[Nfbv-announce] Fwd: Washington Seminar Sneak peak at issues and Reservations

[Christopher Vinson]

Hi Virginia Federationists:



President Riccobono has provided the below note to share our issues for
Washington Seminar and encourage you to make your hotel reservations.



Next year is our Washington Seminar. We have been evaluating our priorities
and the new Congress, and charting our plans for the Washington Seminar.
During the meeting of the NFB Board of Directors earlier this month, we
reviewed the scope of the many legal, regulatory, and legislative efforts
we are undertaking. We also settled on some new initiatives for our 2017
Washington Seminar that I believe will make a difference to blind people.
Of course, the issues we have previously worked on will not be left behind,
but they will not be front and center in our Washington Seminar activities
in 2017. I wanted to give you a sneak peek at the 2017 NFB Washington
Seminar and give you another reminder to get your reservations in for rooms
at the Holiday Inn.



At the top of our priority list we will be asking Congress to support the
Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act, which
will establish a commission to formulate voluntary accessibility guidelines
for education technology on college and university campuses across the
nation.



A new item that we will pursue this year is seeking an amendment to the
Internal Revenue Code so as to create a refundable tax credit for blind
taxpayers who purchase access technology.



Our third seminar issue will be a request for an appropriation to the
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to
purchase refreshable Braille displays to be loaned to NLS patrons.



And finally, we will take up the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to
Published Works for People Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise
Print Disabled. There is a chance the Treaty will have been ratified by the
time we arrive in Washington. If so, we will celebrate when we come
together in the Capitol Ballroom at the Great Gathering-In at 5:00 p.m. on
January 30, 2017.



We are continuing to work on the TIME Act in discussions between our
advocacy team and members of Congressional staff. Our efforts around Space
Available have resulted in a compromise between the House and Senate,
whereby language was included in the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) directing the Department of Defense to contract with a federally
funded research and development center within ninety days to examine the
feasibility of extending Space Available participation to one hundred
percent service connected veterans. That report is due within 180 days.



Please remember the deadline for booking rooms at the Holiday Inn is
December 28, 2016. Reservations can be made at the Holiday Inn Capitol (550
C Street, SW Washington, DC 20024) for Washington Seminar for check-in
beginning Saturday, January 28, 2017, and check-out Friday, February 3,
2017. The rate is $188.00 per night. This rate does not include the tax,
which is currently 14.5 percent. You may begin booking reservations by
using the following link: Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol
<https://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/washington/wassm/hoteldetail?qAdlt=1&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv.ul.vn.ki&qChld=0&qFRA=1&qGRM=0&qIta=99504425&qPSt=0&qRRSrt=rt&qRef=df&qRms=1&qRpn=1&qRpp=20&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qSrt=sBR&qWch=0&srb_u=1&icdv=99504425&sicreative=151091618110&siclientid=9947&sitrackingid=697469823&dp=true&cm_mmc=OFMAM-AMER-EN-DES-C2C_SEM_HI_DC&glat=SEAR>,
or by calling (877) 572-6951, and referencing booking code F7B.



So, there you have it direct from President Riccobono. Consider this your
invitation to join us in Washington so our voice is heard on Capitol Hill.
If you are planning to attend Washington Seminar, please make certain that
your chapter’s member of the affiliate legislative committee knows and/or
tell our affiliate Legislative chairs:



Deepa Goraya, (909) 964-3699

deepa.goraya at gmail.com



Jeannette Gholson, (804) 543-0254

jigholson.din at gmail.com



We are really trying to understand who is planning on attending Washington
Seminar by Friday, December 23, so we can get cooking on scheduling
appointments in early January.



Tracy Soforenko

President, NFB of Virginia

Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com

202 285-4595 <(202)%20285-4595>