The NFBI State Convention is the largest gathering of blind people in the state. Click here to learn more.
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COVID-19 Information & Announcements
National Federation of the Blind COVID-19 Policy Relating to Public Events
Please give immediate attention to the policy directive from the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind related to the immediate postponement of public meetings of the organization. You can read the policy directive and hear an emergency Presidential Release related to this matter at https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-covid-19-policy-relating-public-events.
NFB COVID-19 Resources
The National Federation of the Blind is closely monitoring the COVID-19 emergency, which is changing everyone’s lives but has unique effects on blind people. The health and safety of all of our members, colleagues, and friends is always our top priority. Information on the NFB’s COVID-19 Resources page, www.nfb.org/resources/covid-19-resources, provides resources that may be particularly useful to blind people facing challenges during the emergency. If you have found other resources that you believe are useful, please email the information to communicationsteam@nfb.org. For the latest happenings with the NFB surrounding COVID-19, please visit www.nfb.org.
Iowa COVID-19 Resources
We wanted to make you aware of two new Covid-19 resources in Iowa. First, thanks to the outstanding contributions of two of our members, Joe and Sharonda Goode, Iowa now has accessible statewide statistics for Covid-19 cases. They were able to make contact with the right entities to help the state present the information accessibly. The information can be found at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/access.
Second, the governor announced a new initiative aimed at increasing Covid-19 testing in Iowa. In partnership with a Utah-based company, testing sites will begin to open up more widely throughout the state. For more information and to begin the assessment process, please visit www.testiowa.com. This site has been tested and is accessible as far as we can tell. If you have issues with it, please feel free to let NFB of Iowa President Scott Van Gorp know.
I hope the above information will help all of us gain better access to information regarding Covid-19. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact President Van Gorp. Stay safe and healthy!
What's New
Beware of Scam Messages
>We have received several calls, text messages, and emails over the last few days asking about emails and text messages that look like they are coming from President scott Van Gorp or other members of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa. The emails or text messages are asking people to contact Scott or other members of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa Board of Directors urgently, or asking for gift cards and the codes to be sent to the sender of the message. We want to let you all know, this is a scam and not something that is being sent from Scott or any other members of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa Board of Directors. It has been noted that the email address or phone number they are coming from is not Scott's or others listed on the affiliate website, but they are using their names. The organization would not ever ask for gift card purchases or other personal information like this in emails or text messages.
If you ever do have a question about an email or text message that you receive from Scott or anyone else from the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa, and think it may be a scam, please make sure to reach out to Scott or the name in the email or text message prior to sending any information to it.
Morning show attacks capacity of blind people supervising children
A popular morning radio show called Breakfast Club attacked the capacity of blind people to supervise children during its episode on September 4, 2019. Click here to learn more.
AIRA NFB Plans
There are now two Aira plans available to members of the National Federation of the Blind only.
- Thirty minutes a month for $20.00
- One hundred and forty minutes per month for $99.00 (This plan includes the Austria glasses, allows for minute sharing, permits purchasing additional non-expiring minutes if one is running short, and lets members get credit for referrals.)
Call an Aira agent (800-835-1934) to subscribe or visit the Aira website at https://aira.io/nfb.
Feature NFB of Iowa Programs
National Convention
State Convention
The NFBI State Convention is the largest gathering of blind people in the state. Click here to learn more.
NFB BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy & Learning) Academy
The NFB BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) Academy is a two-week summer day program that teaches confidence and independence skills through Braille, crafts, games, field trips, and interaction with blind mentors. Children ages 4 to 12 learn that their blindness or low vision does not define them or their future. They can live the lives they want. Click here to learn more.
NFB-NEWSLINE
NFB-NEWSLINE® is a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, or print-disabled that offers access to 500 publications, job listings, weather alerts, and more. Access through the phone, apps, computer, Alexa, and more. Click here to learn more, or contact Michael Barber, coordinator, at 515-771-8348 or mbarber@nfbi.org.
KNFB Reader
KNFB Reader is an award-winning mobile app for blind, low-vision, dyslexic, and other print-disabled users that converts text to speech or text to Braille. Click here to learn more.
We Need Your Help! Monitor Uber and Lyft Compliance with Service Animal Agreement
If you use Uber or Lyft and have a service animal or travel with someone who does, please complete our Uber and Lyft survey. For questions, contact Cindy Ray, coordinator, at 515-334-7231 or cray@nfbi.org.
NFB Vehicle Donations Program
Donate a vehicle to the NFB by calling 855-659-9314 or by making an online donation.