[Ohio-Talk] Visit the Presidential Suite by Melissa Riccobono

[Suzanne Turner]

Visit the Presidential Suite at the 2021 Convention


by Melissa Riccobono

>From the Editor: One of my favorite places to visit is always the
Presidential Suite. Cool people gravitate there. Snacks are there as well as
coffee and sometimes NFB Tea. How can it get any better? How we will make
our suite a remarkable place this year is the subject of this article, and
here is what our First Lady says:

The Presidential Suite has long been a favorite of President Riccobono and
me. We greatly enjoyed being able to open a suite to all convention
attendees-a place they can come to meet and talk with others, have questions
answered, and even eat a few cherries, M&Ms, or popcorn! Last year we
decided very late in the convention planning process that we should and
could host a virtual Presidential Suite. Those who visited seemed to enjoy
themselves, but we are sure many convention attendees did not take advantage
of the Presidential Suite because they had no idea what it was or what to
expect.

This year, since we are beginning the process of planning a virtual
convention much earlier, it is important to him and me to do a more thorough
job of communicating the purpose of the Presidential Suite, how it will be
run virtually, what to expect, and how you can help make the Presidential
Suite a welcoming and safe place for all!

The Presidential Suite should definitely be on your agenda at this year's
convention. It is a place to talk with other convention attendees about a
variety of topics. It is a place you can go in order to get questions
answered. President Riccobono and I drop into the Presidential Suite when we
can, and President Riccobono also holds private meetings with as many people
who request appointments as possible. 

This year the Presidential Suite will be open at the following times:
Tuesday, July 6, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Wednesday, July 7, from 9:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m. and from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.; Thursday, July 8, from 9:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, July 9, from 8:00 to 9:45
a.m.; and Saturday, July 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Everyone who enters the Presidential Suite will be muted. This is to allow
conversations which may be taking place to continue without interruption. An
NFB staff member will greet and welcome you. If you want to be unmuted for
any reason, feel free to raise your hand, and someone will call on you.
Otherwise, if you're just visiting the suite in order to talk with others,
you will be randomly assigned to a breakout room. You will receive an
invitation to the breakout room on your smartphone or computer. This you
will need to accept in order to be moved. If you are calling in on a
landline phone, you will be automatically transferred to the breakout room.
Please be patient because, depending on how busy the suite is at any given
time, it may take a few minutes for a staff member to be able to call on you
or even assign you to a breakout room.

Each breakout room will feature a leader in the National Federation of the
Blind. These leaders are volunteering their time in order to make visitors
to each breakout room feel welcome. They will answer questions about the
convention, the National Federation of the Blind, and other blindness
resources. They will also gladly participate in any other discussions which
might occur. These breakout rooms are meant to be friendly, safe,
informational, yet informal. They are meant to be places where convention
attendees from around the country and world can interact and connect with
one another. 

We did hear from some convention attendees last year that they enjoyed
participating in breakout rooms where discussions of specific topics were
taking place. As a result of this feedback, this year we are also hoping to
have breakout rooms which will offer specific discussion topics at specific
times-please stay tuned for more information! If you have a discussion topic
you would like to suggest, please email Melissa Riccobono at
melissa at actionfund.org <mailto:melissa at actionfund.org> .

As a visitor to the Presidential Suite, please do your part to keep this a
friendly, welcoming, and safe place for all. As is true in all convention
events, the Code of Conduct will need to be followed in the Presidential
Suite. Please keep conversations respectful to all participants. Don't be
afraid to chime into a conversation. You have a lot to offer, even if you
may be new to the convention and feel as if you have a lot to learn. You
have still had experiences in your life which may be extremely relevant to a
conversation and very helpful to others. At the same time, please be mindful
that we want all people in the breakout room to have a chance to be heard,
so feel free to ask if someone has anything to add, particularly if you know
there is someone in the breakout room who hasn't said anything for a while.

If you have any concerns about your experience in the Presidential Suite,
please leave the breakout room immediately. Then log back into the main
Presidential Suite link, raise your hand, and let the staff member who calls
on you know you have a concern you need to share. The staff member will work
with you to come up with the best way to share your concern privately and
quickly.

As stated above, the Presidential Suite is also a place where President
Riccobono meets with individuals and groups who request appointments. If you
would like to request an appointment to meet with him privately or in a
group, please email Beth Braun at bbraun at nfb.org <mailto:bbraun at nfb.org> .
Make sure to put "Presidential Suite" in the subject line of your message.
In your email, please give Beth your name, the state you are from, your
telephone number, and a brief reason for the purpose of your appointment.
Beth will begin accepting appointment requests on June 1. She will not begin
to respond to requests until July 1 or a bit later, since she will need to
make sure of President Riccobono's schedule in order to give you a good date
and time for your appointment. If you want to schedule an appointment but do
not have access to email, please call Beth at 410-659-9314, Extension 2369
beginning on June 1. If you cannot reach Beth, please leave her a message,
and she will get back to you. 

If you have other questions about the Presidential Suite, please send an
email to melissa at actionfund.org <mailto:melissa at actionfund.org> , or call
410-659-9314, extension 2466. President Riccobono and I look forward to your
participation in the Presidential Suite this year. We hope to speak with you
in the suite, and we also hope we will be in person next year so we can
offer you refreshments as well as fellowship.

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