DISCLAIMER: This publication contains announcements from the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind and is also a forum for opinions relating to blindness issues. Signed articles reflect the views, and research, of their authors.
STATUS: SVCB is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under the California Council of the Blind.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS
Contact Julie, database@svcb.cc.
MEETING LOCATION
SVCB's monthly meetings are held in the dining room of the Monte Vista Terrace Apts. at 1101 Grant Road, Mountain View. Meetings run 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the third Saturday of the month and are open to all. Monte Vista Terrace is one block from the intersection of Grant Road and El Camino Real and is accessible bybus #22.
August is picnic month around here, and I was involved in two!
On the 2nd, I embarked on the adventure of getting to the SMCB event. Thingsstarted out well; my Outreach ride to the California Avenue CalTrain station was arranged, and I was to meet Rob Turner there for the trip to the Hillsdale stop in San Mateo. Well, Outreach took me to the Palo Alto station! I called Roband learned that he was already on the train. After some very insistent talk with the driver, he wanted to take me to the right station, and I got on the train. Didn't meet Rob but I called him and he told me to get off at the Hillsdalestation and we'd hook up. I tried to get off there, but the doors closed before I figured out which one to use (I've never done it before), and I had to disembark at Hillsborough. What to do now? I called Rob again, who was almost at Twin Pines Park (where the picnic was), and we decided that taking a taxi was thebest thing to do. Well, I called for a cab and waited for 20 minutes in the breezy sunshine. Nothing happened. I called again and learned the driver couldn't find me. And then a lady, who I didn't know was sitting near me, explained the she'd seen the driver but didn't know it was me he was looking for. She apologized profusely. The driver wouldn't do sighted guide to the cab, insisting I walk in front of him as he gave instructionspretty good ones, too. I got to the park, but where was the site? i learned that SMCB hadn't reserved a picnic site(someone got there at 7 in the morning and held it) so the man from the rec room had to search for it. I got there about an hour late!
I was introduced to Peggy, who is Dawn's friend from nursing school days, and we chatted away for awhile. She asked what I wanted to eat, and I got chicken. It came and Peggy explained that there were leaves blowing around, and I should brush them off my food. A short time later, I realized she'd said bees, not leaves. So that's why one bite tasted so strange!
I met many people for the first time, among them Philip Kutner, SMCB's President. We had interesting shop talk. After a hotdog, two sodas and three pieces of cake, I played bingo. Didn't do too wellI didn't know the game and the wind kept moving the markers. There was a raffle and I won a stand on which to assemble a flower arrangement. I got home around 6 in the evening, very tired and down from an adventure.
And then there was SVCB's picnic on the 16th. We had planned for 50 but 68 people came, not including volunteers. Thirteen of these were kids and their families from the Vista Center. We even has a director from the school for the blind in Fremont. There were several people from SMCB, and I had a chance to welcome the Kutners to our party.
I showed off my Braille Sense to some people, ate some food, made a speech, talked to some of the kids (with Noel and Star's help), and got five raffle prizes! (Someone got a TV!)
I want to thank everyone who was involved with getting the picnic together and the volunteers who helped. Steve Nakagawa and Victor Clifford found our caterer, figured out how things would be set up and ran around (as did Dawn Wilcox)making sure everyone was happy. Naomi Grubb organized the raffle, which was very lavish, and LeeAnn Nakagawa shouted the numberspoor LeeAnn, we didn't have amicrophone, I felt sorry for her.
I'm sure there were lots of other people who helped make our picnic such a success, but I want to say special thanks to Paul Raskin from the Vista Center. He organizes youth groups, and we really wanted to have some youth at our picnic. Feedback I've heard indicates that most of them had a good time. Thanks, Paul.
And now to other business. With this newsletter, members will find three proposed amendments to our constitution. Two of these address the same subject, how to handle violent behavior, but one is much harsher than the other. Please read these amendments carefully and be prepared to approve or reject them during the business segment of our September meeting.
Roger will tell us about September's program, but I want to sketch the business segment. As I said, amendments will be formally dealt with, a delegate and alternate delegate to the fall CCB convention will be elected, the nominating committee (whose mission is to formulate a slate of candidates for SVCB's 2009 administration) will be formally announced, we'll talk about plans for Braille Literacy Month (2009 is the bicentennial anniversary of Louis Braille's birth) and we'll hear committee reports. In addition, Naomi will remind us to acquire door prizes for the upcoming holiday party.
Lastly, I want to tell you about a new CCB program that is to be officially launched at the fall convention: Friends of CCB. The purpose of this program isto find people outside of the organization who'd like to volunteer their time to do activities like being involved in fundraising, work with chapters and affiliates and help at state conventions.
If you know friends or acquaintances (or organizations or corporations) who'd like to help CCB, contact me so I can arrange for a brochure, which explains the program in detail, to be sent to them. Thank you.
Return to the Table of ContentsAt our meeting on September 20, our speaker will be Alice McGrath, CommunityRelations Coordinator at Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Palo Alto. It is part of her job to liaison with community organizations like us, so we will be defining the continuing relationship between VC and SVCB, as well as giving all our members information about what is available for them at Vista Center.
Think about what you need that Vista Center might provide and come with questions and suggestions.
Return to the Table of ContentsHappy September birthdays to our members Mike Keithley, Donald Reelfs, and Philip Kutner!
Return to the Table of ContentsVista Center will once again be offering Braille classes in the fall starting September 24, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. The class will be held at 2470El Camino Real, Suite 107, Palo Alto.
Students will learn to read and write English contracted braille. Braille istaught in two sections: grade one: which is the basic alphabet and punctuation, then grade two with the contractions.
