The ACB E-Forum Volume LIX June 2021 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, 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 Radio at www.acbradio.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 www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2021 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: Blindness Should Not Be a Barrier to Good Health or Good Health Care, by Dan Spoone Convention Sneak Preview, by Janet Dickelman Continuing Education and Professional Development News, by Carla Ruschival The New $20: A Chance for Accessible Currency, by Dan Spoone Summary of the February Board Meeting, by Penny Reeder “Get Up & Get Moving:” A Campaign out of Isolation for Full Inclusion & Independence, by Tony Stephens Get Exercise and Support an ACB Affiliate at the Same Time, by Judy Wilkinson Enjoy the Perks of Engaging with Your Neighbor, by Larry Johnson A Review of ‘Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,’ by Doug Powell Massage as an Antidote to Stress, by Koni Sims The Room, by Ann Chiappetta Affiliate News Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins High Tech Swap Shop Never Give Up and Never, Never Give In, by Ilana Breger 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. * ACB Radio, the place to be with people in the know! www.acbradio.org * ACB Radio Mainstream has blindness-related news you can use at www.acbradio.org/mainstream. ***** President’s Message: Blindness Should Not Be a Barrier to Good Health or Good Health Care by Dan Spoone This issue of the E-Forum focuses on exercise and good health. Both of these areas are very important to my family and our community. My wife, Leslie, has devoted her life’s work to the pursuit of physical fitness. As a blind woman, she has had to overcome the barriers of being told that a blind woman could not be an aerobics instructor and a personal trainer. How could a blind woman lead a class of sighted people in step aerobics, kickboxing, cycling, water aerobics, Pilates and yoga? Leslie did it. It was not easy, but she never gave up. The biggest challenge was the transportation hurdle to move from gym to gym to meet her classes. Finally, she gained enough experience and confidence to open her own women’s fitness center, which she owned and operated for five years. These experiences have brought her a group of lifelong friends that were clients at her gym. Leslie’s journey is similar to your own stories. It required persistence, fighting discrimination, turning skeptics into believers and winning the confidence of clients and employers. Having to prove herself over and over again to each new person she met that doubted her capabilities. I’m very proud of Leslie’s accomplishments, but it should not be this hard. Leslie has found a new exercise family in the ACB Community. She teaches exercise classes five days a week from Monday through Friday afternoons. I hear the smile in her voice each afternoon as she welcomes ACB members and friends to her yoga, resistance, and my favorite, the Friday Happy Hour Cardio classes. She has finally found a group of clients that are excited to receive instruction from a blind aerobics instructor. Leslie’s normal technique for instruction has always been to be very hands-on with her clients, making up for her lack of vision by using her hands to lead her clients through the proper routines. These ACB Community classes are 100% verbal, so she must describe the poses with directional cues. Put your hands at 11:00 and 2:00. Extend your arms straight above your head, reaching for the stars with your palms facing each other, while placing your feet shoulder width apart with your left foot at a 45-degree angle. These descriptions continue for an hour each day with lots of laughs, some yelling above the class noise and lots of questions and clarifications. She’s met so many new friends. The official class each day is usually followed up with more one-on-one instruction. Wow, I’m exhausted, and I’m only listening from the next room! Exercise is so very important to good health. So, as Leslie would say, “Please take 30 minutes each day to go for a walk, do some stretches and get your heart pumping.” The other major component of good health is good accessible health care. Accessible is the most important word in the previous sentence. The digital revolution has changed our lives in so many ways over the past 10 years. The health care industry has been profoundly impacted by this digital transformation. We now encounter digital accessibility issues with self-service kiosks at medical labs or hospitals, with online medical appointments and with digital heart monitors or continuous glucose monitors. These interactions with the medical profession can be terribly frustrating for our community. Most digital medical devices are not accessible. Such inaccessibility can no longer be blamed on the cost or capability of technology. Almost everything we own talks to us. We have smart houses, fully accessible smartphones and personal digital assistants, all with wonderful voices. So why can’t my heart monitor be accessible? Last month my cardiologist prescribed a three-week heart monitor for me to check out my heart rhythm. The monitor was a really cool setup. It had three major components. There was an adhesive electronic strip that had an entry port for a remote control. The strip had to be replaced every seven days. The second component was a one-inch by two-inch remote control that had to be charged every two days. The third component was a Samsung smartphone with a charger for both the phone and the remote control. The phone had to be charged each night. It was Bluetooth enabled and the remote control sent a continuous signal to the phone, which communicated to a data monitoring center in Dallas, Texas. The Samsung smartphone provided a series of reports. These included a set of green lights letting you know that the remote control was receiving a good signal from my heart and transmitting it to the smartphone that was passing the information to the data center in Dallas. How cool! Unfortunately, the Samsung smartphone was not accessible. I could not see any alerts or fill out any reports on my symptoms. Why not? We all know that the technical capability is available. My fear is that this lack of accessibility to the latest advancements will only get worse as the digital footprint in health care expands. Our blind and low vision community is going to be left behind if we do not act quickly. We must demand equal access to digital health care equipment. Delay will impact our health. We are entitled to the same independent monitoring of our own health as sighted patients. This is why the ACB “Get Up and Get Moving” campaign is so important. We must encourage our community to “Get Moving” with exercise and good nutrition. We must also encourage our community to “Get Moving” with the advocacy efforts that are required to ensure that digital health care equipment meets the full accessibility needed for us to independently monitor our health. Let’s all “Get Up and Get Moving.” Our lives depend on it! ***** Convention Sneak Preview by Janet Dickelman We’re getting set for the 2021 virtual conference and convention of the American Council of the Blind. Our first ever virtual convention last year was amazing, and this year looks to be even better. All sessions, with the exception of affiliate mixers and business meetings, will be streamed live on ACB Radio. This means we will have 8 consecutive streams, including audio- described tours, exhibitor channel and up to 6 sessions for our special-interest affiliates, committees and business partners. All times listed are Eastern time. ** General Sessions Our opening general session will be Sunday evening, July 18 at 7 p.m. Daily sessions will run Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the Friday session will run until 4 p.m. If needed to complete our elections, we will have a session on Saturday, July 24. ** An Evening with ACB Each evening there will be special programming. * Friday, July 16 You’ll get back-to-back entertainment on July 16th. First is ACB Film Night, which features a showing of the 2021 Academy Award-winning best picture with audio description. Afterward, enjoy the Friends-in-Art Showcase of the Performing Arts. * Saturday, July 17: Get Up and Get Moving Campaign Kick-Off Join ACB leaders and our Health Hero partners as we officially kick off the Get Up and Get Moving Campaign. The campaign raises awareness of the critical issues for people who are blind and visually impaired seeking to take back their health as we all