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.
At our September meeting, we enjoyed a talk by Alice McGrath from the Vista Center. She said that Vista Center had been around for 75 years, and that took me back to 1968 when I was introduced to the Peninsula Center for the Blind, Vista's former name.
I had graduated from Overbrook in the spring and was home getting ready to move into my new apartment in San Mateo, which was on San Mateo Drive, one blocknorth of Poplar Avenue. Well, a fellow named Art Buyer came to help me with mobility, and he came from PCBVI. He taught me how to make better use of my cane and to listen to the traffic (we worked around Poplar and S M Drive), and showed my mom how to make tactile maps of the neighborhood, which hung on a wall near the front door of my apartment--a roomy studio for $105 a month.
Art also took me to PCBVI in Palo Alto in his truck that had a missing cylinder, and introduced me to many people whose names didn't make an impression at the time. He had a self-defense class going, which I thought was very cool. So,yes, the Vista Center aka PCBVI has been around for a long time.
Allen Jones is back! He's the life of the party, and it was wonderful to hear that he'll be at meetings although he has moved to South San Jose.
We elected delegate Roger Petersen and alternate delegate Rob Turner to represent us at the fall CCB convention from October 23 to 26 in Los Angeles. Be sure to contact them if you have questions.
At our October meeting, we'll be discussing resolutions the chapter, as a whole, wants to present to the convention. If you were concerned with how the budget crisis was handled and think CCB can do something about it, bring it to theOctober meeting for consideration.
We considered three constitutional amendments. One passed, one failed and the other was returned to committee. The amendment that passed was number one, which you read in the September In Touch, and it will soon be incorporated into the Constitution.
The Nominations Committee was announced. This committee is charged with forming a slate of candidates for 2009, which will be announced in the November In Touch. At the November membership meeting, we'll be electing officers and one director, after the slate is presented. Nominations can also be made from the floor. Members of the committee are: Lupe Medrano, chair; Dawn Wilcox and Victor Clifford. Be sure to contact any of these people with suggestions. SVCB needs you; so if you're asked to be a nominee, give it some serious thought and say "yes."
Next year CCB will be 75 years old, and, this year, 5, 15, 20, 25 and 50-year membership pins are being distributed. If you'd like a pin, contact me and I'll be sure you get it. And speaking of membership, be on the lookout for the updated membership list that is included in your newsletter.
Return to the Table of Contents.At our October 18 meeting, our friend Jane Bahr from the League of Women Voters will return to inform us about the pros and cons of the propositions on theNovember 4 ballot. This one may run long, because there are 12 propositions!So don't mark that absentee ballot just yet. Wait until after this meeting. And bring your questions about the election and we will try to answer them. Also when you vote, if you have any problems related to visual impairment, pleaseshare them! Your editor is a member of the county's Voter Access Advisory Committee, and can get the message to where it needs to go.
Return to the Table of Contents.Welcome to Alice McGrath, who was our speaker at our September meeting and then joined! She is also a member of the San Mateo County chapter and promised to keep both of our groups in touch with Vista Center, where she is Community Relations Coordinator.
Celebrating October birthdays are members Brian Higgins, John Kanze, Julie Lovins, Michelle McGrew, and Donna Sanchez. Many happy returns!
Remember, I need suggestions about restaurants where our placemats may be welcome when we get them ready.
Return to the Table of Contents.Thanks to all who contributed prizes and to those who got tickets for our August picnic raffle. We had quite an assortment of prizes. We raised $209!
The entertainment coupon books are here! You may purchase them from SVCB for $25 each (SVCB receives 20 percent of the cost for each book we sell). This year, Mike Keithley is chairing this fund raiser, and Ken Carey is mentoring Mike. Thank you, Ken and Mike! If you would like to purchase or help sell entertainment coupon books, please contact Mike Keithley at mlkeithley@comcast.net.
SVCB is ordering 50 large print/braille calendars for the year 2009. The calendars feature artwork by blind and visually impaired people of all ages. They cost $9 each. To reserve your calendars, please contact me.
CCB will have a sweepstakes drawing at their fall convention banquet on October 25, 2008 (sorry, there is a printing error on the tickets that says October 27). The grand prize is a one-week stay over New Year's Day, 2009, at a time-share in Los Vegas. They have also announced a $500 cash prize, and other prizes are to be announced. Tickets are $1 each. I'll bring any remaining ticketsto our October meeting.
If you have contributed one or more recipes to our SVCB cookbook, but have not yet reserved your copy, please contact me ASAP! Some formats are either sold out or nearly sold out, so I need to hear from you soon in order to get you your preferred format at our low introductory price! We are planning to produce more of the large print and braille editions, however, due to higher than expected production costs, we will need to raise our prices. Also, we are now distributing the cassette edition (currently $10 each), but unfortunately, we must recall the CD-ROM edition in orderto fix some errors. We will let you know as soon as the corrected edition is available. To place an order or to exchange your CD-ROM edition, please contact me.
See you at the meeting!
Return to the Table of Contents.There are four public CCB lists that all members can join. They are the CCB-L general discussion list, the Blind Students of California list, the California Connection once weekly announcement list and the Blind Californian list thatevery quarter sends out the BC in email format. To join any or all of these lists, all one has to do is email the CCB Moderator at CCB.Moderator@gmail.com and only put in the subject line which list or lists that you would like to join.
Return to the Table of Contents.From nurse Dawn:
Don't let the flu bug you this season. It's more serious than the common cold and very easy to transmit to other people. The best way to keep from catchingthe flu or passing it on to your loved ones is by getting an annual flu vaccination.
