[NFBV-Fairfax] Messy agenda

[Christine Grassman]

Two individuals let me know literally moments ago that the agenda I sent out on St. Patrick’s Day was  littered with weird symbols. 
I don’t know why; I promise you it was not green beer or any other kind of beer. We are going to try this again. I hope the minutes came through okay.
On my end, everything looked totally fine.


Tonight’s Zoom link and agenda: 
Here’s how to join us:
https://zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=SFAyamlQNU44ZTJ6dUZNMTV4RmhCQT09
 
One tap mobile
tell: +13017158592,,8297256345#
 
Telephone Dial: 1 (301) 715-8592
Meeting ID: 829 725 6345#
 
If needed the password is 20201940

7:00 PM: Greetings and Member Check-In: There is a whole lot going on, including federal government layoffs, concerns about Social Security, etc. We will give some time for members to discuss their concerns, and please bring some happy tidbits to share as well. 
7:15 PM (approximate): Discussion and/or Approval of February Minutes; Treasurer’s Update/Report, Discussion and/or Approval
7:25: NFB Convention in New Orleans
7:35: AFB Webinar on Advocacy Campaigns (very important as we gear up for our transportation campaign): 

From Arielle Silverman, Director of Research at the American Foundation for the Blind, who will be presenting about this webinar: 


AFB is holding a webinar on Wednesday March 26 at 12pm to talk about using research to strengthen your state and local blindness advocacy. We will describe our research-based resources including our research summaries and fact sheets, which can be incorporated into advocacy campaigns. We will also talk about statistics and data on the blind population nationally and state-by-state. Denise Jess from the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (an independent organization which is not associated with the ACB),  will join us to share her 3-part formula for effective advocacy and discuss the power of coalition building.

7:50 PM: Quick Break
7:55 PM: Philosophy Discussion: 
The word “ableism” is often batted about to cover the plethora of attitudinal barriers, inaccessibility, micro-aggressions, violation of personal boundaries, and so on which impact the lives of individuals with disabilities.
Why does it seem that those who work directly with us so often are perpetrating these tendencies? Isn’t familiarity with and education by those of us with disabilities having a positive impact on those who know us: friends, loved ones, colleagues, volunteers, members of nonprofits set up to address the issues we face daily? 
What about our responsibility to education, and education burnout and fatigue?
How do we balance our access needs against those of others if and when they are at odds, or given scarcity of resources? How do we form coalitions and develop effective collective action when there is potential for contradictory and/or competing goals and/or policies? 
(This will undoubtedly be an ongoing discussion; it is weighty and deserves more than a half hour of dialogue.) 
8:25: April 12 Matchbox Reston Chapter Meeting and Spring Fling: 
We will give a brief update on date, time, and activities, and will follow up next week with a Google form for RSVP’s with more detail. 
8:30: Adjourn
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