[nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question

Sun Jan 3 01:12:30 UTC 2016

Thank you. the advice about calling is very good, as they probably get a lot of emails. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 2, 2016, at 7:59 PM, Chris Nusbaum via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Mikayla:
> 
> I can completely relate to your frustration. Often legislators and their
> staffs appear supportive of our cause when our issues are right under their
> noses, such as during Washington Seminar. After those large-scale events,
> however, our bills simply get buried under other legislation which appears
> more pressing to Congressional staff. It is important, then, to remain
> vigilant in our follow-up efforts, making sure we keep our issues at the
> forefront of our legislators' minds. Here are some tricks I've learned and
> used over the years, which may help you find greater success in following up
> with Congressional staffers:
> 
> 1. Call them. Electronic communication is great, and we students love to use
> it. However, I've found that nothing gets the job done like a personal phone
> call to legislative staff. Calling prevents your message from being deleted
> or ignored by staff when sifting through the thousands of emails they get
> from constituents every day. Also, calling allows you to begin a personal
> dialogue with a staffer who may have further questions or who may request
> further clarification. As you make these calls, remember that you need not
> have all the answers. It's perfectly fine to direct questions to our
> governmental affairs team at the national office or to your state affiliate
> leadership. As rank-and-file members, however, our job is to be the first
> point of contact with our legislators, educating them about the broader
> issues, then pointing them to the pros who can help them work out the
> details while still keeping the focus on our message.
> 
> 2. Request a meeting. Many times we have heard veteran Washington Seminar
> attendees extol the virtues of the in-person meeting. As you astutely
> observed in your message, Congressional staff (and sometimes the Congressmen
> themselves) appear very supportive of our cause during Washington Seminar
> appointments, when they have a group of knowledgeable and articulate blind
> people in front of them who are passionately expressing our positions.
> Despite the proven effectiveness of these meetings, I think we often forget
> to take advantage of this strategy when we're doing follow-up. All
> Representatives have various offices across the state they serve, and I
> would encourage you to call your local office and ask to schedule a meeting.
> From my experience, it seems as though Congressional staff in local offices
> keep in close contact with their colleagues in Washington, so you may be
> more likely to get a response from DC after you've met with a local staff
> person. Also, many Federationists have found it useful to take advantage of
> the Congressional recesses, when reps are back in their home districts and
> are more open to personal meetings with constituents.
> 
> 3. Use social media early and often. As NABS's resident social media guy,
> you probably already guessed that this would be one of my suggestions. All
> biases aside, social media has shown itself to be the most effective
> electronic medium with which to promote a cause. Members of Congress have
> often explained their action on a particular issue by citing the number of
> tweets or Facebook posts they have received from constituents about it. So,
> fill up those timelines with messages about our legislative priorities, and
> encourage your friends (both inside and outside the Federation) to do the
> same. Also, be sure to use relevant hashtags when posting about our issues.
> If a staffer sees a series of tweets which contain #AIMHEA or #TIMEAct, for
> example, he/she is likely to click on the hashtag and see that a lot of
> other people are also tweeting about the same issue. In this age of social
> media, the more prominent an issue is on a legislator's news feeds, the more
> prominent it will be in his/her mind.
> 
> 4. Make connections. Is their a state legislator who is particularly
> supportive of our work? Have you met with a government official in the past
> who has been supportive of the Federation? Do you know anyone personally who
> may hold some influence with your member of Congress? If so, hold onto these
> contacts and use them when you're trying to get a response out of a
> Congressional office. For example, I personally know a state delegate who is
> a friend of our local Congressman. This delegate has long been a supporter
> of the NFB, so when I couldn't get a response from my Congressman, I asked
> her if she could help. Within two days of my conversation with her, I got a
> call from the very staffer I had been trying to reach for months with no
> success. When I asked the staffer whether she had received any of my
> previous emails or phone calls, she said she hadn't. She only contacted me
> when she got a call from the state delegate. Connections are powerful
> things, so use them to our advantage when you can.
> 
> 5. Finally, keep track of your Congressman's event schedule. If he/she is
> doing a radio interview in which listeners are invited to call in and ask
> questions, call in and ask him/her about one of our bills. If he/she is
> doing a town hall meeting, attend it and/or alert local Federationists so
> they can join you. If your legislator is appearing at a public event, like a
> fair or parade, talk with them about our bills and establish contact with
> them. In short, get them whenever and wherever they avail themselves. A good
> way to keep track of these schedules is to follow your reps on social media
> or sign up for their email newsletters.
