[BlindTlk] Post-Convention Updates from NAGDU

Sun Jul 11 17:14:10 UTC 2021

Hello everyone,

I hope that my message finds you well and that you are recovering nicely 
from another wonderful NFB national convention. I can't wait for the 
next one for several reasons, mainly because it will be in person and 
because it will be in a location that I love so much. Not only is 
Louisiana a wonderful state with a lot of wonderful people, but it has a 
lot of great places to visit and delicious food to eat.

Just because convention is over it does not mean that NAGDU's work 
stops. This email will give a few post-convention updates and give you 
information about what our next steps are.

1. NAGDU events. The National Association of Guide Dog Users hosted two 
events during convention. The annual seminar on July 6 and the annual 
business meeting on July 8. We recorded the seminar, which was dedicated 
to puppy raisers everywhere, and plan on making this recording available 
next week. Because we are always looking at how to improve future 
events, we have created a feedback form. Originally, this form was only 
going to be available until today, Sunday, July 11, but after careful 
thought, we have decided to extend the feedback period to Friday, July 
16, 2021. If you attended one or both NAGDU events, we ask that you 
consider leaving us feedback.

NAGDU Convention Page: www.nagdu.org/convention

NAGDU Events Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/VCJ7C9BC7FooH8nK7

2. the NAGDU Board. Elections were held during our annual business 
meeting. Following are the names of the board members and their 
positions. You can always email the entire board using the address, 
board at nagdu.org.

* Raul Gallegos, President

* Paul Sandoval, Vice President

* Scott Wilson, Secretary

* Jessica Snyder, Treasurer

* Cindy Ray, Board Member

* Jodi Witthaus, Board Member

* Al Elia, Board Member

3. Resolutions. There were three resolutions that NAGDU submitted this 
year: 06 concerning due process and accessibility of guide dog training 
programs, 10 concerning the Department of Transportation and the Air 
Carrier Access Act, and 12 concerning the International Guide Dog 
Federation. The last one, number 12, was withdrawn during the 
resolutions committee meeting on Wednesday. After further deliberation, 
I decided that this resolution was not right for the direction that 
NAGDU is taking. As for resolution 06, there was some controversy around 
this one which have no doubt left some wondering what the NAGDU board 
wants to do. Let me say that this resolution passed, and we are going to 
move forward with implementing it. I have seen messages on this list and 
on social media from people who are very much in favor of it, and I hope 
that those individuals will be willing to help NAGDU when and if 
requested. We need people like you. Likewise, there are many people whom 
I deeply respect that were not in favor of this resolution because of 
the way it was worded. I hope that I can count on you as well. I have 
made it no secret that I take a diplomatic approach when speaking to 
individuals or organizations. If that fails, then we can consider other 
options if necessary. Finally, resolution 10. From what I can tell, this 
one had the most support and is one of the ones where we will begin 
working on immediately. I am appointing NAGDU's newest board member, Al 
Elia, as the NAGDU liaison with John Pare and his team. I am sure that 
there will be many questions concerning the progress of these two 
resolutions going forward. We will be sure to share information with the 
membership as we are able to.

4. Upcoming NAGDU and other guide dog user division events. While July 
is always a little uncertain because of convention and other summer 
plans, NAGDU and the various guide dog user divisions and committees are 
moving forward with business in August. For NAGDU's part, Yappy Hour 
will resume at its normal time of 3 PM Eastern on Saturday, July 24 and 
repeat every other Saturday. Guide Dog Matters will resume on Sunday, 
August 15, 2021, at 3 PM Eastern. Please stay tuned for further 
announcements about the topics that will be covered. The NAGDU board of 
directors will have its next public meeting on Sunday, August 29 at 8 PM 
Eastern time. As always, these and other events are published in the 
NAGDU public events calendar along with the appropriate Zoom connection 
information. Likewise, you will receive updates from NAGDU if you are 
subscribed to any of the guide dog user lists on NFBNet.

Thank you, and as always, feel free to reach out to me or to the board 
if you have any questions.

-- 
Respectfully,
*Raul A. Gallegos* / President
National Association of Guide Dog Users, /NAGDU/
346.439.7444 | RGallegos at nagdu.org <mailto:rgallegos at nagdu.org>
Subscribe to the NAGDU Public Events Calendar Here 
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/nagdu.org_7eopjofhnd4968m46rcmgrck0s%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics>
Schedule a 30-minute Zoom meeting with me here 
<https://app.greminders.com/c/rgatechsolutions/r30/>
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NAGDU on Twitter <https://twitter.com/nagdu>

"Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan