The ACB E-Forum Volume LXII October 2023 No. 4 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 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 https://www.facebook.com/acbnational. Copyright 2023 American Council of the Blind Dan Spoone, Interim Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 225 Reinekers Ln., Suite 660, Alexandria, VA 22314 ***** ** Table of Contents President's Message: Volunteering Your Way to Employment, by Deb Cook Lewis Convention 2024: Traveling to Jacksonville, by Janet Dickelman Summary of the June 30, 2023 ACB Board Meeting, by Penny Reeder ACB Membership Seminar: Benefits of Partnerships for Membership Growth, compiled by Ardis Bazyn A Call to Action: White Cane Day, by Anthony Corona APH ConnectCenter Provides Information on Employment -- And a Whole Lot More, by Lori Scharff Reasonable Accommodation and Assistance Dogs in the Workplace, by Ed and Toni Eames Olegario D. Cantos VII, A Man for All the People, by Charles D. Nabarrete United Becomes First U.S. Airline to Add Braille to Aircraft Cabin Interiors In Memoriam: Dr. Ronald Earl Milliman Readers' Memories of Dr. Ronald E. Milliman 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 Upcoming Forum Themes and Deadlines December 2023: International Relations Committee; deadline: October 24, 2023 January 2024: braille/reflections on 2023/goal-setting for the new year; deadline: November 20, 2023 February 2024: accessible voting, civil rights and black history; deadline: December 22, 2023 ** 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: Volunteering Your Way to Employment by Deb Cook Lewis I can say, without any reservations, that I had the most amazing career path with just enough adventure, success, variety and drama to keep me amused and amazed for almost 43 years in the workforce. But I also have to say that perhaps the most amazing part of this was the role that volunteering played in my pre-work life. Of course, I'm still volunteering out here for ACB and for one other organization that is important to me, but in the context of this article I'm talking strictly about the volunteer work that shaped my career. I'm one who did everything wrong to set myself up for success. I chose a career where no one actually gets good employment, and then I dropped out of college before I was qualified to do anything. So now what was I going to do with myself? I decided to volunteer myself into work experience and credibility. The processes would be a bit different these days, but I think the strategy can still apply. We have lots of tasks here at ACB, for example, that are definitely employment-worthy and are not staffed because we don't have that capacity, so keep us in mind if you're looking for work experience. Meanwhile, I signed myself up with a reputable volunteer agency and told them I was available four days a week to volunteer up to 8 hours per day. I had a few stipulations. First, I wanted one job each day of the week. Next, I wanted these to be real work inasmuch as you can do that with volunteers. And finally, I wanted a letter of reference if I did the work well enough to be considered for hire. And I definitely wanted honest feedback if I did not perform to this level. It wasn't easy finding the four jobs, and accommodations in those days were not only quite optional but also hard to work out in some cases. But I was working with a great placement person in the volunteer office, my rehab counselor was on board, I was persistent, and ultimately some organizations stepped up to have me come and perform real jobs that were all very different from each other. There's not space here to write about the jobs and all I learned or experienced, but at the end of 9 months I had four marvelous letters singing the praises of all my work accomplishments, my soft skills, and that they would strongly consider me or recommend me for whatever I wanted to do. Here at ACB we have volunteers in all capacities, from event planning to hosting in Community. I think about how this serves the organization and our community at large, but also how it can be a means to developing particularly the soft skills we need for employment. I appreciate so much all of the volunteer efforts of our members and friends. If you are genuinely looking for employment, think about how your volunteer experience may be applicable to your journey. It sure has been for mine! ***** ** Convention 2024: Traveling to Jacksonville by Janet Dickelman The home of the 2024 American Council of the Blind conference and convention will be the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel, located at 225 E. Coastline Dr. in Jacksonville. Convention dates are July 5-12. The opening general session will be on Saturday evening, July 6. Our banquet will be held on Thursday night, July 11. The exhibit hall will be open Saturday through Wednesday. We will have day-long tours both Fridays, July 5 and 12, with many other tours throughout convention week. Special-interest affiliates, committees and our business partners will hold sessions throughout the convention. * Traveling to Jacksonville The Jacksonville airport (airport code JAX) is 15 miles from the hotel. The following airlines fly to JAX: Allegiant Air American Air Lines Breeze Airways Delta Air Lines Frontier Air Lines JetBlue Airways Southwest Airlines Sun Country United Airlines Uber or Lyft will cost around $25 from the airport to the hotel; a taxi is about $10 higher. Closer to the convention we will be able to provide up-to-date taxi information as well as information regarding local paratransit; we are also checking on potential shuttle service. If you'd like to travel to Jacksonville by train or bus, the Greyhound station is located at 1111 W. Forsyth St., 1.2 miles from the hotel. Megabus also drops off at that location. If you plan on taking the train, Amtrak's station is at 3570 Clifford Ln., 5.6 miles from the hotel. * Hotel Details Room rates at the Hyatt are $99 per night plus tax. Reservation information will be posted when it becomes available. * 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 2023 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe to the list. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** Summary of the June 30, 2023 ACB Board Meeting by Penny Reeder President Deb Cook Lewis called the June 30, 2023 pre-convention board meeting to order at 9 a.m. Central time in Schaumburg, Illinois. All ACB board members, except for Chris Bell, who was excused, were present. The board approved the agenda, along with the minutes of the April 25 meeting and the consent agenda. To hear the podcast of the meeting, visit https://tinyurl.com/bdd2b7w9. President Lewis said that the work of the voting task force and the constitution and bylaws committee will take on a higher priority as ACB makes plans for future conventions. ACB will be establishing additional work groups to evaluate and ultimately determine what formats will work best for the conventions following Jacksonville and Dallas. * Executive Director's Report Dan Spoone described two meetings in which he participated along with other advocates for making changes in U.S. paper currency. At a high-level meeting where he was invited to represent ACB, United States Treasurer Marilynn Malerba reassured Dan that the process of making paper currency accessible is -- and can be expected to remain -- on track. In a June 8 meeting with representatives from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Secret Service, and others, Dan learned about the milestones that have to be reached as the Bureau moves forward toward releasing a tactually accessible $10 bill scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2026, with other accessible denominations to follow. "I have learned so much about money in these past several months," Dan enthused, describing some of the complexities associated with printing and circulating paper currency. Dan described the massive effort, launched at the end of the leadership conference, that resulted in securing most of the sponsors for the 2023 convention. Dan and Jo Lynn Bailey-Page emphasized that much of this success derived from staff members and ACB leaders' intentional reliance on their personal relationships with colleagues as a means of attracting corporate and foundation sponsors. Dan discussed the audio-visual team put together by Rick Morin and the ACB Media crew for the 2023 convention. The team will use some equipment that ACB Media owns and will leverage the expertise of many individuals whom ACB has relied upon for various projects. He encouraged convention attendees to share their feedback on the quality of audio and visual streams and recordings. * Director of Advocacy Report Clark Rachfal stated that ACB is working with Sen. Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Eshoo (D-CA) on reintroduction of the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act in the 118th Congress. Rep. Schakowsky (D-IL) has reintroduced the Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act as H.R. 1328. The bill has 48 co-sponsors, including 4 Republicans. Introduction of a Senate bill is a priority, and ACB will work to make it bipartisan as well. ACB will be submitting comments on the Department of Housing and Urban Development Advance Notice of Proposed Rule-Making and on non-discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Swatha said that ACB had recently led a sign-on letter effort advocating for legislation to create a national framework for the research, testing, and deployment of accessible autonomous vehicles. Congress is negotiating an extension of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, which is set to expire in mid-September. The legislative package for the FAA reauthorization includes several provisions on accessibility for blind and low vision travelers, such as access to airline websites, applications, and kiosks; accessible in-flight entertainment; and improved access for guide and service dog users. Finally, Clark assured ACB that he and Swatha are available to assist state affiliates which are vigorously advocating for their right to have an accessible way to vote remotely. * The Audio Description Project Report Tabitha Kenlon, ACB's Audio Description Project Coordinator, updated the board on the many activities on which the team is currently focusing. She described the very successful and well-attended ADP Conference, which featured seven panel discussions covering key topics in the field of audio description. She previewed the ADP awards presentations. This year's winners include two blind audio describers. The convention presentation will feature the 2023 winner of the Benefits of Audio Description in Education (BADIE) contest reading her winning essay. Preparations for the Audio Description Awards Gala, scheduled for November 14, are going well, and the Pullman Museum has been selected as the venue for next February's Descript-a-thon. Gabriel Lopez-Kafati announced that the Audio Description Awards Gala will be simultaneously streamed in Spanish. He thanked Dicapta for their continuing assistance with ACB's Spanish translations. * Resource Development Report Jo Lynn Bailey-Page highlighted the primary fund-raising goals and several first and second-quarter achievements of ACB’s Resource Development team, which includes Jo Lynn, Kolby Garrison, and Bill Reeder. The team has been writing grant reports, applying for new grants, and raising corporate funds in support of the ACB Annual Fund, the Leadership Conference, the convention, and the Audio Description Awards Gala. The team has created two introductory courses, with the goal of establishing a formal fund-raising training program. Their 2023 goals include retaining 2022 donors, nurturing relationships with them, and launching campaigns to identify potential new donors. In addition, they are focusing on ways to highlight ACB's commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility, with the objective of attracting specific corporate and foundation grant funding. Jo Lynn said that the challenges of the past year have motivated the team to strengthen ACB's case for support. The team has been revamping the collection of documents that convey ACB's mission and describe the transformative impact of our work for people who are blind. * Communications Report Kelly Gasque, ACB's Manager of Communications, highlighted the opportunities for wider outreach and enhanced communications that the major events on ACB's annual calendar represent. She said that ACB can take pride in the fact that every event associated with the virtual D.C. Leadership Conference was streamed in real time, in both English and Spanish. The Audio Description Awards Gala offers even more opportunities for widening our outreach to the Spanish-speaking community via advertising on Spanish-language radio and promotions through Telemundo and Dicapta. Kelly pointed to several innovations that enhanced ACB's communications during the rally, including construction of a lengthy timeline that illustrates just how long our struggle to achieve accessible paper currency has been; utilization of pre-populated tweets directed to the Department of the Treasury, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Biden Administration; extensive use of social media; and the use of QR codes to direct people to resources for further information. She said that recently increased availability of artificial intelligence applications has allowed ACB Media to save time and increase outreach through extensive use of our podcasting capability for reading the content of documents and materials, such as the proposed constitutional amendments and resolutions. ACB Media has introduced two new podcast feeds, one for special events which are aggregated on ACB Business, and a Spanish-language podcast feed. The enhancements to the ACB Link app will also streamline convention-related communications. ACB's efforts to increase our social media outreach are paying off, with a 71 percent increase in Instagram followers and a 99.75 percent increase in LinkedIn followers. Dan added that ACB is averaging 30,000 podcast downloads a month. Preparing these podcasts requires a massive amount of effort, and he and Kelly both expressed their appreciation to Larry Gassman, Sharon Lovering and the many volunteers who promote community programs and assist with these conversions. Kelly noted that she and others are investigating what needs to be done to establish ACB’s presence on Mastodon, the popular Twitter alternative to which many blind people have recently migrated. * Membership Engagement Report Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement, expressed her thanks and appreciation to Natalie Couch, who had stepped up to assure that all of the tasks associated with keeping the ACB Community up and running smoothly were accomplished. She shared a summary of membership statistics derived from the annual certification report. Since 2020, membership in many of ACB's special-interest affiliates has increased, while membership in nearly all state affiliates decreased. The number of ACB state affiliates decreased by one. The end-of-year totals for individual membership increased by 5 percent over the count reported in March. She expects to welcome a new South Carolina affiliate in 2024. * Finance Reports CFO Nancy Becker updated the board on ACB’s financial status. She included an income statement as of the end of the first quarter of 2023 and a summary of income associated with various programs, and David Trott, ACB’s treasurer, shared the financial narrative with the board. Nancy stated that ACB received a clean audit report. Following acceptance of the staff reports, Michael Garrett, chair of the ACB Enterprises and Services board, sang the praises of the team that makes ACBES successful, paying special attention to the many innovations which day-to-day manager Chris Sawyer has brought to store operating practices. Chris’ experience in retail continues to make a positive difference in the stores’ revenue. His creative ideas have allowed the stores to build a stable customer base, and to see it grow. ACBES’ contribution to ACB for the first quarter of the year was $106,800, which is 40 percent higher than predicted in the annual budget. Michael said that his goal for ACBES is to contribute 20 percent of ACB's overall budget. Penny Reeder reported that the BOP has thrived under the leadership of Katie Frederick, who has served as BOP chair for the past several years. Katie announced her resignation, and the board applauded to express their gratitude. Penny encouraged ACB members to visit the ACB Voices blog (https://acbvoices.wordpress.com/), to subscribe, to listen to some of the "Member at the Mic" pieces, and to submit their own content. Clark and Swatha reported on the status of 2022 resolutions. Clark began by thanking and praising Sharon Lovering's ingenuity and commitment to the goals of our organization, so well represented by her posting of a complete index of all of ACB's resolutions on the ACB Resolutions web page (https://acb.org/resolutions). Clark told the board how Sharon was able to locate a resolution which was adopted in a year for which ACB had no easily accessible paper records, to unearth the hard-bound volume of that year's Braille Forums (which was buried inside one of the moving boxes). She found the requested resolution, scanned it, and shared it with a standards-writing committee who had requested ACB’s input. Clark and Swatha reported progress toward reaching essential goals of a number of 2022 resolutions, and ongoing work to achieve the goals of others. Donna Brown reported that the walk committee had already raised more than half of this year's monetary goal for the walk. Ray Campbell thanked the host committee members for their hard work. The fall board meeting will be held Sept. 29-30 in Jacksonville, Fla. ***** ** ACB Membership Seminar: Benefits of Partnerships for Membership Growth compiled by Ardis Bazyn, ACB Membership Chair The theme for the 2023 membership seminar was "The Benefits of Partnerships for Membership Growth." By contacting people in other organizations, agencies, and companies, more blind and visually impaired