The ACB E-Forum Volume LVII June 2019 No. 12 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. © 2019 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents Last-Minute Tips for Rochester, by Janet Dickelman Blossom with the Flower City Press Three Two One, by Jean Mann Celebrating Diversity in This Month’s E-Forum, by Ron Brooks Diversity Is the Key!, by Peggy R. Garrett Song of The People, by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega Another View: Its People Make America Great, by Larry P. Johnson Girl Scout’s Gold Award Project Gives Her Opportunity to Inform People about Rare Disorder, by Mikela St. John AA Meetings Meet the 21st Century, Go Online Affiliate News Passings Friends-in-Art Remembers John Dashney Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action Lawsuits High Tech Swap Shop Are You Enjoying the Themed Issues of ‘The ACB E-Forum?’, by Ron Brooks ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** 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. * Keep up with the most important ACB news and announcements without any other chatter. Subscribe to the ACB Announce listserv. Send a blank e-mail to announce-subscribe@acblists.org, or visit www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/announce and type your email address and name where indicated. * Want to enjoy ACB Radio but have no computer? It’s all there for you by phone. Call (605) 475-8130. * ACB Radio, the place to be with people in the know! www.acbradio.org ***** Last-Minute Tips for Rochester by Janet Dickelman As you read this, we will be in the midst of conference registration. Although you can register on site, pre-registration saves time and money. There is still plenty of time; pre-registration will remain open until June 23rd. To pre-register, visit www.acb.org or call 1-800-866-3242. Convention dates are July 5th through July 12th. ** Sponsorship Thanks Make sure to read the conference gems section of the 2019 program and learn of all the generous sponsorships. I’d like to acknowledge three sponsors whose generous gifts directly impact your convention costs. ** Reduced Hotel Rates Please don’t contact the hotels about this exciting news. This will all be handled internally! Aira is a crown jewel sponsor at this year’s convention. They are not only providing reduced hotel room rates, but free access to Aira for everyone! Aira Looks Forward to Welcoming You to the 2019 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention in Rochester! As you know, the 2019 American Council of the Blind conference and convention will be held in Rochester, N.Y. from Friday, July 5th through Friday, July 12th. What you may not know is that this year’s reduced room rates come courtesy of Aira. ACB members attending the conference can enjoy a reduced hotel rate of $82 per night. This is applicable for ACB members only. Aira will also be providing free service during the event, meaning you can explore and experience everything the convention has to offer with Aira at no cost to you – from the moment you get to Rochester Airport, to entering your reduced rate hotel room, to visiting exhibit booths and reading menus while at dinner with friends. Aira and ACB look forward to meeting you at this year’s conference and convention. Come say “hi” to the Aira team at their booth and attend their interactive talks. You can find all the details about Aira convention happenings at aira.io/acb. ** Reduced Tour Costs Thanks to a diamond sponsorship from JPMorgan Chase for off-site ACB educational and recreational events, many of our tour costs have been reduced. Some of the tours impacted by this sponsorship are our visit to Niagara Falls, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Eastman House, Susan B. Anthony and Strong Museum of Play. This new pricing will be reflected on the registration form. Google, also a diamond sponsor, is sponsoring our banquet, which has greatly reduced the cost of our banquet tickets. Have a great meal, enjoy a wonderful performance by our special guest Ginny Owens and take home a banquet favor, all courtesy of Google! ** More News about Focus Groups and Studies JPMorgan Chase & Co. is committed to meeting the banking and financial services needs of all our customers. Members of JPMC’s digital team will be on site to show you how they make digital products accessible and usable by all. We would like your input on our Chase mobile checkout app. For this study, we are seeking iPhone VoiceOver users who are also small business owners or have a side business where they accept card payments. In these sessions of 1-1 user testing, we will ask you to complete common tasks using a test device to get your feedback. The study will not require you to log into your personal phone. Your personal information will remain protected. Sessions are expected to last approximately one hour. To attend one of the sessions, please contact eCAT.Communications@chase.com. Sessions will be held on Monday, July 8th and Tuesday, July 9th. Session times are (two sessions available per timeslot): 9-10 a.m. 10:15-11:15 a.m. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 1:30-2:30 p.m. 2:45-3:45 p.m. 4-5 p.m. UNAR Labs is seeking individuals to test new digital information products using multisensory feedback on smartphones and tablets. UNAR’s team is motivated by the mission of making all aspects of digital media accessible to everyone beyond their sensory limitations. We are building new technology to enable multisensory access to digital media information and to bridge the gap between disability and opportunity. We want to understand the current needs and problems of blind and visually impaired users in supporting your educational, social, and vocational training as well as in everyday life activities. We invite all interested people to take a brief 20-30 minutes of your time during the conference to talk with us about your experiences and perspective of accessibility problems related to information access. We also want to show you some of our new access products and get your input on where we are going. UNAR Labs team members will be available all day July 8th, 9th and 10th; see the convention newspaper for the room number. All participants will be entered into a raffle; four lucky winners will be selected on July 10th. Each winner will receive a $50 Visa gift card. For more information, and to sign up, send email to unarlabs@gmail.com. ** Other Sessions Microsoft will be hosting three sessions. As of this writing, dates and times have not yet been finalized. Featured sessions will be “What’s New in Narrator,” “Magnifier and Low Vision Improvements within Windows 10,” and “Adventures with Microsoft Soundscape.” ** Staying in Touch Convention previews are sent out to the convention email list. They will also be aired on ACB Radio for those who don’t have e-mail access. Previews provide details regarding programming, tours, hotel materials and menus as well as information about the Rochester area. If you received updates for the 2018 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe. If you have not been on the convention announce list, send a blank e-mail to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org. ** Hotel Details Room rates at the Hyatt and the Riverside are $89 per night (single or double occupancy, with an additional $10 per person for up to four people per room). This room rate does not include tax, which is currently 14%. For telephone reservations, call the Riverside at (585) 546-6400, or the Hyatt at 1-800-233-1234. Make sure to mention you are with the American Council of the Blind 2019. Rooms must be booked by June 7, 2019 to guarantee the convention rate. To make reservations online, visit www.acb.org and follow the 2019 convention link. ** Convention Contacts 2019 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2019 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via email, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Blossom with the Flower City Press Are you coming to convention? Do you like helping out where needed? The Marcia Nigro Dresser Communication Center is now seeking volunteers to help collate and staple papers, take ads and announcements, and staff the room. Sharon Lovering is the operations manager. She is seeking volunteers to fill two-hour shifts throughout the day (8-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-noon, noon-2 p.m., and 2-4 p.m.). The communication center will be open Thursday through Wednesday, and be taken down Thursday morning; it will open