With the American Council of the Blind of New York
And Lynch Creek Farm
Bring a warm and festive feeling to your home with beautiful fresh centerpieces, tabletop trees or garlands, plus other autumnal accessories.
ACBNY will receive 15% of items purchased. Funds will be set aside for programs and initiatives benefitting the independence of our members. To place an order, visit www.lynchcreekfundraising.com/c/251346 or call 1-888-426-0781 and use Campaign ID # 251346 To shop and support ACBNY. Share it with friends and family on FaceBook: https://tinyurl.com/y39c4quk
We appreciate your support and hope Lynch Creek will brighten your spirits and décor for the 2020 holidays!
Campaign ends December 8, 2020.
Please visit ACBNY at www.acbny.info or contact secretary@acbny.info for comments or questions.
October 14, 2020 – White Plains, NY – Today, Disability Rights Advocates filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of blind New Yorkers and the American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc. against New York state entities, challenging the inaccessibility of “NY-Alert,” a Mass Notification System intended to warn New Yorkers and visitors of emergencies and other critical information in a timely manner to help save lives. Blind individuals who use screen readers to access visual information cannot independently use the NY-Alert website to register for urgent alerts or to choose how they receive alerts. Instead, these individuals must secure the assistance of a third party and give up the independence enjoyed by others who use NY-Alert. Further, many blind individuals live alone and/or do not have the means to retain sighted assistance, and so must forgo using the NY-Alert website and forgo receiving its notifications altogether, at great risk to themselves. Click here to read the complaint.
Hurricanes, floods, fires, winter storms, and nuclear disasters are a few of the many potential emergencies that New York residents and visitors face. Effective emergency preparedness and planning must include certain essential components, such as public notification and communication before and during emergencies. The failure to notify blind individuals about such emergencies via NY-Alert creates severe hardships for blind individuals and can be life-threatening to them during these emergencies. It is critical that blind individuals be warned of emergencies in advance and that they receive information on how and if they will be evacuated, where they will be sheltered, and how and if they will be transported to such shelter.
Blind individuals often walk and/or rely on public transportation to get around and thus face a distinct disadvantage when they encounter sudden route closures and other interruptions in transportation service that require them to deviate from the routes that they are familiar with navigating. Additionally, strong winds and other severe weather events can be extremely disruptive to blind individuals who use a cane to walk and to those who rely on their hearing for orientation. It is thus imperative that blind individuals receive weather and transportation warnings as early as possible, so that they can avoid dangerous or unfamiliar terrain.
Unfortunately, New York State has failed to make the NY-Alert website accessible, despite knowledge of the barriers faced by Plaintiffs and others who attempt to use the website, despite the clear guidance readily available on how to make websites accessible, and despite the urgency of such alerts, especially during the current pandemic.
Plaintiff Ann Chiappetta, who initially informed the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services about NY-Alert’s inaccessibility in July 2018, said, “Not being able to access the NY-Alert website and receive emergency notifications via my smart phone puts my health and safety at risk. I have a right to be notified just like my friends and neighbors who are not blind.”
Karen Blachowicz, President of American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc. said, “The NY-Alert system must be made accessible for blind and visually-impaired people in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Alerts are in place to protect the general population and the blind or visually-impaired population must have equal access.”
“Blind individuals are at great risk during disasters and face life-threatening consequences when governments fail to include them in communications about emergencies,” said Michelle Iorio, a staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. “New York cannot afford to wait for another disaster to strike before remedying the accessibility barriers on its Mass Notification System website that prevent blind individuals from receiving life-saving alerts.”
New York’s refusal to make the NY-Alert website accessible discriminates against blind individuals on the basis of disability under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This lawsuit seeks injunctive and declaratory relief to require the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to make the website for NY-Alert accessible to individuals who use screen readers so that they can use the system equally, privately, and independently to register for critical alerts.
***
About Disability Rights Advocates (DRA): With offices in New York and California, Disability Rights Advocates is a leading nonprofit disability rights legal center in the nation. Its mission is to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. DRA represents people with all types of disabilities in complex, system-changing, class action cases. DRA is proud to have upheld the promise of the ADA since our inception. Thanks to DRA’s precedent-setting work, people with disabilities across the country have dramatically improved access to education, health care, employment, transportation, disaster preparedness planning, voting, and housing. For more information, visit dralegal.org.
New York, NY – In a decision that will remake the streetscape of New York City and improve safety and accessibility for all New Yorkers, a federal court ruled today that New York City’s failure to provide accessible pedestrian signals (APS) at 96.6 % of its signalized intersections violates the civil rights of people with disabilities. APS are push-button devices attached to crosswalks that convey visual crossing information in audible and vibro-tactile formats accessible to blind, low vision, and Deafblind pedestrians.
New York City has over 13,200 signalized intersections with signals for sighted pedestrians that convey critical safety information: WALK or DON’T WALK. Yet only 443 of those 13,200 intersections—less than 4%—have APS that convey this information to blind people. Blind and low vision pedestrians are put in danger every time they must cross a street without APS, because they may cross against the light, in the path of cars. Additionally, the lack of APS denies them their independence and dignity. Plaintiffs have been grabbed by well-meaning strangers attempting to help them across the street, and forced to cross only in crowds and wait several lights—sometimes as long as twenty minutes—to make sure they are crossing with others. Some have avoided walking altogether by taking buses and getting out a stop early or a stop late in order to avoid particularly unsafe intersections, or taking longer routes.
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) filed this class action lawsuit, American Council of the Blind of New York, et al. v. New York City, in June 2018 because this unlawful system denies blind and low vision pedestrians their independence to navigate city streets safely: to visit friends and family; go to work, school, or home; or shop or do business. On July 22, 2019, the Court certified a class of blind and low vision pedestrians harmed by these practices.
“For decades New York City has ignored the needs of blind and low vision pedestrians, while simultaneously touting its Vision Zero commitments to pedestrian safety,” said Torie Atkinson, Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. “The city has spent millions on pedestrian safety improvements, and now for the first time those improvements will be accessible to all New Yorkers. With accessible pedestrian signals, blind and low vision pedestrians can cross the street confidently, and we are thrilled with the dramatic changes that this victory will mean not only for those who are blind or low vision, but for all New Yorkers who want safer streets.”
“ACBNY has tirelessly advocated for decades to fix New York City’s widespread inaccessibility to blind and Deafblind pedestrians,” said Lori Scharff of the American Council of the Blind of New York, plaintiff in this case. “We are pleased that the Court’s ruling will help ensure that our blind and Deafblind constituents have equal access to the same information available to sighted pedestrians.”
“As someone who is Deafblind and requires tactile information to cross streets safely, I am thrilled by the Court’s ruling,” said plaintiff Christina Curry. “Up until now, at least once a day I almost get hit by a car because there is no APS telling me when it is safe to cross. This victory means that finally the city will have to install APS so that I and tens of thousands of Deafblind New Yorkers will have access to street crossing information and be able to travel safely, freely, and independently throughout the city.”
Plaintiffs do not seek money damages. They seek only that New York City’s street crossings be accessible to and safer for blind and low vision pedestrians.
