AAVL Receives Local Press Coverage at ACB Convention
Submitted by Teddie Remhild
In addition to presenting three successful days of outstanding programming at the ACB national convention in Louisville, the Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss was pleased to receive unexpected local press coverage in “The Louisville Courier.” Subsequent to a phone call delivered through our ACB press room, President Teddie Remhild was visited by a reporter from “The Louisville Courier” who wanted to learn about a program which was scheduled for presentation by the AAVL in partnership with the committee on deaf-blind concerns, to address the issues associated with the combined losses of vision and hearing in later years. The guest speaker, Martha Bagley of the American Printing House for the Blind, and formerly of the Helen Keller Institute, spoke about the particular challenges of experiencing both vision and hearing loss in later life and was joined by a panel who discussed the various devices available to assist individuals with hearing loss. Patty Sarchi, chair of the committee on deaf-blind concerns, moderated this program.
In addition, AAVL presented programs on coping with vision loss in later years, as well as adapting to the challenges of later life, a rap session and the very popular Musical Mixer featuring Al Gayzagian and Cathy Skivers playing piano selections of “The Songs from the Good Old Days.”
At its business meeting, AAVL elected Teddie Remhild as president for a two-year term, Freddie Peaco as vice president, Jean Peyton, secretary and Ken Metz and Michael Richman as board members.
Randolph-Sheppard makes good in New Orleans
by Ralph Sanders
(Reprinted from “The Vendorscope,” summer 2000.)
More than 300 participants in the Randolph-Sheppard program gathered in New Orleans over Labor Day weekend to discuss “A Vision for the Future.” Licensed managers, BEP staff, and state licensing agency directors spent four days seeking ways to advance the future growth of the Randolph-Sheppard program.
The first national conference since 1994, the New Orleans meeting was largely an outgrowth of the “Call for Action” developed by ACB Executive Director Charlie Crawford in 1998 in response to challenges facing blind vending facility managers throughout the nation. Sponsors included Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, American Council of the Blind, National Federation of the Blind, National Association of Blind Merchants, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.
RSVA set the tone for the conference by its commitment to advocating on behalf of the interest of managers. Revising the definition of “active participation,” expanding employment opportunities through marketing the program, and addressing program challenges were major points of priority for the RSVA legal team in the victorious military dining facility lawsuit in the Federal District Court for Eastern Virginia, which brought participants up to date on future prospects for the program on military bases.
Leading RSVA were Terry Camardelle, president; Donnie Anderson, second vice president; Kim Venable, treasurer; Julie Carroll, legal counsel; Charles Glaser; Richard Bird; Ardis Bazyn; Art Stevenson; John Gordon; and many others. The ACB was well represented by Charlie Crawford and Terry Pacheco.
Kim Venable seemed to be everywhere at once, assisting the Louisiana Rehabilitation Services in hosting the conference while serving as a floor leader, managing the RSVA hospitality suite and guiding tours of historic Bourbon Street.
Ardis Bazyn, program chair for Sagebrush, invited Terry Murphy, NCSAB President, and Tom Robertson, chair of the Randolph-Sheppard Committee for NCSAB, as well as federal and other state officials to continue the dialogue in Las Vegas March 14-18, 2001. Richard Bird, chair of the Sagebrush conference, offered to provide vendors and administrators each a meeting room at the conference.
News from New Jersey
The New Jersey Council of the Blind held its state convention Oct. 20-22, 2000 at the Days Inn in Bordentown. At the convention, Garden State Guide Dog Users Inc. was voted in as a chapter of the New Jersey Council. The group is looking forward to being voted in as a state affiliate of GDUI at the national convention in Des Moines.
Clarification of ACB Government Employees’ Membership
If you are employed by your town, city, state or federal government, you are invited to become a member of ACB Government Employees. If retired from any of the above, you are also welcome to join ACBGE. Many people think government employees means only the federal government. Not so. ACBGE strives to provide an interesting program for members during the ACB annual convention, including a social mixer at the beginning of convention week, and a lunch and afternoon program covering subjects of interest to local, state and federal employees. Dues for ACBGE are $10 per year, payable on or before January 1 of each calendar year. If you would like to have a dues notice sent to you, please leave a message for ACBGE treasurer Skip Hayes at (703) 532-2618, or e-mail to barb@smart.net. Make sure you leave your name and address, spelling any hard-to-spell names, streets and so forth. A dues notice and return envelope will be sent to you. The mailing address for the ACBGE treasurer is: Skip Hayes, P.O. Box 7230, Falls Church, VA 22040.
Calling all hams
At the ACB national convention in Louisville, the ACB Radio Amateurs held its annual meeting and elections. Due to a constitutional change approved in 1998, terms for officers are now two years in length; board members’ terms are three years. ACBRA’s officers are: Mike Duke, K5XU, president; John Glass, NJ6P, vice president; Berna Specht, KE4VCN, secretary; and Robert Rogers, K8CO, treasurer. Andy Baracco, WQ6R, was elected to the board.
ACBRA is already making plans for the ACB national convention in Des Moines next year. But before doing that, everyone who wants to be counted as a member needs to pay dues. Affiliate lists are due back at the national office by late February. So send your membership dues of $10 to Robert Rogers, 1121 Morado Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45238.
ACBRA is planning to have its breakfast get-together at the convention, possibly on Sunday morning. There are plans to move the annual meeting to sometime later in the week; more on that later.
Calling all techies
VIDPI is already looking forward to the 2001 ACB convention. Once again, VIDPI will have a program of vendor-presented computer technology on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be a luncheon with a speaker, and the annual business meeting will follow.
Since there was such an enthusiastic response to VIDPI-sponsored computer training at the convention, there are discussions about doing it again. Stay tuned for further information. If you would like to be a member of VIDPI, get your dues in by February. Full membership is $20; associate member dues, $10. Send your dues to Mary Abramson, 0N032 Ambleside Dr. #2402, Winfield, IL 60190-1904.
VIDPI also has a chat room available on the web site, http://www.acb.org/vidpi. It’s easy to use; you need a computer with a sound card, a microphone, some voice chat software which your computer will download automatically the first time you visit the chat room, and a graphical web browser. Chat sessions are held on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern; the room is available at other times as well. And if you’d like to join the VIDPI e-mail list, send a blank e-mail to vidpi-subscribe@topica.com.
New GDUI Chapter in Texas
Guide Dog Users Inc. in Texas is the newest affiliate of GDUI. It is in the process of planning its first statewide organizational meeting, scheduled for Saturday, January 27, 2001 at the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, 4800 North Lamar, in Austin. Plans include a panel discussion with representatives from each of the dog guide schools. Each panel member will have a few minutes to present an overview of his school’s training program, and then we will allow time to answer questions and hear concerns expressed by dog guide users from the audience. The one-day conference will also include speakers on such other topics as geriatric dog health, and legal access and enforcement of guide dog laws.
We need your help to reach Texas dog guide users so that we can share information about the group with them. Please let all your friends in Texas know about this exciting opportunity to organize and advocate for ourselves and our dogs. For more information about the group, or about the upcoming statewide conference, please contact Kathy Blackburn, president, 8607 Delaware Court, Austin, TX 78758; phone (512) 837-7557, or e-mail, kblackbn@concentric.net.