[NFB-Idaho] Fred Riggers'sDisability Awareness Day 2021!

[Laine Amoureux]

Bear with me, this is a long email! There is a lot of background info
before I ask for feedback.

Fred Rigger's Disability Awareness Day is an annual event hosted by the
Consortium for Idahoans with Disabilities (CID). This event usually occurs
in January, and is typically held at the State house in Boise. Most years
CID members host tables in the rotunda and share information with citizens
and legislators who browse the exhibits.  CID also asks Fred's family to
speak and award the Marilyn Sword Award for Disability Advocacy, which
includes obtaining a dedicated American flag that flies over the nation's
capital on a given day. No surprise though, it is going virtual in 2021!

CID is planning on the virtual event running the duration of the Idaho
Legislative season this year and has two primary goals:

First, leveraging social media and physically distanced activities to
educate Idahoans with disabilities on the state legislative process, and
how to get involved.

Second, using many of the same tools, reaching out to state legislators on
the current legislative topics that are most impactful to our
community/communities and making sure they understand just how their
constituents are impacted by the votes they cast.

The overarching goal of Disability Awareness Day and CID is to demonstrate
a unified front among the different disability communities, so often the
campaign will be sharing information and resources from specific
agencies/organizations associated with CID to help advance the specific
causes.

I happen to be a member of the planning committee and want to know what the
blind of Idaho want to see/do as a part of this campaign.

I’m planning on sharing the YouTube videos that have been created thus far,
and others if there are more in the works.

Is the NFB of Idaho planning any legislative action this season? (i.e.
presenting a bill)

Does anyone have information, or resources, about how to talk to
legislators they would like to share?

Would anyone be interested in hosting a workshop on how to talk to a
legislator, how to write a bill or how to testify?

Does anyone have a story about Fred they would like to share, as a part of
the digital memorial we are trying to create? WE will work out the details
on “how” to document the stories in a way that is fully accessible.

Would anyone be interested in giving a short Zoom presentation on what the
NFB of Idaho is and does, and/or any of the divisions or annual activities?
We have talked about a Zoom Fair, to allow agencies/organizations serving
the disability community to present, similar to what they do if they have'
a booth set up in the rotunda. A booth in the rotunda usually costs, so
there may be a cost to presenters for the virtual fare as well, but I do
not know yet.

The committee has talked about a “Find Fred” and/or Flat Fred activity. The
“Find Fred” activity, as it is currently drafted, requires that viewers of
images and videos, be able to see the life-size cardboard cutouts of Fred
that will be inserted into different visual content. Does anyone have a
memory of a common phrase Fred used that I could suggest as an alternative
to the cutout alone? The phrase could be worked into the presentation,
written in the social media post text etc. to allow those who cannot see
images or visuals in videos better participate.

Can anyone demonstrate using a piece of technology to access legislative
materials, or “how to” videos on how entities presenting Bills to the
Legislative Services offices could make their bills more accessible to the
blind community?



Finally, please send me your recommendations for the Marilyn Sword Award!  We
are talking about presenting two this year, one to a youth who is getting
started in disability advocacy as well as to a leader in the movement in
Idaho. Nominee’s must be Idahoans who have worked to advance the rights of
PWD in the state, there are no other qualifications.

You can just follow along, and participate when/where it is convenient for
you by following Idaho Hands Around the Capital and the Consortium for
Idahoans with Disabilities on Facebook or @ADA30Idaho on Twitter, Instagram
or YouTube.