The ACB E-Forum Volume LIV April 2016 No. 10 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. © 2016 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents President’s Message: What You Didn’t Know about Stevie Wonder’s ‘Braille Joke’ at the Grammys – The Motown Legend Is Also a Legendary Advocate for Literacy, by Kim Charlson 2015 Annual Giving Societies Report Card, by Tom Tobin How to Register for ACB: Land of 10,000 Dreams, by Janet Dickelman Let the Race Begin!, by Donna Brown Would You Like to Work at the 2016 Information Desk?, by Vicky Prahin Friends-in-Art Seeks Your Art for Its Annual Show, by Amy Monthei Making the Transition from English Braille to UEB, by Jamie Pauls The Things I Do Today, Part 2: Listening from On High, by Paul Edwards Sharing Tools for Affiliates/Chapter Leaders, compiled by Ardis Bazyn In Memoriam: Dorothy “Dot” Taylor, 1925-2015, by Carol Francisco Affiliate News American Foundation for the Blind Board Names Kirk Adams as Its Next President and CEO Here and There, edited by Sharon Strzalkowski High Tech Swap Shop ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she’ll take care of the changes for you. * All blind musicians, all the time at the ACB Radio Cafe, www.acbradio.org/café. * Want to stream your convention? ACB Radio can help you out; write to larry@acbradio.org. ***** President’s Message: What You Didn’t Know about Stevie Wonder’s ‘Braille Joke’ at the Grammys The Motown Legend Is Also a Legendary Advocate for Literacy by Kim Charlson Reprinted with permission from Perkins School for the Blind. Getting public attention for accessible books can be an uphill road sometimes. Believe me, I know. Putting published works into the hands of people who cannot read traditional print has been my lifelong mission. But sometimes, someone throws a gate wide open and invites everybody in. That’s what happened on Monday, Feb. 15th, at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. The man at the gate was Stevie Wonder. When he declared, “We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability,” the star-studded crowd went wild. Moments earlier he had them laughing and cheering over braille. Braille! Opening the envelope to read the Song of the Year winner (Ed Sheeran) – written in braille for Wonder, who is blind – the singer razzed the audience, “You ca-an’t read braille. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!” Suddenly, braille was the coolest topic at the Grammys. I confess, even I never saw that coming. But it wasn’t the first I knew of Stevie Wonder advocating for braille and universal access to the written word. Here’s the backstory. As president of the American Council of the Blind, and as a member of the international Accessible Books Consortium – in addition to my role as director of the Perkins Library – I have seen Stevie Wonder act as a literacy ambassador numerous times. He has been an unflagging proponent of the right of every individual to learn, enjoy reading and, of course, delight in music. Wonder has been a buoyant and fervent spokesperson for acessibility for many years. He was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009, and he spoke of his commitment to access for all in 2010 when the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization began deliberating the Marrakesh Treaty, which aims to facilitate global access to published materials for people with disabilities. Wonder called for world leaders to enact “a declaration of freedom for all people with disabilities” by creating a treaty to end what many refer to as a worldwide “book famine” for people who cannot read print because of a disability. At that gathering, he began to sing, but stopped short! He said he would finish the song only when the treaty was concluded. When the Marrakesh Treaty was signed in 2013, he spoke warmly and sang triumphantly. At the Marrakesh event press conference, Wonder said, “I will not be done with my commitment until my life is done. I will not be happy until everyone on this planet is able to see in the various ways they are able to.” So, while it was a wonderful (pun intended) surprise to see the crowd cheer and the nation embrace Stevie Wonder’s shout-out to accessibility, it was no surprise at all that he was the one to do the shouting. ** Caption: Kirstin Maldonado and K.O. Olusola of Pentatonix flank Stevie Wonder as he jokes about reading off the winning Song of the Year, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Photo credit: Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images (SFGate.com) ***** 2015 Annual Giving Societies Report Card In 2014, to better honor and recognize our generous donors, ACB created four new Annual Giving Societies. Levels are based on the amount of annual contributions to ACB. The Annual Giving Societies include: • Leader’s Society, for those who donate between $250 and $999 annually • Advocate’s Society, for those who donate between $1,000 and $2,499 annually • Champion’s Society, for those who donate between $2,500 and $4,999 annually • President’s Society, for those who donate $5,000 or more annually Eligibility will be determined at the beginning of each year, based on the donations made during the previous calendar year, January 1 through December 31. This program is open to individuals, households where there is more than one donor living in the same residence, and ACB affiliates. To be counted toward membership in one of the Annual Giving Societies, a donation must be a contribution that is entirely tax-deductible; that is, one for which the donor receives no goods or services in exchange. For more information about ACB’s Annual Giving Societies, or to make a gift to ACB and become a member of one of these prestigious societies, contact Tom Tobin, director of development, at ttobin@acb.org, or call the Minnesota office at 1-800-866-3242. We thank you in advance for your support of this initiative! In 2014, ACB recognized 193 members who gave a total of $201,897. In 2015, ACB recognized 200 members for a total of $205,881! This growth is primarily attributable to ACB members, as the Annual Giving Society ranks are predominantly made up of monthly monetary support (MMS) donors! In 2014, we had 22 members of the Advocate’s Society for gifts totaling $25,825; in 2015, we had 38 members of the Advocate’s Society for gifts totaling $48,980! So, this means that many of you increased your annual support to ACB and moved from the Leader’s Society up into the Advocate’s Society – thank you! — Tom Tobin ***** How to Register for ACB: Land of 10,000 Dreams by Janet Dickelman The American Council of the Blind conference and convention is fast approaching. Starting later this month, I’ll begin posting convention previews to the e-mail lists. They will also be aired on ACB Radio for those of you who don’t have e-mail access. May and June’s Forum articles will be filled with information regarding convention programming. Convention dates are July 1st through the 9th, and the place to be is the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis! ** Registration Details It is almost time to register for the 2016 convention. Online registration will open on May 19th and close on June 22nd. Registration prior to the convention is easy and saves time. The earlier you register, the better chance you have of booking tours and attending workshops that have limited availability. Once again this year, thanks to our generous corporate sponsorships, convention registration will be $15 pre-registration and $25 at the convention. A one-page mailer will be distributed providing registration details prior to the opening of registration. If your e-mail address is in the ACB database, you will receive the mailer via e-mail; otherwise it will be sent to you via surface mail. The information will also be posted on the acbconvention, leadership, and ACB-L e-mail lists. Once registration opens on May 19th, there are several ways you can register. • Register online by visiting www.acbconvention.org • We have a new registration web site. This means you will need to set up a new username and password. However, once you have established your new profile, it can be used for other member services in the future. • You can also register via telephone. When you call the registration line, 1-800-866-3242, you will be asked to leave a message with your contact information. One of our registration experts will return your call as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind that individuals completing registration forms are volunteers. The registration cadre is very conscientious, but it may take them a