<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:183515238;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:609486718 1626662160 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-start-at:0;
mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:831868900;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:277781622 -213493522 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-start-at:0;
mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Minute Messages from the Movement <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Melissa Riccobono, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="mailto:President@nfbmd.org">President@nfbmd.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Phone number 410-235-3073<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>www.nfbmd.org<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Follow us on Twitter @NFBMD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Like us on Facebook<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Note from the President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>There are so many wonderful things going on in the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, and I want everyone to remain informed! Therefore, I am going to do my very best to put out a weekly email with “Minute Messages From the Movement.” I hope everyone will find these messages helpful, and that chapter and division presidents, and other NFBMD members, will take the time to submit information to be included in these emails. Again, this is about connection with one another, and information sharing. So, let’s get started!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Messages<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yesterday, six members of the NFB of Maryland testified in front of the House Ways and Means Committee regarding HB 1242. This bill, if passed, will provide a line item in the Maryland budget for the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. In addition to those testifying, other members of the NFBMD came out to sit in the audience and show their support for this important legislation. The Maryland Library for the Blind is a crucial resource. We are working very hard in Annapolis to make sure it will have a predictable funding source for years to come.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This Saturday, March 8, I will be traveling to Salisbury to visit the Delmarva Chapter of the NFBMD. There will be elections, and I am looking forward to spending time with my Federation family on the Eastern Shore. The Delmarva Chapter is selling Easter flowers this spring. For more information about this fundraiser, please contact Danielle Earl at <a href="mailto:dearl@bism.org">dearl@bism.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I will be please to share election results in next week’s email, so stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>News from BISM<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am pleased to announce that Sarah Baebler and Melissa Lomax have been hired by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland to direct youth services. Sarah comes to us from Wisconsin (horray, a fellow Badger!), and she worked in the BISM Independence 2013 Program. Many of us know Melissa Lomax, who has served as MDABS president and on the NFBMD board of directors for the past few years. I know Sarah and Melissa are hard at work planning summer programs and other events for blind youth. Stay tuned for more details as they become available!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Braille Monitor on iTunes?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yes, it’s true! The Braille Monitor is now available as a podcast on iTunes! OK, so I’ve been told it’s been available for a while now, but it was news to me. I figured if I didn’t know about it, there very well may be others who were unaware as well. So I thought I’d spread the word. Of course you can read the Monitor on NFB Newsline, have it emailed to you, receive it in Braille, in print, or on a thumb drive… I just love having so many options! I appreciate being able to subscribe to the Monitor as a podcast because I can listen to a human voice read it, I can listen on my phone or iPod where ever I am, and the latest issue just magically appears in my podcasts as soon as it is available.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And, speaking of podcasts, the Presidential Release is also now available as a podcast. This can be a great way to play the release at chapter meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In nex week’s email…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>News about the Imagination Fund and how you can become an Imaginator this year!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mobile phones that help the NFB<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Election results from the Delmarva Chapter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A link to the audio of the presidential report from our 2013 state convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Details about an opportunity for blind elementary school students to participate in chemistry experiments<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Spring Raffle Update… Don’t forget to buy your tickets!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Dates to Remember<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]>March 14, 2014: <a href="http://www.nfbmd.org/events/basket_bingo2014.html">Basket Bingo</a><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>March 15|: MDPOBC bake auction, in conjunction with Greater Baltimore Chapter Meeting. Breakfast served at 9 AM; meeting begins at 10.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>April 23: Elementary School Chemestry Experiment Day, 200 East Wells St., from 1-4 PM<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>April 24-25, 2014: <a href="https://nfb.org/law-symposium">2014 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, "Disability Rights in the 21st Century: Creative Solutions for Achieving the Right to Live in the World</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>May 10: Be OK With Blindness for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children. Sponsored by MDPOBC and BISM. NFB Jernigan Institute.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>June 8, 2014: TENTATIVE--NFB 6 Dot Dash—A 6K Race to Advance Braille Literacy (Baltimore, Maryland)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:.25in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]>July 1-6, 2014: <a href="http://www.nfb.org/national-convention">NFB National Convention (Orlando, Florida)</a><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:.25in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>July 28-August 8: NFB BELL Programs in Baltimore and Glendale! Applications will be available soon!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:.25in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>August 1, 2014: 7:00 PM NFBMD Crab Feast (Baltimore, Maryland)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]>September 9: <a href="http://nfb.org/web-accessibility-day">Web Accessibility Day at NFB Jernigan Institute</a><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span class=MsoHyperlink><span style='font-family:Symbol;text-decoration:none'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]>October 15-17: <a href="http://www.NFB.org/training-the-trainers">NFB Technology Train the Trainers</a><span class=MsoHyperlink><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>November 14-16, 2014: NFB of Maryland Annual Convention (Towson, Maryland)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_GoBack"></a><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please consider <a href="http://www.nfbmd.org/donate.html">making a donation</a> today to help us build a future full of opportunities. You can also <a href="http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org">donate your vehicle</a> or support us by <a href="http://www.nfbpickup.org">giving your old household goods to our GreenDrop program</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To submit items for possible inclusion in this weekly email, please send suggestions to <a href="mailto:President@nfbmd.org">President@nfbmd.org</a> Be sure to include any related URLs that might provide further information.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>