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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>If you are attending the state convention in early November in
Woodbridge,
great!</DIV>
<DIV>If you are not attending the state convention held in Woodbridge, we
are
planning to stream part of the convention.</DIV>
<DIV>Details will be forthcoming.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>With this said, to all receiving this email, please join us on a
conference
call on Monday, October 15 at 8:00 pm.</DIV>
<DIV>Note: please call in ten minutes prior to the scheduled call time as I
am
expecting a good number to attend to the call.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Call: 605 468 8005</DIV>
<DIV>Code: 460994</DIV>
<DIV>We will have the opportunity to meet our national representative, Carla
McQuillan.</DIV>
<DIV>Her biography is below.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In addition, I will provide any updates pertaining to the state
convention.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Looking forward to another educational, motivational and inspirational
state convention, Live The Life You Want; Blind With Vision</DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfb.org">www.nfb.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR:
#000000">***</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> </DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Carla McQuillan</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Executive Director of Main Street Montessori
Association</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Carla was born and raised in Southern California in
the
early 60's, the</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">youngest of 4 children. In the summer before fifth
grade, Carla lost a great</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">deal of vision but did not notice it until she
started
school in the fall</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">and was unable to read the chalkboard from the front
row. A few years</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">earlier, her older brother had been diagnosed with a
rare genetic eye</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">condition called Stargardt's disease, which resulted
in
the loss of central</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">vision. It was soon confirmed that Carla had the
same
condition. She was</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">diagnosed legally blind in 1971.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Because of her remaining peripheral vision, Carla
did
not "look blind", so</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">she was not taught Braille or any other alternative
techniques of blindness.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">She had very little experience with blind people.
The
only blind person she</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">knew was her brother, and he was forever using his
blindness as an excuse</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">for standing on the sidelines. Carla knew that this
was
not the life she</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">wanted and was determined to do everything in her
power
to convince the</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">world that she was not blind.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">After high school Carla went to Humboldt State
University in Northern</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">California. There she met her husband Lucas. They
were
married in the summer</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">of 1981 and moved to San Diego for Lucas's master's
degree program. Though</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Carla had not completed her bachelor's degree, she
was
more than happy to</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">put her college career on hold and work to support
the
couple. Her one year</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">of college had not been very successful. Without the
ability to read Braille</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">and eyesight too poor to read print, Carla, who had
been
an A student in</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">high school, saw her grades drop.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">She got a job as a Montessori Preschool teacher in
San
Diego while Lucas</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">completed his master's degree. Their daughter Alison
was
born in 1983. In</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">1985 the family moved to Illinois. Lucas enrolled in
a
doctoral program at</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">the University of Illinois, and Carla decided to
complete her bachelor's</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">degree. With Lucas' encouragement, Carla asked for
accessible textbooks and</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">decided to learn Braille. The staff at the
university's
disabled student's</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">services office told her how difficult Braille would
be
to learn and how</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">inefficient it would be. Discouraged and defeated,
Carla
wondered if there</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">was any hope for her future. Fortunately she learned
of
a scholarship</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">program through the National Federation of the
Blind.
She won a scholarship</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">from the organization's Illinois affiliate in 1988.
The
state convention</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">changed her life. Her negative attitudes about
blindness
and about her own</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">potential to be a successful professional were
replaced
by confidence and</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">self-assurance that remain a hallmark of her
character
today.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">After both graduating with High Distinction from the
University of Illinois</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">in 1988, the McQuillans completed their family with
the
birth of their son</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Duncan. They moved to Oregon to be near Carla's
family.
Carla started her</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">own Montessori preschool, which later expanded to
include 3 schools and a</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Montessori Teacher Certification Program. Carla
served
as President of the</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">National Federation of the Blind of Oregon from 1992
until 2006, when her</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">business responsibilities became too demanding. She
also
served on the NFB's</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">national board of directors from 1998 until
resigning
from that position as</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">well in 2006. She was re-elected president of the
Oregon
affiliate in 2012</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">and still serves in that capacity. She is the
director
of NFB Camp, the</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">program that offers child care during the annual
convention of the National</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Federation of the Blind. Carla was again elected to
the
national board of</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">directors in 2016.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">"I had such horrible misconceptions about blindness
for
most of my childhood</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">and early adult life," Carla says. "I thought I knew
what blindness meant,and I didn't want any part of it. The National
Federation
of the Blind taught me that blindness was only as limiting as I allowed it
to
be. My friends and colleagues in the movement have been more than ideal role
models; they have saved me from a life of regret and
underachievement."</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><FONT
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