The ACB Braille Forum Volume LXIII February 2025 No. 6 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. Copyright 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: Is "No" Your Final Answer?, by Deb Cook Lewis Big Dreams, Bold Ideas, by Janet Dickelman Keep Advocating, by Claire Stanley The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You, by John McCann Introducing the BADIE Blog! Are You a Leader Searching for More?, by Zelda Gebhard Join Us in the March 29th Multi-State Auction! What Is Love, by Larry Johnson Meeting Ed, by Toni Eames An Unexpected Love, by Abbie Taylor A Conventional Couple, by Anthony Corona and Gabriel Lopez Kafati I Found My True Love in a Newspaper Article, by Tammy Robbins Ship Shaped or Ship Shocked: There Are None So Blind as Those Who Are at Sea!, by Janet Di Nola Parmerter A Visionary for the Blind for 45 Years, Nun Taught Children to Have Faith in Themselves, by Annysa Johnson Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins 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 April 2025: theme: multicultural affairs committee/diversity; deadline: February 21, 2025 May 2025: theme: Older Americans Month/AAVL; deadline: March 21, 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: Is "No" Your Final Answer? by Deb Cook Lewis I'm one who believes that nothing is ever final. It's here for a time and subject to change with new information and experience. This was certainly the case in my marriage -- Rick and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary this year. My husband is from Bakersfield and I'm from the Seattle area. We both had pen pals growing up, but not each other. He had girl pals, but I disdained the notion of having boys. It's usually the other way around, isn't it? One day a friend showed him some mail from her pen pals. He read a letter from me and sent an introduction in hopes I would want to correspond. The letter was very nice. I wish I still had it, but I don't. My answer was a polite but firm "no." I don't write to boys. And I'm somewhat offended that she let you look at her mail from me. I definitely needed to take a chill pill, but you get what you get from teen girls I guess. So that was the end of that and this wouldn't be worth telling, but there's more! Fast forward 35 years. My housemate was staying up late on Saturday nights to listen to a guy on ACB Radio Interactive who knowledgeably played oldies from the '50s and '60s. I'm not nocturnal, so never heard the program, but did ask her to inquire about some items he played on the show. He responded to her email by first saying: "Yes, I know your housemate, she said 'no.'" I then realized this was the same guy from that high school time who was now living in Phoenix. I did subsequently say yes to a phone conversation. And we both said yes to the opportunity to meet in person at the 2005 ACB convention. He moved to Seattle in 2006, and we were married in May of 2007. He remembered that initial rejection pretty vividly, which I still find amusing. But in the end, the "yesses" outweighed the "nos." Oh, and he carted around that rejection letter for about 10 years before finally misplacing it in a move. So now you know which of us is the pack rat! ***** ** Big Dreams, Bold Ideas by Janet Dickelman The theme for the 2025 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention is "Big Dreams, Bold Ideas!" It was developed by the Convention Steering Committee. Thanks to all of you who took the time to submit themes. There were some great ones, but the committee felt this best reflected ACB and Texas. We are thrilled to once again partner with the Blinded Veterans Association. What does this mean to convention attendees? Our exhibit hall will feature all your favorite exhibitors along with new vendors who attend BVA's convention. ACB members will be able to attend sessions hosted by BVA, and we will share volunteer resources. This is a great opportunity for both groups to get to know each other and work together! * Virtual Convention Dates The following is a list of events that will be held virtually prior to the in-person portion of the convention. All times listed are Central time. Wednesday, June 11, 7 p.m.: Candidates' Forum Saturday, June 21, you won't want to miss our hugely popular virtual summer auction, proceeded by two days of appetizer auction! Monday, June 23 7 p.m.: Call to order, reading of standing rules, first credentials report, and other ACB business. 8:30 p.m.: Nominating Committee meeting (room will open at 8 p.m.) Tuesday, June 24 through Thursday, June 26th at 7 p.m., resolutions will be read and discussed. On Friday, June 27th we will discuss constitution and bylaws changes. Voting on resolutions and constitutions and bylaws will be held on Monday, June 30. Wednesday, June 25 10 a.m.-noon: Exhibitor open house Thursday, June 27 through Saturday, June 29: Virtual-only programming, including affiliate business meetings, ACB committee, special-interest affiliate and business partner sessions * In-Person Convention Information Committees, special-interest affiliates and business partners may hold events in Dallas Friday, July 4 through Wednesday, July 11. We will have two hybrid rooms, offer two Zoom-only sessions, and provide space for other sessions that are in-person only. In-person-only sessions (excluding mixers and other purely social events) can be recorded by ACB and will be available as podcasts, but they will not have Zoom capability. * General Sessions This year, opening general session will be held on Saturday, July 6 at 7 p.m. On Sunday, July 7 at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. there will be two breakout sessions. We don’t know the topics yet, so stay tuned! Daily general sessions will be held Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to noon, and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our banquet will be held Thursday evening. * Exhibit Hall Based on recommendations from our 2024 convention survey and reaching out to our exhibitors, this year the exhibit hall will open on Sunday, July 7 to allow exhibitors to travel to Dallas. Exhibit hall hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Touring Dallas: Our first tours will be on Friday, July 4th and final tours on Friday, July 11th. For a listing of tours, visit the January ACB Braille Forum. * Hotel Details 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. The cutoff date to make reservations is Monday, June 9, so don’t delay, make your reservations today! * Staying in Touch The 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. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** Keep Advocating by Claire Stanley Advocacy can be a slow process. It often feels as if we are working on the same projects year after year. But we should never use that as an excuse to stop advocating. The authors of the U.S. Constitution made the process to create law and govern the nation to be a slow process with a multitude of checks and balances. Things are not supposed to happen quickly. They intended to make the process slow to make sure that power is never abused or used inappropriately. So, this month, as we look toward the March D.C. Leadership Conference, let's not be discouraged that many of the imperatives are familiar to us. Just because they have not been passed into law yet, each time they are reintroduced, we push the ball just a little further down the field. The process is slow, but it's important. In December, after close to three years, the Senate finally confirmed David Capozzi as the disability representative to the Board of Directors to Amtrak. The creation of his position was exciting; efforts by Senator Duckworth from Illinois created this new position. People with disabilities will now have a specific advocate on the Amtrak Board to speak out for our community. However, the appointment had to be confirmed by the Senate. Politics stalled the process -- it took 32 months to confirm his spot on the Board. But now, David Capozzi sits on the Board as a voice for people with disabilities with Amtrak. Let's use this as an example to keep advocating. ***** ** The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You by John McCann This article is appearing earlier than in past years as the Constitution and Bylaws committee anticipates holding a greater number of meetings to consider several significant amendments impacting organizational governance. The committee will, of course, consider all amendments submitted to it by the membership. As required by Bylaw 6D, all proposed amendments must be submitted not less than sixty (60) days before the opening of the conference and convention, meaning that they must be in the committee's hands by mid-April. (A precise date will have been announced by the time you read this.) We will announce a schedule of open committee meetings to gather members' input before preparing our final committee report. Please send all proposed constitution and/or bylaw amendments to committee chair John McCann, john@jamsite.net. ***** ** Introducing the BADIE Blog! No one knows the importance of audio description (AD) better than students who rely on it to make filmed media accessible. The Benefits of Audio Description in Education (BADIE) blog and essay contest is an exciting chance for students on the blindness spectrum to share their thoughts about AD. The Audio Description Project (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) encourage students who are blind or have low vision to engage with audio description. We've expanded our essay contest into the BADIE Blog, with multiple opportunities to be published and win great prizes. The BADIE Blog will accept entries from January through June 2025. Every month, selected submissions will appear on the blog. We'll all enjoy a summer holiday in July and August, and winners (chosen from the published essays) will be announced at the beginning of the next school year. How Students Can Submit Their Essays: 1. Browse the free DCMP library at https://dcmp.org/. 2. Watch any audio-described film (there are more than 6,000 educational titles to choose from!). 3. Write an evaluation of the film's audio description, commenting on the ways the audio description enhanced or detracted from your experience. 4. Visit https://dcmp.org/learn/595-badie-contest-blog to read award-winning essays and submit your own entry. You’ll also find guidelines and prize details, tips on writing a good review, and information about how audio description is created. Timeline and Prizes: - Winners will be chosen from the essays submitted and published between January 1 and June 30, 2025. - There will be first-, second-, and third-place winners in each category, as well as a grand prize winner who will be awarded an iPad mini and invited to record an award presentation for the Audio Description Awards Gala. - Teachers of first-place winners also receive prizes. - Entries are accepted throughout the school year, so don’t delay! The last chance to be considered for publication and a prize for the 2024-25 school year is June 30, 2025. Categories: Alternate Assessment – students with non-traditional matriculation records Sophomore – ages 7–10 Junior – ages 11–15 Senior – ages 16–21 Go to https://dcmp.org/learn/595-badie-contest-blog for complete details and to submit your entry! ***** ** Are You a Leader Searching for More? by Zelda Gebhard If you're a leader looking to experience a higher level of responsibility, connection, and achievement, the following opportunity might be just for you. The Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) Fund Committee seeks to identify five ACB members who wish to expand their leadership skills. Apply now to become one of the ACB JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows for the Class of 2025. If selected for this leadership development award, you will attend the 64th ACB Conference and Convention in Dallas, Texas from July 4-11, 2025. While there, you will participate in leadership activities and experience personal growth while networking with other attendees. Those selected will receive round-trip air travel and supporting transportation, hotel accommodations (double occupancy), per diem allowance for meals and incidentals, reception, banquet tickets, the general convention registration fee, and fees for other activities selected by the committee. Optional tours and other fun activities are not covered by the program. The responsibilities of each recipient include, but are not limited to, attending the conference and convention activities from Friday, July 4 through Friday, July 11, as well as attendance at all general sessions and participation in other predetermined sessions that allow interactions with other leaders and members. Applicants must commit to making necessary accommodations for full attendance and participation in the entire week of the in-person conference and convention. To be eligible for consideration, each applicant must meet each of the following requirements: age 18 or older, blind or visually impaired, current ACB member; member for at least three consecutive years in an ACB state or special-interest affiliate, or an ACB member at large serving on an ACB committee. If you meet the above qualifying requirements, complete the online application form found at https://forms.gle/vAPV5CFoVBsjG4f19, and request an online recommendation form at https://forms.gle/gPJKg21tipw4YGqT7 be completed on your behalf. The submission must come from the area of your membership -- either from the president of your ACB state or special-interest affiliate or, if an ACB member at large, from the chair of the ACB committee on which you serve. Both the application and recommendation forms must be received by the deadline of April 1, 2025. Links to both forms will be posted on the ACB website and email lists. Each applicant will participate in a 30-minute interview with a team of DKM Committee members in mid-April. Selection will then occur in late April following the review of the application and recommendation forms and interviews. Eligible applicants will be notified shortly thereafter. If you're searching for an outstanding leadership development opportunity, apply today. Please send any questions you may have to DKM Chair Zelda Gebhard at zgeb@drtel.net or call (701) 709-0262. ***** ** Join Us in the March 29th Multi-State Auction! Everyone is invited on March 29, 2025 at 7 p.m. Eastern to enjoy a night of fun on ACB Media Channel 8 as we gather to bid on great items such as electronics (including a Versa Slate), and two top-of-the-line Bose speakers, but wait ... there's more! You will also find exquisite jewelry, fine wine, delightful food items and a wide selection of restaurant gift cards. A registration form will be posted in March as people must register to bid in the auction. Please join us on ACB