The ACB E-Forum Volume LX June 2022 No. 12 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** * Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind™ is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. * Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. * Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. Tune in to ACB Media at www.acbmedia.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/acbnational. © 2022 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: My First In-Person ACB Convention, by Dan Spoone ACB’s 2022 Convention Will Be Hybrid, by Penny Reeder In-Person Convention Attendance Details, by Janet Dickelman Walking Everywhere for ACB and Its Affiliates, by Donna Brown Affiliate News In Memoriam: Travis Johnson, November 10, 1945-March 30, 2022 Being Proactive: What Does This Mean to the Non-Sighted Community?, by Arturo Espinoza Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They’ll Have to Do It Again, by Damon Beres 60 ‘Choice’ Years Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** Upcoming Forum Themes and Deadlines August (E-Forum): IVIE; deadline: June 24th September: Audio Description Project; deadline: July 25th October (E-Forum): Convention wrap-up; deadline: August 26th ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she’ll make the changes for you. ***** ** President’s Message: My First In-Person ACB Convention by Dan Spoone I’m excited! It’s been two long years since we have all had the opportunity to gather in person at an ACB conference and convention. This gave me a chance to reflect on my truly first in-person convention in Orlando in 2009. Leslie and I attended the Orlando convention in 1998, but this was only a fly-by with visits to the welcome party, the pool and lots of affiliate parties. I had to go back to work during the week, so the experience was that of a continuous cocktail party. However, when the ACB convention came back to Orlando in 2009, the Spoone family was all in! My dad paired with Jay Bader to coordinate the door prizes. Our local chapter hosted the welcome party, with Larry Turnbull and Debbie Hazelton spinning the vinyl as dancing DJ’s. Patti Land, Leslie Spoone and Sheila Young were the party hosts with lots of hugs, and Mike Godino, ACB treasurer, was leading a rowdy group of New Yorkers enjoying the festivities. Leslie and I had spent our time studying the registration form, and we signed up for 18 breakout sessions, all with their own individual tickets. We only made it to about half of the events, and came home with a fist of unused tickets. Rookie mistake! Mitch Pomerantz, ACB president, led an exciting opening session, and Marlaina Lieberg, ACB’s secretary, had us all in stitches with the affiliate roll call. Leslie’s sister, Anita Stone, joined us from San Francisco, and the three of us were blown away by all the energy, vitality and laughter throughout the hotel resort. There were blind people everywhere. We owned the place. It was so amazing to be in an environment where we were in the majority. There were large print numbers on each hallway, volunteers to point you in the right direction, a hum of braille printers as Sharon produced the daily newspaper. There were so many guide dogs. We met Tim and Maria from Scoop Masters at the RSVA Poker Night. Everywhere we turned there was someone new to meet and a chance to make a new friend. We stopped at the pizza and ice cream shop one night for a pepperoni pizza. I served Leslie, Anita and myself up a couple of slices each and put the open box on the extra chair to make room at the table. Anita said, “Spoone, give me another slice. I’m really hungry.” “Sorry, Anita,” I said, “the dog just grabbed the last two slices.” Anita was telling this story on the airplane ride back to San Francisco and the guide dog owner was sitting in the row in front of her and apologized for his dog and he bought her a rum and Coke. He said he was so embarrassed he just kept on walking and didn’t look back. They had a big laugh and talked and drank all the way back to California. No doubt, the highlight of the week was the auction on Wednesday night. The ballroom was lined with tables full of all kinds of goodies from around the country. Jeff Thom, Paul Edwards and Brenda Dillon were the auctioneers. Everyone was enjoying an adult beverage, and the bidding was frantic. Leslie, Anita and I were pretty intimidated by the scene, but we were laughing and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Leslie got sleepy about 11 o’clock and headed up to the room. She told me not to get too crazy with the bidding and spend all of our money. Anita and I hung in there to the final bid at around 2 a.m. We were having some drinks and really enjoying the excitement. When the final item was sold, Anita and I headed to the table to claim our hard-fought prizes. My final tally was 5 Pittsburgh Steeler shirts (I’m not even a fan), a three-day ski weekend in Colorado Springs with the Paralympic trainers (I don’t know how to ski), a braille book on iPhones for Dummies (I did not read braille) and a five-night trip to Nashville to see the Grand Ole Opry, lunch at Cracker Barrel with Opry host Mike Terri and a dinner with the Dillons. We woke Leslie up as we quietly snuck into the room. “How did it go?” she asked, “Great!” I answered. “You didn’t go crazy, did you?” Leslie mumbled. “We had a great time,” I replied. It was time for the big reveal. “Honey, I did put $1,650 on our American Express card, but we have vacation trips to Colorado and Nashville.” Leslie was not very happy at the time, but we now look back on that night as the event that changed our lives with ACB. Brenda and Dan hosted a wonderful dinner on Halloween in the fall of 2009. We had chili and apple pie, sang songs, handed out candy, played games and became friends. Brenda invited Leslie to join the auction committee and Dan invited me to join the Resource Development Committee, and our journey of service in ACB began. My strong hope is that each of you can make it to Omaha this summer. Leslie and I look forward to giving each of you a big hug and sharing some new memories. It’s time to reconnect. I’m looking forward to going to a July 4th baseball game, taking a dinner cruise down the Missouri River, exploring the Lewis and Clark Trail, and being in an environment where we are in the majority. We will have a wonderful time with our first hybrid convention. There will be lots to do for those in-person and participating virtually. See you in Omaha or on the ACB Media Network. Hip, hip, hooray for ACB! ***** *** ACB’s 2022 Convention Will Be Hybrid by Penny Reeder The ACB Board of Directors has held two meetings since the last board meeting summary appeared in the Forum. The board decided to hold the 2022 ACB conference and convention as a hybrid event, to accommodate people who attend the meeting in person, in Omaha, Neb., as well as those who attend remotely, via ACB Media and Zoom. ** March 11, 2022 President Dan Spoone called the meeting to order at 1 p.m. Eastern. All board members, as well as most ACB staff members, were present. President Spoone and executive director Eric Bridges led the board in wishing ACB Community Events a happy second birthday. Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement, and her assistant, Kolby Garrison, provided a statistical snapshot of the community. More than 2,100 people are subscribed to the daily Community Events e-mail announcement list, and between 50 and 75 people visit “ACB Presents the Daily Schedule,” held concurrently on Zoom and in Clubhouse each day. As events were added, the number of participants has grown. Community events are focused on an ever-widening range of interests, including languages, cooking, technology, health and wellness, crafts, book clubs and chats, music, spiritual exploration and support, travel, peer support, games, affiliate-sponsored discussions and more. ACB has created a Community Support Committee (CSC), chaired by Lucy Edmonds. The CSC recommended several policy modifications for community events facilitators and hosts, as well as new administrative procedures to assure the safety of community events and guarantee privacy for participants. The board approved the proposed modifications. Janet Dickelman stated that the fall board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Ill. She complimented special-interest affiliate chairs, ACB committee chairs, and ACB Media staff members and volunteers on their planning for the coming convention in Omaha. A number of hotel