[nabs-l] Washington Seminar/Blind Driver Challenge Questions

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Kerri and all,

The student seminar will be on Monday, Jan. 31. We will have a welcome
breakfast for new students followed by our seminar from 9:00-3:30.
After that will be the Great Gathering-In meeting, where everyone
assembles to learn about the legislative issues we will be discussing.
Then legislative appointments will be on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.

I don't know anything about the Blind Driver Challenge (obviously
haven't been to it before since this is the first time) but I'll say
Washington Seminar is probably easier than convention, so if you
enjoyed convention you won't have anything to worry about. The hotel
is smaller, and our group is smaller (approximately 500 people instead
of 3000). As with convention, there will be marshals and hotel staff
able to give  directions, and most of the activities are held in the
same room (the Columbia Ballroom) so you should be able to start
learning the route there a lot faster than you would at convention.
And everyone will be going to the same place.

During the legislative visits, you will travel with the others from
your affiliate. You should talk to your state president to find out
who else is going and see if there is any financial assistance
available to help cut the hotel costs. You can just stick with the
other people from your affiliate when you travel around the Capitol
building. Of course it's possible your  affiliate might get lost, but
you won't be alone!

I would say we definitely see all skill levels at Washington Seminar,
just like convention, and I myself attended three Washington Seminars
and several conventions before I went to a training center. So if you
want to go, I'd say go! The biggest issue, I think, is potentially
missing school. Sometimes when I can't afford to miss a lot of school,
 I will only attend the NABS portion of the seminar, returning home on
Tuesday instead of on Thursday or Friday. You are welcome to attend
just the Daytona activities, just the student seminar, just the
legislative meetings, or two or all three of these. I think you will
enjoy it.

Arielle

On 12/4/10, Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All:
>
> Considering how well convention ended up going and how successful I've
> been with travel recently, I hate to even post these questions but I
> figured I better anyway.
>
> I am considering (and as of now I'm just considering, haven't made any
> official plans or anything yet) going to Washington Seminar and the
> Blind Driver Challenge events at the end of January.
>
> I would like to try to do both but I know the Blind Driver challenge
> event ends on Sunday, Jan. 30, and the Washington Seminar begins the
> next day on Jan. 31.
>
> First, when is the student seminar?
>
> Are any other students planning on going to both events or are most of
> you just picking one or the other to attend?
>
> Do you need to have great travel skills to attend either one or both
> of these events or is it like convention where all skill levels are
> present?
>
> For Washington seminar, I know there aren't as many people as at
> convention but is it a similar atmosphere where there are tons of
> people around if assistance is needed or is everyone busy in their own
> little group/state delegation?
>
> Before convention I worried that if I needed something or assistance
> and everyone was busy doing their own thing there wouldn't be anyone
> around, however I quickly found out there were tons of people around,
> and if you were lost somebody came up to you pretty quickly and asked
> if you needed assistance...will it be similar at these events?
>
> I really really want to attend either both or one of these events, if
> I had to pick one over the other I'd like to go to Washington seminar
> but if I can squeeze both in I'd like to...however just like for
> convention I'm a little unsure/nervous...similarly to convention am I
> worrying for nothing or should I wait and attend Washington Seminar
> after aquiring better blindness skills?
>
> Hope I am not out of line posting these questions...like I said at
> this point I am only considering possibly going, and may not even
> go...
>
> I've been told Washington seminar is a great and very powerful
> experience but I don't want to get in too far over my head and end up
> making a fool out of myself.
>
> Both of these events sound really exciting and I think would be really
> fun to go to though...
>
> Thanks,
> Kerri
>
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org