1026 East 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: (410) 645-0632
Email: president@nfbmd.org
The Braille Spectator Summer 2010
The Newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
[NOTE: This page contains internal links to help you navigate the newsletter content.]
President's Message
Why Attend Concentions?
Turnng Problems Into Opportunities: A Seminar fro Parents & Educators of Blind Children
2010 Annapolis Report
Maryland Students Hit a Home Run for Braille Literacy
A Tale of the Freeze Dried Duck, an American Family’s Adventures in China
Dr. Jonathan Lazar Receives Bolotin Award
You Are Never Too Old to Learn!
NFB Honored
Births
Deaths
Achievements
Graduations
New Assistant Superintendent at DORS
Moving Ahead
Early Voting
Calendar
President’s Message
By Melissa Riccobono
Greetings to all of you. I hope you are all enjoying the heat and fun that come with summer. I know my family and I have been, and will continue to be, very busy with summer activities. But, although it is hard to believe, summer will soon be behind us and we need to begin thinking of the coming fall.
This year, fall will bring two exciting things to the NFB of Maryland. The first, of course, is our annual State Convention, which comes in October this year, and second is an exciting new venture called an At Large Chapter. I will take these two fall happenings in reverse order.
For some time now, the NFBMD Board and I have been exploring the possibility of starting an At Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. This chapter is a way for those who do not have local chapters close to them, or are new to vision loss and the Federation to learn what the NFBMD is all about, and what we have to offer. Several other NFB state affiliates, including West Virginia and New Jersey, have created At Large Chapters with huge success. I am pleased that the NFB of Maryland will be starting its own At Large Chapter on Thursday evening, September 9, at 7:30 PM. Where will this chapter meet? In the comfort of your own home! We will meet via conference call using a service called Free Conference Call. Simply dial 712-775-7100 and access code 147688 to join our At Large Chapter meeting. (This is not a local call, so long distance charges will apply if you do not have unlimited long distance or minutes available on a cell phone.) During the first meeting, we will discuss the chapter in general, answer questions about the NFB of Maryland, play a Presidential Release from our national office, give information and reminders about the October State Convention, and talk about program items for future At Large Chapter meetings. At Large Chapter meetings will take place the second Thursday of every month at 7:30 PM, using the same conference call numbers as above. For the time being I will be in charge of this chapter, but am always looking for help and feedback. If you are interested in the At Large Chapter, or have questions about it, please call me at 410-235-3073, or email me at president@nfbmd.org. I hope to hear from many of you, and I look forward to you joining me for our first meeting September 9.
As many of you know, our State Convention is early this year. It will be held October 22-24 at the Doubletree Hotel, 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, MD 21401. Rooms are $79 a night plus tax. This will be a fantastic convention with activities for seniors, parents of blind children, children, high school and college students, and everyone in between. In addition, we will have a State Board meeting, an agenda packed with informative presentations, resolutions, a banquet including an address from our national representative, Cathy Jackson, and of course hospitality, a talent show, door prizes, and a bake auction to keep things fun. Please see the convention registration form in the middle of this issue for more details, and make your plans now to join us in October! Please call the Doubletree to make your room reservations at 410-224-3150. Rooms must be reserved by September 22, so please do not delay! I hope to see all of you in Annapolis this October.
Why Attend Conventions?
By Judy Rasmussen
People attend conventions for various reasons. First-timers are always a little apprehensive because they don’t know what to expect—will they have a good time, will they learn anything? The majority of the time, everyone who attends either a state or national convention usually comes home with a better understanding of what the Federation is all about and knows why they want to be a part of the excitement and help change what it means to be blind. Whether you are a parent, child, young adult or senior citizen, you will find something that interests you. I am sure you will enjoy reading the experiences of some of the Federationists who attended either their first state or national convention during the past year.