rooms will be reserved for in-person social events. There will also be four Zoom-equipped rooms dedicated to hybrid convention events, allowing four parallel hybrid sessions to be streaming concurrently each day. Registration will open for ACB members on May 12, and on May 19 for non-members. Registration will close on June 20. The ACB convention auction, which will be virtual this year, is set for June 18. Dan reminded everyone that descriptions of the items they are donating for the summer auction should be sent to Leslie by May 20. On June 22, the convention will open for reading of the standing rules and the preliminary credentials committee report, and to stream the first special-interest affiliates’ business meetings. To accommodate affiliates whose constitutions require them to hold business meetings and elections concurrently with the ACB national convention, Zoom-only sessions will be scheduled June 22nd through 24th. The nominating committee will meet on Thursday, June 23rd. The presidents’ meeting and the committee chairs’ meeting are tentatively scheduled for June 24th. The hybrid portion of the convention will open on July 1. Twenty-four tours are scheduled during convention week, and an audio-described tour channel will be available again this year. Then, on July 11-13, the convention will resume for virtual-only sessions, which will be devoted to voting on constitutional amendments and resolutions. ACB’s World Blind Union representative, Kim Charlson, announced that ACB has invited the newly elected WBU CEO, Marc Workman, as the featured international speaker at our convention. In addition, she told the board that the WBU released a statement in solidarity with our blind brothers and sisters and colleagues in the field, in Ukraine. You can find it at https://worldblindunion.org/blog/news/wbu-stands-united-with-ukraine-and-is-taking-action-to-help/. Dan announced several staff reassignments, including Cindy Hollis’ new role as staff support person for the information, referral and peer support committee. Tony will serve as the new staff lead for the scholarships and awards steering committee. Eric described the first quarter of the year as a time of change and transition. In February, both Erika Keller and Jennifer Flatt announced their pending departures from ACB. During recent weeks, ACB has welcomed four new staff members. In January, Kaitlyn Herrera joined the staff in Alexandria, Va., as a part-time administrative assistant. Rick Morin joined the ACB Media team on March 1 as ACB’s media and information technology manager, and Larry Gassman joined that team as a contractor. Julie Fischer has joined the staff in Minneapolis as the human resources specialist. Eric announced that every member of ACB’s Advisory Board would be introduced during the course of the D.C. Leadership meetings. Those presentations are included among the D.C. Leadership meetings podcasts: https://www.acbmedia.org/2021/03/02/20210221-leadership-conference-day-1-breakout-1a-acb-media/. Clark Rachfal and Swatha Nandhakumar briefly summarized recent advocacy activities associated with the 2022 legislative imperatives. Clark also reported that advocacy is ongoing regarding the inaccessibility of home COVID tests. Dan Spoone sent letters to the White House and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) explaining why lack of independent access is an important issue for people who are blind, and Clark said that Dan and other advocates from the disability community would attend a related listening session next week. Tony Stephens said that, while the development and communications team had experienced several unanticipated staff changes in recent weeks, the innovative organizational approach that ACB is implementing is paying off. Our approach of launching several critical campaigns that focus on our development activities, engagement with members, and advocacy work is letting us achieve measurable success in accomplishing our overall goal of promoting voice, choice and community for people who are blind. A year ago, we were just thinking about what ACB Media might become, and now, ACB Media is a real communications platform, reaching people on six continents and dramatically increasing the effectiveness of our external communications. Tony added that plans are already under way for the next Audio Description Awards Gala, and sponsors have already indicated their desire to increase their support. Under membership services, Cindy noted that the ACB Community continues to attract new members to the organization. Many of those who are most active within the community are younger members. She said that members from Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are involved in a pilot project to explore combining resources for holding some regional events. CFO Nancy Becker reminded affiliates to get their membership updates in by March 15. Final certification reports are due on March 31. The date of record (by which time a person has to be a certified member of the organization in order to vote) is May 23. This year, ACB is adding two additional scholarships. A total of 75 scholarship applications have been received. Winners will be notified in early May. She announced that the 2022 financial audit would be conducted during the first week of April. Income and expense statements that Nancy shared, and treasurer David Trott’s financial narrative, indicated that ACB’s financial health is good. Penny Reeder stated that the BOP has recently expanded its focus on the ACB Voices blog. She said BOP members have developed a process for evaluating, editing, and publishing submissions. The board is also evaluating newly proposed guidelines for large print. An article was included in the March issue of the Forum (print edition only) that complies with the proposed guidelines. She asked large print readers to share their feedback regarding the readability of that article. During the final hour of the meeting, the board heard and accepted reports from three task forces. * The Executive Committee Task Force Kim Charlson explained that the board had created this task force to determine whether the executive committee is operating within the scope of provisions in our constitution. The committee determined that decisions the executive committee made at a special meeting on Jan. 8, 2021, relating to authorizing funding not previously allocated in the approved budget, fall within the scope of the constitution. The group determined that the language within the constitution is broad enough in scope to give the executive committee the authority it needed. They determined that a best practice when authorizing expenditures which were not included in the annual budget would be for the executive committee to refer the matter to the budget committee for review, ratification, and referral to the whole board of directors. The group suggested that the need for deferring time-sensitive decisions to the executive committee could be virtually eliminated if the constitution could be amended to permit electronic print notification of a meeting and to shorten the time requirement for delivering advance notice to members. The board agreed. Task force members will make themselves available to the constitution and bylaws committee as that committee crafts the proposed amendment(s). The board accepted the report and disbanded the group. * The Resolutions 2.0 Task Force Ray Campbell reported that the task force recommends making the deadline to submit resolutions earlier — for this year’s convention, May 1st. Then, the resolutions committee will begin meeting twice each week. Proposed resolutions slated for discussion at each meeting will be announced on the Community Events e-mail list. Meetings will be streamed on ACB Media and via Zoom. The goal is to bring resolutions that are in final or near-final form to the convention floor. The task force plans to submit two proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws committee to codify the deadline for submitting resolutions as 60 days prior to the start of convention. * The Voting 2.0 Task Force Jeff Thom presented the group’s recommendations. Constitutional amendment debates and voting will occur during the July 11-13 virtual sessions. Voting for directors and members of the Board of Publications will occur during the hybrid convention week. Nominating speeches will be scheduled toward the end of each day’s general session. After each session concludes, a number of hours will be designated for casting votes using Vote-Now. An