Happy new year! “Dots and Dashes” is a short newsletter featuring a variety of topics and ACB stories. This issue features information on World Braille Day, a request for assistance from Netflix users, the latest Advocacy Update, information on ACB’s scholarships, NIB’s Virtual Career Fair, and much more.
UN General Assembly Affirms World Braille Day
To read the full release online, visit http://www.worldblindunion.org/English/news/Pages/UN-General-Assembly-affirms-World-Braille-Day.aspx.
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the World Blind Union's resolution affirming World Braille Day.
The purpose of the World Braille Day, celebrated every January 4, is to raise awareness of the importance of braille to converting the written word to tactile form for the benefit of blind and partially sighted persons worldwide.
Attention All Netflix Users
ACB entered into a settlement agreement with Netflix in 2016 to make more of their programming available with audio description. They also committed to make their website accessible by blind and visually impaired customers.
If you are a Netflix user, please send Kim Charlson any issues you have noticed with Netflix, particularly the website, the app, and the search capability. ACB only has a few more days under the settlement agreement to pass along issues that need to be addressed. You can assist us by telling us what you have experienced firsthand when using the website or the app.
Netflix has done so much with their audio-described content; we want to be sure the tools to locate that programming are working for everyone.
Send any comments to Kim Charlson at [email protected] by no later than Monday, January 14th.
First Podcast of 2019
In the first ACB Advocacy Update of 2019, Claire Stanley provides a few teasers for upcoming episodes and discusses some of the interesting articles that have recently been posted on ACB’s social media accounts. Listen online by visiting http://acbradio.org/content/acb-advocacy-update-january-4-2019.
Annual Affiliate Certification
Now is the time for all affiliates to be working on their annual affiliate certifications – and there are a few affiliates we haven’t heard from yet. If your affiliate’s membership chairperson has changed, we need to know that as soon as possible to give that person time to train in AMMS and make any corrections, deletions, additions, etc. Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, [email protected] or (202) 467-5081, with your updates.
The next AMMS training session will be held on Saturday, January 12th at 11 a.m. Central time. If you cannot attend, you can find a recorded session under the help tab at https://certification.acb.org/login.php, or contact Lane Waters in the Minnesota office, (612) 332-3242. This introductory session is more descriptive in nature; we will discuss how the program works and its features. Further training is available for specific screen-reader and screen-magnifier users.
NIB Virtual Job Fair
National Industries for the Blind is holding a virtual career fair on Thursday, January 17th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. It is open to legally blind job seekers, as well as veterans and their spouses, who are interested in full-time positions in contract management support (CMS).
To register, visit CareerEco.com/Register/NIB. For a list of participating agencies/employers, visit CareerEco.com/Details/NIB.
ACB Scholarships Available
The American Council of the Blind has a great opportunity for students who are legally blind to earn a scholarship, whether you are going to a technical college, an entering freshman, undergraduate or a graduate student. Over $55,000 in scholarships are awarded to students each year. Scholarships are awarded to students who are legally blind. To be eligible, you need to be legally blind in both eyes, maintain a 3.0 GPA, and be involved in your school/local community.
The application deadline is February 15th, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. Central time.
For more information, contact Nancy Christine Feela at (612) 332-3242 or (800) 866-3242 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Central time. To apply, visit http://acb.org/2019-scholarship.
Happy 10th Birthday, Audio Description Project!
In January 2009, Joel Snyder and former ACB president Chris Gray proposed the idea of establishing an initiative to promote and celebrate the development of audio description — the Audio Description Project (ADP) — to then-president Mitch Pomerantz. Mitch appointed Kim Charlson to lead ADP's steering committee, a position she held until her "promotion" several years ago to ACB president. Since then, Dan Spoone has ably steered the ADP toward its current vibrant level of activity with the important contributions of Dr. Joel Snyder, the project's director, and Fred Brack, the ADP webmaster. To read a summary of the ADP’s work through 2018, visit http://acb.org/ADP-10th-anniversary.