The ACB Braille Forum Volume LXIII April 2025 No. 8 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** * Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. * Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. * Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Tune in to ACB Media at www.acbmedia.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/acbnational. © 2025 American Council of the Blind Scott Thornhill, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 225 Reinekers Ln., Suite 660, Alexandria, VA 22314 ***** ** Table of Contents President's Message: Let Your Voice Be Heard, by Deb Cook Lewis Advocacy in Action: Working Together, by Claire Stanley Registration for Dallas Is Just Around the Corner, by Janet Dickelman 2025 Candidate Submission Process Start Thinking About the Summer Auction, by Leslie Spoone February 10, 2025 Board of Directors Meeting Summary, by Katie Frederick Searching for a Boundless Education, by Cheryl Cumings The Heart of Equity and Inclusion, by Regina Marie Brink Navigating the Education System for the Blind in Texas, by Michael E. Garrett Education in the Public Schools, by Dr. Lynne Koral Diversity: Has It Now Joined Religion and Politics?, by Anthony Corona The Bursons Abroad Lynn August, Blind Zydeco and Blues Star from Lafayette, Dies at 76, by Joanna Brown In Memoriam: Beulah Maria Carrington Introducing Loving Touch Connection, by Lucy Edmonds Radio Life, by Al Daniels Facebook Penalizes the Blind, by Bob Branco High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille Forums ** How to Submit Articles to the Forum If you wish to submit an article to "The ACB Braille Forum," please send it via email to slovering@acb.org as part of the message, or attached as a Word or ASCII text file. Articles should be between 500 and 800 words. Language should be family friendly. Longer articles may be divided into two or more parts. ** Upcoming Forum Themes and Deadlines June 2025: focus on convention; deadline: April 21, 2025 July-August 2025: mental health and wellness; deadline: May 23, 2025 September 2025: emergency preparedness/accessible alert devices; deadline: July 23, 2025 If your committee or affiliate would like to claim an issue of the Forum, please contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org. ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll update the database. ***** ** President's Message: Let Your Voice Be Heard by Deb Cook Lewis ACB members have the opportunity for significant input in the organization's governance through resolutions, amendments to our governing documents, and running for office. Resolutions: Focus on external issues, stating the majority's stance and actions to be taken. Submit by April 23. Resolutions are primarily focused externally. They tell the world how the majority of voting members feel about particular issues and the actions members believe should be taken. They have a brief description of the problem, an achievable outcome, and accountability both internally and outside the organization. Constitution and Bylaws Amendments: Modify governance rules and processes. Submit suggestions by April 23. This is an especially challenging task given the many changes ACB has experienced as a more hybrid environment. If you believe the organization should handle a particular process differently or that something is inconsistently implemented in our governance structure, it's time to let the Constitution and Bylaws Committee know about it. Run for Office: ACB will elect all five officers this year. Potential vacancies on the Board of Directors or Board of Publications may occur. If you believe you have what it takes to serve ACB as an elected official, I encourage you to make this known through the candidate process even if the position you are seeking is not specifically open at this time. Even though we are not yet recruiting for any vacancies created by officer elections, if you are interested in serving on the Board or on the Board of Publications, you may participate in the candidate process just as you would for the officer positions. The key way for all members to engage in ACB governance is to vote this summer on resolutions, governance amendments, and for our elected officials. ***** ** Advocacy in Action: Working Together In February, ACB submitted a quote to a group statement that was directed to President Trump. The publication was in response to comments made by the president regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hires after the plane crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. ACB was quickly invited to help draft the public statement and offer its own quote. It was exciting to be included in a cross-disability advocacy effort so quickly. ACB has continually worked with a number of other disability advocacy groups, and our invitation to participate in the development of such a statement exemplified that. As advocates, we always talk about the power in numbers. Two voices are louder than one, and so on. Additionally, more advocacy can be carried out when the blind community collaborates with other disability advocate groups. So, when the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) invited ACB to participate in their written advocacy work, we were eager to do so. As advocates, we should strive to work together as a community. -- Claire Stanley ***** ** Registration for Dallas Is Just Around the Corner by Janet Dickelman It is hard to believe that, as you read this, that registration for the 2025 American Council of the Blind conference and convention is just around the corner! Read on to learn all about registration, plus ordering dog food, how to be certified for paratransit, renting a wheelchair or scooter, assistance at the airport, and some very important information to consider when taking a tour. In-person/hybrid dates are July 4 - 11, with Zoom-only sessions June 26 through 28. Don't miss the virtual-only ACB summer auction on June 21 (preceded by two days of appetizer auctions), and the official call to order via Zoom on June 23 with the reading of the convention standing rules and the first credentials report. * Registration Details Registration will open for ACB members on Thursday, May 15, at 7 a.m. Central time. Registration cost will be $55. On May 22 registration will open for non-ACB members, that cost will be $70. Registration will close on Tuesday, June 17 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. You may also register during the convention; however, the cost will be higher, $75 for ACB members and $90 for non-members. * What You Can Do Now to Prepare for Registration - Make sure you can log in to your member account at https://members.acb.org/. If you do not remember your login and password, you may select "password reset" or call the Minneapolis office at (612) 332-3242. - If you have not created a member account at https://members.acb.org/, select the link labeled "Create an Account" and provide the information requested. After creating an account, you can log in, but it may take up to 24 business hours before you will be able to complete a convention registration, as the Minneapolis office needs to link your member account to our database. Now is a good time to create your account! When registration opens: - If you are registering online, log into your member account. Once you have selected the "ACB Convention" link on the members main page, it will open on an introduction page. After reading this information, proceed to preferences to begin your registration. - Please verify that your contact information is correct. On this page you will also select whether you will be attending the convention virtually or in person. If you choose to be a virtual attendee, you will not be shown sessions that are only available to in-person attendees such as tours, social events, etc. - If you choose to be an in-person attendee, you will be shown all virtual and in-person sessions. - If you need assistance in registering, telephone registration will be available by calling Janet