CEASD is announcing a brand new program!
CEASD is very excited to have the support of Hands On Travel in offering an expanded and enhanced experience of the Education and Advocacy Summit, now called The Capital Connection. With professional Deaf tour guide(s), you and your students can take a closer look at Washington, DC to see how American history has shaped us into who we are today. This will provide you and your students with a better understanding of the importance of being strong advocates for Deaf citizens.
Hello! I’m Melinda Jones, the Educational Tours Coordinator for Hands On Travel (HOT).
We’re truly excited to let you all know of establishing a brand new program with CEASD – The Capital Connection! What is it? We are calling this as an expansion of CEASD’s Education and Advocacy Summit, that usually happens for 2 days. We are stretching it out from Sunday, March 3rd to Friday, March 8th.
This program will include tours around Washington, DC, giving students a closer look of how America was founded, its history and how we came to today. We’ll be seeing different memorials, and other places to understand the significance of who we are today, with a Deaf ASL tour guide! The program also includes dinner at Mozzeria DC, a fully signing and Deaf owned pizza restaurant; a full tour around Gallaudet University where students can meet current University students and see what life is like on campus; appointments with your state’s Congressional representatives to sit down and talk about different bills that are of importance to the Deaf community.
HOT is truly excited to offering this program to help enhance and uplift students’ experience of seeing what it means to be a good advocate for their communities. This program expansion will also allow time for students to interact with other Deaf students from different schools, to participate in a variety of activities such as meeting the Gallaudet Debate team, and so on for a full week of fun. HOT will support in arranging hotel accommodations, breakfasts at the hotel, transportation (metro and charter bus), Mozzeria meal and such.
This is the very first time we are establishing this program with CEASD, with the goal of enhancing your students’ experience and making a lifelong impact on their lives, so that they can continue working for future generations. If you do not wish to participate in the Capital Connection, but wish to attend the Education and Advoacy Summit only for 2 days, you may do so! Please contact Tawny Holmes Hlibok, executive director for CEASD, to arrange your attendance. Schools choosing this option will be responsible for their own hotel arrangements, transportation, Congressional appointments and so on.
Want to participate in the Capital Connection? Great! Registration is now ready! Pricing will be $950 for quad occupancy, and $1150 for double occupancy. (We encourage students to do the $950 option, and chaperones/teachers to do the $1150 occupancy, unless the school chooses otherwise.) You all ready? Ready to click on the registration link? Go ahead and register! If you are still in need of more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at melinda@handson.travel.
We truly hope you will be a part of this very first ever inaugural group of the Capital Connection! See you all in Washington DC this March!
$250
Deposit Per Participant
6
Days
$950
(Quad Occupancy)
$1150
(Double Occupancy)
TOUR ITINERARY MARCH 3-8, 2024
DAY 1 | Sunday, March 3rd
Arrive in Washington D.C. by afternoon. Check in hotel. Attend a program orientation and overview of the week. Participate in fun icebreaker activities at the Field House. Dinner is on your own.
DAY 2 | Monday, March 4th
Visit the National Archives and National Portrait Gallery to see a close up of American history. Lunch at the Ronald Reagan Plaza. Meet the deaf Director of DC Mayor’s Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. View the White House and the Monument. Swing by the ‘signing’ Starbucks store. Have dinner at the deaf-owned restaurant, Mozzeria.
DAY 3 | Tuesday, March 5th
Attend Gallaudet University Open House! Meet & greet with student ambassadors. Visit classrooms and observe college classes in progress. Lunch with college students at the Plaza Dining Hall. Participate in an interactive training session on legislative advocacy with special guest presenters.
DAY 4 | Wednesday, March 6th
Visit Capitol Hill! Attend legislative briefings on language access and the Cogswell-Macy Act. Meet with your senators and/or representatives in the morning and afternoon. Lunch at Longworth Cafeteria. Visit the US Capitol Museum. Wrap up with a debriefing dinner session at the Union Station.
DAY 5 | Thursday, March 7th
In a private charter bus, we explore multiple Presidential and War Memorials, Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Stop by Abe’s Gifts, famous for DC souvenirs. Return to Gallaudet for a wrap up panel discussion. Enjoy a pizza and pool party in the evening.
DAY 6 | Friday, March 8th
Check out of the hotel and return to your respective destination. End of program.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
- Transportation to/from Airport(s)
- Accommodation & Room Arrangement
- Appointments for Congressional Representative Visits
- Mozzeria Restaurant
- Private Charter Bus
- DC Metro Card
- All admission fees for attractions and museums mentioned in the itinerary.
WHAT’S EXCLUDED?
- Domestic airfares.
- All other meals not mentioned in the itinerary and personal expenses.
- Any COVID-19 related tests, if mandated.
Let's Get Started!
A $250 deposit per person is required to reserve space on this tour.
The deposit is refundable until the tour is confirmed. For each reservation for any number of persons, only one person needs to be responsible for filling out the tour reservation form and making payments.
