The ACB E-Forum Volume LXI March 2023 No. 9 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** * Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind™ 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. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. 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. © 2023 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** ** Table of Contents President's Message: Say Thank You to the Special Women in Your Life, by Dan Spoone Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours, by Janet Dickelman The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You, by John McCann Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved …, by Gabe Griffith Call for Nominees for the 2023 ADP Awards, by Jeff Thom Information Desk in 2023, by Vicky Prahin Time to Get Ready for the Summer Auction Walking in Schaumburg, by Donna Brown A Woman with a Purpose, by Melody Holloway She Puts a New Spin on 'Get Up and Get Moving,' by Kathy Farina Counting the Coins, by Maria Kristic Rachel Schroeder: Purpose, Possibility, and Positivity, by Debbie Grubb The Magic of ABLE Accounts for Our Community, submitted by Chris Bell I Hate Data, But Then Again …, by Jeff Thom Affiliate News In Memoriam: Donald Lee Thomson, May 25, 1931-December 1, 2022, by Natalie Barrett Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins Thirty Years Ago in the Forum High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** Upcoming Forum Themes and Deadlines May 2023: TBA; deadline: March 24, 2023 June 2023: Convention; deadline: April 24, 2023 * 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 make the changes for you. ***** ** President's Message: Say Thank You to the Special Women in Your Life by Dan Spoone This month's issue of "The ACB Braille Forum" focuses on ACB Women. This encouraged me to think about the women that have made a major impact in my life. My mom, Patricia Ann Lovette Spoone, quickly jumped to the top of the list. She was a tremendous role model for me, and she is the best listener I have ever known. I've been so very lucky to have her in my life. She is turning 91 on March 15, and we treasure every day with her. Mom grew up in the Depression, and has carried those lessons with her for her entire life. Mom is frugal to a fault. She always has a smile in her voice, and she approaches life with a positive attitude. Mom was an only child. She was a star basketball player for her dad and the editor of the Morristown High School newspaper for her mom. She married her high school sweetheart, Bill Spoone, after dating him for seven years through high school and college. Mom was the first person in her family to graduate from college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Mom had a unique experience in her middle school years. Her dad was chosen to work on the Manhattan Project, to develop the atomic bomb. Her family moved to Oak Ridge, Tenn. during War World II. She credits this experience with providing her an understanding of people from different backgrounds and cultures. Oak Ridge was built from the ground up in a valley in the hills of Tennessee. "Everyone was from somewhere else," says Mom. "There were only four different models of houses, we all went to the same school, and there were no established cliques of people that thought they were better than others." Mom went back to school at 38 and received her master's in counseling from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. She became a high school guidance counselor for the last 20 years of her career. She decided to quit smoking at the age of 40 and started jogging every afternoon after school. She had very strong willpower when she put her mind to it, and did not eat desserts for 50 years. She started eating desserts again at 90 and claims that you need to do something to put fun in your life. She says at 90 there are not a lot of options, so she’s going for the pecan pie and ice cream. My mom realized that I had an eye condition early in my childhood. Specialists confirmed that I had retinitis pigmentosa (RP) when I was six. Mom was my biggest supporter through school, advocating for me with my teachers. She sat with me each night to help me learn how to read, and my parents found the extra money to send me to a reading tutor. But what really set my mom apart was her high expectations for me. She pushed me to excel at my schoolwork. She pushed me out into the neighborhood to play with my friends. She treated me just the same as my sister. There were no favors or lower expectations. The happiest day in her life was the day I married Leslie. She was so happy that I found someone to love. We should all take a moment to remember and thank the women in our lives that have given so much of their time, talent and heart to be part of our lives. Patricia Ann Lovette Spoone, thank you! You are the reason that I’ve become the man I am. I hope I have made Dad and you proud. I'm sure glad you are my mom. Happy birthday! ***** ** Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours by Janet Dickelman Are you ready for the 2023 American Council of the Blind conference and convention? Zoom-only sessions will be held Thursday, June 22 through Saturday, June 24. Then join us in Schaumburg for in-person or virtually, Friday, June 30 through Friday, July 7th. Opening general session is Saturday, July 1st; the exhibit hall will also open that day. Tours will run from Friday through Friday. The banquet will be held on Thursday, July 6th. If you are looking for continuing education units or professional development hours, here is all the information you will need. Procuring CE units or PD hours is easy. Registration for the conference and convention will open in May. Discover an amazing array of programs that carry CE and PD hours by visiting acbconvention.org beginning in April. As convention registration approaches, CE and PD sessions will be updated frequently. CE sessions will also be listed in the official conference program or by subscribing to the acbconvention email list as they become available. To earn continuing education units and professional development hours, you must register for the conference and convention by logging into your member account at members.acb.org and simply purchase the number of Flex Credits you think you will need. When you attend a CE session, a unique code will be announced at the beginning of each session, and another unique code will be announced at the end of the session. Make note of these codes, as well as the session title, date and time, as you will need to include this information when you submit your assessment. If you attend more programs and presentations than you anticipate, just submit reports for all sessions and we will contact you for any additional payment. To complete an online assessment and evaluation form, log into the member site (members.acb.org). You must complete an assessment and evaluation form for each session or program you attend. There is no longer a deadline for submission of your assessments. Once ACB has validated your assessments, you can log into your member site to print your CE certificate. You are responsible for submitting your certificate to your employer for your professional development hours or to ACVREP for your continuing education units. Topics will include, but are not limited to, employment, technology, health and leisure, orientation and mobility, self-advocacy, braille, low vision, and much more. * Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2022 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list. * Hotel Details Room rates at the Renaissance are $98 per night double occupancy (with an additional $10 charge for up to four