[MDABS] Convention Description: Updated

[Maryland President]

Friends,

We're excited about seeing you at convention later today.  We are sending
out an updated description of the hotel.  The only clarifications relate to
the Terrace Level.  Please remember that the Ashore Resort and Beach Club is
a free Aira Access Site thanks to our sponsor, Aira!

 

 

Navigating the Ashore Resort and Beach Club
This location is an Aira Access Site, meaning you can use the Aira Explorers
mobile application free of charge during the convention weekend.

 

The Ashore Resort and Beach Club is located at 10100 Coastal Highway.  This
hotel has two buildings that are connected through a hallway on the second
floor.  Most sleeping rooms and common spaces such as restaurants are in the
Tower Building, while meeting rooms and Cabana sleeping rooms are in the
Conference Center.  

 

The first floor of both buildings is called the "Main Level," while the
second floor is called the "Terrace Level."  

 

As you arrive at the hotel and face it, the Conference Center will be on
your left and the Tower Building will be on your right.  The Conference
Center and Tower Building are separated by a covered driveway on the Main
Level.  Individuals can cross between the two buildings at this level, but
they will be outside for approximately 50 feet.  Beware of traffic, as this
driveway is used both as a loading and unloading zone and also for through
traffic for the hotel parking lots.  The two buildings are connected on the
second or Terrace Level by an internal hallway.

 

Tower Building 
There is one entrance to the Tower Building, which is not facing Coastal
Highway but rather on the side of the hotel with the covered driveway
entrance.  As you come into the tiled lobby of the hotel Tower Building
through the entrance from the covered driveway, you will be on the Main
Level.  Directly to your left along the wall are the hotel check-in desks.
With your back to the covered driveway doors, to your left past the check-in
desks, you will find a set of three elevators to take you to the Terrace
Level and to all other floors of the Tower Building.  Again, standing with
your back to the doors leading to the covered driveway, straight ahead and
to the right, you will find the Grand Staircase that will take you to the
Terrace Level.  In the middle of the Main Level lobby are several
conversation areas with different types of chairs and couches.  Past the
elevator you can find a small business center.  The ATM is at the check-in
desk.

 

If you turn and face the doors to the covered driveway, you can use these
doors to get to the Conference Center by walking straight ahead about 50
feet.

 

On the Terrace Level of the Tower Building, you will find a hallway that
connects common spaces and amenities.  The closest amenity to the Conference
Center is Ashore Things, which sells coffee, snacks, quick bites, sundries,
and tourist merchandise.  Past Ashore Things is the Tide Room, which is the
hotel restaurant.  Connected to the Tide Room and further down the hall is
the TAP Room, which is the hotel's bar.  The Tap Room has a limited food
menu.  At the end of this hallway, you will be on the Shore Deck, which will
be described later.

The third through sixteenth floors of the Tower Building are sleeping rooms.

 

Those looking for a guide dog relief area from the Tower Building should use
the entrance leading to the covered driveway and walk left towards Coastal
Highway.  At the end of the covered driveway, turn right, and you'll be
outside the Conference Center, where there is a guide dog relief area
described in more detail later.

 

Conference Center
The Conference Center has two floors - the Main Level and the Terrace Level.
The Conference Center Main Level has two sets of doors - one is the large
set of main doors that face Coastal Highway, and the second faces the
covered driveway.  If you enter the main doors, you will find yourself in
the Grand Foyer.  Registration, packet pick-up, boxed lunch distribution,
and banquet ticket exchange will all be in the Grand Foyer.

 

If you put your back to the Coastal Highway set of doors, you will face
Tideline A and Tideline B, which together, make the Grand Ballroom. Tideline
A is on the left, and Tideline B is on the right closer to the entrance to
the covered driveway.  Our general sessions will be held on Saturday and
Sunday in Tideline A.  Tideline A will also house the board meeting,
resolutions, and several seminars.  Tideline B will host  Pizza and a Play
and Crab Idol, but there may be times when, as space is needed, we open up
the rooms to make one large room which is the Grand Ballroom.   If you face
the Grand Ballroom, you will find a set of stairs to the Terrace Level on
your far left and an elevator on your far right on the wall where the
Coastal Highway doors are located.

 

An accessible guide dog relief area is available just outside the Conference
Center entrance on the Coastal Highway side of the Main Level.  There, you
will find some sandy areas and trash cans.  Please don't forget to bring
your own baggies and dispose of them in the trash cans.

 

Many of our seminars and workshops, childcare, the exhibit hall, and the
banquet will be on the Terrace Level of the Conference Center.  You can get
to this level either through the elevator and staircase in the Conference
Center, or through the hallway from the Tower Building.