Larry Cohen, a member of the Sligo Creek Chapter, attended his first state convention in Ocean City. He had recently moved here from New York and didn’t know many people. Larry was looking for employment. While visiting with a convention exhibitor, he learned of an employment opportunity with the General Services Administration. Larry applied for the position and today is a full-time employee and supervisor of several staff. Congratulations Larry, it pays in more ways than one to attend an NFB convention.
Joyce Brooks, a brand new Federationist and member of our newly formed National Harbor Chapter, said she decided to attend the national convention in Dallas to “find out what the Federation is all about.” Joyce is employed as a Property Disposal Specialist/Sales Contracting Officer for NASA. She is a grandmother of 14 and by the time you read this article, will be a great grandmother. Joyce said when she first walked into the hotel, she couldn’t believe how many people were there—she was especially surprised to see so many children. She appreciated being mentored by her roommates, Yasmin Reyazuddin and Terry Powers. Attending the rookie round-up helped her get a picture of what the week held in store for her. Meeting other Marylanders, attending the membership and fund raising seminars, and helping sell items at the Maryland table gave her an opportunity to meet people from all over the country. Joyce said she realized that she can continue doing the things she used to do and is excited about assuming a leadership role in her chapter and recruiting others to join the Federation.
Valencia Moody, from Columbia and a member of the Central Maryland Chapter, attended her first national convention this summer. When asked what she liked about convention, she said she enjoyed volunteering at Kids’ Camp, learning to salsa dance, (the Braille cell was used to teach people how to salsa), meeting people from so many different states, hearing a blind doctor tell his story, and listening to the talent show. Valencia said “Convention offers many opportunities to learn about new technology, provides so many seminars you can’t decide which one to attend, and probably most important, teaches us not to give up on our dreams.”
Shahinaz Ali, a parent, said that the first word which comes to her mind about attending a national convention was that it was “uplifting.” She said the hardest part was deciding which seminars to attend but the most exciting thing for her was believing in the reality that her daughter, Nesma, has a real chance to succeed at what she puts her mind to. Now when Nesma says she wants to be a doctor, her mother knows it is not impossible. Nesma had great fun attending sessions in “the junior youth track” and spending time in the tween room. She found it especially fun to chase other kids around the room (without adults telling you to watch out and telling others to watch out for you.) Shahinaz said that soon after they arrived at the convention, Nesma was asking: “are we coming back next year”?
October 22-24 (the dates of our State Convention), are just around the corner. Whether you have attended many conventions, or you are a newcomer, you won’t want to miss our jam-packed weekend in Annapolis. See you there!
Turning Problems Into Opportunities:
A Seminar for Parents and Educators of Blind Children
October 22, 2010, Doubletree Hotel, 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, MD 21401
Susan Polansky and the Board Members of the Maryland Parents of Blind Children Division are planning an exciting seminar for our State Convention. The seminar will take place on Friday, October 22 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis.
The keynote speaker will be Carlton Walker, who is Second Vice President of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Carlton is an attorney and a vision teacher. She hails from Pennsylvania.
There will be workshops about developing social skills, increasing tactile skills, implementing strategies for helping students with multiple disabilities and exploring technology. Those who wish will have the opportunity to try their hand at reading and writing Braille.
Watch your email and mailbox for further details.
2010 Annapolis Report
By Sharon Maneki
During the 2010 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the NFB of Maryland had two major goals. The first goal was to publicize problems at the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH). The second goal was to improve the quality of Braille instruction for blind and visually impaired students.
LBPH is vital because it is the major source of information for blind children, adults, and senior citizens. Many of the members of the Maryland General Assembly were unaware of its importance to us. We explained the value of LBPH and the hardships created by the loss of state funding. In 2001, LBPH received a state appropriation of $854,929. By 2007, the appropriation was reduced to $798,587. In 2008, the appropriation dropped to $705,507. In 2009, the state appropriation was a mere $479,529.
