[NFB-Maryland] December 2020 / January 2021 Minute Message from the Movement

[president at nfbmd.org]

December 2020/January 2021 Minute Message 


Fellow Federationists:

 

Happy New Year! The year 2020 was like none we've ever experienced.  The
chapters, divisions, and membership did a tremendous job of pivoting to a
virtual environment and staying connected.  Though most of our fundraisers
and large events had to be postponed, we engaged in more advocacy than ever
before and held a significant number of activities, including the largest
convention in NFBMD history.  We've learned about ourselves and our
movement, and we've demonstrated that we won't let even a pandemic keep us
from fighting for equality for the blind.  Please read below for information
and activities around the State.

 


Open Letter of Apology


I issued the below letter via our NFB of Maryland listserves on December 16,
2020 in the aftermath of allegations of sexual harassment and other
misconduct in the blind community.

 

Content Warning: The following letter addresses sensitive topics regarding
sexual misconduct and violence.

 

Federation Family,

Some have recently been discussing the history of sexual misconduct,
violence, harassment, and disrespectful behavior within the activities of
our organization and among the blind generally.  I welcome a thoughtful,
loving, and productive discussion.  We should validate those in our family
who have been hurt in the past by their blind colleagues.  I want to first
say that I am sorry.  I'm sorry that our family members have been hurt.  I'm
sorry that our family members have done the hurting.  And I'm so incredibly
sorry if I did not do enough to prevent the hurt and stop it from occurring.
I promise to do all in my power to support survivors, to change from within
aspects of our culture that create opportunities for this sort of
misconduct, and to implement real and lasting mechanisms for preventing
sexual harassment and other abuses from taking place.  

 

To those of you who are survivors, my heart breaks for the injustice and
injury that you experienced.  Simultaneously, I am awed by your courage in
sharing your pain.  You've trusted us with your story, you've made yourself
vulnerable, and you are reliving the pain and fear.  I want you to know that
I see you, I hear you, I admire you, and I love you.  I am committing to
earn your trust back.

 

Every blind person, regardless of background, wherever they might be on
their journey in life, deserves to benefit from the unique life-changing
experiences of the National Federation of the Blind and the remarkable
training available through our three NFB training centers.  We cannot
succeed in our struggle for equality if we injure and exploit our
colleagues, friends, and Federation family members.  Racism, sexual
harassment, discrimination, and other abuse are unfortunate flaws of our
society, and regrettably our organization is not immune to them.  These
behaviors tarnish and undercut the incredible work of our organization, and
we must proactively root out these behaviors and change the culture so that
they are not only non-prevalent but also impossible in the future.

 

I believe it is essential to talk about the prevalence of sexual misconduct
and other inappropriate behavior and to proactively work to eradicate this
behavior.  I also believe it is essential to have a blindness philosophy
that uplifts the blind, and that this philosophy should be administered by
our organization and training centers.  I do not believe the two are
mutually exclusive.  In fact, I believe both are dependent on one another.
We are a people's movement.  The individuality of the people are
simultaneously our greatest strength and greatest struggle.  But I believe
in the capacity of humans to grow smarter, become better, and advance for
good on the whole.  

 

As President of our Maryland affiliate of the National Federation of the
Blind, I reaffirm my commitment and our organization's commitment to foster
a welcoming and inclusive environment that is safe for everyone.  I will do
everything within my power to swiftly act upon the concerns that have been
raised and support the leaders of our movement as we effectuate change.  We
can and will do more.  In the coming weeks and months I will work with the
affiliate Board of Directors to establish mechanisms in our affiliate to
integrate meaningful changes that will ensure that all members are safe.  I
will work with the national leadership to implement real, positive,
meaningful, and lasting change.  As a leader, I promise not just to react,
but to proactively prevent.  We will incorporate a "culture of consent"
through training, outreach, and, when appropriate, discipline.  I will help
educate our long-standing leaders in Maryland to ensure that our leadership
structure understands the relevance of this moment in our evolving movement.
I will affirmatively seek diverse leaders and role models to ensure that
blind people from all cross sections have a voice in the solution.  I will
take time to further understand the nature of these problems and how other
organizations have made progress.  I will work as an ally with those who
want to support our national leaders' effort to advance positive change.  I
will listen to survivors and trained mental health professionals so that
they can guide us in our efforts.  I will do more, we will do more.  I ask
for your patience as we work on proactive change - it's critical to do the
right things instead of the quickest things.

