The ACB E-Forum Volume LV December 2016 No. 6 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** ** Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. ** Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 195, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. ** Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (605) 475-8154 and choose option 3. Tune in to ACB Radio at www.acbradio.org or by calling (605) 475-8130. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2016 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents Results of the ACB/CUSDGS Survey Are In!, by Tony Stephens ACB’s Parenting Video Available – And Has Audio Description, Too Scholarship Application for 2017-2018 School Year Now Available! Convention Nuggets from Reno, by Janet Dickelman ACB Fall Board Meeting Report, by Ron Brooks Bid It and Buy It at the ACB Radio Holiday Auction, by Carla Ruschival How Do You Find a Job When You Are Blind?, by Marcia Moran This Blind Apple Engineer Is Transforming the Tech World at Only 22, by Katie Dupere The Things I Do Today, Part Four: Listening with the iPhone, by Paul Edwards A Shopper’s Dream, by Carla Ruschival Affiliate and Committee News In Memoriam: Cleo B. Dolan, 1918-2016, by Bashir Masoodi Here and There, edited by Sharon Strzalkowski High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers, Board of Directors, and Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she’ll make the changes for you. ** Keep up with the most important ACB news and announcements without any other chatter. Subscribe to the ACB Announce listserv. Send a blank e-mail to announce-subscribe@acblists.org, or visit www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/announce and type your e-mail address and name where indicated. ** All blind musicians, all the time at the ACB Radio Café, www.acbradio.org/café. ** ACB Radio, the place to be with people in the know! www.acbradio.org ***** Results of the ACB/CUSDGS Survey Are In! by Tony Stephens The American Council of the Blind, in partnership with Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) and the Council of U.S. Dog Guide Schools (CUSDGS), conducted a national survey to better understand the denial of taxi and hired vehicle passengers who travel with dog guides. The findings reaffirm the need for action and outreach to national and local transportation governing bodies, as well as to community and civic leaders. ** Data at a Glance • Total respondents = 620 • 90% of respondents use a taxi or hired vehicle at least once a month. • 47% use a taxi or hired vehicle 3 or more times a month. • 68% have been denied access with a guide dog at least once, with 17% reporting denial 50% or higher. • Of those denied access, 82% occurs at time of pick-up. • Key reasons given of incidence include allergies/fear of dogs (60%), religious/cultural beliefs (43%), lack of knowledge on access law (39%). • 45% of respondents who were denied access have never filed a complaint. ** Key Take-Aways • Belief that discrimination for dog guide users is pervasive was confirmed. • While not isolated to one singular region in the country, prevalence was significantly higher in urban areas. • While outreach to the transportation industry is still needed on rights of dog guide users, additional remedies such as cultural sensitivity training and myth-busting rise as key pathways for maximizing elimination of discrimination. • Additional outreach to passengers informing them of their rights and means to make complaints is necessary. ** Moving Forward • Collaboration is needed, both among advocacy consumer groups and dog guide training institutions and their graduates, in order to develop a successful campaign strategy to end discrimination. • Federal, state and local governments should be made aware of the systemic and social barriers obstructing equal access and be moved to action. • Community outreach is greatly needed, targeting key messengers and influencers capable of working to overcome social barriers. • Passengers should be empowered to speak up and methods to lodge complaints should be more easily accessed. ACB will be working with its committees and affiliates in order to strategize next steps for such action. If you have questions pertaining to this study, contact Anthony Stephens, ACB Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs, at astephens@acb.org or (202) 467-5081. ***** ACB’s Parenting Video Available – and Has Audio Description, Too Parents often say that raising children is one of the most rewarding and challenging stages of life. Now imagine how you’d do it if you were blind. Not sure? Check out this video and learn how two parents, Rebecca and Eric, who are both blind, are loving, laughing and adapting as they raise their two-year-old son, Tyler, who loves books, trucks, airplanes, playing, and exploring the world around him. Please share the links below with your affiliate e-mail lists, family and friends. ACB Parenting Video with Audio Description: https://youtu.be/0kbVtOrLzIU ACB Parenting Video: https://youtu.be/po9QvkT_XxM ***** Scholarship Application for 2017-2018 School Year Now Available! Yes, you read that right – ACB’s scholarship application for the 2017-2018 school year is available now. The American Council of the Blind annually awards approximately 20 scholarships ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $2,500 to entering freshmen, undergraduate and graduate students who are legally blind in both eyes, maintain a 3.3 GPA and are involved in their school/local community. Applications may be submitted now; all materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 15, 2017. Incomplete forms will not be processed or considered. What other documentation do you need? • Certification of legal blindness from an ophthalmologist, optometrist or physician. (This hard-copy letter may be mailed). • Certified transcripts from the school you are currently attending. Entering freshmen, please include high-school transcripts; graduate students, please include undergraduate transcripts. Unless extenuating circumstances exist, a 3.3 cumulative grade point average is required. (This hard-copy letter may be mailed.) • Two letters of recommendation from a current or recent instructor, career counselor or employer. (Only Microsoft Word or rich text formats will be accepted; they may be e-mailed separately to dtheien@acb.org .) • Proof of acceptance from a post-secondary school. Entering and transferring students must submit a notice or letter from the admissions office certifying acceptance or consideration for admission. If not available at the time the application is submitted, it must be submitted as soon as it is available. Students continuing at the same school attended during 2016-17 do not need to submit this document. (Microsoft Word or rich text formats only; send via e-mail to dtheien@acb.org .) To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an online application, visit www.acb.org/scholarship-application. If you are interested in applying, or know someone who is, please contact Dee Theien by phone, (612) 332-3242, or by e-mail, dtheien@acb.org, for more information. ***** Convention Nuggets from Reno by Janet Dickelman Members of the convention committee and the ACB board have just completed their visit to Sparks, Nev. and the Nugget Casino and Resort. We were very impressed with the hotel staff; they were all very friendly and helpful. The food at the hotel restaurants (see my article in the November issue) was plentiful and very reasonably priced. Tour coordinator Rhonda Trott has done a superb job of planning some great tours for the 2017 conference and convention. I know many of you are anxious to hear what we have planned. We are still working on what day which tours will occur and hope to have information in the January “ACB Braille Forum.” Margarine and Danielle worked hard on the hotel orientation guide, which we will make sure is available prior to the convention. There will be two dog relief areas, one in the second floor parking garage and one on the first floor just outside the west tower. ** A Few Things about the Nugget The west tower of the hotel is about to undergo renovation. All rooms will be remodeled before our arrival. Each room in the west tower will have a refrigerator and a safe. If you are a guide dog user, you want to be in this tower. You may also opt to be in the east tower, where most suites will be located. All the meeting rooms will also be revamped with new furnishings and carpet. ** Reservation Details To make reservations via telephone, call 1-800-648-1177 and ask for group code GACB17. You may also make reservations online by visiting www.acb.org. Follow the 2017 conference and convention link. ** Convention Dates Our first tours and the ACB board meeting will be on Friday, June 30th. Affiliates and committees will begin programming on Saturday, July 1st. That is also the day the exhibit hall will open, and general sessions will begin that evening. Our concluding general session and the banquet will be on Thursday, July 6th, with final tours on Friday, July 7th. ** Staying in Touch Once again this year, 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 2016 convention, you need not subscribe again. ** Convention Contacts 2017 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, amduo@bellsouth.net 2017 advertising and sponsorships: Margarine Beaman, (512) 921-1625, oleo50@hotmail.com For any other convention-related questions, contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059, or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. I’m sure many of you are preparing for the holiday season as you read this article. I wish all of you a very merry Christmas. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays from my house to yours. ***** ACB Fall Board Meeting Report by Ron Brooks On Oct. 21 and 22, ACB’s board of directors held a busy and productive meeting at the Nugget Hotel and Casino in Sparks, Nev., the site of the 2017 ACB conference and convention. This article is a summary of the topics discussed by those in attendance. More detailed information will be provided in the minutes, which will be available on ACB’s web site after they are adopted. *** Friday, October 21 ACB president Kim Charlson called the meeting to order around 2 p.m. All board members except for Denise Colley, Sara Conrad and Katie Frederick (all of whom were excused) were in attendance. ACB staff members Eric Bridges, Lane Waters and Nancy Becker were also present. After the roll call and some introductory remarks from Kim Charlson, executive director Eric Bridges introduced Liana Grassi, a vice president with FMP Consulting, a strategic management consulting firm, who facilitated a discussion of strategic issues which the board will be developing over the next several months. Grassi began by explaining that the development of a strategic plan will take time and that this initial discussion would primarily serve as a launch of the process. For this first discussion, board members took on three tasks: 1) to identify positive developments which have occurred within the ACB since 2012 (the last time the ACB engaged in the development of a strategic plan); 2) to list things that the ACB should consider leaving behind as it seeks to move forward; and 3) to identify three to five key areas where ACB should focus its efforts in the years to come. In future meetings, the board and ACB staff will begin working with ACB committees, state and special-interest affiliates and other members to build on the foundations laid during this initial meeting with the goal of developing a comprehensive plan which will guide the organization’s efforts over the next five years. At the conclusion of the half-day meeting, those in attendance expressed optimism about the plan and satisfaction with the initial meeting’s progress. *** Saturday, October 22 The board reconvened at 9 a.m. on Saturday to conduct the rest of its business. After adopting the agenda and approving several electronic votes, the board approved the minutes from the pre-convention meeting. ** Convention Report ACB convention coordinator Janet Dickelman began by summarizing the revenues, expenses and net proceeds from several recent ACB conventions. She then provided information about the 2017 ACB convention, to be held at the Nugget Hotel and Casino in Sparks, Nev., from Friday, June 30 through Friday, July 7. More information about the hotel, the program and an array of exciting, fun and informative tours will be provided online and in future issues of the Forum. Janet gave the dates for the 2018 and 2019 annual conferences: • 2018 — June 29-July 6, St. Louis, Mo. • 2019 — July 5-12, Rochester, N.Y. Janet then presented two additional proposals for board consideration. First was a proposal to enable ACB to recover more of its ACB Radio personnel and equipment costs by charging ACB state and special-interest affiliates for recording of convention sessions on ACB Radio. The second policy (which did not require board approval) would encourage committees and affiliates to rent assistive listening devices along with podium and wireless microphones for their convention sessions and workshops. More information about these policies will be provided to ACB committees, state and special-interest affiliates early in 2017. ** President’s Report Charlson then gave her report. Topics covered included: • NELDS Dissolution —The board of the National Education and Legal Defense Service (NELDS) agreed to dissolve and transfer approximately $52,300 to ACB, pending specification of uses for those funds. Those funds have already been transferred to the ACB. • Charlson proposed, and the board endorsed, a gift of $250 to Father John Sheehan, in recognition of his many years of service through the Xavier Society for the Blind. • Charlson, with assistance from immediate past president Mitch Pomerantz, provided a summary of the recently completed World Blind Union conference held in Orlando, Fla. • Voting Task Force Update — Charlson then invited first vice president Jeff Thom to update the board on the work of the voting task force. Jeff reported that the task force has been working with a remote voting company to develop and conduct a pilot project to test the feasibility of remote voting for ACB. ** ACB Staff Reports Eric Bridges then updated the board on a number of national office activities, including: • IT Infrastructure — ACB has partnered with Louisville Web Group (LWG) for comprehensive website design, maintenance and management services. LWG was responsible for developing the highly successful ACB Mini Mall website, and they have already developed a series of short-term improvements to the accessibility and aesthetics of ACB.org. • Video and social media — Eric shared positive news about the impact and reach of the parenting video and several convention videos which ACB videographer Dennis Becker shot during the 2016 ACB convention. Thanks to the use of social media, these videos have reached thousands of individuals around the country and beyond. • Guide dog and audio description surveys — ACB has assisted in the development and distribution of two significant surveys, both of which received hundreds of responses. • Wayfinder.org — Eric described a potential partnership with a company from Great Britain which is using beacon technology (a technology which allows a blind user to obtain wayfinding information through a Bluetooth-enabled smart phone) to improve the accessibility of transit stations, shopping centers, airports and other large public spaces. This technology may offer opportunities for improving the accessibility of our conferences and conventions. • Development Report — Eric invited Tom Tobin, ACB’s director of development, to give a report on ACB’s development efforts. Tom, who presented by phone, shared positive updates regarding a number of ACB fundraising efforts, including the Monthly Monetary Support program, annual giving societies, grant writing, and the development of potential large bequests. ** Executive Session The board adopted a motion to pursue legal action against a major medical provider for its refusal to make on-line registration forms and other documents accessible. It also adopted a motion to partner with RSVA in a legal action against the Department of Defense for violations of the Randolph-Sheppard Act and authorizing up to $5,000 for this effort. ** Minnesota Staff Updates Nancy Becker and Lane Waters then provided updates from the Minnesota office regarding membership, budget and financial activities. Topics included: • AMMS — In recognition of the fact that processing of membership records for affiliates who are not utilizing AMMS takes longer for national office staff and is less accurate, the board urged all state and special-interest affiliates to begin utilizing AMMS by the end of 2018. The board also requested the board liaisons and the national office staff to assist in whatever ways affiliates need to complete this transition. The board also adopted a motion simplifying the visual status field in AMMS to permit all members to be classified as either “blind/low vision” or “sighted.” • Membership Certification Date — There was a discussion about the need for a specific cut-off date for certifying members within the current year vs. certifying them for the upcoming year. It was decided that this issue needs additional study before any action can be taken. • Finally, a motion was made to update signers on all accounts to reflect Eric’s hiring as the executive director and the retirement of Lane Waters. ** Budget Report ACB treasurer Carla Ruschival then gave a report on the 2016 budget and on the development of the 2017 budget. As of August, ACB’s financial position is strong. ACB has not yet had to spend budgeted reserves, and thanks to the liquidation of a stock donation in September and strong convention revenues, has not had to begin spending reserve funds. ** Resource Development Committee Report Committee chairman Dan Dillon provided an overview of RDC activities, including the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk, the auctions, “The ACB Braille Forum” raffle, the Angels Wall, and the Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) program. For each program, Dan summarized the 2016 proceeds and the goals which the RDC has established for 2017. ** Holiday Auction Ruschival then gave an update on the upcoming Holiday Auction, which will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. To date, the committee has received approximately 70 