people are exposed to ACB and its affiliates. Once they learn about ACB and/or an affiliate, they connect with other blind and visually impaired people and may join. The first panel speakers on the topic "How to Find and Establish Partnerships" were Allan Peterson from the North Dakota Association of the Blind; Danette Dixon from Washington Diabetics in Action and Guide Dog Users of Washington, and Ardis Bazyn from California Council of the Blind and Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America. Some tips mentioned were: • Contact your closest VIS coordinator at VA hospitals and medical centers to discuss how your organization can assist or support veterans who have recently lost their vision. • Contact the nearest Independent Living Centers in your state and offer assistance and support for programs for visually impaired people in the area. • Contact Lions Clubs in your community and visit them. If possible, have a member join their club. You can also offer to have a member speak to a local chapter about your projects. • Contact guide dog schools or puppy raisers to assist with an event. • Contact appropriate partners for specific projects. • Establish a program which would suit a possible partner. • Search for like-minded organizations and help them with their mission. • When approaching an organization, company, or agency, outline the benefits for both parties in any partnership. • Sponsors, exhibitors, and programs being developed (camps, conventions, etc.) need to benefit both parties. • Invite speakers from organizations and agencies where new programs or innovative ideas are being developed. • When inviting sponsors or exhibitors to your conferences or events, consider which companies might have products and services your members might enjoy. • Think outside the box when inviting companies and organizations, since most attendees have other interests beside blindness products and services. • Reach out to specific agencies where clients likely will need services at some point like accessible software, accessible voting, accessible pharmacies, etc. • Ask your members to suggest particular companies or organizations they have contacted in the past for products and services. If access issues are found, you can work together on them. • Recognize organizations, agencies, and companies who have worked with you on a project having a good outcome. The speakers on the second panel topic, "Current Chapter and Affiliate Partnerships," were Theresa D. Thomas, executive director, Bluegrass Council of the Blind, Inc.; Allan Peterson, North Dakota Association of the Blind; and Casey Dutmer, president, Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Their efforts have included the following: • The Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MCBVI) chapters have partnered with several organizations and have had good results. The chapter in the Grand Rapids area, Visually Impaired Persons for Progress (VIPP) has worked with Disability Advocates of Kent County on issues such as accessible voting, public transportation, more sidewalks in populated areas and other issues related to blindness as well as the disability community. • This chapter has also worked with the Rapid on public transportation with good results. The chapter has done a lot of work with the city and county clerks with moderate success. • The Blue Water League of the Blind, which serves St. Clair County, has also worked with their local transit provider and has a working relationship with the local Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Independent Living with good results. • MCBVI has partnered with the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) to build better relationships between the consumers and state agency. • They also played a large role in how the Auto-Marc voting machine was designed by giving input to state officials. • Bluegrass Council of the Blind partners with several organizations to present a biennial event that educates professionals who work with people with low to no vision, offering continuing education credits for people in the areas of social work, rehabilitation counseling and nursing. For this one-day event, we partner with the Lexington Senior Center, Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS), the VA visually impaired services team, Radio Eye, and independent transportation network of the Bluegrass. Presentations are all related to topics of concern to people with vision impairment. They invite vendors to have information booths. They have found this type of event is fairly easy to get sponsors and vendors to pay a fee for the booth. Sponsorships are usually around $500 or $1,000; booth space is usually $25 or $50 per booth, with nonprofits getting a free booth space. • BGCB has worked with the University of Kentucky, and various departments. The communications department has professors that require students to do volunteer work in groups, and BGCB is on their list of nonprofits for the students to choose from. BGCB gets a group of eight or 10 students each semester to help them with communication projects like conducting phone surveys, social media assistance, etc. One year BGCB had a student who was fluent in Spanish; she translated brochures into Spanish for them. • BGCB also has a formal partnership with the college of pharmacy where they provide a group of students to work with BGCB for two years and provide at least two hours of volunteer time a month per student. They also did a project to assist BGCB with a health fair, directing it specifically to people with vision difficulties. BGCB held it at the senior center and invited various organizations to have free booths, such as diabetes screenings, kidney screenings, and the pharmacy students did diabetic foot exams and blood pressure screenings. They had a total of 18 vendor booths and about 75 visitors. • The University is a great resource for volunteers and partner agencies. Volunteers often return after the required volunteer time as members, donors and ongoing volunteers. • The University of Kentucky has a program called community service learning, and they can connect BGCB with all the different departments that require volunteer hours and volunteer projects of the students. • BGCB partners with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation/Division of Blind Services for several types of events, including the eye-opening symposium, and BGCB often provides speakers or vendor booths at the McDowell Center, which is a residential facility for people to learned blind skills which is operated by the Division of Blind Services Coalition. • BGCB has been invited to present to the statewide emergency management services and participate in role-play exercises, preparing for disasters. BGCB has offered presentations on how to assist a person with a vision impairment, and currently serves on an advisory Council for the statewide emergency management services. • BGCB has a seat on the statewide council for vocational rehabilitation, which connects BGCB to many other agencies across the state who serve people with disabilities. • BGCB also participates each year in the statewide organization for optometrists. It's the Kentucky Optometric Association, and each spring they have a conference where BGCB provides an information booth. There is no charge for nonprofits to have a booth, and we can reach lots of optometrists and people who work in optometrists' and ophthalmologists' offices. • Last year, BGCB had a partnership with the University of Kentucky's teachers of the visually impaired program, which has a master's program in orientation and mobility. BGCB partnered with them to host several orientation and mobility workshops. They provided certified orientation and mobility specialists and students studying in their program to provide training to people who wanted to attend the workshop. BGCB not only provided orientation and mobility services, but also sighted guide techniques to friends and family members who were interested in assisting their loved ones. • The TVI program for orientation and mobility also provided certified orientation and mobility specialists and students to assist BGCB with giving members and clients extra assistance in navigating and learning their way around BGCB's new offices. • The North Dakota Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired has worked with Lions Clubs to plan their annual camp for visually impaired persons. These are all great ways to get involved in the community which can increase your visibility and increase your membership. Visit your local Chamber of Commerce and let them know about your organization and its mission. There are so many different groups and organizations you can involve in your projects. Be open to new possibilities and reach out to your community. ***** ** A Call to Action: White Cane Day by Anthony Corona The issues are plenty and varied, the advocacy is strong in theory, and we all seem to have opinions or strategies, yet it often does not translate into action. Last year as chairperson of the convention planning committee for BPI and in