The ACB E-Forum Volume LX October 2021 No. 4 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** ** Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind™ is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. ** Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. ** Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. Tune in to ACB Media at www.acbmedia.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at 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: It’s All About the Perfect Key Lime Community Pie, by Dan Spoone Summary of the July 16, 2021 Meeting of the ACB Board of Directors, by Penny Reeder On to Omaha, by Janet Dickelman Moving Forward after COVID: Renewing, Rebuilding and Enhancing Ridership, by Patrick Sheehan How I Nearly Became Roadkill on a Routine Trip to the Doctor, by Chris Millsap If Separate Is Not Equal, Then What about Paratransit?, by Ron Brooks Why Restructure ADA Paratransit?, by Daveed Mandell Accessing Transit Services Is More Than Wheels on the Road; There’s Also Feet on the Pavement, by Barbara Salisbury Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation Passings How to Reach People Without or Uncomfortable with Technology, compiled by Ardis Bazyn Affiliate News Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins 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. ***** President’s Message: It’s All About the Perfect Key Lime Community Pie by Dan Spoone Why is transportation so important to each of us? It’s the access point to being involved and integrated into our communities. We all strive to belong and fully participate as members of our neighborhood through work, civic activities, social events, family activities, evenings at our favorite watering hole and traveling to our special vacation destinations. Leslie and I spent Labor Day weekend taking an Uber ride to visit my parents at their assisted living apartment, another Uber ride delivered us to the Embassy Suites for a relaxing staycation in downtown Orlando, and a 15-minute walk to our neighborhood shopping center landed us at Devaney’s Sports Pub for our annual fantasy football draft. Leslie’s friend Judy gave us a ride to Brooklyn Water Bagel on Monday for a wonderful breakfast on their outdoor patio. Leslie’s friend Carol picked her up this morning for their aquatic workout at our neighborhood pool, and we walked up to our shopping center in the early evening for Taco Tuesday at our local Tijuana Flats. Tomorrow, my sister is picking me up for my stress test at the Altamonte hospital. I share these weekend activities to demonstrate that mobility access comes in many different forms, but it is an essential ingredient in the recipe for a fully integrated experience within our communities. What are the different ingredients that must all come together to make this delicious community dessert? There are several important factors to consider. The opportunity is before us, but pulling it all together can be very difficult. Here’s the list: 1. Location, Location, Location – We don’t have the luxury of getting into our cars at a minute’s notice and bolting out to work, run errands or meet a friend for lunch. So, location really matters. Can you walk to a local shopping center for groceries, banking, restaurants or entertainment? Are you close to work, so you can arrange a ride with a co-worker or hop on a bus? Are doctors’ offices, drugstores and schools within easy access? The right location is a huge first ingredient in baking your delicious community living dessert. Think of location as that perfect pie crust for the key lime of community living. 2. Building Networks – It takes a village. We are living in a neighborhood with other people. How well do you know your neighbors? Building relationships can make all the difference. It’s a two-way street. What value can you bring to the relationship? Perhaps you’re a great cook, or you have expertise that can help others. You might be the person that organizes activities or brings life to the party. Building a community network with friends and associates brings the tangy fruit to your delicious key lime community pie. 3. Have a Plan of Attack – I used to spend four weeks with my grandma and granddad Spoone in Morristown, Tenn. They lived on six acres next to Andrew Johnson Highway. They owned a gas station with a small convenience store at the edge of their front yard. Grandma Spoone never worried about needing something in her kitchen. The store was at the end of the front yard. At least once a day, Grandma would say, “Danny, run to the store and get me a stick of butter,” quart of milk or whatever she needed. I would head out the front door and be back in 10 minutes with her item. Sometimes this would happen several times a day. I was Grandma’s human DoorDash! Many of my sighted friends use this same approach for running their errands. They don’t need to plan their outings, because getting in the car and running to the store is no big deal. Leslie and I plan our trips to run our errands. I’m sure you all do the same thing. Yesterday, we went to our Publix shopping center across a busy six-lane highway. We take an Uber or get a friend to give us a ride. It’s a little adventure. We eat lunch at Jersey Mike’s, drop clothes off at the cleaners, ship some auction items from the UPS Store, buy birthday cards from the dollar store and buy our weekly groceries from Publix. We have developed relationships with the shop owners and employees. The manager at Jersey Mike’s gives us 50 free gift cards for our Greater Orlando Council of the Blind Trivia Night and the UPS Store gives us 10 percent off our shipping for the ACB auction items. By planning our activities, it gives us some control of our day and reduces our stress. You need a recipe (plan) to bake that perfect key lime community pie. 4. Take a Risk – Doing something for the first time can be very scary. Remember how worried you were the first time you tried Uber? How about the first time you explored a new area in your neighborhood or a new vacation spot? It’s always pretty scary trying to find our way around a new convention hotel. Leslie and I tried a staycation this weekend. We did not know the layout of the hotel. Where are the elevators? Where’s the pool? How do we get to the free happy hour? Are there any good restaurants nearby? How do we navigate the buffet breakfast? It was nerve-wracking, but what an adventure! We walked three blocks and found a wonderful Italian restaurant. Across the street was a delightful yogurt shop, and we stopped by a small downtown Publix on the way back to the hotel to get eight bananas for the trip home. It was a great afternoon, and we cannot wait to try it again in a few months. It was scary, but it was so much fun! Don’t be afraid to try that new key lime community pie recipe. 5. Know Your Transportation Options – We must all live on a budget. This budget is made up of both monetary currency and human capital. We need to know when it makes sense to invest our hard-earned money on transportation. Is the trip worth the cost? Do you want to spend $50 in Uber rides to travel across town to visit a friend, or would it be better to meet them for lunch before the metro transportation planning meeting next week? Is it a nice day for a walk? You can get some exercise and save some money on a ride. Is it a good time to ask that friend for a ride to the doctor, or would it be better for their schedule to plan a trip to the grocery store next week? Could I ask my sister to pick up my prescription at the drugstore when she is going to get mom and dad’s medicine? There is a balance between money and human capital. Knowing how long to put the key lime community pie in the oven can make all the difference. 