1997 NATIONAL CONVENTION

It will soon be time for the 1997 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, to be held at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, 500 Poydras Plaza, New Orleans, Louisiana 70140.

All hotel reservations must be made through our NFB National Office. Call the National Center at (410) 659-9314 or write to: National Convention, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. No reservation will be valid unless it has been made through the National office of the Federation. As in the past, Mr. Cobb will take telephone calls and deal with letters; to confirm a reservation, you will need either to send a check or money order for $40 as a deposit, or give Mr. Cobb a credit card number.

Here are our hotel rates for 1997: one in a room, $40 per night; two in a room, $42; three in a room, $44; four in a room, $46. In addition to the room rates, there will be a tax of 11 percent plus $3 a night. No charge for children under 12 in a room with parents, as long as no extra bed is required. If you want to come a few days early or stay a few days late, convention rates will apply.

Here are the convention dates and schedule. Notice that we are one day off from our usual schedule:

SUNDAY, JUNE 29 -- Seminars for parents of blind children, blind job seekers, and vendors and merchants; several other workshops and meetings.

MONDAY, JUNE 30 -- Convention registration, first meeting of the Resolutions Committee, other committees, and some of the divisions.

TUESDAY, JULY 1 -- Meeting of the Board of Directors (open to all), division meetings, committee meetings, continuing registration.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 -- Opening general session, evening gala.

THURSDAY, JULY 3 -- General sessions, tours (interesting ones throughout the New Orleans area).

FRIDAY, JULY 4 -- General sessions, banquet.

SATURDAY, JULY 5 -- General sessions, adjournment.

An important part of the convention will be our Diabetes Action Network's two seminars. The first will be on Monday, June 30, from 2 to 4 pm. Eli Lilly will provide us a speaker who will discuss the new quick-acting Humalog insulin. On Tuesday, July 1, we will have our second seminar, starting at 6:30 pm. Our keynote speaker will be a dietitian, who will discuss "carb counting" as a meal- planning tool. Both seminars are free and open to the public. Locations will be posted in the Agenda (provided when you register).

The elegant Hyatt Regency New Orleans is located just eight blocks from the French Quarter. In addition to a swimming pool on the seventh floor, the Hyatt also features several restaurants, cocktail lounges, and a large shopping mall. The huge rooms on the third floor of the Hyatt's Poydras Tower will easily accommodate both the general sessions and our exhibits, as well as the banquet. The displays of new technology; the meetings of special interest groups, committees, and divisions; exciting tours; hospitality and renewed friendships; the solid program items; and the exhilaration of being where the action is and where the decisions are being made--all of these join together to call the blind of the nation to the Hyatt Regency New Orleans Hotel in July of 1997. Come and help make it happen!