THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLVI February 2008 No. 7 Published by the American Council of the Blind THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Mitch Pomerantz, President Melanie Brunson, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor National Office: 1155 15th St. NW Suite 1004 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Web site: http://www.acb.org THE BRAILLE FORUM (TM) is available in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. Submission deadlines are the first of the month. The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, visit the ACB web site and complete an application form, or contact the national office at the number listed above. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Mike Godino at the above mailing address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office can make printed cards available for this purpose. To remember the American Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, contact the ACB national office. Join the MMS program and help improve tomorrow today in ACB. Contact Ron Milliman by e-mail, rmilliman@insightbb.com, or by phone at (270) 782-9325 and get started making tomorrow look brighter today! To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time, or visit the Washington Connection online at http://www.acb.org. Copyright 2008 American Council of the Blind ***** TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: Taking A World View, by Mitch Pomerantz Announcing ACB's 2008 Summer Internship Opportunity for College Students, by Melanie Brunson 2007 A Successful Year for Structured Negotiations Advocacy Does Work, by Larry Johnson ACB Board Greets the New Year, by Ken Stewart Kentucky Fun Y'all Come!, by Carla Ruschival A Leap Year, and A Leap of Faith for First-Timers, by Carol Ewing Important Updates to the MMS Program, by Ronald E. Milliman ACB Voting Task Force Wants to Hear from You, by Jeff Thom Affiliate News Stephens Has Unique Perspective on Vols, by Tom Mattingly A Step Back in Time Circa 1574, by Kathy Brockman Here and There, by Sue Lichtenfels High Tech Swap Shop FORUM SUBSCRIPTION NOTES You can now get "The Braille Forum" by podcast! To subscribe, go to "The Braille Forum" page on www.acb.org. If you do not yet have a podcast client, you can download one from the Forum page. To subscribe to "The Braille Forum" via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to brailleforum-L-subscribe@acb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll take care of the changes for you. ***** PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: TAKING A WORLD VIEW by Mitch Pomerantz In early December, Chris Gray and I (along with Marvelena and Donna) journeyed to New York City, where Chris and I participated in the meeting of the North America/Caribbean region of the World Blind Union. Before talking a bit about the WBU, I should say that for Donna and me, there isn't a better place to visit and truly experience the holiday season than the Big Apple. Between the lights, the music, the hustle and bustle and, yes, the freezing temperatures, you really feel that holiday spirit. Chris and I serve as ACB's two voting delegates to the North America/Caribbean region and at the upcoming WBU meeting. Regional gatherings typically occur twice yearly, and the December conclave was my initial exposure to WBU issues and politics. Literally scores, if not hundreds, of blindness-related organizations and agencies from almost every nation of the world comprise the membership of the World Blind Union. Its president serves one four-year term. Since 2004, that position has been held by William Rowland of South Africa, a brilliant and charming gentleman with whom Donna and I had the pleasure of meeting and having breakfast some five years ago when we visited that fascinating nation. The World Blind Union convenes every four years and, this August, will hold its seventh quadrennial meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to that meeting, a two-day conference focusing on issues specific to blind and visually impaired women will take place. ACB will have a representative at this important gathering as well. Also, ACB Radio will stream both conferences so everyone with a computer and the interest can follow the proceedings in Geneva. This will be my first opportunity to attend and participate in the activities and deliberations of the WBU and I'm very much looking forward to the chance to meet and interact with blind leaders from throughout the world. At this point, many of you may be wondering whether or if our involvement is all that relevant to the members of ACB. In my view, the answer is a resounding YES, and here's why. We spend a lot of time and energy, myself included, being critical, and justifiably so, about the inequalities and lack of opportunities blind and visually impaired people must deal with on a daily basis: an unconscionably high rate of unemployment; inadequate or non-existent transportation; housing discrimination, with or without a guide dog; and the other issues with which we are all too familiar. Nonetheless, compared to the vast majority of blind people in the rest of the world, we in the United States have it pretty good! Don't believe it? Let me tell you about a braille letter that arrived here at home just after New Year's Day. It was written on Sept. 9 (presumably sent shortly thereafter) by a man living in Monkey-bay, Malawi, which is located in central Africa. Essentially, this gentleman was requesting help in obtaining the sorts of things you and I take for granted and which we would expect might be needed by a blind person living in a poor country: braille paper, braille books and magazines, used cassettes and CDs, and the like. He didn't indicate whether he is affiliated with a school, and I've asked the chairperson of our international relations committee, Sandra Sermons, to look into this request further. ACB receives a number of such letters yearly and it is apparent that many blind and visually impaired people around the world look to ACB for such assistance. I believe those of us who reside in the so-called developed nations of the world -- particularly here in the United States -- have a responsibility, perhaps even an obligation, to work collaboratively with our blind brothers and sisters living in the developing nations to achieve our common dream of independence and economic security. To ignore this responsibility would be a serious disservice to those blind people who are counting on us for a hand up. ACB can offer our collective knowledge, expertise, and possibly some limited resources without in any way lessening the effort to accomplish these goals within our own borders. It is my expectation that the international relations committee, as well as the American Council of the Blind, will be far more active and vocal in working with the international blindness community. As a result of ACB's fiscal situation over the past several years, we have been unable to take a more active role on the international stage. Beginning with the upcoming quadrennial meeting of the World Blind Union, our role will change dramatically. ACB will do in the international arena what we are doing in the United States: assertively taking our place in the larger blindness community and promoting our positive notion of the abilities and capabilities of blind and visually impaired people. I trust you will agree that it is high time for ACB to assume that larger role on this important world stage. ***** ANNOUNCING ACB'S 2008 SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS by Melanie Brunson For many years, ACB has offered blind and visually impaired college students an opportunity to spend a summer working in the ACB