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 non profit, 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 by bus #22.
Note: Postal addresses and phone numbers are not included in the online version of this newsletter. For contact information, email membership@svcb.cc
Now here's May, with candy bars and perfume, fragrant mornings and sunny afternoons, evening dances and mysterious messages.
The CCB convention was here, but it's gone now. I won't be saying much about it since we'll have reports from Susan and Ruben, but I do want to mention that I was at the California Library Users of America (CLUA) luncheon, and I learned some disappointing tidbits.
At this time, the flash memory used in the new cartridges, which will be used in the new NLS players, is considerably more expensive than cassette tape; and it appears that NLS won't be recording magazines for distribution on cartridges. Looks like you'd better hang onto your cassette machine if you like NLS audio magazines. And since flash memory is rather costly, organizations that produce audio newsletters will either have to continue with cassettes or find another medium.
Another important event is the April 28th inauguration of the new, combined braille and talking book download site, which combines the current talking book pilot program and WebBraille. The URL is nlsbard.loc.gov.
The program segment of our April membership meeting had two high points: Debee Norling Armstrong's receipt of the 'best issue-oriented article' award for 2008 (presented by the Publications Committee) and Jane Corcoran's acceptance of the humanitarian award, presented by the Awards Committee. Both these awards were given at the banquet of the spring convention, but Debee and Jane weren't able to attend.
The second part featured Art Takahara, a former city councilman from Mountain View, who also served as its mayor. He told us about his career and how he is now dealing with glaucoma, which has left him visually impaired. The program concluded with a discussion of the philosophical differences between organizations such as the Foundation Fighting Blindness, whose focus is a cures for vision loss, and organizations like SVCB, which want to help visually impaired people live productive lives. These philosophies seem opposed to each other (and are complicated by stereotypical views of blindness) and very often there seems to be little common ground between them, but it's always helpful to discuss ideas to make dialogue happen.
At our business meeting, it was decided that Crunch Caterer, which provided food for last year's holiday party, will cater our August picnic at Historic Park in San Jose. It was also agreed that admission will be $10 for chapter and CCB members, and $15 for everyone else. Stay tuned for future articles here and to Phone Tree announcements.
It was also decided that SVCB will negotiate with Delta Gamma to have a combined holiday party in December. Plans are in a preliminary stage, but I can tell you that the date will probably be the second Saturday instead of the third.
Examples of the new SVCB business card were also shown, and I believe we're almost ready to launch this project.
Until next time, groove with May!
Return to the Table of ContentsHappy May birthdays to our members Dinesh Desai, John Glass, Vernon Phillips, and Susan Schulter!
Return to the Table of ContentsPlans for our new T-shirt continue to progress. When we showed members the latest draft of the artwork at April's meeting, we received a lot of positive feedback. The shirts will say, "reading is for everyone" in regular print, braille, and large print. It is written on the front cover of a closed book, and the book is wearing a pair of headphones to include the idea of audiobooks. As agreed upon in March, the shirts will be white with the artwork done in black, and they will have short sleeves.
Once we have all of the bids in, we will need to make some final decisions. The current plan is to get shirts with and without pockets. Shirts without pockets will have the artwork on the front. Shirts with pockets will have the pocket on the front left and the artwork on the back. We will need to decide if we want to include the clipart (showing a person reading a book) that we showed to members at the April meeting. If we include this, shirts with pockets would have the clip- art on the pocket and, if desired, shirts without pockets could have it on a sleeve.
Please also think about how much you would be willing to pay for a T-shirt. We need to decide how much we will charge individuals and other organizations for the shirts. Do we want to charge the same amount for all sizes? (XXL and XXXL cost us more), and do we charge different amounts for shirts with and without pockets? (with pockets they also cost more). If you have any questions or additional comments regarding this project, please call me.
Remember to continue saving your recyclable aluminum cans and plastic water bottles. Donna Sanchez collects plastic water bottles, and Charlie Stein collects aluminum cans. You may bring these items to an upcoming meeting or call the appropriate contact to make other arrangements. Donna and Charlie redeem the bottles and cans for funds which are then used to support SVCB activities.
Only five large print/braille calendars for 2009 remain! They feature artwork by blind and visually impaired people of all ages. They cost $9 each.
And, at this writing, we have five white cane safety awareness T-shirts remaining. We have two small in black with white lettering and two small and one large in white with black lettering. They cost $15 each.
See's candy bars are also available from SVCB! We have dark chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with toffee, plain milk chocolate, Walnut Squares, and Nut and Chew bars. They all now cost $1.50 each. Contact me to place your orders for candy, T-shirts, or calendars.
Finally, if you have any suggestions for other possible fund raisers, please pass them along. And, we'll see you at the May meeting!
