Ski for Light Event Planning Manual

June 2011

34. Visually-Impaired Participant Applications Coordinator

The job of the Visually-Impaired Participant Applications Coordinator is to: prepare and produce descriptive information and applications for the annual event; answer phone and mail inquiries about the program, providing reassurance and encouragement to first-time participants; send out information and applications to people who request them; and coordinate all aspects of the application, acceptance, attendance and participation processes for visually-impaired applicants and participants. The Coordinator also assists in roommate and guide/skier matching, conducts an information-sharing meeting for first-time participants early during event week, and helps to resolve participant problems that arise during the event.

Pre-Event

June 1

• Obtain information about upcoming event from Event Chair; including dates, location, and package prices (full week single- and double-occupancy rates, LOCAL GUIDES, etc.).
• Develop promotional material and discuss with Publicity and Public Relations Coordinator.
• Review previous year's Application Form and recommend changes as necessary.
• Information that will normally be necessary to revise the Cover Letter and Application Form include data regarding the site and cost of the upcoming event. Revisions must also reflect any relevant decisions or recommendations made during the wrap-up PROCESS of the prior event.
• Coordinate with Event Chair, the posting of all visually-impaired participant-related information to SFL web site.
• Determine if any SFL veterans will be attending the summer conventions of the American Council of the Blind and/or the National Federation of the Blind, and if so, if they are willing to distribute SFL flyers at the convention. Send 50 print and 50 Braille FLYERS, to the person attending each convention.
• Modify the visually-impaired applicant database to reflect any changes made to the application.

July 1

• All requests from anyone who will not be a visually-impaired participant (including dignitaries, guests, spouses, children, or any other "extras") should be referred to the Other Attendee Coordinator. This Coordinator will handle all aspects of their registration and collect any monies owed.
• The VIP Coordinator is an ad hoc member of the Visually-Impaired Participant Recruitment Committee, and should work with the chair of this committee to provide him/her with information and materials needed for the work of the committee. Keep the chair updated about first-timer application status through November.
• First-time foreign applicants should be advised that they are not eligible for financial aid.
• All envelopes of SFL correspondence to applicants should be marked with the Braille/raised letter embosser by the VIP Coordinator, using the embossing tool supplied for that purpose.
• Applications data will be forwarded to the VIP Coordinator by e-mail. When an application is received, ACKNOWLEDGE ITS RECEIPT WITH AN E-MAIL TO THE APPLICANT. enter all information and data from the application into the applicant database. Follow up with the applicant as necessary to obtain any missing information.
• Make personal contact with all first-time applicants, via telephone or e-mail, to begin developing a relationship with them. First-timers historically cancel at a much higher rate than other applicants, and establishing and maintaining personal communication with each of them is a good way to minimize such cancellations. When appropriate, members of the Participant Recruitment Committee may be called upon to assist in this process.
• The Visually-Impaired Participant Applications Coordinator is responsible for all VIP applicants from foreign countries.

September 1

• Request the following information and forms from the appropriate individuals, for use in THE Acceptance packets:
  · The amount of money that is available for financial assistance to first-time visually-impaired participants (from Event Chair)
  · The cost of extra nights and meals (from the SFL Treasurer)
  · The number of single rooms available for visually-impaired participants (from Event Chair)
  · Updated Waiver of Liability Form (from Event Chair)
  · Updated About Cross-country Skiing sheet (from Event Chair)
  · Updated Emergency Data Form (from Event Chair)
  
• These forms and information needs may be dealt with during the Planning Meeting for the event, timetable permitting.
• In some years, the Emergency Data Form will include a Consent to Treatment section, as determined by applicable law in the state where the event is to be held. The existence of "Good Samaritan" statutes eliminates the need for this portion of the form in most states. Consult the First Aid Coordinator and Event Chair to make sure that local conditions have been addressed in the form provided.
• Ensure that there is an adequate supply of SFL luggage tags, and re-order if necessary.
• Send Guide Training Coordinators the names of those who have applied to date. Update periodically through November.

Planning Meeting

• Depending on travel distance, time and budget constraints, you may be asked to attend the planning meeting. If you do not attend, please ensure your responsibilities are carried out by someone who does.
• Obtain a supply of hotel and ski area brochures for inclusion in the acceptance packet.
• Determine If there will be any audio communications to VIPs.. Make sure that this person receives information necessary to produce this information.