Dickelman at (651) 428-5059. * Braille or Print Program Requests If you are attending virtually and wish to receive the convention program in either braille or large print, it will be sent to your home address. If you are a virtual attendee requesting a print or braille program, you must register prior to June 1st in order to receive the program in print or braille. If you will be joining us in Dallas, you will receive the program when you pick up your registration materials. All registrants will receive Zoom links for the Zoom-only events. If you are attending the convention in person, you can pick up your registration materials starting Thursday evening, July 3. * Planning to Take a Tour? Please read very carefully the tour descriptions. Many of our tours require a lot of walking and/or standing. If this is difficult for you to do, please consider not taking the tour. Your health and comfort are very important to us. If you can't keep up with the group, there aren't options to stop or rest. If you require the use of a wheelchair to attend a tour, you must bring someone with you who will push your chair. That person must also register for the tour; our volunteers are not able to assist as wheelchair pushers. If you use a wheelchair or walker, please make sure to indicate that on the registration form. Also, if you are more comfortable having your own guide, you might consider attending the tour with a friend or family member. We generally have one volunteer to assist 10 to 15 attendees, so cannot offer personal assistance. * Using Paratransit Service During the Convention To obtain a visitor pass to use paratransit in Dallas, have your provider email or fax your information. This should be done at least two weeks in advance, but not prior to June 1. Email it to Paracert@dart.org, or fax to (214) 828-6642. You should then call (214) 515-7272, option 5, and you will be provided with a temporary ID number. (214) 515-7272 is also the number to call to book your rides. The fare is $3 each way, cash only. Rides must be booked 1 or 2 days in advance. * Wheelchair Rentals If you would like to rent a wheelchair or scooter, call Andrew Fulton, Dallas Mobility Rentals, at (214) 506-0526. Weekly scooter rentals are $139; wheelchairs (any size) are $79. They will be delivered to the hotel on Thursday, July 3 and picked up on Friday, July 11th. Please call in advance to order your wheelchair or scooter. Once you have placed your order, call or email me so I can maintain a list to ensure all wheelchairs and scooters have been received. * Ordering Dog Food Don't want to weigh down your luggage with food for your dog? Keep it simple -- order food from Scoop Masters! Scoop Masters will provide and maintain our dog relief areas in Dallas; locations of the dog relief areas will be shared via email lists and posted in the convention newspaper as soon as they are set up. If you would like to pre-order dog food to be delivered to your hotel room, call Tim Stone at (661) 714-0749, or order online at http://scoopmasters.com/acb. Tim says, "It's a simple form that asks for your name, phone number, brand and type of food. I will call to get the details within 24 hours, and I will accept payments at the hotel." Food must be ordered by June 20th to ensure delivery. * Assistance at the Airport To assist airline personnel and Margarine Beaman and her cadre of airport volunteers, if you would like assistance when you arrive at the airport, please submit the following information. Please remember there are two airports serving the Dallas area. Your name Whether you will be arriving at DFW or Love Field The name of the airline you will be arriving on The city you will be traveling from Your arrival flight number Your cell phone number Departure date Departure time Departure airport Departure airline You can send Margarine Beaman an e-mail with "airline information" in the subject line at oleo501625@outlook.com or call her at (512) 921-1625 * Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2024 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe to the list. * Hotel Details The cut-off date to make reservations is Monday, June 9. Don't delay -- make your reservations today! Room rates at the Hyatt are $99 per night (single or double occupancy), $124 (triple occupancy) and $149 (quadruple occupancy), plus tax, which is currently 17.2%. To make reservations online, go to https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/DFWRD/G-AMCB. If you prefer to make reservations by phone, call (214) 651-1234, and use group code G-AMCB. The Hyatt is located at 300 Reunion Blvd. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** 2025 Candidate Submission Process As members of the American Council of the Blind, we are responsible for electing individuals who will lead and guide the organization. In preparation for elections at the annual ACB conference and convention, individuals interested in running are invited to participate in the following activities and events. Here are some dates, with more in-depth explanations following: - May 19: Submissions for the candidates' web page are due. - May 30: Candidates' web pages are posted and announced. Candidates' ACB Media promos are due (optional). - June 11: Candidates' Forum takes place via Zoom and ACB Media. * The ACB Candidates' Web Page If you plan to run for any ACB elected position, the ACB Candidates' Page is where you can introduce yourself, post links to your social media pages, and provide responses to the following questions. (Please note: Your response to each question will be cut off at 300 words; ACB's Board of Publications will not edit your responses for spelling or grammar.) 1. Introduce yourself, indicate which position you seek, and explain why you wish to serve in this position. 2. What do you consider to be your strongest contribution to ACB at either the national, state, special-interest affiliate or local chapter level and why? 3. What do you consider to be the most important challenge facing ACB? How will you work to address it? * Instructions for Candidates' Page Submissions You must be an ACB member in good standing. Submissions must be in Word, text file, or in the body of an email. Send email, Word or text file submissions to slovering@acb.org with the subject line "Candidates' Page Submission." The deadline for all Candidates' Page submissions is May 19, 2025 at 4 p.m. Eastern. Late submissions will NOT be accepted. All candidates who submit information are invited to produce a promotional announcement to air on ACB Media. * Get to Know the Candidates at the Candidates' Forum All candidates who post information to the ACB Candidates' Page will receive an invitation to participate in the ACB BOP Candidates' Forum June 11 via Zoom and streaming on ACB Media. Join to meet the candidates, to ask questions and hear their responses. Please note: You must register as a candidate on the ACB Candidates' Page to participate in the ACB Candidates' Forum as a candidate. All ACB members, whether attending the annual conference and convention in person or virtually, have the opportunity to vote. Participating in the Candidates' Web Page and Candidates' Forum are important vehicles for informing our membership! ***** ** Start Thinking About the Summer Auction Hello ACB Family, The auction committee would like to say a big thanks to everyone for supporting the auctions. Now is the time to start thinking about the ACB Summer Auction! The 19th annual ACB Summer Auction will be on Saturday, June 21st, with the appetizer auctions on Thursday and Friday, June 19th and 20th. The deadline for descriptions and pictures is May 1st. You can ship your auction items to Leslie Spoone at 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd., Orlando, FL 32817. If you would prefer to bring your item to convention, you can give the item to Leslie Spoone during convention week. Then we can give it to the winner, or ship it to them after convention if they aren't attending in person. We look forward to hearing everyone with lots