few days to return your call. It is very important that you provide accurate contact information, including your phone number, time zone, and the best times to reach you. • Paper registration forms WILL NOT be sent unless requested. If you would like a paper registration form, request it from ACB’s Minnesota office by calling (612) 332-3242 before May 1. Forms will be sent via first-class mail when pre-registration opens on May 19th. ** Registration at the Convention This year registration in Minneapolis will open on Friday, July 1st. If you are taking the tour on Friday morning, don’t worry. Your name will be on a list, and you can get your tour ticket when you board the bus. We plan another registration change that we think will really improve the registration process. Starting Friday, July 1st, and running through Sunday, July 3rd, registration will be open from 8 to 11 a.m. for pre-registration pick-up only. Only those who registered prior to June 22nd can obtain their registration packets between the hours of 8 and 11 a.m. This will shorten wait times in registration for those of you who completed pre-registration. After 11 a.m., registration will be open for individuals to pick up their registration packages and also for people who have not yet registered. Monday through Friday registration will be open all day for both pre-registration pickup and initial registrations. ** Stay Connected Once again this year, the convention announce list will be filled with information about the convention. Subscribe to the list today by sending a blank e-mail to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. If you’ve been on the list in the past, you need not subscribe again. Don’t have e-mail? No problem! Convention updates will also be featured on ACB Radio and by telephone through Audio Now at (605) 475-8130. ** Hotel Details Room rates at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis are $89 single or double. There is an additional $10 per night charge per person for up to four people in a room. Applicable state and local taxes are currently 13.4%. For reservations by telephone, call Central Reservations at 1-888-421-1442, and make sure to mention you are attending the ACB convention in order to obtain our room rate. To make reservations online, visit www.acb.org and follow the 2016 convention link. ** Convention Contacts 2016 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2016 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com For any other convention-related questions, contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059, or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Let the Race Begin! It is time to register for the 2016 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk. Affiliates, it is time to sign up your teams. And let the race begin to see who can bring in the most money for ACB this year! You can register and sign up your team right now in one of three ways: call Nancy Becker in the Minneapolis office at (612) 332-3242; go online to http://acb.donorpages.com/2016ACBWalk/ and click on the link that says “register and form a team,” or by completing a paper form downloaded from the walk web site, above. The registration fee is still $25 – that’s one of the few things in life where the price has remained the same for eight years. You may register as an on-site or virtual walker, and once again, team captains will have the opportunity to designate up to 50% of the donations they receive to go back to an affiliate of their choice. One thing that is a little different this year is when you register, you will need to indicate what size T-shirt you want. The 2016 walk will take place on Sunday, July 3, at 7 a.m. The walk will begin in the conference and convention hotel. We will wind our way through several scenic skywalks, and finish back in the hotel. Once again, on-site walkers will have a chance to win some nice door prizes, and plaques will be awarded to teams and individuals who raise the most money. I encourage and challenge you to do three things. Register and sign up your team for the walk today. Start seeking donations by contacting all of your friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances either by phone, e-mail, or by just asking in person. Finally, just get excited about the 2016 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk, and help in any way you can to make this the biggest walk ever! Last year we raise over $52,000. Our goal this year is to raise $60,000. Be a part of what promises to be a history-making event in ACB! — Donna Brown ***** Would You Like to Work at the 2016 Information Desk? The information desk will be alive and well again this year in Minneapolis. As always, you can find hotel orientation information and select menus, drop off door prizes and items for the auction, sign up for newspaper delivery, report items you have lost or found, reserve your banquet table, and more. Helping out for a few hours at the information desk is a great way to meet people, learn about workshops and events, and learn more about the many affiliates and activities than you ever thought possible! Volunteers will answer questions in person and by phone about meeting locations, caucuses, and special activities; download documents for attendees; distribute newspapers, proposed changes to bylaws, and hotel information; and log in door prizes and auction items. We need you if you read braille fluently, are friendly and courteous, and thrive on doing two or three things at once. The desk will open on Thursday evening, June 30, for early arrivals. It will remain open throughout the convention, daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 1-7 and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 8th. If you would like to work for a few hours, e-mail me at prahin@icloud.com or call (614) 949-7757. Don’t worry about scheduling your hours until you have registered for the convention and know your schedule for the activities and events that interest you. Help make the 2016 ACB conference and convention the greatest! — Vicky Prahin ***** Friends-in-Art Seeks Your Art for Its Annual Show This year in Minneapolis, the Friends-in-Art (FIA) art show will be located in the exhibit hall next to the FIA booth. This gives our artists much more exposure and a great chance for other convention-goers to talk to the artists about their work. If you are coming to the convention and intend to exhibit your work, we also invite you to spend a few hours in the booth to meet people, meet other artists and talk about your work. We will have easels to display 2D artwork and a table to display sculpture and other 3D works. Due to our space restrictions, we are limiting the artwork size to no larger than 18” x 24” (framed). Only original works of art created by blind and legally blind artists will be accepted, including drawing, painting, mixed media, photography, prints such as giclee, sculpture, ceramics, wood work or fiber art. If you intend to display artwork, we ask that you bring it with you to the convention or you arrange the shipping to the convention hotel on your own. FIA will not be responsible for shipping artwork this year. Space is limited. If you have questions, please contact Elsie Monthei at (515) 277-0442 or Amy Monthei at amymonthei@yahoo.com. Be sure to include your contact information, as well as information on what you plan to display; we will inform you about drop-off and pick-up procedures at the convention. — Amy Monthei ***** Making the Transition from English Braille to UEB by Jamie Pauls Reprinted with permission from “AccessWorld,” January 2016. January 4, 2016 marked the 206th birthday of Louis Braille, creator of the code for reading and writing used by blind people the world over. That same day also marked another significant milestone for any braille reader living in the United States. That is the day that the U.S. officially transitioned from the current English Braille code to the Unified English Braille code (UEB). The United States is the last country to adopt the new code, with South Africa leading the way in May 2004, Nigeria, New Zealand and Australia making the jump in 2005, and Canada making the transition in 2010. The UK made the switch in 2011, and the U.S. adopted the code in November of 2012. The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has opted to continue using the Nemeth code for math and science in the United States rather than switching to UEB. This decision has created some controversy, which we shall discuss later. ** Why UEB? When BANA announced the adoption of UEB in November 2012, with the