A Vision for 2013!!! NFBCO Looks forward to an Exciting New Year

The NFB of Colorado is looking forward to an exciting new year full of growth and accomplishments! We will be kicking off the new year with a leadership training in Baltimore MD.  During this training, board members, Colorado Center for the Blind staff, and NFBCO leaders will get together for bonding, brainstorming, and guidance from our national leaders which will help us continue our quest to change what it means to be blind for people in Colorado!

During the beginning of the year we will be working to create a chapter in Ft. Collins as well as Grand Junction.  If anyone reading this blog knows of blind people in either of these areas who might be interested in Joining the NFB of Colorado please pass along our information.  We are always excited about new members so please contact Jessica Beecham at jbeecham@cocenter.org or by phone at 303-778-1130 ext 223.

We are very excited to announce our 2013 scholarship program.  We are currently accepting applications so if any of our readers are blind students in Co or know blind students in Co, direct them to our website at www.nfbco.org.  The deadline for application is March 31, 2013 so APPLY NOW!  Scholarship winners receive a monetary award as well as the opportunity to attend the 2013 National Federation of the Blind National Convention in Orlando, FL and the 2013 NFB of Colorado state convention in Colorado Springs, Co.  While the monetary award is excellent, many of our scholarship winners agree that the opportunities to receive mentoring during our National and State convention is just as valuable.  Applications are also available for the National Federation of the Blind's national scholarship program.  This information is available at www.nfb.org.

In February we will send representatives from the NFB of Colorado to Washington D.C. for the National Federation of the Blind's Washington Seminar.  This is an exciting opportunity for Federationists from across the Nation to gather together and promote legislative change that will better the lives of individuals who are blind.  Last year we discussed Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities, home appliance accessibility, and business opportunities for blind entrepreneurs.  This year's agenda will undoubtedly be equally as exciting!

The Mile High Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado will be holding a Valentines day Wine and Chocolate tasting at DeVine Wines in Denver Colorado.  If any of our readers are interested in further details or purchasing tickets, contact Jessica Beecham at jbeecham@cocenter.org or by phone at 303-778-1130 ext 223.

There will be many exciting events and opportunities to get involved with the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado in 2013 so if you are not currently a member, have taken a break for a while and are ready to jump back in, or feel the need and desire to become more active, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!

There are tons of ways to stay up to date on the latest happenings of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado!  Please continue reading our blog, like us on Facebook by searching for National Federation of the Blind of Colorado NFBCO, follow us on twitter @nfbco, check out our local channel on Newsline, and visit our website at www.nfbco.org.      

NFBCO Participates in Protest against Inaccessible Kindle at Amazon Headquarters

Nine members from the NFB of Colorado traveled to Seattle Washington to participate in a protest against Kindle at Amazon headquarters.  Although the National Federation of the Blind has made many attempts to work with Amazon regarding accessibility issues in Kindle e-readers, e-books, and software, Amazon continues to produce products with inadequate accessibility for blind users.

Amazon has recently released Whispercast software which allow Kindle books to be pushed out to other devices.  Amazon is attempting to utilize the whisper cast software to get Kindle books into K-12 educational settings.  It is against the law for schools to adopt new hardware/software that is inaccessible so if Amazon is successful, schools across the nation will be in violation of the federal law.

Yesterday, nearly 100 members and supporters of the National Federation of the Blind from across the nation, gathered in the rain at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle to express our dissatisfaction with Amazon's tactics to promote inaccessibility in the schools.  We marched, carried signs, chanted, played music, and had a wonderful rendition of How the Grinch (Mr. Jeff Bazos) of E-books!

There was a lot of positive press including the articles that you will find linked below.  Overall, the protest was an excellent opportunity for the National Federation of the Blind to spread public awareness about our concerns.  NFB of Colorado participants enjoyed playing our part in a very successful protest.

The Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019892092_amazonebooksxml.html

NPR KPLU 88.5

http://www.kplu.org/post/blind-protesters-march-amazon-over-kindle-accessibility

Geek Wire

http://www.geekwire.com/2012/protesting-kindle-national-federation-blind-conducting-picket-amazon-headquarters/

Good E-Reader

http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/national-federation-of-the-blind-marches-on-amazon-headquarters/

Lets Make Some Change! Washington Seminar 2013!