Return to the Table of ContentsWe'd like to begin this article by thanking our fellow chapter members for entrusting us with the privilege of attending the spring convention of the California Council of the Blind, and reporting back to our chapter on what transpired there. We've always enjoyed the meetings and activities of our local SVCB chapter, but attending the state convention as delegate and alternate delegate helped us better appreciate how SVCB fits into the overall CCB and ACB structure, and how much we all owe to CCB for its advocacy efforts on our behalf. We won't be able to report on everything in this brief article, but we'd like to highlight items that we know will interest our fellow chapter members, based on our recent Dream Logic general meeting where we prioritized goals and wishes for our chapter's future. Some of what we share also hearkens back to legislative and other information provided by past guest speakers.
Two central strands of activity occur at the state convention: activity that focuses on CCB as a consumer advocacy organization, and activity addressing the business of CCB itself and its ongoing existence. These activity strands occur in a variety of venues including four general sessions which are open to the membership at large, special interest affiliate meetings, special committee meetings (Publications, Resolutions, Nominating) a meeting on technology updates open to all, a meeting of the CCB board, a presidents' dinner, and a culminating banquet, again open to the entire membership. The general sessions tend to combine the two strands of activity, so we'll report on those first.
Recent national disasters such as hurricanes in Texas and Louisiana have made the blind community very aware of our need for equal treatment by local, state and federal emergency agencies. This need for equal treatment is shared by all people with disabilities. Accordingly, the guest speaker who opened the first general session of the convention was Mr. Richard Devylder, who is Special Advisor to California's Office for Access and Functional Needs, California Emergency Management Agency, or CALEMA. This office was established in January of 2008, and its current mission includes the following goals:
1. Development of a community network.
2. Integration of disabled and older adults into the state emergency functions.
3. Improvement of access by disabled people to Early Alert broadcast systems.
4. Increased planning for sheltering people with disabilities and older adults.
5. Increased efficiency of evacuation procedures.
Mr. Devylder and his office staff are immediately concerned about transportation, communications, fire and rescue, care and shelter, evacuation, public information, utilities, and long term recovery, in terms of how each of these affects people with disabilities. He stressed the point that the overriding goal of The Office for Access and Functional Needs is to make sure that all state shelters will adequately serve people with disabilities. California must not create separate shelters for people with disabilities, since doing so amounts to separate but equal treatment, or, he said, to call it by its true name: segregation. Nor, he said, should the state shuttle blind and disabled people off to nursing homes and hospitals during disasters. Blind Californians who want to participate in creating a truly equitable emergency safety system can begin by accessing the following web site: www.oes.ca.gov. Once on the site, click on the "Office for Access and Functional Needs" link.
You probably recall that during our Dream Logic brainstorming meeting of last January, we talked a great deal about ways in which we might grow and sustain our chapter's membership. During the convention's third general session, Ruben and I heard some inspiring ideas on this subject from three CCB members who attended the Western Leadership Conference called Taking the Reins of Leadership, which convened in Vancouver, Washington last October. CCB sent three of its members: Linda Porelle, Foster Brown, and John Ross. Each shared valuable information gleaned from the conference on the topics of fund-raising, publicity/ outreach, and mentorship.
With regard to fund-raising, conference attendees learned how to develop an annual fund-raising plan, and to distinguish between fund- raising and fund development. Here are a few ideas that stuck with this listener: First, giving is an emotional act. People give money as a means of community service and for relationships. Second, information is everything. People will want to "know what you and your organization are about' before they give. It's important to make friends and advocates of those who donate to your organization. The number one reason why people don't give is that they aren't asked. Tips for successful asking: Do your homework. "Know who your donors are. Relate your mission to your donors' interest.'
In terms of outreach and public awareness, I believe that SVCB can implement, or already is implementing, the following recommendations: Reach out to those who are newly blind, and those who are losing their sight. Let the public know who we are, and that we provide services to the community. (Isn't this what our placemat and business card projects are all about?) Leave information about SVCB with eye doctors, as they may refer patients to us. Speak about SVCB and CCB at local elementary, and secondary schools as well as at colleges. Set up a technology show at a local university. (Wouldn't it be fun to show off our talking phones, braille note takers, and print magnification toys at San Jose State, Santa Clara University, or Stanford?)
In terms of mentorship the most important thing that I learned was to attend to what gets chapter members excited, and then invite them to participate in activities that let them act on their excitement. It's also important to delegate, and when we give a fellow member responsibility for a project, we need to let him/ her handle that project in the way that's best for him or her, which might not necessarily be the way we would handle the project. In other words, we need to trust our fellow chapter members to do a good job.
Although some of the aforementioned advice, especially the part about fund-raising, may be more applicable to CCB as a whole, we can certainly find ways of customizing it to meet our chapter's needs. Personally, I welcomed the reminders about what makes good mentorship and good outreach.
