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Getting Out the Word About You

by Ron Brooks
 
As members of the American Council of the Blind, we are responsible for electing the best among us who are then responsible for providing leadership on our Board of Directors and Board of Publications.
 
At this year’s ACB convention, we will be electing a total of five board members and two members of the board of publications. The purpose of this article is to give you information that you can use to help ensure that we elect the best possible candidates for all of these critical leadership positions.
 
The ACB Candidates’ Page
 
If you plan to run for the board or BOP, the ACB Candidates’ Page is a place where you can introduce yourself, post links to your social media pages, and where you can provide responses to the following questions. (Please note: Your response to each question will be cut off at 300 words, and the BOP will not edit your responses for spelling or grammar mistakes.)
 
Questions for Board Candidates 

  1. Introduce yourself and explain why you wish to serve as a member of the ACB board of directors.
  2. Summarize your experience with the national organization and/or with state, special-interest or local chapters that qualifies you for service on the board of directors.
  3. If you could strengthen the ACB’s performance in any area, where would you focus your efforts, and what would you do?
  4. How would you strengthen the cohesiveness among the ACB and its state and special-interest affiliates?
  5. What are the most important areas where the ACB should focus in the 21st century? How can you assist the organization to excel in those areas?

 Questions for BOP Candidates

  1. Introduce yourself and explain why you are interested in serving as a member of the board of publications.
  2. Summarize any experience you have as a writer. How can you use this experience to strengthen the BOP’s oversight of ACB’s written and online publications?
  3. If you could make changes to the ACB’s written and/or online communications, what would you change and why?
  4. What role, if any, should the BOP play in the written or online publications of ACB state or special-interest affiliates?

If you wish to provide contact e-mail addresses and links to web sites or social media sites where ACB members can obtain more information, you may do so. However, these links will not be live and will not count toward the 300-word limits described herein.
 
Instructions for Candidates’ Page Submissions

  1. You must be an ACB member in good standing.
  2. Submissions must be in braille, in print or submitted electronically. You may submit your electronic entries in Word, as ASCII text file, or in the body of an email.
  3. Email electronic submissions to [email protected] with the subject line “Candidates Page Submission.”
  4. Mail print, braille and electronic submissions on thumb drives to: American Council of the Blind, Attn: Candidates’ Page, 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311.
  5. The deadline for all Candidates’ Page submissions is May 6, 2018 at 4 p.m. Eastern. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

 A Bigger, Better ACB Candidates’ Forum
 
All candidates who post information to the ACB Candidates’ Page will be invited to participate in the ACB Candidates’ Forum. This year, the BOP is partnering with ACB Radio to make the Candidates’ Forum bigger, better, more inclusive and more informative than ever before. Join us by phone and by ACB Radio to meet the candidates, to ask the questions and to hear the responses.

  • Date – Tuesday, May 21, 2018, 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific
  • Duration – 2 hours
  • Access via ACB Radio, www.acbradio.org, or ACB Radio by phone, (518) 906-1820.

Please note: You must register as a candidate on the ACB Candidates’ Page in order to participate in the ACB Candidates’ Forum as a candidate.
 
New! A Convention Town Hall Meeting
 
What would the ACB convention be without a little last-minute politicking? That’s where the Convention Town Hall Meeting comes in. The BOP and ACB Radio will host a Convention Town Hall Meeting where all candidates can assemble to answer questions from the audience in the room as well as the one participating through ACB Radio. Stay tuned to this newsletter, ACB Radio and/or your favorite ACB email lists for more details.
 
We’re Only as Good as Our Candidates
 
ACB’s board of directors and board of publications are only as good as the candidates who choose to run, so please think about where you can contribute to ACB and our shared future. If you have questions about either board, contact a board or BOP member for more information. Once you make that decision to run, please join the BOP Candidates’ Page, so we can all learn about the unique gifts that you will bring to our organization.