NFBI State Convention 2015
:BELIEVE AND ACHIEVE”
   
AGENDA
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 
OF ILLINOIS 
Annual Convention 
October 30, 2015 - November 1, 2015

Naperville Marriott
1801 Naper Blvd
Naperville, IL 60563
630 505-4900

Members of NFBI wish to thank the following donors for their generous gifts: 

Advanced Group, Shared Services Department

The Aileen S. Andrew Foundation

The Biardi Family Foundation

Ms. Abby Castle

Community Foundation Great River Bend Mildred Crespin-Croegaert Fund 

The Community Foundation of the Quincy Area from the Arthur O. and Lela B. Lindsey Fund

Invesco Corp.

J. Milton Harris/and Alice Chenault

Dr. and Mrs. Neal Hart of the Illinois Prairie Foundation

Mr. Harold W. Knapheide III, in honor of his mother, the late Mary MacDill Knapheide

Richard Lansden, trustee, The Leona Stanford Vollintine Charitable Trust

Elick and Charlotte Lindon Foundation

The Naperville Noon Lion’s Club

Okawville Lion’s 

The Sidley Austin Foundation in Memory of Maria Aliosia Luxbacher  

Samuel Weinstein Family Foundation

Announcements that you wish to be made from the convention floor during sessions MUST be submitted to the information desk in the convention hall.  Roberta Reif is coordinating our information desk this year.   Patricia Olson is handling registration table at convention.  Marco Giannotti is running our door prize table.

If you wish to reach President Denise R. Avant during sessions, please convey your requests to the information desk.

Braille, print, and recorded literature is available at tables in the convention hall.  Please take all you can carry and distribute our positive message of blindness far and wide!

Smoking is not permitted in convention sessions.

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
Denise R. Avant, President
3410 N. Lake Shore Dr., Apt. 4L-M
Chicago, IL 60657		(773) 991-8050
NFB of Illinois web site:  www.nfbofillinois.org

2015 Naperville Marriott Hotel/Convention Information
	This quick article explains the layout of the Naperville Marriott which is our convention hotel for 2015.  It also gives you basic information about the facilities and amenities.  

Address and Phone:
	The hotel is located at 1801 N. Naper Blvd Naperville, IL 60563.  The phone is: (630) 505-4900.

Sleeping Room Types:
	There are two types of rooms.  A Suite and a Standard Room.  The suites have a parlor with a sleeper sofa, two easy chairs, and a coffee table.  The room rate for standard rooms is $93. The rate for suites is $129.  All rooms have hair driers and coffee makers.  Connecting rooms are available upon request.

Keycards  and Electrical Power:
	This hotel is modernized.  You need to insert your keycard in a slot inside your room to the side of the door to turn your power on. Leave it in the slot until you exit your room.    When you remove it, the power goes off again.

Checkout:
	Check in time is 3:00 p.m.  Checkout time is 12:00 p.m.

Wi Fi:
	There is free Wi Fi in all lobby and common areas.  This includes our meeting rooms. 

Facilities:
	There is an indoor pool, fitness room, and Jacuzzi.  There is lots of parking especially by the side door. 

Shuttles:
	The hotel runs free shuttles within a five mile radius.  Since there are trains scheduled to leave at 12:30, 2:30,  and another at 4:30 headed for downtown Chicago, we will make every effort to complete the convention by noon on Sunday.
	The hotel also has a contract with a limo company which provides discounted service to and from each airport.  The cost is under $40 which compares favorably to a cab which would be $65 or so.  

Layout:
If you enter through the main doors, the layout is as follows:  The Starbucks is to the left.  You should walk ahead to where the tiled flooring forms a cross.  If you turn left at the “lobby cross” with the doors at your back, you can enter Starbucks by taking the first left.  If you take a right, you can go to the elevator bank.  If you pass the elevators, you head toward the meeting rooms.  
	From the front door, if you simply bypass the crossing of the tiled portions of the lobby and keep going straight, you will find our information desk on your left and the hotel desk on your right.  If you pass both, there is a restaurant directly ahead.  You can find the bar which also serves food from the restaurant by going left after passing the hotel desk.  The bar will be on your right although people can also sit on the left side at this point in the lobby.
	If you reorient to the lobby desk, at this point it is easier.  If you are standing facing the hotel front desk, the elevator bank is down the tiled hall to the right of the front desk.  There are three elevators on your left side down that hall a short way.  They are fast.   
	Our meeting rooms are laid out past the elevator bank.  Right after the elevators there is a cash machine on your left and restrooms on your right.  Past those, first you come to a hallway where conference rooms A, B, and C are on your left headed away from the lobby.  Conference rooms D, E, and F are on your right.  Past that Hall the hall divides at a Y.  There is another set of restrooms down by the other conference rooms near Bailey.  If you go left, you come to Bailey-Hobson and if you go right you will get to the Naper room.  We are in Naper 2 and 3 for general sessions.  Outside of the Naper room we will have exhibits and we will have our registration.  
	There is a dog relief area outside of the Naper room.  Exit and walk a short way, then take a  45 degree left turn.  There is a cement patio area on the left about 30 ft up.   At  the end of the patio, you will find a grassy area with trees which will work well for dog relief.   There is even a hydrant.

