[New-york-news] FW: [Nfbnet-master-list] Washington Seminar Changes

Sun Jan 24 19:54:37 UTC 2016

From: Nfbnet-master-list [mailto:nfbnet-master-list-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of President, National Federation of the Blind via Nfbnet-master-list
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 1:15 PM
To: nfbnet-master-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-master-list] Washington Seminar Changes
Importance: High

From: President, National Federation of the Blind 
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 1:01 PM
To: State Affiliate Leadership (state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org
<mailto:state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org> )
Subject: National Federation of the Blind Washington Seminar 2016 Update
Importance: High

Fellow Federationists,

The snow has stopped and a beautiful blue sky and bright sun now illuminates
the two and a half feet of snow we have received in the Baltimore/Washington
area. The shining sun is a great symbol of the hope and determination I
continue to hear from Federationists who have traveled or are working to
travel to Washington D.C. There is good reason to be hopeful as all
indications are that Congress will be in session and that our 2016
Washington Seminar will happen this week. Information is changing regularly
and we will do our best to keep everyone updated. For example, just moments
ago we received reliable information that the House of Representatives has
cancelled votes for this week but that 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 tours of the NFB Jernigan Institute that were scheduled to leave from
the Holiday Inn at 8:00 a.m. have been cancelled. The seminars and meetings
that were scheduled to take place at the Holiday Inn Capitol on Monday have
all been cancelled with a few exceptions. 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 has
been rescheduled to Tuesday morning and will be shortened to accommodate
legislative appointments that are already scheduled. The meeting of the NFB
National Association of Blind Students has been moved to 7:30 p.m. 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 sometimes
referred to as Mercury will be open for business beginning at 1:00 p.m. I
encourage you to check in at 353 for updates and to give new information
about your Hill appointments. You can call room 353 by dialing (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. I expect the energy at the
Gathering In to be as high as ever even despite the historic “Blizzard of
2016.” 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. Our student division
promises a sweet ending to a long day with the NABS CafÃ© at 8 PM through
midnight on Tuesday. This fundraiser for our student division should not be
missed simply because two feet of snow is on the ground. The students say,
“Buy a 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 CafÃ© 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 your members of Congress know that our issues are important to you 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. I would
encourage you to continue to be flexible and reschedule appointments to
Wednesday and Thursday if you have members on the ground in Washington.
Remember, together with love, hope, and determination, we transform dreams
into reality.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Riccobono
President
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Mark A. Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314
Fax: (410) 659-5129
Email: officeofthepresident at nfb.org <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org> 
Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice
Web: www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> 

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.

We are celebrating our 75th year and planning for the future we will build
together! 
Make your contribution
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1>  to that future
now.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/new-york-news_nfbnet.org/attachments/20160124/2ddf158a/attachment.html>