[Ohio-Talk] Attention All Members Please Read: Washington Seminar 2024

Fri Sep 8 15:18:18 UTC 2023

Washington Seminar 2024

At our Washington Seminar, members of the National Federation of the Blind
convene to learn about and advocate for legislative initiatives that will
improve

the lives of blind Americans.

President Riccobono stands and smiles with Diane McGeorge and Buna Dahal
during 2019 Washington Seminar reception

Approximately three legislative initiatives are chosen for priority
attention each year. These initiatives, which form the Washington Seminar
priorities,

are based on the official positions of the NFB adopted at the national
convention and can address concerns related to civil rights, educational
programs

and services, rehabilitation of the blind for competitive employment, the
operation of vending facilities by blind persons on public property,
specialized

library services for the blind, the organization and funding of federal
programs, Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income
programs,

and other timely topics.

The first Washington Seminar took place in 1973. Today, more than five
hundred people from the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
Rico

typically attend.

Dates and Location

Monday, January 29 through Thursday, February 1, 2024

Holiday Inn Washington Capitol - National Mall

550 C Street, SW

Washington, DC 20024

Schedule

Great Gathering-In-Monday, January 29, 2024

The Great Gathering-In is the very exciting opening session of the
Washington Seminar. It will take place Monday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. ET and
adjourning

promptly at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Congressional Appointments-Tuesday, January 30 through Thursday, February 1,
2024

Congressional appointments should be made for Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work

together to help blind people live the lives we want.

United States Capitol Complex

The United States Capitol Complex is a large grouping of multiple buildings.
If you are attending the Washington Seminar, knowing how to navigate these

buildings in advance will make finding your meetings easier and quicker. For
a brief description of the United States Capitol Complex, including all six

of the Congressional Office Buildings, please see the United States Capitol
Complex Description that I attached or below.

///

United States Capitol Complex

The United States Capitol Complex is a large grouping of multiple buildings.
If you are attending the Washington Seminar, knowing how to navigate these

buildings in advance will make finding your meetings easier and quicker. For
a brief description of the United States Capitol Complex, including all six

of the Congressional Office Buildings, please see the United States Capitol
Complex Description that I attached or below.

///

United States Capitol Complex

Generally speaking, the layout of the United States Capitol Complex is
simple. The US Capitol Building is in the center of the complex, and it is a
large building, roughly in the shape of a capital "I", situated in a
north-south direction. It sits between Constitution Avenue on the north side
and Independence Avenue on the south side. To the east of the Capitol is
First Street, and to the west of the Capitol is the Capitol Reflecting Pool
and the National Mall. 

Due north of the Capitol, on the north side of Constitution Avenue is Upper
Senate Park. Moving east from Upper Senate Park along Constitution Avenue
the first cross street you will come to is Delaware Avenue, and on the other
side of Delaware Avenue is the Russell Senate Office Building. If you
continue to move east along Constitution, the next cross street you will
come to is First Street, northeast. Directly on the other side of First
Street, northeast is the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Finally, farther
east on that same block is the Hart Senate Office Building. Because the
Senate Chamber in the Capitol and all of the Senate office buildings are on
the north side of the complex, it is generally called the "Senate side" of
the complex. 

On the south side of the Capitol Building is the House chamber and south of
the Capitol, on the opposite side of Independence Avenue, are the three
House office buildings, so naturally, this side of the complex is known as
the "House side." The orientation of the three House office buildings is
similar to the Senate side; however, the House office buildings are situated
slightly farther west, since there is no park area directly south of the
Capitol. Due south of the Capitol is the north-south running South Capitol
Street. On the west side of South Capitol Street and the south side of
Independence Avenue is the Rayburn House Office Building. Moving east from
Rayburn along Independence and crossing South Capitol Street you will come
to the Longworth House Office Building. If you continue east on Independence
and cross New Jersey Avenue, you will encounter the Cannon House Office
Building. 

Russell Senate Office Building

The Russell Senate Office Building is the oldest of the three Senate office
buildings. It occupies an entire city block with Constitution Avenue to the
south, C Street northeast to the north, Delaware Avenue northeast to the
west, and First Street northeast to the east. The building is roughly in the
shape of a hollow square with a courtyard in the center, but because
Delaware Avenue is one of Washington DC's famous (infamous to some)
diagonals, the north side of the "square" is noticeably shorter than the
south side. Not counting the basement, Russell has three floors. You can
move freely around all sides of the square from the interior of each floor. 

In the basement of Russell, there are a few interesting features. First is
the Russell Carry Out, the building's sole eatery, located in the northwest
corner. Second are two tunnels that cross under First Street to allow
members of Congress, staff, and guests to easily move between Russell and
the two other Senate office buildings without having to go outside and
through security again. These two tunnels are located in the northeast and
southeast corners of the basement, parallel to C Street and Constitution
Avenue respectively. 

Interesting Fact: The Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office
Building was used for numerous hearings of national importance including a
1912 hearing on the sinking of the Titanic, a 1974 hearing on the Watergate
Scandal, and a 1991 hearing on the nomination of Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas.

