[NFBSATX] Fwd: [NFBT] Washington Seminar Recommendations

Thu Nov 23 00:32:24 UTC 2017

Harry Staley
(330) 718-1876
hstaley at nfbtx.org

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Norma Crosby <ncrosby at nfbtx.org>
> Date: November 22, 2017 at 18:23:40 CST
> To: "<member at nfbtx.org>" <member at nfbtx.org>
> Subject: [NFBT] Washington Seminar Recommendations
> 
> Hello everyone,
> 
> I hope you are having a relaxing holiday. We are trying to get everything ready for a quiet holiday, but I wanted to take a moment to provide you with some information that will help us all make plans for the upcoming Washington Seminar.
> 
> During the 2017 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas, our board voted to assist 12 blind Texans who wish to attend the 2018 Washington Seminar. The dates for the seminar are January 29 through February 1. The great gathering-in meeting is scheduled at 5 PM, on the 29th. However, as we plan, everyone should take into account that there are other meetings and activities scheduled earlier in the day. If you plan to participate in any of those programs and activities, you should plan your time in Washington accordingly. In most cases, we ask those who are receiving assistance to come in the day before the great gathering-in so they can participate in early activities and so we can gather our Texas folks together for a caucus prior to the 5 PM meeting.
> 
> Let me tell those of you who might be new a little more about how the Washington Seminar works. That may allow you to determine whether or not this opportunity is a good fit for you and your particular talents and skills. The Washington Seminar is an opportunity for blind Americans to talk to our members of Congress about issues that are important to us. We don't take a scattergun approach to this opportunity. Rather, we focus on three issues that are of importance at this moment in time. The issues we will work on are related to policy statements our conventions have made via the resolutions process. Sometimes we are successful at passing needed legislation right away. More often, it is necessary for us to advocate for a particular piece of legislation for more than one year. That means some of what we talk about in Washingon, in 2018, will be familiar to you if you have followed our past efforts. Information about our issues will be posted on our national website several weeks before we leave for our trip to Washington. So, everyone will have an opportunity to educate themselves about the issues we will be discussing in advance of our effort.
> 
> In Texas, we work in teams. We have 38 offices to visit. So, breaking up into small groups is the best way to accomplish our mission of visiting every office. Each team will have a leader and one or two other members. The team leader will have all the information the team needs to travel to each appointment, and he or she will take the lead on discussing issues. He or she should also take the opportunity to share advice with the team in order to prepare other members for taking on the role of speaking on some issues. Often, the team leader will talk about all the issues in a couple of offices. Then, he or she will ask other team members to talk about one or more issues in later office visits. The idea is to begin the process of teaching new attendees how to advocate for the needs of blind Texans. When a team leader asks that you speak on behalf of the team, you should know the issues and be prepared to take on whatever role your leader asks you to. Reading the fact sheets that will become available online is a good way to prepare. Asking questions of your leader as you traverse the capitol is another, and of course, the great gathering-in meeting is an excellent way of learning more about the issues to be discussed. Being asked to speak to a senator or representative can be a little scary. It is also an opportunity to learn and to step outside your comfort zone, and you may discover a new passion for advocating for the rights of blind people.
> 
> As I said earlier, the great gathering-in meeting is scheduled for 5 PM, on January 29. This is a mandatory meeting for everyone in our Texas delegation. No one is exempt. The meeting usually lasts until 7 PM. So, you will have plenty of time to get dinner following the meeting. On Tuesday, January 30, we will begin to visit our assigned offices. Teams are normally assigned about 7 offices to visit. Our office schedules appointments prior to the seminar. So, the teams will have a schedule to follow. Most people will leave for the airport, following their day on the hill. There are almost always a few appointments that cannot be scheduled on Tuesday. So, a few team members may be asked to stay over until Wednesday. If that is the case, those people will be notified in advance to make sure they can stay.
> 
> Now, let's talk about how our assistance program will work and who might want to attend the seminar. As I said, our board approved assistance for up to 12 people. The assistance includes airfare and hotel. Those who receive assistance are responsible for their own food and local transportation (taxis, Uber, etc.). If you wish to be considered for assistance, you should contact your chapter or division president to request his or her recommendation. I am asking chapter and division presidents to recommend people based on their assessment of how the individual's participation in the Washington Seminar will benefit the affiliate and the individual. Because of the limited number of slots, I am unlikely to be able to select more than one member from any chapter. While we need team leaders, we also need young leaders. So, we will be selecting a number of first timers to augment our squad of veterans.
> 
> The Washington Seminar is very much a working activity. No one is prohibited from attending. However, I urge you to consider this. Lots of walking is required. If you have medical issues that might make this a problem, this might not be the activity for you. Our resources are limited, and we need to have people who can work throughout their visit to the hill. Remember that you will have opportunities to help with legislative issues even if you are not able to attend Washington Seminar. So, don't worry if this event isn't one you can participate in. We can use your talents in another way. 