national office. This provides the students with paid work experience, as well as the opportunity to assist with activities that could be useful in a number of careers, such as public policy, communications and public relations, membership and organizational development. We are pleased to offer a summer internship opportunity again in 2008. The application process is fairly straightforward. To be considered for this internship opportunity, students are requested to submit a letter of application by April 1, 2008, to Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 1004, Washington, D.C. 20005. Letters should include a statement explaining why the student would like to spend a summer in Washington, and the benefits he or she expects to receive from this internship experience. Along with this letter, students should send documentation concerning the school they are attending, or planning to attend, as well as information about their major field of study, vocational or professional objective, prior educational and employment history, and extracurricular and civic activities. The successful student will work in the ACB national office for a maximum of 10 weeks beginning in June 2008 and will be provided with housing on the campus of one of the local universities. If you are a college student, or plan to be in the fall of 2008, we would love to hear from you. If you are not a college student yourself, please help us spread the word to blind and visually impaired students in your community. ***** 2007 A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR STRUCTURED NEGOTIATIONS Dear colleagues in the disability community interested in structured negotiations: As 2008 begins, we are writing to update everyone on the current status of various structured negotiations initiatives and, most of all, to say "thank you." Thank you to the ACB, AFB, the CCB, to the Bay State Council of the Blind, Illinois Council of the Blind, and other ACB state and local affiliates, to the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, to the leadership, staff, boards and membership of these organizations, and to other individual blind advocates around the country for active participation in and support of the structured negotiations process in 2007. Everyone who is receiving this letter helped make 2007 another successful year for using structured negotiations to increase the accessibility of information and information technology throughout the United States. Some of you helped during negotiations by testing and providing valuable feedback on accessible pedestrian signals (APS), tactile point-of-sale (POS) devices, braille financial information, and accessible web pages. Others of you have met with corporate training staff to ensure that our agreements are successfully implemented, and with business staff of some of the world's largest corporations to convince them of the need for, and importance of, accessible information and information technology. Still others have given us critical feedback from the field: telling us about Talking ATMs that are broken, inaccessible elements on web pages, braille financial statements that are late, staff who need re-training, APS that need maintenance or POS devices that are not where they should be. Without this feedback, settlement agreements would be words on paper, and not accessibility in our daily lives. Equally important, many of you have brought new issues to our attention, issues we hope to report on favorably in next year's annual message. For all this and so much more, we express our deep gratitude. Below is a sampling of our work in 2007. Please don't hesitate to contact either of us if you have any questions about anything in this message, or if you have issues you think would benefit from structured negotiations. We look forward to further collaboration in 2008, and wish you and yours a year full of peace, joy, and accessibility. Lainey and Linda (We can be reached by e-mail at lfeingold@earthlink.net or by phone at 1-800-332-6177.) Structured Negotiations Highlights, 2007 (1) Agreements Signed: In 2007, three new agreements were signed using structured negotiations instead of litigation. This brings the total number of agreements signed to 28. (The first settlement agreement using structured negotiations was signed in 1999 with Citibank on the issue of Talking ATMs.) APS Agreement with the City and County of San Francisco: The California Council of the Blind (CCB), The San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, and blind advocate Damien Pickering signed a landmark agreement with San Francisco in 2007 requiring the city to spend at least $1.6 million over two and a half years equipping all crosswalks of at least 80 intersections with accessible pedestrian signals (APS). Approximately 500 APS have already been installed. Further information about the APS agreement can be found on the LightHouse's web site at www.lighthouse- sf.org/AccessiblePedestrianSignals.php. Radio Shack Web and POS Agreement: In 2007 Radio Shack signed an agreement with ACB, the CCB, and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) addressing the company's web site and retail stores. Radio Shack became the first non-bank national retailer to sign an agreement as a result of structured negotiations requiring that www.radioshack.com comply with Level AA (Priorities 1 and 2) of WCAG 1.0. The company is actively working toward that goal. The agreement also requires installation of at least one tactile point-of-sale device at every Radio Shack store in the United States. The devices have already been installed in over 5,000 stores. 7-Eleven POS Agreement: The AFB, ACB and CCB also used structured negotiations to reach an agreement with 7-Eleven requiring installation of POS devices in over 6,000 7-Eleven stores across the country. Over the next 18 months, all flat-screen POS units in all U.S. 7-Eleven stores will be replaced with units that have tactile keypads to allow private and independent entry of PINs and other confidential information. (2) Agreements Monitored: We continue to monitor the settlement agreements that have been negotiated in past years, and encourage each of you to let us know about any issues with any of the companies mentioned below. This year, monitoring highlights include the following. Talking ATMs: Banks continue to install Talking ATMs pursuant to agreements reached as a result of structured negotiations. As of December 2007, every Wells Fargo ATM in the country is now a Talking ATM, and Bank of America has already installed over 11,000 Talking ATMs. Other banks and retailers that have signed Talking ATM agreements as a result of the structured negotiations process are Citibank, Washington Mutual, Citizens Bank, Sovereign Bank, Union Bank of California, LaSalle Bank, Bank One (now Chase), Fleet (now Bank of America), First Union (now Wachovia) and 7- Eleven. The advocacy efforts of the American Council of the Blind, California Council of the Blind, the Bay State Council of the Blind, and other ACB affiliates in Utah, Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois and Florida and individual blind advocates across the country have made these agreements possible. The Disability Law Center in Massachusetts and Equip for Equality in Illinois are integrally involved in monitoring efforts with the banks in those states. Accessible Web Sites: As a result of structured negotiations, many banks have agreed to bring their web sites into compliance with Priorities 1 and 2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and there is widespread agreement that the banking industry is at the forefront of on-line accessibility in the private sector. Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, LaSalle Bank and Washington Mutual are among the banks whose web sites we continue to monitor, working with the institutions as issues arise. This year, for example, thanks to efforts by the Bay State Council of the Blind and blind advocates in Massachusetts, Citizens Bank agreed to remove a visual captcha on www.citizensbank.com that had been placed on the site after accessibility improvements had been made. We are using structured negotiations to work with other financial institutions and retailers to make their web sites accessible and to eliminate visual captchas, and hope to be announcing additional agreements on these issues over the next 12 months. Tactile Point-of-Sale Devices: As a result of structured negotiations advocacy by the AFB, ACB and CCB, five national retailers have so far agreed to replace flat-screen point-of-sale devices at certain cash registers in each store with units that have tactile keypads. Without these keypads, blind customers must disclose their PIN, and other confidential information, in order to use a debit card or other PIN-based payment cards. This year, in addition to signing new agreements with Radio Shack and 7-Eleven, we continued to monitor earlier agreements with Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Trader Joe's. Tens of thousands of tactile devices have already been installed pursuant to these agreements, and thousands more will be installed in 2008. (Trader Joe's tactile units were delayed due to software and hardware problems that the company is working diligently to fix. We hope very soon to be announcing that the tactile units are up and running in Trader Joe's stores across the country.) We also continue to monitor our point of sale agreements with Wal-Mart and Safeway negotiated on behalf of the ACB, the CCB and AFB. Positive negotiations with several other national retailers on POS devices are ongoing. Braille and Other Alternate Formats: Accessible financial information is a guaranteed right under federal and state law, and we continue to monitor settlement agreements providing for alternate formats. As a result of structured negotiations, the following institutions are providing monthly statements in braille and other formats: Bank of America, American Express, Wells Fargo, Sovereign Bank, LaSalle Bank, Union Bank of California, Citizens Bank, and Washington Mutual. Positive negotiations with other financial service providers are ongoing. As with all issues, feedback from the community is critical in our efforts to monitor the effectiveness of our agreements and company implementation. This year, thanks to steadfast commitment by individual blind advocates in Massachusetts and Tennessee, American Express improved the delivery time for braille statements. If you are reading this and not receiving your financial information in a timely manner in a format that is effective, we hope you will call your financial institution today and ask for what you need. (3) Ongoing Negotiations: We are in ongoing structured negotiations with the following companies: Rite Aid, CVS, Target, UCSF Medical Center, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. These companies are working in good faith with us and representatives of the blind community, including AFB, ACB, CCB and individual blind advocates, and we hope to be able to announce additional agreements in the coming year. Finally, we have approached several other companies who have not yet committed to the structured negotiations process, and hope to have positive news soon on that front as well. ***** ADVOCACY DOES WORK by Larry Johnson After a year of conversation, communication and negotiation, I am pleased to report that Guaranty Bank in Texas and California will now provide monthly bank statements in braille for customers who are blind and who specifically request them. Motivated and encouraged by the successes of attorneys Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian on behalf of ACB members and affiliates across the country to make services of banking institutions fully accessible to customers who are blind or visually impaired, I decided to ask my bank, Guaranty Bank, which has more than 150 offices throughout Texas and California, to begin providing me with my monthly statement in braille. They balked. They talked. They offered to designate a person in their office to read my statement to me over the phone. My response was that designating an individual at Guaranty Bank to be the "assigned reader" of all print materials I may receive would limit my access to such information. Having other duties, this person obviously could not be conveniently available to read to me whenever I might choose to call. And designating multiple individuals to have this assignment would be a serious infringement of my personal privacy. We are fortunate that here in San Antonio we have a fully equipped and professionally staffed braille production department within the Education Service Center of Region 20. Early on, I recommended that Guaranty Bank contact this resource for assistance. However, they chose to ignore my suggestion and instead contacted the state agency for the blind and Duxbury, Inc. But neither organization offered a solution. So, finally, after months of delay, bank officials relented and followed my suggestion. Vivian Seki, head of the braille production department at Region 20, quickly handled the request and prepared a sample braille statement. It came out great. Now I am able to reconcile activity on my accounts independently, and appreciate Guaranty Bank's positive, albeit rather slow, response to my request. I am happy that Guaranty Bank now joins Bank of America, Bank One, Citibank, LaSalle, Sovereign, Union Bank, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo among the growing number of banking institutions that now recognize their responsibility under the law to offer appropriate accessible alternatives to customers with visual impairments who wish to have full and private access to their financial transactions. Patience and persistence do pay off. If you are a braille user and would love the personal privacy of being able to receive your monthly account statements in braille, ask your bank to do so. It's not a special favor. It's the law. ***** ACB BOARD GREETS THE NEW YEAR by Ken Stewart (Editor's Note: The American Council of the Blind constitution and bylaws require that a narrative summary of every board of directors meeting be prepared by the board of publications' ex officio representative to the board of directors. Upon approval of the minutes of this meeting by the board of directors, the minutes will be made available to the membership on the web site. Members who cannot access the minutes in that way may request assistance from the national office.) Holiday cheer extended a bit into the new year for the ACB board of directors. During its two-hour teleconference on January 2, there was unanimity on every vote, and major portions of the meeting dealt with happy, or at least encouraging, financial matters. The board went into executive session to deal with matters concerning investment issues. After the session ended, President Mitch Pomerantz reported that there were no motions made or voted on, and that the board accepted the recommendation of the investment committee to engage the services of RBC Dain Rauscher to manage the assets of ACB. Resource development committee chairman David Trott's proposal that again this year, the proceeds of the annual raffle be devoted to "The Braille Forum," also achieved a unanimous affirmative vote. Trott indicated the raffle usually generates $5,000 to $6,000. Waters reported on his search for an auditing firm which would perform the annual audit of the organization's financial records at a substantially lower cost than has been