switch officially taking place in January 2016, I was not taken completely by surprise. I was vaguely aware of the existence of UEB, although I did not realize at the time that work on the code had been under way since 1991. I assumed that the main reason for UEB was to make it easier for braille readers in all English-speaking countries to share documents, but I had never taken the time to consider the matter further. Being eager to try this new code out immediately, I switched the braille table of my existing notetaker to UEB so as to see how imported documents would be affected. The first thing I noticed was that, at first glance, the differences between English Braille and UEB weren’t so great that I couldn’t easily read my documents using the new code. Some contractions had been dropped (nine in all), and a few words, such as “professor,” now contained contractions where they did not exist in the old braille code. One striking example of this was the word “fever.” Upon seeing “f dot 5 e,” I valiantly tried to pronounce the word “ever” with an “f” at the beginning, before I realized what the word was actually supposed to be. Another moment of angst came for me when I discovered that the computer braille code with which I was so familiar no longer existed in UEB. This explained why the “double d” contraction was gone, because the period in a website address was now the same period that was used at the end of a sentence. After playing with UEB for a few months, I switched back to the current English Braille code, and decided to wait until closer to the actual launch date to start using UEB in earnest. In my discussions with other blind people, the same one-word question kept popping up over and over again. Why? What was wrong with the current braille code, and why did we need a new one? In a recent conversation with Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), I posed that very question to her. Dixon says that the group of blind people who will benefit most from the new code are students. She then reminded me of something that took me back to my grade school days. In many textbooks of that time, rather than providing descriptions of photographs found in the book, there was a short, cryptic note placed where the photo was located. It simply read “Picture: Ask the teacher.” Like Dixon, I don’t recall ever actually asking any of my teachers to describe photos located in my textbooks. I simply ignored the photographs and moved on, never stopping to ask myself how important those photos might be to my understanding of the concepts being taught. Like those old photos, much of the current braille code takes the “Picture: Ask the Teacher” approach. Does the “dots 4-6” indicator in front of a word mean that the word is underlined, italicized, or in boldface type? Perhaps the answer is all of the above. There is really no way to know the answer without consulting a sighted person. If one is reading a self-help book for leisure, perhaps it doesn’t matter all that much, but if a student is reading a psychology textbook where words in bold font are likely to be found in an upcoming exam, it might matter a lot. Dixon points out that print has changed a lot over the years, but the existing braille code has not. Using UEB, the braille reader will now be able to know if a single character, a word, or an entire passage is italicized, bolded, or underlined. Bullet points are no longer represented by a generic indicator of two “dots 3-6” signs, but have their own unique indicators -- two cells consisting of “dots 4-5-6,” and “dots 2-5-6.” Not only is it possible to know when, for example, a boldface passage begins, but there are termination indicators to alert the reader to the fact that the font change has ended. When I pointed out to Dixon that the casual reader would come across a lot of unfamiliar signs when reading UEB, she simply stated that if the new signs don’t matter to the reader, it is possible to ignore them and keep reading. There is no way that anyone will learn the new code all at once, and NLS will provide descriptions at the beginning of each volume to make the reader aware of unfamiliar signs that may be encountered. These pages are currently provided when computer braille code exists in the text of a book or magazine. Since braille music notation has already been standardized, it will not be affected by the change from English braille to UEB. Anyone who has ever typed in contracted braille on a notetaker and then saved their document in another format such as Microsoft Word will appreciate another advantage to UEB. I have personally experienced the embarrassment of trying to explain to a sighted colleague that the jibberish they were reading was the result of a braille translation error, a concept which is completely lost on anyone who does not read braille. UEB should make it much easier to accurately translate documents from braille to print, minus the annoying braille translation errors. For example, these days you’ll often see two words joined together, with each word being capitalized. The name of this magazine, AccessWorld, is a perfect example. For this reason, the contraction for “ation”-- dot 6, n -- has been eliminated from UEB. Also, the contraction for “ally” -- dot 6, y -- is no longer in use. The absence of those contractions should make it easier to translate words such as AccessWorld from braille to print with no errors being introduced. As mentioned earlier, nine contractions have been done away with, including the “ble” contraction. In UEB, dots 3-4-5-6 are now only used as a number sign. Finally, contracted words including “and,” “for,” and “the” are now separated by spaces rather than being placed together without spaces as they currently are in the English Braille code. Two explanations are offered for this. First, those words are separated by spaces in print, and therefore should be separated in braille. The second explanation is that it is not as important as it once was to save as much space on a page as possible when producing hard-copy braille. Production costs have lowered over the years, and much of today’s braille is read using refreshable braille on notetakers and braille displays rather than on paper. ** Controversy over Nemeth Code In making the decision to keep the old Nemeth code for math and science while adopting UEB for literary braille, a controversy has arisen that has serious implications, especially for those students Judy Dixon believes should benefit most from UEB. As with literary braille -- braille read by the average user on a daily basis -- UEB provides many more signs for math and science than does the old English Braille code. For this reason, some feel that UEB is superior to the old Nemeth code for working with math and science. Unlike literary braille, however, UEB signs for math and science differ greatly from the Nemeth code. Some states have decided to adopt UEB for math and science, while others have opted to stick with the Nemeth code. This means that a student attending high school in a state where UEB is taught for math and science might attend college in a state where the Nemeth code is used. That student will need to learn an entirely new code in order to successfully complete his/her studies. At the time of this writing, it is not at all clear how this issue will be resolved. ** The Best Way to Learn UEB Even though Jan. 4, 2016 is the day that the United States officially transitioned to the Unified English Braille code, that does not mean that all braille materials will instantly appear in UEB. NLS has made a four-page reference available containing the most frequently used UEB signs. Braille produced in UEB will become available from NLS in the coming months. As stated earlier, a list of UEB signs will be placed at the beginning of each braille volume. Judy Dixon says there are currently about 40 to 50 books now available from NLS that have been produced in UEB, and they can be located by entering the words “Unified English Braille” into the search field under the “subject heading” category of the BARD website. Along with the many resources available on the BANA website, it is possible to obtain a braille copy of the BANA UEB Reader by sending an e-mail to Kim Charlson, kim.charlson@perkins.org. UEB has been available when using braille on Apple’s products for quite some time, and all of the current Windows screen readers now support UEB. All of the major notetakers in use today allow for the use of UEB as well. HIMS recently announced that a soon-to-be-released firmware upgrade for its BrailleEdge braille display with limited notetaking