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
The past month has been busy in an effort to save paratransit services we've grown accustomed to. It all started with a notice of public meetings to discuss VTA's budget deficit and the proposed measures to remedy it. Then Outreach customers got a letter from VTA detailing the proposed abandonment of four premium programs--services beyond the mandatory ADA requirements.
Naomi Grubb, Susan Hyatt, Beverly Clifford, Michelle McGrew, Lupe Medrano, Rose Deterding, Tom Thompson, Donna Sanchez, Allen Jones, Dawn Wilcox, Roger Petersen, and Mike Keithley all attended public meetings to urge VTA not to terminate these services as the result would make paratransit difficult or impossible to use. In addition, a formal letter was sent to the VTA board, which will, we hope, be read at VTA's board meeting in June.
I want to thank all of you for your support in this crucial transportation issue, and I hope that it continues when the next round of discussion comes along, probably in 2011. It demonstrates that we can make a difference in defending paratransit services which are of vital importance to all of us.
The program at our May meeting was varied and interesting. Gretchen Ehlers, a mathematics professor at West Valley College and Girl Scout leader, and Susan Schulter, who lead Troop 60923, told us that our work to help kids understand issues of visual impairment is inspiring, long-lasting and important. Some of their troop came to the meeting, and described what they will be doing at an assembly, focusing on what they've learned about blind people, at Oak Ridge Elementary School in San Jose. We will be donating a biography of Louis Braille to the school's library. SVCB members are invited to attend the assembly from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on June 4. Contact Susan Schulter for additional info.
Next, Walter Schinke told us that many towns and small cities are reluctant to deal with access issues under the ADA, even though this statue has been around since 1992. We learned that every city is supposed to have an ADA Coordinator, and it's up to you and me to find out who he or she is so we can voice our concerns and get things done. Be sure also to contact Walter with your concerns.
At our business meeting, $50 was donated to support a Special Heroes Page on the ACB convention program. We got a nice "thank you" from Donna Pomerantz.
In other news, Dawn Wilcox and Naomi Grubb are working with Lolly Osborne to develop our joint holiday party with Delta Gamma this December. Stay tuned!
Return to the Table of ContentsWalter Raineri is a visually impaired attorney, active in the local chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. He also is very interested in sailing. In fact, he recently participated in a world sailing competition in New Zealand and he is coming to tell us about this adventure at our meeting on June 20. Occasionally, we invite speakers to illustrate that blind people have passions which they are sometimes able to follow. This sort of thing is, after all, part of what we mean by quality of life.
Return to the Table of ContentsWe are delighted to have two of our recent speakers at meetings, Lyn Saunders and Art Takahara, joining us as new members of the chapter.
Happy June birthdays to Ken Carey, Elmer Chapson, Victor Clifford, Alice McGrath, Allen Jones, and Art Takahara!
Return to the Table of ContentsWe are now taking orders for our new T-shirts! The shirts say, "reading is for everyone" in regular print, braille, and large print. This written on the front cover of a closed book, and the book is wearing a pair of headphones to include the idea of audiobooks. The shirts are white and short-sleeved with the artwork in black. Shirts are available in men's and women's sizes small-3X without pockets and men's sizes small-3X with 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. Shirts without pockets cost $17 each for sizes small-XL and $20 each for sizes 2X-3X. Shirts with pockets cost $19 each for sizes small-XL and $22 each for sizes 2X-3X. We can offer a discount to organizations that wish to purchase shirts as a fund raiser. Shipping charges will apply if you are unable to pick up orders personally. For additional details or to place an order, please call me. Please place your orders by Saturday, June 20 (our next meeting) so we can include them in our first printing.
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.
We also 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're $15 each.
See's candy bars are still available from SVCB! We have dark chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with toffee, plain milk chocolate, and Walnut Squares. These cost $1.50 each. We also have a few of See's Sugar Free Dark Bars for $1.75 each. Contact me to place your orders for candy, T-shirts, or calendars.
See you at the May meeting!
Return to the Table of ContentsThe intent of the placemats is to increase community awareness of the blind and visually impaired, and of visual impairments, and to let people know that they can call, email, or visit the SVCB website.
Here are two design options for the SVCB Placemat. Both of these are designed to be printed with black ink on 8.5 by 14 inch (also known as legal size) white paper. The paper is oriented horizontally ('landscape mode'). The font used is Arial.
This is a copy of the original design, with lettering changed to upper and lower case, addition of tag line, and text enlargement on legal size paper instead of 11 by 17 inch paper. Starting in the upper left top margin of the page it reads, "Silicon Valley Council of the Blind." Under that is "Access to Life for those with Vision Loss." Under that is a picture, slightly to the right of center, of a stopped car; and crossing the street in front of it is a woman walking with a guide dog, and slightly back and to her left is a person using a cane. At the left margin of the page, the text at the same level as the cane reads "Do You Know Someone with:" Under that on one line with a bullet dot in front of each eye condition it reads, "Macular Degeneration; Glaucoma; Diabetic Retinopathy; Other Visual Impairments". The last line of text is indented and centered with space between each item, and reads, "Call: 888-652-5333; email: svcb@onebox.com; Website: www.svcb.cc". (Semicolons are inserted in this article for clarity.)