expended in recent years. The board approved his recommendation to engage a Minneapolis firm to audit the books of both ACB and its affiliated company, ACB Enterprises and Services. Pat Sheehan was approved by another of the unanimous votes, to replace Ray Campbell as the board's liaison to the Internet oversight committee. Campbell had resigned from that role due to the press of other responsibilities, and Sheehan volunteered for the assignment. Executive director Melanie Brunson brought the board up to date regarding negotiations with Damar Travel. Some payments have now been received from that business, and she agreed to a tight deadline for resolving remaining questions about the contractual relationship with it. Brunson also spoke of a telephone call received at the national office from an academic familiar with the Peabody College program that trains teachers of the blind. The caller reported that Vanderbilt University is considering terminating that program. The board voted to send a letter strongly objecting to the closing down of the program. Godino inquired about this year's procedure for mailing holiday solicitation for donations from ACB members. Discussion established that some members received the mailing after the holidays or not at all. Getting the solicitation in the appropriate format to each recipient also was not accomplished as well as would be hoped. Chris Gray indicated he would check into the matter. It was noted that the director of development, to be hired shortly, will be taking responsibility for the holiday mailing and other projects in the future. Secretary Marlaina Lieberg had minutes of the most recent previous board meetings, both in October, ready for final approval. And they received that approval, enabling them to go up on the organization's web site promptly. At adjournment it was expected that the board would be meeting next in Washington in early February immediately prior to the mid- year presidents' meeting and the annual legislative seminar. ***** KENTUCKY FUN -- Y'ALL COME! by Carla Ruschival Every ACB national convention is brimming with information, technology, and new ideas. Exhibits, workshops, seminars, and programs pack convention week, from start to finish, with the latest news and information that you can use in your career, at school, or in your everyday life. But convention isn't all work. There's lots of fun, fun, fun for the young and young-at-heart. Here's just a sampling of what's waiting for you at the 2008 ACB convention July 5-12 in Louisville. Tours and More Tours Within three blocks of the hotel are the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum (home of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat), the Muhammad Ali Museum (a special tour just for ACB-ers is in the works), the Frazier Arms Museum (a fantastic "blind-friendly" tour lets you touch armor worn by knights in the Middle Ages and much more), and Glassworks (a hand-blown glass factory with lots of shimmering and colorful souvenirs). More tours are a short 5- to 15-minute ride away, such as the Thomas Edison House, candy factories (what an incredible "sweet tooth" tour!), and more. Find out how braille and large print books are produced and how Talking Books and recorded magazines come to be at the American Printing House; APH's Callahan Museum is an unbelievable hands-on storehouse of historical artifacts related to the blind. But wait! There's more! There's Churchill Downs, Maker's Mark Distillery, the Stephen Foster drama in historic Bardstown, cave country, and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Tours get under way on Friday, July 4, with lots of choices every day through July 12 EXCEPT for July 11. For Kids and Teens The ACB convention gets more and more kid-friendly every year. Bring the entire family for a great week of education, information and fun. The Youth Activity Center (YAC) will once again offer tours and activities for the under-18s. Check the next issue of the "Forum" for announcements of expanded programs for kids and teens. IMPORTANT DETAILS Convention Planners List Attention, all groups planning to host meetings, workshops, focus groups, socials and other events. A special e-mail list has been created to assist you. A representative from your special-interest group, ACB committee, or company should be subscribed to this list so you will receive all announcements regarding convention rules, catering, meeting room reservations, audiovisual services, etc. To request that your representative be added to the list, send an e-mail containing the individual's name, the group or company name, telephone number and e-mail address to Carla Ruschival at adamcarla@bellsouth.net. Exhibits, Advertising and Sponsorships Information will be in the mail and on the ACB web site by mid-February. Exhibitors should reserve booth space early for best placement; early-bird discounts are available. When registering for a sponsorship, be sure to check available selections; they're going fast! Hotel Reservations Rates at the Galt House are $85 single/double for standard rooms on the west side (the Rivue tower), and $105 single/double in the east tower (one-bedroom suites). Add $10 for each additional person in a room; limit four people per room. Rates are quoted per night, and do not include tax. For reservations, call (502) 589-5200. Convention Contacts Have questions or concerns? Here's who to call: Carla Ruschival, national convention committee chair (all event scheduling, catering, audiovisual, meeting room assignments) -- (502) 897-1472; adamcarla@bellsouth.net Michael Smitherman (Exhibits) -- (601) 968-4164; amduo@bellsouth.net Brenda Dillon (Advertising and Sponsorships) -- (615) 874-1223; brendan0@bellsouth.net Patti Cox (Youth Activity Center) - (502) 893-1750; patti0912@bellsouth.net Stay in the Know Get the latest convention information by subscribing to the ACB convention e-mail list. The list is available for sign-ups now. Even if you were subscribed last year, you must re-subscribe for 2008. To join the list, send a blank e-mail to acbconvention-subscribe@acb.org; be sure to reply to the confirmation message. Watch next month's "Braille Forum" for more convention information. ***** A LEAP YEAR, AND A LEAP OF FAITH FOR FIRST-TIMERS by Carol Ewing What a treat 2008 offers: one extra day. I want to place a request for your February 29. The Durward K. McDaniel First-Timers Program needs your support in two areas. Again this year, the committee voted to bring two dynamic people to the 2008 convention in Louisville. Therefore, we need that nomination you have been pondering. It needs to arrive in the ACB office by April 15. It is up to you to make that connection and encourage that submission by the nominee. If you wish to apply for the first-timers award, you need to send us a letter giving your name, address, telephone number and e-mail if you have one. Tell us about yourself and why you would like to attend the ACB convention. Let us know how you feel you would benefit by attending. You need not write a long letter, but we would like to get to know you. If you belong to an affiliate, please ask your president to write a letter of support for you. All letters should be sent to the DKM First-Timers Committee and mailed to the ACB office at 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005 as soon as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Carol Ewing, chair of our committee, at (702) 524-8444, or Cathy Skivers at (510) 357-1986. The committee also needs your financial support. Committee members are selling raffle tickets; first prize is $300, second prize, $150, and third prize, $75. Donations are accepted by each committee member. Should you feel a tingle in the heart area on the last day of February, know