[Greater-baltimore] Minute Messages, Test from Andrews

Sat May 3 14:40:23 UTC 2014

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

Minute Messages from the Movement

Melissa Riccobono, President

<mailto:President at nfbmd.org>President at nfbmd.org

Phone number 410-235-3073

www.nfbmd.org

Follow us on Twitter @NFBMD

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Note from the President

If the email Gods will cooperate, I will once 
again be able to bring you Minute Messages From 
the Movement on a regular basis! So sorry for 
such a long delay; I still have not figured out 
exactly why the last message I wrote did not go 
through, but I am going to get back on the horse 
and see if this one will work. Let’s hope for the best!

Messages

·         Highlights from the NFBMD Board 
Meeting: The Central MD chapter did a fantastic 
job hosting the NFBMD board and other affiliate 
members on April fifth. This was a wonderful 
board meeting; we were able to get a lot 
accomplished. Here are some highlights.
·         Sharon Maneki made the following 
announcements at our board meeting: We were very 
successful in the Maryland General Assembly this 
year. We achieved our three objectives. As you 
will remember, our first objective was to keep 
the $250,000 in the Governor’s budget for the 
Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access to 
Commerce, Public Information and Education 
(CENA). The General Assembly passed HB396/SB446, 
bills that instruct the Maryland Department of 
Disabilities in partnership with the National 
Federation of the Blind to conduct a study on how 
Maryland colleges teach accessibility concepts in 
their various computer science and information 
systems curricula. The MD General Assembly also 
passed HB1242/SB419, bills that will provide 
consistent funding for LBPH. These bills will be 
signed by the governor on either May 5 or May 15. 
We will let you know which day as soon as we 
know. Many thanks to all who wrote letters, sent 
emails, attended hearings, made phone calls, and 
came to Annapolis to visit with Delegates and 
Senators. We were successful because of each of 
you and our high level of participation. 
Congratulations to NFBMD on three important 
victories that will have long term benefits for blind citizens in Maryland!
·         Sharon also reported on our progress 
with our agenda from Washington Seminar: 
Congressman Van Hollen is now a cosponsor on 
HR831, the Fair Wages for Workers with 
Disabilities Act, and on HR 3505, the Technology, 
Education, and Accessibility in College and 
Higher Education Act. This came about as a result 
of our visit with him during the seminar. 
Congressman Cummings is now a cosponsor of HR164, 
the Equal Access to Air Travel for 
Service-Disabled Veterans Act. He is also a 
cosponsor for HR831. Congresswoman Donna Edwards 
became a cosponsor of HR831 after members of the 
National Harbor chapter attended a coffee 
discussion with her in February. Let’s keep the 
momentum going! Watch your email for details on 
Twitter Tuesday, Call Wednesday, and Email 
Thursday, which will occur next week. These days 
have been set aside for us to concentrate on HR 
831, so let’s try to convince our representatives 
not all ready signed on to this important legislation to join us!
·         Melissa Lomax shared the following 
announcement at our board meeting: Share your 
story and change a life!  NFBMD is currently 
seeking story submissions from blind individuals 
who wish to share successes, obstacles they have 
overcome, or efforts that they have made to 
improve their attitude towards blindness.  If you 
would like to share your experiences, please 
write your story in a Word document and submit it 
to Melissa Lomax at 
<mailto:melissalomax1 at gmail.com>melissalomax1 at gmail.com. 
If you have a story but are not quite sure how to 
put it together, call Melissa at
·         The board decided the NFBMD will once 
again have a table in the exhibit hall at 
National Convention. Along with our Instant 
Lottery ticketsa staple at our table for many 
yearswe are planning to sell Braille versions of 
card games not readily available in Braille. We 
are all excited about this new fund raising 
project. Thanks to Melissa Lomax, who came up 
with the idea and is heading up the committee in 
order to purchase and Braille games. Please 
contact Melissa at melissalomax1 at gmail.com if you 
would like to help with this project. Also, we 
will need workers at our table! Darlene Barrett 
is in charge of scheduling table workers, exhibit 
set up, etc. If you are attending convention and 
want to help in the exhibit hall, please contact 
Darlene at 410-997-9664. Working in the exhibit 
hall is a fun way to meet people from all around 
the country, and is a major way you can help the 
NFBMD raise funds for our affiliate. (Much more 
was discussed at our board meeting; please 
consider attending our next meeting so you can be in on the dialogue.)
·         Speaking of National Convention
 Have 
you made your reservations yet? Have you 
registered? National Convention is truly a one of 
a kind experience you don’t want to miss. Please 
consider joining members of your Federation 
family in Orlando this year. For convention 
information, visit <https://nfb.org/convention>https://nfb.org/convention
·         NFB BELL is ringing in Maryland! The 
NFB BELL Program will once again take place in 
Baltimore and Glendale, Maryland. This two week 
summer program, which will run this year from 
July 28-August 8, is for blind and visually 
impaired elementary school children (ages 4-12) 
who are just learning Braille, have had no 
exposure to Braille, or need to work on reading 
speed and fluency. Children participate in fun 
and engaging Braille lessons, meet and interact 
with positive blind adults, go on field trips, 
complete craft and cooking projects, make new 
friends, and acquire literacy skills. On the last 
day of the program, August 8, all BELL 
participants will come together for a fun 
activity in Baltimore. Parents of BELL 
participants will also come together in Baltimore 
for an informative seminar. To apply for the 
program visit <http://www.nfb.org/bell>http://www.nfb.org/bell
·         It’s a Crab Feast! Join the NFBMD 
National Harbor Chapter, and the NFBDC 
affiliate,  and enjoy a wonderful pastime.
·         When: Saturday, June 14, 1-5 PM.
·         Where: Bladensburg Waterfront Park 
Pavilion; 4601 Annapolis Road; Bladensburg, MD 20710.
·         Food Includes: Crabs, fried and 
Bar-B-Cued chicken, baked beans, potato salad, 
fresh salad,  corn, hot dogs, soda, water, and watermelon.
·         Cost: Adults: $55, children under 12, $25.
·         For tickets or questions, contact 
Michelle Clark at 301 583-8585 or email at 
<mailto:mcikeyc at aol.com>mcikeyc at aol.com
·         The National Harbor Chapter has 
generously agreed to give a portion of the 
proceeds from this event to the Maryland NFB BELL Programs!
·         Join Team NFBMD and Become an 
Imaginator!: (My Aunt Mary has donated to our 
cause. Why? Because it is a worthy cause, of 
course, but mostly because I asked.) Uncle Whozit 
is still counting on you! The National Federation 
of the Blind has a goal to raise $300000 for the 
Imagination Fund by May 31, 2014. The Imagination 
Fund not only supports NFB Jernigan Institute 
programs, it also helps fund special programs and 
projects in state affiliates. Raising money for 
the Imagination Fund means finding other peoples’ 
money! If you want to support the NFB personally, 
please consider joining the PAC Plan (More about 
the PAC Plan later in these messages.) If you 
want to be an Imaginator and raise money for the 
Imagination Fund as part of Team NFBMD, , please 
reach out to your family, friends, business 
contacts, etc. and tell them why the National 
Federation of the Blind is important to you. Please ask them for a donation.
·         How do they donate? People can make a 
donation to Team NFBMD by visiting 
<https://app.mobilecause.com/public/social/9716>https://app.mobilecause.com/public/social/9716 
As a member of Team NFBMD, please feel free to 
visit this page yourself and use the links 
provided to ask for donations from your Facebook 
friends and Twitter followers. You can also send 
a customized email to your contacts directly from 
this page and encourage them to donate. If you 
are asking someone for a donation in person, you 
can have him or her text the word Maryland to 
71777. Or, donors can send a check made out to 
NFB with Imagination Fund Maryland in the memo 
line to 200 East Wells St.; Baltimore, MD 21230. 
The NFBMD has a goal to raise $7500 in 
commemoration of the upcoming 75th anniversary of 
the national Federation of the Blind. This seems 
like a large number, but I know we will be able 
to achieve this goal if we all participate as one 
team and reach out to those we know to ask them 
for their help. We are counting on you; we still 
have a long way to go to reach our goal.

