[NFB-Maryland] August Minute Message from the Movement

Sun Sep 1 06:40:42 UTC 2019

August 2019 Minute Message 

Fellow Federationists:

We have had an incredibly busy month of August.  We held three NFB Braille
Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academies.  We also held our
annual Crab Feast to support the John T. McCraw Scholarship Program and had
more than 350 attendees, a new record.  Our Parents Division held its Annual
Picnic for families, and we had a blast.  Please read below for more
information about what we've accomplished in August and what is in store in
the coming months for our Federation family.

The State Convention is Coming!

You will not want to miss the state convention at the Crown Plaza Downtown
Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore which takes place on November 8-10,
2019.  This year, our National Representative will be Carla McQuillan,
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon.  You may
reserve your room by calling the Crown Plaza at 410-347-5707.  Convention
Room Rates:  Standard Room - $85 per night. Tax on sleeping rooms is 15.5%.
These room rates start on Thursday, November 7, 2019.  The deadline for
making room reservations is October 12, 2019.  

Be looking in your mailbox and on the website www.nfbmd.org
<http://www.nfbmd.org>  for the preregistration forms.  They will be
available soon.  Below are the prices for the various convention activities
(prices are per person unless otherwise stated):

-          Pre-registration = $20 until October 12, 2019; $25 on-site

-          Banquet ticket = $40 until October 12, 2019; $45 on-site

-          Parent or Senior Luncheon ticket = $22 until October 12, 2019;
$25 on-site

-          Friday boxed lunch = $16 until October 12, 2019; $20 on-site

-          Picnic & a Play tickets = $18 until October 12, 2019; $20 on-site

-          Transportation from New Carrollton Train Station = $35 until
October 12, 2019; this covers round-trip travel

-          Childcare = $30 per child and $50 per family for the entire
weekend   

Please plan to join us at the Crown Plaza.

Financial Assistance Application for State Convention Now Available 

Individuals who wish to request financial assistance to attend the 2019 NFB
of Maryland State Convention must complete and submit a Financial Assistance
Application Form.  Individuals are encouraged to first check with their
local chapters and divisions to see what financial assistance may be
available.  If a member's chapter does not have a financial assistance
program, or if there is still unmet financial need, members may complete and
submit the form to the State affiliate no later than October 1, 2019.  More
information about the NFBMD Financial Assistance Application Form is
available at http://nfbmd.org/financialassistance.  For questions, please
contact me at 443-426-4110 or at President at nfbmd.org
<mailto:President at nfbmd.org> .

Seeking Resolutions for the State Convention 

The Convention is the supreme authority of the National Federation of the
Blind, and this too is true of the affiliates.  One of the most important
charges of the Convention is to consider and vote on resolutions that come
before it; those resolutions become the policy of the organization.  To that
end, individuals interested in submitting resolutions should send them to
NFBMD Resolutions Chairman Jesse Hartle by email at jesse.hartle63 at gmail.com
<mailto:jesse.hartle63 at gmail.com>  by October 19, 2019.

Seeking Convention Sponsors and Exhibitors

We are seeking sponsors for our 2019 NFB of Maryland State Convention.
There are various levels of sponsorship, and the various levels include
different benefits.  Entities and individuals interested in serving as an
NFBMD Convention sponsor should contact Anil Lewis at alewis at nfbmd.org
<mailto:alewis at nfbmd.org>  to request additional information.

We are also seeking exhibitors for our Friday Exhibit Hall.  Individuals and
entities interested in exhibiting should also contact Anil Lewis at
alewis at nfb.org <mailto:alewis at nfb.org>  to request additional information.

The Bells Tolled for Literacy in Maryland! 

We have now concluded all three of our NFB Braille Enrichment for Literacy
and Learning (BELL) Academies in Maryland for 2019.  Our Salisbury BELL
Academy, hosted by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), ran
from July 22 through August 2.  Our Baltimore and Glenn Dale NFB BELL
Academies ran from July 29 through August 9.  In total, 24 children
registered for NFB BELL in Maryland.

The students learned to have a positive philosophy about blindness by
interacting with blind role models and adults.  They learned Braille
reading, Braille writing, technology, independent travel, and independent
living skills.  They went on fun and interesting field trips.  Most
importantly, they and their families made life-lasting relationships with
other members of the Federation and became part of the Maryland Federation
family.

Melissa Riccobono chaired the Maryland NFB BELL Committee in 2019, and she
and her Committee worked hard to ensure that the programs were fun,
educational, and ready to go when the students arrived; this is a tremendous
undertaking.  I hope you will join me in expressing tremendous appreciation
to Melissa and her Committee, Sharon Maneki, Debbie Brown, Judy Rasmussen,
Erin Daring, Danielle Earl, Heather Guy, and Amy Crouse.  We are all very
grateful to the many volunteers who gave selflessly of their time and energy
to ensure the NFB BELL Academies in Maryland ran smoothly - we could not
have done it without you.

