State Convention

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Each year, members of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas come together for a weekend packed with speakers, hands-on workshops, technology demonstrations, networking, love and support. The convention—our organization’s ultimate governing authority—sets the legislative priorities that we’ll pursue together; is where you can meet independent, blind professionals from across the state; and introduces people to a proven philosophy that says blindness does not have to be the characteristic that defines you or your future.

General Information

The 2024 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas is set to take place on the weekend of November 8-10, in Dallas, Texas. This year’s convention is headquartered at the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown, located at 1015 Elm Street. Make your reservation online at this link or by calling 214-742-5678, then pressing 2 for sales.

Room rates for the convention are $129 per night, plus applicable tax. This rate includes a free breakfast each morning. Everyone is responsible for making their room reservations unless they are participating in one of our special programs.

Meals

We are often asked if we provide meals as part of our registration process. The answer is that your registration fee entitles you to one free meal on Friday evening, November 8. If you purchase a banquet ticket, you are entitled to dinner on November 9. As noted above, breakfast is included as a part of your room charge. Other meals are on your own.

Pre-Registration

Registration for the convention will be open from now through November 1, 2024. Registration is $35 in advance. Banquet tickets cost $45 per person if you purchase them ahead of time. It will be possible to register and purchase banquet tickets onsite, but the cost for each will be $5 more. So, we encourage you to save money by pre-registering and purchasing your banquet ticket in advance.  

A Special Message for TWC Vocational Rehabilitation & OIB Customers and Blind Children’s Program (BCP) participants

If you are not a customer of one of these programs, this message does not apply to you.

The Texas Workforce Commission's Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) generally provides some assistance to customers wishing to attend conferences sponsored by consumer organizations, and the NFBTX 2024 convention is one of the conferences supported by VRS, and sometimes OIB. The Blind Children’s Program (BCP) also assists families from time to time. To receive assistance to attend the convention, you must do the following:

  1. Contact your counselor or caseworker before registering or making a hotel reservation to let them know you are interested in attending and are requesting help with the costs. Keep in mind that assistance is generally provided to a limited number of customers. So, make your request right away.
  2. Let them know that registering for the convention will cost $80.00 if you pre-register and that a hotel room will cost $129 per night, plus taxes and fees.
  3. Once you and your counselor agree that your registration fees will be covered as a part of whatever assistance they provide, register with the convention. Tell us that your counselor has agreed to pay these fees as part of the registration process. There will be an opportunity to share that information on the form.
  4. When you register you will need to include your counselor's full name and email address as a part of the process, so be sure you have their name spelled correctly and a correct email address for them before registering. This will help us as we complete the process mentioned above.
  5. Once you complete the registration process, you and your counselor will receive an email confirmation. The confirmation your counselor receives will provide them with information about any next steps they need to take to be sure we receive your registration fees.
  6. If your full registration fee of $80 is paid, you will be entitled to two meals. They are a dinner on Friday evening, November 8, and a banquet dinner on November 9. Again, your breakfast is included in your room rate. All other meals are your responsibility. If you need additional meal assistance, you should talk to your counselor about that when you are discussing how they can help with the convention.
  7. TWC has been working to ensure that the hotel we are using is a vendor that they can pay directly, so you should work with your counselor regarding how to make your hotel reservation. Blind Children’s Program participants should talk to their caseworker to determine how to pay for their hotel rooms. If the caseworker needs to work with us to ensure your reservation is done correctly, feel free to have them contact Norma Crosby at 281-824-4045. You and your counselor should keep in mind that there will be other taxes and fees in addition to the nightly rate. The hotel will honor our rate from November 7-10. So, you are welcome to arrive on November 7 if you wish to be present for all meetings and seminars.

Exhibits

Exhibit Hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM, on Friday, November 8, and Noon to 4 PM on Saturday, November 9. Exhibitors may register with the convention until October 4. Exhibitors must complete an application by the deadline and make payment before arriving at the convention. Exhibitors who would like to have an application emailed to them directly may write to ncrosby@nfbtx.org. The Exhibitor Registration Form is available here.

Questions

We want to answer your questions about the convention. We are available from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays and will be happy to try and help you with anything convention-related. You can reach us by calling 281-968-7733. You can email our president directly at ncrosby@nfbtx.org.