[Nfbmt] the 2016 Washington seminar in review

[Bruce&Joy Breslauer]

Hello, fellow Montana Federationists.

 

The March, 2016 Braille Monitor is already out.  I am sending this article to
the list to get you excited about what we are doing in the NFB, and how we
will prevail if we keep working together and don't listen to the naysayers.
This is an example of why we should get involved on the local, state, and
national level of the NFB, because we are working for outcomes that matter to
all of us, even in Montana.  This is an example of why we should get and read
The Braille Monitor in order to become more informed and involved.  It is
available in several formats.  Go to www.nfb.org to check it out.  Joy 

 

 The 2016 Washington Seminar in Review

                               by Deja Powell

 

      From the Editor: Normally it falls to the editor to write about our
mid-year convention of the National Federation of the Blind, AKA the
Washington Seminar. This year I had a volunteer, and I really appreciate her
work and her most valuable contribution.

      Deja is a winner of a scholarship in 2002 and a tenBroek winner in
2014. Here is what she writes about our work to let lawmakers hear from the
blind:

 

      Utah is known for its snow; the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City
are usually covered in the powdery white stuff by January. At this time
people begin flocking to the state for some of the best skiing, snowboarding,
and snowshoeing in the world. As the snow begins to pile atop the Utahan
Mountains, I know it's time to gear up for the National Federation of the
Blind's annual Washington Seminar. The NFB Washington

Seminar is where a few hundred of the most ambitious and feisty blind people
in the country gather on Capitol Hill to make things happen. 

 

[PHOTO CAPTION: The piles of snow from the plows are almost as tall as the
cars parked in front of the Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, graphic proof of
the travel difficulties faced by this year's attendees at the Washington
Seminar.]

 

      This year, however, would be like no other in the organization's
history: days before the annual meeting, the news started shifting its
attention to Jonas (not Kevin, Joe or Nick, the Jonas Brothers), but winter
storm Jonas, which was headed directly for the Washington DC/Baltimore area.
Meteorologists were predicting one of the largest snowstorms in the history
of our nation's capital was going to hit the week of the NFB Washington
Seminar. Many of us hoped that the news was wrong-that Jonas wasn't going to
be all he was cracked up to be. As the time came to pack and fly, most of us
realized Jonas was not all talk. The storm dumped not inches, but feet of
snow on the Washington DC/Baltimore area, and quickly. Flights across the
country were delayed, then cancelled, then delayed and cancelled again.
Airports were shut down on Friday and Saturday, and all city transportation
suspended. Many of our fellow Federationists were finding it difficult if not
impossible to make their way to DC. The word

impossible, however, doesn't really resonate with Federationists, so many
fought to get there and do the work that had to be done.

 

[PHOTO CAPTION: Federationists didn't let a few feet of snow daunt them, as
the crowd at the Great Gathering-In shows.]

 

      With major airports shutting down, activities that would normally have
taken place on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were significantly altered. One
event was a seminar to train state affiliate legislative coordinators. Here
is how Parnell Diggs, our director of government affairs, described the event
and the on-the-fly changes made to make it work:

 

            Prior to Washington Seminar, a legislative workshop is held for
representatives from each state affiliate to learn more about the legislative
agenda of the National Federation of the Blind. This year, the workshop was
scheduled for January 23, 24, and 25. Due to the impending storm, President
Riccobono suggested inviting workshop participants to arrive early in order
to beat the blizzard. This strategy proved effective, as more than twenty of
our directors made it to the Jernigan Institute before travel became
treacherous. For those who did arrive early, the workshop was filled with
energy and enthusiasm. President Riccobono welcomed participants at a special
meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Since the group arrived twenty-four hours
early, members decided to begin the workshop on Saturday morning rather than
waiting until the originally scheduled start time of 6:00

      p.m. Joining us on that Saturday morning were not only our fearless
travelers, but legislative directors forced to remain at home until they
could fly into DC. They joined us thanks to the hastily-arranged conference
call put together by our team. For those present the blizzard conditions did
nothing to curtail the service and consumption of meals, cookies, and coffee
during the weekend. Nothing could match the energy of the logistics team,
which masterfully managed the logistics with precision, grace, and unflagging
goodwill.

 

We lost electric power during the afternoon session on Saturday,

      but Federationists continued working as if nothing was out of the
ordinary. The Harbor Room fireplace had been stocked in case heat was needed,
but thankfully the power was restored before dinner.

 

            On Monday morning the chartered bus arrived to transport

      Federationists to Washington, DC, but it could not get closer than a
quarter of a mile to the Jernigan Institute. Thus, Federationists walked
through the snow to reach the bus. Four adults and one child from Hawaii
received the admiration of the entire assembly, since their "winter clothes"
were not designed for walking through piles of shoveled snow that were four
feet high in some places.