come out of the pandemic. Learn how you can be a part of this three-year campaign and take the Get Up and Get Moving Challenge. * Sunday, July 18: Opening general session * Monday, July 19: Audio Description and Streaming Services Industry panel featuring representatives from major streaming services to discuss their products, programming, services, and offerings. * Tuesday, July 20: ACB Diamond Jubilee Auction Over 60 items with exciting vacations, scrumptious treats, latest technology and unique crafts. Request a bidder number when you register for the convention. Be a part of the fun and join us via Zoom, or listen on ACB Radio. Can’t wait for the auction to begin? Watch your email on Thursday, July 15th and Friday the 16th for the Appetizer Auctions, where a handful of items will be up for bid several times a day. * Wednesday, July 21: Increasing Financial Literacy Financial issues touch every aspect of our lives. The more we can learn about successfully navigating this whole area of interest, the more successful we can become in handling various financial matters that contribute to our independence. Although we could never hope to fully handle this subject in one panel session, we are presenting a sampling of topics we believe will be of interest and assistance to convention attendees: credit report accessibility, making bank deposits using your iPhone, and using Excel for pivot tables and data types. * Thursday, July 22: ACB Banquet Will feature presentations of ACB awards and keynote speaker Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait ... Don’t Tell Me!” * Friday, July 23: Audio Description and Olympic Opening Ceremony Extravaganza Pre-show Olympic coverage spotlighting the process of providing audio description for the Olympics through interviews with NBC personnel responsible for delivering television coverage of the event, profiles of the audio describers, interviews with present and past Paralympians, the members of the U.S. Goalball team, and much more. Then join ACB at 8 p.m. for the Olympic Opening Ceremony with audio description, carried on all ACB media outlets, making for one huge audio-described watch party. ** Our Business Partners On Friday, July 16 the following sessions have been scheduled: 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. • Vispero Interactive Discussion - Software, Hardware, and Training. • GDB Virtual Bowwow Brunch for GDB alumni and anyone interested in learning more about Guide Dogs for the Blind! 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.: Bookshare Office Hours at ACB! At 4 p.m. join En-Vision America for “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, WILL: Why Asking for Help is So Difficult.” En-Vision America will briefly address the psychology of why it’s so hard to ask for help, offer hints on overcoming hesitations and crafting more effective requests. 5:30 - 6:45 p.m.: HumanWare, “Discover the new X Series braille displays and upcoming enhancements for the BrailleNote Touch Plus and Victor Reader!” There will also be three sessions hosted by Microsoft on the 16th. On Tuesday, July 20th, join HumanWare from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. to explore HumanWare’s low vision portfolio, starting with the Reveal 16 product line and its easy-to-use interface. Experiment with the very versatile and portable Explore handheld magnifiers and be excited with a sneak preview of its soon to be released new family member. What else are we planning? ** Exhibit Hall Yes, we will have a virtual exhibit hall with all your favorite companies and some new ones, too. You can access the hall on ACB Radio from your computer, smart device or your telephone. There will be a calendar each day to let you know the presentation schedule. New this year: if an exhibitor wishes to have a Zoom room, we will publish their link and hours so you can visit directly with the vendor. ** Tours, Anyone? Our audio-described tour channel was a favorite stop for everyone in 2020. This year we will have some return tours from last year plus many new additions. 2021 Audio Tours for ACB National Conference & Convention • Flight 93 Visitor Center, Shanksville, PA • Guggenheim Museum, New York City • The White House, Washington, D.C. • Star-Spangled Banner-Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. • Oklahoma City Memorial, Oklahoma City, OK • U.S. Channel Islands, Ventura, CA (from a U.K. source) • Air & Space Museum Planetarium Show “And A Star to Steer Her By”-Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. • U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Museum, Washington, D.C. • FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY • Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida • Getty Museum-selected items, Los Angeles, CA • The Franklin House, Philadelphia, PA • Walt Disney Family Museum • Horseshoe Bend National Battlefield Park, National Park Service • Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers • Castle Williams, National Park Service By popular request, the following 2020 tours will also be a part of our tour channel: • Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park • Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Mount Rushmore Society • Klondike Gold Rush Museum, National Park Service • Holocaust Museum Houston (NOT APPROVED FOR SUBSEQUENT REBROADCAST) • Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, National Park Service • The Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota Convention registration is still open! Do you want to win door prizes, support ACB special-interest affiliates, receive recognition as an ACB sponsor, select the conference program in the format of your choice, receive Zoom links to participate in sessions or receive our convention newspaper “The Digital Daily, Second Edition?” Your $25 registration fee ($40 for non-ACB members) includes all these benefits and more. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 20. To register online, visit acbconvention.org, or call (651) 428-5059. Your phone call will be returned as quickly as possible; leave your name, telephone number and time zone. ** Staying in Touch The convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2020 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list. ** Convention Contacts 2021 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2021 advertising and sponsorships: Anthony Stephens, (202) 559-2045, astephens@acb.org For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Continuing Education and Professional Development News by Carla Ruschival Many continuing education (CE) and professional development (PD) opportunities are available at the 2021 ACB Virtual Conference and Convention. Continuing education units are recognized by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP). Individuals working in many diverse fields may also earn professional development hours from home or office through the power of ACB Radio and the Zoom platform. ACB’s 2021 CE/PD program is flexible enough to fit any need. In the past, you were required to register for each program or session for which you wished to earn CE or PD hours. Not so in 2021. Pre-registration for the conference and convention is now open. Visit the pre-registration page to discover an amazing array of programs that carry CE and PD hours. Additional events will be listed in the official conference program, on the convention website, or via 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. Then simply purchase the number of Flex Credits you need. During the convention, mix and match designated general session programming, relevant exhibit presentations and tours, and sessions sponsored by ACB and its committees, special-interest affiliates, and partners to create an experience tailored to your specific needs. Topics will include but are not limited to employment, technology, health and leisure, orientation and mobility, self-advocacy, braille, low vision, and much more. If you attend more programs and presentations than you anticipate, just submit reports for all sessions; we will contact you for payment. Individuals seeking CE and PD credits should arrive a few minutes early for each CE/PD session. A unique code will be announced at the beginning of each session, and another unique code will be announced at the end of each session. Make note of these codes, as you will need to include them in your report. Next, make note of the name of the program, the date, and the actual starting and ending times; use Eastern time for this purpose. Finally, following the convention, complete the CE and