daily at 8 a.m. and close to the public at 5 p.m. To sign up for a shift, contact Sharon at the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. This year’s convention newspaper will be called “The Flower City Press.” It will run from Friday through Wednesday in braille and large print. Ads and other items intended for publication must be in the center’s hands by 2 p.m. each day. Ads should be 75 words or less. By a directive from the board of publications, ads will be allowed to run for three days maximum – no exceptions. If you wish to advertise in the newspaper, please contact Margarine Beaman, advertising and sponsorship coordinator, at (512) 921-1625 or by email, oleo50@hotmail.com. The BOP’s editorial policy manual prohibits us from producing or distributing campaign materials. During the evenings, we will need people to help collate and staple the braille papers. Thanks to HumanWare, we will have three braille printers this year. Are you a night owl? Are you good at separating braille copies from each other, separating the pages, collating and stapling? Drop by and see if the communication center needs help. If you have signed up for home delivery of “The Flower City Press,” drop by the information desk and give them your name, hotel and room number, and format preference once you arrive. This will ensure that you don’t miss an issue. Hold onto your Friday issue; it will include all the suite numbers, phone numbers, and room changes. If your committee or affiliate needs something brailled, we will be able to do that. Make certain you label your thumb drive or memory card before bringing them down to the communication center, and tell us how many copies you will need, by what time, as well as how we can reach you (email address, cell phone, etc.). Save yourself a trip back to your hotel room by making sure that your document(s) are on the drive or memory card before you come down. Want to beat the crowds? Bring your items down in the morning before the general session to help us fit them in. Affiliates, if you know who your delegate, alternate, and nominating committee representative will be, please let Ray Campbell, ray153056@gmail.com, and Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org, know as soon as possible. ***** Three Two One by Jean Mann Three two one. What in the world am I talking about? Three two one (321) is the number of donors we hope to have enrolled in the Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) Program by the end of this summer’s ACB conference and convention in Rochester, N.Y. By now, most of you are familiar with the MMS Program. But in case you’re new to ACB, or haven’t read the “Forum” in awhile and seen our articles, here’s a quick review of what the program is and how it works. Every month, the amount of money you designate (a minimum of $10) is either charged to your credit card or withdrawn from your checking account as a tax-deductible donation in support of ACB. One hundred percent of your contribution may be given to ACB, or you can request that up to 50 percent of what you donate go to an affiliate of your choice. If you’d like to contribute to more than one affiliate, you can do that also. Sign up as many times as you like. Each time you do, up to half of the amount you donate will go to ACB and the other half will go to the affiliate you choose. If you’re already contributing through MMS, we sincerely thank you for what you have given so far. And even if you yourself are not a member of ACB, you can still join the program. We very much appreciate your support. There are several ways for you to join the program. You can visit www.acb.org, tab to the Donate Now button, and then tab to the MMS program. Or you can call the ACB office in Minneapolis at (612) 332-3242, and they’ll help you fill out the necessary forms to get you started. If you’re coming to this year’s convention in Rochester, look for the MMS table in the exhibit hall or the Marketplace after exhibits close. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and sign you up. And, if you sign up during convention week or increase your monthly donation by at least $5, your name will be entered in a daily drawing for over $50 in gift cards. As has become a tradition, everyone who joins the MMS Program or raises their monthly donation by at least $5 any time between the end of the 2018 conference and convention and the end of the 2019 conference and convention, which ends on July 11, will be eligible to win one of two great prizes: an Amazon Echo or a Toshiba 43-inch Integrated TV. So whether you’re coming to Rochester or not, please help us reach our three two one goal. We hope we’ll see you in July, but if not, we hope we’ll hear from you soon! ***** Celebrating Diversity in This Month’s E-Forum by Ron Brooks, chairman, ACB Board of Publications For almost 60 years, the ACB has welcomed people with diverse backgrounds, points of views and philosophies about blindness. And over the years, we have come to love and respect the full range of diversity that is represented in the blind community. Affiliates and committees represent the unique perspectives and concerns of just about any group one can name — from women, to seniors, to families, to students, to young professionals, to people of color. All of this diversity makes us stronger, makes us more real, and gives us the broad range of perspectives that we must have to address the full range of concerns of blind and visually impaired Americans — all blind Americans from backwater towns in the upper Midwest to the teeming cities of the east and west coasts and everywhere in between. In this edition of “The ACB E-Forum,” we are celebrating the wonderful diversity that makes ACB so strong. We have profiles of affiliates and committees that work among our diverse membership, articles about blindness from an international perspective, from the perspective of a young author with a rare disorder, and so much more. It is our hope that this diversity will surprise you, impress you, encourage you, and challenge you to embrace as much diversity of perspective, thought, age, gender, skin color, ethnicity, etc., as you can. Because if we are able to respect and embrace one another while celebrating our differences, we will all become so much stronger as we work together on behalf of all blind and visually impaired people throughout the USA and the world at large. ***** Diversity Is the Key! by Peggy R. Garrett, chair, Multicultural Affairs Committee The American Council of the Blind is one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, if not in the world. Members include men, women, and children of all ages and many different races, religions, education and economic levels. This diversity creates a vast pool of experience, talents and knowledge from which ACB can draw to train, mentor and develop future leaders to ensure a strong future ACB. One of the most important features of any organization is its members. However, one of the most difficult problems for most organizations is retention. One of the biggest reasons why members are lost is because they are not made to feel that they are important to the organization. Inclusion is what keeps members interested, and it is also what makes people want to contribute. When a person feels that his or her voice and opinions are important, they will work harder for that organization. When a member is encouraged to give of his/her time and specific talents, he or she feels that they have an investment in that organization and are more likely to remain. These members are also more likely to encourage others to join. However, when members, especially minorities, are not encouraged to participate or not included in leadership roles, the organization suffers not only the loss of members, but also more importantly, the loss of the wisdom, knowledge, talents and support those members possess. It is important that people who are already in leadership positions reach out to minority members and encourage and mentor them to take active roles at all levels of ACB. This inclusion opens the door to a more cohesive organization. Inclusion = retention = growth = strength. The mission of the Multicultural Affairs Committee (MCAC) is to promote and sustain a cohesive and inclusive environment that truly values and embraces diversity, cultures, differences, and perspectives within the framework of ACB. MCAC hosts programs and activities each year during the ACB conference and convention designed to combat bias, bigotry and racism, while promoting