 

As we so often remind our friends and even our opponents, we are

      a Federation family. Attitudes remained positive throughout the
weekend, and while two dozen Federationists were literally snowed-in at the
Jernigan Institute, the 2016 legislative priorities were thoroughly
discussed, and everyone had a blast.

 

      After the government announced they would be closed on Monday, with
several appointments cancelled for the remainder of the week, discouragement
could have set in, but it didn't. Some members of the Federation, myself
included, took advantage of the rare opportunity to go sledding down Capitol
Hill. After climbing through mini-mountains of snow on street corners and
finally getting to the Capitol, I found an awesome

teenage girl who let me borrow her plastic sled to take a quick trip down the
Hill. With a big grin on my face, I began climbing the very icy and slick
Hill. I barely avoided falling a few times in the process, but I finally made
it to the top. I asked a nice guy up there to line me up so I would not run
over any children on my way down. Once aligned, he gave me a

pretty big push, and I was on my way. Halfway down I spun-out, came to a
stop, and pushed myself the rest of the way down. It was a great, empowering
moment for me-a reminder that I can live the life I want, even if it requires
borrowing a sled or two along the way.

 

      But now it was time to get to work. Prior to the Great Gathering-In
meeting, the student division took care of business. Despite the weather,
nothing could stop the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) from
getting together and having a good time. Nearly fifty students made it to DC
for the NABS annual Washington Seminar meeting, twenty-five of whom were

sponsored by the NFB and would not have been able to attend without the
organization's financial support. The annual student meeting included
information on the new Self-Advocacy in High Education Toolkit Version 1.0,
which serves as a support to blind college students in an effort to prevent
or mitigate accessibility barriers on campus. You can find more information

about the toolkit at <https://nfb.org/self-advocacy-higher-education>. The

meeting also included a speech from President Mark Riccobono, who encouraged
students to step up and take on more leadership roles. Student Division
President Sean Whalen also spoke to those in attendance about happenings at
the national level and the KNFB Reader App. The student meeting included
several breakout sessions covering a variety of topics including employment,
internships, self-advocacy, vocational rehabilitation

services, and more. On Tuesday evening the student division hosted the NABS
Cafi, an annual social event for students and supporters, which included an
auction, raffle, and live entertainment. Despite the weather, the attendance
matched that of previous Washington Seminar student meetings.

 

      For the first time in history, the annual Great Gathering-In meeting
was held on Tuesday morning, with a smaller but powerful group of
Federationists ready to learn, act, and change the laws of the land.
President Mark Riccobono welcomed everyone and thanked all for making such an
enormous effort to attend. He specifically welcomed two-year-old Eliana

from Hawaii, who is blind and attending her first-ever Washington Seminar.
He suggested, "If anybody asks you why you bothered to trudge through the
snow to get here, you tell them about Eliana; it's her future we're working
for." In his welcome speech, President Riccobono talked about a variety of
legal cases affecting the lives of blind parents, children, and adults,
addressing employment barriers blind people face, such as not receiving equal
wages, inaccessible technology for the blind, lack of internet

regulations, lack of accessibility in transportation (including Uber), and
the need for accessibility in voting rights. He ended by saying, "We do all
this work and more because it is personal to us, and we are here because it
matters in our own lives and in the lives of others." He continued, "We are
here because for seventy-five years we have set the standard, and we continue
to raise expectations for blind people across the country. We are here
because we seek to live the lives we want!"

 

      Jernigan Institute Executive Director Anil Lewis also spoke to the
crowd about the various programs going on at the Jernigan Institute,
including STEM2U, NFB EQ <http://www.blindscience.org/NFBEQ>, NFB Bell

Academy <https://nfb.org/bell-academy>, and other academic-focused programs.
Anil declared, "It's not our inability to see that defines our future; it's
the poor education systems that don't challenge us, that don't set high
expectations for us to meet...Blind people have the intellect, knowledge,
ability, talent, interest, desire, and passion to be involved in STEM
subjects."

 

      Fred Schroeder followed by announcing that the United States will be
hosting the World Blind Union this summer in Orlando, Florida, and encouraged
Federationists to attend. President Riccobono also announced that this year's
NFB National Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida, Thursday, June 30
through Tuesday, July 5, at the Rosen Shingle Creek

Resort and that pre-registration will open on March 1.

      Immediate past president Dr. Marc Maurer addressed the Great

Gathering-In by discussing important legal issues facing the blind and how
the National Federation of the Blind is working on these, including
subminimum wage issues, Amazon accessibility, and parental rights. Executive
Director of Advocacy and Policy, John Pari, welcomed all who fought the storm
to make it to Washington and announced the use of a new App for NFB
Washington Seminar, "NFB in DC," designed to set up and track appointments.
Next, Parnell Diggs, director of government affairs, addressed the crowd
regarding logistics of the week and welcomed all to DC. He encouraged
attendees to check with individual senators and

representatives to be sure appointments were still on as scheduled.

