CCLVI’s Scheigert Scholarships for 2018-2019
Dartmouth, Ohio State, Georgia, Wisconsin, George Washington, Michigan, Mississippi College and Hawaii. These are but a few of the colleges and universities which welcomed Scheigert scholarship recipients to campus in recent years. Sponsored by the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) and funded through the generosity of ACB member Fred Scheigert, the scholarships provide financial support to three students with low vision. Each Scheigert scholar — an incoming freshman, an undergraduate and a graduate student — is awarded a $3,000 scholarship for the academic year. In addition to low vision, eligible applicants must maintain a strong GPA and be actively involved in school and/or community activities.
The application window opens Jan. 1, 2018, and closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 1, 2018. Applications will be completed and submitted online. Guidelines and other information relating to required documentation — e.g., transcripts, letters of recommendation and acceptance and verification of low vision form — also are available online at www.cclvi.org; click on Scheigert Scholarship. Late submissions will not be eligible for consideration. Eligible applicants will be interviewed by committee members in mid-March. Recipients will be introduced to ACB members at the 2018 conference and convention in St. Louis.
Questions regarding the application process and qualifications should be directed to either (800) 733-2258 or [email protected].
Indiana, Ohio to Hold Joint Convention
The ACB of Ohio and ACB of Indiana will hold a joint convention Oct. 20-22 at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. Friday’s program includes sessions on self-driving vehicles and ride-sharing apps. Saturday features include learning about assistive and mainstream technology, meeting the 2017 scholarship winners, and a speech from talking book narrator Laura Giannarelli, as well as an auction.
ACB-Ohio is working on arranging transportation to Sandusky. If you are interested, please let the Ohio office know at 1-800-835-2226.
Kalahari room rates are $109 plus tax for guests arriving Oct. 19, $139 plus tax for those checking in Oct. 20. To make reservations, call 1-877-525-2427 and mention the American Council of the Blind of Ohio. Rooms at the group rate are not guaranteed after Sept. 15.
ACBNY State Convention
ACB of New York will hold its convention Oct. 20-22 at the Radisson Hotel Utica Centre, 200 Genesee St., Utica, NY 13502; phone (315) 797‐8010.
Plans include a tour to the Saranac Brewery on Thursday afternoon, with the president’s leadership dinner and training in the evening. On Friday, we will hold a NYSCB town meeting, the opening session, lunch and an afternoon general session. Friday night features the ACBNY scholarship fundraiser with dinner, live music and a comedian. On Saturday, you get to choose one of these events: Guide Dog Users of the Empire State, the New York State Council of Citizens with Low Vision, or a children’s event. The children’s event will have live animals, braille and folks who work in the field of emergency management. Saturday evening is the banquet; the board meeting will be held on Sunday.
To register, go to www.ACBNY.org.
Pennsylvania’s 82nd Convention
The Pennsylvania Council of the Blind will hold its 82nd annual conference Oct. 26-29 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh Green Tree, 500 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh. This year’s theme is “Designing Our Future.” For more information, contact the Pennsylvania office at either 1-877-617-7407 or (717) 920-9999 (local), or email [email protected].
Welcome to the Family!
October is a perfect time to join or renew your ACB membership, and ACB Families is inviting you to join our family. ACB Families is working hard to assist people living in families experiencing blindness or low vision. We hold monthly calls where you can give and receive support and advice on day-to-day life in a family experiencing blindness or low vision. We offer bimonthly information calls on relevant topics, ranging from accessible gift-giving ideas to personal finance and attending the ACB conference and convention on a budget. We host informative and family-friendly events at the convention, and we have a Facebook page and email list where members can come together to form friendships and to learn from each another.
Another great reason to join or renew your membership with ACB Families is our annual membership drawing. Become a member for the rest of 2017 and 2018 by registering and paying your dues of $8 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 31, 2017, and you will be automatically entered to win one of two gift cards, each in the amount of $50. Your $8 payment will also cover your annual dues to the ACB. Now that’s a bargain!
To register by phone, using a debit or credit card, call (502) 897-1472 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern time.
To register online, send an email to [email protected] with your name, address, email address, phone number, and level of visual acuity (e.g. sighted, visually impaired or blind), then make a payment of $8 to ACB Families via PayPal at [email protected].
To register by mail, send all the same information along with a check or money order in the amount of $8 made payable to ACB Families to the following address: ACB Families, Attention: Adam Ruschival, Treasurer, 148 Vernon Ave., Louisville, KY 40206.