people), plus tax, which is currently 15%. To make reservations online, visit https://book.passkey.com/go/AmericanCounciloftheBlind2023. For telephone reservations, call 1-800-468-3571. This is a central reservations number, so please indicate you are with the American Council of the Blind 2023 conference and convention at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Ill. * Convention Contacts 2023 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2023 sponsorships: acbconvsponsorships@acb.org, or contact Eric Bridges or Clark Rachfal at (202) 467-5081. For any other convention-related questions, contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059, or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You by John McCann The Constitution and Bylaws Committee has been meeting to review ACB’s governing documents, with a particular focus on modifying our election procedures for director positions and Board of Publications members. With the 2023 annual conference and convention fast approaching, we are now actively soliciting proposed amendments to our constitution and/or bylaws. Beginning in May, we will hold open committee meetings on the first and third Thursdays to receive members’ input on all amendments then under consideration, and committee members will also make themselves available to other community call meetings to afford further opportunities for discussing proposed amendments. Any proposed constitutional and/or bylaw amendments should be sent to committee chair John McCann at john@jamsite.net. ***** ** Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved … by Gabe Griffith As I write this, it’s the end of January, and it feels like the holidays have ended. Now it' time to start thinking about those resolutions to be submitted for our summer 2023 convention. As you all may recall, last summer we adopted an amendment to our constitution and bylaws laying out the timeline for resolutions. It states that resolutions are due in to the resolutions committee 60 days prior to the opening of the summer convention. As the opening session is planned for June 19th, resolutions are due in by April 20th. Please submit your resolutions by email to advocacy@acb.org. You may submit them as either a Word, text, or BRF attachment or in the body of an email. Immediately after April 20th, the resolutions committee will meet and determine the schedule for resolutions. We will make sure that schedule gets sent out through the various ACB email lists so that anyone who has an interest in the resolutions process in general or a specific resolution will know when a resolution will be discussed and will be able to attend the meeting. If anyone has any questions about this process, or would like assistance with a resolution, please reach out to me via email at Gabe.griffith@ccbnet.org, or by phone at (925) 222-5762. Thanks, and happy resolving. ***** ** Call for Nominees for the 2023 ADP Awards by Jeff Thom One of the highlights of the annual ACB national convention is the presentation of the Audio Description Project awards. This article provides information on the solicitation of Audio Description Project awards nominees for 2023. The Audio Description Project (ADP) is a wide-ranging audio description advocacy, promotion, and production initiative with goals that include: • Building advocacy on behalf of audio description • Offering a range of educational resources and working to establish nationally acknowledged user-focused guidelines for quality description in its various genres • Encouraging growth of audio description, with an emphasis on the involvement of AD users/consumers, especially youth • Disseminating information on audio description and provide general support for regional, state, and local forums • Encouraging studies on audio description, particularly with respect to its efficacy as a technique for conveying visual images and its impact on literacy for children and others One part of the project involves the recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of audio description. * Application Categories This year’s ADP awards include a call for nominations in nine categories. There is no category for media/organizations, as we will recognize outstanding achievement for a media organization at the third annual Audio Description Gala, to be held in the fall of 2023. • Achievement in Audio Description - Media/Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts/Organizations • Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts/Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description - Museums, Visual Art, Visitor Centers/Organizations • Achievement in Audio Description - Museums, Visual Art, Visitor Centers/Individuals • Achievement in Audio Description - Public Sector/Government agencies – federal, state, local • Achievement in Audio Description - International • Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award in Audio Description - Research and Development • Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description Nominations must be received by Sunday, May 5, 2023, with winners announced during a hybrid plenary general session of the ACB conference and convention in July 2023 in Schaumburg, Ill. Nomination material, criteria and more information, including the nomination form and where to submit your nomination, is available at https://adp.acb.org, or you can obtain this information by submitting an e-mail request to ADP Coordinator Tabitha Kenlon at tkenlon@acb.org. ***** ** Information Desk in 2023 by Vicky Prahin The ACB Information Desk will have some added features this year, but it will as always provide you with information, as up to date and accurate as possible, about meeting locations and special activities. If you are an affiliate president or in charge of programs for your affiliate, remember to advise us when you have a change — a cancellation, a room change, something added that you want publicized. We will have a group of information experts answering phone calls about virtual components to enable as much participation as possible for those who cannot join us in person. What’s available at the information desk? You can: • Find hotel orientation information, menus, restaurant and business listings for the area, and hard copies of potential constitutional amendments. • Sign up for newspaper delivery if you registered for it. Often people forget to tell us or assume that the folks in registration make note of that. If we don’t know at the info desk, the students don’t find out and you don’t get your paper. • Reserve your banquet table. Be sure that the people you expect to sit with know about it before providing your list of six. We often have confusion because someone plans to sit with one group and already has a reserved seat at another table. • Drop off door prizes, labeled in both braille and print. • Report items you have lost or found. We can download files to a thumb drive or SD card, but you must remember to bring that device with you; we do not provide them. The Information Desk will open when registration opens on Thursday, June 29, and remain open throughout the convention until the afternoon of July 6. The desk is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. If you enjoy meeting people, being at the center of things, and can multi-task, consider volunteering to work at the 2023 info desk, contact me at prahin@gmail.com or (614) 949-7757 by June 15. Each person will receive a schedule before the convention. We need a team of willing helpers to make this year's convention go as smoothly as possible in Schaumburg! ***** ** Time to Get Ready for the Summer Auction Now it's time to get ready for the ACB Summer Auction! The Summer Auction will be held on