President's Message
Where has the year gone? If the feeling that time is flying by faster than
ever is because one is getting older, well than, I must be a very old man by
now! Seems like the days and weeks turn into months faster and faster than
ever today.
I know it is hard to believe but this month brings a full year
as being elected President of ACBM and so many great things have been
accomplished. I'd like to briefly review some of the highlights and then
share some thoughts about future directions.
This past year, there have been three major focus areas that the officers
and Board of Directors have centered the majority of planning around:
In a few cases, we have even been able to develop programs and services that overlap
into all three areas. With a bit of renewed energy and a little luck, we
will continue to improve on all of these in the upcoming year.
One area I'd like to see developed further however, is in the internal area
of leadership training and development for the officers and directors of
ACBM.
Beginning with a Spring Leadership Retreat for the current officers and
directors of ACBM in June, I hope to bring in some resource experts in the
area of leadership Training and development from the community to do just
that.
One major objective I'd like to see as a result of the Leadership
retreat is the development of a yearly program budget for ACBM. There are
not many organizations, large or small, that I am aware of today that
doesn't already work from some type of a budget structure. I hope to have a
proposal for the 2005 budget prepared and ready to present for discussion
and approval for the October Quarterly Membership meeting. The ability to
work from an already approved budget will greatly enhance the ability of our
organization to plan ahead more effectively.As we continue to grow in
numbers and building strength through membership, so too should we continue
to grow in the area of leadership.
There are some great events planned for the upcoming months that I hope many
of you will take advantage of. Along with the usual spring and summer events
there are Club ACBM events and a few Mostly Monthly Outings to take
advantage of too. It will be more important now, than ever before, to listen
to "ACBM Info Express" by calling 651-642-5003, on a regular weekly basis to
get the most current event information listings with up to date locations
and times announced as they become available.
In May, we will be the featured organization at a St. Paul Saints game. Besides getting a block of seats for the event, available on a first come first served basis when they become available, we will be the pre-game feature as we play a Celebrity
Beep Baseball Game! If you are not playing in the game you will certainly
want to be a member of the audience rooting our team on to victory over some
former St. Paul City Councilmen and former Mayors. Details will be featured
on "ACBM Info Express" as they become known.
The latter part of May will also feature a "Mostly Monthly Outing" to a local restaurant. This is not a fundraiser, just an opportunity to socialize and go out to eat together.
These details will, of course, be announced on "ACBM Info Express" as they
become available, too.
June will feature the next "Club ACBM" as we host an evening dedicated to
learning all about the Ticket to Work Program. We have all heard about this
for years now, so here is your opportunity to come and find out what it is
all about and whom it is designed for. Every thing you always wanted to know
about the Ticket to Work Program!
July is going to be another busy month, to be sure. Starting with the 2004
ACB National Convention in Birmingham, Alabama July 3 through the 10th, with
all the controversial activity going on at the Board level, this convention
is sure to be an exciting one to say the least! Also in July we have our
Quarterly Membership meeting, where you will have the first opportunity to
hear from our Convention delegation about the events of the convention. As
if that weren't enough, July 31 is a special "Mostly Monthly Outing" to the
Ordway Theater in St. Paul to see the audio described matinee production of
"The King and I". Tickets for this event will be very limited, and will be
available on a first come first served basis. If this event beckons you, be
sure to stay tuned to "ACBM Info Express" to hear about all the details on
ticket price and availability, as they become known.
As you can see for yourself, there is much life and even more activities
planned for you in the near future. These activities and events don't just
happen by themselves. There is usually a group of individuals working on the
details long before the event happens. Ever want to be one of those people
who decide what gets planned? Or have you ever wanted to work behind the
scenes to make sure an event goes off without too much of a hitch? Then
perhaps you would like to take ownership in part of one of ACBM's many and
varied committees or task forces? Now is the time! All committees and
task forces will be accepting new membership through the month of May! Check
over the list of committees and task forces and see if there is something
that strikes your interest. If there is, call "ACBM Info Express" and leave
your name and the name of the committee on the comment line and you will
be contacted. The list of open committees includes: The Task Forces available are:
Certainly on these lists, there is something that peaks your interest! There
is so much to do and if everyone pitched in just a little bit and served on
a committee or task force that interested you we could move mountains while
having a great time doing it. So, give it some thought and call the "ACBM
Info Express" Comment line and leave your name and the name of the committee
or task force that interests you and that's all there is to it.
