The ACB Braille Forum Volume LXII March 2024 No. 9 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** * Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. * Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. * Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. Tune in to ACB Media at www.acbmedia.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/acbnational. © 2024 American Council of the Blind Dan Spoone, Interim Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 225 Reinekers Ln., Suite 660, Alexandria, VA 22314 ***** ** Table of Contents Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours, by Janet Dickelman The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You, by John McCann It's Time to Get Ready for the 18th Annual Summer Auction, by Leslie Spoone ACB Women's Committee Breast Cancer Support Group Blind Women in Employment, by Lynne Koral A Celebration of Life and Love: Linda and Tom Go to Hawaii, by Linda Samulski A Loving Or Hostile World -- What Do We Want Our World to Become? It's Our Choice, by Larry Johnson Meeting Rick, 1968, by Michael Moran Join Us at the Interstate Auction, by Pat Tussing and Cecily Laney Nipper Spoken Word Ensemble, by Annie Chiappetta BITS and Pieces That Make Affiliates Strong, by Jeff Bishop Affiliate News Here and There High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille Forums ** Upcoming Forum Themes and Deadlines May 2024: theme TBA; deadline: March 25, 2024 June 2024: theme TBA; deadline: April 26, 2024 ** Correction Due to an editing error, the headline “ACB of Maine Wins the Right to Accessible Electronic Absentee Ballots” (February 2024) should have read “Four ACB Members Win the Right to Accessible, Electronic Absentee Ballots in Maine.” We regret the error. ** How to Submit Articles to the Forum If you wish to submit an article to "The ACB Braille Forum," please send it via email to slovering@acb.org as part of the message, or attached as a Word or ASCII text file. Articles should be between 500 and 800 words. Language should be family friendly. Longer articles may be divided into two or more parts. * 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 make the changes for you. ***** ** Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours by Janet Dickelman Are you ready for the 2024 American Council of the Blind conference and convention? This year's convention theme, submitted by Tim Stone, is ACB – Where the Sun Shines Bright. Definitely appropriate for Florida, the sunshine state! Thanks to all of you who sent in theme suggestions. Zoom-only sessions will be held Thursday, June 27 through Saturday, June 29. Then join us in Jacksonville in person or virtually, Friday, July 5 through Friday, July 12th. Opening general session is Sunday, July 7; the exhibit hall will also open that day. Tours will run from Friday through Friday. The banquet will be held on Thursday the 11th. * Continuing Education and Professional Development Procuring continuing education units or professional development hours is easy. Registration for the conference and convention will open in May. Discover an amazing array of programs that carry CE and PD hours by visiting acbconvention.org beginning in April. As convention registration approaches, CE and PD sessions will be updated frequently. CE sessions will also be listed in the official conference program or by subscribing to the acbconvention email list as they become available. To earn continuing education units and professional development hours, you must register for the conference and convention by logging into your member account at members.acb.org and simply purchase the number of Flex Credits you think you will need. When you attend a CE session, a unique code will be announced at the beginning of each session, and another unique code will be announced at the end of the session. Make note of these codes, as well as the session title, date and time, as you will need to include this information when you submit your assessment. If you attend more programs and presentations than you anticipate, just submit reports for all sessions and we will contact you for any additional payment. By logging into your member site (members.acb.org), you will complete an online assessment and evaluation form for each session or program you attend. There is no longer a deadline for submission of your assessments. Once ACB has validated your assessments, you can log into your member site to print your CE certificate. You are responsible for submitting your certificate to your employer for your professional development hours or to ACVREP for your continuing education credits. Topics will include but are not limited to employment, technology, health and leisure, orientation and mobility, self-advocacy, braille, low vision, and much more. * Renting a Wheelchair in Jacksonville If you would like to rent a wheelchair or scooter in Jacksonville, here is the information. They ask that you reserve as soon as possible to make sure your request can be honored. Rental is for a week, Friday, July 5 through Friday, July 12th, and includes delivery and pick-up from the hotel. Action Disability Resources, Inc. (904) 777-1979 https://actiondisabilityresources.com/rental-price-list Our contact person is Jared. Wheelchairs: 16- or 18-inch, $100 20-inch, $115 22-inch, $125 Scooters: 3- or 4-wheeled, $125 You will need to pay for the rental with a credit card. Once you have done this, please email me directly so I can also keep a list to ensure everyone receives their items. The wheelchair or scooter will be at the hotel’s front desk under your name. * Upcoming Articles In the April ACB Braille Forum, read about how to get certified for paratransit, order dog food delivered to your room, and find out all about convention registration. May and June will feature overviews of what our special-interest affiliates, ACB committees, and business partners have planned in 2024. * Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. If you received updates for the 2023 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe. If you are not subscribed to the list, send a blank e-mail to acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. * Hotel Details Room rates at the Hyatt Riverfront in Jacksonville are $99 per night plus tax. To make reservations online, go to https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/JAXRJ/G-ACOB. If you prefer to make reservations by phone, call (800) 233-1234, and use Code G-ACOB. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You by John McCann The Constitution and Bylaws Committee has been meeting to consider ideas and possible amendments for consideration at the 2024 ACB conference and convention. As now required by Bylaw 6D, all proposed amendments must be submitted to the committee not less than sixty (60) days before the opening of the conference and convention, meaning that they must be in the committee's hands by mid-April (a precise date will be announced by the time you read this). As in previous years, we will announce a schedule of open committee meetings to gather members' input before preparing our final committee report. Please send all proposed constitution and/or bylaw amendments to committee chair John McCann, john@jamsite.net. ***** ** It's Time to Get Ready for the 18th Annual Summer Auction It's time to get ready for the annual ACB Summer Auction. The Summer Auction will be held on Saturday, June 22 at 6 p.m. Eastern. There will be an Appetizer Auction on Thursday, June 20 and Friday, June 21. The deadline for auction item descriptions and pictures is Monday, April 29, 2024. Please send your items to Leslie Spoone by Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Or you can hold the item for direct shipment to the winner. We look forward to everyone participating in the ACB Summer Auction this year. Let's celebrate the 18th annual ACB Summer Auction in style! If you have any