                               Braille Monitor
                                January 2009

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                 Tips and Reminders for the Washington Seminar

   by Barbara Pierce

   group of Federationists stand on the steps of the Capitol For years as
   president of the Ohio affiliate I wrote a memo to members of my
   delegation to the Washington Seminar. Some of the topics covered had to
   do with housekeeping details for our group, but other items dealt with
   etiquette on the Hill, outdoor and indoor geography, and appropriate
   preparation for representing the organization in this important
   activity. In addition to preparing the delegation for their work, I
   came to the seminar armed with name tags for the delegation including
   each person's name and congressional district number. I also brought
   Ohio materials to add to the folders we always pick up in the reporting
   room to give to each member of Congress. These documents usually
   included my business card, our most recent newsletter, the affiliate
   brochure, the Ohio scholarship form, and a bookmark listing our
   affiliate Website and the courtesy rules of blindness that we hand out
   around the state. From time to time people have suggested that it would
   be useful to gather such information together in an article before the
   Washington Seminar. In what follows I have tried to do exactly this.
   With some modifications it is my letter to the Ohio delegation, so that
   may explain its casual tone.

   Those who do not come early for the midwinter student conference (this
   year scheduled all day Sunday) or other meetings or seminars, will
   arrive at the Capitol Holiday Inn (550 C Street SW) on Sunday, February
   8, 2009. The 5 p.m. briefing Sunday is the real kick-off of the
   Washington Seminar. Everyone should absolutely plan to be present for
   that meeting. It is two hours long, and so many people now attend that
   the main meeting room and an overflow room with sound piped in are
   usually crowded. If you are new to this event, you would also be well
   advised to attend the legislative workshop earlier Sunday afternoon, in
   which the issues are discussed and participants usually have a chance
   to practice presenting our arguments to senators, played by jaded elder
   statesmen from the Federation, who have seen and heard it all. I
   suggest that everyone make an effort to read the print or cassette
   version of the fact sheets we will be using this year as soon as you
   arrive at the hotel or that you read them on the NFB Website before
   departing for Washington. It is easy these days to download the fact
   sheets to a notetaker to study and even refer to in our meetings.

   Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the days when it is essential for
   all of us to make a good appearance. This means shaving, brushing
   teeth, keeping hair combed and clean, and wearing pressed coats and
   ties for men and suits (with skirts or tailored slacks) or dresses for
   women. We will be doing lots of walking. Do not buy new shoes, planning
   to break them in on the Hill! If one portion of your body can be
   permitted to appear less chic than another during the seminar, let it
   be your feet with comfortable rather than fashionable shoes.
   Unfortunately, some people do not take these dress requirements
   seriously. Obviously we will not prevent a person from accompanying the
   delegation because of dress, but please remember that, if your clothing
   is casual or soiled or otherwise inappropriate to the statement we are
   trying to make to people on Capitol Hill about the capacity of blind
   people to participate appropriately in society, you harm more than
   yourself. All of us suffer when any of us dresses or behaves
   inappropriately.

   I wish I could promise you lovely weather during our stay in
   Washington. We have strolled around the city in suit coats, enjoying
   the sunshine. We have also skated on the ice and wondered if we would
   make it home again. Your state delegation may walk to the Hill--and it
   is steep--unless the weather is dreadful or bitterly cold, and the
   House and Senate office buildings contain miles of marble or tile
   corridors. So come prepared to walk far and fast.

   We divide into small groups for the actual meetings. Each group should
   have a leader who will set the tone and the pace of the presentation.
   As you become familiar with the issues and are ready to take part in
   the discussion, you should feel free to add your bit to the
   conversation. But no one expects you to make an entire presentation
   unless and until you are ready to do so. Please make a point to read
   the "Spotlight on Affiliate Action" in the January 2007 Braille
   Monitor; it directly addresses the subject of making presentations to
   members of Congress and their aides. If you are the Federationist
   charged with guiding the conversation, take into consideration any
   important committee assignments for our issues that the member may
   have. You will want to address that issue first and most extensively,
   being sure, if possible, to have the relevant aide present for the
   discussion. Even when you are not speaking, you have an important role
   to play in the discussion. We are trying to communicate the impression
   that many people with a compelling interest in blindness issues are
   represented by this delegation. You can help to demonstrate this fact
   by remaining attentive, looking at the speaker at all times. If you get
   drowsy or allow yourself to gaze off into the distance, you will
   communicate a different message.

   Remaining alert and looking interested are not always easy to do. You
   will hear and say the same things over and over again during these
   presentations. It is hard to marshal attention and enthusiasm for the
   same presentations six or eight times, but you must do it. It is
   especially important for those of you with vision to refuse to play
   eye-contact games with the members or staffers. Some of them will try
   to catch your eye and communicate silently. If at any time you realize
   that we have lost the person's attention on a topic, find a way of
   signaling the speaker that he or she should move on to the next
   subject. Your data after the meeting are also important to an accurate
   assessment of our effectiveness.

