by Janet Dickelman
Would you like to receive podcasts from last year’s convention? Thanks to the extremely hard work of Rick Morin and ACB Radio, the podcasts from the 2020 convention are available on NLS cartridge and also for the first time on a thumb drive or SD card. The cost is just $45 for all general sessions and ACB evening programming, affiliate, committee and business partner sessions plus exhibitors and many of our audio-described tours. There are 235 files totaling 191 hours of content. If you would like to purchase a cartridge, thumb drive or SD card, please call the Minneapolis office at (612) 332-3242.
Now on to this year’s conference and convention! Convention dates are Friday, July 16 through Friday, July 23rd. Events are still in the scheduling stage as I write this. I do know that opening general session will be Sunday evening, July 18th, with daily sessions Monday through Friday. The auction will be on Tuesday, July 20 and the banquet on Thursday, July 22nd.
There will be 5 concurrent ACB Radio streams available for special-interest affiliates, committees and our business partners to stream their events. This will be in addition to our audio-described tours and exhibits channels. By registering, you will receive some great perks!
Convention registration will open on May 28th. On the registration form you can become an individual sponsor, purchase a Braille Forum raffle ticket and purchase your 2021 T-shirt or pin. As a convention registrant, you will also be eligible for door prizes! Names will only be pulled from convention registrants. If your name is announced, you automatically win; you don’t have to call in to claim your prize.
With your convention registration, you will receive Zoom links for sessions and can subscribe to the convention newspaper. When you register, you will be provided with a bidder number for the auction. You can register online or via telephone.
We are closing registration on June 28th. This will allow ample time for anyone requesting the convention program in large print or braille to receive the program prior to the start of convention. Convention registration will reopen in July for last-minute registrations.
The cost of registration is $25 for ACB members. Non-ACB members will be charged $40. If you are not a member, you can join as a member at large for $10. If you wait to register in July, the registration fees will be $35 for ACB members.
Reminder, the braille programs will be sent via UPS. If your mailing address is a post office box, we will need a secondary address to deliver your program.
Continuing Education Units
Once again this year, we will be offering continuing education units, and for the first time we hope to offer professional development hours. Please read the article by Carla Ruschival in next month’s issue with all the details.
Staying in Touch
The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to [email protected]. If you received updates for the 2020 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list.
Convention Contacts
2021 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, [email protected]
2021 advertising and sponsorships: Anthony Stephens, (202) 559-2045, [email protected]
For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, [email protected].