items. The next steps are to post item descriptions on the website and then start reaching out to friends, family, colleagues and others to ensure a good auction turnout. ** ACB Radio and ACB Link ACB Radio Manager Jeff Bishop provided an update on these two critical and popular services. Jeff updated the board on several program-related changes at ACB Radio, including 24 hours of Halloween programming on Halloween and additional holiday-related program on Thanksgiving and Christmas. He then described several upgrades being planned for ACB Link. These include: a new and improved user interface, the implementation of push notifications which could be used for a variety of specific app or organizational needs, and implementation of some new functionality including the ability to listen to podcasts offline and the ability to make donations to ACB through the app. When asked about making the app available for Android users, Jeff reported that this is being considered, but no developers have come forward who can perform this service at a reasonable cost. ** Board Representation on Committees The board then elected the following representatives to the following key committees: • Public Relations – Jeff Bishop • Credentials – Pat Sheehan • Membership – George Holliday • Budget and Finance – Carla Ruschival, David Trott and Dan Spoone ** Goal Group and Committee Updates Near the end of the meeting, several board members provided brief updates on a number of committees, including: • Goal Group 1 — Carla Ruschival reported that affiliate pages are now available on the ACB website. She encouraged affiliates to consider placing pages on the ACB website. As the site improves in look, accessibility and functionality, more people will be attracted to the site and the pages of affiliates on the site. • Goal Group 3 — Jeff Thom described a plan to formalize an orientation mentorship program for new board members. • Special Education Task Force — The task force is planning a webinar for early 2017 that will focus on the rights of parents in the special education process. ***** Bid It and Buy It at the ACB Radio Holiday Auction Get in on the fun and bid and buy at the fifth annual ACB Radio Holiday Auction. It’s packed with incredible items that are guaranteed to create bidding frenzies. Techies will love the Amazon Fire Sticks, Bluetooth headphones, solar backpack, and computer messenger bag with power bank inside. Get cooking with grills and a big 5-quart Cook’s Essential air fryer. Snap up exquisite music boxes, jewelry, and a flash drive filled with a huge collection of old-time shows that comes with its own old-time radio. Your guide dog will love the large carry-all with dog toys and treats inside. Santa will visit when you hang handcrafted stockings for yourself and your doggie friend; and your dog will love you all year round when you win our collapsible dog kennel. Feast on holiday treats such as chocolates, bourbon balls, popcorn, fudge, cookies and muffins, breads and cakes. Collectibles, a handcrafted quilt — even an exercise program to help with that New Year’s resolution! Two telephone numbers and multiple telephone lines will allow us to quickly take your bids. To bid on an item, listen for it to be announced on the air. Call 1-877-904-1080 or (502) 571-1080 to place your bid. If you receive a busy signal, hang up and try again. Please note that there are more local lines available, so you may wish to use the 502 number for bidding. For a complete list of items plus auction details and rules, visit www.acb.org and follow the auction link. Then tune us in on www.acbradio.org, through ACB Link, or by calling (605) 475-8130 from any telephone on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 11 p.m. Eastern (4 to 8 p.m. Pacific). Thanks for supporting ACB Radio. — Carla Ruschival ***** How Do You Find a Job When You Are Blind? by Marcia Moran Meet Rebecca Bridges. Wife. Mother. Management consultant at FMP Consulting. Rebecca has also been blind from birth. Knowing the unemployment rate is 70% for people who are blind, how could she grow up with the hope of finding a job that she would enjoy? Is it luck or is it something else? We have all heard the statistics. According to Simon Sinek, author of “Leaders Eat Last,” 1 in 3 employees seriously consider leaving their jobs. Of that number, only 1.5% of employees actually leave voluntarily. They feel safer with the job they hate than the unknown. With these types of statistics, I wondered how Rebecca found the courage to fulfill her dream. ** You Have to Be Better than Anyone Else Rebecca remembers her dad giving her advice as a little girl when she complained that being blind wasn’t fair. “Too bad. You just have to be better than everyone else,” he said. That piece of advice stuck. When talking with Rebecca, she comes prepared for everything. She didn’t have any inkling that she would go to grad school. Then one day, as she browsed around the Web looking for something that her husband might like, she found a program that changed her life: Organization Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University. It piqued her interest. “The program description talked about organizational change and transformation, process consultation, and really meeting people where they are and taking them where they need to go,” expressed Rebecca. “I went to the information session and applied the next day. I was so excited because I had found my calling!” As she went through the program, Rebecca learned a lot about herself. How she dealt with situations, both good and bad. How she dealt with conflict. What kind of leadership style made her unique. “I really enjoyed the courses that I took as part of the program,” Rebecca said. “I wanted to work with organizations and clients to help them achieve results that were even greater than they anticipated. At the end of my program, consulting seemed like a logical step. I started looking and I found FMP Consulting. It seemed like a good match.” ** Did I Get the Job? When Rebecca went to the interview with FMP, she paid close attention to what she wore. She also thought about their perceptions as she crossed the room. It seems as if her dad’s voice whispered in her ear. “You just have to be better than everyone else.” “We have to be more prepared than any other person interviewing. We have to show up with our technology and be prepared to answer any of their questions whether we want to or not,” says Rebecca. “It’s a balance because you don’t want to be too defensive, but you also want to show that you are competent and capable because there are questions that they are not supposed to ask you in the interview process.” When a week and a half went by after her second interview, Rebecca summed up her courage and called the human resources manager. Her heart dropped when he said there were a couple more things they wanted to know. “The hair stood up on the back of my neck. I thought, ‘Oh no, this is it. They are looking for something to weed me out today,’” said Rebecca. “He started asking me about my technology and how I work with applications such as Excel and PowerPoint.” She had two ways to go. Rebecca thought about not answering the questions, but took a deep breath and answered them honestly. She needed to elevate the game because, although it might have seemed unfair or felt uncomfortable, it was important that she provide every assurance within reason that she would be a good fit. “Whether you think it is fair or not, being blind makes it harder because you need to be more skilled than other people in certain areas. You have to demonstrate your competence and ensure to the hiring manager that you are capable of doing the job. Once you have the job, the other challenge is keeping it. There are a lot of things that are still not accessible to us,” commented Rebecca. Her husband, Eric Bridges, has put accessibility squarely in his sights. Although relatively new to the executive director role, he has been working with the American Council of the Blind since 2007, and he had made some significant progress. Rebecca thinks of her landing a job with FMP as skill and luck. As a consulting firm, they appeared more accessible to her than a Booz Allen Hamilton or Deloitte, who have thousands of employees. With less than 100 on staff, FMP seemed like they could make a difference in their clients’ lives. In fact, Rebecca feels like their organization works really hard to do the things they tell their clients to do. The amazing thing? FMP was the only place she interviewed post grad school. ** The Most Important Thing in Her Life? Family When asked about her biggest achievement, Rebecca laughed and said it was her child. She remembered bringing the baby home, holding him in the rocking chair and thinking, “What in the hell am I going to do now?” She says that little Tyler has been the world to her and Eric since he’s entered their lives. Rebecca proudly says that they have full-time jobs, keep a clean house, and have a child who is fully sighted, fully functioning, and just plain awesome. And they’re both blind. With respect to her work, Rebecca would like to be there for a long time. It’s important to be gainfully employed doing something you love to do. “No one likes to pay taxes,” Rebecca laughs. But it’s clear that she’d