capabilities will soon allow that device’s notepad application to support UEB. ** The Bottom Line Regardless of one’s opinion as to how and why the Unified English Braille code has been adopted in the United States, it is most likely here to stay. There will certainly be changes made to the code over time, and the transition from English Braille to UEB will almost certainly have a few hiccups. Many decisions need to be made regarding whether to use the existing Nemeth code or UEB for math and science. That being said, if UEB will provide a richer experience when reading and writing braille, and if the sharing of documents between print and braille can be better facilitated, then the implementation of UEB should be worth the effort. ***** The Things I Do Today, Part 2: Listening from On High by Paul Edwards I was one of the early adopters of satellite radio. I have been a subscriber for a decade now. When I subscribed I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. As I will explain later, technology has somewhat overtaken satellite radio and there are lots of ways to do many of the things that could only be done with Sirius or XM or both! Without becoming too technical, which I don’t have the expertise to do anyway, satellite radio is what it suggests it is. Information is uploaded from the networks to satellites from whence our receivers pick up the signals. Those of you who have satellite TV or who use GPS devices know that reception isn’t as simple as AM or FM radio is! If you live in an apartment that doesn’t have lots of windows that face in different directions, you should try to get a friend who has a portable receiver to bring it over to see if it will work. Truthfully, according to the folks at Sirius and XM, there are powerful antennas that can make the system work, but these usually have to be mounted outside, and that may not be possible for you. I would strongly advise anyone thinking about satellite radio to talk to a local dealer and make sure that you can return the receiver if it doesn't work. Even if it doesn’t, you can still use “satellite” radio through the Internet. You can go to siriusxm.com and explore what’s there. There are subscription rates for just using your computer. Remember, this will mean only your computer. Notetakers don’t work! I have two receivers. One is a large one that is connected to my main sound system. It was the first one I bought and, though it has some quirks, it is still functioning after a decade. In addition, I bought a portable unit which I used to carry around with me. I don’t do that as much because there are other ways of getting to what I want that I already carry with me. More on that later. A radio is pretty easy to set up, but there are some issues. When you are choosing a receiver, and there are several, there are some things you should expect. None will be fully accessible. That is, I have never found a receiver that lets me do all the things that users who can see can do! Here’s an example! One of the coolest things about these radios is that they put information onto a screen that tells you what the score is in the game you are tuned to or the name of the song and the artist when it comes to music. Don’t expect to be able to access either thing. Some receivers are flat out not accessible. You will need to check around with friends who have current models. Mine are too old to provide much help. Sometimes people at the satellite radio headquarters will know something. There are also specialty stores online that you can look up. They may also be able to help you. It is best, however, in my opinion, to go to a local dealer and ask to see a couple of models. My portable looks like it would be entirely inaccessible but isn’t. Spend some time asking how channels are changed. Many receivers also allow you to store your own music or make recordings from the radio. I have not found either activity possible to use on any of the 10 or 12 receivers with which I have played. So you are settling for a device that will probably only work as a radio. Because this is all that is likely to be available for you, the range of receivers that will work is pretty large. Virtually all receivers come with a remote control. If you point the control at the radio, it can change channels. Ideally, you want to be able to change channels from the receiver as well, and I would make that a requirement. Remotes are small and delicate. It would be sad to spend money for a receiver and be locked out because the remote is lost or broken. Don’t just look at the pure portables! Some car receivers come with home packs and are more accessible than the pure portables. One of the reasons this is true is that they expect to have an antenna attached. Portables have theirs built in, and they are not usually as effective as a separate satellite antenna. Virtually all receivers, even portables, come with a “home” pack which includes an antenna, a power supply and, usually, a cable to connect to an amplification system. In the old days, getting up and running was a little harder than it is now. If you got your receiver from a dealer, have them register it with the satellite provider. If they won’t do this, be sure to get the full serial number of your unit. It is usually eight digits, with some letters and some numbers. If your radio is registered, Sirius XM will already have your serial number on file. Usually, though, it is wise to know your serial number and to keep it written down where you can access it. When you get your receiver, you can’t just go home and install it and turn it on. Assuming you have done everything right, you may get a channel or two, but that’s all you will get until you take the next step, which is to subscribe to the service. There is a cost per month to use satellite radio, which will generally be at least $12. There are sometimes promotions; you should try to get whatever deals are going when you call. The number I use which will work for both is 1-800-967-2346 or 200-xm-radio. Once you have agreed to a subscription plan, it’s time to activate your radio. Now that simply means turning it on and leaving it alone for 20 minutes. Assuming you had a signal before, all the channels to which you subscribed should work after the waiting period. Sirius XM makes changes in its local repeater network, so it’s a good idea to call every couple of months and “refresh” your radio. By the way, only the Internet version of satellite radio can be accessed in Alaska, Hawaii or any other location outside the continental North American area. I have used mine in many parts of the United States and Canada, but there are places where it does not seem to work as well as it does elsewhere. So we have finally reached the point where we can talk about what you get once you’re subscribed. That depends on whether you subscribe to Sirius or XM. Even though the companies have now merged, they have not amalgamated their services. There are two levels of service, though it is a little more complicated than that when you are going through the process. There is regular service and premium service. I subscribe to premium service with XM because, without it, I could not access NFL games. Sirius customers may subscribe to premium service because they want to get access to Major League Baseball that was a part of the XM basic package but was not for Sirius. There are fewer differences now than there used to be and I, as one customer, think that they only retain separation so they can continue to charge for premium service. That is only my opinion. With regular service, you get a large variety of categories of channel. These include pop, rock, jazz, country, news, sports, kids and others. There are probably 70 stereo music channels and another 15 or 20 that are in mono. Many of the channels have no commercials and some have no talking at all except for channel identification. In order to make it possible to get all these channels down to your receiver from the satellite, signals are compressed. This means that, while the fidelity is pretty good, it is certainly not up to digital radio standards and is probably pretty comparable to regular FM quality. (Some would argue that is not even quite that good.) It is very listenable and, should you be interested in a relatively simple approach to a wide variety of content, satellite radio may be for you! All political spectra are covered in the news and talk area and there are three public radio stations. In addition, there is the BBC World Service from Great Britain, the talk channel of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a number of financial