questions, please reach out to Leslie Spoone at lesliespoone@cfl.rr.com or call (407) 678-4163. Happy bidding! -- Leslie Spoone ***** ** ACB Women's Committee Breast Cancer Support Group Your life can change in a moment. In the "before" time, you could merely be coming in for your annual breast exam and just be sitting in the exam room, waiting to hear the results. Then a nurse appears to escort you to a different room. "We've found something that looks suspicious in your left breast. To be more certain about it, we'll need to do a biopsy." Just hearing the word "biopsy" starts you on an anxious journey of uncertainty and fear. And when you finally hear the words, "You have breast cancer," you are fully aware that life will never be the same. Thus begins your new life with cancer. In very short order, you'll be introduced to a confusing medical vocabulary, multiple care providers, and asked to make challenging decisions about your health very quickly. And because you are blind or have low vision, you'll be navigating additional challenges. These could include inaccessible paperwork and patient portals and uninformed care providers, who know little or nothing about blindness. At times like these, you may be able to rely on the support of family members, good friends and willing coworkers. In addition, a local cancer support group may be available to you. And yet, as a woman who is blind or has low vision, you are still undergoing a very unique experience. You are invited to join a very special breast cancer support group, sponsored by the ACB Women's Committee. Since December of 2008, our group has welcomed women who are blind or have low vision, at every stage of their breast cancer journey. We meet for 90 minutes on the evening of the first Tuesday of each month. Since the beginning, the conversations have been led by the same two social work professionals, who, along with the participants, create a safe and confidential space for sharing your concerns and questions about cancer as well as life beyond cancer treatment. And now, after 15 years, the group members have chosen to welcome blind women who have been diagnosed with any other gynecological cancers, including uterine, cervical and ovarian cancer, to join us. We want to share the support we have given and received with our sisters in this expanded community. So, if you, or someone you know and love, has one of these diagnoses, please reach out to the group leaders for more details. They are: Linda Porelle, lmporelle@gmail.com Lori Scharff, lorischarff@gmail.com ***** ** Blind Women in Employment by Lynne Koral I completed a doctoral dissertation July 26, 2023. In doctoral studies, topics must be original and not have been studied before in the same way or the same population. I chose to conduct my study on blind college-educated women and their experiences of employment. There had not been studies of blind women of any gender or race, nor blind women in particular. There were many take-aways from the study that will make a difference to stakeholders such as rehabilitation agencies, employers, legislators, and the blind women themselves. I did not know that job developers were being contracted with for services that had previously been given to rehabilitation counselors. They were not always following guidelines of the Rehabilitation Services Administration as codified in the Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014). Unfortunately, according to my participants, many of these developers did not know about transportation challenges or about the unique capabilities of their clients. This meant that many of the participants did not get jobs that met their educational goals or their individual capabilities. Policies were not uniform across state lines, and funding was run through different state agencies. Some participants ended up at sheltered workshops or in positions that did not meet their educational attainment. There is also a difference with states that provide services to general rehabilitation clients rather than blind clients in separate agencies with a separate state plan. The quality of rehabilitative programs differed in each state. Rehabilitation agencies were a significant barrier for blind people because the agency decisions and policies were not uniform across state lines. State agencies did not give clients the ability to make decisions about their job positions, or explain how to look for employment. One interesting fact is that funding did not determine the quality of services, and states with separate agencies spent about twice as much on their blind clients. The biggest challenge for women in employment that was conveyed to me was the lack of accessibility of proprietary websites at work and assessments that needed to be filled out for job placement. Job applications were a barrier as well with inaccessible websites. Many participants did not even get the computer training that met accessibility standards for the job, or they did not receive the requisite training that was necessary to conduct their specific job positions from their state agencies. There is no uniform standard for web accessibility in the job market, and very few studies have studied this aspect of job readiness even in 2023. Only about two studies even conducted research concerning the lack of website access as a barrier to employment with very few participants. Since computers are ubiquitous, it is difficult to understand why training was not uniform for all rehabilitative agencies across state lines. This aspect of readiness for employment is a fertile subject to study further. While some studies looked at policy implications, others looked at employment from the blind person’s perspective. But again, all the research was scant. It put all disabilities together and did not separate men from women. Isolation was a frequent problem due to supervisor or coworker communication problems. Legislation is not always understood by policymakers since their decisions are not based on having experience with blind people. Because legislation is about incremental progress, it is hard to introduce legislation that will really improve employment of blind people. Legislators should have more interaction with blind people and with rehabilitative agencies. Employers have been studied in research, but agencies have not interacted enough or as often with employers, and they are not aware of the sorts of jobs blind people can do. Blind people and women are not given jobs that are commensurate with their educational attainment in many cases because employers and human resource managers do not know what blind people can do and what equipment will be necessary to complete job tasks. One surprising finding was that most of the participants worked from home. Whether it was due to secondary disabilities or workplace issues with technology or transportation challenges, these participants chose to work at home or worked with their employers to work at home. This was not only due to the pandemic. This was true of many people who are not blind women, but blind women face other challenges that other able-bodied people do not face. However, working from home was not a panacea, and most blind women did not have a leadership role, so it was not available to them. Since this is the first known dissertation on blind women with a college education and their barriers to employment, more groups must be studied to assess the computer technology and isolation that many blind people face. ***** ** A Celebration of Life and Love: Linda and Tom Go to Hawaii by Linda Samulski It's been a rough couple of years for me and my husband Tom. Care-giving for his mom, who had dementia, and her passing, and our own health challenges made our lives very stressful, so we decided to take a little vacation to Hawaii. From the time we left the Ontario airport in California on Hawaiian Airlines 'til the time we returned home, we were shown