2023 Alabama Convention
Join us for the 2023 National Federation of the Blind of Alabama Affiliate Convention
Family United, Facing The Future Together
March 3-5, 2023
Location: Hilton Birmingham at UAB
808 20th Street South Birmingham, AL 35205
Reserve Your Room Today!
or call 205.933.9000.
View All 2023 NFB of Alabama Sponsors and Vendors
Download 2023 NFB of Alabama Convention Sponsors and Vendors (PDF)
For any remaining questions about being a vendor, call Tamika Williams at 251-605-7882 or
For all other convention questions and concerns, Phone President Barbara Manuel at 251-656-5165.
Download 2023 NFB of Alabama Convention Agenda with Zoom Links (Microsoft Word)
The National Federation of The Blind Alabama Affiliate 2023 Annual Convention Theme: "Family United; Facing The Future Together"
March 3-5, 2023
Welcome
HILTON BIRMINGHAM AT UAB
808 20th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: 205.9339000
Registration: $30.00
Banquet: $45.00
Shawn Callaway, National Representative
NFB National Board of Directors Member
National Federation of the Blind
Washington, D.C.
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.
INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY, AND SOCIAL CONDUCT
We are committed to providing a harassment-free environment for everyone. Thank you for cultivating an atmosphere in which participants from diverse backgrounds can learn, network, and share with each other in an environment of mutual respect.
We recognize a shared responsibility to create and uphold that atmosphere for the benefit of all.
The following link will take you to the NFB website:
Code of Conduct
NFB of Alabama Officers and Board of Directors 2022-2023
- President: Barbara Manuel, Alabama Affiliate
- 1st Vice President: Tamika Williams, Mobile Chapter
- Second Vice President{ Jill Rossiter, At Large Chapter
- Secretary: Grace Anderson, Birmingham Chapter
- Treasurer: Larry Povinelli, Huntsville Chapter
- Board Seat 1: Sandre Tyler, Birmingham Chapter
- Board Seat 2: Jeffery Wilson, Birmingham Chapter
- Board Seat 3: Zippora Jones, At Large Chapter
- Board Seat 4: Brenda Houston, Tuscaloosa Chapter
- Board Seat 5: Luke Seibert, Huntsville Chapter
- Board Seat 6: Pazater Turner, Talladega Chapter
- Registration Chairperson: Zippora Jones
- Door Prize Chairperson : Brenda Houston
- Scholarship Chairperson: Grace Anderson
- Vendor Fair Chairpersons: Jennifer Reeves & Tamika Williams
Friday, March 3, 2023
12:00PM - 2:00PM & 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Registration
Lower Lobby
12:00PM - 5:00PM
Vendor Fair
Lower Lobby
12:00PM - 2:30PM & 6:00PM - 8:00PM
Hospitality Room
Collum Parlor, Lobby level
1:00PM - 1:55PM
Diabetic Management: Ensuring a Healthier Future
Constance Hughes, MPH, Diabetic Health Coach
Mobile, AL
Hamilton II
2:00PM - 2:55PM
Facing the Future with Alabama ABLE Plan
Anita Kelley, Savings Director
State of Alabama Treasurer’s Office
Montgomery, AL
Hamilton II
3:00PM - 4:00PM
National Federation of the Blind of Alabama Affiliate Board Meeting
Hamilton II
4:00PM - 4:30PM
United for Change, facing the Future Together
Resolution Committee
Michael Evers, Affiliate Legislative committee Chair
Assistant Director for The Center for Educational Accessibility and Disability Resources (CEADR) University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
Montgomery Room
4:30PM - 6:00PM
NFB of Alabama Seniors Division
Carol Braithwaite, President
Presenter: Dorothy Griffin
NFB Newsline Coordinator
Affiliate President of Georgia
Atlanta, GA
Hamilton II
4:30PM - 6:00PM
National Association of Blind Merchants
Tracy Watts, President
Presenter: Latresia Berry
Human Resource Manager
Family Life Guidance Center
Montgomery, AL
Presenter: Terry Smith
Randolph Shepperd 101
NFB Blind Entrepreneurship Initiative
Knoxville, TN
Montgomery Room
6:00PM - 8:00PM
Dinner (on your own)
8:00PM - 11:00PM
Sponsored by Southern Food Service.