intercultural dialogue, awareness and respect for diversity. This year’s theme is “Strength In Diversity.” Come join us and have some fun! The annual luncheon will be held on Sunday, July 7th from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. The cost is $30 pre-registration, $32 at the door. The luncheon will feature Akwaaba, a presentation focusing on Frederick Douglass and the Underground Railroad, including historical figures Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman and a person heading to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Akwaaba’s living history presenters are Rochester residents who are accomplished educators, social workers, and healthcare professionals. Join us for a historical and entertaining presentation! Immediately after the Akwaaba presentation, we’ll hold a candidates’ forum for all those seeking election in 2019. This is your chance to hear firsthand the candidates’ goals and plans for the future of ACB. Our mid-week social will be held Tuesday, July 9th, from 5 to 6:15 p.m. Cost is $18 pre-registration, $20 at the door. As the whirlwind week of convention activities is winding down, take some time to relax and join MCAC at the Midweek Social for fun, food, music, and door prizes - take home a memento from Rochester! ***** Song of The People by DeAnna (Quietwater) Noriega The land was young and life was good for us, The people who were first. The earth our mother welcomed the soft tread, Of our moccasined feet, She gave us corn, beans, squash, nuts and berries. She fed us on wild rice. There were clear springs and streams to quench our thirst, And we were strong and free. We wandered her mountains, forests and plains, We walked on holy ground. We hunted the deer, bear and buffalo, For clothing, food and tools. Father sun smiled and touched us with his hand. And nothing did we lack. Came men whose skins were meant for mists and rain. From far across the sea. They tore our Mother’s flesh with iron plows, With fences bound it round. They pushed us from one place to another, To lands they didn’t want. Wherever we moved they came following, And drove us somewhere else. No kin to them were bear and buffalo, They killed them without need. For blankets, beads and empty promises, We sold our mother’s gifts. With fire water, we dulled our senses, It stole away our souls. Came smallpox, measles and malaria, And we watched our children die. When only sickness, death, pain, and hunger, Was what remained for us; They said we were just worthless savages, Not human after all. If this burden was not enough to bear, They tried to teach us shame. Sitting Bull never reached the battle ground, He helped the weak to flee. They named him a bloodthirsty enemy. They wrote the history. They said they had the right to take our homes, To drive us from our place. Like the wolves, our brothers they hunted us, They penned us where they willed. Our young were taken to be put in schools. They kept them far from home. To speak their tongues, the children they forbade. They thought to tame wild hearts. They wanted all people to live like them. And read their holy book. The Great Mystery spoke to them in it, Told men to rule the earth. They said the earth is not our mother, They owe her no respect. If Jesus was the son of the maker, Then did he love us too? Why did his other children want to cheat? To take what wasn’t theirs? Why did they say you must believe his words? When they showed they did not? Our hearts lost hope, our voices almost stilled. Our numbers were so few. We offered up our prayers and sang our songs, We tried to understand. They came seeking to learn of our magic, To write it in their books. Now that much has been lost of who we were, They wish it were not so. They long to buy with plastic credit cards, The wisdom that was ours. Such things cannot so easily be had, They must be earned, not bought. ***** Another View: Its People Make America Great by Larry P. Johnson Reprinted from “The San Antonio Express-News,” March 9, 2019. (Editor’s Note: Larry Johnson is an author and motivational speaker. He is available for luncheon talks or workshop presentations. You can contact him via email at larjo1@prodigy.net or visit his website at www.mexicobytouch.com.) Contrary to what some may be saying, America is already great, and it always has been. We are among the largest democracies in the world. We have the most powerful military. We’re free to worship as we choose. We have a free press. And we’re free to speak our mind, even if what we say sometimes is ridiculous, uninformed or harebrained. But what really makes America great is its people. People like world-famous chef Jose Andrés, a Spanish immigrant who emerged as a leader of the disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017. He organized a grassroots movement of chefs and volunteers to establish communications, food supplies and other resources, and started serving meals. His organization, World Central Kitchen, served more than 2 million meals during the first month after the hurricane devastated Puerto Rico. People like those in the Cajun Navy, informal ad-hoc volunteer groups of private boat owners who assist in search-and-rescue efforts in Louisiana and adjacent areas. Formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they were reactivated in the aftermaths of the 2016 Louisiana floods, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the 2018 Hidalgo County flood. They have been credited with rescuing thousands during those disasters. People like those who volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps build affordable houses for low-income families to call home. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built thousands of affordable homes for American families in the U.S. and worldwide. Here in San Antonio, Habitat for Humanity volunteers build 40 to 50 affordable family homes every year. And people like Brinley Williams, the 7-year-old from Hugo, Okla., who was given an American Girl doll when she was in the hospital for kidney problems and decided that she wanted to give back to others. So she sold lemonade and helped out in a restaurant to raise money to buy dolls for sick kids in St. Francis’ children’s hospital. She and her parents even customized the dolls so that they’d resemble the girls receiving them. America achieved its greatness, and continues to demonstrate its greatness, by being a mosaic of different cultures. This country of Native Americans and immigrants who came from around the world (albeit some involuntarily) absorbs elements of different cultures to create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. E pluribus unum. Out of many we are one — “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We have an amazing capacity for adjustment, self-correction and renewal, unequaled among the nations of the world. We possess a deep commitment to, and respect for, each person’s inalienable rights as inscribed in our founding charter. It is the basis for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Our American birthright belongs to everyone. President Harry S. Truman: “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” Condoleezza Rice: “The essence of America — that which really unites us — is not ethnicity or nationality or religion. It is an idea — and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.” Yes, we can. And that’s how I see it. ***** Girl Scout’s Gold Award Project Gives Her Opportunity to Inform People about Rare Disorder by Mikela St. John Hi! I’m Mikela. I’m 17, a senior in high school, an actor, a Girl Scout, and I have VActerL. What is VACTERL? It is a rare association of birth defects that affects 1.6 out of every 10,000 live births. VACTERL is an acronym: V for vertebrae; A for anorectal malformation; C for cardiac; TE for tracheoesophageal; R for renal; L for limb. In order to have VACTERL, you have to have three of the six types of birth defects. I have three of the six — V, A, and L. I’ve been given the opportunity to write quite a few papers in school about VACTERL. I learned a lot about the science behind VACTERL, and it frustrated me that there was so little research. It saddened me that people had to explain what VACTERL was to their new doctor. Frankly, it scared me. I’m going to college in a few months, and I’m going to have to find a new doctor and deal with VACTERL and all its implications with a lot less help than I’ve had. I knew then that I wanted to do something to raise awareness for VACTERL. Girl Scouts gave me a great opportunity