<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Thank you to our Recording Secretary, Julie McGinnity.<div class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">National Federation of the Blind</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-indent: 36px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Potomac Chapter</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">May 12, 2022</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Meeting Minutes</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">President Christine Grassman called the meeting to order a little after 7:00 PM. There were five individuals present in person at St. George’s Episcopal Church, and all other attendees were present virtually on Zoom. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from April. Joanne Wilson moved, and John Halverson seconded to approve the minutes. The minutes were approved with no amendments.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Then the treasurer’s report was adopted. Gary Grassman moved, and Joanne Wilson seconded to approve the treasurer’s report. It was also approved with no amendments. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Rachel Schreiman gave the total earned through the pampered chef fundraiser. After the events raised a total of $1,600, the chapter made around $600.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Christine then reminded everyone to register for national convention, whether attending in person or virtually. The preregistration deadline is May 31<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7.3px; line-height: normal;" class=""><sup class="">st</sup></span>. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">The first speaker on the agenda was Ferras Ghannam, a representative from Connect BBC, a transportation provider in the greater Washington DC area. He described the services his company offers including: trips anywhere in the DMV area; vehicles that accommodate individuals, small groups, and large groups; and booking online, over the phone, and by email. The website to access service is <a href="http://www.connectbbc.com" class=""><span style="color: rgb(11, 76, 180);" class="">www.connectbbc.com</span></a>. Ferras recommended that passengers book at least a day in advance but he indicated that it is possible to book a ride the same day of travel. In addition, he explained that the connect service provides transportation at a flat rate with no serge pricing. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">The second speaker was Ancil Torres, president of the Torres foundation, who discussed advocating for improved paratransit services. He listed many of the problems blind and disabled people face when riding public transportation and paratransit. Then he sought support from our members to influence the operators of our local paratransit services. Ancil explained that those who run Metro Access do not listen to recommendations from disabled people and do not implement plans to cut down costs and improve access for all. He asked the chapter to look at his blog and join forces with him in his quest to clarify and decrease costs, improve safety, and make it easier to book the type of rides we want. There followed a discussion of summer social activities. The chapter decided to hold an ice cream social in August, for which members should consider making a donation or donating supplies. However, we need to find a location to hold the social. Christine asked the membership to locate a meeting space that would hold a large group at low cost.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">The Presidential Release was played. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">The meeting was adjourned around 8:30 PM. The next meeting will take place on Thursday, June 9<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7.3px; line-height: normal;" class=""><sup class="">th</sup></span>. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Respectfully Submitted,</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" class="">Julie A. McGinnity</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;" class=""><br class=""></p></div></body></html>