[NFBMT] Washington Seminar is Now Virtual

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

>From President Riccobono.  See below.

 

Dear Affiliate Presidents:

 

In light of recent events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the rapid
spread of the virus in Washington DC, we are going to cancel the in-person
portion of the 2022 Washington Seminar and convert to an all-virtual format.
Given that the Washington Seminar is one of the Federation's marquis events,
this was a difficult decision for me and one that I did not approach lightly.
In making this decision my top three concerns were: the health and safety of
our members and staff; the success and impact of the Washington Seminar
event, and; the financial impact to Federation members.

 

In recent weeks we have seen Maryland, DC, and Virginia all declare states of
emergency related to the pandemic. Washington DC and the surrounding areas
are currently experiencing unprecedented community spread of the virus among
both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. To bring our members from all
across the country into the middle of that during a time that many medical
experts predict will be the peak of the spread poses serious risks to the
health and safety of Federation members. 

 

Additionally, on January 3, Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician for
Congress urged the House and Senate to move to a "maximal telework posture."
Even if we could get everyone from across the country to DC and guarantee
their health and safety, we can't guarantee that scheduled in-person meetings
with members of Congress or staff won't be canceled at the last minute. If
conditions get worse, as they are predicted to do, we may end up in a
situation where we have members from across the country in the hotel without
any meetings to go to. We believe that canceling all in-person activities at
this point provides adequate time to plan for virtual meetings and has a high
rate of success for Federation members to speak with their member of Congress
or staff. 

 

Finally, the decision to convert to an all-virtual Washington Seminar at this
time will, we hope, provide a greater likelihood that Federation members will
be able to obtain refunds on airfare and hotel accommodations. 

 

It is for these reasons that we have made the difficult decision cancel the
in-person portion of the 2022 Washington Seminar and convert to an entirely
virtual format. We hope that everyone stays safe and healthy, and we continue
to anticipate a national convention in New Orleans this summer. Until then,
we have a lot of important advocacy work to do. 

 

Considering the cancellation of any in-person presence for Washington
Seminar, it makes less sense for us to host our invited presidents at the
national office the weekend before. We will be hosting some virtual trainings
for invited presidents and a meeting for all presidents during the weekend
prior to the Washington Seminar week. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Invited Presidents: Saturday, February 4 1 - 6 PM Eastern

All Presidents: Sunday, February 5 - 1 - 4 PM Eastern 

 

More details about the full schedule for Washington Seminar related meetings
coming soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mark A. Riccobono, President

 

Joy Breslauer, First Vice President, and Advocacy and Public Policy chair 

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 is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.