The ACB Braille Forum Volume LIX April 2021 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, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. ** Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. Tune in to ACB Radio at www.acbradio.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2021 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: Join Our International Journey toward Diversity and Inclusion, by Dan Spoone ACB’s New Members Portal Announcing the 2021 Talking Book Narrator, by Janet Dickelman Audio Description Project Calls for Nominations for the 13th Annual ADP Awards, by Joel Snyder 421 for ’21, by Jean Mann In Memoriam: Charles Edwin “Doc” Bradley Jr., June 15, 1943-January 19, 2021 A Place at the Table, by Cachet Wells What Color Is the Dream?, by Sandra Sermons Heart of a Legacy, by Michael and Peggy Garrett What Is IDC?, by Pamela Metz and Regina Brink People of Color, by Charles Nabarrete Learning and Leading in the D.C. Council of the Blind, by Cheryl Cumings Smoke Signal Sent from Quiet Water, by Regina Brink Feeling Connected in New Mexico, by Cheryl Cumings A Man Who Has Made a Difference, by Michael E. Garrett Affiliate News Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she’ll make the changes for you. * ACB Radio brings old-time radio drama to you 24/7 at www.acbradio.org/trove. * Got a request? Tune in to ACB Radio Interactive and ask the DJ on duty to play it for you at www.acbradio.org. ***** President’s Message: Join Our Intentional Journey toward Diversity and Inclusion by Dan Spoone We applaud the Multicultural Affairs Committee (MCAC) for all of their efforts to foster diversity and inclusion within ACB. The MCAC generated healthy conversations within our membership with several community discussions on racism and systemic bias. These discussions were led by Jane Dunhamn from blackdisability.org. MCAC encouraged the ACB board and staff to participate in a training workshop with Jane prior to the D.C. Leadership Conference, and the committee promoted a resolution to add two fields (race/ethnicity and gender identity) to the ACB membership database. The resolution also included the introduction of a diversity mentoring program at the presidents’ meeting and the request for ongoing diversity training for the ACB staff and contractors. Our country received a long overdue wake-up call in the summer of 2020 with the murder of George Floyd. However, racial discrimination has been a significant, pervasive plague within the United States since before it was a nation. Systemic bias exists in every facet of our society. We did not reach this level of systemic inequity overnight, and it will take a continuous, intentional effort to break down these walls of prejudice. We can try to make it feel more comfortable by using the term “unconscious bias,” but this is not true. We all know better, and it is time for ACB to change. If there is any community in the nation that should understand systemic bias, it is our blind and low vision community. We live it every day. How many times have customer service representatives talked right past us to our friends or family members when asking a question about us? It’s like we are not there. Just last week, a nurse asked me who was going to look after me at home. She could not grasp the concept that Leslie and I lived in our own home by ourselves. How do you travel? How do you eat? How do you work? We have heard them all. So, we know about systemic bias and prejudice. We must all work to make ACB the model of inclusion for our members and friends. Racial bias is not the only challenge ACB must confront. ACB had an important discussion last year on the proper use of pronouns, and we would like to thank BPI for their initiative to educate our membership through a series of thoughtful public conversations on gender identity. ACB must also be aware of the systemic bias towards the LGBTQ community, and our organization must continue to promote gender equity. In addition, ACB has traditionally had a systemic bias toward those of us with total blindness over those with low vision. Here are some uncomfortable facts about the make-up of our current leadership. ** ACB Board of Directors (6 officers, 10 board members) Gender Identification Male: 11, 69% Female: 5, 31% Visual Acuity Blind: 13, 81% Low Vision: 3, 19% Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian: 16, 100% Non-White/Caucasian: 0, 0% ** ACB Board of Publications (3 elected members, 2 appointed) Gender Identification Male: 1, 20% Female: 4, 80% Visual Acuity Blind: 4, 80% Low Vision: 1, 20% Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian: 5, 100% Non-White/Caucasian: 0, 0% ** ACB Committee Chairs and Co-chairs Gender Identification Male: 16, 35% Female: 30, 65% Visual Acuity Blind: 39, 85% Low Vision: 7, 15% Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian: 41, 89% Black/African-American: 5, 11% ** ACB Staff and Contractors Gender Identification Male: 7, 47% Female: 8, 53% Visual Acuity Blind: 5, 33% Low Vision: 1, 7% Sighted: 9, 60% Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian: 14, 93% Latinx/Hispanic: 1, 7% These facts clearly paint a picture and tell a story. People of color, women and individuals with low vision are not equally represented on ACB’s Board of Directors. Why do women make up the majority of our BOP and committee chairs, but only make up 31% of the board? The most current reports indicate that people with low vision make up 80% of the blind and low vision community. Yet, there are only four members of the board and BOP that have low vision and only 15% of our committee chairs. And where are the people of color within our board, staff and committees? How do we make intentional decisions as an organization to attract members of color and/or low vision? How do we create a welcoming environment for the entire blind and low vision community? I do not have all the answers, but I do recognize the problem, and I want to be part of the solution. First, we need to agree that ACB has a problem to solve. Second, we need to have an open conversation within ACB’s leadership, staff and membership. Third, we must establish a set of metrics to measure the diversity of our organization. Fourth, we must take intentional action to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, eliminating systemic bias and fostering future leaders of color, low vision and from all genders. This will require new board policies, investment in future leaders and outreach to under-served populations. Fifth, we must continue to work together to learn from each other’s lived experiences and welcome the strength and growth that comes from embracing true diversity. This work will not be easy. It will take time. We will make mistakes along the way. Please keep an open mind and listen to others with different opinions than your own. Together we can create the ACB that welcomes everyone and lives up to our mission statement, core values and code of conduct. ***** ACB’s New Members Portal If you use ACB’s web-based applications, such as registering for the convention, or you are responsible for maintaining your affiliate’s membership records, you might have a different login and password (credentials) for each of these applications. Keeping track of which set of credentials you need to use for which application can be confusing for you, and trying to update each application when a user moves or changes their email address is time-consuming for ACB’s staff. We were at a point where ACB needed to simplify the log-in process. By creating a members portal, you only need one username and password to access all the services you are authorized to use. In the future, almost everything you will need to do in ACB will be through this single members portal. If you have applied for a scholarship, signed up for the holiday auction, or became a member at large recently, you have already started using the members portal. The first time you log into members.acb.org, you will be asked to create a new login and password and provide profile information about yourself. You will need to do this even if you have created other ACB accounts in the past. If you already have a login and password that you created for the convention, you can use the same credentials when creating the members account. We are asking for your name and address (your profile) in order to make sure our donor database has your current information and to help ACB communicate with you. This is a major undertaking for ACB