Braille is Beautiful - Sunday
	Braille is Beautiful will take place on Sunday.  Please feel free to reach out to Debbie Stein if you wish to participate.  	

Meeting Room Assignments:
Both breakfasts are planned for Naper 2 and 3 during convention Our Parents meeting will be in A.  Our lunch will be in Naper 2 and 3.  Hospitality before and after the banquet is in the banquet rooms, Naper 2 and 3.  Kids Camp is planned for F.   Scholarship dinner is in E.  Idol, General Sessions, and banquet will be in Naper 2 and 3.  Registration is outside of Naper 2 and 3.

Set-up for Naper 2 and 3:
	When you enter the Naper Room it is wider left to right and shorter going ahead from the doors.  You enter at the back of the room.  We will have info, sales,  and IABS in the back of the room and head table/stage will be furthest from the doors by the windows.  If you face the head table, audio will be on your right and door prizes on the left.  

Have a great convention, everyone!

IABS, INFORMATION, AND SALES TABLES
The information desk will be in the hotel main lobby on Friday Oct. 30 from 2:00  to 4:30 p.m., and in our general session room during general sessions.  Registration will be in the hallway outside of the Naper room on Friday from 4:00 through 7:00 as well as on Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.   Sales tables for NFBI and IABS will be in the back during general sessions.    Exhibitors will be outside of our general sessions room.

Announcement:
You can help build a future of opportunity for the blind by becoming a member of the Jacobus tenBroek Legacy Society.  Your legacy gift to the National Federation of the Blind or the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois can be made in the form of a will, or living trust, an income generating gift, or by naming us as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.  For additional information, please contact LuAnne Blake at our national office.  Please consider helping us to continue to change what it means to be blind. 

Welcome to our 2015State Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois!!!

IABS Raffle
IABS Raffle- The Illinois Association Of Blind Students will hold a raffle with the winner to be drawn at the banquet on Saturday, October 31, 2015. Tickets are $2 or three for $5. All monies will go to help IABS. So please be generous. The coordinator of this event is Katie Leinum, Acting IABS President.

KNFB Reader
The KNFB Reader
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Proprietary document analysis technology determines the words and reads them aloud to the user with high quality text-to-speech. Read the words you want to read; live the life you want.
Visit the Apple App Store to purchase the KNFB Reader app and start enjoying it today!
For the latest news and information about the KNFB Reader, follow us on Twitter @KNFBReader or like us on Facebook.

Friday, October 30, 2015, Afternoon
 2:00-4:30		Information Table 
			Roberta Reif, coordinator; Hotel Lobby

4:00–7:00 		Registration 
 			Pat Olson, Registration Coordinator
			Hallway outside of Naper

4:00-5:00 		Resolutions 
			Chair Patti Gregory Chang, NFBI Resolutions Committee
			Naper 2 and 3

October 30, 2015, Evening

4:00 – 7:00 	Registration 
 			Pat Olson, Registration Coordinator
			Hallway outside of Naper

4:00 – 7:00		Exhibits 
			Hallway Outside of Naper
			E.M.  Vitu, Inc
			EM-Vision America
			Guide Dogs For The Blind 
			Lighthouse for the Blind
			Talking Book Outreach Center
			Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

5:00 – 6:00		Join Our At-Large Chapter for A Get-To-Know You Dinner 			Chapter President, Leslie Hamric		
			Room TBA 

5:00 – 7:00		Scholarship Dinner (Winners and Committee)
			Conference Room E
	 
7:00 – 11:00	IABS IDOL – 
			Admission $5 includes your first performance
			Katie Leinum, IABS Acting President  
			Join us for the Illinois Association of Blind Students 					annual IABS Idol.  Based on the popular TV show 					American Idol, IABS Idol invites everyone to participate as 			a soloist or a group in performing a song of their 					choice.  Wear a costume, and enter to win a prize. Bring 				an instrument, and perform your favorite song.  
			Each performance is $5 per person.  In addition, this year 			we will be charging a $5 admission fee which includes 1 				free performance so get up and sing your favorites.  Also, 			don’t forget our “Battle of the Chapters.”  This year’s 				theme is “Television Theme Songs.” 

