[Travelandtourism] Updates on the issues with the Kennedy Space Center that happened at the Convention

[cheryl echevarria]

I am sending this information here as well, to show what I have been doing 
in reference to the issues that happened at Kennedy Space Center.

Here are some updates in reference to the Kennedy Space Center Tours.

I hope you are all getting my messages, I am going by the e-mails I have
that you all gave me for the payment information.

Anyway.

After not hear from the contacts I had with the Kennedy Space Center by
e-mail. I wrote them certified, signature required, priority mail letters,
and a copy went to Dr. Maurer, and 1 went to Gary Wunder, who is the Editor
of the Braille Monitor.

I am also sending him a copy of this, as well as the board of the travel and
tourism division.

I finally got a response from Ms. Jerri Sioutis back on August 17, 2011. She
is the International Sales Manager of the Kennedy Complex.  Her response
was:

I want you to know that I received you Certified Letter on August 15.  Our
mail goes through NASA and was apparently signed for in their receiving
department.  I am sorry your letter took so long to reach my hands.  When I
received your email after your visit on August 9, I brought it to the
attention of our Director of Protective Services.  I am hoping that he has
contacted you before this and that your certified letter has over lapped a
conversation with him.  He received a message from me on Aug 15 when I
received your letter.  I am going to get in touch with him regarding your
experience once again.

Please accept my apologies for not responding sooner to your letter dated
August 3, 2011.

On August 18th, she forwarded my contact information to Mr. Craig George

She stated that the other person whom I had been in touch with as well Mrs.
Dawn Morrison head of the Disability Services was out on Maternity Leave,
and sorry that I had not received any assistance that I deserved.

She also stated that Mr. George was also out on Business, and that I should
here from him when he returns.

Finally, on August 22, I got another e-mail from Ms. Sioutis that Mr. George
had been to her office and was concerned with the inexcusable way we were
treated.

He called me that evening and said that he was shocked and outraged at the
issues, and is willing to work on the accessibility for all, not just us,
but also for the way Carol was treated.

He agrees that from the moment that Cari and Brent Ford were treated on the
2nd to the fact that she called me very upset and in tears, to the 1 1/2
hour wait we had at the call in Desk, I gave them Michelle's name that was
at the desk, as well as the driver on the first bus we were on, not lowering
the lift to get Carol on, or asking the people who were in the mobility
disable seats that they have in the 1st 2 rows of the bus, to ask those
people to please let Carol, have the seat, but instead she had to move to
the back of the the bus.

To the second bus driver that spoke that way to Doug say his people couldn't
come on this bus, to other issues.

He wants to work closely with the NFB to make sure this never happens again.
I told him that I would be in contact with Dr. Maurer, and also Dan Hicks;
who is the President of the Florida Affiliate to work with me on these
issues with him.

I spoke to Dan Hicks, who asked me to contact Heidi Idler of the Orlando
Chapter, and Sherri Brun, Vice President of Orlando and myself are going to
be working very closely with Kennedy. Hopefully we will also have them come
to a few state conventions including the 2013 Orlando Convention.

I am also working on to see if Kennedy will give us free tickets when we
return in Orlando; but I do not want to do this until all the issues have
been worked out.

As of today, Mr. Craig, will be contact Sherri Brun, and also be writing me
a letter to send out to you all who wants it, to know exactly what Kennedy
will be doing.

Sorry, I didn't want to send anything out until I had an outcome on the 
issues.

Will be in touch when I have more to give.

Cheryl Echevarria
President, Travel and Tourism
President at nfb-travel.org