[nfbwatlk] Convention Impressions

Wed Jul 15 17:40:24 UTC 2009

Hi Jedi,
Sorry I didn't mean to leave you out of my long list of wonderful people I
visited with this convention!
And I know I have missed many more!
Warmly
Elizabeth

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jedi
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 5:37 PM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Convention Impressions

Listers:

I'm with many of you in that the hotel wasn't too difficult to 
navigate. On the bright side, the roundness of the hotel meant that it 
never really mattered which direction one went to a meeting since 
they'd wind up where they wanted to go after a fashion. Those parts of 
the hotel that split from the main circle such as the route to the 
courtyard were confusing at first, but I managed it after a while. I 
would also agree that the elevator situation was crazy, especially 
since the elevator banks were in the middle of the circle and only 
accessible via the center spoke that split the circle.

As for the service at the hotel, I was impressed with how helpful (and 
not overly so) the staff were. Some of the guests in the lobby 
manhandled some of us (including me) when we first arrived, but I was 
glad to see that it only lasted a few hours. I personally could have 
done without the rediculous crowds at the Vault and the long wait times 
at meals. On the bright side, the long waits meant great conversations 
and the opportunity to just sit and relax from the convention chaos. 
Personally, I prefer the dallas hotel over this one, but I would not be 
terribly opposed to returning to Detroit in future.

The convention, as some of you noticed, was packed. There were tons of 
seminars for all walks of blind people and their friends/family. I was 
glad to see so many offerings, but sad that I couldn't attend all the 
ones I wanted to in light of the shortened schedule. I personally 
prefer the longer schedule for that reason.

A couple of convention highlights stand out to me. I had an opportunity 
to see the play by Jerry Whittle regarding Louis Braille. It was well 
done and quite classy. Jim, my friend from Montana, was a little 
uncertain as to whether or not he would enjoy it, but he said that he 
loved afterward. On the same vein, the Mock Trial was both educational 
and entertaining, a must-see cultural event of our convention.

I was particularly impressed with the marshalls this year. They were 
efficient and able to get people where they needed to go, especially 
during the banquet rushes and the march. Having served as a marshall at 
the march, I found the process easy and organized.

My favorite part of dr. Maurer's banquet speech was the repetative 
message that the blind are not broken sighted people, that we have 
value, and we intend to make good use of it. How often does the public 
see us as broken! It's refreshing to remember that we're not.

Oh, and Elizabeth mentioned a night out with Jim, Jeff, Chrys, Kris, 
and Marti. I was also there. Yes, we did have a fantastic time, and 
Chrys Buckley said that she was glad she went.

The most important part of convention is the message that it's 
respectable to be blind and that the Federation is a great group to 
belong to if one wants to change the public mind on the subject of 
blindness, make good friends, and partake in community action. I'm 
proud to say that I had the opportunity to help cement organizational 
connections for two people. Some of you know that I brought Jim Reed to 
our banquet tables this year. Jim is from Montana and is quite new to 
blindness since he's really begun to deal with his RP. He's told me a 
number of times that convention has allowed him to see what he can do 
rather than what he can't do. He's also really beginning to understand 
and experience our cause and lives as blind people. I think we'll have 
a long-term friend and participant in Jim, and I'm excited to see what 
comes of it for both him and the organized blind. As for the other 
individual, Chrys Buckley attended this year's convention. The last 
time she attended an NFB event, she and I didn't get much opportunity 
to talk and spend time. This time, we did and thurroughly enjoyed 
ourselves. She also seems interested in returning to the Federation and 
getting involved. From what I gather, she had fun and learned a lot, 
and she seemed like she had a good time in all our company.

Congratulations to Lily and mike for their respective awards (the 
scholarship and the national board position). Good luck to both of you.