on-site voting precinct will also be available in Omaha. Delegate votes will be collected and counted each morning following individual remote voting. Constitutional amendments and resolutions will be grouped on the Vote-Now ballots. During the roll call, delegates will report their affiliate’s votes for each of the amendments or resolutions listed on the day’s ballot. The board accepted both task forces’ reports. Ray, Jeff and Dan assured everyone that further explanations would be forthcoming during the weeks leading up to convention, on community events and regularly scheduled ACB Media programs like Sunday Edition, Tuesday Topics, and VisAbilities. Dan thanked Gabriel Lopez Kafati and Swatha Nandhakumar for providing half-hour summaries in Spanish for each day’s wrap-up show during the D.C. Leadership Conference. This is the first time ACB has provided Spanish language translations and materials as part of an official event. The registration form was provided in English and Spanish, as were the legislative imperatives and social media promotional materials. ACB has enlisted the help of the Multi-Cultural Affairs Committee and contracted with Catholic Charities to identify two hours of content that highlights important aspects of the D.C. Leadership Conference. These summaries will be converted to a series of Spanish-language podcasts. ** April 1, 2022 Dan Spoone called the meeting to order at 8 p.m. Eastern. All board members were present. To listen to the proceedings, visit https://www.acbmedia.org/2022/04/07/20220401-acb-board-of-directors-meeting-april-1-2022/. Dan highly praised the D.C. Leadership Conference. He said that more than 300 people registered for the conference. The ACB Media team is converting all the event recordings into podcasts, and Tony Stephens’ communications team is making recordings available on YouTube. Eight hours of meeting highlights will also be available in Spanish. Dan and Eric invited the board to celebrate ACB’s leading role in advocating for accessible COVID home test kits. As a direct result of ACB’s advocacy, and at the direction of the White House, the National Institutes of Health recently convened a meeting to inform and involve advocates for people with disabilities in a collaborative effort to include accessibility as an essential requirement for all home test kits under the agency’s direction. That meeting included a number of organizations representing people with disabilities, as well as administrators and the lead consulting team from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). Dan, Kim Charlson, Jeff Thom, Clark Rachfal, and Claire Stanley all attended the meeting. * Decision on Hybrid Versus Virtual for the 2022 Convention Janet Dickelman shared the convention steering committee’s recommendation regarding the advisability of holding an in-person convention in Omaha, and the considerations that had led them to their recommendation. If ACB were to cancel the in-person convention, she stated, ACB would owe the hotel a cancellation fee of $185,000. If ACB were to wait until after April 29, the fee would be even higher. ACB would lose more money if we cancel our contract with the hotel than we would if we hold the convention in Omaha but don’t meet our full quota of hotel room nights and our food and beverage commitment. The committee recommended that the 2022 convention be a hybrid event, featuring an in-person convention in Omaha, Neb. After much discussion, the board accepted the committee’s recommendation. Next, the board decided what COVID-related precautions to put into place. All the motions recommended by the convention steering committee were adopted unanimously. These include: • All individuals attending the 2022 convention in person will be required to show proof of vaccination before receiving their convention badges. Registrants with medical or religious exemption letters must provide a negative independently verified COVID-19 test administered within 48 hours of the time the registrant receives their convention badge. • Facial masks will be optional: All ACB conference and convention official meeting rooms will include an area in the room identified as a “Mask Required Seating Area.” All participants seated in that area will be required to wear masks. All other seating in the meeting rooms will be mask-optional areas. • Other hotel and city of Omaha areas will follow COVID-19 guidelines currently in place in the local community. • Volunteers will be required to wear masks and to carry and use hand sanitizer when helping convention attendees. • Hotel staff will be required to wear masks when interacting with our members. During the remainder of the meeting, the board considered several other issues. Kim Charlson told the board that the World Blind Union has established a Ukraine Unity Fund to assist blind and low-vision individuals who have been displaced or need additional help as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The board voted to contribute $1,000 to this fund. Jonathan Mosen and others have organized a performing arts concert featuring blind and visually impaired artists, which will be made available via Zoom and streamed online on April 16 by Mushroom FM and other online media networks, including ACB Media. Dan advised the board of the need to define roles and responsibilities more formally for the people and organizational entities who make decisions within ACB. The board directed the Administrative Services Steering Committee to put together an ad hoc committee for that purpose; the group will present a report at the fall board meeting. Finally, the board approved a motion to update the convention standing rules. After a brief executive session, during which no motions were made and no actions were taken, the meeting adjourned. ***** ** In-Person Convention Attendance Details by Janet Dickelman The 2022 ACB conference and convention will be held at the Hilton hotel in downtown Omaha, Neb. In-person convention dates are July 1st through 8th. The exhibit hall will be open Saturday, July 2 through Wednesday, July 6, and it features the latest and greatest in technology and items for home, work and play! In-person and hybrid sessions offered by special-interest affiliates and committee programs, seminars and sessions offered by our business partners will begin on Friday, July 1 and run through Wednesday, July 6th. (See the April ACB E-Forum for information on our Zoom-only sessions). Our opening general session is Saturday evening, July 2nd. Morning sessions will be held Sunday through Wednesday; Thursday’s general session runs all day. Make sure to join us Thursday evening for our annual banquet, the presentation of ACB awards, the ACB Braille Forum drawing and our keynote speaker, disability rights advocate Judy Heumann. Don’t miss the Welcome to Omaha party (in-person only) Friday evening, July 1st. The Beatles tribute band “Come Together” will “Help!” you rock and dance the night away as the Nebraska host committee helps welcome the ACB national conference. In the great words of the late Beatles singer, John Lennon, “All You Need Is Love!” - and $12 in advance or $15 at the door - to join! Free snacks and a cash bar will also be available. We look forward to seeing you “Twist and Shout” at an event that conveniently is not “Across the Universe!” * Requesting Reasonable Accommodations If you plan to attend the convention and need a support service provider or interpreter, please contact Lori Scharff who will assist in making arrangements. Send her an e-mail with “interpreter for Omaha” in the subject line at loris1@optonline.net. If you’d prefer, you can contact Lori via phone at (516) 695-6370. Lori needs to receive your request by June 10th to ensure she can meet your needs. If you’ll need a wheelchair or scooter in Omaha, Kohll’s Pharmacy will deliver to the Hilton. If you’d like to rent one, contact Bijou Fidegnon at (402) 973-1940 to make payment. Once you have made payment, please let me know so I make sure to receive your order when it arrives. * Convention Volunteers Sally Benjamin, ACB volunteer coordinator, and the Nebraska host committee are working to obtain volunteers to assist convention attendees at the hotel, the airport and during our tours. Here are a few reminders to make things run smoothly for convention attendees and volunteers. Volunteers are happy to help you locate meeting rooms, the exhibit hall, your table in the ballroom, restaurants in the hotel and the elevator bays. Volunteers cannot accompany you to the sleeping