nothing but kindness. While in the Navy, Tom had been stationed near Honolulu for 11 years, so it made me so happy to hear the joy in his voice when we landed. As soon as we arrived, we hit the ground running. No time to waste, as seven days go very fast when you are having fun. We did several things that tourists do: a luau, going to the beach, an ocean cruise, shopping, and eating. We took the Polynesian Canoe Day Cruise. This is a wonderful cruise, not for your everyday tourist. You really learn about Hawaiian culture and history. One of the boat tour guides showed me how to make a ti-leaf lei for my husband, and my husband made one for me. There was no issue with me being blind. I was accepted as I am -- what a refreshing feeling! The best part of the cruise was when my husband and I did the "honi," a Hawaiian embrace, placing our nostrils next to each other and inhaling the same breath together. It is sharing the Breath of Life. It reminded me of the traditional Hawaiian values for any relationship. They are: caring, compassion, patience, humility, and perseverance. Another highlight of our trip was when we went to the beach at Haleiwa (North Shore). We walked out onto and touched the huge rocks of an ancient lava flow. The smell of the ocean and hearing the ocean's great waves filled my senses and was spiritually awesome. While there, we decided to sit in little chairs that we had purchased. After sitting for awhile, when I stood, my chair tipped, and I fell in the sand. Lying there, I found I couldn't move, the sand was holding me down. All kinds of thoughts went through my head! Paramedics? No, not that! Thanks to my hero husband, he was able to help me get back up, and I wasn’t hurt. We went on our merry way enjoying the rest of our day. The figurative, and literal, icing on the cake was the night before we left Honolulu. Art Cabanilla, president of the Hawaii Association of the Blind, and several members came to celebrate my birthday. I was presented with a wonderfully scented floral lei which opened my spirit and senses to the love I was shown. Meeting all of them was like having a family reunion. Our "Ohana" (extended family) sister Natalie and I shared my huge piece of birthday cake, and we met in the middle. Meeting everyone there made my birthday so special, and Art and his chapter will always be in our hearts. While in Hawaii, people asked us if we were celebrating anything special. We said, "Yes. We are celebrating life and love." I'm sure that the cherished memories we acquired while there will carry us over for whatever life has for us in the future. ***** ** A Loving Or Hostile World -- What Do We Want Our World To Become? It's Our Choice by Larry Johnson What kind of a year is 2024 going to turn out to be? For America? For my community? For me? How much control or influence do I have? What are my choices, and do they really matter? Our current political climate is generating a flood of negative emotions -- anger, fear, worry and despair. Many people are losing hope, feeling depressed, ready to "throw in the towel." Are you feeling that way? Have you given up on America? On your dreams? On your hopes? What can you do about it? The very first thing you need to do is to stop watching and listening to the negative news on TV, on social media, and from your acquaintances. Try instead to start thinking about and talking about how to solve problems, and not about whom to blame for them. Try to focus on offering words of encouragement, not discouragement, to your family, your neighbors and friends. I suggest that you try exploring with your family, your friends and your neighbors those ideas and concerns that you can agree with them on. Seek out common interests and common concerns. Aim for harmony and compromise. Just imagine, if only members in Congress could learn to listen to each other a little more and remember the power and value of compromise, it would be absolutely amazing how much they could get done. Former president George W. Bush offered a great piece of advice when he said: "Don't confuse being soft with seeing the OTHER guy's point of view." Whoever you are, whatever your station in life, know that your words matter, that your attitude matters and most importantly, that your vote matters. During this year, if you are registered to vote (and you should be), you are going to have the opportunity to express your opinion about whom you want to become our future leaders. We will have the choice -- the choice to speak up and speak out or the choice to remain silent. Ah, but, you say, does it really matter what I say or for whom I vote? We have frequently heard the claim that all government, all politicians are bad, corrupt and untrustworthy. But wait a minute. Who is government? Government is us. And as Plato said: "The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government is to live under the government of worse men." So, in the end, it turns out that it is us, all of us who are to blame. We are all in this mess together. We created it and only we can fix it. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." It's our choice. Do we want to live in a kinder, more civil, more loving America? Author and lecturer Ken Keyes Jr. said, "A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world; everyone you meet is your mirror." And so, the substance of his message is that we each create our own world -- hostile or loving. The question is: what kind of world do we want it to be? And that's how I see it. ***** ** Meeting Rick, 1968 by Michael Moran When I moved back to Jersey City, N.J. in 1966, things had changed. Many of my high-school friends had moved on. Some were in college, others were in the military, becoming adults, or venturing off on their life journeys. I had been living in Baltimore, Md. since September of 1964, attending the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) and Baltimore Junior College (BJC). I was nearing a crossroads in my life. I knew some things needed to change. I felt lost with no direction. After one year as a student in BJC, I was academically dismissed with a low grade-point average. What to do and where to go was a challenge for me. Having ended the relationship with June, whom I fell in love with at MSB, I felt heartbroken, lost, and confused. My friends were guys I met in local bars. Many of them had families, jobs, girlfriends, and wives. I was living with my parents and had no idea how to achieve any objectives for my life. It was a very depressing time for me. In looking back, I can honestly say I was frightened. What was I going to do for money? Where would I work? How could I ever hope to have a family? I remember thinking, "Is this it? Get up, hang in the bar, go home, and start it all over again the next day?" Fifty-plus years later I still have nightmares of living with my mother and father in our house on Lexington Avenue in Jersey City with no job and no money. I don't know who to call or where to find employment. In these dreams I feel unloved and looked down upon by my family. I fear my parents are about to throw me out of their home. I have lost my status as the favorite son and I am a big disappointment to my parents, especially my mother. My abandonment issues are very real and disturbing. I feel frightened and alone. I am petrified at the prospect of being homeless. I tell myself this is only a dream. When I wake up I am relieved. The relief is followed by a sense of gratitude for who I am and where I am today in my sober life. After I offer a prayer of thankfulness to the Lord and ask him to guide my steps through the day, I kick off the covers and start the morning with some meditation and prayers, asking Jesus to fill my heart and guide my steps for the day to come. Eddie Lucas was an older friend of mine whom I met when I was five years old in the sight conservation class at P.S. 22 in the Lafayette section of Jersey City. I was in