PD report that will have been emailed to you. You must enter the codes from your sessions and/or the dates and times for your Flex Credits on this form. You must also complete a report and evaluation form for each session or program. This will provide feedback to the presenter and/or provider, and will help ACB improve its CE and PD offerings in the future. Return all forms to ACB NO LATER THAN Aug. 30, 2021. Upon receipt of your completed forms, ACB will issue your certificate, indicating the number of CE units or PD hours earned with ACB. You are responsible for submitting your certificate to your employer for your PD hours or to ACVREP for your CEUs. Receive important conference information and updates in your inbox as they become available. Subscribe to the convention email list by sending a blank message to acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. For more information about CE and PD opportunities, contact Carla Ruschival, CE Chair, at (877) 630-7190 or at continuingeducation@acb.org. ***** The New $20: A Chance for Accessible Currency by Dan Spoone (Editor’s Note: This article was first published in “The Hill,” https://tinyurl.com/24y4wjdf.) On a cool spring morning in 1821, behind the damp stone walls of a former prison from the French Revolution, a young boy blinded by an awl in his father’s harness shop would sit down at his desk in Paris at the Institut National des Aveugles (National Institute for the Blind) and begin to move his fingers across a series of raised dots that would revolutionize how people who were blind would communicate. As the young French boy began to work out the pattern of dots that would forever bear his name, a young girl born into the chains of slavery 3,700 miles away, along the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, would take her first steps — steps that would someday lead her on a sojourn of liberation. Even though the two children lived worlds apart across the Atlantic Ocean, their spirits are closely tied together two centuries later as the Biden administration considers the introduction of the first new paper currency redesign in well over a decade. The proposed redesign is for the $20 note, which is slated to bear the face of Harriet Tubman, a historic leader of the Underground Railroad who carried slaves to freedom for decades during the years that led up to the Civil War. What many may not know is that while the new proposed paper currency will celebrate Harriet’s legacy of liberation, a federal court ruling in 2008 also requires the next paper currency issued by the U.S. Treasury be made accessible for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. It was Louis Braille who showed the world that people who are blind did not need to be left in institutions, but they could become literate and productive members of society. His technique of reading with the tips of the fingers was as revolutionary for people who were blind as the Gutenberg Press was for people who were sighted. As Harriet Tubman liberated people with her feet, Louis Braille liberated people with the pads of their fingertips. You may not notice it. But today, tactile information conveyed through the fingers is all around us: on keyboards and keypads, elevators and bank machines, building entrances and even the plastic lids of fast-food soda cups. However, one place it has never been is on the face of U.S. paper currency, even though Congress required 48 years ago that all federal programs and services be made accessible for people who are blind and visually impaired. Since the 2008 court ruling, the U.S. Treasury has tried time and time again to stall efforts to make the next paper note accessible for Americans who are blind. Its reasons and rationale are weak at best, especially when every other developed country in the world has been able to create accessible paper currency. Presently, there are 81 countries that have figured this out. So, too, should the United States. ***** Summary of the February Board Meeting by Penny Reeder ACB’s Board of Directors held its winter meeting on Feb. 20, 2021. All board members were present, as well as many ACB staff and contractors. The meeting was streamed live on ACB Radio, and the podcast is available on ACB Radio Events. The board approved the meeting agenda, minutes of recent meetings, and several motions approved and acted upon by the executive committee since the November board meeting. These included: • A statement on behalf of ACB deploring the events of January 6 when insurgents attempted to prohibit the orderly transition of power; • Giving staff authority to move forward with providing training on racial and ethnic diversity, and preventing sexual misconduct and harassment; • An ACB Community Events policy requiring trained hosts on all community calls and assuring appropriateness of topics for calls; and • Budgeted funds to create a new full-time staff position for administering the Audio Description Project (ADP) and grant writing. Doug Powell expressed concern about the frequency of relying on the executive committee to make decisions regarding time-sensitive issues in lieu of convening meetings of the full board for this purpose. This item was added to the meeting agenda as the first item of business. After discussion, it was decided to appoint an ad hoc committee, chaired by Ray Campbell, to consider when and how it is appropriate for the board to rely on the executive committee to make decisions, and when decisions should be deferred to meetings of the full board. February’s Mission Moment celebrated the ACB Radio team who have supported affiliate conventions and other ACB special events. Dan and Eric expressed their appreciation to Debbie Hazelton, Rick Morin, Deb Cook Lewis, Tyson Ernst, Jeff Bishop, Jason Castonguay, Katie Frederick, and countless volunteers who have supported ACB to provide streaming, editing, podcasting, and Zoom hosting. The board approved several reports submitted in advance: financial statements summary; editor’s report; development report; social media and web site statistical summary; membership report; and Audio Description Project update. Dan Spoone noted that much of the discussion on the agenda relates to ACB policy and guidelines. He wanted to assure ACB members and affiliates that ACB’s leadership is not attempting to be prescriptive or dogmatic. “What we are learning as we continue to grow and professionalize the American Council of the Blind is that there is a need — and it is one of the responsibilities of this board — to review the policies and procedures of our organization.” The board adopted policy changes for ACB community events. Cindy Hollis, ACB’s membership services coordinator, explained that the goal of these policies is to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in the community with emphasis on acknowledging and upholding ACB’s core values and Code of Conduct. Kim Charlson, ACB’s representative to the WBU, reported that their virtual 2021 convention, hosted by ONCE, Spain’s blindness organization, will take place June 28-30. The meetings are open to observers; Kim will share information regarding how to attend virtually. Kelly Gasque reported that as ACB’s steering committees become more familiar with applying the principles of the Entrepreneurial Operating System for administering meetings, they are finding that the structure is leading to greater productivity and more efficiency. Clark said the format has helped the advocacy steering committee to focus and move the committee’s work forward. The July auction and the December ACB Radio auction raised over $52,000. The convention auction is scheduled for July 20. The deadline for submitting auction items is June 1. The committee will offer “appetizer auctions” during the days preceding the auction. Executive director Eric Bridges and Clark Rachfal announced that the position of advocacy and outreach specialist will be filled by Swatha Nandhakumar, who will start work on March 1st. Eric said that ACB has extended an offer for the Audio Description Project Administrator/Grant Writer position, and has received grant funding to hire an assistant to work with Cindy Hollis. He thanked Tony Stephens and Jo Lynn Bailey-Page for their success in securing the $40,000 grant from the Gibney Family Foundation. Eric also announced that recruitment would begin shortly to fill the administrative assistant position in ACB’s Alexandria office, and the manager of communications position. Eric especially recognized the work that Erika Keller has done to assist with announcing, recruiting, screening, and hiring for these