October 1

• Review previous year's Acceptance Letter and revise as necessary. Have approved by Event Chair and/or SFL President.
• The Acceptance Letter must include an invitation to attend the event; instructions for completing and returning the Waiver AND Emergency Data Forms; mention of the applicant's anticipated arrival date; amount of financial aid being offered (if any); the type of room (double or single) being offered; a request for payment of the balance due; and the deadline for receipt of all payments.
• The Acceptance Letter should be prepared, if possible, using a mail merge program, to create a customized Acceptance Letter for each accepted applicant. This will permit not only the applicant's name and address to appear on the letter, but the scheduled arrival date, room type and exact amount of money owed by the applicant. If only one standard Acceptance Letter can be created, leave the arrival date, room type and amount owed blank and enter this information manually for each applicant.
• The Acceptance Packet should include:
  · Acceptance Letter
  · Waiver of Liability Form, with About Cross-country Skiing and the SFL Program printed on the reverse side of the Waiver Form
  · Emergency Data Form, two-sided front and back
  · Ski area and/or hotel brochures
  · Three SFL luggage tags
  
• Items in the acceptance packet should also be e-mailed to each applicant to ensure accessibility. Be sure to tell them that items needing a signature will arrive in print in the mail.
• Prepare 150 copies of the entire acceptance packet, omitting only the customized Acceptance Letter, if such letters are being used. These letters, and the address label for the packet, are to be prepared starting in November, as individual acceptance decisions are made.
• A color coding scheme facilitates handling and identification of forms. The scheme normally used is Waiver/About - yellow; Emergency Data - blue.
• Acceptance Letters and packets may be issued at any time to SFL Board and Event Committee members and to first-time applicants who have not requested financial aid. Even first-timers who have requested aid may be admitted early, with the understanding that the amount of their aid will not be determined until early November. Acceptance Letters may also be issued to these individuals even if all required forms are not yet ready; the forms may be issued separately, later. Such early acceptances are often desirable in order to permit accepted applicants to secure advantageous air fares.

October 15

• Identify visually-impaired applicants with a hearing impairment that will make conventional communication between the prospective applicant and his/her guide difficult or impossible while skiing, and discuss with Event Chair and Instructor/Guide Applications Coordinator. Accept such applicants only if a guide who is deemed able to ski safely with such a participant can be identified for the applicant.
• Advise Event Chair and SFL President and others as necessary on the number of applications received to date. Update periodically through the start of the event.

November 1

• With Event Chair and/or SFL President, decide on the number of visually-impaired participants that can be accepted at this time.
• Obtain from Guide Training Coordinators the names of those selected to be Guide Trainers.
• Obtain from the Event Chair and SFL President the names of essential Event and Board committee members and the appropriate date of arrival for each person.
• Review applications of those who have requested financial aid. Decide, in consultation with the Event Chair and/or SFL President, how much financial aid each individual applicant is to receive. The maximum is 50% of the double-occupancy event fee.
• The amount of financial assistance offered should be based on the financial situation of the applicant and his/her probable total participation cost, travel plus the event, for each individual. Financial aid is available only to first-time participants (unless otherwise decided by the Executive Committee for a given event), and is only available to applicants living in the United States. Additional factors that may be considered include whether or not the applicant would be a good role model, and whether or not he/she is receiving financial assistance from another organization.
• Review all applications and in consultation with the Event Chair and/or SFL President, determine who is to be included in the first wave of acceptances.
• The applicants normally included in the first wave of acceptances should be first and second year participants, Board members, essential members of Event and Board Committees, Guide Trainers, and spouses of Instructor/Guides. The number of sighted instructor/guides applying will be the determining factor in the size of this first wave of acceptances.
• If additional applicants can be accepted as part of or after the first wave, the general order of priority should be late-applying first-timers, those who have most supported the activities of SFL in the past, those who have most benefitted from past participation, and finally, those who have attended a number of times without being involved in the organization or for whom their is no evidence of their benefitting from the participation.
• Applications received from SFL veterans after the application deadline should be placed at the end of the acceptance priority queue, unless extenuating circumstances exist.
• SFL pays the room and board expenses of anyone arriving early for official purposes (Board members, Guide Trainers, etc.). If any of these persons has requested a single room, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference between the single and double room rate for these early days.
• Obtain from the Event Chair the authorized arrival date for each Event Committee member. Board members are authorized to arrive the evening before the Annual Meeting, while guide trainers are authorized to arrive Friday evening. Use this information to determine the amount of money owed by each early-arriving participant.
• All payments from foreign delegates must be made in U.S. dollars, via wire-transfer or check drawn on a U.S. bank.
• If more single rooms have been requested than are available for VIPs, allocate those available in the same general priority order as acceptances. Place others on a single room waiting list.
• Create customized acceptance letters and send out the first wave of acceptance packets.
• When forms and payments are returned by accepted applicants, indicate the receipt of each completed form, and all payments, in the applicant database. File Waiver Forms with each person's application; file Emergency Data Forms in a separate three-ring binder in alphabetical order.
• Travel information will be forwarded to you from the website form. Verify from each applicant's Travel Form that he/she is arriving on the date, and at the time, anticipated. Follow up as necessary.
• The VIP Coordinator will receive numerous requests for early arrival in most years. The response to be given will vary somewhat from year to year depending on each event's unique aspects. In general, though, the response is usually that early arrival is permissible with the following provisos: no planned activities or sighted-guide assistance is available for pre-event days; transportation from the airport is only available if the person's arrival schedule coincides with others arriving early for SFL business purposes; transportation to/from the ski area will probably not be available; a fixed daily rate (including meals) is the only pricing plan available for early days, and; the person may have to pay a single room surcharge if no roommate can be provided for pre-event days.
• As received, send checks in batches of ten to fifteen to the SFL Treasurer or his/her designee for deposit. Include with each mailing, and send separately via e-mail, a detailed payments summary. This should include:
  · Name of participant
  · Event function, if any (Board member, guide trainer, etc.)
  · Type of event package requested (single, double, meals only, lunches and banquet only, etc.)
  · day of arrival
  · Amount due
  · Amount received
  · Amount of subsidy
  · Amount owed
  
