[Ct-nfb] IMPORTANT - Washington Seminar

[Justin Salisbury]

Fellow Federationists:

I am so proud to have finally made it to the Holiday Inn Capitol! After traveling since 2:45 a.m. this morning, I am getting ready for a nice nap...just kidding! We've got so much going on!

There was some talk of us having an affiliate meeting at 6:00 pm tonight, but it looks like that needs to change.

Here are some important updates:
The House of Representatives has cancelled votes for this week, but the Congressional staff will still be on the Hill for meetings.

With all of the complexity of the situation, here is a breakdown of our revised plans:

Monday, January 25:
The Legislative Seminar scheduled for 2:00 p.m. has been rescheduled to 5:00 p.m. in the Capitol Ballroom. That seminar is expected to run until 6:30 p.m.


The Great Gathering In, which is normally held on Monday night, has been rescheduled to Tuesday morning and will be shortened to accommodate legislative appointments that are already scheduled.


The normal Monday morning meeting of the National Association of Blind Students has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Capitol Ballroom. Students who wish to have more information about activities of the student division and changes should contact President Sean Whalen at nabs.president at gmail.com<mailto:nabs.president at gmail.com> or (262) 309-1034.

Room 353, our Washington Seminar nerve center (what we used to call "the Mercury Room") will be open for business beginning at 1:00 p.m.

We can give new information about Hill appointments by calling room 353 at (410) 216-3314.

Tuesday, January 26:
The Great Gathering In will take place at 8:30 a.m. in the Capitol Ballroom at the Holiday Inn. This year's Gathering In will be a launch for hill appointments as we know that many individuals have Tuesday meetings on the hill in the late morning and into the afternoon.

On Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m. we have a Congressional Reception planned to take place in the Dirksen Senate Office Building (Constitution Avenue and 1st Street NE) in Room G50. This will be a nice way to welcome members of Congress and staff back to the Hill and get our issues in front of them in a dynamic way. Everyone should plan to participate in the reception and invite members of Congress to the event.

The National Association of Blind Students promises a sweet ending to a long day with the NABS Café at 8 PM through midnight on Tuesday. Buy an admission wristband from any member of the NABS Board for $5 prior to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, or pay $7 at the door. Either way, the cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and other tasty treats will satisfy your sweet tooth..." Music and auction items are promised for the NABS Café as well.

After Tuesday, January 26:
We expect our Washington Seminar operation to continue as planned through the rest of the week. Room 353 will continue to be open and our staff will continue to work with members to manage key Hill visits. As needed, we may ask members to drop packets off at offices that will be missed this year because local constituents could not get into DC. As long as NFB members have appointments on the Hill and until all offices have received a packet, our team will be in Washington to get the job done.

Other notes:
Diane McGeorge is at the Holiday Inn and can help you with problems you might encounter at the hotel. Again, the number for room 353 is (410) 216-3314. I spoke with Diane this morning and she assured me that there are a number of rooms still available at the end of the week and that hotel stays could be extended at the #NFBWS16 rate. If your arrival or departure dates at the hotel have changed, I encourage you to call the hotel to adjust your reservation. Even if you are just cancelling one night, please make it easy on the hotel by calling them to cancel the evening you will miss. Please continue to keep Parnell Diggs (pdiggs at nfb.org<mailto:pdiggs at nfb.org> or (843) 267-2018) in the loop regarding changes in your plans for Washington. It is important that we have a good list of who is going to be on the Hill so we can adjust our plans appropriately. Please continue to follow the hashtag #NFBWS16 in social media in order to keep up on seminar happenings and the work of other Federation members. We will continue to share information about changes in Washington and adjustments to our plans as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your commitment to the work of the National Federation of the Blind. The hope and determination that Federationists across the country have demonstrated during the past week is a significant part of what makes our organization unique and effective. For those who simply have not been able to get to Washington because of the lack of seats on rescheduled flights, thank you for the effort you have put in to Washington Seminar 2016. While there is nothing quite as effective as being on the ground and in a Congressional office, please remember that there is a lot you can do to let our members of Congress know that our issues are important to us as one of their constituents. Finally, I know that the rescheduling of appointments and the uncertainty over the past couple of days has been frustrating for all of us. The effort is definitely worth it. Remember, together with love, hope, and determination, we transform dreams into reality.

Sincerely,


Justin Salisbury, NOMC, NCUEB
Graduate Student
Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=325734822
Twitter: @SalisburyJustin

"None can be free as long as any are enslaved"

Dr. Kenneth Jernigan

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