positions. Rick Morin, Technical Manager for ACB Radio, is overseeing the transition to Groups.io. We have 157 lists, 12,283 unique e-mail addresses associated with ACB lists, and around 85 list moderators. An urgent goal is for list owners to identify a moderator for each individual list. The team will be hosting community calls to teach members how to access their e-mail and set list management preferences. Clark Rachfal explained how and why ACB’s work on accessible voting must continue, noting that some gains reported at the November board meeting were only temporary. Many affiliates are resuming their advocacy for securing an accessible absentee voting option. Some states are attempting to roll back the voting protections that apply to people who are blind and visually impaired, as well as other groups. On the federal level, there is renewed interest in voting rights reform, as expressed in bills S. 1 and H.R. 1 which include a mandate for a paper ballot. He told the board that accessible voting would be a key focus of the coming legislative seminar. Clark said another focus of the legislative seminar will be the Department of Transportation’s recently issued final rule regarding air travel and the right of service animal users to fly with their guide and service dogs. One presentation will feature representatives from the DOT Office of Consumer Affairs regarding their implementation of the rule. Another presentation, moderated by ACB’s Environmental Access Committee and Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI), with panelists representing four airlines, will discuss accessibility of the required form service animal users must submit. GDUI and ACB will continue to monitor implementation of the new rule. Kelly Gasque, executive assistant and multimedia design specialist, described ACB’s efforts to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to ACB’s web site by assuring that Google’s search results direct lots of people to our web site who have a genuine interest in what ACB has to offer. Kelly is working with Mt. Vernon Consulting on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to assure that Google’s “accessibility bot” finds our web site to be compliant with accessibility guidelines which will help boost ACB.org to the highest Google search results position. The public awareness steering committee is establishing a process to facilitate collaboration with other steering committees. Staff and volunteers are collecting and evaluating data with the goal of professionalizing all of our media streams, and extending our reach by broadcasting over as many accessible and appealing platforms as possible. Their efforts are paying off with increasing followers on Facebook, Twitter, Facebook Live, YouTube, and others, and an enormous increase in applicants for ACB scholarships. Tony Stephens and Jo Lynn Bailey-Page noted that during the pandemic and increased interest in equity, corporate giving and foundation grants are focusing on health and wellness issues, as well as social justice, which align with several ACB projects. ACB’s Get Up and Get Moving initiative is planning events in three major urban areas with attention focused on diabetes, which has a devastating impact on people of color. Our goal is to engage members of the blindness/diabetic community in ways that can give people means of empowering themselves. Jo Lynn discussed how the Gibney Family Foundation supported ACB to achieve our mutual goals by providing resources to the ACB community activities. Membership services coordinator Cindy Hollis reminded the board that during the first week after things were locked down, there were 11 community calls. “This week alone,” she said, “we will have held 93 events.” Our events, she continued, represent a positive place to be. People uplift one another and support each other, and we are making a positive difference in people’s lives. Participants find out about us from rehab agencies, from Hadley, from teachers, and from one another. The calls show no sign of slowing down. Our at-large membership doubled between the close of convention and the end of the year. Chief Financial Officer Nancy Becker provided several financial and administrative updates, including a breakdown of the disbursement of proceeds from the Blair Trust donation to ACB and reminders to affiliates regarding deadlines for submitting membership information to the Affiliate Member Management System (AMMS) and for remitting affiliate dues. In compliance with the resolution adopted in August 2020 regarding collecting census information for ACB, Nancy noted that two fields have been added to the AMMS database, one for gender and one for race/ethnicity. No one will ever be required to supply this information. Affiliates can ask members to supply the information, or the member can add it to their AMMS personal profile. A current goal is to merge members’ information from three separate databases into one comprehensive master database, allowing ACB to have the most current and accurate information in one easily accessed and searchable master file. Jeff Bishop proposed ACB policy amendments which were approved by the board. These amendments: • Allow board members to attend the fall board meeting virtually, while, at the same time, encouraging them to attend in person if possible; and • Increase the stipend for board member participation to $1,000 per board meeting in order to provide more support to individuals interested in serving. Several board members reiterated the board’s collective goal to diversify board membership, to attract younger ACB members, and to lessen the financial burden of serving on a board which requires in-person attendance at several meetings throughout the year, as well as the ACB convention. Dan said he calculates serving on ACB’s board costs between $3,000 and $5,000 annually per person. In addition, he noted that requiring younger professionals to give up their vacations in order to attend in-person board events represents a work-life balance burden that some younger professionals cannot easily assume. Debbie Hazelton and Rick Morin explained that, as ACB Radio extends outreach and expands services they provide, the team is renaming itself the ACB Media Network, which more accurately reflects its broader responsibilities within the organization, and changing the web page to ACBMedia.org. There will be enhanced search capabilities, content aggregation capabilities, podcasts, radio and special event streams, and access to the many platforms ACB uses to communicate. She emphasized that the team needs adequate notice about events where they are requested to provide streaming services. They are already booked to stream affiliate conventions through October. ACB Radio Café has moved to Live-365, and they hope to move all of their streams onto that platform. In addition, they plan to refresh what’s available on ACB Radio Café with expanded content from blind musicians. Jason Castonguay’s recent Valentine’s Love Songs concert demonstrated the viability of raising funds with live events, and they expect to air affiliate sponsorships from April through August. Penny Reeder reminded everyone of deadlines for Board of Publications awards nominations. The BOP expects ACB-L to morph into ACB-Conversation at the beginning of April, and she encouraged all board and ACB members to give the new list a chance. By launching ACB-Conversation, the BOP hopes to create a climate which encourages members and leaders to know one another better and reinforces everyone’s understanding of each member’s importance in directing the kinds of work the organization pursues. Reeder said that the May Forum will include the BOP’s announcement regarding Candidates’ Pages for this year’s elections. If you are thinking about running for any of the 13 positions that are up for election, the BOP encourages you to respond to this year’s candidates’ questions. Only candidates who have responded to the questions by the deadline will be permitted to participate in the two BOP-sponsored candidates’ forums. In her convention report, Janet Dickelman stated that she and the Hyatt were able to negotiate a release from ACB’s 2021 contractual obligation, with no penalty and no obligation to re-book in Phoenix. ACB’s goal is to book future conventions at hotels within the Hyatt family, but, for various reasons, the Phoenix Hyatt is unlikely to be a convention destination in the near future. The board authorized Janet and her team to proceed with negotiating contracts with the Jacksonville Hyatt for 2024 and the Dallas Hyatt for 2025. The theme for our 