The ACB Braille Forum Volume LVIII May 2020 No. 11 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, 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 195, 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 (605) 475-8154 and choose option 3. Tune in to ACB Radio at www.acbradio.org or by calling (605) 475-8130. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2020 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents 2020 ACB Convention Going Virtual, by Janet Dickelman President’s Message: Core Values, Gardens, and Baseball, by Dan Spoone Expanded CEUs and Professional Development at the Virtual Convention, by Carla Ruschival ACB Board Holds Emergency Meeting: the 2020 Convention Will Be a Virtual Event, by Deb Cook Lewis Understand Virus More, Fear It Less, by Larry P. Johnson ACB Next Generation Becomes Latest Special-Interest Affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, by Greg Lindberg Succeeding in Life’s Garden, by Sue Lichtenfels Five Thousand Miles. One Month. Four Million Children Who Are Visually Impaired., by June A. Converse Advocacy Brings Audio Description to Sacramento, by Margie Donovan Do You Hear What I Hear — Now?, by Tom Mitchell Greetings from the MMS Committee, by Jean Mann Letter to the Editor Is Blindskills, Inc. Still in Operation?, by Marja Byers Here and There, edited by Cynthia Hawkins High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** 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. * Keep up with the most important ACB news and announcements without any other chatter. Subscribe to the ACB Announce listserv. Send a blank email to announce-subscribe@acblists.org, or visit www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/announce and type your email address and name where indicated. * ACB Radio, the place to be with people in the know! www.acbradio.org * ACB Radio Mainstream has blindness-related news you can use at www.acbradio.org/mainstream. ***** 2020 ACB Convention Going Virtual by Janet Dickelman Due to the ever-changing restrictions involving the coronavirus and our concern for everyone’s health and safety, the American Council of the Blind has made the extremely difficult decision not to hold our 2020 conference and convention in Schaumburg, Illinois. Having a virtual convention is something new and different for all of us. As I write this, we are still working out the details. Here is what we know thus far. We will hold our general sessions with all the great speakers including the talking book narrator, scholarship winners and presentations by blindness organizations and our sponsors. We will not be able to conduct any ACB business, including resolutions and elections. Our special-interest affiliates and committees will hold many of their programs, as will our sponsors and business partners. We’ll have our banquet with speaker and awards presentation. We will have a virtual exhibit hall where our exhibitors will record information about their products and offer any specials. The only difference is instead of sitting in close proximity with others, you’ll be enjoying the convention practicing social distancing from the comfort of your home! There will still be registration for the conference. By registering, you will receive some great perks! As always, on the registration form you can become an individual sponsor, purchase a Braille Forum raffle ticket and buy your 2020 T-shirt or pin. As a convention registrant you will also be eligible for door prizes! Names will only be pulled from convention registrants; if your name is announced, you automatically win; you don’t have to call in to claim your prize. With your convention registration there will be a way for you to ask questions during general session, receive your convention newspaper, and receive the latest information on how to access meetings. Registration will include a bidder number for the 2020 blowout auction, which will be held on ACB Radio similar to the holiday auction. General sessions will be live streamed on ACB Radio, which you can access via your computer, your telephone, through ACB Link on your iPhone or via Alexa. Special-interest affiliates, committees and sponsor presentations will have their sessions broadcasted on ACB Radio and many of them will be held via Zoom meeting, which can be accessed on your computer or telephone. Stay tuned; there will be much more information to come! Information will be posted to the convention announce list. If you aren’t already subscribed, just send a blank email to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. We understand that a large part of the convention is the camaraderie, networking and tours. We look forward to seeing you in person next year in Phoenix. I hope that once you get over the initial disappointment of not meeting in person, you will be as excited about our virtual convention as I am. ** Convention Contacts 2020 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2020 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** President’s Message: Core Values, Gardens, and Baseball by Dan Spoone ACB is love!!! It’s very comforting to have my ACB family at a time of crisis. My thoughts and emotions have traveled the complete spectrum over the past few weeks with the wave of coronavirus that has gripped our community. We have seen the best of ourselves with the ability of our creative membership to reach out and connect with our fellow ACB members and friends. The community chats have provided a place for our members to gather and share their hopes, fears and dreams for a safe future. ACB Radio has been a wonderful resource for relevant information and fun, uplifting programs to help keep our positive attitude. The ACB staff has not missed a beat. They are working from home to accomplish their daily tasks, but still answer all phone inquiries and emails in a timely fashion. The ACB convention committee has been spectacular planning the 2020 ACB conference and convention with their quick response to a virtual platform that will provide tremendous support to our members, showcase our sponsors and vendors, engage our special-interest affiliates and create memories that will last a lifetime. We have all come together in a way that demonstrates our five core values: • Integrity and honesty • Respect • Collaboration • Flexibility • Initiative More than ever before, we are living these core values with how we interact with each other and all come together for the good of our blind and visually impaired community. So, let’s turn our attention to the spring season with its opportunity for renewal, new growth and warm weather. I will take the rest of this article to share with you the fond memories of my favorite spring gardening adventures. My family did not spend much time in the yard during my formative years. My memories of spring breezes, the smell of fresh grass and the sun in my face were at spring training baseball games at Tinker Field in Orlando, Fla. with my dad. My dad had a friend that worked for the Minnesota Twins in Orlando and he would invite us to several baseball games each spring. The Twins had several All-Stars with Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven and Tony Oliva. We would eat hot dogs, peanuts and have an ice-cold Coke. The best part was getting to throw the peanut shells on the ground without Mom being upset. At the end of school each year, my grandparents would invite me to spend four to six weeks on their small farm in east Tennessee. They lived in Morristown, which