Media Channel 8 as we look forward to enjoying an evening of fun and excitement. All proceeds will strengthen our affiliates. We invite all to have a fun evening with us at 7 p.m. Eastern on March 29. On behalf of affiliates of Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, we can’t wait to see you there! Thank you from the Steering Committee of the Interstate Auction of March 29, 2025. ***** ** What Is Love by Larry Johnson February is here and love is in the air. February 14 is Valentine's Day. So who came up with it? Well, Pope Gelasius I technically invented Valentine's Day in AD 496 when he established The Feast of Saint Valentine, in memory of the martyred saint who died on that day over 200 years before. The love connection came more than a thousand years later when the author of "The Canterbury Tales," decreed the February feast of St. Valentinus to the mating of birds. It seems that, in Chaucer's day, English birds paired off to produce eggs in February. Soon, nature-minded European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating season. Shakespeare's lovestruck Ophelia spoke of herself as Hamlet's Valentine. In the following centuries, Englishmen and women began using Feb. 14 as an excuse to pen verses to their love objects. Chocolate manufacturers were quick to join in and began marketing sweets for one's sweetheart on Valentine's Day. Today, shops everywhere decorate their windows with hearts and banners proclaiming the annual Day of Love. So what is love? Children can answer better than most adults when it comes to love. "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy, age 7 "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl, age 5 "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy, age 6 "Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri, age 4 "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny, age 7 "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen." Bobby, age 7 "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." Nikka, age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet) "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." Noelle, age 7 "Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy, age 6 "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris, age 7 "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann, age 4 "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren, age 4 "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image) Karen, age 7 Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." And the final one, "You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica, age 8 Thanks, kids, for your honesty and wisdom. ***** ** Meeting Ed by Toni Eames While attending the ACB convention in Philadelphia in 1984, I ran into a friend who told me about Ed Eames, a newly blind professor researching guide dog schools. Apparently, he was unaware that not all guide dogs were trained at schools. My dogs Flicka and Ivy had been trained privately. My convention friend Cindy told me I would be doing a disservice to guide dogs if I didn't educate Ed about dogs not trained by schools. Guide dogs were my hobby, and I was familiar with most of the CEOs at that time. Not wanting to do a disservice to guide dog owners, I reluctantly contacted Ed. Ed was a professor of anthropology at Baruch College in New York City, and I was a rehab counselor at a Long Island psychiatric center. Traveling to Manhattan to attend my uncle's memorial service, I reluctantly agreed to meet Ed. What an incredible meeting it turned out to be! Ed treated me to Chinese food and took me home in a taxi. The attraction was overwhelming, and the conversation was unending! Since my knowledge base was far superior to Ed's, he invited me to co-author his book, "A Guide to Guide Dog Schools" (available on BARD). I was partnered with my first guide dog in 1967, and Ed, newly blind, was very new to the guide dog lifestyle. While Ed and I discussed issues for the book, our dogs Perrier and Ivy romped and played. Our friendship grew into a romance, and we moved into my Queens apartment several months after we met. Traveling together, we attended conferences in Israel, Canada, Japan and England. In June 1987, we were married at the home of our veterinarian. Several months after the wedding, Ed retired and I left my job for our move to Fresno, California. We traded big city life with great transportation for a quiet suburban lifestyle. I delighted in a less stressful way of life, while Ed felt he was not using the hard-earned blindness skills he most recently acquired. The most fun for me as a professor's wife was teaching a sociology course in disability awareness. Ed, who was so reluctant to retire, involved us in so many projects that he turned down the offer of additional courses. Our lives were magical, as we traveled, lectured and wrote articles for dog, veterinary and medical journals. Our second book, "Partners in Independence" (available on BARD), was another bonding time for us. We began working with people of differing disabilities working with service dogs. Sadly, in 2009, I lost Ed to a massive stroke. The ACB convention was meeting in Fresno, and folks were surprised I attended. However, I attended in memory of my beloved Ed, and to thank ACB for bringing us together! ***** ** An Unexpected Love By Abbie Taylor (Author's Note: Our entire story is found in my memoir, "My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds," which can be downloaded from BARD and Bookshare, and purchased in print and eBook formats from Amazon and other online retailers.) "Dear Abbie, I'm writing to ask for your hand in marriage," the Braille letter from Bill Taylor stated. I was in shock. It was January 2005, when I received that letter. For two years, Bill and I had been in a long-distance relationship, since we lived miles apart, he in Fowler, Colorado, and I in Sheridan, Wyoming. We met through "Newsreel," an audio magazine where blind and visually impaired adults can share ideas, ask questions, and more. Now, after emailing and spending time on the phone and meeting in person a couple of times, thinking he just wanted to be friends, I couldn't believe what my Braille-reading finger was telling me. I didn't know what to think or do. The next day over dinner with my father and grandmother, I brought up Bill's proposal. Dad, who had also met Bill, was impressed, saying Bill was a "fine fellow." Grandma was more reserved, telling me I shouldn't marry someone I didn't love. Because I thought Bill was also asking me to move to Fowler to be with him when we married, I decided to write him a Braille letter, telling him I'd spend time with him there the following summer to see if I would like living there and with him. But before I had a chance to write that letter, he called me. When I told him my plan, he surprised me by saying he wanted to move to Sheridan. He was tired of living in Fowler, a small town where there wasn't much to do, and wanted to live in a larger community. Not needing to start over in a new location made his proposal easier to swallow. First, he wanted to visit me in Sheridan to see if he would like living there. I suggested he wait until summer when he wouldn't have to worry about snowy travel conditions. He said he thought the roads would be OK by March. To me, that was rushing it. I could only hope I'd get my head around the idea of marrying him by then. But by the time