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

Mon Dec 6 12:09:14 UTC 2010

Good morning Arielle and all,
I will most likely book my ticket for Daytona Beach sometime this week, but I am thinking about fly into Orlando and taking a shetul to Daytona. 

I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.
Hellen Keller

--- On Sat, 12/4/10, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Washington Seminar/Blind Driver Challenge Questions
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Saturday, December 4, 2010, 11:54 PM
> 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
> 
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