> 
> I hope these suggestions help you in your follow-up efforts. I know this
> advocacy business can sometimes be discouraging, but I also know that the
> Federation has been doing it effectively for the past 75 years, and that we
> will keep doing it in the future. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your
> fellow Federationists if you need any advice or support. We're all here to
> help each other work toward our common goal. Thanks for all you do--keep up
> the great work!
> 
> Chris Nusbaum
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mikayla Gephart
> via nabs-l
> Sent: Monday, December 28, 2015 3:06 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Cc: Mikayla Gephart
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
> 
> Hi all,
> Since we are on the topic, I have a question for all of you. When you write
> to a legislative assistant, it seems like they never respond. Is that how
> you all feel? They all seemed so supportive at Washington Seminar last year,
> but when I follow up, they never even respond. I would not even mind a one
> sentence response from them. 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Dec 28, 2015, at 2:54 PM, Michael D Ausbun via nabs-l
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>>   One of the nifty things, in my opinion, about writing your senators in
> this capacity, is that we all have plenty of relatability to the subject
> matter being discussed. Therefore, it ought to be, if not easy, then
> entertaining, to script a relatable, and passionate letter. If you want
> anyone to look over your message before you send it to your congressional
> representatives, feel free to send it my way; I would be more than happy to
> read it over, and, if necessary, offer suggestions!
>> Respectfully,
>> Michael Ausbun
>> Interim Legislative Director, Nevada
>> Board Member, National Association of Blind Students First 
>> Vice-President, National Federation of the Blind of Nevada
>> 
>> ________________________________________
>> From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Derek Manners 
>> via nabs-l [nabs-l at nfbnet.org]
>> Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2015 10:16 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Cc: Derek Manners
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>> 
>> Also, I interjected personal stories about myself or people I know who
> would be directly affected by the law.
>> 
>> Best regards
>> Derek Manners
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Dec 27, 2015, at 11:27 PM, justin williams via nabs-l
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Keep the facts straight, but do them in your own words; it should 
>>> sound and be authentic.
>>> Justin
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vejas 
>>> Vasiliauskas via nabs-l
>>> Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2015 11:59 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>>> 
>>> When you wrote to your congresspeople, did you just simply copy the 
>>> information from the fact sheets? Or did you paraphrase the 
>>> information in your own words?
>>> Vejas
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Sun, 27 Dec 2015 20:43:49 -0500
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>>> 
>>> Hello Vejas,
>>> 
>>> If I recall correctly, I believe the fact sheets for Washington 
>>> Seminar are usually posted sometime in mid-January.  There are 
>>> usually several announcements posted to email lists and Twitter 
>>> accounts when the fact sheets become available.  The fact sheets 
>>> contain information you can use when contacting members of Congress.
>>> 
>>> When I contacted my Congressional Representative using the contact 
>>> form located on his website, I received a response from someone in 
>>> his office indicating appreciation for my support for the legislative 
>>> issues I mentioned in my correspondence with them.  However, there 
>>> are generally address filters attached to these forms that only allow 
>>> correspondence from constituents, or people living in the Congressional
> district, to go through.
>>> 
>>> When I contacted members of Congress using the email addresses 
>>> provided to me by my state affiliate legislative coordinator, I 
>>> generally did not receive a response to my email.  However, I always 
>>> used subject lines that indicated support for a specific piece of 
>>> legislation by mentioning the bill number in the subject line.  So 
>>> even when someone did not read or respond to my email, they still knew
> why I was writing them.
>>> 
>>> If you prefer receiving feedback when contacting a member of 
>>> Congress, perhaps you could call their office instead.  The person 
>>> you talk to on the phone may not know much about the specific issue 
>>> you are calling about, but they can reassure you that the member of 
>>> Congress will take note of your support on any legislative issue.
>>> 
>>> One thing I thought of after posting my previous response to your 
>>> email is the use of Twitter.  Recently, I have seen an increase of 
>>> the use of Twitter in thanking members of Congress who support the 
>>> legislative issues of the NFB.  Additionally, I have also seen some 
>>> state affiliates use Twitter to thank members of Congress for meeting
> with them during Washington Seminar.
