[nabs-l] Washington Seminar Experiences

[Cindy Bennett]

Ian:

I am happy to talk about my Washington Seminar experiences, because
this year will be my 5th, and it is my favorite NFB event.

I hope you can come to seminar on Saturday, Feb. 4, because on Sunday,
Feb. 5, there will be a NABS seminar, and it will be a great
networking opportunity for you to have with students from all over the
country.

Monday is a lighter day. There are no legislative appointments this
day since several congressmen are not in their offices on Mondays.
However, I believe NABS will have some vendors available to speak
with, and some other divisions might have meetings. Several people use
Monday as a day to do fun things around D.C. Monday evening however is
the great gathering in when everyone assembles, and the legislative
issues for the years as well as other NFB current happenings are
discussed. Typically, about 500 NFB members attend Washington seminar.
So, it is definitely smaller than a national convention, but I have
found that the participants are energetic people who care about
proactively improving the lives of blind people.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are appointment days which I will
explain below.

Basically, someone from your state will make appointments with all of
your state's congressmen. The NFB will release 3 legislative issues
which we talk to our legislators about during these appointments.
Typically, states will divide into groups of 3 people or so and attend
these appointments. So, you won't meet with all of your congressmen,
but some, and probably the congressman who represents the area in
which you live. The appointments are not long. In my experience, each
group member has versed themselves especially well on one issue and
discusses their issue with the legislator or a legislative assistant.
States do things differently though, but you'll want to discuss your
issues and then leave.

As people from your state attend seminars repeatedly, relationships
can build between NFB members and legislative offices. Although it is
more common to meet with a legislative assistant than the congressman,
building relationships with these employees can build the influence
you have with the legislator.

So, to answer your question about whether seminar makes a difference
shortly, yes. Some examples I can think of are the Louis Braille coin
initiative which was advocated for at Washington Seminar and passed,
and a lot of money was raised for braille literacy. Also, the
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act which passed just last year was a
seminar issue for a few years. Some issues take years to pass, but our
presence in D.C. does make a difference. This does not downplay the
integral part everyone can play by emailing and calling their
congressmens' offices, but there is something about actually visiting
that alerts congressmen and lets them know that you are serious about
the changes you want to see in government.

I hope that you receive the opportunity to go, and that other students
shed light on their experiences. Mine have been overwhelmingly
positive, but Washington Seminar is not for everyone. It is a bit
expensive, so I feel that it has to be something that is important for
you to go, but giving it a try to see if it is something that is
important to you is a good idea.

Cindy


On 12/13/11, Ian Perrault <iperrault at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi
> I’m wondering if any of you could give me your experiences if you’ve
> attended a Washington Seminar? I may go for the first time this year and am
> wondering what happens, what it’s like, and if it has helped us as blind
> people get equal access to stuff.
> Ian
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/clb5590%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Cindy Bennett
B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington

clb5590 at gmail.com
828.989.5383