Because of our efforts, the Maryland General Assembly expressed its support for LBPH. In their reports, the budget committees, “strongly encourage the Maryland State Department of Education to fully fund the Library for the Blind and Physically handicapped, including the Higher Education Textbook Coordination Program.”
Because of our efforts, on May 4, 2010, Governor O’Malley signed HB 413 and SB 230 into law. This law requires the Maryland State Department of Education to establish standards for instruction in Braille, reading, writing, and math for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. We look forward to working with the Maryland State Department of Education to develop standards that will truly provide blind and visually impaired students with competent literacy skills when they complete their education.
The NFB of Maryland also supported legislation to strengthen parental rights in the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). These rights were specified in HB 269 and SB 540, which Governor O’Malley signed into law on May 20, 2010. Parents now have the right to review assessments, reports and other educational documents five business days before an IEP meeting is to be convened. Parents now also have the right to receive a copy of the completed IEP five business days after the meeting. All documents must be provided in an accessible format.
Another bill of interest to Spectator readers was SB 58. It was adopted by the Maryland General Assembly and signed by the Governor. SB 58 was an administration bill that will help DORS place clients in unpaid learning experiences or internships. This legislation will encourage employers to hire disabled interns because the state will provide workers compensation for these interns.
The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland has enjoyed working with the members of the General Assembly over the last four years. We have many friends who have been our partners in promoting equal rights and equal opportunities for blind citizens of Maryland. Best wishes to those members of the General Assembly who are retiring. We hope to see many of our friends back for another term. We urge all of our members to vote for our many friends in the November elections.
Maryland Students Hit a Home Run for Braille Literacy
By Sharon Maneki
Twenty-three students from Maryland participated in the 2010 National Braille Readers Are Leaders contest.
Many of these students were recognized at a party held at the National Center for the Blind on May 26. Natalie Shaheen, an Education Specialist at the Jernigan Institute, organized games around a baseball theme in which the students were required to use braille. Blind adults and students enjoyed the competition as well as the chance to get to know one another. Each student made a baseball card with his or her vital statistics, discussed situations about blindness in a game called stump the ump and used braille to make strikes, home runs etc.
In addition to the party at the National Center for the Blind, the Sligo Creek Chapter and the National Harbor Chapter held special celebrations for contest participants from their areas at their chapter meetings. On June 11, President Riccobono attended an awards ceremony at the Church Creek Elementary School to recognize the five participants from that school.
This year, more students than in recent years (including two from Prince George’s County) participated in the contest. They were Leah Palmer, a ninth grade student at Crossland High School, and Shawn Abraham, a fourth grade student at Catherine T Reed Elementary School. Nesma Ali, a fourth grade student at Ashburton Elementary School in Montgomery County, participated in the contest for the first time. Two frequent participants, Jason Polansky and Cody Mulligan were back again this year. Jason Polansky is in the eighth grade at Thurmont Middle School in Frederick County. Cody Mulligan attends Red House Run Elementary School in Baltimore County and is in the fifth grade.
Once again, five students from the Church Creek Elementary School in Harford County participated in the contest. They were: Allison Brinkley, Brianna Broadwater, Christian Coreas, Tatyanna Ditzenberger, and Destiny Robertson.
This year, thirteen students from the Maryland School for the Blind participated. They were: Destiny DiMattei, Jenny Espino, Makeda Evans, Joshua Gregory, Timmy Jones, Kuassi Kouhiko, Stephanie Mangum, Rogina Melvin, Lalla Melvin, Dan Price, Ashley Stewart, Andrea Washington, and Gracie Zuzarte.
Special congratulations to the following students who read a significant number of braille pages: Nesma Ali, Dan Price and Destiny Robertson read 500 pages; Joshua Gregory and Jason Polansky read 1,000 pages; Destiny Dimatei and Shawn Abraham read 2,000 pages.
We hope that all of these students and many others will participate in the contest again next year. By becoming good braille readers, these students are hitting home runs for life.