kindergarten, while Ed was an eighth grader. The students who were visually impaired, although they were in different grades, shared the same classroom most of the school day. It was the year before I began the first grade at Saint Joseph School for the Blind. I looked up to Eddie, and, thankfully, he took an interest in me. Our parents became friendly and we visited his home on Corbon Street in the Lafayette projects. My mother and father clearly admired Ed and saw him as a role model. He had recently been blinded at 12 years old as the result of being struck in the eye by a baseball. Although he had turned 13, Eddie did not let his newly acquired disability get him down. His family was extraordinarily strong in their Catholic faith. They observed all the holy days and recited the rosary together every evening. I am sure this added to Eddie’s indominable spirit. He was a New York Giants fan whose love of baseball was infectious. I loved the Brooklyn Dodgers, and that friendly rivalry led us to spirited discussions. He had an extensive knowledge of the game and explained many things about it I didn't understand. Eddie is one of the reasons why I still love the game. In high school I had some hang-ups about using a cane as a mobility aid. I suppose it was one of those teenage things. When I was not with a sighted person, I tried to use what little light perception I had to navigate my environment. One of the skills I was required to master at MSB was cane travel. My orientation and mobility instructor, Miss Beatrice Baird, was a strict, no-nonsense woman. She was exactly what I needed to give me a good kick in the seat of the pants. I wanted no part of the cane travel class. I thought I knew it all and that I got around better than most other people who were blind. Miss Baird didn’t tolerate my Jersey City street kid arrogance. She knew it was time to give me a lesson in humility. My rear had no sooner hit the chair in her classroom when I was presented with a ball of clay, wooden blocks, and a flat board. My first assignment was to reconstruct the MSB campus out of the materials on my desk. When that gruesome task was laid on me, a know-it-all teenager, I thought to myself, "Lady, you have got to be kidding." Reluctantly, I followed her directions, and gradually, my limited concept of the world grew larger. For example, understanding spatial relationships, how streets, buildings, and objects were angled to one another and on a straight line, broadened the photos in my mind's eye. Finally, after going through that assignment, it hit me that many of my perceptions about my physical environment were skewed and often wrong. To make sense of the world in my head, I pictured everything constructed in straight alignment to each other. This was because most of the Jersey City streets were laid out in a grid design. I had difficulty grasping the idea that some sidewalks made slight turns, and street corners were not always perfectly lined up across from each other. Once I understood what formerly abstract concepts were, a whole world opened for me. I had a new enthusiasm to investigate and explore my environment. When Miss Baird explained that if I learned to use my cane properly, with good posture and my head held up, I would be a man who walked with dignity. I believed her. She had faith in me and broke through my resistance. I will never forget her. I am eternally grateful for her strict, no-nonsense yet kind way of teaching me the essential orientation and mobility skills I needed for life. Upon returning from my stint in Baltimore, I lived with my parents in our home on Lexington Avenue in Jersey City. One day Eddie Lucas came to visit with his Seeing Eye Dog, Kay, a German shepherd. He was so proud of Kay, and wanted to share his newfound source of travel and independence with me. When we went for what turned out to be a brisk five-block walk, I followed Ed and Kay with my white cane as we proceeded up the street. Before I realized it, the two of them were flying up Lexington Avenue at a breakneck pace. It took me a while to catch up to them. I was fascinated to see how smoothly they worked around obstacles on the sidewalk, cars parked in driveways, children's bicycles, and whatever else was lying in our path. My cane hit many of those objects as Ed and Kay floated seamlessly around them. I listen to his commands and heard Kay obey them to the letter. When we arrived back at my house safely, I felt exhilarated. It would be an understatement to say I was impressed by that short excursion. I always loved dogs. Now I wanted a Seeing Eye Dog. I knew it would open a whole new world of possibilities for me. My zest for life had been given a brand-new jump start. I applied to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, N.J. I visited the campus for an interview and assessment of my orientation and mobility skills. Established in 1929, The Seeing Eye is America's pioneer dog guide school. While there are other reputable schools in the United States and Canada, training dogs to guide people who are blind, The Seeing Eye is the only school that instructs students in the use of dogs officially known as Seeing Eye Dogs. On Nov. 22, 1968, I began training with Rick, my first dog. He was a floppy-eared male German shepherd. When I was introduced to Rick, it was love at first sight. He jumped on me and started licking my face. It was as if he was giving me a message, "I love you and we belong together." He was about 15 months old and full of his silly puppy behavior. I could almost read his thoughts. He had an attitude that said, "I'm a German shepherd and you are not." He was so confident in his ability to guide me safely. My instructor, Garry Mattoon, who was also Rick's trainer, was responsible for getting my wonderful partner in shape during the four months prior to our being matched as a team. There were times during class when I had to curb Rick's enthusiasm, because he was not sure at first who was the alpha in our team. The twenty-eight-day training class was both difficult and rewarding. If we were going to be a safe unit, I had to learn to trust Rick. This was difficult at first because I was so accustomed to relying on my own resources and my skills as a cane traveler. Rick also needed to know I believed in him and would follow him through the challenges of working in a heavily charged metropolitan environment. I cannot say enough about how I admired my instructor. When relating to Rick, copying many of the ways Garry interacted with the dogs proved to be a great benefit for me. I listened to every word he gave in the class lectures. Despite some of my fears, I put everything I had into the training process. I tried to the best of my ability to follow his instructions when we were out on the training routes in and around Morristown, N.J. Our initial route took us down Maple Avenue. When I picked up the harness handle for the first time on that chilly Sunday morning in November and said, "Rick, forward," it was magical. Rick stepped out and so did I. In 1968 for some reason, there was a big tree growing up through the middle of the sidewalk. As we walked down Maple Avenue, Rick suddenly veered left and around the tree. We went down to the intersection where we stopped. I tapped the curb with my foot and told him he was a good boy. Seeing Eye dogs love being rewarded with praise. They live for the expression of love and approval for their work. The Maple route was just the beginning of the confidence-building process necessary for us to become a safe unit. Rick was a strong dog who loved his work. When we were halfway through training, my instructor saw that I loved working with Rick, but he believed I needed a little adjustment in the trust department. It was a rainy morning in Morristown and we were working through the busy streets near the town square. I was wearing a hood to protect me from the rain. This impaired my hearing, but