by Cynthia Towers
Whereas, our annual convention is fast approaching, and whereas many of you will be traveling to the city of Houston, Texas for ACB's national convention, and whereas the Adam's Mark is full and you will now need to make your reservations at the Hilton across the street by calling (713) 974-1000, and whereas the convention committee will try to meet the equipment, meal and meeting room needs of those attending; now, therefore, be it resolved in the city of Seattle at the computer of the national convention coordinator, who is on spring break from correcting those 143 math papers, that the 41st annual convention be declared officially open in less than 60 days of your receiving this Forum and be it further resolved that both offices, DC and Minneapolis, as well as the convention committee are hard at work to ensure that you will return home more informed and inspired to work on behalf of blind people in your community and state and most of all will have had the best time of your life. I recommend a do pass! Getting There
Ed Bradley continues working to improve our airport transportation options. As many of you know, the cost from either airport to the hotels is quite high. A one-way cab fare from Bush International to the Adam's Mark can run as high as $60 with a tip. Shuttles are slightly less for a round trip, but run only every two hours. Ed has met with various bus companies as well as the Adam's Mark to try to get the round trip fare down to a rate that is more acceptable and to provide more frequent trips. Unfortunately, I do not have anything definitive to report in this regard. Stay tuned and we will disseminate the information to you as soon as we know what the cost and particulars will be. Training for Hotel Staffpersons
This year I am pleased that Margie Donovan, with the able assistance of national office staff person Terry Pacheco, will be conducting the training for the hotel staffs. They will touch on the usual topics from restaurant assistance to providing sighted guidance. We live with blindness every minute of every day and there are so many people who do not travel in our circle. So, a little patience will go a long way. During convention, please inform either Margie or me about how we can better educate the hotel staffs if particular challenges should surface. If midyear was any indication, I foresee very few, if any, issues that could arise as this hotel hosted us in 1997 and is eagerly awaiting our return. Changes in Convention Program Formats
There has been much preliminary discussion among members and on various ACB e-mail lists about a change in program format for the general session. The program committee is trying something new with an all-day business session on Friday and other proposed departures from what you may think of as "tradition." Remember that ACB needs to reinvent itself from time to time. So in an attempt to breathe new life into the general session and to have as much programming as possible during the week, there will be approximately 45 minutes of business each day and we are working on having some very educational, enlightening and helpful breakout sessions as well. News about Pittsburgh
And now a short word about 2003. Carla Ruschival and I traveled to Pittsburgh in early March to see for ourselves how the construction of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center is progressing. We met with several hotel and convention center officials and came away with a much more positive outlook than when we first arrived. The convention center had a home show exhibition in progress in its first completed section. It is on schedule and has several other events besides ours on the books prior to our convention in June-July of 2003. Even if construction were to cease as of this minute, there is currently enough space in the convention center as well as the Westin, the lead hotel, to accommodate our needs. More details will be forthcoming at this summer's convention.
Well, just one more Forum article before the main event. This is a mission that I did gladly choose to accept. I am having a great time and I want to again give acknowledgment to all the convention committee members for their personal commitment to ACB and to each and every convention attendee. See you at the barbecue!!