Respectfully,
Jedi

Original message:
> Hi,
> Thanks for your convention update.  I'm glad you had a good time and were
> able to do so much.
> Thanks
> Lauren
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Frye, Dan" <DFrye at nfb.org>
> To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 5:56 AM
> Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Convention Impressions

>> List Colleagues:

>> Convention 2009 for me was a good one. It was great to catch up with
>> many of our friends from Washington State. The program agenda, during
>> both the pre-plenary session days and the formal sessions, seemed
>> particularly packed this year. I think the feeling of intensity can be
>> partially attributed to the abbreviated convention schedule. For my
>> part, I missed having the business session on the last day so that
>> farewells to people could have been made in a more relaxed atmosphere.
>> It was virtually impossible to say goodbye to everybody with the
>> convention adjourning right after the banquet. President Maurer's
>> banquet address (at least its primary topic) strongly resonated with me
>> this year and the detail in the Presidential Report showed what an
>> engaged 2009 we had as an organization. In view of the economy, I think
>> all were surprised with our lift in convention attendance, 2,809 people.
>> I don't know that I found the circular architecture of the hotel
>> significantly more challenging than other years, but I tend at almost
>> every convention to simply orient myself by asking questions and heading
>> out to particular meetings with time to spare. The relatively smaller
>> size of the hotel made it feel more crowded, though, particularly in and
>> around the elevators. I'll always remember with fond amusement the
>> presentation from Representative Conyers (spelling uncertain). I think
>> he was genuinely good hearted. The presentations on the influence of
>> Braille (provided in some instances and not in others) were touching and
>> meaningful. The March this year occurred on a beautiful morning for a
>> stroll; I wish that the speaker system could have been better, though,
>> since during the march itself I felt some disconnected from the chanting
>> encouragement of march leaders. During the rally itself, I could hear
>> the program fine. The pedestrian-friendly aspect of the March along
>> Detroit's River Walk was great. Martha Reeves's absence was a small
>> disappointment. Washington State can take much pride with Michael
>> Freeman's election to the National Board to fill out the unexpired term
>> of Sam Gleese who resigned from the board last fall; Mike will add a
>> thoughtful dimension to the board's deliberations. Busy, though, is the
>> phrase that summarizes the convention for me. I found myself in meetings
>> or events from 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. almost every day. I presented the
>> Social Security seminar on Tuesday evening, delivered an address to the
>> Affiliate Action Back to Basics seminar on Sunday evening, and helped to
>> introduce the new NFB diabetes publication at the Diabetes Action
>> Network meeting on Sunday afternoon. Despite these obligations, I
>> enjoyed dinners with my good friends Gary and Denise Mackenstadt and
>> sampled Detroit's Greek food with Noel Nightingale and Elizabeth and
>> Jeff from Canada. It was good to get a chance to become better
>> acquainted with Elizabeth and Jeff. Technology added a new wrinkle to
>> convention; a Tweet-Up for those on Twitter was held early in the
>> conference, and we're tracking how much Twitter traffic attributable to
>> convention-related events occurred. Finally, I participated in two
>> academic studies this year, one evaluating the new NUBS Braille system
>> and one looking at effective marketing techniques that appeal especially
>> to blind people. NFB convention is an excellent place for this type of
>> meaningful research to take place. These are my rambling personal
>> reflections on this year's convention.

>> I'll now be turning my attention to more formally summarizing this
>> entire affair for the Convention round-up that will be published in the
>> August/September issue of the Braille Monitor. If you had a unique
>> experienced, can share a touching incident that broadly characterizes
>> the convention for many, or have other reflections to offer, please pass
>> them along for potential inclusion. Small anecdotes helps to give the
>> round-up texture and color. A brief recap of the program items presented
>> is always helpful, but personal commentary makes the piece.

>> With Kind Regards,

>> Dan Frye

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Mike Freeman
>> Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 2:23 PM
>> To: NFB of Washington Talk
>> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Convention Impressions

>> Hi, all.

>> Anyone care to give their impressions of convention?

>> Mike Freeman

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