 

We need to have this conversation to figure out what more needs to be done.
And we need to have it without disenfranchising or further harming blind
people.  The Federation is ours to build.  Please help me and the many other
leaders and members who want to be a part of the solution and commit to
change and healing.

 

I echo President Riccobono's sentiments in the "Open Letter of Apology,"
which is copied below.  I am sorry, I pledge to do better as a Federation
leader, and I promise to stand with survivors not just in words but in my
actions.  #MarchingTogether

 

Yours,

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

 

Content warning: the following letter addresses sensitive topics regarding
sexual misconduct and violence.

Dear Fellow Federationists:

Many NFB members, former members, and people within our blindness community
are hurting. For some, the pain comes from their lived experience of being
abused or violated by one of our members and/or made to feel like no one
else was listening or came to their defense at a Federation event or
training program. For others, what they feel is empathy for survivors who
were harmed by participating in the National Federation of the Blind,
recognizing that we have not done enough within our movement and
systemically within our community. We are deeply sorry that this is true and
apologize for where we have failed. As the elected President of this
movement, I carry the responsibility of this pain. I am profoundly sorry
that anyone has been harmed by experiences in our movement. As a husband,
father of three children, and leader who tries to live by a strong set of
ethical values, I hurt for the survivors, and I deeply regret that I have
made mistakes along the way. At each opportunity that I have to sit with my
young children, I am directly reminded how fragile the balances are in our
lives and how much our actions can have a lasting impact on others. I live
with the regret and sorrow for the mistakes I personally made in dealing
with inappropriate behavior in the past. Sometimes my mistakes have only
been illuminated later through the honest reflection of a friend or the
vulnerable sharing of someone who has been harmed. How do you adequately
write a letter to apologize for that? How do you spread this sentiment to an
entire movement of people including those who have left our organization?
How do we, collectively, create an adequate action plan to promote healing,
prevent future incidents, and continue our development of a culture that is
welcoming, safe, and eliminates the barriers to bringing concerns forward
for resolution? This letter attempts to explore those questions, but this is
merely a single moment in these needed conversations.

Our hearts break for the survivors of abuse and sexual misconduct who have
bravely shared incidents that have happened within our organization over the
decades. During the past couple of weeks, a number of courageous individuals
have shared painful stories about their experiences on social media and in
individual conversations. We thank those brave survivors for sharing their
stories because we recognize how difficult that is and how each story
creates a unique set of emotions and challenges. We deeply regret that over
our eighty years we have not handled each situation appropriately or been
able to heal the pain that such incidents create. We do not reject these
feelings of pain. In fact, we want to find and establish better ways to hear
them and continuously eliminate the actions that caused them. We have no
intention of debating the circumstances of any instance. Instead we
acknowledge that if a survivor was left feeling the situation went
unaddressed, then we have failed. The membership demands we do better. I, as
President, demand this of myself and expect it from our movement. We will do
better. In addition to calling upon all Federationists to listen better,
honestly reflect upon your own biases, and to actively align our actions to
our words, I call upon you not to dismiss those who cannot believe that our
intentions are sincere or those who have had the courage to come forward. It
is our individual and collective action, positively focused on making things
better that will create belief. That is what has been true for us since
1940, and it will continue to be true for us going forward.

Let us get down to the hard facts. Words appear to mean nothing without
actions, so below I've outlined six steps that we are committing to in the
near future. Before I list them, please understand that these are initial
steps, and we are committed to exploring and implementing whatever policies,
programs, trainings, or resources necessary beyond these steps to
appropriately address these horrible situations.

Improvements to Reporting of Incidents

We are currently thoroughly reviewing the pathways for reporting incidents
and how those paths are handled. We are open to revamping all of the
reporting mechanisms we have. We are in discussion with outside consultants
who are expected to do a complete review of our processes with a specialized
emphasize on sexual misconduct and harassment. We will rebuild all of our
procedures if needed. We expect our revised processes to involve a
third-party entity, but since we do not yet know how that will turn into
actionable efforts within our organization, we cannot be specific about that
process. Our hope is to be more transparent about our partnership and
timelines for action during the first quarter of 2021. We hear you about the
uncomfortable position some people feel is created by the current reporting
system when a person must report through members they will later need to
deal with personally. Regardless of the reporting mechanisms we maintain and
create, we must be very clear on one point: Every elected leader of this
organization must be prepared to take concerns seriously and to act upon
information they are given as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Furthermore, the safety of blind youth who are under our supervision is our
highest priority, and any incident that is discovered must be dealt with
immediately.