my other leadership roles, I have learned how difficult it is to inspire action. There is no shortage of issues -- we have plenty -- but it's boots on the ground, fingers on the keys we really need. This White Cane Day, I implore us to look past a day to highlight our community and infuse ourselves to take that spirit from one day to many. The importance of this day and what it represents to the world about our community is so very important, but the work that needs to be done cannot survive with participation for a week in the winter and summer and on a few scattered days in between. I challenge us all to take the spirit of White Cane Day and use it on Arbor Day, April Fool's Day, Grandparents Day and maybe even National Ice Cream Day. Being a part of a grass-roots advocacy organization comes with the opportunity to learn, add your voice to the chorus, and take the advocacy from the personal to the communal. This means that sometimes getting into the fray is necessary. It means recognizing that we are stronger in voice and choice together than we are solitary. It means that we sometimes need to step out of our comfort zone to accomplish or at least be heard. It means that we need more action and commitment. I am not suggesting that we all need to be advocating all day, every day, but some of the time spent complaining and pondering can be more effectively used by taking the initiative to attend committee and chapter meetings, picking an issue or two, and signing that proverbial clipboard roster, rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. Whether it's audio description, guide dog denials, voting, transportation or the myriad of issues facing our community, there is no shortage of working groups here in ACB. And there are state and special-interest affiliates that are always looking for a few good minds, hearts and hands. I dare to suggest that any personal interest can be met somewhere in our organization's advocacy efforts. I propose that the seasoned leaders and advocates would love not only more hands on deck, but would relish the opportunity to pass on their knowledge, and I daresay most would be open to new ideas. We often hear that it's not easy to learn how to advocate, how to get our voices heard, and as a member who is still relatively new to this organization I agree, with this caveat: If we do not step in, ask around and be ready to learn, make mistakes and get a little dirty, it will always stay this way. I can guarantee that any seasoned advocate will reminisce on when they were green and maybe even scared to step into that arena. Isn't the first step always the scariest? So I call ACB members to action. I implore each of us to pick an issue or two and jump into the action. We all want change, to better our situations, but we all must be willing to take a share of the work needed to get it done. We all should take pride in being a member of an organization like ACB and the good work it has accomplished and all the great work that could be done with more of us in the mix. I call to us all to give a little more of our time to the work instead of the social and let’s show ACB, the greater community and the USA itself what the blind and low vision folks of this organization can accomplish. Together we can do great things! ***** ** APH ConnectCenter Provides Information on Employment — And a Whole Lot More by Lori Scharff Five years ago, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) took over CareerConnect, FamilyConnect, and VisionAware from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). What has become of all these fantastic informational services? You can now find them all under one roof at www.aphconnectcenter.org. We now have one website with all of our resources in one place. With October being Disability Employment Awareness Month, we will focus on the employment offerings. But, feel free to look at our website for lots of blogs, upcoming webinars, and outstanding YouTube offerings on all aspects of blindness and low vision. Within the Careers and Employment section, you will find our information for the career curious of all ages. Career Conversations is a webinar which is then put onto our Careers YouTube channel. We interview people who are blind or low vision about their career and what it has taken for them to get to where they are in the world of work. Employment Connections is a new quarterly webinar focusing on a topic related to employment. Our inaugural event focused on disclosing a disability during employment. Our website also contains a wide variety of blogs on topics related to employment as a person who is blind or has low vision. For individuals just starting out in the world of work, in partnership with NSITE, we offer the Job Seekers Toolkit. This is a free 5-lesson self-paced course. Materials include information about self-advocacy, developing a network, your resume and the interview, as well as how to keep the job once you have it. Feel free to check out what we have to offer. If you are interested in being interviewed for Career Conversations, please email lscharff@aph.org. Job Seekers Toolkit https://communities.nonprofitleadershipalliance.org/nsitecommunity/home/discover/job-seekers-toolkit APH YouTube channel (26) APH ConnectCenter - YouTube ***** ** Reasonable Accommodation and Assistance Dogs in the Workplace by Ed and Toni Eames (Author’s Note: This article was published over 20 years ago, but employment discrimination persists today.) As president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, a consumer advocacy organization with more than 2,000 people with disabilities working with guide, hearing and service dogs, Ed was often consulted on a wide range of access denial issues. Most access problems were readily solved when those who initially declare, "No dogs in my restaurant, taxi or hospital" become aware of existing laws. However, the most difficult cases to resolve within a reasonable time frame were those involving employment of disabled individuals partnered with guide, hearing and service dogs. As we know, guide dogs are trained to help their blind and low vision partners safely negotiate the unseen environment. Hearing dogs alert their deaf and hard-of-hearing partners to unheard sounds such as the telephone ring, door knock, smoke alarm or the person's name being called. Service dogs work with people with disabilities other than blindness or deafness and provide a diversity of disability mitigating tasks. These tasks include, but are not limited to, bracing to provide help getting in and out of chairs, support in walking, retrieving dropped or requested objects, helping to pull a wheelchair, alerting to a medical crisis or reminding the partner to take medications. * The Employment Issue Employment related issues are addressed by a number of laws, including state statutes, the Rehabilitation Act and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under Title I compared with Title III of the ADA, instead of a mandate of access, the requirement is less stringent providing only for reasonable accommodation to be made to permit an employee to be accompanied by an assistance dog/service animal. This distinction continues to make denial to the workplace because of the presence of an assistance dog an ongoing problem. As the following four cases will show, there is very little consistency in the application of the laws. * The Chris Branson Case (Branson v. Brown) Dr. Chris Branson, a graduate of Northwestern University medical school, began working at the Lakeside Veterans Administration Health Care Center in Chicago in 1981. Four years later, she was paralyzed. Following rehabilitation for her spinal cord injury, Dr. Branson returned to work as a staff physician at Lakeside Hospital in February 1986. Like many other paraplegics, she preferred using a manual wheelchair to maintain her upper body strength and independent mobility. Facing increased fatigue in her upper extremities, and recognizing the diversity of benefits to be derived from working with a canine assistant, Dr. Branson trained with a service dog in 1995. She was impressed with her new partner's skill in picking up dropped or requested items, opening and shutting doors, and pulling her manual wheelchair. Prior to training with Nolan, Dr. Branson sought permission to bring him into her workplace, because her training program, Paws With A Cause, believes that for employed applicants, training in the job setting is essential. Unfortunately, the hospital administration failed to recognize Nolan’s ability to improve Dr. Branson's quality of life. Despite numerous memos from Dr. Branson and her Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago doctors, the hospital director remained adamant he would not allow a dog in his hospital. Repeated attempts to obtain an explanation for his exclusionary policy went unanswered. The ploy used by the administration was to continue to ask Dr. Branson and her rehab doctors for more information about her medical condition, and to ask them to specify how a service dog could aid her on the job. Several months after completion of