Hawaii Association of the Blind
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We are the State affiliate of the American Council of the Blind.
HAB welcomes DONATIONS to support its projects like scholarships, grants and training. Contact Ameila Cetrone for particulars. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Technology    Photos-Audio-Video        Archives

News & Announcements

On This Page
►49th ACB National Convention
►HAB Donates $25,000 to the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
►Blind's Audio Description Project
►iBill Bank Note Identifier
►Letters to HAB

 

49TH ACB National Convention

The American Council of the Blind is celebrating its 49th Annual Convention in Phoenix, Arizona from July 9-17, 2010 at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel.

For more details regarding the conference and convention program, check the ACB website or click the link below:

http://www.acb.org/conference/index.html
 

If you cannot attend the American Council of the Blind Convention in Arizona from
July 9th thru July 17th and are interested in hearing it live, did you know
that you can listen to the American Council Of the Blind convention by
going to:

http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/

Internet streaming radio offers listeners the opportunity to keep up on what
is going on at the ACB Convention live!!!

You also have a chance to find any kind of music you want to listen to as
well as having real DJ's you can connect with. because of the large number
of internet radio stations that are run by the blind.

The first and probably the oldest is ACB radio. An excerpt from their
website says, "ACB Radio showcases and nurtures the creativity and talents
of the blind/low-vision community from many parts of the world. ACB Radio is
heard by a global audience via the internet, and has visitors from over
seventy countries." Their numerous channels allow listeners to learn about
what's important to the blind community, listen to music written and
performed by blind musicians, hear old radio dramas, tune into live
unpredictable radio shows, and hear radio programming from blind people
around the world. If you're interested in learning more about ACB radio, or
becoming a listener, go here:

http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/

HAB donates $25,000 to the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

During the HAB Annual Convention dinner, the Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped received a $25,000 grant to enable LBPH to fund its outreach activities and purchase assistive programs.

The following picture shows HAB President, Mr. Warren Toyama, Vice-President, Mr. Filo Tu, making the donation to LBPH with Mr. Richard P. Burns, State Librarian, Ms. Fusako Miyashiro, LBPH Branch Manager and other LBPH staff present.
 

To enlarge, click the picture.

Blind's Audio Description Project.

Audio description, intended for persons who are blind or have visual
impairments, is the narration that conveys the settings, costumes, body
language, and sight gags in a visual presentation or performance. Concise,
objective descriptions inserted between portions of dialogue or song can
help listeners to understand important visual elements. Audio description is
meant to complement a performance, not interfere with it. The narrative
technique is successful because it makes the visual relevant.

On the Accessible World broadcast, Snyder will highlight the work of the
American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project (ADP), an
initiative that Snyder directs [www.adinternational.org]. The ADP is a
major initiative designed to promote and produce description for media. The

ADP produced description for the 30th anniversary DVD of "The Miracle
Worker", as well as a DVD documentary biography of President Obama. In
addition, the live ABC broadcast of President Obama's inauguration was audio
described.

Snyder will report on pending legislation that would mandate description for
broadcast television and give us an update on recent progress in the courts
regarding description in movie theaters. He will also discuss how
description is produced and share clips of description for nationally
broadcast television and major motion pictures.

Date: Monday, March 1, 2010

Time: 5:00 PM PST, 6:00 PM MDT, 7:00 PM CST, and 8:00 PM EST
and elsewhere in the world Tuesday 1:00 GMT

Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time; go to The Pat Price
Tek Talk Training Room at:

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

Or, alternatively.

Select The Pat Price Tek Talk Training Room at: www.accessibleworld.org
Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

All Tek Talk training events are recorded so if you are unable to
participate live at the above times then you may download the presentation
or podcast from the Tek Talk archives on our website at
www.accessibleworld.org

If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing
software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download
and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to
the Accessible World online rooms.

All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and
open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer,
speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with
the presenters and others in the virtual audience or text chat with the
attendees. To speak to us, hold down the control key and talk; then let up
to listen.

iBILL Bank Note Identifier

After months of bottled up anticipation, I finally got hold of my own iBILL. It was only fair that I put it to test. But
first, I familiarized myself with the button commands. It's been a month now since I started using the iBill and I must say
that it lives up to its advertised promises. As noted by other beta users, it is lightweight, very accurate, really small
compared to other note tellers. There are buttons on either side of the device. Holding down one button, loop through the 3
options of note identification by pressing the other button. Users have a choice of vibrate, tone and voice. My personal
preference is the vibrate mode because it gives you more privacy and can identify notes even in noisy environment. Besides,
the voice is so soft even at maximum volume. I haven't been so happy with my note identifier till now. The price is the
icing on the cake. Bottom line, I'm a happy camper.

iBill Money Reader

Recently, we had an article on this website about this latest entrant,
iBill by Orbit Research, into the assistive technology bank note
identifier. What got me was its aggressive pricing - just $99 with very
convincing features compared to those we already have in the
market. 99.9% Accuracy, 1 second reading, lightweight, small size,
portability, 1 AAA battery required, affordable just to name a few. It's
interesting to read early users review of this invaluable device. Here's
a good one with a downloadable podcast even:

by Ron Graham (Access Abiloty)
 http://accessability.blogspot.com/2009/12/review-of-ibill-talking-banknote.html

One feature some users cited which the iBill does not possess is
upgradeability by users. You have to send the device back to Orbit
Research for upgrades. I guess this was more of cost consideration
than on oversight on the part of Orbit.

