SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION HERE!
Dear ACBNY Members and Friends,
The American Council of the Blind of Western New York (ACBWNY) cordially invites you to attend the 2025 Convention of the American Council of the Blind of New York (ACBNY), which will be held from Thursday, October 2 through Sunday October 5, at the Buffalo Airport Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn Airport), 4600 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225; 716-634-6969. Room rates are $120 per night. This room rate is available from October 2 – 4 and must be made as part of your convention registration. Please see the 2025 ACBNY Convention Registration Form for more information. A single room list will be submitted to the hotel by the convention committee. If your name does not appear on the list submitted by ACBWNY, you will be subject to the market rate plus all appropriate sales and room taxes. Please note that ACBWNY or ACBNY will NOT be responsible for any incidentals charged to your room. The hotel will require all registrants to provide a credit card to cover incidentals, if applicable, at the time of check-in.
The hotel offers shuttle vans to the Buffalo International Airport. If travelling by Amtrak, the Buffalo-Depew station is 2.8 miles from the hotel, easily accessible by ride share or taxi. Consider sharing a ride with other ACBNY members, if travelling on the same train.
Meals:
The registration form allows you to enjoy breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. There is also a restaurant/bar on premise, Wing Nutz, which serves a variety of appetizers, dinners, and local favorites. We have negotiated very reasonable room rates and meal prices with the hotel, which should make your convention stay more affordable and enjoyable.
For everyone’s convenience, we are offering plated meals for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Each meal will feature an entrée with choice of meat or a vegetarian option. Dinners will include a dressed salad or soup, dinner roll with butter, dessert, and choice of beverage (coffee, tea, decaf, water, soda, iced tea).
Lunch and Dinner choices can be selected on the registration site.
Agenda:
ACBNY will host a Leadership Dinner on Thursday evening, at no cost to members, providing an opportunity to learn about ACBNY, our organizational structure, and how you could contribute and participate in leadership on a local or state level.
Our convention will officially begin on Friday morning, October 3rd at 10 a.m. with our annual New York State Commission for the Blind Town Hall meeting. Lunch will be served around 12:15 and will be followed by our annual business meeting. Our Scholarship fundraiser dinner will be held Friday evening, including plated dinner, cash bar, lively entertainment and a live auction. This year, we have special live entertainment scheduled on Fri. night after the auction—Buffalo’s own “Mid-Life Crisis” will perform hits from the 70’s to the present, providing a chance to dance, sing along, tap your feet and enjoy the atmosphere together. Special thanks to Andrew Pieczynski for booking the live band for our event!
Saturday morning is being reserved for our special interest chapters; NYSCCLV, GDUES, and BRLNY. Please contact Ian Foley at 716-435-1354 if your group would like some space on Saturday morning. We also plan to have Glidance at our convention, with co-founder Luke Buckberrough providing information and a chance to try out the Glide mobility device around the hotel. The Buffalo Zoo will have an interactive display as well, providing an opportunity to touch and feel various animals, pelts, and more. Don’t worry—nothing bites! And what would a Saturday be without an exhibit and vendor area? We’re working to bring in many exhibitors in the areas of assistive technology, mobility, AI, and more. Technology has advanced so much recently, and we hope to take advantage of these advancements as they improve the lives of blind New Yorkers. Stop by the exhibit area, and visit our vendors and sponsors.
After lunch, we will have various speakers on interesting topics, and some opportunity for discussion. WE have topics of interest to all, throughout the afternoon. On Saturday evening, our ACBNY annual banquet will include ACBNY awards, our scholarship award, and a local keynote speaker sure to entertain us.
Our convention will end with a board meeting on Sunday morning, which all are invited to attend.
Door Prizes:
Throughout the weekend, we will be awarding door prizes to those in attendance.
Scholarship Auction Items:
Please call, text, or email Ian Foley, Scholarship Chairman, with the description and value of items you wish to donate for our Scholarship Fundraising Auction on Friday night. Items can be just about anything, so long as it can be easily carried home, drop shipped, or sent digitally. Gift cards are always a hit, along with theme baskets, homemade craft items, collectibles, and more! Ian can be reached at 716-435-1354 or emailed at ianfoley206@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance for supporting our deserving blind students through the ACBNY Scholarship Program!
Registration:
To register for the convention via PayPal, click here.
To register for the convention via check, click here.
Payment by check can be made out to ACBWNY 2025 Convention, and mailed to:
2025 ACBNY Convention
Patrick Olson, Treasurer
18 Lincoln Avenue
Batavia, New York, 14020
Registration forms and payments MUST be received by Friday, September 5, 2025. Registrations received after that date will be subject to late fees. Registrations will not be confirmed until full payment is received.
Refund Policy:
The registration fee is non-refundable. Refunds for all events are subject to the reselling of the ticket(s) for each event. If you need to cancel your room reservation, you MUST do so more than 48 hours in advance of the canceled date(s) through the hotel. Any and all refunds will be addressed after the conclusion of the convention.
AS we offer both in-person and virtual attendance, we hope to see more of you in person this year. We look forward to learning, socializing and sharing with one another October 2nd through 5th, 2025 in Buffalo!
Sincerely,
Ian Foley, President
ACB of Western New York
716-435-1354
Karen Blachowicz, President
ACB of New York (ACBNY)
716-510-4560