Open Meeting and Supporting Survivors

We are committing to hold an open meeting or series of listening sessions to
discuss these issues and solicit feedback on what support and resources
victims and survivors need. We have not yet detailed what the open meeting
and conversations will be. Because we do not want to unintentionally
contribute to further pain among survivors, we want blind people with lived
experiences and our consultants to guide that process. In the meantime, we
continue to answer calls and emails from Federation members seeking clarity
about these issues and offering solutions that we will carefully weigh as
our learning continues. We are grateful to those of you who have reached out
directly offering your personal experiences as a guide to future
development. The members of the Federation are expected to shape what we do,
and your readiness to bring solutions makes a big difference. Our goal is to
provide support and healing to victims and survivors.

Enhancing the Code of Conduct Work

Prior to recent events and the stories that have emerged, we were in the
process of considering and implementing several enhancements surrounding our
code of conduct and its related procedures and programs. We have now paused
those efforts. Why? Because we are listening. We have done horribly at
messaging and sharing our internal procedures and our plans for effectively
administering our organization's code of conduct. I say paused because we
want to carefully evaluate where we are and our next steps guided by the
expertise of anti-sexual-violence experts from outside our movement. If we
must completely reset, that is what we will do. For now, our code and
existing procedures are in place to set expectations within our
organization. We will carefully evaluate current grievances to ensure that
they continue to be safely and swiftly investigated even while our
procedures are under review.

Illuminating Expectations

You may already know, but the board made its annual revisions to the code
and procedures process on December 5, 2020. When we went to post the
revisions, we realized that the FAQ we planned to post after the December
2019 review did not happen. No excuses, that was a pretty big dropped ball.
That document is intended to answer questions like what happens when a
grievance is filed, how is information kept confidential, and what
communications can a filing party expect? Overall, we have failed to
communicate broadly the procedures we have been using. For example, we allow
for advocates to participate with parties who are involved with code of
conduct investigations. Moreover, these FAQs will also be informed and
expanded based upon questions that continue to be raised. They will also
evolve as we implement additional avenues for raising concerns and for
training members of the organization. We take ownership for the
misinformation that is now circulating. Please keep those questions and
suggestions coming.

Continuous Training

Training on issues around misconduct and abuse is something we have only
skimmed the surface of in the recent past. We have done a minimal amount of
training for affiliate presidents and workshops at our national convention.
We were not satisfied that our training was sustainable, so we have been
seeking other partners. That has been unreasonably slow. No excuse, we
understand. We are going to be putting together training with the specific
goal of preventing misconduct and abuse at Federation events and to
strengthen the level of comfort with reporting. We have also hired an
individual to assist in a number of areas including coordinating
training-that person only started on November 30, which is why we had not
yet introduced her to the membership.

Consistency across NFB Training Centers

A lack in consistency in practices across the three training centers that
are affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind has been raised as
a concern. It is worth noting that only BLIND Incorporated, the Colorado
Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind have made the
specific partnership commitments necessary to be formally and officially
affiliated with the organized blind movement. On a regular basis, I have
been meeting with our training center directors with the specific goal of
better aligning our practices and policies. There is more work to do there.
We expect these centers to fully commit to our code of conduct practices and
set the highest standard of professional practice in all programs. During
the most recent revisions of our code of conduct, we discussed the topic of
consistency in handling and reporting concerns at our centers. We will be
conducting a full review and implementing consistent training for the
personnel at each of our centers. I stand with those who have been harmed by
any employee, contractor, or volunteer at one of our centers, and I am
prepared to help eliminate ineffective practices and urge the termination of
those employees and contractors (as well as the exclusion of volunteers) who
violate our policies in this area. Let me also add that our training centers
have made a great difference in raising the standard of training for blind
people in this nation and all around the world. As a graduate of one of our
centers, I share that pride for the training I received but also the pain
that even one person coming through one of our centers would have had a
harmful experience. The employees at our centers are some of the most
dedicated and thoughtful folks I know, and they are committed to the safety
and wellbeing of program participants. However, that does not excuse harmful
incidents that have happened in our training programs. I know our centers
are committed to doing better. I know the executive directors and boards of
each of these training centers will be prioritizing the advancement of these
conversations. Most importantly, I know they feel your pain in a very deep
and personal way.