6. Have Fun – Life is short. Enjoy your community. Don’t let transportation be a barrier. Think of it as an opportunity to build relationships, make friends and participate in your neighborhood. It takes a village. It’s time to eat. Yum, yum! What a delicious key lime community pie. Sheila, thanks for the recipe. ***** Summary of the July 16, 2021 Meeting of the ACB Board of Directors by Penny Reeder President Dan Spoone called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. Eastern. Secretary Denise Colley called the roll. The meeting agenda and minutes from the April board meeting were approved. Motions regarding approval of standing rules for the coming convention and approval of changes to the ACB employees’ retirement plan were adopted. July’s Mission Moment celebrated the ACB convention planning and broadcast team for the innumerable hours Debbie Hazelton, Rick Morin, Deb Lewis, Janet Dickelman, Jeff Bishop, Katie Frederick, Jo Lynn Bailey-Page, Nancy Becker, Tony Stephens, Kelly Gasque, Cindy Hollis, Jennifer Flatt, and countless volunteers had spent preparing for the 2021 conference and convention. Eric Bridges, ACB’s executive director, said that, while the 2020 virtual convention had presented 108 separate events, this year plans were already set for 166 events – including simulcasting the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as well as the pre-show that would focus on audio description for Olympics events. Jeff Bishop added that, in addition to building the ACB Media Network platform and having it ready for convention, staff and volunteers had also created the ACBConvention.org web site, which has had 12,000 visitors since its launch. He noted that converting to the Azure operating system, building members.ACB.org, and launching the ACB Media Network have moved ACB’s digital access into a realm of unlimited opportunities. Dan moved on to the consent agenda, which included a number of written reports from staff members, which board members approved unanimously. Dan asked Kim Charlson, newly elected president of the North America and Caribbean region of the World Blind Union (WBU), to report on the organization’s recently held quadrennial meeting. Highlights of the meeting included development of eight thematic recommendations for returning the worldwide community of people who are blind and partially sighted to what will become the post-pandemic “new normal;” election of Martine Abel-Williamson to the presidency of the WBU; and a mutually agreed upon decision to use the term “partially sighted,” rather than “visually impaired,” to describe people whose disability is characterized by limited vision. Resolutions were adopted with the goal of improving opportunities for women who are blind, and guaranteeing educational opportunities for every blind child. Kim announced that, henceforth, the United Nations will recognize January 4 (Louis Braille’s birthday) as World Braille Day. She said that more than 100 nations have ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, and since our own government ratified the treaty in 2019, nearly 700 new titles in English and other languages have been added in braille to the NLS collection. The next quadrennial meeting of the WBU is scheduled to take place in Madrid in 2025. Dan expressed special appreciation for Joel Snyder’s panel on audio description throughout the world and Karen Wolffe’s presentation on the topic of varied educational opportunities within the global blindness community. He also expressed ACB’s appreciation to Mitch Pomerantz for his 12 years of service as ACB’s representative to the WBU. First vice president Mark Richert reported on the work that the ad hoc committee which he co-chairs has been doing to examine what the executive committee’s role should be going forward with respect to reaching decisions outside of scheduled board meetings. Dan said that he will be joining the committee, and he invited Jeff Bishop, Doug Powell, David Trott, and Denise Colley to join as well. Mark said that the board cannot implement any changes until 2022, but the committee will resume its deliberations after the close of convention. They expect to make a preliminary report at the October board meeting. Members of the voting task force told the board that the universal sentiment expressed at virtually every meeting they have held to describe the newly implemented voting process has been that members are excited to have universal, accessible, remote voting available to them at this year’s convention, and now that they know it’s possible to vote regardless of whether one attends convention, they want this right to continue to be available from now on. Dan explained that a motion would be voted upon during Friday’s general session which would allow the business meeting to be suspended until August 14, at which time constitutional amendments which would align ACB’s constitution to provisions in the D.C. Nonprofit Code related to remote, in-person voting would be read aloud, debated, and voted upon on the following day. Jeff Thom explained that if the proposed amendments are adopted, then voting will proceed, presumably following the same process we utilize this summer, at next year’s hybrid convention and going forward. The task force will investigate other voting-related issues during the coming months, and will develop additional recommendations, which will be debated and addressed next summer. Dan thanked Gabe Griffith and members of the resolutions committee for their work on the resolutions. He reported that the board would determine which resolutions to adopt, and added that resolutions could be submitted until the end of the last day of convention. He assured members that makers of resolutions will also attend that board meeting and be encouraged to provide input during deliberations. Mark Richert and several others encouraged ACB members to attend the resolutions committee’s Zoom meetings. The final topic for the president’s report was the 2022 D.C. Leadership Conference. Dan said that he and the staff are hoping the meetings can be conducted in person. Unfortunately, the Holiday Inn where ACB had planned to hold our next three leadership meetings was unexpectedly sold. The Holiday Inn staffer with whom ACB had been working to prepare for next year’s conference suggested several hotels within the same geographic area, and Kelly and Eric are investigating those venues. Dan concluded by saying that regardless of whether the leadership conference can be an in-person event, from now on, we will expect all ACB events to be hybrid. The president’s report was followed by reports from staff members. Clark Rachfal reported on the status of resolutions which were adopted in 2020. Advocacy is ongoing with respect to a majority of those resolutions. He said that when ACB contacted the U.S. Postal Service regarding the inaccessibility of their Click-and-Ship web site, the postal service responded that making the web site accessible is, in their opinion, an undue burden. Clark said that ACB believes that, as technology improves, asking USPS to make the web site accessible will become a more reasonable request. With respect to the resolution introduced by Blind Pride International (BPI) regarding NLS’ obligation to include LGBTQ-themed titles as a subject category, Clark said that BPI and the national office have persuaded the NLS to add an LBGTQ+ classification and to identify titles that fall into this category. ACB worked with Library Users of America (LUA) to persuade NLS to make “Reader’s Digest” available in braille and recorded editions. He added that ACB recently heard that they will be adding a Spanish-language edition as well. Clark said that Mark Richert and Jeff Thom have been working closely with the Aging and Vision Loss National Coalition (AVLNC) to advocate for expanding currently very limited rehabilitation services for older adults who experience vision loss. In his discussion of fund-raising and development, Tony Stephens introduced recently hired Director of Communications, Jennifer Flatt, to describe the notice ACB has already garnered from two ACB-focused videos which Verizon Media is sponsoring on the Yahoo News home page. She said both videos – one focusing on ACB’s upcoming convention, and the other on the “60K for 60” fund-raising campaign – are available for viewing on the ACB home page and on ACB’s YouTube page. Tony described the “Get Up and Get Moving” campaign, which would launch the next evening. He went on to describe preliminary plans for an October event. It will be an in-person event, aligned with White Cane Safety Day, and in coalition with ACB of New York, and will raise awareness of critical health and wellness initiatives while focusing on empowering all of us who are blind and partially sighted to take back control of and responsibility for our own health. He briefly described a planned gala to celebrate audio description. He urged board members to attend the gala, which will be virtual this year, but which, post-pandemic, is expected to become a live event. Cindy Hollis, Director of Membership Services, spoke of how community events and the community’s recent involvement with ACB’s Clubhouse group are expanding public awareness of our organization and inspiring new members to join. She encouraged board members to become more involved on community calls and Clubhouse events. Cindy also said that she plans to re-convene the POSSE (Providing Outreach through Sharing, Support, and Engagement) team to help state and special-interest affiliates recruit and keep in touch with their members. She hopes to convene a monthly call for ACB chapter presidents. Several board members, as well as Cindy and Dan, lamented complications that arise from several aspects of ACB’s organizational structure which is characterized by varying affiliate election dates and the three avenues — chapter/affiliate/members-at-large — for joining ACB, and inconsistent processes that affiliates follow for updating the AMMS database. Both Dan and Cindy said that ACB is well aware of the challenges that can arise from the disparate processes that are implemented by chapters and affiliates. Dan spoke of discussions that occurred at the June 11 meeting of the Advisory Board, which focused on membership and how to collect better and more accurate data. He said that a new member of the Advisory Board has offered his expertise to help ACB resolve these challenges, and that getting a better handle on the situation is a goal for the executive director, for membership support, the Minneapolis office, and the organization as a whole, for the coming quarter. Following ACB treasurer David Trott’s financial narrative, CFO Nancy Becker’s update, and Michael Garrett’s report on the ACBES thrift stores, Dan said, “Fantastic work! For us to have survived and now be thriving through this pandemic is a testament to everybody’s hard work and leadership. Thank you so much.” In a brief report, Penny highlighted this year’s reliance on Microsoft’s digital voice named Jenny for reading the convention newspaper, which will streamline the process of recording and distributing an audio version of the newspaper. She noted that the BOP had been pleased with how well the candidates’ forum had gone. Clark Rachfal updated the board on proposed changes to ACB’s reasonable accommodations policy. He thanked Nancy Becker, Janet Dickelman, Donna Brown, and Carl Richardson for helping to update the proposed policy. Clark indicated that the changes are needed to align our policy with the virtual environment in which we find ourselves today, and to clarify that an ACB event is defined within the reasonable accommodations policy in the same way as our ACB Code of Conduct defines ACB events. Several board members felt that the specificity of language regarding which and how reasonable accommodations are provided for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing and people who might attend conventions to assist registered attendees should be improved. The board unanimously adopted the proposed reasonable accommodations policy as presented, and asked Clark to return to the topic at the October board meeting with further recommendations that will address the concerns raised during the meeting. Steering committee updates focused on coming convention events. In her convention report, Janet informed the board that the 2021 convention was 30 percent bigger than last year’s convention. She thanked Deb Cook Lewis, the ACB Media staff and volunteers, and the ACB Minneapolis office. On behalf of the board, Dan said a grateful farewell to Dan Dillon and Sara Conrad Alkmin, whose terms of service were ending at the close of this meeting. The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m. Eastern time. ***** On to Omaha by Janet Dickelman Hopefully many of you were able to join ACB for the 2021 virtual conference and convention. It was quite amazing with 167 sessions, a virtual exhibit hall, audio-described tours, and our first ever remote voting for all ACB members. Podcasts are now available for most of our sessions and tours at www.ACBmedia.org. Now our focus moves toward Omaha, Nebraska. Convention dates are Friday, July 1 through Friday, July 8, 2022. Our convention home will be the Omaha Hilton located at 1001 Cass Street. Room rates are $96 per night plus tax. Reservation information will be posted later this year. The hotel is located in downtown Omaha. The airport, Eppley Field (airport code OMA), is located 3 miles from the hotel and is classified as a medium hub airport by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The following airlines serve Eppley Field: • Alaska Airlines • Allegiant • American Airlines • Delta • Frontier • Southwest • United You can also take Amtrak or Greyhound to Omaha; the stations are both approximately a 5-minute taxi ride to the hotel. ** 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 2021 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Moving Forward after COVID: Renewing, Rebuilding and Enhancing Ridership by Patrick Sheehan The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is a complex system that relies heavily on a local and regional bus fleet, subway, and paratransit system to move its citizens throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia. As with most transit systems, the last two years have been a challenge for this region, with passenger levels on the subway and bus down by 85 percent and revenues from the jurisdictions that fund WMATA down by another 75 percent. Without recent transit subsidies, WMATA was looking at staff layoffs and the closure of up to 22 subway stations. With the receipt of recent transit subsidies, these dire consequences have been averted until July of 2023. After that WMATA will need to be a self-sufficient, thriving transit property that can provide reliable, efficient service. Like most transit properties, part of WMATA’s challenge is trying to predict how quickly people will be returning to the office so they can have sufficient bus and rail service to meet the needs of its customers. A tool designed by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), called the APTA Ridership Dashboard, tracks the demand for public transit and estimates ridership in real time. This dashboard can be utilized by any transit property in the U.S. Currently it measures overall ridership nationally at 54 percent, compared to the same time in 2019 (pre-pandemic). This dashboard will help all transit properties, including WMATA, to predict what resources they need to have available to meet ridership expectations and have those resources available. Throughout the industry, transit properties are expecting to see ridership increase slightly in the fall, followed by irregular growth with unpredictable changes in service levels. Service flexibility based on customer needs may be the new norm. Emphasis on the quality of trips may replace quantity, and values may replace trip volume when essential services are being evaluated. Returning to pre-pandemic service levels will not be a quick process. Bringing back ridership means that the industry needs to be intentional. It is expected to take time to ramp up resources and implement changes to reflect this new paradigm. Many systems, including WMATA, are expecting to see a slight reduction in telework with perhaps weekend fares or free transit starting on Friday and extending through Monday. It will be critical that transit systems understand what resources they need to have on the street to be successful, and communicate these plans to their customers. In Washington, discussions are under way to implement a new fare equity system for underserved populations. Community partnerships are being established to provide on-demand service for late-night workers while extending subway hours to ensure transit availability for D.C. nightlife. Meeting the needs of the customer is what industry means when it states it needs to be intentional. In addition, WMATA has taken the last 18 months to upgrade its facilities, improve Wi-Fi availability within the subway, procure a new fleet of subway cars and paratransit vehicles to attract and re-engage their customer base to use a system that is safe, accessible, and reliable. Many other transit properties are doing similar things to attract and retain customers. During our Get Up and Get Moving campaign, get out and try your transit system. Give them a chance to serve you. ***** How I Nearly Became Roadkill on a Routine Trip to the Doctor by Chris Millsap Recently, Ryan O’Connell, the star and creator of the Netflix series Special, described to the Guardian how he felt that he had been born into an “ableist hellhole”. I’ve been following O’Connell in the news recently as he, like me, has a mild case of what can be a severe disability (cerebral palsy in his case, legal blindness in mine) and we both happen to be gay. For the most part, I have agreed with much of what he’s said to the press, but in this case, I thought he was being a bit harsh. At least for me personally, before the pandemic, I could go for weeks without really being reminded that I am visually impaired. Virtually all consumer electronics and computer operating systems, even including the Xbox and the Apple Watch, have some sort of magnification built in and are almost always usable out-of-the-box for me. At work, it’s much the same. Since I have a stable and mild visual impairment, all I usually need is a large monitor with magnification, and have had exactly one accessibility problem at work in the last decade. Previously, the largest problem for me caused by my vision was getting around. However, Lyft, Uber, Instacart, and