 

When exiting the elevator vestibule, Ashore Things will be directly ahead of
you with steps to the first floor to the right.  Turning right out of the
elevator vestibule will take you toward the conference center.  After
turning right, Seaside 5 conference room will be directly in front.  Seaside
6 is to the left and Seaside 4 is to the right. Turning right at Seaside 5
will lead down a hallway to the entrance of the conference center.  There is
a change in flooring from tile to carpet when entering the conference center
just after a set of double doors.  After going through the double doors,
turning to the left will take you down a hallway toward the ballroom.
(There is a small hallway slightly to the right that is for staff that leads
to the kitchen.)  Going down the hallway towards the ballroom, there are
restrooms on the right hand side (women's room on the left when facing it
and men's room on the right), followed by a hallway that leads to entrances
to Seasides 1, 2, and 3 as well as Atlantic ballroom 2A and 2B.  When
turning right down the hallway Seaside 3 entrance will be on the right and
Atlantic 2B entrance is on the left.  Following down the hallway, Seaside 2
will be on the right.  Continuing, there is an entrance to Seaside 1 on the
right and there are 2 entrances to Atlantic 2A on the left.

 

Passing the hallway for the Seaside conference rooms will take you to the
Terrace lobby.  When entering the lobby, the entrance to Atlantic 2B and
Atlantic 1 are on the right.  There are stair if you continue to go
straight, slightly to the left.  The elevators are on the left side.  There
is a window and seating in front of the elevators.  The elevators in the
conference center go to the 1st floor of the conference center and can also
go to the 3rd floor, but there is only access to hotel rooms on this floor.

 

Resuming our walk from the Tower Building, the hallway that passes the Tap
Room opens up into a large, tiled seating area called the Shore Deck.  This
is an inside beach-style seating area, which once housed an indoor pool that
has now been filled in.  With your back to the hallway you came down, to
your far left is a set of doors that lead you to an outside deck.  This deck
has outdoor seating and a staircase down to the beach.

 

A guide dog relief area is available just at the bottom of these outside
stairs on the beach.  There, you will find trash cans.  Please don't forget
to bring your own baggies and dispose of them in the trash cans.  Those
needing an accessible relief area should choose the other guide dog relief
area.

 

Standing on the Shore Deck, directly in front of you, are a set of Cabana
sleeping rooms.  Some of these rooms will also be used for teen and tween
activities.  To the far right of the Cabana rooms is a hallway that takes
you to the meeting room hallways.  There is furniture and a waist-high wall
directly in front of the Cabana rooms.  Access is available by entering from
either the far left or far right of the room, going around the wall.

 

It is noteworthy that the Tap Room has a second entrance directly from the
Shore Deck, and individuals can purchase food and beverages from the bar and
enjoy them on the Shore Deck while enjoying sweeping views of the Atlantic
Ocean in the comfort of an inside venue.

 

If you move across the Dune Deck to the hallway that leads to the conference
rooms, you will find yourself on a carpeted area that is a space that can be
broken into four parts.  If you stand at the apex of these four sections,
the top left section contains the Atlantic Ballrooms.  The top right section
contains Seaside Conference Rooms 1 through 3.  The bottom left section
contains the Terrace Lobby, stairs, and elevators.  The bottom right section
contains Seaside Conference Rooms 4 through 6.

 

Starting at the bottom left section, you will find yourself in a large open
area called the Terrace Lobby.  The Terrace Lobby is where we will hold our
pre-banquet reception.  The staircase is on the far left, and the elevator
is on the right.

 

The top left section of the Terrace Level consists of three conference rooms
that, together, make up the Atlantic Ballroom.  We will hold our banquet in
the Atlantic Ballroom.  The three conference rooms that comprise the
Atlantic Ballroom include Atlantic 1, which is on the far left and has
windows; Atlantic 2B, which is to the right of Atlantic 1 and closer to the
Terrace Lobby than Atlantic 2A; and Atlantic 2A, which is behind Atlantic
2B.  Atlantic 2A and 2B share a hallway with Seaside 1 through 3.  Atlantic
2B has two entrances - one on the same hallway as Seaside 1 through 3 and
the other on the same side as Atlantic 1.  We will use Atlantic 1, 2A, and
2B for various seminars and some of our Saturday luncheons.  Atlantic 1 is
also the home of the exhibit hall.

 

Returning to the apex of the Conference Center on the Terrace Level, the top
right section consists of Seaside Conference Rooms 1, 2, and 3.  Seaside 3
is closest to the apex and directly across from one of the entrances to
Atlantic 2B.  Seaside 2 is just past Seaside 3, and Seaside 1 is the
furthest from the apex.  Seaside 1 and 2 are directly across the hallway
from Atlantic 2A.  Directly next to Seaside 3 but before the apex, you will
find a cloak room and then restrooms.

 

On the bottom right section of the apex, you will find Seaside 4, which will
be used for luggage storage on Sunday, next is Seaside 5, and at the end of
the hallway furthest from the apex, Seaside 6, which is where childcare will
be held.

 

 

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

443-426-4110

Pronouns: she, her, hers

 

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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