and will help us provide exciting new services to our members in the future. We ask everyone to be patient as we make this transition, because each of the current ACB web-based applications must go through program modifications to make it work seamlessly. As we make more progress and add more features, we will do our best to share this information with you. ***** Announcing the 2021 Talking Book Narrator by Janet Dickelman The dates for the 60th American Council of the Blind conference and convention are Friday, July 16th through Friday, July 23rd. Opening general session will be Sunday evening, July 18th, with daily sessions Monday through Friday. The auction will be on Tuesday, July 20th, and the banquet on Thursday, July 22nd. There will be 5 concurrent ACB Radio streams available for special-interest affiliates, committees and our business partners to stream their events. This will be in addition to our audio-described tours and exhibits channels. Our 2021 Talking Book Narrator will be J.P. Linton of DuArt Media Services (formerly Benefit Media, Inc.). The below information was copied from his website. “J.P. LINTON, Master of the Spoken Word “Like playing the piano, the ability to read aloud really well is a comparatively rare skill, but Mr. Linton is a master of it … for over 20 years, he has brought a strength of delivery and a range of nuance which enriches whatever he narrates. He is obviously a skilled actor and thoroughly professional in every respect. “Over 20 years of audiobook recording, live event announcing, voice-overs, and industrial narration. More than 400 audiobooks recorded for the Library of Congress and commercial publishers in 11 genres. Audiobook.” In doing my research I learned that he reads everything from science fiction to history, science, and mysteries. Visit www.jplinton-voice.com for more information. Mr. Linton will address our morning general session on Wednesday, July 21st, and speak with attendees at the Library Users of America and Braille Revival League session that afternoon. He has graciously agreed to help our auction by donating his time for a phone call with the winning bidder. ** Affiliate Sneak Previews Join ACBDA as we present “Diabetes 101.” American Council of the Blind Diabetics in Action is planning a serious jam-packed event. We are planning to have diabetes educators, nutritionists, products, socials and much, much more. Come join ACBDA; together, we are making a difference. ACB Next Generation will hold a meet and greet on Saturday evening, and programming Monday through Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss (AAVL) plans to hold a program that will include segments on navigating the health care system featuring author Deborah Kendrick; home care and safety, including fall prevention; and working with local aging entities to ensure that more services are provided to seniors with vision loss. Look for their programming on Monday, July 19. ** Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2020 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list. ** Convention Contacts 2021 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2021 advertising and sponsorships: Anthony Stephens, (202) 559-2045, astephens@acb.org For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Audio Description Project Calls for Nominations for the 13th Annual ADP Awards by Joel Snyder The Audio Description Project (ADP) is a wide-ranging audio description promotion and production initiative with goals that include: • building advocacy on behalf of audio description; • offering a range of educational resources and working to establish nationally acknowledged user-focused guidelines for quality description in its various genres as well as a professionally recognized certification program for audio describers; • encouraging growth of audio description with an emphasis on the involvement of AD users/consumers, especially youth; • disseminating information on audio description and provide general support for regional, state, and local forums; • encouraging studies on audio description, particularly with respect to its efficacy as a technique for conveying visual images and its impact on literacy for children and others. One part of the project involves the recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of audio description. ** The Awards and Criteria for Selection of Recipients • Achievement in Audio Description – Media: Organizations and Media: Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts: Organizations and Performing Arts: Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description – Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers: Organizations and Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers: Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description – International • Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award in Audio Description – Research and Development • Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description The Achievement Awards are made to individuals and/or organizations for outstanding contributions to the establishment and/or continued development of significant audio description programs in each of three areas: media, performing arts, and museums. Beginning in 2021, we are recognizing organizations and individuals in separate award categories for the Media, Performing Arts and the Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers achievement awards. With the exception of the International Achievement Award and the Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award for Research and Development, only U.S.-based organizations or individuals are eligible. On occasion, we will present Special Recognition Awards to organizations or individuals in the various Achievement Awards categories. The Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award for Research and Development is made to an individual or organization for outstanding research that leads to the advance of audio description. The Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description was established as a tribute to the late Barry Levine, the highly respected moderator of ACB’s Audio Description listserv. Barry was not only an avid description user in both media and performing arts; he served so many others as the president of Audio Description International. He was a trusted friend and valued mentor; when he passed away suddenly in May 2009, the nation lost a forceful and impressive advocate for audio description. The Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description recognizes an individual for outstanding contributions to the field of audio description over an extended period of time, leading, inspiring or providing significant service to others. ** How to Nominate We urge you to recognize someone who has contributed significantly to the growth of audio description. Submitting a nomination is easy! It’s a three-step process: 1) Tell us about the nominee; 2) Tell us about yourself; and 3) Support your nomination. Make your nomination online at https://jsnyder42.wufoo.com/forms/2021-audio-description-project-awards/. Deadline: May 9, 2021 ***** 421 for ‘21 by Jean Mann 421 for ‘21. Makes no sense, right? Well, actually it does. The Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) team has set a goal of 421 participants in 2021. It’s ambitious, we know. But in 2020 you helped us grow from 256 members to over our goal of 321, so we’re counting on you to do it again in 2021. By now most of you know the drill. You pledge at least $10 a month, withdrawn from your checking account or charged to your credit card. Up to 50 percent of what you give can go to an affiliate of your choice, and the rest goes to ACB. And if you’re already part of the MMS program, you can increase your monthly donations in $5 increments. Since our convention will be virtual again this summer, we’ll have an email address and a phone number you can call to sign up or increase what you’re already giving, but you don’t have to wait until then. You can call the Minneapolis office at (612) 332-3242, or go to ACB’s website, www.acb.org, click on Support ACB, then Donate Now, and choose the Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) program. As always, those of you who sign up or increase your donations on your convention registration forms or during the convention will be eligible to win daily prizes. And, again this year, everybody who has joined the program or increased their monthly donations since the end of the 2020 convention will be eligible to win one of two grand prizes; the first is a $500 gift card, and the second is a Sonos One 2nd Generation Smart Speaker. We hope we’ll hear from many of you between now and the end of the convention in July. Remember, 421 for ‘21! ***** In Memoriam: Charles Edwin “Doc” Bradley Jr. June 15, 1943-January 19, 2021 Charles Edwin Bradley Jr., better known as Ed or Doc, passed away January 19, 2021 in Houston, Texas. He was 77. Ed was born June 15, 1943 in Cushing, Okla. to Charles and Martha Bradley. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, and two brothers, Gerald and Michael. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Linda; two sisters, Jeanie Sappington and Pat Coyner; and his children, Lynn Johnson and James Bradley; grandchildren Corissa Johnson, Jillian Henry, Elizabeth, Alex and Braden Bradley, and numerous nieces and nephews. Ed loved his family and was active in his church, St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church. After graduation from high school, he worked in the Business Enterprise Program under the Commission for the Blind. He also worked as a massage therapist. He changed careers, graduating from Texas Chiropractic College. He opened his private practice in La Porte, where he worked for 19 years before moving to Houston. He retired after 26 years. Dr. Bradley began working with blind and visually impaired young people as a mentor in Oklahoma and expanded his mentoring to the American Council of the Blind in Texas, Lighthouse of Houston and Houston Taping for Blind (Sight into Sound), and Lions. He participated in all these activities while gradually losing his own sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. He served on the boards of directors nationally and locally, encouraging political involvement and advocacy for the blind and visually impaired. Dr. Bradley became extremely involved in the National Beep Baseball Association, serving as their president for two different terms for a total of more than 10 years. Beep baseball was one of his greatest loves in life. He played for teams in Pasadena and Houston for 25 years, coaching for several more years, all the while promoting the game of beep baseball. During this time, he received several awards. A memorial service was held January 29th at St. Stephens United Methodist Church. You may view the service at the church’s YouTube channel, www.youTube.stshtx. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, 2003 W. 43rd St., Houston, TX 77018, or the National Beep Baseball Association, 1400 Patriot Blvd. #290, Glenview, IL 60026. Condolences may be sent to Linda Bradley, 11504 Fallbrook Drive #9, Houston, TX 77065. ***** A Place at the Table by Cachet Wells Blue skies and shimmering green grass, flowing clear rivers of water and mountains of fresh winds blowing. A place of health and wealth that’s full of all life’s freedoms and liberties to be had by all. At least this is the picture that is painted for the world to see from the greatest to the very least. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. Pledging allegiance to stars and stripes because we each have a love for the red, white and blue. A love for this place that represents itself as one where we can live in the land of the free. A love that is suggested to be united in harmony. A love for a place that boldly professes that we are one nation under God that can’t be divided. Despite the harsh reality that for so many, we still have to fight for the right to have a seat at the American table. Fact or fiction: Reality or fake news, we each have an opinion and rights according to that holy Constitution. So we come with lifted voices, saying a place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. Thunderous sounds pounding against the winds like a constant ringing out is all that we hear. The heart-wrenching voices of a nation, like church bells, piercing our very ears. The chilling clatter of the screams and cries of oppression spanning as far as our ancestors. The painful realization that no matter how far we have come, we have so much farther to go. From the highest place on the hill to the hole in the wall around the block, we steadily await the change necessary to move the mindset of people forward. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. Standing upright on the steps of dialogue saying that we all are free, but too often we see the very opposite, can no longer be the normal. So hand in hand, we join, searching for the answers that will truly present a cohesive message of true peace, unity and justice for all. Many of us are still seeking the very freedoms explicitly shouted in America’s pledge. Those words that say that we are all equal on paper, but in actions we see otherwise. Pledging an allegiance to be one nation under God and indivisible. Yet the heart’s devotion of a few across this nation speaks loudly. Believing that there is a limit to whom these citizenship rights belong to boldly. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. The beauty of the rainbow as it sits high in the sky and shining so bright for all to see. It is gazed upon because of its collective uniqueness that sets it apart as one being totally complete. Together they illuminate a brightness of unified hope altogether. The flow of humanity has been summed up by two agents, and for that, we must dialogue. That of money, which seem to be defined as the integrity of people. The other is that of privilege, which seems to be defined as the isolated rights of people. Yet both go against the very precepts to which America pledges: freedom, rights and justice. So we ring loud the bells of injustice and walk through the doors of those that seek to oppress our God-given birthright as citizens to come to the table for change. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. Change comes as a result of a process, one that started long ago and has now reached a turning point in the dream. Now here it is some 50-plus years later, and the dream has yet to be fulfilled. What started as onward steps are now mere bricks that have moved us up but not forward. Senseless acts seem to be on repeat, with no consciousness of wrong or consequence. It is amazing to see that you can be sworn to protect and serve in the armed forces of a nation, but not all are afforded the rights of being protected equally within its walls. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. A place at the table is not about identifying that one is greater than the other. It is about recognizing the beauty, value and significance of each one. A place at the table to effectively communicate and execute a plan of action that promotes intentional, decisive measures to eradicate the improper use and actions of discrimination, racism, injustices and misuse of power of any kind against humanity by any person. A place at the table is set for everyone to come together and not go backward. ***** What Color Is the Dream? by Sandra Sermons Editor’s Note: ACB of Maryland held a virtual march on August 29, 2020. Sandra collected the biographies of these disability rights warriors at the march. ** Ever Lee Hairston Ever Lee Hairston is a staunch advocate for disability rights and social justice. She began her activism marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and remains a steadfast supporter of advocacy for people who are blind or have low vision. Born on a plantation in North Carolina, Ever Lee is the third of seven children. She grew up and attended schools in the segregated South. Despite the brutality of growing up in the segregated South, and with vision loss further complicating matters, Ever Lee still had a strong desire to become a nurse. Her parents could not afford to send her to college. After high school, she went to New York City to earn money for college by working as a live-in maid. She returned to North Carolina at the end of the summer anxious to pursue a nursing career. However, she failed the required eye examination. Undaunted, she went on to earn a teaching degree from North Carolina Central University. While working as a high school teacher in New Jersey, Ever Lee’s vision continued to deteriorate. She finally sought medical care and was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). After four years in teaching, Ever Lee was forced to resign from her teaching position due to her impending blindness. After taking stock, Ever Lee decided to take graduate courses in counseling