[Nfbf-l] Tips and Reminders, Washington or Tallahassee Seminar

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Hi everyone,

Kathy asked me to pull the following article down from the latest Braille
Monitor and send it out.  Though certainly many on this list won't be
attending the Washington Seminar, you might do so in the future.  And there
is good advice here which applies to participating in our affiliate's
upcoming Tallahassee Seminar at the end of March.  I found the article very
helpful, especially in its description of, and hints on getting around,
Capitol Hill.

Sherrill

Tips and Reminders for the Washington Seminar
Braille Monitor
                               January 2009

Tips and Reminders for the Washington Seminar
by Barbara Pierce
 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.