Saturday, June 17 at 7 p.m. Eastern. There will be an Appetizer Auction on Thursday, June 15 and Friday, June 16. The deadline for auction item descriptions and photos is Monday, May 1. You may send your items to Leslie Spoone by Monday, May 22, 2023, or hold the item for direct shipment to the winner. We look forward to everyone participating in the ACB Summer Auction this year. If you have any questions, please reach out to Leslie Spoone at lesliespoone@cfl.rr.com or call (407) 678-4163. Happy bidding! ***** ** Walking in Schaumburg by Donna Brown Plans are in full swing for the 2023 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk. The in-person Walk will take place on Saturday, July 1. This year, the Walk committee is offering some new prizes for Walk teams and participants. Since this will be ACB's 62nd annual convention, you will find that number 62 in much of the Walk information. Our goal is to raise at least $62,000 for ACB and its affiliates. Once the website is live, the 62nd person to register for the Walk will receive a $25 gift card. The first team to bring in $6,200 in donations will receive a prize to be determined. The first person to receive 62 single donations, regardless of the amount, will receive a $25 gift card. Stay tuned. There is much more information to come. Everyone will know when the Walk website has gone live. Remember, even if you are unable to join us in Schaumburg, you can still participate in the Walk virtually. So, dust off your walking shoes, and get ready to help us raise at least $62,000 for ACB and your favorite affiliate. ***** ** A Woman with a Purpose by Melody Holloway As we celebrate women's history this month, we celebrate women who have made leaps, bounds, and strides within the grassroots organization woven together by threads of advocacy, mentorship, guidance, support, friendship, and the commonality of vision loss that brought our community to fruition. How and why these women contributed to the mission and core values of the American Council of the Blind is as diverse and heterogeneous a spectrum of events, experiences, and personal stories as the contributions themselves. Whether new membership, membership in good standing, annual, lifetime, at large, chapter, state, or special-interest affiliate, board or committee member, elected official, host, facilitator, or community participant, each woman has value and benefit in simultaneously giving and receiving. When reflecting on true or perceived role of a woman in society, one question persists. Has either role changed much from historical eras to today? We were once appointed to role of wife, mother, caregiver, maid, housekeeper, and quiet, obedient, decorated trophy serving the needs of men at their beck and call. Our true role became that of suffragette, crusader, trailblazer, advocate, protector, and ambassador within life's pivotal, groundbreaking forward marches only men were once permitted to trot. These include voting rights, education, choice of career, medical care, loving who we love, rights to decide what happens to our individual bodies, the basic human right to speak up regarding our own lived plights as women with visual impairment and/or other disabilities and chronic medical diagnoses, and visible proof that we are worthy, valuable, essential, equal members of society. Today, women are known for a wide variety of mental health, neurological, chronic pain, dexterity, and autoimmune health conditions. As blind women, many of us schedule our own transportation, use a collection of technology, manage finances, cook, clean, do laundry, sign petitions, contact legislators, travel to Capitol Hill, attend, facilitate, and host meetings/webinars, conduct TED talks and motivational speeches, join and oversee organizations specific to a cause, condition, or experience personal to our lives, and provide for our true families no matter how and for whom. If questioned, denied, or told "no we can't," many emphatically reply, "Yes, we can!" With assessments for late-in-life diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and the relatively novel complex form of post-traumatic stress disorder, I ask all members of ACB to consider two in-depth questions. 1. Can we all love one another and ourselves in order to understand oppositional positions concerning common disagreements, define one another by qualities which make us unique, listen to each other's experiences, get to know one another, request clarification if judgment and misunderstanding arise, and pass around a kettle of acceptance, purity, generosity, compassion, patience, forgiveness, differences, and commonalities while seated at the table which is each community with whom we engage? 2. Can the true role, the true purpose of a woman override our perceived role even more this year if each one of us takes a dip from our communal kettle? Let us toast to rest, relaxation, fun, safety, peace, love, and cultural acceptance in 2023! ***** ** She Puts a New Spin on 'Get Up and Get Moving' by Kathy Farina Megan Hale, a member of the Capital District chapter of ACB of New York, is a young woman with a purpose. She feels that young blind women should be able to participate in sports if they choose. Recently, Megan informed our chapter about completing an Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid, N.Y. in July 2022. We were intrigued. Triathlon is an endurance sport consisting of three different disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. Participants must complete timed sessions of all three sports in a given amount of time. The Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike race, then a 26-mile run. The total distance is 140 miles, which must be completed in 17 hours. Megan completed her Ironman in 16 hours, 58 minutes and one second. How did Megan get to this point? This sport is not for the faint of heart. Megan has Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited eye condition causing loss of peripheral vision and difficulty seeing details. Her school district was hesitant to allow her to participate in physical education. Over the summer, she attended a special camp for children who are visually impaired called Camp Abilities in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where she discovered that physical education can be adapted to allow those with visual impairments to participate along with their sighted peers. Eventually, Megan and her parents convinced the school to let her participate in physical education. As a middle schooler, Megan joined the track team. She participated in track all through high school. Her guide dog, Hero, is from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He is a specially trained running dog, and guides Megan on shorter races. During her years as a camper and counselor at Camp Abilities, Megan met folks who competed in triathlons and decided to try it. "I've met some wonderful people and made friends who inspire and encourage me along the way," Megan said. Her guide for the Ironman race was a science teacher who had done 19 of these events. He had never guided a blind person before, but "we learned as we went along and developed our training methods." Training took 40 hours a week for about three months before the race, including riding a tandem bike. "I will start earlier next time and gradually ramp up my training before the race," she added. Currently a senior at the State University of New York at Brockport, Megan is pursuing a bachelor's degree in adapted physical education. She plans to go to graduate school to become a teacher of the visually impaired. She feels that, as a teacher of the visually impaired with experience in adapted physical education, she can empower blind