Call to Order/Introductions
The January meeting was called to order by Chairman Ron Brooks at 9:05 PM on January 8, 2019.
Members present: Ron Brooks, chair; Deb Lewis; Penny Reeder; Paul Edwards; Susan Glass.
ACB employees and contractors present: Sharon Lovering; Larry Turnbull.
Ex officio members present: Kim Charlson, ACB president; Katie Frederick, ACB Public Relations; Bob Hachey, ACB Email List Moderator.
Guests: Sandra Sermons; Ralph Smitherman; Ken Stewart; Lynne Nishihara; Terry Pacheco.
Adoption of Agenda:
Ron reviewed the agenda.
Motion: Penny moved and Deb seconded adoption of the agenda. Motion passed.
Approval of November 13 Minutes:
Motion: Penny moved and Paul seconded adoption of the November 13, , 2018 Minutes. Motion passed.
Open Forum:
Sandra asked, on behalf of the International Relations Committee, if an E-Forum theme of Blindness Around the World could be considered to tie into the convention program of Voices Around the World. This theme would include discussion of the World Blind Union, and various topics from the perspective of different countries such as sports, Braille, rehab etc. The idea was well-received, and it was suggested that this be published in conjunction with the United Nations Day of People with Disabilities which usually happens in December. Sandra indicated that the committee has already formulated preliminary content for at least 5 articles and has identified some external contributors who are preparing drafts. It was agreed that content for this issue should be identified well in advance to make sure it is ready for publication since much of it will come from outside resources. Paul suggested that an article on the International Relations Committee should also be included.
Motion: Paul moved and Susan seconded to schedule the Blindness Around the World theme for the December E-Forum issue. Motion passed.
Lynne inquired about the large print guidelines and if she could have a copy. Deb agreed to send and provided her email address for requests. Deb explained that the guidelines approved by the BOP in collaboration with CCLVI are in use now, but my be revised specific to the convention program in response to ACB’s recent survey of convention attendees. The guidelines will ultimately be incorporated as an Appendix in the BOP editorial Policy. Penny asked about the process of developing the guidelines and Deb described the taskforce, review of existing guidelines, survey process, challenges with implementation and the resulting decision to revisit this topic. Ron emphasized that we would not conduct another survey and that the discussion will be limited to the convention program based on specific feedback.
Discussion of BOP Editorial Policy Manual
Deb led a discussion of each section of the proposed revisions to the BOP Editorial Policy. Everyone is encouraged to read it in detail and submit comments prior to the next meeting. Those items that generated discussion are listed below:
ACB Board of Directors Ex Officio Member (Page 3 of Draft)
The draft proposes that the BOP Chair will primarily serve as the ex officio representative to the ACB Board with no rotation of elected and appointed members. There was considerable discussion regarding the role of the ex officio member with no consensus reach. Ron and Deb felt the primary role is to participate and collaborate on the Board in everything except voting and to represent the BOP when appropriate. They did not see writing the Summary as a primary role since Board meeting Minutes are readily made available. Kim advised that this might result in Constitutional changes which the BOP could propose. Paul and Penny supported the Chair being the primary representative but otherwise wanted elected members to have primacy because the original intent was that the elected members of the BOP were to act as a hedge against manipulation by the ACB Board. If representation rotated between the two appointed members, it could be argued that the organization could gain control of the BOP. Paul further stated that the primary responsibility of the ex officio Board member is to provide an unbiased report of the meetings. Ron felt the role of the BOP representative had evolved from a time where there was mistrust of the Board and the need to create an independent monitoring body.
It was decided that the Board meeting summary should be submitted as soon as practical rather than having a 30-day requirement. This accounts for situations such as extra Board meetings associated with budget preparation etc.
Budget Preparation (Page 4 of Draft)
Ron said that the bidding process and budget preparation are primarily done by staff now. The BOP’s emphasis is to identify any program changes or enhancements that might impact the budget. Deb will make this edit.
Email List Communication (Page 5 of Draft)
Bob will send listserv documentation to be incorporated in the Appendix.
Ron wondered if it was appropriate for the BOP to hear disputes related to email lists since email is personal communication rather than organizational communication. After discussion, it was agreed to keep this role with the BOP to assure fair, open and transparent communication.
Candidates’ Web Page (Page 9 of Draft)
It was agreed that candidates could include live links to social media sites or to other references as proposed in the draft.
It was agreed to incorporate the current practice of including only those candidates who contributed to the Candidates’ Web Page in the Candidates’ Forum and allowing all candidates, including those running from the convention floor, to participate in any informal event.
Responsibilities and Content of ACB Publications (Page 10 of Draft)
It was agreed that prioritization of official content is primarily appropriate for the ACB Braille Forum and ACB E-Forum and is moved to that section. It was also agreed that the Editorial Policy would be revised as needed rather than on a specific schedule.