Bill arrived by bus in March, I still wasn't sure about marrying him. He spent a week with me in my apartment, most nights sleeping on my living room couch. Every day, he kissed and caressed me and did nice little things for me. We planned a get-together with family and friends at a local restaurant where he would officially propose. I don't know how it happened, but by the night of that dinner, I knew I wanted to marry him. We set a wedding date for September 10th, 2005. In June, after attending a writers' conference in Cheyenne, Wyo., I took the bus to Fowler to be with Bill while he hosted a barbecue to celebrate our engagement. At the end of July, after Bill moved to Sheridan, we flew to California to attend a friend's wedding and visit other acquaintances and relatives, sharing the joy of our upcoming nuptials. In September, we were married in Grandma's back yard with a reception at a local hotel. Little did we know what lay ahead. In January of 2006, just three months after our wedding, Bill suffered the first of two paralyzing strokes. The second stroke came almost exactly a year after the first. We hoped he would get back on his feet after the first, but after the second, we faced the reality that he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. After his rehabilitation in a nursing home following both strokes, I cared for him at home until September of 2012, when he became too weak, and he moved back to the nursing home. A month later, he was gone. After his strokes, our life together was, for the most part, happy. Now, over ten years later, Bill still holds a place in my heart and always will. I'll forever treasure the memory of the only man who loved me. ***** ** A Conventional Couple by Anthony Corona and Gabriel Lopez Kafati Anthony: I was so new in my blindness journey when I received an unconventional plea from a friend from my recent guide dog class: Please share a room with me for ACB convention. Having had a not so pleasant experience with the other organization, I was not really stoked to go, but with a little convincing, off to Rochester I went ... Gabriel: I was getting ready for another busy convention, packed with BPI events that I would have to manage, and filling my calendar with general session commitments, workshops, and social gatherings. I had received a text message from a friend telling me that someone was interested in joining BPI, and that if I could please look out for him. Once in Rochester, I received another text message from this Anthony Corona, asking me all sorts of questions about BPI and our events. I replied to a few of his messages, but then asked him if he had access to the convention calendar, and reminded him that he could find all BPI and other valuable convention information there. Anthony: The Meet Picture it, an AIRA break-out session, and I am in the back of the room giving the poor AIRA representative a hard time over access offers when the next questioner stands and introduces himself! My heart literally skipped beats as this hypnotic, melodic voice begins to build so much more succinctly and intelligently on the point I was trying to get across. In that moment I just knew I had to meet this guy. Now let me digress a bit and fill you all in on the fact that unbeknownst to me I was already texting with the velvety smooth voiced gentleman when I was hit with the lightning bolt of love at first sound!! I had been seeking information from him with varying degrees of success, LOL. So to my surprise when I reluctantly paid my entrance fee at the door of the BPI mixer later that weekend, when what should nearly cause a stroke in my already rapidly beating heart were the words I will forever hear in my mind and heart. "Good evening, welcome to BPI. I am Gabriel, president." Could this velvet smooth voice be both the hottie from the AIRA session and the guy avoiding my texts? Oh, it would be a night to remember. Gabriel: I remember hearing his voice at an early Saturday morning AIRA session. I said to myself: "He sounds interesting;" however, my predominant thought was: "This guy is stealing my questions!" As it was a very busy time for me, I left the meeting room rather quickly so I could pick up my registration packet next door. The following evening, during the BPI mixer, I was greeting folks around the room and introduced myself to this gentleman who was sitting in one of the couches at the BPI hospitality suite. I noticed he was confused, perhaps a bit befuddled. After a few minutes into our conversation, I felt intrigued by him. We let our guide dogs, Posh and Boaty, say hi to each other; and then, noticing that there were other guests that required or wanted my attention, I asked him: "Can you hold Posh for a minute?" He happily agreed. As president of an affiliate, I made my rounds and made sure everyone was having a good time, while occasionally checking on him, and on my pup, of course. During one of those check-ins, he told me he needed to take Boaty out, and I said to myself: "Yeah, he won't be back, but oh well; his loss." Anthony: As the evening progressed, I was treated to a high level of attention from president Gabriel, to my delight. However, there were a few other gentlemen vying for my attention, and suddenly I was overwhelmed. This guy Gabriel was so charming, smart, and boy, did his voice and flirting hit me in all the right spots. Having no idea how much responsibility it is to carry a convention program at that time, I was also wrestling with his lackluster text performance and what that said about him as a person. That and these other guys wanting to help me make the most of convention and my head was spinning. I had to get out for a little fresh air and time to plot my next move. Gabriel: As I continued working the mixer, I was multi-tasking with last-minute arrangements for some of the other BPI events, and probably driving Janet Dickelman crazy along the process. Since I had noticed that Anthony was getting some attention from another gentleman, I said to myself: "I really like him, but I am not competing for him, and I am definitely not lapsing on my duties for him!" I guess something in my heart was telling me that I did not want to let him get away, so I decided to take the rest of my planning calls out in the hallway, where I could hear him, in case he decided to make his way back as he had promised. My mind and attention were split between arranging grocery runs for wine tastings and thinking how long he was taking to come back. I also thought to myself, perhaps he has already made plans with someone else? I had made it clear that my time was all tied up for the following week. I also thought that perhaps it was best for him to spend his first convention with someone who could dedicate more time to go on tours with him and just having typical convention fun. Something in my heart kept telling me that I shouldn't give up; that this guy had really sparked an interest in me; that I really wanted to get to know him better. Anthony: This is as honest as I can get, there really was no decision to make. I was already head over heels for the guy. I just had to go back into that suite and play it cool. I would maximize the flirt and end the night with the goose flesh-inducing Gabe. So I stepped off the elevator and turned into the hall towards the suite and to my utter surprise and delight there was my crush waiting nervously outside the party pacing the floors. Were you