of bidding! -- Leslie Spoone, ACB Auction Chair ***** ** February 10, 2025 Board of Directors Meeting Summary by Katie Frederick President Deb Cook Lewis called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Eastern. ACB Secretary Denise Colley then called the roll, confirming the presence of board members, staff, and guests. The minutes from previous board meetings held on September 23, November 2, and December 9 and 16, 2024, were approved. Convention Coordinator Janet Dickelman provided updates on future conventions, including signed contracts for 2026 in St. Louis, 2027 in Jacksonville, and 2028 in Atlanta. The board discussed a proposal for 2029 and 2032 conventions in Minneapolis. The proposed dates for the 2029 convention are July 13 to July 20, with a room rate of $139 per night. For the 2032 convention, the proposed dates are July 9 to July 16, with a room rate of $149 per night. The board approved the proposal. Janet also addressed questions about hotel security, mentioning the responsiveness of hotel security in the past and the cost of hiring additional security this year. President Deb Cook Lewis then gave her report. A committee led by David Trott was appointed to work with Mitch Pomerantz to evaluate and potentially revise the prohibited conduct policy. The committee's task is to evaluate concerns and determine whether recommended changes to the policy would be appropriate and report back to the board. Deb updated the board on the committee structure and assignments, including the creation of a new Governance Steering Committee. This new committee is essentially a conversion of the voting task force, constitution and bylaws, resolutions, credentials, and nominating committees. The aim is to streamline and better organize the committee structure to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. Kim Charlson will chair a work group to revise the Affiliate and National Expectations document, with plans to gather input during the leadership conference. ACB submitted comments on the proposed ACVREP certification for occupational therapists as vision services providers. The comments reflected the organization's stance and concerns regarding the certification process, emphasizing the need for consumer input and highlighting discrepancies between the knowledge requirements and the scope of work. The comments were aligned with the resolution passed in 2023. Deb also shared updates to the leadership email list and guidelines are underway. The list should be updated on an annual basis, but it's been a while since that's happened. She's working with state and special-interest affiliates to update the list. As with other lists, list guidelines will be sent out monthly. The goal of revising list guidelines is to maintain focused communication channels supporting the organization's objectives and keep everyone on the same page. Scott Thornhill provided an update on various organizational activities in his executive director's report. Highlights included the Accessibility and Training Services Program led by Kolby Garrison, staffing changes, website updates, and the search for a new administrative assistant. The Amarillo Thrift Store celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the Lubbock Thrift Store will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. He stated that the D.C. Leadership Conference is coming up, with planned activities and a successful sponsorship push. Updates were also provided on the LabCorp and Quest legal cases. Scott shared ACB's advocacy intern, Kyla Ventura, successfully advocated for the installation of an accessible pedestrian signal in Springfield, Ark. Staff is working on a master calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure better coordination of events in the future. Chief Financial Officer Nancy Marks-Becker led a discussion on proposed endowment policy revisions, which aimed to reorganize the policy for better clarity. The board approved the proposed revisions. Nancy also presented the bank signature policy, requiring the ACB treasurer, executive director, and chief financial officer to be signatories on the ACB accounts with Bremer Bank. The board approved this policy as well. Following these discussions, there was an organizational discussion covering various topics, including the leadership conference, legislative seminar, and the importance of maintaining focus on issues impacting the blind and low vision community. Board members spoke about the need for patience and careful consideration of actions in response to current political and social issues. Peter Heide provided a brief presentation on the topic of boundaries. His presentation was insightful, emphasizing that boundaries are not just about keeping people out but about protecting what is valuable to us. The workshop he attended suggested that boundaries should be seen as a way to project and defend our treasures, both individually and as an organization. Peter explained that every person and organization has a treasure that needs protection, and for organizations like ACB, the treasure is the core values and mission that need to be communicated and defended. The workshop encouraged thinking about boundaries positively, as a means to empower and share our treasures with others. Peter also shared the "Rule of Four" from the workshop, which are guidelines for communication: Honesty: Ensure that what you say is honest and true to your own opinion. Truth: Make sure the information is factual and dependable. Kindness: Communicate in a way that is understanding of others’ boundaries and lifts up the organization’s treasure. Helpfulness: Ensure that the communication helps the organization move forward. He suggested ACB could benefit from adopting these principles to better protect and project its core values and mission. Following Peter's insightful presentation, the meeting adjourned about 10:30 p.m. ***** ** Searching for a Boundless Education by Cheryl Cumings This year the Multicultural Affairs Committee invited its members to respond to the question of how our diversity and intersectionality impacted access to and participation in the educational system. What follows is my response. My first 10 years were spent in an educational system established during colonialism. Even though Guyana gained its independence from British rule in 1966, the educational system was still based on the British model. As a child I didn't question this system. But there were some rumblings. There were people asking for books to reflect the different people in the country and the different languages spoken in the country. My family came to the United States just as this debate was heating up among the Guyanese population. The educational system in the United States was different, but in some ways similar. Both systems focused on white male leaders, writers, generals, and philosophers. Women were rarely mentioned. African-Americans were mentioned but primarily in the context of slavery, emancipation and the civil rights movement. In high school, I became blind and learned about Helen Keller. As a Black blind student my education contracted on some levels and expanded on others. In high school, I took physics first rather than chemistry because the chemistry teacher didn’t want me in her class. My English teacher spent time making sure I understood the readings and personally drove me to the theater performances our class attended. Sometimes it was difficult to get braille math and science books. If not for my itinerant teacher, I probably would still be in high school learning to type, read braille and keep up with my studies. Resources and awareness of how to teach a blind student existed in the public school system but not universally in Catholic schools. As far as I know, there was never an attempt to have Catholic schools replicate the educational models which existed in the public school system. This meant that teachers could refuse to teach you and accessible books weren't always available. Yet, it wasn't until college that the