The ACB Braille Forum Volume LIV March 2016 No. 9 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, 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 195, 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. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (605) 475-8154 and choose option 3. Tune in to ACB Radio at www.acbradio.org or by calling (605) 475-8130. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2016 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents ACB National Office Gets Change of Venue Tony Stephens Appointed Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs of the American Council of the Blind, by Eric Bridges President’s Message: Transportation — Everyone Has to Deal with It!, by Kim Charlson Legislative Priorities for 2016, by Tony Stephens Helpful Hints for Attending the Convention, by Janet Dickelman Call for Nominees for 2016 ACB Awards!, by Chelle Hart and Chip Hailey A Q & A for DKM and Leadership Awards, by Allen Casey A Walk of 10,000 Steps, by Donna Brown We Miss You, Mr. Speicher, by James Kracht and Paul Edwards Remembering Ward Bond, Feb. 29, 1940-Nov. 29, 2015, by Penny Reeder Passings Affiliate News Developing a Plan for Recruitment, compiled by Ardis Bazyn Here and There, edited by Sharon Strzalkowski High Tech Swap Shop ** 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 take care of the changes for you. ** ACB Radio has a new and improved web site; come see for yourself at www.acbradio.org. ** Blind show hosts offer a plethora of musical genres at www.acbradio.org/interactive. ***** ACB National Office Gets Change of Venue The ACB national office has moved! Where? To 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311. Our phone and fax numbers remain the same. By the time you read this, we hope to be settled in the new location. New desks will be set up, and staffers’ computers and supplies will be there for them. Office supplies will be stowed away in the cupboards. Braille embossers will be connected and operational, as well as the photocopier/printer/fax machine. The server will be delivering and sending e-mail messages, and the phone system will be working. Filing cabinets will be set up and organized. And the CD duplicator will be cranking out the Forum. The new office is not directly on a Metro line. Staffers will take Metro to the Pentagon City station and catch the Mark Center shuttle to the office, or Uber, or a taxi, or use other means of transportation. It has a small kitchen; four offices of various sizes; somewhat narrow hallways; and a workstation area in the entryway that houses the braille embossers, the copier, and office supplies. When you come to the door, knock loudly. Restrooms are in the hall. And the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER for short) is next door. Pardon our dust while we complete the move and settle into our new digs! ***** Tony Stephens Appointed Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs of the American Council of the Blind by Eric Bridges To read this announcement online, visit: http://www.acb.org/tony-stephens. I am very pleased to announce that the American Council of the Blind has appointed Anthony “Tony” Stephens as our Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs. Tony brings a wealth of experience advocating on issues encompassing people who are blind or visually impaired. Most recently he managed public policy and advocacy at National Industries for the Blind — representing NIB on Capitol Hill, working with national disability coalitions, and leading NIB’s Advocates for Leadership and Employment program. I have had the great fortune to work closely with Tony over the past five years and firmly believe that he possesses the passion and skill sets to effectively represent ACB’s interests to Capitol Hill, the executive branch, and beyond. His work on social justice campaigns spans more than two decades, working on some of the most complex issues in the public-interest sector, such as health care, immigration, and poverty reform. A former Jesuit, he has played an integral role in bridging coalitions between secular and faith-based organizations, and previously worked for The Opportunity Agenda — a New York-based communications think tank focusing on media, mainstream culture, and domestic human rights causes. Legally blind since birth, Tony lost the remainder of his sight at age 15 due to acute-angle closure glaucoma. He serves on multiple boards representing people with disabilities, and is a member of ACB of Maryland. Tony holds a master of arts in mass communications and a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Georgia; and he received a certificate in business management from George Mason University. He resides in College Park, Md. with his wife Lauren; two young sons, Oliver and Elliott; and his guide dog, Palmer. Tony’s first day in the national office was Jan. 11. His e-mail is astephens@acb.org. If you have a moment, please feel free to send him a message welcoming him to the team. I am excited to begin the next chapter in ACB’s national advocacy efforts. ***** President’s Message: Transportation — Everyone Has to Deal with It! by Kim Charlson Everyone needs to have transportation – whether they provide it themselves or they rely on publicly funded transit services. People who are blind or visually impaired must rely on public transit, ADA paratransit, family, friends, private sources such as taxis, buses, or transportation networking companies (TNC) like Uber or Lyft, to manage family, work, medical, and just about everything else in our daily lives. ACB has always made advocacy and policy support in the area of public transportation a high priority. All of us must be engaged in our local, regional, state, or national transportation delivery systems and pay attention to policy and regulatory changes in the transportation field to ensure that our needs are met. Recently, I had the opportunity to represent ACB on a panel at the 2016 Transportation Research Board conference, the nation’s leading transportation policy and development organization. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) promotes innovation and progress in transportation through research. TRB facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners alike; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice and input on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. TRB’s activities annually engage more than 12,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest by participating on TRB committees, panels, and task forces. I was the only presenter at TRB representing a blindness organization to speak directly and from a firsthand perspective on the needs of people with visual impairments. My message was that we absolutely need transportation services, and they need to be accessible and available wherever we may live. Blind people are in urban, suburban, and rural settings, and the need remains wherever we are located, so that we are able to get to and from our intended destinations. The panel I participated on dealt with multi-modal methods of delivering transportation services. It was entitled “Paratransit/Rural and Suburban Applications.” Co-presenters were: moderator: Stephen Zoepf, MIT; panelists: Emily Castor, Transportation Policy Director, Lyft; Jennifer O’Brien, Hopista, Founder; Jeff Maltz, SilverRide, Founder/CEO; and Art Guzietti, American Public Transportation Association. I had the opportunity to discuss fixed-route access, ADA paratransit and people who are blind, and the expansion of paratransit programs delivering services using traditional taxi companies, and shared ride services like Uber and Lyft. If you are fortunate to be in a community that has Uber or Lyft, I expect you have tried them and find them very accommodating. Through the use of an app on a smartphone, you can connect to a ride quite easily. You are informed of the name of the driver who will be picking you up, what type of car they have, the license plate, and you also have the ability to call the driver or send a text message if they are having difficulty locating you. Payment is made through the app from your credit card, no cash changes hands, and you can rate the driver afterwards. I will absolutely acknowledge that TNC’s are one of the most innovative boons to transportation services for people who are blind that we have seen in decades. However, there are constraints that often make them a less than viable option for everyone — namely the fee for the service. While it is lower than traditional taxis, it is still a fee that many may not be in a position to pay for this type of transportation. There are also concerns about the denial of guide dogs by Uber and Lyft drivers. I have been fortunate that Dolly and I have not been denied a ride; but I have several friends and colleagues who have had problems with drivers. Several consumer organizations have advocated, lodged complaints, filed suits, and continue to talk with upper management at both Uber and Lyft on how to eliminate this type of discrimination. In April 2015, Ron Brooks, on behalf of ACB’s Transportation Committee and representatives from Guide Dog Users, Inc., developed a white paper entitled “Do Transportation Networking Companies Like Uber and Lyft Offer a Viable Alternative to Taxicabs for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired?” I recommend you check out this document at http://acb.org/transportation-network-companies. If you need a different format than is offered on the web site, let me know. All of us need to be advocates for publicly supported transportation services. Get involved! Let officials know your opinions and needs, and work with your transit advisory committees to help guide the future direction of transportation in your community. If you don’t engage in the process, you may lose those incredibly important services that provide you with independence! ***** Legislative Priorities for 2016 by Tony Stephens The second session of the 114th Congress is in full swing, and it is imperative that we do not lose momentum following our advocacy gained after last year’s legislative seminar. The issues for this year’s seminar were built upon our work during the first session of the 114th Congress. They included: 1. Passage of the Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act (H.R. 729); 2. Passage of the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act (H.R. 3535); and 3. Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty. These three issues continue to be vital pathways to opportunity and independence for people who are blind. Therefore, it is vital that our message be heard loud and clear through the halls of Congress. In addition to these three top-priority issues, the legislative seminar also updated participants on other key concerns in Washington that impact Americans with vision loss. This included issues such as the recent determination by the Department of Justice to forego rule-making for web accessibility requirements under Title III of the ADA; full implementation of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA); awaiting the final Department of Education regulations under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA); and safeguarding benefits for SSDI recipients. As the Obama administration moves into its final year, and Congress prepares for what will be a monumental election season, it is crucial that our voice not be drowned out by the noise of what will surely be a busy political season. By echoing our message from last year, we will strengthen our voice, moving our collective agenda forward. Since joining ACB’s national office in January, I have been impressed and humbled each day by the level of dedication and passion that lives throughout our organization. Your commitment manifests itself as the head, the hands and the heart of our movement, and I look forward to meeting many of you. Updated fact sheets from this year’s legislative seminar, along with the agenda and report-back forms, are available on www.acb.org. Don’t hesitate to call our national office, or e-mail me directly (astephens@acb.org), with any questions or concerns. ***** Helpful Hints for Attending the Convention by Janet Dickelman The 2016 American Council of the Blind conference and convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency in beautiful downtown Minneapolis. There are numerous restaurants within a few blocks of the hotel. The Hyatt also has great food options right in the hotel. Convention dates are Friday, July 1st through Saturday, July 9th. The exhibit hall will be open Saturday, July 2nd through Wednesday, July 6th. It will feature the latest and greatest in technology and items for home, work and play! ACB affiliates and committee programs, seminars and mixers will be held Saturday, July 2nd and run through Thursday, July 7th. Tech sessions offered by our business partners will begin on Saturday, July 2nd. Our opening general session is Sunday evening, July 3rd; morning general sessions run Monday through Thursday. Friday’s session runs all day, and will feature elections and ACB business. Don’t miss the annual banquet Friday evening, featuring presentation of ACB awards, “The ACB Braille Forum” raffle drawing and an exciting speaker! As you make plans for Minneapolis, this article will focus on information that will enhance your convention experience. ** Navigating the Hyatt Macular Degeneration Support will again provide indoor navigation technology for attendees at this year’s ACB conference and convention in Minneapolis. The guidance system works by sending audible instructions and location descriptions to iDevices (iPhone 4S or later and iPad 4 or later). The information is electronically transmitted by beacons placed at meeting rooms, restrooms, elevators, and other locations throughout the Hyatt. If you are planning to use MD Support’s LowViz Guide at this year’s convention, you’ll need to know your Apple Store ID and password in order to download the LowViz Guide. To download the app, receive additional information, or for step-by-step instructions, visit www.mdsupport.org/audioguide. LowViz Guide indoor navigation is made possible by grants from Macular Degeneration Foundation and Genentech, Inc. ** Reasonable Accommodations If you plan