We would like to thank all our 2016 sponsors:
PLATINUM
New York State Commission for the Blind
Lighthouse Guild Vision + Health
GOLD
See Write Hear
SILVER
C Tech Low Vision
Northeast Association of the Blind at Albany
Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Raymond V. Wayne
BRONZE
Vis-Ability, Inc.
WHITE CANE
3DPhotoworks
Activocal
New Utrecht Pharmacy
OrCam
Xavier Society for the Blind
AGENDA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall: Coordinator - Chancey Fleet, Second Vice President, NFB of New York State, and Second Vice President, New York City Chapter NFB.
10:00 am – 12 noon
Town Hall Meeting with the Commission for the Blind of New York, Brian Daniels, Associate Commissioner. Voice your opinion to officials about services in our state.
1:00 - 2:30 pm
Blind Parenting: Carl Jacobsen, NFBNY President; and Mary Lou Mendez, Chapter-at-Large Facilitator
1:00 – 3:45 pm
Parents of Blind Children Workshop - Coordinator: Arthur Jacobs, Treasurer, POBC; and Rasheta Bunting, NYS Certified Teacher of elementary school, special education, and the visually impaired. In the Troy Room.
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Student Division Social Event
4:00 – 5:00 pm
NFB of NYS Board of Directors Meeting - All are welcome.
7:30 – 9:30 pm
Join us in the Breakfast Room for our Hospitality Night, featuring food, fun, holiday crafts, and a cash bar. We look forward to seeing you there.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
Morning General Session
9:00 – 9:15 am
Call to order: Carl Jacobsen; Invocation, Fr. John Sheehan, Xavier Society for the Blind; Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem: Cantor, Dr. Mindy Jacobsen, First Vice President, NFBNYS, and President, New York City Chapter NFB.
9:15 – 9:30 am
Presentation of the Scholarship Class of 2016: Cayte Mendez, Chair, Scholarship Committee, NFBNYS; Secretary, NFBNYS; and President, National Association of Blind Educators.
9:30 – 10:00 am
State of the State Address: Carl Jacobsen.
10:00 – 10:30 am
State of the Union Address: Pam Allen, Director, Louisiana Center for the Blind; First Vice President, NFB; and President, NFB of Louisiana.
10:30 – 10:45 am
Memories, Dreams and Reflections: David Stayer, President Emeritus, Greater Long Island Chapter NFB.
10:45 – 11:00 am
Passing the Torch: Fr. John Sheehan and Mr. Malachy Fallon, Xavier Society for the Blind.
11:00 – 11:15 am
Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Larry Weiss, representative.
11:15 – 11:30 am
Who are Brown, Goldstein, Levy, and what do they do? Albert Elia, Disability Rights Fellow, Brown, Goldstein, Levy.
11:30 – 11:45 am
Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany: Where Are We Now, and Where Are We Going? Chris Burke, Executive Director, NABA.
11:45 – 12 noon
Announcements and arrangements
Lunch Break Information & Meetings
12 noon – 1:45 pm
Student Division, Nihal Erkan, President, Student Division, NFB. Location to be announced.
12 noon – 1:45 pm
Guide Dog Division, Lucy Marr, President, New York State Guide Dog Division, NFB, and President, Syracuse Chapter NFB. Location to be announced.
Afternoon General Session
2:00 – 2:45 pm
The Dad and the Movement: Memories of My Father and the NFB: Dutch tenBroek, son of our founder.
2:45 – 3:15 pm
Wired for Success: the Blind in the Maker Movement: Chancey Fleet, Assistive Technology Coordinator, Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library; Second Vice President, NFBNYS; and Second Vice President, New York City Chapter NFB.
3:15 – 3:45 pm
Ringing our BELL Again: Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning: Cayte Mendez and Arthur Jacobs, Lead Teachers, BELL Program, New York State.
3:45 – 4:00 pm
Opening Doors of Opportunity and Engaging Science as a Profession: Cary Supalo, Ph.D, chemist.
4:00 – 4:45 pm
New York State Commission for the Blind: Brian Daniels, Associate Commissioner. This presentation will include a question-and-answer period.
7:00 – 11:00 pm>\
Banquet in the Ballroom - Mistress of Ceremonies: Mindy Jacobsen.
- Invocation: David Stayer, President Emeritus, Greater Long Island Chapter NFB
- “Horse Race” game: Brian Daniels and Fr. John Sheehan, callers.
- Keynote Address: Pam Allen
- Auctions, pledges, and prizes
- Presentation of Scholarships to the class of 2016: Cayte Mendez
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30
7:00 – 9:00 am
Resolutions Committee breakfast meeting at Roberto’s.
General Session
9:30 – 12 noon
- Invocation: Carl Jacobsen
- Report from the Resolutions Committee: Chancey Fleet, Committee Chair
- Consideration of, and voting on, Resolutions
- Chapter and Division Reports
- Charting our Path into the Future: New business – Planning the Coming Year.
National Federation of the Blind of New York State
2016 Resolutions
Resolution 2016-01
Regarding Accessibility Requirements in State and Local RFPs and Contracts
WHEREAS, the State of New York, local governments, and their agencies contract with private entities on a regular basis, and these contracts often involve information and communication technologies (ICT); and
WHEREAS, whenever new technologies are implemented through the State or any of its agencies, Federal and state law requires that those technologies be usable by all; and
WHEREAS, unless explicit and robust accessibility requirements are built into the language of a request for proposal and subsequent contract, accessibility of the resulting information and communication technology cannot be assured; and
WHEREAS, ICT that is inaccessible excludes people with disabilities from activities of employment, education, civic responsibility, and other activities supported by technologies which the State procures; and
WHEREAS, including robust, explicit accessibility requirements in RFP's provides an incentive for businesses to create ICT that is meaningfully accessible; and
WHEREAS, building accessibility into ICT from the outset of a project carries little inherent additional expense: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind, in convention assembled this first day of November, 2016 in the city of Albany, New York, that this organization work with New York State and its municipalities to ensure, through whatever means necessary, that all requests for proposal and subsequent contracts entered into by the State or local governments or any of their agencies require that all information and communication technologies be accessible.
Resolution 2016-02
Regarding Requirements for Drivers of For-Hire Vehicles
WHEREAS, blind people rely on verbal communication as an alternative to visual communication in obtaining and conveying information; and
WHEREAS, when traveling in a for-hire vehicle a blind person must be able to obtain information from the driver as to his or her location, and must be able to provide the driver with directions in order to reach his or her destination safely and efficiently; and
WHEREAS, New York City has recently eliminated the requirement that individuals seeking a license from the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to operate for-hire vehicle within New York City pass an English proficiency examination; and
WHEREAS, blind people already encounter barriers in communicating with drivers of for-hire vehicles whose English proficiency is limited, resulting in harrowing experiences when blind passengers try to explain to drivers where they wish to go, and how to get there; and
WHEREAS, allowing drivers without English proficiency to operate for-hire vehicles renders those vehicles inaccessible to blind people: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind, in convention assembled this first day of November, 2016 in the city of Albany, New York, that this organization call upon the TLC to reinstate the requirement that drivers of for-hire vehicles pass an English proficiency examination in order to obtain a license from the TLC.