was about 40 miles east of Knoxville in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. My granddad would have a small chicken coop with a bunch of baby chicks. We spent hours planting vegetables in the garden, but by the time I had to go back to Florida they were just beginning to grow. We set up an elaborate croquet course in the big side yard of their house, and all of the relatives would come over on Sunday afternoon and we would play for hours. Once it got dark, my cousins and I would catch fireflies in fruit jars my grandmother gave us with holes poked in the top to give them fresh air. It was a wonderful time. My granddad and I would listen to the Atlanta Braves baseball games on his radio each night. I still remember the Braves’ announcers, Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson. The Braves had stars like Hank Aaron, Darrell Evans, Dusty Baker and one of the Alou brothers. It was always hard to remember which one. Thinking back, I’m sure this is where I developed my deep love of baseball. I remember how excited my granddad was years later, when the Braves games were broadcast on Superstation 17 thanks to Ted Turner. It sure seems like a simpler time. My parents would come with my younger sister to Tennessee over the July 4th week and spend time with their parents and relatives. After the fireworks ended, we would head back to Florida. Sometimes, if my sister and I were really good, we would stop at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta and see a live Braves game on the way home. We always stopped. Perhaps my mom and dad wanted to see the game as bad as we did. Come to think of it, my parents might have enjoyed my six weeks in Tennessee as much as I did. So, let’s remember those wonderful spring days and nights and dream of the wonderful times we will all have in May 2021. “Together for a Bright Future” is our ACB motto on the ACB logo, and these words absolutely fit the spirit of our organization. Please stay safe and connected to your ACB family. We will get through this together. ***** Expanded CEUs and Professional Development at the Virtual Convention The 2020 ACB virtual conference and convention will be overflowing with continuing education and professional development opportunities, and they will be within the reach of every individual throughout the United States. It is disappointing that we cannot gather in Schaumburg for our convention. But vision professionals and others can take advantage of outstanding continuing education and professional development opportunities right from home or office through the power of ACB Radio and the Zoom platform. No need to purchase an airline ticket, spend money on hotel and food, and hope and wait for travel authorizations from work. Continuing education units will be available for a wide range of programs, seminars, and other events presented by ACB and its committees, special-interest affiliates, and representatives of government agencies and private industry. CEUs in the field of blindness and visual impairment are recognized by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP). A list of CE sessions will be posted on the ACB website in early May. Sign up for continuing education units when you register for the convention. Details will be posted on the ACB website at www.acb.org as soon as they are available. For more information about professional development and continuing education opportunities at the ACB conference and convention, contact Carla Ruschival, CE chair, by phone at 1-877-630-7190 or by email at continuingeducation@acb.org. — Carla Ruschival ***** ACB Board Holds Emergency Meeting: the 2020 Convention Will Be a Virtual Event by Deb Cook Lewis On March 30, 2020 the American Council of the Blind board of directors held an emergency telephonic board meeting to determine if or how ACB would conduct its annual conference and convention in light of the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the world and at least temporarily changing life as we know it. All board members were in attendance, and the meeting was carried on ACB Radio with an audience of more than 300 listeners. The meeting began at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and adjourned at 11:30. The first order of business, after adoption of the agenda, was approval of the February meeting minutes. Then, president Dan Spoone and executive director Eric Bridges presented the Mission Moment focusing on the ACB staff and member response to the coronavirus. Eric explained that staff are working from home as of March 16 and are able to perform all functions thanks to the technology available. Staff and members have organized many activities, particularly conference calls on hundreds of topics, to assist and inform the membership. ACB is operating at an energized level throughout the organization. The board then moved into the primary agenda item, which was to determine the venue for the ACB 2020 conference and convention. Dan began by explaining the logistics and requirements of the contract with the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel. The only way ACB could cancel the contract without penalty would be to invoke the impossibility clause. Janet Dickelman, ACB convention coordinator, spoke with the hotel representative, who stated they were only canceling events through April at this time and ACB would therefore be held liable for the cancellation penalty. He recommended, however, that ACB send a letter strongly stating its case. Dan noted that the nation has been impacted heavily by the virus since March 16 with Illinois under a “stay at home” order as of March 20. Our members are elderly, and many have health conditions that make them more likely to become ill if exposed to the virus. The convention steering committee and the ACB executive committee strongly felt the only option for ACB was to cancel the on-site convention and hold a virtual event because of the high risk to members and other participants. Dan and Eric sought legal consultation, and were advised to notify the hotel immediately. The executive committee unanimously adopted a motion to cancel the hotel contract, paving the way for Dan and Eric to work with ACB’s attorney to craft a letter which was sent to the hotel. The executive committee asked the board to ratify the motion to cancel the hotel contract under the impossibility clause and consider whether to hold a virtual convention. Dan concluded by stating that he had contacted each board member to explain the background and to prepare them for this discussion. Then he asked each board member to comment before taking the vote. The overall theme of the comments was that canceling the in-person convention was the only good option for ACB, and they were looking forward to a virtual convention. The motion to ratify the decision of the executive committee was adopted unanimously. Dan next outlined the impacts and options associated with the board’s decision to cancel the in-person convention. Janet explained that parallel planning had been under way over the last few weeks to prepare for the possibility of a virtual convention or a reduced in-person event. Using the resources of ACB Radio and conferencing platforms such as Zoom, ACB could hold many of its events, including general sessions, many affiliate activities, the auction, the walk, and even the banquet. There will be registration, an official program, door prizes, and much more. Many who have never been able to attend convention will