<div dir="ltr"><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Hi everyone, </span></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Below are free events that we ask you to share widely with your network. They are free and open to the public, but registration is required. </span></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">If you have any questions, please let me know</span></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></span><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Best,</span></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Ashley</span><br></font><table class="m_-2797985909423095598layout" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed;min-width:100%"><tbody></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598layout" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598column m_-2797985909423095598scale m_-2797985909423095598stack" align="center" valign="top" style="width:590px"><div style="line-height:10px;height:10px">\u200a</div></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598layout" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed;min-width:100%"><tbody></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598layout" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598column m_-2797985909423095598scale m_-2797985909423095598stack" align="center" valign="top" style="width:590px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" width="100%" align="center" valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed;height:1px;width:550px"><tbody><tr><td height="1" align="center" bgcolor="#717a80" style="height:1px;line-height:1px;padding-bottom:0px;background-color:rgb(113,122,128);border-bottom-width:0px"><img alt="" width="5" height="1" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="display: block; height: 1px; width: 5px;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598layout" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598column m_-2797985909423095598scale m_-2797985909423095598stack" align="center" valign="top" style="width:590px"><table class="m_-2797985909423095598text" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598text_content-cell m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:Montserrat,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:16px;line-height:1.2;display:block;padding:10px 20px"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">BRAILLED IT Movie Watch Party</span></h3><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">October 7 - October 13</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><a href="https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/calendar/ExternalCalendar/BrailledItMovie" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Registration Link</a></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Maryland LBPD, the Friends of Maryland LBPD, and Artifact Studios is proud to invite you to watch the movie in preparation for the October 13, 2026 movie discussion. Please register here to obtain access to the movie. The film will only be viewable from October 7, 2026 through October 13, 2026 and registration is required.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><h2 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:24px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Movie Description</span></h2><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Every year, the top under-18 Braille readers and writers from across the English-speaking world gather in Los Angeles to compete in the Braille Challenge. For one weekend, blind and low-vision kids are no longer the minority in the room. They make new friends, face off against old rivals, and chase a rare chance to be recognized not for their disability, but for their skill.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">\ufeffIn BRAILLED IT, the camera is placed directly in their hands. As the kids document the competition themselves, their fragmented imagery and candid moments of nerves, boredom, joy, and triumph invite audiences to experience the event on their terms. Designed with audio description and accessibility at its core\u2013not as an afterthought but as a fundamental creative tool\u2013the film shifts authorship and perspective to the community on screen, revealing a world defined not by limitation, but by mastery, ambition, and the transformative power of literacy.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">\ufeff</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">BRAILLED IT is proud to partner with All4Access. To experience the film in real time using braille, download the All4Access app.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" width="100%" align="center" valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed;height:1px;width:550px"><tbody><tr><td height="1" align="center" bgcolor="#717a80" style="height:1px;line-height:1px;padding-bottom:0px;background-color:rgb(113,122,128);border-bottom-width:0px"><img alt="" width="5" height="1" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="display: block; height: 1px; width: 5px;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598text" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598text_content-cell m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:Montserrat,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:16px;line-height:1.2;display:block;padding:10px 20px"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">BRAILLED IT Panel Discussion</span></h3><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Tuesday, October 13</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">7:00 p.m. EST</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><a href="https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/calendar/ExternalCalendar/BrailledItDiscussion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Registration Link</a></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Join us for a special panel discussion exploring BRAILLED IT, a documentary that puts the camera directly into the hands of young Braille readers and writers competing in the Braille Challenge.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Hear more about the experiences captured in the film, the importance of Braille literacy, and how accessibility and audio description were incorporated as fundamental parts of the filmmaking process. The conversation will also explore what it means for blind and low-vision young people to tell their own stories and be recognized for their skill, ambition, and achievements.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">The discussion will be moderated by Hadley and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS).</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" width="100%" align="center" valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed;height:1px;width:550px"><tbody><tr><td height="1" align="center" bgcolor="#717a80" style="height:1px;line-height:1px;padding-bottom:0px;background-color:rgb(113,122,128);border-bottom-width:0px"><img alt="" width="5" height="1" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="display: block; height: 1px; width: 5px;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598text" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598text_content-cell m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:Montserrat,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:16px;line-height:1.2;display:block;padding:10px 20px"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">IEPs and Print Disabilities</span></h3><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Tuesday, October 20</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">7:00 p.m. EST</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><a href="https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/calendar/ExternalCalendar/IEP26" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Registration Link</a></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Navigating the special education system can feel overwhelming, especially when you're advocating for a child with a print disability, which may include visual, physical, or reading disabilities such as dyslexia. Join a panel featuring an education attorney, a parent advocate, and a dyslexia specialist who will explain what an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is, what it is not, and how it differs from a Section 504 Plan. The discussion will also explore when families should consider working with an educational advocate and what that support can look like throughout the process. Whether you're just beginning your journey or looking to better understand your rights and options, this program will provide practical information to help you advocate with confidence.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" width="100%" align="center" valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed;height:1px;width:550px"><tbody><tr><td height="1" align="center" bgcolor="#717a80" style="height:1px;line-height:1px;padding-bottom:0px;background-color:rgb(113,122,128);border-bottom-width:0px"><img alt="" width="5" height="1" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="display: block; height: 1px; width: 5px;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598text" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598text_content-cell m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:Montserrat,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:16px;line-height:1.2;display:block;padding:10px 20px"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Neuroscience of Dyslexia</span></h3><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Thursday, October 22</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">7:00 p.m. EST</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><a href="https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/calendar/ExternalCalendar/ScienceofDyslexia26" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Registration Link</a></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">In this talk, </span><a href="https://education.umd.edu/directory/donald-bolger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Dr. Donald Bolger</a><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif"> will discuss the neuroscience of Dyslexia and how the new definition of Dyslexia released in October by the International Dyslexia Association reflects 20 years of new research and thinking. Dr. Bolger will discuss cognitive and neurobiological research on reading difficulties and how it shapes our thinking about a "constellation approach" from a scientific perspective. He will discuss how diagnosis takes shape under this approach and what factors we should pay attention to. Lastly, he will discuss how brain science supports foundational principles of explicit, systematic intervention approaches.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" width="100%" align="center" valign="top" style="padding:10px 20px"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="table-layout:fixed;height:1px;width:550px"><tbody><tr><td height="1" align="center" bgcolor="#717a80" style="height:1px;line-height:1px;padding-bottom:0px;background-color:rgb(113,122,128);border-bottom-width:0px"><img alt="" width="5" height="1" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="display: block; height: 1px; width: 5px;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="m_-2797985909423095598text" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed"><tbody><tr><td class="m_-2797985909423095598text_content-cell m_-2797985909423095598content-padding-horizontal" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:Montserrat,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:16px;line-height:1.2;display:block;padding:10px 20px"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Stroke and Dyslexia</span></h3><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Tuesday, October 27</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">7:00 p.m. EST</span></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><a href="https://marylandlibraries.libcal.com/calendar/ExternalCalendar/StrokeDyslexia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Registration Link</a></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">Learn about the types of reading difficulties that individuals may experience after a stroke, often referred to as "acquired dyslexia." Some of these difficulties may be similar to traditional print difficulties related to low vision or vision loss, but others are quite different. While reading may seem \u201ceasy\u201d and \u201cautomatic\u201d, it may become suddenly very difficult after a stroke. You will learn about the different mental operations that are involved in the very complex task of reading. Because of this complexity, a stroke may disrupt different components of the reading process, leading to distinct types of deficits. We will discuss some of the different types of deficits that have been identified and how testing can be used to identify them. This talk is being given by </span><a href="https://cogsci.jhu.edu/directory/brenda-rapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(44,116,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Dr. Barbara Rapp</a><span style="font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif">.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;border-collapse:collapse">
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<p style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Ashley M. Biggs</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br>
<i>Marketing & Outreach Librarian</i><br>Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled<br>Maryland State Library Agency<br>415 Park Avenue<br>Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3603<br>
<br>410-230-2430 (office) | 667-209-1563 (cell) | 410-333-2095 (fax)<br>
</span><a href="mailto:ashley.biggs1@maryland.gov" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(17,85,204)">ashley.biggs1@maryland.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p style="line-height:normal"></p></td></tr></tbody></table><font face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><br></span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://msla.maryland.gov/Pages/LBPD.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline">Click here</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"> to visit the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled website and sign up for weekly updates.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.656;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline">Follow us on Social Media!</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MDLBPD/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline">Facebook</span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://twitter.com/MDLBPD/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline">X</span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/marylandstatelibrary" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline">LinkedIn</span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maryland_state_library/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline">Instagram</span></a></p></li></ul></span></div><div><br></div><div><div><ul></ul></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>