To hear more particulars about what the NFB BELL students learned, please
join us at our NFB of Maryland State Convention in November.

Eat Delicious Food and Help Chapters and Divisions Earn Money!

We have two upcoming opportunities to eat delicious food to support NFB of
Maryland chapters and divisions.  For these fundraisers, local businesses
give nonprofits a percentage of their sales in an evening.  That means you
can eat at a particular local restaurant and an NFBMD chapter or division
gets a cut of your check.

The Maryland Association of Blind Students will be holding its fundraiser on
Monday, September 23, 2019 in the evening at all three Mothers Grille
locations.  Mention you are with the NFB/MDABS to make sure a part of your
check goes to MDABS.  For more information about this event, please contact
Ellana Crew at eemcrew at gmail.com <mailto:eemcrew at gmail.com>  or at
443-758-7211.

-          Mothers Federal Hill Grille - 1113 S Charles, Baltimore, MD 21230

-          Mothers North Grille - 2450 Broad Avenue, Timonium, MD 21093

-          Mothers Peninsula Grille - 969 Ritchie Highway, Arnold, MD 21012

The NFBMD Central Maryland Chapter will be holding its fundraiser on Monday,
September 30, 2019 between 11:00AM and 10:00PM at Tino's Italian Bistro in
Columbia.  You do not need to mention you are with the NFB for the Central
Maryland Chapter to receive a part of your check.  For questions about this
event, please contact Sharon Maneki at NFBMD at earthlink.net
<mailto:NFBMD at earthlink.net>  or at 410-715-9596.

-          Tino's Italian Bistro - 8775 Center Park Drive, Columbia, MD
21045

NFB Sues the Maryland Board of Elections to Restore the Secret Ballot 

In August, the National Federation of the Blind, the NFB of Maryland, and
three blind members, Joel Zimba, Marie Cobb, and Ruth Sager, filed suit in
Federal Court against the Maryland Board of Elections.  The suit asserts
that the Maryland Board of Elections maintains a segregated system of voting
that denies blind voters their right to a secret ballot and equal voting
experience as non-disabled voters.  The suit claims this violates the
Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act and that the
Board of Elections' actions are discriminatory based on disability.

The NFBMD has worked tirelessly for years to try to get the secret ballot
restored for the blind and ensure secrecy in voting through non-litigation
means.  In June, the Board of Elections voted to raise the minimum number of
individuals who were supposed to vote using the electronic ballot marking
device (BMD) from two people to five people.  However, since it has been
impossible to get even two people to use the BMDs in many precincts over the
last two election cycles, the decision to increase the number to five is
going to be equally ineffective.  Thus, we determined it was necessary, and
frankly past time, that we sued to restore our right to desegregated and
secret voting. 

NFB RideShare Testing Program

We continue to need your help.  If you use a service animal or are
accompanying someone who does, please fill out a short form about your
experience each time you use Uber or Lyft. In Maryland, we have to complete
a certain number of surveys each year.  You can submit a survey for every
trip you took, so please look back at your ride history and do this if you
haven't already done so.  Please go to  <https://nfb.org/rideshare-test>
https://nfb.org/rideshare-test or use the NFB Connect app (instructions
below) to complete the survey. Please give us information about both good
and bad experiences. Spread the word, we need information from every blind
person whether they are a member of NFB or not. Ashley Alvey is the Maryland
coordinator for this program. If you have questions email her at
ashleyalvey1994 at gmail.com.

NFB Connect App instructions for Rideshare Survey

1.	On the top left corner of the screen, you will find a button that
says, Menu button. Double tap Menu.
2.	After double tapping on menu, at the top left corner of the screen,
you will see Home.
3.	Swipe to the right once and you will see Fast Facts. Double tap Fast
Facts.
4.	You will swipe right until you see, Rideshare Survey. Double tap
Rideshare Survey.
5.	Lastly, swipe to the right. When you see First Name, this is where
the form begins and this is where you put in the information for the survey.

use Amazon smile

Since this is the season of anniversaries, weddings and graduations, be sure

to use Amazon smile and choose NFBMD for your charity when you purchase that
special gift.    Go to

 <http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1301033>
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1301033.

Important Upcoming Dates 

*	September 23, 2019 - MDABS Fundraiser at Mothers Grille
*	September 30, 2019 - Central Maryland Chapter Fundraiser at Tino's
Italian Bistro
*	October 1 - 31 - Meet the Blind Month
*	October 15 - National White Cane Awareness Day.
*	November 8-10 - Annual State Convention - Crown Plaza Baltimore
Downtown
*	February 10, 2020 - Great Gathering In, Washington Seminar,
Washington, DC
*	March 13, 2020 - Basket Bingo
*	June 30 - July 5, 2020 - NFB National Convention, Houston, Texas
*	August 8, 2020 - Crab Feast

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

443-426-4110

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

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