by Michael Byington
Fumble-fingered computer user that I am, I accidentally deleted ACB from my favorites list. To bring up the ACB website, I thus put “ACB” into my search engine. To my surprise, the first five entries that came up were all about Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB), which is a new firm using the ACB initials even though they do not totally reflect the words in the firm’s name. The ACB representing blind folks did not show up until six entries down the list.
The use of ACB to refer to the Aurora Cannabis Inc. is, to my understanding, not illegal. I suspect it can and will, however, cause some confusion with other organizations, such as ours, which also use the initials “ACB.”
For many years, my professional endeavors required me to be a member of the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA). I found that I had to clarify I meant “rehabilitation” when saying that I was a member of the NRA, so that I was not instead associated with “the gun guys.”
I am suggesting that, when using a search engine, one needs to write out “American Council of the Blind.” That way the searcher will not have to wade through multiple entries about cannabis in order to get to the desired destination.
Given that many people who are blind get that way through glaucoma, and there are other issues related to blindness that can also benefit through treatment with cannabis-related products, I suppose it is probable that some members of ACB may find it necessary to also do business with ACB. They may need to be careful to keep track of which ACB does what.