The ACB E-Forum Volume LVIII April 2020 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. © 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 President’s Message: Traveling with Pets in Stormy Weather, by Dan Spoone ACB’s Winter Board Meeting: Breaking New Ground, by Deb Cook Lewis Make Your Plans Now to Attend This Year’s Convention, by Janet Dickelman Professional Development at Convention, by Carla Ruschival Give Honor Where Honor Is Due, by Kenneth Semien Sr. Get Up-To-Date Information in Schaumburg Your Vote Counts, by Deb Cook Lewis Calling All DKM First-Timer Partners, by Kenneth Semien Sr. Spring Has Sprung at the Mini Mall, by Carla Ruschival The Day It Snowed in Seattle, by Deb Cook Lewis ADA Paratransit Eligibility Form Now Fully Accessible in Tucson, by Chris Desborough Career Launch @ Perkins: Putting Young Adults on the Path to Professional Success Another View: Do We Value Heroes or Role Models?, by Larry P. Johnson Passings Here and There, edited by Cynthia Hawkins 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 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. * Keep up with the haps when affiliates stream conventions at www.acbradio.org/news. * ACB Radio Mainstream has blindness-related news you can use at www.acbradio.org/mainstream. ***** President’s Message: Traveling with Pets in Stormy Weather by Dan Spoone The theme for this month’s E-Forum is weather, and what could be more appropriate for someone living here in the Sunshine State? We have our share of weather events in Florida, but none are more life-altering than the threat of an incoming hurricane. The first decision a resident of Florida must make is whether to stay at home, move to a local shelter or hightail it out of the state to safer ground. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd was bearing down on the east coast of Florida, and the weather experts did not know if it was going to continue across the middle of the state to Orlando or head up the east coast. Floyd was a major category 4 storm, with hurricane winds stretching out for over 150 miles. So, my family decided for the first time ever to get in the car and head north. We had my parents in the front seat, and Leslie, me and our dog Otis in the back seat. Otis was not a guide dog. He was a 55-pound mutt with a short white base hair, floppy ears, a thicker brown mane down his back, with light and dark brown spots and a small goatee hanging from his chin. Otis was a mix between shepherd and terrier with something else thrown in. He had a really loud bark and he looked fairly menacing, but he was really gentle. Several times children in the neighborhood would ask me if they could pet my large goat. The Spoone family headed up Interstate 75 toward Gainesville, and the traffic kept getting thicker with every mile. We decided to head west in Lake City and took Interstate 10 towards Tallahassee. We planned to spend the night in the state’s capital before heading home to Orlando. Unfortunately, all the hotel rooms in Tallahassee were sold out, so we kept on going to Pensacola. Twelve hours later, we arrived at a small motel on the outskirts of Pensacola. The motel only accepted small dogs and cats, but we were exhausted and quickly reasoned that Otis could be considered a small dog next to a Great Dane. We kept Otis quiet and snuck into the hotel room for a good night’s sleep. The next morning our next-door neighbors walked by with their cat at 5:00 in the morning and Otis went crazy. Five minutes later, the hotel room phone rang, and we were asked to immediately leave the premises. Fortunately, Hurricane Floyd had decided to head up the east coast and Orlando was no longer in danger. We packed everyone back into the Jeep Grand Cherokee and started the 10-hour trip back home. My parents stopped around Lake City on the way back home for some lunch at Wendy’s, which gave Leslie and I a chance to walk Otis and stretch our legs. Mom and Dad would take a break and eat inside, and Leslie and I would wait outside in the car with Otis. So, I pulled out my white cane and headed around the parking lot so Otis could have access to some grass and bushes. Once we had a nice walk, we returned to the car and I suggested that Leslie and I sit in the front seat, where Otis would not bother us while we were eating our lunch. Just as I was folding up my cane, putting Otis in the back seat and opening the front door to get behind the steering wheel to eat our lunch, a family of four pulled up in the parking spot next to us. As the lady got out of their car, she remarked, “This is unbelievable! Everyone is evacuating for this hurricane no matter their limitations. How are they driving that car?” Leslie and I were laughing so hard we could hardly eat our lunch. Five years later, in 2004, Hurricane Charley was headed up the west coast of Florida as a category 5 storm. What should we do? After our experience with Hurricane Floyd, we decided to stay home and not make our escape. Of course, Charley made a sharp turn to the east and ended up directly over our house in the middle of the night with 100 mile per hour winds. The key to riding out a hurricane in your home is to have a safe place with no windows or direct outside walls. So we stayed in our hallway with a mattress over Leslie, Otis and me. The garage door started buckling with the force of the wind. Rain was pelting the roof and walls. We could hear falling trees and the howling wind. The battery-powered radio let us know that the hurricane eye was directly over our house. In the dark with Leslie, Otis and I holding on to each other, Otis could not take it anymore. He proceeded to relieve himself all over us as we huddled together under the mattress. We all survived Hurricane Charley with three fallen oak trees, a damaged roof, a leaky ceiling and no power or water for 10 days. On the bright side, we had lots of barbecue cookouts with our neighbors, several kind folks from my work put a big blue tarp on our roof, and the community came together in a wonderful way. It was scary and somehow uplifting at the same time. So, the next time you see that a hurricane is headed for Florida, think of all your ACB friends in the Sunshine State. Will they stay or will they go? It is hard to know the right answer. Stay dry and enjoy the April showers. ***** ACB’s Winter Board Meeting: Breaking New Ground by Deb Cook Lewis The Feb. 22nd in-person meeting of ACB’s Board of Directors gave those in attendance – and those listening to ACB Radio – an exciting “first”: the meeting was streamed live over the radio for the first time ever. I think this is profoundly important for our membership, and an indicator of the openness of ACB’s leadership to share what they are doing with all of us. I hope that all future board meetings will be streamed in the spirit of open communication and information. There were 32 guests present and 57 listening on ACB Radio during the in-person meeting. Both meetings began with the usual introductions and approval of minutes. No minutes were approved during the January call because members felt they had not been given adequate time to review them prior to the meeting. The October 18-19 (fall), November 11 and 18 (budget) and January 23 (telephonic) minutes were all approved with corrections at the February meeting. A usual feature of all board meetings is the Mission Moment, where president Dan Spoone and executive director Eric Bridges highlight an activity that exemplifies the work of ACB staff in collaboration with members. January’s Mission Moment featured Nancy Becker’s work with the scholarship committee to streamline the application and review process. All applications will be completed online, and will now also be reviewed online. All applicants will now be interviewed one time even if they qualify for more than one scholarship category. ACB has entered into an agreement with the American Foundation for the Blind to administer the scholarships formerly given by that organization. Nancy has worked with the committee to incorporate most of these into our existing categories, which will increase the value of each scholarship. Finally, as part of this refinement, the scholarship committee presented a revised attendance policy for scholarship winners, raising the attendance expectations of winners at the ACB conference and convention. This was adopted at the in-person board meeting. February’s Mission Moment highlighted the work of Cindy Van Winkle and her volunteer POSSE, who have contacted more than 1,200 lapsed ACB members. POSSE stands for “Providing Outreach through Support, Sharing and Engagement.” Cindy’s other activities in membership services were highlighted throughout the weekend, with more activities to come. In his president’s report, Dan Spoone stated that Kim Charlson and Mitch Pomerantz will represent ACB at the World Blind Union meetings to be held in Madrid during June. Dan will also attend, since this is Mitch’s final meeting on the WBU. Dan reported that all nine ACB steering committees are now up and running with strong leadership from staff and key members. Leslie Spoone asked that all members contribute to the summer auction. Dan described the process that has been conducted to develop and adopt the Code of Conduct policy. After additional discussion, the board unanimously adopted the policy. Dan thanked the ad hoc committee and ACB members who made valuable contributions to the process. The new policy will become part of registration for the annual conference and convention. Second vice president Ray Campbell presented a membership charter for the American Council of the Blind Next Generation affiliate, which was approved. A name change was also approved for Connecticut to become the American Council of the Blind of Connecticut. In his executive director’s report, Eric Bridges introduced Tony Stephens as ACB’s new director of development. Tony is no stranger to ACB, having been the director of advocacy and governmental affairs. Eric and Dan praised the work of Tom Tobin in his role as development consultant, noting that his contributions have resulted in the direct mail campaign, the Giving Societies, the Angel Memorial and so much more. Tom received a standing ovation. He will continue to work alongside Tony for the next few months during the transition. Most of the other staff reports were brief and more fully covered during the presidents’ meeting on Sunday or during the legislative seminar on Monday. Before the break, we were treated to the walk song for 2020 “Walking Up a Storm.” Let’s just say that I’m sure Patsy Cline would be proud! In other reports, Jeff Bishop indicated that ACB Radio is about to release an all-new version of ACB Link, and lots of new programming is coming to ACB Radio. Deb Cook Lewis said that the Board of Publications is working to revitalize and repurpose some of ACB’s email lists. All members will be subscribed to announce, and the focus of other lists will be strengthened. Janet Dickelman indicated that the Hyatt Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. is interested to be the site for the 2023 convention, but no decisions have been made yet. The board meeting was a fabulous kickoff to a great weekend of fun, fellowship and learning together. ***** Make Your Plans Now to Attend This Year’s Convention by Janet Dickelman The 2020 American Council of the Blind conference and convention will be held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill. Convention dates are Friday, July 3rd through Friday, July 10th. The exhibit hall, located in the Exploration ballroom (open Saturday, July 4th through Wednesday, July 8th), will feature the latest and greatest in technology and items for home, work and play! ACB special-interest affiliates and committee programs, seminars and mixers, will be held Saturday, July 4th and run through Wednesday, July 8th. Tech sessions offered by our business partners will begin on Saturday, July 4th. Our opening general session is Saturday evening, July 4th in the Discovery Ballroom. What a great way to celebrate our country’s birthday! Morning sessions Sunday through Wednesday and the all-day Thursday session will feature elections and ACB business. Don’t miss the annual banquet Thursday evening featuring the presentation of ACB awards, the ACB Braille Forum raffle drawing and our keynote speaker (to be announced). ** Start Your Day with Breakfast American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) will host a breakfast Sunday morning, July 5th. National Industries for the Blind will hold a breakfast Tuesday morning. Both breakfasts will feature speakers who will share information about their work. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) offers breakfast on Monday for GDB graduates and others interested in learning about guide dogs. ** Reasonable Accommodations If you plan to attend the convention and need a support service provider or interpreter, please contact Lori Scharff, who will assist in making arrangements. Send her an email with “interpreter for Schaumburg” in the subject line at loris1@optonline.net. Or, if you’d prefer, you can contact Lori via phone, (516) 695-6370. If you need a wheelchair or scooter during the convention, Lang Home Medical is offering ACB weekly rates. Standard wheelchairs, depending on the size, are $45 to $80 per week. Scooters are $125 per week. There will be an additional $15 delivery fee. To reserve your wheelchair or scooter, call (847) 957-7443 and ask for Matt. You will be asked to provide a credit card for payment. You must reserve prior to June 15th. Once you have reserved your wheelchair, please let me know; I’ll be maintaining a master list for delivery purposes. ** Convention Volunteers Sally Benjamin, ACB volunteer coordinator, and the Illinois host committee are working to obtain volunteers to assist convention attendees at the Renaissance and the airports. Here are a few reminders to make things run smoothly for convention attendees and volunteers. Volunteers are happy to help you locate meeting rooms, the exhibit hall, your table in the ballroom, restaurants in the hotel and the elevator bays. Volunteers cannot accompany you to the sleeping room floors or assist you in locating your room. If you need help getting to and from your hotel room, you will need to make arrangements with a friend or family member to assist you. Volunteers or hotel staff cannot administer medications or assist you with other health-care needs. Volunteers and hotel staff can assist you in locating dog relief areas, but they are not expected to take your dog out for you. If you use a wheelchair, ACB convention volunteers may not be physically able to push your chair. Please don’t count on ACB volunteers or hotel staff to be wheelchair pushers. ** Tour Volunteers A limited number of volunteers will accompany each tour. Volunteers will help as much as possible; however, they are not personal guides or personal care attendants. If you need individual assistance, please plan to attend the tour with a friend who can act as your guide, PCA or wheelchair pusher. ** Assistance at the Airport To assist airline personnel and Margarine Beaman and her cadre of airport volunteers, if you would like assistance when you arrive at either O’Hare or Midway, please send Margarine the following information: • Your name • Airport name • The name of the airline you will be arriving on • Your departure city • Arrival flight number • Arrival date and time • Departure airport • Departure airline • Departure date • Departure time • Your cell phone number You can send Margarine an email with “airline information” in the subject line at oleo50@hotmail.com, or call her at (512) 921-1625. ** Ordering Dog Food Scoopmasters will provide and maintain our dog relief areas. If you would like to pre-order dog food to be delivered to your hotel room, call Tim Stone at 1-800-787-7667, or order online at http://scoopmasters.com/acb. Food must be ordered by June 15th to ensure delivery. ** Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled to the brim with information! To subscribe to the list, send a blank email to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2019 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe. ** Hotel Details Room rates at the Renaissance are $94 per night (for up to four people in a room), plus tax, which is currently 15%. For telephone reservations, call 1-800-468-3571. This is a central reservations number, so make sure you let them know you want a reservation at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. Due to limited computer characters, the block is listed as AMERICN COUNCL BLIND. (American is missing the second “A” and Council doesn’t have an “I.”) Rooms must be reserved by June 10, 2020 to guarantee the convention rate. ** 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, contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via email, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Professional Development at Convention by Carla Ruschival You know that professionals in the field of vision can earn continuing education units at the annual ACB conference and convention. But did you know that people who work in many different jobs — even those that don’t require certification or that aren’t blindness-related — may be able to use the conference and convention for professional development? If you use a notetaker, braille display, screen reader, screen magnification software or other technology for your job; if you work at a hospital, library, call center or government office; if you are a TVI, counselor, program assistant, or administrator, you will find presentations, workshops, exhibits and even tours at the 2020 ACB conference and convention that relate to your job. Subjects include employment, technology, music, science, health issues, orientation and mobility, self-advocacy, braille, low vision issues and resources, daily living skills, social skills, and much more. Tell your employer about these opportunities, and ask if comp time might be available if you attend job-related events. Also remember that continuing education units will be available for a wide range of programs, workshops, 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). Programs offering continuing education units will begin on Friday, July 3 and continue through Wednesday, July 8. A list of CEU sessions will be posted on the ACB website in early May. Sign up for continuing education units when you register for the convention. Pre-registration for the conference and convention opens for ACB members on May 21, and for everyone on May 28, and will remain open until June 21. You may also register for continuing education units at the convention. 