By: Rocky Hart

(Editor’s Note: If you’ve never attended a Washington seminar before, reading this account of Rocky Hart’s first trip to Washington might just give you that necessary nudge.)

During the week of January 28-31, 2018, I had the opportunity to pursue an experience I could’ve only dreamed of just a few months ago. No, I didn’t get that dream job or complete the degree I have always wanted. It wasn’t that trip to the Bahamas or to Hawaii that Minnesotans would be desperate for during the frigid winter cold. I certainly didn’t become a millionaire overnight. It was something much bigger than that -- An experience I would definitely consider a godsend, and an activity I can cherish and will pursue whenever I get an opportunity. Over the course of 3 days, I attended the National Federation of the Blind Washington Seminar in Washington, D.C.! The event was jam packed with workshops, presentations, meetings on capitol hill, and many networking opportunities. It was also a chance to speak for my own rights as a blind person in America, and I do not regret it for a second. Since I am only fifteen years old, and had only joined the federation just weeks before, you are probably wondering, how I got invited to this in the first place.

In October 2017, I was invited to the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota State convention in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It was a wonderful experience to network with other blind youth and adults. At the Sunday morning general session, the federation considered and voted on four resolutions. Although I was not a member of the federation at this point, I took the floor to discuss two of them. One of them was regarding the accessibility of medical assistance forms in various counties throughout the state and the other had to do with the shortage of teachers of the blind/visually impaired. The chairmen of the resolutions committee, who was also unanimously elected president of the affiliate later that day, was so impressed with my eloquence during that meeting that he encouraged me to become a member of the federation, and that is exactly what I did.

Three weeks after the convention, the Youth Services Director from Blind INC, who also noticed my passion for the issues the federation was working on, sent me in invitation to attend the 2018 Washington Seminar. When I first read the invitation, I was very skeptical and not very confident I was ready for this. I said to myself, “I don’t see myself doing this quite yet, but I would never rule it out for some time in the future.” But then I thought, “Well, I’ll send the information to my mother just to see what she has to say about it.” To this day, I am glad I did. My mother was immediately excited for me when she saw the invitation, and said she was proud of me and would make sure I could get there! I was excited about the prospect of going to our nation’s capital, meeting with my elected senators and representatives, but still was not overly confident. I knew, however, that I could muster enough courage to go on this adventure, and in my mind, opting out was no longer an option. I was going to D.C. no matter what.

A few weeks later, I was informed that the student division would be offsetting the cost of my hotel room for 3 days. On January 4, my mother and I had a conference call with Dan Wenzel, the Executive director of Blind INC, and we were able to make arrangements for me to fly with their group. Minnesota State Services for the blind also agreed to reimburse my mother and me for the remainder of my expenses including transportation, meals, ETC.

I would say the first day was perhaps the most overwhelming for me. Although my mother made sure I was supervised and prepared for this event, it was still a new experience, and I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I had only flown once or twice in my life prior to this trip, but not since I was 2 years old, so that was definitely an adventure! Not only was the flight a new experience, I also learned very quickly that the people who were supervising me, including Mr. Wenzel, were all either totally blind or had low vision. Here I was, on a plane to Washington D.C. at fifteen years old, with people I didn’t know very well, and I didn’t have any of my family traveling with me. Although I knew these “Strangers,” who were supervising me would insure I had what I needed and would be with me throughout the trip, I felt as if I was on my own. I boarded the plane to Washington with feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and was very overwhelmed. No one would have noticed, because I was able to cover it so well. I kept reminding myself that, ultimately, I was in God’s hands, and it was He more than anyone else who put me in a position to attend this incredible event.

The two hour flight went better than I expected, and we safely landed in D.C. at about 1:50 P.M. eastern time. Later that day, I found myself in another nerve-wracking experience. On our way out to dinner that evening, our group, consisting of not a single fully sighted person, found ourselves easily and safely lost on our way to the train station to the mall where we would eat, and because of my hearing loss and my lack of orientation to the city, I had to rely on them and trust that they knew where they were going. Sometimes, I had to strain to listen for them if I could not follow their lead. We successfully found our way and got to the mall safely.

When I returned to the hotel, it was still fairly early in the evening, so I had some down time, something I needed to calm down and get to a point where I could increase my self-confidence. I had the time I needed to prepare for the adventure I was about to have.

The next day consisted of workshops to prepare for going to capitol hill. The first of these was the NABS Winter Seminar. I learned more about the legislative process and how best to present myself during these meetings. I was fortunate enough to win the first door prize of the seminar! That afternoon, I attended our national governmental affairs meeting to discuss the four legislative priorities we would be focused on. These priorities were: the aim high act, which would provide voluntary guidelines for accessible technology in post-secondary education, the Access Technology Affordability act, which would provide accessible technology for the blind in the workforce, opposition to the ADA Education and Reform act, which would undermine the rights of people with disabilities, and The Marrakesh treaty, which has been ratified by 34 countries and would allow the distribution of braille books across borders without having to get permission from the copyright holder and/or publisher.

We discussed these issues, and how best to present them to our elected officials, both at the governmental affairs meeting and then again at the Great Gathering In meeting later that evening. The next morning, we were off to the hill!

The very first appointment we had was with congressman Tom Emmert’s office. Congressman Emmert actually co-sponsored HR 620, the ADA Education and Reform act, and we urged his office to convince him to withdraw his support for this bill. They seemed to be very understanding of what we needed and were willing to support us. Our second appointment was with Congressman Colin Peterson. Congressman Peterson represents Minnesota’s seventh congressional district, the area in which I reside. We discussed these 4 issues with him and he pledged to support us. He was not a co-sponsor of HR 620 and pledged he wouldn’t support it. Just before we left, our group had a photo taken with him. Our third and final appointment of the day, was with congressman Eric Paulson, who said he and his staff would support us and look into the issues we brought forward. I also took a photo with him at the end of our meeting. I most certainly enjoyed every appointment, and was honored to be advocating for every blind person in America!

Later that evening, I attended the congressional reception and thoroughly enjoyed the program. I was then invited by our affiliate president to dinner at an Italian restaurant, where I had a chance to network with other federationists and spend almost $50 on Italian food. This was my second favorite part of the trip, only behind going to capitol hill.

The next day would be my final day in Washington D.C. We had one more appointment with Congresswoman Betty McCollin. As with Congressman Emmert, we only had the opportunity to meet with her office, and discussed our agenda with them. They said they would speak with her about these issues but were almost certain she would support us, and would join us in our opposition to HR 620. Sadly, this would be our last appointment on the hill. We gathered our belongings and headed to the airport to catch our flight home. I could now say I officially survived the trip to Washington, feeling much more confident than I ever was before.

In reflecting on this experience, I am asking myself a rhetorical question. “where did my ability to go to capitol hill with confidence and without fear come from, and where did I get my strong, creative mind?” The answer is simple; it was all a gift from God. I know that Washington Seminar is just the beginning. God has bigger, brighter plans for my life. I believe God has called me to be a great leader, and whether I take a leadership position in the federation or not is uncertain, I believe that I am destined to do God’s work. My faith is the foundation upon which I live, and I firmly believe that as long as I keep my faith, I will be able to attend more events like this in the future. Washington Seminar was definitely a memorable experience, and I owe a major debt of gratitude to State Services for the Blind, Blind INC, the National Association of Blind Students, my mother, and most importantly my God for it. I will definitely attend this in the future, and hopefully for many more years to come.