gladly pay them rather than be a burden on society. She is now looking at getting her PMP certification. “At the end of it all, I want to look back and say that I had jobs doing what I enjoyed and I contributed to the well-being of individuals and organizations,” remarked Rebecca. So ... now I’m wondering. How many more people who are blind are out there looking for work and not finding what they want? Is it because they aren’t as prepared as Rebecca is at being better than her competitors? Or was she just one of the lucky ones? ***** This Blind Apple Engineer Is Transforming the Tech World at Only 22 by Katie Dupere Reprinted from Mashable.com, July 10, 2016. Apple engineer Jordyn Castor has never been one for limitations. She was born 15 weeks early, weighing just under two pounds. Her grandfather could hold her in the palm of his hand, and could even slide his wedding ring along her arm and over her shoulder. Doctors said she had a slim chance of survival. It was Castor’s first brush with limited expectations — and also the first time she shattered them. Castor, now 22, has been blind since birth, a result of her early delivery. But throughout childhood, her parents encouraged her to defy expectations of people with disabilities, motivating her to be adventurous, hands-on and insatiably curious. It was that spirit that led her to interact with technology, whether it was the desktop computer her family bought when she was in second grade, or the classroom computer teachers encouraged her to use in school. She says the adults in her life would often hand her a gadget, telling her to figure it out and show them how to use it. And she would. “I realized then I could code on the computer to have it fulfill the tasks I wanted it to,” says Castor, whose current work focuses on enhancing features like VoiceOver for blind Apple users. “I came to realize that with my knowledge of computers and technology, I could help change the world for people with disabilities. I could help make technology more accessible for blind users.” ** Bringing a personal perspective to Apple innovation There’s an often overlooked component of “diversity” in workplace initiatives — the need to include the perspectives of people with disabilities. Keeping tabs on the needs of the blind and low-vision community is a key component of Apple’s innovation in accessibility. Castor is proof of how much that can strengthen a company. She was a college student at Michigan State University when she was first introduced to Apple at a Minneapolis job fair in 2015. Castor went to the gathering of employers, already knowing the tech giant would be there — and she was nervous. “You aren’t going to know unless you try,” she thought. “You aren’t going to know unless you talk to them ... so go.” Castor told Apple reps how amazed she was by the iPad she received as a gift for her 17th birthday just a few years earlier. It raised her passion for tech to another level — mainly due to the iPad’s immediate accessibility. “Everything just worked and was accessible just right out of the box,” Castor tells Mashable. “That was something I had never experienced before.” Sarah Herrlinger, senior manager for global accessibility policy and initiatives at Apple, says a notable part of the company’s steps toward accessibility is its dedication to making inclusivity features standard, not specialized. This allows those features to be dually accessible — both for getting the tech to more users, as well as keeping down costs. “[These features] show up on your device, regardless of if you are someone who needs them,” Herrlinger tells Mashable. “By being built-in, they are also free. Historically, for the blind and visually impaired community, there are additional things you have to buy or things that you have to do to be able to use technology.” At that job fair in 2015, Castor’s passion for accessibility and Apple was evident. She was soon hired as an intern focusing on VoiceOver accessibility. As her internship came to a close, Castor’s skills as an engineer and advocate for tech accessibility were too commanding to let go. She was hired full-time as an engineer on the accessibility design and quality team — a group of people Castor describes as “passionate” and “dedicated.” “I’m directly impacting the lives of the blind community,” she says of her work. “It’s incredible.” ** Innovation with blind users in mind Increased accessibility for all users is one of Apple’s driving values, under the mantra “inclusion inspires innovation.” Herrlinger says the company loves what it makes, and wants what it makes to be available to everyone. She describes the need to continuously innovate with accessibility in mind as part of Apple’s DNA. “Accessibility is something that is never-ending,” Herrlinger says. “It isn’t something where you just do it once, check that box and then move on to do other things.” And it’s a dedication that isn’t going unnoticed by the blind community. On July 4, Apple was the recipient of the American Council of the Blind’s Robert S. Bray Award for the company’s strides in accessibility and continued dedication to inclusion-based innovation for blind users. The company, for example, made the first touch-screen device accessible to the blind via VoiceOver. Recent announcements of Siri coming to Mac this fall, and of newer innovations, like a magnifying glass feature for low-vision users, have continued the promise of improving the Apple experience for those who are blind and low vision. “The fact that we take the time to innovate in these ways is something new and different,” Herrlinger says. “It was not the expected thing in the tech community.” Often, the success of such innovations depends on the input of the community — and employees like Castor provide irreplaceable firsthand insight into the tech experience for blind individuals. The most recent example of community-driven innovation can be found on the Apple Watch. During a meeting, Herrlinger explains, a person who sees could easily peer down at their watch to keep an eye on the clock. A person who is blind, however, hasn’t had a way to tell time without VoiceOver. After confronting the conundrum, Apple solved the issue by making a feature that tells time through vibrations. The addition, Herrlinger says, is coming to watchOS 3 this fall. ** High-tech meets low-tech Castor says her own success — and her career — hinges on two things: technology and braille. That may sound strange to many people, even to some who are blind and visually impaired. Braille and new tech are often depicted as at odds with one another, with braille literacy rates decreasing as the presence of tech increases. But many activists argue that braille literacy is the key to employment and stable livelihood for blind individuals. With more than 70% of blind people lacking employment, the majority of those who are employed — an estimated 80% — have something in common: They read braille. For Castor, braille is crucial to her innovative work at Apple — and she insists tech is complementary to braille, not a replacement. “I use a braille display every time I write a piece of code,” she says. “Braille allows me to know what the code feels like.” In coding, she uses a combination of Nemeth braille — or “math braille” — and alphabetic braille. Castor even says that with the heavy presence of tech in her life, she still prefers to read meeting agendas in braille. “I can see grammar. I can see punctuation. I can see how things are spelled and how things are written out,” she says. The technologies that Apple creates support her love of braille, too — there are various modifications, like braille displays that can plug into devices, to help her code and communicate. But Castor also often forgoes braille displays, solely using VoiceOver to navigate her devices and read screens. That autonomy of choice in accessibility, Apple says, is intentional. The company believes that the ability to choose — to have several tools at a user’s disposal, whenever they want them — is key to its accessibility values. ** Giving back to the community Last week, Castor attended a conference hosted by the National Federation of the Blind, where she gave a speech telling her story. She says the impact that Apple has had on the blind community was extremely clear as soon as she stepped into the conference hall — just by listening to what was going on around her. “When I walk through the convention, I hear VoiceOver everywhere,” she says. “Being able to give back through something that so many people use is amazing.” Castor was recently able to use her presence and perspective at Apple to give back to a part of the community she’s especially passionate about — the next generation of engineers. She was a driving force behind accessibility on Apple’s soon-to-be released Swift Playgrounds, an intro-to-coding program geared toward children. She’s been working to make the program accessible to blind children, who have been waiting a long time for the tool, she says. “I would constantly get Facebook messages from so many parents of blind children, saying, ‘My child wants to code so badly. Do you know of a way that they can do that?’” Castor says. “Now, when it’s released, I can say, ‘Absolutely, absolutely they can start coding.’” Castor says working on Swift