Document Formats (Page 10 of Draft)
Deb explained changes that might be made in this section related to use of Daisy text and audio, moving from Word 2003 etc. Deb proposes this section should emphasize web content, Daisy and use of document structure when generating all content. A working group was formed to include Paul, Katie, Terry, Lynn, Sharon and anyone else who would like to join. We will invite Sara Conrad from CCLVI and Deb will contact Eric regarding staff involvement and the proposals. Paul suggested this section should reference the ACB Style Guide. Ron suggested that the large print guidelines be referenced as an appendix rather than directly included.
Review of Program-Related Findings from 2018 Post-Convention Survey
Ron reported that findings are still not available. Kim and Ron feel we must move forward based on feedback we have received about the usability of the large print convention program. Katie recommended we add this to the working group topic Deb is organizing for the Documents section of the Policy.
Terry suggested we also consider how older programs were produced in 16-point with inclusion of formatting and white space. She recommended the program should be: Arial 18 point; headings and subheadings should be larger, centered and underlined; 1.15 spacing; left justification except for headings; use dot leaders to connect events and times in calendar; centered page numbers; 1” margin on the binding side with .75” elsewhere.
Topics and Speakers for February ACB Leadership Seminar
It was agreed that topics and speakers will be worked out offline with finalization at the next BOP meeting.
Plans for Advertising and Soliciting Nominees for BOP Awards
Sharon posted the announcement in the January ACB Braille Forum. Ron encouraged everyone to be looking for nominees for the Liggett Award since it has not been given in the last few years.
Initial Plans for ACB Candidates Page, Forum and Town Hall Meeting
This was deferred to the February meeting.
Mini Theme for March, Theme for April and Mini Theme for May Editions of the ACB E-Forum and Braille Forum Magazines
There was discussion.
Motion: Deb moved and Paul seconded that March will be personal finance including banking and tax preparation, April will be health care for self and others, and May will be convention topics including tips for managing at convention, etc.
Kim will write an article on accessible credit reports and one on access to hospitals.
Chairman’s Report: Ron Brooks
Ron did not report in the interest of time.
Editor’s Report: Sharon Lovering
Deadlines for the 2019 Forums
March: January 25th
April: February 22nd
May: March 25th
June: April 26th
July: May 24th
August: June 24th
September: July 24th
October: August 23rd
November: September 23rd
December: October 25th
December 2018 Issue type: electronic; Page count: 84
Electronic Distributed: 6,392; returned: 2; return rate: 0%
January 2019 Issue type: hard copy; Page count: 80
Braille distributed: 670
Cartridge distributed: 714
Large print distributed: 2,517
Electronic distributed: 6,392
Before leaving for the holidays, I sent out the certification information to those on the AMMS list, and requested updates from affiliates as to who their membership person would be for the 2019 certification cycle. I’ve received about half a dozen updates on affiliate membership chairs. I also included a list of training sessions on AMMS.
A few of our affiliates have gotten a head start on their membership updating. I had at least a dozen changes, including a few deceased folks, waiting for me in my inbox when I arrived at the office on January 2nd. I suspect that number will increase in the coming weeks.
Other Reports
ACB Radio: Larry Turnbull
The Holiday Auction raised just over $14 thousand. Zoom was used to take bids in real time. ACB Radio had 89 auction listeners and participants in the Zoom Room.
The ACB Advocacy Update is now airing on Mainstream.
Larry is correcting a number of dead links in the online resources.
ACB Email Lists: Bob Hachey
Leadership Subscribers December: 265; Messages: 8
ACB-L Members, November and December: 335
Posts, November: 143; December: 147
ACB-Chat Members, November 152; December: 149
Posts, November: 292; December: 35
Bob reported that he suspended one member and banned another.
Social Media Stats December 2018
Facebook: 3,958 likes
Smithsonian offers tours for the visually impaired: 7,798 reached; 151 likes, loves and wows; 140 shares
The twelve days of Christmas by Rory Hoffman (audio described): 5,905 reached; 76 likes and loves; 89 shares
Sailing Blind: How Technology Helps Visually Impaired Athletes Navigate New Waters: 5,782 reached; 79 likes, loves and wows; 68 shares
A guide dog’s night before Christmas: 5,845 reached; 79 likes, loves and wows; 100 shares
Twitter: 2,561 followers
12 Days of Christmas with Rory Hoffman: 928 impressions; 19 engagements
A complete list of items up for bid at the holiday auction: 822 impressions; 7 engagements
AV Start Act (autonomous vehicle legislation): 767 impressions; 30 engagements
Public Relations: Katie Frederick
Katie reported that the PR committee is changing its meeting time.
Other Business and Announcements
There were no items.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2019 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Adjourn
Deb moved and Paul seconded adjournment. the meeting adjourned at 11:27 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deb Lewis, Secretary