Dirksen Senate Office Building

The Dirksen Senate Office Building is the second oldest Senate office
building and is located on the western half of the block bordered by
Constitution Avenue to the south, C Street northeast to the north, First
Street northeast to the west, and Second Street northeast to the east. The
building is in the shape of a large capital "E" with five floors. Because
the Dirksen Senate Office Building and the Hart Senate Office Building are
right next to one another, with no street between them, you can access the
Hart building from any floor in Dirksen via stairwells and elevators in the
northeast and southeast corners of the building. 

If you find that you are hungry in between meetings on the Senate side,
Dirksen is exactly where you want to be. There are two eateries in Dirksen,
one in the northwest corner of the basement, and another in the basement on
the south side of the building. These two large eateries combined can
accommodate several hundred people. 

Interesting Fact: The majority of the space in the Dirksen Senate Office
Building is devoted to Senate committee work, containing twelve separate
committee rooms and office space for committee staff. 

Hart Senate Office Building

The Hart Senate Office Building is the newest and largest of all the Senate
office buildings. It occupies the eastern half of the block bordered by
Constitution Avenue to the south, C Street northeast to the north, First
Street northeast to the west, and Second Street northeast to the east. The
building is in the shape of a large rectangle, situated in a north-south
orientation, with a smaller rectangle that extends from the side of the
building that faces Second Street. The building has eight floors and a large
interior atrium space. Because the floors in Hart were designed to be
shorter than those in the older Russell and Dirksen buildings, each floor in
Hart will have a connecting stairwell and elevator in the northwest and
southwest corners that will allow you to access all floors in the Dirksen
building. 

The only eatery in Hart is the slightly more formal Hart Senate Chef, which
is located in the Dirksen-Hart ground floor connecting corridor. 

Interesting Fact: Office suites in the Hart Senate Office Building take up
two floors, and while the staff occupy office space that has a ceiling
height of just over eight feet, the Senator's office in the suite contains
the traditional sixteen-foot ceilings found in Russell and Dirksen. 

Cannon House Office Building

The Cannon House Office Building is the oldest of the three House office
buildings and occupies the entire city block bordered by Independence Avenue
to the north, C Street southwest to the south, New Jersey Avenue southeast
to the west, and First Street southeast to the east. The building is roughly
in the shape of a hollow square, but because New Jersey Avenue is one of
Washington DC's famous (infamous to some) diagonals, the north side of the
"square" is noticeably longer than the south side. Cannon has five floors. 

A tunnel on the west side of the basement will allow you to access the
Longworth or Rayburn House Office Buildings without having to go outside and
through security again. 

Interesting Fact: The Cannon House Office Building and the Russell Senate
Office Building were both constructed at the same time, which is why their
floor plans are practically mirror images of one another on opposite sides
of the Capitol. 

Longworth House Office Building

The Longworth House Office Building is the second oldest of the three House
office buildings and occupies the entire city block bordered by Independence
Avenue to the north, C Street southwest to the south, South Capitol Street
southeast to the west, and New Jersey Avenue southeast to the east. The
building is a roughly in the shape of a large hollow rectangle situated in a
north-south orientation, but because New Jersey Avenue is a diagonal
(running northwest to southeast); the north side of the building is shorter
than the south side. Additionally, because Longworth is located on the slope
of Capitol Hill, the west side is nearly two whole floors taller than the
east side. 

A tunnel on the west side of the basement will allow you to access the
Rayburn House Office Building without having to go outside and through
security again, while another tunnel on the east side of the basement will
allow you to access the Cannon House Office Building. Additionally, there is
a large cafeteria located in the basement of Longworth. 

Interesting Fact: During 1949 and 1950, the Longworth House Office Building
served as the official chamber of the US House of Representatives while the
House Chamber in the Capitol was undergoing renovations. The full 435 member
House of Representatives met in Longworth's Ways and Means Committee Room. 

Rayburn House Office Building

The Rayburn House Office Building is the newest of the three House office
buildings and occupies the entire city block bordered by Independence Avenue
to the north, C Street southwest to the south, First Street southwest to the
west, and South Capitol Street southeast to the east. The central part of
the building is a hollow square, with a large ground level courtyard in the
center. Each corner of the square has a wing that extends from it. The wings
on the northwest and southwest corners extend due west, and the wings on the
northeast and southeast corners extend due east. There are four above ground
floors, and two basement levels. 

A tunnel on the east side of the basement will allow you to access the
Longworth and Cannon House Office Buildings without having to go outside and
through security again. Additionally, the ground floor of Rayburn has a
large cafeteria. 

Interesting Fact: The Rayburn House Office Building is the largest building
in the US Capitol Complex at nearly 2.4 million square feet. 

National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

Suzanne M. Turner, Ohio Executive Board Member

Ohio Membership Coordinator

Ohio Senior Division President

Cleveland Chapter, President

(216) 990-6199

Please click on the links below to learn more about the organization

The Ohio Affiliate

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8

"Live the life you want" featuring, National President, Mark Riccobono

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share

Visit and take a moment to like our Facebook Page!

<https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/>
https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/ 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

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