I was still able to hear enough. We stood at an intersection waiting for the traffic light to change. There were four lanes of traffic flying by. Depending where things were in the cycle of the signal, cars might have been turning or going straight. The rain was falling, and the swish of the traffic was loud. While working dogs in class, our instructor is never far away. They are ready to assist and intervene when necessary. We waited at the down curb, and I waited to hear Garry give me the go ahead. When he did, I gave Rick the forward command and we stepped into the street as the traffic stopped for the red light. Suddenly the light changed to green. There I was in the road, the traffic was rolling and splashing the rain. I heard Garry say, "Follow your dog," and then he was gone. I didn't know where he disappeared to, but I didn't have time to care. I had no choice but to follow my boy, so I held onto the harness as he guided me through the chaos. When we arrived safely at the curb on the other side of the square, I got down on my knees, hugged Rick and gave him lots of praise. My eyes filled with tears, and I knew from that point on I would always follow my dog. I have been following my Seeing Eye dogs for over 56 years. They have taught me so many life lessons about love and loyalty. They have all put everything into whatever task we had to carry out. Their enthusiasm never waned. They were so resolute and ever ready to work. The more we worked together, the stronger our bonds grew. We were a team. I am so grateful to The Seeing Eye and of course to Rick, Pax, Duke Van Dyke, Kurt, Aldo, and my boy Carson who is with me today, for helping to change my life in more ways than I can express. Through our partnership, my independence, self-confidence, and dignity has grown astronomically. Our travels have taken us through many adventures. We have utilized various forms of transportation -- trains, boats, planes, and automobiles. In addition to traveling to and from work and school regularly, we walked all over New York City as well as Jersey City and Bayonne. All my dogs have been an integral part of my family life, including my wedding, and the birth of my children Kelly and Michael. Whenever I picked up the harness, they dove into it. They knew it was time to work and they were always ready, morning, noon and night. Each of my guides left a wonderful tradition for their successors to follow. When it came time for one of my dogs to stop working, due to age or sickness, I never delayed my decision to obtain a successor guide. Retiring or parting with my Seeing Eye dogs has always been painful. It hurts my heart every time. It doesn't get easier. Following their retirement, I have been blessed to be able to keep my dogs with me until it was time for them to cross over the rainbow bridge. Thankfully, all of them have adjusted and lovingly bonded with my successor dogs. I have always believed it would be disrespectful to a previous dog if I didn't continue the legacy they gave me, opening doors of freedom, independence, and dignity as the result of their dedication and love. ***** ** Join Us at the Interstate Auction by Pat Tussing and Cecily Laney Nipper (Editor's Note: Pat Tussing is the auction coordinator; Cecily Laney Nipper is a member of the steering committee.) Do you have plans on March 23? Well, the steering committee for the March 23 Interstate Auction cordially invites you to join us for a night of fun and excitement. The auction will benefit the affiliates of Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Donated items include decadent chocolate, electronics, and wine from Oklahoma, whose wineries are gaining a reputation for excellence. And don't forget the exquisite jewelry, useful items like a backpack, poncho and blanket, and yes, among the finest fudge you will ever savor. We will auction three items for ACB Media, where we lead the world in programming and advancing our civil rights work. The auction will start at 7 p.m. Eastern. Information about auction registration will go out over the listservs shortly. Then come join the crazy fun of the interstate auction! ***** ** Spoken Word Ensemble During the June affiliate virtual programming prior to the July ACB convention, Friends in Art unveiled a unique rhythmic collaboration titled, "Come On, Justice." What began as a poem written by Joan Myles morphed into a musical composition created by Peter Altschul and developed into a spoken word ensemble performance coordinated by Annie Chiappetta. Abbie Taylor collaborated, and Jason Castonguay produced the recording. Five artists sculpted something stronger than words. In part: "Somethin's truer than the tears that blind us somethin's shining on the hill ahead somethin's marching in the streets behind us come on come on, Justice, come on, Justice, come" © Joan Myles from the poem :Come On, Justice." We hosted the panel discussion in 2023, and it will be replayed on the Art Parlor podcast for March. If you can’t wait for the replay, here is a presentation hosted by Behind Our Eyes: https://behindoureyes.org/audio/conferences/Come-On-Justice-Audio-Presentation.mp3. In the spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion, we encourage you to listen to it and move the message forward. -- Annie Chiappetta, President, Friends in Art ***** *** BITS and Pieces That Make Affiliates Strong by Jeff Bishop As recently elected president of Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS), I want to tell all of you about the things we are doing within our rejuvenated affiliate. Most important, I want to share some thoughts about leadership and how we are approaching growth, culture, and our affiliate's mission. ** Rebuilding and Leading with Core Values When I became president of BITS, I knew that we had some rebuilding to do to strengthen the organization. Our board of directors moved forward with a plan with these guiding principles in mind: 1. Transparency -- Listen and learn from your membership. 2. Make sure that all are valued and that every voice is heard. 3. Find out what members want from the organization. 4. Think outside the box -- Don't be afraid to do things differently. 5. Partner with others to bring value. 6. Broaden your reach through multiple communications channels. 7. Be bold in your ambitions -- Do not be afraid to fail. 8. Lead with integrity -- None of us is perfect. Be willing to be vulnerable and authentic. 9. Exude a culture of trust -- You will empower others in the process. 10. Lead with strength -- Our members are our largest asset. ** Transparency -- Listen and learn from your membership We are firm believers in listening and learning from our membership. Soon after I became president, we held a town hall event where we invited members and non-members alike to attend and participate. Our goal was to listen and hear what the membership wanted to tell us about our strengths, weaknesses, areas for opportunity and even some of the positive things that the membership felt we were doing well. The board took these things to heart and started to initiate change. The first thing we promised our membership was that we would be fully transparent and then, that we would empower our leaders and members to be whatever they want to be within the organization. We want BITS to reflect ACB core values, i.e., we want people to feel safe, respected, and welcome within the organization. Every voice must be listened to, every thought is valued and must be considered. With these principles guiding us, we set the tone for the rest of the work we set out to achieve. Change did not come overnight. We had to build the trust of the membership by validating what we were saying with our actions. Make sure that all are valued and that every voice is heard. We did the following things to give members a voice: • We started holding BITS presidential office hours for our members, each month, to assure that our members