channels, Doctor Radio and a wide range of other talk elements. Sports is one of the major strengths of satellite radio. Though you should check what you win or lose with premium, you can expect to have lots of choices for a variety of sports. There is golf radio, soccer radio and channels devoted to talk shows on baseball and football. There are large numbers of live sports events. With NASCAR, for instance, you can listen to radios as well as follow the race. There are usually a number of channels that pick out drivers whose radios will be monitored. Satellite radio is easy to use. If you have a remote and memorize the channel numbers you like, you are good to go. I have talked about the inaccessibility of some of the features of the radios. The web pages are no picnic either. I think that it is past time for us to have lost patience with Sirius and XM. Not only do their web pages leave a lot to be desired, their apps for phones do not work effectively either. There used to be a third-party app which was quite accessible, but it does not seem to work as well as it did, and Sirius XM’s app has lots of inaccessible features. The Internet version of Sirius XM has lots more channels so, should you choose to use it, you can get more variety. There are lots more Latin music channels. My dearly beloved “folk” channel is still there, though it was removed from the radio channel list. Things have stayed pretty static. There are special concerts and town hall meetings with celebrities which are fun to access. Many blind subscribers have left because there are other ways to get to most of the information they want. Some are also disappointed that no accessible receiver or app or web site has materialized despite the fact that many people have communicated the problems to management. Some of us actually suggested to XM that they consider carrying ACB Radio as a public service, but they did not respond. I think a lot of their business comes from cars now, and I am not sure they see people who are blind as customers worth paying much attention to at this point. Are they living on borrowed time? It’s hard to say! As mobile Internet access becomes cheaper and more wi-fi and Bluetooth become standard in cars, their viability may be threatened. I have gotten a lot of pleasure out of my XM radio, and many others have too. Even though At Bat allows me to access baseball on my iPhone, I use the XM for a lot of play-by-play which I could probably get some other way but find easier to use XM to get. With really bad weather, there will very occasionally be a degradation of signal but, unlike satellite TV, radio survives well. Figures suggest that there are more than 20 million subscribers in North America, but it is hard to know just how much penetration that represents. At the very least, I would suggest that, if satellite radio looks like a good option to you, it will be around for at least a decade. Fasten your seat belts! Next article we will look at Internet radio! ***** Sharing Tools for Affiliate/Chapter Leaders compiled by Ardis Bazyn January’s membership focus call on sharing tools for affiliate leaders yielded many good tips. Several affiliates gave us some good examples of what tools to share and how to make them available to all current or potential leaders. The following tips should help you keep your organization moving forward in a positive way. Important documents and information to share: • Meeting agendas • Approved minutes • Treasurer’s reports • Board expectations • Updated board of directors contact list • New non-profit changes • IRS non-profit letter • Incorporation papers and registered agent contact information • Affiliate web site and social media passwords (Evite, EventBrite, etc.) • Expense forms for reimbursement • Latest affiliate constitution • Robert’s Rules • Officers’ manuals • Website links to state and national Affiliates leaders had numerous suggestions for sharing this relevant information. Some place all the information on flash drives and disseminate them to new leaders. Others have archives of documents on their web sites (hidden links for board members only). Dropbox is another solution which works well. Others sent attachments to the board in e-mail or in hard copy. It is very important to have a board e-mail list to keep all members up to date on the latest happenings. Those without a computer can use voice on the go e-mail programs on their phone. It is also important to train all board members. The options are listed below: • In-person seminar for chapter presidents and board of directors • Leadership training immediately before convention • Phone leadership training for officers • Convention member and first-timer orientation • Financial workshop – budgeting and record-keeping • Presidents’ luncheon or dinner for chapter officers • Phone system with box explaining how to find leadership materials • Mentoring plan for newer board members Participants had some additional thoughts to share. When inviting someone to serve as vice president, it is a way for the chapter to see if he/she would make a good president, not necessarily the next president. It is better to have continuity in a board, such as keeping half of the board, so the organization moves smoothly. Members need to know how your scholarship and first-timers programs work. It is best to have winners attend your convention. A stipend for students or returning students would be valuable but would generate more lasting results if it were a merit award — someone involved in chapter or committee work. Maintain contact with students who win scholarships or first-timer awards to keep them involved. Engage blind students as children if possible. Have someone attend regional AER conferences to meet teachers of the visually impaired and O & M teachers. When recruiting new board members, have an interview process. Accessible World held a Tek Talk session featuring John and Larry Gassman having a discussion and demonstration on Dropbox. It has been posted to the Tek Talk Archives and can be found on the front page of http://accessibleworld.org/ under Recent Content. The link to the full description of the archive is below: http://accessibleworld.org/content/tek-talk-features-john-and-larry-gassman-discussion-and-demonstration-drop-box-0. To download the file, go to http://accessibleworld.org/sites/default/files/tt-03-09-15-john-and-larry-gassman-all-about-dropbox.mp3. This is a discussion and demonstration of Dropbox, a file-sharing program. They examine Dropbox and pay particular attention to downloading, set-up, and creating folders, sharing folders, and public links. They have used Dropbox for home, work and radio broadcasts to move files. Learn and explore the many uses of Dropbox. To reach presenters Larry Gassman and John Gassman, send an e-mail to larrygassman@roadrunner.com. Our next focus call will be held on April 25; it will focus on mentoring peers on sight loss. To participate, dial (712) 775-7000 and use passcode 640009. For more information, contact Ardis Bazyn via e-mail, abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. ***** In Memoriam: Dorothy “Dot” Taylor, 1925-2015 by Carol Francisco Dot Taylor was probably the most popular member of the Tennessee Council of the Blind due to her many years of attending national conventions and the assistance she cheerfully provided to so many of us. I met Dot in 1972, when she was the manager of a bowling alley. She originally worked with deaf bowlers, wheelchair bowlers, and then became involved with our blind bowling league as our coach. She kept all of our statistics and drove our team to tournaments in other states. Dot was always an energetic, athletic woman. She participated in the Senior Olympics on the city, state, and national levels for many years. She excelled in several sports, including table tennis, discus throw and shot put. For many years she participated in three bowling leagues a week, and I’m sure she received many trophies. Dot began attending our state conventions in the early ‘80s and provided transportation for the Memphis chapter. She always assisted my first husband, B.H. Newman, with the auction. She would describe items and pass them to us so we could examine them. As our state treasurer, she kept track of the items and made sure we paid for them. After B.H.’s death she often served as an auctioneer. Dot was also our parliamentarian for many years. She received the Ann Kienzle Award at one of our state conventions in recognition of all of the things she did for us. Another of her activities was the Memphis Rescue Squad. This group performed basic first aid and