[Nfbmo] FW: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Recess is a time to play

[Gary Wunder]

From: Nfb-legislative-directors
[mailto:nfb-legislative-directors-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of McLarney,
Lauren via Nfb-legislative-directors
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2014 3:01 PM
To: 'nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org'
Subject: [Nfb-legislative-directors] Recess is a time to play

 

Hi friends,

 

This week is the beginning of a month long recess for Congress.  Most
members of Congress are in their districts taking time to relax and connect
with constituents.  This means town halls. This means district office hours.
This means campaigning.  This means lots of opportunities to hear from the
National Federation of the Blind!  Advocacy does not stop with Washington
Seminar, and the easiest time to stay on their radar is during the August
recess.  Persistence is part of the game - are you going to play? 

 

Option #1: Set up a mini-Washington Seminar meeting.  It's halfway between
last year's Washington Seminar and next year's.  If you met with your
members of Congress in person, set up another meeting and say you want to
know where things stand. If you were only able to meet with staff, mention
that in your meeting request and see if you can't get the member this time.
If your member of Congress already cosponsored some of our bills, be sure to
thank them.  This simple act of in-person appreciation will go a long way in
developing a relationship.   

 

Option #2: Go to a town hall.  Your local newspaper or Facebook should be
advertising stops on your member of Congress' trail, especially right now
because it's an election year.  You can also call their office and ask for
their schedule.  The point of these meetings is to collect constituent
feedback. You can ask a question like "What are you going to do to support
people with disabilities? I've noticed you have not cosponsored the Fair
Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act yet."  Or afterwards you can say
"You said you were very concerned about education reform.  Blind students
are facing discrimination and schools are facing lawsuits - will you
cosponsor the TEACH Act?"  A suggestion: stick to one issue only.  You
probably won't have time to cover all three.  

 

Because collaboration is key, please keep the three of us in the loop.  Call
us beforehand so we can give you updates, and report back afterwards so we
can run with your action items.   We look forward to hearing from you - go
team! 

 

Best,

Lauren, Jesse and Rose

 

P.S.  Please stay tuned for a new video about the Fair Wages for Workers
with Disabilities Act! The video will be a useful tool to use in your
meetings.  Check in at our YouTube page for this new video and many others.

 

Lauren McLarney

Government Affairs Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

410.659.9314 ext. 2207

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.  

 

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