waiting for me, I asked. He was!! Nervous chatter and banter led to what has been the very best first kiss of my life!! I was already so hooked on the guy, and bonus I was crazy in love with his perfect princess of a guide dog, Posh. Double Bonus: My guide Boaty was already snout over paws for her and Gabe too! This marked the beginning of a week to remember. Great nights talking, laughing and of course kissing. A little jealous plotting from one of those other gentlemen and the realizing that there was something real to capture and hold onto if we’re both brave enough to do so. Was it really love at first sound? No one will ever convince me otherwise, but I digress ... Take it from here, honey. Gabriel: I was pacing up and down in front of the BPI suite when I heard that voice! I heard him saying, "Boaty, right, right." My heart skipped a beat. I started wrapping up my call and tried to sound more surprised to see him back. We engaged in conversation around various topics; I talked about fashion and described my attire to him. The conversation grew more personal, and at that moment it struck me: I liked him! A lot! I had so many commitments and I did not want to make any promises I couldn't keep, but I wanted to give him a token of my interest, so I said to myself: "Why not?" Before we went back into the suite, I wrapped my right hand around the back of his neck and gave him the sweetest of kisses. From that moment on, I felt like we were a couple. We stuck together throughout every part of each other's convention experience. He helped me clean up the BPI suite; he took care of Posh while I took care of organizational business; I introduced him to folks. We had meals together, and we spent endless evenings together. Many times, I was so tired that I simply fell asleep on his shoulder or chest. By the end of the week, it was clear that we could not go back to our respective homes without making plans for the future. Love had indubitably arrived! Anthony and Gabriel: Five years and counting, we still reminisce of that night in Rochester. We always think of what we both felt on that moment of our first kiss. We always laugh at how we were both pretending to be less interested in each other than what we really were. Our hearts are filled with tenderness when we remember how we fell in love with each other's dogs, before falling in love with each other. We have grown and learned so much from each other. One of us has developed a taste for red wine and the other one of us has… developed a hard-to-achieve enthusiasm for performing during karaoke. Together, we have welcomed new members into our family, both human and canine. We are so connected that, as we write this article, we are both noticing the use, or overuse, of the word "we" in this paragraph. We may have even started planning to come back to a convention and have a certain convention coordinator become a wedding officiant. Most importantly, we will always tell this story with the fullest of hearts and the utmost fondness towards a not-so-glamorous yet charming of places as is Rochester, N.Y. We will always remember that we are indeed a "Conventional Couple!" ***** ** I Found My True Love in a Newspaper Article by Tammy Robbins In late October 2005, my boss sent me an article from our local newspaper about a man who had lost his sight in a motorcycle accident in 1996. The article focused on the fact that even though he lost his sight, he wanted to go back to work as a mechanic because he felt that he was still perfectly capable of doing that job as a blind person. After reading the article, I was very impressed with the fact that this man had not given up on himself and was willing to fight for what he wanted. Having been blind since birth myself, I always admired others who did not give up when they lost their sight. I found myself really wanting to talk with this man and see if there was anything I could do to help him with his goal. Unfortunately for me, finding him turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. At the time he did not have a phone of his own, and there was no easy way to get his address. However, I was not one to give up. With the help of my 12-year-old son and some resourceful friends, we were finally able to connect after nine long months. When we talked on the phone for the first time, we introduced ourselves. I was very nervous. After he said, "Hi, I'm Bob," my first question was, "How's life in the witness protection program?" After he giggled, we went on with our chat and eventually planned for him to come spend the weekend so we could get to meet in person. At the time, this was the best thing to do as we needed help with transportation and the busses didn't go to the town where he lived. When he finally got to my house, it was like we'd known each other forever. We talked all night and into the following morning, and we only went to sleep because we were absolutely exhausted. As the weekend came to a close, we tried to figure out how we could date like normal people, but with transportation and other issues, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. At that point, I suggested that maybe we should give living together a try, and Bob agreed with me. We discussed our decision with my son, and he thought it was the right thing to do. So Bob moved in, and we were married less than one year later. We got married in a rented hall in a little town in Connecticut with our faithful guide dogs by our sides, and we were surrounded by our family and friends. After we said our vows, I sang "The Rose" and everyone cried, including me. Some people thought we were crazy, and maybe we were, but we celebrated our 19th year together on July first of this year and we're still very happy and very much in love. I guess you can never know where love will come from. I certainly never expected to find my soulmate in a newspaper article. ***** ** Ship Shaped or Ship Shocked: There Are None So Blind as Those Who Are at Sea! by Janet Di Nola Parmerter (Editor's Note: This article originally ran in the June 2023 "ACB E-Forum." We are including it here because it's a good honeymoon story -- and it will take your mind off all the snow falling outside your windows.) For independent blind people and those with low vision, using a white cane has numerous advantages. However, before being trained to use mine, I experienced many tragic yet humorous situations which I called "comical sagas of my fear of white canes." Thankfully, I smartened up enough to realize I needed proper mobility training, and now, I always use the white cane, or my proverbial "white knight in shining armor!" But, after finally agreeing to mobility training, incredibly, or perhaps I should say stupidly, I still refused to use the cane. So when my caring and persistent friend Kim saw me, she repeatedly asked, "Janet, where is your cane?" Kim had not been intentionally trying to shame me, but her continuous question virtually embarrassed me into realizing how foolish I had been acting. Unfortunately, it took a few bad experiences to fully convince me to constantly use my cane. Why? Because I kept thinking, "That didn't happen just because I didn't have a cane. Next time, I'll do that better and it will work out." At that time, I didn't know the saying, "Only a fool does the same thing over and over and expects a different outcome." From youth, my Italian grandparents always told me, "Hai una testa dura!" Which