Fore~Sight, The Newsletter of the Arizona
Council of the Blind Fall 2008
First
Timer: President and National Convention By Barbara McDonald
According
to a speaker at the 47th American Council of the Blind (ACB) Annual Membership
Convention, Daniel Boone once said, "I have never been lost, but once I
was bewildered for three days."
Overwhelmed and bewildered are two adjectives that pretty much described
my feelings as I arrived with my husband, Richard, at the Galt House in
Louisville, Kentucky for the ACB National Convention. Our plane had arrived late, and we were hungry and tired. The hotel was large with two separate
towers. Luckily, we had a wonderful
baggage handler, who took us to our room and told us how to get to one of the
restaurants in the hotel.
Convention
registrations had arrived late this year to ACB members. For the two weeks before the convention, I
had been on vacation in Colorado with my husband and our son's family. (Sean, our son, Gina, our daughter-in-law,
our three grandchildren, Kainoa, Kaleb, Kasaya, and Gina's father, Jerry) I actually took the registrations with me
and mailed them from Colorado. We came home one day before our flight to
Louisville. It was just enough time to
read and delete my emails from an already full mailbox and to pack our
clothes. It did not give me time to
read the convention program that had been sent online. I've read programs before so I wasn't too
concerned.
Early
Sunday morning, I picked up our registration packets. They had received my registration, but not my husbands. What a surprise when I discovered the
program was about the size of an hundred page spiral notebook. When was I going to have time to read this?
Hotel lights are not the brightest, and I didn't have a CCTV. Getting adjusted
to the three-hour time change was not easy either. I had already scheduled a tour of Louisville at 12:30 p.m. for my
husband and me. We got back to the
hotel in time to relax and have dinner before going to the opening session of
the convention. Mitch Pomerantz opened
the 47th ACB Convention at 7:00 p.m. He
summarized the successes that the ACB had achieved this year especially the
accessible currency ruling.
The
general session's time was easy to remember because they started at 8:00 a.m.
every morning until noon in the Grand Ball Room. We had to get up early in order to have breakfast before the
session began. Arizona had 15 chairs for
the Arizona Council of the Blind (AzCB) members attending. Our chairs were right up front after Alabama
and Alaska. Mary from Alaska said that
they sat the coldest climate state next to the warmest climate state. The general sessions began with an half hour
of entertainment, an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and there were
usually three or four speakers before announcements. The general sessions were when the resolutions were read and
voted on, 21 scholarships were awarded, and candidates were chosen for the
eight open position: three for the
Board of Publications and five for the Board of Directors. I only had to walk up to the microphone
three different times to cast our state votes.
Except for the general sessions' agenda, I didn't need the program for
the mornings, but what to do during the rest of the days were a challenge.
Tours
were scheduled for the afternoons. Some
of our tours were rescheduled to different days. There were special interest groups. These groups might meet for breakfast or lunch for a fee, or
later in the day for an information session, which may or may not have a fee
depending on if they were serving refreshments. All the national committees had meetings. Exhibitors and affiliates had receptions
(Some were free and some had fees.)
Some affiliates sold candy or beef jerky out of their rooms. Deciding when and where to go to a meeting
took planning.
Each
evening before I crawled into bed, I would read the agenda for the next
morning's general session. Then, I
would go through the list of breakfasts, luncheons, meetings, and evening
receptions. The problem was that all
the committees, special interest groups, exhibitors, and affiliates had
something scheduled. Because the tours
had been sold out and alternative ones scheduled, I had to adjust our
schedule. I missed the session called
"Keys to the Convention" and "First Timers". Those definitely might have helped. I made a list every night of what events I
wanted to attend the next day. I didn't
over book and probably could have gone to more events. However, we did go to the National
Industries for the Blind (NIB) breakfast, a Multicultural luncheon, the Guide
Dog Users International (GDUI) business meeting, a caucus, the affiliate
president's meeting, three tours, a "free" descriptive movie, and the
final banquet. I didn't get to see that
much of the exhibits and I missed the auction because I didn't think I needed
anything. (They took in a record profit of $24,525.00.) We even found a little outdoor place next to
a water park where my husband could enjoy a beer and cigar and I a Coca Cola.
At
the beginning, I did feel a little bit overwhelmed, but by the end I was just
getting into it. There are some things
I would do differently. I am keeping
this year's program so I can familiarize myself with all those committees,
special interest groups, and what all those initials stand for. I'll complete my registration as early as I
can so as to not get bumped from the tours.
I might even go a day ahead and stay a day later. We missed the Church Hill Down's ACB Race
because we got there too late in the day.
Some members wanted to know about the latest gadgets. I will definitely pay more attention to the
exhibits next time. I will recommend to
the budget committee that we donate some door prizes, provide a reception, and
plan a caucus with the four corner states.
The 2009 national convention will be in Orlando, Florida. You can be sure that I will be more
knowledgeable for that event. When the
49th ACB National Convention is here in Phoenix in 2010, I should be a whole
lot wiser and more experienced. I hope
you get to attend a national convention.
It certainly was an adventure, even if a bit overwhelming at times.
May 1, 2009 - Save the Date!
Although the late summer breezes are still blowing and the
monsoons are still coming almost every afternoon, it’s time to start thinking
about next spring and the 2009 AzCB Annual Convention.
The AzCB Convention Committee has been
hard at work planning next year’s event, and we want you to share in our
anticipation as you plan to attend.
When? Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May
2, 2009.We will have two full days of meetings, workshops and an exhibits area,
showcasing the latest and most advanced products designed to meet the needs of
people who are blind or visually impaired.
We are also planning a number of meals, parties, and of course, our
annual AzCB Banquet.
Where?
Phoenix International Airport Hilton Hotel, located at 2435 South 47th Street
in Phoenix. You may reserve your room
by calling the Hilton directly at (480) 894-1600. Room rates are $105 per night plus tax for a standard room and
$135 per night plus tax for a suite.
As the convention approaches, we will
be contacting AzCB local chapters, members and friends with an announcement and
pre-registration packet. In the
meantime, stay tuned to this newsletter and to the AzCB website
ttp://www.azcb.org) for more information about our upcoming convention.
A variety of See's Candy is available
through the AzCB now or for the holidays. Please call Ruth Druding at
623-937-1211 for more information.
Mark
your calendars for VRATE 2008!
The 12th Annual Vision Rehabilitation and
Assistive Technology Expo will be held at the Glendale Civic Center, 5750 W Glenn
Drive, Glendale, on Friday November 14th from 9 am to 4 pm.
VRATE is a unique event that features informative speakers
and daylong exhibits that provide expert services or products for people with
visual impairments. This event is a
wonderful opportunity to learn more about the newest technologies, medical
research and helpful resources available to those with visual impairments.
Some Speakers & Topics “Recent
Advancements in the Treatment of Retinal Diseases” Presented By: Sharam Danesh,
MD. “Recent Scientific Advances for Retinal Degenerative Diseases” Presented
By: Diane Bovenkamp, Ph.D. “Information Access in the Digital Age” Presented
By: Linda Montgomery, MLS Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library Bill Pasco
Sun Sounds of Arizona. “Coping With Visual Impairment” Presented By: Kevin
Huff, O.D. Low Vision Evaluations Presented By: Sarah Welch, O.D. “How to
Become a Successful Bioptic Driver” Presented By: Janet Menke OTR/L –
ViewFinder Guide Dog Demonstrations
The main hall will host about fifty exhibitors,
including advocacy organizations, non-profits that provide programs and
services, vendors of low vision technologies and government services. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information, please visit the VRATE website at
www.vrate.org or call (602) 496-1377
Bobbing
Along with Bob by Robert L. Williams Sr.
Convention is like a big family reunion. Thus wrote Penny Crain of Sierra Vista in an
article published in the January 2008 issue of the Braille Forum. The article
described Penny’s experience as a first-timer at the 46th annual
national convention of the American Council Of The Blind last year in
Minneapolis.
My 10th and my wife Faye’s
9th ACB big family reunion came about with our attendance at ACB’s
47th national convention in Louisville from July 5 to 12 at the
historic Galt House hotel. This is a
brief report covering another Big family ACB convention week filled with over
300 speaker presentations, programs, workshops, tours, hybrid car
demonstrations and other events involving about 2000 ACB members, exhibitors
and local volunteers.