A Tale of the Freeze Dried Duck,
an American Family’s Adventures in China
By Shawn Jacobson
Editor’s Note: Shawn is the Treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and Treasurer of the Sligo Creek Chapter. Shawn did not let vision loss stop him from adopting children. In this article, Shawn shares his adventures as he and his family toured China and revisited the place where they first met Zebe.
Ever since we adopted Zebe fourteen years ago, we had planned to return to China. We wanted to show Zebe the country that she was from. Also, we wanted to see more of it ourselves. We had seen some of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, but we had not had time or energy to see the rest of the country. And besides, getting a child for the first time and learning on the fly how to be parents does not go well with intensive tourism.
So after more than a year of planning, we were finally ready. We had our passports, visas, tickets and itinerary and were ready to go. We would travel for two weeks and visit seven cities in China starting with Shanghai. Here we met one of the families that adopted with us and now lived in an expatriate community northwest of the city.
Our time in Shanghai was primarily a chance to shop and rest up from the plane trip. We shopped at the Pearl Market and the Fabric Market, both large buildings full of small shops and stalls. We bought clothing and some people in the group bought pearls. When it was time to try on our new clothes, the shopkeeper would make an impromptu dressing room by draping cloth across a corner of the stall.
The next stop was Beijing. Here we were constantly busy touring since there was a lot to see and experience. The schedule was also compressed because we were three hours late getting there from Shanghai. The highlight was The Great Wall, which sits to the north of Beijing. The section that we toured runs along the top of a mountain ridge and is reached by a cable car. As we ascended, I could see on my right the wall climbing next to us; I was looking forward to walking down the wall and taking a sled back down to the starting point. However, when we reached the top, we found that the section of wall we were at was closed and to get to an open section of wall required walking a dangerous path along the edge of a cliff. Our guide talked to the guards, and they did let some of us go up and walk on a small part of the wall while the more adventuresome members of the party took the path.
So at least we got up on the wall. From the top you could see the wall snaking off into the mountains beyond us and you could see down into valleys on both sides. This is facilitated by the arrow slits carved into both sides of the wall. We also got to see one of the old watch towers used by soldiers stationed on the wall. I remember ducking under archways in this building and looking out the other side to see the wall descend down a steep flight of stairs. On the mountain, an exhortation to revere the thoughts of Mao was carved into the rock. But the fierce t-shirt peddlers we went by on the way down revered only the art of selling. After running a two block gauntlet of merchants, we reached the bus and headed back into town.
Another interesting activity was the Hu Tong tour. We rode rickshaws through an ancient village within Beijing itself. All around us we could smell food being cooked and could hear people working on the street and repairing buildings (China is always under construction). A highlight of the tour came when we had tea with a lady who lived in the village. She described her life and explained why she loved living in the village. Since her house shared a common courtyard with several other houses, there was always someone around to be with.
I was surprised to truly enjoy the acrobat show we saw in Beijing. I felt that the performance would be so visual that I wouldn’t get anything out of it; but I was able to use binoculars to focus in on those performances that were on one part of the stage. I particularly enjoyed a performance where a lady did various handstands while on a crane that carried her around the stage thirty feet in the air. There were many other impressive performances in the show.
We next traveled to Xian, to see the Terra Cotta soldiers, a collection of statues made two thousand years ago and found in a field just outside of town. In order to preserve the original colors of the statues, most have not been removed from the pits where they were found. Before seeing the actual soldiers, we toured a factory where replicas are made and had a chance to do some shopping. Then it was off to the excavation to see the real thing. The most impressive soldier site had ranks of infantry soldiers interspersed with terra cotta horses. This area was about the size of a football field and had about 7,000 figures. Two smaller sites had archers and statues of officers. Each figure has unique facial features, but the statues come in a few basic types: infantrymen, officers, archers, and horses. A statue of each type was found in a museum at the third site.