to attend the convention and need a support service provider or interpreter, please contact Lori Scharff, who will assist in making arrangements. Send her an e-mail with “interpreter for Minneapolis” in the subject line at loris1@optonline.net. You may also contact Lori via phone at (516) 695-6370. If you need a wheelchair or scooter during the convention, contact Janet Dickelman at (651) 428-5059 or janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ** Convention Volunteers Sally Benjamin, ACB volunteer coordinator, and the Minneapolis host committee are working to obtain volunteers to assist convention attendees at the Hyatt and the airport. Here are a few reminders to make things run smoothly for convention attendees and volunteers. Volunteers are happy to help you locate meeting rooms, the exhibit hall, your table in the ballroom, restaurants in the hotel and the elevator bays. Volunteers cannot accompany you to the sleeping room floors or assist you in locating your room. If you need help getting to and from your hotel room, you will need to make arrangements with a friend or family member to assist you. Volunteers or hotel staff cannot administer medications or assist you with other health-care needs. Volunteers and hotel staff can assist you in locating dog relief areas, but they are not expected to take your dog out for you. If you need assistance in these areas, please make arrangements prior to the convention for a friend or family member to help you. If you use a wheelchair, ACB convention volunteers may not be physically able to push your chair. Please don’t count on ACB volunteers or hotel staff to be wheelchair pushers. A limited number of volunteers will accompany each tour. Volunteers will help as much as possible; however, they are not personal guides or personal care attendants. If you need individual assistance, plan to attend the tour with a friend who can act as your guide or PCA. ** 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 in Minneapolis, please submit the following information. Your name The name of the airline you will be arriving on Your departure city Arrival flight number Arrival date and time Departure airline Departure date Departure time Cell phone number You can send Margarine an e-mail with “airline information” in the subject line at oleo50@hotmail.com, or call her at (512) 921-1625. ** Transportation around Minneapolis A taxi from Minneapolis (MSP) airport will cost approximately $45. SuperShuttle is offering ACB a discounted fare from the airport of $16.60 one way and $27.20 round trip. Call 1-800-258-3856 to make reservations or online at http://groups.supershuttle.com/acb.html. Lift-equipped vans are available, but need to be requested in advance. Make certain to mention you are with ACB and be prepared to provide the information shown above in the “airport assistance” section of this article. ** Using Paratransit If you would like to use paratransit in Minneapolis, call (651) 602-1111. Additional information regarding paratransit can be found in the November 2015 issue of the Forum. Please note the correct phone number for certification is (651) 602-1111. ** Stay Connected Once again this year, the convention announce list will be filled with information about the convention. Subscribe to the list today by sending a blank e-mail to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. If you’ve been on the list in the past, you need not subscribe again. Don’t have e-mail? No problem! Convention updates will also be featured on ACB Radio and by telephone through Audio Now at (605) 475-8130. ** Hotel Details Room rates at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis are $89 single or double. There is an additional $10 per night charge per person for up to four people in a room. Applicable state and local taxes are currently 13.4%. For reservations by telephone, call Central Reservations at 1-888-421-1442, and be sure to mention that you are attending the ACB convention in order to obtain our room rate. To make reservations online, visit www.acb.org and follow the 2016 convention link. ** Convention Contacts 2016 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2016 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com For any other convention-related questions, contact Janet Dickelman at (651) 428-5059, or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Call for Nominees for 2016 ACB Awards! by Chelle Hart and Chip Hailey The awards committee is searching for nominees who are deserving of national recognition for their work in ACB or the blindness community. The awards will be presented at the upcoming conference and convention in Minneapolis, Minn. Candidates will be judged on the quality of their nomination letter and how well they meet the spirit of the award for which they are nominated. Please assist the awards committee by presenting worthy candidates and clearly identifying the ways your nominee meets the criteria for the award you believe they are worthy of receiving. The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2016. This means letters must be received electronically by 11:59 p.m. on that day. Please e-mail nomination letters to awards committee co-chairs Chip Hailey, chiphailey@cableone.net, and Chelle Hart, cshart@vastbb.net. You can help us out by getting the nominations to us as early as possible. Once we receive them, the awards committee must review and score the entries submitted. This work takes a little time, and it helps us if we begin the process as soon as possible. The awards committee looks forward to the challenge of selecting worthy recipients of the 2016 ACB awards. Please tell us about these special people and how they meet the criteria listed below. These are national awards, and nominees will be judged accordingly. The Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award is given in recognition of a blind person who may or may not be a member of a blindness organization but who has, through his or her personal characteristics and activities, unrelated to his/her employment, contributed most to the acceptance and understanding of blind people as capable, contributing members of the community. The Affiliate Outreach Award is based on a recommendation by an affiliate president, which recognizes a local chapter for a new outreach program. This program must have a measurable outcome. The George Card Award is given to an individual who has dedicated his or her life to work with and for blind people, making a real difference and improving quality of life, for providing leadership, and being a positive role model. The James R. Olsen Distinguished Service Award is periodically given to individuals who have made important contributions which have advanced opportunities for the blind community. This award can be given to an individual or an organization. The Robert S. Bray Award is given to a person who has made a contribution for improving library technology or communication devices. It could also be given for expanding access for all blind people, or making opportunities within the mainstream media. The Affiliate Growth Awards are based on the greatest increase