“ACB In The Winner’s Circle” was a
natural for the convention there given Kentucky and Louisville’s fame for the
Kentucky Derby and horse racing. Inasmuch as Louisville was the host city for
previous ACB conventions in 1965, 1980 and 2000, the theme could just have
appropriately been “ACB Returns To Louisville.”
Following our check-in with hotel registration on
Saturday afternoon, July 5, the first persons to greet us in the hotel lobby as
they exited an elevator were ACB President Mitch Pomerantz and his lovely wife
Donna from Pasadena. Donna is a member
of the Multicultural Affairs national committee along with Faye and me and
about fourteen others.
The
welcome to Louisville party on Saturday night was co-hosted by the Kentucky
Council Of The Blind and the local Louisville Bluegrass chapter affiliate.
Here’s a helpful hint to the planners of our own Welcome To Phoenix party in 2010;
for refreshments don’t serve cold popcorn.
Salsa and chips went over well in 1992. Refreshments with a southwestern
flavor should definitely be our 2010 welcome party agenda, I say.
The message by the Rev. Harold Adams on Sunday morning at
the non-denominational worship service was informing and spiritually
uplifting. The service, however, was
without the helpful presence of a program presider. As Faye and I sat through
the service I reflected upon the masterful job performed by our own Chaplain
Dick Bailey at the 36th national held at the downtown Hyatt Regency
so many years ago. Dick was also our
contact person with the LDS church for volunteers that year. His absence is already sorely missed.
The
opening general session on Sunday evening was informative, entertaining and a
three-hour test of physical endurance.
Highlights included comments by African-American Monica Storey Hardin,
winner of the 2001 Miss Kentucky beauty pageant and the daughter of a graduate
of the Kentucky School For The Blind.
She is also a local CBS TV news anchor.
Other opening session highlights included the presentation of 22 Life
membership certificates, President Pomerantz’s first convention report and the
lengthy roll of state affiliates and special interest groups. The capstone of
President Pamerantz’s report was ACB’s recent victory in court concerning the
issue of accessible Currency.
Upcoming
issues of the Braille Forum including the especially convention issue in the
fall of the year will contain additional information regarding general
activities, awards, speaker presentations, resolutions approved and other
matters. In addition to the Morning
general sessions and the all-day business session of Friday that included the
Election of five new members to the ACB governing board, I attended the
following: National Industries For The Blind breakfast and Multicultural
Affairs luncheon and program with panelists on Monday, movie on Monday evening,
a meeting on Thursday and the annual convention banquet on Friday night.
At the 238,000 square feet four-story
APH facility I was privileged to shake hands and exchange greetings with
talking book narrator Barry Burnsford as we toured the building’s basement area
where its eleven recording studios are located. The banquet speaker was APH President and CEO Tuck Tinsley. Mr. Tinsley shared historic highlights about
the development of APH from its chartering 150 years ago as an offshoot of the
Kentucky School For The Blind. He also
Shared information regarding the history of ACB over the years from its
founding in 1961.
The Arizona delegation also included
the following persons: Barbara and
Richard McDonald, Harold and Arie Newsom, Ruth Druding, River Forrest, Terri
Hedgepeth, Penny Crain, Judy Brangwin and Pat Collins.
Additional convention week information: 1. ACB’s
Minneapolis office will relocate to the Minneapolis Suburbs in August and its
Washington D.C. office will relocate to Arlington, VA, by the end of this
year. 2. Twelve issues of the Braille
Forum are now being published again annually for the first time in three
years. 3. ACB now has a debt reserve in
excess of $1,000,000.00 4. In June the House Appropriations sub-Committee voted
to allocate $34.5 million to the digital talking book program. This was totally unexpected. 5. The 2009 Presidents meeting and
legislative seminar will take place from February 20 – 24 at the Holiday Inn
Crystal City near Washington National Airport.
Room rates are $119.00 per night plus tax. 6. 22 life memberships were Awarded at the opening general
session. Life membership cost $1,000.00
with proceeds benefiting the ACB scholarship fund until a fund level of
$50,000.00 is reached.
The
MMS "Two-for-One" Program: With Free FM Scanner Radio!! By: Dr.
