[MD-AtLarge] Meeting Reminder and Minutes

[mr. Chikodinaka Oguledo]

I will b at wite cane day. at center4accessibility 202-727-2142!
9-0-1-g-street northwest in Washington dc20001  So I will not b
attending the meeting for the 20th.

On 10/12/15, nfbmd via MD-AtLarge <md-atlarge at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello All,
>
>
>
> Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 20.  The National President's
> Message will start at 7:30, followed by the meeting at 8pm.  Below are the
> minutes of the September meeting:
>
>
>
> Minutes for the At large chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
> Maryland
>
> Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2015
>
>
>
> The meeting was called to order at 8:00 P.M. via conference call by
> Marguerite Woods. There were around 15 people on the call.
>
>
>
> Marguerite reminded everyone about muting their phones to reduce background
> noise by pressing star 6. You can unmute your phone by pressing star 6
> again.
>
>
>
> Dana Diaz, one of our board members for the at large chapter, recently
> suffered a stroke. Marguerite spoke with her and said she did not ask for
> specifics on what was affected but noted she sounded good. She is currently
> undergoing rehabilitation.
>
>
>
> We were joined on the call by Jeannie Massay, who is the treasurer of the
> NFB, the president of the Oklahoma affiliate, and will be the keynote
> speaker at our state convention. Jeannie said that with all her roles in
> the
> NFB, she feels her most important one is that of a member because she knows
> that her voice, and everyone else's, is heard equally. Speaking about state
> conventions, she shared that she attended her first in 2008 after applying
> for a scholarship which she did not win. She said she heard Gary Wunder
> speak at the convention who said that the people of the NFB are not just
> resources but are more like family. He also spoke about how it is great to
> be part of something that is so much greater than you are. Jeannie said she
> found this energizing and wanted to learn more. She also now considers Gary
> Wunder among her good friends. She said she went in only wanting the
> scholarship but got a "fantastic result". She said it is great to be with a
> group of blind people that understands and supports you in every way
> possible because they believe in you.
>
>
>
> Jeannie told us she lost her sight as an adult. She shared that she took
> graduate courses to be a therapist and had 3000 hours with a supervisor.
> However, when she went to take a test she needed to take, she found it was
> inaccessible. She did all she knew to do, but nobody wanted to help her.
> She
> then contacted the NFB, who threatened to take legal action. She said the
> accessibility of the test was "no longer an issue" once the NFB got
> involved. She is now a licensed mental health therapist with her own
> practice. She specializes in working with children and adults with
> behavioral disorders such as AD/HD and also does a lot of work with people
> suffering from anxiety.
>
>
>
> Ron related to Jeannie's issues with inaccessibility and said he is having
> issues with books at the community college he is attending. He is looking
> into getting e-books. Sharon said that the library for the blind will help
> him get e-books.
>
>
>
> Judy commented that the NFB of Oklahoma has greatly increased their
> membership. Jeannie said that in 2008, there was only 1 chapter, but there
> are now 5, and there are plans for more. She said Maryland has done a great
> job by getting an at large chapter together, and she would like to see the
> same thing happen in Oklahoma.
>
>
>
> Marguerite asked if Jeannie had any suggestions for increasing membership,
> especially for an at large chapter. Jeannie stressed the importance of
> conversations with people and said a personal touch can mean a lot. She
> said
> this allows people to hear the conviction in your voice. She said that we
> have lost the ability to talk to people because of technology, and the
> great
> thing about the at large chapter meeting by conference call is that there
> are "real people" on the other end of the line.
>
>
>
> Marguerite asked about ideas for Meet the Blind month, which will be in
> October. Jeannie said one of the chapters in Oklahoma is planning a White
> Cane walk and an open house where they will display technology and other
> useful things for the blind. She said another chapter did a similar thing
> in
> the past and had 52 people come, 10 of whom later attended the state
> convention.
>
>
>
> Judy shared a story about calling an alternate winner of a state
> scholarship
> because the original winner was unable to attend convention. She said the
> alternate had never been to a meeting and had no experience with the NFB,
> so
> Judy was not sure she would come, but she immediately said "yes". Judy said
> she was amazed at how easy it was to get her to come. Jeannie said they
> will
> not all be that easy but, "If you don't ask, you won't know".
>
>
>
> Many members shared their plans for Meet the Blind month. Marguerite will
> be
> speaking at the senior center she attends on the first Friday of October
> and
> plans to share information about the NFB. Anyone who wants more information
> about this can contact Marguerite. Ron is participating in an art show on
> September 25 for people with various disabilities. It was suggested that we
> see about having someone there to hand out information. Judy and her
> husband
> will have a booth at their church's fall festival, and she is brainstorming
> ideas for activities she could do that would be different from things she
> has done in past years. A couple people talked about how they have had
> stations where they brailled people's names and agreed this is always
> well-received. Several people plan to distribute NFB literature in various
> places and asked Sharon to send them what they need.
>
>
>
> The question was asked how one would go about setting up events for Meet
> the
> Blind month, such as the white cane walk Jeannie spoke about. Jeanie said
> that the mayor of the town gives an official proclamation, and there is an
> article in the local paper which tells about the event and invites anyone
> who wants to attend.
>
>
>
> Sharon reminded us of a few upcoming events. On September 30, the author of
> the book "The Boys in the Boat" will be at the NFB center at 7:00. This
> event is co-sponsored by the library for the blind and the Baltimore rowing
> club. There will also be a seminar on September 26 for those who are blind
> and also dealing with hearing loss. Registration will be a 12:30, and the
> seminar will be from 1:00-4:00 at the NFB center.
>
>
>
> The call ended at 9:00 P.M.
>
>
>
> Submitted by Danielle Shives
>
>
>
>
>
> Sharon Maneki, President
>
> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>
> 410-715-9596
>
>
>
>


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