[MABM] Information About Annapolis and Washington Seminar

[Maryland President]

Hi Friends,

Please read to the end of this message, as it contains a lot of information
about our legislative efforts in Annapolis and at Washington Seminar.  

 

We are busy getting ready for legislative advocacy both at the State of
Maryland level and at the National level, and we will be engaging with our
elected representatives in Annapolis and in Washington, DC in January.  We
are finalizing our legislative agenda for Annapolis, and our National Center
is working hard to finalize the legislative agenda for Washington Seminar.
More information on our legislative priorities will be shared in the coming
weeks, so stay tuned.

 

In the meantime, we are seeking participants for both Washington Seminar and
Annapolis.  If you plan to participate in either, please let me know by
December 31, 2022 by emailing President at nfbmd.org
<mailto:President at nfbmd.org> . 

 

Virtual Week in Annapolis - January 19 - 26, 2023

Due to the closure of conference rooms and the tunnels and walkways at the
Maryland General Assembly Buildings in light of construction, we have
determined it will be necessary to hold a virtual Week in Annapolis rather
than an in-person single Day in Annapolis in 2023.  We were very much hoping
to return to in-person this year but the construction and lack of safe and
warm methods for moving about the capitol complex, as well as our inability
to gather as a group due to that construction which closed all meeting rooms
necessitates the pivot.

 

Please save the dates - January 19 - 26, 2023 for Virtual Week in Annapolis.
In usual virtual week style, the bulk of our meetings will take place on:

*	Thursday, January 19
*	Tuesday, January 24
*	Wednesday, January 25
*	Thursday, January 26

 

We will do our best to schedule meetings with our elected officials on
specific days based on geography, e.g. Baltimore City and County on January
24, etc.  

 

In the meantime, we need volunteers to serve as zoom hosts.  If you are
available to serve as a zoom host for any or all of the above days, please
let me know by emailing President at nfbmd.org <mailto:President at nfbmd.org> .

 

We will share the likely geographic schedule in the next few weeks, but it
should follow last year's model.  We will also be sending out the
information on which offices specific people should contact to schedule
meetings in the next few weeks.  If you would like to help schedule
appointments, please let me know.

 

Due to redistricting, I am working to assess which NFBMD members have
changed state legislative and congressional districts.  If you know you have
changed districts, please let me know, as the manual process I have to use
is quite tedious and time consuming.  I need to finish updating our members
districts before we can start scheduling appointments.  In addition, the
Maryland General Assembly is beginning a new four-year term, which means
many of the members are new.  Congress will also be starting a new session,
and so scheduling for both may be challenging before those sessions begin.

 

Washington Seminar

Washington Seminar will be in person in 2023, at the Holiday Inn Capitol.
We will be bringing a contingent to the Great Gathering In and afternoon
training seminar on Monday, January 30, 2023 as well as our Maryland Day on
the Hill on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 when we will hold our appointments
with our Congressional representatives.  Our NFBMD delegation will attend
the Congressional Reception the evening of January 31 and return late in the
evening following the reception.  Folks should save the date.  If
individuals are interested in helping to schedule appointments, please let
me know.

 

More information is coming!  But go ahead and start getting fired up!

 

Yours,

Ronza

 

 

 

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

443-426-4110

Pronouns: she, her, hers

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back

 

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