The best part of having a family is the reunion we look forward to every year! Games, door prizes & much more, join the fun! Wear your Family Reunion t-shirt and enter free. For additional information, contact:
Jennifer Reeves: [email protected], (205) 568-8541
Tamika: [email protected], (251)605-7882
Hamilton I
Saturday March 4, 2023
8:00AM - 8:45AM
Hospitality Room
Collum Parlor, Lobby Level
8:00AM - 9:00AM
Registration
Lower Lobby
General Session - Hamilton I
9:00AM - 9:30AM
Family United, Facing The Future Together
Call to Order: Barbara Manuel, President NFB Of Alabama
Opening Ceremonies
Welcome: Jeff Wilson, NFB Birmingham Chapter President
Invocation: Presiding Judge Andra Sparks
NFB Pledge: Grace Anderson, NFBAL Secretary
Presentation of Colors:
National Anthem: Alabama School for the Blind
Vocal Ensemble
Talladega AL
Mayor’s Proclamation: Presiding Judge Andra Sparks
David J. Vann Municipal Justice Center
Birmingham, AL
Governor’s Proclamation: Grace Anderson, NFBAL Secretary
Greeting: Representative Neil Rafferty
Birmingham, AL
District 54
9:30AM - 10:10AM
Stronger Together
2023 National Report
Shawn Callaway
NFB National Board of Directors
National Federation of the Blind
Washington D. C.
10:10AM - 10:35AM
Facing the Future Together; United and Limitless
John Mascia, O.D., President
AIDB Staff
Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind
Talladega, AL
10:35AM - 11:00AM
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services
Ashley Townsend
Blind and Deaf Coordinator
Montgomery, AL
11:00AM - 11:30AM
Strengthening our Future through Mentorship
Maurice Peret, coordinator
Career Mentoring and Employment Programs
National Federation of the Blind
Baltimore, MD
11:30AM - 11:55AM
National Federation of the Blind of Alabama Affiliate Report
Barbara Manuel, NFBAL President
11:55AM - 12:00PM
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Lunch Break
(on your own)
12:00PM - 1:45PM
NFB of Alabama Vendor Fair
Lower Lobby
2:00PM - 2:30PM
Empowering Our Future
Breakout 1: Future Employment Opportunities
John Dubay
Founder and Managing Partner of Leads at Scale
Spokane, WA
Virtual Presentation
Hamilton I
Breakout 2: The Regional Library for the Blind
Angela Fisher Hall, MLS Regional Librarian
Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled (ARL)
Montgomery, Alabama
Hamilton II
2:35PM - 3:05PM
Breakout 1: Unmasking the Process of Business Formation
Aarti Sahgal, President AG APSE
Founder and CEO
Synergies Work
Virtual Presentation
Hamilton I
Breakout 2: Technology Trends that Foster Greater Productivity, Session I
Doug Nixon and Staff
E. H. Gentry
Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind
Talladega, AL
Hamilton II
3:10PM - 3:40PM
Breakout 1: Facing a Brighter Future; Building and Repairing Credit Reliability
Keren Treme Financial Education Trainer
Regions Bank
Birmingham, AL
Kathy V. Lovell, ACTCP
Senior Vice President
Disability Services and Outreach Manager
Regions Center 23rd Floor
Birmingham, AL
Hamilton I
Breakout 2: Technology Trends that Foster Greater Productivity, Session II
Doug Nixon and Staff
E. H. Gentry
Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind
Talladega, AL
Hamilton II
3:50PM - 4:20PM
Breakout 1: Where The Blind Work
Maurice Peret
Coordinator of Career Mentoring and Employment Programs
National Federation of the Blind
Baltimore, MD
Hamilton I
Breakout 2: Financial Strategies for the Future; Retirement Saving Plan
Kathy V. Lovell, ACTCP
Senior Vice President
Disability Services and Outreach Manager
Regions Center 23rd Floor
Birmingham, AL
Hamilton II
4:30PM - 5:00PM
Breakout 1: STEM and The Blind: United Together
Gabriel Mendez
University of Alabama
Huntsville, AL
Jill Rossiter,
Second Vice President, NFB of Alabama
Florence, AL
Tamika Williams
First, Vice President, NFB of Alabama
Mobile, AL
Hamilton I
Breakout 2: United For Change: Washington Seminar
Michael Evers, Affiliate Legislative committee Chair
Assistant Director for The Center for Educational Accessibility and Disability Resources (CEADR) University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
Jonesti Steele
University of Alabama
Talladega, AL
Shawn Callaway, NFB National Board of Director
National Federation of the Blind
Washington D.C.