be able to participate. She will begin working with the program committee immediately. John McCann and Ray Campbell, on behalf of the constitution and bylaws committee, explained that ACB’s constitution prohibits any official business such as elections and resolutions outside of an in-person meeting. Therefore, there will be no business meeting as part of the virtual convention and all board and BOP seats up for election will be extended one year. There was discussion that policy decisions typically resulting from resolutions could be voted on by the board as recommendations from the resolutions committee. Jeff Bishop reported that ACB Radio is preparing to carry convention coverage on all streams and is coordinating the virtual meeting spaces that will be needed for affiliate and committee events. Deb Cook Lewis indicated that the BOP will have timely convention information included in the May and June publications, and plans to have a convention newspaper, but will not hold a candidates’ forum or candidates’ town hall meeting. Cindy Van Winkle, staff lead for the scholarships and awards steering committee, indicated that all scholarships and awards will be given. Scholarship recipients along with DKM First-Timers and Leadership Fellows will be invited to attend the 2021 convention in Phoenix. Dan then moved on to a discussion of the financial impacts to ACB resulting from the coronavirus. David Trott, ACB treasurer, explained that the market was moving up and down, which has an overall and undetermined impact on our investment portfolio. Michael Garrett, ACBES chair, reported that ACB’s two thrift stores have closed to protect the employees and public. Michael is working with Tony Stephens to determine if ACB will qualify for any of the federal programs in place to help small businesses during the pandemic, and he is particularly concerned that we need to help our thrift store employees. Nancy Becker requested authorization to draw down additional funds from the reserve if needed. The board authorized up to $150,000. Dan concluded by thanking everyone for their hard work and commitment to the organization. ***** Understand Virus More, Fear It Less by Larry P. Johnson Reprinted from “The San Antonio Express-News,” March 28, 2020. Someone asks: “Can a blind person be afraid of the dark?” Well, of course. As a kid I was. It’s not the “dark” that scares us. It’s what might be hiding there under the bed or in the closet. A monster. A boogeyman. It’s the unknown. The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. What we don’t know, can’t see, can hurt us. Like a virus. The coronavirus pandemic scares us because we don’t know where it is, who has it and whether it will jump out at us. Our fear of the coronavirus is depriving us of the chance to go to conferences and conventions. It is preventing students from attending classes, sports fans from sharing the joy of cheering for their favorite teams, and all of us from having the freedom to mingle, clasp hands or hug one another to express our friendship and affection. Human beings are social animals. And even with text messaging, FaceTime and Instagram, we still need and want physical contact with one another. Keeping our distance is hard. Perhaps it’s because we’re told not to visit our friend in the hospital or Grandma and Grandpa in the nursing home that we suddenly want to do so. Fear can be that rational warning that keeps us from harm. But it can also immobilize us, cause us to do nothing or send us off in a panic — searching the stores for masks and sanitizers and toilet paper. The problem is that since we don’t know how large the danger is, we really don’t know how to prepare. Certainly we should have concern, take precautions, become informed. And that is the critical question: To become informed — how do we do that? To whom do we turn? We must demand of our leaders that they speak the truth so we know the scope and depth of the danger and what we can do to lessen it for ourselves and our loved ones. But we can also use this opportunity to come together as neighbors, to offer support, share available resources (do you really need 20 rolls of toilet paper?) and believe that we will survive this crisis together. There are heroic examples of health care workers putting themselves at risk visiting the homes of quarantined families to conduct testing for COVID-19, courageous doctors and nurses treating patients infected by the virus without having adequate personal protection clothing and masks for themselves, and countless kind folks who are delivering meals to elderly people who live alone. These are indeed difficult times. We may worry that this crisis will go on and on, but as televangelist Robert Schuller wrote: “Every mountain has a top. Every problem has a lifespan. The question is, who is going to give in first, the (problem) or you?” Should we be afraid? Physicist Marie Curie wrote, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” We can choose to fill the hours and days ahead with worry and fear, or we can choose to use our energy and skills to help our neighbor and our community. Pat Schroeder, first woman U.S. representative from Colorado, put it this way: “You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.” We may not be able to gather in groups, but we definitely can help each other one on one. And that’s how I see it. ACB Next Generation Becomes Latest Special-Interest Affiliate of the American Council of the Blind by Greg Lindberg ACB Next Generation is thrilled to report that at its most recent board meeting, the American Council of the Blind board of directors voted in favor of our committee becoming an affiliate. This means as of Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, ACB Next Generation is now officially a special-interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. For many years, younger adults within the American Council of the Blind have been seeking an affiliate within the organization which they can truly relate to and connect with fellow members of their age group. That time has finally arrived. We are now actively seeking new members to join our affiliate. Please complete the membership application at the link below. After completing the application, you will receive an electronic invoice via email. This invoice will be for $15, and can be paid via credit or debit card. This amount will cover your dues as a member for the 2020 calendar year. Please remember to complete the entire application, and you MUST pay the $15 amount upon receiving your invoice in order to become a member of ACB Next Generation. We are looking forward to connecting with you and growing this affiliate for ACB members who are 40 years old and younger. However, those over 40 are more than welcome to join us as supporting members and will have the right to vote on various matters. Our goal is to provide a platform for younger adults to work together on a variety of advocacy efforts and make meaningful social connections with each other, giving this age group a whole new outlook on life as a blind or visually impaired individual 40 and younger. In addition, we now have an official voice within ACB. Follow this link to register as an ACBNG member: https://forms.gle/Rc3qk6jadjfifWbP7 If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at (202) 524-0909 or at acbnextgen@gmail.com. Follow ACB Next Generation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/acbnextgen or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acb_next_gen. ***** Succeeding