Xian is also known for its city wall. This wall is forty feet high and almost 50 feet across. It stretches for about 8 miles around the old city. We were able to go up on the wall and ride in rickshaws (the younger people in the group road bicycles) on top of the wall. On the inside of the wall was the old city which has its old architecture preserved. On the other side is the modern city of Xian with its skyscraper towers and modern building design. The wall itself is used by the residents of the city for exercise and as a place to enjoy nice days.
Xian was the original capital of China long before Beijing became an important city. It also is the starting point for the silk-road. While there, we saw the Great Mosque of Xian, a mosque built about 1,200 years ago by Moslems who came to Xian over the silk-road. This mosque is unique in that it is built in the form of a Buddhist temple.
Buddhism is big in China, so we were able to see some truly big Buddhas. In Beijing, at the Lama temple, we saw a Buddha that was 90 feet tall and was carved out of a single tree. The biggest Buddha we saw was the Leshan Giant Buddha. This Buddha is carved out of the side of a cliff over confluence of two rivers. I was concerned that I would not be able to see the Buddha from the boat, but I need not have worried. We came around a bend in the river and there it was; the whole side of the cliff was carved into a seated Buddha that was 240 feet high. On either side of the statue were sets of steps, I could see people (who looked ant sized by comparison) climbing up and down; when passing in front of the statue, they were about the height of the Buddha’s toes.
We saw this mountain of a Buddha on the way from Chengdu, the next city on our itinerary, to the Bifengxia panda base. This panda base is in the mountains near Ya An where we stayed the night before going to the preserve. We saw about 20 pandas in several different enclosures. The pandas were playing in the mud, so they weren’t black and white, as you would expect, but were dark tan and black instead. We even got to see a baby panda that was small enough to fit on your hand. My son, Stephen, got a good picture of the little panda. While there, we ran into a group of school children and they used us to practice their English skills.
Chengdu was where we stayed at the most unique hotel on our trip, the Gini Hotel. This was a traditional Chinese courtyard hotel, each room opened directly onto a courtyard or the street. One noteworthy aspect was the breakfast we received there. This traditional Chinese snack breakfast was brought to our rooms every morning in a wicker basket. The breakfast consisted of an egg and a carton of milk in the top basket and a sweet potato and an ear of corn in the bottom basket. Once we ate what we wanted (the milk tasted strange) we got coffee and finished our breakfast at the Starbuck’s near the hotel.
Both the hotel and the Starbuck’s were on a pedestrian mall that stretched for several blocks through downtown Chengdu. The mall featured small shops and other merchants (including a man who made candy in the shapes of animals) and restaurants. One evening, we ate dinner in an open-air restaurant just down the street from the hotel.
Our last day in Chengdu, we went to Luodai, a preserved village from very early China. Here, the women could try on traditional Chinese dresses and have their picture taken. While they were doing that, Stephen and I stood on the side of the street and watched people parade by in their costumes. Luodai means “lost belt” in Chinese; the village got its name because one of the early residents lost his belt down the village well. We were able to see where the old well had been.
That afternoon, we flew from Chengdu to Xiamen, the city where we adopted Zebe. We were curious about how the city had changed since we were there 14 years ago. When we arrived, we saw that the city had changed quite a bit. The tall buildings that had been under construction when we adopted Zebe had been completed along with many other skyscrapers. We visited a hot springs resort that had been built after we were last in Xiamen. One neat thing to do was to sit in the fish pool while little fish ate the dead skin off of your body. It took a while for me to get used to the tickling sensation, but eventually, I relaxed and enjoyed it. We also had a Chinese head massage and a “hot rocks” massage where you lay down in a pit and have people shovel sand on top of you (don’t read any horror stories before doing this). The sand helps keep you warm so that you sweat.
On our last day in Xiamen, we went to the orphanage where we first met Zebe. Like the rest of the city, the place had changed a lot. The original building where we had received Zebe had been torn down and a twenty-story building to house children and seniors was being built in its place. We saw the lady who was the orphanage administrator. We exchanged gifts and we gave them some money to help with the building. Everyone cried. While there we saw two children who were going to be adopted very soon.