The class is fun and interactive. Some fun things you can do with braille include:
Classes are held once each week and regular attendance is important. If you are interested in joining the braille class or to learn more about the series, please call Earl Norwood at 650-858 0202, ext. 140 or by email at enorwood@vistacenter.org.
Return to the Table of ContentsYour immediate action is needed! We are hearing from reliable sources in the Capitol that the federal SSI COLA may be cut as part of last minute negotiations to resolve the state budget crisis. As you may know, the legislature has already agreed to eliminate the 200708 state SSI COLA that was approved as part of last year's budget and to suspend the 2009 state SSI COLA also. The Schwarzenegger Administration is now pushing legislators to cut the Federal cost of living money (approximately $15 per month) that is required by law to be included in SSI/SSP checks on January 1, 2009.
The Western Center on Law and Poverty opposes the budget proposal by the Administration to delay or eliminate the 2009 federal SSI Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for the blind aged and disabled and urges you to oppose any budget that includes this cut.
Enough is enough! SSI recipients have continually been asked to sacrifice for the good of the State budget. In each of the past four years the state COLA for SSI has been suspended. The only increase that recipients have gotten is from the Federal COLA on SSI but now the Governor is proposing to take that COLA also.
We urge you to say "NO" to any more SSI Cuts! It is very important for people to call their legislator right away.
Calls can be made with a tollfree number 888- 2684334 to any Assembly Memberor Senator from your district.
We now have nine cosponsors of H.R. 6320, the 21st Century Video and Telecommunications Accessibility Act. That's better than four sponsors, but we still have a long way to go. It is crucial that each and every one of us try to visit with our representatives at home in their districts during the August recess. All of the members seemed sympathetic to this bill, but cosponsoring representatives signed on only after being contacted by their constituents.
We have three folks from CA (see list below) that we must send thank you letters to and quite a number of folks we need to contact to encourage them to cosponsor the bill. Thanks to all of you who continue to try encouraging their reps to cosponsor the bill: It means barrier free access for all of us.
Bowling: every Saturday at Moonlight Lanes in Santa Clara.
Sep 5, 1-5 p.m.: Adaptive Technology Healthcare Seminar at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. Panel presentations from 1 to 3 p.m., vendor exhibits from 3 to 5 p.m. Please RSVP to attend by calling 888-400-8933 or emailing info@lighthouse-sf.org.
Sep 5, 10 a.m.noon: SAF lab tour. Call 408-245-7330 for reservations.
Sep 6, 11:30 a.m.1 p.m.: SMCCB meeting at Sterling Court, 850 El Camino Real, San Mateo. Contact Philip Kutner for details.
Sep 7, 13 p.m.: Ye Olde Towne Band free concert, Los Altos Bus Barn. Food isavailable for purchase. Contact Dawn Wilcox for info.
Sep 10, 79 p.m.: SVCB board meeting on the Meeting Place.
Sep 12 and 13 at 8 p.m., Sep 14 at 2 p.m.: TheatreWorks presents GREY GARDENwith descriptions by the Visual Voice.
Sep 19: Send current number of members to CCB Credentials committee.
Sep 20, 9:30 a.m.1 p.m.: SVCB membership meeting. Dining room, Monte Vista Terrace Apartments, 1101 Grant Road, Mountain View. Lunch orders must be made by 9:45. 9:30: Coffee and conversation, 10: Program, 11: Business, 12: lunch. Program: Alice McGrath, Vista Center. Business: Elect delegates for CCB fall Convention, deal with constitutional amendments, announce Nominating Committee, begin planning for Braille Literacy Month and remind members to acquire door prizes for holiday party.
Sep 25, 23 p.m.: Audio Book Club meeting. Contact Frank Welte at fwelte@vistacenter.org or call the centerat 650-858-0202.
Sep 24, 25, 26 at 8 p.m., Sep 27 at 2 p.m., Sep 28 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.: AMTSJpresents THE FULL MONTY with descriptions by AudioVision.
Sep 26, noon: October IN TOUCH newsletter deadline.
October: Employment for people with Disabilities Awareness Month.
October 2 to December 12: Insight art exhibits, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery in SF City Hall, lower level. Contact Kim Shuck, Insights Coordinatorat 415-694-7335 or kshuck@lighthouse-sf.org.
Oct 8, 79 p.m.: SVCB Board meeting.
Oct 15: White Cane Safety Day.
Oct 18, 9:30 a.m.1 p.m.: SVCB membership meeting. Consider resolutions for the fall CCB convention.
Thursday, October 23 through noon Sunday, October 26: CCB Fall Convention; LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel; 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Reservations: 3106454600; room rates: $90, single or double.
Oct 23: Audio Book Club meeting.
Oct 24, noon: November newsletter deadline.
Oct 31 and Nov 1 at 8 p.m., Nov 2 at 2 p.m.: TheatreWorks presents RADIO GOLF with descriptions by the Visual Voice, MVCPA.
Nov 1, 11:30 a.m.1 p.m.: SMCCB meeting.
Nov 5, 79 p.m.: SVCB board meeting.
Nov 5 to 7 at 8 p.m., 8 at 2 p.m., 9 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.: AMTSJ presents FLOWER DRUM SONG with descriptions by AudioVision.
Nov 7, 10 a.m.noon: SAF lab tour.
Nov 15, 9:30 a.m.1 p.m.: SVCB membership meeting. Elect officers for 2009, appoint Budget Committee, hear fall convention reports.
Nov 21, noon: December newsletter deadline. Include fall convention reports.