<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp6badb8d1yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Sharon/Ronza</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I am writing to show you an article I wrote about this year's daay in Annapolis. I would like for you to look it over and let me know if you think it would be suitable for the Braille Spectator/Braille Monitor.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I understand that everyone is busy, so there is no rush at this end.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Thanks in advance, and see you at convention.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Shawn</div><div><br></div><div class="ydp6badb8d1signature"><div style="font-style: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Shawn Jacobson<br>sdj60259@aol.com<br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica Neue;" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Adventure
in Annapolis<br>
by Shawn Jacobson</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">We stand at
the entrance to the Lowe office building waiting for someone to open the
door.<span> </span>Please let us in, we say to a lady
entering the building.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Yes, we had
awakened early to assure that we were on time.<span>
</span>In my case, it was before 4:30 AM.<span>
</span>My wife and I got to the meeting place for our group at the New Carolton
Metro stop, the Amtrak lounge, just before 6:30 and the van soon arrived to
take us to Annapolis for a day of talking to legislators about our issues.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">For me, preparation
began three days ago.<span> </span>On Monday, we had
two conference calls.<span> </span>The first, for
team leaders covered team logistics such as when you took photographs with
legislators, who to send them to, and what hash tag you should use.<span> </span>We also discussed how the team report should
be given.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">The meeting
for all team members covered the issues we planned to discuss as well as things
people needed for Annapolis.<span> </span>A photo ID
was needed to admit people to the office building.<span> </span>Also, business attire was required since this
was a business environment.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">I made sure
to find my sport coat, tie, tie clip, and good shirt were to be found.<span> </span>This requires some effort since I am retired
and do not go into an office on a daily basis.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">One more
act of preparation was needed.<span> </span>I needed
to bring a small bag of candy in case someone on my team had an insulin
reaction.<span> </span>My experience told me that
such things were a possibility to guard against.<span> </span>With these advanced preparations, I felt
ready for the day.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Soon we
were admitted security agreed to process our early group of advocates.<span> </span>Once we passed through security, we walked
the short distance to the Judiciary committee room.<span> </span>Being early allowed us to pick out choice
seats as we waited for the work of the day to begin.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">On the way
to Annapolis, those of us who were team leaders got our team assignments.<span> </span>I would have four team members to lead
through the day including one member who was our dedicated photo taker.<span> </span>Now, I sought out my team as I waited for my
team’s bag with its folders.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Each legislator
gets one folder.<span> </span>On the right side of
the folder is a miscellaneous collection of items we want to give people who
should understand blindness issues.<span>
</span>This includes the courtesy rules of blindness, a form for our
scholarship program, and one of our Kernal books.<span> </span>The left side contains the fact sheet for our
issues.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">This year
we have six issues.<span> </span>One request is for
an increase in the property tax exemption for blind people.<span> </span>Another is to pass a bill that will allow the
use and testing of autonomous vehicles; this will solve our issues with
discrimination from rideshare drivers.<span>
</span>We also are asking the legislature to keep our appropriation to our
Center for Excellence in Non-visual Access. Even though there is a deficit, I’m
hopeful that this will be supported, partially because legislators used this
center in the past when they sought braille business cards and other braille
materials.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">The other
three issues involved setting up a commission to study ways to make voting by
mail both accessible and secure, setting up a grant program for service animal
trainers, and providing braille, or tactile, flags for veteran cemeteries.<span> </span>While thinking of the issues, I hear my name
called; my bag is ready.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%"><span> </span>I wondered what the schedule would be.<span> </span>I wanted to prepare myself for our travels, the
best way to make it through our assigned offices with a minimum walking.<span> </span>I look through my bag to see what my schedule
is, but I don’t see one.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">“Where is
my schedule? I ask.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">“It’s
coming,” says Ronza, our state president.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Sure
enough, I get a folder with a schedule of the offices I’m supposed to visit.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">In previous
years, the hour between 9:00 and 10:00 AM was the busiest hour for
meetings.<span> </span>But now, the heaviest time for
meetings is 11:00 AM to noon.<span> </span>My
schedule shows that our first meeting is at 9:30 and our second is at
10:00.<span> </span>At the bottom of the list, I see
three senators with a “0” for our meeting time.<span>
