[acb-hsp] ACB-HSP Conference and Convention Program minutes forJuly 13, 2011

[Baracco, Andrew W]

Excellent!
Andy


-----Original Message-----
From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf
Of Marleen O'Neill
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 9:49 AM
To: acb-hsp at acb.org
Subject: [acb-hsp] ACB-HSP Conference and Convention Program minutes
forJuly 13, 2011

ACB-HSP Conference and Convention program minutes for July 13, 2011

The ACB-HSP business meeting and program were held on July 13, 2011
during
the ACB conference and convention, which was held at the John Ascuaga
Nugget
Hotel resort Casino in Reno Nevada. The business meeting was called to
order
by ACB-HSP President Darian Slayton Flemming at 2:45 pm. on July 13,
2011.
Marleen O'Neill read the minutes from the meeting held on July 13, 2010.
A
motion was made, seconded, and carried that the minutes of the 2010
business
meeting be accepted as read. Marleen O'Neill read the Treasurer's
report,
since Deanna Austin was unable to attend the convention. It stated that,
as
of July 1, 2010, ACB-HSP had a balance of $507.15 in its checking
account,
and that balance was $516.73 on June 30, 2011. It also stated that, on
July
1, 2010, ACB-HSP had $50.29 in its savings account, and $50.41 on June
30,
2011. A motion was made, seconded, and carried that the Treasurer's
report
be accepted as read. Those wishing to join ACB-HSP can do so by sending
a
check payable to ACB-HSP in the amount of $10 to our Treasurer, Deanna
Austin at the following address:
Deanna Austin
5248 Spring Creek Court
Indianapolis, Indiana 46254
After the business meeting was concluded, a panel discussion was held.
The
topic was networking, and how to work a room. Darian Slayton Flemming
was
the moderator, and she stated that she always tries to do work, either
paid
or volunteer, for organizations to which she belongs. This keeps her
involved, and allows her to network freely at events or functions. Linda
Porelle spoke about networking when one is totally blind. She spoke of
her
frustration in not being successful at networking, and the devastation
she
felt when her husband stated that people didn't know what to make of her
because she was unable to make eye contact. After much thought, Linda
realized that the problem was not that she couldn't make eye contact
with
others, but that others couldn't make eye contact with her. She also
realized that dealing with the public in this manner was a lifelong
endeavor, because, as she put it, If everyone miraculously completely
understood vision loss, she would need to educate a new set of people in
future years. This helped her cope with the frustration that sometimes
occurs when she is working a room. Sarita Kimble-Holiday stated that it
was
imperative that we not let others put us in a chair, and forget about
us.
She stressed the importance of getting to know everything about your
surroundings in advance, from the layout of the room to the people in
attendance. She also stated that, in the course of working a room,
people
would be apt to assume that we need help. Instead of being discouraged
by
this reaction, she invited all of us to use it as an opportunity to find
out
everything possible about the layout of the room, where the speakers
were
located, etc. She also strongly recommended going to an event with some
one
as a dry run to gather information about the surroundings, as well as
speaking with presenters prior to an event. Finally, she emphasized the
necessity of walking with confidence and assertiveness when working a
room.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 pm. At 5:45 pm., a mixer was held,
during
which fruit, cheese, crackers, vegetables and non-alcoholic beverages
were
served, and people were encouraged to utilize skills they had picked up
from
the afternoon session. Both the panel discussion, and the mixer were
well
attended, and all had a wonderful time. We hope that the success of this
year's program and mixer will act as a springboard to even greater
success
in future years.

Respectfully Submitted,
Marleen O'Neill
Secretary
ACB-HSP
American Council of the Blind
Human Service Professionals

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