and visually impaired children to reach their full potential, both physically and mentally. She hosts a podcast on Microsoft Teams for one hour once a month for girls ages 12 to 18. Topics covered range from nutrition to health to social skills. She calls this the Blind Girl Empowerment Program. For more information, contact Megan at mhale5@brockport.edu. ***** ** Counting the Coins by Maria Kristic "If someone here is interested in serving as treasurer or knows of someone who is, let me know." It was March of 2018, and the president of Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI) had made this announcement at that month's board meeting because the current treasurer had resigned. I was attending the board meeting as a member guest. "I nominate Maria Kristic," another member, who knew that I had a finance background, announced. I accepted, and so began my journey as treasurer within ACB affiliates. I had enjoyed economics courses in high school. I found that I was good at, and enjoyed, quantitative subjects. Once I had decided to switch my major from computer science, economics seemed like the natural choice. I had joined what was then called the Gay/Straight Alliance club in college, having witnessed the bigotry some of my LGBT high school classmates had faced in my hometown and wishing to express my support as an ally. When the position for treasurer came up for election in my senior year, I decided to run, figuring that it would be a good opportunity to practice my fledgling financial knowledge. To my surprise, I got elected, and had my first experience with preparing financial reports and budgeting. In graduate school, with my first guide dog by my side, I continued my finance-related studies, earning an MBA with concentration in finance and a J.D. with concentration in finance transactions in 2016. After graduate school, I felt the desire to connect more closely with the guide dog community. I had known very few blind people until that point, and while I had previously heard and knew a little about the two consumer organizations in the U.S., I had not been interested in learning more. Researching both and finding that ACB resonated more with me, I joined Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI). Having learned the importance of adding experience to my resume while I was searching for employment, I contacted GDUI’s Budget and Finance (B&F) Committee chair, explaining my background and experiences, reasons for joining GDUI, and expressing my interest in joining the committee. While I could not join the B&F Committee at that time, she added me to the Bylaws Committee, because of my legal education. Once I ran for, and was elected, as a board member in 2017, emphasizing my financial and legal skills, I was appointed to the B&F Committee. I saw how budgets and treasurer’s reports were prepared for a larger ACB affiliate. When I accepted the interim treasurer position for BPI, I had my work cut out for me. A treasurer's report had not been presented to the board in several months. Lack of communication resulted in lack of knowledge about certain expenses, and the organization's tax-exempt status had been revoked. Though I lacked direct experience with non-profit entity taxation, I was comfortable with the subject matter due to having taken a business taxation course. And I knew how to conduct research! As I gained access to the organization's finances and began to re-apply for its tax-exempt status, the partial term ended. So I ran for a full term to complete the process. I was elected, and by the 2019 convention, BPI's tax-exempt status had been retroactively reinstated, accounts had been reorganized, and certain expenses had been eliminated in favor of free but equally effective services. With the recruitment efforts and affiliate programming of dedicated and passionate board members over the past several years, BPI's financial position has drastically improved. Today it is a vibrant affiliate of ACB. I am still treasurer, having begun my third full term this year, and my responsibilities are now more of the plain vanilla variety: recording transactions and reconciling them with transaction statements from financial institutions, preparing treasurer's reports on a monthly and annual basis, and leading budget preparations based on historical patterns, input from committees, and projections of future spending as chair of BPI's B&F Committee. This experience has led to other finance-related opportunities in ACB affiliates. In 2019, when the Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS) affiliate president expressed her desire to conduct the first internal organizational audit after many years, she approached me to chair the audit committee. While I had not led such an effort previously, I did have experience as a participant of an internal audit at work. Between this experience, having an interest, researching audit processes, and with the help of committed team members, we produced a written audit report which was well-received and which has been used as a template for subsequent audits. When GDUI's treasurer announced that she would not be running for another term in 2020, I decided to run. When I joined the organizing committee for ACB Next Generation (ACBNG), I became its initial treasurer, a position I still hold today. That was also a learning experience in applying for incorporation and tax-exempt status, establishing a bank account, and setting up various payment gateways. I have now begun my second full term as both GDUI and ACBNG treasurer. When I joined ACB's International Relations Committee, I was asked to prepare its annual budget once it became known that I actually enjoyed putting numbers and formulas into Excel spreadsheets! I am often asked if I have low vision when someone learns that I serve as treasurer. In fact, I am totally blind. Where it was not already in place when I assumed the role, I have enrolled in paperless statements so as to receive the data in a format I can access. So far, the nature of these affiliates' finances have been such that I have been able to use Microsoft Excel to record transactions and prepare budgets and reports. Invoices can be paid electronically, either directly through the vendor or via a bank's bill pay feature if a check must be issued. Along with a screen reader, the use of a refreshable braille display has been invaluable. For depositing the occasional check using mobile banking apps, I have utilized the assistance of Aira agents, trusted family members at times, and I will be trying some of the useful suggestions for independent mobile check deposit found at https://www.afb.org/aw/22/8/17660. Required filings with the Internal Revenue Service and state corporations divisions can usually be completed online. I was able to open a business account online by uploading required documents, and while some banks did require physical presence of current and past officers to change the treasurer designation, others were willing to accomplish the process via electronic signatures and online document upload once I explained the need for reasonable accommodations. With an open mind, interest, perseverance, and creativity, it is definitely possible! Serving as treasurer has resulted in some surprising professional and personal benefits! The GDUI B&F committee chair kindly agreed to serve as one of my references when I was applying for my current job. I was once asked by a co-worker if I knew how an organization would re-apply for tax-exempt status, and due to my experience with BPI, I knew the answer! While I was drawn to BPI because of my college extracurricular experience and its offering of mind/body programming at convention, in learning more about the LGBTQIA+ community through my involvement and in engaging in self-reflection, I have also personally benefitted. I have come to realize that I am aromantic and asexual, and a member of the "A" of that rainbow. If you have some aptitude for and interest in working with numbers, I encourage you to consider running for a treasurer position in ACB. You will learn transferable skills in a safe and supportive environment, and you will likely develop some close friendships. Who knows where else it might lead? ***** ** Rachel Schroeder: Purpose, Possibility, and Positivity by Debbie Grubb I first met Rachel when I moved to Florida with my husband, Frela, in 1998. What I noticed about her is that she was always leading in one way or another, always sharing her expertise while being completely unassuming, never demanding the last word on anything. I always wondered where she found her self-assurance and willingness to step out and take chances. So I decided to use this opportunity to chat with Rachel about her life tool box and the tools she has chosen to place in it. Rachel told me, "I've always chosen to move forward in a positive way and try not to let difficulties, setbacks or tough times hinder my progress to reach my goal of being successful." She gives much credit to her parents. They were always willing to help her figure out ways around any barriers that confronted her while attempting to do something that mattered to her. "My parents instilled in me a positive outlook despite circumstances. My childhood was spent in a nurturing home, and I was showered with positivity. There was no room for negativity in our home." This is the secret to Rachel's certainty that, one way or another, she can achieve her goal if she puts in the time, effort and creativity to figure out the necessary workarounds. "'Failure' and 'can't' might be words in my vocabulary for a minute, but I will not allow them room in my life. When I'm faced with a situation that seems insurmountable, that fuels my resolve to try even harder. I refuse to be limited by what other people determine that I can't do. I have an overwhelming desire to give my best if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I’m up to any worthwhile challenge." Rachel has also learned the secret of planting seeds of opportunity. When she lost her first job out of college due to downsizing, she went to the Lighthouse serving mid-Florida and sought resources to assist her in searching for her next job. While there, she volunteered to teach computer classes at the facility. They accepted, and it resulted in a part-time job which ultimately led to a full-time job. After several years, she left the position. While working with the Florida Division of Blind Services, Rachel met the owner of what was then Florida Reading and Technology at a conference, and was asked to be the Blindness Products Specialist. She accepted. This job forced her to find innovative ways to deal with the statewide travel that was required. She traveled around the state on Greyhound. Rachel praised her many friends who invited her to stay with them during her teaching. "I learned what I was made of, what I was truly able to accomplish. I would not change those times if I could because, coming out of it, I knew if I could do that, I could do almost anything." Then Rachel planted another seed of opportunity. She was visiting a friend in Springfield, Ill., and as they walked down the street, her friend happened to notice a sign on a building that said Illinois Assistive Technology Program. Rachel walked in and introduced herself, met and talked with the director, and they invited one another to get in touch about future opportunities. Nine months later came the phone call that changed the course of her life: Rachel was invited to interview by telephone for a job in Springfield. After the phone interview, she was told that she would hear back within a week. She heard back in five minutes – she was invited to come to Springfield for an in-person interview. Though she found it scary, Rachel knew that she had to explore the opportunity. "I could not lock myself out of the possibility of what might be if I didn't open this door." So she went to the interview. She was asked to leave the room while the team had a discussion. Within minutes, she was called back and told that they wanted to hire her. She was stunned and made the decision to go for it. Then she thought, "What in the heck did I just do?" Rachel's employer wished her the best, and her parents helped her move to Illinois, finding her an apartment and all the necessary amenities. She admits that at the time, she was going on autopilot, knowing that this was something that she must do and taking it on faith one moment at a time that she would be successful. Rachel learned that she was in a place where she could thrive as she began this new chapter in her life. She found support among her co-workers, made friends and found opportunities to truly be a part of the community that was now her home. But there was one thing missing from her life: she had always wanted to be a mom. She first looked at adoption. After finding brick walls and red tape, she considered fostering a child, and found the same barriers. Then she made an appointment at a facility that would help her to bear a child. She miscarried the first time, but her second attempt brought her great joy: a beautiful daughter, Delaney. Her parents were a bit concerned, but they were supportive, loving and helpful. Rachel's mom came to Springfield in the early days. Delaney and Rachel spent part of her maternity leave back in Florida. Doctors and others expressed concern about Rachel's ability to care for a child. Rachel's mother explained that she would not be living with her daughter, that Rachel could care for and love this baby. She stated that she was only doing for the baby what any grandmother would do. And now Delaney is eight, a precocious little girl with a blooming love of the theater. Rachel explains, "As Delaney grows up, there are times when I think I don't know how I'm going to do this. I want to be the very best Mom I can be for Delaney. At the end of the day, what is important is that Delaney is loved and nurtured and that I find ways to bring to her every opportunity to experience and to grow and thrive. I am so thankful for rideshare and my wonderful supportive friends, and the parents of Delaney's friends who respect me and how I am raising my child. But even when it's difficult, I find a way. I work it out because of my positive attitude, the beautiful child that I am raising and the care and support of my friends and family." Delaney knows that she and her mom have to do things a bit differently sometimes. But she always says to people, "My mom can do anything." To her, Rachel is Mom, the best mom ever. Rachel knows that what matters to Delaney is not that things have to be done differently sometimes, but that they are done. "There are times that I feel that I don't measure up. But I have learned that most parents feel the very same way." ***** ** The Magic of ABLE Accounts for Our Community submitted by Chris Bell The following edited material is taken from the ABLE National Resource Center, https://www.ablenrc.org/what-is-able/what-are-able-acounts/#contentbody. * Nine Things You Should Know about ABLE Accounts 1. What is an ABLE account? ABLE accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and their families, were created as a result of the passage of the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014, better known as the ABLE Act. The beneficiary of the account is the account owner, and income earned by the accounts will not be taxed. Contributions to the account, which can be made by any person (the account beneficiary, family, friends, Special Needs Trust or Pooled Trust), must be made using post-taxed dollars and will not be tax-deductible for purposes of federal taxes; however, some states may allow for state income tax deductions for contributions made to an ABLE account. 