###
About Disability Rights Advocates: With offices in New York and California, Disability Rights Advocates is the leading nonprofit disability rights legal center in the nation. Its mission is to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. DRA represents people with all types of disabilities in complex, system-changing, class action cases. DRA is proud to have upheld the promise of the ADA since our inception. Thanks to DRA’s precedent-setting work, people with disabilities across the country have dramatically improved access to education, health care, employment, transportation, disaster preparedness planning, voting, and housing. For more information, visit dralegal.org.
Do you love the idea of coffee with easy and accessible packaging? Do you know someone who would love to receive a coffee gift with accessible labeling?
ACBNY has got a little secret: we know where to go for great tasting coffee with large print and braille labels.
White Cane Coffee offers a variety of traditional and flavored coffees including k cups, beans, samplers, and ground coffee.
The company is staffed by people who are visually impaired or who have other disabilities. We think the company name is just perfect. Click on the shopping link: https://whitecanecoffee.com/ref/treasurer/
10 % of Your purchase will be donated to fund the ACBNY M.J. Schmidt award which pays expenses for a person who cannot afford to attend a State convention.
We encourage you to share this offer with friends, family and colleagues. For comments or questions, please contact treasurer@acbny.info.
Your support of ACBNY means so much — Thanks and brew a cup on us!
Due to the current public health crisis and the closure of the state capitol building, ACBNY will not be holding our Legislative Weekend in person this year. However, the Legislative Committee is still planning a modified legislative weekend, to begin on April 18 with a board meeting and culminating on Monday, April 20 for a virtual legislative day using the Zoom platform. Everything is contingent upon the legislature being back in session by this date. Given so many rapid changes to public life, it is unclear if this will be the case. However, the Legislative Committee is moving forward with planning for the weekend.
ACBNY is planning to use Zoom to bring together ACBNY members for our training on Sunday, which will consist of a discussion of ACBNY’s 2020 legislative priorities to ensure ACBNY members are comfortable with the priority agenda. We will also provide training on Zoom. However, for those who want an excellent resource for using Zoom with a screen reader, go here to download this excellent resource for free http://mosen.org/zoom
On Monday, April 20, we are hoping chapters will be able to schedule meetings throughout the day with their state legislators to meet via Zoom. This way, ACBNY members can still meet with legislators, but from the comfort of their homes. ACBNY Legislative Committee members will work to coordinate these meetings with their chapters in the coming weeks, once we have a better sense if the legislature will be back in session.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to one of ACBNY’s Legislative Co-Chairs: Meghan Parker at mparker@ilny.org, or 914-417-8651 Ian Foley at ianfoley206@hotmail.com
Check back here for updates as plans are finalized.
The American
Council of the Blind of New York is the largest consumer advocacy and support
organization of blind and visually impaired people in the state. Your financial
contributions help ACBNY’s work to promote the educational, vocational and
social advancement of blind and visually impaired people in New York. Send your
tax-deductible donations to ACBNY Treasurer, 1403 Chadwick Court, Tarrytown,
N.Y. 10591 Questions for our treasurer can be sent to: treasurer@acbny.info
Supporting
organizations and individuals who are not ACBnY members can sign up for the ACBNY
announcement email list to receive State convention highlights newsletters and
legislative updates. To sign up contact erc@acbny.info
You can also find
the most recent issue and back issues on our website or via NFB’s Newsline
under New York publications. If you wish
to change your subscription, please notify the Newsletter Editor by sending an
email to editor@acbny.info
or call 800-522-3303.
I
would like to begin by thanking Lori Scharff and all the outgoing officers and
directors for all their dedication, hard work and service to the American
Council of the Blind of New York. I would also like to welcome all officers and
directors that stepped up into their roles on January 1,2020. I look forward to
serving and working with all members, chapters and affiliates and board
representatives.
January
9,2020 was the first official ACBNY 2020 board meeting
The
board of directors and myself clearly hear some of the issue’s chapters are
expressing to the state. I asked all board directors and officers to bring one
goal to the meeting and the one goal that stood out the most is transparency
and bringing chapters and the state together.
To
that end, the board has decided to begin a Presidents meeting and a member
meeting together for all to join in.
I
personally want to invite all the chapter presidents to the president’s
teleconferences; I also want to invite the general membership to the membership
meetings being offered via teleconference. Additionally, as part of promoting
communication and transparency, all members are welcome to listen to the board
meetings. board of directors are inviting all members to be aware and join in
board meetings. Board meetings will be
announced via the membership email list from this point forward.
Furthermore,
I will accept questions from members for the first ten minutes of each open
board meeting. If we cannot answer your question at the meeting, I will direct
your question to the right person to reach out and answer your question.
A
little about me: I have spent most of my life doing mortgage assessments and
corporate accounting. I was finding my
chosen career to be unstable and unsure as my vision started to diminish. I
made a choice to go into the BEP of New York and have been a Blind vender on
and off since 2010. I am a mother and a
grandmother. My youngest is visually impaired as well and is currently a
student of the New York State School for the Blind in Batavia. I am a board
member of RSVA, and I also sit on the committee of Blind venders for the state
of NY and secretary for RSVNY.
I
have an open-door policy. I am here to serve you — the members of ACBNY — to
the best of my ability and I need your help to do that. We need open
communication and one hundred percent transparency. I am hoping that by working
together we can grow ACBNY and its chapters and move forward together in all
advocacy efforts.
Editor’s Message – Annie Chiappetta
Hello ACBNY and supporters, Happy New Year. It’s our year, being
2020 and being our fiftieth year in existence, thanks to folks like us seeing clearly
and advocating for change and equality in New York State. We are stronger than
ever and being an ACBNY member means strength in numbers, support when we need
it, and increased attention from legislators in matters and governance affecting
us. It is an exciting time for us, welcoming new officers and directors, being
mindful of the individuals who upheld our mission and who have moved on, and
memorializing members who have passed
from this life. We have all made a difference and will continue to pass the
torch.
Change is good,
it helps us all focus on the future. This edition is part of the focus on the
future; I hope the articles are interesting and thought-provoking. We have another article from the New York
State Commission for the Blind, a convention update, legislative update, and
much more.
Thanks for
reading, contributing to INSIGHT, and being a member or supporter of ACBNY.
###
Go for the Gold
join ACBNY for the Big Fifty
The American Council of the blind of Western New York (ACBWNY) is
proud to host the 2020 state convention beginning Thursday, October 15 and
ending Sunday, October 18, 2020. The convention hotel is the Buffalo Airport Holiday Inn, 4600 Genesee
Street, Cheektowaga, N.Y. 14225.
Telephone: 866) 238-4218
Convention Room rate is $119.00 per night for up to four guests
per room, upon registration. Do not
register with the hotel directly, to receive the convention room rate you must
register with ACBNY. Transportation from the airport or the train station will
be provided by the hotel.
Registration will be announced via the membership list and Face
Book and Twitter, the cost of registration is $25, $35 after the registration
deadline.
Cochairs for the convention are Ian Foley, President of the
western New York chapter and our State President Karen Blachowicz. The entire
western New York chapter is excited to host this year’s event and promises the
convening of the fiftieth conference and convention of ACBNY will be one to remember.
Fifty years is a monumental milestone; we plan to celebrate it
with the traditional ACBNY activities as well as highlighting our past success
and sharing our hope for the future. Stay tuned for more information,
announcements for the vendor and exhibit hall, meal costs and registration
dates will be made as we get closer to the event.