room floors or assist you in locating your room. If you need help getting to and from your hotel room, you will need to make arrangements with a friend or family member to assist you. Volunteers or hotel staff cannot administer medications or assist you with other health care needs. Volunteers and hotel staff can assist you in locating dog relief areas, but they are not expected to take your dog out for you. If you need assistance in these areas, please make arrangements prior to the convention for a friend or family member to help you. If you use a wheelchair, ACB convention volunteers may not be physically able to push your chair. Please don’t count on ACB volunteers or hotel staff to be wheelchair pushers. A limited number of volunteers will accompany each tour. Volunteers will help as much as possible; however, they are not personal guides or personal care attendants. If you need individual assistance, please plan to attend the tour with a friend who can act as your guide, PCA or wheelchair pusher. * Assistance at the Airport To assist airline personnel, and Margarine Beaman and her cadre of airport volunteers, if you would like assistance when you arrive at the airport in Omaha, please submit the following information: Your name The name of the airline you will be arriving on Your departure city Arrival flight number Arrival date and time Departure airline Departure date Departure time Your cell phone number You can send Margarine Beaman an e-mail with “airline information” in the subject line at oleo501625@outlook.com, or call her at (512) 921-1625. * Transportation from the Airport zTrip, (402) 292-2222 charges $13 from the airport to the Hilton. You can also use Uber or Lyft from the airport. * Using Paratransit To be certified to use paratransit (called Moby) in Omaha, call (402) 341-7560 ext. 2520 to be certified, or send an email to mobycert@ometro.com. They ask that we call at least two weeks in advance. You will need to provide proof of eligibility to be certified. The phone number for booking ride with Moby is (402) 346-8779. Rides are $2.50 and can be booked up to two weeks in advance; no same day rides. Note: if you’d like to take Moby from the airport, be aware that their service is connected to local bus availability, and bus service to and from the airport has very limited hours. * Ordering Dog Food Scoop Masters will provide and maintain our dog relief areas. If you would like to pre-order dog food to be delivered to your hotel room, call Tim Stone at (661) 714-0749 or order online at http://scoopmasters.com/acb. Note from Tim: “It’s a simple form that asks for name, phone number, brand and type of food. I will call to get the details within 24 hours, and I will accept payments at the hotel.” Food must be ordered by June 25th to ensure delivery. * Staying in Touch The conference and convention announce list will be filled with useful information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2021 convention, you do not need to subscribe to the list. * Reservation Details To make reservations online, go to https://book.passkey.com/event/50221160/owner/22518/home. When asked to select guest type on the main screen, select attendee. For those who wish to call in and make their reservation, call 1-800-HILTONS (that’s 1-800-445-8667) and reference the name of the group block, American Council of the Blind. The group code, if needed for those calling in, is ACB. Room rates at the Hilton are $96 (single or double occupancy), with an additional $10 per person for up to four people per room. Room tax is currently 18.16%. One night’s stay will be charged to your credit card when you book your reservation. * Convention Contacts 2022 Exhibit Information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, exhibitors@acb.org 2022 Advertising and Sponsorships: Anthony Stephens, (202) 559-2045, astephens@acb.org For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059, or via email, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** ** Walking Everywhere for ACB and its Affiliates by Donna Brown The 2022 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk is in full swing. As of this writing, 15 affiliate teams have been created. Slightly over $3,000 has been raised. Our goal is to raise at least $90,000 for ACB and its affiliates. If you haven’t already done so, consider getting in on the fun. For just $25, you can register for the walk and either join or create a team for your favorite affiliate or simply register as an individual walker. All affiliate teams can designate up to 50% of the money their members raise to go back to their affiliate. What a simple and fun way for affiliates to hold a fund-raiser. Over the past few years, some affiliates have raised several thousand dollars from the walk. The on-site walk will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, with the walkers filing into the opening session of the upcoming ACB conference and convention in Omaha. Even if you are unable to attend the convention in person, you can still participate virtually. You can register online by going to https://secure.qgiv.com/event/a2w/. You may also download and print out the registration form from the walk website, or you may call the Minnesota office at (612) 332-3242 for assistance. If you have questions about the walk, or need assistance with registration or seeking donations, contact Donna Brown, walk committee chair, by phone at (304) 940-0292, or by email at donnambrown59@gmail.com. Join me as we Walk Everywhere for ACB and its affiliates and get some exercise at the same time. ***** ** Affiliate News * 2022 AABT Convention Roundup by Carla Hayes Before you know it, it will be time for the ACB national conference and convention. Here is a summary of the events that the American Association of Blind Teachers will be offering during the 2022 convention. (All times listed are in Central time.) We start things off on Thursday, June 23rd from 5:30 to 6:45 with our annual AABT business meeting, which will take place on Zoom. All are welcome to come and learn about our dynamic affiliate. Additionally, AABT members will have the opportunity to vote in our elections and on AABT policy issues. You must be an AABT member to vote. Our annual AABT breakfast and program will take place on Saturday, July 2nd from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately, we cannot stream the delicious food that we will have, but our program will be hybrid so that you can enjoy it wherever you are. The title of our program will be “The Fascinating History of the Statue of Liberty.” Darrel W. Draper, the most requested historical speaker in Nebraska, will entertain us with a humorous and insightful presentation. On Tuesday, July 5th, we will join forces with LUA and other ACB affiliates from 1:30 to 4:00, where we will meet an NLS talking book narrator and discuss an interesting book. (See the ACB convention pre-registration form for more information.) Our final program is scheduled for Wednesday, July 6th from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. The topic will be “It Takes a Village: Working Together to Support Students in Transition.” Nancy Flearl from the Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children will share how a simple non-profit is working in partnership with school districts and vocational rehabilitation to support students in transition. As you can see, AABT has several interesting events planned for this year’s convention. We hope you will join us for some or all of our program. If you have any questions about our convention offerings, please call Carla Hayes at (724) 941-8184. * Wine Tastings and More with BPI! Blind LGBT Pride International invites all to experience the phenomenal convention offerings. This year, as we embark on our first true hybrid endeavor, BPI sought to bring programming to our convention that will educate, engage and bring on the fun. Here is a sample of what those fun BPI folks are offering. Let’s get the big question answered first. Yes, there will be three wine tastings led by our unofficial sommelier extraordinaire, Gabriel Lopez Kafati. In the mind/body arena, we will be using breath and sound to relax our bodies and minds, and taking a look at dating from the mature view, plus a second panel built on questions from our members to a panel of sighted people who will share their impressions on visual cues, non-verbal communication and flirting. “Making Gay” historian Eric Marcus is back to discuss how the HIV epidemic forever changed the trajectory