2. Why the need for ABLE accounts? Millions of individuals with disabilities and their families depend on a wide variety of public benefits for income, health care and food and housing assistance. Eligibility for these public benefits (SSI, SNAP, Medicaid) require meeting a means/resource test that restricts eligibility to individuals with less than $2,000 in liquid resources, such as cash savings, non-ABLE checking and savings accounts and some retirement funds. To remain eligible for these public benefits, an individual must remain poor. For the first time in public policy, the ABLE Act recognizes the extra and significant costs of living with a disability. These include costs related to raising a child with significant disabilities or a working-age adult with disabilities, accessible housing and transportation, personal assistance services, assistive technology and health care not covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare. For the first time, eligible individuals and their families will be allowed to establish ABLE savings accounts that will largely not affect their eligibility for SSI, Medicaid and means-tested programs such as FAFSA, HUD and SNAP/food stamp benefits. The legislation explains further that an ABLE account will, with private savings, "secure funding for disability-related expenses on behalf of designated beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurance, Medicaid, SSI, the beneficiary's employment and other sources." 3. Am I eligible for an ABLE account? The ABLE Act limits eligibility to individuals with disabilities with an age of onset of disability before turning 26 years of age. If you meet this age requirement and are also receiving benefits under SSI and/or SSDI, you are automatically eligible to establish an ABLE account. If you are not a recipient of SSI and/or SSDI but still meet the age of onset disability requirement, you could still be eligible to open an ABLE account if you meet Social Security’s definition and criteria regarding functional limitations and receive a letter of disability certification from a licensed physician, a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, a doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, and, for some purposes, a doctor of podiatric medicine, a doctor of optometry, or a chiropractor. They may not be signed by a licensed psychologist, clinical therapist or certified vocational rehabilitation counselor. You do not have to be younger than 26 to be eligible for an ABLE account. You can be over the age of 26, but must have had an age of onset before your 26th birthday. 4. Are there limits to how much money can be put in an ABLE account? The total annual contributions by all participating individuals, including family and friends, for a single tax year is $16,000. The amount may be adjusted periodically to account for inflation. Under current tax law, $16,000 is the maximum amount that individuals can make as a gift to someone else and not report the gift to the IRS (gift tax exclusion). The total limit over time that could be made to an ABLE account will be subject to the individual state and their limit for education-related 529 savings accounts. States have set limits for total allowable ABLE savings. State ABLE limits range from $235,000 to $550,000. In consideration of the annual contribution limit per calendar year, accounts may reach the state limit over time. However, for individuals with disabilities who are recipients of SSI, the ABLE Act sets some further limitations. The first $100,000 in ABLE accounts would be exempted from the SSI $2,000 individual resource limit. If and when the ABLE account balance, when combined with other resources, exceeds $100,000 by the SSI resource limit, the beneficiary’s SSI cash benefit would be suspended. In time if or when resources are no longer exceeded by the amount over $100,000, benefits are reinstated without time limit. This special rule does not apply if non-ABLE resources alone are over the limit. It is important to note that while the beneficiary’s eligibility for the SSI cash benefit is suspended, this has no effect on their ability to receive or be eligible to receive medical assistance through Medicaid. An employed ABLE account owner who does not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement account may make an additional contribution up to the lesser of: (1) the ABLE account owner’s compensation for the tax year, or (2) the poverty line amount of $12,880 (2022) in the continental U.S., calendar year. 5. Which expenses are allowed by ABLE accounts? A "qualified disability expense" means any expense related to the designated beneficiary as a result of living a life with disabilities. These may include education, food, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology, personal support services, health care expenses, financial management and administrative services and other expenses which help improve health, independence, and/or quality of life. 6. Can I have more than one ABLE account? The ABLE Act limits the opportunity to one ABLE account per eligible individual. 7. Do I have to wait for my state to establish a program before opening an account? No. While the original law passed in 2014 did stipulate that an individual had to open an account in their state of residency, this provision was eliminated by Congress in 2015. This means that regardless of where you might live and whether or not your state has decided to establish an ABLE program, you are free to enroll in any state’s program provided that the program is accepting out-of-state residents. 8. Will states offer options to invest the savings contributed to an ABLE account? Like state 529 college savings plans, states do offer qualified individuals and families multiple options to establish ABLE accounts with varied savings and/or investment strategies. Each individual has the opportunity to assess possible future needs and costs over time, and to assess their risk tolerance for possible future investment strategies to grow their savings. ABLE account owners are limited, by the ABLE Act, to change the way their money is invested in the account up to two times per year. 9. How will I know which state ABLE program is right for me? As of January 2022, there are 49 ABLE plans nationwide inviting eligible individuals to open an ABLE account, most of which were enrolling individuals regardless of their state of residence. When comparing State ABLE plans, you may want to consider the following questions in order to find a program that best meets your needs: Opening an Account – What documentation will an ABLE program require from you to open an account? Is there a minimum contribution to open an ABLE account? Is there a fee to open an account and, if so, how much is that fee? Maintaining the Account and Fees – Is there a required minimum contribution to your account? If so, what is the amount? Are the fees front-end loaded or are they reduced if you leave your funds invested for several years? Are there restrictions on how often you can withdraw funds from your account? Investment Opportunities – What are the investment options the state ABLE program offers? Are the options likely to meet your needs for limiting risk with the growth of your contributed dollars to the ABLE account? Does the program offer any unique or value-added program elements to help you save, contribute to your account, grow the account and