2021 virtual convention, submitted by Jenine Stanley, is “ACB – Better Together Wherever We Are.” Registration will open on May 20 and close on June 28, and then re-open for registration during the convention. The Friends-in-Art Showcase will launch the convention on Friday night, our talking book narrator will be J.P. Linton, who will speak in general session, and also to Library Users of America (LUA), and is allowing himself to be auctioned off for ACB’s auction. This year’s banquet speaker will be Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” Patrick Sheehan and Jeff Thom, co-chairs of the Voting Task Force, as well as several members of the committee, reported their recommendations to the board regarding how voting will be done at this summer’s virtual convention. The board unanimously accepted their recommendations. Every ACB member in good standing will be eligible to vote in every election, and votes can be cast electronically as well as by telephone. Affiliate votes will also be collected and counted, and individual elections for each of the possibly as many as 13 positions to be filled will be scheduled over the course of the convention, beginning on Monday and wrapping up on Friday. Resolutions will be considered for adoption by the board. There will be no voting on proposed constitutional amendments this year. ***** “Get Up & Get Moving:” A Campaign out of Isolation for Full Inclusion & Independence by Tony Stephens As our country looks forward to some return to normalcy in our communities during the latter half of 2021, the American Council of the Blind will launch a national health and wellness campaign on full inclusion for people who are blind and visually impaired, particularly those with additional health complications who were disproportionately burdened during the pandemic. The effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting for many throughout our community. Prolonged social distancing guidelines, continued reliance on virtual meetings, and threats to cut public transit and infrastructure will continue to make moving through life beyond our doorstep feel quite different for years to come. This reality will add to the weight that has already been placed on the shoulders of those experiencing great social isolation over the past year. To some degree, that weight has been emotional and physical for many of us – myself included. That’s all the more reason to recognize, as we move out of the pandemic, a greater need to get up and get moving back into our society. The Get Up & Get Moving campaign that ACB will launch this summer not only seeks to break down many of the structural barriers implemented during the past year, but also strives to empower each and every one of us who has felt this weight, especially for the millions of those who have spent years and years fighting their way against the headwinds of structural and systemic barriers to mobility and independence. Over 4 million Americans experience severe vision loss and blindness, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), puts a $51.4 billion burden on our annual economy. And with one out of three Americans with diabetes experiencing signs of diabetic retinopathy — now the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults — the negative impact felt by the COVID-19 pandemic only brought to the surface many of the challenges to inclusion and opportunity that have existed for decades. What is encouraging is that as the world prepares to come out of isolation, we have beneath us a bedrock of tens of millions of Americans who have found themselves experiencing many of the challenges our community has felt for years. This groundswell of a deeper understanding of our issues has enormous potential to amplify the key issues that stand in the way of enriching our health and wellness. As we wrestle our way out of the emotional and physical chains of the past year, ACB recognizes the powerful opportunity to raise awareness on the key barriers for those most harmfully impacted by the sedentary confinement of social isolation. There exists an opportunity to not just educate, but to influence and empower. This is the goal of the Get Up & Get Moving campaign. It seeks to drive forward a major public awareness campaign, advocate on key issues impacting independence and mobility in the health and wellness space, and establish partners capable of making major change toward full inclusion of Americans who are blind. And in the process, it seeks to provide a platform for those most impacted to make sure their voices are heard. The campaign will kick off on the eve of the 60th annual ACB national conference and convention. It will span the course of three years, with major public awareness events taking place across the country. And it will challenge all of us to take steps that will allow us to take back our health. Key areas of advocacy will include issues such as accessible durable medical equipment, accessible fitness machines, access to health data, and affordable assistive technology that allows us to move safely and independently throughout the community. An excellent way you can get involved is to join us for our kick-off event on July 17th, when we will launch the campaign and share ways members and friends of ACB can help move the campaign forward. Join us in the ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk! How can you be a part of the action? 1. For a small donation of $25, register for the Walk. When you register, you can choose to either create an affiliate team, join a team, or register as an individual. 2. After registering, you will receive an email with a link to your webpage. Send that link to family members, friends, co-workers, etc., encouraging them to either join your team or make a donation. To register, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/event/acbwalk2021/ or go to acb.org, and check the Quick Links section for the link to the 2021 ACB Walk. This is the same web site we used two years ago. If the site recognizes your email address, it will ask you for a password. Just click the “forgot password” button if necessary, and the system will send you a “reset password” message. Or you can download and complete a paper registration form from the web site listed above. For a hard-copy paper form, contact the ACB office in Minnesota at (612) 332-3242. Once again, affiliate or committee teams can designate up to 50 percent of the money they raise to come back to their treasury. So let’s Get Moving Together, get some exercise, and help us reach our fund-raising goal of $95,000. For questions about the Walk, contact Walk committee chair Donna Brown by email, Donnambrown59@gmail.com, or by phone at (304) 940-0292. ***** Get Exercise and Support an ACB Affiliate at the Same Time by Judy Wilkinson In late 2016, early in my presidency of the California Council of the Blind, I received a call from Patrick Netter and his associate Joanna Medin regarding a “Sitmill,” a kind of treadmill operated while sitting in a chair. The entity “OntheMuV” proposed selling these little under-seat treadmills to our members. “Better yet,” I said, “the Council will sell them!” And a partnership was born. Over the next four years, Patrick, the inventor of these two little treadmills, and Joanna, now OTM’s CEO, had many a conversation with me and my husband, Steve Mendelsohn, exploring the thickets of our proposed partnership. From the first moment, I was absolutely enthralled and excited! Imagine a way for blind folks to safely and easily exercise in their own homes! Many of our members are older or can’t easily get to a gym (even if they could negotiate the barriers to accessibility — like equipment, gym floors littered with weights, benches, balance balls, locker rooms, etc.). Many face weight issues, not to mention the additional barriers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. And how supportive the OTM folks were! They could have gone to other larger, more widely known organizations, but ours was the number they dialed first. And in an instant, a partnership and friendships were born. They never wavered in their determination to make our partnership succeed! We first brought the device to the CCB convention in spring 2017 in Woodland Hills, Calif., and then to Reno for ACB’s national convention. The original prototype was a sawed-down full-sized treadmill draped over two chairs. We received invaluable feedback from CCB and ACBers. From then until late 2020 we overcame innumerable hurdles: OTM had to find suitable manufacturing facilities. Several models were tested and refined. CCB had