[Wasagdu] [Nfbnet-members-list] Guide Dog users' Meeting, Streaming, Relieving, and More!

[Debby Phillips]

Hi all, I thought folks might like this information, especially 
those who won't be able to be at Convention.  I'm glad that the 
NAGDU meetings will be streamed.    Debby P.S.  If this has 
already been sent, sorry.  I'm so behind in email that it's not 
funny.    Debby

 ---- Original Message ------
From: Marion Gwizdala via Nfbnet-members-list 
<nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Guide Dog users' Meeting, 
Streaming, Relieving,and More!
Date sent: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 19:27:27 -0500



Guide Dog users’ Meeting, Streaming, Relieving, and More!



                 Whether you will be attending
the meetings of the National Association of Guide
dog Users (NAGDU) in person or virtually, there
is information within this message you will want
to read.  First of all, if you are not a member of
NAGDU, either by virtue of your membership in a
NAGDU affiliate division or by your direct
affiliation, we would like to encourage you to
join.  If you are a member of an affiliate in
which there is a NAGDU division, we strongly
recommend you join the affiliate division, since
joining that division confers upon you all the
rights and privileges of membership in NAGDU.  We
currently have affiliate divisions in California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan,
Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.  We are
also actively organizing affiliate divisions in
Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Texas, and Washington.  If you need contact
information for one of these affiliate divisions, please send a 
message to



<mailto:Info at NAGDU.ORG>Info at NAGDU.ORG



If you will be attending convention, you can join
NAGDU prior to one of our meetings (see below for
meeting details).  If you will not be attending
our convention, you can join by visiting our website



<http://nagdu.org/membership.html>http://nagdu.org/membership.htm
l



Annual Meetings & Live Stream

                 The annual meetings of the
National Association of Guide Dog Users will be
held on Sunday, July 5 and Tuesday, July 7 In
Salon 3, Level 2.  Registration will begin at 6:00
p.m.  each day outside the meeting room and will
close promptly at 6:45 p.m.  so all members can
participate in every aspect of our meetings.
During the meetings we will have several reports,
discussions, and other events of concern to those
interested in issues related to guide dog users.
Several valuable door prizes will be given away
and you must be present to win!

                 On Sunday, July 5, we will hear
from those who chair the various committees of
NAGDU, including our Social Networking, Fund
Raising, and Hotline Committees.  Brett Sample,
who is an NFB member, is creating a guide dog
training program in Puerto Rico modeled after our
NFB training centers.  Brett will share his work
and projections with us.  We will also share
exciting information about our progress enhancing access to the 
country’s zoos.



                 On Tuesday, July 7, we will
again be open for NAGDU registration and
acceptance of membership dues from 6:00 – 6:45
p.m.  and our meeting will be called to order at
7:00 p.m.  sharp.  We will hear from Tim Elder,
NFB’s lead attorney in our federal law suit
against Uber.  Tim will share the most up-to-date
information with us first, so join our meeting
for this breaking news.  We will also have a
presentation by john Bifield about community &
residential guide dog training and a panel
discussion by officials of various guide dog
training programs about ownership and the
immediate and long-term considerations every
potential guide dog program consumer should know
about the practical implications of unconditional
ownership compared to custody.  During this
meeting, we will also share guide dog user
related resolutions passed by the Resolutions
Committee the prior day.  Most importantly, we
will hold elections for vice President, Treasurer, and one board 
position.

We will also have a 50/50 drawing at the end of
each meeting.  50/50 tickets will be $1.00/each or
6 for $5.00.  Because the prize is cash, only cash
will be accepted for the 50/50 drawing!

At both meetings, we will be taking up a
collection to help defray the cost of our relief
areas, Relief areas cost the national Federation
of the Blind about $3500 to construct and
maintain.  The contributions we collect are added
to our support of the White Cane Fund, where the
expense of relief areas is drawn.  Please give to this as you are 
able!

We will also be auctioning a brand-new leather
guide dog harness contributed by a private donor.
This harness has a girth of 28 – 36 inches, a
19-inch straight handle, and includes a 6-foot
leather leash.  The auction will be held during our July 7 
meeting.

This year’s fund raising product is a must-have
for every active, on-the-go individual.  We will
be selling 16 oz.  double-wall stainless steel,
spill proof, leak-proof, insulated beverage
containers.  The containers are steel blue in
color emblazoned with our 75th Anniversary logo
in white.  These containers feature a contoured
grip, a locking flip top and keep liquid hot for
4 hours and cold for 10 hours.  These high quality
travel containers are only $20 each and our
supply is limited! We will accept Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, Discover, cash, and
check.  Please stop by exhibit hall table B-17 or
come to the NAGDU meeting early to get one of
these amazing items while supplies last!



Relieving Areas

                 Keep in mind that the stress of
convention, the change in schedule, and
differences in water quality may have an adverse
effect on your dog’s relieving schedule and stool
consistency.  These factors inevitably result in
accidents in the hotel.  Please remember to
relieve your dog more frequently in order to make
this a good experience for all attendees.  If your
dog has an accident, please stop and protect the
spot from being stepped in and spread.  Stay in
the place where the accident occurred and notify
the hotel to have maintenance come clean it up.
It is far easier to clean up one area than one
that has spread because someone stepped in it!

                 With more than 500 guide dog
teams, you can imagine the challenge of ensuring
adequate, clean relief areas at convention.  The
Rosen Centre, our host hotel, will have two
relief areas available to us.  The first area will
be located outside the main lobby entrance to the
left about 45 degrees.  The other will be located
on the convention side of the hotel outside the
entrance to the right.  As a point of reference,
this area is located underneath the catwalk to
the Orange County Convention Center where our
exhibit hall is located.  The Rosen Plaza will
have one relief area located outside the main
entrance to the left about 20 yards and just past
the down curb.  Please check with the other
overflow hotels for information about placement
of our relief areas.  Please use these relief
areas and remember to do the responsible thing:
Pick up after your dog! This is a team effort, so
please join us in encouraging others to use the relief areas and 
clean up!



Dog Food

                 The National Association of
Guide dog Users has made arrangements with Petco
to have dog food delivered to the convention
hotels.  This arrangement is for dog food only; no
other product will be available through this
arrangement.  A message was sent to the NFBNET
subscribers’ list about this.  If you missed or
deleted it, please send a message requesting this information to



<mailto:Info at NAGDU.ORG>Info at NAGDU.ORG



Florida Law concerning Service Dogs

                 The state of Florida has very
good civil rights provisions for service dog
access.  This law (413.08 f.s.) provides criminal
penalties to any person, firm, or corporation
that denies or interferes with the full and equal
access of a disabled person accompanied by a
service dog.  If you have any issues of access
while attending convention, we want to know about
it! Should an access issue arise, please call the
NAGDU president, Marion Gwizdala, at
813-626-2789.  This number is also a good number
for any other guide dog related questions or
concerns that might arise as the result of your
travel to or from convention or for more information while in 
Orlando!

We hope you enjoy your attendance at the 75th
anniversary convention of the national Federation
of the Blind and we look forward to your
participation – either live or virtually – in the
meetings of the National Association of Guide Dog
Users.  We encourage everyone to keep moving forward!



Fraternally yours,

Marion Gwizdala, President

National Association of Guide dog users

National Federation of the Blind

(813) 626-2789

<mailto:President at nagdu.org>President at nagdu.org





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