other gig economy services have been a godsend in that area of my life. Pre-pandemic, I essentially had roughly the same life as my fully sighted colleagues, or it certainly seemed that way to me. Errands that would have previously taken half a day using mass transit could be done using Lyft in under an hour. Recently, this has changed as the world shifts back to normal and the pandemic recedes. Services like Lyft and Uber that I relied on to achieve an almost complete level of independence are suddenly very unreliable. For example, I had a doctor’s appointment with a specialist which took weeks to get. As I would have done pre-pandemic, I summoned a Lyft to my apartment to take me to the doctor an hour before the appointment was scheduled. To my amazement, I was informed by the Lyft app that they would simply be unable to provide a ride after waiting 15 minutes for them to pair me with a driver. I have scheduled thousands of rides with rideshare services, and this is the first time I was unable to find a ride. Since it was too late to get mass transit to this appointment, and since canceling the appointment would mean I would not be seeing the specialist I needed to see for more than a month, I decided to run the 1.5 miles to the office. This was a route I had never traveled before, so I was unaware that there was a four-lane highway I would have to cross without a traffic light. When I reached this highway, there was so much traffic traveling down all of the lanes that I was only able to make it across the first two lanes. I then waited in the median, in the middle of the road, as cars whizzed by me in both directions. The thought crossed my mind that there was a chance I had survived a deadly global pandemic only to possibly be killed by an overzealous application of Keynesian economics. An opening in the last two lanes finally appeared after several minutes, and I dashed across to safety, and made it to the appointment with a minute to spare. Although I did make it safely, the danger was real. I have not needed to make such a dangerous crossing in more than a decade. While this was certainly the worst experience I have had with rideshare services post-pandemic, it’s certainly not the only time recently that I’ve been disappointed by these services. Whereas before the pandemic, a ride was less than a 10-minute wait, now it can easily be a half-hour or more. If this continues, it will definitely have negative consequences for me and people like me. It will be harder for people who have low vision to get around than it’s been in almost a decade, and probably more, as the taxis that the rideshare services have replaced no longer exist. As problems have mounted with gig economy services, however, a narrative has emerged in the media: the users of these services are spoiled millennials heading to the champagne brunches with overpriced avocado toast as they exploit the poverty and misery of others. For example, Kevin Roose wrote in the New York Times on June 8, 2021, the Lyft and services like it offered a “lifestyle subsidy” for “bourgeois royalty” and now reality must return. The contempt for the users of these services resonated from his article. Meanwhile, Ezra Klein, again in the New York Times on June 13th, juxtaposed the cost of Lyft and Uber rides on one side with the alleviation of poverty on the other. It’s true that these services have to some degree been subsidized by venture capital, and this can’t continue forever. It’s also true that some rideshare drivers have been treated disgracefully. I was surprised recently to learn that most users do not tip their drivers at all, and I find this appalling. I am not proposing that we create a Dickensian hell for gig economy workers. However, I do know that there are users of these services for whom they are not a luxury, and that the present situation is greatly limiting the possibilities for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, potentially risking their lives. Mass transit is almost never a real replacement in many of these cases. Again, I do want the concerns of drivers and investors to be considered, I only ask that the concerns of the disabled users of these services also be taken into consideration. If this isn’t done, we could all find ourselves living in a world that’s much closer to an ableist hellhole than it was before the pandemic. ***** If Separate Is Not Equal, Then What about Paratransit? by Ron Brooks Our society has been thinking about racial equity a lot lately, and that got me thinking about the idea of separate but equal transportation services. Ever since U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren asserted in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 that “separate is not equal,” our society has been on the path of integration. The journey has been long and rocky, and it has certainly been uneven, but the 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act and the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act demonstrate our good intentions. And yet, separate transit services for different groups of people persist to this day. In a 2020 article titled, “Looking at Equity Through a Different Lens,” Paul Skoutelas, the CEO of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a trade association representing more than 1,500 transit agencies, contractors, suppliers and others within that industry, did a masterful job explaining how transit, which contributes amazing economic, environmental and societal value to the communities where it operates, has evolved to serve different communities of people differently. Quoting Skoutelas: “In too many places there are two public transportation systems with different standards for riders who choose to use transit and those who are dependent on it. ‘Suburban’ and ‘choice riders’ are generally White and from a wealthier tax base; ‘urban’ and ‘dependent riders’ are generally Black and lower income. These are separate and unequal systems, whether by design or by default.” Skoutelas went on to call upon the transit industry to redouble its efforts to address the racial inequities within transit, and under his leadership and with the support of APTA’s Board of Directors and Diversity and Inclusion Council, the association embarked on a long-term strategy to undo the racial inequity within transit. In the wake of APTA’s call to action, many transit agencies across the country and a host of other transit industry organizations have taken concrete steps to address the myriad sources of inequity among the leaders, employees and communities that the transit industry touches. Many organizations have implemented Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) programs, have increased the emphasis placed on recruitment for diversity, have engaged with their local communities to address systemic bias, and have begun to evaluate their plans, budgets, products, services and business relationships through the lens of equality, and I believe the industry will be better for having done this important work. But there is another separate (segregated) service operating in virtually every city and town where public transit operates. It is called paratransit, and it is not equal. Here’s why. ** How is Paratransit an Unequal Service? When the requirement for paratransit was written into the ADA back in 1990, it was not designed to be equal to fixed-route service. In fact, the ADA does not require paratransit to be “equal” to fixed-route transit. The law actually uses the word “complementary” when referring to the requirements for where and when paratransit operates and “comparable” when referring to the amount of time a customer can spend riding a vehicle. Moreover, paratransit was not the type of service that people with disabilities wanted. Like the civil rights leaders who preceded them, disability community leaders wanted to be able to use buses, trains and other forms of public transportation, and have access to paratransit in those instances when fixed-route transit could not meet the needs of a given rider. Over time, fixed-route services have become much more accessible, but with some exceptions, paratransit remains a separate and unequal service. What follows is a discussion of four examples of how the ADA permits paratransit to be structurally unequal to other public transit services. From there, the article will close with some potential and promising signs for a more equitable paratransit future. • Where and when service is available – The ADA requires transit agencies to make paratransit available where and when fixed-route service is available. So far, so good. … But there’s a caveat. The ADA does not require paratransit in areas served by other types of public transit, such as express bus and commuter rail. The ADA does require