Washington Seminar is one of the most exciting events that the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado participates in each year.  It is the time that we go to educate our congressmen about the needs of individuals who are blind across the United States.  Below is information about how you can join in our efforts to make legislative change at Washington Seminar.  

Fellow Federationists:

It's that time again!  Please begin to make your hotel reservations for Washington Seminar.  The 2013 dates are Monday, February 4, through Thursday, February 7, 2013.  We need to have your reservations no later than December 21, 2012.  Please do not contact the hotel to make your reservations.  I submit all the reservations for the Washington Seminar.  You may call (303) 778-1130, extension 219, to make your reservation, or you may e-mail your reservations to Lisa Bonderson atlbonderson@cocenter.org.  We will confirm receipt of your reservation either by return e-mail or by telephone, so be sure to give us your telephone number and your e-mail address.

The following is the information that I need to have to assure you of a room at the Holiday Inn Capitol.

1. Your dates of arrival and departure.

2. First and last names of any roommates that might be sharing with you.  If you make the reservation by phone, please spell first and last names of each person sharing the room.  Please include arrival and departure dates for each person.

3. Please specify if you wish to have:
-- A smoking or non-smoking room
-- An accessible room
-- Two beds, one queen bed, or one king bed
-- A rollaway bed (there will be a $15 charge per night)

4. If Divisions (i.e., Students, Parents, Merchants, Lawyers, etc.) wish to have space for a meeting, I must have your requirements for meeting space no later than December 3, 2012.  We want to be able to accommodate everyone, and in order to do so we must have plenty of advance notice to work with the hotel.

Per the hotel contract, individual cancellation must be made at least seventy-two hours prior to the date of arrival to avoid one-night's-room-plus-tax cancellation charge.  You must get in touch with Lisa Bonderson or me to make changes to your reservation as soon as possible to avoid such a charge.

The rates are $177 for single, double, triple, or quad rooms, and the tax is 14.5 percent per night.  When you check in you must be prepared to cover at least the first night of your stay with either a credit card or check, and then arrange to pay the balance by presenting a credit card or a check for the remainder of the cost.

Please remember, the deadline is December 21, 2012.  There will be a number of special meetings during theseminar and you will want to watch the NFB Web site for special announcements.  The Great Gathering-In meeting will be held on Monday, February 4, 2013--you certainly don't want to miss that!

I hope this answers all of your questions.  I look forward to seeing all of you in D.C. soon.

Diane McGeorge
rmcgeorge@comcast.net

Help NFBCO in our fight to make KINDLE ACCESSIBLE!