I don't know about you, but I am ready, willing and able to do whatever it
takes to help continue to bring pride, integrity and honor to this great
Minnesota tradition we call the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota!
How about you? How much are you willing to do for ACBM? The choice is up to
you. Together we can "Look towards the future, while remembering the lessons
of the past!"
Joseph's Grill, located at 140 South Wabasha Avenue in St. Paul, will be the
location of our April 24, 2004 Quarterly Membership meeting! Since we have
members in the entire Twin City area, and since I can't even remember the
last time we had a quarterly meeting outside the city of Minneapolis, For a
change of pace and for all our members who reside in St. Paul, our April
Quarterly Meeting will be a special salute to you all!!
At Joseph's Grill, they pride themselves on great food, and quality service.
There is a special and private meeting space plenty large for us to move
about and be comfortable, and at the same time be together but private and
separated and away from the main restaurant. Joseph's Grill, a very well
known and respected restaurant with an award winning Master Chef is a
favorite spot of Carol and Tom Heinl, this month's sponsor of ACBM Info
Express!!
Our Quarterly meeting, as usual, will start at 1:00 PM and be over at
4:00PM. We have a very full agenda with lots of old and new business and the
elections of two Directors, a Secretary and a Vice-President on the agenda.
If you would like to be on the nominating committee to select a slate of
members for these open positions, please call "ACBM Info Express" at
651-642-5003 and leave your name and number on the comment line and I will
have Jane Lund, the committee chair, call you with details.
At this quarterly meeting we will be treated to a musical performance during
our luncheon by a special guest group of seniors who entertain groups large
and small. More details about this group, as well as other highlights about
Joseph's Grill and about this quarterly meeting will be announced on ACBM
Info Express at 651-642-5003 and select option3, Membership News!
See you on April 24 at Joseph's Grill for our Spring Quarterly Membership
meeting!!
ACBM honored several people at the 2003 state convention, held at the Park
Place Doubletree Hotel this past October 2003. It has been an ACBM tradition
that the current Convention Committee selects individuals they feel have
made an outstanding contribution to our organization. This year the
committee selected three individuals for recognition, two ACBM members and a
fellow Minnesotan who have made significant contributions of exemplary
service to ACBM and to the lives of all Minnesotans.
For many years of outstanding and exemplary service to ACBM, the Committee
selected Bob Lockwood to be the recipient of the "ACBM Outstanding Member"
award. Bob has continually demonstrated outstanding and exemplary service
to ACBM. Through his many years as serving as a member of the Board of
Directors, currently serving as our treasurer, Bob exhibits meticulous
attention to detail and takes great care in presenting information in clear
and concise detail.
Bob works diligently and effortlessly always presenting a positive image for
ACBM. Through his involvement working on our Quarterly Newsletter, "The
Minnesota Memo," Bob works countless hours to ensure the final product not
only contains exemplary editorial content and detail, but makes sure it
"looks" good too!
Bob gives unselfishly of his time and talents always ready
to help the organization, but just as importantly, Bob is always ready to
help any individual member of ACBM as well!
Bob's award plaque reads: "The American Council of the Blind of Minnesota
wishes to honor Bob Lockwood for his unselfish contributions to ACBM and its
members."
The second award recipient was the Honorable Torrey Westrom, Member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives. Torrey, blinded at the age of fourteen,
graduated from Bemidji State University and was a Spring 2003 graduate of
the William Mitchell School of Law. Torrey was one of the youngest ever
elected to serve as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Serving his third term in the House, Torrey is involved in committees
related to trade, industry, labor and agriculture. Because of his intimate
familiarity with what life in Minnesota is like living and working as a
blind person, Torrey has championed many causes and issues important to ACBM
as an organization and also issues important to our individual members as
well.
Torrey's award plaque reads: "The American Council of the Blind of
Minnesota recognizes the Hon. Torrey Westrom for his personal achievement
and his service to the state of Minnesota."
A third award was presented to Wally Waranka, in recognition and
appreciation for his years of service as President of ACBM from 1999-2003.
Both Bob and Wally were present at the Convention Banquet to receive their
awards and were also given standing ovations by everyone present. Torrey was
presented his award at the January 2004 Quarterly Membership meeting.
Here's the toll free number for Qwest's Center for Customers with
Disabilities.