Thursday, October 15 will begin with a white cane and guide dog
walk through one of the local malls. Thursday evening, we are looking forward
to another leadership seminar.
Friday morning, we will host the annual Town hall meeting with the
New York State commission for the blind, followed by the annual business
meeting and lunch. Also, on Friday
evening, another entertaining fundraiser dinner for the scholarship will be
held.
Saturday will offer attendees
workshops hosted by ACBNY chapters and special interest groups, the popular vendor and exhibit hall, and other
interesting events still in the making.
The hospitality suite will be open during the convention offering
hot and cold beverages and snacks. The guide dog relief areas are just outside
the hotel and offer both hard and grass surfaces.
We are also very pleased to announce that ACB National President, dan
Spoon, has agreed to be the banquet speaker to help us celebrate 50 years in
existence.
Our traditional board meeting will conclude the ACBNY 2020
festivities.
Tell Us Your ACBNY Story
We want to hear how ACB has supported and helped you throughout
the years.
The western New York chapter is asking people to submit an essay,
no longer than 500 words, to our chapter by September 1, 2020. We are asking for the focus to be, what 50
years of Advocacy within ACBNY means to you or how it affected your life.
Please submit your story in either braille or as an electronic document via
email. Volunteers will read these stories throughout the convention.
Please send submissions via Email to ianfoley206@hotmail.com or
surface mail to ACBNY story PO Box 304, Depew NY 14043
##
Legislative Update
The
Legislative Committee is busy planning for this year’s Legislative Seminar in
Albany. Registration is now open.
To register go to www.acbny.info .The committee has been working on this year’s ACBNY
legislative priority agenda and lining up guest speakers. The weekend’s
activities will run from Saturday, April 18 to Monday, April 20th, 2020.
As in past years, the Board of Directors meeting will be held Saturday
afternoon. Legislative training and speakers will take place all day
Sunday, allowing attendees to learn about the issues and gain insight about the
process. On Monday, we will travel to the Legislative Office Building
(LOB) to attend meetings with your respective members of the Assembly and
Senate to discuss our legislative agenda.
We
will once again use the Ramada Plaza Hotel, 3 Watervliet Avenue, Albany, NY
12206. Room rates are affordable at $84 per night, and Sunday lunch will
be included. In addition, the hotel offers a free breakfast buffet.
If you have never attended a Legislative Seminar weekend before, please join us
and see first-hand how ACBNY can change the lives of blind New Yorkers through
the legislative process. If you have attended previous events, please
join us again and share your experience for the benefit of all. We look
forward to a great event this year!
Please
watch the ACBNY email list for updates and details.
Meghan
Parker & Ian Foley
Legislative Committee Cochairs
###
ACB
was in Rochester
By
Jean Mann
During
the week of July 5-12, 2019, blind and visually impaired people, along with
their sighted relatives and friends from all over the country, as well as
several foreign countries, made downtown Rochester their home as they attended
the 58th Annual Conference and Convention of the American Council of
the Blind. Many of our members attended all or part of the convention.
We
used two hotels, the Rochester Riverside and the Hyatt Regency Rochester, as
well as the Joseph a Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center. There were
walkways indoors leading from one place to another, but we found it was much
faster to go outside; the hotels were across the street from each other and the
convention center was just down the block from the Hyatt Regency. Since we
often went back and forth between the three venues there was lots of walking,
and I suspect most of us got our ten thousand steps in each day!
Since
ACB of New York was the host committee, several of us began working on the
convention almost a year before it happened with monthly conference calls. We
gathered door prizes and items for the goody bags which were handed out at
registration. We arranged for preconvention entertainment for a half hour
before each convention session and clergy to handle religious services and invocations
each morning. We arranged to have a keyboard which had belonged to a deceased
ACBNY member, Sukosh Fearon, in the convention hall to be used during the week.
We suggested tour sites and a couple of our members put many miles on their van
driving convention personnel around to arrange them. Several of us also
arranged for speakers for special interest affiliate meetings.
Finally,
the time came. Sighted members and friends from buffalo and Albany loaded up
their cars with door prizes, items for the goody bags, sweatshirts to sell,
snacks and drinks for our hospitality room, and more. We settled into our hotel
and prepared for a busy week.
On
July 4, some of our members spent hours putting those goody bags together, and
then about a dozen of us who went to school together were treated to a much
appreciated picnic with barbecued pork sandwiches, homemade potato salad and
baked beans, and cake at the home of one of our Rochester members.
Tours
began on Friday morning with a trip to the Genesee Country Village and an
evening dinner cruise on the Colonial Belle. That tour sold out the first day
registration was open, so those who couldn’t get on it had the option of
attending the ACB of New York hosted Welcome to Rochester Party, with a disc
jockey, snacks, cash bar, and door prizes.
The
next six days went by in a flash. The exhibit hall was open every day with
vendors like National Braille Press, Vispero (the old Freedom Scientific),
HumanWare, AIRA, American Printing House, Vanda Pharmaceuticals, every guide
dog school, and so many others. Special interest groups, including lawyers,
teachers, students, people with low vision, library users, braille users,
vendors, guide dog users, and others held meetings, workshops and mixers.
Companies like JPMorgan Chase, AIRA, Google, and Microsoft held focus groups to
show off new products, hold training sessions, and discuss future plans and get
feedback from us.
There
were tours every day, including one to Cooperstown, the Jell-O Gallery Museum
and Historic LeRoy House, the Strong Museum of Play, Laughing Gulch Chocolates,
the Susan B. Anthony House, the George Eastman House, the New York State School
for the Blind, and on the Friday after convention, a trip to Niagara Falls.
There were a couple city bus tours, and a “tasting tour”, which included two
wineries, a brewery and a distillery, and I understand a lot of tasting was
done!
The
evenings were full of activities too. Our opening session was on Saturday
night. Other evenings there was trivia, karaoke, a trip to Batavia Downs
Casino, the Friends in Art Annual Showcase, ACB’s annual auction, the showing
of the movie “Greenbook” with audio description, lots of parties, and of
course, our final banquet.
Businesses
in and around the hotels made out quite well. Dinosaur BBQ was not far away,
and it was a big hit. So was Morton’s Steak House, which was in the Hyatt,
although I don’t think many of us went there more than once; the food was
delicious but just a bit pricey!
ACB
of New York had a suite in the Riverside, which was the hotel where most of us
stayed, so at night, when the evening activities were over and we should have
gone to bed, many of us gathered there for more refreshment and fellowship.
The
week wasn’t all fun and games. We had business to attend to and that’s how our
mornings were spent. ACB convention sponsors, like Google, Microsoft, AIRA,
Sprint, and JPMorgan chase, spoke to us.
So did the executive directors from APH and AFB, Fred Schroeder from the
World Blind Union and Karen Keninger from the National Library Services for the
Blind and Print Handicapped. We learned about a company called Blindfold Games
and ObjectiveEd, which creates accessible computer games for fun and
educational purposes. And there were others, too numerous to mention here. ACB
officers and staff gave reports and we passed constitutional amendments and
resolutions. We also elected new officers.