</span>These are legislators for whom we were not able to set up a time.<span> </span>Since it is a while before our first scheduled
appointment, I decided to try getting some of these unscheduled appointments
set up.<span> </span>Early and often is my rule for
visiting such offices.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">In the next
two hours, we are able to have four meetings, but none with the actual
senator.<span> </span>One aid, in an office with a
“0” appointment time, barely listens to us; he seems to want us out the door as
soon as possible.<span> </span>The other three aids
we talk about are pleasant enough, but it is hard to know if that means that
the legislator will be supportive.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Our third
scheduled meeting takes us from the James building, where most senators have offices,
to the Miller building, where committee chairs and some other senators
work.<span> </span>“It’s Miller Time” I joke as we
head to our next appointment.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">We are
scheduled to have meetings with three senators and three delegates between
10:45 and 11:30, but we only get to talk to aids.<span> </span>Currently, I prompt team members to speak to
our requests.<span> </span>I don’t want to talk all
the time. <span> </span>Also, I believe that a good
leader involves the whole team if possible.<span>
</span>Our shared presentation results in polite responses from the aids, but,
again, it is hard to know just where their legislator will stand on our issues.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">We see our
first, and only, senator when we return to the James building for a noon
meeting.<span> </span>Senator Benson has always been
one of our great friends, so we are glad to see her.<span> </span>I judge it worth the wait for her to invite
us into her office.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Once we
talk, the senator peruses our folder.<span>
</span>Then she gets excited.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">“I didn’t
realize you had a scholarship program,” she exclaims.<span> </span>She then starts asking us how we fund the program,
and we discuss our fundraisers.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">“Why
haven’t you told us about these fundraisers before,” she asks.<span> </span>“We should all know about them.”</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">After a
lengthy meeting, we get her support on all our issues.<span> </span>The next meeting is set for 12:30 in the
Miller building.<span> </span>By the time we get to
the appointment, we are 30-minutes late, and we miss the senator who has to run
to a committee meeting.<span> </span>Oh well, we get
to talk to her aide.<span> </span>One more meeting,
with an aide, and it is time for lunch.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">We get to
the cantina just before 2:00 expecting to be behind the lunch rush.<span> </span>However, we find the place crowded with
members of other teams who also have a lengthy break before their next
meeting.<span> </span>I settle in to get my lunch
being grateful that we only have two meetings left, one scheduled for 4:00 PM
and one that is yet to be scheduled.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">After lunch
and rest, we get to our last meetings.<span>
</span>The first of these is with one of the Senators with whom we did not have
a set time.<span> </span>The senator will be busy all
day, so we settle for talking to an aide.<span>
</span>Then, we reach the office where our final appointment is scheduled only
to find that the senator has gone to her daughter’s track meet.<span> </span>And so, we end our day of advocacy with one
more cheerful, but noncommittal, aide.<span> </span>I
have our designated photographer text the rest of the teams that we have finished,
and we head to where an NFB van will take us to supper.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Buddy’s,
the restaurant where our evening meal will happen, sits atop a jewelry
store.<span> </span>When we leave the van, we are
directed to the door and up the stairs to our dining area.<span> </span>It provides a view of the harbor, but we
don’t stop to look.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">After a
good meal, I had the cheeseburger and cream of crab soup, we got down to the
real purpose of our group meal.<span> </span>This
main purpose is for each of the team leaders to report on their advocacy.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Because our
schedule this year is ambitious, we usually don’t have six issues, the team
reports run long.<span> </span>We are supposed to
rank each legislator from one to five, five being the most favorable rating, on
each of the issues.<span> </span>We are also supposed
to say who we think will co-sponsor the bills that require co-sponsors.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">My report
feels weak, we only met with one senator.<span>
</span>Also, I did not always get the names of the aids we talked to.<span> </span>I explained that I prioritized talking to
people over getting the names of aids.<span>
</span>Leaders must prioritize these things though my prioritization is not
always the best.<span> </span>Finally, with a great
deal of relief, I end my report and thank my team members.<span> </span>I called my wife to pick me up at the
restaurant.<span> </span>Finally, almost eighteen
hours after I got out of bed, we returned home.<span>
</span>The Annapolis adventure is over for another year.</span></p>
<p class="ydp3eab5d3dMsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%">Looking
back, I think that the day was worthwhile.<span>
</span>We did not get to see as many legislators as I would have hoped, but in
each office, we talked to someone about our issues.<span> </span>What may be even more important, we showed
people in Annapolis how competent blind folk can work together to put on a
highly complex program of information on blindness issues.<span> </span>This may be the most lasting, and most
worthwhile, thing we accomplished.</span></p></div><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>