literally translates into, "You have a hard head!" More or less, that idiomatic phrase means someone is a very determined, tenacious, and yes, stubborn person. Not that having a “hard head” is limited to Italians, but I know one stubborn Italian from New Jersey who, after he slid off a roof onto his head, boasted with pride, "The sidewalk cracked, but not my head!" Speaking of roofs, a prior article I wrote after falling through one was initially titled, "Determination to Bathe." Fittingly, THAT article summed up my strong-minded, persistent, and perhaps a tad stubborn personality. With three plaster casts on both legs and one arm, against the doctor's advice, I tried to invent new ways to wash, while TRYING to keep all three casts dry. Humph! Maybe I really am a "testa dura!" (Dr. Hammerschlag, my orthopedic surgeon, certainly thought so.) In any case, some Italians would say being a testa dura makes us strong, and others would say it makes us stubborn. Yet, looking back on the humorous situations in my life, I can testify from experience, sometimes it simply makes us look dumb. If Dr. Hammerschlag were asked for a second opinion, I'm sure he would agree with that diagnosis. Now, I do not go anywhere without my trusty white cane. However, before I learned that lesson, I experienced the following "ship shaped or ship shocked" situation. While Keith and I were on our two-week European honeymoon, my cane issues created another uncomfortable, yet humorous situation. Was it the fear of looking vulnerable? Was it vanity, or just plain stupidity? Whatever I was thinking at the time, I still had trepidation about using a white cane. In 2000, my new husband and I left Venice via an Italian cruise liner on our way to the gorgeous Greek islands. That first moonlit night on deck, with the speed of the ship and the cool June breeze, it was a bit chilly. Keith, my ever-considerate husband, offered to return to the cabin and bring me back a woolen shawl to wrap around my thin summer evening gown. Yes, he is definitely sweet and considerate, but, since I also wanted to change into more comfortable dancing shoes, I suggested he wait for me on deck. After a quick shoe switch, I touched up my make-up, dabbed on more French perfume, reapplied my ruby red lipstick, and took off to dance the night away with my new hubby. When I returned to the deck, I found Keith with folded arms leaning on the ship rail. In deep thought, he was pensively staring out to sea. Deviously, I snuck up behind him, slipped my arm past his bent elbow, laid my head on his shoulder and in a sultry voice said, "So, what do you want to do now?" Gently, in a warm tender manner, he slid his hand over mine and slowly whispered, "I not know, what YOU want do?" Hearing this deep voice with a foreign accent, I immediately jerked my hand and arm away from him, whipped up my head toward his face, and stared up at the grin of a wide-eyed smiling stranger. In a second, with a blood-curdling scream, simultaneously I pulled my body away from him as though I had been struck by an electric shock. The scream was so loud, people thought someone fell into the Adriatic Sea. While people rushed to look overboard, I pulled away from this shocked stranger and yelled, "You're not my husband! You're not my husband!" With a wide smirk, he stroked my arm and in broken English snickered, "No, I not husband!" With my embarrassed red face, I backed away from him with arms wildly flailing side to side like a woman who was ready to be bad, but just repented and changed her mind. I stammered, "I'm sorry, um, I'm so sorry! I'm on my, um, honeymoon, and I thought you were my husband! I'm sorry, um, I'm married, and I mean I just got married! Oh, REALLY, I'm so sorry! Um, oh my, what I am trying to say is this is my honeymoon and, umm, anyway, ciao!" In a split second I whirled around and fled like Cinderella when the clock struck midnight. Embarrassed and annoyed, I left, muttering, "If I only had my white cane, there would be nothing to explain! Without a word, Mr. X would have immediately understood the entire awkward situation, and I would not have been stammering like a babbling idiot!”" Still angry with myself, I thought, "What is wrong with me? If I only used my cane, everything would have been fine." Frantically looking side to side, I nervously tightened my shawl, wondering if Keith had seen me snuggle up to this want-to-be more than friendly foreigner. What a relief when I found Keith on the other side of the ship, facing the opposite direction, oblivious to everything. Drink in hand, he was peacefully sitting at a table. Keith was ready to relax and enjoy the quiet music and evening ambiance, so we slid two lounge chairs together and stretched out. Well, at least I tried to relax, but, since that was the first evening of a seven-day cruise, my thoughts caused me some apprehension about the possibility of facing Mr. X aboard ship. In my mind I rationalized, "Why should I worry, I have no idea what he even looks like." Within a few minutes, I talked myself into a calm state of serenity. Feeling a bit more at ease, I sat back on the deck lounge chair and from a fluted glass, sipped a refreshing prosecco and peach bellini. Seconds later, my anxiety waned, and I totally convinced myself to be unconcerned about the earlier shocking ship shenanigans. Putting our lounge chairs into reclined positions, we silently gazed up at the stars and held hands like two school children. With Vivaldi playing in the background, and a second bellini, it proved to be a stunning end to a disconcerting beginning. Soon, I relaxed, closed my eyes and enjoyed the cool sea air fanning across my cheeks. As much as I tried to control my thoughts, slowly, they drifted back to the humiliating event earlier in the evening. Over and over, my confused stammering comments raced around my mind and "You're not my husband, I just got married, I'm on my honeymoon." "You're not my husband!" "You're not my husband!" kept screaming through my brain. All these uncontrolled thoughts put me into the overpriced expensive Italian shoes of Mr. X. Now, what was he thinking? What could he have possibly thought of me? What could he have ... oh no! Immediately, I opened my eyes, sat up, and came to the realization of what he probably imagined. Oh, I'm sure of it! He knew I just got married, and yes, he knew I was on my honeymoon, and yes, he probably felt very sorry for what he undoubtedly thought was that "pitiful drunk American, still on a bender because she doesn't even know who she married or what her new husband looks like!" ***** ** A Visionary for the Blind for 45 Years, Nun Taught Children to Have Faith in Themselves by Annysa Johnson (Copyright 2003 Journal Sentinel Inc., reprinted with permission.) (Editor's Note: This article was originally printed in the March 2004 issue of "The Braille Forum." It came to us from James Congdon, who had Sister Mel as his resource teacher during his middle school years. We regret to inform you that Sister Melmarie Stoll passed away in April of 2020. Her memorial mass may be found at https://www.ssndcentralpacific.org/news-events/obituaries/remembering-sister-melmarie-stoll.) Sister Melmarie Stoll stands at the corner of the empty classroom and turns the pages of a photo book. The pictures span decades; still, she knows the name and life story of every child. There is Mary Ann, the musician. And Cheryl, the social worker. Randy -- "He was rambunctious in those days" -- works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Of course, there was Lois, though there is no photo of her. Who knew, in 1956, that she would change Stoll's life forever? If you listen closely, you can hear the pride in Stoll’s quiet voice -- not for anything she has done, but for the accomplishments of those she's taught at Holy Assumption School in West Allis. Their success is nothing less than she expected, of course. If there was one thing you learned in Stoll's class, it's that you don't get a pass just because you're blind. This month, Stoll, 75, closed the door on a lifetime of teaching, most of it preparing blind children for life in the sighted world. She'd never say so herself, but she was a trailblazer, mainstreaming kids long before the term became part of the educational lexicon. She began her work at a time when the only option for many was the state school for the blind in Janesville. Stoll, whose students call her Sister Mel, says she got so much more than she gave. Her students disagree. "What she offered was the opportunity to be the best we could be, to really live up to our expectations," said social worker Cheryl Orgas, who lives in Shorewood with her husband and 9-year-old son. Said Mary Ann Koch, a retired music minister who lost her vision to a brain tumor at the age of 6: "She'll never have any idea how much she's really had to do with the people we've become." * Entered convent at 14 Milwaukee born and raised, Elizabeth "Betty" Stoll was 14 when her parents enrolled her in the Academy of Our Lady, a high school convent in Chicago. She is a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. At an early age, Stoll assumed her mother’s dream. "She always wanted to be a nun, but her father wasn't Catholic, and he didn't understand,” says Stoll. "So she asked her eighth-grade teacher what she should do. And she told her to obey her father, but to pray for vocations." Of her parents' seven children, five took religious vows. "She prayed for vocations," Stoll says with a laugh now, "just not this many." Stoll talks at length about her sister, Ara Coeli -- it means Altar of Heaven -- who spent 18 years as a missionary in Kenya before returning home in 1994, just 16 months before she died of cancer. Clearly, Stoll is awed by her sister’s sacrifice. But she'll admit, if prodded, that you needn't go halfway round the world to find your mission. For 45 years, Stoll's was in a classroom at Holy Assumption in West Allis, a few miles from her childhood home. "It just shows you how God leads you to the right thing at the right time," she said. * Taught life skills In many ways, the resource room for the blind at Holy Assumption looks like any other classroom in the school at 72nd and Orchard streets. Opened in 1958 with the blessing of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, the program drew students from across southeastern Wisconsin. But instead of math and science and social studies, Stoll taught braille and typing, cane travel and other life skills students needed in the traditional classroom, where they spent most of their day. Stoll stressed music, encouraging students to play instruments and taking them to perform at charity functions and on local television shows. They went roller-skating and on field trips to the state capitol in Madison. "I tried to show them that they could do everything anyone else could," she said. It wasn't a vocation she'd have even known to choose for herself. Before Lois Nemeth arrived at Holy Assumption in 1956, "I had never even met a blind child," Stoll says. Born with congenital cataracts and underdeveloped eyes, Lois could see just faintly in those days, and her parents wanted her to attend their local parish school, Stoll recalled. "They asked if I could take her into my classroom. And I thought, sure, she's just like any other child," Stoll recalls. A lecture in Milwaukee by a national Catholic educator made Stoll realize that there was so much more she could do. "He talked about how Catholic education had in some ways neglected handicapped children, that even if schools were crowded, if we could make a place for these children, it would be so valuable,” she said. The school's principal, who also attended the lecture, lobbied the parish priest, and he in turn approached the archdiocese. Stoll was sent to Catholic University in Washington, D.C., for certification, and the room opened shortly thereafter. The program grew slowly, starting with first-graders and adding a grade each year. That it even got off the ground -- and then thrived for so long -- is a testament to the parents, volunteers and benefactors that have blessed it over the years, Stoll says. Women from the Home and School League took on the meticulous task of translating texts into braille in the early years. The local Lions Club and other groups raised money for books, furniture, braille writers, computers later and sundry other needs. One local businessman, the late Ken Cook Sr., adapted a piece of equipment so it would read braille flash cards, and had his workers make plastic trays that held the marbles the students fingered to study the complexities of braille. Stoll credits the program's longevity to a long list of benefactors. "There were many times when we were threatened with closing because we just didn't have enough money," she said. But one former student says the credit goes to Stoll. "She drew people to her and the kids," says Koch, who graduated from Holy Assumption in 1967 and returned as Stoll's aide from 1977 to 1989. "If she hadn't been the person she was, I'm not sure these people would have seen the merit." * Firm, but kind That "person she was" came through in the classroom as well, said Koch and others who studied with her. She could be strict but empathetic, demanding but encouraging. She set high standards and expected they'd be met. She was quick to scold students if she thought they deserved it. And she was their staunchest defender if she saw them as a victim of an injustice. "She was human," says Koch, who like many of the students, has maintained a friendship with Stoll over the years. "I had to toe the line, just like everybody else," says Randy Black, who recalls himself as a high-energy, highly curious kid who loved to ring the school bell, flush the toilets, tinker with the principal’s public address system and do just about anything else to sate his appetite for tactile stimuli. "Sister Mel was the person who made sure I had the skills I needed to succeed in life," says Black, who runs the communications center for the bursar's office at UW-Madison and will soon celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary. He notes, sardonically, that one educator told his parents early on that he should be institutionalized. "Being blind is not that different from being sighted," Black says. "Yeah, I'm blind, so what?" It's that confidence, that sense of place in the world, that distinguishes Stoll's students, says Orgas. "She had very high expectations for blind kids, which is really crucial. By the time you left Sister Mel's class, you were really ready to go on to the regular high school, where you might be the only blind student." As much as Stoll thrived in her work, it must have been isolating, Koch said. She recalls as a child taking statewide tests with Stoll in the resource room. "She'd have the tests all brailled up, and