That afternoon, we flew back to Shanghai and Zebe and Chris (a friend who went with us) had a combined birthday party. The party was at the Monk, a pub near where our friends lived. Scott, who had been with us on our first trip, played the sax in a band that played at the club and his band played happy birthday for us. We were reminded of Zebe’s first birthday which we had in Xiamen.
While in China, we had many adventures and unique experiences to numerous to mention here. One of the most memorable experiences we had came after Zebe found a wallet in the tour bus in Xiamen. When the driver saw the wallet, he knew who it belonged to. It belonged to his friend who worked on the buses. When his friend got his wallet back, he was ecstatic (you don’t want to lose your ID card in China) and he gave Zebe several gifts. One of these was a freeze dried duck (that’s right, the whole duck bill, feet, and all). We weren’t sure what we would do with it, but that decision was taken out of our hands by the customs agents in Newark when we arrived. You can’t take a freeze dried duck into the country.
So the duck didn’t make it back with us, but our memories can’t be taken away. Adopting Zebe was a wonderful, scary, challenging experience and this vacation was also a wonderful experience with its own adventures. Though we will probably never get back to China, we will remember these trips forever.
Dr. Jonathan Lazar Receives Bolotin Award
By Sharon Maneki
The afternoon of July 8th was an exciting one for the Maryland Affiliate because our colleague and friend, Jonathan Lazar, received one of the Bolotin Awards at the 2010 National Convention in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Jonathan Lazar is the Director of the Universal Usability Laboratory at Towson University. He was recognized for his many years of promoting web accessibility for the blind. Jonathan developed and taught a class on web accessibility. He invites blind adults to talk to his students about blindness and access on a regular basis. Some of the topics that Jonathan and his students have studied include the accessibility of the websites of Maryland State Government, airlines and those commonly used for job searching. He also spearheaded a project to design an accessible captcha that will allow blind persons to access many commercial websites.
Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a blind physician who lived and practiced in Chicago, Illinois in the early part of the twentieth century. As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor, by Rosalind Perlman, Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance into medical school and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected physicians in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in diseases of the heart and lungs. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for the employment of the blind and their full integration into society. The Bolotin Awards, named in his honor, is a way to recognize individuals and organizations working in the blindness field that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving the full integration of blind people into society on a basis of equality. These awards are made possible through the generosity of his late nephew and niece (the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust).
When accepting the award, Dr. Lazar thanked the members of the NFB of Maryland for serving as participants for his studies. He also expressed his appreciation to Mark Riccobono, Ann Taylor, and other members of the technology access team of the Jernigan Institute for their input and ideas. Dr Lazar attributed his success to his partnership with the organized blind. He stated “it was an honor to be on the stage with notable inventors such as Dr. Ray Kurzweil”.
Dr. Lazar is already making plans for new projects to ensure that the wealth of information on the Internet is as available to the blind as it is to the sighted. Congratulations to Dr. Lazar. He is a pioneering spirit who truly follows the ideals of Dr. Jacob Bolotin.
You Are Never Too Old to Learn!
By Judy Rasmussen
Frances (Muffin) Copper from Salisbury, MD began losing vision in 2003. However, she continued her employment at the Delmarva Community Service Center working in a group home for people with disabilities. Her vision continued to decrease and in 2007, her supervisor told her she could no longer work there. Since Muffin had worked at the same facility for 23 years, she felt certain there were other jobs she could do. However, she was not allowed to try anything else.
Discouraged and frustrated, she decided to participate in services to help her adjust to vision loss. At first, she was not confident she could learn to function as a blind person. Meeting Ray Jackson, President of the Delmarva Chapter, was a big help to her. She began attending chapter meetings and gradually began to believe in her ability to return to work, but she realized she couldn’t do that until she learned the skills necessary to make her as independent as possible.