One
of the most touching parts of ACB conventions is our “Angel Wall”
presentations. Friends and families of deceased members eulogize them, and
their names are placed on what we call our “Angel Wall”, a portable wall which
is exhibited at every convention. Names are written in print and braille, and a
book with a short biography and photo of each person on the wall is displayed. Unfortunately,
we seem to be adding more and more names to this wall every year, and, having
been an ACB member for some 45 years, I know way too many of our “angels”.
Finally,
the week ended, and it was time to leave Rochester. We said goodbye to friends
old and new, promising to see each other next year in Schaumburg, Illinois. We
packed up our stuff and headed back to our homes and our daily lives. As with
all conventions, we have memories of this one which we’ll talk about for years
to come. We encourage all of you, whether you are a member or not, to attend an
ACB Conference and Convention if you ever get the chance. It’s quite an
experience!
All ACB sessions, most special interest affiliate
programs, and many of the workshops presented at the conference and convention were recorded, and they are all
archived on ACB’s website, www.acb.org. Convention
morning sessions and many other convention programs are also broadcast on
ACB-Radio www.acbradio.org during conventions for those who can’t attend in
person.
Chapter Round-Up
Capital
district update
By
Kathy Casey, President
The
Capital District board has Developed a finance committee and is currently
working on budgetary goals. We had a
guest Speaker from the Albany county sheriff’s office to talk about emergency
planning. The topics were explanation of the Disability Access and Functional
Needs Committee and how it works with the special need’s registry in times of
evacuations or catastrophic events. Because of the presentation, eight new
people registered.
Our
chapter Members participated in the annual people with disabilities awareness lobby
Day coordinated by the New York State Assembly held at the Legislative office
building in Albany.
We
have Formed our first annual scholarship committee from the dinner in the dark
proceeds. The scholarship will award $1000 to a first-year college student.
More information will follow.
Guide
Dog Users of the Empire State (GDUES) by Annie Chiappetta
We
are continuing to work on developing an outreach program focused on educating
restaurants and business owners regarding service dog access laws, in part to
help businesses to be aware of pet owners posing their pet as a service animal
and to know when the team is legitimate. We plan to print postcards with the
relevant information, thanks to a $1000 Mission Box grant. Next steps are how
to organize an outreach plan for 2020.
We continue to attract new members and host workshops at the State
conventions. We are planning two workshops this year in Buffalo, so stay tuned
for more once we confirm the activities.
New
York Council of Citizens with Low Vision (NYSCCLV) Update
By
Kathy Casey
We
are holding Monthly conference calls. We are planning a panel event for the
ACBNY State convention about how to manage with low vision using
technology. We are also Seeking new
members. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the group, contact President Bob Cronin via email: charcro7011@verizon.net.
Westchester
Council of the Blind of New York (WCBNY) 2019 – REMEMBERING WHAT WE DID
TOGETHER
By Martin Cahill, Membership chair and
Maria Samuels, President
Well, folks, it’s that time of the year when the Happy Holidays
season is in the rear-view mirror and we take some time to reflect on our past
year’s accomplishments. There is nothing
like a review to realize how much you’ve done and how far you still have to
go. For Westchester Council of the Blind
of New York (WCBNY) there was work and there was fun and often a mashup of
both. So, join WCBNY in looking back at
the year that was.
REV UP The Vote Westchester: We actively
participated in pursuing the rights of All
People with Disabilities to vote privately and independently. For us it
means making sure the Board of Elections has a working ballot marking device
available at all polling stations. We registered new voters, educated many
about the importance of voting at the polls and how vital it is for people with
disabilities to use the polling sites.
In 2020 plans are already underway to make this vital campaign bigger
and better. Please feel free to let us
know how your voting experience went, good or bad. If something wrong happens to you, it happens
to us all.
Apple iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch
Accessibility Function Classes: We
partnered with the Apple store in White Plains, and they provided two wonderful
programs for us on how to use vision accessible features, including Voice Over
(VO), available on their devices. Each program ran approximately 6 weeks. We
hope to run more classes in 2020, depending on need and interest.
This was an election year not only for ACBNY but for our chapter too. All the
officers were reelected including Maria Samuels, President, Annie Chiappetta,
Vice President, Jim Pulsoni, Treasurer and Rich Laine, Secretary. Two new Board Members, Martin Cahill and Jim
Kiernan joined Rita Pulsoni, and
Dr.
Joe Granderson as Directors.
State Convention: At this
year’s State convention, we proposed a motion from the floor requesting that
the State form a committee of state and local chapter members to survey all
ACBNY chapters regarding struggles and successes. The goal is to establish the
best ways on how the State and local chapters can synchronize efforts to grow
and serve our members’ needs effectively and efficiently. The motion was
passed.
50 plus Technology grant: We presented two visually impaired people with $500
each to spend on any form of technology they felt would improve their lives.
This grant was funded by past Dining in the Dark fundraisers held in
partnership with the White Plains Lions Club. Winners were selected by a
committee, and we had a wonderful presentation at the White Plains library.
Living with Vision Loss: We met with the Scarsdale and White Plains disability
advisory boards, where we discussed daily living with vision loss. This is part
of our awareness campaign to help people understand more about what vision loss
is, advocate for the disability community, and get the word out that WCBNY is
here and growing stronger every year.
Direct Support: We have been getting calls to our chapter phone line
from people asking for assistance and some guidance. This is very important as
losing vision can be scary and traumatic. The more recognizable we become the
more support we can provide.
Westchester County Website: Finally, after years of hard work we were told in
writing by the County that all Westchester County websites will be accessible
by January 2020. This was no easy task
to start and had been advocated for by WCBNY past presidents Mike Golfo and
Annie Chiappetta years ago. Maria, Annie and Rich continued the struggle in
2018 and were pleasantly surprised by the County’s positive press release last
year. We are continuing to monitor the promise and because ACBNY signed on to
this action with Disability Rights Associates (DRA), we will update the ACBNY
President on future developments when available.
Summer Picnic: We held our second annual summer picnic in July, what
a fun time it was. This year we had to move the festivities indoors as the heat
index was over 100 degrees that day. The food and games including a tough
trivia were enjoyed by all.
Our Holiday party: This party is
always a well-attended event. And once
again, a great time was had by all. Music, games, sing along with our special
guests from Visions. Visions Center on
Blindness is a regional nonprofit that provides services for the local blind
including O & M and VRT. One of their many successful programs is their
rehab and workforce program for youth who are legally blind. Six young people
from the program joined us and even led us in the sing-along. And there was
food. So much good food.
So, what’s next, you ask? Well, 2020, we hope it will be an exciting year. Now that our membership has grown to over 30
members, we plan on hosting some fun/fundraising events. These are great ways
for us to socialize and get to know each other.
Nothing is finalized yet, but we have some great ideas currently being
explored. We welcome suggestions from our fellow ACBNY members and you are
certainly invited to all of them.
And
I hope you noticed that not one 2020 pun has been used so far in our newsletter
contribution, difficult to avoid considering who we are. But here goes one just for the heck of
it. WCBNY is looking forward to this year with
2020 vision. Pretty punny,
right?
ACB of Western New York by Marie
Lyons
Publicity Chair
ACB of Western New York (ACBWNY) has
new officers and board members. Our immediate past president,
Karen Blachowicz, has assumed the role of president of the New York
State affiliate. Our chapter wishes her all the best in her new post. Ian
Foley is now our chapter president. He serves with Kathy Lyons, vice
president, Karleen Fiorello, secretary and Alex Meister, treasurer.
