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 bybus #22.
This is the third April of my presidency, and as usual it's strange. Two weeks ago Star noticed that something was building a nest in a drawer of our patio table where she keeps tools. She cleaned it out, but it re-appeared a few days later. She removed it again, but we noticed a few days ago that it was there, waiting to be used. So we decided to let it alone to see what happens. I remarked that maybe some tool in there wants to reproduce itself. It's still there and appears pretty cozy but unused.
Here is an update on the 34 bus route I discussed in my last message. In a poorly announced public meeting, a new route was agreed upon. It will now once again serve the Senior Center, but still won't serve seniors who live on Middlefield, leaving many people frustrated. Interestingly, VTA agreed to consider letting seniors ride free until the end of 2010.
The program segment of the March meeting featured Doris Tse from the local office of the Census Bureau talking about the census, the short form, which all households will get, and the long one, which is not really the ten-year census, but one of many surveys that are periodically sent to a sample of households. There were also comments about using the phone (866-866-6868). If you call, they may ask you for a number on the print form; and they will not fill out the form for you over the phone. Local Questionnaire Assistance Centers, open until April 19 (specific days and hours), should be much more helpful. They have a good Braille manual available, and will help you fill out the form if necessary. Those in Mountain View include the Senior Center, the Community Center, and the Public Library. You should also be able to get information over the phone (though not fill-out) from any of the three local numbers covering all of Santa Clara County: Route 85 northward, 650-641-8290; Santa Clara, 408-988-8476; San Jose, 408-343-8141. The general number to locate QACs is 866-872-6868. There's also extensive online information via www.mountainview.gov.
The main action during the business meeting was the adoption of two resolutions to be brought before the spring convention. The first urges CCB's support of having talking pill bottles available to everyone, not just at Kaiser. If you'd like to help formulate this resolution, contact Mike Keithley.
The second resolution expresses our dissatisfaction with the performance of the Department of Rehabilitation in not supporting agencies like Sensory Access Foundation (which officially closes its doors at the end of March after 37 years of service), and DOR's apparently indifferent or hostile attitude toward the Blind Field Services division. If you'd like to help draft this resolution, contact Lorraine Brown.
We won't be having a meeting in April. Instead, plan to go to the convention in Burlingame.
I am happy to announce that Alice McGrath is our new Membership Committee chair. Let's give her a hand! She'd appreciate your help.
Are you interested in access technology for blind and visually impaired individuals? Vista Center will be starting a Technology Users' Group in June. If you're interested, please send your email address to snakagawa@vistacenter.org. More information will be forthcoming.
Plans for our holiday party are in the works. The last party was very successful, and we'll be doing another joint event with the Delta Gamma this December. December 11 is the unconfirmed date.
Return to the Table of ContentsAs Mike said in his President's Message, we are not having a meeting in April, so no program. However, I just wanted to use this space to urge you one more time to come to the California Council of the Blind State Convention at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame. If you can't come for the weekend, try to spend some time there on Friday or Saturday. Those are the days when the exhibits are open, and there will be some interesting programs as well. I would be glad to help you figure out how to get there and tell you more about the program. There are many public transit options to consider, and the possibility of paratransit. You should also know that the hotel is running a special shuttle from the Millbrae station (Caltrain and BART) during part of this convention. Please call the hotel (650-342-9200) for more information. And in case you have a ride, we have some driving instructions below.
Return to the Table of ContentsThe Crowne Plaza - Burlingame at 1177 Airport Boulevard, Burlingame, CA.
From San Jose: northbound on Highway 101, take the Broadway exit in Burlingame. Keep right at the fork and follow the signs for Bayshore Boulevard / Airport Boulevard. The hotel will be on the right.
From San Francisco: southbound on Highway 101, take the Broadway exit in Burlingame. Stay left at the fork in the road and follow the signs to Airport Boulevard. Turn right at the intersection and cross the highway via the overpass. Continue to the next signal and turn right. Go straight at the next light into the hotel driveway.