Hello NFBCO! We need our PARENTS, STUDENTS, and SUPPORTERS to rally in support of our efforts to MAKE THE KINDLE ACCESSIBLE! Below you will find a message that was sent from our National office explaining our efforts. We would like to ask each of you to write a letter to Amazon.com, encouraging them to make Kindle and Kindle products accessible! In the below text are two sample letters (one from an adult and one from a child). These can be used as a template for your letter. After your letter is written, please mail it to NFB at: 200 E. Wells St. at Jernigan Place Baltimore, MD 21230 Letters may be sent in print, braille, or both. If you would like you can also e-mail your letters to jbeecham@cocenter.org and I will make sure that they go to the correct place. After you have written and sent your letter, please let me know so that we can have an idea of how many letters have been sent from Colorado. You can do this via e-mail at jbeecham@cocenter.org or by phone at 720-440-2632. I will be out of the office from November 22-November 30 so please do use the above number if you wish to reach me. Best Wishes Jess Hello everyone: As you know, we are asking members and supporters to write letters to Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, insisting that he make Kindle content accessible in light of the fact that Amazon is aggressively pushing Kindle books to schools. Some of you have asked for template letters that you can use to help write letters of your own. Attached and pasted below are two template letters, one from a child and one from a parent, teacher, or other interested adult. Please encourage your members to personalize these letters and send them to us. (Please send them to the NFb, even though they are pre-addressed to Amazon. Our plan is to "deliver" the letters during our protest set for December 12, 2012.) Please print the letters and send them to my attention at National Federation of the Blind, 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore MD 21230. You may send the letters in print, Braille, or both. If you cannot send physical letters, please e-mail letters to me at cdanielsen@nfb.org and we will print and emboss the letters for you. Please stay tuned to all NFB e-mail lists, since we will be putting out more materials on this topic. Thanks as always. Together we will win this battle and gain access to Kindle books for blind children. Sincerely: Chris Danielsen Director of Public Relations NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND Mr. Jeff Bezos Amazon.com, Inc. 410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 Dear Mr. Bezos: I have become aware that Amazon.com is undertaking a massive effort to deploy its Kindle e-readers and Kindle books to K-12 schools across the United States. Amazon has built a system called Whispercast that allows teachers and school administrators to distribute Kindle content to devices other than Kindles. The problem with all of these plans is that neither the Kindle devices nor the book files used in conjunction with them are accessible to students who are blind or who have other print disabilities. Even if a student has an accessible device like a personal computer, laptop, or iPad, he or she still will not be able to gain full access to these books. Although the books can be read aloud with text-to-speech, the student can’t use the access features of his or her device to learn proper spelling and punctuation, look up words in the dictionary, annotate or highlight significant passages, or take advantage of the many other features that Kindle devices and applications make available to sighted students. This is because Kindle books are designed so that the text is not exposed to screenreaders, like JAWS for Windows or Apple’s VoiceOver application, which are used by blind students. This also means that the text of Kindle books can’t be displayed on Braille devices. Listening is not reading; if students who can’t read Braille cannot access Kindle books in Braille, they are not reading. Since school districts have an obligation under federal law to purchase or deploy only accessible technology and content, Amazon must either make Kindle books accessible or cease and desist from its efforts to have them used in the classroom. I sincerely hope that you will make the vast library of Kindle books available to all students, including those who are blind.  If you do, you will be making history by providing more access to books for blind students than they have ever had in all of human history. Sincerely, xx Mr. Jeff Bezos Amazon.com, Inc. 410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 Dear Mr. Bezos: My name is xx. I am in the xx grade and attend xx school. I am writing to you to ask that you please make your Kindle books accessible to me. I need to have access to the same books and textbooks that my classmates are using so that I can do my assignments and keep up with my classmates. I know that you can make this happen. If you do, I’ll get the same education as all of my friends. If you don’t, I won’t get the same education, won’t learn to read properly, and won’t have the same opportunities as my sighted friends. Please make Kindle content accessible to me as soon as possible. Sincerely, xx

11-27 Community At Large Chapter Meeting

Hello Everyone It is almost time for our November Community At Large Chapter meeting! We have had a very exciting breakthrough since our last chapter meeting! We are now officially a chapter as our constitution was accepted by the board of directors at the state convention on October 25th! During this meeting we will discuss the state convention as well as the resolutions that we passed. Our resolutions help us determine the direction that we are going to move in as a state for the upcoming year. Afterwords, we will meet the Montana affiliate who is utilizing a completely At Large format for their state. Maybe we can get some good tips that will help us out! Lastly, we will do a quick brainstorming session to determine some areas of importance for our chapter in the upcoming year! I will be out of the office from Thursday, November 22-Friday, November 30th. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 720-440-2632. Best Wishes and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Jess

Community At Large Chapter

November 27th, 2012

Dial In Information 619-326-2700 Access code: 3566475# 7:00-7:15: around the phone (Jessica Beecham) 7:15-725: state convention update (Buna Dahal) 7:25-7:45: NFBCO resolutions (Tom Anderson) 7:45-7:55: Meet Montana! 7:55-8:00: planning our future (group brainstorming)

History and Tortillas!

The North Metro chapter had a fantastic meeting this past Saturday.  There were more than 13 individuals in attendance were able to start the meeting by learning to make homemade tortillas!  Michelle was an EXCELLENT teacher and we all left with a new recipe for dinner!

Afterwords, we were treated to a presentation by Diane McGeorge.   Diane talked about the split between the NFB and the ACB and how it came to pass.  We also discussed a little about the philosophical differences between the two organizations.

