Welcome To Our State Convention!
The convention will be available on Zoom at NFBofPA.org/erie2024/.
Registration will be held Thursday, Nov. 7th from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and on Friday, Nov. 8th from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. outside of the Garden Atrium Ballroom.
A table featuring materials of the National Federation of the Blind will be available outside of the Garden Atrium Ballroom.
There are dog relief areas outside the Hilton and Marriott Hotels. For further information, contact Emily Gindlesperger or Lynn Heitz.
A Hospitality Suite is available in the Desert Dining Room Located in the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center. The Suite will be open on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; Friday, Nov. 8, from 7:00 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. and from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.; and Saturday, Nov. 9, from 6:30 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.
There will be an Exhibit Hall located in the Crystal Ballroom, Salons 5 and 6. The Exhibit Hall will be open on Thursday, Nov. 7 from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and on Friday, Nov. 8, from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Thursday, November 7, 2024
9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Hospitality Suite
Desert Dining Room
8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Senior Possibilities Fair
Connie Scheu, Moderator, Crystal Ballroom, Salons 1 and 2
10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Registration
Garden Atrium Ballroom Lobby
9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Beyond the Eclipse
Dr. David Hurd, Professor of Astronomy and Planetarium Director, Penn West University, Mirage Conference Room
10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Exhibit Hall
Crystal Ballroom, Salons 5 and 6.
12:00 P.M. Box Lunches
box lunches will be available outside the Garden Atrium Ballroom. You must have a ticket to get one.
1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Techin’ Care of Business
David Goldstein, Moderator, 1st Vice President, NFB of PA, Garden Atrium Ballroom
1:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Budgets and Credit
George Dillman, Pennsylvania Department of Banking, Crystal Ballroom, Salons 1 and 2
3:15 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Fundraising Committee
Emily Gindlesperger, Chairperson, Crystal Ballroom, Salons 1 and 2
5:30 P.M. Doors Open
Cash bar will be available
6:00 P.M. A Warm Erie Welcome
Connie Scheu, President Erie County Chapter, Member Board of Directors NFB of PA
6:00 P.M. Pasta Bar
You must have your meal ticket.
7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Celebration of Veterans & Karaoke
Emily Gindlesperger, Facilitator, 2nd Vice President NFB of PA, Garden Atrium Ballroom, cash bar available
Friday, November 8, 2024
7:00 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. Hospitality Suite
Desert Dining Room
8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. PA Association of Blind Merchants
Pamela Baquero, President, Mirage Conference Room
8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. PA Parents of Blind Children
Emily Gindlesperger, President, Garden Atrium Ballroom
9:00 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. DeafBlind Division Meeting
Chris Westbrook, President, Crystal Ballroom, Salon 1
9:00 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. Blind Seniors Group
Connie Scheu, Facilitator, Crystal Ballroom, Salon 2
9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Exhibit Hall
Crystal Ballroom, Salons 5 and 6
10:15 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. PA Association of Blind Students Division Meeting
Simon Bonenfant, President, and Secretary Keystone Chapter, Garden Atrium Ballroom
10:15 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. Jigsaw Chapter Meeting
Chris Westbrook, Vice President, Crystal Ballroom, Salon 1
10:15 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. Pennsylvania Association of Guidedog Users
Facilitator TBD, Crystal Ballroom, Salon 2
10:15 A.M. to 11:45 A.M. PA Association of Blind Parents Division
Stacie Leap, President, Mirage Conference Room
11:45 A.M. Box Lunch
Pick up Outside the Garden Atrium Ballroom; you must have a ticket to get one!
12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. NFB of PA Board of Directors Meeting
Garden Atrium Ballroom, bring your lunch
1:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Nominating Committee Meeting
David Goldstein, Facilitator, Mirage Conference Room, this is a closed meeting. Only those notified can attend.
1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Hospitality Suite
Desert Dining room
1:30 P.M. to 2:45 P.M. Diabetes Group
Come learn some updates and ideas on How To Manage Your Diabetes; Christine Palmer, Facilitator, Member Greater Philadelphia Chapter, Mirage Conference Room
1:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Meet Our National Rep
Stop in and say hello to Tracy Soforenko, President, NFB of VA, Hospitality Suite, Desert Dining Room
1:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Do You Like to Play Games?
Come Try Out Some Accessible Games You Can Play With Your Family; Connie Scheu, Facilitator, President, Erie County Chapter, Member Board of Directors, NFB of PA, Garden Atrium Ballroom
3:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. Pop-Up Braille Challenge
Dr. Sheena Rancher, Assistant Professor of Special Education, Bridgewater State University, Mirage Conference room
5:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. Baskets and Bingo Fundraiser
Emily Gindlesperger, Facilitator, Crystal Ballroom, cash bar available
Saturday, November 9, 2024
NFB PLEDGE
I pledge to participate actively in the efforts 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.
