by Penny Reeder
ACB president Deb Cook Lewis called the meeting to order at 9:08 a.m. Eastern. All board members were present, with the majority in person at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. Several ACB staff and guests were also present. Listen to the podcast by visiting https://acb-business.pinecast.co/episode/9aae0b3e/20230930-2023-acb-fall-board-of-directors-meeting.
The meeting agenda was approved, with one addition.
Convention coordinator Janet Dickelman welcomed the board to the site of the 2024 ACB convention. The hotel has a 24-hour marketplace offering Starbucks products, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, and a variety of breakfast options. The hotel restaurant is open for three meals a day, and offers a breakfast buffet. The bar offers tavern food, and Morton’s Restaurant has some lower prices during happy hour. There is a well-stocked gift shop.
Board member Gabriel Lopez-Kafati described several encouraging preliminary meetings he and other Blind Pride International (BPI) members held with representatives from the Jacksonville airport, the convention hotel, and local organizations which support the LGBTQ+ community, assuring Jacksonville will be a welcoming and safe environment for every attendee. Gabriel said he and others are researching transportation providers who can guarantee non-discriminatory service to guide dog users at typical ride-share rates.
Rick Morin summarized preliminary findings from the 2023 convention survey. The response rate was about 76%. Eighty percent of respondents reported satisfaction with general session content, and 76.8% were satisfied with the length of general sessions. Rick reported 89.7% rated their satisfaction with the audio quality at the highest level.
The convention-related communications which Kelly Gasque managed via various media scored very high among this year’s attendees.
Jeff Thom asked about the number of attendees who participated on tours. Janet said that most tours were completely filled. Janet said in 2024, with the exception of the Cape Canaveral tour, all of the planned tours are near Jacksonville. She expects costs for Jacksonville-area tours will be a little lower than in Schaumburg.
Immediate past president Kim Charlson suggested ACB should identify blind and low-vision individuals who can review the hotel orientation guide. Deb said ACB is willing to explore the possibility of making way-finding technology available at the convention. Janet is investigating providing in-person group hotel orientations during convention.
Planning for post-2025 ACB conventions, Deb stated any decisions ACB reaches will depend on what the membership wants. Preliminary discussions are beginning as the convention steering committee analyzes data from various sources.
During her president’s report, Deb said she was still in the process of visiting each ACB committee. She expected changes in committee membership assignments to be finalized by the end of the week. Deb appointed Kim Charlson, Michael Garrett, Jeff Thom, Dan Spoone, and Nancy Becker to an ad hoc executive director search committee. She announced the ad hoc committee charged with reviewing and organizing approved board policies includes Koni Sims, David Trott, and Ray Campbell.
Kim Charlson, representing ACB at the World Blind Union (WBU), said she would be traveling to Malaga, Spain, attending a WBU meeting in late October. The North America/Caribbean Region of the WBU has asked member organizations to contribute to a “Rice for the Blind” relief fund organized by the Haiti Society for the Blind.
Gabriel Lopez-Kafati said Maria Kristic has drawn the attention of ACB’s International Relations Committee (IRC) to the dire circumstances of blind people living in Haiti, and he sought Kim’s advice regarding the best way for the IRC and other committees and affiliates to help. Kim speculated that the conditions of extreme violence and governmental dysfunction, the challenge of finding a path to get braille materials, mobility canes, or the kinds of low-tech assistive devices that the IRC typically distributes into Haiti might be insurmountable.
The board unanimously adopted a motion to contribute $500 on behalf of ACB to the Rice for the Blind in Haiti campaign, and to establish a mechanism through which individual ACB members and affiliates can contribute. To donate to the Haitian Rice for the Blind Fund, call ACB at 1-800-424-8666, or donate online at http://weblink.donorperfect.com/ACBDisasterRelief"http://weblink.donorperfect.com/ACBDisasterRelief.
Reporting as ACB’s representative to the FCC Disability Advisory Committee, Kim said the committee recently met face-to-face for the first time since the pandemic. Their work focused on approving and establishing a process for enabling Direct Video Conferencing (DVC) for people who communicate with American Sign Language (ASL) while using interactive customer support systems offered by government and industry; and recommending changes to improve the audio description file transfer protocol to transmit audio description files along with program content files.
Deb urged affiliates to learn more about the board’s affiliate liaison program, now called ACB CARES (an acronym for “ACB Connecting Affiliates through Relationships.”)
David Trott said over the past three months, he has received more than 100 calls from members who believe leaders and staff are not listening to them. Two issues members called about were the advisability of holding conventions in Jacksonville and Dallas, and ACB’s absence from Mastodon.
Gabriel Lopez-Kafati and Terry Pacheco said they had been hearing from people who expressed concern about an overall environment within ACB which some of them consider unwelcoming – or worse, unsafe – for anyone who might want to publicly disagree with leadership.