expansion of options in the educational system blossomed. As an international relations student, I had to learn about treaties and diplomacy, the national and international structures which facilitate relationships between nations and people. At the same time, I was introduced to writers, the storytellers who bring to life the past, reflect our present back to us, and invite us to imagine the future. I was starving, wanting to know more about the Caribbean, African-Americans, and Latin America, and then I was introduced to authors such as V.S. Naipaul, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Derek Walcott, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Isabel Allende, and my world expanded. The overall educational system hadn't changed, but space was made for people with other perspectives. The works of some of these authors were available through the Talking Book library; others had to be scanned and read with Kurzweil. Today there is a great effort to close that open space. For me, there is such deep value in learning about others and learning about the common humanness of all of us. ***** ** The Heart of Equity and Inclusion by Regina Marie Brink As children, most of us take for granted what we have. How many of us have offered to mail our food to other hungry children when our parents urge us to finish our dinner? I was no different. I was enrolled in a pilot program for children who were blind or had low vision in California. It meant leaving my insular Hispanic neighborhood and going to school in an area with kids from backgrounds very different from mine. The premise of this program was that we needed to be mainstreamed gradually. We had a resource room and our teacher, Mrs. Mercedes Nims. In first grade, we only went in the regular classroom during story hour, lunch, and recess. We spent more and more time in the regular classroom. By fifth grade, I hardly saw Mrs. Nims. Mrs. Nims taught us Braille, typing on a typewriter, to sign our name in cursive, what print letters looked like, geography with tactile maps, and much more. She arranged for us to begin orientation and mobility starting in the 4th grade. She counseled us through discrimination by the regular classroom teachers who sometimes didn't understand how to accommodate us. At her retirement dinner, she was asked if she regretted never having children of her own. She said: "We had 400 children and we love them all!" Her husband carved boards to trace our names and a contraption to do math. We used Braille cubes with numbers and symbols. We would place the cubes in wire squares on a wooden board they called a slate. When we worked out that problem, we would pull the board out and the cubes would fall into a tray so we could gather them up and work out a new problem. He made toys and tactile aids by hand. All the children from my school have gone on to be very successful adults. Those with additional learning disabilities have found jobs that suit their talents. One girl struggled, but she had a photographic memory. She now does data entry for the Veterans Administration. As I receive recognition of my successes, I remember that Mrs. Nims came from the Midwest. She saw us all, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or white, as her children. She practiced equity and inclusion before it was called that. We benefitted from it. So have our families. When I find myself in front of the California legislature, or talking with our mayor at disability outreach events, or in front of an appreciative audience after a successful show in the theater where I now direct and sometimes perform, I remember Mrs. Nims. She taught me I could do anything I set my mind to, and I have passed this along to my own children and grandchildren. Her love and heart for children, no matter their ethnicity, appearance, income status, or multiple disabilities, transcended the times and has blessed all of us who had the honor of being her students. I want this heartfelt experience for all children. ***** ** Navigating the Education System for the Blind in Texas by Michael E. Garrett I grew up in Texas where I began going to school in the mid-1950s. After an unsuccessful attempt to enter a regular kindergarten class, I spent the first four years of my schooling in a special education setting in a public school. Because of her lack of training, and thus her inability to understand my eye condition, my teacher held me back in third grade because I couldn’t read fast enough. Feeling some kind of way, I asked my mother to send me to "that school in Austin." Thus, I entered the Texas Blind, Deaf & Orphan School (TBD&O) in 1960. Our resources were meager as we were segregated from the Texas School for the Blind (TSB), but our teachers were resourceful. We were exposed to great writers, speakers, Black history, Texas history and the importance of civic engagement. We were introduced to several musical genres, including jazz, gospel and classical, as we had to attend performances by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. That experience was the foundation that prepared me for the integration of our schools in 1965. After the first quarter's grades were posted, I was met in the hallway and informed that I had made the honor roll. That set off a determination in me to always try to do my very best. I liked making A's, and ultimately attained the honor of valedictorian in the graduating class of 1969. From TSB, I enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. After many challenges and obstacles, especially given the lack of technology at that time, I finished in 1973 with a BBA degree in finance. There has always been a debate about students attending residential schools versus public schools. One thing that stands out to me are the life-long, close-knit friendships I gained at both schools. I will never forget Clarance Coleman, who mentored me in my early years at TBD&O, and Betty Huffman, who graduated a year ahead of me and was my biggest encourager when I entered the University of Texas. I will always treasure those relationships. ***** ** Education in the Public Schools by Dr. Lynne Koral I went to public school in Queens, N.Y. There were some other Jewish students, but I got teased because we were not Orthodox and did not do what others who were not Jewish thought we should do. I even wrote a poem about it. The first verse went something like this: Your soul is as dark as coal, I hear them say, Don't you want to save it? Pray, pray, pray! Because we were not religious, people who were not Jewish did not think I was observing such traditions as fasting for the High Holy Days or that I might be sinful. I did not know very much about the holidays, but it was mostly over politics for which people called me names, such as being against the Vietnam War. As a child, I did not identify anti-Semitic slurs. I don't think we learned about the Holocaust -- at least not that I can remember. It was especially during elementary school, which consisted predominantly of white students, except for one African-American girl, that I don't remember any Jewish content being taught. One of the things that is still true is that the Jewish Holocaust is not studied. My parents did get me books in braille about Jewish themes from the Jewish Braille Institute. As a Jewish person, I am sure that my experiences in educational attainment were not as severe as my other brothers and sisters who are of a diverse background. We must all learn about each other and respect each other and live in integrated places and integrated schools instead of segregated de facto ones like I attended. Most of us learn at home about our culture or faith, but most people do not understand that Judaism is a culture, and not just a practice. ***** ** Diversity: Has It Now Joined Religion and Politics? by Anthony Corona It used to be that the golden rule for keeping the peace was simple: Don't discuss religion or politics. But in recent years, it seems that diversity has been elevated to that same often-loaded category of