Saturday, October 31, 2015,
7:00-8:30 		Parents  Breakfast
			Naper 2 and 3
	7:15-7:30  		Greetings
	7:30-7:50 ”		Growing up with Low Vision," James Gashel, 						Secretary, 	National Federation Of The Blind Board 					Of Directors
	8:00-8:30 		“See It My Way: The Low Vision Experience with 					Vision Simulators," Amy Lund
	
8:00 - 9:00 	Registration
			Pat Olson, Registration Coordinator  
			Outside of Naper Room

			Later registration– see Patti Gregory Chang in General 				Sessions

8:00 – 9:00		Exhibits 

8:30-5:15 		Kid Camp Happy Halloween
			Francisco Chang and Janna Stein, Directors
			Conference Room E

	 8:30-9:00 		Registration $10 per child, includes lunch
	 9:00-9:30 		Egg balance competition
	 9:30-10:00 	Snacks
	 10:00-10:30 	Treasure hunt
	 10:30-12:00 	Halloween craft projects
	 12:00-1:00 	Lunch
	 1:00-2:30 		Movie
	 2:30-3:00 		Snacks
	 3:00-4:00 		Reading and free play
	 4:00-5:00 		Sing a long with Dave

9:00-11:30		General Session, Morning
			Naper 2 and 3

	9:00-9:15 		Welcome And Opening Remarks - Denise R. Avant, 				President NFBI
				Moment Of Silence 
				Harold Palash, BlackHawk Chapter March 21, 2015
				Ira carl Miller, Prairie State Chapter, August 31, 					2015
				Welcome Students from Blind Inc 

	9:15-9:45 		National Report - James Gashel, Secretary, 						National Federation Of The Blind Board Of Directors

	9:45-10:00 	Remarks By Bureau Of Blind Services Chief – 
				John Gordon
				Chief Of Illinois Bureau Of Blind Services

	10:00-10:30 	Applying For Rehabilitation Services With BBS – 
				Janet Sherburne, former Assistant Bureau Chief Of 					BBS

	10:30-11:10 	Employment Panel 
				Steps To Finding A Job in Today's Economy – 
				Richard Davis , Associate Director,  Blind Inc. 
				 Careers In Audio Production  Using Adaptive 					Technology -  Byron Harden,  I See Music, LLC 

	11:10-11:20 	non-24-Hour Sleep Wake Disorder Treatments  -  
				Roger Sykes, Account Manager, Vanda 						Pharmaceuticals

	11:20-11:30 	Using The KNFB Reader Mobile On your Mobile 					Phone -James Gashel, Vice President Of Business 					Development KNFB Reading Technology

	11:30-1:00 	Exhibitors

12:00-1:30 	Student Lunch 
			Naper 2 and 3
	12:00-1:00 	Parents will Join our students for lunch
				summer Internship - Sumaya Hussein
				Teaching Excellence Awards - Presented by Katie 					Leinum, Acting President
				Gary Wittbrodt, recipient
				Liz Plaskon, Recipient
				Eileen O’Brien Memorial Award – Presented by 					Debbie Stein 
				Nelly Gamino, Recipient
				Remarks  by Scholarship Finalists - Katie Leinum
				Remarks From NABS - Candace Chapman, 1st Vice 				President, National Association Of Blind Students 

1:00-2:30	 	Parent Break-Out
			Anyone interested in parent issues may join us.
			Conference Room A.

	1:00: 		Getting to Know You: Introductions
	1:25: 		Illinois BELL 2015, Amy Lund
	1:50: 		Stem2U, Isaac Raske and Angela Raske
	2:00			What’s Out There and How to Get It: Finding the 					Resources You Need,
 
2:00-5:15		General Session, Afternoon

	2:00-2:30 		Fit For Life Program - Alan West, Chicago Park 					District

	2:30-3:10 		Low Vision and Blindness technology options 
				Magnification and Speech Technology 
				Braille Solutions - Dan Tevelde , Programming 					Analyst,McDonald’s Corp.

