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.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
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.
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
NPR KPLU 88.5
Geek Wire
Good E-Reader
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
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
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
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