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. ***** Give Honor Where Honor is Due by Kenneth Semien Sr. You are encouraged to join the former Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee Chair Allen Casey and the current committee as we honor Durward K. McDaniel with an ACB Angel Memorial Tribute during the 59th annual ACB conference and convention in Schaumburg, Illinois. Durward K. McDaniel is named “Father of ACB” due to his strong desire, courage and commitment to create an advocacy organization consisting of individuals who are blind, visually impaired or low vision. His legacy has lived on through leaders such as MJ Schmitt; Otis Stephens; LeRoy Saunders; Marlaina Lieberg, Sue Ammeter and many other leaders throughout the nation who dedicated themselves to carrying the torch forth in an effort to empower future generations. The American Council of the Blind strives to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and to improve quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. Together, we can keep the mission of ACB alive. We encourage you to partner with us to honor Durward as an ACB Angel. Make plans to submit your contribution no later than April 30, 2020. Mail a check or money order made payable to ACB to: American Council of the Blind c/o Nancy Becker 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Ste. 195 Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 Be sure to note in the memo that the gift is for Angel Durward K. McDaniel. If you prefer contributing by credit or debit card, dial (612) 332-3242 and ask for Nancy Becker. Your support is greatly appreciated! ***** Get Up-To-Date Information in Schaumburg Use the Information Desk to stay ahead of the game during the 2020 convention. Some of the things Info Desk workers do: • Answer questions face to face or on the phone; • Distribute hotel orientation information, newspapers, proposals, menus, and other materials; • Take orders for newspaper delivery; • Collect door prizes and auction items; • Take reservations for banquet tables; and • Keep track of lost or found items. We provide materials in braille, large print, and as electronic files; bring a thumb drive or SD card to obtain electronic files. This year the Info Desk will open at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, and open at 7:30 a.m. daily July 3-9. If you enjoy meeting people, being at the center of things, and can multi-task, consider volunteering to work at the 2020 info desk. If you oversee programming for an affiliate, be sure to let us know about changes during the convention; we can only give the information we have. Potential volunteers should contact me at prahin@icloud.com or (614) 949-7757 by June 15. Each person will receive a schedule before the convention. We need a team of willing helpers to make this year’s convention go as smoothly as possible in Schaumburg, Illinois! — Vicky Prahin ***** Your Vote Counts by Deb Cook Lewis As members of the American Council of the Blind, we are responsible for electing a slate of individuals to provide leadership as officers, board members and the board of publications. At this year’s ACB convention, we will be electing a total of five members of the ACB board and three members of the board of publications. The purpose of this article is to give you information that you can use to make informed decisions about how, and for whom, to cast your votes. ** The ACB Candidates’ Page If you plan to run for the board or BOP, the ACB Candidates’ Page is a place where you can introduce yourself, post links to your social media pages, and where you can provide responses to the following questions. (Please note: Your response to each question will be cut off at 300 words, and the BOP will not edit your responses for spelling or grammar mistakes.) * Questions for Board Candidates 1. Introduce yourself, and explain why you wish to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the ACB. 2. Summarize any experience, knowledge, skills and/or abilities you have which qualify you to serve on the ACB Board of Directors. 3. What do you consider to be your strongest contribution to ACB at either the national, state, special-interest affiliate or local chapter level and why? 4. What do you consider to be the most important challenge facing ACB? How will you work to address it? * Questions for BOP Candidates 1. Introduce yourself and explain why you are interested in serving as a member of the board of publications. 2. Summarize any experience you have as a writer. How can you use this experience to strengthen the BOP’s oversight of ACB’s written and online publications? 3. If you could make changes to ACB’s written and/or online communications, what would you change and why? 4. What role, if any, should the BOP play in the written or online publications of ACB state or special-interest affiliates? If you wish to provide contact email addresses and links to web sites or social media sites where ACB members can obtain more information, you may do so. * Instructions for Candidates’ Page Submissions 1. You must be an ACB member in good standing. 2. Submissions must be in braille, in print or submitted electronically. You may submit your electronic entries in Word, as an ASCII text file, or in the body of an email. 3. Email electronic submissions to slovering@acb.org with the subject line “Candidates’ Page Submission.” 4. Mail print, braille and electronic submissions on thumb drives to: American Council of the Blind, Attn: Candidates’ Page, 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311. 5. The deadline for all Candidates’ Page submissions is May 15, 2020 at 4 p.m. Eastern. Late submissions will NOT be accepted. ** Get to Know the Candidates All candidates who post information to the ACB Candidates’ Page will be invited to participate in the ACB Candidates’ Forum. This year, the BOP is partnering again with ACB Radio to make the Candidates’ Forum bigger, better, more inclusive and more informative than ever before. Join us by Zoom and by ACB Radio to meet the candidates, to ask the questions and to hear the responses. • Date – Wednesday, June 17, 2020, 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific • Duration – 2 hours • Access via ACB Radio, www.acbradio.org. Please note: You must register as a candidate on the ACB Candidates’ Page in order to participate in the ACB Candidates’ Forum as a candidate. ** Town Hall Meeting What would the ACB convention be without a little last-minute politicking? That’s where the Convention Town Hall Meeting comes in. The BOP and ACB Radio will host a Convention Town Hall Meeting where all candidates can engage in small group roundtable discussions to answer questions from the audience in the room as well as those participating through ACB Radio. Stay tuned to this magazine, ACB Radio and/or ACB email lists for more details. ***** Calling All DKM First-Timer Partners by Kenneth Semien Sr. Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee “Honoring the legacy of ACB’s founding father” Partners like you assist us in bringing two deserving DKM First-Timers to the ACB conference and convention. Support the DKM First-Timers Program by making a financial contribution and your name will be placed in an appreciation drawing to win one or more gift cards. Those contributing $100 or more will be recognized as Elite DKM Partners during the annual DKM First-Timers Reception, scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, 2020 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Here’s how it works: • A $5 donation gets your name in the drawing one time. • Every $10 donation gets 3 entries. • Every $20 donation gets 6 entries. • There are no tickets to present. Your name and contact information is your ticket. • You will have the opportunity to win gift cards for use nationwide at restaurants, department stores and for online shopping. Examples include, but are not limited to: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Home Depot, and Visa and MasterCard gift cards. • No need to be present during the drawing. If you are unable to attend the DKM First-Timers Reception, you will be contacted and your gift card will be mailed to you. You can also authorize someone to accept your prize during the event by personally notifying the committee chair. How to get your name in the drawing: • Submit your donation for entries to any Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee member. • Obtain your entries at the ACB Mini Mall during the ACB convention or dial the ACB Mini Mall by phone prior to the convention at 1-877-630-7190. Credit cards will be accepted. • Mail a check or money order made payable to ACB to: American Council of the Blind c/o Nancy Becker 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Ste. 195 Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 If you have questions, send an email message to semien.k@att.net, or dial (409) 866-5838. Your support is greatly appreciated! ***** Spring Has Sprung at the Mini Mall The theme for the 2020 ACB conference and convention is “ACB — Winds of Change.” The official image shows the famous Ferris wheel and the Chicago skyline at sunset. Winds of Change mugs, steins, shot glasses, magnets, computer messenger bags and keepsake boxes can now be ordered online at www.cafepress.com/acbtreasures, or by phone at 1-877-630-7190. A new ladies’ wallet was introduced at the Mini Mall at the ACB legislative seminar in February. Lots of compartments for sorting paper money; a zippered compartment for coins or bus tickets; plenty of slots for credit or debit cards, IDs, insurance cards, etc. Another brand-new item at the February meetings was an accessible blood pressure wrist monitor. It talks, features a large print digital readout, and a background that changes color to indicate low, medium or high pressure. The Mini Mall specializes in ACB official merchandise, canes and cane tips, and other useful products. At this time, we do not sell talking watches and clocks, braille slates, etc. For more information or to request a catalog, call 1-877-630-7190 or email acbstore@acb.org. — Carla Ruschival ***** The Day It Snowed in Seattle by Deb Cook Lewis It was a few days before Christmas in 1990. It never snows in Seattle, so we all went off to work with no thought of the dire weather predictions. It’s always hard to predict on the coast anyway, right? It started snowing hard around 3 p.m. So the commute – well, there actually was no commute because of the several inches of snow that fell on the city, which is noted for its 7 big hills and no snow removal equipment. At 5:00, four of us (all blind people) went out to catch the bus. What bus? After an hour of standing in the cold with no vehicles coming by at all, we gave up and slowly trudged back to the building. We were going to spend the night at the Department of Services for the Blind. There actually were seven people spending the night, 6 of whom were blind employees of the department. Let’s have dinner! Lucky for us the orientation center had been preparing food for a Christmas party, so we had a cheese ball, crackers, festive cookies, and spiced cider for dinner. Not bad for storm rations, I’d say. Now, let’s sleep! The home economics room had a bed and a sofa, that’s two people covered. Two of us slept in the staff break room. The other 3 found places to bed down in offices. And it’s all good until… What’s that sound? Uh-oh!! I think someone’s in here with us. The two of us in the breakroom had to hatch a plan in a hurry. We can’t be invaded in the middle of the night; we must take action, right? After some quick discussion, we grabbed some cast-iron skillets from the break room — I’m sure they hadn’t been used in years, but we’ll put them to good use now. As we ran from the room with our skillets to save the day, my co-worker had the brilliant idea to douse the lights in the hallway so that it was now pitch black. Just wanting to make sure the blind guys had the jump on this situation, right? The intruders began screaming in a language we couldn’t understand, which allowed my co-worker to quickly locate and tackle them with his skillet. I’m sure that janitorial crew has gotten as much mileage out of this story as I have. We finally got it all straightened out and all had a good laugh. Now back to sleep; it’s really cold when the heat goes down. In the morning, we had some more party food for breakfast, and I settled in to become our new receptionist. As people called in to report that they could not make it to work, I would cheerfully answer the switchboard. They were each in total shock to hear from me (usually one flake and I’m nowhere to be found), and when I reported on who was here, they were even more surprised since it was all of the blind staff who lived farther away. Guilt is so fun sometimes! Most people did not learn the entire story until they returned. I couldn’t help myself, I violated the agency’s big email rule. We’d only had email a few months, and we could only send email inside the agency, or so we were told. But I had discovered how to send it to other state agencies. So during the night, I sent email about our plight to everyone I knew of in any agency and to all of our staff who weren’t with us. Of course I knew no one would see it and act; no one had home email in those early days. But next day, or whenever they came back to work, there were the hourly updates from me detailing all the fun we were having and how we had rescued everyone from invaders. Seattle has more snowy winters than we ever get credit for, but Christmas of 1990 is one of the most memorable for me. ***** ADA