• Only first-time skiers are given ski equipment to use at no charge. Individuals who have attended SFL in the past must pay a rental fee for equipment. This fee is to be paid at the event, and should not be included in the amount owed.
• Consult weekly with Instructor/Guide Application Coordinator, Event Chair, and SFL President about visually-impaired participant acceptances and cancellations. Make decisions as appropriate regarding issuing additional invitations to those not yet accepted.

December 1

• Send an e-mail message to participants who have not returned all necessary forms within three weeks of being notified of acceptance. If no response is received within a reasonable amount of time, follow up with a telephone call.
• Applicants not yet accepted should be notified via telephone or e-mail that SFL cannot yet issue them an invitation to attend, but hopes that they can remain flexible until additional guides apply.
• Forward a list of names and countries of all non-Norwegian foreign participants to the Event Vice-Chair for the acquisition of country flags and the preparation of the national anthemS.
• When a request is received for special dietary accommodations, inform the Meals Coordinator of the specific request. Such requests should be negotiated between the Meals Coordinator, the individual, and the hotel, to determine if the request can be met. If the request is beyond the scope of what can be provided in a large group setting, the individual should be advised that he/she will need to personally supplement what can be provided by SFL.
• After an applicant has submitted all required forms and full payment, send him/her AN e-mail message confirming that his/her acceptance is final and complete.

January 1

• Send waiting list notifications to applicants who have not yet been accepted.
• Send a complete list of accepted applicants to the Registration and Housing Coordinator and the Transportation Coordinator. This list should be arranged alphabetically and include each applicant's complete name, address and phone number(s).
• Send the Registration and Housing Coordinator the following seven lists:
  · A list containing all housing and/or roommate related information for each applicant. This list should be arranged alphabetically and include the person's name, SFL year, age, degree of visual impairment, gender, profession, whether or not the person will be bringing a guide dog or is willing to room with a person bringing a guide dog.
  · Lists of those requesting a single room, those requesting a specific roommate who is also attending the event, females needing a roommate, and males needing a roommate. Indicate on each of these four lists if the person is arriving on a day other than Sunday and if the person is bringing a guide dog. Arrange the two lists of applicants needing a roommate in ascending age order.
  · A list for use in preparing name tags that contains the applicants full name, nickname (if any) and meal plan selection (standard or pescatarian).
  · A list for use during registration that contains each person's name, meal selection and communication format preference.
  
• Send the list of ski equipment needed to the Ski Equipment Coordinator. This list should contain the following information: name, gender, height, weight, shoe size and How many SFL events the individual has attended in the past.
• Send the First Aid Coordinator a list of accepted applicants who are medical professionals or who are certified in first-aid and/or CPR.
• Send the Meals Coordinator the count of standard and pescatarian meal plans for the week. For pre-event days, include the number of each type meal for each day.
• Send the Special-format Communications Coordinator the number of large print and Braille program schedules that will be needed during registration.
• Contact by telephone those participants who have not submitted full payment by the payment deadline to remind them that payment is due.
• Keep all Committee Chairs posted about cancellations and late admits, supplying each person with the information they need for their function.
• When it is apparent that no more applicants can be accepted, send rejection letters to those not accepted.
• Other Coordinators must be kept apprised of all last-minute changes. They should be contacted by phone or e-mail about changes that occur after January 1.
• Consult Event Chair or SFL President about current refund policy.