in Life’s Garden by Sue Lichtenfels Life is a garden where we can grow and blossom as individual beings. In life’s garden success isn’t measured by the beauty of the landscape or the abundance of the harvest, but rather by personal accomplishments, achieved milestones, and dreams realized. Individual successes may include landing a lucrative job, running a marathon, marrying and beginning a family, graduating from college, and winning a Nobel Prize. As demonstrated on TheReImage.net, people with vision loss are no different in their desire to be successful. We too want to win gold medals, be great parents, and make a difference in the world. What determines if we will be successful? Just as a plant has ideal growing conditions, so too do individuals. The seeds to success are the positive internal attributes we possess grafted with external influencing factors. Chief among these influencing factors for people with vision loss is the council. How well we nurture and make the most of our seeds determines our life’s success. When we possess the following internal seeds, we may be more likely to sprout success. Being hard-working, perseverant, goal-oriented and reliable gives us a sturdy stem to stand tall with self-confidence through life’s challenges. If we bloom with open-mindedness, positive attitude, and good decision making, our petals spread with vibrant color that brightens our future. When we achieve the seed of independence, we are grounded by strong foundational roots that enable us to weather any storm. For people with vision loss, independence is the must-have seed to possess. Without the ability to function independently, our chances of success shrivel and die. Sunlight, water, and fertile soil, these are external elements that are vital to the successful cultivation of a garden. Similarly, how well we flourish towards life’s successes can also be impacted by many external factors including our access to financial resources, who we know, our quality of education, where we live, having positive role models, and of course, having a little luck. The greatest fertilizer for success is opportunity. It is when we have the opportunity to compete for the same jobs, the opportunity to exercise our civil rights, the opportunity to access the same information as others, and the opportunity to get the specialized training we need that we can truly blossom in life’s garden. Like a greenhouse, we, the peers of the American Council of the Blind provide an ideal climate where independence and opportunity thrive. By sharing our independent living experiences as mentors, on our discussion calls, in our newsletters, during our chapter meetings, and on TheReImage.net, we germinate the seed of independence in those who may be new to vision loss or less confident in their abilities. Through our listservs, vision loss resources, and 24/7 online platforms, we offer additional nutrients. When we hold community events and provide awareness training, we pluck the weeds of misperception that encroach on our lives. We cultivate opportunities by advocating with legislators and educating change makers. We offer a warm, sunny environment where people with vision loss can gain hands-on, practical skills as volunteers that enable them to transplant more efficiently into the working world. During our national and affiliate conferences, we sow independence and opportunity through exhibit halls, presentations, accessible activities, and peer fellowship. Together we till society’s soil of inaccessibility and inequality so people with vision loss can blossom. We who have lived with vision loss through many seasons recognize the importance of independence and opportunity in our pursuit of success. While Jack had magic beans, we have magic seeds. Let us continue to sow these seeds of success in all that we do as peers and within the council so that all people with vision loss can reach for the sky. ***** Five Thousand Miles. One Month. Four Million Children Who Are Visually Impaired. by June A. Converse Vinicious (Vinny) tosses a ball and listens for it to land. He can’t see it. He can’t chase it. He can only hear it. He tosses his ball over and over again, listening to the splat of rubber on the ground. Vinny is blind, and yet he loves to play. Camp Abilities allows him to do more than listen. Camp Abilities is an educational sports camp for children and teens who are blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind. Camp Abilities teaches children like Vinny and Faustina and Emmanuel that being visually impaired is not a stop sign but simply a trait that must be considered. Dr. Lauren Lieberman has spent the last 25 years teaching children who are visually impaired, their parents, teachers, and coaches how to overcome barriers to athletic achievement. She takes beep balls, tethers, guidewires, and auditory soccer balls into schools and communities. She provides encouragement and confidence and enthusiasm. She takes a passionate belief that all children have the ability, and the right, to participate, to achieve, to advocate. To play. To score. To win. Camp Abilities began in 1996 with one camp in Brockport, N.Y. It now impacts children who are visually impaired in more than 20 states and seven countries. Dr. Lieberman will not be satisfied until Camp Abilities reaches across the globe. Being honored with the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Global Scholar Award and supported by the Lions Club, Dr. Lieberman was privileged to share and expand Camp Abilities in Ghana, Ireland, and Brazil. In August 2019, she began a 15,000 mile, 90-day journey across three continents. In Ghana, she faced delayed funding, fire ants, and food poisoning. She faced cultural and language barriers. She was often tired and sick and frustrated. But at each stage of her journey, she met educators and professionals who wanted the best for their students. She met children who, for the first time, ran a race or kicked a ball or floated in water. She listened as cheers and laughter filled the air. She watched children who had been marginalized take their rightful place in the fields, tracks, and pools. Her journey started with 100% humidity in the west of Africa. Ghana is 5,000 miles from Dr. Lieberman’s home in western New York. A world away and a world of differences. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Accra, Ghana, is located on the west coast of Africa. Among its 28 million citizens, over 4 million are children who are blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind. Unlike children who are visually impaired in the U.S., these children are not included in local schools and sports programs. They attend special schools far away from their homes and their communities. Dr. Lieberman was dismayed and discouraged to learn that while Ghana had several schools for children with intellectual disabilities and the deaf, there were only three schools dedicated to the educational and social needs of children who are blind. None of the three schools were near Accra and the University of Ghana. Meet “tall” Emmanuel, a 16-year-old young man who never attended school because it wasn’t available to him. When he arrived at the University of Ghana for camp, he had never run. At Camp Abilities, he learned to run with a human guide and then with a guidewire. Soon his confidence grew, and he discovered the freedom to run across the safe grass of a soccer field independently. At the end of the three-day camp, he was not only