it is me saying "thank you" for your supportive efforts making this wonderful ACB program so successful. ***** IMPORTANT UPDATES TO THE MMS PROGRAM by Ronald E. Milliman First, because of some tracking issues, we are delaying the official kick-off of the next promotional phase of our Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) Program until our convention in Louisville this summer. As you recall, I announced that we were going to move into the "Reaching Out Partnership" campaign after last summer's ACB convention. However, we have made some important changes in our computer software, and we are making certain it is ready before we launch that effort. Second, we are using a new form for the MMS Program, designed by Lane Waters, our chief financial officer, with the assistance of the MMS Program Committee. This new form will be used when any new participants join the MMS Program. It will also be used to keep a record of any changes participants want to make to their contributions. For instance, if a current participant wants to increase or decrease his/her monthly contributions, this new form will be used to accurately record such a change. If someone needs to stop his or her contributions, that too will be recorded. Finally, to make it easier for our affiliates to take care of people who want to join the MMS Program, but don't have all of the needed information readily available, this same form will be partially completed and submitted to the Minneapolis office for completion and processing. Since we are now using this new form, it is extremely important for all affiliates and chapters to throw away all of the old forms. We are no longer using those. The new form is available on our ACB web site, and I will be happy to send you the new form either by e-mail or by U.S. postal mail. Or you can contact the Minneapolis office and request the new forms from that office. The web site is www.acb.org; go down to the link labeled "Make a donation to the American Council of the Blind." Select the link in the paragraph for the Monthly Monetary Support Program; the next page explains the program in more detail, and connects you to the new form. If you don't have Internet access, just call the Minneapolis office toll-free at 1-800-866-3242 or contact me by e-mail at rmilliman@insightbb.com or phone (270) 782-9325. As always, if anyone needs any assistance with any aspect of the MMS Program, just contact me, and I will take care of whatever needs to be done. ***** ACB VOTING TASK FORCE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU by Jeff Thom Perhaps the most important difference between the American Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind is that we in ACB have a proud heritage that policy is to be made by the membership, rather than having our leaders dictate our decisions for us. This heritage is demonstrated annually at each ACB convention by our always action-packed election of officers and directors, and open and free-flowing debate on constitutional amendments, bylaws, and resolutions. Some ACB members have expressed a desire to modify our current convention voting system in two ways: first, through the use of secret balloting, as opposed to our current standing vote methodology; and secondly, through the use of methods whereby those not in attendance at the convention would be permitted to vote, more generally referred to as absentee balloting. President Pomerantz has decided to appoint a task force, composed of me, Brenda Dillon, Patrick Sheehan, and Ken Stewart. Our task is to look at methods for secret balloting and absentee balloting and their feasibility in the context of our organization. It is our intention to provide you, the ACB membership, with the most complete information possible to make informed decisions as to whether, and if so, in what manner, either secret or absentee balloting should be incorporated into our voting system. Because any changes in something so important as voting systems are of such fundamental importance, we intend to take the time necessary to provide the membership the most complete and comprehensive information possible. We wish to hear from as many of you as possible, both those who feel that either absentee or secret balloting should be incorporated into our voting structure and those of you who feel that our current methods should be retained. That task force has decided to compile information on the issue of secret balloting first, and then turn its attention to that of absentee balloting. We have chosen this approach because, in our view, the issues relating to absentee balloting are far more complex. We intend to present our findings concerning secret balloting at the 2008 convention, and those relating to absentee balloting at a later date. For the sake of clarification, presentation of findings relating to secret balloting at the 2008 convention would not enable action to be taken that would impact balloting at that convention, as constitutional changes would be required. With respect to how you can have input into this process, we will take written or verbal testimony. If you would like to provide written testimony, we will certainly accept any format. For those with computer access, e-mail is certainly appreciated, as it can easily be disseminated to all task force members. You can e-mail me at jsthom@comcast.net or send information in other formats to 7414 Mooncrest Way, Sacramento, CA 95831. If you would like to provide oral testimony, we hope to hold our first open conference call at 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific) on March 2. To participate on the call, dial in to 1-866-633-8638 and use meeting ID 868464. We will only be taking testimony about secret balloting during this conference call in order to ensure that we can meet our goal of providing our findings on this issue at the convention. If sufficient interest exists, we will attempt to have another call regarding secret balloting prior to the convention. ***** AFFILIATE NEWS Fred Scheigert Scholarship Program through CCLVI The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International will award three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to entering freshmen, undergraduate and graduate college students for the 2008-2009 academic year. Students must be visually impaired, maintain a strong GPA, and be involved in their school/local community. Applications are now available; all materials must be received by March 1. To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an on-line application, please visit www.cclvi.org/scholars.htm. Applications will be available online until March 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. If you have questions or need additional information, please send e-mail to scholarship@cclvi.org. An Alternative to Winter Right about now, people from the Eastern seaboard to the Pacific Northwest are getting tired of winter. There's the crunchy brown snow piled up on the sidewalks, the slick patches of black ice that catch your cane and boot as you crunch to and from work or school in the 14th day straight of sub-zero wind-chill factors. There's the dry skin and static electricity that makes your hair stand up, and there's the frozen pipes and the three minutes of waiting while the water warms for your morning shower. But worst of all, there are those people from places like Florida, Texas, Arizona and California! You know the ones. They call you and say things like, "I can hardly stand this cold winter weather. Why last night, we broke below 50 for the third time this year." Well, if you can't beat them, then why don't you join them! The members of the Arizona Council of the Blind invite all of you down to Phoenix for our 37th annual convention. This year, the