[NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

Thu Aug 3 00:10:05 UTC 2017

Here is vice mayor Wilson’s response to my email…

From: Justin Wilson [mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2017 7:57 PM
To: BrianMiller
Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

Brian,

Thanks again for inviting me to participate last week. 

I very much enjoyed the conversation and I look forward to working with the Alexandria chapter in the future.

Let me know how I can help. Have a good week. 

----

Justin M. Wilson, Member

Alexandria City Council

Office: 703.746.4500

Home: 703.299.1576

 <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov

On Aug 2, 2017, at 11:39 AM, BrianMiller <brianrmiller88 at gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Vice Mayor Wilson,

I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to come and speak to the Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I know after work meetings make for a long day, and I want you to know how much we appreciated you delaying your dinner on our behalf. You clearly did your homework and were prepared to address the topics we raised in our questions sent you prior to the meeting. You were open and honest with us as we discussed concerns and issues facing our community. 

As I noted to you in our meeting Thursday night, we are a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization speaking as blind and visually impaired residents of this community. We are blind and visually impaired individuals from a very diverse range of cultures, faiths, and political persuasions, but we are agreed on the importance of ensuring access to all of the facilities and programs in Alexandria, and promoting educational, recreational, and employment opportunities for our members and our community. 

I hope you will come to see the NFB as a resource for information and advocacy as we seek to make Alexandria an accessible, as well as amazing place to live, work, and play. 

We look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead. Please let us know how we can best support you and the work of the city council. 

Sincerely,

Brian R. Miller, PH.D.

President

The Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB of Virginia

From: Justin Wilson [ <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 11:27 PM
To: Bonnie O'Day
Cc: 'BrianMiller'
Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

Thanks. Sounds good. I'll see you on Thursday night. 

----

Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor

Alexandria City Council

Office: 703.746.4500

Home: 703.299.1576

 <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov

  _____  

From: Bonnie O'Day < <mailto:bonnoday at gmail.com> bonnoday at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 2:57 PM
To: Justin Wilson
Cc: 'BrianMiller'
Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind 

Hi Councilman Wilson.

The Alexandria chapter of the National Federation of the Blind is looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening, July 20 at 7:30 PM in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower.

Please let us know how long you will be able to be with us, so we can better plan our time with you. 

Here are some topics for discussion at the meeting. We know each of these could be an all-night discussion, but perhaps you could address each briefly and then we can open it up for questions.  

1. Vision Zero: What is it and how will it improve safety for pedestrians, particularly pedestrians with disabilities?

2. Transit: What is Alexandria’s funding commitment to Metro, Dash buses, and DOT paratransit? Are there any plans for expansion or changes in the future?

3. Internet: What is the status of bids for additional Internet providers in Alexandria? Will there be competition among providers anytime soon? 

4. Waterfront: What is the plan to expand the Alexandria Waterfront? Will any new waterfront designs ensure pedestrian friendly pathways?

5. If I wanted to work for the City of Alexandria, is the application process accessible to people who use screen readers to access print information? Please address the City’s commitment to accessibility of software and computer applications for city employees. 

6. How familiar are you with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and how it supports people with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired, to vote independently? Have you ever used an accessible voting machine to cast a vote? Would you be willing to give it a try in the November election? To whom should we direct comments if we have problems with voting machines?

7. How familiar are you with some of the challenges blind and visually impaired individuals face in navigating Old Town Alexandria? Challenges may include curb cuts that are not aligned with crosswalks, informational kiosks that are not accessible, and lack of audible traffic signals at some key intersections. What can the city council do to address these challenges? 

We look forward to our meeting with you. Thank you very much.

Bonnie O’Day

NFB of VA, Alexandria Chapter

From: Justin Wilson [ <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 5:23 PM
To: Bonnie O'Day
Cc: 'BrianMiller'
Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

That works for me. Thanks for the invite! 

----

Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor

Alexandria City Council

Office: 703.746.4500

Home: 703.299.1576

 <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov

  _____  

From: Bonnie O'Day < <mailto:bonnoday at gmail.com> bonnoday at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:06 AM
To: Justin Wilson
Cc: 'BrianMiller'
Subject: RE: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind 

Hi Councilman Wilson.

We would appreciate if you could speak to us on Thursday July 27 at 7:30. Our meeting will be held in the Clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower.

We will suggest some topics for discussion prior to the meeting.

Please let us know if this date and time would be convenient for you.

Thank you very much.

Bonnie O’Day, member

Alexandria Chapter

National Federation of the Blind

From: Justin Wilson [ <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov] 
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 12:03 AM
To: Bonnie O'Day
Cc: BrianMiller
Subject: Re: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

Ms. O'Day,

Thanks for the invite. I should be able to make this date/time work.

We can discuss as we get closer to make sure I cover the issues of interest.

Have a good week! 

----

Justin M. Wilson, Vice Mayor

Alexandria City Council

Office: 703.746.4500

Home: 703.299.1576

 <mailto:justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov> justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov

  _____  

From: Bonnie O'Day < <mailto:bonnoday at gmail.com> bonnoday at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2017 11:02 AM
To: Justin Wilson
Cc: BrianMiller; Bonnie ODay
Subject: Town Hall Meeting with Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind 

Good morning Mr. Wilson. An Alexandria Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind has just been created. The National Federation of the Blind is an
organization of blind and low vision individuals across the country to
improve the lives of blind people across the country. We have strong
chapters in Arlington, Fairfax and Washington DC, and recently formed a
chapter in Alexandria. We are interested in having you address our chapter
later this summer, potentially on Monday August 14 at 7:30 PM in the
clubhouse room at the Carlyle Place Apartments at 2251 Eisenhower. We expect
about 20 individuals would be present. We would be happy to develop and send
you a list of potential topics for discussion prior to the meeting.
Please let us know if this date and time work for you. If not, we can be
flexible in arriving at a date and time that work for you.
Thank you very much.

Bonnie O'Day
703 845-3436

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