at Rutgers University, and in 1983 she obtained a counselor trainee position with the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services. But, as she explains it, “With no blindness skills, I was faking my way through.” She relied heavily on sighted people to read to her and to act as guides. However, she ultimately obtained blindness skills and continues to advocate for the needs of people who are blind or have low vision. Today, Ever Lee is blessed with a son, Victor; a daughter-in-law, Brenda; and three energetic grandchildren: Briana, Kendall, and Jasmine. * Ever Lee Hairston Poem As I travel throughout the U.S. and abroad, many ask me, “What is it like to be blind?” Well, I’d like to sum it up in these words: I can’t see the trees, but I can touch the leaves. I can’t see the ocean, but I can feel the breeze. I can’t see a child, but I can hear one grow. I can’t see your smile, but I can feel your glow. I can’t see a hillside or rainbow I can’t find, but I’m not missing out on rainbows because they are painted on my mind. I can’t see a garden, but I can smell the flowers. I can’t see a timepiece, but I can certainly count the hours. I can’t see a house, but I know when I’m at home. I can’t see you sitting there, but I know I am never alone. I can see joy. can see happiness. can see love. I can see blessings from above. So no, I may not be able to see a hillside, or a rainbow I can’t find, but I’m not missing out on life because it’s painted on my mind. ** Donald Galloway Donald “Don” Galloway was a disability activist and civil rights advocate who won a landmark lawsuit against the D.C. government for the right of people who are blind or have low vision to serve on juries. In 1974, Don began working as director of services for people who are blind or have low vision at the D.C. Center for Independent Living (CIL). He later served as executive director of the Governor’s Council on the Handicapped, followed by an appointment from 1978 to 1980 as the first blind Peace Corps director in Jamaica. Don served as manager of the disability affairs branch of the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, and retired in 2009 from the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs as program coordinator. Don was born in 1938 in Maryland and became blind in one eye at the age of 13 while playing with a bow and arrow. It was nerve damage due to a lack of proper medical attention to his injury that caused him to become blind in his other eye. He moved from Maryland to California in his late teens, and it was in California where he received his post-secondary education. In 1967, he graduated with his bachelor’s degree from California State University-Los Angeles and obtained his master’s degree in social work (MSW) in 1969 from California State University-San Diego. Don was not afraid to speak out when he was discriminated against for having a disability. His first legal battle took place in 1991, when he was denied the opportunity to serve as a juror because he was blind. They said he would be unable to fulfill certain duties as a juror, such as observing the behavior of witnesses and reading the evidence. Don responded, “I don’t have to use a gun. I could feel the gun or have the gun described to me. They are making the assumption that I can’t perceive or make judgments.” Don exemplified the principle of social justice, not only by standing up for his rights, but by pursuing social change for his community as a whole. ** By Any Means Necessary Bradley Lomax Bradley Lomax was unflinching in his advocacy pertaining to Black empowerment and disability rights. In 1977, Bradley played a pivotal role in the historic sit-in that forced the government to implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Bradley was a member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the founder of the BPP East Oakland Center for Independent Living. After graduating from high school in 1968, Bradley attended Howard University. It was during this time that he joined the Black Panther Party because he wanted to be part of a revolution that would provide a better life for Black Americans. He envisioned a life which was free of inequality, poverty, and police brutality. While a student at Howard, Bradley began inexplicably falling as he walked. He soon learned that he had multiple sclerosis. As the disease progressed, he began using a wheelchair — and it opened his eyes to another form of discrimination. He found that the wheelchairs designed to provide independence were of little use in gaining entrance to public buildings without ramps. He saw that people with disabilities were regularly denied an education, and that there were few services to help them find housing or jobs, especially if they were people of color. Bradley helped to found the Black Panther Party’s Washington, D.C. chapter in 1969 and then helped to organize the first African Liberation Day demonstration, which drew tens of thousands of marchers to the National Mall. He subsequently moved to Oakland, Calif., but once there, found it difficult to navigate the transit system. To board a bus, his brother, Glenn, would have to lift him out of his wheelchair, carry him up the steps and place him in a seat, then go back to retrieve the wheelchair. After moving to Oakland, he learned about the Center for Independent Living, an organization started by people with disabilities that was instrumental in getting curb cuts for wheelchairs at street corners in San Francisco and nearby Berkeley. In 1975, he approached the director, Ed Roberts, and proposed that the center combine efforts with the Black Panthers to offer assistance to people with disabilities in East Oakland’s mostly Black community. The relationships he built across these two communities would prove vital during the 504 sit-in two years later. The demonstration that day, at the San Francisco Health Education and Welfare (HEW) office, began outside with speeches and chants. A group of protesters then went inside, demanding to know when HEW Secretary Joseph Califano would sign the regulations. Despite several attempts to remove them from the building, the protesters held strong. After Lomax sent word to the Black Panthers that the protesters intended to stay put, the group mobilized, delivering ribs, fried chicken and a message of solidarity. “Brad was able to get the Black Panther Party to see that this was critical to the work that they were doing,” reported a demonstration leader. “He was the linchpin for that.” Though the sit-in received only sporadic coverage by the mainstream news media, the Black Panther’s newspaper followed it closely, with Bradley acting as a go-between for reporters. After three weeks, Bradley was among 25 demonstrators chosen to travel to Washington, D.C. to pressure Califano to sign the regulations. The trip was successful, and Califano signed the regulations on April 28, 1977. The contingent returned to San Francisco to lead the demonstrators out of the federal building singing, “We Have Overcome.” While the 504 regulations pushed the government toward accessibility, they applied only to federally funded programs. However, their enactment laid the groundwork for the historic Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed 13 years later in 1990. ** By Any Means Necessary Dennis Billups Dennis Billups was a long-time blind disability rights activist who also demonstrated at the historic 504 Sit-in. Dennis was even called the Chief Morale Officer for the protest. Recipient of the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition, Dennis provided leadership training for people with disabilities around the world. According to Dennis, many of the protesters at the 504 sit-in had no idea that sit-ins were happening simultaneously at HEW offices in Washington, Denver, Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country, or that it would last so long. Most had no toothbrushes, no change of clothing and no food. But even as the sit-ins in the other cities fizzled, and even as the government switched off the water supply, cut off telephone lines and restricted movement in and out of the federal building, the San Francisco contingent held strong. Interviewed on-site at the sit-in, Dennis is quoted as providing this lyrical call to action that framed the whole demonstration: To my brothers and sisters that are Black and that are handicapped: Get out there, we need you. Come here, we need you. Wherever you are, we need you. Get out of your bed, get