to determine how to operate such a partnership under its 501(c)(3) status. Then COVID struck! But these obstacles have been overcome, a contract has been signed, and a partnership flourishes. The CCB/OTM partnership operates as a fundraising project for CCB. A portion of every sale made through the ccbnet.org portal or the direct links below supports our vital work. Currently I am the project manager, and CCB board member Steve Bauer is the associate project manager. ** ACB’s Get Up and Get Moving Campaign Tony Stephens generously allowed us a few moments during the intermission segments of the annual Leadership Conference to present our project to ACB. And we look forward to participating throughout the year with various sponsorships, podcasts and community calls. We realize that a healthy alternative for CCB members could benefit all ACB members as well. ** What Is a miniTREAD® or Sitmill® and How Can You Get One? The miniTREAD® is about the width of an airplane seat and weighs just over 20 pounds. It is an electric miniature treadmill that sits in front of your chair, and is operated with a tactile remote through which you can control speed — from 0.3 to 3 miles per hour. The “Sitmill®” is totally self-powered. It weighs 13 pounds and is easily lifted by most people with one hand for easy portability. This little device is flexible: you can move your feet in either direction and go as fast as you like. There is one caveat: OTM is seeking more satisfactory manufacturing accommodations in the U.S. So there are only remaining Sitmill samples available. We do not know when a newer model (with 2 sets of legs allowing 2 different inclines) will be available. The direct links for these devices are: 1) Electric miniTREAD® moves for you and calculates steps, calories, distance and more. For more information, visit https://onthemuv.com/product/minitread/ref/ccb 2) Self-Powered Sitmill® Samples: https://onthemuv.com/product/onthemuv-mini-tread-lite/?ref=CCB Feel free to contact us via our dedicated OTM line at (510) 629-1276, or email onthemuv@ccbnet.org. And what does “muv” stand for? “Movement unleashes vitality.” ***** Enjoy the Perks of Engaging with Your Neighbor by Larry Johnson Reprinted from “The San Antonio Express-News,” Dec. 26, 2020. (Editor’s Note: Larry Johnson is an author and motivational speaker. He is available to offer powerful inspirational talks or conduct small group diversity training seminars via the Internet. You may reach him via email at larjo1@prodigy.net.) Are you comfortable enough to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbors? Do you even know their names? Most houses today do not have front porches; that’s where folks used to sit and wave to neighbors as they passed by while keeping an eye on kids playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. We do our socializing inside or in the backyard with family or those few friends or neighbors we may have invited. We belong to the neighborhood homeowners’ association, but only see our neighbors once a year at the association meeting — the 20 percent who show up. We became virtual hermits in our homes long before COVID-19. And now that we’re being told to “keep our distance” and stay home, we want to rebel. Human beings are a funny bunch, aren’t we? Several years ago, on a Sunday autumn afternoon, I was listening to a football game on the radio when the power went out. No problem; I switched to my battery-operated radio. About a half-hour later, I got a phone call from my daughter who lived in Schertz. “Where are you?” she asked with concern. “I’m right here at home listening to football.” “Dad!” she said. “You have to get out of there. There’s a huge grass fire in the field right behind your house.” “Really? How do you know?” “It’s on the TV news! I’m coming to get you.” Twenty minutes later, she pulled up in my driveway, hustled me into her car, and we drove away. “The police didn’t want to let me through the gate,” she said. “They said they had evacuated the neighborhood.” “Well, not me,” I replied. “I guess maybe I need to get to know my neighbors.” And so I did. That Christmas, I visited the neighbors across the street and on either side of me and gave them plates of Yuletide cookies and my card with my phone number — just in case there should be another grass fire and neighborhood-wide evacuation. They’ve become a whole lot more neighborly. They say hello when they see me walking my dog. They keep an eye on my house when I’m out of town and occasionally have even mowed my lawn when the grass has gotten too tall. Perhaps one of the most important benefits of getting to know our neighbors is the extra home protection. Because your neighbors know your regular comings and goings, they are more likely to notice if someone is suspiciously lurking around. Creating and maintaining a friendly relationship with your neighbors can come in handy. Whether you need to borrow a ladder or you’ve run out of dishwashing detergent, your neighbors can come to the rescue. A neighborhood benefits when its members actively trust, include and cooperate with one another. To do that, we have to engage with each other. Having trust in our neighbors might also be good for our physical health. A University of Missouri study found that people who perceive their neighbors as trustworthy also rate their own health as better than those who don’t. Despite our digital connectivity with others via Facebook, FaceTime, texting and other social media, studies show that loneliness rates have doubled since the 1980s, from 20 percent to 40 percent. So perhaps neighborliness could be an untapped solution to the problem of loneliness. If you’ve got good neighbors, give thanks. If not, perhaps it’s time you get to know them. Bake some cookies and take some next door. And that’s how I see it. ***** A Review of ‘Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain’ by Doug Powell Dr. John J. Ratey, a psychiatrist, has been studying the relationship between exercise and the brain for over 15 years. He combines neuroscience, physiology, rat experiments, and human case studies to build a compelling, readable, inspiring argument for regular aerobic exercise. For the last couple of years, after competing in triathlons for over 35 years, I’ve been grappling with my commitment to triathlon. At age 70+, I probably won’t be logging any new personal records. I know I should exercise for health, but if I don’t race, what will I use for motivation? This book has taken me from “I suppose I should …” to “I want that!” In the introduction, he relates a case study about the Naperville, Ill. school district that switched from traditional physical education (PE) classes where most of the students stood around waiting for their turn at bat, or for the ball to come into their area, to a fitness model of various aerobic exercise options and grading based on effort, not achievement. With heart rate monitors for everyone, students could earn the same class grade if their 10-minute mile got their heart rate up to 185 as the student who ran a 7-minute mile at a comparable heart rate. And the exercise could be in the form of square dancing, wall climbing, 3-on-3 basketball, kayaking, or jumping rope. The results were revolutionary. The student population was measured to have an obesity rate of 3 percent, as opposed to the national average of 30 percent. And, test results in math and science improved. Not only that, but those who had their hard classes right after aerobic exercise improved more than those whose hard classes were further removed from their exercise. It turns out that movement sparks brain development and health. It balances the neurotransmitters, strengthens the linkages between neurons, and forges stronger memories. “As our species evolved, our physical skills have developed into abstract abilities to predict, sequence, estimate, plan, rehearse, observe ourselves, judge, correct mistakes, shift tactics, and then, remember everything we did in order to survive.” One German experiment showed that people learn new vocabulary words 20 percent faster following exercise than before. Experimentation also seems to show that doing different things in your routine grows more neuron type cells than doing the same thing all the time. And what about stress? Usually, when we talk about stress, it is a bad thing. The author tells us that that is not necessarily true. He gives us a multitude of information about chemical reactions in the body under stress to explain that some stress is necessary for body and brain health. Just like exercise helps the body stay healthy and strong, so