[NFBF-L] Florida Washington Seminar day 1 drop in and hangout - Tuesday, February 8th at 8:00 PM

Mon Feb 7 14:08:27 UTC 2022

Hello Florida Federation friends and family,

Tomorrow, February 8th, will mark our first full day of meetings "on the
hill" with House members and we're all going to be ready to unwind and relax
at the end of the day. Everyone is invited to join us for a bit of R&R. Why
not grab a snack and pour yourself a cold beverage, (unless of course you
prefer something else like a hot cup of coffee or tea) and come ready to
share your experiences from the busy day. If this get together is anything
like the one from last year, there's going to be lots of laughter flowing
through the little social gathering.

Hopefully we'll have members from our national office surprise us with a
visit, (hey they need to relax too and who better to do it with than a bunch
of crazy Floridians)!

Who's invited to this event, the answer is, everyone! Whether you are
involved in the meetings this week or not, come spend some time with us. Our
friends from outside of Florida are welcome to come hang out too. We'd love
to hear their day one experiences, (although I bet our Sunshine State
stories will be better).

The get together tomorrow night is just for fun and is absolutely not a
required meeting. Don't feel guilty if you can't make it, but we'd be
thrilled if you can. Feel free to pass this email on to  others.

Florida regional team leaders, please pass this email along to your members
who you believe may not be receiving it through our standard mailing lists.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening.

Warmly,

Russ Davis,

Legislative Director, National Federation of the Blind of Florida

Ph. 904-993-8433

Email: Russell at radiorusty.com

National Federation of the Blind of Florida is inviting you to a scheduled
Zoom meeting. 

When: Tuesday, February 8th at 8:00 PM (EST)

Topic: Florida Washington Seminar day 1 drop in and hangout

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8448277371 

Meeting ID: 844 827 7371

One tap mobile 

+16468769923,,8448277371#

Meeting ID: 844 827 7371

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbc9TdRZuW 

From: Spohn, Carole Anne [mailto:CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov] 
Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 4:12 PM
To: Russell Davis
Subject: RE: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Hi Russ - I was wondering if we could move this meeting to 11 am on the 8th?
I also realized I don't have any sort of link yet for the meeting or the
attachments. Could you get that to me by COB today that would be wonderful. 

From: Russell Davis <russell at radiorusty.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, February 2, 2022 6:11 AM
To: Spohn, Carole Anne <CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov>
Cc: russell at radiorusty.com
Subject: RE: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Hi there,

Thanks so much for the appointment confirmation, I'm so excited at the
chance to sit down with folks from your office again.

Wanted to get back wth you on two items, (for clarification). Didn't know
which "boss" you were referring to in your note. Will Representative
Rutherford, most likely, be present at the meeting?

Also, we are finding that WebX as a virtual meeting platform, is not very
accessible for blind individuals and so I try not to put my colleagues into
situations with which  they are unfamiliar and have a difficult time using.
Would you allow us to use Zoom? If so, I'd be happy to set up a Zoom meeting
and would forward that info onto you or any other designated staffer. I'll
also be happy to forward onto the, copies of our three Fact Sheets being
discussed at the meeting.

Thanks so much,

Russ

Ph. 904-993-8433

Email: Russell at radiorusty.com

From: Spohn, Carole Anne [mailto:CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 6:12 PM
To: Russell Davis
Subject: RE: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Good afternoon -

My boss would be delighted to meet on Feb 8th at 11:30 AM. Please let me
know if that works and I'll send a webex link. 

Best,

Carole Anne

Carole Anne Spohn | Director of Operations

Office of Congressman John H. Rutherford (FL-04)

1711 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

(202) 225-2501

From: Russell Davis <russell at radiorusty.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 7:12 AM
To: Spohn, Carole Anne <CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov>
Cc: russell at radiorusty.com
Subject: RE: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Hello and Good Morning,

Thanks so much for getting back with me

I completely understand that Representative Rutherford has a large number of
demands on his schedule. I have been fortunate to have met with him
personaallyannually since he took office in 2017. I have always been honored
that he remembers my name and has supported the concerns of the National
Federation of the Blind.

Our meetings normally have a small core presenting preselected issues and
bills that we feel are critical to the lives of blind Floridians. With Zoom
we have allowed other Federationist to join in on the call so that they can
learn from our presentations and show support for our mission. Their mics
are muted and cameras are off. 

The core of presenters should included:

Russ Davis, (Jacksonville), Legislative Director, National Federation of the
Blind of Florida and Affiliate Board Member

Andrew C. Rood, (constituent)

Joseph Minichiello, (constituent)

John Lennon, (constituent)

Cathy Randal, (constituent)

To assist you and your team I'll list also the priorities we will focus on
during our meeting with the Congressman.

Access Technology Affordability Act, (H.R. 431). Congressman Rutherford is
currently a cosponsort for this bill.

21st Century Websites and Applications Accessibility Act (a lead sponsor and
co sponsors for this bill are still needed)

Medical Device Non Visual Accessibility Act, (HR4853)

Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, (HR2373/S. 3238)

Hope that this information is helpful and I look forward to hearing from you
soon.

Take care,

Russ Davis

From: Spohn, Carole Anne [mailto:CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 4:09 PM
To: Russell Davis
Subject: RE: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Thank you so much for your email.

I would be happy to help you schedule a time to meet with Congressman
Rutherford.  Before this request is processed, could you please send me all
the meeting attendees (including where they are from)? Due to the demands on
the Congressman's schedule and the number of requests received daily it may
take a while to process. 

Let me know if there is anything else that I can help you with!

Carole Anne Spohn | Director of Operations

Congressman John H. Rutherford (FL-04)

1711 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

m: 202-713-0796

From: Russell Davis <russell at radiorusty.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 10:35 AM
To: Spohn, Carole Anne <CaroleAnne.Spohn at mail.house.gov>
Cc: russell at radiorusty.com
Subject: Appointment request from National Federation of the Blind for
February 8 - 11

Good morning Caroleanne,

Hope that you have been doing well and staying safe.

I wanted to take a moment and thank you for all of the help you have given
me in scheduling appointments with Congressman Rutherford, over these past
several years. In 2021 members of the National Federation of the Blind of
Florida met virtually with the congressman and Lizzie. I was sorry to learn
that she has left the office, we will miss saying hello to her during our
next meeting. The NFB of Florida is again seeking an appointment in order to
discuss our legislative priorities for 2022 and hope very much that
Congressman Rutherford can find time to meet with us sometime between
February 8th and 11th. As with last year all of our meetings with House and
Senate members across the country are being held virtually.

The issues we would like to discuss  at our meeting would involve the
inaccessibility of websites, mobile applications and in home use medical
devices. We are also concerned about the continued payment of substandard
minimum wages to many disabled Americans, based on employers obtaining
certificates allowing them to do so.

Constituents at our hoped for meeting, including myself, would also like to
thank Representative Rutherford personally for supporting blind Floridians
by being a cosponsor on the Access Technology Affordability Act, H.R. 431. I
was so thrilled last year when I found that his name had been added to the
bill.

Hope to hear from you soon and of course feel free to reach out if you have
any questions.

Warmly,

Russ Davis,

Legislative Director, National Federation of the Blind of Florida

Treasurer, NFB Greater Jacksonville Chapter

Board Member, NFB of Florida

Ph. 904-993-8433

Email: Russell at radiorusty.com

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