to do just that through the Gold Award, which is similar to becoming an Eagle Scout (if you’re familiar with Boy Scouts), but the Girl Scout project is much, much harder. I originally planned to make my Gold Award project about raising support and awareness for VACTERL. After receiving some pushback from Girl Scouts, I widened the scope of my project to raising support and awareness for rare disorders, with a focus on VACTERL. My project has five parts to it: 1) organizing San Jose’s First Annual Walk for Rare Diseases (and ensure it is an annual walk), 2) creating a VACTERL user-friendly website to be used by patients and hospitals, 3) creating a patch program for Girl Scouts, so they can learn more about rare diseases, 4) creating an ambassador program of people with VACTERL to reach out to people and continue the work of the project, and 5) creating a good news book to donate to hospitals. As of this writing, I have completed the first part of my project. San Jose’s First Annual Walk for Rare Diseases took place on March 2, 2019. I had 150 people signed up to be there (either through registration or volunteers), a sponsorship from Soleno Therapeutics (who made it possible to have T-shirts), six exhibitors, and a food truck. Unfortunately, it rained the day of the walk, but we still had at least 120 people there. People were so excited to walk and show support for rare diseases. I felt incredibly supported. I was able to get Councilmember Johnny Khamis (San Jose, District 10) to come and speak, and he gave me a certificate of appreciation for organizing the walk. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) had someone from her office come to give me an official recognition for San Jose’s First Annual Walk for Rare Diseases. The people I talked with were all excited to be there and see someone trying to raise awareness for rare diseases. Now that the walk is over, I am directing my energy to finishing the rest of my Gold Award project. If you’re interested, follow @sjrarediseases on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I am going to Hillsdale College in Michigan, and I plan on majoring in politics and going to law school after I earn my BA. I want to do more in college with raising support and awareness for rare diseases, and I am grateful to have gotten so much support so early in my journey. If you’re in the Bay Area, I hope to see you at San Jose’s Second Annual Walk for Rare Diseases! Happy belated rare disease day, and I hope you are all showing your rare. ***** AA Meetings Meet the 21st Century, Go Online Hello, I am an ACB member and I am an alcoholic. I have been attending A.A. meetings for over 36 years and have not found it necessary to drink since I became active in the program in 1982. Quoting from the official A.A. website, “Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is non-professional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.” According to one widely accepted statistic, more than 15 million people in the United States struggle with an alcohol abuse disorder, but less than 8 percent of those have sought treatment. Whether you are seeking a solution to your own drinking problem, a student wishing to learn more about alcoholism, or a recovering alcoholic looking for a way to supplement your regular meeting schedule, I hope you will give online AA meetings a try. I have recently established two new weekly open discussion meetings that use Zoom, a web-based conferencing program that is widely used by people who are blind throughout the world. While many online meetings use text-chat and video, these meetings are audio only. Participants can dial in by phone or attend via a Windows or Mac computer, or via an iOS or Android app. One is on Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, and the other is on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. New meetings need participants to remain viable, so I do hope you will join us when you can, and now here are the meeting details from the A.A. online intergroup website at https://www.aa-intergroup.org/. ** Sleepers AAwake: Open telephone discussion meeting from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturdays. Not an early riser? Try our sister meeting, “Zoom into Sobriety” on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. The link and phone numbers are below. We have tried to ensure that our meetings cater especially, but not exclusively, to the needs of blind AAs. Audio via Zoom via Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, or dial in by phone: One tap mobile +1-646-558-8656, 194505194# Dial +1-720-707-2699, 194505194# Web site: https://zoom.us/j/194505194 If you have questions, email jlblists@gmail.com. ***** Affiliate News ** ACBGE and Employment Committee Want You to Bring Your Resume Hey, hey! Bring your resume! ACBGE and the Employment Committee are sponsoring a workshop that will allow you to work one-on-one with a human resource specialist. Joanne McIntyre has over 20 years of experience working in the HR field. And she will be able to meet with you and assist you with your resume at convention! To schedule an appointment with Joanne, contact Judy Jackson via email, jjackson193@icloud.com, or call (940) 255-9241. Appointments must be made prior to convention and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Joanne will also be our guest speaker during the ACBGE annual luncheon. ** BRL Now Has a Facebook Page! The Braille Revival League (BRL) is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. Check out their newly established Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/BrailleRevivalLeague! BRL welcomes any person, blind or sighted, who believes in and is willing to work for the furtherance of braille as the primary medium of literacy for people who are blind or for whom braille is a viable method for reading and writing to become a member of this exciting affiliate. BRL is a membership organization whose purpose is to promote the teaching, production and the broader acceptance and use of braille as the primary tool of literacy for people who are blind. Its membership is comprised of braille users, teachers, transcribers, braille producers and other individuals who are proponents and supporters of braille. BRL believes braille instruction should be available in all schools and other educational facilities to students who are blind or functionally blind and that the mastering of braille should become a required and integral part of the curriculum for the training of prospective teachers of students who are blind. ** GDUI Convention Features Three Dog Night Raffle, BarkaLounge, And More The GDUI convention will take place from Sunday, July 7 through Wednesday, July 10. Big thanks to the convention program planning team: Lynn Merrill; Sarah Calhoun; Nara Murphy; Maria Hansen; Penny Reeder and Andrea Giudice. A few courtesy reminders from Mr. A. (Andrea’s guide): • Keep your dog on a short leash when out and about in the hotel. • Give your guide dog a chance to relieve at least twice as often. The water is different from home, there’s lots of excitement, the schedule is more hectic than at home, etc. • And please remember to pick up after us. I get so embarrassed by what my mom says when she steps in poop! • Convention is one of the most stressful working environments for us guide dogs. Give us every opportunity to be successful. Get tickets for the Three Dog Night Raffle. This year we have three plush dogs wearing beautiful, hand-crafted leather Hava Original harnesses available! To purchase tickets via phone, call Sarah Calhoun at 1-866-799-8436. During convention, tickets will be available in the BarkaLounge. GDUI BarkaLounge hours: Sunday, July 7, noon to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, July 8 and 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, 9 a.m. to noon. Sunday, July 7th, the BarkaLounge opens at noon. Kick back and enjoy; socialize, purchase cool products, get your guide a restorative canine massage, and, best of all, the lovely Louisville Ladies (Miss Jane and Miss Connie), the queens of the BarkaLounge, will be there to help. Carla, canine massage therapist, will be available only during BarkaLounge hours this year. To schedule time for your dog’s massage, call her at (650) 678-0884. GDUI is partnering with Genesee Community College to provide nail trimming and ear cleaning. This complimentary service will also be available during BarkaLounge hours. Sunday’s first session runs from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. It’s