of LGBTQ activism and what other marginalized groups learned from our experience. BPI board member and audio description guru Chris Snyder not only takes us through a day in the life of producing AD, but is building us another fabulous 3-D audio excursion. The human side of the importance of proper pronoun usage and what it means to be an ally are other important conversations on the menu. A “Rocky Horror” experience party will have us all doing the time warp. This year our dare-to-share will be virtual and by invitation. (Information for invites will be furnished to the lists closer to convention.) This year BPI is proud to offer an open mic night after our annual mixer, and we are excited to hear from not only our members and allies but from all the talented folks in ACB. So, as you peruse the convention offerings this year, remember that BPI has something for everyone. * Want to Win a Plush Guide Dog? This year GDUI is holding a drawing for 4 plush pups in harness thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Hava. These pups measure 12 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail and are 10 inches tall. What kinds of dogs are available? They are: 1. Rascal, a yellow lab in a beautiful Guide Dogs of America harness. He is the youngest and loves to play. However, when he is in harness, he is laser-focused on his job. He looks up to the other guides and is eager to please. 2. Cocoa, a chocolate lab in a Leader Dogs harness. She is a sweet little pixie with a heart of gold who eagerly greets each new day. After work and playtime, she’s a little cuddle bug. 3. Banner, a black and tan German shepherd in a Fidelco harness. Able to multi-task. While working, playing, or even at rest, he is vigilant and taking care of his “pack.” Very loyal. 4. Bella, a golden in a Seeing Eye harness. Gentle and nurturing. She has such a beautiful face. She is an excellent worker and a calm and relaxing companion. Ticket sales will end at noon Central time on Wednesday, July 6. Winners will be announced during the GDUI wrap-up and awards session, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, July 6. Tickets for individual pups are 3 for $5 or 7 for $10. You may purchase tickets via PayPal from the GDUI website at https://guidedogusersinc.org/2022-plush-pups-drawing/, or contact GDUI’s office manager, Lynn Merrill, by phone, 1-866-799-8436 in the U.S. * IVIE 2022 Convention Happenings by Carla Hayes Before you know it, the 2022 ACB convention will be here! IVIE has a packed agenda for this year’s convention. We start things off on Saturday, June 25th with our annual business meeting. It will take place from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. Central on Zoom. IVIE members will be sent a Zoom invitation. On Friday, July 1st at 9 p.m., RSVA has invited IVIE to join them in a combined in-person mixer in Omaha. Come and catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Saturday, July 2nd brings the first of three opportunities for IVIE members to exhibit their products and services. IVIE can have up to five tables at ACB Marketplace from 4 to 7 p.m., which can be purchased from IVIE at a cost of $10 a table for IVIE members and $25 a table for non-members. Watch the IVIE list for more details. Monday, July 4th is IVIE Day at the ACB convention. We begin the day’s festivities at 12:15 with our annual luncheon, followed by our program at 1:00, which will be streamed. IVIE will team up with ACB Next Generation and the ACB Employment Committee for a panel presentation titled, “Selling Yourself: How to Put Your Best Foot Forward in the Evolving Employment World.” Join Sara Freeman Smith, an HR professional on the ACB Employment Committee, Kaila Allen, recent new hire and ACB Next Generation member, and entrepreneur Pam Shaw, who will share their experience with written, verbal and visual aspects of positioning yourself as the best job candidate and maximizing those networking opportunities. The panel will tackle these three aspects in each of their facets of the employment/networking processes. Immediately after this presentation is the IVIE Business Expo, which runs from 2:30-5:15 p.m. Blind and visually impaired business owners will showcase their products and services. This will be your second exhibiting opportunity of the convention. Tables will cost $10 for IVIE members and $25 for non-members, with the option of joining IVIE and applying $15 of the expo booth cost to IVIE annual dues. If there’s enough interest, IVIE will also purchase a table in the exhibit hall, and members will pay IVIE for exhibit hours at the table. This will only happen if we get enough people who are willing to pay for exhibit hours and share the cost of the table. If you are interested in any of these exhibiting opportunities, please contact Ardis Bazyn, abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. This would also be an excellent time to pay your IVIE annual dues of $15 if you haven’t already done so. You can pay electronically on IVIE’s secure website, https://ivie-acb.org/, or by submitting your check along with the membership form which can be printed from the website. We have a busy convention planned for you! We hope you will join us for some or all of our activities. ***** ** In Memoriam: Travis Johnson November 10, 1945 – March 30, 2022 Travis Lee Johnson of Paragould, Ark., passed away March 30, 2022. He was 76. He was born in Warren, Ark. on November 10, 1945 to W.B. and Verna Louise (Perry) Johnson. Travis enjoyed many things in life, such as bowling, traveling, his beloved Arkansas Razorbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals. Travis wrestled and ran track and field through high school and later graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree. He went on to work for the Division of Services for the Blind in Arkansas as a rehabilitation counselor. His greatest achievement was marrying his high school sweetheart on February 19, 1969, and spending time with his babies. Travis was a long-time member of ACB from the time it was first organized in Arkansas in the 1970s. Travis accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior on March 14, 1974, at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Travis is preceded in death by his parents, W.B. and Verna Louise (Perry) Johnson, as well as one sister, Mary Spears (Fred). He is survived by his wife, Mary Margaret (Hayden) Johnson; his two adopted, successful children: daughter Holly Celeste Johnson of Las Cruces, N.M., and son Sterling Hayden Johnson (Paula), as well as five grandchildren: Shealynn, Cierra, Hayden, Emma and Madison Johnson, and David Dodson; four nieces and two nephews. He is also survived by one sister, Dorothy Johnson of Little Rock, Ark. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make memorial donations to The Parkinson’s Foundation at https://www.parkinson.org. To share your fond memories and expressions of sympathy, visit www.pinecrestfh.com. ***** ** Being Proactive: What Does This Mean to the Non-Sighted Community? by Arturo Espinoza During the ‘90s, I had the opportunity to volunteer as an advocate for the Community Access Center in Riverside, Calif. That experience has been useful and invaluable; I learned a lot about certain legal issues when it came to dealing with Social Security, MediCal-Medicare and compliance standards. I also learned about the importance of encouraging other physically and visually challenged individuals to stand up for themselves when it came to dealing with various state and federal agencies where meeting their own needs and concerns were involved. The clients I served often came in with horror stories about having been either ignored for long periods of time or treated with contempt or confusion by counselors and “professionals” within the medical and other employment services systems. Some of these situations were also concerned with unexplained losses of vital documents, malicious and age-related discriminatory statements like: “You’re over 50, so why should we waste our time funding training and equipment for you to get a job?” Still other situations included landlords and employers refusing to make residential complexes and job sites safer and more accessible to their blind residents and wheelchair users. Sadly, when confronted with the reminder that there was such a thing as the ADA, responses tended to range from puzzled behavior, lack of knowledge or outright hostility! However, I also heard many positive stories about individuals in those type of agencies