Paratransit Eligibility Form Now Fully Accessible in Tucson by Chris Desborough I am extremely fortunate to work for the city of Tucson. I am employed by Council member Paul Cunningham in his ward 2 office, where I help our constituents with a number of inquiries, ranging from “what’s the best number to call to pay my water bill?” through helping get their roads fixed. It’s very diverse and I love it. Working for the city, you get to understand processes and you learn the names of people you need to escalate things to in order to get issues resolved, and it was because of this that I was able to assist the Southern Arizona Council of the Blind with an advocacy project that they had been working on. The effort was to get the paratransit eligibility form made accessible to blind and low-vision individuals. For the longest time, the paratransit eligibility form was sent out as a paper hard copy; you would have to get sighted help to complete it and mail it back in. SACB had been advocating for an electronic method of completion. When I got involved with the project, everything had slowed down, but I knew who to speak with in the city council. Soon afterward, I received a copy of a version of a fillable document to test. Between myself, fellow AZCB board member Bea Shapiro, and SACB member Wesley Derbyshire, we went to work testing the document and keeping detailed notes that I would later present to the Deputy Director of Transportation. At this meeting, not only did I present the testing results, but I was also able to demonstrate the issues directly as a JAWS user on my laptop. The next step in the process was for the city to rectify the issues with the fillable document. A few weeks later I received a much cleaner and more accessible document to test. This document is now available to download online, complete, and email back to the Department of Transportation, meaning the blind and low-vision community now has the same opportunity as their sighted peers to independently complete the ADA paratransit eligibility form. This is a great example of how the SACB and AZCB come together to work for the rights of the blind and low vision across the state. This is also a great example as to why determination, tenacity, and hard work are vital in any advocacy effort. Sometimes it may seem as if we are pushing a large rock up a mountain, but on occasion we do get that rock up to the top of that mountain. And when we do, it feels darn good! ***** Career Launch @ Perkins: Putting Young Adults on the Path to Professional Success The transition to young adulthood can be challenging for everyone – there are higher expectations, more independence and lots of social, emotional and financial changes to adjust to. And the stakes are even higher for someone who is blind or visually impaired. That’s why Perkins developed Career Launch @ Perkins: to help blind and visually impaired young adults successfully navigate the path to full-time professional work. The innovative job training, internship, and career services program is helping high school and college graduates, ages 18 to 29, land their first career-track job. The curriculum is designed specifically to provide the hands-on training and experience necessary to build a sustainable career in professional fields where exceptional customer engagement is key to business success. “I’m glad I made the decision to enroll in Career Launch,” said Arienne, a participant in the September 2019 session who hails from Macon, Georgia. “This program has taught me to become more confident in myself and in the workplace.” Career Launch comprises an eight-week training program – focused on customer success skills, foundational working skills, and assistive technology – followed by a two-month internship in the Boston area, and then a year of support from our Perkins-based career services team once the graduate returns to their hometown. “I look forward to using the skills I’m learning in Career Launch to help me to become a more independent and successful woman,” said Estefani, a participant from North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Equipped with the latest skills and experience gained through working with our network of employer partners – some of the leading companies across industries such as healthcare, hospitality, telecom, retail, financial services, higher education and e-commerce – each graduate will leave Career Launch as a well-rounded problem solver with transferable skills in many areas including sales and marketing, transaction management, recruiting, client services and more. Shaun, a participant from Watertown, Massachusetts, said, “One of the most fascinating things about the curriculum is the variety of subjects that are taught - that helps us understand the many facets of getting a good job and maintaining it.” Perkins is currently accepting applications for the fall session. To learn more, visit Perkins.Org/CareerLaunch. To keep up with news, events and updates, sign up here to receive communications about post-secondary transition programs at Perkins. For more information about Career Launch, young adults, families and referring professionals can contact Deana Criess, Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions, via email at Deana.Criess@Perkins.org or by phone at (617) 972-7804. ***** Another View: Do We Value Heroes or Role Models? by Larry P. Johnson Reprinted from “The San Antonio Express-News,” Feb. 1, 2020. (Editor’s Note: Larry Johnson is an author and inspirational/motivational speaker. He is available for luncheons, small group programs or conferences. Contact him by email at larjo1@prodigy.net.) Heroism is defined as having characteristics of courage, bravery, fortitude and unselfishness. Ancient heroes like Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus and Hercules easily come to mind. They performed heroic acts. Because of them, curses were removed, and nations and lives were saved. But although their deeds were often phenomenal acts of bravery, strength and determination, they weren’t so much out to save mankind as they were on a quest for personal glory. Whom do we see today as our heroes? Whom do we most admire for their bravery, self-sacrifice and incredible achievements? Our military? Our first responders? Our athletes? Our political leaders? What qualities do they possess that compel our admiration? Are they heroes or role models? Are we surrounded by heroes? Or do we have to hunt for them? Author/minister