handed out water at large public events. The busiest one occurs every August at Graceland. Dot always referred to it as “Dead Elvis Week.” After her husband’s death in the late ‘80s, Dot became more involved with us. From then until her death, she was an active volunteer, taking members grocery shopping, to the mall or to the doctor. She would visit anyone who was in the hospital. She was always encouraging and supportive and would tell us that we could do anything except read print and drive. When computers became available, she said all that was left was driving. I wonder what she thought of self-driving cars. Dot attended her first national convention in Greensboro, N.C., in 1995. She attended all but one convention from that time until her death. Dot was so well regarded that a collection was taken nationally to purchase a life membership for her, and more money was raised than was actually needed. Everyone loved Dot for her tireless assistance, always offered with warmth and kindness. In the last several years, Dot had to use a scooter, but it didn’t slow her down much. Dot’s train was often seen with someone holding onto the scooter and several more people following along behind them. At the convention in Dallas last year she celebrated her 90th birthday at the banquet, where she received the James R. Olsen Distinguished Service Award and a standing ovation. This is one of the most prestigious awards given by ACB and is not always given each year. That’s the only time I’ve seen her speechless. Dot passed away in December after a brief illness. She is survived by her daughter, Patricia McSwain of Memphis, and her son, Adrain Taylor of Georgia, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She will be missed by hundreds of ACB friends. If you would like to make a donation to the Memphis chapter in memory of Dot, please send it to Penny Verity, 875 S. Yates Rd. Apt. 3, Memphis, TN 38120-2833. ***** Affiliate News ** AAVL Seeks New Members Are you experiencing vision loss, or do you have a family member or friend who is? The Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss (AAVL) offers peer support and informative program presentations at ACB’s annual convention, and we are working to resume publication of our newsletter in order to broaden and extend our reach. Join the organization and learn more. Annual dues, payable to AAVL, are only $15. To join, send your dues to AAVL Treasurer, 4130 Forest Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45212. Be sure to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address, along with your format preference for “The ACB Braille Forum” (e-mail, large print, braille, cassette or data CD). ** Teachers Establish Scholarship in Memory of Marcia Dresser The American Association of Blind Teachers (AABT) has created a scholarship in memory of Marcia Dresser, long-time active member and former president of the American Association of Blind Teachers. A generous contribution from a current AABT member has made it possible to award the scholarship for the first time this July at the ACB national convention. The scholarship will be presented to an undergraduate or graduate student who is visually impaired and studying for a career in teaching. We would like to continue this scholarship in the future, but we’ll need your help. Each year we will need a minimum of $1,200 in order for the scholarship to be viable. If we can collect a sufficient number of contributions from AABT members, we can then use those funds to create a matching program when soliciting gifts from the larger ACB membership. That is, we would like to be able to advertise that, for example, AABT will match the first $500 of contributions to the scholarship. We hope to begin publicizing the scholarship in the late summer, shortly after the awarding of the initial scholarship, but we wanted to alert “Forum” readers in advance about our plans. Your participation is critical to this effort. By contributing, you not only honor Marcia’s memory but help a visually impaired student on the road to entering our profession. Checks may be made payable to AABT and sent to John Buckley, 1025 Ree Way, Knoxville, TN 37909. ** CCLVI to Award 3 Video Magnifiers The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) announces the Dr. Sam Genensky Video Magnifier Memorial Awards. A total of 3 video magnifiers will be awarded to children and adults. To read the award guidelines and complete an online application, go to www.cclvi.org/dr-samuel-genensky. Applications may be submitted through April 20, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. We look forward to receiving your application materials! ***** American Foundation for the Blind Board Names Kirk Adams as Its Next President and CEO The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Board of Trustees named Kirk Adams, currently the president and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., as its next president and CEO after a nationwide search. Adams will succeed longtime president and CEO Carl R. Augusto, who is retiring after 25 years of distinguished service. Adams will begin his new position in May 2016. “Kirk’s exceptional leadership record, non-profit executive experience, keen understanding of the blindness field and deep commitment to improving the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired made him the clear choice. We are thrilled to have him as AFB’s next leader,” said Larry B. Kimbler, chair of the AFB Board of Trustees. Adams is being hired as the organization approaches its 100th year in operation. Since 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind has been breaking down barriers and expanding possibilities for millions of people with vision loss. “AFB’s commitment to making the world a more equitable, inclusive place for people with vision loss aligns directly with my personal passion. I am honored to be selected as the American Foundation for the Blind’s next president and CEO, and I look forward to working with the staff and board to build on AFB’s magnificent history and to shepherd this great organization into its centennial and beyond,” said Adams. Since 2008, Adams has served as president and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., which provides independence and self-sufficiency through employment for people who are blind. Under Adams’ management, the Lighthouse has expanded to 11 different locations across the nation, increasing both revenue and the number of its employees, many of whom are blind, deaf-blind, or blind with other disabilities. “As a board, we’ve been very pleased with Kirk’s leadership, and though we will miss having him at the Lighthouse, we’re excited to see the wonderful things he will accomplish in this new role at AFB,” said Harry Egler, chair of the board of trustees at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. Prior to his role at the Lighthouse, Adams was general manager of administration and director of public relations and resource development at the Lighthouse. Active in his community, Adams is a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Disability Employment and the Seattle Public Library’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee. He serves on the boards of the Aerospace Futures Alliance and the Association of Washington Business, and until his appointment as CEO of AFB, he served on the AFB Board of Trustees. He is also the former treasurer and member of the board of the National Association for the Employment of People Who are Blind. “Kirk is a brilliant strategist; I’ve long admired his leadership at the Lighthouse and within the blindness field,” said Carl R. Augusto, AFB’s retiring president and CEO. “As an AFB trustee, he is already a great champion of our organization and the 20 million Americans with vision loss that we serve, and I have no doubt that he will accomplish great things in this new role.” Adams graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. He earned his master’s degree in not-for-profit leadership at Seattle University in Washington, and is working toward his doctorate in leadership and change at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Adams will be the sixth chief executive of the American Foundation for the Blind. ***** Here and There edited by Sharon Strzalkowski 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. ** Illinois School Reunion The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired Alumni Association’s biannual reunion will be held June 2-3 at the Hilton Garden Hotel, 3100 S. Dirksen Pkwy., Springfield, IL 62703. Room rates are $89 plus tax