[Nfbmt] Want to go to the 2017 National convention?

Fri Jan 20 12:24:14 UTC 2017

It’s time to be thinking about going to the National Convention!

When: Monday, July 10-Saturday, July 15, 2017

Where: Rosen Shingle Creek Resort

9939 Universal Boulevard

Orlando, Florida 32819-9357

Hotel Information and Room Rates:

The 2017 room rates are singles and doubles, $83; and triples and quads, $89.
In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 12.5
percent. No charge will be made for children under seventeen in the room with
parents as long as no extra bed is requested. Please note that the hotel

is a no-smoking facility.

For 2017 convention room reservations you can call the hotel at (866)
996-6338 after January 1. You may also write directly to the Rosen Shingle
Creek,

9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819-9357. The hotel will want a
deposit of $95 for each room and will want a credit card number or a personal

check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged against your
card immediately, just as would be the case with a $95 check. If a
reservation

is cancelled before Thursday, June 1, 2017, half of the deposit will be
returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.

All Rosen Shingle Creek guestrooms feature amenities that include plush Creek
Sleeper beds, 40″ flat screen TVs, complimentary high-speed internet
capabilities,

in-room safes, coffee makers, mini-fridges, and hair dryers. Guests can enjoy
four outdoor swimming pools, a full-service spa, and fifteen dining/lounging

options from fine-dining and elaborate buffets to casual dining both indoors
and poolside.

Schedule:

Monday, July 10:  Seminar Day

Tuesday, July 11:  Registration Day, Meetings of Divisions and Committees

Wednesday, July 12:  Board Meeting, Meetings of Divisions and Committees

Thursday, July 13:  Opening Session

Friday, July 14:  Business Session

Saturday, July 15:  Banquet Day and Adjournment

At the 2016 state convention in Billings, a delegate and an alternate
delegate from Montana were chosen to attend the National Convention.  If you
would like to go to the convention and need some financial assistance, please
write to me or another board member off list before Wednesday, February 15,
and let us know why you would like to go to the convention, along with an
estimate of the expenses for which you would like to be reimbursed.  The
board will meet afterwards and consider all financial requests.  If you have
not been to a convention before, you are eligible to request a Kenneth
Jernigan scholarship for first time attendees.

You have two options regarding requesting financial assistance from the NFB
of Montana to attend the National Convention in Orlando, FL.  You can pay
your own expenses and request reimbursement afterwards (prior permission and
receipts required), or you can request that funds be made available to you
before the convention, and claim them at the convention itself from the
Montana affiliate treasurer, Ted Robbins.  Your biggest expenses will be air
fare, transportation, hotel, and food.  Receipts will be required for
reimbursement.  We are not generally equipped to pay anyone’s total expenses
to the national convention; however, if someone really wants to go and
absolutely can’t afford it otherwise, we will take up each request on an
individual basis.

View our beginner's guide to the NFB National Convention, intended to give
the first-time convention attendee some important information about national
conventions of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).

First-Timer's Guide to the National Federation of the Blind Convention

Welcome to your first convention of the National Federation of the Blind. We
hope that you find the convention fast-paced, fascinating, and fun, and that

it won't be your last. A lot happens at each convention, so this guide is
intended to give you an overview of what you will experience at your first
convention.

It is available in Braille, in large print, and on our website at

www.nfb.org.

For more specific details about this year's convention, consult the
convention agenda, the Braille Monitor, and the NFB's convention webpage at

www.nfb.org/convention.

For a more personal introduction to your first convention, plan to attend the
Rookie Roundup, usually held in the evening of the very first day of the

gathering. There you will meet your fellow rookies, be welcomed by Federation
leaders (including the President), and get some advice on what to do and when
to do it from convention veterans. The convention is full of opportunities to
learn, work, play, and network (both formally and informally). The only

thing you won't get much of at a National Federation of the Blind convention
is sleep!

NFB Camp:

Need child care during the convention? NFB Camp will again be available
during convention sessions for children from six weeks to twelve years. Child
care

is staffed by qualified, experienced teachers. Details and registration can
be found at

https://nfb.org/nfb-camp-registration-form.

Attending a national convention can be a lifechanging experience.  Please
give it serious consideration.

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://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.