Who should get a flu shot? Everyone in your household should get a yearly flu shot, but they are especially important for: all children 6 months to 18 years old, anyone 50 or older, anyone with a chronic health condition, pregnant women, health care workers, anyone living with or caring for someone in one of theabove high-risk groups or with a child under 6 months old.
When is a flu vaccination not appropriate? If you have a severe allergy to eggs, a history of Guillain Barr syndrome, or experienced a severe reaction to a prior flu vaccination (not just redness or swelling at the injection site), please discuss flu vaccination with your physician.
There are many options for getting your shot in 2008. Ask your physician, senior center, Safeway, Longs and other drug stores. Kaiser Permanente flu shot clinics open mid-October. Call the flu shot hotline, 1-800-573-5811 (1-800-KP-FLU-11) for the South Bay to find out where and when to get a flu vaccination. (adapted from kponline)
Return to the Table of Contents.Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) has filed a class action lawsuit against Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) to remedy access barriers encountered by people with mobility and sensory disabilities.
The suit covers a number of parks and landmarks, and addresses two major issues: physical access and access to programs, services and activities.
Physical access includes access to buildings and structures such as exhibits, monuments or visitor center/museum, picnic areas, trails, campsites, park entrances, parking, paths of travel, restrooms, telephones, or drinking fountains and signage.
Access to programs, services and activities includes bicycling, boating, exhibits/interpretive programs, camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, educational programs or events.
If you have encountered such barriers, contact Sara Asrat at DRA at 510-665-8644, ext. 173, or by email at sasrat@dralegal.org. TTY users may call 510-665-8716.
Return to the Table of Contents.Editor's Note: Some of us remember Dale, who lived in Mountain View.
The Dale M. Schoettler Scholarship for Visually Impaired Students was enhanced with a bequest of $4.2 million from the estate of Dale M. Schoettler. The bequest expanded the existing financial aid program for visually impaired students to all 23 CSU campuses.
Schoettler, who himself was visually impaired, established the scholarship in 1991 for San Francisco State and San Jose State students with an initial giftof $20,000. Twenty-three (23) scholarships in the amount of $6,500 will be awarded for the 2008 - 2009 academic year using the following criteria:
Applicant must currently have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale and must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale during the academic year in which the award is received.
Applicant must be currently enrolled as a full-time equivalent CSU undergraduate or graduate student in any major field and must remain a full-time equivalent CSU student during the academic year in which the award is received.
Applicant must be visually impaired and provide verification from a physician.
Applications are available through the campus Financial Aid Office.
Financial Aid Offices should provide information about the availability of this scholarship to the Disabled Student Services Office. The Financial Aid Office on each campus may select one recipient. Please include:
Scholarship Applicant Information Form, including calculation of unmet financial need.
Physician's verification of visual impairment.
A brief profile of the student including information about academic progress and future plans.
The Association of Blind Citizens operates the Assistive Technology Fund. The Assistive Technology Fund (ATF) will provide funds to cover 50% of the retailprice of adaptive devices or software. The ABC board of directors believes that this program will allow blind and visually impaired individuals access to technology products that will have a significant impact on improving employment opportunities, increase the level of independence and enhance their overall quality of life.
The products covered by this program must retail for a minimum of $200 with a maximum retail price of $6,000. Persons eligible to apply for assistance musthave a family income of less than $50,000 and cash assets of less than $20,000. Applications will be reviewed by the Assistive Technology Committee (ATC) andrecommendations will be submitted for board approval. If applicants are selected to receive a technology grant, applicants will be asked to provide documentssuch as tax returns, bank statements and any other documents that the ABC board or its designee would deem necessary to assess financial need for the grant.
Applicants must be legally blind and a resident of the United States to qualify for this program. Applications must be submitted by December 31 for each grant period (two per year). Applicants will be notified if their request for a grant is approved. Applicants may submit one request per calendar year. All applications must be submitted via e-mail.
You will be notified by ABC within 45 days after the application deadline. The grantee will have 30 days after notification to purchase the product. If thepurchase cannot be made within 30 days ABC reserves the right to withdraw the award and assign it to another applicant. All decisions are final.
You may fill out the request form below by pasting it in to your word processor and emailing it to:
atf@blindcitizens.org
Important: Requests must be received via email only, by December 31. Please do not use attachments when submitting your request.
Association of Blind Citizens Assistive Technology request form:
Name:
First line of address:
Second line of address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Telephone number with area code:
Email address:
Provide a description of 500 or fewer words of the device you wish to purchase and how it will help you achieve employment or increase your independence.
Return to the Table of Contents.As many of you know, CCB has been getting much press on SB 1174 and its recent passage in the state legislature. Dan Kysor needs CCB folks to contact him if you have had an incident with a quiet car such as a close call or anything related to street or intersection crossings. Dan Kysor can be reached at the CCB office number: 800 221 6359 or 916 441 2100 or email at: dankysor@comcast.net
Return to the Table of Contents.Greetings From Bay View Chapter -- CCB:
Bay View Chapter -- CCB is holding our Christmas party Saturday, December 13, 2008 at the Hayward Ranch located at 22877 Mission Boulevard in Hayward.
Attitude adjustment hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. and installation of chapter officers.
Festivities will be concluded by 9 p.m.
More details to follow.
Cordially,
Steve Fort
Home phone: 510-521-4386
Cell phone: 510-604-5657
Email:
stevefort@att.net