One Week Prior to the Event

• Provide Event Vice Chair with an alphabetical listing of participant names and addresses for PREPARATION OF THE ATTENDEE LIST THAT IS EITHER E-MAILED OR distributed in the registration packet.
• Prepare the following five lists for use in guide/skier matching:
  · An alphabetical list of all participants, containing each person's name, age, SFL year, skiing ability, height, weight, degree of visual impairment, hearing impairment (if any), race/rally event skied the last time attended, any non-SFL skiing experience, and the names of the participant's guide for any of the previous five SFL International events attended.
  · Separate lists of males and females, ordered from youngest to oldest, containing the person's name, age, SFL year, and skiing ability.
  · Race/rally results for the previous year, ordered from fastest to slowest for the 5km and the 10km.
  · An alphabetical list of all participants, containing each person's name and a blank field for recording the name of the skier's guide.
  
• Send Guide/Skier matching information in electronic formats to the Event Chair, SFL President, Guide Training Coordinators, and the Instructor/Guide Applications Coordinator. Have Braille copies of the lists prepared, as necessary. Hand carry six print copies of this information to the event.
• Prepare and bring to SFL the following lists and information:
  · A registration check list, containing the names of all VIPs, in alphabetical order, indicating what forms, funds and/or information, if any, is outstanding for each participant.
  · A Race/Rally Announcement Form, arranged alphabetically and containing each visually-impaired participant's name, home city and state or country, and a blank field for recording the name of the person's race/rally guide. Also bring an electronic copy of this information and give it to the Race/Rally Coordinator.
  · An updated list of rental equipment needed.
  · A copy of the most recent Payments List, for review with the SFL Treasurer
  · A list of accepted applicants who will have a birthday during the event
  
• Bring Original applications, Waiver of Liability Forms and Emergency Data Forms for all visually-impaired applicants to the event. Applications and waiver forms should be arranged alphabetically in a three-ring binder, with the Emergency Data Form similarly arranged in a separate binder. Clearly label the contents of each binder. The application/waiver binder should also be labelled with the date to which it must be retained in the SFL office. This date should be ten years from the conclusion of the event.

International Week

Throughout the Week

• Attend all morning "sunrise" meetings during the week.
• Work with the Event Chair, SFL President and committee members, as necessary, to resolve any problems or issues involving visually-impaired participants.

Saturday

• Give list of participants having birthdays during the event to the Announcer.
• During Registration on Saturday and Sunday, collect any remaining monies owed and any forms missing before authorizing a room key and name tag for each participant.
• Participate in guide/skier matching with Instructor/Guide Applications Coordinator, Guide Training Coordinators, the Event Chair, and the SFL President. This meeting will usually take place Saturday evening, after the guide training session for first- and second-year guides ends.

Monday

• Ensure that Applications, Waiver of Liability forms and Emergency Data Forms are in-hand for every participant, including those who arrived after registration on Sunday.
• Give Emergency Data Forms to First Aid Coordinator for secured, yet accessible, storage during the event. Ensure that these forms are destroyed at the end of the event.
• Conduct an information-sharing and question-answering meeting for all first-time participants Monday morning after breakfast.
• The first-timers meeting should be an informal question and answer session designed to ensure that all first-time VIP's have a good understanding of the SFL International week and their role. Topics that should be covered include: self-responsibility for safety; guide is a ski guide, not a personal guide; guide is not a date; skiers must listen carefully and follow the instructions of their guide; VIP Coordinator is available at any time if you want to ask more questions or talk; don't let problems fester.

Saturday

• Give original Applications and Waiver of Liability Forms to the person who will be responsible for transporting them to the SFL Office for retention.
• Obtain a copy of final race/rally results from the Race/Rally Coordinator for use in guide/skier matching at future events.

Post-Event

• Prepare a statistical summary of applicants and participants, and compare findings to the previous event.
• Identify problems and major issues that occurred during the application process or during the event. Recommend changes to SFL procedures or policies as appropriate.
• Update the participant database for accurate use the next year.
• Attend the wrap-up meeting for the event if one is held and you are invited to attend.