conversation -- something too controversial, too polarizing to discuss openly. From my perspective, though, the truest meaning of diversity is actually incredibly simple: it's a celebration of humanity. * Diversity Is ... Diversity is the embracing of -- drumroll, please -- humanity. Diversity is creating representation and spaces for -- all humanity. Yet somewhere along the way, diversity has been co-opted. Corporations have turned it into a set of initiatives designed to placate biases in hiring, retention, and promotions. Well-intentioned organizations have adopted it as a mission statement, but in practice, often fail to grasp its deeper meaning. It was never supposed to be about forcing representation. It was never meant to be a marketing tool, a checklist, or a box to tick. And yet, here we are. How often do we see companies patting themselves on the back because of their "new initiative" that highlights diversity? Or media outlets celebrating the latest token effort? Diversity shouldn't be about rolling out programs during Black History Month, Pride Month, or Disability Awareness Month. It shouldn't be about one-off articles in corporate newsletters or the occasional campaign spotlighting marginalized voices. Yes, these efforts are warranted. Yes, they are needed. But they should never be the only efforts. Diversity shouldn't be an initiative -- it should be an expectation. * Leading with Humanity Every single person is made up of a multitude of experiences -- cultural, personal, and professional. When we gather in groups, we naturally develop norms for socializing, advocating, and coexisting. And diversity should be one of those norms, not an afterthought or an add-on. It should be something we strive for simply because we are human. And because we are human, we will fail -- over and over again. But in that failure, we can find new direction, new understanding, and do better. Diversity shouldn't be something people need to request or demand. It should be baked in from the ground up. Take accessibility as an example. We don't want to have to go back and fix things retroactively -- we want accessibility to be an inherent part of how we design and build our communities. Diversity should be the same. * Back to Basics So instead of constantly chasing diversity as some lofty ideal, perhaps it's time to bring it back to its most basic, most human form -- acceptance and understanding, one person at a time. Is that really so controversial? ***** The Bursons Abroad Reprinted from the July 1966 issue of "The Braille Forum." (Editor's Note: The following are excerpts from a letter circulated to friends by Brad and Ruth Burson. Brad will be remembered as being active in the founding of ACB and prior to that as a gallant and eloquent defender of democratic principles in organizations of the blind. For many years he has been employed as an atomic physicist at the Argonne National Laboratories near Chicago, and recently was sent to Holland on an exchange arrangement to teach his specialty.) Dear Friends: On Thanksgiving we worshipped in a service for Americans held in Pieterskerk, Leiden, the Netherlands where the pilgrims lived for eleven years before embarking for the New World. After three months of living, working and going to school in "the garden of Amsterdam," the whole experience still retains an aura of unreality; but as we adapt to a new way of life, we are finding much enjoyment in our widening vistas, growing impressions and new associations. ... Brad's invitation from the Institute for Nuclear Physics Research in Amsterdam to collaborate for a year in their research program came in January, and in early March the Argonne administrators authorized him to accept. Needless to say, this created quite an upheaval in our ordinary pursuits and some ambivalent feelings while awaiting official confirmation by the Atomic Energy Commission. Linda announced that she really didn't want to take our trip with us because she thought she would miss kindergarten, but her real concern was losing out on the annual field trip to the pumpkin patch! Darrell's friends secretly hoped that the A.E.C. would say no. But gradually we began to believe we were going and to attend to the myriad of details created by the prospect of a year away from home -- passports, legal business, vaccinations and shots, packing, etc. For a while life did go on as usual. ... Our greatest distinction of the year came in June when Lawrence University of Appleton, Wis., conferred upon Brad the honorary degree of doctor of science. Not only was this an honor to be coveted, but an occasion that afforded us both lots of fun and excitement. Dr. Curtis Tarr, President of Lawrence, and Mrs. Tarr gave a formal dinner at the Country Club the evening before the commencement, and this invitation together with the prospect of a transatlantic voyage, offered ample excuse to acquire formal evening attire. Brad's sister, Mary Johnson, was on hand to bask with me in reflected glory and several other friends came to Appleton to join in the festivities. ... Another major decision was whether to transport our seven-year-old station wagon or to go into debt to buy a foreign model. We just couldn't see touring Europe with six people in a Volkswagen! Besides, in spite of its 94,000 miles, our Olds was ready-equipped for camping, provided home-to-port transportation, and we naively hoped that its size and weight might intimidate the maniacs behind the wheels over here! On the contrary, it has provided only a source of amusement and consternation among the natives, mostly because of what the Dutch refer to as our "two-man coffin" -- i.e., our roof carrier is equipped with a rigid plywood cover. So far we have not regretted the decision, and by the time we get home the body will have rusted out from constant exposure even if the engine still runs. The France, world's longest "paquebot," is indeed an elegant, luxurious ship. The five-day crossing, however, fell short of providing real rest and relaxation, especially since every five hours the clock was set ahead 15 minutes, with the result that lunch followed closely upon breakfast and it was forever later than it seemed. We all arose early to witness the docking in Southampton, and a few hours later it was impressive to watch the tugs completely rotate the 1035-foot vessel in the harbor at Le Havre. The next hour and a half were spent at the forward end of the boat deck, our cameras poised, waiting for the Detroit monster to emerge from the hatch as the giant cranes hoisted one car after another from hold to pier. We had decided to wait for only one more -- and were rewarded with a wonderful movie of our car swinging through space. As we hurried back to main lounge, we were greeted with dismay by the impatient immigration officials and practically swept off the ship, the last passengers to disembark! Through customs, the car re-loaded, we headed into town. Having practiced French with the ship personnel, Brad was bold enough to ask directions. The Frenchman sprang to his bicycle and with a wave of his arm, pedaled down the darkening streets, leading our way to the hotel De Normandie, then wheeled a wide arc and disappeared -- a foreshadowing of the hospitality we have experienced the past three months. In fact, in our two-day sojourn from Le Havre to Amiens, Brussels, Antwerp and finally Amsterdam, we found people extremely kind and helpful. The rolling French countryside and small villages with narrow streets had a distinctly picture-book atmosphere. No sooner had we brushed up on our French and learned the value of French francs than we converted to Belgian francs, the guilders and the totally unfamiliar Dutch road signs and directions. We were again escorted to our canal-house hotel in Amsterdam where we spent a somewhat confused but interesting week punctuated with solving the immediate needs of housing, schooling and processing our baggage. The Institute had considerately run a newspaper ad prior to our arrival, and it produced the house we now occupy. It