[MI-ABS] Announcing - Open Student Discussion Forum, Saturday January 16 2021 1 PM EST

[Victor Marques]

Open Student Discussion Forum
Saturday January 16, 2021
1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT
Duration: up to 2 hours
 
Dear Students,
 
The Michigan Association of Blind Students would like to invite you to an open forum exclusively for high school and college students.  This will be a virtual meeting at the above time and date, please see below for Zoom details.
 
The purpose of this forum is to:
Provide a safe and positive environment for students to openly discuss issues or challenges they have faced or are facing, either personally or in their academic setting;
Provide suggestions or support to other students who may be experiencing issues;
Share information on resources that might be helpful based on past experiences;
Provide a social opportunity to meet other students from across the state and across the country
 
There is no set agenda for this meeting, topics are dependent on student input. All students will be given the opportunity to speak if they wish, although time limits for each student’s issues may need to be enforced to ensure equal participation, depending on the number of attendees. We have up to two hours allotted for this meeting but may end earlier.
 
Depending on the success of this forum, we may have this be a re-occurring event on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
 
Ground Rules:
All students MUST adhere to the NFB code of conduct at the meeting. Failure to do so will result in immediate expulsion from the meeting and likelihood of not being permitted to attend in future
Students are asked to provide positive support to other students only. Negativity or critical comments towards other students will not be tolerated.
Please come prepared to share only what you are comfortable sharing, only share details that you are comfortable sharing with the group in attendance. A judgement-free, positive environment will be maintained.
Only discuss your own personal situation. Discussing someone else’s situation is not allowed.
Respect the confidentiality of this group. Topics discussed within the group associated to an identified individual will not be shared outside the group. Failure to adhere to this will result in exclusion from future meetings along with other possible action.
 
We want this to be an opportunity for students to feel included, heard and supported in a safe environment. The moderators will do our best to ensure that this is the case, and additional measures may need to be taken to keep the meeting running smoothly and respectfully other than those listed above. Please note that the moderators are not professional support personnel or accredited in any sense. We are students, just like you, wanting to share what we know and willing to organize a positive and productive meeting where students can share with each other and make connections with other students or resources.
 
Look forward to seeing you on Saturday the 16th!

Michigan Association of Blind Students
Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee
 
Michigan Association of Blind Students is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
 
Topic: MI-ABS Open Student Forum
Time: Jan 16, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/8968302378
 
Meeting ID: 896 830 2378
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+13126266799,,8968302378# US (Chicago)
 
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        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 896 830 2378