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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Hi Rania and all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>I’m Ronza Othman, and I’m in Baltimore City. I am a blind parent to three of my nephews, who I raised from when they were 3, 5, and 7. They are in their 20’s now and just recently got off the payroll. All of them are sighted. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Ronza Othman, </span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>443-426-4110<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> MD-Blind-Parents [mailto:md-blind-parents-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Rania Dima via MD-Blind-Parents<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, November 18, 2020 3:02 PM<br><b>To:</b> md-blind-parents@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Rania Dima <raniadima@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> [MD-Blind-Parents] Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'></span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'></span><br><br><o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'></span>Hi Everyone! <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>My name is Rania and I am new to the NFB. For me, blindness started in my twenties, and now in my forties, I am mostly deaf-blind from Usher Syndrome. I get by with a good pair of hearing aids and four furry paws…his name is Clyde by-the-way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>All my kids, along with my husband, are sighted. My oldest is twenty-five and autistic. (Anyone that has a child on the spectrum knows that this comes with its own set of challenges.) My two daughters are fourteen and eight. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-indent:.5in'>I am a stay-at-home mom, but also an aspiring author of historical fiction. I’m out here in Urbana, which is a large planned community in Frederick County. There are a couple blind folks out this way, but I am always happy to make new friends!<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></body></html>