[MD-Baltimore-County] Resolution to Be Considered at Tonight's TLC Chapter Meeting (Monday, March 16) - Please Review

[Ellen Ringlein]

Dear TLC Chapter Members and Friends,

 

At our February meeting we decided to write a resolution regarding the
missing address to the Baltimore County Government Center's accessible
entrance. 

 

A draft of the resolution is attached as well as at the end of this email.
Please review it before tonight's chapter meeting, so we can vote to adopt
it.

 

Hope to see many of you on Zoom this evening. 

 

Warmly,

 

Ellen Ringlein, Secretary

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland TLC Chapter

 

Resolution 2026-01 Regarding the Assignment of an Address to the Accessible
Entrance to the Baltimore County Government Center

 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the nation's leading
organization of blind and low vision people and a strong advocate for full
participation in public life; and 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD), an
affiliate of the NFB, and its local chapters advocate on behalf of blind and
low vision Marylanders; and 

WHEREAS, the Towson/Timonium, Lutherville, Cockeysville (TLC) Chapter, the
Baltimore County Chapter, the Greater Baltimore chapter, and the At Large
Chapter of the NFB of Maryland all have members who live in Baltimore
County; and 

WHEREAS, all Baltimore County residents, including the blind, may have
business to transact from time to time at the Baltimore County Government
Center, officially known as the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse, which
also houses the County Executive's office and several other important County
offices; and 

WHEREAS, the only address which is publicly available for this building is
400 Washington Avenue, Towson, Maryland, which serves as the mailing address
for this facility but does not refer to a public entrance to the building;
and 

WHEREAS, the accessible entrance to the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse
is on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is more than a block away from 400
Washington Avenue; and 

WHEREAS, an exact address is needed to engage rideshare or paratransit
services; and 

WHEREAS, since the only address the public has for the Baltimore County
Historic Courthouse is the 400 Washington Avenue address, the result is that
rideshare and paratransit users are dropped off more than a block away from
the accessible building entrance; and 

WHEREAS, MTA Mobility and associated call-a-ride paratransit services are
supposed to provide door-to-door services to their customers, who by nature
have disabilities including blindness and other mobility limitations; and

WHEREAS, it is impossible for individuals with disabilities to receive
door-to-door paratransit services with an incorrect address not tied to an
accessible entrance; and 

WHEREAS, blind and other disabled rideshare passengers typically need to be
dropped off as close to the accessible entrance as possible; and 

WHEREAS, being dropped off more than a block away from the intended
destination, regardless of which transportation service is used, creates an
access barrier to many individuals with disabilities: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland TLC
Chapter on this sixteenth day of March, 2026, that  this organization call
upon the Baltimore County Executive, the Baltimore County Council,  and any
associated Baltimore County government entities and departments to remove
the access barrier to the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse by assigning
an address to this facility's accessible entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue so
that Baltimore County residents using rideshare and paratransit services can
access the seat of their government; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED  that we urge Baltimore County to prominently post
this new address at the accessible entrance, socialize this address, and
update maps, websites, and directions to reference this address.

 

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