6:30 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. Hospitality Suite
Desert Dining Room
8:30 A.M. General Session, Garden Atrium Ballroom
8:30 A.M. Invocation;
8:35 A.M. Tribute to our Nation and the National Federation of the Blind.
8:40 A.M. Welcoming; Connie Scheu, President Erie County Chapter, Member Board of Directors NFB of PA
Housekeeping – Emily Gindlesperger, Convention Chairperson
8:45 A.M. Presidential Report; Lynn Heitz, President, National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania.
9:30 A.M. Report From Our National Representative; Tracy Soforenko, President NFB of Virginia and Member Board of Directors NFB
10:15 A.M. Braille: The Language of the Blind; Daniel Lubiner, Inventor and Founder, Touchpad Pro Foundation
10:30 A.M. What’s New At Accessible Pharmacy; Andy Burstein, Chief Executive Officer
10:40 A.M. I Want To Work For The Commonwealth, How Can I Make That Happen? Manny Rodriguez, HR Analyst, Diversity Recruiter, Bureau of Enterprise Recruitment, Office of Administration, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10:55 A.M. My Visit To The governor’s Residence; David Goldstein, 1st Vice President, NFB of PA
11:10 A.M. Update on Blindness Services in Pennsylvania; Dawn Sokol, Director, Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Labor and Industry, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11:45 A.M. Questions
12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Lunch
Crystal Ballroom, Salons 1, 2, 3 and 4, you must have a ticket
1:30 P.M. Updates from LAMP; Tara Murphy, Chief Librarian, Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians, Free Library of Philadelphia
1:45 P.M. My Work: Do Blind Students Participate? Chanel Summers, MS-CCC, OVR Program Management, YAP Inc., Juana Lee, Employment Specialist & Worksite Supervisor, YAP Inc.
2:05 P.M. Growing A Partnership With PaTTAN; Daniel Currie, Ed.D, Director, Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, East Office, Tesia Nasehi, M.S., TVI/COMS, Statewide Blindness/Visual Impairment Family Support Specialist, Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, Timothy A. Knight, M.Ed., TVI-COMS, PATTAN Educational Consultant, West office
2:35 P.M. An Update On Accessibility; Ellen Strom, Chief Accessibility Officer, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience
2:50 P.M. Report of the Nominating Committee and Elections; David Goldstein, 1st Vice President, NFB of PA
3:10 P.M. My First NFB Convention Experience; Pamela Baquero, President, PA Association of Blind Merchants, Anissa Brown, Member, Greater Philadelphia Chapter, Angela Ferguson, Member, Keystone Chapter
3:55 P.M. Passing Braille Legislation in a Commonwealth; Tracy Soforenko, President NFB of VA, Member Board of Directors, NFB
4:10 P.M. See-Rynge: What Is It and How Does It Work; Chiadika Eleh, BSE and MSE in Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Software Engineer at Google
4:25 P.M. Kenneth Jernigan Leadership in Service Program; Aubry Bird, President, NFB of NY, Stacie Leap, President, Blind Parents Division, NFB of PA
4:40 P.M. My Internship Experience; Simon Bonenfant, President, PA Association of Blind Students, Nicolas Spohn, Accessibility Consultant/Tester, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience
4:55 P.M. Housekeeping; Emily Gindlesperger, Convention Chairperson
5:00 P.M. Adjournment of General Session
6:00 P.M. Cash Bar
Garden Atrium Ballroom.
7:00 P.M. Banquet
Emily Gindlesperger, Convention chairperson and 2nd vice President, NFB of PA, Garden Atrium Ballroom
Sunday, November 10, 2024
8:00 A.M. Breakfast
Garden Atrium Ballroom
8:15 A.M. Chapter Breakfast
Preston Gaylor, Facilitator, Secretary, Jigsaw Chapter NFB of PA
Business Meeting; Garden Atrium Ballroom
9:00 A.M. State Financial Report; Michelle Bernetskie, Acting Treasurer, NFB of PA
9:30 A.M. Funding at the State level; Lynn Heitz, President, NFB of PA
9:50 A.M. Funding at the National level; Tracy Soforenko, National Representative
10:10 A.M. Funding At The Local Level; David Goldstein, Treasurer, Keystone Chapter, NFB of PA
10:30 A.M. Legislative Report; Emily Gindlesperger, Legislative Chairperson
The National Federation of the Blind is not an organization speaking for the blind, it is the blind speaking for themselves.
