American Council of the Blind
Post-Convention Board Meeting
July 15, 2006
President Chris Gray called the meeting to order at 10:10am at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida.
All members of the Board of Directors were present except Ms. Ruschival. Several guests were present and introduced themselves.
Motion 1: Mr. Edwards moved the adoption of the agenda as read and amended. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Mr. Trott publicly thanked Mr. Charlson for his work on the Board and his participation on the Resource Development Committee.
President Gray announced there had been an Executive Session during the pre-convention board meeting however, no action was taken.
Mr. Michael Garrett, Chair of American Council of the Blind Enterprises and Services reported to the Board. Again this year the ACB store managers attended the convention. During a meeting with the managers, they learned about proper treatment of employees as well as how to increase sells. President Gray asked Mr. Garrett if ACB could expect to receive the funds originally estimated. The answer was that he really didn’t know at this time. A number of board members asked questions and made suggestions to Mr. Garrett.
Ms. Ruschival joined the meeting at this time.
Motion 2: Mr. Edwards moved to accept the ACBES report from Mr. Garrett. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
Ms. Deanna Noriega presented a proposal to the Board of Directors from Mr. Joel Snyder who is planning to write a book. Mr. Snyder will be writing the history of video description and has asked ACB to be a sponsor for his book through support.
Motion 3: Mr. Edwards moved that the ACB Board of directors approve the project brought before us from the Board of Publications for the production of a book to be written by Mr. Joel Snyder with the understanding that the Board of Publications provide oversight to the project and report back to the Board of Directors prior to the book’s actual publication. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Ms. Judy Jackson, chair of Resolutions Committee, presented the resolutions passed during the 2006 convention.
The priorities of the resolutions are as follows with the number one’s first:
01 Acknowledging Vendors
15 Low Vision Aids and Medicare
17 ADA Commercial Web Site
18 Chicago Lighthouse Commendation
22 Randolph-Sheppard Legislation
25 Transit Vehicle Identification Numbers
26 - 28 Thank You to Host Committee, Hotel And Volunteers
Priority Two Resolutions:
03 Veterans Facility Residents Adjustment to Sidewalk Services
06 Talking Glucometers
07 GRE and other Internet Based Accessibility Exams from ETS
09 Quiet Vehicles
13 Accessible Technology and Training with Respect to Government Employees’ Section 508 Issue
19 Accessible Format for Information from the American Diabetes Association
20 Metronic Diagnostics Pump
24 Randolph-Sheppard Training for RSA Officials
Priority Three Resolutions:
02 SSDI Cap Removal
08 JAWS Tutorials
16 National Center for Leadership and Visual Impairment Fellows
21 Accessible DVD’s
Motion 4: Mr. Edwards moved the adoption of the prioritization of the 2006 resolutions. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
The Direct Mail Report was presented by Mr. Ralph Sanders. The first mailing in 2006 was sent on May 3. The June mailing thus far has netted an average gift of $22.49. The next mailing will go out in August. In the fall three more mailings will be conducted. A web site has been set up called www.acbdonor.org. The total income for 2006 including the December, 2005 campaign is $9,449.53 thus far.
President Gray proposed to take a half day during the fall board meeting to discuss with a professional the direct mail campaign. President Gray stated he has attempted to send out a comprehensive report covering each mailing of the direct mail project.
Motion 5: Mr. Campbell moved to accept the Direct Mail Report. The motion carried on a voice vote.
President Gray has asked Ms. Brunson to lead a team consisting of Ms. Dillon, Ms. Noriega and Ms. Seliger to work on a board of Directors handbook.
Ms. Ruschival gave a wrap-up report on the 2006 convention. A discussion ensued about door prizes and whether or not to remove a person’s name once he/she had won a door prize.
Ms. Brunson spoke about the poor speaker system during the convention sessions. A suggestion was made to acquire speakers to be placed on the stage for those people.
Mr. Charlie Hodge stated that in his opinion the Board of Publication members should be afforded the same courtesies as the Board of Directors.
This year the bars were set up in the banquet hall. Since everyone was told to put their ticket in front of their plate, the congestion at the doors was eliminated and people found their tables easily.
In order to save ACB some money, several cordless microphones were purchased. The audio/visual cost was decreased from $33,000 down to $16,500. ACB rented the microphones to special interest affiliates at a cost of $75.
Motion 6: Mr. Campbell moved acceptance of the convention report. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Ms. Rhonda Trott reported on the activities of the ACB Store. Approximately $4,500 in sales were made during convention. Having digital pictures of products on the website is a priority for the store committee.
Motion 7: Dr. Bradley moved to accept the ACB Store report. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
Motion 8: Mr. Edwards moved to close the open session and open an executive session.
The open board meeting resumed at 4:25pm.
President Gray read the two motions made during the executive session.
“Motion 1: Mr. Edwards moved that this board accept with appreciation the information provided by the president, executive director and the ACBES chairperson. On a voice vote, the motion carried.”
“Motion 2: Mr. Edwards moved that this board congratulate the Executive Director on her potential acceptance into the program sponsored through NIB and recognize that she may occasionally be called upon to provide testimonials for that program as executive director of ACB. The motion carried on a voice vote.”
The first order of business following the executive session was the selection of the executive committee. The officers chose Mr. Edwards and Mr. Pomerantz. The directors elected Dr. Bradley and Mr. Thom.
Mr. Godino wishes to put together a finance committee who will keep an eye on internal controls.
Motion 9: Mr. Edwards moved that the board immediately assign the treasurer and executive Director the task of getting the preparation of this document and would further move that this document become one of the corner stones of our board handbook. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
Motion 10: Mr. Godino moved that the president be empowered to create a Finance Committee that shall include the treasurer as chair, Executive Director, Comptroller, the Budget Committee chairperson, two additional ACB Board members and two affiliate presidents to being pulling this document together and present it at next year’s convention. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Ms. Brunson discussed the NASA partnership arrangement with ACB. NASA sponsors a space camp in cooperation with the NFB. Now NASA has asked ACB for ways they could help with educational programs for blind students who are in math and science.
Ms. Brunson suggested the president appoint a task force to work on a proposal for suggestions for a NASA program.
Motion 11: Dr. Bradley moved that the president appoint a committee and include a member of NABS on the committee. (Both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Pomerantz asked he be on the committee. In addition, the Executive Director of NAPVI and Ms. Karen Wolfe were suggested as committee members.) Ms. Jill Noble and Mr. Edwards will co-chair the committee. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Motion 12: Mr. Thom moved contingent upon being able to arrange for a fund raising expertise at a meeting that we have a face to face fall board meeting. The motion carried on a voice vote.
The board selected either the weekend of September 23 or the weekend of October 21 to hold a fall board meeting.
Motion 13: Ms. Ruschival moved to leave the budget committee without a permanent chair and have Mike Godino as interim chair until the fall board meeting.
Mr. Edwards asked that it be recorded in the minutes that we express our thanks for the years of service from Mr. Brian Charlson.
Motion 14: Mr. Edwards moved the American Center be made an agenda item of the fall board meeting and that such pertinent documents are available and provided to Board Members at least two weeks prior to the meeting. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
The president commits to the Board and anyone else that any available document pertaining to the American Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired within two weeks of the meeting will be sent to you at least via e-mail.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:05pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Donna Seliger, Secretary