Richard Fiorello, Paul Jorge and Marie Lyons serve as board members.
Good luck to all in the coming year.
##
New York State Commission
for the Blind (NYSCB) news – Fall/Early Winter, 2019
The New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB)
has held and participated in many events this season.
NYSCB staff attended the State Rehabilitation
Council (SRC) Meeting in Troy on September 18th through the 19th, followed by the Business
Enterprise Program (BEP) State Commission of Blind Vendors (SCBV) Annual
Meeting on Saturday, September 21st.
Other meetings attended by NYSCB staff include the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Convention in Buffalo on October 18th
and the American Council of the Blind’s (ACB) Convention on October 21st in
Albany.
On October 16th, 2019, the NYSCB hosted a White
Cane Awareness Day at the NYSCB Home Office in Rensselaer. Office of Children
and Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner Sheila J. Poole made the opening
remarks and presented a Proclamation for White Cane Awareness Day. Other
speakers at the event included Brian Daniels, Associate Commissioner of the
NYSCB, who provided a history of White Cane Day, and described the services
that NYSCB provides; NYS Trooper Kerra Burns, who spoke about the NYS Law
Section 1153 which regulates the Yield to the Blind law at intersections;
Christopher Burke from the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany
(NABA) who spoke about provider services; Mike Honan, NYSCB Orientation and
Mobility Instructor, who gave examples of White Cane uses and also outlined the
job description of a Mobility Instructor; Meghan Parker of the State
Rehabilitation Council (SRC) spoke about the independence she gained with the
White Cane and also with her Guide Dog, Rizzo; Kathy Casey, from American Council of the Blind (ACB), who
spoke on the functions of the ACB;
Virgil Amaral, a BEP Manager in Albany who spoke on his BEP experience
and Ann Gallagher-Sagaas and Madison Near from the NYSCB Albany District office
who gave demonstrations on mobility assistance.
On October 3, 2019, NYSCB BEP together with the Air
Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), celebrated the grand re-opening of a newly
renovated BEP Express Stop at the AFRL location in Rome, NY. The manager of the
Express Stop is Ted Worlock and he has been a BEP Manager for ten years and at
the AFRL location in Rome for four years. The Express Stop services over 1,100
employees and contractors at the AFRL.
On October 28, 2019, Paul Geraci,
a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Children’s Consultant, in NYSCB’s Lower
Manhattan District Office, received the prestigious Nat Seaman Recognition
Award, which was presented by the NYS Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). This award is
presented to a deserving individual who has made outstanding contributions and
practices working with individuals who are visually impaired in New York State.
Paul was nominated because of his tireless efforts and professionalism for
educating children through the NYSCB. Paul received supporting letters from
colleagues and other professionals who shared many wonderful statements about
the contributions he brings to the field of visual impairment.
The following day, on October 29th, the Vocational
Rehabilitation (VR) Counselor Meeting Award Ceremony was held in East
Greenbush, where many awards were presented to deserving NYSCB staff.
On November 7, 2019 the NYSCB participated with an
informational booth at the Andrew Heiskell Community Culture and Technology
Fair at the NY Public Library in Manhattan. NYSCB staff from the Manhattan,
Harlem and Albany offices participated in this event.
NYSCB has also had their radio public service
announcement (PSA) run on multiple radio stations throughout New York State.
The PSA lists the services that NYSCB provides and includes the toll-free
number and website to contact for further information.
On November 20th, 2019, a presentation was made by
Julie Hovey, a NYSCB Associate Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, to
AmeriCorps employees and participants at their conference in Saratoga. The
presentation focused on inclusion and hiring individuals with disabilities.
AmeriCorps is a voluntary civil society program supported by the U.S. federal
government, foundations, corporations, and other donors engaging adults in
public service work with a goal of “helping others and meeting critical
needs in the community.
Other news from NYSCB is that their request for the
“State Law – Yield to the Blind” signs at intersections where individuals who
are blind cross on a regular basis, have been approved and installed in two
locations in Manhattan, one location is at the office of the Catholic Guild for
the Blind and the other location is at the Visions office. Another location, at
the AIM Independent Living Center in Corning, NY has been approved, but not
installed yet as of this writing.
And lastly, NYSCB recently found out that OCFS has
selected NYSCB to be the featured office for the CDPHP® Workforce Team
Challenge t-shirt design. This 3.5-mile race will take place
on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 6:25 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza in
Albany. Each year thousands of runners, walkers, and volunteers from hundreds
of organizations throughout the area gather with their co-workers to take part
in the largest annual road race in the Capital Region. Everyone from the
Office of Family and Children Services who participates in the race will wear
this t-shirt making this a great outreach opportunity, as there will be
thousands of people attending this event, as well as the media. There will also
be a t-shirt competition, so we will enter that competition as well. This
is exciting news and the t-shirt is currently in the design process with input
from the entire NYSCB staff.
###
Potpourri
My
Mother Was a Braille Transcriber by Jean Mann
Four
years ago, after both of my parents had passed away, my brothers and I began
the sad task of cleaning out the house where they had lived for over 40 years.
Among the things we found was an old braille slate and stylus, and a print book
of braille rules for transcribers from 1958. My mother had learned braille
before I started school and was a volunteer transcriber for a group in Buffalo,
New York, where we lived at the time.
Before
she married my father, my mother taught French and Latin. Since she was the
only one in the group who knew French, most of the transcribing she did was
high school and college French textbooks.
Until an area Lions Club bought me a braille writer when I was in third
grade, she did all her work on that old slate and stylus.
I
was her proofreader. I, of course, knew no French, so we went through each
page, letter by letter, symbol by symbol. It was slow and painstaking, and I
remember the frustration when she made a mistake we couldn’t fix, and she had
to braille a whole page over again. Occasionally she got something in English,
and it was a real treat to be able to read words and sentences and know what I
was talking about.
When
I was young, there were benefits to having my mother know braille. Instead of
buying expensive decks of braille cards, she bought regular ones and brailled
them herself. I spent hours with family and friends playing War, Go Fish,
Hearts, Old Maid, and Uno. I took piano lessons; she’d braille my recital
programs so I could follow along and know who was playing what. When I went to
summer camp, I got braille letters from home, and she would tape a list of
everything I brought with me in the top of my suitcase.
When
I entered the ninth grade, I left home to attend the New York State School for
the Blind. I took my braille writer with
me and wasn’t home very much. The group she volunteered for provided her with
another braille writer so she could continue transcribing those French books. I
never proofread for her after that.
About
this time, I wished she had never learned braille. We weren’t getting along
very well in those years, so when a braille letter arrived, it meant she was
angry with me about something. And then I discovered she occasionally read
letters I received from my friends, sometimes before I saw them. I guess it was
her way of trying to find out what was going on in my life. When I questioned
her about it, she said she didn’t see anything wrong with it, and she knew
mothers who read their daughters’ diaries. You can bet I never kept one of
those!
Eventually
my parents moved to another city because of a change in my father’s job. The
braille writer went to someone else, and after 14 years, my mother’s days of
braille transcription were over. The slate and stylus were put in a drawer, and
made rare appearances, coming out once or twice so grandchildren could take
them to school for show and tell when they were learning about braille. And one
year I asked her to braille me a deck of Uno cards for Christmas. She told me
later she got that rule book out and it took her three evenings to braille all
those cards. I only found one mistake in the whole deck.