Samuel Rodenhizer, writing about heroes, suggests that “these days anyone can be a hero.” “Fathers are heroes. Mothers are heroes. Teachers are heroes. Soldiers are heroes. Police officers are heroes. Doctors are heroes. People with illnesses are heroes. Those who take care of aging parents are heroes. Is this,” he asks, “because there’s a shortage of heroes in modern times?” He adds: “If everybody is a hero, then nobody is a hero.” Rodenhizer believes real heroes are extraordinary people, and not everyone can be extraordinary. He describes true heroes as “selfless in their service — not self-serving, brave when others cower, strong when others are weak, determined when others quit, take risks and face potential loss not for themselves but on behalf of others. They are self-sacrificing, courageous, and humble.” It is humility that provides us the opportunity to listen and learn. It is bravery, in facing our fears, meeting a challenge or taking risks, that allows us to grow. And it is selfless sacrifice that can teach us the power of compassion. Ernest Hemingway’s definition of a hero is: “A man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.” Are heroes and role models the same? Author Alykhan Gulamali makes the distinction. “A hero is someone who inspires you. A role model is someone you want to be like.” They might be the same person, or they may not. Spider-Man, for example, is a hero. He is amazing. He does amazing things. But would you want to be like him? Many comic book and Hollywood heroes have embarrassing human flaws. We recognize and praise as a hero the person who dashes into a burning building to save another. And indeed we should. In that moment, that person was a hero. But is that heroism enduring? Would the person do it again? Because of that single act of heroism, does that person become a role model? Gulamali says: “For role models we look for people who are examples of how to be honest, decent, hardworking individuals who put family first.” They usually aren’t celebrities. Maybe they’re our parents. They are people we want to model ourselves after because we want to live like they did. My role model and my hero has always been my mother. She never knew it. I never told her. But I am what I am today because of her. I will honor her on her birthday, Feb. 5. Let heroes inspire you, but let your role models guide you. And that’s how I see it. ***** Passings We honor here members, friends and supporters of the American Council of the Blind who have impacted our lives in many wonderful ways. If you would like to submit a notice for this column, please include as much of the following information as possible. Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate) City of residence (upon passing) State/province of residence (upon passing) Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person) Occupation Date of death (day if known, month, year) Age ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees) Deaths that occurred more than six months ago cannot be reported in this column. ** Dick L. Seifert May 15, 1948 - January 24, 2020 Dick L. Seifert, 71, of Little Rock, passed away Jan. 24, 2020. Dick was born to Urban and Isabel (Wilhelm) Seifert on May 15, 1948 at Smith’s Hospital in Paris, Ark. He grew up in Charleston, Ark., and attended the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock from kindergarten through the 12th grade, graduating on May 25, 1967. While at ASB, Dick enjoyed history, geography, and science, developing a strong interest in English grammar in the 11th grade. He learned to cane chairs and do wood and metal work in industrial arts. Dick played euphonium (baritone) in the ASB band, participated in athletics, and earned a novice license to operate an amateur radio. He graduated from Arkansas Tech at Russellville on his birthday in 1971 with a bachelor of arts in economics. He earned a master’s of social science, specializing in manpower economics, in 1972 from the University of Mississippi at Oxford, and in 1973 he completed one year toward a Ph.D. in economics. Dick was employed at Arkansas Juvenile Services (now Youth Services), Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind, and Central Arkansas Transit (now Rock Region Metro). Dick liked to read. Most of his reading material was in braille until the summer of 1986 when he learned to use an Optacon (a device that allowed him to access printed material by touch). This substantially increased his independence, especially with reading mail. In recent years, he also learned to use a computer. He enjoyed following the Cardinals baseball club and the Arkansas Razorbacks football, basketball and baseball teams. He followed the Arkansas Travelers Baseball Club, in which he held 70 shares of stock. Dick has heard at least parts of 712 broadcasts of the Razorback football games. This activity began on November 8, 1958, against Harden Simmons in War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock. In Dick’s early years, he went squirrel and possum hunting with his dad. He also enjoyed fishing, swimming, and playing the guitar. Dick was a life member of the Arkansas School for the Blind Alumni Association, the American and Arkansas Council of the Blind, ACB Lions, the Little Rock Council 812 of the Knights of Columbus, and the Braille Revival League. He served on ACB’s board of directors for 13 years. He has held membership in the Little Rock Founders Lions Club since May of 1981, and he has participated in Political Animals since February of 1986. Dick was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Mark Seifert; and one sister, Cathy Seifert. Left to cherish his memory are two sisters, Debbie Burnett of McGhee, Arkansas; and Pam Been of Sallisaw, Okla.; two brothers, Larry Seifert of Greenwood, and Randy Seifert of Conway; and a host of other family and friends. Rosary was held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, January 27, 2020, at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Little Rock. A funeral mass followed. Immediately after the mass was the burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Charleston, Ark. Dick asked that you not mourn for him at his death, but that you rejoice in knowing that he had a successful life. In lieu of flowers, he suggested that people make a donation to the charity of their choice. Online condolences may be made at www.smithmortuaryinc.com. ***** 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 