The second design changes the placement of some text with an enlarged picture and text from Placemat 1. The first two lines of text at the top left are the same as on Placemat 1. Under that, on the right two-thirds of the page, is a larger version than above, of a stopped car; and crossing the street in front of it is a woman walking with a guide dog, and slightly back and to her left is a person using a cane. To the left of the car centered vertically at the left margin of the page to the left of the picture between the top of the headlight and the bottom of the tire, the text reads, "Do You Know Someone with:" Under that in is a list of each eye condition on a separate line with a bullet dot in front of each item, reading "Macular Degeneration" "Glaucoma" "Diabetic Retinopathy" "Other Visual Impairments". The last line of text is the same size as the tag line and starts at the left margin with space between each of the following: "Call: 888-652-5333"; "email: SVCB@onebox.com"; "Website: www.svcb.cc"
We hope you will review these two versions and come ready to vote on one at the June meeting so we can start printing and marketing the placemat to restaurants and community centers serving meals. If you have any questions, please call LeeAnn evenings between 6 and 9 p.m., or send email to LSNAK@sbcglobal.net.
If you frequent a restaurant, community center or senior center that you would like to talk to about using the placemats, please email the contact name and address to LeeAnn Nakagawa at LSNAK@sbcglobal.net. We would like to keep track of who is going to each venue and also so we can know whom to give the samples to. Thank you.
Return to the Table of ContentsAdvocating for your needs as a visually impaired person begins locally, and it's important to know how your city government is set up, how to contact elected representatives and staff and what to expect from them. Cities and towns in Santa Clara county have their own governing bodies, city or town councils, and Santa Clara County has a Board of Supervisors. The county is divided into five supervisorial districts, so you have one particular supervisor. In some cities, the council members are elected at large, so everyone votes for all of them, while in others, notably San Jose, they have districts too. So we have to know how to make contact. Acquiring this information might take some time Depending on the tools available to you. Be patient, it likely won't happen in ten minutes!
Good sources for contact information, and knowing what's going on, are local newspapers like the Mountain View Voice ( www.mv-voice.com), the Palo Alto Weekly ( www.paloaltoonline.com) or the San Jose Mercury News ( www.mercurynews.com). Many cities have their own websites. For example, www.santaclaraca.gov (408-615-2200) is the official site for the city of Santa Clara, and www.sanjoseca.gov (a phone directory is at www.sanjoseca.gov/callcenter/phone.asp) is the site for San Jose. You should be able to find out who your city, county and state representatives are by calling the reference desk at your public library or the County Registrar of Voters at 408-299-8683 (VOTE).
The next step is to go to public meetings. My experience is that you'll have a better time of it going with a friend--it's rather lonely and confusing doing it by yourself. If you need accommodations like an assistive listening headset, make the appropriate contact at least two days before the meeting, so that it is available to you. For example, the Mountain View City Council meetings are accessible, and I've found the clerical staff to be responsive to my needs.
You might find that websites have archives of past meetings and agendas and presentations for upcoming events. Also, some cities, like Mountain View, televise council meetings on cable channel 26. In Mountain View, you can find out when the next city council meeting is and what is on the agenda by calling 650-903-6305, or by visiting www.mountainview.gov.
Let me close by stressing that you need to be patient. I think you will find that an adversarial approach will backfire on you, and you'll be taking backward steps rather than forward ones. Try to find a friend who can mentor you, show you around and introduce you to officials. You may even find that there is a commission or committee that you want to apply to join. Serving as a volunteer on one of these bodies helps you both to understand your local government and to participate in it.
Return to the Table of ContentsWe are seeking feedback on several agreements that have been signed as a result of Structured Negotiations. Please see my website for more information: lflegal.com/2009/05/feedback
<0>As described in more detail in the post, we are looking for feedback on technology in Rite Aid stores, the accessibility of www.riteaid.com, San Francisco Accessible Pedestrian Signals, accessible credit reports (braille, audio, large print, as well as on-line access), and POS devices in 7-Eleven stores.All feedback is very much appreciated and will help make each of these agreements stronger.
Thanks,Linda Dardarian: Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian; www.gdblegal.com; 510-763-9800; ldardarian@gdblegal.com
Return to the Table of ContentsThis is a study regarding blind people's experiences with race. If you have been blind since birth and are interested in talking about your perspectives during a short interview, please send an email to kchase@gmail.com. All responses will be kept confidential.
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