these services to meet all applicable ADA requirements, but not having paratransit in those areas means that if someone cannot use the services exactly as they have been designed, they do not have paratransit as a fallback. • Advance Reservations – If you want to catch a bus or train, check your schedule and go. With ADA paratransit, the customer (in most communities) must book at least a day ahead. This means no quick trips to the store, no spontaneous decisions to go out for the evening, no last-minute decisions to go into work early or come home late. Put simply, life on paratransit must be planned a day in advance. (This may have been necessary in 1990, but a host of transportation network companies (TNCs), microtransit providers and even Amazon, who can drop a carton of milk and a gas grill on my front porch in as little as two hours, proves that advance reservations are no longer needed.) • Travel Times, Stops and Predictability – Using any form of shared-ride transit, and especially when it operates in a congested urban area, is going to come with a degree of uncertainty. However, if your travel time to work (walk time, plus ride time, plus time waiting and making transfers) is scheduled to be one hour, your travel time will almost always be within five or 10 minutes of that mark. Paratransit is different. The rider is normally given a 30-minute pick-up window during which to expect the vehicle. Then, the vehicle may or may not pick up and/or drop off riders along the way. Thus, on Monday, you might get picked up early in your pick-up window, have no one on the vehicle with you and arrive 30 minutes early. In contrast, Tuesday’s ride might include a vehicle arriving at the tail end of your pick-up window, and it might make three or four stops en route, causing you to get to work considerably late. The implications of this unpredictability are that paratransit riders must budget more time for their travel than virtually all other commuters. Add to this the fact that paratransit normally does not allow for stops on the way, and most systems require an hour or more between trips (even though the bus routes in the area might operate on a 15- or 30-minute headway), and it’s clear that using paratransit takes longer, is less flexible and more onerous than using virtually any other form of public transportation. It’s all perfectly legal. But it’s not equal. • Fares – By law, transit agencies can charge twice as much for paratransit as for fixed-route service. Factor in the federally guaranteed 50% fare discount available to seniors and people with disabilities who use fixed-route transit, and the cost of paratransit is four times as much as the same trip on the bus for the same person. And keep in mind that the disability community (the very people for whom paratransit was created) experience higher rates of unemployment and poverty than their non-disabled counterparts. These inequities are not caused by malice or through a lack of caring, and, as bad as it may sound, most would agree that the availability and accessibility of transportation are better today than at any time in the past. Nevertheless, these inequities are placing limits on the lives of people with disabilities. A number of disability community surveys identify the access to reliable transportation as the single most critical barrier to employment. A recent survey conducted by the American Foundation for the Blind put the number at 68%, which is surprisingly close to the estimated 70% unemployment rate among people who are blind or visually impaired. But there is hope. ** A More Promising Future The new mobility paradigm, which includes everything from customer-directed transit to electric bikes, TNCs, microtransit, integrated trip-planning and fare payment apps, and autonomous vehicles, has begun to reshape the public transit industry, and although change is coming more slowly to paratransit, good things are beginning to happen. • Since 2016, a number of transit agencies, including the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority in Boston, Mass., the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Kansas City Area Transit Authority in Kansas City, Mo., the Nashville MTA in Tennessee, the GRTC in Richmond, Va., the Central Ohio Transit Authority in Columbus, Ohio, Valley Metro in Phoenix, Ariz. and others, have begun offering on-demand paratransit for growing numbers of traditional paratransit customers. These programs, which often deliver service at a lower per-trip cost than traditional paratransit, are expanding travel options and flexibility for riders, and they are helping identify the opportunities and challenges that these emerging service approaches may pose for the future. • Several transit systems, most notably Access Services in Los Angeles, Calif., are pilot testing paratransit service models that allow customers to make an interim stop while en route to work, school or to other destinations. This service approach could make paratransit much more viable for parents who need to transport children to school or daycare on the way to or from work or school, or for just about any of us who just need to run a quick errand on the way home. • A number of transit systems are working on projects to integrate information about, and the ability to schedule and pay for, multiple services on a single technology platform. These integrations will make it much easier for people to plan complex trips that involve multiple transit modes (train, bus, paratransit and even walking), and that will allow greater mobility for many. • Finally, several transit agencies are actively researching the options for converting their traditional advance reservations, shared-ride paratransit services with ADA paratransit as an on-demand service. And while these initial efforts will take time to implement, the on-demand approach will almost certainly fuel the next revolution in how we deliver ADA paratransit in this country. ** The Critical Role for Advocates Change is coming, but even good changes come slowly to a $3 billion industry. That’s why the work of ACB and other advocacy organizations is critical. For example, it took continuous advocacy to get the Disability Access to Transit Act introduced, and it will take even more work to get it included in a larger transportation spending bill or implemented on its own. Although the journey to achieve better transportation access has been a long one, I believe we are farther along on that journey than we have ever been, so this is not the time to back off. Rather, it is a time when we need to collaborate more in order to gain clarity on the transportation future we really want and need. Then, we need to fully commit ourselves and ACB to the work that still needs to be done — work that will take us from “separate and unequal” to “integrated and equitable.” ***** Why Restructure ADA Paratransit? by Daveed Mandell Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Genesis — a local interfaith organization focused on various progressive issues — has created a Disability Justice Task Force. It has “married,” if you will, this task force with its public transit advocacy efforts. Last June, Genesis invited public transit advocates with disabilities to conduct an ADA paratransit workshop for Bay Area transit advocacy organizations. Christine Fitzgerald, Community Advocate with the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center, talked about how complicated and arduous planning a paratransit trip can be. She delivered a slide presentation about a hypothetical trip that involved two paratransit operators with completely different approaches to fare collection and service provision. At the conclusion of the workshop, we offered a call to action. One of our requests to workshop participants was to sign and spread the word about H.R. 3744, the Johnson operating funds-focused public transit bill which had just been introduced in Congress. During our workshop planning sessions, the question came up, what was to be our call to action regarding ADA paratransit? If paratransit is such a complicated, unworkable and unequal system, what are we going to do about it? How are we going to change it to make it more equal, more equitable, fairer, easier to navigate and more convenient? How are we going to eradicate ADA paratransit’s glaring inequalities? We discussed these serious and provocative questions for quite a while and finally decided to launch a petition on the website change.org, calling for the restructuring of ADA paratransit as a regional same-day, on-demand service linked to the inability to drive, not to fixed-route transit. After all, paratransit riders have to make advance reservations. We’re denied freedom of movement — a fundamental human right guaranteed under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unlike some 95% of Americans who drive, we paratransit riders are also denied access to the nation’s intricate system of highways and roads. The amazing thing is that this petition came about, because Genesis — an organization which is not primarily comprised of people with disabilities — joined with the disability community as allies and helped us launch it. The organization challenged us to make a bold move, to take a strong position. We explained to Genesis that the federal government would have to restructure ADA paratransit. However, a number of people contended that we have to begin pressuring our local transit agencies now. Otherwise, they said, nothing will change. Public transit agencies have to understand that nothing prevents them from providing service that goes above and beyond the minimum ADA requirements. This is just the beginning. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We know that many people will say that this petition should never have been launched on the local level. However, we think it’s time to act now. Time is on our side. Several public transit agencies throughout the country — in Massachusetts, Florida and other states — have begun to realize that the current ADA paratransit model does not meet the needs of most paratransit riders, and that it is extremely expensive for transit agencies to operate. People with disabilities throughout the Bay Area are in the midst of establishing what we have called the Bay Area Cross-Disability Coalition (BAXDC). We very much appreciate the encouragement that Genesis has given us to move forward, work toward integrating people with disabilities on fixed-route transit, and make ADA paratransit a much more equal and equitable system. You can view the petition at https://tinyurl.com/nbbxejy6. It’s time for the American Council of the Blind and its state affiliates to begin taking bold action. Yes, it will probably take a long time to achieve our goal. Be that as it may, now is the time to wage a strong national campaign to restructure ADA paratransit for everyone’s benefit. ***** Accessing Transit Services Is More Than Wheels on the Road; There’s Also Feet on the Pavement by Barbara Salisbury We have to be able to move efficiently and safely from point A to point B in order to take advantage of B, and then to move on to the rest of the alphabet. Our pedestrian environment is just as important as our transit systems. I know that I’m preaching to the choir here, but the City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility’s Transportation and Mobility Committee, which I chair here in Indiana, decided to make pedestrian travel our emphasis for this year’s educational event. Let me walk you through our event and some of the goals and activities resulting from our event’s outcomes. We started planning this year’s focus last fall. In January 2021 we applied for an ADA Indiana grant, funded by the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities (Indiana’s developmental disabilities council). We immediately organized our planning committee in preparation in hopes that we would be awarded. It’s always important to be out in front of whatever the issue is and not be caught flat-footed. Our first steps to begin laying our groundwork were rewarded. We were notified of our award the end of February, and we took off running at that point! We had decided to hold a half-day event, with a speaker to start the day who would focus on pedestrian best practices and regulatory information. We targeted, as our audience, planners, policymakers, cycling groups (a very loud contingent in Bloomington), neighborhood groups, and people with disabilities and advocates. The city staff liaison for our committee and I interviewed several experts in community walkability to be our keynote speaker. We decided on Melissa Anderson, ADA Program Analyst in the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Some may argue that we could have selected a more pedestrian-focused organization, but if you stick around and read on, you will see why this choice turned out to be a very good decision for us! You will also see why good strategy and planning, and surrounding your advocacy efforts with people who bring varying experiences to the table, is critical and may actually pave the way for your next steps. We planned our event to not only be informative, but experiential. We selected seven areas around town that highlighted various types of pedestrian challenges, created a walk audit tool to guide our participants through their pedestrian experience of these areas, and divided our approximately 40 participants into groups. Several from the local chapter of ACB, Heartland Association of ACB, were involved, as well as others with physical disabilities. One of our committee members who is participating in the Walking College with Walk America was very instrumental in designing our assessment tool. Now it’s important to recognize that we were holding this event in the time of COVID, so this was a hybrid event, which had its challenges, but we overcame. Half of our event was out and about in the community! We actually piloted the use of an iPad to provide audio and visual follow-through in one of our pedestrian groups, so those participating online could take part in this part of our event. We held our event on June 14th. We began the day with a continental breakfast. Because the pandemic was still raging, our speaker could not travel, so we Zoomed her in! After our presentation, we, with the help of our public and private transportation partners involved in our committee, ferried groups out into the community to conduct our walk audits. We concluded our day over boxed lunches picnic style at our starting point, a city park pavilion. We discussed our findings and interacted with a panel that included our keynote speaker, the Active Living Program Manager and the Transit and Mobility Program Manager from Health By Design (HBD). HBD is a national organization that works on health-related issues, and the Indiana office is also active on our committee. As a result of Melissa Anderson’s observation of how well our committee works hand-in-glove with our city staff liaison, he and I were invited to present in FHWA’s ADA Webinar Series: Transitioning to A More Accessible Tomorrow. The title of our segment was Disability Advisory Groups’ Involvement in LPA Transition Plan. Also, our city liaison is developing an ADA training module with and for the city transportation planners, and our contact with Melissa Anderson from the FHWA has become a part of this project as well. As this module will be designed to be experiential, our committee members will be involved in the implementation of the program. Additionally, in response to our event, our committee and other city planners were invited by Health By Design to participate in the Complete Streets Technical Assistance project of 20-22 hours, value of approximately $2,000, to assist our local government in transitioning to a Complete Streets policy. Our committee has decided to write a series of short articles focused on our personal experience with the pedestrian environment of our city. We hope these articles will be posted in our local newspaper. They will be highlighted on the Facebook page and in the newsletter of the Community Council for Accessibility (CCA), of which the transportation and mobility committee is a part. CCA staff is preparing a video of parts of the event, and have included interviews with some of the event participants. We hope to use this video as an awareness and educational tool. Additionally, we plan to connect with area neighborhoods in planned and spontaneous walk-abouts to pick up trash. Now why connect with people picking up trash? These interactions will allow us an opportunity to highlight pedestrian challenges in a very concrete way as we stroll around with our neighbors. Change begins and happens from every level, so awareness has to happen on every level. Consequently, never underestimate the impact you can have on your local community to make a difference in your transportation and pedestrian environment. Small interactions matter. Make connections, cultivate those connections into relationships and gather round the issue those who can make a difference with their knowledge, skills, and passion! ***** Letter to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation The Honorable Pete Buttigieg Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Request for Further Revisions to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Dear Mr. Secretary: My name is Dan Spoone, and I am president of the American Council of the Blind. ACB is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit member-driven advocacy organization that strives to increase the