[nabs-l] Navigating D.C. and Arlington, VA

Mon Apr 27 18:19:37 UTC 2015

Hi Zach,

I am not savvy with the D.C. area, but as Derek has already offered to
assist you, there are a lot of NFB members who live in the vicinity.
If you want to connect with more people than who reply here, feel free
to get in touch with me off list as I have several friends in the D.C.
area.

I think that planning ahead is wise. One thing you could research are
smartphone apps relevant to the area. For example, I think the train
system has an app. Plus, rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are
available in D.C. You can look for happy hour apps to learn of deals
in the area of where you live. I would also recommend learning the
grid formation of the city (I believe their are 4 quadrants), the
conventions of streets versus avenues, and what the prefixes and
suffixes such as north, southeast, etc. can tell you about an address.
Finally, I would ask questions like which side of streets even and odd
addresses are on and how long blocks are. For reference, when I lived
in Minneapolis, I learned that avenues run north and south, streets
east and west. A south suffix meant avenues ran south from downtown. I
learned that running north and south along the avenues, addresses
ended in digits 1 to 30 whereas the shorter east to west blocks
generally contained addresses ending in the digits 1 to 15.

I think that picking up little things like this before you go will
help you to get a high level idea of where an address is that you are
trying to find. It is also very useful to know this information when
using cabs as disappointingly, many drivers do not know practical
things like the city's address system.

That said, use your unfamiliarity to your advantage. I think it will
provide you an easy conversation starter at work and in coffee shops
and bars near your apartment. Locals love to talk about what's good,
and your coworkers will love any excuse to take a coffee break or go
for a drink after work.

I'm sorry that I couldn't provide more relevant information but hope
this gets you started!

Cindy

On 4/27/15, Manners, Derek via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hey there, my name is Derek Manners and I lived in Arlington last year and
> worked at the department of the defense and am living in DC this year and
> working in DC may 18-Agust 1st.  I'd be happy to show you around and or
> answer any questions.  My cell is 903-271-6494.  Do you have any specific
> questions?
>
> Best wishes
> Derek Manners
> 1st Vice President MASSABS
> Board Member and NABS Fundraising Chair
>
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 1:45 PM, Zach Mason via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hello
>>
>>
>>
>> Been on the list before about housing, now asking for advice.
>>
>>
>>
>> I've been accepted to a summer internship with the National Association
>> of
>> State Departments of Agriculture. I'm kind of late in asking this, but
>> how
>> long does it take to orient a country bumpkin to living in D.C. and
>> working
>> in an office in Arlington Virginia? My life is a long history of jumping
>> into things without comprehensive preparation, but it really just hit me
>> this morning how I've been living in the sticks for the past two years
>> without any real opportunity to use mobility skills.
>>
>>
>>
>> I received 14 wk of independent living training at the Carroll Center for
>> the Blind in 2013, and have lived and worked independently at Purdue
>> University for 8 wk during a summer internship. However, for the past two
>> years I've worked on a dairy farm in northern New Hampshire where the
>> ownership require I use sighted assistance whenever crossing. (Not that
>> sighted assistance equals safety) I've had more than one instance when
>> ears
>> trumped eyes. And as for working around animals . I could tell some
>> stories.
>> (Exasperated face)
>>
>>
>>
>> But I digress. I've taken some preliminary steps, hired an O&M
>> instructor,
>> contacted METRO and a METRO O&M instructor, had JAWS and Openbook
>> installed
>> at my work computer in the Arlington office, and bought my apartment. I
>> planned a wk of orientation, both to the work and for O&M, but am not
>> sure
>> it's enough. Part of my job is attending public hearings at the Capitol,
>> sometimes remotely, sometimes in person; and finding a strange place in a
>> strange city scares me. I've been to D.C. before, and the traffic
>> environment intimidates me.
>>
>>
>>
>> Words of wisdom, encouragement, and prayers are all welcome. (Smiling
>> face)
>> Anyone in Arlington/D.C. area is also welcome to try to get in touch and
>> get
>> together between May 18-Aug. 15.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Zac
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Zachary Mason
>>
>> Assistant Shepherd and Young Stock Manager
>>
>> Northwinds Farm
>>
>> (603) 922-8377 Work
>>
>> (603) 991-6747 Cell
>>
>>  <mailto:zmason at northwindsfarm@gmail.com> zmason at northwindsfarm@gmail.com
>>
>>
>>
>> 806 U.S. Route 3
>>
>> North Stratford, NH 03590
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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-- 
Cindy Bennett
1st Year Ph.D. Student, University of Washington
Human Centered Design and Engineering

Treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington
an Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind

clb5590 at gmail.com