titled “Help Your Dog Adjust to Convention Life.” The presenter is Becky Barnes Davidson, Consumer Outreach, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Get tips on dealing with the relief areas, other guide teams, canes, finding help, and conquering convention chaos! GDUI’s Hotel Orientation runs from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. This is for guide dog users only, and will be provided by guide dog school staff and trained volunteers. GDUI’s board meeting runs from 3 to 4 p.m., followed by a meet-and-greet with the GDUI board from 4 to 5 p.m. The live auction preview begins at 3:30 and ends at 6 p.m. Check out all the cool, interesting items that will cross the auction block! Volunteers will be available to assist with describing items. (Note: GDUI is not responsible for shipping any auction items.) Doors open for the live auction at 6:45 p.m. A cash bar will be available. The auction begins at 7 p.m. It will have all the things you love about auctions - a vast array of items to encourage bidding battles, a cash bar, and … much laughter! Stay tuned to the GDUI Announce list for teasers about items in this year’s auction. Start your Monday off right with the GDUI Morning Bark. Join the group for a community run for kibbles, coffee and conversation. Enjoy mingling and sharing stories with guide dog school grads and staff from across the country. All are welcome. Again Monday, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., GDUI will hold its hotel orientation (for guide dog users only). See Sunday’s description for details. The BarkaLounge opens at 10 a.m. Monday’s first session kicks off at 1:15 p.m. Give a quick intro for yourself and your dog, count how many fellow grads are from your school, how many of the same breed of dog are in the room, learn which friends have returned for another year, and hear important announcements regarding GDUI2019. Session 2 starts at 2:45 p.m., and is called “Moans, Groans and Grumbles.” Presenters to be announced. Not sure which food your guide dog should be eating? Then come to session 3 from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Renee M. Streeter, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, will sort it all out for you and your guide. At 5:45 p.m., come and check out how to access graphics in a new way with Midlina! The presenter is Dr. Hari Prasath Palani, CEO of UNAR Labs, LLC. UNAR Labs is an early-stage start-up company developing products with the aim of providing blind and visually impaired people seamless access to digital media, from graphs to maps to text. We do this with our AI powered software platform, Midlina, which instantly transforms digital media content on your smartphone into a multi-sensory output perceivable through haptic (active touch), auditory, gestures, and enhanced visual feedback. Join us again Tuesday morning for the breakfast run. The BarkaLounge will open at 10 a.m. Hear some tall tales straight from the dog’s mouth from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. Guide dog school representatives will talk about how they do what it is that we are so grateful they do! Do your hackles go up when there’s a news story about service dogs (not guide dogs)? Drop in from 2:45 to 4 p.m. for “When Us and Them Becomes We!” Presenters Veronica Morris and Bradley W. Morris will talk about the panel at Top Dog that opened the door to conversations about how the guide dog community relates to the broader service dog community. Bring your questions and be prepared for unexpected answers in a conversation with a wheelchair user and a psychiatric service dog user from Psychiatric Service Dog Partners! Prepare to be surprised! Concerned about pedestrian safety? Had a run-in with a quiet car, or a distracted driver? Come to “Stop! Look! Listen!,” a pedestrian safety panel discussion, at 4:15 p.m. Representatives from guide dog schools will share tips and provide reminders on how to navigate. Are you more of a techie? Come check out “Top Ten Technology Treasures” with Steve Famiglietti from 5:45 to 7 p.m. There are many pieces of technology available to help people with low vision or blindness as they go through different phases of their lives. Each day, we are presented with many challenges ranging from equal access during school to staying healthy and fit. We’ll learn about exciting new developments, apps, and tech supports addressing the needs of individuals with visual impairments. Wednesday morning, join us for the morning bark at 6:45 a.m. All are welcome. The BarkaLounge opens at 9 a.m. – and you’ll only have an hour to purchase your raffle tickets for the Three Dog Night Raffle! Tickets are 3 for $5 and 7 for $10; winners will be announced during the luncheon. The GDUI luncheon will be held from 12:15 to 2:30 p.m. It features a keynote address and awards presentations. Lynn Merrill and Chris Eastwood will share their tale, “Quest to Conquer Katahdin, the Appalachian Trail’s End!” You will also have the opportunity to send up a cheer for the 2019 GDUI award winners. Get your tickets early - this year’s luncheon will sell out fast! For more information, teasers and updates, go to https://guidedogusersinc.org/gdui-convention-2019/. ***** 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. ** Frank Kurt Cylke Feb. 13, 1932-April 17, 2019 Frank Kurt Cylke died on Thursday, April 17, 2019. He was born in New Haven, Conn. on Feb. 13, 1932 to Helen and Frank Cylke. He loved his family. And he was proud to have been a librarian. Kurt defined his professional career as a mission — to open the worlds of knowledge, learning and scholarship to the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the well-educated and the poorly educated. He lived out this mission at school and university libraries in Palm Beach and New Haven; at city public libraries in Bridgeport, New Haven and Providence; as a volunteer at the county library in Great Falls; through gifts of his treasured book collections — Arthur Ransome to Georgetown University and Moby Dick to Mystic Marine Museum; at United States government libraries, as chair of the Federal Library Committee; and, most distinctively, in his 38-year tenure as director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. A career captured by an overriding idea. He believed libraries should be available and open to everyone, without distinction. Kurt’s career commitment to librarianship is reflected by the Joseph W. Lippincott Award, given to him by the American Library Association for a lifetime of distinguished service. In retirement, Kurt continued his lifelong love of books and reading. His preferences were long and varied. He also continued to treasure Great Falls, as a volunteer at the National Park and as an avid bird watcher with early morning groups. Kurt also was a member of the Knights of Columbus and member in good standing of the Crow’s Nest Officer Club, Saint John’s, Newfoundland. But none of these activities matched the enthusiasm and energy that he devoted to the Apostleship of the Sea with weekly visits to the seafarers at the Port of Baltimore. Kurt’s beloved family was the most meaningful consideration in his own understanding of life and legacy. His wife Mary, son Kurt Jr. (Anna), daughters Amanda (Jeff) and Virginia (Mark), grandsons Michael, Callaghan, Thomas, granddaughters Molly and Harper, and his brother Owen (Nancy). And it is probably safe to say that each of them, and countless other colleagues, friends and volunteers, will continue to recall “Poppy’s” lifelong association with books, boats and birds. Those who knew Kurt will remember his advice, taken from Arthur Ransome, “Grab a chance and don’t be sorry for a might have been.” He did much to benefit people who are blind through his leadership of NLS for 38 years. May he rest in peace! ** John Dashney Reprinted from “The Yamhill Valley News-Register” Storyteller and author John Dashney, who grew up in McMinnville, Ore., died Feb. 22, 2019. He was 76. Dashney was born in 1942 to longtime McMinnville residents William and Caroyl Dashney. He went to Memorial Elementary School, graduated from McMinnville High School and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oregon. Dashney, who was legally blind, became a storyteller in the late 1970s. He visited McMinnville schools many times over the years to tell his original tales to children; he also told stories across the U.S. and in other countries. He wrote several children’s books, including “Great Big Galloping Catfish,” “The King of Messy