[Mdabs] September Minute Message

nfbmd nfbmd at earthlink.net
Fri Sep 14 15:17:53 UTC 2018


September 2018 Minute Message

Fellow Federationists: 

The Convention is Coming.

Please get busy and register for the 52nd annual convention of the NFBMD.
You can register online by going to http://nfbmd.org/convention/register.
You may also register by mail. You will receive a form in your mailbox next
week. Everyone should sign up on this preregistration form for our Friday
night picnic dinner and show. You can enjoy a picnic dinner in November and
get in the Christmas spirit because the Braille is Beautiful Players will be
performing Santa Rides Again. This is an original play written by the late
Jerry Wittle from the Louisiana Center for the Blind. If you wish to be a
member of the Braille is Beautiful Players, and can read Braille, call
Debbie Brown at 301-881-1892.  Remember preregistration closes on October
14th. 

Did you make your room reservation at the Carousel Hotel yet? Hotel
reservations must be made by October 9th. Call 410-524-1000. 

Our keynote speaker at this year's convention is Adelmo Vigil, a member of
the National Board of Directors and President of the NFB of New Mexico.
Adelmo has had many careers.  He has survived sixteen years of teaching
sighted students in elementary school.   He helped blind people raise their
expectations in his service as Director of the Adjustment to Blindness
Training Center at the New Mexico Commission for the Blind.  When he served
as Deputy Director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, he was able
to make systemic change in blindness services.  You will not want to miss
his inspirational address. 

On Friday evening the Washington Wheelers, a blind hockey club, will give
lessons and demonstrate how to use equipment for convention participants of
all abilities.  We will have other activities for the less adventurous.  You
can be sure that Friday evening will be a time of fun and fellowship.

We will have many interesting workshops.  Don't miss the Kernel Story Hour.
We will discuss stories about how every day blind people live the lives they
want, as written in our Kernel books series.  

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future.  Come to the convention to
find out how you can make sure that blindness does not hold you back. For
the latest information go to www.nfbmd.org.

 

Keep the Federation Spirit Going.

Many thanks to the 101 Federationists who participated in Maryland Day at
the Jernigan Institute on September 8.  If you did not get a chance on
Maryland Day to fill out the form to be a mentor for students in our Career
Mentoring Program, you can still do so.  Go to
<https://nfb.org/mentorapplication> https://nfb.org/mentorapplication.  

 

Many thanks to everyone who wrote to their congressman during Maryland Day
to ask them to cosponsor HR 1734, Access Technology Affordability Act.  We
are making progress because we have two congressmen co-sponsoring this bill!
Please contact the following congressmen so that we can reach 100%.
Congressmen Anthony Brown, Elijah Cummings, John Delaney, Andy Harris, Steny
Hoyer, and John Sarbanes. You can contact your member of Congress by calling
the Capitol Switchboard and asking for the office in question. The number is
202-224-3121.  HR 1734 will increase the availability of access technology
thereby increasing educational and employment opportunities for all blind
Americans. The bill does this by creating a tax credit for the purchase of
access technology. The National Federation of the Blind has analyzed the
cost impact and the bill is either cost neutral or will save the government
money. 

Maryland Day was a great introduction to Federation resources, such as The
Voice of the Nation's Blind podcast.  I hope you will use the new alphabet
cards and new brochures that you saw at Maryland Day during Meet the Blind
Month in October.  We began to examine the revolutionary thinking about
blindness, which is part of Federation philosophy.  We only scratched the
surface.  Go to the NFB channel on NFB Newsline to read three important
speeches.  The speech titles are "Blindness:  Handicap or Characteristic" by
Kenneth Jernigan, "The Mental Discipline of the Movement" by Marc Maurer,
and "The Spirit of the Journey:  The Blind Driver Challenge and the
Direction of our Movement" by Mark Riccobono.  You can hear each speech in
each person's voice, or you can listen to the computer text version.  These
speeches are also available on www.nfb.org.  

Parents and Grandparents: Did you Share the Love Yet?

 

The National Federation of the Blind is partnering with Kellogg's Rice
Krispies Treats to create Braille and audio "Love Notes" so parents can
share messages of love and encouragement with blind children. The Love Notes
are an accessible version of the writable wrapper on Rice Krispies Treats,
which allows parents to include messages in their children's lunch boxes.
The new, accessible Love Notes are available in two forms: Braille stickers
and re-recordable audio boxes. The Braille stickers are heart shaped to
match the space on Rice Krispies Treats writable wrappers for written notes.
Each Braille sticker sheet includes eight uplifting messages for parents to
share with their children, such as "you've got this" and "love you lots."
The re-recordable audio box holds a Rice Krispies Treat and, when opened,
plays a ten-second, pre-recorded message. The audio box messages can be
re-recorded over a thousand times. accessibility.   To check out the website
and order Love Notes for your child, visit  ricekrispies.com/lovenotes
<https://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/love-notes.html> .

 

MABM Gathering.

Join the Maryland Association of Blind Merchants (MABM) on October 6, 2018
for an afternoon of fun and fellowship.  You will visit Old Line Spirits -
Baltimore's Award-Winning Distillery - for a tour and tasting, followed by a
Waterfront Dinner Experience at Barcocina Restaurant.  To RSVP or for more
information contact Melba Taylor, 240-381-1637 or
<mailto:m.taylor at EncoreAssoc.com> m.taylor at EncoreAssoc.com.  RSVP's must be
received by September 29th.  

 

 

 

Come to the Candidates for Governor Forum on Disabilities. 

 

This is your opportunity to be an informed voter and hear from our Maryland
Candidates for Governor about their vision for increasing acceptance,
dignity, and participation of all people with disabilities in Maryland.  The
event is Friday, October 5 from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency
Baltimore Inner Harbor, 300 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.  Free
admission, but I need to know if you are coming.  Please send me an email
off list.  

 

Important Dates.

October 1-31 - Meet the Blind Month.

October 5 - Maryland Candidates for Governor Forum on Disabilities,
1:30-3:30pm, Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel, 300 Light Street,
Baltimore, MD.

October 6 - MABM Wine Tasting and Dinner.   To RSVP or for more information
contact Melba Taylor,  <mailto:m.taylor at EncoreAssoc.com>
m.taylor at EncoreAssoc.com. 

October 15 - National White Cane Awareness Day.

October 27 - Celebration of 50th Anniversary of Maryland LBPH, 1 - 4 pm.
415 Park Ave., Baltimore, MD.

November 9-11 - Annual State Convention, Carousel Hotel, Ocean City, MD. 

 

 

 

 

Sharon Maneki, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

410-715-9596

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day 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.

 

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