[NFB-Conventions] Minnesota Information for National Convention

[David Andrews]

>
>The convention is fast approaching. This note contains information 
>about the convention that you should have before you leave. Much of 
>it is specific to Minnesota and is therefore not in your convention 
>agenda.  I apologize that this is being sent so late.  After putting 
>this together, I have a new respect for our past three presidents 
>who have sent such instructions out before me.
>
>
>
>We have a wonderful mix of people attending the convention in 
>person. Some of you are members of the NFB of Minnesota and some of 
>you are not. Therefore, this note is going to our news list as well 
>to many of you who have registered for the convention. It could 
>happen that some of you get this twice, so please understand that is 
>to be sure everybody gets this information. Others of you are 
>wondering who I am since we have not had a chance to meet. I am 
>hoping to change that at the convention. Please write to me if you 
>have any questions at <mailto:president at nfbmn.org>president at nfbmn.org.
>
>
>
>Be sure to get a copy of the convention agenda soon. You can get a 
>braille or print copy when you pick up your registration materials, 
>but it is available in a number of formats at
>
><http://www.nfb.org/convention>http://www.nfb.org/convention
>
>
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>COVID Testing and Requirements
>
>
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>For those of you who have not followed the various reminders, 
>remember that you need a proof of a negative COVID test which must 
>be taken no more than 72 hours before you check into the 
>hotel.  Send proof of your negative test to 
><mailto:testresults at nfb.org>testresults at nfb.org and you will get an 
>orange wrist band showing that you have done that.  There will also 
>be testing available at the hotel, but there are advantages to being 
>tested before you travel to New Orleans.  A detailed message on 
>COVID testing went to people who registered for the convention and 
>others on Tuesday.  If you did not get that email, write to me and I 
>can forward a copy to you.  However, you can also read most of the 
>same information at 
><http://www.nfb.org/convention>http://www.nfb.org/convention just 
>below the "registration" heading.
>
>
>
>
>Minnesota Caucus
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>Each year at the convention, each state holds a state caucus. At our 
>Minnesota Caucus, we will meet to get questions answered, discuss 
>any issues that have come up, and to get to know one another. Our 
>caucus will take place on Thursday, July 7, at 5:15 PM in Studio 2 
>in the Marriott. This is a change from the room I mentioned to some 
>of you earlier. Studio 2 is one of the Preservation Hall meeting 
>rooms on second floor near the Quarter Tower end. If you take the 
>Quarter Tower escalators up from the lobby and turn right, you will 
>be facing the entrance to the Preservation Hall rooms. They are 
>arranged in a horseshoe with Studio 2 being the second room on the 
>left. To get more details, read the "Navigating the Hotel" in the 
>convention agenda.
>
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>Banquet Ticket Exchange
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>When you pick up your banquet ticket, that will give you a meal, but 
>not a specific place to sit. In order to sit with other people you 
>know, your ticket needs to be exchanged, along with tickets from 
>those with whom you wish to sit, for tickets that have a table 
>number. If you want to sit with others from Minnesota, we have a 
>process to do that.
>
>
>
>If you want to sit with Minnesota but wish to form a small group, 
>choose somebody from your group to act as a group captain. When we 
>return your tickets, we will return all tickets for your group to 
>the group captain to distribute. If you don't need to be part of a 
>smaller group, you don't have to have a group captain. We will make 
>sure partners can sit together, for example. Just give your ticket 
>to Judy and later you will receive a ticket with your table number.
>
>
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>When you turn in your ticket, please braille your name, and your 
>group captain if needed, on your banquet ticket and turn it in to 
>Judy Sanders by the beginning of the opening general session on 
>Friday morning. Judy works many hours at the Information Desk near 
>the registration area so you can find her there much of Tuesday, 
>Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, there will be time to turn in 
>your ticket at the Minnesota Caucus at 5:15 on Thursday as mentioned 
>earlier in this note. If you need help brailling this information on 
>your ticket and you can't find someone to help, Judy and others will 
>help you. Judy will bring all tickets to the Banquet Ticket 
>Exchange, and they will give her new tickets with tables assigned so 
>that we are sitting together. We will know to whom the new tickets 
>need to go because Judy and Kayde Rieken will be making a list of 
>people and groups before Judy turns the tickets into the exchange. 