Potatoes” and “Summer of the Hunters.” During one of his last visits to local schools, Dashney told stories at Sue Buel Elementary in 2010. He explained how he progressed from speaking to writing. “My stories got longer and longer, so I thought, ‘This could be a book,’” he said. He told Sue Buel students he still loved to tell stories, performing them from memory with a great deal of expression. Dashney is survived by his son, Braden Dashney, granddaughter Violet Dashney, and former wife Judy Dashney. ** Caption: Frank Kurt Cylke addresses the American Council of the Blind’s 2001 convention in Des Moines, Iowa. ***** Friends-in-Art Remembers John Dashney I first met John Dashney when I first joined Friends-in-Art of ACB in 1985. I remember how amazed I was at his performance talent as well as the quality of his writing. He and I also both contributed to Si FI See, a recorded science fiction magazine, published by some blind ACB members back in the ‘80s. (John did not write hard science fiction, but his talent for fantasy and whimsy was unparalleled.) What I remember most about him was what a truly nice mentor he was, encouraging other blind and visually impaired peers to look at the arts as a vocation or avocation. He respected all blind and visually impaired artists, both amateur and professional. A few years later, in the early 1990s, I invited John to be the national speaker/entertainer at our state affiliate convention. Our convention was in Great Bend, Kan. that year, which is a long ride across the Kansas prairie from anywhere airplanes land. John got to ride across a goodly piece of Kansas with a van full of local blind and low-vision folks, and it was one of the most pleasant and entertaining cross-state trips I have ever taken. When we got to Great Bend, some folks in our local chapter said that it was too bad we had not scheduled John to entertain at some of the local schools. Arrangements were quickly made, and before John could get his land legs under him, he was whisked off to entertain the third-grade classes at a Great Bend elementary school. He was then whisked back to the hotel to entertain at our banquet. John was in his element. He loved it, and his great spirit was infectious. I have continued to admire John and his wonderful written works and presentational talents throughout the remainder of our lives together as fellow ACB and FIA members. John had the great ability to be relevant and funny without needing vulgarity or off-color references. One of the great things about his work is that he will be able to present it before the good Lord him- or herself at some of his/her social events, and that is a good thing. With all of the tough stuff the great deity has to ride herd over, he/she probably needs a good laugh or two, which John will be able to provide. — Michael Byington Storytelling is becoming a lost skill, and John was a really good storyteller. — Peter Altschul Anyone who ever heard John tell his stories will agree with that statement. John shared these unique, humorous and unforgettable tales in venues throughout the world, through his performances on FIA Showcases, and on cassette and CD recordings which have now become treasures to those who own them. In addition to recordings, John was the author of several books for children and adults. Armed with his materials in audible and print formats, he was a fixture at the FIA table in the exhibit hall. My late husband and I had the pleasure of working at the FIA table with John, and were thus able to observe him in action as he dealt with his adoring fans who always flocked to the table to make a purchase, or just talk. Ever friendly and courteous, he often went out of his way to provide assistance to us, or to help someone locate another exhibitor. He always included a personalized autograph on any of his merchandise. In his presence and through his stories, John shared his wisdom, his selfless nature, and his unparalleled sense of humor. In his memory, may we all strive to do the same. — Lynn Hedl ***** Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action Lawsuits Attention: All Persons with a Qualified Disability: This is a court-authorized notice. If you have used any of the City of New York’s ramps, cuts, or slopes where a pedestrian walkway crosses a curb (“pedestrian ramps”) since Jan. 26, 1994, or if you believe that you will seek to use the city’s pedestrian ramps in the future, and you are a person with a disability as defined by the ADA, you may be a member of the plaintiff class affected by the settlement of these lawsuits. Qualified disabilities may include, but are not limited to, mobility disabilities and vision disabilities. Please read this notice carefully. Your rights may be affected by legal proceedings in these cases. To read the notice online, go to http://acb.org/CIDNY-NYDOT-case-update. ** Notice of Class Action The purpose of this notice is to inform you of a proposed settlement in two lawsuits brought on behalf of persons with disabilities against the City of New York. This class action settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, was reached in: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association v. City of New York, 94 CV 0435 (GBD) (KNF) (“the EPVA action”) and Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York et al. v. City of New York, et al., 14 CV 5884 (GBD) (KNF) (“the CIDNY action”). ** Background Information The EPVA action was filed on Jan. 26, 1994, alleging that the city had failed to install pedestrian ramps at all of its corners, as required by Title II of the ADA, thus making streets and sidewalks inaccessible to the disabled. On Aug. 27, 2002, EPVA (now known as United Spinal Association) and the city entered into a stipulation (“the 2002 Stipulation”), which was “so ordered” by the Honorable U.S. District Court Judge Thomas P. Griesa on Sept. 10, 2002. The 2002 Stipulation certified (a) the plaintiff class, consisting of “qualified individuals with a disability, as defined in [the ADA] who use or seek to use pedestrian ramps in the city,” (b) EPVA as the class representative, and (c) Broach & Stulberg, LLP as class counsel. The 2002 Stipulation required the city to install pedestrian ramps at all corners lacking ramps, and to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to accomplish that goal. Pursuant to the 2002 Stipulation, the city installed pedestrian ramps throughout the five boroughs; amended its Pedestrian Ramp Transition Plan to recite its financial and operational commitments to those installations; and established, with EPVA, a working group to share relevant data, and a dispute resolution process to address conflicts. The court retained jurisdiction to decide disputes that the parties could not resolve. Subsequently, EPVA, through the working group, raised concerns about the need to: complete the installation of pedestrian ramps at the corners remaining to be ramped; upgrade pedestrian ramps that were not ADA-compliant; and improve the city’s system for responding to pedestrian ramp-related complaints. The CIDNY action was filed on Aug. 1, 2014, alleging, among other things, that the city had violated Title II of the ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, et seq., and the New York City Human Rights Law § 8-107 et seq., by failing to install and maintain pedestrian ramps in community boards 1, 2 and 3 in Manhattan. CIDNY brought the action on behalf of a putative class of “all persons with mobility and/or vision disabilities who use or will use New York City pedestrian rights-of-way in lower Manhattan.” CIDNY sought to be appointed the class representative, and Disability Rights Advocates (“DRA”) sought to be appointed class counsel in the CIDNY action. On Jan. 28, 2016, EPVA and the city entered into a “so ordered” Stipulation Resolving Disputes (“the 2016 Stipulation”), which was “so ordered” by Judge Griesa on Feb. 11, 2016. On May 31, 2016, the Honorable U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels held a fairness hearing concerning the 2016 Stipulation, at which counsel for the city, for EPVA, and for several disability rights organizations with objections to the 2016 Stipulation1 were heard. Following the hearing, the court appointed a special master to evaluate the 2016 Stipulation. On Aug. 1, 2017, the special master issued his report. Thereafter, counsel for the city, counsel for EPVA and the plaintiff class, and counsel for CIDNY and the other objectors engaged in extensive discussions and mediation sessions. As a result of those discussions, the parties now wish to effect a complete resolution and settlement of the claims, disputes and controversies presented in the EPVA and CIDNY actions, and to resolve their differences on the terms set forth in the proposed agreement. Judge Daniels, presiding in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is in charge of the EPVA and CIDNY suits. He did not decide in favor of the plaintiffs or the city in these cases. Instead, all parties have agreed to the proposed settlement terms. The class representatives and class counsel believe that the proposed agreement is in the best interests of the class members. 