Thursday, August 20, 2026
NFBAZ Philosophy Session (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Room: Canyon Theater
Theme: 80 Years! One Symphony! Countless Melodies!
Open the convention with the conversation that grounds everything we do. This year our theme is 80 Years, One Symphony, Countless Melodies. Each of us lives our own unique melody, and when our melodies come together they create a resounding symphony. Come learn how your melody makes our symphony so beautiful, and how eighty years of blind Arizonans playing together has built a movement that changes lives. Whether this is your first convention or your fortieth, your voice belongs in this symphony.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Registration (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Pre-Function Foyer
Exhibit Hall (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
Room: Pima
Access Technology Seminar (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Room: Canyon Theater
Title: Have Fun! Create! Use Tech! It’s Great!
Join the NFBAZ Technology Committee for the fun side of technology! We will explore Suno, creating music on the Mac, and digital audio workstations such as Logic Pro and Reaper. We will also compare today’s smart glasses and demonstrate what they can do. A representative from APH will share their cool tools, and HapWare will demo their product, ALEYE! All in all, we are just gonna have fun. Whether you are a seasoned techie or simply curious, you do not want to miss it!
Senior Seminar and More, including the Cane Walk (9:00 AM – 11:30 AM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Title: Seniors: Fellowship, Fitness, and the Future!
Calling all seniors! Join the NFBAZ Seniors Division for a morning of connection, energy, and good company. We will share fellowship, dig into advocacy, and even get moving together with Zumba! You will also be among the first to meet the new Arizona RSA Independent Living Older Blind (ILOB) program manager and hear the latest ILOB updates. Come for the fellowship, stay for the fun! (Join us again at 2:00 PM for Senior Division Water Aerobics at the pool.)
Blind Merchants Division Breakout (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM)
Room: Sabino
Title: Blind Merchants: Build Your Business, Know Your Benefits
Join the NFBAZ Blind Merchants Division to explore entrepreneurship and financial independence. Learn how Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) work once you become employed—including running your own vending facility. Get to know our Blind Merchants Division and meet successful vendors who are ready to share what they have learned.
Islamic Friday Prayer (12:00 PM – 12:30 PM)
Room: Sage
Lunch (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Speakers: Eric Bell (Manager, Disability Services, Phoenix Suns) and Karl Smith (National Representative)
Registration (1:30 PM – 5:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Pre-Function Foyer
Exhibit Hall (1:30 PM – 5:00 PM)
Room: Pima
Student Division Seminar (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)
Room: Sabino
Title: Students: Succeeding in School and Beyond
Presenter: Mara Ulvested, President, Arizona Association of Blind Students
Join the Blind Student Division breakout session for a practical discussion on succeeding in school and beyond. Topics include state and national scholarship opportunities, professional interactions, networking, campus resources, resume development, and an introduction to NABS, followed by Q&A.
Employment Seminar & Blindness Professionals Seminar (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)
Room: Canyon Theater
Title: Blindness and Employment Professionals: Tools for Every Age
Presenter: Amy Porterfield, Affiliate Board Member and President, Saavi Services for the Blind
Built for those who teach, train, and support blind people of every age. We will dig into making math accessible with MathML, share ideas in round-table discussions, and explore how to support seniors in learning to use AI tools.
Senior Division Water Aerobics (2:00 PM)
Room: Hotel Pool
Title: Make a Splash!
Cool off and get fit with Roger Early for our first-ever convention water aerobics at the hotel pool. Improve balance, gain strength, make friends, and have fun! Please change into swimwear in your hotel room or conference center restrooms before arriving, as there is no changing area at the pool.
Legislative Seminar (3:30 PM – 5:30 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Engage in a discussion with policy makers at the highest level of state government to discuss moving our priorities forward for Arizona’s blind community. (Speakers to be announced)
Hospitality Suite Light Meal (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM)
Room: Suite 340
Resolutions Committee (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM)
Room: Sabino
Chair: Jordan Moon, Legislative Chair
Hospitality Night: Rodio Round-Up (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Games for the whole family—including Bingo!
Nominating Committee (9:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Room: Sabino (Closed Meeting)
Chair: Bob Kresmer, Nominating Committee Chair
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Registration (8:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
Room: Catalina Pre-Function Foyer
Youth Track (8:30 AM – 5:00 PM)
Room: Pima A
Morning General Session (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
- 9:00 AM: Call to Order
- 9:05 AM: Invocation
- 9:10 AM: Presentation of Colors and Pledges
- 9:20 AM: Opening Ceremony
- 9:40 AM: Convention Welcome (Amy Porterfield, Convention Chair)
- 9:50 AM: Membership Celebration
- 10:00 AM: Jason Lilly
- 10:15 AM: Kate Scally Howell (Director, Tucson School for the Blind)
- 10:30 AM: Why Become a BEP Vendor? (Alan Curry, Arizona Association of Blind Merchants)
- 10:45 AM: The Governor’s Council on Blindness and Low Vision: What It Is and How to Get Involved (Bob Kresmer)
- 11:00 AM: Fit Break
- 11:05 AM: Resolutions Committee Report
- 11:45 AM: "Why I Am a Federationist" Panel
Lunch & Division Meetings (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM)
- Seniors Division: Catalina Ballroom A and B
- Diabetes Action Network: Catalina Ballroom C
- Arizona Parents of Blind Children: Mesa B
- Arizona Association of Blind Students: Canyon Theater
- Blind Merchants Division: Sabino
- Chapter Building (At-Large, Northern Arizona, West Valley): Private Dining Room
Afternoon General Session (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
- 2:00 PM: President’s Report
- 2:30 PM: National Representative Report (Karl Smith)
- 3:00 PM: Nominating Committee Report and Elections (Bob Kresmer)
- 3:30 PM: "Why Choose Structured Discovery Training?" Panel
- 3:50 PM: Fit Break
- 4:00 PM: NFB STEM 2 You and Youth Slam (Ashleigh Moon)
- 4:20 PM: NFB BELL Academy (Amy Porterfield)
- 5:00 PM: Adjourn
Reception (6:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Pre-Function Foyer
Banquet (7:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Keynote Speaker: Karl Smith, National Representative
Program: Scholarship Awards (Scholarship Chair) and Auction (Donald Porterfield & Jordan Moon)
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Worship Service (7:00 AM – 8:00 AM)
Room: Sabino
Youth Track (7:30 AM – 8:00 AM)
Room: Pima A
Business Meeting & Chapter Reports (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Room: Catalina Ballroom
Reports: East Valley, Phoenix, Tucson, and others; Treasurer’s Report (Affiliate Treasurer)
2026–2027 Events Preview: Blind Equality Achievement Month, Phoenix Seminar, Washington Seminar, 2027 National Convention, 2027 NFB BELL Academy, and 2027 State Convention.