Return to the Table of ContentsProceeds from CCB's Spring Sweepstakes will benefit the Blind Californian. The drawing will be held at CCB's Spring Convention banquet on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Winners need not be present. Tickets cost $5 each. The grand prize is $500 cash. Runner-up prizes include: round-trip air fare for two (up to $800), $100 cash, $75 in gift cards, and more to be announced. You can get tickets from me before the convention by emailing fund.raising@svcb.cc or you can probably purchase them at the convention.
Do you shop at Lucky's in Santa Clara County or have friends or family who do? If so, you may want to consider participating in the "S.H.A.R.E.S." grocery rewards program. CCB has enrolled in grocery rewards programs offered by two statewide grocery chains (one of which includes several participating Lucky's stores). Each shopper who requests a "grocery rewards card" will receive a card that looks like a credit card. When making purchases at a participating store, the cardholder will slide his/her rewards card through the debit reader and then make his/her payment. Participating stores will then donate three percent of the purchase price to CCB. If you are interested in participating in this program and want to know if your local Lucky's is participating, please contact me at fund.raising@svcb.cc. I can also give you information about participating stores in other Bay Area cities.
Also contact me to place an order or for more information about our 20th anniversary cookbook or our "reading is for everyone" T-shirts. Or visit us at our booth at CCB's Spring Convention!
Remember to save your recyclable aluminum cans. Charlie Stein redeems them for funds which are then used to support SVCB activities. You may give cans to Charlie at an upcoming meeting or call him to make other arrangements.
Hope to see you at the convention!
Return to the Table of ContentsHappy April birthdays to our members Linda Alviti, Deborah Armstrong, Anna Bolino, Kathy Bonilla, Roy Roderick, Thomas Thompson, and Dawn Wilcox!
Return to the Table of ContentsAnnouncing the VIP TUC, Visually Impaired Person Technology User Conference, presented by the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired on May 22, 2010.
The VIP TUC this year will be focused on smartphone technology for the visually impaired. Smartphones are the wave of the future, and the wave is crashing around all of us right now.
Keeping pace with the latest technology innovations (such as the new touch screen technology being incorporated in all the newest devices), and understanding how such technology is accessible to the visually impaired is a critical success factor for anyone with a vision impairment, and beyond all that, is really cool and a lot of fun. Don't miss this opportunity to experience for yourself what all the buzz is about and how it might enhance your quality of life.
The VIP TUC will feature presentations on: (1) the latest wireless touch screen smartphone accessible technologies such as those incorporated within the touch screen Google Android operating system, the touch screen Apple iPhone operating system, and other smartphone operating systems; (2) user applications for the visually impaired on Google, Apple, Samsung, Nokia and other smartphones; (3) special services offered by AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to the visually impaired; and (4) a keynote discussion of the future of mobile smartphone technology for the visually impaired by Mike May, CEO of the Sendero Group and Peter Cantisani, Technology Consultant.
The VIP TUC will also offer attendees the opportunity to participate in user group sessions on: (1) smartphone screen readers; (2) smart phone navigation devices; and (3) mobile book and text readers. A unique element of the VIP TUC will be the separate breakout user group sessions to focus on the accessibility features of the Google Nexus One smart phone, the Apple iPhone, Nokia smartphones, and Samsung smartphones. All this and an exhibition hall where vendors will be able to describe in detail these smartphone and related technologies.
The VIP TUC will be on May 22, 2010, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Vendor Hall open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at The Conference Center at Fenwick & West LLP, 801 California Street , Mountain View , CA 94041 (at the corner of Castro Street and California Street). Go to www.511.org for directions and public transportation options. The Conference Center is accessible by Caltrain or VTA Light Rail (both at Mountain View Transit Center, just 3 blocks away), VTA Buses 22 and 522 (Castro Street stop on El Camino Real is just 3 blocks away), or Outreach Paratransit service (door to door).