into your wheelchair. Get out of your crutches, get into your canes. If you can’t walk, call somebody, talk to somebody over the telephone; if you can’t talk, write. If you can’t write, use sign language; use any method of communication that is all — all of it is open. We need to do all we can. We need to show the government that we can have more force than they can ever deal with — and that we can eat more, drink more, love more and pray more than they ever knew was happening. … We shouldn’t have to fight for our rights … they should already be there. But since we have to fight for them, we have an infinite amount of strength to walk. Many described Dennis as the spiritual leader of the 504 sit-in demonstrators. When news arrived that the regulations had been signed, Dennis marched joyfully out of the building holding a sign that said, “You don’t have to see it to know.” ** Deaf Power Now Claudia Gordon, Esq. Claudia Gordon is the first female African-American lawyer who is deaf in the United States. She is also the first student who is deaf to graduate from the American University (AU), Washington College of Law. At AU, Claudia specialized in disability rights law and policy. Since earning her juris doctorate, Claudia has been active in working to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are respected. Claudia currently serves as Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in the Department of Labor. Claudia was born in rural Jamaica. Her mother immigrated to the South Bronx of New York, so that she could earn a better living, and planned to reunite with her children as soon as she could. Claudia and her younger siblings were left in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred Taylor, a schoolteacher. While in Mildred’s care, Claudia suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears and was taken to a small clinic. With no doctor on duty, the nurse couldn’t figure out what was wrong, only that Claudia was going deaf. After becoming deaf, Claudia experienced discrimination in Jamaica, as people with disabilities are stigmatized. This discrimination was the catalyst for becoming a lawyer. In Jamaica, Claudia could not get an education, so she moved to the United States, where she attended first a public school, then the Lexington School and Center for the Deaf in New York. While at Lexington, Claudia learned sign language, participated in sports, and became a top student. By the time she reached her junior year in high school, Claudia knew that she wanted to become a lawyer. Throughout her life, Claudia has received many awards and honors. Prior to attending AU, Claudia graduated from Howard University with a bachelor of arts in political science. At Howard, Claudia was a Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Fellow and a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. More awards and honors came at American University, where Claudia was an Equal Justice Foundation Fellow, had the Myers Law Scholarship, and the J. Franklin Bourne Scholarship. In 2002, Claudia received the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. She received the Skadden Fellowship (for law graduates working with people with disabilities) that paid her to work at the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center. This allowed Claudia to provide direct representation and advocacy for low-income clients who are deaf, with a focus on those from minority groups. Claudia became a consultant to the National Council on Disability and then joined the Department of Homeland Security, where she was the senior policy advisor for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and her focus was activities that impacted individuals with disabilities. ** Johnnie Lacy Johnnie Lacy was a disability and civil rights leader and a prominent figure in the independent living movement. She focused her efforts on fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, especially people of color. She was the Executive Director for the Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL), a non-profit that provides services and advocacy for people with disabilities, and was named Woman of the Year by the California State Senate in 1988. Along with her work at CRIL, Johnnie served on the state Attorney General’s Commission on Disability, was a central figure in Hayward, California’s nonprofit community, and served on the Mayor’s Disability Council for the city and county of San Francisco. Johnnie often spoke of being excluded from the Black community due to her disability and from the disability community due to being a person of color. As a Black woman in a wheelchair, she educated her communities about race and disability, and served as a role model for many other Black women with disabilities. Johnnie’s understanding about race was shaped by her upbringing in the Deep South during the late 1930s and 1940s. It was in Louisiana where the stark differences between Blacks and Whites were seen, especially in the school system. Johnnie recounted the way that the education system in the South worked: “The Black schools got the ‘hand-me-down’ books from the white schools, which meant that we were behind academically.” In 1947, Johnnie and her family moved to California, where she attended her first integrated school and things changed. At the age of 19, while she was studying nursing at San Francisco General Hospital, Johnnie was diagnosed with polio. Her first symptoms were severe headaches and then blurred vision. It was the combination of both symptoms that made her assume that she needed glasses. It wasn’t until after being urged by the local physician to get care that she realized things were more serious than she imagined. Johnnie described being tested and learning that she had polio as, “I was in denial. I still thought that it was my eyes and that I had a headache because my eyes needed examining. So when I was finally seen by a doctor to do the spinal tap (which they said wouldn’t hurt, but was really painful), and they sent the spinal fluid to the lab, this is when I found out that I really did have polio.” They told her not to get out of bed and gradually, Johnnie became completely paralyzed, not even able to breathe. She was placed in an iron lung for two weeks, then went to a respirator, and finally rehabbed for 2-3 years. Because of the polio, Johnnie endured many treatments in order to regain strength. After some time, Johnnie decided to go back to school and, despite significant difficulty, and pushback from the administration, she graduated from San Francisco State University. In facing severe discrimination for her disability, Johnnie is quoted as saying, “... if I were just a woman, he could not do this to me; if I were only a person of color, he would not be able to do this to me; and my conclusion was that the only reason that you are able to take this unfair advantage is because I have a disability.” Johnnie has been described as fearless, ferocious, defiantly black and disabled, confident, and heroic. She was a friend, a mentor, a leader, and a pioneer for the disability community. ***** Heart of a Legacy by Michael and Peggy Garrett Robert L. and Faye Lawson Williams have been active members of ACB and the Arizona Council of the Blind since 1987. Faye is from Oklahoma City and Robert is from Macalester, Okla. They were married in 1962 following Robert’s graduation from Langston University in 1961with a degree in business administration and Faye’s degree in sociology in 1962. Robert later earned a degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and Faye received a master’s degree in counseling and guidance from Arizona State University. They relocated to Phoenix in 1972. The couple has two adult sons and two grandsons. Robert’s profession includes IRS agent in Oklahoma City for five years and controller for the Community Action Agency for Oklahoma City and County for three years. He also served as controller for Phoenix-Maricopa County Community Affairs from 1971 until 1974. Faye spent 39 years as a primary teacher in the Oklahoma City school system and in Phoenix’s Roosevelt Elementary School District. Faye is fully sighted while Robert lost his sight in 1977 due to glaucoma. They joined the Arizona Council of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind in 1987. He was installed by ACB national president Dr. Otis Stephens as AZCB state president in 1989. He served two terms, which ended in 1993. Faye served as AZCB secretary during