the brain needs stimulation to thrive. By combining physical exercise with learning new things, the optimal results can be achieved. But too much stress, without relief, can and does become harmful. Your brain can actually decrease in size if you live in constant stress for long periods of time without relief. During my working life, a rowing machine saved my boss’ life. After a heated argument about my work, I went down to the fitness room and rowed for a bit until my anger dissipated, my heart rate normalized, and I calmed down. Ratey has other examples and explanations of how the changes occur, and how most often, some stress helps us stay healthy, strong, and smart. Next, he gives us specific chapters on anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, and hormonal changes in women. Since he practices psychiatry, he doesn’t make statements that aerobics will cure everything for everyone, but he does feel that a combination of traditional therapies and exercise together can help many people regain positive lifestyles and lessen their dependence on drugs to maintain their improved relationship with the world. Since we all plan on getting older, this book’s next chapter on aging is worth special attention. Basically, all the diseases we associate with aging such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, diabetes, can all be attributed, at least partially, to physical and intellectual inactivity. If you want to argue with me, check the book out; the science is there. He recommends a list of steps you can take to minimize the damage for as long as possible. He also talks about how easy it is to get yourself into either a negative spiral or a positive one; either inactivity leading to damage, leading to more isolation, leading to more damage and earlier than necessary death, or on the other hand, a little exercise, leading to feeling better, to getting out more, leading to more social interaction, leading to a longer, happier life. Remember when we were taught that the brain didn’t grow after a certain age? Remember when we thought that coffee, soda, and wine were liquids that would prevent dehydration? Old understandings are being replaced by newer understandings based on what we can learn from new technologies. In the last 10 years, in which brain research has exploded, we have learned much more about the mind/body relationship. From genetics to FMRI, we are finding out much more about what contributes to a happy, healthy, wise life. If I’ve “sparked” your interest, you can find this book on BARD as DB97650. But in the meantime, get started. The positive spiral will start as soon as you start. A little will help — more will help more. You could walk, swim, bike, or any other exercise that suits your fancy — as long as it is about 30 minutes of aerobic activity. As your heart rate goes down during your activity of the same distance at the same duration, pick up the pace or find a more strenuous course. Do this six days a week. Perhaps, if we haven’t added an accountability exercise group to Community Events yet, we could do that to help support your intentions. Good luck! ***** Massage as An Antidote to Stress by Koni Sims It is well known that a balanced life is essential to optimal health. Balancing diet, exercise, work, play, and social relationships are all important in one’s physical and mental well-being. In today’s fast-paced world, one of our greatest health challenges is to balance the effects of stress in our lives. The right amount of stress in our lives keeps life interesting, stimulating, and worthwhile! But having too much stress over an extended period of time can have a negative effect on us mentally and physically. If this occurs, then it can have an adverse impact on our health and the quality of our lives. Stress can accumulate over time and lead to chronic tension and anxiety. This is sometimes referred to as being stressed out. It is not surprising that many illnesses plaguing society are either directly related to or greatly aggravated by too much stress. So, what are stressors? A stressor is a situation, event, or demand which disrupts a person’s equilibrium and triggers a bodily reaction called the stress response. Life is full of challenges that may be considered stressors. Well-known psychosocial stressors include death of a loved one, divorce or separation, legal troubles, change of residence, unemployment, new job, and family issues. Less obvious stressors include noise, crowding, biochemical stressors (heat, cold, pollutants, poor nutrition), and even personal philosophical issues (values conflict, lack of purpose). Illness and injury are physical stressors, which may be compounded by accompanying fear, anxiety and disruption of normal activities. Any change in a person’s life is a potential source of stress. The body responds to stressors with what is called the fight or flight response. It is an adaptation designed to help us either confront or flee from a real physical danger. This physiological mechanism is triggered when a person is presented with a real or imagined threat to their well-being. During the stress response, the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems activate a series of bodily changes including faster heart rate, faster and shallower breathing, increased perspiration, greater muscular tension, elevated body temperature, more coagulants in the blood, dilated pupils, rerouting of blood away from internal organs, slow digestion, dry mouth and overall increase in body metabolism. This same stress response occurs even if we just imagine a physical danger, as in reading an adventure novel or watching a scary movie. It may also be induced by psychological threats such as the fear of speaking in front of a group of people, interviewing for a job, meeting deadlines — anything which a person perceives as a threat to their well-being. Many people don’t realize how much stress they are under or have forgotten what it feels like to relax. The stress response is a natural survival mechanism designed to be a temporary response to an immediate threat. The body is meant to return to normal functioning once the threat is gone. A prolonged stress response with no relief is what causes the physical and mental ills associated with stress. Signs of too much stress include chronic muscle tension (especially in the neck and shoulders), short temper, anxiety, excessive worry, insomnia, fatigue, and the feeling of being burned out. Chronic health problems associated with a prolonged stress response include tension headache, backache, ulcers, blood sugar irregularities, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Chronic stress has been proven to impair the immune system. So, when we think of unwinding and getting rid of the stress, some people look to exercise, hobbies, and vacations. They are all known to help, but massage is known to destress you along with improving your health. Massage heals our mind and body! Most of the population carries stress in the neck and shoulders; others carry it in the lower back. When we get stressed, our muscles constrict and then don’t always relax. That’s when we get the “knot,” as everyone refers to it. This keeps the body from getting all the blood, oxygen, and nutrition it needs to work properly, causing our immune system to wear down. A full-body massage is the best to fight stress since every muscle gets worked. Working just the neck and back muscles is also very beneficial. The one area that a lot of people don’t think would relax them is the face/scalp! We get those tension headaches by tightening up those facial muscles. I recommend and share with my clients that they also need to stretch and exercise. Our bodies were not made to be sedentary. Many athletes hate to take the time to stretch. But without stretching, your muscles, ligaments, and tendons do not get the proper warm-up or cooldown needed. More injuries occur without stretching. Think of your muscles as the framework of your body. In comparison to a house, if the foundation isn’t strong and solid, it affects the structure of your house. So, if your muscles aren’t working properly, the rest of your body is affected. If you get a good therapeutic massage, your body may feel like it just did a full body workout! You don’t want to work out for at least 24 hours after a massage so your body can fully recover. I enjoy strength training, stationary bike, and power walking. Because of COVID-19, our mayor suggested a “100 miles in 100 days” walking challenge. It started April 18, 2020 and ended July 31st. He encouraged selfies. Prizes were awarded