in membership, as determined by the 2015-2016 membership reports. Please submit your nominations right away! Late submissions will not be considered. If you need help with the nomination process, call Chip Hailey at (417) 781-6728 or Chelle Hart at (605) 332-6059. ***** A Q&A for DKM and Leadership Awards by Allen Casey If you followed “The ACB Braille Forum” during the past two issues, you read the exciting news about a special leadership opportunity. If you missed the initial announcements, you should know that ACB has received a grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. to promote the growth of new leadership for the future. The JPMorgan Chase funding will enable ACB to bring 10 members to the national conference and convention in Minneapolis – two DKM First-Timers and eight DKM Leadership Award recipients. Here are the questions you should ask and the answers you need to know. ** What are the eligibility requirements? All applicants must be age 18 or older; blind or visually impaired; member in good standing of ACB. Those applying for the DKM First-Timers program must not have attended a previous national conference and convention. ** What is expected of the recipients? Recipients are expected to attend the convention from the opening session Sunday evening, July 3, through the Friday evening banquet, July 8, as well as participate actively in convention activities, including the daily general sessions, workshops and seminars. ** What financial support will ACB provide? ACB will provide round-trip transportation; hotel accommodation (double occupancy); per diem stipend for meals and incidentals; convention registration fee; reception and banquet tickets. ** How does one apply for the First-Timer and Leadership Awards? Each First-Timer applicant must submit (1) a personal letter of application outlining his/her objectives in applying to become a First-Timer; a brief summary of your background, education and affiliate experience; how the First-Timer selection will benefit you and your community; and (2) a letter of recommendation from the president of your state or special-interest affiliate confirming and describing the applicant’s participation in affiliate and community activities and evaluating the applicant’s potential as a leader. Each Leadership Award applicant must submit (1) a personal letter of application briefly summarizing his/her education and relevant experience, indicating the number of years as an ACB member, and previous conventions attended, if any; description of your role as a leader; assessment of what you bring to ACB; and (2) a letter of recommendation from the president of your affiliate addressing your contributions to the affiliate, ACB and community organizations; and a description and assessment of your demonstrated leadership skills and potential. ** What happens after the application is submitted? Immediately after the April 1 closing date, the DKM committee will review all applications. Telephone interviews will be scheduled with eligible applicants, after which the committee will meet to evaluate the applicants and make its selections. All applicants will be advised of the committee’s decisions as soon thereafter as possible. ** To whom should we send our applications? All application materials must be received in the ACB national office not later than April 1 and should be directed to Kelly Gasque, kgasque@acb.org. To whom should questions about the applications and selection process be directed? Refer all questions to DKM committee chair Allen Casey, mahatmaac@aol.com. ACB and the DKM committee encourage members who aspire to leadership roles to avail themselves of this unique opportunity provided by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and submit their applications before April 1. ***** A Walk of 10,000 Steps by Donna Brown The Walk of 10,000 Steps is the theme for the 2016 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk. It will take place during the Land of 10,000 Dreams conference and convention this summer in Minneapolis, Minn. This year’s walk route will originate right in the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, home of the ACB conference and convention, and have participants weaving through various skywalks throughout the downtown area. While the length of the walk is slightly less than a mile, participants have the opportunity to walk the route more than once. If you want your pedometer or health app to register 10,000 steps, you would have to walk our route about 4 times. Are you dreaming about how you can be a part of our 2016 Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk? Your dream can come true by registering for the walk by clicking on the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk link on the ACB web site, or by calling the Minnesota office at (612) 332-3242. Affiliates, both state and special-interest, are encouraged to form teams. Once again this year, up to 50% of the money teams receive in donations can be designated to go back to the affiliate. Let’s see how many teams can raise $10,000. Florida did it last year! By the time you read this article, the walk web site will be live, so don’t waste any time. Register for the walk, sign up your team, and begin seeking donations. Don’t hesitate to ask all of your friends, co-workers, and relatives. Walk participants raised more than $52,000 last year. Let’s see if we can raise 10 times $10,000 for ACB and your affiliate in 2016! ***** We Miss You, Mr. Speicher by James Kracht and Paul Edwards On Dec. 12, 2015, more than 75 family members and friends gathered for a moving memorial service for long-time ACB member and friend Stephen Speicher. Steve lost his six-year battle with cancer Dec. 5. He will long be remembered for his compassion and never-ending desire to help others, his gentility and integrity, and his demand for thoroughness and complete excellence and responsiveness from ACB and its affiliates and their leadership. He devoted much time and energy to making ACB better. Steve served as an officer and board member of ACB; he worked with the American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys, where he constantly encouraged the organization to seek potential new members; and he served as a board member of both the Braille Revival League and Library Users of America, and avidly promoted his love for braille. For the last several years he represented ACB on the National Library Service’s Collections Development Committee. On the state level, Steve served the ACB of Nebraska as a contributing officer and board member. One of four children, Steve was born on July 28th, 1950, in Indianapolis. After losing his sight to retinoblastoma as a very young boy, he attended and graduated from the Indiana School for the Blind. While there, he began his passion for singing and playing the piano, and developed a lifelong love for French. After spending a year studying in Avignon, France, he remained interested in the customs and culture of France for the rest of his life. He graduated from DePauw University where he was honored as a Rector Scholar. Steve obtained his law degree from the prestigious