1 American Council of the Blind, Harlem Independent Living Center, Center for Independence of the Disabled New York, Bronx Independent Living Services, United for Equal Access, Inc., Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc., and Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (“Objectors”). ** The Plaintiff Class, Class Representatives & Class Counsel In a class action, one or more people or organizations, called class representatives, sue on behalf of people who have similar legal claims. One court resolves the issues for all class members upon approval of the agreement. For purposes of this settlement, the plaintiff class includes all persons with a qualified disability, including but not limited to mobility and vision disabilities, who use or seek to use the city’s pedestrian ramps. The agreement provides that EPVA n/k/a United Spinal Association and CIDNY will be the class representatives, subject to court approval. The agreement also provides for Broach & Stulberg, LLP (or a successor firm) and DRA to collectively serve as class counsel, subject to court approval. ** Summary of the Proposed Settlement Agreement The agreement commits the city to ongoing, widespread accessibility improvements to its pedestrian ramps through city-wide surveys, scheduled installations and upgrades, complaint remediation, ongoing maintenance, sharing of information, and third-party monitoring. The agreement requires the city to survey all street corners across the five boroughs using laser technology to determine how many currently require pedestrian ramp installations and/or upgrades. The survey is to be completed no later than October 2019. The survey results will be used by the city to target future pedestrian ramp upgrades and installations. They will also be incorporated into an Updated Transition Plan, which will set forth the schedule for installation and upgrades consistent with the agreement. The agreement requires the city to conduct two additional city-wide surveys during the term of the agreement in order to assess the status of pedestrian ramps in the city. The first of those surveys must be conducted by the close of fiscal year 2033; the second survey, by the close of FY2046. The agreement sets out long- and short-term deadlines to be met for installation of all remaining missing pedestrian ramps and upgrading of all non-compliant pedestrian ramps. The city is committing to installing and upgrading pedestrian ramps at specified rates. Overall, installations of remaining standard pedestrian ramps will be completed by FY2021, and installations of remaining complex pedestrian ramps will be completed by FY2030. Upgrades of non-compliant standard pedestrian ramps will be completed by FY2032. Upgrades of non-compliant complex pedestrian ramps will be completed by FY2034, and upgrades of the remaining non-compliant complex ramps will be completed at the rate of approximately 815 corners per fiscal year, starting in FY2035. These installations and upgrades will be accomplished through various means of construction, including but not limited to, in connection with the city’s resurfacing operations, in connection with complaints made by members of the public, and through a mutually agreed prioritization criteria. In addition to the installations and upgrades, the agreement requires the city to maintain its pedestrian ramps as required by the federal accessibility laws, both during and after the term of the agreement, so that members of the plaintiff class will be able to access those pedestrian ramps safely and independently. The maintenance will be performed on an ongoing, indefinite and regular basis, as required by federal accessibility laws. The agreement also requires the city to install or upgrade pedestrian ramps at both standard and complex corners whenever it resurfaces an adjacent roadway. The agreement commits the city to maintaining a pedestrian ramp complaint program in order to allow members of the general public to request installations and repairs as needed. The complaint program will require the city to permanently install or upgrade complained-of pedestrian ramps as soon as possible, and to dedicate a full-time in-house construction crew to respond to such complaints. The city also will provide temporary accessible solutions at such corners, as appropriate and compliant with federal accessibility laws. For complaints currently pending, the city will provide temporary accessible solutions, as appropriate and compliant with federal accessibility laws, by March 15, 2019. For complaints received after March 15, 2019, the city will provide temporary accessible solutions, as appropriate and compliant with federal accessibility laws, within 45 days of receiving the complaint. The city also will employ an associate deputy commissioner to head the Pedestrian Ramp Program Unit at the city’s Department of Transportation, to ensure that all implementation-related tasks are carried out. Finally, the agreement requires additional oversight of the implementation by an independent monitor for a period of up to 15 years. The monitor’s duties will encompass assessing, among other things: the surveying process; the progress with installing and upgrading pedestrian ramps; the pedestrian ramp maintenance program; and the pedestrian ramp complaint program. The monitor will conduct semi-annual reviews for the first five years, to be followed by annual reviews for the remainder of the monitoring period. Each compliance assessment by the monitor will be reported to the court, class counsel, and the city’s counsel within 30 days of the annual review. ** Release of Claims The agreement resolves and releases, up until the end of its term (i.e., the date on which all scheduled installations and upgrades are completed), all claims for injunctive, declaratory or other non-monetary relief that were brought, could have been brought, or could be brought in the future alleging that, during the period of Jan. 26, 1994 through the term of the agreement, persons with qualified disabilities were denied access to, excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of the city’s pedestrian ramps. The agreement does not provide for any monetary relief to the plaintiff class, and does not release any damages for personal injury claims that plaintiff class members may have. ** Reasonable Attorneys’ Fees, Costs and Expenses Plaintiffs and the city have not yet reached an agreement with respect to the amount of reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses to be paid. Absent an agreement between the parties, plaintiffs will seek an order from the court requiring the city to pay plaintiffs’ counsel and objectors’ counsel for all reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred since work began on this case through final approval of the agreement by the court, in addition to a certain sum for litigation costs and expenses incurred. Class counsel, as well as the monitor discussed above, shall also be entitled to reasonable fees, costs and expenses for monitoring the city’s compliance with the agreement. Any award of attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses must be approved by the court as fair, reasonable and consistent with prevailing marketplace standards. The court-awarded amount will not be paid from the monies to be spent on disability access improvements pursuant to the agreement. ** Fairness of Settlement Agreement The class representatives and class counsel have concluded that the terms and conditions of the proposed agreement are fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the plaintiff class. In reaching this conclusion, the class representatives and class counsel have considered the benefits of the settlement, the possible outcomes of continued litigation of these issues, the expense and length of continued litigation, and actual and possible appeals. ** The Court’s Final