<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Hi Sharon,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I was planning on sharing a little about my journey into deaf-blindness. If you have any resources on where I could get better ideas for panel discussion, that would be helpful. For now, my two questions are below. Just to clarify, who is our audience? Will attendees mostly consist of those in the blind community? Also, I am not able to navigate the Zoom platform well. I have never been able to read the chat, nor would I know how to be the meeting host. So hopefully, someone else will manage all that!</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Questions:</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">1. My O&M instructor said that I could carry a card to hold out for help when crossing intersections. For me, I do not think that I would ever feel comfortable relying on complete strangers. What would you do if you passed someone holding out one of these cards? Would you notice? Could there have ever been an incidence where you may have passed someone inadvertently thinking they were asking for money? Can you share any stories about a stranger trying to help? Was the blind person worse or better off?</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">2 There were two things that jumped out at me. The first was the money situation. The blind have ways of counting their money; they do not need to rely on strangers to do it for them. The other situation is the bus transportation. I am not a city dweller, and have not taken public transit since the onset of my blindness. How do the deaf-blind know when the bus arrives? In the film, the main character relies on a stranger. But what if no one else is around? If anyone has stories or knowledge, I for one would love to know.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Let me know if my questions are suitable. </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Thanks,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Rania</div></div><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><div class="">Hi Janice,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you very much!<br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><b class=""><font size="2" class="">Sharon Maneki, Director of Legislation and Advocacy</font></b></div><div class=""><font size="2" class="">National Federation of the Blind of Maryland</font></div><div class=""><font size="2" class="">410-715-9596</font></div><div class=""><font size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="2" class="">The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Everyday 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.<br class=""></font></div><div class=""><b class=""><font size="2" class=""></font></b></div><div class=""><b class=""><font size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></b></div></div></div></div><br class=""></div><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><div class="gmail_quote" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 4:57 PM Jannis Butler via MD-AtLarge <<a href="mailto:md-atlarge@nfbnet.org" class="">md-atlarge@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Hi Marguerite… It’s Jannis. I purchased two tickets for the at-large fundraiser for October 23 at 7 PM. The night at the movie event. I just wanted to let you know. See you at the October meeting. many blessings , Jannis Butler<br class=""><br class="">Jannis' iPhone 12 Pro’<br class=""><br class="">On Sep 29, 2021, at 5:51 AM, Marguerite Woods via MD-AtLarge <<a href="mailto:md-atlarge@nfbnet.org" target="_blank" class="">md-atlarge@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<br class=""><br class="">Greetings everyone,<br class="">Get ready to sit back with your favorite beverage and join the At-Large Chapter, for a fun evening at the virtual movies!!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br class="">An evening that promises to gently stir your minds and your hearts, realizing the beauty of making connections….<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br class="">So save the date: Saturday, October 23 at 7:00 PM<br class="">Will be happy to have you Zoom in… looking forward to seeing you there!😁<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">Marguerite Woods,President<br class="">At Large Chapter of the NFB of MD<br class="">443-271-1668<br class=""><br class="">“… Every day we raise the expectations of the blind 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.“!<br class="">Sent from my iPhone_______________________________________________<br class="">MD-AtLarge mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:MD-AtLarge@nfbnet.org" target="_blank" class="">MD-AtLarge@nfbnet.org</a><br class=""><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org</a><br class="">To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for MD-AtLarge:<br class=""><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org/jannisbutler%40gmail.com" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org/jannisbutler%40gmail.com</a><br class="">_______________________________________________<br class="">MD-AtLarge mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:MD-AtLarge@nfbnet.org" target="_blank" class="">MD-AtLarge@nfbnet.org</a><br class=""><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org</a><br class="">To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for MD-AtLarge:<br class=""><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org/nfbmdsm%40gmail.com" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/md-atlarge_nfbnet.org/nfbmdsm%40gmail.com</a><br class=""></blockquote></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); 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