We get our bills by e-mail from a lady named Claudia Bonnet. Her e-mail
address is cbonnet@qwest.com.
The Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation, Inc. (ELA) is pleased to announce
that the 2004 ELA Scholarship application is now available at http://www.ela.org in
the scholarship section of the ELA website.
The ELA Scholarship provides financial assistance to women with physical
disabilities who are enrolled in a college or university graduate program in
the United States. ELA Scholarship awards are based on merit and are given
in an objective and on a nondiscriminatory basis. Each applicant is required
to submit an application packet including an application form, a college
transcript, two letters of academic recommendation, a medical verification
form and an essay outlining how she will "Change the Face of Disability on
the Planet." Scholarships range from $500 to $2,000 per year. The
application deadline is June 1st, 2004.
The vision of the Ethel Louise Armstrong (ELA) Foundation, Inc. is to
"Change the Face of Disability on the Planet". Our mission is to promote,
through grants and scholarships, the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The ELA Scholarship is designed for women with physical disabilities who
join with us to pursue this vision.
Contact Deborah Lewis at executivedirector@ela.org for more information about the ELA Scholarship.
Call for Participation
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) respectfully requests your
assistance in an important research project. GTRI is conducting a survey
for a research project that is designed to address the Universal Design of
consumer oriented products. The goal of the survey is to measure user
perceptions of attempts at building accessibility features into products
such as ATMs, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), on-line
training software, distance learning software, voice recognition
technologies, and televisions. Your answers will assist us in judging the
impact of efforts of the Federal Government to promote accessible designpractices.
The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. You may access an
on-line version of the survey at the address below:
If you have any questions or if you would prefer a paper copy of this survey
please email Dr. Brad Fain at brad.fain@gtri.gatech.edu or call 404-894-7261. While we have taken steps to ensure the survey is accessible, users with screen readers may prefer to participate in the survey via telephone. Please email Tonya Whaley at tonya.whaley@gtri.gatch.edu or call 404-894-1038 to schedule a phone interview. Thank you for your consideration. The survey will be open until October 1st 2004 but we urge you to participate as soon as it is convenient for you to do so. Ken Rodgers, President
Becky Kragnes, Vice-President Marian Haslerud, Secretary
Bob Lockwood, Treasurer Linda Oliva, Director
Mike Hally, Director Jane Lund, Director Marilynn Highland, Director
Joseph Sorenson, Director
ACBM
April 2004 Quarterly Meeting in St. Paul
ACBM Recognizes Outstanding Individuals
Qwest's Center for Customers with Disabilities Contacts.
Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation Scholarship
Survey on Universal Design
ACB-M Board of Directors
Ken Rodgers, PresidentApril 2004 Quarterly Meeting in St. Paul
ACBM Recognizes Outstanding Individuals
By: Stephanie Hall, 2003 State Convention Chair
Qwest's Center for Customers with Disabilities Contacts
By: Rebecca Kragnes
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30AM - 5:00PM
Voice and TTY Calls 800.223.3131.
The website link: http://www.qwest.com/residential/disabled/.
Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation Scholarship
Survey on Universal Design
Sincerely,
Dr. Bradley Fain Senior Research Scientist
Director, Accessibility Evaluation Facility
Georgia Tech Research Institute
email: brad.fain@gtri.gatech.edu
ACB-M Board of Directors
3941 12th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Ph: (612) 825-0248
E-mail: kgr@isd.net
3515 Pleasant Avenue South #4
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Ph: (612) 827-2132
E-mail: rebeccak@tcq.net
232 W. Franklin #205
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Ph: (612) 870-8761
E-mail: marian.haslerud@ssa.gov
3625 Cardinal Rd
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Ph: (952) 932-7269
E-mail: peggy_bob@msn.com
4001 Blaisdell Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Ph: (612) 827-1033
E-mail: Linda.Oliva@allina.com
530 South Saratoga Street
St. Paul, MN 55116
Ph: (651) 690-0011
E-mail: mike_hally@hotmail.com
8848 Nicollet Avenue South #206
Bloomington, MN 55420-2850
Ph: (952) 888-4397
E-mail:
jane.v.lund@healthpartners.com
3532 Bryant Avenue South #316
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Ph: (612) 824-9492
E-mail: mari@mninter.net
111 Marquette Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Ph: (612) 339-2360
E-mail: jsorenson3@mn.rr.com
PO Box 7341
Minneapolis, MN 55407