>>> So this is something else you could do to help support the 
>>> legislative efforts of Washington Seminar if you are not able to be 
>>> there in person.  I am honestly not quite sure how effective using 
>>> Twitter might actually be in promoting legislative issues, but I 
>>> would imagine every little action in gaining support for the legislative
> issues of the NFB would be helpful.
>>> 
>>> I hope this helps answers your questions.  However, I would be more 
>>> than happy to answer any additional questions you might have 
>>> regarding Washington Seminar.
>>> 
>>> Warm regards,
>>> Elizabeth
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vejas 
>>> Vasiliauskas via nabs-l
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2015 8:50 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>>> 
>>> Thank you all so much for your answers.
>>> I would be very interested in getting in touch with my members of
> Congress.
>>> I just have a few more questions:
>>> What are the main issues that we are trying to get across? I know 
>>> that there is the one bill that people with disabilities should have 
>>> equal minimum wage.  Is this the only issue we are bringing to our 
>>> congresspeople, or is there something else?
>>> My next question is: do you find that most Congresspeople fairly good 
>>> at answering their e-mails? I know from attending the NFB Law Program 
>>> as a teen that even when you talk to your congresspeople in person, 
>>> they may just completely forget about the bill or ignore it and don't 
>>> follow through, so I would imagine that follow-up with e-mail contact
> would be more difficult.
>>> Thank you so much.
>>> Vejas
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Sat, 26 Dec 2015 13:28:23 -0500
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>>> 
>>> Hello Vejas,
>>> 
>>> I have never heard of any national or state conventions where you 
>>> could participate by phone before.  I know the national convention 
>>> along with some state affiliates will stream the convention online so 
>>> other people can listen.  But I have never seen people who are not at 
>>> a convention be able to participate and interact with specific events 
>>> and activities at a convention.  However, I do know some state 
>>> affiliates as well as state student divisions hold meetings via 
>>> conference call, so perhaps this might be what you are talking about 
>>> when talking about people being able to participate via phone.
>>> 
>>> I think the only way a person can participate in meetings with 
>>> members of Congress during Washington Seminar is by attending Washington
> Seminar.
>>> However, there are still ways you can have an impact on the 
>>> legislative efforts that go on at Washington Seminar despite the fact 
>>> you are not able to attend Washington Seminar.
>>> 
>>> In years past when I have not been able to attend Washington Seminar, 
>>> I would write an email to my members of Congress shortly before other 
>>> members of the NFB would be meeting with them during Washington Seminar.
>>> In general,
>>> there is usually a coordinator in each state affiliate who is in 
>>> charge of contacting members of Congress to set up the appointments 
>>> for Washington Seminar.  I am sure if you contact the coordinator for 
>>> Washington Seminar in your state they should be able to provide you 
>>> with the names and contact information for the people they will be 
>>> meeting with during Washington Seminar.
>>> 
>>> Contacting members of Congress before and after Washington Seminar is 
>>> just as important as meeting with members of Congress during Washington
> Seminar.
>>> Sometimes it can take a lot of follow up to get a member of Congress 
>>> on board with our legislative efforts.  Following up with members of 
>>> Congress after Washington Seminar can be a rather tedious but 
>>> rewarding job if it is something you are interested in doing.
>>> 
>>> Anyway, I hope this helps answer your questions about Washington Seminar.
>>> Attending Washington Seminar can sometimes be challenging for students.
>>> Hopefully you will be able to attend Washington Seminar next year 
>>> since you are not able to attend this year.
>>> 
>>> Warm regards,
>>> Elizabeth
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vejas 
>>> Vasiliauskas via nabs-l
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2015 12:26 PM
>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar Question
>>> 
>>> Hi All,
>>> I was very interested in going to the Washington Seminar in January, 
>>> but I now can't, due to reasons I do not wish to disclose on a public
> forum.
>>> My question is this: I know that for the NFB conventions, if you 
>>> couldn't make it to meetings, you could still do it by phone.
>>> Does anyone know if you could still have state appointments and 
>>> meetings with your affiliate by phone and still participate?
>>> Thanks,
>>> Vejas
>>> 
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