<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 30, 33); font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">October is <a class="_58cn" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/meettheblindmonth?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCoNBNMtfRi2TGu7uFBwWP6zYFLnZ_5Mdp4_AvEbr6SUh6n3hWZBLejF8dzXLcEtYFB1y6ER1qUb5uImPqfxh645c8-SzQ8YkgL7-Fq1XEoj7mg1AVNv0AdeLShwiG-3ZfveTbLZxTLltWxGYreBq8FVX9CfJfdTkc-h2WsareZqpU4Xf13ordnEGNj98t9lf05G_2fRDGYdr7yVW2p5yUYkeKM2-6imLhQtKOBfI0Emq_Y1bioq_PY1rf8JYPW9MdfFL5twDh7aEVnMLJ3Ptj1D2BQHmFq33ej03-ddJHwCqfkRWLpI_y6KX3yujV3HA-lN9RyAvXWl2MFmbU-Sz-KOPWX&__tn__=%2ANK-R" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; font-family: inherit;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="unicode-bidi: isolate; color: rgb(54, 88, 153); font-family: inherit;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">MeetTheBlindMonth</span></span></a>. Due to COVID-19, we cannot go out into the community to share our stories. So we are going to post profiles on some of our members for anyone to read. So, come <a class="_58cn" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/meettheblind?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCoNBNMtfRi2TGu7uFBwWP6zYFLnZ_5Mdp4_AvEbr6SUh6n3hWZBLejF8dzXLcEtYFB1y6ER1qUb5uImPqfxh645c8-SzQ8YkgL7-Fq1XEoj7mg1AVNv0AdeLShwiG-3ZfveTbLZxTLltWxGYreBq8FVX9CfJfdTkc-h2WsareZqpU4Xf13ordnEGNj98t9lf05G_2fRDGYdr7yVW2p5yUYkeKM2-6imLhQtKOBfI0Emq_Y1bioq_PY1rf8JYPW9MdfFL5twDh7aEVnMLJ3Ptj1D2BQHmFq33ej03-ddJHwCqfkRWLpI_y6KX3yujV3HA-lN9RyAvXWl2MFmbU-Sz-KOPWX&__tn__=%2ANK-R" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; font-family: inherit;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="unicode-bidi: isolate; color: rgb(54, 88, 153); font-family: inherit;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">MeetTheBlind</span></span></a>!</p><p style="margin: 6px 0px; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 30, 33); font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Tom Page grew up in the Midwest moving fairly often as his parents pursued their academic and professional paths. Tom was a legally blind child who passed as a bookish, awkward sighted kid. It was not until his late teens that he learned of his blindness due to retinitis pi<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">gmentosa. He continued college and started performing in college bars. Like many young blind people, Tom had no exposure to positive blind role models and was somewhat lost; shuffling feet and poor posture were his typical mode of movement. Tom considers himself lucky to have met his Federation mentor, Donna Wood, when she was employed as a rehabilitation teacher. Tom had figured out that he could no longer rely on sight to get through the world and after some research he contacted Vocational Rehabilitation and was assigned Ms. Wood. Tom was elected first Vice President of the NFB of Kansas in 2006 when Donna was elected President. While Tom was learning the skills of blindness, he began touring the nation and continues to perform across the country. He has served as the President of the Kansas affiliate since 2013. In addition to his musical career, Tom owns and operates a recording studio in Wichita. He would love to have the time to learn about woodworking and enjoys mechanical and maintenance work around the studio building. You can hear a performance by Tom under his Haymakers brand here:<br class=""><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tompageict/posts/2724874434435661?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCoNBNMtfRi2TGu7uFBwWP6zYFLnZ_5Mdp4_AvEbr6SUh6n3hWZBLejF8dzXLcEtYFB1y6ER1qUb5uImPqfxh645c8-SzQ8YkgL7-Fq1XEoj7mg1AVNv0AdeLShwiG-3ZfveTbLZxTLltWxGYreBq8FVX9CfJfdTkc-h2WsareZqpU4Xf13ordnEGNj98t9lf05G_2fRDGYdr7yVW2p5yUYkeKM2-6imLhQtKOBfI0Emq_Y1bioq_PY1rf8JYPW9MdfFL5twDh7aEVnMLJ3Ptj1D2BQHmFq33ej03-ddJHwCqfkRWLpI_y6KX3yujV3HA-lN9RyAvXWl2MFmbU-Sz-KOPWX&__tn__=K-R" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; font-family: inherit;" class="">https://www.facebook.com/100007393932080/posts/2724874434435661/?d=n</a></span></p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Black and white photo of Tom playing his guitar in a hoodie </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="C0547C06-6CD2-46A2-AF53-216F7AA99047" src="cid:C68728C3-0C99-4441-86F1-C027914DD224" class=""></div></body></html>