running, but he was also recording his time, intending to get faster at home. Dr. Lieberman’s goal was to teach the Ghanaians how to organize and run Camp Abilities. But, unlike the U.S., Ghana does not have a camp culture. “Going to camp” was an unknown concept. She had expected to arrive in Ghana ready to introduce sports and recreation for children who are blind. Instead, she discovered nothing planned or organized. No facilities. No coaches. No meals. As she puts it, “We didn’t even know where the kids were.” Believe You Can Achieve is the Camp Abilities motto. Dr. Lieberman believed in Camp Abilities for Ghana. She would achieve Camp Abilities for Ghana. Just as she teaches students who are visually impaired to do, she adapted. She met Otemfour, a 30-year-old gentleman who provided physical education to the local schools. She, Otemfour and her colleague from the University of Ghana, Dr. Reggie O’Cansey, drove high into the mountains to the School for the Blind in Akropong and to the School for the Deaf in Mampong. She had hoped – and expected – excitement about a camp for children who are visually impaired. She learned, however, that the children had no way to get to Accra. Camp, it seemed, would not be possible for these kids. Just as she teaches students not to give up, she immediately suggested a second camp for September in Mampong. Dr. Lieberman now had two camps to run and still no infrastructure. Undaunted, she moved forward and soon dominoes began to fall. She was introduced to Angela, the Perkins School of the Blind representative to Ghana. Angela initiated contact with the appropriate staff at the U.S. Embassy, who set up a meeting with the person in charge of education for children who are visually impaired and deaf. The last domino fell when she was introduced to the newly appointed director of education. Camp Abilities was one step closer to becoming a reality. Dr. Lieberman, and this additional support team, combined their resources and talents and went to work. Invitations were sent, staff was organized, calls were made, equipment and facilities were arranged, and T-shirts were ordered. After many long days of hard work, perspiration and persistence, students were finally registered. Paralympic coaches were recruited. It had been an uphill battle, but Camp Abilities opened on August 26 with temperatures in the nineties and 100% humidity. Before the speeches could begin, an unexpected bus from Burkina Faso arrived. Burkina Faso is a small country north of Ghana with 21 million people who primarily speak French. They had driven 24 hours to present Reggie a trophy for his ongoing work in Ghana. With the help of interpreters, Dr. Lieberman talked to the Burkina Faso representatives. They are excited about the prospect of starting a camp in their country. Dr. Lieberman is eager to lend her support, her expertise, and her enthusiasm to the children of Burkina Faso. Music, speeches, and a goalball tournament opened the day and energized the campers, the coaches, and the facilitators. It was time to show the Ghanaians that everyone can participate! Fifteen students and ten coaches were ready to run and swim and throw a shot put. Five of the campers arrived from Cape Coast. They had boarded a bus at 3:30 that morning for the long ride to Accra. One determined young lady, Faustina, had traveled for four hours before she boarded the Cape Coast bus. Meet “short” Emmanuel, a young man who dreams of playing on the Ghana national goalball team. At Camp Abilities, he learned how to stretch, to build endurance and strength without the aid of any equipment. He can go home where there are no running tracks or flat sidewalks and still take care of his body. He can achieve his dreams because Camp Abilities gave him the tools and the confidence. In Ghana, as with many African nations, swimming is not an everyday activity. But with Dr. Lieberman’s passion for allowing children who are visually impaired the opportunity to experience any and every physical activity possible, she stepped into the pool. The kids were equal parts scared and excited about swimming. She allowed the students to feel her arms and legs during a swim stroke. The children worked with a partner and learned to float. Imagine feeling yourself sinking and having no ability to see the edge of the pool or know the depth of the water. The kids started with two seconds and built from there. She taught the kids to communicate, to trust, to be brave. Meet six-year-old Arturo. He’d never played any sport. He attended the two-day camp at Mampong. At Camp Abilities he discovered the goalball and the guidewire. He played on his first team and even scored his first goal and learned what it meant to play and jump and scream in triumph. He discovered a world previously unavailable to him. Camp Abilities held a closing ceremony, but Camp Abilities never actually closes. It is a sports camp. But it is so much more. Camp Abilities is a camp of accomplishment and confidence. For 25 years and across the globe, Camp Abilities has changed the lives of students and parents, communities and cultures. Camp Abilities is Dr. Lauren Lieberman's Passion Project. With the support of the U.S. State Department and its Fulbright Global Scholarship, her passion has reached Ghana and will soon reach Burkina Faso and South Africa. Vinny tosses a ball, listens to the beep, and smiles when the ball lands in his palm. That is Dr. Lieberman’s passion and the goal of Camp Abilities. ** Next stop: Ireland A rewarding side note: While visiting Ghana, Dr. Lieberman learned that the Ghana educational system is implementing a significant curriculum change. Soon, children who are visually impaired, deaf and intellectually challenged will no longer be separated from their families and their peers. Ghana is beginning to place its students with disabilities in the local schools. Ghana is one step closer to inclusion! For more information about Camp Abilities, please refer to www.campabilities.org. ***** Advocacy Brings Audio Description to Sacramento by Margie Donovan Allow me to tell you about my passion and advocacy skills. When I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sacramento area, I was stunned to find no audio description in live theaters. I enjoyed live theater with audio description for years in the Bay Area. I began my mission to establish audio description in the Sacramento area. First with the California Musical Theater. They run the Broadway Series and Music Circus. After many meetings, I refused to work with anyone other than the director, Richard Lewis. I was tired of the runaround. About one year later, CMT implemented audio description at Music Circus and the Broadway Series. This was not enough. In my town of Folsom, there was a brand-new theater called the Harris Center. I was off and running on my next AD mission. My initial appointment took place, and a year later no description yet. I spoke with the ADA coordinator at Los Rios Community College District. The Harris Center is located on the campus of Folsom Lake College. In less than a year, we had description at all events. You only need to make your request 14 days prior to a show. I always make my request upon purchasing the tickets. This was not enough for me. B Street Theater was next. While this is a small theater, I still wanted description. A few phone calls later, next thing I knew is that they had one of their staff members in an audio description training, hosted by Joel Snyder. Within months, B Street