mentioned above who went the extra mile to be of assistance. My goal for broaching this subject is to strongly encourage anyone out there with a visual, physical, or mental limitation to advocate for yourself, especially when there is a medical, mental health, housing, financial or some other personal need that you feel has not been addressed to your satisfaction. And if you’re uncertain about doing this by yourself, contact your local Chamber of Commerce or your state’s vocational rehabilitation services or commission for the blind for assistance. It’s also OK to take advantage of any health or legal clinics and any advocacy resources available in most cities and towns. Where the process of engaging in effective and positive self-advocacy is concerned, I believe that learning to stand up for yourself includes the kind of attitude you project in being proactive. Although it may be uncomfortable, it is sometimes necessary to rock the boat. First, it is vital that you make the best effort that you can to not become a victim of your condition. Too many visually challenged people tend to be easily discouraged and intimidated by rejection. With this last observation in mind, one might ask: how, then, can I engage in a more specific manner so that I can have my needs met? Such behaviors/actions include: making follow-up calls once you’ve established contact with the company or agency related to your need. This will sometimes mean making more than one follow-up call. Be persistent! Don’t feel guilty about doing what you have to, and don’t give up! Be as positive as you can and stay focused on what steps you are taking to reach your goal. If you are being interviewed for potential employment or request for some kind of assistance, dress well, because their first impression is everything. If you have computers, digital recorders or other note-taking devices, record or write things down so that you can have reliable documentation to keep you on track. And where necessary, e-mail your requests to those departments or agencies from which you are seeking assistance. By taking these vital steps, you are creating a legitimate and visible record of your need within those locales. It’s also very useful to join social networks, clubs or groups that can help you stay motivated and supported in your needs-related efforts. Don’t isolate yourself! Ask yourself questions like: is my need justifiable? Is what I am asking for reasonable? Am I allowing fear, doubt or negative past experiences to act as stumbling blocks in reaching my goal, or am I letting pride stop me in asking for help? And how will getting my need met make my personal or work-related situation more bearable and/or efficient? Are my expectations realistic? Am I honestly making the effort it takes to find and use the resources that I need so that I can be as independent and self-reliant as possible in continuing to take care of myself in a meaningful and healthy way? In the end, the encouragement that I hope readers will take from this piece is to keep in mind that the word “No” doesn’t have to mean defeat. In fact, the best way to get to that “yes” is to believe in yourself and in what you are striving for. Don’t hesitate to adopt the affirmative motto of “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Remember that people can’t read your mind and that no one knows you better than yourself. Have faith and confidence in your coping skills and inner strengths. If you’re comfortable doing so, rely on spiritual guidance. Remember that when push comes to shove, you made it this far against a variety of social, medical and economic odds. A closed mouth doesn’t get fed. ***** ** Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They’ll Have to Do It Again. * Advocates will once again be granted a DMCA exception to make accessible versions of texts. They argue that it’s far past time to make it permanent. by Damon Beres Reprinted from “Wired,” Oct. 27, 2021. It’s a cliché of digital life that “information wants to be free.” The Internet was supposed to make the dream a reality, breaking down barriers and connecting anyone to any bit of data, anywhere. But 32 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, people with print disabilities — the inability to read printed text due to blindness or other impairments — are still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. Advocates for the blind are fighting an endless battle to access e-books that sighted people take for granted, working against copyright law that gives significant protections to corporate powers and publishers who don’t cater to their needs. For the past year, they’ve once again undergone a lengthy petitioning process to earn a critical exemption to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act that provides legal cover for people to create accessible versions of e-books. Baked into Section 1201 of the DMCA is a triennial process through which the Library of Congress considers exceptions to rules that are intended to protect copyright owners. Since 2002, groups advocating for the blind have put together lengthy documents asking for exemptions that allow copy protections on e-books to be circumvented for the sake of accessibility. Every three years, they must repeat the process, like Sisyphus rolling his stone up the hill. On Wednesday, the U.S. Copyright Office released a report recommending the Librarian of Congress once again grant the three-year exemption; it will do so in a final rule that takes effect on Thursday. The victory is tainted somewhat by the struggle it represents. Although the exemption protects people who circumvent digital copyright protections for the sake of accessibility — by using third-party programs to lift text and save it in a different file format, for example — that it’s even necessary strikes many as a fundamental injustice. “As the mainstream has embraced e-books, accessibility has gotten lost,” says Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “It’s an afterthought.” Publishers have no obligation to make electronic versions of their books accessible to the blind through features like text-to-speech (TTS), which reads aloud onscreen text and is available on whichever device you’re reading this article. More than a decade ago, publishers fought Amazon for enabling a TTS feature by default on its Kindle 2 e-reader, arguing that it violated their copyright on audiobooks. Now, publishers enable or disable TTS on individual books themselves. Even as TTS has become more common, there’s no guarantee that a blind person will be able to enjoy a given novel from Amazon’s Kindle storefront, or a textbook or manual. That’s why the exemption is so important — and why advocates do the work over and over again to secure it from the Library of Congress. It’s a time-consuming and expensive process that many would rather do away with. “To go every three years is burdensome,” says Mark Richert, executive director at the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. “We are not resourced the way rights owners are. There is a disparity in privilege and capacity. On that sort of equitable note alone, the exemptions should be permanent.” Some advocates have pushed for DMCA reform that would weaken or negate Section 1201’s copyright protections, therefore removing the need for a triennial application process. Lawmakers held a number of hearings re-evaluating the DMCA last year; they’ve amounted to more debate about the best path forward, but there have been no material outcomes so far. In the meantime, the situation morphed into a genuine crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a worldwide exodus to digital space. Eric and Rebecca Bridges, both of whom are blind and work as advocates for people with disabilities, decided to homeschool their 6-year-old son last year after learning their school district wouldn’t provide accessible materials. “The world changed,” says Eric, who works as the executive director of the American Council of the Blind. “He’s got two blind parents who can’t really accurately review his progress. How were we going to do this?” “The apps that our district was using were not accessible to us as blind parents,” says Rebecca, a manager at the accessibility software company TPG Interactive. “We felt like he would really lose out … So, we took that leap.” Although their son is sighted, the Bridges needed accessible textbooks and worksheets to instruct him and check his work. They purchased learning materials from three homeschooling companies, but none of