have a voice. These are informal chats where members can bring any issue to the table. We try to involve the board, committees, and diverse members so that Office Hours attendees can get help and gain an understanding about our projects and programs from a wide spectrum of BITS leaders and participants. • We are allowing people to have more representation at our board meetings, and we encourage members to submit agenda items for discussion and action. This approach to involving our members in governing the organization has proven to be quite successful, with on average 70 to 80 people attending every board meeting. And we are not done in this area. * Find out what members want from the organization. We started collecting information about which committees our members might want to join, as well as areas of specific interests, as a part of our membership drive. We also looked back at the historical record, paying attention to what BITS members have been telling us over many years. It is all about listening, learning again, and then acting on that information. * Think outside the box -- Don't be afraid to do things differently. We genuinely wanted to grow the affiliate, but we wanted to do it in a way that brought excitement, interest, and an emphasis on building a community and a culture where we value each participant who wants to join us. Our board initiated a free membership program for BITS. We announced that any member who had paid dues between July 1, 2023, and the end of the year, and any new members would be given an opportunity to get free memberships in BITS. We knew that we needed to figure out how to market this messaging, and we knew that the process of joining needed to be simple, easy to find and most important, easy to accomplish. We bought a new Internet domain, which is joinbits.org. We knew it needed to be catchy and easy to remember -- and it worked! We did not stop there. Simply saying, "come get something for free" is not enough. We also knew that we needed to show how we are bringing value to each member. * Partner with others to bring value. We were a bit frightened. We initiated something with our free membership program that was either going to be an enormous success or a big flop, and we knew that we'd better be thinking about these possibilities as we announced our free memberships and planned for a new beginning that would involve both members already inside and now from outside of the affiliate, as well. We knew that we had interesting ideas, but we also knew that we did not already have all the resources to accomplish our goals. (Some might say we still do not, but we are truly learning.) So, we started having conversations with partner companies to bring initiatives to BITS. Here is what we have done so far. * Educate and Empower People We knew that we needed to bring more educational opportunities to the membership. The current members of BITS were asking us for more advanced training. We already offer great presentations multiple times per week across a wide variety of topics, but members told us that they genuinely wanted more. So, we partnered with employees from Microsoft, APH and others to bring developer-oriented training in Python to people who have never programmed in their lives. This was an adventurous plan, and we are still kicking off this training, but the response to this offer has been astonishing. Members of our education committee have significant talent, and we have plans for shaping our training to meet the needs of every type of member. We have a lot of learning to do in this area, so give us some time to innovate. * Bring Perks to the Membership to Support Our Initiatives. We knew that, if we were going to provide developer training, we would need to address two key challenges. What if a student, family member or colleague required assistance on their device? How could we help them? And, could our learners afford the books for the course that we were teaching? Our goal in providing training is to empower people with no associated cost to them. To address the first challenge, we partnered with Pneuma Solutions to bring Remote Incident Manager (RIM) to each and every BITS member for free. Any BITS member is eligible for a free hour of RIM access per day. An hour of free remote computer access every single day will meet the needs of most people. RIM access for all BITS members allows us to support those taking our courses as well as all BITS members who want to solve problems or demonstrate solutions for one another, in real time, online. RIM access will be beneficial for mentors and mentees, and the ramifications of virtually free remote access to computers will be far reaching -- inside BITS and beyond. ** Educating Through Learning It is no secret that we live in a world where a considerable number of blind people are not actively employed, and many individuals have lower incomes. We did not want to block anyone from learning because they could not afford the materials that we chose to utilize for our course. We struck up a partnership with Bookshare to provide free access to any NLS member who is taking our Python training course. We have a process for this: anyone who is enrolled in our Python course can sign up for Bookshare and obtain the books they need. Bookshare access membership lasts for the duration of the course, and enrollees will have access to all the books that are available through Bookshare while they are enrolled in our course. We are truly empowering people through opportunity, educating blind and low-vision people without barriers and teaching people who hunger for knowledge how to fish and procure that education for themselves. * Mentoring -- Add abilities for all. One of the things we heard loud and clear was that people needed a safe place to address whatever technical challenges they were experiencing. We often heard things like, "BITS isn't for me; they are too technical for me, and I wouldn't fit in." We knew that we needed to change this perception, and so we are in the process of trying to do just that. Again, every single person is valued and respected, and we need to represent that philosophy within the culture of BITS. At the same time, we found out pretty quickly that we needed to address the ramifications of enrolling hundreds of members on a single BITS e-mail communications list! Such a list can get a bit chatty! People were overwhelmed -- and unsubscribing in droves because of the immense traffic volume on that early BITS list. We knew that we needed to provide a safe place for people who are looking for help and a different kind of space for people who want to talk about varying topics related to specific kinds of technology. So we created a new list, the Gentle list. It's a place where mentoring is at the forefront. The Gentle list creates a space for people who may not consider themselves as "technical," or who may wish for assistance within one particular area of technology or assistive tech. For example, I use Facebook, but I am not an expert in the use of this platform. All of us can learn from one another. That is the purpose of the Gentle list. We have a great leader for our Gentle list: Belinda Collins, whom many of you in the Community already know and love. She is kind, willing to assist others and represents what we want this list to be. Any member can bring a question to our Gentle list, and, if it cannot be answered easily, then our goal will be to find someone who will meet with and mentor the person who came to us with the question. BITS is about every member empowering every other member, and doing it in a kind, respectful and caring way that makes the hearts of both mentors and mentees sing. * Broaden your reach through multiple communication channels. In BITS we genuinely want to allow our members to interact in whatever ways work best for them. In addition to the Gentle list described above, we have lists covering topics