Ronald E. Milliman
Would you like to be able to help your state
affiliate or an affiliate of your choice, and at the same time, assist the ACB
at the national level too? Well, now
you can by participating in the greatly improved, "Two-for-One,"
Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) Program.
PLUS:
While they last!! As a token of our deepest appreciation for your participation
in the ACB MMS Program, we, the ACB President, ACB Board, and MMS Program
Committee, are delighted to send you a pocket-sized, FM Scanner Radio when we
receive your first contribution. This
hi-quality, little FM radio comes complete with Ear Bud earphones and batteries
for your FM listening enjoyment.
The
MMS or Monthly Monetary Support Program is a way for each of us to financially
support our organization to whatever amount we can afford on a regular, monthly
bases. An amount you, the contributor,
designate and completely control is automatically deducted from your bank,
credit card or debit card account each month by the ACB and is used to fund the
many critical needs of our organization.
You completely control the amount that you give and from which account
it is taken. It begins when you
indicate you want it to start and ends when you let ACB headquarters know you
want it to end. In the past, all
amounts given to the ACB by participating in this funding program went entirely
to support ACB national activities.
However, the ACB Board very significantly changed the MMS Program,
greatly improving it and making it even more attractive for each of us to
participate.
Now,
when you take part in the MMS Program, the funds are deducted from the account
you designate, on a regular, monthly bases, as before, but with the change
implemented by the ACB Board, you can designate to have all of the funds go to
the national organization or you can, alternatively, designate an amount up to
50% of the net amount of your deduction to be given to an affiliate of your
choice. This change allows you the
choice of helping both the national organization and an affiliate of your
choice at the same time. You can help
two levels of our organization with one monthly deduction, thus,
two-for-one! The affiliate you choose
can be any ACB state affiliate you wish.
At the national level, we need funds
to support our many programs that help all of us. For an example, each issue of the Braille Forum requires several
thousands of dollars to create, publish in the many alternative formats and
distribute to our members and other persons who share common interests in
blindness issues. Funds are needed to
pay the salaries of our national staff that are so totally dedicated to our
efforts and do such a yeoman's job with everything they do. Funds are needed to pay rents on the space
for our offices and the related utility bills.
Our staff is busy every minute of their working days fighting for our
rights, fighting for new programs that will be in our best interest, fighting
to maintain existing laws and programs that benefit blind people, fighting to
make accessible paper currency a reality, working with our attorneys for
accessible point of service devices, to expand the use of audible traffic
signals, to increase the use of descriptive audio for TV and movies, to at
least maintain or increase our SSI and SSDI benefits, fighting to increase our
employment opportunities, and fighting for many, many other issues and
programs, far too many to list here.
Without the diligence and never-ending efforts of the ACB staff, we
would all be much worse off. The ACB
staff is our voice on capital hill, and we need to support them by helping to
fund their efforts.
In
like manner, the various affiliates that make up the ACB also need funding to
support their activities, such as on-going public education campaigns,
scholarships, social events, defraying the costs associated with attending the
state and national conventions, The Washington Seminar, etc. So, by participating in the ACB Monthly
Monetary Support Program, you can split your contribution and support both the
national organization and your favorite state affiliate, both, at the same
time, with a single contribution, two-for-one!
Some
members can afford more or less than others, and we certainly realize and
respect that. All we are asking is that
you help fund your state affiliate and our national programs with whatever
monthly amount you can afford. We equally value everyone's contribution. To give you some idea, currently,
contributions range from $10 per month and go all the way up to $100 per month,
with the average contribution being approximately $25.00.
To get started, you can call the ACB financial
office at 1-800- 866-3242 and have a form sent to you, or alternatively, you
can access the form on our ACB website at: http://www.acb.org/mms.html. If you prefer, even better yet, you can call
me, and I can help you fill out the form over the phone and submit it to our
business office for processing. My
phone number is 270-782-9325. If you
prefer, you can e-mail me your phone number, and I will call you and fill out
the form for you over the phone. My e-mail
address is rmilliman@insightbb.com.
If you have any questions, you can call our ACB Executive
Director, Melanie Brunson, at 800-424-8666, or you can call me directly
at:270-782-9325 or e-mail me at rmilliman@insightbb.com and Melanie or I will
answer your questions and assist you any way we can.