University of Chicago Law School. Practicing law first for Legal Services in Boston and then as a solo practitioner in Lincoln, Neb., he expended his legal talents helping those who were less fortunate and/or faced a disability. He established a reputation as an excellent Social Security lawyer. Steve is survived by his lovely wife Kate, a brother and sister, and numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews. Paul Edwards best summarized the thoughts and feelings of ACB members, which were shared at Steve’s memorial service, writing: “I will miss his quiet integrity, his dry sense of humor and his faith that those of us in ACB could find a way to make progress. He asked us all to be better than we thought we could be.” Steve, you will be missed, but we thank you for who you were, and for all that you did as a friend, an advocate, and a truly caring person. ***** Remembering Ward Bond Feb. 29, 1940-Nov. 29, 2015 by Penny Reeder I have been feeling a little lost and a lot nostalgic for good times long past since I heard about the death of Ward Bond. Ward was the president of a company called Talking Signs. He was such a passionate advocate for people who are blind having access to information about our ambient environment so that we could travel independently and with confidence to all the places we wished to go. Today, many people who are blind and others with print disabilities can obtain much of that information from our smartphones when we link them to points of information that our GPS systems make available. Soon smartphones will beam probably much more spoken information than we might even want to hear to all of us, sighted and blind alike, as we travel through the environments of our lives with systems like iBeacons. But Ward was ahead of his time in terms of developing and advocating for a system that, at the turn of the 21st century, bore enormous promise for increasing our independence and improving our quality of life. Had the highways bill up for debate and Congressional voting at the time not gotten bogged down in endless political give-and-take, there would likely be Talking Signs all over Washington, D.C., and blind travelers would have been enjoying independence and safe travel through D.C.’s National Mall and Metrorail system’s diverse stations well ahead of the GPS systems that smartphones and their apps have made available to us during this decade. Ward had gotten authorization for installation of Talking Signs in several Washington, D.C. venues into the bill after several endless years of lobbying and persuading – the kind of lobbying that, back then, pre-Internet and online petitioning, wore out endless pairs of leather shoes and weakened the spirits of less passionate men! In the end, after five long years of internal squabbles and partisan politics, it didn’t happen, and, thankfully, it seems that technology and assistive technology have risen to the challenge that Ward understood several decades earlier. Similar systems are increasingly available to blind and visually impaired travelers, and we are grateful for that. Knowing passionate advocates like Ward has been such a blessing in my life, and in the lives of many, many others. His dedication to a cause serves as an inspiration, but even more important, his belief in those of us who are blind and visually impaired, in our ability to decide our own destinations and our own destinies, and in our right to do so, has buoyed my own belief in myself. And I am not alone in that. Ward introduced me to San Francisco when a grant from Talking Signs allowed the American Council of the Blind, where I worked at the time, to attend early meetings of the Access Board’s Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee. It was my first grown-up business trip, and unfortunately for some of the employers I have traveled for since then, set a higher bar than any other employer I’ve worked with since has ever come close to meeting! Ward treated me like a fellow professional, there to cover an important event, for a magazine that mattered – not like some disadvantaged blind girl who needed to be protected. Talking Signs accommodated me in a gorgeous guest house in the heart of one of the world’s most spectacular cities. Ward brought me to meet several engineers who were working to solve blindness-related problems at Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. One invited us to lunch on his houseboat moored in the San Francisco Bay; it was one of the most gorgeous and welcoming homes I’ve ever visited! Ward took me on a tour of the city. I mentioned wanting to visit City Lights, and it was in a part of the city Ward, a native of Baton Rouge, didn’t frequent, so we mounted an excursion and there I was breathing in the same air once breathed by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. I will always be grateful. And I will never sing along with Otis Redding about “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” without thinking fondly of Ward and that magical trip. Ward spent a wild and crazy youth well, and his stories about the people who colored those years became fascinating stories which were endlessly entertaining for those of us lucky enough to spend time with him. It does make me smile today to think of Ward once again spending time – in some distant plane far from the here-and-now – with some of those folks who were among the most important and influential thinkers of the 20th century. Farewell, Ward. Rest in peace, and thank you for your passion, your kindness, and your generosity of spirit and understanding. The world was a much better place for having you here with us for a while. ***** Passings We honor here members, friends and supporters of the American Council of the Blind who have impacted our lives in many wonderful ways. If you would like to submit a notice for this column, please include as much of the following information as possible. Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate) City of residence (upon passing) State/province of residence (upon passing) Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person) Occupation Date of death (day if known, month, year) Age ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees) Deaths that occurred more than six months ago cannot be reported in this column. ** Dr. Philip Hatlen Sept. 4, 1934-Jan. 14, 2016 Phil Hatlen was born Sept. 4, 1934, to Lillie and Julius Hatlen, in a coastal town just outside Santa Barbara, Calif. He was raised on an apricot farm. After watching his father work several jobs to make ends meet while operating the farm, Phil knew that agricultural work was not for him. In a 2013 interview, he said, “When I left for college, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back to the farm.” Dr. Hatlen attended San Francisco State College (now known as San Francisco State University), and he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1957 and a master’s degree in special education in 1960. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975, with a doctorate in education. While completing his coursework, he talked of meeting “his first blind persons in 1954”: students attending a mainstream elementary school under the tutelage of resource teacher Bob Bowers, who Dr. Hatlen credits as being his first mentor. He began his professional career in 1957 as a resource teacher at the California School for the Blind in Berkeley. He later became the school’s principal in 1962, a position he held until 1966. While working at the school, he returned to San Francisco State University (SFSU) as an instructor, and later received an appointment as professor of special education. He coordinated the SFSU Program in Visual Impairments for the preparation of teachers of students who are visually impaired until he retired from the university in 1990. He went on to work as superintendent of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) in Austin. For 17 years, until his retirement from the school in 2007, he worked to develop partnerships between TSBVI, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Texas Tech University to support the education of teachers. While he was the TSBVI superintendent, he realized the need to enhance the opportunity for teachers of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility specialists to provide Expanded Core Curriculum activities to their local district students. To fill that gap, he created All Blind Children of Texas (ABCTX), a nonprofit that funds these activities by teacher request. He continued to serve on the board of ABCTX until his death. Considered a visionary of change, Hatlen was an inspiration to countless professionals during his career as a teacher, university professor in teacher preparation programs, and in his many leadership roles in national and state organizations and committees. From the very first moment Phil Hatlen ventured into a classroom of blind kids, his curiosity about how they learned generated a lifetime of dedicated interest and fascination, leading to changes in the way the world educates blind children. In 1997, he received the Migel Medal from AFB, the highest honor in the blindness field; in 2000, he was given the Mary K. Bauman Award, AER’s highest award for an educator; in 2009, he received the Wings of Freedom Award from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH); and, in 2012, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field, which is housed at APH. His hand in the creation of the Expanded Core Curriculum and the development of a national agenda to provide guidelines on teaching beyond the basics has been a lifetime achievement and formed Phil’s 50-plus-year career as a world leader and game-changer in his profession. His broad, sweeping changes at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will be remembered throughout our history’s greatest chapters: changes from expanding our orientation and mobility resources to pushing out curriculum that expresses the need to go beyond the regular curriculum in classrooms across the globe by expanding our outreach department. Hatlen is survived by three sons, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. To share your memories, visit www.tsbvi.edu/share-your-memories-of-dr-phil-hatlen. Donations in memory of Phil Hatlen may be sent to the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired or All Blind Children of Texas, 1100 W. 45th St, Austin, TX 78756. ***** Affiliate News ** Friends-in-Art Scholarship Available Friends-in-Art (FIA), a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing accessibility and opportunity for artists and audience members who are visually impaired, offers an annual $1,500 scholarship to college students who are legally blind and live in North America. If you are a high school senior or a college student, and are planning to, or are currently majoring in, the fields of music, art, drama, or creative writing, and are blind or visually impaired, we encourage you to apply! Note: Legal blindness is defined as an individual who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the corrected eye and/or 20 degrees or less visual field in the corrected eye. Only individuals who are legally blind in BOTH eyes are eligible to receive this scholarship. To apply, go to www.friendsinart.com, and upload/mail the required materials per the directions on the form by May 15, 2016. If you have any questions, contact Wayne Pearcy, FIA’s scholarship chair, via e-mail, thetrumpetking@gmail.com. ** GDUI Auction on ACB Radio Guide Dog Users, Inc. will hold an auction on ACB Radio on Sunday, April 3, 2016, from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern time. What could I win, you ask? Prizes include five dozen homemade cookies from Penny Reeder’s kitchen; a 7-in-1 do-it-all stereo; Freedom Scientific’s MAGic software, giving you both screen magnification and text-to-speech; a mouth-wateringly delicious honey-baked ham; and a Sharkk BoomBox Bluetooth speaker along with Mystic Access’ excellent tutorial. For more prize information, visit http://guidedogusersinc.org. The proceeds from this event will be used to fund our universal voting project. GDUI is proud to have been the first ACB affiliate to make voting universally accessible, via phone and online, to our members. Tune in to ACB Radio for more information as we get closer to this exciting event. We look forward to your participation. ** Attention All Diabetics! Time’s a-tickin’! If you have not sent your ACBDA dues in, now’s the time to do it! Send your dues ($10) to Donna Seliger at 915 Ashworth Rd., Apt. 208, West Des Moines, IA 50265-3669. The board is working on the conference/convention, and we have our schedule made. The seminar/social hour will be on Sunday, July 3rd; our luncheon and meeting, on Wednesday, July 6th. We are having a social hour after the seminar so you can meet each other and network with the speakers. Mark those dates on your calendar. We’ll have a great time! ***** Developing a Plan for Recruitment compiled by Ardis Bazyn, ACB Membership Chair On this focus call, participants shared ideas on having a plan for recruitment. Most chapters and affiliates start gathering dues for the upcoming year in the fall. Some send a letter to members and others on their database, telling about the past year’s accomplishments and the purpose and goals for the future. This letter reminds readers to send in dues on time. Participants agreed that recruitment is an ongoing process rather than a one-time plan. In an effort to reach as many blind people as possible, the Washington affiliate has developed focus calls on a variety of topics of interest to blind people. These calls involve both issues and interests on an ongoing basis, hoping to gain and retain members. Some topics discussed include books, technology, and employment. When discussing outreach, some folks suggested sending a letter about your chapter or affiliate and asking the state library to send it to their mailing list. Letters can be also sent to colleges and high schools, telling of a speaker that might interest young people or informing them about scholarships. Some Dial-a-Ride and paratransit companies may also be willing to send a letter to constituents if requested. Some places may have a recorded message on