IFB Beat – Week of June 27, 2022

News to Know

Christmas in July for Hourly Employees

We are pleased to announce that our hourly workforce (including hourly admin) will receive a Christmas in July bonus this year. Employees, including our contract agency associates who were hired prior to June 19, 2022 and are paid hourly, will see their bonuses directly deposited into bank accounts on June 29th. (Temp agency timing and distribution methods may differ slightly.) We understand our salaried staff also look forward to Christmas in July. The leadership team and I will continue to work diligently as we navigate the current economic climate with the intent of giving all IFB employees Christmas bonuses. Thank you for your hard work and your commitment to IFB Solutions!

 

Update to PFF for All Employees

Effective July 1, 2022, IFB Solutions will discontinue the People First Fund. (PFF) resources available to cover time out of work for employees required to quarantine due to COVID-19.)

Policy updates:

• Employees who have symptoms of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 are required to report this to their supervisors and not return to work until cleared by IFB Solutions medical team
• We will revert to our normal PTO policy and practices as related to the use of sick time.
• In accordance with current CDC guidelines, IFB will clear employees who test positive for COVID-19 to return to work as early as 5 days following the first appearance of symptoms, provided the symptoms are no longer present. A member of the IFB Solutions medical team must give explicit permission to return to work
• IFB will no longer fundraise specifically for PFF – if you have this highlighted in your email signature, please remove

IFB remains committed to our core values and will continue to adapt as necessary to our ever-changing environment. Please continue to utilize our staysafe@ifbsolutions.org email or speak with your supervisor directly for questions or concerns related to COVID-19.

 

Congrats to our Asheville Employees!

Asheville received the 2021 Gold Safety Award and the Million Hour Award from the North Carolina Department of Labor. On behalf of the employees, Jake Padalino, Asheville’s 2022 Employee of the Year accepted the award from Commissioner Josh Dobson at the Annual Safety Awards Banquet held on June 21.

To receive the Gold Award, companies must be at least 50% below the industry average for days away from work/job restrictions. For the Million Hour Award, companies must work at least one million hours without a lost time accident.

For the past three years, Asheville has been awarded the Silver Award from the DOL. As of midnight 06/20/21, Asheville employees have worked 2,360 days without a lost time accident. Way to go Asheville team!

Programs and Services

NFB NEWSLINE

NFB NEWSLINE is a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, deafblind, or otherwise print-disabled that offers access to more than five hundred publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more. Anyone that would like to sign up can contact Tiffany Mitchell-Parson at 803-603-2098 or tmmitchell727@gmail.com.

S.E.E. Day Camp Winston started our first week with an edible campfire.

A paper plate which represents a clear, open space to build a campfire, holds a ring of miniature marshmallow rocks filled with Oreo cookie crumbles as the dirt base. Potato sticks are the tender, pretzel sticks are the kindling, and pretzel rods are the fuel logs. Candy corn is the flames of a well-built campfire. A yummy treat that teaches how to build a campfire while keeping safe.

 

Adult Support Group Meetings:

• Monday, June 27 Guide Dog support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.
• Tuesday, June 28 Glaucoma support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.

Community Low Vision Center

CLVC Item of the Week:

Swivel Vanity Mirror- Pedestal- Satin Nickel 10x-1x. $49.99

See every angle when applying make-up. Dual-sided 10x and 1x magnification mirrors. Mirror head swivels 360 degrees for easy viewing. Optical-quality glass.

The Low Vision center is a one stop shop! While you are purchasing a Swivel Vanity Mirror check out one of our desktop magnifying lamps!

 

CLVC June item of the month:

Flexible Cutting Boards – $7.95. People with low vision can find the best contrast for them with this pack of 4 multi-colored cutting boards. Different foods may require different colors—a blue board for a carrot, a red board for an egg. These flexible boards allow users to easily dump chopped items directly into a pot or pan, making cooking that much easier.

 

Insider Corner

Have some interesting information to share or topic you would like to see in the Insider Corner? Whether it is your favorite podcast, website, or article that caught your attention, send to Faith Harding at fharding@ifbsolutions.org and we will post it!

Community Connections

Seeking Grant Reviewers with Disabilities

ACL’s Administration on Disabilities is seeking paid peer reviewers for a variety of grant competitions reviewers with disabilities. ACL believes in the importance of meaningfully including people with disabilities at all stages of our work, including grant review.

Reviewers are responsible for:

• Attending a virtual reviewer training.
• Independently reviewing and scoring assigned grant applications in an online system.
• Participating in one or more conference calls with other reviewers to discuss their independent application reviews; and
• Submitting final scores and comments by the deadline.

Reviewers will receive a stipend for completing the tasks above. Reasonable accommodations are available, if needed, to complete the review process.

To be considered as a reviewer, please create an account and upload a copy of your CV or resume to the Reviewer Recruitment Module (RRM) in Grants Solutions.

Below are specific opportunities for people with disabilities to serve as reviewers this summer. Please follow the above steps to create your RRM account and then reach out to the respective contact if you are:

• A person with a disability and intersectional identities, contact: Jack.Brandt@acl.hhs.gov.
• A person with co-occurring intellectual and development disabilities and mental health disabilities, contact: Dana.Fink@acl.hhs.gov
• A person with a traumatic brain injury, contact: Elizabeth.Leef@acl.hhs.gov.

 

Opportunities

Just a friendly reminder!

The Winston Salem location has a $250 referral bonus program for any current employee that refers a blind or visually impaired candidate or sighted/temporary candidate to IFB.
Please contact HR for referral bonus program criteria. Associates at other locations should ask your HR Manager or supervisor for the specific programs available at your location.

Job Announcements

Teacher Assistant- Asheville

Required Education and work experience:
• High School Diploma or GED Equivalent
• 2 years’ experience working with disabled individuals preferred

External candidates may apply at
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=41121&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909
Internal candidates may apply at
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=41122&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909&jpt=ce8685cef740a6280b5fcb492b556fa5

 

Software Developer- Winston Salem

Education and work experience:
• Associates degree or B.S. in computer related field required
• 1-3-years’ experience or strong knowledge in:
o Software development using C# or VB.NET
o Mobile development
o Web development using ASP.NET
o Front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, JQuery, JavaScript
o SQL Server
o Reporting tools like SSRS
o Source Control like TFS

External candidates may apply at
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=41052&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909
Internal candidates may apply at
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=41053&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909&jpt=ce8685cef740a6280b5fcb492b556fa5

For more information, please contact Brent Burkholder at 336 245 5611 or bburkholder@ifbsolutions.org.

 

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
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Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576