ranging from AI, Apple, Assistive Technology, Braille, Google, Microsoft, Programming, social media and many others. We also provide text chat and voice chat experiences where members can expand their conversations in their own unique and creative ways through social media platforms for each list. In addition, we have expanded our offerings across several social media platforms, including Mastodon, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), and we are looking for more ways to engage. Again, we want to give people space to meet and to empower one another across platforms and services. ** Looking Toward the Future We are not finished! The leadership team is thinking boldly and creatively to see where we will go next. We are working on a next generation version of the BITS web site, and we will be sharing more information about that in the coming months. We strongly believe in giving back within and outside of BITS and we are attempting to build something special for everyone. I am immensely proud of our leadership team on the board, our committees, and our membership. They are truly representing ACB's core values and being bold in taking initiative in whatever they choose to do inside of BITS. As president of BITS, thank you everyone for serving, thank you for giving of yourselves and most important, thank you for giving to so many people who are blind and have low vision. Each of us is a leader in some way in our lives. I want to leave you with four thoughts that represent BITS. * Be bold in your ambitions -- do not be afraid to fail. Be bold throughout your life. Do not be afraid to fail. It is how we learn. I have told our board, committees, and membership that failure is a good thing if we learn from it. Think about your affiliate or about things in your own life. Things might seem scary at first, but often the rewards are exponential. Many thought we were a bit crazy in offering free memberships, and frankly, we were not sure it would work. We can assure you that if you put forth heroic effort and lead in a way that represents people first, wonderful things can happen. It takes everyone to achieve success. Make sure to give opportunities to everyone who wishes to pick up that oar and start rowing with you. The race is yours to win! * Lead with integrity -- none of us are perfect; be willing to be vulnerable and authentic. Represent yourselves with integrity. Do not be afraid to admit that something did not work. Express humility and express to those with whom you serve the willingness to learn from others. None of us are perfect in our ambitions, and we often do not get it right the first time. That is OK. It is what you do with it on the other side that matters most. Your respect, honor and leadership qualities will dramatically improve by being your authentic, caring, and humble self. Remember, we are serving to benefit others, not ourselves. * Exude a culture of trust -- you will empower others in the process. Presidents and other leaders, exude confidence by trusting others. Empower people to lead and get out of their way! Let them learn, grow, and even fail if necessary. Tell them that you are there to support them. They need to be accountable as well, but give them the room to be creative, to be bold, lead with compassion, and most importantly, lead with humility and kindness. This will empower your leadership team and your membership. * Lead with strength -- your people are your largest asset. Finally, lead with strength. Your biggest strength is your people. Listen to them, cherish them, value them, and let their voices be heard. Give them opportunities. Seek out the small voices; they have something to give, too. We must all never forget why we are serving, and if we lead with this greatest strength in mind, we will never lose our way. Remember, your guiding star is your member. Keep pushing for creative and wonderful opportunities for everyone. Your membership will lift you up as you lead. As you attend the leadership conference, either in person or virtually, please keep these thoughts in mind. We are all building something special across ACB. Let us do it together and rely on one another to shape ourselves, our affiliates, and our members to be even greater than we already are. It is that great mindset that will set us up for success. ** Join the BITS Family Please consider joining a thriving and fun affiliate where we bring empowerment, learning and respect to every member. Join BITS by visiting our web site at http://www.joinbits.org. ***** ** Affiliate News * Blind Pride International: The Year of Human Rights For over 23 years now BPI has led the call for advocacy within the human rights spectrum. We stand for equality, inclusion for all, representation for all and the belief that together we are stronger!! Our members are passionate about driving the conversation towards complete acceptance. Our allies, as we call our non-LGBTQIA+ members, are not only family but our strongest proof that whatever you believe in or from whence you may have come, standing strong together makes us all better advocates. And that is why in this year of human rights we invite ACB members to stand with us. By joining as an ally, you will not only show your support for our community, but the much-needed work BPI will be spearheading through 2024 and beyond. Our advocacy committee is working hard to identify and respond to the myriad of offensive proposed and adopted laws that restrict and dehumanize. We partner with affiliates within ACB and leading human rights organizations to further the voices of those who are blind, low vision and on any intersectionality. The crowning event of this work will be our Speaking Demonstration Rally in Jacksonville this July 8th, during the national convention. BPI is already hard at work planning this high-profile event, working with the Jacksonville mayor’s office, the Multi-Cultural Affairs Committee, several prominent politicians from BOTH sides of the aisle, and media outlets. This rally will speak out for human rights, dignity, bodily autonomy, equality in all formsm and speak out against any and all forms of rights restrictions. We ask for your support for our mission and advocacy; we ask for your acceptance; and we ask that you join our affiliate in solidarity! The work will be hard, and we would love hands, minds and hearts from our ACB allies. Your nominal donations will go a long way in reaching the world at large, showing our strength and demands for equal access, rights and humanity. To join and/or support BPI, visit www.BPI.gay/join. * ACB of Nebraska Convention Come join the ACB of Nebraska at its state convention! This year’s theme is “Empowering for the Future.” The convention will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church, 4343 Capehart Rd., Bellevue, Neb. Online registration is now open at acbnebraska.org. You can find the program agenda at https://www.acbnebraska.org/convention-2024. Join in-person, tune in on ACB Media 8, and/or register to be eligible for a huge assortment of door prizes. Direct questions to info@acbnebraska.org. * CCLVI Genensky-Foley Magnification Award Apply now for the Samuel Genensky - Carl Foley Magnification Award. CCLVI has 3 iPads to award to individuals with low vision. This annual award is in honor of Samuel Genensky, an innovator in low vision technology who was the founding president of CCLVI, and Carl Foley, a very caring distributor of magnification devices, who attended many ACB conventions, and took great care in providing the correct magnification device for each person he served. The iPad can be used as a magnification device, and would allow for more independence in every day magnification and as a portable CCTV with the built-in camera and a free downloadable app called Mag Light. To be considered for this award applicants must have low vision, need the device to magnify print for educational, work, or independent