[il-talk] Fwd: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Recess is a time to play

[Patti Chang]

Please reply if you have scheduled a visit with a legislate tour? If you have not seen your congressman or senator, please schedule an appointment with your congressman. I think Bill Reif and Jessie Rogers have the senators covered. Denise and I saw the senators in Chicago as well. Thank you for all you do.

"The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future."

Patti S. Gregory-Chang
NFBI President
NFB Scholarship Comm. Chair
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "McLarney, Lauren via Nfb-legislative-directors" <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>
Date: August 6, 2014 at 3:00:38 PM CDT
To: "'nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org'" <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Recess is a time to play
Reply-To: "McLarney, Lauren" <LMcLarney at nfb.org>, NFB Legislative Directors List <nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org>

Hi friends,
 
This week is the beginning of a month long recess for Congress.  Most members of Congress are in their districts taking time to relax and connect with constituents.  This means town halls. This means district office hours.  This means campaigning.  This means lots of opportunities to hear from the National Federation of the Blind!  Advocacy does not stop with Washington Seminar, and the easiest time to stay on their radar is during the August recess.  Persistence is part of the game – are you going to play?
 
Option #1: Set up a mini-Washington Seminar meeting.  It’s halfway between last year’s Washington Seminar and next year’s.  If you met with your members of Congress in person, set up another meeting and say you want to know where things stand. If you were only able to meet with staff, mention that in your meeting request and see if you can’t get the member this time.  If your member of Congress already cosponsored some of our bills, be sure to thank them.  This simple act of in-person appreciation will go a long way in developing a relationship.   
 
Option #2: Go to a town hall.  Your local newspaper or Facebook should be advertising stops on your member of Congress’ trail, especially right now because it’s an election year.  You can also call their office and ask for their schedule.  The point of these meetings is to collect constituent feedback. You can ask a question like “What are you going to do to support people with disabilities? I’ve noticed you have not cosponsored the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act yet…”  Or afterwards you can say “You said you were very concerned about education reform.  Blind students are facing discrimination and schools are facing lawsuits – will you cosponsor the TEACH Act?”  A suggestion: stick to one issue only.  You probably won’t have time to cover all three. 
 
Because collaboration is key, please keep the three of us in the loop.  Call us beforehand so we can give you updates, and report back afterwards so we can run with your action items.   We look forward to hearing from you – go team!
 
Best,
Lauren, Jesse and Rose
 
P.S.  Please stay tuned for a new video about the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act! The video will be a useful tool to use in your meetings.  Check in at our YouTube page for this new video and many others.
 
Lauren McLarney
Government Affairs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410.659.9314 ext. 2207
 
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. 
 
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