[Nfbf-l] Get Ready NFBF!!! National ConventionOrlandomanyyearsto come!!!

Sun Jul 10 15:19:37 UTC 2011

Everyone, 
	We all should extend our appreciation to the many UPS volunteers who
were there to help with orientation and for assisting so many convention
attendees find various locations in the hotel. You may have thought they
were hotel employees when in actuality they were UPS helpers. 
	My significant other, Tom Bellone, is retired from UPS and he was
amazed at the number of workers who took time off from their regular jobs to
help out at convention. They were there every single day. One of the UPS
volunteers even brought Tom and me  UPS volunteer T-Shirts and the head of
UPS PR interviewed the both of us for an article in their forthcoming
publication. Of course, my Seeing Eye Dog Davey is in the photo too. 
	I will send you the e-mail address of the head of UPS so we can all
express our thanks to the many volunteers who worked diligently every day! 

Thanks,

Kathy

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Bill Kociaba
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2011 9:14 AM
To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Get Ready NFBF!!! National
ConventionOrlandomanyyearsto come!!!

Hi Matt,
I don't know you at all and have no idea how long you have been blind or
what you do now or what you did before.  I  will totally aggree with you
that the lobby area really offers very little in landmarks.  I read that
descriptive article about the hotel prior to leaving and was expecting to
hear a bunch of squacking birds in that birdcage.  I figured that was going
to be an obvious landmark to work from but never heard a peep from it.  Once
out of the lobby area though things weren't really too bad.  The lower lobby
was pretty simple if you kept your ears open and the convention area as
well.  I did have the advantage of a very smart dog who knew how to find the
elavators though. At least most of the time(LOL). The fact that there were
sevral sets of glass doors leading outside did make it very hard to locate
the relief area near the meeting rooms as well.  And no matter how
indipendent everyone claims to be I heard plenty of people asking, "where
is...." right up to the last day. There were plenty of hotel staff around
and if you were having trouble and chose to not ask...well then thats just 
being prideful and foolish.     On the other hand I really found people 
screaming, "escalators over here" over and over more of a distraction than a
help. When things were quiet the sound of those escalators was pretty
obvious. I have been in hotels that were both easier and more difficult to
work through and always survived.If you hated this one, don't try any of the
casino propertys in Vegas or Reno that are actually designed to make it hard
to find your way out!  If this hotel and its challenges keeps you away from
the convention in the future that is sad.  I came in contact with sevral O
and M people during the course of the week and I am sure that if you were to
make contact with one of them that they wouldn't mind spending a bit of time
with you helping you to get a better handle on things.

On the subject of being "well adjusted"..I thought that one had been
exhausted already but if not, being well adjusted to anything does not mean
you are always happy and glad you have that issue it means accepting it!  I
heard someone use the word embrace it...I don't know how you can embrace
losing your sight but you surley can accept that it has happened and at the
moment there is nothing you or any of us can do about it...
Can we please put the well adjusted and how bad the hotel was topics to
rest.  Seems they are getting beat to death.

Bill Kociaba
CRUISEONE
Bill at Ycruise.com
954 227 7772 or Toll Free 877 227 7775
7600 Wiles Rd, Coral Springs, FL 33067
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Roberts" <blindbiker at yahoo.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2011 7:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Get Ready NFBF!!! National Convention
Orlandomanyyearsto come!!!