E-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 Alumni Reunion The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired will hold its alumni reunion May 28th through 31st at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000 Dirksen Pkwy., Springfield, IL 62703. Room rates are $100 per night plus tax. To get the room rate, use the code SV1. Dues and banquet combined are $65; dues only are $30. The deadline is May 4, 2020. Make checks payable to ISVI and send to Ron TerHark, 13 Westview Box 144, Franklin, IL 62638-4906. Email rterhark60@gmail.com or call him at (217) 494-8553 for more information. ** Lighthouse’s New President & CEO Calvin Roberts MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Eye Care at Bausch Health Companies and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been elected president and CEO of Lighthouse Guild. As a practicing ophthalmologist from 1982 to 2008, Dr. Roberts performed more than 10,000 cataract surgeries as well as 5,000 refractive and other corneal surgeries. ** Ask My Buddy Ask My Buddy is a new personal alert network that works through the Amazon Alexa system. If you have fallen, or need help, Ask My Buddy lets you immediately alert someone in your personal alert network that you need them to check on you. You can alert just one contact, or all of your friends or family, with just one command. Say, “Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert YourContact” or “Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert everyone,” and Ask My Buddy will immediately send an alert, notifying them to check on you right away. Alerts will be sent by text message/SMS, an email, and even by telephone call. For more information, or assistance with the system, send an email to support@askmybuddy.net, or visit https://www.askmybuddy.net/. For hands-on demonstrations and how-to videos, go to https://www.youtube.com/AskMyBuddy. ** Saffron Extract May Lower the Risk of Glaucoma A new animal study in Spain suggests affronEYE® saffron could help prevent the onset of glaucoma. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics of this potent saffron extract, developed by Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L., demonstrated an ability to protect retinal cells from damage and death and reduce intraocular hypertension — a key aspect of glaucoma development. AffronEYE is all-natural, water-soluble, non-GMO, and has not been irradiated. The ingredient also carries kosher, halal, and organic certifications. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and has stricken more 60 million people worldwide. For more information, visit http://pharmactive.eu/en/affroneye-2/. ** Quilling Cards – with Braille! Greeting card company Quilling Card now offers cards with braille. The cards, which also feature tactile designs made of quilled paper, include birthday, good luck, celebrate, best wishes, congratulations, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, baby, graduation, sympathy, thank you, and more. What is quilling? It’s the art of rolling, coiling, and shaping 1/8 inch wide strips of paper to create a cohesive three-dimensional design. The development of this collection has been a very special project for Quilling Card co-founder, Huong Wolf. Having built a certified Fair Trade workshop in her home country of Vietnam —where all of the Quilling Card designs are handcrafted — she has spent many years focusing on providing employment opportunities for those who are disadvantaged or have disabilities. This has included the training and employment of over a dozen deaf artisans who directly inspired Huong’s vision of connecting the deaf to the blind through the hands and sense of touch. Creating braille from quilled paper is something that has never been done before. The company collaborated with staff at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass. Developing the braille card collection took over a year and involved substantial research, extensive testing and meticulous design work to develop a successful translation. For more information, contact Quilling Card at (508) 405-2888, or send email to info@quillingcard.com. Or write to them at 47 Mellen St., Framingham, MA 01702. ** New from National Braille Press Newly available from National Braille Press is “What’s New in iOS 13: A Guide for Blind Users” by Anna Dresner. It comes in braille (2 volumes), as well as BRF, DAISY, and Word. The book covers updating from a previous operating system; setting up a new device; VoiceOver; new controls, commands, and privacy features; and more. New in the children’s section is “Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down,” by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney. It’s available in braille for ages 6 to 10. This picture book is a celebration of the momentous 1960 Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement. The book concludes with a civil rights timeline and an update on the aftermath of the lunch-counter struggle. For more information on either book, contact National Braille Press at 1-800-548-7323, or visit http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. ** Guitar Chords Dictionary Giancarlo Facoetti – an Italian software engineer and guitar teacher – has created an accessible Guitar Chords Dictionary. It translates chord diagrams used for guitar lessons into text-based instructions for use with a screen reader. Each entry includes an MP3 audio file. The tool is free. To access the dictionary, go to https://www.fachords.com/guitar-chord/c/maj/textual/. Accessible Board Game App The classic board game Snakes and Ladders is now an accessible app. Created by UNAR Labs, the app is free and available only at the Apple app store. ** Books on Kindle Deb Weiner has co-written several books that now appear on Amazon Kindle: “Stress-Free Cooking,” by her and John Wright; “The One,” and “The Grand Game.” ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** Looking For: I’m looking for a Victor Reader Stream. If you have one that has all accessories, contact Ronnie Palmer at (615) 765-7375. ** Looking For: Kalu Ndukwe, a blind Ph.D. student, is seeking a donation of any type of braille display in working order. If you have one you aren’t using, contact Kalu via email, elkalund@gmail.com, or send it to: Kalu Ndukwe, Dept. of Religion and Human Relations, Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. ***** 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/.