Court
Says the Blind Will Have Meaningful Access to Currency
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 -- The
American Council of the Blind is pleased to report that District Court Judge
James Robertson has told lawyers representing both sides in the case American
Council of the Blind v. Paulson that the Department of the Treasury must make
U.S. currency accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired as
quickly as possible.
In its decision on May 20, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia remanded the issue of injunctive
relief back to the District Court for further consideration. Therefore, a
status conference was held Sept. 4 by Judge James Robertson, during which he
made it clear to both sides that he will not allow any unnecessary delay by the
Treasury as it seeks to comply with the court's ruling that requires paper
currency to be distinguishable by people who are blind and visually impaired.
Robertson ordered the parties to meet
and attempt to reach agreement on a schedule. The court intends to impose a
schedule on the government for making future generations of currency accessible
and to ensure that it is complied with.
Mitch Pomerantz, president of the
American Council of the Blind, said, "It is apparent that this judge
expects the Treasury to expeditiously comply with his earlier ruling in favor
of accessible currency. Our outstanding
attorney, Jeffrey Lovitky, is continuing to hold Treasury's feet to the fire
and it is gratifying to know that the judge is likewise requiring
accountability and transparency from the manufacturer of our legal tender. ACB
and Mr. Lovitky shall stand firm on behalf of blind and visually impaired
individuals in our demand that we have the same opportunity to independently
determine what each bill is without the need for outside assistance, either
human or electronic."
Fall
Guide Dog User of Arizona (GDUA) conference!
Do you have a dog, a dog guide, or just love dogs? Then put
Saturday November 15 on your calendar for our fall Guide Dog User of Arizona
(GDUA) conference! We will have a quiet car demo during lunch so people can
hear how quiet these cars are. We’ll also have speakers on various topics of
interest such as dog health, food and nutrition, and training.
When: November 15
Saturday
Time: 9:00 AM to
4:30 PM.
Where: Burton Barr Library Pullium
Auditorium.
1221 N Central Ave
Phoenix,
AZ 85004
If
you have any questions or need additional information, you can call or email
the GDUA President Terri Hedgpeth at (480) 231-9557 terrih@asu.edu
Richard
"Dick" Bailey, a Friend by Barbara McDonald
I
probably have known Richard Bailey for fifteen years. He was beginning his 20th year as chaplain for the Arizona
Council of the Blind, AzCB. He reminded
me more than once to put the title of "chaplain" after his name on
the board list. He even wanted me to
make him the official chaplain in the AzCB Constitution.
He
attended the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, ASDB. There is a plaque on the wall at ASDB, which
honors him for his volunteer work. I
know that he volunteered at Good Samaritan Hospital (where he had worked),
Arizona State Braille and Talking Book Library, the Arizona Center for the
Blind and Visually Impaired. He also
served on the board for the AzCB, the Maricopa County Club, the Governor's
Council on Blindness and Visual Impairment, and the Glendale's Commission on
Disabilities. In my opinion, that
plaque was well deserved.
He
was a member of the Church Latter Day Saints in Glendale, where he had sang in
the choir and was responsible for getting many volunteers to help the American
Council of the Blind when their national convention was held here. He was a strong supporter of the Maricopa
County Club, and organized field trips, most recently, the yearly corn festival
trip.
Because
we served on several boards and committees together, and he did not have a
computer, he would call me a couple times a month, and say, "What's going
on?" I miss those phone calls. I
laughed yesterday when I remembered that Richard always was the first person to
motion to adjourn a meeting. Richard
had the name of "Rapid Richard", which he got from game we played at
a strategic planning meeting. Richard was anything, but rapid.
Dick
Bailey died peacefully in his home on July 3, 2008. It is very difficult for me
to sum up a person's life in a few short paragraphs, especially when that
person was a friend. I hope I have done a good job.
“Tell
the heavens and earth to celebrate and sing! Command every mountain to join in
song!”- Isaiah 49:13
Arizona Council of the Blind, Inc.
3124 E. Roosevelt St., Ste. 4
Phoenix, AZ 85008-5088
(602) 273-1510 or statewide 888-273-1510
FAX (602) 938-3748
www.azcb.org