Approval/Fairness Hearing The court has preliminarily approved the settlement, and has scheduled a hearing for July 23, 2019, at 10:30 a.m., in courtroom 11A of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 500 Pearl St., New York, NY 10007. The purpose of the hearing is to decide whether the proposed settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, and should be finally approved. Although plaintiff class members are not required to attend the hearing, they have the right to attend and be heard there. The court will consider any objections to the settlement and listen to people who have asked to speak. After the hearing, the court will decide whether to approve the settlement, as well as consider how much to award class counsel as reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and litigation expenses. It is unknown how long this decision will take. The hearing date is subject to change. If you wish to be informed of any changes to the schedule, please notify class counsel at the addresses listed in the next section below. You may also check the Disability Rights Advocates’ website at https://dralegal.org/case/center-independence-disabled-new-york-cidny-et-al-v-city-new-york-et-al/, Broach & Stulberg’s website at http://www.brostul.com, the New York City Department of Transportation Pedestrian Ramp website at http://www.nycpedramps.info, or the public court records on file in this action at https://www.pacer.gov/ for any updates. ** Objections to the Settlement Agreement Any plaintiff class member may object to the terms of the proposed settlement described above by submitting a written or oral objection to class counsel via regular or electronic mail, or by leaving a message with their objection via telephone or video relay service. If you submit an objection, you may appear at the final approval hearing to have your objection heard by the court. However, you do not have to come to the final approval hearing to talk about it. If you plan to speak at the hearing, please indicate that you plan to do so in your objection. If you submit an objection, it should include the following information: (a) your name, address, and, if available, your telephone number and email address; (b) if you are being represented by counsel, the name, address, telephone number and email address of your attorney; (c) a statement of your objections; and (d) a statement of whether you are a member of the plaintiff class. Please note that the court can only approve or deny the settlement agreement, not change the terms of the settlement agreement based on objections or comments received. All objections must be submitted or postmarked on or before June 3, 2019. All email objections must be sent to the following email address: frontdesk@dralegal.org or rstulberg@brostul.com. All oral objections must be made by leaving a message at the following number: (212) 644-8644 or (212) 268-1000. All regular mail objections must be sent to one of the following addresses: Robert B. Stulberg, Esq. Broach & Stulberg, LLP One Penn Plaza, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10119 Michelle Caiola, Esq. Disability Rights Advocates 655 Third Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10017 Any class member who does not object at or before the final approval hearing will be deemed to have approved the settlement and to have waived such objections and shall not be able to make any objections (by appeal or otherwise) to the settlement. If you do not oppose this settlement, you need not appear or file anything in writing. ** Binding Effect The proposed agreement, if given final approval by the court, will bind all members of the plaintiff class. This will bar any person who is a member of the plaintiff class from prosecuting or maintaining any claim or action released under the terms of the agreement. ** Further Information The terms of the settlement are summarized in this notice. For the full terms and conditions of the settlement, visit https://dralegal.org/case/center-independence-disabled-new-york-cidny-et-al-v-city-new-york-et-al/, or http://www.brostul.com, or http://www.nycpedramps.info. You can also view the settlement by accessing the court docket on this case through the court’s Public Access to Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://www.pacer.gov/, or by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 500 Pearl St., New York, NY 10007, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding court holidays. For more information, or to get a copy of the agreement, or an accessible format copy of this notice, contact class counsel at either of the following addresses or telephone numbers: Robert B. Stulberg, Esq. Broach & Stulberg, LLP One Penn Plaza, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10119 (212) 268-1000 Fax: (212) 947-6010 Michelle Caiola, Esq. Disability Rights Advocates 655 Third Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10017 (212) 644-8644 Fax: (212) 644-8636 Please do not direct questions to the district court. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: Optelec ClearReader. Comes with carrying case and external keyboard. Never used. Asking $1,000. HumanWare VoiceNote QT; needs a battery. Make an offer. If interested, contact Elizabeth Bowden via email, bowdenelizabeth5@gmail.com. ** Looking For: I’m looking for a braille display. If you have one that you aren’t using anymore, and would be willing to donate, contact Maryann Sears, 2340 Highway 545, Dubach, LA 71235; phone (318) 245-5864, email timbersgirl219@gmail.com. ***** Are You Enjoying the Themed Issues of ‘The ACB E-Forum?’ by Ron Brooks In 2018, the ACB Board of Publications introduced a new concept for the ACB E-Forum. April’s theme was aging. June’s theme is multicultural and diversity. Our goal is to create a richer conversation, hear from more voices and perhaps some new writers as well. We think themed issues of the ACB E-Forum will be a good thing. Do you agree? To find out, we are including three questions at the end of each E-Forum, and we invite you to provide your answers to ACB Editor Sharon Lovering. You will find the questions, and Sharon’s information, below. 1. How would you rate the overall quality of this edition of the ACB E-Forum? o Excellent o Good o Fair o Poor 2. List one thing we could have done that would have made this edition of the ACB E-Forum better. 3. Do you have any ideas for future ACB E-Forum themes? You can provide your responses to Editor Sharon Lovering: • By email - slovering@acb.org • By phone - (202) 467-5081 We will use your feedback to make refinements to our theme-based approach for the ACB E- Forum. Thanks for reading our ACB Braille Forum and E-Forum magazines. You are the reason the BOP exists, and we look forward to serving you in the best way possible. ***** ACB Officers ** President Kim Charlson (3rd term, 2019) 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** First Vice President Dan Spoone (1st term, 2019) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 ** Second Vice President John McCann (2nd term, 2019) 8761 E. Placita Bolivar Tucson, AZ 85715-5650 ** Secretary Ray Campbell (3rd term, 2019) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Treasurer David Trott (1st term, 2019) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 ** Immediate Past President Mitch Pomerantz 1115 Cordova St. #402 Pasadena, CA 91106 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (1st term, 2020) Denise Colley, Lacey, WA (1st term, 2020) Sara Conrad, Madison, WI (2nd term, 2020) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2020) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (2nd term, 2022) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2020) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) Ex Officio: Debbie Lewis, Seattle, WA ** ACB Board of Publications Ron Brooks, Chair, Phoenix, AZ (3rd term, 2019) Paul Edwards, Miami, FL (2nd term, 2020) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (2nd term, 2019) Debbie Lewis, Seattle, WA (2nd term, 2020) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (1st term, 2020) Ex Officios: Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH Bob Hachey, Waltham, MA Berl Colley, Lacey, WA ***** 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 (605) 475-8154. To subscribe to the email version, visit the ACB email lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, digital cartridge, and via email. It is also available on 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://acb.org/braille-forum.