Again, these are immediate actions and commitments. This is not a complete
roadmap for the years to come, but it outlines some of the forthcoming
actions we are focusing on. We know that we need to examine more ways to
support our members such as mental health resources and the expertise of
crisis professionals. Members of the Federation have a right to demand
information about what is being done, and Federation leaders are expected to
share that information. When we committed to the code of conduct in 2018, we
made a commitment to a much-needed journey. Our commitment has not wavered
even if we have not been outwardly demonstrating a commitment that you can
trust. As leaders, we will continue to work to earn your trust and we will
remain committed to continuous improvement and an open dialogue for
organizational change. We are committed to finding ways to heal that pain,
while preventing any future pain that results from unacceptable behavior. We
are going to need the ideas and support of the members of this movement to
do that in a meaningful and effective manner, so all are welcomed.

You continue to be our wise teachers. You who have shared your personal
experiences and who have dared to open yourselves continue to guide us. In
the National Federation of the Blind, we value diversity, we strive to be
fully inclusive, and we want to be the safe space for all blind people.
Every blind person in this nation deserves what this movement has to offer,
and we recognize we have work to do so that every blind person feels like
there is a place here for everyone. We are going to get there together. We
apologize that we have not yet made it all the way, but we pledge that the
commitment is deep and it is real. We are not done with our changes.

With love and commitment, we are #MarchingTogether.

- Mark Riccobono, President

 


Successful Week in Annapolis!


The 2021 session of the Maryland General Assembly began on January 13, and
we held our NFBMD Week in Annapolis from January 21 through 28, 2021.  This
year, in light of the virtual posture of the Maryland General Assembly, we
expanded our usual Day in Annapolis to encompass an entire week.  Members of
the NFB of Maryland met with all 188 legislative offices to educate them
about our 2021 legislative priorities.  We will continue to advocate for
these priorities at bill hearings and through letter writing campaigns
throughout the session.  This year's legislative priorities are as follows:

-          The Accountability Act for Accessible K-12 Education

-          Desegregating voting based on disability

-          Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Access (CENA)

Our first hearing will take place at 1:30 on February 2, 2021 for our voting
bill, HR0243.  Please visit mgaleg.maryland.gov  and choose the Ways and
Means Committee to view the hearing.  

 


Washington Seminar Is Coming!


On February 8, Maryland will join Federationists from throughout the country
to let Congress know about the priorities for blind Americans. The four
issues that we will discuss are: 

-          the Access Technology Affordability Act; 

-          the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act;

-          the Americans with Disabilities Voting Rights Act; and

-          the 21st Century Mobile Apps and Website Accessibility Act

You may read the Washington Seminar fact sheets by visiting
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar>
https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar or via
Newsline.  The Great Gathering In will take place at 5:00PM on Monday,
February 8, 2021 via Zoom.  Maryland will be meeting with our Congressional
Delegation on Tuesday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 10, 2021.  If you
would like to attend the virtual meetings with members of Congress, please
let me know by emailing  <mailto:President at nfbmd.org> President at nfbmd.org or
calling 443-426-4110.  Please let me know you plan to attend by Friday,
February 5, 2021. 


 


NFB and NFBMD Scholarship Programs


The National Federation of the Blind and the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland each administer a separate scholarship program for
post-secondary students.  The deadline to apply for an NFB scholarship is
March 31, 2021, and the deadline to apply for an NFBMD Scholarship is April
15, 2021.

 

National Scholarship Program: Each year, the NFB awards 30 merit-based
scholarships totaling at least $120,000.  

-         Scholarships range in amount from $3,000 to $12,000.

-         Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement,
leadership, and community service.

-         The 30 scholarship finalists are announced in the spring and
attend the National Convention, where they are awarded a specific
scholarship.

-         Application materials must be submitted (online or postmarked) by
11:59PM on March 31, 2021.

-         To be eligible, applicants must:

o   Be legally blind in both eyes;

o   Reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico;

o   Be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, post-secondary course of
study in a degree program at a U.S. institution in the Fall of 2020 (one
scholarship may be awarded to an individual who works full-time and attends
school part-time); and

o   Attend the entire National Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind (and all scholarship activities) in New Orleans, Louisiana from July 6
through 11, 2021 (scholarship finalists will receive convention assistance).