his tenure as president. Over the years Robert and Faye attended 18 national conventions and mid-winter affiliate presidents’ and special-interest group meetings. They joined the Multicultural Affairs Committee under the leadership of Pam Shaw and later Peggy Garrett. They served on this committee for more than 10 years, and contributed greatly. Robert stated that a highlight of his tenure as state president included Arizona hosting the 31st annual national convention in 1992. Another highlight included Robert and Faye attending the 4th anniversary observances of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the White House lawn with President Bill Clinton as principal speaker. Both Robert and Faye stated that they were delighted to have the opportunity to visit the ACB national office in Washington, D.C. The 1992 national convention included morning general speakers: Governor Fife Symington of Arizona and Pastor Dr. Warren Stewart of First Institutional Baptist Church of Phoenix, Arizona. As a lifetime member of the NAACP, Robert worked with Pastor Stewart as he provided leadership in the statewide popular vote by a 67% majority to gain the King holiday in Arizona. AZCB state conventions alternated between Tucson, Phoenix and Prescott during Robert’s tenure. The 1992 convention in Prescott featured national convention coordinator John Horst as banquet speaker, with a capacity crowd of 100 people. A highlight at national conventions was the Multicultural Affairs Committee’s midweek luncheons and late-night jam which both Robert and Faye always participated in. Due to his many contributions to the community, in 2013 Robert was among six honorees by the City of Phoenix Human Relations Commission for his leadership in the blindness community. We applaud Robert and Faye for their many contributions to their community, the state of Arizona and the American Council of the Blind! ***** What is IDC? by Pamela Metz and Regina Brink Many of us were deeply disturbed when we saw the death of George Floyd captured on video and played for us, in graphic detail, over and over. However, some of us in the California Council of the Blind felt that could be our family member or one of us being unarmed and killed. Many of us felt the grievances expressed by the Black Lives Matter movement and other related groups were misunderstood by our nation and, subsequently, by the Council of the Blind. Black, indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other diverse ethnic groups were coming forward to question how the California Council of the Blind was supporting these people with vision loss experiencing additional layers of bigotry. As members of CCB, there wasn’t a place for those of us of color to begin healing or increasing the understanding of our fellow CCB members. There also wasn’t a place for our white allies who were also visually impaired to work with us on these issues. These were the reasons our state president, Gabriel Griffith, appointed the Inclusive Diversity Committee of CCB. Through several focus groups and intense conversations, it was decided to form a steering committee and begin the process of establishing an affiliate. Until then, the mission of the Inclusive Diversity Committee of California (IDC) is to promote and sustain an inclusive environment that truly values and embraces the diverse ethnic and cultural experiences and perspectives of the members of the California Council of the Blind. IDC will conduct discussions, workshops, and community calls designed to combat conscious and unconscious bias and bigotry, while promoting intercultural dialogue, awareness, and anti-racist tactics. We seek to include CCB as a whole, working with people from all backgrounds and ways of life with vision loss to enrich CCB by meeting the needs of marginalized groups within our organization. Increasing our diversity and our focus on issues surrounding racial and ethnic bias can only strengthen the California Council of the Blind, fostering our growth and relevance. It is our plan that any affiliate arising from this committee will carry on this mission. ***** People of Color by Charles Nabarrete During the 2020 meeting of the ACB resolutions committee, I was disappointed that Hispanics were lumped in the “people of color” phrase, and some committee members resisted listing Hispanics separately in the two resolutions regarding diversity. Such failure ignores the long history of discriminatory treatment Latinos suffered and my own experience. In the 1840s, President James K. Polk annexed Texas as part of manifest destiny and the United States began a war against Mexico to take territory which later became New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California. After a short conflict, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848 which ceded this land to the United States. Not surprisingly, the land grants and property rights of Mexicans who lived there were taken by the new settlers. Discriminatory treatment of the Mexicans was widespread, with numerous lynchings and imprisonment without due process. My mother attended a segregated school in Chino, Calif. in the 1930s, and traveled to Mexico in the early 1940s through Texas, where she saw numerous signs at restaurants or other businesses saying no dogs or Mexicans were permitted. In California, Ignacio Lopez, a civil rights activist, sued the city of San Bernardino and its mayor in the late 1940s because the public swimming pool was segregated, with Latinos only allowed to use the facilities once a week on the day before the pool was cleaned and the water changed. In the landmark case of Mendez et al v. Westminster et al, a suit was brought on behalf of sisters who were denied admission to a higher quality school where only white students attended. Thurgood Marshall submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Mendez sisters, arguing that school segregation was unconstitutional before the Brown v. Board of Education decision was issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. In both the Lopez and Mendez cases, the lower courts issued decisions which held that the segregation actions were prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. These decisions were not appealed, but discrimination continued. I was normally sighted until I was 19 years old. In Pomona, Calif., where I attended elementary school, I was always placed in classes with only Mexican kids, with white kids all being in a separate class. When I went to junior high, I was the only Mexican student in my seventh-grade English class. The teacher arranged student seating alphabetically, except for me; she sat me in the first seat of a row so she could keep an eye on me. Another time, I was with a group of Mexican teenagers at the local public swimming pool when a white policeman drove up and ordered us to leave without any justification. I experienced other incidents of discrimination at school and by the police because of my ethnic origin. Such discriminatory treatment of Hispanics has continued, resulting in Latinos having the lowest socioeconomic level of minorities in the United States, and innumerable incidents of police brutality and hate crimes, such as the mass shootings of Latinos at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. We have been referred to by many names, which is not objectionable, but I agree with Congressman Gallegos, who said that he would object to being called Latinx. Also, recognizing Hispanics or Latinos by name would encourage inclusion by ACB. ***** Learning and Leading in the D.C. Council of the Blind by Cheryl Cumings Freddie Peaco is an African-American woman who was born in Wadesboro, N.C., when separate but equal was the law. After losing her vision, Ms. Peaco attended the school for the blind in Raleigh, N.C., graduated with a double major in sociology and psychology from Howard University, and earned her master’s degree in public relations and journalism from American University. Ms. Peaco was married to James Peaco for 49 years, and has one son. Ms. Peaco says, “I think it was my master’s degree that helped me to get a job at the Library of Congress. I began in the Division of Blind Services, and over the years I was promoted and retired after 49 years.” It was as a result of her work at the Library of Congress that Freddie first became acquainted with the American Council of the Blind. Ms. Peaco explained that as part of her work she was an exhibitor at ACB’s national convention. “I checked out both