Deb said ACB will look for a way to facilitate communication between members and leaders. Her email address is [email protected].
Deb stated participation at ACB conventions is much lower than it was pre-pandemic. ACB approached the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) about holding their convention at the same hotel, concurrently with ours. Our conventions would be separate, but some space would be shared, such as the exhibit hall and ballroom. If we are able to work this out, we could solve some problems meeting our contractual commitment to Hyatt for filling a specified number of rooms, and there would be benefits to both organizations. The board enthusiastically approved pursuing this possibility.
Interim Executive Director’s Report
Dan Spoone reported Kelly Gasque put together an account of her job duties. Many tasks will be transferred to Sharon Lovering and Kaitlyn Herrera. Audio Description Project Coordinator Tabitha Kenlon is also taking on more responsibilities. ACB is contracting with Mike Johnson, who has 10 years of communications experience with National Industries for the Blind (NIB), to maintain ACB.org and manage ACB’s social media presence.
Advocacy Update
Clark Rachfal stated the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act was re-introduced on Sept. 28 by Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Rep. John Sarbanes. The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act was re-introduced in the House and Senate on Sept. 27.
Clark said ACB will be working with its partners in the broader disability community to create large-coalition comments responding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) with the goal of modernizing their Section 504 regulations, emphasizing websites, mobile applications, and kiosks. He reminded affiliates to sign onto the comments ACB and our partners have prepared responding to the Department of Justice Title II rule making with respect to digital accessibility.
Reporting on the 2023 resolutions, Dan said the letter ACB drafted regarding the proposed curriculum for preparing occupational therapists (OTs) to provide services for people who are blind and low vision had been delivered to the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP). In response, ACVREP has formed a five-person advisory council for developing OT certification requirements, and invited Deb Cook Lewis to be part of it.
Advocacy specialist Swatha Nandhakumar is working with GDUI’s advocacy committee on resolutions related to ride-share providers’ denials of service to users of service animals, and guide dog users’ access to air travel.
Dan said ACB and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing continue to maintain a productive dialogue. He added that when Jeff Lovitky, the attorney who represented ACB in the accessible currency lawsuit, reviewed the most recent report from the Bureau, he said, “This is the most positive report I’ve seen in many, many years.”
Report from the Resource Development Team
Director of Development Jo Lynn Bailey-Page, Development Officer Kolby Garrison, and consultant Bill Reeder reported on their team’s efforts to secure donations and grant funding for ACB’s programs and services. Jo Lynn stated the master blueprint, which the team developed earlier this year, is a valuable resource. They have identified 10 distinct program areas, and plan to gain an understanding of the resources each of those program areas requires, then build a case that will attract support from donors whose interests and passions match those areas of programmatic focus.
The CFO’s Report
Chief Financial Officer Nancy Marks-Becker stated affiliates may receive MMS contributions, funds from the ACB Walk, and the 2023 convention by the end of October. Nancy will be spending the next several months working on the 2024 budget.
Nancy recommended, and the board authorized, a five percent draw-down from the legacy fund to cover end-of-year operating expenses.
ACB Treasurer’s Report
Michael Garrett referred to the financial narrative he distributed before the meeting while pointing out specific fund-raising categories in need of heightened attention.
The BOP
Board of Publications chair Penny Reeder said the BOP was preparing a budget request for publishing “The ACB Braille Forum” in 2024. The BOP continues to focus on improving the ACB Voices blog. “Anthony Corona’s ‘Member on the Mic’ blogs have been very popular,” she said. Anthony is expanding the series highlighting ACB scholarship winners.
Deb asked the board to approve establishing an ACB presence on Mastodon. The board unanimously approved the request.
ACB Enterprises & Services
The board elected Jeff Thom, George Holliday, and Terry Pacheco to serve on the ACB Enterprises & Services (ACBES) board.
D.C. Leadership Conference
The board approved the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, located at 900 S. Orme St., Arlington, VA, for the 2024 Leadership Conference, tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in March. D.C.’s Metro bus system has a stop just outside the hotel, and it is a 10-minute bus ride to the Pentagon City Metrorail stop. The Sheraton offers a free shuttle to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). If taking a taxi or ride-share from DCA, the trip will take about 10 minutes; from Dulles, 40 minutes; from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), about an hour. Both Union Station in Washington, D.C., and the Alexandria Amtrak station are approximately 15 to 20 minutes from the Sheraton. Room rates are $149 per night, plus tax. This rate is available Tuesday, February 27th through March 6th. The hotel will construct and maintain a dog relief area.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available at the Potomac Tavern, on the first floor. During morning hours, the coffee bar serves Starbucks products. There are no other dining options within walking distance. The Sheraton offers a free shuttle to Pentagon City, where many restaurants and bars are located. The ballroom and meeting rooms are in their own wing, directly off the lobby.
The meeting adjourned around 5 p.m. Eastern.