question. It is wonderful that you talk about the "Braille Monitor," President Riccobono, because our next question is asking about how to submit articles for the "Braille Monitor."
MARK RICCOBONO: Well, the "Braille Monitor," it is our publication. And we should write articles that we would like to see reflected the "Braille Monitor." Chris Danielson that you heard on the video earlier is our editor. He works at the National Office. You can call him or write to him at our National Office. You might say, well, what is his email address? Do you know where to find it? NFB.org. Anywhere else? How about at the front of every "Braille Monitor." So at least this year, because Chris has only been the editor this year.
You can find his email address in the Braille Monitor right at the front where it gives information. His email address is [email protected]. And you may have an idea of the article and may want to talk it out with somebody. Chris would love to talk to you about your ideas and help you shape it.
Maybe you have some thoughts but you think, I'm a horrible writer. Call Chris up. He will talk to you about it. And if your ideas seem to fit with some good direction of other things that he might decide to interview might divide to interview you and shape that article. So get to know our editor. And I would love to see our D.C. chapter submit something, you know?
PAM ALLEN: Excellent. Thank you. I know we have a lot of wonderful writers and so many people with stories to share about their experiences. So I know Chris' inbox will be full.
MARK RICCOBONO: (Laughter)
PAM ALLEN: So speaking of the video, that was an awesome video. And I know we are all really excited about the upcoming walk. I know our chapter is doing a virtual walk. So we are really looking forward to that. And we had a question, and we are very grateful for the generosity of the matching gifts. Could you just remind people again of how they can donate? And what is the simplest way to encourage friends and family?
MARK RICCOBONO: Yes, so going to our NFB.org/donate is the simplest way to get people to give online donations. And if you're on Facebook or any of the other social media platforms, you can cut and paste content from our website. Go to NFB.org/donate is the best page online to direct people to. And so, you should always remember that.
Of course, people can mail checks to us, but many, many people, most people today, when you have their attention, you can get them to give online. NFB.org/donate. And just keep in mind, donations through the end of the year, at least until we hit the 50,000 dollar mark, will be doubled by HumanWare.
And next week is a really important time, because it will be tripled. So that's what I would say. And if you need ideas or tools on what to do, please call the National Office and talk to the Outreach group.
PAM ALLEN: Okay, excellent. And we have a question about we are very excited always to welcome new members into our affiliates. And we had a question from someone who recently moved to a new state. And they have not located yet the list, they are not finding a list of chapters in that state. So would it be appropriate for them to reach out to the State President?
MARK RICCOBONO: Yes. Always appropriate to reach out to the Affiliate President. You know, chapters sometimes wax and wane a little bit. Sometimes they need to be reorganized. And so, if you haven't been able to find information, especially on the affiliate's website, all of the affiliate contacts are on NFB.org under "about us."
Definitely reach out to the Affiliate President via phone or email. And if you really have trouble connecting with someone in the affiliate, definitely call us at the National Office. This would be a great question to connect with our Membership Committee on. But we definitely want to get you connected in your new federation community.
The other thing I would say is a good way to get introduced, especially if you are moving to a new state, is to ask your past Affiliate President from the state you moved from to introduce you to the new Affiliate President.
PAM ALLEN: All right. So I know President Riccobono, just think of it, in just a few short minutes, I know, a very big exciting game is going to be starting. And look it, we timed it perfectly.
MARK RICCOBONO: We got lots of time.
PAM ALLEN: I want to thank everyone. We had great questions tonight. And wonderful interaction from the audience in D.C. I know this is just the beginning to what will be a wonderful Convention. I know this weekend, I know there are Conventions all around the country happening this fall and in the next several months. So a lot of great events for the Blind Equality Achievement Month. It's been great to be with everyone tonight.
Thank you, again. And if we didn't have a chance to get to your question this evening, our incredibly, wonderfully talented communications team will follow up with you. Again, thank you. And thank you to the audience for sharing your questions. And everyone who submitted. Thank you, everyone, for being with us tonight. You can contact President Riccobono at 410-659-9314. Or via email at [email protected]. Thank you, again.
Back over to you, President Riccobono.
MARK RICCOBONO: Thank you, Pam. Glad to be with you this evening.
You know, Pam and I had the opportunity to be together representing the Federation in Brazil about a month ago. The National Federation of the Blind plays a key leadership role with blindness organizations around the world because of what all of us have been able to do together in terms of sustaining a movement that is truly blind led, blind centered and blind driven.
And our leadership, meaning the leadership of our organization as a whole on the world stage, we are really looked at to be the example of what other organizations of blind people should be doing. And certainly an honor for Pam and I to represent this movement at the World Blind Union. But we are very well aware that it is because of the individual grassroots effort that happens within our organization.
And that each and every one of you have a voice and a say in what happens in our movement. And so, I want to thank you for that opportunity to represent all that each and every one of us stand for.
And I think that that's one of the best ways to close this Blind Equality Achievement Month Presidential Release Live. Because our experience at the World Blind Union was that so many blind people in other countries, they are so hungry for what we, I think, sometimes take for granted right here in our country.
You know, we have worked hard to build a community of blind people. And a community just doesn't happen. It takes real effort. It takes real emotional intelligence. Sometimes it takes taking a step back and making sure that we can really do what we need to do to be part of a community. Because there's not an eye for focus in a community sometimes.
Blind people all over the world would love to have what we take for granted in this organization. Sometimes on a daily basis. So this is my plea to each and every one of us. And in this Blind Equality Achievement Month, don't just celebrate what we have done. Really take ownership and recognize how precious it is. And that the only way it will continue to be available to us is if we continue to nurture and feed it.
Before I get to the customary endings, let me thank our host here at the NFB of the District of Columbia. Yep.
(Cheers and applause)
MARK RICCOBONO: Our communications group back in Baltimore. Thank you for keeping all the right things plugged in at the right places. I want to send our well wishes to Will Schwatka who had a medical procedure. We are thinking of you. And to the Washington Plaza Hotel, thank you for your AV work. Let's give them a round of applause.
(Applause)
And I do have customary endings. So what is the tallest building in Washington, D.C.? Washington monument, the Capitol I heard. I didn't hear the right answer. The right answer is the Library of Congress. Because it has so many stories.
Now (Laughter). Now, why can't you just go to one Smithsonian Museum? Well, because you have to see the Mall. (Laughter).
Now, you know, parking is sometimes an issue in Washington, D.C. But where can you always find free parking in Washington, D.C.? Well, of course, that would be on 495 during rush hour.
(Laughter)
All right. Now this one is for Shawn Callaway. But hold on. Let me put my Milwaukee Brewers Central Division Champion hat on here. Now, why did the Washington Nationals hire a baker? Well, because they needed a new batter.
Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind!
The preceding message was brought to you by Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. [email protected]. 410 659 9314. www.NFB.org. Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind.