[Nfb-editors] Maryland "The Braille Spectator" Spring 2011 is here!
Robert Leslie Newman
newmanrl at cox.net
Thu Jul 28 13:26:32 UTC 2011
The Braille Spectator
The Newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
Spring 2010
>From the Editor
You will read the presidential report given by Melissa Riccobono at our
State Convention, learn about our legislative activities in Annapolis,
discover the varied and interesting activities in which our affiliate is
involved, and rejoice with several Federationists who have received awards
for jobs well done.
Beginning with this issue, the Spectator will no longer be recorded and
distributed on cassette tape. In addition to print, the newsletter will be
posted on our website, www.nfbmd.org. We are exploring the possibility of
creating a downloadable audio edition. We hope you enjoy reading this issue
of the Spectator!
Presidential Report 2009
>From the Editor: Every year at our State Convention, the President of our
affiliate gives a speech summarizing the year's activities. Our members
look forward to this part of the convention because we can see how far we
have come, understand better the ongoing work that still needs to be done,
but most important, to bond us together in a unified purpose to "change what
it means to be blind." Here is Melissa Riccobono's first presidential
report, and I am sure you will agree it is a good one.
Past Progress, Present Planning,
Future Promise: The State of the
Maryland Affiliate
Dynamic: adjective. (of a process or system) characterized by
constant change, activity, or progress: e.g. a dynamic economy. (of a
person) positive in attitude and full of energy and new ideas. (of a thing)
stimulating development or progress: e.g. the dynamic forces of nature.
The NFB of Maryland is truly a dynamic affiliate, made up of dynamic people.
We are constantly moving forward and making progress, and we do so only
because we are made up of members with energy, new ideas, and positive
attitudes. The progress we have made during the past year should be
celebrated. We have passed key legislation, welcomed a new chapter, worked
to improve education for blind children, and strengthened our presence on
the internet. But, while we are celebrating our past progress we are
constantly planning to make things better in the present, and looking
forward to the promise of even better, more dynamic things to come in the
future.
In January, as usual, the NFB of Maryland brought over 50 members
to Annapolis in order to advocate for and educate state legislators about
our legislative priorities. This work continued throughout the winter and
early spring as we made phone calls, wrote letters, and attended hearings
regarding our three bills.
Our efforts were first rewarded on May 7, when Governor O'Malley signed HB
367 and SB 370 into law. These bills extended the Maryland Quiet Vehicles
and Pedestrian Safety Task Force until December 31 of 2010. This task force
is charged with finding and recommending a solution to the problem of quiet
cars, so quiet cars in the Maryland state fleet can be fitted with a device
which will emit a sound so blind and sighted pedestrians and bicyclists will
know the car is coming.
Federationists Michael Gosse and Marco Carranza are members of this task
force. At present the task force has become aware of a study completed by
the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, which states pedestrians
are twice as likely to be hit by a quiet car when that car is turning in
front of them, than they are to be hit by a car with a normal combustion
engine. Surprisingly, the study found no difference in likelihood of being
hit by a car traveling in a straight line. But, the findings of the study
have served to make everyone agree that quiet cars are truly a danger for
all pedestrians, including the blind, and that something needs to be done to
solve this problem.
To this end, the task force has contacted and met with some
vendors interested in marketing or designing some type of sound solution.
One of the proposed solutions was immediately considered unacceptable. It
involved having a blind person carry around a key fob and pressing the
button every time he or she wanted to know if a quiet car was in the area.
If a car was in the area, the car would emit a loud screeching sound.
Luckily, there are other solutions which seem much more palatable. By this
time next year the task force will have sorted through all of the available
options, made recommendations, and, with any luck, we will be well on our
way to outfitting state purchased hybrid vehicles so they can be heard by
all Maryland pedestrians and bicyclists.
May 19 was an extremely important day for all blind and physically disabled
Maryland parents. This was due to the signing of HB 689 and SB 613--bills
which protect the rights of blind and physically disabled parents in
custody, adoption, and Child In Need of Assistance (CINA) cases. Too often
blind parents in Maryland have been prevented from adopting a child, had to
fight against stereotypes and false allegations in order to maintain custody
of their children in divorce cases, or been denied the chance to care for a
niece, nephew, or grandchild on a permanent basis solely because of
blindness. Due to the work of our legislative chair, Sharon Maneki, brave
parents and caregivers such as Mike Bullis, Marsha Lindsey, and Ilene
Rivera-Ley who shared their stories, and the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland, it is now illegal to deny custody based solely on a
parent's disability, including blindness. I am sure this new law is helping
blind and disabled parents in Maryland every day, and it will continue to
protect them far into the future. This is one victory of which we should be
extremely proud.
During this year the NFB of Maryland has done a great deal in order to
improve communication among our members, and with people in need of
information about our organization. We updated our website, and with the
help of our webmaster, Steve Brand, our website continues to reflect the
most current information about our organization.
We also now have an email list for the NFB of Maryland, which can be used to
share information and ask and answer questions. In addition, the NFB of
Maryland is on Twitter as well. This is yet another way to update members
about what is happening in our dynamic affiliate.
In the summer of 2009, for the first time in two years, the NFB of Maryland
published an issue of our newsletter, The Braille Spectator. Unfortunately
our former newsletter editor, Renee West, was unable to continue in this
position due to a change in life circumstances. However, our state
secretary, Judy Rasmussen, stepped up to the plate and did a wonderful job
editing her first Spectator issue. Not only is the Spectator an important
tool for keeping members informed of affiliate news and activities, it is
crucial for outreach efforts. We plan to publish another issue of the
Spectator early next year.
With the help and expertise of Tony Olivero, the NFB of Maryland is
streaming our state convention for the first time on the World Wide Web.
This is a pilot project, and we will certainly explore continuing this in
future years. Tony is also working to come up with a better membership
database and online convention registration system. These are exciting
future projects which will surely make record keeping and convention
registration much easier and more streamlined.
If you have any ideas for Spectator articles, ways we can improve our
website, or suggestions for other communication strategies, please do not
hesitate to come to me or another board member. This will ensure we
continue to communicate effectively well into the future.
This year, the NFB of Maryland made progress in membership building by
welcoming the Upper Chesapeake Chapter into our Federation family. The
chapter began in April, but many of us were finally able to meet and talk
with Upper Chesapeake Chapter members at Maryland Day, which was held at the
NFB headquarters in August. Maryland Day provided a time for us to come
together, tour our National Center, and participate in various workshops.
But, this day was made much more special because we were able to present the
Upper Chesapeake Chapter with a charter of affiliation during a lunchtime
ceremony.
The Upper Chesapeake Chapter has certainly been busy over the past few
months. Its members have participated in various community outreach events,
and they are looking at ways to carry the message of the NFB to eye care
professionals in Harford and Cecil Counties. Certainly they are coming up
against problems common to many chapters--most of all, a desire for more
active members, and a vehicle for raising the funds needed to do the work of
the Federation. I have no doubt however, that under the capable leadership
of Dan Cook, and with the help of all of us, the Upper Chesapeake Chapter
will continue to grow, and will add new ideas, energy, and depth to our
affiliate. Let us all think of ways we can help this new chapter, and all
of our other chapters expand in the upcoming year.
As I mentioned this morning, this year has been a trying one for the
Maryland State Library for the Blind. Our library, located in Baltimore,
provides a multitude of services for blind residents in Baltimore and across
the state of Maryland. The library mails out hundreds of audio and Braille
books a day, of course, but it also provides an accessible computer lab,
computer training, a technology user group which meets monthly, a digital
recording studio in which books about Maryland's history or by Maryland
authors are recorded and added to the collection, and a fantastic, brand new
children's area, complete with toys, print Braille books, and even a Braille
learning wall. (Incidentally, this children's room is one of my son's and
my favorite destinations. As a blind parent, I can't think of a nicer place
to go--a place where Austin can play and discover, and, more importantly, a
place where I can read him any book which strikes his interest.) I know I am
not alone in the appreciation I have for the library and all it offers.
Unfortunately, the State Department of Education does not share this
opinion, or simply does not understand all that the library for the blind
has to offer. Earlier this year, the State Department of Education
threatened to remove the library from its current location, and house it
somewhere with far less space. If this were to happen, the Library for the
Blind would become, as it is in many states, simply a warehouse where books
can be mailed out and returned.
Although we have avoided this threat for the time being, we will continue to
monitor this situation closely. Rest assured that the National Federation
of the Blind of Maryland will do whatever it takes to keep our library open
in its current location now, and for many years to come!
Not only was the library's physical location threatened this year, but its
budget was significantly cut as well. We are fortunate that the Maryland
Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) has stepped in and offered
funding to the library, in order to combat these budget cuts. This funding
allows the library to remain a separate entity, instead of being absorbed by
DORS or some other state agency. The National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland is very appreciative that DORS recognizes the value of the library
and has allowed it to remain separate.
In order to receive the needed funding, DORS and the library will
collaborate to provide DORS clients with resume writing skills and other Job
Readiness training. These skills are certainly needed, and it is desirable
to have collaboration among state agencies. However, we are certainly
concerned that while library staff is providing these services to DORS
clients, they are away from the library itself, and therefore unable to
provide services to library patrons. We understand these are tough times
for everyone, but we also know that any type of partnership should not
diminish the services of either program. Therefore, we will be watching
this situation intently, and will do whatever it takes to ensure our library
services remain strong.
The National Federation of the Blind believes deeply in the equal education
of blind youth. For years we have been aware of and concerned about
persistent problems with the education of the blind in Maryland, especially
in Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). The Baltimore City Public Schools
have 133 identified blind students. Of these, 53 are identified as having
blindness as their primary disability. However, only 11 blind students in
the Baltimore City Schools are learning to read and write Braille, and
receiving cane travel instruction. This is outrageous and absolutely
unacceptable. Because of these, and other problems, blind students are
graduating unable to read and write, unable to walk independently at night
or in unfamiliar areas, and often unable to attend college or find
meaningful employment.
In response to these problems, the NFB of Maryland filed an
education complaint against BCPS at the end of July. This action has opened
some dialog between the NFB of Maryland and BCPS. Various NFB of Maryland
leaders have met with school personnel, laid out our concerns, and listened
to their side of the story. Unfortunately, this issue is not one which can
be easily fixed legally. It comes down to the fact that, technically, the
city schools are following the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process
and the IEP for each individual student. The problem is that the students
are not being properly assessed to determine which services should be on
their IEPs, so the IEPs which are written do not reflect the actual needs of
the students. Will this stop the NFB of Maryland? Absolutely not! If we
cannot approach this issue in a legal way, then rest assured we will
approach it in any other way we can until we get the results we want to see.
Blind students in Baltimore City are worth educating. They deserve nothing
more,or less, than an education equal to their sighted peers, and the
opportunities such an education opens. We will not stand idly by while
blind students in Baltimore are being so dramatically underserved, and we
will continue to work until the students in Baltimore City, and all over
Maryland receive the best education possible.
Speaking of education, the NFB of Maryland once again held the Braille
Enrichment Literacy and Non-visual Learning program (BELL) for blind
students in grades pre-K through 5. We initiated this program last year,
and it was so successful that it became a pilot program for the NFB Jernigan
Institute. In addition to the nine students the BELL Core Team served in
Maryland, BELL was also brought to a handful of students in Georgia for the
first time. We are hoping to provide this program in Maryland again in
2010, and plans are already underway for BELL to be offered in other states
around the country. This is a perfect example of how a dynamic idea from
our affiliate is shaping a dynamic program for blind children nationwide.
The most recent affiliate accomplishment occurred on October 1. On this day
approximately 250 blind and low vision seniors came to the Members Hall of
the NFB Jernigan Institute to take part in the first ever Possibilities Fair
for Seniors Losing Vision sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind
of Maryland. This fair is certainly not new; the NFB Jernigan Institute has
been bringing this fair to Maryland seniors for several years. But this
year, the Institute said, "If you'd like this event to take place, then the
affiliate needs to take it over." This certainly was a daunting task, but
with the help of Mike Bullis, Aloma Bouma, Ruth Sager, and many other NFB of
Maryland members we were able to put together an event which truly informed
seniors and gave them hope. I would be remiss if I did not mention the
crucial financial sponsorship we received from the Maryland Division of
Rehabilitation Services, AARP of Maryland, Blind Industries and Services of
Maryland, and the Maryland Technology Assistance Program. DORS in
particular provided us with an extremely generous donation, which allowed
this fair to continue when we were in danger of canceling it altogether.
The day of the fair went very smoothly, aside from a slight fiasco with
goody bags--thanks to those who leapt into action and stuffed those goody
bags at the last minute in order to calm all of those rampaging seniors! If
we do this event next year, which we will certainly consider, we will make
sure to have enough goody bags to go around. Also, we are currently working
on contacting the seniors who attended this year's fair in order to be of
further assistance, help mentor them, and help them understand the benefits
of becoming NFB of Maryland members. We hope these efforts will help keep
the message of the Possibilities Fair alive all year long.
The preceding is a snapshot of the activities of the Maryland Affiliate over
the past year. Certainly there are things I did not mention here, but there
is no way to capture all we have taken on and accomplished. It is easy to
see our past progress in this report, and I have certainly touched on
present plans. What does the near future for this affiliate hold? Well,
first of all we will be beginning work on an exciting new Braille initiative
immediately after this convention ends. The NFB of Maryland has received an
Imagination Fund grant in order to start a monthly Braille Club for blind
students pre-K through grade 8 in Montgomery and Harford Counties, and
Baltimore City. This will be an exciting opportunity to help blind students
increase Braille skills, expose them to positive blind role models, help
them understand the benefits of the Federation, and to pass the message and
benefits of the Federation on to these students' parents. If you would like
to help with this effort, please let me know as soon as possible; I would
love to have you on board!
Of course, it goes without saying that we will continue to work together in
order to build stronger chapters and divisions. I believe the Upper
Chesapeake Chapter and the Student Division especially deserve attention in
the upcoming year, but this does not mean our other chapters and divisions
will be ignored. The NFB of Maryland will work on new ways to fund our
movement; any and all ideas in this department are welcome! We will also
continue to work toward obtaining an equal education for all blind students
in Maryland, especially those in Baltimore City. We will work to craft new
legislation to help blind Maryland residents, and are especially excited
about pursuing legal standards for Braille education. We will not neglect
our library or other state services, and we will continue to serve as
advocates, teachers, mentors, and brothers and sisters in the Federation
Family.
The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland is truly a dynamic
affiliate, full of past progress, present plans, and much promise for the
future. Please commit at this moment to help us throughout the upcoming
year. We need everyone to work together so we can fulfill all that we
desire and more.
I look forward to presenting another presidential report at convention next
year, more full of progress, plans, and promise than this one. Please mark
your calendars. Next year's convention will take place October 22-24, at
the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland! This new convention location is
indeed exciting, and provides us with many new opportunities for member
recruitment and outreach. I must give thanks for the work of Ronza Othman,
the NFB of Maryland Board of Directors, and Sharon Maneki for helping to
make this new convention location possible.
Thank you all for your support during the first year of my presidency. We
have done many great things. Please join me in shaping the bright and
promising future of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.
Day In Annapolis
>From the Editor: Every January, Federationists from around the state look
forward to visiting their delegates and senators to advocate for issues
affecting blind people. Going to Annapolis is a great way to increase
advocacy skills and to continue educating our state representatives about
issues affecting us. Sharon Maneki has served as our Legislative Chair for
over 20 years. Because of the effective groundwork we have laid, many of our
representatives expect us and look forward to our annual meetings.
Students and Parents Speak Out for Braille Standards
By Sharon Maneki
One of the main issues for the 2010 session of the Maryland General Assembly
was legislation requiring the Maryland State Department of Education to
establish Braille standards by September 1, 2012 for blind students to meet
as they progress from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The bill also
calls for a review of certification and re-certification requirements to
make sure that vision teachers have the knowledge to instruct their students
according to the new standards. This review must take place by September
2013.
Sighted students must meet standards for each subject in the
curriculum. Blind students receive an inferior education because there are
no standards for Braille reading and writing in Maryland. Delegate Sheila
Hixson, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced HB 413.
Senator Joan Carter Conway, Chairman of the Education, Health and
Environmental Affairs Committee, introduced SB 230. Thanks to our efforts,
each bill had a long list of co-sponsors. The passage of this legislation
will be a major step forward to make sure that blind students graduate from
high school with literacy skills. Denzel Fergus, President of the Maryland
Association of Blind Students, gave compelling testimony about why this
legislation was needed. His testimony and some of the excellent testimony
offered by parents of blind children at the hearings follow.
Subject: Support for HB413, a bill concerning the establishment of
Braille standards for blind and visually impaired students.
To: House Ways and Means Committee
From: Denzel Ferges
2806 E. Fairmont Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21224
Date: February 17, 2010
I am asking you to support HB413 because my education was inadequate. I
cannot read print quickly or for a long period of time because of my limited
vision. I cannot distinguish the words on a page of a book unless the print
is very large - 72 font size. I cannot read Braille because I did not have
enough instruction when I was in school. I graduated from Mergenthaler
Vocational-Technical Senior High School in June 2009. I have had poor
vision since I was in the fourth grade. I received services from the vision
program throughout my years in the Baltimore City Public School system. I
asked to learn Braille when I was in the seventh grade. I was introduced to
the Braille alphabet and had Braille instruction for a semester. If there
were standards for Braille reading and writing that blind students had to
meet, I would be able to read today.
Subject: Support for SB230, A bill concerning the establishment of
Braille standards for blind and visually impaired students.
To: Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee
From: Bernadette Jacobs
1501 Langford Rd.
Gwynn Oak, MD 21207
Date: February 10, 2010
Please vote in favor of SB230 so that blind children can receive enough
instruction in Braille reading and writing so that they can achieve
literacy.
My blind daughter, Virginia, is six years old. Last year, my daughter
attended kindergarten at Edmondson Heights Elementary School in Baltimore
County. When she began the school year, the vision teacher wanted to
provide only one hour of instruction per week in Braille reading and
writing. I was able to argue for Virginia to receive three hours per week.
My daughter did not make the progress that she should have made in Braille
reading and writing because there were no standards about how much Braille a
kindergarten student should know by the end of the year.
If my daughter was a print reader, she would have been expected to be able
to read the entire alphabet as well as sentences with simple words. She
would have received more instruction in reading and writing than three hours
per week. Blind students need achievement goals just as their sighted
peers.
SB230 requires the Maryland State Department of Education to establish
standards for Braille reading, writing, and computation by September 2012.
This legislation will help me and other parents argue for more instruction
time in the IEP process. A vote in favor of this bill will improve the
quality of education for my daughter and all of the blind students in
Maryland.
Subject: Support for HB413, A bill concerning the establishment of
Braille standards for blind and visually impaired students.
To: House Ways and Means Committee
From: Jack Wibbe
20 Ridgeview Drive
Westminster, MD 21157
Date: February 17, 2010
Mister Chairman, my name is Jack Wibbe. My daughter Joli is in the third
grade at Friendship Valley Elementary in Carroll County.
Joli's IQ is off the charts, above the 90th percentile; she
multiplies large numbers in her head, she is already mastering the art of
parliamentary debate, at the age of eight.
She is loaded with potential: she could pursue any career, achieve any goal
- she could be a delegate right here some day. But there's a fair chance
that that won't happen, because she's legally blind.
Only one-third of visually impaired adults are employed. Even the ones who
are employed, are often under-employed. Wasted potential.
When these people don't work, they don't pay taxes to Annapolis - Annapolis
spends money on them.
A simple tool to help fix this problem is establishing standards for Braille
instruction, to go beyond teaching the alphabet, because you need more than
that to read Braille.
The effort needed to draft and execute these standards would be negligible,
particularly when you compare that to the prospect of thousands of
visually-impaired Marylanders potentially overcoming the odds and becoming
wage earners and taxpayers, sending you money every April for police, fire,
schools, roads, snow removal.
A number of studies have proven what was already long suspected - here's a
quote from one: "Those who learned to read using Braille had higher
employment rates and educational levels, were more financially
self-sufficient, and spent more time reading than did those who learned to
read using print."
Braille standards would help us parents too - Joli already reads standard
print and is just beginning to learn Braille, but my wife, Lauren, and I
can't read Braille so we can't measure her progress.
Let's figure out how to make Joli into the kind of citizen you want
most, a taxpayer.
Allow us to ask not what her state can do for her -- ask what she can do for
her state.
I don't want Joli to be babied and mollycoddled by the government all her
life; I want her unleashed in all her potential.
For all these reasons, Lauren and I are asking for your support for HB413.
Let's give Joli the tools to be all she can be - it's an effort that will
pay off a thousand-fold.
Subject: Support for SB230, a bill concerning the establishment of
Braille standards for blind and visually impaired students.
To: Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee
From: Jill Richmond
2826 Ivory Lane
Port Republic, MD 20676
Date: February 10, 2010
Please support Braille Standards SB 230. My son, Aaron, who happens to be
blind, is a 12th grade student currently attending Calvert High School in
Prince Frederick, Maryland. As Aaron was going through school, it would have
been very helpful for me, as well as Aaron's classroom teachers, to have had
guidelines to know if Aaron was learning all he needed to learn at an
age-appropriate, grade-appropriate level. Just as the school monitors the
standards and core curriculum in English, science, mathematics, etc., there
should be standards for teaching children Braille.
Having Braille standards would have helped me tremendously in my efforts to
advocate for my son and he would have received a better education.For
example, I tried for five years to get the school system to teach my son the
Nemeth Code, (the Braille code for mathematics).Due to his lack of vision,
he was unable to learn mathematics in print, yet the school was not
providing Nemeth Code instruction and the teachers all believed he was just
a very poor student and unable to learn math.If there had been Braille
standards already established, my son would not have had to endure these
struggles, which affected him greatly.Also, I would have been able to better
advocate for what he needed to learn and the school system would have had
guidelines established to show them what instruction blind students need.
When Aaron was finally taught Nemeth code, he caught on to math quickly and
his grades and self-esteem improved dramatically.
The Department of Education should establish standards by 2012. The Board of
Education should look at the certification and re-certification requirements
for vision teachers to see if the requirements need to be revised so that
these teachers can teach their blind students, according to the new Braille
standards.
I urge you to vote in favor of SB 230. Thank you.
Possibilities Fair
For the past several years, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute has sponsored a Possibilities Fair for visually impaired seniors
throughout Maryland. On October 1, with support from the staff of the
Jernigan Institute, the first Possibilities Fair organized by the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland was held. This fair was very
successful. The purpose of the Fair is to expose seniors to the resources
available to them, teach simple non-visual techniques for such tasks as
pouring, cutting, traveling with a cane, and to meet others experiencing
vision loss.
Over 250 seniors from around the state as well as neighboring states
attended the Fair. Seniors had the opportunity to learn more about the
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, (LBPH), transportation
options, programs designed to teach independent living skills, and examine a
wide variety of low and high tech items. It is sometimes a little
intimidating to walk into a huge room where voices are coming at you from
all directions. It seems so much easier to sit at a table and wait for
someone to come to you. The beauty of the Possibilities Fair is that the
majority of the volunteers who ran the event are blind and know what it
feels like to be in an unfamiliar place and not know what to expect. Our
Federation members escorted seniors around the room and made sure everyone
received the information they needed. It was a great time of interaction
and much knowledge was gained by seniors, service providers, and our own
members. Giving seniors confidence to try new things, realize that life
need not stop because of vision loss, and encourage people to support each
other are all reasons why having the Fair is so important, and why we plan
to continue having such events in the future. Plans are now under way for
the next Fair which is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2011.
The Fair would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors. A
big thanks go to: The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) of
Maryland, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, the Division of
Rehabilitation Services, the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, the Maryland Technology Assistance Program, the Partnership
Board, and many other individuals.
New Chapter - National Harbor
Having Federation chapters in easy access of all Marylanders who are blind
has always been one of our goals. In November, 2009, Michelle Clark began
contacting people to determine if there was enough interest to form a new
Chapter in Prince George's County. Because of the overwhelming response
she received, an initial organizing meeting was held on January 23. We are
pleased to announce that on February 27, the National Harbor Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland was born with over 45 people
joining. The following officers were elected: Michelle Clark, President;
Cheryl Young, First Vice President; Raymond Raysor, Second Vice President;
Priscilla Lockhart, Secretary; and Clarence Lockhart, Treasurer. Michelle
says their main goals initially will be advocacy, membership and fund
raising. The Chapter will meet the fourth Saturday of the month at 1:00 p.m.
at: 10201 Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, second floor; Bowie, Maryland.
Two members who attended the last meeting already knew each other because
they had attended high school together. However, neither knew the other had
lost their vision. We look forward to working with this new Chapter to help
others obtain the resources they need to live as independently as possible.
For more information, contact Michelle at mcikeyc at aol.com or 301-583-8585.
Good work Michelle and others!
Going for the Gold
>From the Editor:
We are all proud of Clark Rachfal's accomplishments. Several years ago,
Clark was a recipient of a National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
scholarship. Each year, the Maryland affiliate awards at least two academic
scholarships to outstanding blind and visually impaired Maryland students.
Scholarships are provided with funds raised from various events held around
the state. As you will see from the press release below, all of our efforts
are worth it when scholarship winners achieve their goals and set high
standards for themselves in the employment arena.
Annapolis Capitol
PRESS RELEASE
Blind Annapolis Paralympic Cyclist Wins World Championship Gold Medal
ANNAPOLIS, MD, Nov 18, 2009 - Annapolis resident and Paralympic tandem
cyclist, Clark Rachfal, returned home Monday after winning his first World
Championship. Rachfal, 26 years old, and his tandem pilot, Dave Swanson of
Tucson, AZ, took the gold medal in the men's tandem 4km Pursuit at the
indoor velodrome of the Manchester cycling Center in England the night of
November 7.
Rachfal, a graduate of Towson University, deferred his fall 2009 enrollment
in the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University for a year to compete
for the U.S. at both the 2009 UCI Road and Track World Championships. Riding
together since 2007, this year marked the first time the pair competed
internationally. At the Road World Championships in September, the team took
5th in the road time trial and crashed out during the second lap of a ten
lap road race. Fairing better on the track last week, the pair took 4th in
the 1km Sprint before shaving twelve seconds off of their personal best in
the preliminary round of the pursuit, posting the fastest qualifying time on
the day (4:27.133). In the evening's gold/silver medal final, Rachfal and
Swanson dug deep and bested their earlier time by another half a second
(4:26.472).
"I knew we could do it," Rachfal said. "I just didn't expect it to happen
this year.and now the pressure is on. Now everyone is trying to knock us off
the top step and we need to take another 8.5 seconds off our time to capture
the 4km Tandem Pursuit world record."
Rachfal believes winning a World Championship is sweeter for U.S.
Paralympic athletes, because they aren't salaried. When he isn't training,
Rachfal finances his cycling by working in the public policy office of
Verizon Communications. "In addition to working in an exciting and
challenging office, I'm fortunate to receive support from private sponsors
and the Verizon Foundation."
For more information, Clark Rachfal may be reached by e-mail at
clarkrachfal at aol.com or via his mobile, 443-838-9552.
Braille Rocks
In an effort to expand the outreach efforts of each affiliate, the National
Federation of the Blind established the Imagination Fund grant program. A
portion of the money raised through our fund raising efforts at each
summer's convention is allocated for affiliates to submit specific grant
proposals which are reviewed by a committee and then distributed based on
the amount available for the request. For the past several years, Maryland
has been the recipient of these Imagination Fund grants. In the past, we
have used these grants to create and maintain our NFBMD website, and run a
two-week summer program, Braille Enrichment, Learning and Literacy (BELL)
for elementary school students who are receiving inadequate Braille
instruction in the public schools.
In 2009, the Maryland affiliate was again awarded an Imagination Fund Grant.
Expanding on the BELL theme, we felt it was important to reinforce Braille
skills not only in the summer, but throughout the school year. This year, we
are focusing on the establishment of Braille Rocks clubs. Thus far, clubs
have been established in Baltimore City and Montgomery County. The clubs
meet on a monthly basis and are designed for students from Pre-Kindergarten
through eighth grade. Each month, activities are planned around a different
theme. Dance Dance Revolution, the Winter Olympics and St. Patrick's Day
have been featured so far. Blind adults plan the activities and run the
clubs. Students have a chance to practice their Braille skills but also to
participate in relay and other competition activities they are often left
out of.
Each student and adult pick a "Braille Rock Star" name by which they are
called during club activities. One benefit for students is they have an
opportunity to interact with adult blind role models and to ask questions
they can't always ask like: do you live alone and do your own grocery
shopping? It is exciting and rewarding to watch students improve in their
reading and writing and to build on what was learned from previous club
activities.
The Braille Rocks Club in Baltimore City meets the third Saturday of the
month from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M. at the Jernigan Institute, 200 E. Wells St. at
Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD. The Montgomery County club meets the fourth
Saturday of the month from 10:00 to noon at the Davis Library, 6400
Democracy Blvd., in Bethesda. For more information about the Baltimore City
club call Melissa Riccobono at 410-235-3073; for the Montgomery County Club
call Debbie Brown at 301-881-1892. Students who do not live in either of the
places where clubs have been established but want to participate in Braille
reading activities should contact Sharon Maneki at 410-715-9596.
BELL Summer Program
Are you the parent, guardian, or teacher of a low vision child who is just
learning Braille? We have a wonderful opportunity for him or her this
summer.
The BELL summer program is a two-week day program (weekends not included)
designed to offer pre-kindergarten and elementary age low vision beginning
Braille readers an opportunity to be immersed in Braille and increase the
use of tactile skills for reading Braille. Children will receive Braille
instruction daily as well as learn alternative techniques through arts and
crafts, games, field trips, and other fun activities.
A parent seminar will be held to offer parents practical strategies to
incorporate non-visual learning and Braille into their children's daily
lives.
This program will be led by at least one certified teacher, and many
committed and qualified volunteers.
Program Dates: August 2 - August 13, 2010
(weekdays only)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Locations:
Week one of program (August 2-6) -
Maryland State Library for the Blind, 415 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201
Week two of program (August 9-13) -
National Center for the Blind, 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place,
Baltimore, MD 21230
This program is sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland and the Maryland Parents of Blind Children. We gratefully
acknowledge the support of the Maryland Library for the Blind for the use of
their facility and resources throughout the program.
For further information contact Melissa Riccobono at 410-235-3073 or email
president at nfbmd.org.
You may also download a BELL application by visiting http://www.nfbmd.org
Lawyer Spotlight: Mildred A. Rivera-Rau, Esquire
Mildred A. Rivera-Rau, Esq., Blind Latina employment lawyer, helps promote
diversity in the federal workforce.
>From the Editor: Those of us who know Mildred (Millie) Rivera-Rau were proud
to see her receive the recognition she deserves for her hard work at the
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and for helping to change
what it means to be blind in the work place. Millie has not only chaired
our Youth Empowerment Committee but is currently serving as our scholarship
Committee chair.
With the recent rise of Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court,
Mildred A. Rivera-Rau, Esq. has a great deal of which to be proud. Just like
Justice Sotomayor, Millie is a Puerto Rican woman with a disability who
works for the federal government. There are important differences, however,
as Millie makes her impact via the federal government as an award-winning
Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in
Washington, DC.
Millie was born legally blind with 20/200 vision in both eyes. After
spending some of her high school years in Puerto Rico, she attended Cornell
University and then the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Shortly
after taking the bar exam in 1990, she was diagnosed with a brain disorder
that severely impacts her mood without medication. For the first two years
of her career she worked in a large San Francisco law firm practicing labor
and employment law. She was then recruited by the EEOC and worked as a trial
attorney in Baltimore for 12 years before being asked to serve as a Special
Assistant to Former EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez.
During her career, she received awards from the EEOC for work on a class
action sexual harassment lawsuit, EEOC disability initiatives, and the
Commission's Spanish-language website, as well as an award from the Maryland
affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind for her outstanding
volunteer activities with blind youth. Millie recently served a three-year
term as a Commissioner for the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical
Disability Law.
Currently, Millie leads a team of EEO Analysts that review federal agencies'
equal employment opportunity programs for compliance and provide technical
assistance. She also analyzes statistics regarding workforce composition
with regard to gender, race, national origin, and disability status.
Basically, she and her team make sure that federal entities have the
programs and policies in place to ensure a barrier-free workforce. At work
she accommodates her disability with a reader and ZoomText, a software
program that enlarges text and serves as an audible screen reader. She also
is permitted to work from home when necessary.
Becoming an employment lawyer was not a certainty. Before her first
encounter with lawyers in a courtroom during college, Millie did not think
she could be an attorney. "After watching them litigate, I discovered that
lawyers are just regular people doing regular things. I honestly thought
'Hey, I can do that!'" she noted, "And the same thing applies to individuals
with disabilities: we are just regular people who are capable of doing
regular things. Sometimes people have to simply get past personal
preconceived notions to appreciate the opportunities that are out there."
When comparing her two roles at the EEOC, litigation and agency oversight,
Millie finds they each have their own unique benefits, whether for her or
the diversity movement. "Litigation was more fulfilling for me, because I
was able to see the result after the proceedings," she stated, "but on the
other hand, agency oversight has the ability to affect more people across a
broader spectrum."
Either way, Millie says she has her dream job.
Web site: http://www.abanet.org/disability/spotlight/sept09.shtml
NFB Newsline Online: Information on New Initiatives
>From the Editor: In 1995, the National Federation of the Blind leadership
had a vision--access to newspapers over the telephone. The technology was
created, and a pilot program began in January, 1996. The first newspaper
available on NFB-NewslineR was USA Today. The New York Times followed
shortly thereafter. Now more than 300 newspapers and several magazines are
available. This article will describe some of the new and upcoming features
of NewslineR. As technology changes, so does access to the printed word. We
can look forward to more exciting features in the future. Happy reading!
By Renee West
Early last year, NFB-NEWSLINER created a new Web site,
www.nfbnewslineonline.org, which serves as the portal for the
ground-breaking new initiatives, NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket and Web News
on Demand, and offers venues for better communication with our subscribers.
To access these new features, select the "Log In" link from NFB-NEWSLINER
Online's Web site, and on the next page provide your subscriber ID and
security codes in the user-entry fields. You will then be presented with
the NFB-NEWSLINER Online Main Menu, and from there choose the initiative you
wish to use. We hope you find the availability of these new access methods
increases the value you find in NFB-NEWSLINER, and makes it easier for you
to access the news you need.
NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket is a free software application a subscriber
installs on his or her computer that automatically downloads up to six
newspapers or magazines of the subscriber's choice to his or her Victor
Reader Stream, Icon/Braille+, or BookSense. With the application installed
on a subscriber's computer, the subscriber retrieves his or her favorite
content by plugging the portable device into the computer (through a USB
cord) and launches the application. Once launched, the application connects
to a server and retrieves new publication content automatically. A
subscriber can connect with the server at any time of the day to retrieve
publication updates and get the latest breaking news. To obtain the
NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket software and learn about how to use this
feature, please visit www.nfbnewslineonline.org, log in, and from the main
menu select "NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket." Please note that to use this
access method, you will need to have set up your favorite publications list
on the phone prior to launching the NFB-NEWSLINER In Your Pocket software.
With Web News on Demand, subscribers visit a secure, text-only Web site that
offers the ability to view the entirety of any publication offered on the
service; this ability affords an enhanced search capability as a subscriber
can search for, and find, a term throughout the entire paper. A subscriber
using Web News on Demand can view a particular section listing with details
of the available articles and can have a full publication, a particular
section, or a single article thereof delivered via e-mail on demand.
Two other new initiatives, Podable News and KeyStream, will be available
later in 2010.
Podable News offers publications and their individual sections as podcasts;
subscribers subscribe to have their podcasting client retrieve their
preferred content each day. Possibly the neatest thing about Podable News
is that subscribers can, cafeteria-style, cobble together a newspaper that
consists of just the material that is of interest to them, for example, just
the sports section from USA Today, the Section A from the Washington Post,
and the business section from the Wall Street Journal. These podcasts,
available as MP3 audio files, can be played on the computer or downloaded to
any MP3-playing device such as an iPod or to some digital talking-book
players.
With KeyStream, subscribers can access NFB-NEWSLINER over their computer's
Internet connection; this initiative offers the same usability and
functionality offered through the traditional, phone-based, NFB-NEWSLINER
service. KeyStream will be very easy to use, even for those who are less
than proficient with computers or access technology, and has the added
benefit of not tying up phone lines.
For more information about NFB-NEWSLINER or the new features, or to become a
subscriber, please call (866) 504-7300, e-mail nfbnewsline at nfb.org, or visit
www.nfbnewslineonline.org.
Lydia Grier Receives Distinguished Educator Award
>From the Editor: Providing quality education to Maryland's blind and
visually impaired students is often a daunting task when you consider that
most teachers travel from school to school, must meet the needs of
students of all ages, and juggle deadlines to ensure materials are provided
to everyone in a timely manner. The National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland is proud to recognize the work of people who go beyond what is
expected to help their students keep up academically with their sighted
peers while learning the braille and technology skills needed to be
successful. As you will see from the press release below, Lydia Grier is one
of those teachers. Congratulations Lydia!
Prince George's Gazette
Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009
By Liz Skalski, Staff Writer
With the help of a hardworking instructor, 7-year-old Kayla Harris is
excelling at Lake Arbor Elementary School in Mitchellville, along with the
rest of the first-graders in her class - even though she can't see them.
Kayla's parents, Sharonda Baker, 31, and Kevin Harris, 32, of Lanham
nominated their daughter's vision teacher, Lydia Grier of Lanham, for the
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland's Distinguished Educator of
Blind Children award. Grier received the award Nov. 14 at the federation's
conference in Ocean City.
"Grier has just been a great key to Kayla's success for her to be as far as
she is," Baker said. "She knows exactly how to get Kayla motivated to get
her to do what she needs to do."
The award recognizes Grier's skill for teaching Braille and other related
subjects and her dedication to her students.
"She always puts in the time and the extra time with Kayla," Harris said.
"She has always gone above and beyond, always had a plan for where she
wanted Kayla to be, always keeps her one step ahead - she's a key component
of Kayla's success."
Grier has been a Prince George's County Public Schools teacher since 1986,
teaching special education in the county since 1998 and a county teacher of
the visually impaired and blind since 2000. Grier isn't blind, but has an
aunt who is.
"When I told her I was going to be a vision teacher, she was proud," said
Grier, who says her job is rewarding.
"I was surprised because I felt there were people in the field much more
qualified," she said. "I am [thankful] to the kindness of Kayla's parents
for thinking I was worthy of being nominated for the award. Kayla's success
is because we work together as a team, along with the other school
professionals, and the support of the federation."
Melissa Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland, said Grier was chosen in part because Kayla's parents recommended
her so highly. "They were very insistent that Lydia has gone above and
beyond their expectations as a teacher," she said.
Grier was selected for the annual award out of a pool of about six nominees
from across the state, Riccobono said. The award has been given for at least
10 years.
Grier, whose office is in Oxon Hill, travels around to county elementary,
middle and high schools to work with students in one-on-one and small group
settings at upwards of 15 schools at any given time.
Grier teaches students Braille; assisted [sic] technology skills, which
includes keyboard use and audible computer programming; independent living
skills such as tying shoes and using scissors; and reading, science and
math. She also uses light boxes with low vision students, textured materials
and audible dictionaries.
Nancy Patton, a PGCPS vision instructional specialist and Grier's
supervisor, said Grier's dedication to her students and their families sets
her apart.
"She is a very, very dedicated educator, making sure the instruction carries
into the home, that there's follow-through and collaboration between parents
and children," she said. "She's highly knowledgeable in the field of special
education and early childhood education."
E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski at gazette.net.
Resolutions
From the Editor: Every year our State Convention passes
resolutions on various issues affecting all of us in some way. Passage of
these resolutions determines our policy and often affects the specific
legislation we seek to get passed. The 2009 resolution topics ranged from
creation of standards for Braille literacy, to accessibility of textbooks,
voting machines and web sites.
National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland
Resolution 2009-01
Regarding Braille Literacy
WHEREAS, literacy, the ability to read and write proficiently, is
essential to effective communication, to highly skilled and highly paid
employment, and to full participation in the life of ones community; and
WHEREAS, more than 70 percent of blind people nationwide are, but of those
blind people who are employed, 85 percent or more use Braille in the
workplace, demonstrating a clear relationship between literacy, confidence,
and success; and
WHEREAS, in 1992, the Maryland Literacy Rights and Education Act, which
requires that instruction in the use of Braille be offered to a child who is
blind or vision impaired, became the law in Maryland; and
WHEREAS, although this law has caused more blind students to be introduced
to Braille reading and writing, too many blind students do not receive
enough instruction to use Braille effectively or efficiently, and thus these
students never achieve literacy; and
WHEREAS, to promote accountability in education, Maryland created a state
curriculum that consists of content standards to measure student achievement
in core subjects, such as English, reading, and mathematics, but no
standards in the state curriculum exist to measure student achievements in
Braille reading and writing; and
WHEREAS, if reading and writing standards are necessary to promote greater
achievement for students whose primary reading and writing medium is print,
such standards are equally necessary for students whose primary reading and
writing medium is Braille; and
WHEREAS, to meet the requirements of the Maryland Literacy Rights and
Education Act, new standards for certification and re-certification of
vision teachers were enacted, but these standards have not been updated for
approximately fifteen years; and
WHEREAS, the certification and re-certification requirements for vision
teachers should be reviewed and revised to take advantage of objective tools
such as the National Literary Braille Competency Test, which measures an
individual's skill in Braille reading and writing: Now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in
Convention assembled this 15th day of November, 2009, in the City of Ocean
City, Maryland, that we urge the Maryland General Assembly to amend the
Literacy Rights and Education Act to instruct the Maryland State Department
of Education to adopt content standards in Braille reading and writing by
the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year to afford blind students the same
opportunity to achieve literacy as their sighted peers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the State Board of
Education and the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board to
revise certification and re-certification requirements for vision teachers
to ensure that blind students will be able to meet these Braille standards
and attain literacy skills.
Resolution 2009-02
Regarding Provision of Readers and Textbooks
WHEREAS, blind students in Maryland need easy and reliable access
to high-quality readers and greater availability of accessible books to
manage the volume of printed material encountered during their academic
studies and preparation for employment; and
WHEREAS, resources exist through the rehabilitation program and among
Maryland's institutions of higher education to provide needed reader
services to blind students; and
WHEREAS, provisions in Maryland state law also exist to facilitate increased
availability of accessible textbooks for blind students, but the Maryland
Department of Education has been quite slow in providing adequate funding to
implement this state law; and
WHEREAS, despite the existence of these resources, blind students in
Maryland continue to struggle with limited availability of reader services
and accessible textbooks, particularly production of textbooks in Braille
for disciplines such as mathematics and science in which written exposition
of materials is critical to maximum learning; and
WHEREAS, one of the reasons for these continued challenges stems from the
long existing dispute between rehabilitation providers and institutions of
higher education as to which entity bears primary responsibility for
providing reader services and for producing or purchasing accessible
textbooks; and
WHEREAS, another challenge to ready availability of reader services and
accessible textbooks may be attributed to the uncertainty of blind students
about which entity they should approach for support, since representatives
of the rehabilitation establishment and institutions of higher education
regularly refer inquiries from blind students to one another for response:
Now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in
convention assembled this 15th day of November, 2009, in the City of Ocean
City, Maryland, that we strongly urge officials of the Office of Blindness
and Vision Services of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Maryland
Department of Education, to take the lead in identifying strategies for
developing partnerships and collaboratively working with the state's
institutions of higher education to create a common procedure for providing
timely and effective reader services and access to college-level textbooks
(including establishment of clear rules for who will be responsible for
funding and producing Braille materials) so that all involved parties have a
clear expectation of who will provide these services, and delays in offering
such support will not continue to be caused by conflicting organizational
procedures and beliefs about which entity should fund and manage these
services; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that rehabilitation and higher education officials in
Maryland work with the Higher Education Textbook Access Coordinator at the
Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to develop
efficient processes and procedures for creating or locating accessible
textbooks--particularly those that need to be produced in Braille--for
Maryland's blind students; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we demand that the Maryland State Department of
Education honor the spirit and letter of the adopted higher education
textbook law by immediately providing adequate and distinct funding for the
administration and practical implementation of this statewide initiative
rather than simply exploring cost-saving measures between the Maryland State
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Office of Blindness
and Vision Services of the Division of Rehabilitation Services that promises
only to maintain a minimal effort to render textbooks accessible to students
in higher education and, more important, compromises the ability of both
programs to devote existing resources to their primary missions.
Resolution 2009-03
Regarding Dr. Jonathan Lazar and Towson University
WHEREAS, the Universal Usability Laboratory (UUL) in the Department
of Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University does cutting-edge
research on computer accessibility for people with disabilities, focusing
particularly on blind people; and
WHEREAS, the UUL is nationally recognized for its contributions to universal
accessibility, not only for blind people but also for computer users of
different ages and users with motor and cognitive impairments; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jonathan Lazar, the UUL's Director since it was formally
created in 2003, has adopted a sensible approach to conducting research by
seeking the opinions and advice of the beneficiaries of the UUL's research
projects; and
WHEREAS, under Dr. Lazar's leadership, the UUL has demonstrated its
commitment to performing relevant research by not only consulting with
disabled consumers at the beginning of each project but also by continuing
these consultations through the projects' completion; and
WHEREAS, among its crowning achievements, the UUL has completed research on
replacing CAPCHA graphics with more accessible security technologies and
studied methods that blind users employ to interact with Websites through
screen readers to purchase items online; and
WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland has been pleased
to work with Dr. Lazar and his students and staff since 2002, a year before
the UUL was formally organized, in a continuing partnership to achieve full
accessibility to computers and other digital technologies for blind people;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Lazar has publicized the need for universal access by
presenting his research in the most prestigious national and international
forums such as the Cambridge (U.K.) Workshop on Universal Access and
Assistive Technology, held in London in 2008: Now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in
Convention assembled this 15th day of November, 2009, in the City of Ocean
City, Maryland, that this organization commend Dr. Lazar and the Universal
Usability Laboratory in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences
at Towson University for their outstanding research contributions in the
arena of universal accessibility to computer and digital technology; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization especially commend Dr.
Jonathan Lazar for his unwavering commitment to working with the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland to achieve nonvisual access to all
computer and digital technologies.
Resolution 2009-04
Regarding Accessible Voting in Maryland
WHEREAS, Maryland made a commitment to its blind citizens
guaranteeing the right to a secret ballot; and
WHEREAS, in 2001 the state of Maryland was among the first states to
authorize a fully accessible voting process, which included uniform systems
for voting in polling places and for voting absentee through enactment of
H.B. 1457; and
WHEREAS, all voters in Maryland were using the uniform systems as of 2006,
with some beginning as early as 2002; and
WHEREAS, legislation enacted during the 2007 legislative session and
additional legislation passed during the 2009 session creates a primary
voting system that uses optical scan voting equipment, including a
voter-verifiable paper record but also maintains the Direct Recording
Equipment (DRE) voting system previously purchased by the state for blind or
otherwise disabled people and any others who prefer it over the newly
mandated optical scan system until an optical scan system can be made
accessible to many more blind and disabled voters than is presently
possible; and
WHEREAS, though blind Marylanders benefited from the uniform DRE voting
system for all Maryland voters, not one election occurred without numerous
instances when poll workers failed to properly prepare the machines to be
used by blind voters even though we used the same machines as all Maryland
voters; and
WHEREAS, the practice of now using two different voting systems will
inevitably lead to greater confusion for poll workers and election officials
as well as frustration of Maryland voters unless specific, comprehensive
training on DRE machines and their accessible features is mandated by the
State Board of Elections; and
WHEREAS, to avoid misinformation, state and local boards of elections should
widely advertise that all voters have a choice between the two voting
systems they use to cast their ballots and that accessible machines remain
available to blind and other disabled voters: Now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in
Convention assembled this 15th day of November, 2009, in the City of Ocean
City, Maryland, that we insist that the State Board of Elections ensure the
right to a secret ballot for blind citizens by developing strong guidelines
that assure that poll workers receive comprehensive training on the Direct
Recording Equipment voting machines that remain available to Maryland's
blind and nondisabled voters alike; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call on each of the
twenty-four voting jurisdictions in this state to provide meaningful
training of poll workers and voting officials on the proper use of the DRE
machines and their nonvisually accessible functions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization direct every election board in
the state to advertise the choice in voting equipment available to all
citizens and to promote in particular the availability of accessible
equipment for blind and disabled citizens.
Resolution 2009-05
Website Accessibility in Maryland
WHEREAS, all Maryland citizens, including the blind, need full
access to government information and services; and
WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that
all state services be accessible to people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, the state of Maryland adopted legislation in 1998 and 2000 to
require state government to make all of its public information and Websites
accessible to the blind; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, to highlight the importance of information technology and
to provide better policy coordination, Governor O'Malley and the Maryland
General Assembly created a new department in the executive branch to
specifically handle information technology issues; and
WHEREAS, the duties of the Information Technology Department include,
"developing, maintaining, revising, and enforcing information technology
policies, procedures, and standards," as well as "adopting by regulation and
enforcing nonvisual access standards to be used in the procurement of
information technology services by or on behalf of units of state
government"; and
WHEREAS, Governor O'Malley stated in a public forum, "Fully
accessible websites should be the standard for all of us," yet information
from numerous departments of state government remain inaccessible to the
blind; and
WHEREAS, a recent analysis by the Department of Computer and Information
Sciences And the Universal Usability Laboratory at Towson University, found
that fourteen out of fifteen Maryland state agency Websites studied violated
at least one accessibility guideline; and
WHEREAS, the Maryland Department of Information Technology was found in that
same study to have two accessibility violations on its own home page; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Information Technology should be a leader in web
access by setting an example for all other state agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Maryland Department of Disabilities is charged with ensuring
that state policies and practices do not conflict with the needs of disabled
people, yet this department lacks the staff to ensure nonvisual access to
public information; and
WHEREAS, Maryland's state agencies have already had nine years to comply
with federal and state accessibility guidelines; and
WHEREAS, blaming non-compliance on the poor economy and the shortfall of tax
revenue is penny-wise and pound-foolish, because redesigning existing
Websites and defending lawsuits for violations of state and federal laws are
always more costly than initial compliance: Now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in
Convention assembled this 15th day of November, 2009, in the City of Ocean
City, Maryland, that this organization condemn and deplore the failure of
Maryland state government to provide access to information and services for
its blind citizens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the O'Malley
administration to immediately enforce state and federal laws requiring that
Websites be accessible to the blind; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge Governor O'Malley to
provide the Maryland Department of Disabilities with the resources to
consult with and train personnel in state agencies so that the promise of
access to public information stated in law becomes a reality for blind
citizens in Maryland.
Specks
W e d d i n g B e l l s
On Saturday, December 19, Marsha Lindsey and Joseph Drenth were married in
Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Marsha was a member of the Greater Baltimore
chapter. She and Joe met at the 2009 Youth Slam where they both served as
mentors. This is another example of an NFB romance. Marsha was always a
willing capable volunteer. Maryland's loss is Pennsylvania's gain.
Congratulations to the newlyweds.
N e w F a m i l y A d d i t i o n s
Bernice Lowder proudly reports the birth of her eighth grandchild Laela on
December 4, 2009. Her parents are Raymond McCraw Lowder & Katrina Lowder.
Three generations of Lowders regularly attend state conventions and many
other NFB functions. Congratulations to Bernice, Raymond and all the
Lowders.
Lydia and Johnny Grier adopted a baby boy named Jeremiah. Jeremiah was born
on February 11 and came to his new home at the end of the month. Lydia won
the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award at our 2009 Convention.
She is also a member of our new National Harbor/PG County Chapter.
R e t i r e d
Longtime Federationist, Ron Metenyi, retired from BISM's Baltimore facility
in the fall of 2009. Ron had 40 years of service with the company. May Ron
have as long a career in retirement as he did working for BISM.
Congratulations!
G r a d u a t i o n s
In the last issue of the Spectator, we inadvertently missed two 2009
graduations. Courtney Curran graduated from Severna Park High School.
Courtney is currently attending Anne Arundel Community College. She hopes to
major in broadcasting and become a news anchor.
Jennifer Suchan graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac.
Jennifer is attending Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She is
majoring in music. Congratulations to the graduates!
D e a t h s
In the fall of 2009, Clara Andrews died. Clara belonged to the Central
Maryland chapter. She enjoyed attending senior activities and fiercely
maintained her independence after losing her vision.
In December 2009, Mary Lopez died. Mary was a member of the Sligo Creek
Chapter and the mother of Jennifer Tyndall. Mary came from Trinidad and
wanted to promote a better life for her daughter and all blind people.
After a long battle with cancer, Crystal Hardy died on February 8, 2010.
Crystal was only 17 years old. She was an active member of the Greater
Baltimore Chapter, the Maryland Association of Blind Students, and the
Transition Club. Crystal attended several national and state conventions.
She maintained her enthusiasm for the Federation despite her long struggle
with cancer.
On February 27, 2010, Richard Bennett, President of the NFB of Delaware,
died suddenly. Richard had many friends in Maryland because he was an
alumnus of the Maryland School for the Blind and attended state conventions
for the NFB of Maryland. Richard and Pat Sunderland were avid supporters of
our annual crab feast. As an independent businessman, Richard was a role
model for many people. Richard was a devoted Federationist and we will miss
his enthusiasm and his caring personality.
C a l e n d a r
NFB Cane Event: May 1.
Independence 2010: Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, June 20 -
August 1.
National Convention: July 3-8, Dallas Texas
BELL: August 2-13, weekdays only
Crab Feast: August 7
NFBMD State Convention: October 22-24 at the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.> http://www.nfb-writers-division.net
Chair, Newsletter Publication committee
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
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