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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>We have chosen our three legislative priorities for the 2024 Washington Seminar. In late January we will visit Capitol Hill to educate members of Congress and advocate for legislation that will promote website accessibility, increase home medical self-sufficiency, and increase work incentives related to SSDI for blind Americans. The three legislative priorities for the 2024 Washington Seminar are:</span><o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act (H.R. 5813/S. 2984)</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act (H.R. 1328)</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Blind Americans Return to Work Act</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><h3><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%'>Book Your Washington Seminar Hotel Room as Soon as Possible:</span></b><o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Rooms at the Holiday Inn Washington Capitol – National Mall are going quick! Be sure to book yours as soon as you can. Hotel reservation information can be found on our </span><a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Washington Seminar page</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>. Also, don’t forget to keep checking </span><a href="https://nfb.org/Washington-seminar"><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>nfb.org/Washington-seminar</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> for updates. Updates in the near future will be fact sheets for our three legislative priorities, the full event agenda, and mock meeting videos.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><h3><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%'>2024 Congressional Reception:</span></b><o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>One of our more recent Washington Seminar traditions will be back again for 2024. On Tuesday, January 30, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Cannon Caucus Room (located in the Cannon House Office Building), we will be conducting our annual Congressional Reception. There will be light refreshments and a chance to hear members of Congress address a large group of our members. We hope to see you there!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>So, please join us for Washington Seminar. The details on how to sign up are provided below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>From Deepa Goraya<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>NFB of Virginia Legislative Director for Washington Seminar <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <a href="mailto:deepa.goraya@gmail.com">deepa.goraya@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>Hello Virginia Federationists,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>I hope you all had a wonderful </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>2023 NFB of Virginia Convention and Thanksgiving holiday<span style='color:black'>. Washington Seminar is fast approaching</span> in less than 2 months<span style='color:black'>, in person from </span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Monday, January 29 through Thursday, February 1, 2024. Please note, we strive to make all appointments to be completed by late afternoon on January 31.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>I wanted to send out some info to help you begin thinking about reserving your room and making arrangements in your schedule to attend.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>The legislative Committee needs to begin creating teams of those who will be attending Washington Seminar and start scheduling appointments with members of Congress. So the earlier you can let us know whether you will be attending, the better. Please let us know by December 28 whether you plan to attend. When you let us know, please provide the name of your member of the House of Representatives. If you don’t know, please provide your address including street address and ZIP code so we can easily look it up. If you want to look it up yourself, you can access this information at<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><a href="https://www.house.gov/">https://www.house.gov/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>The Great-Gathering-In is scheduled for Monday, January </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>29<span style='color:black'>, 20</span>24<span style='color:black'>. </span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The Great Gathering-In is the official kickoff meeting for our 2023 Washington Seminar. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>The deadline for making hotel reservations with the Holiday Inn Capitol is December </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>31<span style='color:black'>, 20</span>23<span style='color:black'>, and although I know most of you are busy as we approach the holiday season, the hotel would certainly appreciate getting your reservations as early as possible to ensure that you secure your reservation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Lato",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>To book a room for the 2024 Washington Seminar please use our dedicated </span><a href="https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/find-hotels/select-roomrate?fromRedirect=true&qSrt=sBR&qIta=99801505&icdv=99801505&qSlH=wassm&qCiD=25&qCiMy=002024&qCoD=02&qCoMy=012024&qGrpCd=NF4&setPMCookies=true&qSHBrC=HI&qDest=550%20C%20Street%20S.W.,%20Washington,%20DC,%20US&srb_u=1&qRmFltr=" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Lato",sans-serif;color:#003E70;background:white;text-decoration:none'>Booking Link,</span></a><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Lato",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'> or call 877-834-3613 and provide our group code, NF4. The room rate for 2024 is $188.00 per night (not including taxes and fees), and the deadline to make a reservation is Sunday, December 31, 2023</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Steve Cook<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>You are invited to join us on the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> Friday of each month at 8:00 PM Eastern for audio described movies using the below Zoom platform! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8032543777?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8032543777?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Meeting ID: 803 254 3777<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Passcode: 124578<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>