was purely a stroke of good fortune that within two blocks a new secondary school was opening which, with a little reassurance, agreed to accept Loren and Craig, and similarly, that there was a nearby Montessori school happy to accept two American children, Darrell and Linda. Both schools are Dutch-speaking but do not follow the strict Dutch curriculum. Located in the conventional, modern suburb of Bussum, about 15 miles east of Amsterdam, our three-story house is the end unit of a row group and quite new. Beyond our most optimistic expectations, it includes central heating, hot water, electric stove and refrigerator, a semi-automatic washing machine, picture windows, drapes, even an open kitchen and patio. Most serious omission is a bathtub, which is all right if you prefer showers. Although rented as "furnished," to say it was inadequate is something of an understatement. So one of our early escapades involved hunting down a secondhand dealer in the neighboring town of Hilversum which, it turned out, has a population of 100,000 and streets running every conceivable way. By the time we found him we had lost the car! (Ruth has since invented a little game called "let's get lost now and see if we can find our way home.") Again fortunately, Bussum and Amsterdam are connected by fast commuter train service. In 15 minutes I arrive at Muiderpoort station which is but a ten-minute walk from the Institute. The latter has about 230 employees and there are about a dozen in our nuclear spectroscope group. It is well equipped with excellent apparatus and shop facilities and has world-wide recognition among laboratories of its type. Although there is only one other American here at present, the majority of the people speak English so well that I am seldom aware of any language handicap. It is fun -- working with and getting to know new people, planning and doing things with them in the framework of our common interests. School schedules are quite different here. All the kids have school on Saturday mornings, but have various afternoons off. They all come home for a leisurely lunch, except Darrell when he's taking Dutch lessons from his teacher. This chaotic schedule, plus the chauffeuring between the Montessori school 1.2 miles from home and the train station, leaves little opportunity to take off for the day, even to Amsterdam which has a tremendous appeal. However, we do make the most of those free afternoons. Contrary to all precedent in Holland, the October weather was magnificent, and the fact that November brought ice, and rain and biting wind really hasn't stopped us from trying to do and see as much as possible. Before our Sunday jaunts were stymied by the incredible parades of traffic hamming the highways, we made the loop around the Ijsselmeer, formerly the Zuider Zee, one of the principal tourist routes in the area. It was fascinating to drive across the 18-mile enclosure dike which seals off a goodly fraction of Holland from the North Sea. The third Tuesday of September found us in The Hague. This is the traditional day on which Queen Juliana opens Parliament, and we managed to catch a glimpse of her in her golden coach and three of the princesses as they rode in the processional leaving the Binnenhof. On October 3, we went to Leiden to witness the festivities in celebration of that city's liberation from the Spaniards in 1574. Brad and I had one wonderful day together in Rotterdam, lunching atop the 365-foot Euromast overlooking the world's busiest harbor but, of course, most of our evenings and outings center in and around Amsterdam, one of the most diversified and cosmopolitan cities in all Europe. A brief school holiday in November provided an opportunity for a five-day swing into Germany. In Hamburg we obtained our new Leica, and I had a chance to take Ruth to dinner at Ratsweinkeller in the free city's Parliament building. From there we drove via Autobahn to Frankfurt, Mainz and then up along the Rhine, stopping one night at the little wine-making village of Assmannshausen. We all had fun exploring and later, during dinner, listening to a group of students singing German folksongs. The next day we drove to the top of the famed Lorelei Rock. At Coblenz shortage of time forced us to switch back to Autobahn and from German back to Dutch. What can we say about life and the people here? If you know "Alstubleift," "Dank u wel" and "spreekt u Elgels?" you can get by. Almost everywhere someone speaks English. But we cannot say that things are not different, and anyone assuming a blase facade about his European experiences is just kidding himself. There are problems. Living in a foreign land is challenging and stimulating but also sometimes frustrating and tinged with nostalgia. About the people, their warmth and acceptance, we can't say too many complimentary things, and we can only hope that Americans would be as cordial and helpful to strangers as our Dutch friends have been to us. ***** ** Lynn August, Blind Zydeco and Blues Star from Lafayette, Dies at 76 by Joanna Brown Reprinted from "The Acadiana Advocate," February 13, 2025. According to his early recollections, Lynn August remembers having some sight until he was about four years old. His vision failed rapidly after that, though, and August would spend the rest of his life blind -- but that didn't stop him from becoming one of Louisiana's celebrated zydeco and blues musicians. August, a native of Lafayette, died on Wednesday, Feb. 12, according to social media reports. He was 76 years old. KRVS radio host Herman Fuselier shared a few notable aspects of August's career on Facebook. In 1961, when he was around 13 years old, the musician had the opportunity to play with legendary soul singer-songwriter Sam Cooke at a show in Opelousas. The star was so impressed, he invited August to travel to Los Angeles to work with him. "Cooke was going to record August, but died a short time later," according to Fuselier. Sam Cooke was shot and killed by a motel manager in Los Angeles on Dec. 11, 1964 at the age of 33. Born in Lafayette on Aug. 7, 1948, August loved zydeco since childhood. His uncle was accordionist Claude Duffy, and after attending Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge, August sang and played drums with Duffy's band. When he was only 11, his skills on the drums attracted the attention of R&B performer Esquerita, who is credited as an early influence to Little Richard. August played percussion and keyboards with Esquerita when the singer was in New Orleans, and at an early point in his career he also regularly played with another burgeoning young star -- Grammy winner Stanley Dural, of Buckwheat Zydeco fame. An accomplished organist, as well as pianist, accordionist, drummer and singer, August was especially active in the 1980s and '90s. He recorded albums "Creole Cruiser" and "Sauce Piquante," toured Europe, and started a company called Touch Tech in the mid-1990s, designing and selling computers for the visually impaired. A 1992 column for the Los Angeles Times, written by Bill Locey, reveals what a compelling figure August was. Locey interviewed August prior to the city's Ojai Bowlful of Blues festival, and called August's band, the Hot August Knights, "about the coolest zydeco band to ever squeeze an accordion." Despite his visual impairment, August said he "loved old music and old cars," saying, "the only thing I don't like is, no one will let me drive my own car." In the interview August stated, "I guess my music is more of a traditional, bluesy style." "It's a lot like Clifton Chenier, which isn't really what I want to do -- not copy him, but more preserve what he was trying to do. He really was the 'King of Zydeco.' But, you know, originally, he wanted to be a blues singer. I didn't just jump on the wagon just to make money. I could always afford a Cadillac." ***** ** In Memoriam: Beulah Maria Carrington September 11, 1932 -- February 10, 2025 Beulah Maria Carrington of Topeka, Kan., departed this world on Feb. 10, 2025 at the age of 92. Beulah graduated from the