Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The Blind Coloradan; Hope is a Powerful Concept

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado logo including the tagline Live the Life You Want


Writer, aggregator Kevan Worley. 
Contributing editor Dan Burke.

Here is what you need to know


Hope is a Powerful Concept.

In the National Federation of the Blind, we often say that with love, hope, and determination we transform dreams into reality. During these difficult times hope can be a powerful thought. Along with love, faith, heart, and determination, our National Federation of the Blind of Colorado family stand united. Through our NFBCO COVID-19 helpline, our daily 5:00 zoom calls, and our 1-to-1 outreach we offer hope, support, and words of love for one another. This is who we are. If you know of a blind or vision impaired person who needs a little extra hope, please let us know. 303-778-1130, extension 219 or email assistance@nfbco.org. Here is hoping you are secure, safe, and that your physical and emotional needs are being met. We can’t wait to hug each and every one of you. For now, we send you a virtual hug.

Colorado Center for the Blind Continues to Change Lives During the COVID-19 Shutdown.

Our Center is closed but the work of a caring diligent staff continues. Most students returned to their homes across the nation more than 2 weeks ago. The Center has a few students living at our apartments. The Center continues to provide long distance training, encouragement, and hope. Each day Center staff and students congregate over zoom for a discussion of the philosophy of mutual support, independence, and opportunity. Congratulations to the Colorado Center for the Blind for the grace, hard work, and imagination with which they continue to raise expectations.

Sharing the Hope of the Federation Over YouTube.

NFBCO Secretary Maureen Nietfeld is well known for the Breaking Blind videos she has posted over the years on YouTube. Many blind folks have been made aware of our Federation and attracted to our Colorado Center for the Blind by first meeting Maureen on YouTube. As people look for ways to spend time during the COVID-19 crisis, why not send everyone you know one of Maureen’s personal stories. Here is a link to one of my favorites, Maureen Gets a Guide Dog.

National Federation of the Blind COVID-19 Resource Page.

Sometimes the questions you have may be as close as NFB.org. Check out our COVID-19 Resource Page.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!

Never have we heard the word zoom so often. Throughout the state and nation, our NFB has been using the zoom platform to provide our members our vast social network, encouragement, and interesting training. On Thursday evening, April 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. Colorado time the President of the National Federation of the Blind will be offering his monthly presidential release live over zoom. Feel free to join President Mark Riccobono. After providing information and perspective, President Riccobono intends to take questions from our Federation family. Join the experience! Or one-tap mobile +14086380968,,2368918214#, meeting ID 236 891 8214.

Of Course, Chapters and Divisions are Meeting.

Our Federation family can always find a way to persevere. Now is the time to plan your next chapter or division meeting. No! Not in person. In cyberspace! We know that the Colorado Springs chapter will gather at our usual time, at 10:00 Saturday morning, on the 2nd Saturday of April. President Jeanette Fortin says that details about how to join our zoom call-in are forthcoming. Looking forward to our visit on April 11th.  

Connect to NFB-NEWSLINE to be informed on COVID-19.

We received the following note from NFB Newsline Director Scott White. If you are not a subscriber to NFB Newsline, sign up today.

In an effort to bring the latest news on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to our subscribers, we are pleased to offer a new information source in our "Breaking News: Online" category. This source of information is being provided by Johns Hopkins University and is titled "COVID-19 Pandemic Data." Johns Hopkins University is considered one of the leading worldwide resources concerning statistics on this pandemic, and we are pleased that we can offer it in an accessible audio and Braille format to our subscribers.
Access the COVID-19 information using the telephone by pressing 5 from the main menu, then press 1 for the "Breaking News: Online" category, followed by pressing the 1 key, which will bring you to the virus search results, or press 2 for the Johns Hopkins data. If you are using the NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile iOS app, look for the virus information under the "All Publications" section. Web News on Demand users can find the COVID-19 information by selecting "Publications Organized by State," and then "Breaking News Online".

