[VABS] You're invited! Student Plans at Richmond Seminar 2023!

[Jacob Ham]

Greetings from the board of the Virginia Association of blind students!

We hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season. To our fellow
students, we hope that you have enjoyed a break from school and have gotten
time to rest and recharge before the new year begins.

We are ecstatic to kick off 2023 with our annual  Richmond Seminar event!
On Monday  January 16 (Martin Luther King day) and January 17, we will come
together as blind and visually  impaired individuals to talk with one
another, learn from each other, and advocate for state legislation that
will improve our lives for the better. In the afternoon on Monday, January
16, we will have our annual winter board meeting and discuss the pieces of
legislation we will be talking to our legislatures about the following
morning. That evening, starting at 7 PM, there will be an exciting social
event for students. Here you will be able to connect with  old friends and
make new ones as well as learn about your student division and play lots of
fun  games. On Tuesday morning,  we will divide into groups and head to the
state capital to have meetings with our legislators, asking them to support
legislation that will improve the lives of blind and visually impaired
Virginians. All costs can be reimbursed by the Virginia affiliate as long
as a student agrees to have a roommate and utilize transportation provided
by a local NFBV chapter; to find out who is your local chapter president,
please go to nfbv.org

If you plan to attend, please email this chapter president  and Bonnie
Oday, Who is copied on this email, saying that you would like to
attendRichmond Seminar. The deadline to register for Richmond seminar is
Tuesday, January 3 and the deadline to book your hotel room is Thursday,
January 5.

Students, we need you! Your voices are crucial in helping our legislatures
understand what needs to change in Virginia education to aid us in being
successful students and future employees. This event will allow you to
build in your public speaking abilities  as well as self advocacy skills.
you can learn more about richmond seminar and find the info for booking
your room here:  https://nfbv.org/node/135

 We  hope that you will consider joining us on January 16 and 17th in
Richmond for this exciting opportunity. If you have any questions, don’t
hesitate to reach out to us or Bonnie Oday.

We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Best wishes,
Virginia Association of blind students