Kansas School for the Blind in 1950 and the University of Kansas in 1954. She then worked at the Topeka State Hospital for many years. Michael Byington states, "I have known Beulah nearly all of my life. My parents were members of the Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Beulah was a member and served as president for several years. I attended meetings with my parents and became involved in the organization when I was in my teens. Beulah was always willing to forgive my teenage exuberance, and to listen to my ideas. She graduated from the University of Kansas and was competitively employed for many years as a secretary and office administrator at various offices within Topeka State Hospital. Beulah was successful at a time when few people who were totally blind succeeded in getting college degrees or working competitively. She did all of this while also raising a family. She was one of my most admired mentors, and over the years, we became good friends." "Beulah was one the very first people I met when I moved to Topeka in 1986," said Deborah Trapp. "I worked in the SW typing pool at Topeka State Hospital, and she was there with her dog, Val. We got to know each other and started to attend work things and lunches together and almost 40 years later, meeting for birthday suppers with other former TSH workers. She was one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I have missed her at our suppers." After retiring from the hospital, Beulah began volunteering with Friendly Visitors, which provides home visits, assistance reading mail and writing letters, daily medication reminder calls, transportation to medical appointments and more. Beulah volunteered for 22 years, retiring in August of 2019. Kathy Thornton added, "Beulah will always be known as a woman who loved her family and friends, church, and guide dogs who gave her independence (except Nettie, who liked to chase squirrels, but Beulah loved her anyway and gave her every chance to succeed as her guide dog). I have much respect for Beulah, who never let her blindness hold her back. In fact, she embraced it by volunteering, joining organizations like the Lions Club, and even becoming President of the Topeka Association of the Blind. A memory of an elephant, I could always count on Beulah to keep me in line both at work and even personally. She also had a sense of direction that baffled me when she would start giving me directions as I got lost when we drove places (before phones and GPS). Beulah has been a great coworker and friend for nearly 40 years and will be greatly missed." Friends may leave memories of Beulah at https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/ks/topeka/beulah-maria-carrington-19337638. ***** ** Introducing Loving Touch Connection by Lucy Edmonds Some of you may remember Loving Touch Connection and its proprietor, Kathy Keck, because she exhibited her products at the ACB convention in Rochester, N.Y. in 2019. Since 2011, Kathy has been hand-painting designs and custom braille words on coffee mugs, beer glasses, drink glasses, wine glasses, salt and pepper shakers, spice jars, magnets, soap and lotion dispensers, and many other cool braille products! I recently purchased a number of coffee mugs from her, and she put names on them, along with a cool saying and a hand-painted design with raised outlining and raised picture! Kathy has never formally learned braille, but she has developed a fascinating process of using paint to set raised-dot braille sayings and raised outlining to her hand-painted designs on her products. Here is an excerpt from her website: "Using a proprietary technique, each product is meticulously handcrafted with raised dots for braille words and beautifully painted designs. Each piece is designed to provide tactile and visual delight, bringing joy and practicality to everyday items. ... Our unique approach involves hand-applying raised-dot braille messages onto the surface of each piece. The default braille used is uncontracted, but contracted is available upon request to cater to different preferences. Each message is not only applied in raised braille dots but is also hand-painted in an elegant, easy-to-read script below the braille word or message, ensuring both tactile and visual accessibility." Kathy goes on to say: "For the past 14 years, Loving Touch Connection has been committed to providing products that are not only practical but also add a touch of artistry to daily life. Each item is crafted with care, ensuring that it meets our high standards of quality and design. ... In keeping with my passion and desire to support and encourage the blind and visually impaired community, a percentage of profits from Loving Touch Connection (R) sales are donated annually to various non-profit organizations who assist the blind and visually impaired." If you're looking for a unique braille gift for someone, or just want something for yourself, visit her website, https://www.touchedbyfantasy.com/braille-gifts.html, and you'll see what I mean! There is also a video there which further explains her process, as well as some customer reviews. One customer's review reads: "The Loving Touch Connection braille accented items are beautiful. It is wonderful to be able to read the inscription written on the glass and also to feel the outlined detail of the design pictured. The braille is raised enough to make it very easy to feel. The braille is also true to size and durable while touching. The raised edging of the outlined design depicted on the glass allows the visually impaired person to recognize the creative artwork. I’m pleased with the prompt delivery of my orders and the outstanding customer service I receive. I will continue to endorse the Loving Touch Connection - Braille and Art products for the visually impaired. Thank you, Kathy, for your amazing ability in creating and designing accessible glassware for the blind and visually impaired community." Kathy provides wonderful customer service, as well as being a great person to get to know. I can't wait to place my next order! ***** ** Radio Life by Al Daniels "Who listens to radio? Only 150 million people -- that's all." Those are the words of radio jazz singer Sarah Vaughn. It is one of her crowning achievements. I was introduced to her with that flashy jingle. Radio has no limits now, like it did when it once had just AM. The World Wide Web is fantastic -- we can access radio stations from all over the world with the touch of a button. AM radio was everywhere in the middle of the 20th century, but it did not usually travel more than a few hundred miles. WABC-AM radio was popular in the greater New York City area. I grew up listening to the morning DJ, Herb Oscar Anderson, when I was in elementary school. He accompanied me for breakfast. Dandy Dan Daniels was his competitor on WMCA on the lower part of the dial. High school saw the end of serious music with the demise of classical music's dominance of the FM dial. The first rock station on FM radio was 98.7, WOR. ABC had to respond with a similar rock format. Metro Media continued the trend with emphasis on progressive rock. Jonathan Schwartz was a knowledgeable music authority of the time, commanding jazz on the WNEW-AM and rock on the FM side. Alison Steele was the sultry nightbird for NEW FM. Rock diminished on the AM band as quickly as the FM band rocked. Jazz from WNEW-AM became extinct and WQXR held on for a while with classical music on AM. The AM band eventually shrank to news, sports, and a person with a telephone and an overabundance of hot air. To appease an outcry over the loss of classical programming, they invented the educational portion of the FM airwaves. The outcry was answered by invention of community radio. Commercial support became limited to underwriting with no explicit commercials. There is a song by the Beach Boys called, "That's Why God Made the Radio." I believe it is a song that names the radio airwaves as a God-given right. We have to protect and preserve radio for our offspring. Our broadcasting stations are being bought up by big business to advertise, and very rarely educate. What is known as amateur radio helps us to understand the physical and ethereal aspects of the science. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees the use and preservation of the airwaves. Wireless communication is everywhere. Amateur radio operators help in emergencies, and unknown to many people, also experiment with wireless communication for our future education, information, and entertainment. Podcasts are a more recent invention and hold a key to the future. There is a plethora of podcasts to please anyone's tastes. If we can look to our past, we can see that there once was dramatic arts on radio. There was theater everywhere. We now look back and call it OTR. OTR, standing for old-time radio, challenged our imagination to fill in the picture. Radio executives doomed the theater of the radio airwaves with the invention of television. Can we afford to cause the extinction of radio? What is happening to radio is happening all the time, in our community, profit over service. Without a working, caring society, we have nothing. To achieve a favorable end, it takes investment of not only wealth but thought and sincere effort. Please join me to build the future for generations to come. Let's listen. ***** ** Facebook Penalizes the Blind by Bob Branco Approximately three months ago, Facebook decided to eliminate their mobile site from desktop computers. The mobile site was very navigable and accessible for blind people. For 15 consecutive years, I had no problem doing all the things I wanted to do on that site. Now, the site is gone, and many blind people are forced to use a complicated Facebook platform. For those with iPhones, there are problems with Facebook as well. As a result of Facebook's unpopular decision, I, and many other blind people, have to learn it all over again. I heard several explanations as to why Facebook removed their mobile site, but no matter what the explanations are, the blind have been penalized. The entire Facebook structure has changed dramatically, making the process extremely tedious and frustrating. While I relearn Facebook, I will try to keep it simple. There are only several aspects that I want to know about right now. I don't do Marketplace. I don't do video, and I don't do other more sophisticated Facebook activities. With that said, many other blind people use those features, so I want to be fair to everyone and not just think of myself. While I am trying to be hopeful, it doesn't lessen the problems that this decision caused. My entire Facebook environment has been disrupted, and something needs to be done about it. Advocates for the blind are working very hard to include us in the sighted world, but Facebook has done its best to disrupt that process. I heard that one of the consumer organizations of the blind is having conversations with Facebook, hoping to reach a fair solution to this problem. I asked my technical support specialist if he thinks we should talk to Facebook about reconsidering their decision to get rid of the blind-friendly mobile site. I will clean up my tech support person's response. He told me that Facebook doesn't give a poop. If that's true, then it might be pointless for consumer organizations of the blind to negotiate with Facebook. However, if Facebook cares about the effect this is having on the blind, and is willing to listen, then I support every effort that the consumer organizations are making in order for Facebook to understand and correct this mistake. Facebook's removal of their mobile site not only affects desktop computers, but iPhones as well. There are many accessibility issues with the app on phones. For example, adding posts and performing other Facebook tasks on iPhones is a nightmare. Facebook has a lot to be desired for accessibility. A friend of mine signed a petition which was created to convince Facebook to reconsider. If the issue has to do with advertisements on the site, I believe blind people wouldn't mind the advertisements as long as we are able to navigate the site effectively without being bombarded with them. This is really inexcusable for a large company like Facebook. I don't know what kind of noise is going to get through the static, and I hope they don't have to be brought to court. If negotiations are truly going on between Facebook and the blind consumer organization, I hope they reach a solution very soon. As a last resort, I am willing to accept the main Facebook site as long as it is much improved. Nevertheless, I want Facebook to reconsider its decision to remove the mobile site. We had no problem navigating it before. Though many blind and sighted people use Facebook for trivial reasons, many of us use it professionally. This opportunity should never have been taken away from the blind. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop * For Sale: BrailleNote Touch Plus 32, in mint condition, running latest version of KeySoft. Comes with leather case (case can only be used with touch screen). Asking $3,200. Contact Shawn Cox via email, blindtechgeek@outlook.com, or phone (585) 404-6643. * For Sale: Index Basic D Braille Embosser. This is a somewhat older unit, in good working condition. The embosser is capable of producing interpoint Braille and graphics. It does not have WiFi, but it does have Bluetooth and can be used with a variety of computers and notetakers. This device has USB, serial, and parallel connectivity. Asking $1,000. Contact American Council of the Blind of Minnesota at (651) 428-5059. * Looking For: I am looking for a HumanWare BI-40 braille display. Willing to trade the BrailleNote Touch Plus 32 in my ad above for it. Contact Shawn Cox via email, blindtechgeek@outlook.com, or phone (585) 404-6643. * Looking For: I am looking for an APH tape player. Must be in good working order and have all the accessories. Would love to have the instruction tape as well. Contact Ronnie Palmer at (615) 765-7375. * Looking For: I am looking for a donation of a talkback braille keyboard, to use with my cell phone. Contact Tonya Smith by phone or text at (269) 221-3769. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2025) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * First Vice President David Trott (1st term, 2025) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (1st term, 2025) 216 Prestwick Rd. Springfield, IL 62702-3330 * Secretary Denise Colley (final term, 2025) 26131 Travis Brook Dr. Richmond, TX 77406-3990 * Treasurer Michael Garrett (1st term, 2025) 7806 Chaseway Dr. Missouri City, TX 77489-2333 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (2nd term, 2028) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (2nd term, 2028) Peter Heide, Baraboo, WI (1st term, 2028) Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Miami Lakes, FL (1st term, 2026) Cecily Laney Nipper, Covington, GA (1st term, 2028) Terry Pacheco, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2026) Rachel Schroeder, Springfield, IL (1st term, 2026) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (2nd term, 2028) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (1st term, 2026) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (2nd term, 2026) ** ACB Board of Publications Katie Frederick, Chair, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2026) Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (1st term, 2026) Belinda Collins, Saint Pauls, NC (1st term, 2026) Cheryl Cumings, Seattle, WA (2nd term, 2025) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (3rd term, 2026) ***** ** Accessing Your ACB Braille Forums The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, NLS-style digital cartridge, and via email. To subscribe to the email version, contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org. It is also available on ACB's web page, and on ACB Media, channel 10. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from https://pinecast.com/feed/acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum. ###