>I need to respond to this.  YOu folksw on this group don't know me very 
>well.  You think you do but you don't.  From now on, I'm simply going 
>to keep my mouth shut! I won't say anything!
> This place was extremely complex for me as an individual.  I was told 
>by  another blind person who has been at events here this place is 
>difficult  to navigate.  Places I see as complex take me a while to 
>grasp.  If I  can't form a mental picture in my mind of something, the 
>item makes no  sense to me.
> IF you know *ONE* person who is *TOTALLY* adjusted to their blindness 
>I"d  certainly like to meet them.  You never can be totally adjusted to  
>anything 100% of the time.
>
> Matt Roberts
> 386-679-1986
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jul 9, 2011, at 1:27 PM, "Kirk" <kvharmon54 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Matt my friend, when will you start to accept your blindness and move 
>> forward without complaints? I have been listening to you complain 
>> about everything you are in contact with ever since you started 
>> commenting on this site again. I have knoown you for many years and 
>> you have always had such a negative attitude about most everything 
>> and it is truly not what is your perception of your surroundings as 
>> much as it is you and your negativity about life in general! Please 
>> get counseling or something so you can start to move forward without 
>> such a negative attitude and perhaps your comments would be more 
>> enjoyable to read. I had many friends of mine that were there, as was 
>> I, and even the Totals with  me said once they learned their way 
>> around they thought it was easy to do and they loved the Hotel.I have 
>> to say however, they all have a very positive attitude about life and 
>> have accepted the fact that ,YES, they are in fact totally blind and 
>> things are different but it doesn't have to be miserable to enhjoy 
>> their lives. You need to get help to learn how to think positive 
>> about your life and quit complaining about all that  is around you. 
>> Once you embrace your blindness and it's lifestyle, then my friend, I 
>> feel you will  start to smile more and frown a lot less! Matt, Just  
>> one man's observation of you since I have known you, and want you to 
>> try and understand that none of us need negativity in our lives 
>> unnecessarily. Please try and change your attitude not just for 
>> yourself, but for all that is around and in contact with you! Your 
>> friend in the cause, Kirk Harmon
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Holly" <hbeanie at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2011 10:22 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Get Ready NFBF!!! National Convention 
>> Orlandomanyyears to come!!!
>>
>>
>> I agree , a positive attitude always helps. One may not like a 
>> situation but the only thing you have control over is the way you 
>> react to it.
>> Holly
>>
>> Holly
>>
>> On Jul 9, 2011 10:07 AM, "Denise Valkema" <valkemadenise at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> You can take a brown car right out lobby entrance for $5 for everyone 
>> in car or ask a friend  who drives to take you to Publix.
>>
>> You can hook up with member or friend and get around together. You 
>> have two years to work on solutions. A positive attitude helps, too.
>>
>>
>> Denise
>> -- Sent from Denise's Palm Pre
>>
>> On Jul 9, 2011 12:11 AM, Sherri <flmom2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I thought the hotel was really ...
>>
>> From: "Matt Roberts" <blindbiker at yahoo.com>
>>
>> To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nf...
>> > On Jul 7, 2011, at 4:28 PM, Tara Prakash Tripathi wrote:
>>
>> >
>>
>> >> What did you not like about this hotel?
>>
>> >>
>>
>> >>
>>
>> > I found the layout extremely confusing.  I spent 1 hour just trying 
>> to
>> get
>>
>> > from the registration table to the elevators leading to my room. 
>> When
>>
>> > you're trying to figure out where you are, where you want to go, and
>> dodge
>>
>> > people it's difficult.  I have no problem traveling, but from what i
>> can
>>
>> > tell there are no landmarks.  A week is not enough time to learn 
>> this
>>
>> > hotel.  I'd need to spend a lot of time, and practice over and over.
>> I'm
>>
>> > with some friends and one of them is sighted.  I do let him guide 
>> me,
>> but
>>
>> > I should be able to pick up routes, since we always go the same way.
>> NOt
>>
>> > this hotel!
>>
>> > The food is very expensive, and there aren't any eating 
>> establishments
>>
>> > nearby.  If you want to not pay a lot of money for food, you need a
>> car.
>>
>> > I know Publix is across the street, but you have to get out to the
>> road.
>>
>> > With my physical disability, I would not risk trying to walk that 
>> far,
>>
>> > especially when no sidewalks exist.
>>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > Matt Roberts blindbiker at yahoo.com
>>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>> > ________________________...
>> > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
>>
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>> > Nfbf-l:
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>> >
>>
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m
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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