convention will take place May 2-3 at the Phoenix International Airport Hilton Hotel. Room rates are $105 per night, and a limited number of suites are available for $130 per night. We are planning an exciting program, lots of exhibitors, and as many meals as we can cram into the two-day program. We are also planning a couple of parties just for those of you who come in from out of town. To make your room reservations, call the Hilton at (480) 894-1600; be sure to mention that you are coming for the Arizona Council convention. The room reservation and pre-registration deadlines are March 15, so don't wait too long! To view the convention announcement and registration form, visit www.azcb.org or contact Ron Brooks, (602) 722-3039, or by e-mail at ronlbrooks@msn.com. ***** STEPHENS HAS UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON VOLS by Tom Mattingly (Reprinted with permission from "The Knoxville News Sentinel," December 16, 2007.) (Editor's Note: Many of you know Otis Stephens, who was president of ACB from 1987 to 1989. And we know there are many football fans among you readers! We thought you might enjoy reading this story about Stephens, written by Tom Mattingly, a former student of Otis Stephens. Mattingly is the author of "The Tennessee Football Vault: The Story of the Tennessee Volunteers, 1891-2006" (2006), to be published in second edition in 2008, and "Tennessee Football: The Peyton Manning Years" (1998). He may be reached at tjmshm@comcast.net. His News Sentinel blog is called "The Vol Historian.") If there were eight million stories in the old "Naked City" television program, there have to be at least that many, or maybe more, in the entirety of Big Orange Country. If Knoxville radio personality Tony Basilio, the self-styled "Voice of the Common Fan," has a short list of the great Tennessee football fans, Dr. Otis Stephens' name should be at or near the top of his list. Stephens is a dedicated fan, part of the orange-clad throng who help make Neyland Stadium such an exciting place to be on Saturdays in the fall. Each season, he and his wife, Mary, get the tailgate together, find their tickets and his headphones, get dressed in something orange and white, and make their way with their friends to Neyland Stadium, much as they have over the years. They're in Section O at the southwest corner of the stadium, row 53, seats 10 and 11. "They tell me you can see the field well," he says. That's one important component to this story. He's been blind much of his life, but that hasn't stopped him in the least, not professionally, not in his enjoyment of Tennessee football, not in any way. A native of East Point, Ga., Stephens grew up hearing the Bulldogs' radio broadcasts through the voice of Ed Thilenius. The coach in those days was Wally Butts. It's hard to fathom, the march of time being so relentless, but it was also before the days of the legendary Larry Munson. "I was there during Butts' most unsuccessful years," Stephens said. "He had one winning season out of five. Two years after I left, he won the SEC title with Fran Tarkenton." Stephens is an amazing story in his own right. He holds a BA and an MA in political science from the University of Georgia. He continued his education with a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University as well as a J.D. from the University of Tennessee. He came to the department of political science in 1967, and had a stint in the arts and sciences dean's office beginning in 1996, before moving to the law school in 2000. He's been a fixture on campus since his arrival, and is a popular, much-awarded, and much-respected professor. Students who didn't take his constitutional law class have missed something really special. There are few better. He's good enough to be grouped in the same company with Jimmy Walls, Bill Cherry, Dick Penner, J. Fred Holly, and those other legendary educators who enlightened so many students over the years. You'll find him these days in Room 377 of the George C. Taylor Law School on Cumberland Avenue. He's a cogent observer of the constitutional law scene, teaching and having written several books on the subject. In his seat with his headset on, Stephens finds himself in an enviable position relative to his fellow fans. He finds he often knows what's happening on the field before his friends do, thanks to John Ward and Bill Anderson, initially, and now Bob Kesling, Tim Priest, and Mike Stowell. He passes on information gleaned from the Vol Network. The referee then strides to the middle of the field and says what Stephens just said. "The word description in radio is everything," he says. "It's far better and much more detailed than what you would hear on television. I have an advantage in knowing what happens. "Bob Kesling has gotten better, coming into his own as a radio announcer. He has mastered the art of calling the game, giving accurate detail. He's on top of it now, and has a lot of enthusiasm. He gives you a real sense of what's going on." It's the same with analyst Tim Priest, the Knoxville lawyer who was captain of the 11-1 1970 team. "I like Tim Priest's analysis," Stephens said. "His knowledge of the game is so detailed that he is able to present a very clear picture of what is taking place on the field. It is helpful to understanding what is going on. They make a very good team." He'll quickly tell you there's something special about being in the noisy throng at Neyland Stadium each week. "The crowd tells you a lot about what's going on. I like to take the headset off and hear the crowd reaction, hear people converse about the game. The headset allows me to be on a par with the other fans, helps me enjoy the game." Kesling offers the right perspective on the game, Stephens says. "You know he's on Tennessee's side, but that doesn't interfere with the broadcast," he said. Now you know all about the constitutional law professor turned Vol fan, another great story from across the expanse of Neyland Stadium. ***** A STEP BACK IN TIME -- CIRCA 1574 by Kathy Brockman No, I am not THAT old! In Kenosha County, which is south of Milwaukee near the Illinois state line, is a place that takes you back to Elizabethan England in 1574. In late July, about 15 of us took two vans from the Badger Association to spend a really hot sunny day strolling through the Renaissance Faire. Approximately 1,200 merchants, performers and others are dressed in period costumes. You will see jousting knights, juggling jesters, rogues and ladies dressed in their finery -- most with large hoop skirts. Many are walking around and will stop to talk or offer help if needed. I stopped one lady and asked her to show her dress to my friend, and the lady was very helpful in describing her costume. There are arts, crafts, games, music, dancing -- and let's not forget the food! For example, we were in a bakery and I bought a scone, shortbread and a dragon tail. That was like extra pie dough that is twisted, baked and then drizzled with chocolate. At another booth we had onion-saut‚ed mushrooms with large toothpicks provided to fish them out of the yummy sauce. There was also a large breadstick to soak up the sauce. You name it, they had it. We rested periodically during the day since it was so hot. We saw one performance that included bagpipes. At another place they had a catapult ride where people were harnessed and then attached to two bungee-type cords. Some of the people went up about 20 to 30 feet high and did somersaults. It was quite interesting to watch -- but none of us were game to try it! I almost got myself into a little trouble, though. We were trying to make our way back to the entrance since it was time to leave. Two lovely ladies asked if we needed help, so we accepted their assistance since they were going