Call to Order/Introductions
The September meeting was called to order by Chairman Ron Brooks at 9:04 p.m. on September 4, 2018.
Members present: Ron Brooks, Chair; Deb Lewis; Penny Reeder; Susan Glass. Paul Edwards was absent.
ACB employees and contractors present: Sharon Lovering; Larry Turnbull.
Ex officio members present: Kim Charlson, ACB President; David Trott, ACB Treasurer; Katie Frederick, ACB Public Relations; Bob Hachey, ACB Email List Moderator.
Guests: Ken Stewart; Jean Mann; Sandra Sermons.
Adoption of Agenda
Ron reviewed the agenda.
Motion: Deb moved and Penny seconded adoption of the agenda. Motion passed.
Approval of August 7 Minutes
Motion: Penny moved and Deb seconded adoption of the August 7, 2018 Minutes. Motion passed.
Open Forum
On behalf of the ACB MMS committee, Jean Mann asked if articles about programs such as MMS could now only be printed in the ACB Braille Forum since the E-Forum is now themed issues? Ron explained that themed issues are not 100% themed content. Effort is made to follow guidelines for page allocation to maintain balance so concise articles are encouraged. Sharon confirmed that there is still space in both the November and December issues and when there is not enough space, articles are held for a future issue.
Sandra Sermons asked how themes are selected. Ron explained that a long list of possible themes was derived based on the work of ACB affiliates and special committees, and other topics of general interest to the blind community. August was education because of back to school. October was employment because of disability awareness month. December will be traditions but not limited to holidays. Additional theme topics are always welcome. Sandra suggested that in honor of Louis Braille, the theme in January could be Braille and be tied into the WBU. Ron said that although January is not a themed issue, it would be possible to have an article about Louis Braille in that issue and use the theme later. Sandra then asked if Braille could be considered for the February theme.
Cover Design for the ACB Braille Forum
Ron explained that the current cover design does not include the entire ACB logo and that Sharon and Kelly were tasked with redesigning it after David Trott raised the issue. Sharon described the proposed new cover.: a thin blue box at the top with “the ACB” in white letters; below that the words “Braille Forum” in blue; below that a big blue box with the volume, Month and issue number at the top, and at the bottom of the box is the ACB logo, American Council of the Blind”, and “together for a bright future.” It was decided that Ron would share the proposed logo at the fall ACB Board meeting, and report back to the BOP. It was also determined that the next BOP meeting would be moved to October 9 to accommodate this. David said he was pleased with the swift response and what Sharon described was exactly what he had in mind.
Discussion of BOP Priorities for 2019 ACB Budget
Ron described the ACB budget process. The BOP budget is mostly comprised of the ACB Braille Forum and E-Forum distribution costs, and includes items such as any surveys we conduct. Deb asked if there was potential to expand the E-Forum since it is less expensive to produce than the hard copy magazine. Ron will discuss this budget item with Eric. There was discussion regarding the cost of the ACB Braille Forum production verses the E-Forum and it was agreed that there should be a short article in each issue highlighting various ways to access ACB’s publications. It was also suggested that .brf files of the E-Forum could be emailed to interested individuals rather than having to download it. There was also discussion of a Marketplace booth at convention to help people explore electronic and other ways of accessing the publications.
Ron asked if we should consider any expenses for the Writers’ Workshop, and it was determined that finding sponsorship would be a better way to meet workshop expenses.
Planning and Finalization of Assignments for December ACB E-Forum (Traditions Theme)
The due date is October 25. Possible topics include books people traditionally read during the holidays, holidays and school days, tradition that is meaningful to you and why, traditional recipes, anything about traditions in 100 words or less. If we get too much usable content, it can be shared through other media during the holidays. Sharon and Penny will put notices out on all ACB lists to solicit content. Ron will put the December issue on the BOP October agenda.
Chairman’s Report: Ron Brooks
- Updated and redistributed the BOP Contact List; still a few missing items for several BOP contacts.
- Updated the BOP Work plan to reflect the work plan agreed to for 2018-19.
- Sent Kim Charlson a note following up on her offer to reach out to the third-party broadcaster who streamed reading of an article(s) from the NFB Braille Monitor.