This product is now available. The manufacturer accepts orders by
phone or through their website at
 http://orbitresearch.com/7009/index.html

Orbit Research
3422 Old Capitol Trail
Suite 585
Wilmington, DE 19808

Phone from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, EST, Monday to Friday
Phone: 1-888-60-ORBIT (1-888-606-7248)
Fax: 1-208-279-4576

Due to overwhelming demand, it takes some time to process orders. It
looks like the company failed to anticipate the welcome problem.

i

Home Delivery For HAB members who have no time or unable to do their grocery shopping, you may dial (808) 590-2048 and look for George or Jackye Peacock - owners of AKAMAI grocery shopping & delivery service, who would be more than glad to be your personal shopper. Just give them a list of the items you need, the store where you want them bought and they will shop for you and deliver them right on your doorstep for a minimal delivery fee! Happy shopping!

	Letters to HAB
	It gives us great joy and a real sense of accomplishment reading letters from those whose lives   were touched by HAB. December 16, 2008 Mahalo Warren and HAB for your generous donation to the Santa experience. Your donation paid for lunch and goodie bags for over 20 visually impaired students from Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. May you all have a fantastic Christmas too! Aloha, Christian Yates, HCDB December 24, 2008 Dear Warren and Members of the HAB: On behalf of the Huui o Na Makamaka (Friends of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped), a very belated THANK YOU for the generous donation of $130.89 to help pay for the hot dogs at the “Out-of-Sigh Concert” held at the Waianae Public Library on August 16, 2008. Our objective was to promote the services of LBPH on the west side and we believe that we accomplished this. The concert with the blind performers, the exhibits and the delicious hot dogs, all helped make a very successful program! We are very grateful for the support of the Hawaii Association of the Blind throughout the years…. your continued generosity and commitment to helping LBPH provide quality services are very much appreciated. Happy Holidays and best wishes to all of you in the new year! Sincerely, Deanna Espinas, Chairperson January 8, 2009 Dear Mr. Toyama, Thank you for letting me come on the field trip. I had a lot of fun. My favorite part was the scavenger hunt. My mom said that the ornament in the 1st place prize was beautiful. I also liked the train ride and seeing santa. Love, Laurel Cummings, Holomua Elementary, Leeward District P.S. The food was magnificent. January 8, 2009 Dear Mr. Toyama, I had fun doing the scavenger hunt at the mall and riding the train and the monorail, and eating pizza there and meeting santa. Thank you for coming. I’m glad you made it. I hope we will see you again. Love forever from: Catherine, Holomua Elementary, Leeward District January 8, 2009 Dear Mr. Toyama and Members of HAB, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your help in coordinating the DeafBlind Santa Day at Pearlridge Shopping Center. Even though the weather was gloomy outside, the atmosphere inside the mall was bright and cheerful. The students enjoyed seeing Santa, participating in a scavenger hunt, riding the monorail, riding the Toy Land Express train, eating pizza and cookies, and taking home the wonderful goodie bags. I would also like to thank you for the generous check that you send to Leeward District every year. We have been using the money for training materials for inservices with elementary classes, as well as to allow students to practice buying items on O&M lessons. These opportunities provide our students with valuable life experiences that they will remember for many years to come. I appreciate all you have done to make these things possible for our students. Sincerely, Hope Yasuhara, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Leeward District Office Annex February 3, 2009 Dear Warren and Members of the HAB, Louis Braille’s 200th birthday bash at the library was fun and a great way to celebrate him and his contribution to blind people worldwide. There was a display of Braille items. Trivia questions about Louis Braille were asked and then a short background of his life and work was given. The standing-room-only crowd included students, their teachers and parents, and adults. We played the “What’s that smell”, “What’s This” and bingo games with prizes. The HUI O VIP loaned us their Braille and large print bingo boards, which we appreciated. Everyone sang happy birthday and helped blow out the candles and then ate cupcakes. They seemed happy with the balloons and goody bag of treats to take home. Thank you so much for your donation that helped to make this activity so successful. Enclosed are a few pictures of the event. May you all have a happy and prosperous new year! Sincerely, Fusako Miyashiro, Branch Manager, LBPH February 26, 2009 Dear HAB, As the annual HAB conference approaches, we’d like to take a moment to tell you how we on the Big Island have used your generous grant over the past year. Thank you so much for your support. We have continued to use a portion of the money to repair eyeglasses. Many of our students simply can’t afford to get their glasses repaired when they break. Insurance coverage, for those that have it, is woefully limited. Your grant has also enabled us to continue to provide our students with meaningful daily living skills and Orientation and Mobility lessons. In November, we had a Big Island Peer interaction group trip. We took the kids to the Kona branch of Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii. It was the first time that several of the students had ever been on horseback. One or two of them had never even touched a horse before! They packed a picnic lunch of musubi, banana bread and juice. They prepared the lunch themselves, using ingredients purchased with your grant money. In December, some of our students were able to join their peers on Oahu for peer interaction group trip to Pearlridge, where they were able to put their Orientation and Mobility skills to real life use. This year, we are planning a year end trip to Maui at the end of April. Carol and Margy are planning two days of fun and educational activities. The time we the kids spend with their visually impaired friends is sadly limited. This trip will be a highlight of the year for many of them! We are very grateful for your continued support. Thank you. Signed: Liz Martin (Kona); Maryanne Genova (Hilo); Leatrice Ono (Hilo); and Ian Perry (Waimea) February 27, 2009 Dear Waren and HAB, We went to LBPH for Lois Braille’s birthday and then to Rainbow Drive Inn for lunch! It was fun !! Jessica Chandler February 27, 2009 Dear HAB, Thanks for lunch. It was delicious! Love, Emma - end of letters Read previous letters.