per night. To make hotel reservations, call (217) 529-7171 or visit www.Isvialumni.org . Be sure to use the code ISVI. Breakfast will be provided in the meeting room Friday morning. You will be responsible for all other meals and your hotel room. There is an in-house restaurant as well as room service. All meetings and entertainment will be held in the function room off the lobby. There will be a reception from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 2nd. A memorial service and business meeting are scheduled for Friday morning. Friday afternoon’s schedule includes the auction, talent show, and ISVI history in review; the evening boasts a banquet, Bingo and a dance. Door prizes will be given away during each meeting and activity. Don’t forget to bring your new, gently used, or homemade items for the auction. The fund-raising committee requests new or gently used items worth at least $15. If you wish to send your auction items ahead of time, Larry Turnbull has agreed to accept the packages. Send to: Larry Turnbull, 205 S. Durkin Dr. Apt. 1, Springfield, IL 62704. If you have any questions, contact Dan Thompson, (217) 473-4434 or (217) 243-6781, or e-mail dthompson5@mchsi.com. If you have resolutions or amendments to the constitution, visit with the committees from 8 to 8:30 p.m. in the function room. Anyone needing special equipment or assistance must provide their own. The ISVI Alumni Association cannot be responsible for providing these services. The hotel staff will hand out a schedule of events at the check-in desk. If you would like the schedule of events or any information sent to you via e-mail, contact Dan at the phone or e-mail address above. ** Two New Courses at Hadley The Hadley School for the Blind now has two new braille courses available. UEB Braille Literacy 3: Uncontracted Braille is designed to increase your ability to read and write braille. The course covers the braille alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and some special signs. Directions for using the braille writer as well as the slate and stylus are included. In order to take this class, you must have taken “Braille Literacy 1: Tactile Readiness” and “Braille Literacy 2: Learning the Braille Alphabet,” or be able to read all letters of the braille alphabet by touch. You’ll find it listed as course EBR-923. This course is designed solely for Hadley students who are blind. UEB Contracted Braille will enable you to assist your family member or client who is blind. You must have completed the “Introduction to Braille” within six months prior to enrollment with a grade of B or higher OR adequate competency as determined by Hadley’s “Uncontracted Braille Assessment.” The course IDs are CBR-213 and CBR-223. This course is designed for sighted students in the Family or HSPS (blindness professionals) programs. Hadley also has an Uncontracted Braille Assessment available. If you have learned uncontracted braille, or have had more than six months since completing the “Introduction to Braille” or “Introduction to Braille, UEB Edition” courses, this assessment will tell you whether you’re ready for the next course level. Its ID is UBA-010, and it is available in large print and online. This assessment is designed for sighted students in the Family or HSPS programs. For the most up-to-date course information, call Hadley toll-free at 1-800-323-4238. ** HumanWare, Enabling Form Partnership HumanWare has formed a new partnership with Enabling Technologies. As of Jan. 1, HumanWare is the exclusive North American distributor for all Enabling Technologies products. With this partnership, HumanWare offers braille embossers to complement its refreshable braille product lines. Enabling Technologies is a recognized leader in braille embossers. The company is best known for its Romeo and Juliet embossers, as well as production embossers such as the BookMaker, Braille Express 150 and the Braille Place. Its product line has recently been updated with new models, including the Cyclone (a new single-sided embosser), the Trident (a new double-sided embosser), and the Phoenix, a multi-function braille and tactile graphics system. HumanWare’s product offerings include the BrailleNote® Apex; Victor Reader®; the Prodigi® family of desktop and portable vision and reading systems, and Trekker® Breeze, the all-in-one handheld talking GPS. For more information about the Enabling Technologies line of braille printers, or any other HumanWare products, please contact HumanWare at info@humanware.com or 1-800-722-3393. ** Adjustable Detection Range for Sonar Glasses SONAR GLASSES are now available with an adjustable detection range. You can change the detection range of the glasses between 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet. For example, when you are in a large open area, or if you are a fast walker, you could use the 9-foot range. For most everyday outdoor situations, you could use the 6-foot range. And for indoor use, or in crowded outdoor situations, you could use the 3-foot range. The glasses complement the white cane by providing information regarding the location of nearby objects above waist level within 3 to 9 feet of the user (such as tree limbs, signs, walls, vehicles, people, etc.). They are available in clear or dark lenses. The lenses have 100% UV protection. Prescription lenses and photo-sensitive lenses are also available. The glasses come with a battery charger and two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (which last 7 to 9 hours on a full charge). The glasses are made in the USA, and come with an unconditional 1-year warranty and satisfaction guarantee. For more information, contact Jeff Shad, G-Technology Group, at (571) 297-4756; e-mail jshad@g-technologygroup.com; or visit www.g-disabilityproducts.com. ** TIPTOE Winners The Ramah Camping Movement and the Ruderman Family Foundation recently announced the winners of “TIPTOE (The Inclusion Project: Through Our Eyes),” an inclusion-themed video contest for participants from all Jewish camps. You may view the winning videos at http://bit.ly/1mcDnYf. Camper winners are: first place, Matthew Warshay (Providence, R.I.); second place, Shafer Gootkind (New York, N.Y.). Staff member winners are: first place, Jennifer Kreinik (Scarsdale, NY); and second place, Jonah Goldman Kay (Orlando, Fla.) and Itai Zwecker (Tel Aviv, Israel). ** New from National Braille Press “Super Fly Guy” by Tedd Arnold is now available from National Braille Press. It’s a print-braille book in contracted UEB with skipped lines, and is for kids ages 4 to 9. A young boy named Buzz has a pet fly, named Fly Guy. One day Fly Guy accompanies Buzz to school and meets the lunch lady, Roz, who gives him a treat for saying her name. But when Roz gets fired, the Fly Guy works to get her reinstated. “Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time” by James Howe is available in contracted UEB for ages 4 to 9. Houndsley is a dog; Catina is a cat. The first snow of winter has fallen, which makes Houndsley happy – he loves the quiet time. Catina does not. The friends use their imaginations to enjoy a day of reading and writing poetry, games, and shared dreams. Houndsley helps Catina let go of her worries and enjoy the snowy day. Also available is “50 Scrumptious Recipes from Cooking.com,” in braille or as a braille-ready file. There are recipes for Blueberry and Lemon French Toast Casserole, Broiled Shrimp and Avocado “Cocktails,” Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges, One-Pot Pasta Caprese, Fresh Corn Chowder, and Simply Chocolate Cake – and many more! For more information, visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html; call 1-800-548-7323, or write to National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302. ** Update from Seedlings Great news! Seedlings has expanded its Book Angel Program for 2016. Now every blind or visually impaired child (ages 0-21) in the U.S. and Canada may get 3 free books from Seedlings Braille Books for Children. To register your child, go to http://goo.gl/0LebRT. ** Applebutter Hill Now Available on Audio Learning Ally recently released a VOICEtext version of “The Heart of Applebutter Hill” by Donna W. Hill. Digital text is synchronized with the audio, enabling readers with dyslexia and other learning disabilities to follow the print as they listen. Studies show that this method improves confidence, comprehension and test scores. “The Heart of Applebutter Hill” features two 14-year-old friends — including Abigail, a shy songwriter who is losing her sight and uses a guide dog. They uncover a dangerous secret. To learn more about “The Heart of Applebutter Hill,” visit www.learningally.org/BookDetails.aspx?BookID=KV589. This book is also available in refreshable braille and DAISY text through Bookshare; visit http://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/639304. ** Little Big Headache Book At long last, the migraine book is available! It’s called “The Little Big Headache Book, A Fellow Sufferer’s Home Remedy Guide” by Ojocion Ingram. You can download it for free from www.livinganyway.com/wp/the-little-big-headache-book-2. ** Enjoy Playing Games? Do you enjoy playing board games with friends, but find you can’t always join in the fun because the game board and cards aren’t accessible? Now there’s a solution! 