·         If you would like to have the NFB 
Jernigan Institute create a personal Imaginator 
page for you, please send an email to imaginationfund at nfb.org

Coming Next Week:
·         Reports on Chemestry Day at the NFB, 
and the end of our spring raffle.
·         Information on the MDPOBC Bowlathon!
·         A report on bill signings.

Dates  to Remember

·         May 7, Envelope stuffing event; 200 
East Wells St.; Baltimore. Come and lend a hand! 
This event will begin at 8 AM, and an evening shift will start after 5 PM.
·         June 4: Diabetes Seminar: Contact 
Debbie Brown at 301-881-1892 for more information
·         June 8, 2014: TENTATIVE--NFB 6 Dot 
DashA 6K Race to Advance Braille Literacy (Baltimore, Maryland)
·         June 14, NFBMD National Harbor Chapter 
& NFBDC Crab Feast: Bladensburg Waterfront Park 
Pavilion; 4601 Annapolis Road; Bladensburg, MD 
2071021. Contact Michelle Clark at 301-583-8585 to purchase tickets.
·         June 21, MDPOBC Bowlathon: More details 
coming soon; contact Trudy Pickrel (301-501-1818) for more information.
·          July 1-6, 2014: 
<http://www.nfb.org/national-convention>NFB 
National Convention (Orlando, Florida)
·         July 28-August 8: National Federation 
of the Blind Braille Enrichment for Literacy and 
Learning (BELL) Programs; visit 
<http://www.nfb.org/bell>http://www.nfb.org/bell 
for more information and to apply
·         August 1, 2014: 7:00 PM NFBMD Crab Feast (Baltimore, Maryland)
·         September 9: 
<http://nfb.org/web-accessibility-day>Web 
Accessibility Day at NFB Jernigan Institute
·         October 15-17: 
<http://www.NFB.org/training-the-trainers>NFB Technology Train the Trainers

·         November 14-16, 2014: NFB of Maryland 
Annual Convention (Towson, Maryland)

Please consider 
<http://www.nfbmd.org/donate.html>making a 
donation today to help us build a future full of 
opportunities. You can also 
<http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org>donate your 
vehicle or support us by 
<http://www.nfbpickup.org>giving your old 
household goods to our GreenDrop program.

To submit items for possible inclusion in this 
weekly email, please send suggestions to 
<mailto:President at nfbmd.org>President at nfbmd.org 
Be sure to include any related URLs that might provide further information.