The NFB of Montana Board consists of nine members, including five officers: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and four at large board members.
The officers and two at large board members are elected for two year terms in even-numbered years; two at large board members are elected for two year terms in odd numbered years.
Occasionally an officer or a board member may not be able to, or may not choose to, fulfill their full term, in which case their term is fulfilled by the next officer in order, or by the election of a board member at the next convention to fill out the remaining year of the vacant term.
The current board members are as follows:
Board of Directors
- President: Jim Marks, Helena
Email:[email protected]
Re-elected in 2026 for a 2-year term - First Vice President: Reggie Herbert, Missoula
Email: [email protected]
Elected in 2026 for a 2-year term - Second Vice President: Joy Breslauer, Great Falls
Email: [email protected]
Elected in 2026 for a 2-year term - Secretary, Robert Jaquiss, Missoula
Email: [email protected]
Re-elected in 2026 for a 2-year term - Treasurer, Jacob Krissovich, Helena
Email: [email protected]
Elected in 2026 for a 2-year term
Since the NFB of Montana changed our convention time from the fall to the spring, we did not have elections or elect board members in 2025.
Board Members At Large
Jim Aldrich, Billings
Email: [email protected]
Re-elected in 2026 for a 2-year term
Alexis (Lexie) Angelina Myers, Victor
Email: [email protected]
Elected to finish out a 2-year term ending in 2027
Dannelle (Dani) Solonar, Missoula
Email: [email protected]
Elected to finish out a 2-year term ending in 2027
Lisa Chamberlin, Missoula
Email: [email protected]
Elected to finish out a 2-year term ending in 2027
Resolutions 2026
The following resolutions were passed by the membership at our 2026 convention in Helena.
Resolution 2026-01 Regarding Accessible Prescription Drug Labeling for Blind and Low Vision Montanans
WHEREAS The ability to independently read prescription drug labels is essential to the health and safety of all Montanans; and
WHEREAS Standard print prescription labels are inaccessible to blind and low vision individuals, creating a dangerous dependence on sighted assistance for medication management; and
WHEREAS Accessible labeling solutions such as talking prescription labels and ScripTalk, which use a scannable chip readable by a dedicated device or smartphone app, already exist and are offered by some pharmacies voluntarily; and
WHEREAS Without a state mandate, the majority of Montana pharmacies have no obligation to provide these accessible alternatives, leaving blind and low vision Montanans without equal and independent access to their own medication information: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization call upon the State of Montana to establish regulations requiring all pharmacies to provide accessible prescription labeling options for blind and low vision customers.
Resolution 2026-02 Regarding the Defense of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
WHEREAS Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is one of the nation's oldest civil rights laws protecting people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in any program or institution receiving federal funding; and
WHEREAS Section 504 has for decades helped thousands of Montanans receive support in their own homes and communities rather than being forced into nursing homes, hospitals, or institutions; and
WHEREAS Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined a federal lawsuit, Texas v. Kennedy, originally seeking to have Section 504 declared entirely unconstitutional and unenforceable; and
WHEREAS Montana's disability community successfully pushed back, and the original complaint was withdrawn, yet Attorney General Knudsen continues to pursue the lawsuit, now specifically challenging Section 504 regulations that protect community integration and the parental rights of people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS The regulations being challenged explicitly protect against decisions based on "speculation, stereotypes, or generalizations" about parents with disabilities, and ensure that federally funded programs are provided in settings that allow people with disabilities to live, work, and participate in community life alongside non-disabled Montanans; and
WHEREAS Attorney General Knudsen's continued participation in this lawsuit directly contradicts Montana's own legislative investments in home and community-based services, Montana's Olmstead Plan, and the values of freedom, family, and community that Montanans hold dear; and
WHEREAS Over forty Montana-based disability-led organizations have again called upon the Attorney General to withdraw from this lawsuit, reflecting the broad opposition of Montanans with disabilities and those who serve them: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization condemns Attorney General Knudsen's continued participation in Texas v. Kennedy and calls upon him to withdraw from this lawsuit immediately; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization affirm that blind and disabled Montanans deserve the same right as all Montanans to live in the communities of their choosing, raise their families, and participate fully in Montana life.