training with Nolan, Dr. Branson received official notification he was barred from accompanying her to work. Following mandated procedures, Dr. Branson filed a discrimination complaint with the VA Equal Employment Opportunities investigation team. This internal review committee rubber-stamped the administration's denial of access by finding Dr. Branson had not proven she was denied reasonable accommodation and the decision to train with a service dog was a lifestyle choice and not work-related. Responding to this finding, Dr. Branson hired an attorney and filed a complaint against the VA hospital in federal court. Patrick Kronenwetter agreed to represent her. At the time the case was heard four years later, the VA lawyer asked for dismissal. In opposition, Dr. Branson's lawyers asked the judge to have the case go to trial and enjoin the hospital from barring Nolan. The hospital's position was that Dr. Branson was already receiving a number of accommodations enabling her to continue working. They stated the law does not require a federal agency to provide every accommodation a disabled employee requests. In effect, they were saying they had the exclusive right to determine the nature of reasonable accommodation. The case was heard by Judge Nan Nolan of the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. On May 17, Judge Nolan decided that the VA had violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in denying Dr. Branson the right to be accompanied by her service dog at work. She stated the VA's view of reasonable accommodation was too narrow. Their unwillingness to engage in a meaningful dialogue with Dr. Branson about the potential negative impact on the hospital of Nolan's presence was improper. Judge Nolan noted the basis of her decision was: 1. Dr. Branson is a qualified individual with a handicap. 2. Lakeside VA must make reasonable accommodations for the handicap. 3. Accommodation need not be made if it would impose an undue hardship on the operation of Lakeside's program. Lakeside bears the burden of proving an undue hardship. An undue hardship could be financial or in terms of operations but neither claim has been made by the Lakeside VA. The only question is whether the requested accommodation was reasonable. The undisputed facts indicate that Dr. Branson's request for accommodation was reasonable. Judge Nolan also noted, "Lakeside VA's minimal effort in cooperation falls short of its responsibilities under the (Rehabilitation) Act. Lakeside VA never explained its objection, if any, to the service dog, never suggested any alternative accommodation, never claimed undue hardship, yet it continues to deny Dr. Branson the ability to use her service dog in the workplace." The Lakeside VA administration requested a reconsideration of this decision, and a hearing on the appeal was set for July 1999. Since Dr. Branson's case had not been dismissed, it was scheduled to be heard by a federal court jury in conjunction with the VA appeal. In the two-day trial beginning July 13, Mike Sapp, CEO of Paws with a Cause, and the local trainer who worked with Dr. Branson testified about Nolan's training and ability to perform tasks in the workplace. In addition, Dr. Branson's Rehabilitation Institute physicians testified about her deteriorating physical condition and the benefits of having Nolan on the job with her. The major witnesses for the VA were the chief of staff and the former director. While the jury was deliberating, Judge Nolan heard the VA appeal against her May 17 judgment. During the chief of staff's testimony about the potential disruptive effect of Nolan's presence in the hospital, the judge interrupted, pointed to Nolan and asked if he was referring to that dog lying quietly next to Dr. Branson's wheelchair for the last three hours. Another witness for the VA was the head of engineering. He brought in detailed diagrams of the hospital’s elevators and patients' rooms to demonstrate a dog of Nolan's size would have a difficult time maneuvering in the limited space. Judge Nolan asked if gurneys fit into the hospital elevators and patients' rooms, and noted that if they did, a retriever should have no problems. Unswayed by the VA claims, Judge Nolan mandated the two sides get together and establish a procedure to permit Dr. Branson to bring Nolan to work with her. When the jury returned after deliberating for two hours, they awarded Dr. Branson $400,000 and payment for all legal costs. This, the jury noted, was compensation in part for her pain and suffering resulting from the VA-imposed ban. Despite Judge Nolan's mandate requiring access, it was not until December 2 that she signed the injunction barring the VA from denying access to Nolan. On December 13 Nolan went to work with Dr. Branson without incident. Thus, four years after being formally denied the right to bring her service dog to work with her, Chris Branson and Nolan had finally become a working team in the VA Lakeside Hospital. Based on the clear judgment in this case, why do we continue seeing similar access denials in the workplace? The problem is, this case was brought under the Rehabilitation Act rather than the ADA and never went through a federal appeal process. However, it certainly stands as a beacon in an otherwise barren landscape. * The Laura Otis Case Laura Otis was an elementary school teacher in Orange County, California who began feeling the growing debilitating effects of a neuromuscular disease resulting in the need to use a cane to aid in walking. She also began having difficulty picking up objects dropped on the floor. To help retrieve dropped or needed items, such as her cane, a chalk holder or board eraser, Ms. Otis hired a trainer to task-train her dog Zoe and prepare her for public access. On June 9, 2003, the district gave permission for Ms. Otis, a teacher with more than 25 years of classroom experience, to bring Zoe to her classroom on a limited basis. The terms were that Zoe would be brought to school no more than three times a week and with a 24-hour notice given to the principal. On the advice of her union representative and without legal representation, she agreed to this proposal. One year later, the acting district superintendent sent a memo indicating that Zoe would no longer be permitted to accompany Ms. Otis to school for the 2004-05 school year. This decision was based primarily on the school principal's stated belief that Zoe was not a bona fide service dog, but merely a pet. The California Teachers Association provided legal counsel to Ms. Otis. Although the district superintendent who sent the letter to Ms. Otis denying access to Zoe and the principal who did not believe Zoe was a service dog have left the Irvine Unified School District, the case dragged on. Initially scheduled for trial in 2007, Ms. Otis' legal team opted for mediation. The school district, dissatisfied with the recommended mediated settlement, asked for a second mediation, which for some unknown reason her counsel agreed to. As of March 2008, that legal process under state law continues and Ms. Otis has not been able to bring Zoe to class with her and, as a result, continues to struggle with her disability. * The Sandy Stefan Case Sandy Stefan, a single mother, graduated from paralegal school in January 2007. In August she obtained a job in McComb County, Michigan working in a traffic court where she processed ticket fines. Fearing she would not be offered the job if the traffic court magistrate knew she had a hearing dog, Ms. Stefan did not mention she was disabled and partnered with a canine assistant. The reality for people with disabilities is that appearing at a job interview accompanied by a canine assistant often precludes being offered a job. After working for a few weeks, she mentioned her hearing dog Ice and said she would like to bring him to work. The magistrate in charge of the court told her not to bring him in until the matter had been resolved by the city attorney. Ms. Stefan worked at the counter where traffic tickets were paid and she explained that Ice would help her alert to her name being called, and to the ring of her cell phone. The magistrate indicated staff could alert her to sounds and the dog was not needed. Once again, management felt they could dictate what accommodations were required. Ms. Stefan explained the dog was fully trained and she needed Ice in getting to and from work since Ice alerts to sirens and the cell phone. The magistrate said getting to and from work was not the court's concern. A meeting was called with the magistrate, chief judge and city attorney. Ms. Stefan did not have legal representation. The city attorney kept asking about Ms. Stefan's degree of hearing loss. They were concerned about liability if Ice bit someone or if a member of the public were allergic to dogs. Ms. Stefan tried to counter these arguments without success. The administrator/magistrate then suggested placing Ice in a carrying case or kennel located in the library at the back room of the office. It was also suggested she place a sign on the kennel indicating a dog was inside. She told the court administrator this