   It is fine, even helpful, if some of you bring cameras. We are now able
   to include photos in state newsletters, and we always need good
   pictures of Federationists working on the Hill for the Braille Monitor.
   But this is not a tourist expedition. We are working. We should all do
   everything we can to discourage fawning behavior over dog guides by
   staff members and strangers alike. I also want as strongly as possible
   to discourage any requests for souvenirs from the various offices.
   Signing guest books is harmless, and constituents have a little more
   leeway in their own Representatives' offices, but for the rest, please
   keep your collecting impulses firmly in check. For the most part these
   offices do not have supplies of souvenirs to hand out. Offices used to
   do more of this sort of thing, but our tax dollars are no longer wasted
   on such items today, and staff members are just embarrassed when they
   are asked for a pen or postcard.

   Several years ago in response to popular demand I developed a hand-out
   describing the geography of the Capitol Hill area and some important
   details of the office buildings. We always have these things firmly in
   mind by the time we leave Washington, but people often complain that I
   throw out too much information for them to be able to remember it all
   when we begin. Please read carefully the information below and let me
   know if you find it helpful.
   Capitol Hill Geography
   And Useful Bits of Information

   To no one's astonishment, the U.S. Capitol sits on Capitol Hill. It is
   bounded by Independence Avenue on the south and Constitution on the
   north and by First Street Southeast on the east and First Street
   Southwest on the west. Walking east on Independence or Constitution,
   one goes steeply uphill. The three House Office buildings lie to the
   south of the Capitol, and the Senate buildings lie to its north,
   stretching east.

   House Side: From west to east, walking up Capitol Hill on the south
   side of Independence, on the right one comes first to the Rayburn. This
   is the newest and largest of the House office buildings. Next comes the
   Longworth, followed by the Cannon at the top of the hill. The Cannon
   Building is the oldest House building.

   Tunnels connect these three buildings to each other. To reach them, go
   to the basement level of both the Cannon and the Longworth and to the
   sub-basement of the Rayburn. Both the Rayburn and the Longworth have
   cafeterias at the basement level. The Longworth also boasts a gift shop
   and a post office in its basement.

   Numbers: By looking at the room number of a House member's office, you
   can determine where to find him or her. Rayburn office numbers all have
   four digits beginning with a two. The second digit identifies the floor
   number. Longworth office numbers all have four digits and begin with a
   one. Again the second number indicates the floor. The Cannon room
   numbers have three digits, with the first indicating the floor number.
   All phone numbers on the House side share the exchange 225, so we often
   write the phone number with only four digits. The zip code for the
   House offices is 20015.

   Senate Buildings: On the northwest corner of First and Constitution is
   the Russell Building. Across First, going east, are the Dirksen and
   then the newest of the Senate buildings, the Hart. These buildings also
   connect by tunnel with each other.

   Crossing the Capitol: To walk from House to Senate or back again, the
   only method is to exit the office building on its Capitol side and walk
   along Independence or Constitution to East First. Cross East First and
   walk along its east side to the other side of the Capitol and go to the
   building you want. In doing so, you will pass between the east front of
   the Capitol and the Supreme Court Building.

   Senate Numbers: Room numbers in the Senate buildings do not follow any
   pattern that indicates the building location. The first digit is the
   floor number, but you must use the building name in any address. The
   zip code for the Senate side is 20010, and the phone exchange is 224.

   Building Configuration: Both the Longworth and the Cannon are roughly
   rectangular with the room numbers going clockwise in order beginning at
   the front of the building. The Rayburn is a law unto itself. Imagine
   two horseshoes lying back-to-back--one opening to the east, and the
   other to the west. The horseshoes are connected by parallel bridges,
   which form a square with the back sides of the two horseshoes. Another
   way to think of this shape is to picture a square with the east and
   west sides of it drawn out to form back-to-back letter C's. The office
   number 01 on each floor can be found on the Independence Street bridge.
   The numbering is roughly the same on all the floors, but not exactly.
   Be careful because the maps, which are plentiful, are sometimes mounted
   with north at the top and sometimes with south at the top. The best
   plan is to ask for directions when you get to the floor. People are
   happy to help, but they always consult the map before telling you how
   to get where you want to go. One word of caution: do not be seduced
   into exiting the Rayburn on C Street, which runs along the south side
   of the building. Because our hotel is on C Street, I once tried to get
   back by walking west on C, but it can't be done, or at least it takes a
   lot longer for some reason.

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References

   1. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm090104.htm
   2. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm0901tc.htm
   3. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm090106.htm
   4. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm090104.htm
   5. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm0901tc.htm
   6. http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0901/bm090106.htm
