<html>
  <head>
    <meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
      http-equiv="Content-Type">
  </head>
  <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
    Randy,'<br>
    Your point is well said. However, when operating on a dead-line, I
    don't always think as clearly as I could have written things.<br>
    Janice<br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 11/11/2013 9:21 PM, Randy Pope
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:008201cedf4d$ebd9d300$c38d7900$@aadb.org"
      type="cite">
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
        charset=ISO-8859-1">
      <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered
        medium)">
      <style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
        {font-family:Calibri;
        panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Tahoma;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 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:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
        color:black;}
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;}
span.EmailStyle17
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
        color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
        {size:8.5in 11.0in;
        margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}
--></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]-->
      <div class="WordSection1">
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Thank
            Janice for posting the SSP resolution, Janice<o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Not meaning to be critical but facilitators
          is not really the word I would use in describing the roles of
          the SSPs.  To facilitate in this content implied that the SSPs
          has some control in conveying the communication, vision and
          guiding information.  Instead I would use assistance or to
          assist which mean that the DB person has full control of the
          information.  I think this kind of thinking would aligned with
          the NFB thinking <span style="color:#1F497D">of being
            self-independent.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">See the difference?<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal">Randy<o:p></o:p></p>
        <div>
          <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
            1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
            <p class="MsoNormal"
              style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext">
                nfb-db [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:nfb-db-bounces@nfbnet.org">mailto:nfb-db-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>] <b>On Behalf
                  Of </b>Janice Toothman<br>
                <b>Sent:</b> Monday, November 11, 2013 6:54 PM<br>
                <b>To:</b> NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List; Burnell
                Brown; Arlene Naulty; Joe Naulty;
                <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:janice.toothman@verizon.net">janice.toothman@verizon.net</a>; Matthew Pettit; Marcus
                Simmons; Tracie Inman; Cathy Miller<br>
                <b>Subject:</b> [nfb-db] NFBMD 2013-04 SSP resolution<o:p></o:p></span></p>
          </div>
        </div>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">   Hi
          Everyone,<br>
          I will paste the Maryland State SSP Resolution for 2013 as
          Passed Below:<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Regarding
          the creation of a statewide Support Service Providers Program
          for deaf-blind people<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          Deaf-blind people rely on Support Service Providers (SSPs) to
          facilitate communications, and to provide environmental and
          situational information so that they can participate in all
          aspects of community life, thereby reducing reliance on family
          members and friends for these tasks; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          the SSPs are not responsible for providing personal care or
          serving as interpreters as required by law at legal and
          medical appointments, i.e., SSPs must serve only as
          facilitators, not decision makers; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          Maryland currently has a few regional programs that supply
          SSPs to deaf-blind residents who live in certain designated
          localities, leaving many deaf-blind individuals with no
          assistance; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          these regional programs vary in the quality and extent of
          services available; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          the purpose of the Maryland Department of Disabilities is to
          coordinate services and to <span lang="EN">advance the rights
            and interests of people with disabilities so they may fully
            participate in their communities; and</span><o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
            lang="EN">WHEREAS, the Maryland Department of Disabilities
            is the right agency in Maryland state government to create a
            statewide </span>Support Service Providers Program; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">WHEREAS,
          service programs are most successful when the consumers who
          use the service play an integral part in the planning and
          development of the program: NOW, THEREFORE,<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">BE
          IT RESOLVED, by the National Federation of the Blind of
          Maryland, in Convention assembled this tenth day of November,
          2013, in the city of Ocean City, Maryland, that this
          organization strongly urge the Maryland State Department of
          Disabilities to create a plan with input from stakeholders
          that leads to the enactment of a statewide Support Service
          Providers Program so that all deaf-blind Maryland citizens may
          fully participate in all aspects of community life; and<o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">BE
          IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly encourage
          the Maryland Department of Disabilities to immediately begin
          planning for this program so that it can be included in the
          Governor’s 2016 budget.  <o:p></o:p></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"
          style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">Sincerely,<br>
          Janice<br>
          Secretary<br>
          Deaf-Blind Division/NFB <o:p></o:p></p>
      </div>
      <br>
      <fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
      <br>
      <pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
nfb-db mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:nfb-db@nfbnet.org">nfb-db@nfbnet.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org</a>
</pre>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
  </body>
</html>