them were accessible. Worksheets that appeared totally text-based actually weren’t, for example. Instead, the files the Bridges received were just pictures of text. It’s an important distinction. Think of it this way: You can highlight any letter or word in this article, copy and paste it, whatever. But take a screenshot of the same text and suddenly you're left with a static image that you can’t interact with. It’s the difference between a DOC file and a JPEG. Without specific software, a computer doesn’t “see” words in an image. Rebecca resorted to a program called JAWS, which uses optical character recognition to translate text in an image, to read her son’s worksheets. This is where the Section 1201 exemption comes in: To create an accessible version of a copyrighted work sometimes means altering and reproducing that work in a different format using a tool like JAWS. Without the exemption, it would technically be illegal to break copyright protection for this purpose. So, Rebecca handled the worksheets. But then there were the books. Rebecca asked the homeschooling companies to provide electronic copies of the hard-copy books she purchased for her son, so that she could access the text and instruct him. When she got the files, she had to contend with a fresh slate of problems. “Not a single one was a completely accessible document, and I received many,” Rebecca says. The companies sent locked files she couldn’t access and manipulate. Or they sent poorly formatted PDFs that confused her screen-reader software. Even e-books that are formatted correctly for TTS can have other issues. Math and science are the worst. Textbooks may be formatted for 100 percent accurate text-to-speech, only to falter when it comes to formulas, equations, charts, and tables. Those are typically rendered as images in an e-book, which would require publishers to take an additional step to record “alt text” for each individual figure — audio that would describe the image once encountered by a screen reader. This rarely happens. A screen reader instead stumbles over these static images, sometimes reciting filename gibberish, leaving a blind reader with no possible way to discern meaning. That’s assuming, again, that an accessible version of the textbook exists to begin with. If one does exist, it may only be available on certain platforms. The inconsistencies can be maddening. Take “Calculus: Early Transcendentals,” a popular textbook from the publisher Cengage Learning. The “eTextbook” available on Amazon is actually just a straightforward scan of the book, with absolutely no text to speech functionality. Bookshare, an accessible online library, offers a version of the book, but even that copy is not fully accessible, because it doesn’t contain alt-text descriptions of those static images. Brad Turner, VP and GM of global education and literacy at Benetech, the nonprofit behind Bookshare, says that while his company will sometimes inject accessible features into e-books without the cooperation of a publisher, they won’t write their own descriptions for images. “Our agreement with publishers is, give us your content, and we promise not to change it at all. We’re only going to make it accessible,” Turner says. “For many of the images, graphics, charts, graphs, formulas, equations, we’re not qualified like the author or the publisher.” Emily Featherston, director of corporate communications at Cengage, says the company is committed to providing accessible versions of its e-books, and that it has “accessibility guidelines and an in-house team of digital accessibility and learning design specialists” to support its product and tech teams. Readers who purchase and access text through Cengage’s own platform will have access to TTS and alt-text, but those features aren’t guaranteed from the third parties people may be more accustomed to buying from. “While this work helps demonstrate our commitment to providing accessible solutions, we also recognize that accessibility is a journey, not a destination, and there is always room to improve,” Featherston says. That journey has been very long. Technological interventions have been available for years —some people use tools like the Kindle Converter or Codex to cleave through digital rights management, transforming proprietary e-books into accessible formats — but the core problem is actually very simple. Publishers could provide fully accessible, digital versions of their books. They don’t have to, and often they don’t. So advocates in the United States are stuck filing for an exemption to a 23-year-old law, signed a year before the founding of Napster and well ahead of the smartphone era, when a top copyright concern was kids ripping music from CDs. The recommendation this month to extend the copyright exemption for accessible e-books is good news, but the entire process will repeat in three years. By then, a permanent fix may be closer. In 2019, the European Accessibility Act became law in the EU. It will be enforced in June 2025, requiring all e-books published in the EU after that point to be fully accessible. Some hope it could set a precedent here. “We passed a seatbelt law. We passed an unleaded gas law. Why can’t we pass an accessible book law?” Turner says. Meanwhile, the Bridges are looking to the future — with some trepidation. “Math is going to be nasty,” Rebecca says. “There’s no doubt in my mind.” ***** ** 60 ‘Choice’ Years Dearest friends: In September 1962, LuEsther T. Mertz founded Choice Magazine Listening (CML) because she believed that visually impaired people and those with disabilities that prevented them from reading standard print should have access to the same magazine writing as sighted people. Through the nonprofit Lucerna Fund, Ms. Mertz tasked a small editorial team to fulfill a mission to make this endeavor “exclusively charitable, literary, and educational.” Today, nearly 60 years and 338 issues later, the CML archives are open. We invite librarians, staff, patrons, and eligible friends of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) to hear the digitally remastered and easily downloadable, first-ever issues of our audio magazine anthology originally created on 10-inch, 16 ? rpm records. Each issue provides a fascinating time capsule of the literature and thought of the day. You and your patrons may call us directly anytime, toll-free, at 1-888-724-6423 with any questions about CML or the archives project. Over the coming years we will release a full year of archived material alongside each issue we publish. Please visit choicemagazinelistening.org and come celebrate 60 “Choice” years with us! Warmly, Annie Schlegel-Kyrkostas Editor in Chief ***** ** 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. * Envision Events for Middle, High School Students Middle- and high-school students with vision loss across the United States are invited to attend the six-day event packed with more than 50 hours of sessions ranging from assistive technology training, financial literacy and college prep, cyber security, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics), interpersonal and self-advocacy skills, career planning and more. The Level Up High School Conference will take place June 19-25. The Middle School Program will be held July 18-23. For more information, visit envisionus.com/youth-programs/level-up or contact programs@envisionus.com. * Congratulations to the New England Regional Braille Challenge Winners! This competition, a national program of the Braille Institute, encourages blind and visually impaired children to hone their braille skills. • Founders: Devin Fedorchuk • Apprentice: Zoey Powell • Freshman: Sean Plumer • Sophomore: Hannah Gevers • Junior Varsity: Darby Lalumiere • Varsity: Alan Quan * Accessible Medication Labels WayTag Audio Labels can now be added to prescriptions, vitamins, and supplements filled through Accessible Pharmacy. Labels will include the medication name, directions, important dates, and more. All accessible packaging, accessible labeling and delivery are FREE. For more information, contact info@accessiblepharmacy.com. * Introducing ReVision Fitness – The Audio Fitness App ReVision Fitness is a brand-new audio fitness app that includes over 100 different exercise and position lessons, dozens of audio workouts, and a few fitness plans. It’s available at the Google play store, the Apple App store, and on the website: Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.revision.fitness iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/revision-fitness/id1561742182 