in the same direction. I mentioned that they must be "pretty hot" in their outfits, which were made of heavy fabric and had several layers. They played the part and used an old English accent, appearing shocked at my comment. I then stumbled over myself and said they must be warm because of the heat -- and I assured them they were very beautiful. One of the ladies then recited several Shakespearean poems as we walked along. She asked me if I read, and I assured her I did. A lot of my reading is on a computer, but I told her she probably didn't know what that was -- and she agreed. Hey, it was 1574 -- remember? So they got us back to the entrance and we parted ways with a friendly goodbye. Great efforts are taken to keep the costumes, atmosphere and food within the 1574 culture, etc. But it is still 2007 down there. I heard one faire-goer mention that the ATM machine was near the entrance, and several others walked along with their cell phones on. We all enjoyed ourselves but were glad to come back to 2007 -- and air-conditioning! ***** HERE AND THERE by Sue Lichtenfels The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff, or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to info@acb.org, or call ACB at 1-800-424-8666 and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates. MORSE APPOINTED TO NY STATE COMMISSION BOARD Alan R. Morse, president and CEO of The Jewish Guild for the Blind, was recently appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to serve as a member of the newly created Executive Board of New York State's Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Morse's term will be for three years. NEW TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKS A team of researchers from five institutions, led by The City College of New York, has been awarded $330,000 over three years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a tactile surface that can facilitate communication between visually impaired and blind people and computers. Right now, braille displays can only share text-based information. The researchers hope to develop a viable dynamic tactile interface that allows graphic and pictorial information to be presented in real time in tactile rather than visual space. Through focus groups with both sighted and blind individuals, researchers expect to obtain feedback on how touch can best convey visual graphic displays, how much the material needs to change for optimal tactile detection and what is the best way to receive the information. READTHISTOME ReadThisToMe is a new free service that allows blind and low-vision people to have printed documents read to them over the phone. The blind person simply faxes the document to be read to the ReadThisToMe toll-free fax number: 1-877-333-8848. The first page of the fax must include the client's first name and a phone number where he/she may be reached. The document itself can be just about anything: a handwritten letter, a bill, a can of food, a multi-page magazine article -- just about anything that can be faxed. Then, one of ReadThisToMe's volunteer readers will call the client back and read the document. The service is available throughout the U.S. and is free, though donations and business sponsorships are accepted. For more information, visit www.ReadThisToMe.org, call 1-877-333-8847, or e-mail info@readthistome.org. AFB'S TALKING BOOK ARCHIVES The American Foundation for the Blind has launched its web-based Talking Book Archives, celebrating the birth of the Talking Book. Thanks to a generous grant from the Carnegie Foundation, which funded AFB's first efforts to use audio technology for blind readers in 1932, an electronic finding aid to this historic collection is now available online. The archival finding aid is accompanied by a multimedia exhibit, including audio clips from celebrated narrators, letters, press clippings, and photographs from the collection. This exhibit was funded by The New York Times Company Foundation. The archives are available at www.afb.org/talkingbook. DISNEY BOOK FOR DISABLED "Walt Disney World (R) with Disabilities" contains in-depth descriptions of the physical and emotional "feel" of Disney World attractions. It's also filled with a wide variety of tips for increasing comfort and avoiding problems at Disney for people with a serious health condition or disability. In addition to ride descriptions, the book also offers information on Disney's special services, as well as expert advice regarding: how to get your needs met in the parks, resorts and restaurants; details on handling medication and medical equipment; meeting special dietary needs; transportation; wheelchair use; and dealing with specific conditions in the parks and resorts. "Walt Disney World (R) with Disabilities" is available on the web at www.Diz-Abled.com. It is also available from www.Amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. TV LISTINGS ONLINE There is a helpful web site that provides TV listings. When you enter your zip code and select your TV service provider, it gives an easy-to-read listing. To try this site, visit wireless.tvguide.com. HELP ST. JUDE Imagine hearing these words: "Your child has cancer." Prior to 1962, when St. Jude Children's Research Hospital opened, these words would have been a virtual death sentence. But one man, the late entertainer Danny Thomas, had a dream that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Donor support has helped St. Jude fulfill Danny's promise that no child be turned away because of a family's inability to pay. Eighty-five cents of every dollar St. Jude receives goes directly to research and treatment. And there are many ways to help with the hospital's life-saving work. You can make a donation to honor a friend, relative, your wedding guests, or others. St. Jude has a selection of electronic and print greeting cards to fit many occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, and seasonal greetings. For more information, visit www.stjude.org/tribute, call 1-800-873-6983, or send your donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 174, Memphis, TN 38148-0174. SEEKING FLORIDA SCHOOL HERALDS I am looking for Heralds from the Florida School for the Blind. Those include Sept. 1948 through May 1959. If anyone has any of these, please contact Tom Fillyaw, 1201 SW 3rd Ave., Lake Butler, FL 32054-2814, or by phone, (386) 496-8189. Or you may e-mail him, tfillyaw@windstream.net. In the subject line, please mention School Heralds. WORK FOR ENVISION Are you interested in working for Envision? Envision has immediate openings in manufacturing, retail sales, printing, and administration, in Kansas and throughout the United States. If you haven't worked in a while, we can help you with job skills training. And through education assistance, you can create new opportunities and realize greater independence. Envision is a Kansas-based private, non-profit agency. Revenue from the sale of our manufactured products and our base service stores helps fund vision rehabilitation services for people who are blind or low vision. To learn more, visit www.envisionus.com or e-mail Mark Benson at goodjobs@envisionus.com. You may also call toll-free (888) 425-7072 or fax us at (316) 267-4312. SEEKING SALESPERSON A national magazine is seeking a highly motivated salesperson to sell ads. Must have tremendous networking and people skills. For more information, contact Bob at (508) 994-4972 or e-mail him at branco182@worldnet.att.net. 