Anyone in our chapter interested in adaptive technology advancements would have enjoyed the gathering that took place on Thursday afternoon before the convention actually got under way. It was sponsored by the Technology Committee, and featured our own John Glass speaking on "The New Bookshare," its upgraded website, new features, and new books being added to the collection. His presentation was warmly received. We also heard from Peter Cantissani, of R and L Associates, regarding a number of new and available cell phone technologies. We learned about Eye-Pal Solo, a new stand-alone reading machine from AbiSee. The Eye-Pal Solo measures 8 and a half by 11 inches at its base and weighs about five pounds. It is a camera-based, as opposed to scanner- based reading technology. One simply places printed material on the round base of the machine directly below a camera which aims downward toward the print. The camera takes a picture of the printed image and seconds later, a synt! hesized voice reads the print aloud. We tested the Eye-Pal Solo on books, multi-column brochures, candy wrappers and aspirin bottles. It read them all with scarcely a glitch. Since the Eye-Pal has no moving parts, it's less likely than a scanner-based reading machine to break down or have mechanical malfunction. The Eye-Pal can fit into a 15 inch laptop bag. It does cost a pretty penny, however, currently retailing at $1995.
The final technology presenter was James McCarthy from Freedom Vision. He shared a number of "pocket magnifier products' for those of us with enough vision to read print. The most interesting of these was Mano, so named because it's small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand. Manufactured in Germany, Mano has a 3.5 inch screen, and weighs 4.8 ounces. It can freeze up to three images simultaneously, and it has the largest range of zoom capability of any pocket magnifier.
For the benefit of new SVCB members, and as a review for those who have forgotten, we would at this juncture like to remark on CCB affiliates, who they are and what they do. CCB has eight state-wide affiliates: The Association for Multicultural Concerns, Blind Students of California, The Braille Revival League of California, Council of Citizens with Low Vision, California Library Users, Guide Dog Users of California, Orientation Center for the Blind Alumni, and The Randolph Shepherd Vendors. Each of these special interest affiliates is allowed to vote when issues come before the CCB general membership. During the convention, each affiliate conducts its own business meeting and its own special program of events. It was virtually impossible for your delegate and your alternate to attend every meeting, but we had fun trying. We were especially moved by a project being sponsored by The Association for Multicultural Concerns. This affiliate is raising money to buy braille write! rs, which will then be sent to blind people in developing countries.
We'd like to close this article with a quick gloss of two of the resolutions that were voted on during the convention's fourth and final general session. One resolution concerned a push by some Department of Vocational Rehabilitation offices to begin meeting clients in cubicles instead of in private offices. CCB passed a resolution urging that rehab not take this step, on the grounds that much information exchanged between clients and their rehab counsellors is private, and not something one would care to have overheard in adjacent cubicles. Another resolution that passed and will be forwarded to ACB urges national parks to continue doing everything possible to make museums, trails, exhibits, park videos and park camp sites accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired. Our hats are definitely off to the members of the Resolutions Committee, who work long into the night during conventions to see that the desires of the membership come to fruition.
Next year's spring CCB Convention will take place in Burlingame, and will be hosted by the San Mateo chapter. We hope this means that our SVCB membership will turn out in full.
Return to the Table of ContentsMay: Healthy Vision Month
Bowling: every Saturday at Moonlight Lanes in Santa Clara. Contact Tom Keiser.
May 1, 10 a.m.-noon: SAF lab tour. Call 408-245-7330 for reservations.
May 2, 1-4:30 p.m.: Low Vision Strategies for Success at Foothill College. Sponsored by Vista Center for the Blind. Please RSVP by calling 866-782-7330. Appreciation Hall in room 1500 at 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills.
May 6, 7-9 p.m.: SVCB Board meeting. Call-in: 800-662-6992, ID: 1184109. If you are not on the Board but wish to attend, contact Mike Keithley.
May 13: California School for the Blind (500 Walnut Avenue; Fremont, CA 94536; 510-794-3800) presents its annual Spring Concert, "Our Show for Louie," in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille. Concert Matinee, 1:30 p.m. Evening Concert at 7:30 p.m. on May 14. Note that people from SMCCB are going to the Matinee; contact Philip Kutner.
May 16, 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 to be announced in Phone Tree. Business: Hear CCB spring convention reports, finalize picnic plans and remind members to acquire door prizes.
May 22, noon: June newsletter deadline.
June: Vision Research month.
Jun 1: Helen Keller Day.
Jun 3, 7-9 p.m.: SVCB Board meeting.
Jun 5, 10 a.m.-noon: SAF lab tour.
Jun 6, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: SMCCB meeting; library at Sterling Court, 850 North El Camino Real, San Mateo. Contact Philip Kutner at home or cell.
Jun 20: SVCB membership meeting.
Jun 26: July newsletter deadline.