she’d be there with the printed books. All I can remember is all these braille writers going click, click, click. It must have driven her nuts." Teachers kept their doors closed in those days, but Koch recalls how Stoll once got up to open hers, just to see the children walking back and forth in the halls. "She was the only sighted person in the classroom, and I think she just needed that communication with the outside world," she said. If Stoll was tough on them, her former students say, it's because she knew life would be. "She was very loving, but she made sure we weren't being babied," says Lois Nemeth Davis, the student who launched Stoll onto working with the blind back in the 1950s. Davis retired in 1999 after working for Milwaukee County for nearly 30 years. "She let us know early, 'Whether you like it or not, everyone around you sees,'" says Koch. "'To become the people you want to be, you're going to have to live by the rules of the sighted world.'" * 'She gave us confidence' That message served Koch well, she says, as she went on to college and into the work world. When her parents died, she moved into an apartment of her own. "How I faced life had a lot to do with what she taught," Koch said. "She gave us the confidence to be lawyers or musicians, even wives and husbands with children. Without her, our lives would have been totally different." Stoll left Holy Assumption this month when the school, its enrollment down to just 86 students, closed to merge with another. It was decided, even before the merger, that this would be the last class for the resource room, where enrollment had fallen to just three students this year. Stoll is in Rome this week with her sister, Sister Marie Gabriel Stoll. They're on a prayer pilgrimage with Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Sister Melmarie Stoll's trip was a parting gift from the West Allis Lions Club, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars for her classroom over the years. In the weeks before her departure, Stoll spent hours sifting through the memories in her classroom. It was a bittersweet time as she reflected on the loss of what was and the uncertainty of what will be. She's not retiring, she insists, only in search of a new calling. On this day, she sits at a student's desk, playfully quizzing a guest on the marble tray. Behind her, in large, cutout letters stretched atop the blackboard are these words: "Lord, that I may see the beauty of thy face." She's seen it, she's certain, in the faces of those who could not see her. "This has been my life," she says. "I loved the kids. I loved the work. I don't think I could have wanted for a better vocation." ***** ** Here and There edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The ACB Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering's mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. * Lighthouse Guild Announces Award Winners Lighthouse Guild recently announced the recipients of its 2024 awards for outstanding accomplishments in vision science, technological innovation, and advocacy: Thomas Lee of Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the recipient of the Bressler Prize in Vision Science. John-Ross Rizzo of NYU Langone Health receives the Pisart Award in Technological Innovation. Hoby Wedler, a celebrated chemist and entrepreneur, is honored with the Dr. Alan R. Morse Lecture in Advocacy for People with Vision Impairment. * News from USABA Five-time Paralympian and two-time medalist Tyler Merren is the 2024 winner of the Ronald W. Plassman Gold Standard Award from the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes. This prestigious honor recognizes outstanding leadership, sportsmanship, and contributions to the sport of goalball, embodying the legacy of Ron Plassman's unwavering dedication to adaptive sports and the Paralympic movement. * Partnership Creates Accessible Home Appliances American Printing House has partnered with General Electric (GE) Appliances in the creation of stickers to ensure accessible home appliances and greater independence for those who are blind or low vision. Last year, GE reached out to APH with an idea for a product after attending an accessibility workshop put on by staff members of APH. GE appliances had not only learned the importance of workplace accessibility but saw an opportunity to fill a need within their own products. After learning about APH's selection of tactile stickers and overlays, GE felt there was an opportunity to solve this problem. The process consisted of developing an idea, producing prototypes, and creating a lot of surveys for the redesign. APH agreed to produce the stickers in-house as efficiently as possible to keep the products at a low price. It was important to GE to ensure the product was not only available, but attainable. For more information, visit https://www.aph.org/new-partnership-creates-groundbreaking-product/. To check out the overlay kit, visit https://www.geapplianceparts.com/store/parts/spec/WX01X48726. * New at National Braille Press Newly available is "Gravity is Bringing Me Down" by Wendelin Van Draanen. It's available in UEB for ages 4 to 8. Also new is "Good Night Owl" by Greg Pizzoli. It's available in contracted UEB for ages 1 to 8, and tells the story of an owl getting ready for bed after a very long and busy day. If your children are into astronomy and outer space, take a look at "Mars! Earthlings Welcome," by Stacy McAnulty. It's available in UEB for ages 4 to 8, and tells the story of the red planet. Now that the elections are over, check out "Sofia Valdez, Future Prez" by Andrea Beaty. It comes in UEB for ages 3-7. Another new offering is "Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year" by Andrea Beaty. It, too, comes in UEB for ages 5 to 7. If you've ever been the new kid in town, or are about to move the family somewhere new, this is the book for you. Over in the adult section, there's a new cookbook in town: "Holiday Cocktails and Mocktails." It is available in contracted UEB, and includes 27 cocktail and mocktail recipes (and 3 simple syrup recipes). New in the technology section are two items: "Online Safety for Blind Computer Users: Staying Secure in an Ever-Changing Digital World" and the iOS 18 Reference Card. Both are available in hard-copy braille, Word, and BRF. For more information on any of these listings, call toll-free 1-800-548-7323, or visit the online store at shop.nbp.org. * New Spanish Resources Available from the NRTC Independence begins with access to the right tools. Our collection of Spanish resources was created for Spanish-speaking individuals who are blind or have low vision (B/LV). These tools offer practical guidance on topics such as transportation, disclosing visual impairment, and working while receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Lack of access to reliable transportation is a barrier that keeps many B/LV individuals from finding and maintaining employment. One of our most popular resources, "A Transportation Guide for Persons Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision," has been translated into Spanish and is now available on our website. It contains helpful information about finding and using transportation services effectively. Visit https://www.ntac.blind.msstate.edu/spanish-resources to explore these resources and share them with others! ***** ** 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. ###