was not a reasonable accommodation, since she would not have Ice's alerting services and such separation would jeopardize his training and their partnership. After seven weeks on the job with good evaluations, Ms. Stefan was informed her work was unsatisfactory and she was being fired. She then filed a discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in November 2007. The federal agency said there appeared to be merit in her claim of discrimination and they would be setting up a mediation. Five months later, that mediation has not taken place. * The Sheryll Craven Case Sheryll Craven lives in Auburndale, Florida and has been employed by Winter Haven Hospital for 30 years. She works in the basement where she handles calls dealing with all sorts of hospital issues ranging from light bulbs needing replacement to the need for emergency interventions. As a result of a degenerative neuromuscular disease, Ms. Craven's mobility has become limited. She decided to train her own service dog and have Chelsea certified by New Horizons Service Dogs, a Florida-based training program. Although such certification is not required by law, she felt this would give Chelsea greater credibility. For two weeks she brought Chelsea to work with her without incident. However, one day she was on an upper floor when a vice president of the hospital questioned her right to be there with Chelsea. Immediately thereafter, Ms. Craven was told by her supervisor that her service dog was no longer welcome in the office. As an alternative to using the dog, Ms. Craven was asked to go to occupational therapy to be fitted with some orthopedic equipment, ending her need for Chelsea's assistance. These accommodations did not mitigate the need for the dog. Without her service dog's balancing and bracing tasks, Ms. Craven has been forced to walk using a support cane, which places her at risk of falling. Facing a situation which she felt was discriminatory, Ms. Craven filed a complaint with the EEOC, and a mediation took place March 5, 2008. In order to keep her job and pension, Ms. Craven has agreed not to bring Chelsea to work with her. She felt forced to accept several other accommodations, which, once again, were not determined by her and her doctors, but by management. * Conclusions In these cases, the employer believed he/she had the sole right to determine the nature of a reasonable accommodation. Such a view was successfully challenged in the Branson case where it was clearly indicated that Dr. Branson's employer violated the law by not engaging in an interactive process to determine the nature of a reasonable accommodation. Employers have to conform to the law and recognize they are not the sole arbiters of reasonable accommodation. It is to their advantage to recognize the costs involved in providing alternative accommodations may add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and still not meet the disability-related needs of the employee. In contrast, the cost of permitting the dog in the workplace has little if any monetary costs. In addition, litigation of these cases can be extremely costly as shown by the Branson case. Patrick Kronenwetter, Dr. Branson's attorney, indicated that while Dr. Branson was awarded $300,000, the maximum permitted by federal law, the case cost the VA more than $1,000,000. * Sidebar One When an employee requests permission to bring his/her assistance dog to work as a reasonable accommodation for a disability, the employer should recognize the only basis for denial of this request is: 1. the employee is not a qualified person with a disability as defined by the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act or state law; 2. the assistance dog/service animal does not meet the definition of a service animal in the ADA or other law; 3. the presence of the service animal would place an undue burden on the employer; or, 4. the presence of the service animal would interfere with the employer's ability to conduct business. In these instances, the burden of proof is on the employer, not the employee. ***** ** Olegario D. Cantos VII, A Man for All the People by Charles D. Nabarrete In June 2022, a friend invited me to a meet-and-greet with Olegario D. Cantos VII, who goes by "Ollie." A blind attorney, he was beginning a bid for city council in West Covina, Calif. Even though I did not live in his district, I decided to try to help him in his quest for public office. I had heard of a blind member of the California legislature who had served in the early 1900s. The American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys (AAVIA), an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, had searched for visually impaired elected officials but only found a legislator from Minnesota. I had invited Ollie to speak to AAVIA during the 2023 ACB convention. His presentation was well-received by the membership. When I read Ollie's official campaign website (http://www.OllieCantos.com), I learned that he was born without sight in his left eye and had very limited vision in his right. His parents, Orlando and Linda Cantos, immigrated from the Philippines, where his paternal grandfather was a member of Congress. Ollie grew up in West Covina, Calif., starting as a preschooler and having moved from Los Angeles where he was born. Beginning at the Blind Children's Center through age 5, he went to public school through eighth grade and then attended a private parochial high school, where he was elected both junior class president and then student body president, developing his leadership and service skills. Subsequently, at Loyola Marymount University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in political science, he was involved in student government all four years, culminating in his election as executive vice president and chair of the Student Senate. He completed his education at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Ollie's first introduction to national politics came during his internship with U.S. Senator Alan Cranston during his college years. His career has taken him from the Disability Rights Legal Center, to being General Counsel at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), to the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, to the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, and now to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. He has also received presidential appointments under two different presidents. In 2010, while in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Ollie's life took on added significance, and in ways that he never could have scarcely imagined. He was introduced by a social worker friend to three totally blind 10-year-old triplet brothers, Leo, Nic, and Esteban. They had come to the United States from Colombia with the rest of their family seven years earlier. The biological father was essentially out of the picture, and their mother and grandmother struggled to take care of them. They did not have high expectations and only allowed the boys outside their apartment to go to school and to a monthly Braille Book Club meeting sponsored by a local library. In that isolation, they only had one another for company. But when Ollie came along, that all changed. Originally serving as a mentor, things evolved to him adopting the boys on his own and taking on the role of Dad. He guided their development, eventually leading them to becoming the first blind triplets ever to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout in the 107-year history of what was then Boy Scouts of America. They also each held paid jobs before age 18, took on different internships, work in paid employment as adults, participated actively in service to the community, and are all in college. Nick will be the first to earn his bachelor's degree in December. As an unstoppable family of four, Ollie is extremely proud of his sons, who are now known to the world as Leo, Nick, and Steven Cantos. During Ollie's 24-year-old professional legal career, he received 71 awards in recognition of his service to private businesses, the military, non-profit organizations, law enforcement agencies, crime victims, immigrant communities, people of color, and persons with disabilities. In 2002, Ollie received the Paul G. Hearne Award for rising up-and-coming national leaders from the AAPD. Five years later, he received the Legacy of the Filipino Award from the President of the Republic of the Philippines. More recently, he received the U.S. Education Secretary's Diversity and Inclusion Award in the Obama administration, and was honored by TASH with its Marc Gold Employment Award for his authorship of a major resource book on employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for people with all types of disabilities (http://www.RespectAbility.org/people-with-disabilities-at-work). It has been distributed nationally by the cross-disability advocacy organization RespectAbility, from which he just stepped down as chairman of the board this past July after serving two terms. Because of the relationships that Ollie cultivated and nurtured during his career, he