- Announced the December ACB-E-Forum theme to ACB-L and the ACB Leadership list.
- Prepared a draft article which includes post-edition survey questions for the themed issues of the ACB E-Forum.
- Authored an article for the October ACB E-Forum featuring Kevin Daniel and the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind’s employment program.
Editor’s Report: Sharon Lovering
August 2018 Issue type: electronic; Page count: 80
Electronic Distributed: 6,368; Returned: 4 (0.1%); Received: 6,364
Large Print Returned: 10 (mostly from July, but a couple from as far back as November 2017)
Braille Returned: 2
September 2018 Issue type: hard copy; Page count: 64
Braille Distributed: 678; LP: 2,566; Cartridge: 886; Electronic: 6,387
The October issue is finished. It went out the door to Perkins for recording on August 30th. It was possible to add the reader survey at the last minute.
I continue to work on identifying people and writing descriptive captions for the convention photos I have CDs for. I have just completed the IDs and captions for 2004; I will start on 2005 as soon as I get October’s E-Forum finished.
People continue to call in about the 2019 convention, wanting as many details as they can get. I’m hopeful that Janet’s articles in September and October will help to calm some of the wilder ones down. I’ve also recorded that information into our voicemail system; press 4 from the main menu. The other thing that people are calling about is the convention sessions on cartridge, and when they’ll get those. I don’t have the answer for that one yet.
Other Reports
ACB Radio: Larry Turnbull
Listener counts were not available.
Arrangements are being made for the Holiday Auction.
Two broadcasters have left Interactive to start their own station.
Deb inquired about the status of convention recordings for affiliates and other programs. Larry explained again that many recordings were not useable. Deb requested that ACB Radio notify those affiliates or groups who definitely will not get recordings of their proceedings. It was generally thought that there were not enough resources for the task given the number of recordings for affiliates, special meetings and accredited sessions doubling the recorded output from previous years. A different plan will be needed going forward.
Kim reported that she followed up with the new Director of Mind’s Eye regarding the assurance that content from all consumer organizations would be considered for their program. The meeting went very well; no problems are anticipated.
ACB Email Lists: Bob Hachey
ACB-L Members: 334; Posts: 129
ACB-Chat Members: 148; Posts: 185
ACB Leadership Members: 264; Post: 95
Social Media Stats July 2018
Facebook: 3,602 likes
- World Emoji Day post – audio interview with Eric Bridges about disability themed emoji collaboration with Apple: 4,340 people reached; 83 likes and loves; 70 shares
- Facebook live with Tony and Claire for ADA Anniversary: 2,573 people reached; 39 likes and loves; 34 shares
- Morristown National Historical Park UniD app: 1,946 people reached; 53 likes, loves and wows; 41 shares
Twitter:
- New Accessibility Improvements Available for Skype: 2,140 impressions; 37 engagements
- ACB member Holly Bonner & guide dog Frances win top guide/hearing dog of the year: 1,801 impressions; 56 engagements
- World Emoji Day post – audio interview with Eric Bridges about disability themed emoji collaboration with Apple: 1,729 Impressions; 35 Engagements
Social Media Stats August 2018
Facebook: 3,677 likes
- Pick of the Litter trailer post: 6,574 people reached; 73 likes and loves; 112 shares
- Tony and Claire Facebook Live on education: 4,541 people reached; 33 likes and loves; 40 shares
- Chicago’s Lighthouses: shedding light on artists with disabilities: 3,370 people reached; 44 likes and loves; 35 shares
Twitter: 2,458 Followers
Visually impaired runners tackle grueling ‘death race’: 818 Impressions; 13 Engagements
Chicago’s Lighthouses: shedding light on artists with disabilities: 758 Impressions; 9 Engagements
LightHouse’s MAD Lab designs tactile Peanuts strip for Charles Schulz museum: 756 Impressions; 26 Engagements
Public Relations: Katie Frederick
PR did not meet in August. Giving Tuesday is the primary project underway.
Other Business and Announcements
There was no other business.
Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for October 9, 2018 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Adjourn
Deb moved and Susan seconded adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 10:16 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deb Lewis, Secretary