Playgrounds has been an empowering experience, and her team has deeply valued her perspective on the VoiceOver experience for blind users. She says the task-based, interactive app would have made a massive impact on her as a child. The program is, after all, a guided way of taking tech and figuring out what makes it tick — a virtual version of the hands-on curiosity adults instilled in her as a child. “It will allow children to dive into code,” she says of the program. “They can use Swift Playgrounds right away out of the box; no modifications. Just turn on VoiceOver and be able to start coding.” As someone who was always encouraged to challenge expectations, Castor says she has one simple message for the next generation of blind coders, like the children who will sit down with Swift Playgrounds in the fall. “Blindness does not define you,” she says. “It’s part of who you are as a person, as a characteristic — but it does not define you or what you can do in life.” ***** The Things I Do Today, Part Four: Listening with the iPhone by Paul Edwards Most of this article will be devoted to talking about three apps that are available for iDevices. However, I want to talk first about what I don’t know and a little about why we have so many options available to us now. In the last five years there has been a revolution in the way that people interact with others. With the introduction of the iPad, there was suddenly a device that wasn’t really a computer and wasn’t a phone. It was a whole new animal which, over time, came to be called a tablet. These are fairly small flat-screen devices that usually include wi-fi and Bluetooth, which means that there are a whole range of applications that enable Internet access. As time has gone on, three operating systems have emerged. The iPad and the iPhone use one system and have done a good job of incorporating accessibility into their software as an inherent part of their operating system. The two other systems based on Windows and Android have done rather less well at accessibility. Android devices actually are quite accessible to people who are blind, but people who use Android tablets and phones need, I think, to be smarter than those of us who use iDevices because making braille and speech work can often require the use of several different accessibility applications. The Apple system essentially builds accessibility into their devices as a central component. This means that you don’t have to know which accessibility program will work best with which application. You just have to turn on features and load applications which may or may not work well. I do not at all mean to demean users of Android devices. They are smarter than I am, and there are huge numbers of accessible applications which make Android devices perfectly capable of meeting the needs of folks wanting to listen to radio or do e-mail or surf the web. I know virtually nothing about Android devices and am not in a position to offer very much advice at all about this system. I hope that people who like and use Android devices will think about writing articles similar to mine for the E-Forum. Microsoft has also gotten into the tablet business with their Windows operating system. Most of the reviews I have seen suggest that there are issues with both Windows 8 and Windows 10 and tablets. Again, I don’t even know enough to be dangerous about these devices. If you are to learn more about what these devices can do with regard to Internet radio or anything else for that matter, you will learn it from someone else. The real point of all of this is to suggest that we have benefited tremendously from the creation of smartphones and tablets because there are huge numbers of applications that have been made available that we can use because of the demand that these devices have created. In fairness I should also say that Android tablets in particular are far cheaper than Apple devices, so, for around $100, folks can buy a portable device that can be used for lots of things. That has actually had the other effect of meaning that many children now have their own tablets, which has changed how families compute. In our last article, things were pretty simple. We talked about what Internet radio is and described some of the places where listings of Internet radio stations can be found. However, one of the consequences of competition and of the proliferation of available applications is that folks have gone beyond just allowing access to Internet radio stations. Virtually all the applications I am going to discuss do more than just access live Internet radio broadcasts. I should also tell you that I will be talking about apps that I use. There may be lots of others that work well. Many blind people use iHeartRadio, for instance. I don’t. There may also actually be better apps than the ones I use, and I hope people will tell me about them. Let me give you an example of what I mean. I use TuneIn radio much of the time. In addition to allowing me to tune in to live radio, the application allows me to listen to particular shows that have already been broadcast. So, if I have missed an episode of a serial from the BBC, I can use my phone, go and get the missing program, and stream it. In a way, all three of the programs I will be talking about are hybrids that allow access to podcasts, shows and stations. They all allow you to save lists of favorites so that you can create a listing of the stations you want to listen to. One complication is that there are free versions and versions you pay for, for both of the radio applications I use most. I paid the $4.99 that each cost for two reasons. First, when you purchase the program, you don’t get advertising. That makes navigating the applications a little easier and more consistent. You never know when ads will pop up and whether they will make the application less accessible than it normally is. The second reason is that the full versions of both programs allow you to record what you are listening to and to set a timer to record a program when you can’t be around to listen. You can also set alarms so you can wake up to your chosen radio station. I seriously suggest that you consider using at least two radio apps. Why? Because there are differences in what stations and shows different apps offer. I listen to stations on ooTunes that I simply cannot find on TuneIn. There are some elements of TuneIn that I prefer. I would say that I divide my time between the two apps almost equally. I am not going to describe either program in detail because it really isn’t necessary. Both are pretty self-explanatory once you have loaded them. I will talk about some of the features I like about each. I use TuneIn a lot when I am not at home because it makes it easy, using the “options” category, to look and see whether there is a choice of streams for the station I want to hear. This is really important if you are using data rather than wi-fi. When you are home, you will usually be connected to your wi-fi network. If you are, you can stream to your heart’s content at no cost. If you are away from home and not connected to wi-fi, you will use data. There are a few lucky souls who have unlimited data, but most of us have plans that allow us to use a certain number of gigabytes of data. Standard plans tend to allow two but you can pay for more. (You can, by the way, set these programs to not allow themselves to work with data and, if you have set it this way, once wi-fi goes away, so does the station you are listening to.) The good news is that streaming audio does not use a lot of data. The other good news is that most providers allow you to check on the state of your data at any time. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on where you are, but you will find that with Internet radio your data will go a long way. When you start dealing with video or photographs, you will gobble data much faster. This long explanation allows me to get to the point of the options menu. In general, when you look at the list of available streams for a station, the higher the number, the more data that you use. So, when you are at home, you may want to choose a stream with a high number to get the best fidelity. Many stations now have 320k streams, which generally gives very good fidelity. When you are out and about and listening to stations where talking rather than music is involved, you can get away with a much lower bit rate. I change to 64k or even 48k and can stretch my data further and also generally get more stable listening because less bandwidth is used both to load and stream the stations. ooTunes allows for other kinds of searches and has some other features which I like. For the most part, though, it is much of a muchness. Both are good programs and both are very accessible. Again, there are lots of other apps that have features that these don’t have which I don’t know enough about. There are lots of apps which are country-specific. I have two apps for Australian radio stations, for instance. The advantage of programs like these is that you can quickly get to stations that might take a little longer to locate with more comprehensive apps like the two I have discussed. The third app I want to talk about is iBlink Radio. This app is free and has been specifically developed for use by people