their phone service and may be willing to mention an upcoming meeting or event of interest on it. Some chapters and affiliates use e-mail discussion lists and Facebook to share events and meetings with those in the community. An event can be posted on Facebook; be sure to ask for RSVPs. If you want to draw in more young people, social media is the way to gain more visibility. You can share a link online or share your brochure link on your web site. Your chapter or affiliate could also plan to attend events in the community, such as health fairs and other county-wide events. If one of your members, or family members, is a nurse, you could offer blood-pressure screening and give away sanitizers with a business card that has your chapter contact information and meeting place and time on it. One chapter was able to get sanitizers donated from a local hospice. You could create or locate a brochure on diabetes, since it’s a leading cause of blindness in adults. Other items you could hand out include Band-Aids, pens, pocket packs of tissues, key chains, or check or signature writing guides. You can find a local dollar store to get cheap items to distribute. Affix a label to it, or attach a letter to it with a rubber band. Ophthalmologists may have a low-vision event and have tables showing aids including magnifiers, low- and high-tech items, and braille alphabet cards. You could provide a helpful telephone list of local and state numbers of agencies and organizations that can assist people who have low vision, including your chapter and contact information. You can also share information about affordable computers from Computers for the Blind, radio reading services (if available in your area), and Newsline offerings. A list of local resources, such as companies that deliver meals, do house cleaning, pick up dry cleaning, or offer repair services, would be helpful too. You could hand out these lists when you attend local blindness support groups or visit nursing homes, local senior centers, and organizations that assist other people with disabilities. Many more people are multiply disabled. Through networking in a variety of groups, both business and non-profit, you’ll likely meet folks who know other blind or visually impaired people. You can recommend they join an e-mail list to receive and share information of interest. When you’re talking to groups, talk about audio description in museums, theaters, and movies. Invite others to an audio-described show at a local theater. Some affiliates and chapters hold a quarterly meeting for those who cannot regularly attend a meeting. If you visit a blindness support group, follow up with an article about the visit. To retain members, use phone trees, e-mail discussion lists, listservs, and provide greeters at each meeting. Introductions help others know if guests are in attendance. You could ask each person to introduce his/her neighbor at a meet-and-greet event so they intentionally get to know someone new. Partner with a Lions Club or independent living center for a lunch-and-learn event displaying computers and low-vision aids. You can distribute business cards/flyers with your web site and phone number, and give the free program NVDA on a flash drive to a newly blind person. When new members join, they should be given an orientation to the chapter, a description of what’s available, such as scholarships, your annual convention, the national convention, local activities and state and national ones. Connecting the dots between levels of the organization shows the full value of membership. Be sure to share your contact information immediately when meeting a new blind person, so you can follow up and they can call you. ***** Here and There edited by Sharon Strzalkowski 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. ** New Group in Garland Peacemakers Club of Garland, Texas is a new meet-up group organized by Theresa Foredice. The group will be for learning new things like assistive technology, blindness resources, listening to speakers, dining out, concerts, movies, and anything else we can think of for fun! There will be a meeting on March 17, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Outback Steakhouse in Mesquite. The address is 3903 Towne Crossing Blvd, Mesquite, TX 75150; phone (972) 686-0555. I hope that the blind community will come out and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with me! Come and bring a friend! For more information, contact Theresa at (972) 802-7849, or e-mail Babyboysmom1973@gmail.com. ** New York State School Reunion The Alumni Association of the New York State School for the Blind will hold its annual reunion from June 9-12 at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia. The Clarion is located at 8250 Park Rd., Batavia, NY 14020-1275; phone (585) 344-2100. Room rates are $87 for standard rooms and $107 for suites. This year’s get-together will feature our second Braille and Large Print Read-a-Thon, a Jeopardy contest and our legendary banquet. You don’t want to miss our 2016 gathering! To register, contact Chet Smalley, 541 W. Gore Rd., Erie, PA 16509-2329; phone (814) 866-3949. E-mail any registration-related questions to chet_smalley@neo.rr.com. The registration deadline is May 1. For more information about the alumni association, contact Diane Scalzi, 21621 Briarcliff St., Saint Clair Shores, MI 48082-1299; phone (586) 337-5226, or e-mail dscalzi@comcast.net. ** APH Has New President The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) recently announced that Dr. Craig Meador would be its next president. A former teacher and educational leader for blind and visually impaired children, Craig has served as APH’s Vice President of Educational Services and Product Development since May 2015. Craig began as president on Jan. 1, succeeding Dr. Tuck Tinsley III, who is retiring after 27 years. ** BANA Honors Darleen Bogart The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) recently presented its Braille Excellence Award to Darleen Bogart. The 2015 Braille Excellence Award is presented in recognition of Darleen’s enormous contribution, not only to BANA and to North America, but to braille in a wider, global sense over several decades. Her extraordinary service and quiet leadership have helped braille remain viable and reliable while she has also been a leader in moving it forward and expanding its availability worldwide. Darleen is the longest-standing member of the BANA board and has served as its chair as well as the leader of numerous BANA committees. Darleen’s international contributions are vast, especially in the development of Unified English Braille (UEB). She was a member of the planning committee for the first two international meetings on English braille, 1982 and 1988, and served as host in Canada for the founding meeting of ICEB in 1991. Perhaps her most notable service has been her steadfast leadership as chair of the UEB Development Project from 1991 through its acceptance by ICEB in 2004. BANA created its Braille Excellence Award in honor of Louis Braille’s 200th birthday and awarded it for the first time in 2009. The award recognizes people or