manage your invested dollars? Does the state program offer any unique or value-added program elements (such as a match or rewards program, financial literacy info or program for beneficiaries) to help you save, contribute to your account, grow the account and manage your invested dollars? If so, what is it? Unique to Your State – Does your state have a program and, if so, do they offer a state income tax for contributions to their account? Is there a "debit card/purchasing card" available with the program? Are there added costs to this? ***** ** I Hate Data, But Then Again … by Jeff Thom There is no question that data drives the world we live in. Whether it’s used for policymaking decisions on funding public programs, sports analytics, marketing and branding just about everything, dating sites, weather forecasting or just about anything else you can think of, data plays an important part. I wouldn’t describe myself as a data wonk. Rather, I tend to view things in a somewhat binary way, good or evil, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable, etc., even though I know the world isn’t really that way. However, I sometimes wonder whether my frustration with data stems from another more physiological reason. Having been born with retinopathy of prematurity, as it is now known, it is my understanding that I have an excuse for my utter absence of the ability to work in a special context. This manifests itself in various ways, including seemingly being able to get lost in a closet, not being able to handle a jigsaw puzzle with more than a handful of pieces, never really catching on to the right mode for doing a snowplow during my skiing days, not being able to effectively use complex Excel spreadsheets, and so on. So why am I writing an article about data, when I am clearly one of the least qualified among us to talk about the topic? The answer is that I recently participated in a Boston College study that gives me hope that the day may come when even those who struggle to effectively access data, such as me, will find that we, too, have the tools to become data geeks. As we all know, data in the visual world in which we live is most often presented in a graphic form which, from the outset, places anyone who is blind or has low vision at some degree of a disadvantage. The aim of the study was to research potential methodologies for making data easily understandable by people with vision loss. The study had two major components. First, it provided different methods of accessing data using screen-reading software, and in each case the participant is required to answer questions about the data. The first mechanism for accessing data was the ability to ask questions about the data verbally or by typing them on the screen. It almost reminded me of playing a computer game. In fact, the questions that it could answer depended in part on the information in the data table, but also on how you asked the question. However, as artificial intelligence becomes ever more able to interact with humanity, the greater capacity such a platform will have, and the only limit will eventually be the information contained in the table itself. The second data access mechanism was the ability to rearrange the data in descending or ascending order. This approach made it easier to select the type of information that you were trying to collect from the data table. The final mechanism gave you the ability to move around the chart with your screen reader. For example, if you were looking at state poverty rates in each year during the 21st century, you could change the arrangement of the data to be by year, by state, or by a specified poverty rate percentage. By requiring you to answer various questions about the data, it was easy to realize how sighted folks can visually shift the data in their mind’s eye without even thinking about it. Moreover, it illustrates how, if people with vision impairments also have this capacity, it will be far easier for us to extract information about what the data shows. The tables were formatted in a way that made them easily readable for people who are blind. During the study, I found myself frustrated at times, in part because I wasn’t using the right commands to make the program work or because it took longer than I would have liked to find answers to the questions that were asked. I am not as patient as my mom would have wanted me to be, and I am competitive in situations where that isn’t even really of any importance. However, after reflecting on my experience subsequent to completion of the study, I realized that its methodologies really had the potential to markedly enhance the ability of people who are blind or have low vision to effectively access and analyze data. Given the constant and utterly amazing advances in technology and our knowledge base, I can’t even begin to envision what data research mechanisms will look like for our community in five years. But even a dinosaur is willing to hang on for the ride. ***** ** Affiliate News * What Does ACB Diabetics in Action Have to Offer? ACB Diabetics in Action (ACBDA) is a special-interest affiliate of ACB whose mission is to provide education and support to individuals living with diabetes and vision loss, parents and other caregivers. Supporting one another is the cornerstone of our work. We have many programs and services that you can participate in, and we invite your involvement! Each month on the 2nd Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern, we have our ACBDA Living Better with Diabetes educational Zoom call, typically with a formal presentation and speaker. On the 3rd Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern and 4th Monday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, we have our ACBDA Friends Supporting Friends casual chat, with members and friends sharing their frustrations and coping mechanisms for living well with diabetes and vision loss. If you’d like to join ACBDA, dues are $10 annually and afford members the following perks. We have a quarterly newsletter with timely information; a Peer Mentor Relations Program that is highly recommended for members and provides true benefit via the peer-to-peer support model; access to restricted information on our website, participation in our annual convention, held in conjunction with ACB’s national convention, and much more. Over the past few years, ACBDA has grown both in our programming as well as in our membership. We are an affiliate on the move, and recently secured our 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt status. If you have questions or would like further information, you may email us at acbdaorg@gmail.com or visit our website, www.ACBDA.org! * New Jersey Council of the Blind Offers Scholarship The New Jersey Council of the Blind is now accepting applications for the Bernard Zuckerman Scholarship. To be eligible, you must be legally blind, a resident of New Jersey, and a full-time college student (undergraduate or graduate) for the 2023-2024 academic year. To apply, you must: • Complete a scholarship application at https://njcounciloftheblind.org/scholarships/. • Obtain and submit a letter from your doctor to certify legal blindness; • Submit three reference letters from teachers, school counselors or other community advocate (no family members permitted); • Extracurricular activities and/or offices held, volunteer or other service activities. Submit your application and supporting documentation by May 15th to NJCB Bernard Zuckerman Scholarship, Scholarship Committee, PO Box 434, Woodbridge, NJ 07095; email scholarships@njcounciloftheblind.org. Please be sure to include all contact information, such as telephone number and email address. Interviews may be in