Resolution 2026-03 Regarding the Montana Secretary of State's Opposition to Accessible Absentee Voting
WHEREAS The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantee blind Americans the right to vote privately and independently; and
WHEREAS Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen directly opposed the National Federation of the Blind of Montana's efforts to establish an electronic ballot return system; and
WHEREAS Secretary Jacobsen subsequently supported legislation requiring absentee voters to add their birth year to ballot envelopes, creating an additional barrier beyond the existing signature requirement; and
WHEREAS While a signature is a personal and abstract mark, a birth year must be written as specific numerals, requiring blind and low vision Montanans to compromise their privacy by obtaining sighted assistance: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization condemns the Secretary of State's actions and calls upon her to advocate for the removal of the birth year requirement and to champion accessible absentee voting options that allow all Montanans to vote privately and independently.
Resolution 2026-04 Regarding the Montana Office of Public Instruction's Obligation to Provide Free Appropriate Public Education to Blind Montana Students
WHEREAS The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has an obligation to provide a free, appropriate public education to all students in Montana, and
WHEREAS The Montana OPI must ensure that all students regardless of blindness achieve Montana Educational Content Standards, and
WHEREAS School districts across Montana routinely fail to provide specialized instruction to blind students due to a lack of Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs), and
WHEREAS School districts across Montana routinely expect the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind (MSDB) to provide services for blind students regardless of the student's physical location, and
WHEREAS MSDB is unable to provide the necessary specialized instruction to ensure that Montana Educational Content Standards are being met by blind Montana students, and
WHEREAS This failure to enforce existing policy denies blind Montana students equal access to education: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization call upon the Montana Office of Public Instruction to immediately adopt and enforce a policy requiring school districts to hire a Teacher of the Visually Impaired whenever a blind student is enrolled.
Resolution 2026-05 Regarding State Funding for AIRA Video Assistance Services for Blind, Low Vision, Deaf, and Hard of Hearing Montanans
WHEREAS The State of Montana already assures equal access to telecommunications for its citizens with disabilities through its state rules and through the program, Montana Accessible Communications; and,
WHEREAS AIRA, a video assistance service, provides blind, low vision, deaf, and hard of hearing individuals with on-demand assistance for daily tasks including but not limited to reading print documents, completing inaccessible forms, navigation, and ASL interpretation; and
WHEREAS Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) could administer AIRA access through the Montana Accessible Communication program or a comparable program; and
WHEREAS Other states have expanded their accessible communications programs to include AIRA, extending access to both the deaf and hard of hearing community and the currently underserved blind and low vision community: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this [18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization call upon the State of Montana to provide additional funding to DPHHS to offer a monthly allotment of AIRA minutes to blind, low vision, deaf, and hard of hearing Montanans.
Resolution 2026-06 Regarding Support for Montana Blind Vendors
WHEREAS When Blind and Low Vision Services decided in 2023 to terminate its contract with Montana Business Enterprises, Inc. and to bring the Randolph-Shepard and Montana Blind Vendors program into state government, the Bureau promised to support blind vendors by providing equipment and other supports; and
WHEREAS To date, the Bureau has not delivered on its promises, consequently forcing extreme hardship on blind vendors and threatening their ability to stay in business: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization calls upon Blind and Low Vision Services to fulfill its promise to support Montana's blind vendors by providing equipment and other supports that ensure the sustainability of their businesses.
Resolution 2026-07 Regarding NFB-NEWSLINE Coordination Funding
WHEREAS In 2023 Blind and Low Vision Services agreed to resume funding of NFB-NEWSLINE — the newspaper, magazine, and other information service for blind people and people with print disabilities — and committed to funding both NFB-NEWSLINE coordination and the annual subscription fees of the program; and
WHEREAS The Bureau has not funded the coordination portion of the program, citing justifications such as the inability to support sub-contracts, the application of the Order of Selection when the Order does not apply to Services to Groups, and stricter centralized contracting processes in state government; and
WHEREAS During the 2023 Biennium in which the Montana State Library funded NFB-NEWSLINE, the Library funded all aspects of the program, resulting in Montana achieving the second highest per capita increase in individual NFB-NEWSLINE subscriptions in the United States; and
WHEREAS The lack of funding for NFB-NEWSLINE coordination limits and denies the right of blind Montanans and others with print disabilities to access information on equal footing with other Montana citizens: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in convention assembled this 18th day of April, 2026, in the city of Helena, Montana, that this organization calls upon Blind and Low Vision Services to fund NFB-NEWSLINE completely, including the cost of coordinating the program.