weekly, and a grand prize was given out to the most inspiring story. I decided to do it; I accomplished it 100.4 miles on June 10th! That was just my power walking, not all the other walking I do. Some days I would only do a mile or two, others I would do several. There were days I didn’t do any due to the pain in my feet from permanent damage caused by an accident. It doesn’t matter if you have never exercised before or do it regularly. Get out and start moving! You will notice how much better you feel emotionally and physically. ***** The Room Stationary troopers stomp the cadence Personal bests glorified by MPH, distance, time and incline. Endurance-focused, like caloric maniacs. I am machine number 5, third row, left side Speed: 1.5; Distance: 1.5; Time: 60; Incline: 1 Pant and heave, clomp-clomp-clomp Cross-trainers meet non-skid treads I conform; machine-dependent, lypo-resistant Sworn to protect and serve this body This Cardiovascular Democracy Singular yet joined by others in the eternal rights of exercise. — Ann Chiappetta ***** Affiliate News ** MCAC Book Discussion The Multicultural Affairs Committee is hosting a book discussion of “Snow Falling on Cedars” by David Guterson, DB 40688. The book is also available on BARD. The story is set on an island in Puget Sound shortly after World War II. Carl Heine has drowned, and Kabuo Miyomoto, a fellow fisherman, is charged with Heine’s murder. Covering the trial for the local newspaper is Ishmael Chambers, who was the first love of Hatsue, the defendant’s wife. As the trial gets under way, the courtroom and the entire once peaceful community are tense with suspicion and prejudice. The discussion is scheduled for Thursday, June 24th at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on the Zoom platform. For more information, contact Peggy Garrett at prcgarrett@sbcglobal.net. ** ACB of Ohio Offers Scholarships The American Council of the Blind of Ohio offers six scholarships each academic year. The application and reference forms may be downloaded from www.acbohio.org, or requested by calling our office at (614) 261-3561 or 1-800-835-2226. We have scholarships for entering freshmen, undergraduates, and graduate students. An applicant must be an Ohio resident or attend an Ohio school in a two-year or more post-secondary degree program, be legally blind (except for the Nola Webb-McKinney Scholarship), have a 3.0 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale, and be willing to attend the 2021 ACB-Ohio convention. Send the completed application packet to ACB-Ohio Scholarship Committee, 3805 N. High Street, Suite 305, Columbus, OH 43214, or via e-mail to acbo.director@gmail.com with “Scholarship Application” in the subject field. The application deadline is Aug. 1. ** Utah Offers Scholarships Are you a high school or college senior in Utah, and planning to attend a college or university to pursue undergraduate or graduate work? Or do you already attend a college or university in Utah? If so, you can apply for a scholarship from the Utah Council of the Blind. Three to five scholarships are available, and each will be at least $500. To apply for these scholarships, you must: • Be blind or visually impaired. • Join the Utah Council of the Blind. • Seek a degree from an accredited higher education institution. • Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. • Take at least 12 credit hours per semester. • Submit a completed application and one original letter of recommendation. • Submit a certified transcript from your current educational institution. • Submit an autobiographical sketch. The scholarship application and all other documents noted above may either be emailed to ucb.board@gmail.com, or sent to Utah Council of the Blind, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. Applications must be received no later than Aug. 1, 2021. Scholarships will be presented at the annual business meeting of the Utah Council of the Blind in September. If UCB cannot hold its business meeting due to the pandemic, the scholarship committee will contact winners and present scholarships as soon as possible in late September. ***** 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 E-Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. ** New York School Virtual Alumni Reunion The New York State School for the Blind Alumni will meet this year via Zoom for the annual reunion. The dates of the reunion will be June 11 through 13. Activities will include our opening ceremony, business meeting, auction, game to be determined, a virtual banquet with a talk by our president concerning the State of the Alumni, and a memorial service. Please contact Diane Scalzi, dscalzi@comcast.net, or Chester Smalley, cewjw1903@gmail.com, for more information. We will provide links and phone numbers to register or join the various activities as the reunion draws closer. ** PS You Are Fabulous PS You Are Fabulous is a non-profit organization committed to assisting the blind and visually impaired with all of their fashion needs. The services are free. Contact Marie Hamilton via email, PSyouarefabulous@gmail.com, or visit the website, www.PSYouAreFabulous.org. ** New from National Braille Press National Braille Press has a wide variety of new books available for children and adults. Learn how to make a quick and light springtime meal with “Cooking Light: Make-Ahead Recipes” (2 vols.), “Fast & Fresh Main Courses” (1 vol.), and “Fast & Fresh Salads” (1 vol.). Now that COVID-19 restrictions are starting to be lifted in a number of places, plan to get moving again with “Fitness Over Fifty: An Exercise Guide from the National Institute on Aging,” available in braille (two volumes). Feeling the need to spring clean your home? Check out “DIY Natural Household Cleaners” by Matt and Betsy Jabs. It’s available in braille, and tells you how to make your own cleaning products using natural ingredients. Got a hankering for chicken? Check out Patricia Polacco’s “Chicken Sunday,” available in contracted braille (UEB) for ages 5 to 9. For more information on any of these items, call toll-free 1-800-548-7323 or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: Pebble 4.3. Asking $500. Contact Carolynsue via email, vj-czm@att.net, or call (417) 268-1964 and leave your name, telephone number with area code, and time zone. ** For Sale: The Eye-Scan Reader-Basic. Scan text and hear it read back to you. Offers storage capability of up to 20 pages in memory. Includes: Reader with Eye-Scan software installed, flatbed scanner, custom oversized tactile Eye-Scan keypad and internal speakers. Used less than 10 hours. Asking $900 or best offer. Call Laura at (224) 864-2979. ***** Never Give Up and Never, Never Give In People will say you can’t, but maybe you can. People will say you shouldn’t, but maybe you should. People will say you won’t be able to, not in a million years, But maybe you can and will Do what you really want to do. As long as you give yourself a chance, you will sometimes be successful, and sometimes you will fail, like everyone else. You’re not alone. Remember, you’re not alone. Never give up and never, never give in when others say you can’t or won’t or shouldn’t. You are who you are, and only you can know the path you mean to follow in the dark. — Ilana Breger ***** ** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (1st term, 2021) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Mark Richert (1st term, 2021) 3705 S. George Mason Dr. Apt 2404S Falls Church, VA 22041-4796 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (1st term, 2021) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 * Secretary Denise Colley (1st term, 2021) 1401 Northwest Ln. SE Lacey, WA 98503 * Treasurer David Trott (2nd term, 2021) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Sara Alkmin, Madison, WI (2nd term, 2021) Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (1st term, 2021) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (partial term, 2021) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2021) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (2nd term, 2022) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (1st term, 2021) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) ** ACB Board of Publications Debbie Lewis, Chair, Clarkston, WA (2nd term, 2021) Paul Edwards, Miami, FL (2nd term, 2021) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (partial term, 2021) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (2nd term, 2021) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (1st term, 2021) ***** 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.