 

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Parnell Diggs]

 

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Rose Sloan]

 

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Gabe Cazares]

 

      Parnell then introduced his legislative team: Rose Sloan and Gabe
Cazares. Rose started things off by talking about the first of four issues:
equal work for equal pay, or the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful
Employment (TIME) Act (H.R. 188; S. 2001). Rose declared, "The blind and all
people with disabilities deserve an honest wage. We are going to educate and
advocate; the NFB will get the TIME Act passed." She continued, "For far too
long the blind have been paid less than the minimum wage, and

it is time to end this. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act must be
repealed."

      Rose also discussed the second issue, Equal Access to Air Travel for
Service-Disabled Veterans (H.R. 2264). The Space Available Program allows
members of the active military, some family members, Red Cross employees, and
retired armed services members to travel on military aircraft if space

is available. However, members of the military who were classified as 100
percent service disabled before September 23, 1996, do not qualify for this
program because they are not considered "retired." Rose declared that both
the TIME Act and the Space Available proposal are in need of co-sponsors.

 

      Gabe Cazares, the newest member of the government affairs team,
discussed the two remaining issues. First is the Accessible Instructional
Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act, which will generate guidelines
for higher education institutions when implementing new technology to ensure
it is accessible to blind and print-disabled students. Gabe notes that far
too often schools deploy inaccessible technology, then modify another version
for blind students, and tragically this usually occurs weeks or even months
into class. This has the effect of creating a "separate-but-equal" landscape
with nearly impenetrable barriers. Gabe went on to say, "Blind students will
not be relegated to second-class citizenship in employment or the classroom.
All technology needs to be accessible to all students."

 

      Gabe also talked about the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to
Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise
Print Disabled. The Marrakesh Treaty is an international copyright treaty
that will give blind Americans access to millions of published works and
improve the distribution of books across the globe. Unlike the United States,
where copyright code includes the Chafee Amendment and other exceptions,
two-thirds of the world's nations do not have domestic copyright laws that
permit making copies for the blind, limiting the number

of works available in an accessible format. Gabe concluded by encouraging all
of us to get moving to push through all four of our important issues.

 

      John Pari went through all of the information in the legislative

packets this year, including fact sheets and letters of support. President
Riccobono announced the congressional reception would be cancelled due to the
weather. He also encouraged everyone to attend the NABS Cafi that evening to
support the student division of the National Federation of the Blind. He then
introduced the director of public relations, Chris

Danielson, who discussed an Op-Ed written by President Riccobono that was
released that day on the Congress Blog <http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-

blog/civil-rights/266943-inequality-and-indifference>. The article includes
information on signing the NFB's We the People Petition

<https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/direct-us-department-justice-
promptly-release-ada-internet-regulations>, which needs 100,000 signatures by
mid-February. Chris encouraged everyone to share the Op-Ed piece and the
Washington Seminar experience on social media under the hashtag #NFBWS16. He
ended his remarks by saying: "Washington knows we're here, now let us let the
world know."

 

      President Riccobono concluded the meeting with a few last minute
announcements, encouraging participants to share their experiences on social
media, noting the demonstration of a new Braille display being debuted at the
seminar, and telling us that Anil Lewis had eaten all the peanut butter pie
that was available.

 

      On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the nation's blind took over
Capitol Hill. In fact, we were pretty much the only ones brave enough to go
to the Congress that week. Many affiliates met with Congress and House
staffers, and a few got to meet face-to-face with their representatives and
senators. Despite the weather, lots of progress was made on some of the big
issues, and Federationist fought hard to share the concerns our elected
officials can address that truly effect the blind.

 

      As a dancer I have grown to love the quotation by Vivian Greene, "Life
isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in
the rain." It was a lot more than rain in Washington, DC, for this Washington
Seminar, but record-breaking snow accumulation covering our nation's capital
couldn't stop members of the National Federation of the Blind from dancing.
Many of my family and friends asked me why I was going

to Washington, DC, when the weather was so bad and Congress wouldn't even be
in session; some went so far as to say I was being ridiculous for going. My
response: "What we're going to Washington for will outlast the storm. The
issues we are fighting for will be there long after the snow melts. The blind
of our country have been told far too many times that we can't, that

we won't, that we shouldn't, but we are not ready to back down...no matter
the barriers. Snowzilla can't stop us!" And, you know, it didn't.

                                 

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Address: P.O. Box 1325, Great Falls, MT 59403 

Phone: (406) 454-3096

Email: president at nfbofmt.org

Web Site: www.nfbofmt.org

 

Live the life you want 

 

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.

 

It's TIME to Eliminate Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities

http://www.nfb.org/TIME

 

Donate to the National Federation of the Blind of Montana
<http://www.nfbofmt.org/donate.html>