	3:10-3:55 		NFB rehabilitation centers, Richard Davis, Blind Inc

	3:55-4:35  		History Of Randolph-Sheppard Program - James 					Gashel, Secretary, National Federation Of The Blind 				Board Of Directors
				Current State Of The Law in Randolph-Sheppard - 					Susan Gashel, General Counsel, National 						Association Of Blind Merchants

	4:35-4:50 		Washington Seminar 
				Robertt Gardner and Christina Roberts

	4:50-5:15 		What's happening in NFBI IBRAl 
				Robert Gardner 
				Scholarships in NFB and NFBI Patti Chang 
				Spring Seminar  Denise Avant 

 5:30 – 6:30	Scholarship Committee Meeting 
			Room TBA  

6:00 - 7:00 	Hospitality 
			Naper 2 and 3

7:00 - 10:00	Annual Banquet
			M.C. Debra Kent Stein, NFBI 1st Vice President
			Naper 2 and 3 
 
			Welcome and Invocation 
			Leslie Hamric - At Large Chapter President

			IABS Raffle Drawing – 
			Katie Leinum, Acting IABS President  

			NFBI Awards – Patti Chang
			Eileen O’Brien Memorial Award 
			Charlotte Lindon
			Harold Knapheide, III.
			 Naperville Noon Lion’s
				
			IBRAl Participant(s)
			Debbie Stein, NFBI Parent Coordinator
			Jessica McCormick – IBRAL Participant 
			Andrea CataQuiz  - IBRAL Participant
			
			15 for Funds 
			Cathy Randall, NFBI Development Committee Chair

			Banquet Keynote – James Gashel, Secretary of National 				Federation Of The Blind Board Of Directors

			Scholarship Awards
			Debbie Stein, Scholarship Committee Chair

10:00 – 12:00	Hospitality   
			Naper 2 and 3  

Sunday, November 1, 2015, Morning

7:00 - 8:30 	Student Breakfast and IABS Business Meeting 
			Katie Leinum, IABS Acting President
			Conference Room A 

			Note:  All are welcome who are interested in student 				issues but please note that only those who have paid 				IABS dues may vote in elections. Please see Glenn 				Moore or any IABS Board Member to pay dues.  We will 				be collecting money at the registration table and at the 				IABS table during convention. 

			President’s, Treasurer’s, and Secretary’s Reports
			Committee Reports
			Old Business
			New Business

9:00 - 12:00 	General Session 
			Naper 2 and 3  

	9:0-9:05 		Call To Order

	9:05-9:50 		Braille Is Beautiful, A Dramatic Reading, 
				Debra Stein, Author and 1st Vice President, National 				Federation Of The Blind Of Illinois

	9:50-10:00 	Literacy Is For Everyone (LIFE Group) 
				Linda Hendle, NFBI Member

	10:00-10:30- 	Treasurer and President’s Reports
				Treasurer’s Report, Patti Chang, NFBI Treasurer
				President’s Report, Denise R. Avant -  President

	10:30-11:00  	Chapter Reports
				At-Large: Leslie Hamric, President
				Blackhawk: Patrick  Olson, 1st Vice President
				Bloomington: Modesto Favela, President
				Chicago: Debra Kent Stein, President
				Ferris Wheel: Bill Reif, President
				Four Rivers:  Brian Sumner, President
				IABS: Katie Leinum, President
				IABM: Ed Birmingham, President
	11:00-11:30 	Resolutions
				Chair, Patti Chang

	11:30-12:00 	Elections
				General Board Seats
				Board Position 1,Currently Held by  David Meyer (2 					year term)
				Board Seat 2 currently held by Bill Reif (2 year term)
				Board seat 3 currently held by Jesse Rogers (2 year 				term)
				Board Seat 4 Currently held by Adrienne Falconer 					(2 year term)
				Election of Delegate and Alternates to 2015 
				National Convention

				Final Remarks by National Representative – James 				Gashel

	12:00			Adjournment

Thanks to the Special Events Committee the Sound committee, and all others who have served on committees, worked registration and information tables, secured door prizes, and appeared on the agenda.  You have helped make this convention a tremendous success.

NFB of Illinois
President: Denise R. Avant, Esq.

NFB PLEDGE

I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution. 

One-Minute Message
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day we raise the expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams.  You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.