[MD-AtLarge] Minutes and Next Meeting

[nfbmd]

Hello All,

 

The next meeting of the At-Large Chapter will be on Tuesday, May 17.
Remember we will have election of officers, so don't miss the meeting.  The
call-in number is 641-715-3272.  The access code is 720125.  The National
President's message starts at 7:30, and the meeting begins at 8.  Below you
will find the minutes from the April Chapter meeting.  

 

Minutes for the At large chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland

Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2016

 

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.

 

Sharon said that no one has yet sent in their dues for this year. Dues are
$5 and can be sent to Sharon at 9013 Nelson Way, Columbia, MD 21045 or can
be sent through Paypal at nfbmd.org.

 

Sharon expressed condolences on behalf of the chapter to Charles who lost
his mother right before Easter. Nikki Tippett also recently lost her mother.

 

Marguerite reminded us that the state convention will be October 28-30 at
the Baltimore Marriott at Camden Yards.

 

An idea was presented for a fundraiser for the chapter which would include a
bus trip to a play at the Dutch Apple Theater in Lancaster, PA. The charge
would be $100 and would include lunch. This would be sometime in September.
The play that would be seen is Phantom and is similar to Phantom of the
opera. The suggestion was made that anyone interested in going could put a
little money aside at a time to save up for the trip. Tickets could also be
sold to others. We agreed to see if people are interested and report back at
the next meeting.

 

Marguerite said she recently participated in early voting and found the
voting machine to be very accessible. Sharon said if you have an obvious
disability you will be told about the machine, but those with disabilities
that are not as obvious are not going to be told that the machine is
available so you will have to ask. Sharon also said the format of the ballot
on the machine is different from the paper one. There is a survey for those
who vote to share their experiences. Those who receive email messages should
have gotten a link to the survey. Anyone without email can call Sharon, and
she will fill out the survey for you.

 

We were joined on the call by Ever Lee Hairston, who has written a book
called "Blind Ambition". She is also on the national board of directors for
the NFB. She said she was happy to be on a call with members of the
federation family, and that it gives her hope that expectations for the
blind can be raised. She explained that her book is her journey from being a
little girl to around 2012. Her parents were sharecroppers on a plantation
in North Carolina, and she had many challenges growing up as an
African-American and dealing with segregation. She was born with Retinitis
Pigmentosa, as were her 3 sisters. She shared a story about a time she went
to a football game with one of her sisters. Neither of them could see
afterward because of the dark, and they both fell in a 4-foot hole. She was
dating the quarterback of the football team and had to ride home in his car
very dirty and muddy. She said this experience lowered her self-esteem and,
at the time she was not aware of any services to help with vision loss. She
also told us about a time she was picking cotton with her siblings and got
into a pack of snakes. At that point, she decided there had to be a better
way of life than that on the plantation. She went to New York to take a job
as a maid and planned to return to North Carolina and go to Duke's nursing
school. However, she had to take an eye exam to go to school and failed, so
she was not able to attend nursing school. She then got involved in the
Civil Rights movement in the 1960's and participated in marches and even
went to jail. She also met Dr. Martin Luther King. She graduated from
college and went to New Jersey to be a teacher but had trouble because of
her blindness, so she went from job to job. She was invited to an NFB
convention and didn't want to go, but she eventually went. She says it
"saved her life". She explained that when she got to the convention, she was
asked if she wanted a print or a Braille agenda. She could no longer read
print but hadn't been taught Braille. She talked to as many people as she
could at the convention. She was able to go to the Louisiana center 3 years
later and gained a great deal of confidence. She said it hasn't been easy
but she has overcome many challenges. She said she shares her story to
inspire others and says we should help people when we can. She answered many
questions about the book and her life. She told us she now lives in
California. She also explained that the book is not available in Braille,
and there are no immediate plans for it to be, but it is in other accessible
formats. She emphasized not letting blindness hold you back from living the
life you want.

 

Sharon said there is an article in the Braille Monitor that Ever Lee wrote
for anyone who would like to read it.

 

Sharon reminded us that elections for the at large chapter will be next
month. She named the current officers and encouraged everyone to think about
whether they would like to run for one of the offices.

 

The meeting 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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