I
made sure to bring that slate and stylus home with me, although I did get rid
of the rule book. They’re in a drawer in my desk now. I may never use them, but
they remind me of the many hours in those days when I was little, sitting at
the kitchen table, proofreading for my mother.
TALKING BOOK AND BRAILLE LIBRARY — NEW
YORK STATE LIBRARY
800-342-3688 TOLL FREE
TBBL@NYSED.GOV
Greetings!
The New York State Talking Book and Braille Library,
NYSTBBL, is thrilled to announce the return of our newsletter, Upstate Update.
This newsletter will be delivered to your email inbox
three times a year.
Our newsletter is also available for download on our
website. If you are having trouble accessing the newsletter, please contact our
office.
The Upstate Update is your source for NYSTBBL news. We
will provide information about new and exciting initiatives at our library,
best practices to enhance your library experience, and popular reads.
National Library Service, NLS, Changes its Name
The NYSTBBL is a regional library within a network of
libraries coordinated by the Library of Congress’ National Library Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped, NLS. NLS provides audio and braille
materials to the NYSTBBL, ensuring that library service is accessible to
eligible residents of 55 counties in upstate New York.
On October 1, 2019, the National Library Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped officially changed its name to the
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
The NLS and the Library of Congress made this change
based on input and data from various stakeholders and interest groups. The name
change replaces outdated language and is more inclusive, focusing on the
individuals served by the library.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print
Disabled will continue to provide the NYSTBBL with books, magazines, and music
materials in online, braille, and audio formats.
BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) Security Update
The National Library Service has made important
security updates to BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download. The BARD system
now reviews library accounts daily, checking for patron activity. Any account
that has not been used within six months will be made inactive.
If your account was made inactive and you would like to continue using BARD,
please contact our office for help. We are happy to re-activate your account
and reset your password.
Contact our office to request a BARD password re-set: tbbl@nysed.gov or
1-800-342-3688
Register for BARD – Do You have a BARD account?
Braille and Audio Reading Download, BARD, is a
web-based service from NLS that provides immediate access to audio and
electronic braille books, magazines, and music scores. There are no waitlists
and no books to return!
Reading materials can be downloaded using the BARD
Mobile app, available for iOS and Android, or through the BARD website.
The Census Bureau creates guides in many languages to help people complete the
census. Help guides will be available in braille and large print. When these
guides are available, NYSTBBL will notify our patrons through our newsletter or
by request.
Although the census questionnaire will not be available in braille, individuals
who are blind or visually impaired can utilize the accessible online
questionnaire or the phone-in option available. Both the online and phone-in
questionnaires will be available in English and 12 additional languages.
As
we get closer to Census Day, NYSTBBL will share communications from NLS to help
you stay informed about the 2020 Census. We will include information in
upcoming newsletters and on our TBBL Facebook
page.
For
general census questions, please call 1-800-923-8282, or visit the federal Census help page.
Did you know? – Spanish Digital Talking Book Player
The NYSTBBL offers a Spanish language digital talking
book player by request to Spanish speaking patrons. The player announces
machine settings in Spanish. If you are interested in a Spanish language player
or you would like to receive Spanish audio titles, please contact our reader
advisors.
NYSTBBL can provide books in other languages by
special request. Contact our office for more information.
Need more books? Tips from our Reader Advisors
If you do not have enough books to read at home, these
suggestions may help!
Call our office and request an increase in your book
quota. Patrons in good standing, who return their books regularly, can ask our
reader advisors for more books. Reader advisors will increase the number of
books being sent to your home address.
When you are finished reading a book, send it back
through the mail. Items can take a long time to travel through the mail, so
it’s best to send books back as you finish them. When a book is returned to our
office, we will send out another book.
Call or email our reader advisors with your book
requests. Reader advisors can assign available books to you or add titles to
your request list.
Consider changing your library account settings so you
receive books on an automatic basis. Items will be sent to you automatically
based on reading subjects that you enjoy. Please call our office to change your
settings.
If you are moving permanently or temporarily, please
let us know. We can schedule an address
change, so your service goes uninterrupted.
If you are moving out of state, or to New York City or
Long Island, we can help transfer your library account to one of our other
network libraries. There is no need to re-register with a new library.
If your contact information has changed since
registering with our library, please let us know so your library account is up
to date.
Donations Made to the NYS Talking Book and Braille
Library
When you give to the NYS Talking Book and Braille
Library, your donation helps support equal access to reading materials for
individuals who are print disabled.
If donations are made in honor of someone
special, please include names and addresses of those to be notified. With your
permission, we will acknowledge the names of donors and/or honorees in future
newsletters.
Please note that the NYSTBBL is only able to accept
monetary donations.
Thank you for your generous gifts to the NYS Talking
Book and Braille Library.
Your News Source – NFB-NEWSLINE
NFB-NEWSLINE
is a free audio news service for anyone who has difficulty reading standard
newsprint. NFB- NEWSLINE offers access to more than 500 publications, emergency
weather alerts, job listings, TV listings, and more.
Access
to the NFB-NEWSLINE service is available in several formats including
touch-tone phone, email, the web, or through a mobile app.
If
you are interested in NFB-NEWSLINE, please call our office for a subscription
or call the National Federation of the Blind at 866-504-7300.
Did
you know that NFB-NEWSLINE subscribers can access the service through Amazon’s
Alexa, Echo, and Echo Dot? NFB-NEWSLINE subscribers can listen to news,
articles, and books through voice activated commands. The National Federation
of the Blind can help provide instructions through their website or by calling
866-504-7300.
Religious Materials Through the Xavier Society for the Blind
We
often receive requests from patrons for religious and spiritual reading materials,
so we would like to highlight the offerings from the Xavier Society for the
Blind. Xavier Society for the Blind provides Roman Catholic teachings, Mass
readings, magazines, and other religious materials to individuals who are blind
or visually impaired. Materials are available in both braille and audio
formats. Audio CDs are available as well as audio cartridges that can be played
using NLS’ digital talking book player. Materials are free of charge due to
generous support from donors. For more information about Xavier, please call
their offices at 212-473-7800 or email info@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org.
Talking
Book and Braille Library
Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230-0001
##
Passings
Lisa Helen Hoffman – March 30, 1965-September 23, 2019.
Entered heaven on Monday September 23, 2019. The celebration of
Lisa’s life was held on Saturday, October 5. Mass was at St. Mary’s Church in
downtown Rochester, followed by a celebration of Lisa’s life at the Geva
Theater.
Lisa entered this world on March 30, 1965 with a smile on her face
and never stopped smiling. At 14 months, she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma
causing her blindness by the age of three. This challenge never slowed Lisa
down or prevented her from living a life full of adventures. Lisa saw this
world through her heart and her hands.
Lisa was a student at the original World of Inquiry School on
Moran Street where she made lifelong friends. West Irondequoit school district
welcomed Lisa and her love of learning with open arms. Lisa’s love for music offered her the
opportunity to play her violin in the school orchestra, with Dr. Suzuki and at
the Shakespeare plays at Highland Bowl. Lisa loved to dance. She was a member
of an English Country Dancing group and looked forward to designing her ball
gown for the annual ball. She loved it
so much that she went by herself to an English Dance weeklong camp where she
once again made lifelong friends.
Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo,
in psychology and Spanish. While in Buffalo she joined with the Society for
Creative Anachronism. Lisa loved participating in Pennsic. Lisa’s proficiency in Spanish was put to the
test when the family went on their annual trip to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and she
served as their interpreter. Lisa visited her Mexican family many times and was
often complimented on how beautifully she spoke the language.
Lisa loved to read braille and had a voracious appetite for
learning.
She became quite an Anglophile in her early years with the
highlight coming in 1976 in New York City when Lisa was introduced to Queen
Elizabeth! This was just one of her many adventures.
Lisa embraced so many things and loved all things tactile. Her
creativity with jewels and stones inspired her to make her own jewelry. Many of
her friends wear her jewelry on a regular basis. Her jewelry has been sold at
the Memorial Art Gallery.
Lisa was featured in an episode of the TV show, “That’s
incredible”.
Lisa was a committed advocate for
people with disabilities specifically the blind. She was instrumental in the
design of the pedestrian bridge over 490 connecting South Clinton with
downtown. With a great love of the theatre, Lisa brought audio description to
the Geva THEATRE where she worked as a consultant for 25 years. Through her
advocacy Lisa received countless honors and accolades, too many to list.
The ripple effect Lisa had on those she touched will her big hugs
and infectious laugh will continue for years to come.
Lisa is survived by her Dad (Dan), her “Momma”
(Barbara), the “best sister in the world” (Susan), and her
four-legged lover from Shakespeare’s, “As you like it” (Orlando).
In lieu of flowers, consider donations to the Geva Theatre or the
Memorial Art Gallery in Lisa’s honor.
Eleanor
Eaton Faye, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist and a leader in the field of low
vision, died on Jan. 7, 2020, in New York City. She was 96 years old. Dr. Faye
received her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in
1950, at a time when women in the medical field were still considered a rarity.
Dr. Faye was the first woman resident at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat
Hospital, and was attending ophthalmic surgeon there for many years. She was
Medical Director at Lighthouse Guild in New York until she was 91 years old in
2014, the culmination of an affiliation which spanned 60 years. (Dr. Faye
served as Medical Director, Ophthalmological Advisor and Director of Lighthouse
Guild Low Vision Services at various points in her career.) Founder and lead instructor
with the Lighthouse Guild Continuing Education Program in Low Vision Care, Dr.
Faye lectured at universities, hospitals and agencies and was a powerful
influence in changing the perception of individuals who were blind or visually
impaired with the publication of her first book in 1970 named The Low Vision
Patient: Clinical Experiences with Adults and Children.
Dr.
Faye’s leadership during her long and distinguished career played a pivotal
role in shaping the field of low vision nationally and internationally. She was
quoted in a 2006 New York Times article by Jane Brody titled, “Latest
Technology Gives Life a Clearer Focus, Is Low Vision Limiting Your World?” in
which she pointed out the challenges facing people with low vision.
One
of Dr. Faye’s major career achievements was bringing together the professions
of optometry and ophthalmology… the bringing together of ophthalmologists and
optometrists with vision rehabilitation and occupational therapists… training
leaders in low vision in optometry and ophthalmology
Dr.
Faye was the author of numerous publications and her book Clinical Low Vision
(Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1994) has become a classic text on low vision.
Her many accolades and awards include two Merit Awards from the American
Academy of Ophthalmology and the Distinguished Service Award from the American
Optometric Association. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the
American Foundation for the Blind, Chair of the American Academy of
Ophthalmology’s Low Vision Standing Committee, and Chair of the Low Vision
Clinical Society.
Eleanor
Eaton Faye was born in Berkeley, California on Feb. 15, 1923, and in her youth
moved to Hawaii, where she attended Punahou School. She also attended the Dana
Hall Prep School in Massachusetts. She received her BA from Stanford University
in 1945, and her MD from Stanford in 1950. She did her postgraduate training in
ophthalmology at New York University and at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat
Hospital.
Dr.
Faye’s maternal ancestor, Francis Eaton, arrived on the Mayflower as the
carpenter 400 years ago in 1620. He was one of 41 people to sign the “The
Mayflower Compact”, the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. Her
grandfather, Hans Peter Faye II, left Norway in 1880 to eventually settle on
the island of Kauai, in what was then the Kingdom of Hawaii, where he was a
businessman, landowner and developer in the islands’ growing sugar industry.
(Much of the remaining former sugar growing land has been d-versified and is
partially a waterfront historic cottage resort.) In 1914, the
Norwegian-Hawaiian family moved to Berkeley. Dr. Faye’s father, Hans Peter Faye
III, met her mother, Charlotte Eaton of Yonkers, NY, during his time at Choate
School and Yale, shortly before he left for military service during World War
I.
Dr.
Faye is survived by two sisters, Margaret Faye Morgan and Charlotte F. Sharp,
as well as six nieces, two nephews and many grand- and great-grand nieces and
nephews.
American
Council of the Blind of New York, Inc.
2020
Officers and Board of Directors Contact List
The
following is the most up to date list of members of the 2020 ACBNY Board of
Directors. Please contact your President Karen Blachowicz karenablachowicz@gmail.com or Secretary/newsletter
editor, Annie Chiappetta at editor@acbny.info
The MJ Schmitt First Timers Award was created in March of 2008 to honor one of the founding members of the American Council of the Blind for her grass roots advocacy, lifetime commitment and inspirational leadership. MJ Schmitt, originally from Rochester, New York, has dedicated a lifetime of work toward improving the lives of blind and visually impaired Americans. For over forty years, MJ Schmitt has held numerous board positions and served on various ACB committees on a state and national level.
The purpose of this award is to enable members from across New York State to attend the annual ACBNY legislative seminar or state convention for the first time. The intent of this award is to provide members with an opportunity to gain the knowledge and inspiration to continue the work of the organization demonstrated by the ACBNY leadership.
Application criteria and guidelines
APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must not have previously attended the ACBNY annual Legislative Seminar or ACBNY State Convention, depending upon which award is sought, in any capacity.
Applicants must be a blind, vision impaired or deaf-blind member of an affiliate of ACBNY or a member at large for at least six months.
Applicants must be a New York state resident for at least six months.
Applicants must have a strong interest in advocacy and becoming a more involved, active member of the ACBNY state affiliate and local chapter or community. The applicant’s desire and explanation of this criteria will be highly considered for the award.
APPLICATION CRITERIA
Applicants must submit a letter of interest, no less than 2 pages and no more than 5 pages, including:
Name, address, phone number and email address (if available)
A short autobiography including life experience with blindness, hobbies, school and/or work. Include involvement with ACBNY activities on a state or local level.
The reason for applying for the ACBNY M.J. Schmitt First-timer’s award for the Legislative Seminar or State Convention and expectations of the event in question.
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Applicants must obtain a letter of recommendation based on membership status:
Affiliated members must obtain a letter of recommendation from their local affiliate President.