'WORDS IN MY HANDS' Diane Chambers has a degree in therapeutic recreation and is a sign language interpreter. She has also written, "Words in My Hands: A Teacher, A Deaf-Blind Man, An Unforgettable Journey." This is a true story about Bert Riedel, an elderly deaf-blind man who played classical piano. Before he lost his sight and hearing to Usher syndrome, he was a dentist in Lombard, Ill. Diane met Bert when he was 86 years old and taught him how to read tactile sign language. While the story illustrates psychosocial factors that complicate the disabilities of deafness and deaf-blindness, it carries an inspirational message as well. It shows that miracles can happen where there are dedicated professionals and caregivers. For more information about the book, visit www.ellexapress.citymax.com or contact Diane Chambers at (303) 591-1040. NEW BOOK "As I See It" by Robert Theodore Branco is a collaboration of events and facts presented by a blind adult. It discusses a wide variety of topics relating to blindness, including discrimination, myths, adaptive technology, training, legislation, etc. The book's ISBN is 9781434323521 and is available through www.authorhouse.com. DEALING WITH VISION LOSS BOOK Blind since birth, Fred Olver has devoted his life to demolishing stereotypes and breaking down barriers, and as a rehabilitation teacher, he has taught others facing vision loss to do the same. Now Olver presents a comprehensive guide for anyone directly or indirectly affected by vision loss in his new book, "Dealing With Vision Loss" (published by AuthorHouse). Olver offers answers and hope for individuals losing their vision, their family members, parents of visually impaired children, those who interact with the visually impaired on a regular basis and people interested in pursuing a degree to work with the visually impaired. "Dealing with Vision Loss" is also a vast resource of practical information, explaining how to find everything from talking watches to braille playing cards to magnifiers. For more information, go to www.dealingwithvisionloss.com, or contact Fred Olver at (314) 226-9699. OCUTECH VES SPORT Ocutech Vision Enhancing Systems recently introduced the VES (R) Sport bioptic telescope system. It is a bioptic telescope system with state-of- the-art design, bright images and a wide field of view. The VES Sport is intended for individuals with vision loss affecting central vision. It is available in jewel and metallic colors. For more information, contact Ocutech at 1-800-326-6460, e-mail info@ocutech.com, or visit www.ocutech.com. GOVERNMENT MADE EASY Have questions about Social Security, passports, government auctions and more? Now there's an easy way to get answers. Visit www.USA.gov, your official source for all the federal, state and local government information you need. Or call 1-800-FED-INFO (333-4636). SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR NETECHO Internet Speech has recently updated its netECHO software that allows anyone to access the Internet using any phone and user's voice, without a computer. Users can surf, search, do e-mail, listen to online books, listen to streaming audio and much more just by talking and listening. To learn more, visit www.InternetSpeech.com or contact Emdad Khan at (408) 532-9630. NEW PRODUCTS Richards Vending currently offers magnification products and other items that could be useful for individuals who are visually impaired. The Owl Magnifier fits any flip-style cell phone and enlarges the print to twice the size. Quik Top Lids fit over any size bottle/container in the refrigerator to avoid spilling. The lids can be used both as a can opener and coaster. These items are available by wholesale, bulk orders, or by the individual piece through various distributors. To learn more, visit www.RichardsVending.com. [spell] BRAILLE INSTRUCTION Tutoring is available for grades 1 and 2 braille by telephone, e-mail, and in person. Braille instruction for use of slate and stylus, braille laptops, and Perkins braillers can be given. Lessons are $5 per hour. To learn more, contact Edward Zolotarevsky by e-mail at eddyz69@aol.com or by phone at (908) 470-1533. DATING4DISABLED.COM For almost two years now, www.Dating4Disabled.com has provided people with disabilities the opportunity to meet others, make friends and share resources from the comfort of their own homes. The site offers discussion forums, instant messaging, a chat room, and blogs as ways for its members to get to know each other at no charge. Members can search the networking database of more than 8,000 fellow members for a potential match. More information is available at www.Dating4Disabled.com. CASSETTE TAPE CLUB Bill South would like to make new friends by starting a correspondence club -- cassettes and/or braille letters in uncontracted braille. He enjoys country and western music, listening to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games and the Kansas City Royals games, and football games too. Write to him at 701 N. Jeffries St., Mexico, MO 65265. Or you may call him at (573) 581-1740. TURKISH SCHOOL NEEDS HELP The people of Ankara, Turkey have recently opened the country's first-ever school for children who are visually impaired. They are in need of two Perkins braille writers and a braille printer. If you can help, e-mail Adil Ko‡ak, the school's director, at kocakadil@hotmail.com. WEB SITE DESIGN Are you in need of a web site or a webmaster to create it? For rates and information, contact Christine at konawebsite@gmail.com or visit konawebsite.angelfire.com. Be sure to let her know where you heard of her web-building service. SECOND CHANCE TO LIVE Craig J. Philips welcomes you to visit his web site, Second Chance to Live. Available at secondchancetolive.wordpress.com, the site presents topics in such a way to encourage, motivate and empower the reader to live life on life's terms. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, Craig speaks from his experience, strength and hope. As a professional, he provides information to encourage, motivate and empower both disabled and non-disabled individuals to not give up on their process. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: Talking Braille Blazer embosser in excellent condition. Comes with power cord. Asking $1,000 or best offer. Contact Olie Lester at (313) 701-0033. FOR SALE: Aladdin Ultra CCTV, black-and-white, with 17-inch monitor. Comes with all cables. Asking $1,200 or best offer. Contact Argenys Caba at (732) 697-9112 or e-mail mlindholm@cpofnj.org. FOR SALE: PACMate QX400 with cables, braille reference pamphlet, executive product carrying case and accessory pouch. In excellent condition. Accept PayPal, cashier's check, or personal check. Personal checks must clear before item is shipped. Asking $900 plus shipping. E-mail clfg99@clearwire.net or call Catherine at (509) 392-8519. FOR SALE: Shortwave radio in good condition. Four AA batteries included. Asking $20. Will accept money orders or cash. Contact Tonya Smith at 1665 Paree, Newport, MI 48166. FOR SALE: Braille writer. Asking $400. Talking calculator. Asking $250. Contact Rosemir at (714) 267-3399. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA STREET #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT KIM CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVE. WATERTOWN, MA 02472 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT BRENDA DILLON 313 OVERRIDGE COVE HERMITAGE, TN 37076 SECRETARY MARLAINA LIEBERG 632 S. 189TH ST. BURIEN, WA 98148 TREASURER MIKE GODINO 104 TILROSE AVE MALVERNE, NY 11565-2024 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Ray Campbell, Glen Ellyn, IL Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA David Trott, Talladega, AL Cammie Vloedman, Oklahoma City, OK Ex Officio: Ken Stewart, Warwick, NY BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Paul Edwards, Chairman, Miami, FL DeAnna Noriega, Fulton, MO Jenine Stanley, Columbus, OH Ken Stewart, Warwick, NY Cindy Van Winkle, Bremerton, WA Ex Officios: Janelle Edwards, Springfield, MO Ron Milliman, Bowling Green, KY