[NFBMT] Washington Seminar is Now Virtual

Thu Jan 13 02:59:16 UTC 2022

I am just going to step outside on the porch, look out for a minute. Listen
to the squirrel bark at me. Take in a deep breath of the fresh cold Montana
air. And say this. 
Oh my gosh. An all virtual Washington Seminar seemed the obvious choice
weeks ago to me. We cannot go on, living in this fantasy of in-person
anything. No. Not now. Not in a month. Not in 6 months. Get used to the
idea. Conduct business as best that we can using the tools of the internet
and the good old fashioned telephone and the United States Postal Service.
Thank goodness, President Marc Riccobono announced that the Washington
Seminar was to be all virtual. But, for my part, it was a decision I wish
that he had made much, much earlier.

A sense of urgency is what I am experiencing personally. Our legislative
agenda is good. But there is more, much more, that is of most urgent
concern. Maybe some will not agree. And if not, well. What can I say. We
live in a time when division is running all of our brains into a vat of
semi-irrational goo.

Talk to you all soon. I apologize if this post seemed to sound disturbing.
Rik James
Treasure State At-Large chapter guy in Bozeman. President? Yes. Of sorts.
But it is not the title that beats my drum, nor should it yours, I believe.
It is the duty of all to serve our mission, and to get busy. Happy New Year.

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT <nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER via
NFBMT
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2022 1:02 PM
To: nfbmt <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER <breslauerj at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFBMT] Washington Seminar is Now Virtual
Importance: High

>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. 

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