blindness organizations and felt that ACB better matched my temperament.” Freddie Peaco joined the D.C. Council of the Blind in the 1980s. She joined because her membership gave her opportunities to meet other blind people and to exchange ideas for living and thriving as a blind person. She joined because she firmly believes that as a group together, blind people have the power and voice needed to advocate for their needs and rights. Even as Ms. Peaco works to increase membership in her local chapter, she has been a fierce advocate in her local community. As an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, Freddie participates in a variety of activities, including recently joining her sisters in a program to read bedtime stories to children over the telephone. As the first blind person to join her church, Ms. Peaco worked on several committees. “My husband and I joined separate committees so that people had to deal directly with me, and they couldn’t say, ‘Your husband can tell you about that.’” Today, as the president of the D.C. Council of the Blind, Ms. Peaco is working to recruit diverse members to her chapter. “Even though I’ve been told that blind people don’t feel the need to be part of an organization like D.C. Council of the Blind, the benefits are there. As a member you get to know what legislation is being passed that affects the visually impaired; you get to know about what types of social programs and events for the visually impaired are there that we can either participate in or produce. At the conventions you get to know what is available, and you can talk with others about how you do certain things.” Ms. Peaco is a staunch believer in the power of blind people coming together to advocate and to learn from each other. She hopes that DCCB and ACB will continue to work to increase membership and to recruit diverse members. ***** Smoke Signal Sent from Quiet Water by Regina Brink Many of us think we know a lot about the indigenous people of America. We have learned from our history books, television programs, and mass media what we need to know, right? Most likely, the answer to this question is that we have not learned enough, and many of the things we think we know are inaccurate. I had the pleasure of interviewing DeAnna Noriega from the Missouri Council of the Blind and asked her about her ancestry. She said her mother was a member of the group we know as the Chippewa but who call themselves the Ojibwe. She knows her father descended from the Apache peoples, but she is not sure which branch, so does not know their indigenous name. DeAnna has been active in the American Council of the Blind since 1980 when Kim Charlson, then president of the Oregon Council of the Blind, began to mentor her after she attended a state convention. Before this, DeAnna and her husband were in the Peace Corps, placed in Western Samoa to establish a school for the blind, and active in her local church with older blind people. DeAnna was educated in public schools in Michigan, Texas, and California, where her mother resisted the pressure to send her to a residential school, finally relocating to make sure she could stay at home. Many Americans do not realize our indigenous population was subjected to forced residential schooling, where these children were punished for practicing their ancestral customs, religion, language, and other aspects of their cultural identity, educated away from their families and community and compelled to “assimilate.” Many indigenous children were abused, never saw their parents again, or both. This is why DeAnna’s mother was so strong about her staying at home to go to school and why DeAnna is glad she did. DeAnna graduated from the University of Stanislaw in California and got her first guide dog just before she began college. The very first affiliate she joined was the Guide Dog Users of Oregon. Since then, wherever she has lived, she has been a part of her local chapter and various affiliates around the country, and served in leadership as a board member, officer, and president of several organizations in ACB. She continues to participate in her local community at food banks, libraries, and street fairs with her husband, who now uses a wheelchair. They both use these venues to further the awareness of disability and blindness. She has lived through some contentious situations in the American Council of the Blind, including when the executive director and the president of ACB were at odds with one another. In each instance, DeAnna has sought to be a peacemaker and consensus builder. She values all people, regardless of their visual acuity, other disabilities, or choices concerning mobility and daily living. She supports literacy, including spearheading one of the first programs where braille books were made available for blind children and children of blind parents to keep. She would like to see ACB reach out in both directions, to older people going blind and the families of young people and blind children, mitigating the isolation many blind people live within both groups. People with visual disabilities need mentors and peer support, with attention toward reaching people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Her favorite quotation is from Lily Tomlin: “I always thought somebody ought to do something about that, but then I realized I was somebody.” This is the message she wants to send to all of us. ***** Feeling Connected in New Mexico by Cheryl Cumings Elizabeth “Beth” Fazio is a new member who has known about the American Council of the Blind since the 1970s. Beth is a member of Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS), and is considering joining additional affiliates. Beth described herself by saying, “I’m a military brat. My dad was a Sicilian from Brooklyn, and my mom’s family is from Spain and settled in the state long before it became New Mexico. I have a partner who is from Cuba, and we have three kids and several grandchildren.” A few years ago, Beth reached out to ACB for help. Beth was experiencing health issues and was admitted to a rehab center/nursing home. She found that a prescribed one-month stay became six months, with the facility trying to get her to stay permanently. Beth felt that the facility tried to convince her and the state that she couldn’t take care of herself so that they could get Medicaid payments. Wanting to get back to the community, Beth contacted ACB and asked them to help her get out of the nursing home. Beth said, “Tony Stephens and Claire Stanley filed a complaint with the attorney general’s office on my behalf. It wasn’t until this happened that, within a week, I was out of the nursing home.” Beth was very grateful for all of the assistance she received, and wanted to get involved with her local chapter. However, she lives 200 miles away from the local chapter and couldn’t participate in meetings. Her opportunity to connect with ACB really arrived when ACB began to offer community calls. As a result of her participation with the calls, Beth was able to learn more about ACB, meet new people and increase her knowledge about a variety of issues affecting the lives of blind and low vision people. Beth would like to see ACB and her local chapter increase and diversify membership and to use technology that allows members with and without computers to attend meetings. Additionally, she would like ACB to figure out a way to continue building community by developing a forum which allows members with and without computers to directly connect with each other. She also hopes that her local chapter can advocate for audible pedestrian signals, accessible voting and affordable and accessible housing. Beth looks forward to opportunities to get more involved. ***** A Man Who Has Made a Difference by Michael E. Garrett Herein is the profile of a man who has made a difference to those he touched throughout his life. Student athlete, leader, family man, community activist, author, professor at a major university; these are just a few of the attributes of Dr. Gene I. Brooks, Ph.D. Dr. Brooks is a graduate of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), where he was a model student and medal-winning athlete. He began his career as a residential supervisor for the Deaf/Blind Program at TSBVI from 1973 to 1981. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and his master’s degree from Texas A&M Kingsville, he began to build on his career opportunities. From 1985 onward, Dr. Brooks served in a number of capacities related to the rehabilitation of individuals who are blind or deaf/blind. He was a guest lecturer, researcher, program trainer and co-author of articles related to his doctoral dissertation, which was entitled “Correlates of Substance Abuse Among People with Blindness/Visual Impairment.” He received his Ph.D. in Special Education, Rehabilitation Counselor Education from the University of Texas-Austin, where he ultimately became a full-time lecturer. In addition to his stellar career, Dr. Brooks has given much time to community service. He served on the boards of both the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities and Disability Rights Texas; served as both chairman and secretary of the Texas Commission for the Blind Regional Advisory Committee; and served 12 years on the governing board of TSBVI. In the midst of all of these things, he found time to be married and raise three children. Though retired, to this day, Dr. Brooks remains active in the community, whether in his local ACB chapter or performing duties for the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities. But most notable is that eight years ago, Dr. Brooks was a heart transplant recipient. However, before a compatible heart donor could be found, Dr. Brooks needed something to serve as a bridge. He was given a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). What makes this incredible is that until Dr. Brooks, no other blind person had used such a device. With the help of Sue O’Brien from TSBVI, a first-of-its-kind braille system was developed to assure that he could monitor the pump. As far as can be determined, he was the first person who is blind to use such a device in the U.S. Dr. Gene I. Brooks: educator, communicator, facilitator; a man who has made a difference to the people whose lives he’s touched! ***** Affiliate News ** Apply for the $1,500 Friends-In-Art Annual Scholarship Friends-in-Art (FIA), a nonprofit organization with the mission of creating spaces where visually impaired artists and audiences thrive, offers an annual $1,500 scholarship to college students who are legally blind and live in North America. If you are a high school senior or a college student planning to, or currently majoring in the field of music, art, drama, or creative writing, and are blind or visually impaired, we encourage you to apply! Note: Legal blindness is defined as an individual who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the corrected eye and/or 20 degrees or less visual field in the corrected eye. To apply, please go to www.friendsinart.com and complete the application and upload/mail the required materials, including documentation of visual impairment from a medical professional or vocational rehabilitation counselor, per the directions on the form, by June 15, 2021. Please direct any questions to Peter Altschul, FIA’s scholarship chair, via email at creatingcommonground@outlook.com. ** ACB of Ohio Offers Scholarships The American Council of the Blind of Ohio offers six scholarships each academic year. The application and reference forms may be downloaded from www.acbohio.org, or requested by calling our office at (614) 261-3561 or 1-800-835-2226. We have scholarships for entering freshmen, undergraduates, and graduate students. An applicant must be an Ohio resident or attend an Ohio school in a two-year or more post-secondary degree program, be legally blind (except for the Nola Webb-McKinney Scholarship), have a 3.0 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale, and be willing to attend the 2021 ACB-Ohio convention. Send the completed application packet to ACB-Ohio Scholarship Committee, 3805 N. High Street, Suite 305, Columbus, OH 43214, or via e-mail to acbo.director@gmail.com with “Scholarship Application” in the subject field. The application deadline is Aug. 1. ***** Here and There edited by Cynthia G. 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. ** SSA Issues New Fact Sheets New fact sheets have been issued to accompany the annual Social Security Statement. The sheets are grouped by age and income, and cover retirement planning for four different age groups (ages 18-48, 49-60, 61-69 and 70+); benefit information; and Medicare planning. For more information, go to www.ssa.gov/myaccount/statement.html. ** APH Offers New Mapping App GoodMaps Explore uses audio instructions to communicate routing and critical spatial information as users travel indoors or out, drawing upon GoodMaps’ state-of-the-art digital maps. The app provides accurate positioning and delivers a trusted wayfinding experience. Available in iOS and Android. For more information, go to https://www.goodmaps.com. ** Sensible Innovations Announces New Mapping App AWARE helps the visually impaired explore their surroundings independently. The app offers turn-by-turn descriptive navigation and an audio description of locations. Available in iOS and Android. For more information, visit www.sensible-innovations.com. ** New York School Virtual Alumni Reunion The New York State School for the Blind Alumni will meet this year via Zoom for the annual reunion. The dates of the reunion will be June 11 through 13. Activities will include our opening ceremony, business meeting, auction, game to be determined, a virtual banquet with a talk by our president concerning the State of the Alumni, and a memorial service. Please contact Diane Scalzi, dscalzi@comcast.net, or Chester Smalley, cewjw1903@gmail.com, for more information. We will provide links and phone numbers to register or join the various activities as the reunion draws closer. ** Regener-Eyes® Pledges Donation to Prevent Blindness Regener-Eyes®, a first in class biologic eye drop, will donate $1 for each bottle purchased to Prevent Blindness (preventblindness.org). Regener-Eyes® is a sterile biologic eye drop made of anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. These types of proteins have been shown to reduce inflammation and help stimulate the ocular surface to heal, repair, and regenerate. For more information, visit www.mydryeyes.org. ** RAZ Mobility’s MiniVision2 Cell Phone The MiniVision2 was designed for the low vision and blind consumer. It is a fully accessible mobile phone with big tactile buttons, a voice guide, and other features. The phone is compatible with several wireless providers. For more information, contact Robert Felgar at robert@razmobility.com, or phone 1-800-729-0083. ** Discontinued En-Vision America will discontinue the “i.d. mate” Bar Code Scanner. A lack of available parts contributed to the decision. However, database updates will be available long-term. The warranty for the i.d. mate Galaxy remains in full force, and parts are available. If you have questions, or need more information, phone 1-800-890-1180 or visit www.envisionamerica.com. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: HIMS Braille Sense Plus QWERTY in good condition. Comes with leather carrying case, battery charger and 32-gig compact flash card. Asking $1,000 or best offer. Please contact John at johnnyrusso140@gmail.com. ** Looking For: I’m looking for a talking clock radio (not a talking alarm clock), and have looked at various catalog companies’ sites, to no avail. Can be any model number or manufacturer. Contact Randy Oshman at (832) 870-1443. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (1st term, 2021) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Mark Richert (1st term, 2021) 3705 S. George Mason Dr. Apt 2404S Falls Church, VA 22041-4796 * 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, 2021) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (partial term, 2021) Sara Conrad, Madison, WI (2nd term, 2021) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2021) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (2nd term, 2022) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2021) 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, 2021) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (partial term, 2021) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (2nd term, 2021) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (1st term, 2021) ***** 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 (518) 906-1820. To subscribe to the email version, contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@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, (518) 906-1820. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from https://pinecast.com/feed/acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.