Awareness training

San Fransisco here I come...blah blah blah with the song

As the chair of the access and welcoming committee, one of my tasks is to recommend someone or an agency to do the awareness training of the hotel staff prior to our conference. Well wouldn't ya know it...I do just that kind of training. While the hotel isn't required to use me, our contact at the hotel and I had already developed a rapport - there was a problem with getting an accessible room that had two double beds. Apparently crips aren't supposed to have friends, PCAs or other need to have 2 beds in their rooms. That was worked out nicely and in the process, I found an ally.

Turns out a very cool ally to have.

I'm doing the awareness training. Notice how I use the term "awareness" and not "sensitivity". You can't make someone sensitive to others' needs. They are or they aren't. You can, however, make someone aware of what someone might need, want or of their culture, and hope that that awareness leads to sensitivity. In any case, this training would normally cost at least several hundred bucks to $1,000 or more. What I'm doing instead, and in the process hoping to make connections with Marriott corporate, is to offer the training in exchange for travel, room and meals. That's right folks, I'm getting a free trip to SF. My only real costs will be the rental car to/from the airport here (cheaper than airport limo or risking parking in NYC), meals/snacks in the airports, and any fun stuff I do while there.

I'm also expecting to get my registration for the conference comped.

I spoke with the executive director of the organization a while back and he said that if I could get this trip paid for by Marriott, a significant savings for RID, he would comp my registration fee. I would have had to go to the hotel anyway for a site visit, hence the expense. Whether or not I did the training was up in the air until this past Thursday. The fact that this is the third time I'm on the access committee, second time chairing, and there's virtually NO benefit to us except a pat on the back and recognition in the program book, was also a factor.

With any luck, Marriott corporate will love me and hire/contract with me to do these same trainings around the country. Free travel and hotel stays...not such a bad deal.

westward ho....