Theater began offering description for one show out of each performance. This year they are offering description twice per show. Now off and running, I decided to make my first attempt to get audio description at an arena built for the Sacramento Kings. Many concerts and shows of all kinds are offered at the Golden 1 Arena. After a year and finally talking legal action, they just informed me that they are offering description upon request. Again, all one needs to do is to make the request 14 days prior to the event. We are very fortunate that we have wonderful describers from CMT who are willing to describe at any of these venues. For them, this is like a second career. Eleven years and now we have audio description at six venues. What am I to do next? I think I will begin with museums in the Sacramento area. I am a lover of audio description. ***** Do You Hear What I Hear — Now? by Tom Mitchell It was last summer when I began to wonder. In my daughter’s hospital room, I could hear the thumping of her heart machine, and the voices around her bed, but everyone sounded so much farther away than I thought they should. It wasn’t that large of a room. And then in the hospital cafeteria I had difficulty understanding what my other daughter was saying. And then at her funeral services, I was meeting people whose voices I should know, but who sounded different. And I could hardly hear the service itself. Church services, board meetings, anywhere where there was a group, I couldn’t hear from one end of a table to another. People were mumbling. Why couldn’t people speak up? And my wife was constantly having to repeat herself, and it was getting frustrating to her. So in September, I had my hearing tested at a local clinic. I don’t know the exact numbers of the results, but I was told that that I needed hearing aids, particularly in my right ear. All my life I have always been proud of my hearing. As a kid, I could hear kids playing across the street, several houses away, and I used to love to listen to the echoes between houses. I had perfect pitch, and could always tell what notes were being struck on a piano, played on any instrument, or in what key was a song played. I should have begun to suspect something when my perfect pitch was no longer perfect. But I was told by a friend of mine that that happens when you get into your fifties or sixties. So I let it slide. At one time, when I was younger, I tried to get a job with KSL-FM, working with a friend of mine who was convinced I could do the job. He showed me all the things I would have to do. I wouldn’t be on the air, but in production. One of the things I had to do was set up the large hubs of tape comprising the next day’s music. And in that set-up, I had to be sure that the volume levels and the stereo separation were exact. To do this I had to listen to a 1,000-cycle tone (6-octave C), and turn the knob so that the stereo separation fit an exact spot on a reader. And by the way, I had to tune the tone. My friend was surprised by the fact that I could set the tone exactly right, and hit almost the exact spot on the stereo meter, so close that it made no difference. I didn’t get the job, but it was gratifying to know that I could have done it. But now, no more. Not even close. So this diagnosis was, for me, devastating. I was frightened. I’m afraid I didn’t think of all the questions I should have asked at that first appointment. But where do I find hearing aids? I had absolutely no idea even where to start. I was told the Costco sold them for $2,000, but that you had to pay it all at once. I couldn’t afford that kind of payment all at once. Suffice it to say that I did find a place which once again evaluated my hearing, and fitted me with customized appliances, and a pay plan and lifetime maintenance plan, and a week later, I walked out of that office astounded at what I’ve been missing. For example, as Donni and I were walking to the corner and I heard the audible traffic signal, and we kept walking, I said: “Well, where’s the corner?” And Donni said, “We’re not even near it yet.” I could clearly hear the building on my right, a person’s cell phone ringing nearly in my ear, and a clear difference in the direction of the traffic. And there were sounds in my apartment I’d never heard before, and I seem to be able to navigate my own home with greater accuracy. A popular Christmas carol says: “Do you hear what I hear?” And I ask you the same question. Do you hear what I can hear — now? We live in a noisy world. And that noise, as you grow older, takes a toll on the workings of the inner ear. And as people get older, hearing changes. Now, you may not be going deaf, but your hearing is changing. It’s inevitable. So, for your own sake, even for your own safety and for so many other reasons, I urge you to have your hearing tested. Maybe once every two years or so. It’s painless. In fact, it’s the only completely painless medical test I know. And then, if your hearing begins to change, perhaps you can slow down the loss of your hearing. If you’re totally blind, as I am, this is a sense you must not take for granted. Because once gone, it can never be replaced. But if you do someday find you need hearing aids, understand that, with proper fitting, hearing aids can, to a large extent, replace the sounds you’ve been missing. And I guarantee, you’ll love listening again. ***** Greetings from the MMS Committee by Jean Mann As I write this, most of us are spending our days at home due to the coronavirus. The members of the Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) Committee hope all of you stay healthy as we deal with this crisis. Since no one knows for sure how long the current situation will last, our plans for the future are somewhat uncertain right now. ACB staff is working from home, and through lots of teleconferences, the ACB Board of Directors and other leaders are doing their best to keep us all connected. Maybe we could show how much we appreciate their efforts by signing up to contribute to ACB through the Monthly Monetary Support Program, or, if you are already a contributor, and you’re financially able to do so, raising the amount of your monthly donation. Here’s how the program works. Every month, the amount of money you designate (a minimum of $10) is either charged to your credit card or withdrawn from your checking account as a tax-deductible donation in support of the American Council of the Blind. One hundred percent of your contribution can be given to ACB, or you can request that up to 50 percent of what you donate go to an affiliate of your choice. If you want to contribute to more than one affiliate, sign up as many times as you like. Each time you do, up to half of what you donate will go to ACB and the other half will go to the affiliate of your choice. If you’re already an MMS donor but you’d like to increase that donation, you can do so by as little as $5. And you do not have to be an ACB member to join. There are several ways for you to sign up. You can visit ACB’s website, acb.org, tab to the Donate Now button, and then tab to the MMS program. Or you can call the ACB office in Minneapolis at (612) 332-3242 and they’ll help you fill out the necessary forms to get you started. Hopefully, our convention will happen in Schaumburg this summer, and we’ll be there in the exhibit hall to greet you, answer any questions you might have, and get you signed up. And we’ll continue that daily drawing of those great packets of gift cards. If all goes according to plan, we’ll hold a drawing for a fabulous prize in the fall for anybody who begins donating through MMS or increases their donation by at least $5 between July 14, 2019, and July 11, 2020. In the meantime, thank you for all you do for ACB. Stay well. ***** Letter to the Editor The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, April 6, 2020. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author’s name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. In Response to ‘President’s Message: Language Matters’ Dear Editor: I read and reread the article that Mr. Spoone wrote on how important the use of language is, and I believe that it deserves some comment! I can’t agree with him more! I didn’t follow the impeachment proceedings, so I didn’t hear what went on. However, if I did, I would probably dismiss the conversation as an afterthought. But, give me some time to think about it, and I would say, “Yeah! There’s something wrong with this picture!” That Stevie Wonder remark was supposedly meant to be a joke. Well, hardy har, har, har! It was a bad one, to say the least! If Stevie Wonder were listening, I’m sure he wouldn’t find that amusing! In this age of political correctness, I think we should be more careful in choosing our words when we speak, because someone somewhere is going to be offended by some mistake. It seems to me that we’ve lost that need to be respectful and sensitive toward others. We need to get back to it! We should do more listening than talking, more thinking than knee-jerkily reacting. More learning by listening. If we did all these things, we would be better off as a nation right now. — Ayn Apelman, Pittsburgh, Pa. ***** Is Blindskills, Inc. Still in Operation? by Marja Byers As executive director of Blindskills, I can assure you that we are still here and, in many ways, we’re growing. That’s not to say that we have not had growing pains along the way! Blindskills was founded in 1982 by Carol McCarl, who was working as an itinerant teacher at the Oregon School for the Blind. When she realized that these students had no other peers that were blind and had no adult role models, she started Blindskills as a place to get information and resources as well as starting “Footprints,” a magazine for blind/visually impaired students and their families. In 1990 Carol took on publishing DIALOGUE Magazine from Don Nold in Illinois and continued publishing both magazines for four years before she merged the two. All the while she continued to work as a TVI! As Blindskills continued as primarily a publishing non-profit, Carol was very fortunate to convince B.T. Kimbrough to take over as director and editor in 2008. I didn’t become legally blind (again) until March of 2010 and eventually started attending the “Shared Visions” monthly support group in 2012 after learning about it from my Commission for the Blind counselor. I quickly became a regular and B.T. several times told me, “You are such a wonderful ambassador for the blind!” I eventually asked him why he would say that, and he answered, “Because you have energy and enthusiasm that just fills this whole room!” Long story short, I started as a volunteer doing research and helping with office work, which very quickly turned into a paid work trial through the Commission. I like talking with people and love to share information, which suited B.T. as he is an introvert. It quickly became clear that community outreach was (and still is) a passion for me. One quiet January morning early in 2014 B.T. told me of his intention to retire at the end of the year and he wanted me to take the director position. I was stunned. My personal email address is peon4ever, I was never supposed to be a director of anything! I was nothing that B.T Kimbrough and Carol McCarl were, I’m not totally blind, I don’t read braille, I’m not an editor/publisher/writer and I don’t have a master’s degree. Mr. Kimbrough lingered another year to help me see and understand that I am capable and even after his move home to Kentucky he continued to edit DIALOGUE and provide moral support to me. Then came 2019. It was by far the most tumultuous year in Blindskills history. In February B.T. called me to let me know that he planned on retiring at the end of June, but I wasn’t to talk about it until he got some other things in place. I did speak to Phyllis Schmidt, our invaluable office assistant, about it the next week, and she informed me that she too intended to retire at the end of June, which would leave just Carol, who was retired, and I as staff. B.T. worked with Carol to try to find a replacement editor. She hadn’t really thought about it as Don Nold had done. At this point our bank account was getting very low. Instead of grant-seeking the spring before, I was recovering from a bad fall and a mild traumatic brain injury. As I was leaving the office one day in early May, I received a text message from Carol’s primary caregiver that Carol had just passed away from heart failure. My reaction was, “I broke her heart and I killed her!” Things were clear to me in May: our founder is gone, our editor and office assistant are leaving, we don’t have grant money... Tough decisions had to be made. At the June board meeting, the board of directors voted to suspend publication of DIALOGUE until funds and a suitable editor could be found. I told them that in order to stay in operation, I would have to close the office and work from my home. I spent July and August in the monumental task of closing our publishing office. I was so grateful to Kim Charlson and Perkins Library for taking the archives of both “Lifeprints” and “DIALOGUE” magazines. We closed our office doors on August 18, 2019. Now what? Blindskills had already been working with a Salem, Ore. senior center, Center 50+, after they reached out to us on how to make the center more blind-friendly. We now offer three monthly support groups there with the recent addition of our Saturday Low Vision Life Skills group, as Salem’s transit system was able to start Saturday bus service again. We offer two monthly tech classes focusing on smartphones and tablets, which is being taught by two of our board members. We have a certified O&M instructor on our board who is currently working with five area seniors who don’t get much from state services. We want these folks to be able to safely stay engaged with our community, and O&M is crucial! Up until this week we have a weekly casual coffee get-together, which often leads to lunch for some of us and sometimes shopping. This puts white canes and guide dogs in groups in the downtown area, making it clear that blind people are very much part of this community. And I’m seeing more white canes than ever before! Our coffee group decided on a conference call so we can continue to meet by phone on Wednesdays, but later in the afternoon so we have a better chance of getting through with so many folks teleconferencing. We still have our website, Blindskills.org; we have the same office number, (503) 581-4224 (but no longer have our 800 number), and our mailing address is the same, PO Box 5181, Salem, OR 97304 (in case anyone would like to send us a donation!). I continue to provide one-on-one support as needed, and as everyone isolates it has increased my phone support time. Blindskills still gets calls from around the U.S. and Canada from people looking for information and resources for themselves or family members. “Where can I order this? Can you get me the number for....? Where did I get that big wall calendar