living purposes, and be familiar with Apple products or demonstrate the ability to learn the technology required in order to utilize magnification available on the iPad. Applications are being accepted from Saturday, March 16th through Friday, May 3rd at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. For more information, please visit the Genensky - Foley Award Page at https://cclvi.info/magnifier/. * New Jersey Council of the Blind Offers Scholarship The New Jersey Council of the Blind is now accepting applications for the Bernard Zuckerman Scholarship. To be eligible, you must be legally blind, a resident of New Jersey, and a full-time college student (undergraduate or graduate), or vocational student, for the 2024-2025 academic year. To apply, you must: • Complete a scholarship application at https://njcounciloftheblind.org/scholarships/. • Obtain and submit a letter from your doctor to certify legal blindness; • Submit three reference letters from teachers, school counselors or other community advocate (no family members permitted); • Extracurricular activities and/or offices held, volunteer or other service activities. Submit your application and supporting documentation by May 15th to NJCB Bernard Zuckerman Scholarship, Scholarship Committee, PO Box 434, Woodbridge, NJ 07095; email scholarships@njcounciloftheblind.org. Please be sure to include all contact information, such as telephone number and email address. Interviews may be in person or by phone with members of NJCB scholarship committee or executive board. What is required of scholarship winners? At any meeting, by prearrangement with recipients, they can present a brief oral report on what it has meant to have the scholarship, and/or some significant events/experiences since the awarding of the scholarships. ***** ** Here and There The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. * Affordable Connectivity Program Winding Down The Affordable Connectivity Program will stop accepting new applications and enrollments on February 7, 2024. Consumers must be approved and enrolled with a service provider 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 7 to receive the ACP benefit. Without additional funding from Congress, the FCC anticipates that the current ACP funding is projected to run out in April 2024. This date is an estimate and may change. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind down the ACP, which means: • No new ACP enrollments will be accepted after February 7, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. • Households that enrolled with an ACP Internet company before February 7, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern will continue to receive their ACP benefit until ACP funds run out as long as the household remains enrolled and eligible for the benefit. • When ACP funds run out, households participating in the ACP will no longer receive the ACP discounts. For more information, visit www.fcc.gov/acp. * Changes at Hadley In the coming weeks, we will be changing our web and email addresses from Hadley.edu to HadleyHelps.org. We needed to make this move as our scope has expanded beyond academics. HadleyHelps.org web address already works. If you type in Hadley.edu by accident, you will be automatically redirected to HadleyHelps.org and your emails forwarded accordingly. Be sure to update your bookmarks to the new address. * News from En-Vision America In January 2021, we announced the discontinuation of the i.d. mate Galaxy bar code scanner. Further to this, En-Vision America announces the discontinuation of all i.d. mate database updates as of October 30, 2026. The last database update will be launched in late October 2026. Until this time, i.d. mate customers can continue to expect bi-annual updates. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop * For Sale: Braille Note Touch, brand new, never used. Asking $2,000. Contact Ann Wasserman at (732) 222-3510. * For Sale: Tactile maps from The Princeton Braillists, all in excellent, like-new condition. Thermoform maps with cardstock covers. World Maps -- 1) 4 volumes: Atlas of Southern Africa (2009), Atlas of Western Africa (2011), Atlas of Northern Africa (2011), and Atlas of Eastern and Central Africa (2010). Asking $30 per volume. 2) 2 volumes: Atlas of East Asia -- China (2003). Asking $30 per volume. 3) Atlas of Central and South Asia (2002). Asking $40. 4) 2 volumes: Maps of the Bible Lands, Old Testament (2000). Asking $40 for set. 5) 4 volumes: Atlas of North and South America, Unit 2, the United States (2006 update). Asking $30 per volume. 6) Outline Maps of the World (2003). Asking $30. 7) 2 volumes: Atlas of Western Europe (2001). Asking $35 per volume. 8) Maps of Canada and the United States (2007). Asking $35. 9) Maps of Morocco (1997). Asking $30. 10) Maps of the British Isles (2000). Asking $30. 11) Atlas of Eastern Europe (2001). Asking $35. 12) Atlas of Western Europe (2001). Asking $35. 13) Maps of Russia and Its Former Republics (1997). Asking $15 14) Atlas of the Middle East (1996?). Asking $30. * SPECIAL BUYOUT DEAL: Buy All 14 World Maps listed for $750, saving over $120. United States Maps -- 1) Maps of Vermont (1997). Asking $15. 2) Maps of California (2004). Asking $35. 3) Maps of Florida (1997). Asking $25. 4) Maps of Kansas (2013). Asking $25. 5) Maps of New Hampshire (1999). Asking $15. 6) Maps of Illinois. (1999). Asking $35. 7) Maps of Texas (2015). Asking $35. 8) Maps of Maine (1998). Asking $15. 9) Maps of South Carolina (2012). Asking $15. 10) Maps of New York State (1998). Asking $25. 11) Maps of New Jersey (1998). Asking $25. 12) Maps of Pennsylvania (1997). Asking $25. 13) Maps of Alaska (2008). Asking $35. 14) Maps of the State of Hawaii (2006). Asking $25. *SPECIAL BUYOUT DEAL: Buy all 14 United States Maps listed for $300, saving $50. Miscellaneous -- 1) Basic Human Anatomy (1988). Asking $20. Will accept payment of postal money order by mail. Maps will be shipped Free Matter for the Blind. Contact Angela Pratt, apratt@q.com, or by telephone, (515) 432-7188. * Looking For: A slate and stylus that will let you check your progress as you write, one that will sit flat on the table. Contact Tonya Smith at (269) 221-3769; you may call or text. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2025) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * First Vice President David Trott (1st term, 2025) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (1st term, 2025) 216 Prestwick Rd. Springfield, IL 62702-3330 * Secretary Denise Colley (final term, 2025) 26131 Travis Brook Dr. Richmond, TX 77406-3990 * Treasurer Michael Garrett (1st term, 2025) 7806 Chaseway Dr. Missouri City, TX 77489-2333 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Miami Lakes, FL (1st term, 2026) Cecily Laney Nipper, Covington, GA (partial term, 2024) Terry Pacheco, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2026) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Rachel Schroeder, Springfield, IL (1st term, 2026) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (1st term, 2026) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (2nd term, 2026) ** ACB Board of Publications Penny Reeder, Chair, Montgomery Village, MD (3rd term, 2025) Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (partial term, 2024) Cheryl Cumings, Seattle, WA (2nd term, 2025) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (2nd term, 2024) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2024) ***** ** Accessing Your ACB Braille Forums The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, NLS-style digital cartridge, and via email. To subscribe to the email version, contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org. It is also available on ACB’s web page, and by phone, (518) 906-1820. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from https://pinecast.com/feed/acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum. ###