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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As you know, our Day in Annapolis and Washington Seminar are just around the corner. As we meet with our state and federal legislators about the bills which are of most importance to blind Americans, we must also keep up the pressure on social media. Our state President has told me that we have a number of new state legislators who are very active on Facebook and Twitter. In order to most effectively reach them, then, we need to make our legislative priorities prominent topics on their social networks. I am therefore asking that you do the following:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>As you meet with your state lawmakers during our Day in Annapolis, please tweet about your experiences using the hashtag #NFBMDDIA15. Please note that the DIA here will stand for “Day in Annapolis.” If you have your delegate/senator’s Twitter handle, please feel free to mention them in your tweets and use this hashtag. By doing this, your tweets about our issues will be compiled into one master list of Day in Annapolis tweets which can be accessed by anyone who searches this hashtag or clicks on it in a tweet. Similarly, please use the hashtag #NFBWS15 when tweeting about your meetings with our Congressional representatives during the Washington Seminar. I along with the rest of our social media team will monitor both hashtags and retweet as many tweets from individual members on the NFB of Maryland’s Twitter account as possible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>If you are tweeting about a specific issue, please use the following hashtags which have already been established by our national organization: #FairWages for the TIME Act, #TEACHAct for the TEACH Act, and #MarakeshTreaty or #RightToRead for the UN treaty on access to eBooks for the blind. I will create hashtags for our state issues and get back to these lists with details.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>Please note that hashtags are not exclusive to Twitter. Though they are most often used on Twitter, they are also seen on Facebook, Instagram and other social media. So, please feel free to use the above hashtags in other social media postings; they will have the same effect.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I look forward to seeing a lot of social media activity to complement the in-person advocacy we will be undertaking in Annapolis and Washington. Let’s put on the pressure!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Chris Nusbaum<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Chris Nusbaum, Vice President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Maryland Association of Blind Students<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A Division of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: (443) 547-2409<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Email: <a href="mailto:dotkid.nusbaum@gmail.com">dotkid.nusbaum@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twitter: @Chrisn98 and @NFBMD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations for 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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>