[Nfbwv-talk] AGENCY PARTNERSHIP INFORMATION

[Ed McDonald]

Fellow Federationists:

Below is a message which I have shared with individuals who regularly 
participate in our Agency Partnership meetings. I thought perhaps some of 
you who are not part of that distribution list might be interested. If you 
plan to be in Barboursville on Thursday, August 2, you are welcome to attend 
the meeting. Just be sure to let me know if you want lunch. Apologies to 
those of you who are receiving this for the second time.

Ed


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Dear Agency Partners,

The next Agency Partnership meeting, sponsored by the National Federation of 
the Blind of West Virginia, will be held Thursday, August 2, 9:00 AM to 2:30 
PM, in the Violet Room, Holiday Inn and Suites, 3551 Route 60 East, 
Barboursville, WV. It is the opening event of the organization's 2012 state 
convention.

I am pleased to announce that the featured speaker will be Michael 
Hingson--long-time Federationist; 9-11 survivor; and author of the New York 
Times best-seller, "Thunder Dog, A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph 
of Trust at Ground Zero". We are honored to have Michael with us as a 
participant in this year's convention, and I am sure his remarks will be 
informative and inspirational. If you have not read the book, I can 
certainly recommend doing so. If you do not have it, I suspect you will be 
able to pick up an autographed copy at the meeting. We are grateful to the 
Teubert Foundation, the Cabell County Public Library, the West Virginia 
Department of Education and the Arts, and the West Virginia Library 
Commission for partnering with us to bring Michael to the state.

We will also hear a report on a variety of current issues and concerns in 
the field of blindness from a national perspective, presented by Amy Buresh, 
a member of the Federation's national board of directors. Buresh is 
president of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska and works as a 
rehabilitation counselor with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and 
Visually Impaired. She is the national representative at this year's 
convention and will deliver the keynote address at our Saturday-evening 
banquet.

In addition, the agenda will include the usual opportunity for program 
updates from each of the participating agencies.

A deli buffet lunch will be available for those attending the meeting for a 
registration fee of $13. The hotel has requested a "head count" in order to 
prepare an appropriate amount of food for the buffet. Therefore, if you plan 
to attend the meeting and wish to join us for lunch, please let me know by 
the end of the day on Thursday, July 26. Registration fees will be collected 
at the meeting and need not be submitted in advance.

Some of you may also wish to attend our technology workshop and exhibit on 
Friday, August 3, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, also at the Holiday Inn and Suites. 
Thus far, we know that participants will include AFBTECH, GW Micro, the 
Michael Hingson Group, and the WV Library Commission. Technology 
presentations and demonstrations will be offered in a workshop setting 
between 9:00 AM and noon, and exhibitors will be staffing their respective 
tables between 12:00 and 5:00 PM. If you know of blind individuals or 
professionals in the blindness field who might be interested in this event, 
please spread the word.

For those who may be interested, Michael Hingson will also be speaking on 
Thursday afternoon at 4:00 at the Cabell County Public Library in downtown 
Huntington. This event is free and open to the public. In addition, he will 
be offering two presentations on Monday, August 6, at the Culture Center in 
Charleston. Details on the Charleston events are available from the West 
Virginia Library Commission.

If you are new to the Agency Partnership program or simply have questions 
about the meeting, please feel free to get in touch with me. My contact 
information appears below.

We look forward to an exciting productive meeting on August 2 in 
Barboursville and hope all of you can join us.

Cordially,
Ed McDonald, First Vice-President
Agency Partnership Chairman
National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia
151 S. Mineral Street
Keyser, WV 26726
Phone: 304-788-0129

Email:

ed at eioproductions.com