from?” I love that Blindskills has given me the opportunity to make friends from around the country who continue to call and check in with me. As the representative of Blindskills I have developed some good community partnerships with our transit district, Salem Police Department, county and city works departments, Oregon Department of Transportation, Center 50+, Casey Eye Institute Macular Degeneration Program, Hull Park for the Blind in Sandy, Ore., and the Oregon Commission for the Blind. I am very proud of the work we are doing. We have a growing blind community that often assures me that I’ve made a huge change in their lives and given them something they didn’t know how much they really needed. Have a question? Give me a call, I’m available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time. ***** Here and There edited by Cynthia Hawkins 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. ** Summer Adventures at Oral Hull The Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind offers two summer retreats for those over the age of 21, the Moderate Adventure Retreat and the High Adventure Retreat. The Moderate Adventure will take place Aug. 12-18 and is for those who want a more leisurely pace in a summer adventure. Activities may include horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, field games, fishing, winery tours, and visits to local museums. The High Adventure will be held Aug. 24-30, and is geared to those who want more physically challenging adventures. Activities may include kayaking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, hiking to an alpine lake, live music, and brewery and winery tours. We have a beautiful 22-acre park in the foothills of the Mount Hood National Forest with a lodge, commercial kitchen and chef, comfy dormitories, spa, indoor pool, gardens and walking trails. For more information, contact the Oral Hull Foundation at (503) 668-6195. ** 2020 Touch of Genius Prize Winners The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation (funded by the Gibney Family Foundation) is an annual award of $10,000 given to a project, or projects, showing the most innovative idea in the field of braille and tactile literacy. This year there are two winners; each was awarded $5,000. The Pocket Braille Periodic Table Roy Alexander This is an innovative, convenient, high-use, and low-cost Periodic Table of Chemical Elements for braille-trained chemistry students. CanDo: reusable braille labels Lisa Dalton 3-D printing was used to create a set of reusable braille labels for canned goods. ** Braille Writer Repair in Arkansas Do you live in Arkansas and need your brailler repaired? Now there’s a new service that can do that. Contact Joel Milam, Braille Writer Repair, 236 Blue Bayou Road, Nashville, AR 71852, or call him on his cell phone, (870) 557-0976. Get insurance on the braille writer and send it via free matter mail with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address attached to it. Call for pricing and information. ** Heumann Releases Book Judith “Judy” Heumann, former Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, recently released her memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.” It is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local independent bookstores. Available formats are hard-cover print, Kindle, and Audible. ** New from National Braille Press “Those Darn Squirrels!” by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri is now available in contracted UEB for ages 4 to 8. It’s the story of what happens when a grumpy old man and some mischievous squirrels match wits — with hilarious results. For more information, call National Braille Press at 1-800-548-7323, or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. ** Kiser Receives 2020 Pisart Award Lighthouse Guild recently announced that Philip D. Kiser, PharmD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2020 Pisart Award for his significant contributions to the field of vision science. His innovative scientific approaches and unique knowledge in the field of carotenoid and retinoid research are advancing our understanding of the visual cycle and associated diseases. Dr. Kiser is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, a member of the UCI Center for Translational Vision Research and is a Research Health Scientist at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. ** Smart Cane Kursat Ceylan, CEO and co-founder of the Young Guru Academy, is the inventor of the new WeWALK smart cane. The cane includes built-in speakers, voice assistance, Google Maps, a Bluetooth system that makes syncing to other devices possible, and high-end sensors that alerts the user through vibrations when obstacles above chest level are within proximity. One of Ceylan’s goal in creating the cane is to make the social participation of people like him full, and easier. To him, the WeWALK was made to “support the visually impaired in their full participation into social life.” This device is not completely new, but the fact that he was able to utilize and incorporate existing technologies such as voice assistance, Google Maps, and Bluetooth synchronization, makes it a completely new idea. For more information, visit the website, https://wewalk.io/en/, or email info@wewalk.io. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: EyePal Solo stand-alone scanner. The scanner is easy to use and only has a few buttons on the device to navigate the scanning functions. For more information, visit http://www.abisee.com/Eye-Pal-Solo.html. Asking $200 or best offer. If interested, contact Philip Ashley via email, philip.ashley18@gmail.com, or by phone at (703) 581-9587. ** Looking For: Franklin Language Master SE Dictionary. Contact Gayle Workman at (309) 685-9652. ***** ACB Officers ** President Dan Spoone (1st term, 2021) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 ** First Vice President Mark Richert (1st term, 2021) 1515 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Apt. 622 Arlington, VA 22202-3309 ** Second Vice President Ray Campbell (1st term, 2021) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Secretary Denise Colley (1st term, 2021) 1401 Northwest Ln. SE Lacey, WA 98503 ** Treasurer David Trott (2nd term, 2021) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 ** Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (1st term, 2020) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (partial term, 2020) Sara Conrad, Madison, WI (2nd term, 2020) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2020) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (2nd term, 2022) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2020) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) ** ACB Board of Publications Debbie Lewis, Chair, Clarkston, WA (2nd term, 2021) Paul Edwards, Miami, FL (2nd term, 2020) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (partial term, 2020) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (2nd term, 2021) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (1st term, 2020) ***** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by email, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (605) 475-8154. To subscribe to the email version, visit the ACB email lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, NLS-style digital cartridge, and via email. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (605) 475-8154. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from http://www.acb.org/bf/.