Website: https://www.revisionfitnessapp.com For more information, contact tylermerren@revisionfitnessapp.com. * Introducing the BrailleSense 6 mini With the BrailleSense 6 mini you can read books, write reports, complete assignments, send emails, share documents, and so much more with incredible speed. This is a 20-cell braille display with 6 GB memory; WiFi; Bluetooth; and weighs less than 1 pound. For more information, visit https://hims-inc.com/product/braillesense-6-mini/. * UEB Reference Books Structured Discovery is selling 3- x 5-inch UEB pocket reference books. The books are available in interpoint braille and ink with simulated braille. For more information, visit https://www.structureddiscovery.org. * Look at It This Way Sammy Sweetspirit has recently published a book, “Look At It This Way: The Blind Leading the Sighted.” This book creates a conversation about blindness. The goals are to answer questions we all may be reluctant to ask and to provide a glimpse into what blind people experience living in a sighted world. For more information, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/1954968612/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_i_SS83Z2PJH7AJ9RT72QC2. * Talking Online Crossword Puzzles If you’re a crossword puzzle fan, and frustrated by the lack of accessibility, you may want to check out https://bgspeaking.com/word-speaking-vocal-crossword. Also available in the Apple App Store and Google Play as Word Speaking Vocal Crossword, these crosswords speak to you! In the app, you get two free puzzles to try. The letters are large, with a tactile option, too. For more details, visit the blog at tinyurl.com/mwavb7b2. * Braille Circulating Library Adds New Books Whether you prefer audio books or the feel of a book on your lap, the Braille Circulating Library is ready to help you! The library also carries many books in standard braille. There is no membership fee; all loans are free of charge. Recent additions to the braille collection include a fiction series and two non-fiction books. The series, “Forever Faithful,” by the popular Christian fiction writer Karen Kingsbury, consists of three books and is available for loan in UEB. Titles include “Waiting for Morning,” “A Moment of Weakness” and “Halfway to Forever.” “Love and Respect,” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, presents a refreshing view of these basic elements of the marriage relationship. It, too, is available in UEB. “Mission at Nuremburg” by Tim Townsend describes experiences of American Army Chaplain Henry Gerecke. This biographical work is also in UEB. The library’s web site, https://braillecirculatinglibrary.org/, was designed for better navigation for those who use screen-reader software. There, you’ll find the catalog listings and useful links, and you’ll also be able to view the many inspirational items available for loan in braille and audio formats. By registering on the site, you’ll be able to access the online audio library. There are several ways to contact the library. You can send a message through the contact page on the website, or send an e-mail to braillecirculatinglibrary@gmail.com. If you prefer not to use a computer, give the library a call at (804) 359-3743. * Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service NFRRS was founded in 1987 to help people who are blind, have low vision, or have other sight-related disabilities. Volunteers read books, magazines, newspapers and other print materials on-air and online 24/7. These readings are broadcast online as a live feed and are available as podcasts. Tune in at https://nfradioreading.org/ or join via Amazon Echo or Google Home Assistant. For more information, contact Mark Robinson at (716) 821-5555, or via email, mark@nfradioreading.org. * Galanos Consulting Galanos Consulting offers custom audio creation and editing using the popular multi-track recording software, Audacity. We also offer custom tutoring services either live or recorded through the Zoom meeting platform. This month only, we are offering a pre-recorded 81-minute tutorial session so that you can get a taste of Ted’s teaching style. If you wish to schedule a consultation or tutorial session, email GalanosConsulting@gmail.com or call (713) 396-3495. * New Children’s Book Newly available from National Braille Press is “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” by Meg Medina and Sonia Sanchez. It’s available in UEB for ages 5 to 7. This is a story about friendship and change set in a vibrant neighborhood. Also new is “Jabari Jumps,” by Gaia Cornwall. It’s available in UEB for ages 4-8. This appealing story about overcoming your fears features a patient, encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but cheer for. It’s nearly summer! Get your youngest sports fans ready for baseball season with “Little Baseball” by Brad Herzog and Doug Bowles. This is a print/braille board book for preschoolers and up. Over in the tech section, take a look at “Getting Started with Android: Android and TalkBack for the Beginning User” (Android S, 12), by Kim and Chris Nova. It’s available in braille, BRF, Word, and DAISY. This book covers: Android basics; choosing a device; security and customization; setting up and configuring your phone; navigational gestures; essential Android functions and screens; important apps for staying connected and organized; editing and manipulating text; Bluetooth, external keyboards, and keyboard commands; and much more. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-548-7323, or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. * Use Alexa to Talk with a Doctor If you have an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Show device, you can now summon medical care with a simple voice command. Echo users can say, “Alexa, I want to talk to a doctor” to be connected with the Teledoc call center, and then a Teledoc health provider will call back through the device. This fully remote service will be available 24/7 for non-emergency needs — like allergies or colds — and will initially be audio-only. For people with insurance, the out-of-pocket cost will vary depending on coverage. * Disability Information and Access Line The DIAL service is available to help people with disabilities get vaccinated and access COVID-19 tests. DIAL staff can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation. Call 1-888-677-1199 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern) or email DIAL@usaginganddisability.org. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers using relay services may dial 1-800-677-1199. (People who use TTY relay can first dial 7-1-1, and then relay the 1-800-677-1199 number.) * Introducing the Wayband® WearWorks is a haptic platform company that builds products and experiences that communicate information through touch. The WAYBAND® is a haptic navigation app and optional smartband that gently navigates a person to a destination using vibrations, without the need for visual or audio feedback. For more information, send an email to hello@wear.works. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop To submit items for this column, send your “for sale,” “looking for” or “free to good home” announcements to Sharon Lovering, info@acb.org, or call her at (202) 467-5081. * For Sale: Brailliant BI 80 refreshable braille display. I will let it go for a reasonable price. May also be open to trading. If interested, please text or call James at (410) 925-0707. * Looking For: 60-base 34-key piano accordion. Contact Dan Marshall at (225) 892-7055. ***** ** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (2nd term, 2023) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2023) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2023) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 * Secretary Denise Colley (2nd term, 2023) 26131 Travis Brook Dr. Richmond, TX 77406-3990 * Treasurer David Trott (final term, 2023) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (2nd term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (partial term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) ** ACB Board of Publications Katie Frederick, Chair, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2023) Cheryl Cumings, Boston, MA (1st term, 2023) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (1st term, 2022) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (2nd term, 2022) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2022) ***** ** 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. ###