Our December meeting was a very good meeting with lots of participation from new people both in the room and on the phone!
However, it brought a specific problem up that has been noted before in discussions within the steering committee but we have never really brought it back to the group.
Here is the issue: when we have mixed participation both in the room and on the phone, it is sometimes difficult to share time so that everyone gets a chance to "share". When people are on the phone, it can be difficult to hear if more than one person is talking at a time. It is just sometimes hard when there is so much sharing going on.
We have discussed reserving the first 1/2 hour or the last 1/2 hour for the "on site" participants, just to make sure that they have an opportunity to speak and be heard.
As we have said before, this is a learning process for all of us. We will do our best to find a way to make it work for everyone. I apologize if anyone was offended at the meeting when they were asked to keep quiet on the phone to allow for feedback from within the room or if they were in the room and felt they didn't have an opportunity to speak.
The meeting covered a wide variety of topics, focusing on adjusting to narcolepsy when first diagnosed, adjusting when that diagnosis occurs during adolescence, and just plain adjusting to being different. We also discussed dealing with employers and what kind of accommodations make sense.
We are currently working on getting rooms scheduled for all of the meetings in 2012. So make sure to check the web-site or with the concierge for the correct room number if you are coming to a meeting. The first 4 months are booked and I will get the calendar updated in the next week.
In the meantime, have a great holiday and a peaceful, restful and joyous 2012!