When she learned about the June, 2010 Silver Retreat sponsored by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), Muffin decided to take the plunge. The three-day retreat allows seniors to meet others experiencing vision loss, and introduces them to basic concepts of braille, cane travel and computer skills—all under sleep shades. Here is what Muffin had to say about what she learned at the retreat.
All of the seniors stayed at a hotel near the BWI airport. After their initial get acquainted session, their first task was to find their rooms. By following the raised numerals on the doors, she found her number. A feeling of triumph came over her when she was able to open the door and find her bed. She learned to carry a tray in a cafeteria by holding it in her left hand and keeping the cane under her right arm. Three things stand out about her cane travel instruction. They were: learning how to go up and down stairs, listening for the echo so you know when you are near a building, and identifying traffic patterns when crossing streets. The first time she went out with her family after returning to Salisbury, she couldn’t wait to show them the echo technique.
She really enjoyed eating the fish dinner she and her team cooked. She thought the braille dots looked pretty scary at first, but when she realized she could really feel separate dots in the letters, she decided braille would be worth learning more about. Walking around the Inner Harbor, going on a boat tour (which included dancing) and eating out in a fancy restaurant were also a meaningful part of her experience. One of her favorite activities was participating in a scavenger hunt. Each person had to find four things. Learning to explore with your hands to find things rather than try to use your vision is a concept she realized was worth learning. In fact, she liked it so much that she organized a scavenger hunt at the next Delmarva Chapter meeting.
Muffin is now employed part-time at Swing Foods in Cambridge. She said she had too much energy to retire. She looks forward to encouraging others as they adjust to vision loss. Go Muffin!
Specks
NFB Honored
On Monday, July 26, 2010, Governor Martin O'Malley presented nine citations to individuals, businesses and organizations as part of the State's 20th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Baltimore, an event that drew more than 400 individuals from across the State. The National Federation of the Blind received one of these citations.
"National Federation of the Blind--The National Federation of the Blind was recognized for its leadership in creating the annual Jacobus tenBroek Disability Rights Law Symposium. The symposium brings to Maryland leading scholars and attorneys who have devoted their lives to advancing the rights of people with disabilities and thus assuring that Maryland's legal community continues to learn about laws and court decisions that impact the lives of Marylanders with disabilities."
Births
Welcome to the newest member of the NFB of Maryland, Oriana Kay Riccobono, born May 15, 2010, at 6:05 a.m. She weighed in
at 7 pounds 3.3 ounces and measured in at 20 inches long.
Oriana is apparently a girl of swift decision as she came fast and, true to her name, which means dawning, she came with the rising of the sun.
Melissa and Oriana are both doing very well! Big brother Austin and Mark are excited to have this new addition in their lives.
Deaths
On March 24, after a long illness, Lee Griffith died at age 89. Lee served two terms on the Board of Directors of the state Affiliate. He will be remembered best as a voice of encouragement to newly blind persons, especially seniors. Lee avidly promoted learning Braille, and delighted in thinking up ways to help people remember the Braille code. Lee was famous for his sense of humor, his kindness, and his generosity.
On March 27, Fred Flowers died suddenly on his way to a meeting at his church. Fred was a long time leader who served on the Board of Directors of the state Affiliate for 18 years. He also served several terms as the President of the Greater Baltimore Chapter, two terms as President of the Senior Issues Division, and was the Treasurer for several years of the Business Division of the NFB of Maryland. Fred was an active fundraiser, especially at our annual crab feasts.
We will remember Fred for his welcoming and cheerful personality. He especially enjoyed greeting Federationists, cooking food and serving coffee in the presidential suite at National Conventions. His mantra was, “I am working for us.” He was a real ambassador for the movement, spreading our message to everyone he met. We will miss his sense of humor, friendship, and enthusiasm.