who are blind. As with so many other apps, it is a hybrid program. Its primary advantage is that it pulls together in one application a huge range of blindness-specific options. One section has a number of radio reading services from the United States. I would like to see them include reading services from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, but they have collected reading services that are not available on other apps and they are all in one place. Another section is described as “community radio stations.” Here there is a very comprehensive grouping of radio stations operated by people who are blind. ACB Radio is available here, but it can also be accessed on both TuneIn and on ooTunes. There is a hugely useful section of podcasts. We haven’t talked much about those yet but we will in a later article. Put simply, a podcast is an audio or video presentation on a particular topic which has been especially prepared to be downloaded or streamed that the podcast preparer thinks will be of interest. There are gazillions of podcasts out there and we will talk later about programs that are specifically designed to deal with these. What is cool about iBlink Radio is that it has collected a bunch of the most relevant podcasts for access to technology for blind people in one place with an interface that is pretty easy to use. The iBlink app is made by Serotek, and also features prominently the range of programming they produce. There is also a section of blindness resources which is useful. In general, the app is very cool and I highly recommend it. Okay, so now we know more about apps for the iPhone and we know what you haven’t learned from me about Android and Windows. But what do I listen to and what do I recommend? I thought you would never ask. In my next Internet radio article, I will provide some tips on how to search, talk about some of my favorite stations, and bring our Internet radio segment to a close with a discussion of the pros and cons of using notetakers and pocket readers to listen to Internet radio. ***** A Shopper’s Dream by Carla Ruschival Open for business online 24 hours a day, the ACB Mini Mall is filled with gifts for everyone on your list. New this year are ACB card cases that let you organize 15 to 18 business, credit and ID cards in 6 convenient slots. This aluminum case protects your chip cards from prying eyes, and is available in your choice of silver, pink, purple, blue, red or black. Or give our new cork-backed ACB stone coasters a try; they’re a great way to protect tables from watermarks. There are new ACB messenger bags that accommodate most 17-inch laptops, power banks to keep your tech devices charged all day, and a wide range of SD cards and thumb drives. Pick up ACB zippered totes — black with your choice of colored accents — and ACB jackets in red, royal, navy or black. And of course there are standard graphite and aluminum canes and graphite ID canes; purchase roller and teardrop tips separately. ** Stocking Stuffers Put an ACB luggage tag in every stocking this year; choose a white airplane with either red, blue, black or green wings, or a fun-loving sandal in your choice of colors; both with the ACB logo. Share beautiful porcelain ornaments or a highly polished aluminum snowflake ornament with an interesting edge that has feel appeal. Can’t decide what to buy for your friends or yourself? Mini Mall gift certificates are now available; purchase them either online or by phone. Gift certificates may only be redeemed by phone at this time. An extra holiday surprise - order $50 or more of eligible products and receive FREE shipping. Visit the Mini Mall on-line at http://mall.acb.org to check out all of our great items, or find us in the new ACB Link iPhone app. You can also give us a call during regular business hours at 1-877-690-7130. ***** Affiliate and Committee News ** Membership Focus Calls in the New Year On Sunday, Jan. 29, ACB’s membership committee will host the next “Membership Focus” conference call at 5 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Eastern. The topic will be: “How can your chapter or affiliate strengthen your personal outreach to your local community?” Many times we’ve focused on social media, websites, conventions, and conferences. However, personal outreach in your community may get better results. Join us by calling (712) 775-7000 and using passcode 640009#. Looking ahead to spring, the next call will be held Monday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m. Pacific/8:30 p.m. Eastern. We’ll be discussing the benefits of ACB membership. Sometimes local members don’t realize all that ACB does for the community. This call will focus on how the national organization impacts us all. The phone number and passcode are the same as above. Can’t make the call? Don’t worry! The call will be summarized in a subsequent issue of the Forum. If you have membership-related questions or issues, contact ACB’s membership committee chair, Ardis Bazyn, abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. ** ACBDA’s Membership Campaign Kicks Off I hope this finds everyone in the Christmas mood. Our membership/awareness committee has been busy this year. We have recently kicked off a brand-new membership campaign! We would like all of you to bring a new member into our great affiliate. This would be a good time to pay someone’s dues as a Christmas gift. Just think how this would increase our membership! By the time you read this, you should have received your membership letter. A pre-addressed return envelope is included. All you need to do is include your check or money order, made payable to ACBDA, and put a stamp on the envelope. When sending your form in, whether for yourself or a friend, please be sure to include your full name, address, phone number, e-mail address, visual status (fully sighted, legally blind, totally blind, or visually impaired) and how you would like to receive the ACBDA newsletter. We hope all will renew and bring in a new person who has diabetes, a spouse, a friend, or someone who is interested in diabetes. If you have any questions, contact Tom Jones, chair of the membership/awareness committee, at (708) 341-0450 or via e-mail, tomljones@earthlink.net. I hope you will all make this campaign a great success. The fundraising committee is getting started on a new raffle, with the drawing being at the ACB convention in Reno in July. If you would like to help — and I hope there are many who will — contact Sandy Feldman at (515) 729-8427 or via e-mail, sandy.feldman3@gmail.com. Tickets are $1 each, or six for $5. First prize is $100; 2nd prize, $75; and 3rd prize, $50. Let’s make the membership campaign and the fundraising great successes. We can’t do it without your help. Dee Clayton, president, ACB Diabetics in Action Phone: (515) 848-5007 e-mail: deeclayton1@gmail.com ***** In Memoriam: Cleo B. Dolan, 1918-2016 by Bashir Masoodi Cleo B. Dolan, former director of the Cleveland Sight Center, passed away on Aug. 27 at his home in Naples, Fla. He was 98. Born near Cortland, Ohio, he graduated from Cleveland State University and worked for the Ohio Department of Health before being appointed as the executive director of the Ohio Commission for the Blind. Mrs. Eleanor Smith, a well-known philanthropist, was president of both the board of the Ohio Commission for the Blind and the Cleveland Society for the Blind board. She encouraged him to take a similar position with the Cleveland Society for the Blind when it opened in 1958. Under Dolan’s leadership, the Cleveland Society for the Blind (later renamed the Cleveland Sight Center) became the third largest multi-service organization serving the blind and visually impaired in the U.S. The society operates a camp serving young blind children and their parents, youth, young adults and seniors in separate sessions. It was unique in providing vending stand operations by a private agency. Dolan started low vision services, children’s services, a regional center for deaf-blind students, the first in the U.S. independent living residence center, and started a computer and technical training center. During his 25-year tenure he built the Sight Center’s main headquarter building, Palda and Sears Halls at Camp Highbrook Lodge, the 55th Street food services facility, and Residence Hall for Rehabilitation. After his retirement, he continued as development director for the Sight Center and for the local Salvation Army, establishing programs for planned giving and endowment building. His professional, civic, and volunteer memberships and affiliations included: life member of the National Rehabilitation Association; life member of AAWB; board member of NIB, National Accreditation Council, and AFB. He was active in the World Council for Welfare of Blind (now known as the World Blind Union; he represented the U.S. at international conventions in Russia and Brazil). He was also a recipient of the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities NARF Award. Dolan was admitted to APH’s Hall of Fame: Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field in 2002. You can read a more in-depth biography at www.aph.org/hall/inductees/dolan/. ***** Here and There edited by Sharon Strzalkowski The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB 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. ** Lego Set Descriptions Matthew Shifrin, a blind high-school student, and a sighted friend have created descriptions of how to assemble various LEGO sets so that blind children can put them together. Sets that are currently available are (set numbers are in parentheses): • ARC-170 Starfighter (75072) • Arctic Snowmobile (60032) • Fire Brigade (10197) • Grand Emporium (10211) • Guardian of the Deep (8058) • Hogwarts (4842) • Luke’s Landspeeder (8092) • Parisian Restaurant (10243) • Pet Shop (10218) • Pop Star Recording Studio (41103) • Prehistoric Hunters (6914) • Queen Anne’s Revenge (4195) • Snap Circuits () • Speed Racer vs. Snake Oiler (8175) • Spider-Trike vs. Electro (76014) • Super Cycle Chase (70808) • Cherry Picker/Tow Truck (42031) • Tower Bridge (10214) • Town Hall (10214) • Volkswagen T1 Camper Van (10220) For more information, visit www.legofortheblind.com, or e-mail matshifrin@aol.com. ** Accessible Technology Section Added to ADA.gov The Department of Justice has launched a new Accessible Technology section on ADA.gov to assist covered entities and people with disabilities to understand how the ADA applies to certain technologies, such as web sites, electronic book readers, online courses, and point-of-sale devices. Covered entities have longstanding obligations to make their programs, goods, services, and activities accessible — including those they provide online or via other technology. The new web pages compile the department’s technical assistance and guidance about accessible technology, as well as information about DOJ’s accessible technology enforcement efforts, regulation development, and other federal accessible technology resources and initiatives, all in one location. To learn more, visit ADA.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY). ** SSI Recipients to Get Slight Increase in 2017 The Social Security Administration recently announced that, in 2017, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 65 million Americans will increase 0.3 percent. Under SSDI, the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level goes up to $1,950 a month for blind individuals, $1,170 for non-blind workers. The Trial Work Period (TWP) amount goes up to $840 per month. The 0.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment will begin in January 2017. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 30, 2016. Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $127,200. ** Behind Our Eyes Celebrates 10th Anniversary Do you enjoy hearing writers read their own creative work? Download Behind Our Eyes Tenth Anniversary Audio Celebration. New and familiar names and voices entertain and track the journey of this successful organization of writers with disabilities. Visit www.behindoureyes.org and click the Special Announcement link. For a CD copy, make a $7 donation through the PayPal button on that page. For other ordering options, call (773) 572-7744. New members always welcome. ** The Selective Doctor Closes As of Oct. 31, 2016, The Selective Doctor has closed. The company thanks all of its customers for their trust in repairing their braillers. ** EEOC Issues New Resource Document The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new resource document that addresses the rights of employees with disabilities who seek leave as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The document is entitled Employer-Provided Leave and the Americans with Disabilities Act. This resource is intended to help educate employers and employees about workplace leave under the ADA to prevent discriminatory denials of leave from occurring. It responds to common questions employers and employees have raised about leave requests that concern an employee’s disability. It also provides numerous examples that illustrate existing legal requirements and obligations for both employees and employers. For more information, or to read it online, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/ada-leave.cfm?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=. ** Arizona Student Takes 2nd in Braille Challenge Joey Parra, a 12-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., took home second place national victory at the 2016 Braille Challenge® in the Sophomore division (grades 5-6). When Parra isn’t triumphing at braille competitions, he enjoys watching “The Walking Dead,” playing video games, and swimming. He attends the Arizona School for the Blind. ** Nationwide Invitation Ojocion Ingram invites phone calls from independent blind and visually impaired people who are working and happy with the amenities available in the city they work in, such as transit, books, equipment, food, rent, friends, safety, legal aid, etc. Which city is it? First names only if desired; ages 18 or older only. Contact her at (415) 846-2027 and leave your name and number. ** First Artificial Pancreas Medtronic Plc will bring to market the world’s first artificial pancreas, after U.S. regulators cleared the device for diabetics to automatically monitor blood sugar and supply insulin, replicating what a healthy version of the organ does on its own. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the product, called MiniMed 670G, for patients with Type 1 diabetes who are at least 14 years old. It will let some diabetics turn over part of their daily routine of fingerprick tests and insulin injections to an automatic system. Along with lessening the burden of a condition that requires constant attention, it also offers hope that better blood sugar control at inconvenient times, such as at night, will ultimately improve long-term health. The device will be on the market in spring 2017. For more information, contact Medtronic at 1-800-646-4633. ** New Trustees and More for NBP National Braille Press has five new trustees: Joe Abely, Ian Cross, Mark Sadecki, Barbara Salisbury and Paul Schroeder. NBP has also named Jennifer Bose and Kara Peters as new members of the corporation, and Chris Cavallerano and Matt Sullivan as returning trustees. Joe Abely is former president of the Carroll Center for the Blind and has held leadership positions in the areas of finance, consumer marketing, global branding and distribution, and nonprofits. Ian Cross is director of the Center for Marketing Technology and a professor in marketing at Bentley University. Mark Sadecki is a technology program manager for accessibility at EdX and has over 16 years of experience in web accessibility and user interface design and development. Barbara Salisbury is CEO of MAB Community Services since 2006. Paul Schroeder is vice president of government relations for the American Foundation for the Blind and is a braille reader and senior contributing editor for “AccessWorld.” NBP has appointed Kesel Wilson as its new editor and programs manager. In this role, she will co-manage existing braille literacy programs such as the Great Expectations and ReadBooks! programs, oversee the development of new publications by NBP, and manage the popular “Syndicated Columnists Weekly” and “Our Special” magazines. ** Envision, Wichita State Partnership Envision has formed a partnership between the Envision Research Institute (ERI) and Wichita State University’s Regional Institute on Aging (RIA) that will increase resources for both organizations and promote greater professional and academic interest in low vision rehabilitation. As part of the collaboration, Dr. Laura Walker has been appointed as an adjunct research scientist at the RIA. She will serve as a guest lecturer for WSU courses and act in an advisory role for Ph.D. candidates. RIA will provide access to online and physical libraries, institutional review boards and ethics training to facilitate ERI research activities. ** Seeking Tape Correspondence Rose Ann Durkee, a sighted lady, is looking for tape correspondence. Contact her at 238 Maple St., Apt. G4, Agawam, MA 01001; phone (413) 789-0696. She does not have unlimited long distance, so be sure to leave your name and address in a message in order for her to get back in touch with you. ** American Thermoform Acquires Braillo Norway American Thermoform Corporation recently acquired Braillo Norway, a producer of braille embossers. Braillo braille printers are relied upon by governments and educational institutions in over 60 countries around the world. Combined, ATC and Braillo bring over 90 years of experience and expertise in braille production. ** Choice Magazine Listening For more than 50 years, Choice Magazine Listening has been sharing its special selections of literature free of charge with people who have visual impairments or physical disabilities. Editors choose short stories, poems, interviews and articles, which are then recorded by professional narrators. CML compiles the recordings into 12-hour anthologies, which it sends four times a year. Listeners are treated to writing on a variety of topics – nature, sports, humor, food, fiction, travel, history, the arts – anything goes, just so long as the writing is the finest to be found in America. CML editors select writing from “National Geographic,” “Smithsonian,” “Sports Illustrated,” “The New Yorker,” “Scientific American,” “Harper’s,” “Time” and many more magazines. Would you like to hear “Choice Magazine Listening” for