security, independence, economic opportunity, and quality of life for people who are blind and experiencing vision loss. Equal access to transportation and the ability to move freely is critical for our members and the broader disability community to live independently as engaged members of our communities. On behalf of ACB, congratulations on your appointment to the position of Secretary of Transportation. We look forward to working with you and continuing our collaboration with the Department under your leadership. On May 14, 2021, ACB submitted comments on the Notice of Proposed Amendments to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD), issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which was published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2020, with later revisions on December 29, 2020 and February 2, 2021. Unfortunately, the FHWA proposed rule-making continues to ignore the safety of pedestrians who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind (“pedestrians who are blind”). Both the current 2009 edition and the proposed 11th edition of the MUTCD provide for pedestrian signals affording only displayed visual information, a walking person (symbolizing the WALK sign is on), or an upraised hand (symbolizing DON’T WALK sign is on). A visual pedestrian signal effectively does not exist for a pedestrian who is blind. A person who is sighted is provided with a pedestrian signal after an engineering study determines that safety requires one to be installed, while public entities most often fail to provide to pedestrians who are blind effective non-visual communication of the pedestrian interval information, as required by the ADA. (28 C.F.R. §35.160(a)(1) “A public entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with …members of the public… with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.”) “Effective communication” is provided to blind pedestrians through an “Accessible Pedestrian Signal” (APS). An APS is actuated by a pushbutton and communicates information about pedestrian signal timing in non-visual format such as audible tones, speech messages, and/or vibrating surfaces to a pedestrian with a vision loss indicating when it is safe to cross the street. Lacking effective communication as to when a WALK sign is on, a pedestrian with a vision loss is in a significantly worse position than their sighted counterpart, who, even without a pedestrian signal, can still visually read traffic patterns. A pedestrian without vision must try to understand the traffic pattern using only hearing, a difficult enough proposition, let alone an impossibility if this pedestrian is also hard of hearing or deaf. Even the pedestrian who is blind with good hearing, however, is not in a comparable position as a person with sight who can more quickly and easily visually read traffic with little or no environmental interference. The pedestrian with a vision loss, in contrast, must cope with complex intersections, quiet cars, left and right turn on red signalization, and environmental noise pollution, which even a person with excellent hearing will have difficulty detecting. Absent a willingness to accept some greater risk of injury to cross a busy street lacking an APS, the pedestrian with a vision loss frequently feels compelled to seek workarounds of multi-lane, complex intersections. The omission of an APS contributes to unnecessarily risky crossings, paying for taxis or shared-ride vehicles a short distance to bypass a dangerous crossing, or taking lengthy and time-consuming detours to work, shopping for groceries, or to attend community activities and social events. None of these increased risks, extra cost or additional burdens are imposed upon sighted pedestrians. We note, in further support of our request, that the ACB of New York, a state affiliate, and several blind members filed a class action against the City of New York for its failure to install APSs. The court held that the City of New York’s failure to provide crossing information in an accessible format at more than 95% of intersections unlawfully denies blind and low-vision pedestrians meaningful access to New York City’s signalized pedestrian street crossings in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. (Am. Council of Blind of N.Y., Inc. v. City of New York, 495 F. Supp. 3d 211, 232-239 (S.D.N.Y. 2020).) More recently, on April 8, 2021, the United States, represented by the U.S. Department of Justice, intervened in a class action discrimination lawsuit filed by another ACB affiliate, the American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago, and three individual plaintiffs against the Chicago Department of Transportation. The lawsuit alleges that the Chicago Department of Transportation fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. The Complaint in Intervention asserts that “Chicago’s failure to install APSs at signalized intersections in the city endangers people who are blind by depriving them equal access to the same safe-crossing information that Chicago provides to sighted pedestrians. This is unlawful discrimination under the ADA and Section 504.” For these reasons, ACB requests that you direct the FHWA to revise the MUTCD to mandate all new or reconstructed intersections with pedestrian signals to be equipped with APS during the initial construction. Also, upon their installation, APS are to be automatically activated, enabling their immediate use. In addition, the MUTCD should require the equipping of existing visual-only pedestrian signals with APS over a reasonable period by formally adopting an ADA Transition Plan (28 C.F.R. §35.150(d)). More detailed technical specifications for the critically needed access and safety revisions as well as the factual and further legal authority for our request are provided by ACB’s May 14, 2021 Comments on the MUTCD, which are included as an additional attachment with this letter. Additionally, ACB agrees with the technical comments filed by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, which offer additional recommendations for technical changes to the MUTCD. Thank you for your consideration of our request. If we can provide additional information, or if you or your staff would like to meet to discuss these matters further, I am available at your convenience. Very Truly Yours, Dan Spoone President, American Council of the Blind ***** 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. ** Mitzi Friedlander Reprinted from “The Louisville Courier-Journal,” August 13, 2021. Mitzi Friedlander, 91, passed away on Aug. 11, 2021. Mitzi was a performer (actress and singer), narrator of Talking Books, social activist, teacher, mentor and friend to many across Louisville. Her light brightened many rooms and lives. She loved big parties with friends, especially the legendary Friedlander Christmas parties. She is enshrined in the Atherton Hall of Fame, a U of L Alumni award winner, and is an American Foundation for the Blind Alexander Scourby Awardee for excellence in narration. She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years (William), and is survived by her daughter Fadel Fulkerson (Greg) and her son Eric (Indigo). A memorial party was held Aug. 21st. Mitzi was also celebrated during the regular Sunday Eucharist at Christ Church Cathedral on Aug. 22nd. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Mitzi’s honor to Christ Church Cathedral, 421 S. 2nd St., Louisville, KY 40202; Louisville Interfaith Paths to Peace, 2500 Montgomery St., Louisville, KY 40212; or the American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206. For a full remembrance, please visit www.pearsonfuneralhome.com. ** Terry Camardelle Sept. 23, 1945- Sept. 5, 2021 by Dan Sippl As Terry was a very humble, unselfish, caring pillar of society, I thought that I should write something of his accomplishments for those who may not have had the opportunity to know of his leadership and philanthropy through his entire life. Terry is a very humble giant in society who touched the hearts, souls and lives of thousands of people, with emphasis on our blindness and visually impaired community. Terry was born a visually impaired child during World War II, which denied him the opportunity for a full formal education as we know it today. This gave him the inspiration to be a better human being and humanitarian. Terry started his work life very early, assisting in the care of other family members, particularly his niece, whom we all have come to know as Kim Venable. He married his teen love of life, Bonnie, who carried the same unselfish and supporting ideals to the blindness community. As Terry worked at a local Bingo hall, he was able to assist the blindness organizations of Louisiana to purchase the hall as a way to improve the lives of other blind