Reflections on our NFBCO activities and Our Federation Family, by Scott LaBarre.

From your aggregator: The following was posted by NFBCO President Scott LaBarre, Monday evening, March 30th on our ColoradoTalk listserv. Although we have touched on a few of these items in this issue, we thought you would enjoy reading Scott’s message:

Good evening everyone, as I begin writing this email, I am listening to this evening’s NFBCO zoom call which is focusing on opportunities available in the Randolph-Sheppard Program.  These sessions have been a smashing success and have covered an impressive breath of topics.  For example, I am looking forward to shifting gears from talking about business opportunities to tomorrow night’s session with the Blind History Lady.

Beyond enjoying the substance of these sessions, I am beaming with pride for our affiliate and our terrific members.  In particular, Kevan Worley, Jessica Beecham, and Maureen Nietfeld have done an incredible job of putting these programs together and executing them with tremendous skill.  I want to thank all the participants from our speakers to those who join the calls and help us create fascinating discussions.

I also want to publicly thank Jessica and Maureen along with their great volunteers for operating our COVID19 assistance program which has helped many blind individuals get what they need to make this crisis a bit easier to manage.  We are truly blessed with great leadership and dedicated volunteers.

I also encourage you to think about and appreciate our Colorado Center for the Blind and what our Center is facing.  We remain open offering instruction remotely and virtually to our students who have largely returned to their homes all over America, but we have also been serving several students who remain in our apartments because it was not possible for them to leave.  We should definitely tip our hats to Julie Deden, our amazing staff, and our terrific students.

This crisis is challenging us in so many ways that we would have never imagined just a few weeks ago.  The news is often overwhelming and depressing like today when over 500 people died from the virus in the U.S. alone.  For me, I could not imagine getting through all of this without my families, the LaBarres and all of you.  Anahit, Alex, Emily, Moka, and I are all hunkered down here in Centennial, and we haven’t killed each other yet, but I am pretty sure that the only one who still really likes me is our dog, Moka, as long as I give her treats, anyway.  I am incredibly appreciative, also, for our Federation family from our great President, Mark Riccobono, to the countless other national leaders, our terrific state Board and chapter/division leaders, and, of course, all of you!!  Our bond of love and faith in one another  are far stronger than the virus will ever be.  Even in the grips of this terrible pandemic, we support each other and continue to build our Federation!!

Warmly,
Scott

LEADERS MUST BE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AGENTS, by Jose Tamayo.

From the aggregator: I am taking the liberty of including a piece I saw on Facebook earlier this week. During this challenging time, I have found social media can be a connector or a crock! It can give us hope through our isolation or be downright insulting. In addition, we often hear from members that they don’t know how to take leadership. Under what circumstance? “What can I do to make a difference?” I found the advice in this post to be helpful. I hope you do too.

The leaders in any organization must be the environmental change agents. They must be more like thermostats than thermometers. At first glance, a person could confuse these instruments. Both are capable of measuring heat. However, they are really quite different. A thermometer is passive. It records the temperature of its environment but can do nothing to change that environment. A thermostat is an active instrument. It determines what the environment will be. It effects change in order to create a climate.
The attitude of the leader, coupled with a positive atmosphere in the organization, can encourage people to accomplish great things. And consistent accomplishment generates momentum. Many times, momentum is the only difference between a winning, positive growth climate and a losing, negative growth climate.
The next time you find it difficult to adjust the environment in your team, keep in mind this simple fact from the laws of physics: Water boils at 212 degrees, but at 211 degrees, it is still just hot water. One extra degree, an increase of less than one-half of one percent, can make the difference between a pot of languishing liquid and a bubbling caldron of power. One degree can create a full head of steam--enough power to move a train weighing tons. That one degree is usually momentum.

 

That’s It for This Edition of the Blind Coloradan.

Forward, always Forward!

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