yourself? It is free of charge to anyone who is blind or visually impaired. Call 1-888-724-6423 for more information. ** Blind Alive Descriptive exercise routines are now available from BlindAlive! Current offerings include cardio, weights, BootCamp, stability ball, yoga, Pilates, and a set of gentle workouts for beginners. Descriptions are provided within the exercise routines, and supplementary audio and text descriptions are also available. Workouts can either be downloaded to your computer or purchased on CD, thumb drive, or SD card. For more information, visit www.BlindAlive.com, send e-mail to support@BlindAlive.com, or phone (570) 212-9979. ** An Agile Dinosaur, a Story Lover, and More Now available from National Braille Press is “Brontorina,” a children’s book by James Howe. Who – or what – is Brontorina? She is an enthusiastic and agile dinosaur who wants to be a ballerina. She arrives at the doorstep of Madame Lucille’s Dance Academy for Girls and Boys exclaiming, “I want to dance!” Madame Lucille and her students discover that if they step outside the box, they can find solutions to some of the biggest problems imaginable. The book is available in contracted UEB for ages 4 and up. Also available is “Amazing Grace,” a children’s book by Mary Hoffman. Grace is a girl who loves stories she reads, hears, and makes up. Grace’s love of storytelling and acting inspired NBP to create lots of activities and projects: dramatic play and improv games, tongue twisters — and much more — all adapted especially for blind kids. Check out the free activities online at www.greatexpectations.pub. As an accompaniment to “Amazing Grace,” NBP has interviewed ACB member George Ashiotis, a blind actor, for “Tips for a Blind Actor.” Read his story at www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/programs/gep/grace/grace-tips.html. Looking for last-minute gifts? If there’s a preschooler in your family, “DK Braille: Shapes” helps children learn, find, and remember their shapes through die-cut shapes, embossed images, high-contrast colors, and braille and large print. You can feel the difference between a circle and triangle as the rhyming story guides readers through the pages. Is there a “Peanuts” fan in the house? Take a look at the 2017 Peanuts “Happiness Is ...” calendar. Each month features a “happiness is” quote and drawing to illustrate the many ways that happiness can express itself. This wall calendar is 12” x12” (hanging on the wall it’s 12” wide and 24” tall). The braille is included on clear plastic labels that go right over the print pages. It also comes with a sheet of 120 full-color stickers to mark birthdays, appointments, and other important days. Over in the technology section is “Get Started with Android!” by JJ Meddaugh and Ana Garza of AT Guys. Learn how to use Android with the accessibility feature TalkBack, from first time set-up to basic gestures, modified standard gestures, voice actions, installing and using apps, and much more. If you are new to Android or thinking of going Google, this book will guide you. It’s available in braille (3 volumes), BRF, Word, Text, ePub, or DAISY. And if you’re a fan of quotations, check out “Sunday Morning Quotations.” It’s available as a spiral-bound braille booklet, containing 52 quotes to enjoy all year long, from such people as Mister Rogers, Muhammad Ali, Sam Adams and Judy Garland. Also available are booklets with Thursday, Friday and Saturday quotations. Newly available from NBP are two books on braille, “Just Enough to Know Better: A UEB Braille Primer” and “A Braille Spelling Dictionary for Beginning Writers.” “Just Enough to Know Better,” by Eileen Curran, is a one-volume book with exercises in braille, designed for parents, grandparents, and others who want to know enough braille to help the blind child(ren) in their life learn to read. It’s a self-paced workbook that teaches you just enough braille to know better. “A Braille Spelling Dictionary for Beginning Writers” is also one volume. It contains 1,400 elementary-level words, enabling blind school-age children to look up the spelling of words independently. Both the contracted and uncontracted braille versions of each word are given in UEB. It also includes the words in large print, so sighted and blind children and teachers or parents can use it together. For more information, contact National Braille Press, 88 Saint Stephen St., Boston, MA 02115-4302; call toll-free, 1-800-548-7323; or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. ** Poetry Book by ACB Member Recently published is “Upwelling: Poetry” by Ann Chiappetta, an ACB member from New Rochelle, N.Y. In this collection of 23 of her short, highly accessible poems from several decades, Ann explores an enormous range of emotions and topics. Travel with her as she moves from illness, death, loss, and grief to renewed hope, security, and serenity. It is available in e-book and print from Amazon, Smashwords, and other online sellers. For more information, visit http://www.dvorkin.com/annchiappetta/. To read more of her writing, go to www.thought-wheel.com. ** Lainey Feingold’s New Book “Structured Negotiation: A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits” is now available for purchase from the American Bar Association in print and accessible digital format. The book is for lawyers, advocates, corporate, government, and accessibility champions, and clients frustrated with the conflict, procedures, stress, and run-away costs that typically accompany a filed case. “Structured Negotiation” is a nuts and bolts guide to resolving claims without lawsuits in the collaborative and cost-effective method that my clients, colleagues and I have used for two decades. The book is full of stories about the people in the blind community and the accessible technology and information issues we have worked on in this dispute resolution process. To get your copy, go to http://shop.americanbar.org/eBus/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=254116970&term=Structured. Use code LFLEGAL10 for a 10% discount off the purchase price. For print-disabled readers, the book is available on Bookshare at https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/1350775. ** Party Zone Podcast Moves Are you a fan of the Party Zone podcasts? The show has moved to http://thepartyzone.cu.cc. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: PAC Mate 20-cell braille display. In good condition; about 7 years old. Asking $450 or best offer. Trekker Breeze GPS, older version with most up-to-date firmware that can be had. About 5 years old; in good condition. If you have the power adapter for the original Victor Reader Stream, it will work with the Trekker. Asking $350. Contact Shawn Cox at smcox76@gmail.com, or phone (585) 919-4177. ** For Sale: Braille ‘n Speak 640 in soft leather carrying case with an assortment of chargers, cables, and reference materials in braille and on cassette. Asking $70 or best offer. Contact Jamie Davis before 10 p.m. Eastern at (513) 532-9471, or jdmusicman1971@gmail.com. ** For Sale: One large-cell brailler. Asking $450. Contact Barb or Joe at (410) 668-1143. ** For Sale: Two Perkins braillers. One comes with a hard case, one with a soft case. Best offers. Contact Cyndie at (413) 684-3089. ***** ACB Officers ** President Kim Charlson (2nd term, 2017) 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** First Vice President Jeff Thom (2nd term, 2017) 7414 Mooncrest Way Sacramento, CA 95831-4046 ** Second Vice President John McCann (1st term, 2017) 8761 E. Placita Bolivar Tucson, AZ 85715-5650 ** Secretary Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2017) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Treasurer Carla Ruschival (3rd term, 2017) 148 Vernon Ave. Louisville, KY 40206 ** Immediate Past President Mitch Pomerantz 1115 Cordova St. #402 Pasadena, CA 91106 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Tucson, AZ (1st term, 2020) Denise Colley, Lacey, WA (1st term, 2020) Sara Conrad, Madison, WI (final term, 2020) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2020) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2018) George Holliday, Philadelphia, PA (final term, 2018) Allan Peterson, Horace, ND (final term, 2018) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2018) Dan Spoone, Orlando, FL (final term, 2020) David Trott, Talladega, AL (1st term, 2018) Ex Officio: Ron Brooks, Phoenix, AZ ** ACB Board of Publications Ron Brooks, Chairman, Phoenix, AZ (1st term, 2017) Paul Edwards, Miami, FL (1st term, 2018) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (1st term, 2017) Debbie Lewis, Seattle, WA (1st term, 2018) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2018) Ex Officios: Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH Bob Hachey, Waltham, MA Berl Colley, Lacey, WA Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY ***** ** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by e-mail, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (605) 475-8154. To subscribe to the e-mail version, visit the ACB e-mail lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, data CD, and via e-mail. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (605) 475-8154. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from http://www.acb.org/bf/.