person or by phone with members of NJCB scholarship committee or executive board. What is required of scholarship winners? At any meeting, by prearrangement with recipients, they can present a brief oral report on what it has meant to have the scholarship, and/or some significant events/experiences since the awarding of the scholarships. ***** ** In Memoriam: Donald Lee Thomson May 25, 1931-December 1, 2022 by Natalie Barrett Donald Lee Thomson of Waipahu, Hawaii, died December 1, 2022. He was 91. Born in Modesto, Calif., Don was blind from childhood. Because of this, Don’s life was dedicated to overcoming adversity. Anyone who knew Don understood his passion and commitment for the equal rights, opportunities, and advocation of independence for the blind community. His understanding, knowledge, and experience of addressing advocacy for persons with disabilities was invaluable. But those people Don surrounded himself with also knew the other side of him. While Don could certainly be loud, opinionated, and give off a gruff, curmudgeonly disposition, it only disguised the big heart underneath. Some will remember Don’s love of music — jazz in particular — and his love of baseball and liberal politics. On a memorial page for Don, a friend, Stephen O’Harrow said, “… He was a true friend, a friend I miss talking to every day. Don Thomson was one helluva guy, and I doubt we’ll see anyone like him again for many a year.” In his professional life, Don earned a master of arts degree in sociology and a concurrent master of arts degree in American Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1971. From 1971 until 2007, Don was a professor at Leeward Community College in the Social Sciences Division. After this appointment, Don went on to the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, where he took the position of professor emeritus. Among his other accomplishments are being president of Friends of Jazz Hawaii from 1990 through 1998, and serving on the state rehabilitation council. Many of you also know that Don dedicated a good portion of his time to the Hawaii Association of the Blind. * Photo Caption: Don Thomson enjoys a slice of pie for dessert at a local restaurant counter. He appears to be laughing. He sports a red, white and blue plaid shirt. Near the restaurant door is a fully decorated Christmas tree. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Barrett.) ***** ** 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. * NBP Announces its 2023 Boston Marathon® Team Erin Connors and Katie Carvalho have committed to run the 2023 Boston Marathon® (April 17, 2023) in support of braille literacy and NBP. Erin, a Newbury, Mass. resident, is a five-time NBP marathon team member, a National Braille Press trustee, and is an associate director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Katie, a Boston resident and long-time NBP volunteer, works at Liberty Mutual Insurance. * APH Celebrates 165 Years From their first embossing press in 1866 to the January 2023 introduction of the Monarch, a device for the delivery of braille and tactile graphics, APH has been a recognized innovator. To celebrate 165 years, APH announced the renovation and expansion of their campus in Louisville, Ky. Over 100,000 square feet of new construction will include a museum aptly named The Dot Experience. The current museum will close in early summer 2023, and reopen in 2025. For more information, visit www.aph.org. * New Book from NBP New in the children’s section is “Dear Mr. Dickens,” by Nancy Churnin and Bethany Stancliffe. It’s available in UEB for ages 7 to 9, and shows children how to speak up for what is right, and to stand up against prejudice. For more information, call toll-free, 1-800-548-7323, or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. * Request for Book Content Emma Moor, the 21-year-old granddaughter of Dr. John Hinchcliff, former vice chancellor (president) of Auckland University of Technology, is seeking stories and/or anecdotes from those who are blind and/or deaf for a book project. For more information, contact emma.moor1@gmail.com. ***** ** Thirty Years Ago in the Forum (Excerpted from “The Braille Forum,” March 1993.) Editor’s note: How far technology has come! Thirty years ago, the floppy disk version of the Forum was first offered on both 5.25” and 3.5” diskettes. Prior to that, anyone wishing to receive the magazine on diskette had to send in their own disk. Now we offer it via email and podcast, as well as the hard-copy versions (braille, large print, digital cartridge). As a result of recent budget decisions by the board of directors and officers of the American Council of the Blind, I’m pleased to announce that beginning with this edition of “The Braille Forum,” a new computer disk edition will be mailed directly to subscribers from the ACB National Office. … Those who subscribe to the floppy disk edition will receive their magazine between two and three weeks ahead of those who receive the print, braille or cassette editions. Those who subscribe to the computer disk edition will be switched from their current edition to the disk. The computer disk edition will contain a single ASCII file which includes the complete text of the print, tape, and braille editions. Pictures appearing in the large print edition will not be digitized and used on the computer disk edition, but captions will be included on the disk. Diskettes will be available in IBM/MS-DOS formats only. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop * For Sale: One 40-cell slate, with four lines. Gently used; no stylus. Asking $20 or best offer. Conambo 10 single ear wireless headset, good for Zoom and making phone calls. Asking $40 or best offer. Contact Merisa Musemic at (586) 899-8428 or by email at merisa.musemic@gmail.com. * For Sale: Enhanced Vision, Low Vision Solutions Smart Reader HD OCR, a Vispero brand, QSG-1602-00. This Smart Reader comes with the main unit, power cord, 19V power supply, and an HDMI cable. Asking $1,500 or best reasonable offer; will either pay for shipping or ship free matter for the blind (U.S. only). Will accept Venmo @Karen-Sturgill-1. If you have any questions, send an email to alan.sturgill@cox.net. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (2nd term, 2023) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2023) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2023) 216 Prestwick Rd. Springfield, IL 62702-3330 * Secretary Denise Colley (2nd term, 2023) 26131 Travis Brook Dr. Richmond, TX 77406-3990 * Treasurer David Trott (final term, 2023) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (2nd term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Miami Lakes, FL (1st term, 2026) Terry Pacheco, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2026) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Rachel Schroeder, Springfield, IL (1st term, 2026) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) 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, 2023) Cheryl Cumings, Seattle, WA (1st term, 2023) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (2nd term, 2024) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (3rd term, 2024) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2024) ***** ** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by email, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (518) 906-1820. To subscribe to the email version, contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, NLS-style digital cartridge, and via email. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (518) 906-1820. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from https://pinecast.com/feed/acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum. ###