64oz Games has made braille accessibility kits for board games. If you are a fan of Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity, and other such games, visit www.64ouncegames.com and check out the collection. Do you need an accessibility kit for a specific game? Visit www.64ouncegames.com/blog/braille-add-ons/accessibility-kit/. ** bTizzy Products made by People with Disabilities bTizzy is a one-stop shop for all things disability. And it’s in the process of starting a new program where members receive a variety of products created by the disability community. All products are made by bTizzy’s talented artisans with disabilities. Subscribers can select to receive the box in 30- or 60-day intervals. Check it out online at www.btizzy.com/products/pwdmedley-club . You can also learn the stories of some of our artisans at www.btizzy.com/collections/pwdmedley-artisans. ** Certified Brailler Service Leonard Kokel’s Certified Brailler Service can provide general service, minor and major repairs on your Perkins braillers. He also has reconditioned Perkins braillers for sale. For information, contact Leonard at (541) 888-0846 or e-mail certifiedbraillerservice@gmail.com. ** Another Duck Dynasty While visual art and vision loss may not seem like an equitable match, folk artist and author Dan Sullivan is proving otherwise. As the creator of Boonducks, his wooden duck decoys are being showcased at art shows and exhibits around the country. His story and award-winning artwork were recently portrayed in a PBS film and also featured by the National Endowment for the Arts in their 50th anniversary celebration. By visiting www.wisconsinlife.org/tags/boonducks and clicking on the duck photo, you can experience his Quacker Jacks, Wingdings, and other character ducks. Under the pen name of D.S. Sully, Sullivan’s story of dashing and crashing through adversity is chronicled in an inspirational memoir titled “Glimpse.” His most recent book “Bum Wing” has been converted to a screenplay. Sullivan’s workshop, known as the Woodwings Studio, is located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. You can reach him via e-mail, celticdan@frontier.com. ** New Podcast Shows Hunter Parker has created a new podcast, called “The Hunter Show.” It contains the latest news headlines, as well as a sports segment, a weekly Bible verse, and a prayer at the end of the show. To tune in, visit http://thehuntershow.gbj4.us. On the site, you can sign up for telephone and/or text alerts on when new shows are posted. There’s also a form where you can submit a prayer request, which may be read on the show, as well as a comment line, where you can leave feedback about the show. The show is usually posted every Sunday. For more information, contact Hunter via e-mail, hunterparker72@gmail.com. Hunter also has another show, called “Hunter’s Random Show.” It features a wide variety of content, from interviews to recipes, to pretty much anything in between. Check it out at http://hrshow.gbj4.us. ** New Radio Station There’s a new radio station online, WJSH Radio, and it features a wide variety of content, from music, to news, to technology. During the week - except for Thursdays - we feature a nightly newscast which is produced by the BBC, which we air with their permission. It also features some podcasts such as “Security Now” and “This American Life.” There are a couple of live shows, and we try to run music when no programming is scheduled. We are always looking for new broadcasters and new listeners. To listen in, visit http://wjshradio.gbj4.us. You will be able to tune in with your default media player (please note that Windows Media Player will not work; it doesn’t support our stream). You can also tune in using your mobile device. There is a schedule of all the programs on the station available on the site, as well as a broadcaster application, a form where you can send requests to our DJs, and more. We also have a listeners’ mailing list, where you can keep up to date on the latest news about the station. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: BrailleNote Apex with the latest software. Asking $1,500 or best offer. Call or text Kristy at (504) 906-5765 or e-mail kroche1812@gmail.com. ** For Sale: Topaz 2 CCTV in excellent condition. Contact Crystal Wright via e-mail, wrightmum@gmail.com. ** For Sale: Braille Blazer for $300 plus shipping. Will ship COD. Contact Barb Mattson at barbieann519@charter.net. ** For Sale: Focus 40 braille display. Just over a year old; has 11 months remaining on factory warranty. Asking $1,500. Call Ann Black at (301) 309-6180 using TTY/relay service for more information. ** For Sale: Thousands of old-time radio shows on MP3 CDs. Must have an MP3 player to play them on. Shows include “Abbott and Costello” (two CDs), “Academy Award Theater” (one CD), “Address Unknown” (one CD), “Adventures by Morse” (one CD), “Alan Young Shows” (one CD), “The Aldrich Family” (two CDs), “American Adventure” (one CD), “American Portraits” (one CD), “Amos and Andy Shows” (3 CDs), and many more. Contact Vito Muraglia at (732) 600-1036 for more information. ** For Sale: BrailleNote mPower 32-cell notetaker. Asking $500 (includes shipping). Contact Victor at (917) 559-3800 or via e-mail, andrews17@verizon.net. ** For Sale: Recently serviced Perkins Braille Writer. Asking $350. Contact Margie at Margie.donovan1@outlook.com, or via telephone, (916) 293-9505. ** For Sale: Freedom Scientific SARA CE scanner. Rarely used. Simple to use; no technical experience needed. Scans and reads documents of any size. Human-like reading voices. Has several languages. Comes with headphones, user’s manual, cables and original box. Asking $1,500 or best offer. Contact Marilyn at (435) 632-0677. ** Wanted: Voice-activated recorder. Contact Tonya Smith in braille at 1632 Paree St., Newport, MI 48166, or via e-mail, tssmith@internetspeech.com, or phone (734) 625-4570. ** Wanted: Parrot VoiceMate. Willing to pay premium price. Please call Ray at (269) 429-8676. ***** ACB Officers ** President Kim Charlson (2nd term, 2017) 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** First Vice President Jeff Thom (2nd term, 2017) 7414 Mooncrest Way Sacramento, CA 95831-4046 ** Second Vice President John McCann (1st term, 2017) 8761 E. Placita Bolivar Tucson, AZ 85715-5650 ** Secretary Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2017) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Treasurer Carla Ruschival (3rd term, 2017) 148 Vernon Ave. Louisville, KY 40206 ** Immediate Past President Mitch Pomerantz 1115 Cordova St. #402 Pasadena, CA 91106 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (partial term, 2016) Berl Colley, Lacey, WA (final term, 2016) Sara Conrad, Stevensville, MI (1st term, 2016) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2018) Michael Garrett, Missouri City, TX (final term, 2016) George Holliday, Philadelphia, PA (final term, 2018) Allan Peterson, Horace, ND (final term, 2018) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2018) Dan Spoone, Orlando, FL (1st term, 2016) David Trott, Talladega, AL (1st term, 2018) Ex Officio: Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA ** ACB Board of Publications Denise Colley, Chairman, Lacey, WA (2nd term, 2017) Ron Brooks, Phoenix, AZ (2nd term, 2017) Tom Mitchell, Salt Lake City, UT (1st term, 2016) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2016) Judy Wilkinson, San Leandro, CA (1st term, 2016) Ex Officios: Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH Bob Hachey, Waltham, MA Berl Colley, Lacey, WA Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY ***** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by e-mail, 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 e-mail version, visit the ACB e-mail lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, data CD, and via e-mail. 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/.