Hamilton II
5:00PM
Adjourn
6:00PM - 7:00PM
Mix & Mingle
(Photographer on hand)
7:00PM - 9:00PM
MC. Tamika Williams, First Vice President
Entertainment by Marlon Spears.
Invocation: Minister Percy Garrett, At Large Chapter
Memorial In Memory
Dinner Served
Introduction of National Representative: Tamika Williams; First Vice President,
Banquet Address: Shawn Callaway, NFB National Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind, Washington D.C.
Scholarship Awards: Grace Anderson, Scholarship Committee Chairperson
Awards Ceremony: Tamika Williams, First Vice President
Barbara Manuel, Affiliate President
Pre-Authorization Contribution (PAC): Larry Povinelli
Adjourn
9:15PM - 11:00PM
Family Feud
A family reunion would not be complete without a good old feud”.
Does your team have what it takes to claim the 2023 NFB "Head of Household" Family Feud Championship? Join the fun! You may walk away with bragging rights.
Entry to participate is free!
Contact Tamika Williams or Jennifer Reeves for more information.
Let’s get to feuding!
Sunday, March 5, 2023
8:30AM - 9:00AM
Devotion
Carol Braithwaite, Presiding
Montgomery Room
9:15AM - 9:45AM
Resolutions
Legislative Committee: Michael Evers, Committee Chair
Hamilton I
10:00AM
Alabama Affiliate Annual Business Meeting
Call to Order: Barbara Manuel, NFBA President
Invocation
Reading of Minutes: Grace Anderson, NFBA Secretary
Treasurer Report: Larry Povinelli, NFBA Treasurer
Nominating Committee Report: Brenda Houston, Chairperson
Positions: Constitutional Officers, Board Seats, 2 - 4 - 6
Elections
Appointment of 2023 Delegate and Alternate
Chapter Highlights
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Shawn Callaway Biography
Shawn Callaway was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland. When he was a sophomore at South Carolina State University, a classmate was playing with a gun and accidentally shot Shawn in the temple. The accident resulted in the detachment of his optic nerves, which caused total blindness. Shawn returned to the DC area and received blindness training at the Workforce Technology Center in Baltimore.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the NFB Board of Directors, both to give back to the organization as a whole and because so many past and present board members like Fred Schroeder, Anil Lewis, Dr. Joanne Wilson, Sam Gleese, Pam Allen, and Ever Lee Hairston have inspired and mentored me. I will strive to fill the same role for other leaders and members of our great movement, and devote every ounce of my energy to building the Federation and advocating for all blind citizens."
After his rehabilitation training, Shawn earned his associate’s degree in psychology from Essex Community College in 1995, his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1997, and then his master's in social work from Catholic University of America in 2000. He began his professional career working with the homeless at Catholic Charities, and then went on to counsel children in the Washington, DC public schools system for the city's Department of Behavioral Health. He now works as a program specialist for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, specifically in programs of the Administration on Community Living and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In 2005, he married Latonya Rollins of Cleveland, Ohio.
Shawn had heard of the National Federation of the Blind in the mid-1990s but was initially convinced by a friend that the organization was too radical for him. In retrospect, he believes he was given bad information and wishes that he had become a Federationist earlier.
Shawn already had confidence in most of his blindness skills when he joined the National Federation of the Blind, but he says that he was still apprehensive about becoming a parent. The opportunity to observe and talk to blind parents like Mark and Melissa Riccobono and Tracy Soforenco, as well as a DC Federationist named Vicky Smith, gave him confidence that he could be a successful blind parent. He is now the proud father of his daughter Camille who was born in 2014.
Shawn also credits participation in the NFB with opening up other leadership and community involvement opportunities for him. He has served on the boards of the DC Center for Independent Living and the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind and has chaired the DC rehabilitation council. He currently co-hosts a community radio program called Open Our Eyes on two local stations. In addition, Shawn serves as the President of the DC Friends of the Talking Book and Braille Library and is a member of the DC Blind Bowlers Association.
"The only rock I know that stays study, the only institution I know that works, is the Family." - Lee Iacocca
The National Federation of the Blind of Alabama Family Appreciates your Presence during our 2023 "Family United; Facing The Future Together" Convention”
Your presence has enabled us to have a successful convention!
NFB 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.