At-large members must contact the ACBNY delegate at-large and obtain a letter of recommendation from one of the following:
CBVH counselor
Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) or Orientation & Mobility Instructor (O&M)
Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) or Itinerant Teacher
High School teacher or College Professor
Community leader
Boss or supervisor
friend or ACBNY member
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
ACBNY Legislative SeminarApplications will be accepted until February 1 of the year in which the seminar is held. ACBNY State Convention applications will be accepted until July 1 of the year in which the convention is held.
Application material will only be accepted in electronic format via email. If the applicant is unable, then another person is permitted to submit on the applicant’s behalf.
In the Subject line of email submissions, write the following: ACBNY MJ Schmitt First Timers Award application
Attach letter of interest and letter of recommendation and email to the ACBNY Awards Committee Chairperson, whose email address is: awards@acbny.org.
Awardee RESPONSIBILITY AND EXPECTATIONS
All awardees will be assigned a mentor to provide guidance and support before, during and after the ACBNY Legislative Seminar or State Convention. The mentor will contact the awardee within one week of award notification.
AWARDEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintain ongoing communication with mentor prior, during and after the event.
Obtain ACBNY Legislative Seminar or State Convention information and preregistration instructions.
Obtain, read and understand the Legislative Agenda or State Convention Program and any informational documentation provided before the event (to the best of the awardees’ ability).
Obtain, read and understand meeting Minutes from the immediate past ACBNY Board meeting.
Obtain, read and understand the ACBNY Board meeting agenda.
Plan to attend the ACBNY Legislative Committee meeting (at legislative seminars) and contact its chairperson about time and place of the meeting prior to the event.
Inquire about any expenses that are not included in the award. Plan to bring extra spending money.
TRANSPORTATION
Travel to the event and transportation reservations are the responsibility of the awardee
Awardees will not be reimbursed for door to door car service, or for trips otherwise accessible via public transportation
li>Receipts must be submitted for transportation reimbursement within 1 week of the close of the event
REGISTRATION
Awardees are responsible for completing preregistration.
Complete the pre-regisration form including all meals and hotel room. Expect a roommate to be assigned whose name will be provided prior to the event.
Include the total cost and note MJ Schmitt First Timer’s Awardee. Do not pay.
Check in at the ACBNY registration table upon arrival to the hotel.
Expectations OF AWARDEE
Arrive to the hotel by 12pm of the first day of the event, check in and register.
Meet with mentor as previously planned.
Attend all scheduled meetings, training and activities.
Attend the ACBNY Legislative Committee meeting (at Legislative Seminars).
Attend the ACBNY banquet and accept the award certificate during a brief introduction.
Participate in all seminar advocacy activities, which may or may not include visits to legislators at the Legislative Office Building (at Legislative Seminars).
Write an article for Insight, the ACBNY newsletter about the Legislative Seminar or ACBNY State Convention experience as the awardee. Submit within one month of the event’s conclusion.
Continue advocacy efforts with local affiliate/community including visits to local legislators.
EXPENSES
This award includes registration fees, hotel sleeping rooms, meals and travel to and from the event, excluding noted restrictions
Meal expenses are eligible for reimbursement
Total expenses that exceed $500.00 are the awardees’ responsibility
This award does not include expenses for alcoholic beverages, spa treatments, room service, or any extra amenities in the hotel or outside of the hotel.
Receipts must be submitted for transportation and meal reimbursement within 1 week of the close of the event
Awardees unable to fulfill the above award obligations, or who leave the event early for any reason are not guaranteed reimbursement. Each situation will be considered on an individual basis.
Preregistration is not permitted until a signed agreement is received.
The MJ Schmitt First Timer’s Award Committee
American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc.
The Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award is a memorial honor bestowed annually upon a member of ACBNY or a person of national prominence who is a Braille student or a student training to become a professional braille instructor or a professional residing or working in New York State whose career or volunteer endeavors has significantly promoted the cause of braille literacy amongst the public or within the educational or blindness rehabilitation systems. The recipient of this prestigious award has learned Braille or improved the lives of persons who are blind or visually impaired within New York State or nationally through effort or example by encouraging non-braille-readers to learn and use braille, or through administration of or direct instruction in the skills of reading and/or writing braille, or through transcription of braille reading material or through the development of the braille code itself or of technology used to read, write, transcribe, produce or distribute Braille, or is actively enrolled in an educational program which will lead to becoming a professional who will provide Braille instruction.
Nominations of candidates for the Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award may be made by ACBNY members in good standing, members of the committee administering the award, administrators or professionals in the field of education or rehabilitation, parents or guardians of students who are learning braille, or recent students of braille instruction professionals. Nominations will not be accepted from parents or students for their current braille teachers, nor from braille teachers for their current students. Parents and students are encouraged to nominate their former braille teachers and vice versa. This award is a once-in-a-lifetime honor. It may be awarded post-humously. Nominees may be submitted for consideration more than once, but only one time per annual award cycle per nominator. Nominators may make more than one nomination. Multiple nominations for the same nominee are acceptable from multiple nominators during a single award cycle, but will not improve the nominee’s likelihood to receive the award. Nominees for the Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award will be considered by the members of the ACBNY committee charged with its administration, who will select no more than one student nominee and/or no more than one professional nominee annually to receive the award. All decisions of the committee are final. The award will be presented to its honoree(s) at the ACBNY Annual Convention during the convention Banquet. Nominees who are not selected to receive the award may receive Certificates of Honorable Mention.
The Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award consists of a plaque or certificate accompanied by a braille slate and stylus and a modest honorarium to be determined by the committee charged with its administration.
Nominations for the Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award shall be submitted electronically or in writing and include the name, address and phone number and email address of the nominator, along with a description of his or her standing to make the nomination, i.e. ACBNY member or braille instructor or education /rehabilitation professional/administrator and his or her relationship to the nominee, i.e. former student, administrator, parent or guardian. Each nomination shall also include the name, address, telephone number and email address of the nominee, along with his or her title and the name of the organization under whose auspices he or she has advanced the cause of braille literacy as a professional or volunteer, or the age of the student nominee and the name of the school or agency or college which he or she attends or has recently graduated. Each nomination shall furthermore contain a description of not less than the length of one nor more than five standard typewritten pages detailing the nominee’s achievements in learning to read and write Braille or learning how to teach others to read and write Braille or his or her career or volunteer efforts and contribution to furthering the cause of braille literacy. This is the most important element of the nomination. Braille or electronic submissions via email are welcome and should be sent to the awards committee chair or the ACBNY Secretary. Nominations must be received by the awards committee chair no later than July 1 prior to the start of the convention at which the award will be presented. All nominating materials become the property of ACBNY and will not be returned. Nominations received by the committee will be acknowledged to the nominator.
The Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award is funded by the proceeds of the Paul J. Sauerland Braille Literacy Award Endowment held by the American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc. It was established by ACBNY at its 2008 annual convention to honor the memory of our long-time member, Paul J. Sauerland, who was a lifelong champion of myriad causes promoting the health, welfare, education, vocational training, employment and rights of people who are blind or visually impaired throughout New York State and the United States. Paul was an avid and highly skilled braille reader who used braille in all aspects of his daily personal and professional life.
This award is intended to promote braille literacy through public awareness of braille and the chain of professionals and volunteers involved in its instruction, production, and distribution and most importantly, use. It is furthermore intended to encourage the mastery of braille by students and a high quality of braille instruction through recognition of braille students and their instructors.