>After the tickets have been exchanged and Judy and Kayde have 
>divided the tickets into groups and such, the tickets will be 
>distributed to the group captains and to individuals who are not 
>part of groups.
>
>
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>Exhibit Hall Table
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>Every year, the NFB of Minnesota and BLIND Incorporated have a table 
>in the Exhibit Hall. The table this year is A28. Part of the purpose 
>is to provide information about our training center, BLIND 
>Incorporated, and it is also a place where we can display some 
>products. Please check with Harley Acy if you are interested in 
>working at the table at <mailto:hacy at blindinc.org>hacy at blindinc.org 
>or by calling 612-872-0100, but please do it soon.
>
>
>
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>Products at the Convention
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>The NFB of Minnesota is bringing two products to the convention. 
>Because of sales tax laws in Louisiana, we are giving these products 
>to people if they make donations.
>
>
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>The Metro Chapter is again bringing our well-known Minnesota Word 
>Scramble. For a donation of $1, a person can get a print or braille 
>sheet with twenty words to unscramble. All persons who return the 
>sheet to Metro Chapter members by Sunday noon and have all words 
>unscrambled correctly will have their names placed into a drawing 
>for $25. Please contact Judy Sanders for more information about the 
>Word Scramble.
>
>
>
>This year, we will have at the convention some more of our 
>fantastic, world-famous NFB of Minnesota "drink the drink you want" 
>print/braille coasters, to distribute in exchange for a $5 donation 
>per coaster! We will not sell them at our exhibit hall table, but 
>will have a "demonstration model" there. A few folks will be 
>carrying them around the convention. Our treasurer Jennifer D. will 
>be able to take donations by credit card, either with a physical 
>card reader or by sending a link. If you would like to take a few 
>coasters to distribute in exchange for $5 donations, Jennifer can 
>hook you up once we get to the convention, and you can either 
>collect cash donations, or get the person's contact info and 
>Jennifer will send them a link to make their donation online by 
>credit card. Contact 612-203-2738. If you'd rather not take coasters 
>around the convention, you can still help by talking them up to 
>people you meet!
>
>
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>BLIND Incorporated Event Moved
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>For many years, many of us attended BLIND Incorporated's Karaoke 
>Night on the first day of the convention.  For a number of very good 
>reasons, this event is taking a new path.  It is called " Training 
>Champions with the BLIND, Inc. Team," The agenda description says " 
>Join the staff of BLIND, Inc. for this interactive event sure to 
>help you learn how attending blindness skills training will help you 
>become an all star!" Because of schedule conflicts, the time and the 
>location originally in the agenda had to be changed. Please come and 
>support our training center and learn what it has to offer.  This 
>event will now take place on Friday, July 8, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in 
>Galerie 6. Also, please help us spread the word at the convention.
>
>
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>Hotel Elevators
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>In case you have not looked closely at the convention agenda and the 
>"Navigating the Hotel" article, please be aware that the elevators 
>in both hotels work differently than many of us are used to. There 
>are no "UP" and "Down" buttons outside of the elevators, and there 
>are no numbered buttons for floors inside the elevators. Rather, you 
>enter your floor number on a keypad, and the system tells you which 
>elevator you should board. If you need the system to speak to you, 
>first press the "accessibility" button which is a larger button at 
>the lower right corner. The keypad is arranged similar to a 
>telephone keypad. Elevators have letter designations, and the 
>arrangement in both hotels is described clearly in the "Navigating 
>the Hotel" in the agenda.
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>Conclusion
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>It has been three years since we last met in person at a national 
>convention.  As I figure it, this will be my 49th convention, so 
>they are an important part of my journey as a blind person.  We know 
>that conventions like ours can be a challenge for those who are new 
>to them, and sometimes even for those of us with experience.  Please 
>know that we are hear to help when you need it, give you advice if 
>you want it, and to let you go it alone if you are taking this 
>golden opportunity to refine the skills you need to live the life 
>you want. I know that we will all work together to make this a truly 
>wonderful experience for everyone.
>
>
>
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>Best regards,
>
>
>
>Steve Jacobson, President
>
>Pronouns: he, him, his
>
><http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org
>
>www.nfbmn.org
>
>(612) 872-9363
>
>Live the life you Want.