State Convention Agenda – Saturday 2026
2026 State Convention Agenda – Saturday
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Registration
7:15 AM–1:45 PM – Registration Table Open -lobby
Tiffany Manosh, President, River City Chapter – Coordinator
Hospitality Suite
6:00 AM—8:00 AM – Breakfast
11:00 AM—1:45 PM – Lunch
Cheryl Thurston, President, Inland Empire Chapter – Coordinator
Ham Radio Group
7:15 AM–8:00 AM – California 1 Meeting Room
Robert Stigile, President, San Fernando Valley Chapter Facilitator
Exhibitors Showcase
8:00 AM–9:00 AM – Orangewood 1 and 2 Meeting Room
Cheryl Thurston, President, Inland Empire Chapter – Coordinator
Listen to a brief description of products and services from each exhibitor. This is a wonderful way to survey everything in the hall at one time and then follow up with each exhibitor at their tables immediately after the presentations.
Exhibit Hall
9:00 AM–1:45 PM – California Meeting Rooms 2, 3, and 4
Cheryl Thurston, President, Inland Empire Chapter – Coordinator
Explore the latest technology, services and information from organizations offering useful resources to blind people.
California Association of Guide Dog Users (CAGDU)
9:30 AM–11:15 AM – Orangewood 1 Meeting Room
Shannon Dillon, President
Hear from representatives of guide dog programs and learn how you may be able to file in small claims court to address rideshare issues.
Poder Y Movimiento Latinos (PYML)
10:00 AM–11:00 AM – California 1 Meeting Room
Marisa Vallejo, President
Come support the causes of the blind Latino community.
Civic Engagement Division Organizing Meeting
10:00 AM-11:00 AM- Orangewood 3 Meeting Room
Have you ever wanted to run for public office or serve on a board or committee in your community? Whether you are getting ready to run for Congress or hoping to improve local transportation issues, come meet individuals interested in forming a division focused on promoting blind people into more civic engagement.
Training Center Meetups – Firm Up Your Mobility Skills and More
11:30 AM–12:15 PM – California 1 Meeting Room
Rachel Grider, Louisiana Center for the Blind, and Maureen Neitfeld, Colorado Center for the Blind
Do you have questions about how to get the best blindness training available? Learn how blind people navigate with the white cane, retain their independence, and learn to confidently and efficiently get where they want to go.
Parents of Blind Children
11:30 AM–1:00 PM – Orangewood 3 Meeting Room
Jamey Principato Crane, President
The regular meeting for parents of blind children and parents who are blind, all supporting each other.
Diabetes Action Network (DAN)
11:30 AM–1:00 PM – Orangewood 1 Meeting Room
Joy Stigile, President
All are welcome to attend and learn more about Diabetes care and management.
California Association of Blind Students (CABS)
11:30 AM–1:00 PM – Orangewood 2 Meeting Room
Florentino Becerra, President
College and high school students and supporters, come join our student division for networking and our state convention meeting.
General Session
2:00 PM–5:00 PM – Orangewood 1 and 2 Meeting Room
Tim Elder, California State President
2:00 PM – Call to Order and Opening Ceremonials
Pledge of Allegiance and NFB Pledge — Marisa Vallejo, Presidenta, Poder y Movimiento Latina/o (PYML)
2:05 PM – National Report—Constant Vigilance in the Movement
Everette Bacon, Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind, reports on what our organization is achieving to advance the rights of blind people and shares updates from President Mark Riccobono.
2:35 PM – Rehabilitation Updates—New Leadership, Order of Selection and Other Change
Kim Rutledge, Director, California Department of Rehabilitation, is introduced to her first state convention to discuss vocational rehabilitation services in California and provide updates for blind job seekers.
2:55 PM – Get on the PAC Plan—Supporting the Movement
Robert Stigile, PAC Coordinator, explains how to join PAC.
3:00 PM – You Too Can Do YouTube—Non-visual Video Production
Lucy Greco, Accessibility Evangelist, shares techniques and tools for non-visually capturing video footage with accessible cameras, editing with accessible software tools, and managing online distribution across multiple social media networks.
3:25 PM – Student Surge—Updates from the Students’ Division
Minahil Jafri, National Student Rep. and recent college graduate shares opportunities for blind students to get involved in the movement.
3:30 PM – One Amazing Accessibility Act—Introducing Our Web Accessibility Law A.B. 2190
Tim Elder, President, NFB of California, and Mike Paciello, Chief Accessibility Officer, AudioEye, introduce AB 2190, an innovative website access law of our own design. Learn about what this new proposed law could do and how we can advocate for its passage in Sacramento in the coming months and a cross-disability event on May 26, 2026.
3:55 PM – Immersion Training—Best in Class NFB Training Centers
Maureen Neitfeld, Director of Student Services , Colorado Center for the Blind, and Rachel Grider, Louisiana Center for the Blind, showcase our best-in-class national training programs.
4:10 PM – Political Action—Blind Leaders Working in Political Parties and Campaigns
Marianne Haas, Delegate to the California Republican Party Convention, and Sagar Gupta, Campaign Field Organizer for the 10th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Saikat Chakrabarti, share their respective experiences with political action.
4:40 PM – Increasing Wealth—Expanded Eligibility for ABLE Accounts
Maria Sandoval, Outreach Specialist, California ABLE Act Board , explains the value of an ABLE investment account for every blind person and how even more people can now take advantage of this program.
4:55 PM – Report of the Nominating Committee
Ever Lee Hairston, Nominations Committee Chair, announces the slate of proposed candidates and comments on the election process that will follow on Sunday morning.
5:00 PM – Adjourn
Members should quickly exit the room to make way for the banquet setup. Please take your conversations to the hotel lobby to enable the support staff to quickly change over the facility.
Banquet
Doors open at 7:00 PM
7:00 PM–10:00 PM – Orangewood 1 and 2 Meeting Room
Mistress of Ceremony – First Vice President, Rachel Grider
Hear an inspiring address from our national representative, meet our scholarship winners, conduct fun auctions with games, and generally be delighted as we celebrate our success as an organization.