-         To apply:

o   Submit an application using the online application system at
<https://nfb.org/civicrm/scholarships/login>
https://nfb.org/civicrm/scholarships/login; or

o   Download, complete, and email or mail in a hard copy application form by
visiting:  <https://nfb.org/programs/scholarship-program>
https://nfb.org/programs/scholarship-program.

 

State Scholarship Program: Each year, the NFB of Maryland awards the John T.
McCraw Scholarship to up to four students with a combined maximum total of
$10,000.  Though the Scholarship Committee will determine the amount awarded
to each individual scholarship finalist, the minimum amount per scholarship
is $2,000 and the maximum amount is $3,500.  NFBMD may award a scholarship
to a former McCraw scholarship recipient.  

-         Scholarships are merit-based and awarded based on academic
achievement, community involvement, and leadership.

-         Application materials must be submitted (online or postmarked) by
11:59PM on April 15, 2021.

-         To be eligible, applicants must:

o   Be legally blind in both eyes;

o   Be a legal resident of Maryland or be pursuing post-secondary studies at
a school in Maryland;

o   Be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time or part-time,
post-secondary course of study in a degree program in the Fall of 2021 and
Spring of 2022 (priority will be given to full-time students); and

o   Attend the entire National Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind in New Orleans, Louisiana from July 6 through 11, 2021 and the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in Baltimore,
Maryland from November 12 - 14, 2021 (scholarship finalists will receive
convention financial assistance).

-         To apply:

o   Submit an application using the online application system at
<http://nfbmd.org/scholarship/apply> http://nfbmd.org/scholarship/apply; or

o   Download, complete, and email or mail in a hard copy application form by
visiting:  <http://nfbmd.org/scholarship> http://nfbmd.org/scholarship.

 


do You Feel Lucky? 


The NFBMD spring raffle is underway. During the month of May, you have the
opportunity to win $50 Sunday through Friday, or $100 on Saturday. Purchase
a 3-digit number raffle ticket for $5. You will be the only one who has this
number. Between now and April 15, you may purchase a $5 ticket from your
chapter president or certain members of your chapter.  If you want to buy or
sell tickets, please contact Melissa Riccobono at
MelissaARiccobono at gmail.com. Help us sell all 1,000 tickets to win prizes!
Provided we sell all 1,000 tickets, we will enter the individuals who sell
winning tickets into a drawing for a cash prize.  We will also award prizes
to those who sell the most tickets, provided we sell our entire stock of
tickets.  

 


NFBMD COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund


We continue to operate an affiliate COVID-19 fund to assist individuals and
families that are experiencing financial hardship during the COVID-19
crisis.  This fund is available to blind individuals and families with a
blind household member living in Maryland.  The financial assistance must be
needed due to a change in circumstance, e.g. loss of employment income,
because of COVID-19 or associated government directives like the
Stay-at-Home order.  Assistance is limited to essentials such as groceries
and medication.  This Fund is being administered by the NFBMD Financial
Assistance Committee.  Anyone who is wishing to request assistance should
contact me at  <mailto:President at nfbmd.org> President at nfbmd.org or at
443-426-4110.

 

In addition, we are seeking contributions to augment the NFBMD COVID-19
Emergency Response Fund.  Those interested in making a monetary donation may
do so by sending a check to NFBMD, 15 Charles Plaza, #3002, Baltimore,
Maryland 21201 or by using the PayPal donation link on our website located
at  <http://www.nfbmd.org/COVID-19Fund> http://www.nfbmd.org/COVID-19Fund.  

 


Important Upcoming Dates 


*	February 6, 2021 - Regional Braille Challenge, Maryland School for
the Blind
*	February 8, 2021 - Washington Seminar Great Gathering In
*	February 9 and 10, 2021 - Maryland days on the Hill
*	July 6 - 11, 2021 - NFB National Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana
*	August 7, 2021 - NFBMD Crab Feast, Parkville, Maryland
*	September 10, 2021 - Basket and Bag Bingo, Catonsville, Maryland
*	September 19 - 26, 2021 - Blind Cruising 2021, Carnival Pride,
Departing from Port of Baltimore
*	November 12 - 14, 2021 - NFB of Maryland 55th Annual Convention,
Baltimore, Maryland

 


 


 

Ronza Othman, President

National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

443-426-4110

Pronouns: she, her, hers

 

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

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