Just a bit of breaking news...  The North Metro chapter discussed doing an another wine and dinner fundraiser at Spero Winery.  Many of us will be waiting on the edge of our seats for the announcement of this fundraiser date!  In the meantime, you can purchase Worlds Finest Chocolate bars for $1.00 each from members of the North Metro Chapter!  We are very proud of everything that our North Metro Chapter is doing and we hope that they keep up the GREAT work!

NFBCO State Convention Online Streaming

Visit the followign link for streaming of the 2012 National Federation of the Blidn of Colorado State Convention.

http://216.241.41.70:8000/nfbco-convention.mp3

Streaming will begin at approximately 1:00 on Thursday, October 25th.  All sessions will be streamed!

OCTOBER COMMUNITY AT LARGE MEETING TUESDAY

Hello Everyone

The Community At Large Chapter will meet this Tuesday, October 23^rd at 7:00PM.  During this meeting, our business will be to finalize our constitution so that we can receive our charter at the state convention on October 25^th – 28^th in Boulder, Colorado.  We need as many people as possible to help us with the finalization process so if you are available, please try to attend!  Pasted below, you will find the agenda.  You will also find a copy of the proposed constitution.  Please look it over and come prepared with suggested changes.  Changes have been made per the suggestions made during the September meeting.

Best Wishes

National Federation of the Blind

At Large Chapter Meeting Agenda

October 23, 2012

Call In number:   619-326-2700 

Access Code:  3566475#

7:00PM-Round the Phone introductions (Buna Dahal)

7:15PM-8:00PM Community At Large Chapter Constitution Finalization (Jessica Beecham)

8:00PM-Adjournment

CONSTITUTION OF THE AT-LARGE CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF COLORADO

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Community At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of the Community At-Large Chapter shall be to advance the general welfare of the blind in areas of Colorado in which no NFB chapter exists, to function as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and to serve as a means of collective action for blind and sighted individuals where no geographic chapters exist. 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section One - Members

A majority of the members of this organization must be blind.  A resident of the state of Colorado is eligible for membership in this organization so long as they meet one or more of the below requirements:

A.    The prospective member must not have available access to an in person chapter meeting via public transportation.

B.   The prospective member must have a schedule conflict that prevents him or her from attending in person chapter meetings.

C.   The prospective member must have a hardship that prevents them from attending in person chapter meetings.

D.   The prospective member must have special approval from the executive committee to become a member of the At Large chapter.

A person is considered a member once he/she has paid five (5) dollars dues and whose membership has been approved by majority vote of chapter members attending and voting at an official meeting of the chapter.

Section Two - Dues

The amount of the dues paid by members to this organization shall be $5.00 and shall be paid annually in advance.  No person may vote who is delinquent in the payment of his or her dues

Section Three - Disciplinary Action

Any member may be expelled for conduct unbecoming to a member of the Federation by a two/thirds vote of the members present and voting at a meeting of this organization. The annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado may reinstate any person who has been expelled unless such expulsion has been confirmed by the National Convention or by the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind, in which event the person may not be reinstated except by the National Board.  Any person who feels that he or she has been unjustly disciplined or expelled from this organization may appeal to the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado or the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind, which may (in its discretion) consider the matter and make a binding decision; but until or unless the action of discipline or expulsion is reversed by the State or National Board, it shall continue in effect.

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

There shall be elected a regular annual meeting each year, a President, a  Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.   The terms of these officers shall begin on the first day of month following elections at the annual in person meeting at Colorado State Convention.    Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the active members who are present and voting.  There shall be no proxy voting.  If no nominee receives a majority vote on the first ballot, the name of the person receiving the fewest votes shall be dropped from the list of nominees, and a second ballot shall be taken.  This procedure shall continue until one of the nominees has received a majority vote from the active members present and voting.  The duties of each officer shall be those ordinarily associated with that office.  The President and the Vice Presidents must be blind.