and visually impaired in the state and nationally via the Louisiana Council of the Blind, Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of Louisiana and the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America. As a Randolph-Sheppard vendor, he was able to support his family and the various blindness organizations he believed in and, along with his family’s full support, accepted leadership roles so others could improve their lives in a sighted world. Terry had the unique ability to find time to help others have a better life. His commitment to children was unparalleled. With the assistance of the blindness organizations, he supported and coordinated annual Christmas parties for all of the children attending the Louisiana School for the Blind by bringing them together for an evening of fun while assuring that each received a Christmas present. Terry’s endless hours of managing the Bingo hall for the blindness organizations allowed those organizations to assist members in attending ACB’s annual conferences. Terry and his family’s commitment to children led him to accept leadership roles in the Shriners, thereby allowing his philanthropic personality to extend to all children. Terry’s humble and unselfish personality never expected nor even desired any acknowledgement or recognition for his philanthropic ideals. Terry was a religious man, but never carried it on his shoulder. He simply lived by its virtue. He had a deep understanding of right and wrong. Please join me in extending our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Bonnie and their daughters, along with Kim and Tommy Venable and their entire family. ***** How to Reach People Without or Uncomfortable with Technology compiled by Ardis Bazyn • Offer to hold classes on how to use newer technologies. o A class teaching Zoom commands for those using a land line/smartphone might encourage members to join calls. o A class on using the iPhone would give new users the easiest gestures for certain functions. Many enjoy the ACB community calls. You can subscribe to receive the daily schedule by sending a blank email to Acb-community-events+subscribe@acblists.org. o Those without email can access this information by phone by dialing 1-800-424-8666 and following the prompts. • Offer three-way connections for people uncomfortable with conference call systems. Three-way calls would work for those without long-distance calling plans. • Offer to have a member call someone using Zoom on the computer so the member can listen/participate on the phone. • Phone trees, whether electronic or using member volunteers, can share meeting info, events, and important information. o Electronic phone trees: One Call Now or Call Multiplier. • Conference call systems are sometimes easier for seniors with memory issues. o Some may ask for a donation so you don’t lose the capability of using the number. o Some phone carriers don’t allow free conference call systems. o Use a free conference system where all can be muted while speakers are presenting. o Tell participants not to use the speaker function unless they are muted. o Two people on the same call cannot participate on separate phones in the same room. o The number of callers allowed may differ depending on the system used. o Offer to reimburse members who cannot afford to pay for the calls if they don’t have an unlimited calling plan. • Consider having an 800 number for members to call for information. o Many 800 lines have numerous boxes for different types of messages. o Find out from members what information they’d like to receive when they call. • Braille and large print information can be sent as well as email. o Postcards could be sent for important events. o An affiliate or chapter newsletter can be sent in the member’s preferred format. • Philmore Productions (773-572-3000) is a low-cost phone method with different lines so you can add a weekly announcement of chapter activities and podcasts. o Price for a box allows posting of information and announcements. o They have an email by phone option, but it’s not particularly easy to use. • Offer to assist someone who has difficulty with adding a contact on their phone for making recurring calls (this could be done on a land line with that capacity as well). This document was created by the ACB Membership Committee. For questions, please contact Ardis Bazyn, ACB Membership Committee Chair, at (818) 238-9321 or abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. ***** Affiliate News It’s convention season! Want to see your affiliate’s convention listed here? Have you had a successful convention and want to brag a little? Send the information to slovering@acb.org. ** Ohio and Indiana to Hold Joint Convention ACB of Ohio and ACB of Indiana will hold a joint convention Oct. 29-31 at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North-Worthington. Plans include breakout sessions on technology, health, and more. There will be exhibitors, an auction, and all the usual activities. Friday afternoon features a hospitality room where we can meet and talk. Save time Saturday for the auction – we already have lots of fantastic items. Room rates are $104 per night, plus tax. For more information, visit www.acbohio.org or call 1-800-835-2226. ** Illinois Council to Host Virtual Concert The Illinois Council of the Blind is holding a very exciting fall fundraiser – a virtual concert by Steven Solomon, “Pianist to the Stars.” When? Sunday, Nov. 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Central time. The cost is $25 per household to attend. To sign up, visit www.icbonline.org. The last 30 minutes of the show will be dedicated to songs that have been requested for Steven to play. To pre-request a song, send Maggie an email, icb@icbonline.org; in the subject line, write SONG REQUEST, and in the body of the email, write the name of the song and the artist. For more information about Steven Solomon, visit www.PianoBySteven.com. To hear some of his music, visit his YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/PianoBySteven. If you’d like to view his partial song list, visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b9RDNmqSNtNjge9yevBllKSclsHZZdHl/view. ** GDUI Holiday Wreaths and Centerpieces Guide Dog Users, Inc. again wishes to raise funds for our Universal Voting Program by selling holiday wreaths and centerpieces via the Sherwood Farms Fundraising Webstore, https://sherwoodfundraiser.com/guidedogusersinc. Wreaths are made of an aromatic combination of noble fir, berried juniper and incense cedar. Touches of color provided by red faux holly berries. Includes a deluxe, pre-tied checkered tree bow. The centerpieces are made of cedar, noble fir, pine and berried juniper arranged in an oasis block and bowl for your table. Faux white snow berries and red holly berries included for custom arrangement. Also includes 10” tapered LED candle. Approximately 12 inches diameter. These items are delivered fresh from the Pacific Northwest directly to your door. The last day to order is Nov. 10th. If you have any problems accessing the website, contact Denise Weddle at (310) 306-8149. ***** 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. ** New Director of NLS Jason Broughton has been selected as the new Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress. Immediately prior to joining the NLS, Mr. Broughton was the Vermont State Librarian. He earned his M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina, an M.S. in Public Administration from the University of South Florida, and a B.A. in Biology from Florida A&M University. ** Literacy Conference This year’s Getting in Touch with Literacy conference will be held in person Dec. 1-4, 2021, at the TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach, Fla. For more information, visit http://www.gettingintouchwithliteracy.org. ***** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (2nd term, 2023) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2023) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2023) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 * Secretary Denise Colley (2nd term, 2023) 1401 Northwest Ln. SE Lacey, WA 98503 * Treasurer David Trott (final term, 2023) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (2nd term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (partial term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) ** ACB Board of Publications Katie Frederick, Chair, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2023) Cheryl Cumings, Boston, MA (1st term, 2023) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (1st term, 2022) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (2nd term, 2022) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2022) ***** ** 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. ###