by Teddie-Joy Remhild
Happy New Year 2003! It’s time to reflect, review our past year and make plans for the year to come. While there may be some unpleasant situations or events happening around us which we cannot change or control, there are also many positive things we can affect and make happen. That’s what being an ACB member is all about!
One wonderful thing each ACB member can help to make happen is to write that letter which will recognize and award a special someone among us who has made a significant contribution through his or her dedication toward improving the quality of life for blind people.
The ACB awards are given at our annual convention each year and in 2003 we will again recognize these special individuals at our convention in Pittsburgh. In order to accomplish this tradition, we need your input. You may send your letters (500 words or less) to the ACB office before April 18, 2003, addressed to: ACB Awards, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005.
There are four individual awards and two affiliate awards, as follows:
The Robert S. Bray Award is given in honor of the first director of what is now the National Library Service. This award is given periodically, to an individual who has made a contribution toward improving the NLS, technology and/or communication devices or toward expanding access for blind people in the fields of mainstream media opportunities.
The George Card Award is given to a blind individual who has dedicated his or her life to working for and with other blind people toward making a real difference in improving life quality, providing leadership and being a true positive role model for all of us in the blind community and the ACB.
The Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award is given in recognition of a blind person, who may or may not be a member of a blindness organization, who has spent a lifetime being fully integrated and interacting with his or her community.
Distinguished Service Awards are given periodically to individuals who have made important contributions which have advanced opportunities for the community of blind people. These contributions may vary and may not necessarily be made by blind people. The award can be given to an individual or organization and can simply reflect a new opportunity for access for blind people.
The Affiliate Growth Award is determined by the affiliate membership annual reports and based on the 2002-2003 submissions. It is awarded to the affiliate who has the greatest percentage increase in membership over the preceding year.
The Affiliate Outreach Award is one that is recommended by an affiliate president which recognizes a local chapter for a new outreach program, not a fundraiser, and which began in year 2002 but still may be ongoing and which has measurable outcomes.
All of these awards are worthy of your attention and a letter of recommendation for someone whom you know to be deserving. Appreciation is a small effort, but it creates great memories of folks who can motivate and inspire us for time immemorial.
Board of Publications Awards
Each year at the national convention of the American Council of the Blind, the board of publications (affectionately known as the BOP) presents awards. The first is the Ned E. Freeman Award, instituted in 1970 and named for the first president of the American Council of the Blind who, after completing his term of office, became editor of “The Braille Forum.”
The board of publications accepts submissions for the Freeman Award from any writer on a topic of interest to readers of “The Braille Forum.” Submissions may be published in the magazine if space allows. Articles appearing in the “Forum” between April 2002 and March 2003 are automatically eligible. Materials published by an ACB affiliate are also welcome. Send a print, braille or electronic copy of the published article accompanied by a letter of nomination.
While mastery of the craft of writing is a major consideration by BOP voters, favorable choices in the past seem to have been made because of interesting subject matter, originality in recounting an experience, or novelty of approach. A Freeman Award winner will receive a plaque and $100.
The Vernon Henley Award was established in 1988 to honor the man who created and first produced ACB Reports, a radio presentation distributed to radio reading services around the country. At the time of his death, he was chair of the board of publications, having assisted editors by conducting writing workshops and by recording for them on audiocassette materials otherwise not available to them. The award is presented to a person, either sighted or blind, who has made a positive difference in the media — whether in radio, TV, magazines, or daily newspapers — which may change public attitudes to recognize the capabilities of people who are blind, rather than focusing on outdated stereotypes and misconceptions. Programs and/or articles written and produced specifically for a visually impaired audience, as well as those intended for the general public, are eligible. Multiple articles or programs submitted by one author or organization will be judged as separate entries. The Henley Award is intended to be a vehicle for publicizing ACB throughout the general media, and to encourage excellence and accuracy in electronic and print coverage of items relating to blindness.
Recipients of these awards for the last five years are ineligible to enter the contests. Freeman Award winners 1998-2002: George Covington, Larry Johnson, Ken Stewart, Lisa Mauldin, and Barry Levine; Henley Award winners 1998-2002: The Seeing Eye, Kyle McHugh, Jonathan Mosen and Carol Greenwald and Mathayu Lane. Nor are those who are members of the ACB national office staff or members of the board of directors or board of publications during the awarding period eligible for the Ned E. Freeman or the Vernon Henley award.
Submissions for both awards must be postmarked no later than April 15, 2003. All submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter providing details about the submission, its origin, and any other pertinent information. Include your return address in the cover letter, and, if you want your manuscript returned, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Send submissions to ACB Board of Publications Awards, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005.