> 
> Another consideration about attending the seminar is that everyone who is granted assistance will have at least one roommate, and it is possible that they will have two roommates. If this is a problem for you, you should not apply for assistance. We want you to come, but I feel it is fair to let you know about these requirements in order to prevent hurt feelings and unhappiness later. Rooms for this event are over $200 a night, including tax. So, the number we purchase will be limited to six for our general assistance program. Since we can only select 12 people for assistance, we have typically offered a form of partial assistance to a few people who wish to attend. We will do that this year as well. The partial assistance is this. If you wish to attend and can afford to purchase your own airline ticket, the affiliate will offer you space in one of our rooms as long as we have room. Please wait to contact me regarding this until we have received all recommendations and selected our group of recipients.
> 
> We are planning to take a few of our mentoring pairs to the seminar. I will share information about that on our mentoring lists. If you participate in the mentoring program, you should NOT request assistance through your chapter. You should follow the process established for mentoring participants instead.
> 
> When you ask your chapter president for a recommendation, please share the following information with him or her.
> 
> Your name, telephone number, and email address.
> Who is your member of the House of Representatives? Keep in mind we are talking about your representative in Washington rather than the one in Austin.  
> Dates you can participate in the Washington Seminar. Must be available from at least January 29 to the evening of the 30th. Prefer availability as early as the 28th.
> I am asking that each president provide me with their list of recommendations no later than Sunday, December 3, at 5 PM. So, you should contact your local president as soon as possible. If you have questions about assistance, please feel free to send an email to me. I will do my best to answer. If you are selected to receive assistance, I will notify you no later than December 8, at 5 PM. This will generally be accomplished via email unless you are not an email user.
> 
> Now that we have talked about assistance, let me tell you a few more things. We do make appointments with each congressional office. However, that effort is generally undertaken by our office staff and some of our team leaders. Therefore, members should not make appointments with any of the offices we will visit without being asked to do that. If you have a special relationship with a particular office that may help us, we would love to know about that. However, if we make an appointment and you make an appointment, that could create confusion and lead to an embarrassing situation. The bottom line is that is best to communicate with us if you think your contact with an office could help us with making an appointment.
> 
> Let me also advise you a little about how to dress. We are going to the U. S. Capitol. Dress your best. Please do not wear sneakers, t-shirts, jeans, or other casual clothes. I know that some of you may not have suits, and that is fine. Just dress as well as you can. If you do have a suit, by all means, wear it unless it is a Santa suit. The Capitol is generally a conservative place. So, dressing that way is a good idea. I do recommend the most comfortable pair of dress shoes you can find. We walk all day. So, I try not to wear heels, but if you can do that, go for it. You should also remember that it may be colder in Washington than it is at home. So, check the forecast before leaving to see if you will need a coat. Also, remember that you will need to go through metal detectors every time you go into a federal building. So, I recommend taking only what you need when making your office visits. 
> 
> Finally, let's talk about local transportation and food. Washington has taxis, Uber, and Lyft. Uber and Lyft fares are generally a little less than taxi fares are. The hill is only a short walk from the hotel. So, if weather permits, you can walk to meet your team. Or, your team can walk over together. Hotel food is generally expensive, and the food at the Holiday Inn Capitol is no exception. If you check the menu carefully, you can find some deals, but if you can find other food, you'll save money. There is a McDonald's less than a block from the hotel, and there is also a deli or two as well. Sunday evening will be your biggest challenge for food because the McDonald's may be the only restaurant close by that is open. On the day we visit Capitol Hill, you will be able to get some good food at a good price. The House Office Buildings have cafeterias that are open to the public, and they offer a variety of food at a fair price. Some teams choose to meet there for breakfast before starting their rounds, and almost everyone eats there for lunch.
> 
> There is more information to share, and I will do that later. I hope this helps as you are determining whether or not you can join us, and I look forward to hearing from you if you have questions.
> 
> Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Then, go out and buy all the new clothes you'll need after eating all that turkey and cake.
> 
> Norma Crosby, President
> National Federation of the Blind of Texas
> 1600 E Highway 6, Suite 215
> Alvin, TX  77511
> (281) 968-7733 (Main Office)
> (281) 809-4860 (Fax)
> ncrosby at nfbtx.org
> nfbtx.org
> Follow us on Twitter @nfbtx
> 
> Live the life you want.
> 
> 
> -- 
> National Federation of the Blind of Texas 
> "Live the life you want."
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Members" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to member+unsubscribe at nfbtx.org.
> To post to this group, send email to member at nfbtx.org.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbsatx_nfbnet.org/attachments/20171122/0950c646/attachment.html>