organizations that have developed or contributed to a code, have developed code materials or software that supports codes, and/or who represent the highest standards of braille production. ** Braille Pictured Greeting Cards Shadows in the Dark offers a line of braille pictured greeting cards, as well as other braille services. As of Jan. 1, 2016, you can save an additional 20% off using the following discount code during checkout at www.shadowsinthedark.com: 6ba9b7bb21. Greeting cards include anniversary, birthday, Christmas, Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, get well, good luck, graduation, Halloween, Memorial Day, newborn, New Year’s, retirement, St. Patrick’s Day, sympathy, thank you, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, and wedding. Braille playing cards are available for a multitude of games, including Phase 10, pinochle, bridge, Scrabble Slam!, Yahtzee, Uno, Skip Bo, and more. The company also produces braille announcements, business cards, invitations, and playing cards, and has a wide variety of gift items for sale. For more information, contact Shadows in the Dark, Attn: Philip W. Myers, 22627 Mathis Rd., San Antonio, TX 78264; phone (210) 376-0017; e-mail sales@shadowsinthedark.com, or visit the web site mentioned above. ** MagWin Screen Reader MagWin is an affordable, portable screen magnifier and reader. Available on a thumb drive, it is completely mobile. If you would like to be a beta tester, and get some extra beta program perks, send an e-mail to mailer@getmagwin.com. This version features a new user interface, increased performance, and compatibility with Windows 10. For more information, visit www.getmagwin.com/. ** F123 Access: A New Tool for Web Accessibility F123 Access is a software program that reformats web pages to make them more accessible and convenient for people who are blind who use screen-reading software. It is a Mozilla Firefox extension that can correct accessibility problems. Instead of making the accessibility corrections on the server, the fixes are made on your computer. F123 Access can correct a number of HTML mistakes automatically. F123 Access is free. In addition to the automatic fixes available for the web in general, there are also reformatted versions of WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. For more information, visit https://F123Access.com/intro_en. ** Georgia Teen Wins National Award Evan Barnard, age 17, of Johns Creek, Ga., has been named a national winner of the 2015 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Each year, the Barron Prize celebrates 25 inspiring, public-spirited young people from across North America who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Barnard has created braille nature trails to improve access to the outdoors for adults and children who are visually impaired. His trails include guide ropes and braille signage. Evan began his work five years ago, when he joined forces with the Nature Conservancy to repair a vandalized braille trail in Rome, Ga. After leading a trail walk for members of the Georgia Council of the Blind, he realized that walking outdoors on a trail was a special and rare experience for them, and resolved to build more braille trails. He arranged for donated materials and rallied support from a cadre of volunteers, including dozens from his high school and from Home Depot. He also asked members of the Georgia Council of the Blind to help with trail design. He recently completed a second braille trail in Buford, Ga. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: ALVA Braille Controller 640 (BC640) with braille and audio feature pack. In excellent condition. Connects to your PC, Mac, iOS or Android device via Bluetooth or USB. Asking $2,195. ReadIt Wand in original box, never used. Asking $995. ReadEasy Move – a standalone reading machine that also works as a video magnifier when connected to an LCD. Asking $1,795. Orabis talking CCTV. Comes with a 22” high-definition display, XY table, standard video magnification functions and OCR. Asking $1,750. All prices are negotiable. For more information, or to make an offer, contact Kathy at (615) 884-8904 or via e-mail, kathy@adaptiveware.net. ** For Sale: Brand-new Blaze EZ with premium option pack. Asking $400. BookSense XT. Asking $185. Brand-new i.d. mate Quest, asking $500. i.d. mate Omni, asking $100. ABiSee Eye-Pal SOLO scanner or Zoom-Ex camera, asking $475. Three Perkins braillers, asking $275 each. Brand-new bone-conduction headphones, $35. Some of these items are brand-new and still in the box; most are very gently used. Contact Jim Kracht at (305) 724-3720 or by e-mail, jkk48@bellsouth.net. ** For Sale: iPad 3rd generation 32GB with wi-fi and AT&T GSM capability. Lightly used; has been kept in an OtterBox case and is in flawless condition. Includes the original packaging and 2 covers (an OtterBox case, which is a bit worn now, along with a like-new thinner back cover and Apple Smart Cover). Includes second charging cable. I would prefer to sell this to another blind person. Asking $225 (includes shipping and accessories). Contact Michael Hudson via e-mail, mjh@msu.edu. ***** ACB Officers ** President Kim Charlson (2nd term, 2017) 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** First Vice President Jeff Thom (2nd term, 2017) 7414 Mooncrest Way Sacramento, CA 95831-4046 ** Second Vice President John McCann (1st term, 2017) 8761 E. Placita Bolivar Tucson, AZ 85715-5650 ** Secretary Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2017) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Treasurer Carla Ruschival (3rd term, 2017) 148 Vernon Ave. Louisville, KY 40206 ** Immediate Past President Mitch Pomerantz 1115 Cordova St. #402 Pasadena, CA 91106 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (partial term, 2016) Berl Colley, Lacey, WA (final term, 2016) Sara Conrad, Stevensville, MI (1st term, 2016) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2018) Michael Garrett, Missouri City, TX (final term, 2016) George Holliday, Philadelphia, PA (final term, 2018) Allan Peterson, Horace, ND (final term, 2018) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2018) Dan Spoone, Orlando, FL (1st term, 2016) David Trott, Talladega, AL (1st term, 2018) Ex Officio: Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA ** ACB Board of Publications Denise Colley, Chairman, Lacey, WA (2nd term, 2017) Ron Brooks, Phoenix, AZ (2nd term, 2017) Tom Mitchell, Salt Lake City, UT (1st term, 2016) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2016) Judy Wilkinson, San Leandro, CA (1st term, 2016) Ex Officios: Nolan Crabb, Columbus, OH Bob Hachey, Waltham, MA Berl Colley, Lacey, WA Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY ** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by e-mail, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (605) 475-8154. To subscribe to the e-mail version, visit the ACB e-mail lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, data CD, and via e-mail. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (605) 475-8154. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from http://www.acb.org/bf/.