ARTICLE V.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors of this organization shall consist of the four (5) constitutional officers and one (1) to four (4) additional board members as deemed necessary by the membership.  The board of directors shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner as the officers.  Constitutional officers shall serve two year terms and board members shall serve 1 year terms.  The Board shall meet at the call of the President or on written call signed by all of the Board Members.  The Board shall advise the President and shall have charge of the affairs of the organization between meetings.  At least two thirds of the Board must be present at any meeting to constitute a quorum to transact business.  The Board may be polled by telephone, e-mail, or mail ballot on any question.  A majority of the Board must be blind.

ARTICLE IV – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Community At Large Chapter.  

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS

Section One – Annual Meeting

This organization shall hold at least one in-person meeting to transact business each year.  This meeting shall occur during the Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado at a time designated by the Executive Committee.

Section Two – Other Meetings

This organization may hold meetings at other times of the year.  These meetings shall be defined as either a) an in-person gathering at a location specified by the executive committee, b) a telephone conference call scheduled by the executive committee, or c) an online webinar scheduled by the executive committee.  Notification for such meetings shall be sent via e-mail or standard mail at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled date.

Section Three – Quorum

A quorum for transacting business at meetings of this organization shall consist of a minimum of 33 percent of the membership including at least one member of the executive committee.  Only active members present at a meeting may vote.  There shall be no proxy voting.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES

The President of the Community At large Chapter may appoint such committees as he or she or the organization deems necessary.  The President of the Community At large Chapter shall be ex officio a member of all committees except the nominating committee.

ARTICLE VII - AFFILIATION

The At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado shall function as a local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and shall furnish to the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado annually, on or before January 1, the following: a list of the names and addresses of its members and elected officers, the portion of dues paid by each member owed to the state affiliate as stipulated in the Constitution of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, and a detailed financial report for the past year upon request of the state president.

A copy of the Constitution of the At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and of all amendments to the Constitution shall be sent to the President of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado without delay.  The fiscal year of this organization shall be the calendar year.

This organization shall comply with the provisions of the Constitutions of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and of the National Federation of the Blind.  Policy decisions of the National Federation of the Blind (whether made by the National Convention, the National Board of Directors, the state convention, or the state Board of Directors) are binding on this organization and its members; and this organization and its members shall participate affirmatively in carrying out such policy decisions.

As a condition of affiliation, it is agreed by this organization that the National Federation of the Blind (whether by action of the National Convention, the National Board, the state convention, or the state Board) has the power to expel or discipline an individual member and to expel or reorganize the local chapter.  In the event of reorganization, the assets of the chapter belong to the reorganized chapter; and the former chapter shall dissolve and cease to exist.  The name National Federation of the Blind, Federation of the Blind, or any variant thereof, is the property of the National Federation of the Blind; and if this organization ceases to be a part of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado (for whatever reason), it shall forfeit the right to use the name National Federation of the Blind, Federation of the Blind, or any variant thereof.

ARTICLE VIII - DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS

The funds of this organization shall be deposited in a bank to be selected by the Secretary/Treasurer of the Community At Large Chapter with the approval of the President of the Community At large Chapter.  All financial obligations of this organization shall be discharged by check or debit card, issued on specific order of the President, and signed by the Secretary/Treasurer.

ARTICLE IX - DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of this organization, or if (for whatever reason) it ceases to be a chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, its assets shall be given to the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, to be held in trust for a reorganized chapter serving the otherwise unaffiliated members of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. In the event that no chapter is organized to serve unaffiliated Coloradans for a period of two (2) years from the date this organization ceases to be a chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, the assets become the property of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado.

If the dissolution of this organization should occur and if at that time neither the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado nor the National Federation of the Blind is a tax‑exempt organization under the provisions of the federal Internal Revenue Code or if the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and the National Federation of the Blind have been dissolved, all assets of this organization shall be given to an organization with similar purposes which has received tax‑exempt certification from the federal Internal Revenue Service.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended at any meeting of this organization by an affirmative vote of two‑thirds of the members present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment has been circulated in writing or via electronic mail (e-mail) to the members of the organization at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the meeting and provided it is in compliance with the provisions of the Charter of Affiliation received from the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and with the policies of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and the National Federation of the Blind.