After a long battle with cancer, Robert Braswell died on April 24, 2010. Bob was a devoted and loyal member of the NFB for 12 years. He was active in the Greater Baltimore Chapter, and always pulled his weight in the kitchen. His specialty was preparing the St. Patrick’s Day lunch before the chapter meetings. Bob was also a main stay at our annual crab feast, making sure that people enjoyed the money wheel. For many years, Robert Braswell worked in the facilities department at the National Center for the Blind. He was always a welcoming presence for members and guests who spent their evenings at the Center. As a result, he was known throughout the country for his warmth and friendship. Mr. Braswell received the prestigious Kenneth Jernigan Award at the 2009 state convention.
On June 17, Millie Hatton lost her battle with cancer. Millie was an active member of the Delmarva Chapter. Millie was pleased that she was able to celebrate her 89th birthday on June 14.
May they all rest in peace.
Achievements
Patrick Gormley, Vice-president of the Greater Cumberland Chapter, won second place in the national Braille Readers Are Leaders contest for adults. In a three-month period, Patrick read 7742 Braille pages.
Shawn Jacobson, Treasurer of the NFB of MD, won third place in the NFB Writer’s Division contest for his short story called “The Healer.” Congratulations to Patrick and Shawn!
Graduations
The following students graduated in the 2010 school year: Aaron Richmond graduated from Calvert High School. He plans to attend the College of Southern Maryland. Nathan Clark graduated from Liberty High School and is planning to attend Carroll Community College. Portia Price and Charles Wynn graduated from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School. They plan to attend the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
New Assistant Superintendent at DORS
On June 1, 2010, Sue Page was appointed as the Assistant Superintendent of the Division of Rehabilitation Services. Sue is no stranger to DORS. She ran the disability determination program for many years. We also take this opportunity to congratulate Bob Burns on his retirement from DORS. We wish Bob many years of health and happiness in his new career.
Moving Ahead
In the summer of 2009, Davon Price, a high school junior attending Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, lost all of his vision. Davon had participated in many Federation activities as a low vision student, but total blindness was not something he was prepared for. With the help of the Federation and the Division of Rehabilitation Services, he chose to attend classes at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Recently, Davon obtained his GED which is an accomplishment in itself, let alone doing it as a newly blind person. Maryland Federationists who attended our national convention in Dallas were surprised and pleased to learn that Davon played one of the main characters in the annual play written and performed by students from the Louisiana Center. The play entitled: “Brokenhearted River to Freedom” was set during the civil war. Davon played a slave who encouraged the plantation owner who became blind to begin living his life again. Congratulations Davon!
Early Voting
For the first time, Maryland will have early voting in its primary and general elections. You may vote on the regular election days, September 14 for the primary and November 2 for the general. If that is inconvenient, you may vote early in person. For the primary election, early voting centers will be open starting Friday September 3, 2010 through Thursday, September 9, 2010, except for Sunday, September 5th when early voting centers are closed. For the general election, early voting centers will be open starting Friday October 22, 2010 through Thursday, October 28, 2010, except for Sunday, October 24th when early voting centers are closed. Early voting centers will be open from 10 am until 8 pm each day of early voting. For the location of your early voting center, go to www.elections.state.md.us/voting/early_voting.html or check with your local election office.
Calendar
August 21, 2010: Sligo Creek fund raiser: “Evening Under the Stars.” 6600 Horseshoe Rd., Clinton, MD. Good music and plenty of food for just $20. Visit NFBMD.org for more details.
October, 2010: Meet the Blind month activities sponsored by all chapters.
October 15, 2010: White Cane Safety Day (symbolizes the freedom and independence the white cane provides to blind people).
October 16, 2010: Sligo Creek scholarship fund raiser: 9450 Cherry Hill Rd., College Park, MD. See NFBMD.org for more details.
October 22-24, 2010: NFBMD State Convention, Doubletree Hotel, Annapolis, MD.