The VIP TUC is free, as are the light refreshments to be served, so you need only bring your thirst for knowledge and willingness to participate in the user group sessions. While the VIP TUC is free, space is limited, so RSVP soon to reserve your place. You can RSVP for the VIP TUC by sending an email to viptuc@vistacenter.org, or by calling 650-858-0202, Extension 102 and leaving your contact information. You can also RSVP by contacting Rosa Mussallem, the registration coordinator, directly via email at rosamussallem@sbcglobal.net, or by calling her at 408-297-1612.
Return to the Table of ContentsThe SVCB Board is in the process of figuring out the details of a grant to be awarded by the organization. So far, here's what we have:
The Silicon Valley Council of the Blind will create and co-sponsor an annual adaptive technology grant/scholarship, to be awarded to any blind or visually impaired resident of Silicon Valley for whom affording adaptive technology is a financial hardship. The grant can also be used to fund the repair of broken technology, or to help an individual pay for training in the use of a particular technology. Criteria for receiving the award would be as follows:
The individual must be blind or visually impaired, and may be any age: school-age child, working adult, senior citizen. The individual need not necessarily require the technology for educational or vocational purposes. A personal quality of life need is also appropriate. The technology that the individual seeks is not funded by or available from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, or other service/educational organization.
What items might the grant be used for? We have talked about the following possibilities, but there is no list defined at this point. Braille note takers, adapted computers, print magnification devices, reading/writing software, mobility aids, cochlear implants, medical aids (talking pill bottles is one example), bar code readers.
Individuals may apply to our chapter directly, or be referred to us. Individuals must provide a brief statement (150 words) explaining the need for the technology and how it will be used. If the technology is for a child, then a parent, guardian or teacher may furnish this statement.
Who will select winners? SVCB board members, chapter volunteers, and representatives from the co-sponsoring organization.
The grant will be funded partly by co-sponsors. How will SVCB find co-sponsors? We will model our approach after the one followed by the San Francisco Chapter. San Francisco calls its scholarship the Alice J. Pardini Fund in honor of a past member. We can name our own fund whatever we choose. We will sponsor an annual event such as an evening pizza bingo or a talent show. We will write letters and make phone calls to local businesses and corporations telling them about our scholarship and asking them if they would like to co-sponsor it. Examples of businesses we might approach include Safeway and other grocery chains, and restaurants or shops that we often patronize. Once we have completed our first event and distributed our first technology scholarship, we will write a letter to our co-sponsor in which we share the story of our scholarship winner, and thank the co-sponsor for their invaluable assistance.
Return to the Table of ContentsThe members of the Bay View Chapter cordially invite you to attend our annual Lasagna Dinner Fund Raiser. It will be held at the Lions Blind Center, at 3834 Opal Street, Oakland, CA on Saturday, May 8 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $10. To make reservations please contact Ida Johnson at 510-655-1982 or Cathie Skivers at 510-357-1986 by no later than Wednesday, May 5. Please indicate whether you want a Meat or Vegetable Lasagna. We will have many interesting prizes including an afghan made by Judy Wilkinson. Please join us for an evening of friendship and fun.
Return to the Table of ContentsDear Jeff: I am Patti Matej, Public Relations Coordinator with the Utah Council of the Blind. We are inviting members from neighboring state Councils to join the "Blind Grapevine", a conference call for discussion about issues such as recent loss of vision or other topics that might help us aid each other. The "Blind Grapevine" is conducted 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time, on Saturdays (with the exception of April 10; instead there will be a call on Wednesday, April 7). Call 605-475-4500 to join in; the access code is 22377#. The moderator is Linda Lifsey. While on the conference call, she will be known as "Queen Bee". For brochures about the "Blind Grapevine" contact Linda Lifsey at lindalifsey@gmail.com or call her at 801-744-5555 (801-866-3137 cell).
Also, the "Your Listening Ear" program is held Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Fridays, for "one on one calls" as a support network resource for people experiencing recent vision loss or support for other issues associated with vision loss. We will not be available April 8 and 9. The out of state number for this program is toll free 800-273-4769. I can be contacted at 801-268-0671 if you have any further questions.
Patti
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