received support from many of the people who he had previously met when he began his campaign for city council. One of Ollie's opponents in the race for city council was much better funded and attacked him based on political affiliation, even though his history reflected his close and collaborative nonpartisan outlook, consciously choosing to build on commonality. Another candidate and his ally's political action committee sent four mailers intended to distort his personal record. The first of these went to the voters, showed a depiction of the U.S. Capitol in flames to remind constituents of January 6 in an attempt to link Ollie to Trump supporters. Another candidate from a different district started a whisper campaign to attack Ollie based on disability, while still another tried to attack his ethics and integrity. Yet, in response, he refused to attack them, instead emphasizing that working in close partnership with all the residents of West Covina was the best way to improve the city. After a grueling campaign where he walked throughout his district (sometimes encountering people who were unfriendly and one time having a resident urge his dog to attack Ollie), he was decisively elected in a district where political party registration was greater than that held by his own party affiliation. He is the first person with a disability ever to be elected to city council since its founding 100 years ago. West Covina has changed, as have many communities in Southern California, to the point that its city council is very diverse, but a blind or otherwise disabled person had never been elected to municipal leadership. Councilman Cantos has brought a new perspective to the city. He has urged that all citizens be treated fairly and equitably. He has worked well with his Council colleagues along with the city's fellow residents to help make life better for everyone. He continues to be employed full-time by the federal government while assuming the duties of Councilman. He is working to foster meaningful impact in the lives of all residents, including those with disabilities. Best of all, he stands ready to help others so that they, too, may make history in their respective communities and beyond. ***** ** United Becomes First U.S. Airline to Add Braille to Aircraft Cabin Interiors * New tactile signage will help people with visual disabilities better identify row numbers, seat assignments and lavatory locations independently * First Braille-equipped aircraft now flying and the airline expects to outfit entire mainline fleet by 2026 Link to press release: https://acb.org/United-Airlines-braille CHICAGO, July 27, 2023 -- United today became the first U.S. airline to add Braille to aircraft interiors, helping millions of travelers with visual disabilities more easily navigate the cabin independently. According to the Department of Transportation, about 27 million people with disabilities traveled by air in 2019. The airline currently has equipped about a dozen aircraft with Braille markings for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories. United expects to outfit its entire mainline fleet with Braille by the end of 2026. "Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently," said Linda Jojo, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer for United. "By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we're making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that's good for everyone." In addition to adding Braille, United is working with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other disability advocacy groups to explore the use of other tactile navigational aids throughout the cabin such as raised letters, numbers and arrows. "We applaud United for taking an important step toward making its aircraft more accessible to blind passengers," said NFB President Mark Riccobono. "The flight experience is often frustrating for a number of reasons, one of which is the amount of information that is available exclusively through printed signs and other visual indicators. We hope to continue working with United to explore additional ways to make flying more accessible and less stressful for blind passengers." For the eighth straight year, United was recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a top score on the Disability Equality Index benchmarking tool, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN, to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. "United is taking additional steps to create an accessible airline passenger experience through braille signage," said ACB Interim Executive Director Dan Spoone. "We appreciate the airline's continued exploration of additional in-flight navigational aids like large print and tactile indicators, and we encourage all airlines to follow United's lead in making air travel more inclusive for the blind and low vision community." The rollout of Braille to mainline aircraft over the next few years is the latest way United has worked to create accessible solutions for its customers and employees: • The United mobile app was recently redesigned to make it easier to use for people with visual disabilities with increased color contrast, more space between graphics and reordering how information is displayed and announced to better integrate with the screen reader technologies like VoiceOver and TalkBack. • United's Inflight Seatback Entertainment screens offer a wide range of accessible features such as closed captioning, text-to-speech controls, magnification, explore-by-touch capabilities, audio-described movies, and adjustable and high-contrast text and color correction. As part of United Next, the airline's historic growth plan, the carrier expects to take delivery of about 700 new narrow and widebody aircraft by the end of 2032, all of which will include the latest in seatback screen entertainment options. • Through Bridge, United's Business Resource Group for people of all abilities, employees help create a workplace environment where all can strive to achieve their maximum potential and support our commitment to being an ally for customers with disabilities. • United's long-standing partnership with Special Olympics provides employment opportunities to athletes through the Special Olympics Service Ambassador program, a workforce development initiative that provides a forum to work alongside Airport Operations and Customer Service teams to assist customers. The airline also supports Special Olympics through volunteerism, fundraising and travel support to attend national and international competitions. ***** ** In Memoriam: Dr. Ronald Earl Milliman March 25, 1944 - July 31, 2023 It is with a very heavy heart that I tell you that, at 11:45 p.m. July 31st, Dr. Ronald E. Milliman, AKA Dr. Ron, loving husband, son, big brother, great dad, K8HSY (Happy Silly Youngster), Dr. Catfish is gone. He lived a full, rich life. Stricken with blindness at an early age, only to have regained sight and then to have had it permanently lost again years later, many would have been angry, disappointed, halted, but not him. He went on to earn multiple degrees in the fields of business and psychology, and went on to enjoy a long and highly acclaimed career in academia. He loved teaching, he enjoyed many small business ventures of his own, he enjoyed investing in real estate. He enjoyed life and he shared that joy with family, those he called friends, and even strangers. My dad could and would talk to anyone. Over the years as an advanced level ham radio operator, he logged multiple global contacts. He was one of the most positive people I have ever known. Never once have I heard him say the word "can't." It just was not in his vocabulary. He was a professor at Western Kentucky University for almost 30 years, retired in 2012, a loving husband, a great father, an entrepreneur, a ham radio operator ... but what Dad was at heart is a fisherman. He was never as happy as when he was sitting on our dock or out in our boat casting a line. He was all these things, but to those of us that knew him best, he will always be this big kid with a fishing cap on and a grin from ear to ear as he holds up his latest prize catch. He is and will always be a mighty inspiration to those that knew and loved him. This is K8HSY, the happy silly youngster, signing off. Dr. Ron is survived by his wife, Palma Milliman; three children, Mike Milliman, Brad Milliman, and Veronica Milliman Corbett (Dr. Kevin J. Corbett); one brother, Jerry Milliman (Peggy Cramer); one grandchild, Tammy Milliman; two great-grandchildren, Lexi Milliman and Jayce Milliman; and two nieces, Dorthea Schockey and Cassandra Williams. Cremation was chosen. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. J.C. Kirby & Son Lovers Lane Chapel have been entrusted with arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be made to SCKCB (South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind), PO Box 50339, Bowling Green, KY 42102, or to Courage Kenny Handiham Program, Mail Route 78446, 3915 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55422. You may also donate online at https://donate.allina.com/sslpage.aspx?pid=355%20. * Captions: Dr. Ronald E. Milliman smiles for the camera. He sports a dark suit, white shirt, and multicolored tie, and holds onto his cane with both hands. Ron Milliman examines the catfish he's just reeled into the boat. He carefully avoids the sharp "whiskers" on the fish's face. (Photos courtesy of the Milliman family.) ***** ** Readers' Memories of Dr. Ronald E. Milliman * Tom Behler: Ron was battling pancreatic cancer for quite some time, and it seems that his chemo treatments led to other complications that simply could not be overcome. I think we all know that Ron was an extremely invaluable contributor to our lives, and to so many aspects of the ham radio hobby in a multitude of ways. I know that I, personally, benefitted greatly from both his knowledge and his friendship. To be sure, he will truly be missed! * Chris Gray: This is indeed sad news. When I think of Ron I first of all think of his success as a college professor in Kentucky. In that way, he rose above our movement and undoubtedly influenced many people in what a blind person can do and what they can be in life. Also when I think of Ron, I think of boats and cabins, both of which he loved and at which he spent a lot of time, particularly after his retirement. He was a personable and cordial individual who we will greatly miss in our movement. Congratulations, Ron, in your life success and in the many contributions you made to ACB and far beyond. To Palma, my sincere condolences. You were always by his side as a comrade and source of support. * Harvey Heagy: Yes, Ron was a good person. I met him a few times at conventions. He lived in New Orleans for a while when he taught at Loyola University, but I didn't know him then. * Ray Campbell: I am extremely saddened by this news. My condolences to Palma and Ron's family. Many may not realize this, but it was Ron who really got the Monthly Monetary Support program going strong. I had the honor of serving on the committee with him when he shared that program. May he rest in peace. I certainly will miss him, talking about going out on the lake, fishing and all that good stuff. * Doug Powell: Ron was the chair of the PR Committee when I was on the board of publications. He had recently developed the PR handbook, which was wonderful. We had many great conversations, and he indeed will be missed. * Jim Jirak: Ron was a presenter at the first Midwest Regional Leadership Conference in St. Louis, August 19-20 of 2011. With the program title being the ABC's of ACB Leadership, Ron expounded upon the importance of fund-raising as chair of the public relations committee. * Carla Hayes: Ron is a man that you could never forget. He possessed a certain combination of wisdom, compassion and class that made him stand out. I knew him for years and always had a great deal of respect and admiration for him. I remember how he promoted the MMS program. I used to lovingly call him "Mr. M and M's." He got a kick out of that. He used to be involved with IVIE, and I remember interviewing him for the IVIE Motivator when it was a radio-style 90-minute news magazine. I would also like to convey my condolences to Palma and let her know that she is in my prayers. ***** ** 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. * National Braille Press 2023 Volunteer Awards National Braille Press recently presented its 2023 Volunteer Awards. The 2023 Sue Ammeter Volunteer Award was given to Judy Steiner in appreciation and recognition of her volunteer service over the last year. The 2023 Group Volunteer Award was given to the Richissin Family in recognition of their dedication to supporting literacy for blind children. The Richissin Family has participated in the annual Braille Across America Challenge and raised $47,000 over the past two years. * NLS Marks 100,000th Marrakesh Treaty Download NLS recently marked a milestone with patrons' 100,000th download of audio and braille materials acquired under the Marrakesh Treaty. The Marrakesh Treaty has been a boon for NLS's foreign-language collection. Since 2020, when the treaty was fully implemented in the U.S., NLS has added more than 5,300 books from treaty members. Nearly half are in English -- mostly titles published in Canada, including some that weren't previously available in the U.S. About one-fourth are in Spanish. Twenty-five other languages are also represented. Much of the cross-border sharing of books is done through the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Global Book Service online catalog. Libraries serving people who are blind can search the catalog to find accessible digital books from all over the world. NLS has uploaded more than 191,000 items to the ABC Global Book Service -- mostly audiobooks, but also braille books and music materials. They have been downloaded more than 5,000 times in 47 countries since 2020. * Books and More from NBP National Braille Press has a wide variety of books available, along with other useful educational tools. Love to cook? There's a number of cookbooks available. All of the below are available in hard-copy braille as well as BRF. • From the Heart: Heart-Healthy Dishes from the Healthy Cook by Nutrition Action • 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Cookbook: 101 Easy & Flavorful Recipes for Every Day • 5-Ingredient Whole-Food Plant-Based Cookbook: Easy Recipes with No Salt, Oil, or Refined Sugar • Allrecipes Air Fryer Recipes • Good Housekeeping Sheet Pan Cooking: 70 Easy Recipes • Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day • The Keto Diet: Slow Cooker Favorites • One-Pan Dinners: 120 Super-Easy Meals You Can Make in a Single Skillet, Pot, or Sheet Pan • Cooking Light: Make-Ahead Recipes • Diabetes: 68 Delicious Recipes for the Whole Family • Fast & Fresh Main Courses • Fast & Fresh Salads • Stir It Up! Recipes & Techniques for Young Blind Cooks - Large print & braille with illustrations If you're looking to organize your cupboards and/or pantry, take a look at the Can-do kitchen labels: • Baking box labels • Bean can labels • Spice jar labels • Vegetable can labels • Tomato can labels • Fruit can labels • Coke can labels • Pepsi can labels • Measuring cups and spoons NBP also has a number of technology-focused books and reference cards, including the iOS 16 Reference Card; "Capturing and Sharing the World: Taking Photos and Videos with an iPhone," "Mac Basics for the Beginning User," "Remote Meeting Platforms: Work and Play from Anywhere," and much more. New in children's books is "Rock-A-Bye, Forest," by Hannah Eliot and Chie Boyd. This book is for babies to age 3. It's available in UEB, and set to tune of "Rock-a-Bye, Baby." The cover is a touch-and-feel hardcover. Also new are "Creepy Crayon," by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown, and "Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast," by David Ezra Stein. Both are available in UEB for ages 4–7. NBP also has some useful items for teachers and the classroom, including the Louis Braille Classroom Set; "Just Enough to Know Better: A Braille Primer" by Eileen Curran; "Braille Spelling Dictionary"; "Best Practices in Creating Tactile Graphics: Making Tactile Graphics for Your Child or Student," by Tammy Resiman; and much more. For more information, call toll-free (800) 548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 ext. 520, or order online at shop.nbp.org. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop * For Sale: Juliet Pro 60 braille embosser. Includes power cord, USB network and parallel ports, as well as ET Speaks. Can produce 40 characters per line at 60 characters per second, with tractor-fed paper. Can do interpoint, six-dot and eight-dot modes. Includes 20 sheets of tractor-fed paper. Will sell for best price offered. Contact Adam via email, team.adam2005@gmail.com. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2025) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * First Vice President David Trott (1st term, 2025) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (1st term, 2025) 216 Prestwick Rd. Springfield, IL 62702-3330 * Secretary Denise Colley (final term, 2025) 26131 Travis Brook Dr. Richmond, TX 77406-3990 * Treasurer Michael Garrett (1st term, 2025) 7806 Chaseway Dr. Missouri City, TX 77489-2333 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Miami Lakes, FL (1st term, 2026) Cecily Laney Nipper, Covington, GA (partial term, 2024) Terry Pacheco, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2026) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Rachel Schroeder, Springfield, IL (1st term, 2026) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (1st term, 2026) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (2nd term, 2026) ** ACB Board of Publications Penny Reeder, Chair, Montgomery Village, MD (3rd term, 2025) Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (partial term, 2024) Cheryl Cumings, Seattle, WA (2nd term, 2025) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (2nd term, 2024) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2024) ***** ** 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. ###