August 2009 Promoter
CONTENTS:
From the President
Gebhard Greetings
NDAB Mailbag
NDAB Family News
Williston Area News
2009 Scholarship
Report
Ready, Set, Go!
What Can We Learn
From 3 Blind Mice?
Family Adjustment
Seminar
NDAB Walkathon 2009
Legislative Report
Summer, 2009
NDAB
Board Meeting,
NDAB
Board Meeting,
17 NDAB
Board Meeting,
“Blindness
Solutions”
2009
ACB Annual Convention
Disney’s
New Audio Description
Improved
Access to Digital Download
Candy’s
Corner
National
Dog Day
From the President
Greetings to all NDAB members;
It was wonderful to have so many individuals present at the
73rd Annual NDAB Convention in
Congratulations to all the election winners. Did you realize
Zelda, Mark, Donna, and Denise are all willing to do double duty for NDAB?
Isn’t that great? Next year, look forward to more business to cover, elections
to be held, and another opportunity to gather together at Williston during the
74th Annual NDAB Convention!
Wet has been the operative word this year. We barely
replaced the frost bitten plants into the ground before 8.5 inches of rain
drowned them and hail gave them a beating. The weather has been tough on
gardeners and farmers in the
There were great results from posting a want ad in the last
Promoter. Lester Ketterling agreed to be Chairperson of the Constitution and
Bylaws Committee. Janelle Olson has offered to resume the role of Chairperson
of the Family Adjustment Seminar. It will be held in
I hear that
Michelle
Gebhard Greetings
This summer has been an unusual one! I normally spend a great deal of my time on
the bleachers watching my son play baseball.
Because of Alex’s ankle injury in May he wasn’t playing ball and I
didn’t get to watch a single game! What
did I do with my time? We went fishing
between trips to Dr. Appointments and physical therapy sessions. The good news is that Alex has healed well
and his orthopedic surgeon gave him the “go-ahead” to play football this
fall. Practice starts on August 12th. He is looking forward to his senior year!
I am so glad I had the opportunity to attend the NDAB Annual
Convention in
History was made as the first ever Robert LePage Service
Award was presented to Terry Narum.
Terry has been an active member of the Minot Lions for the past 20 years
serving in many leadership positions.
During his acceptance speech he told the group about the eye-glass
recycling project for which he has served as chairman. Over 635,000 pairs of glasses have been
distributed by medical missionaries to those in need on every continent except
Lately, I have been busy with family. Our sons and their families met us at
This week I have been busy picking beans and
raspberries. It is harvest time in my
garden. The weekend will find us camping
again as we have a Payne family reunion at the Stone Butte Ranch near
Zelda,
Promoter Editor
NDAB Mailbag
To the
Editor:
In reading
the last Promoter I was really impressed by the support groups in the
larger cities. These groups must be a real support to visually impaired
persons and may be a way to get new members.
Although I was disappointed that NDAB did not approve
the closed circuit tv program, I hope that all of you will keep your ears open
to learning of CCTV's that are not being used by visually impaired
persons. If you hear of such a unit, please let me know.
I will try to acquire them by a gift or for a nominal cost
for placing with individuals who need the unit. You can call me at
701-228-3627. My email address is lketts@utma.com
Lester Ketterling
To learn more
about NDAB,
Visit us online
at www.ndab.org or
Call
701-298-8091
NDAB FAMILY NEWS
First
of all, my apologies to Bob Vandal and Donna Hepper for neglecting to
congratulate them on a job well done in regard to the Bismarck area
Walk-a-Thon. I was out of town for the
weekend and totally spaced it out. The
walkers marched to the tune of $3000.00 plus!
The
Low Vision Seniors have been doing some interesting things. In May, we listened to an audiologist and
asked all kinds of questions. A free
hearing test enticed one of our members to try out some hearing aids. What a difference it has made for her!
June
is usually the month for graduations but our seniors went back to college and
took a course in How to Ride the Transit and CAT Bus 101. I am always amazed at the number of people
who haven’t taken advantage of this service.
I admit I have somewhat of a biased opinion since I serve on the Bis-Man
Transit Board. In August, we will be
taking our final test and will be boarding the CAT bus, transferring to another
and returning on the one that comes past the
Attendees
at the NDAB convention held in
The “Meetin
and Eatin” bunch has been doing just that.
However, one of their members, Denise Kirsch, has done a bit more. Denise belongs to the Prairie Rose Lions (a
strictly Roses membership) and a bunch of them went up to Minot to helpTerry
Narum sort and clean the hundreds of pairs of glasses he collects and passes on
to those in need. He was the first
recipient of the Robert LePage Service Award.
I am sure that information can be found elsewhere in this issue. As Historian, Denise is still waiting for you
to send in your scrapbook material.
Our
summer finally did arrive. So far, not
too terribly hot, but just right. We had
a short but sweet convention in
With
the state convention over, we are leaving tomorrow for the ACB National
Convention in
Soon
to come is NDAB Summer Camp. I hope
everyone has their costume ready as their favorite character for The Magical
Fantasyland. Should be lots of fun.
On
July 17th we have our Trollwood Performing Arts play, “The Wiz”. We are at a new venue now in south
At
one of our last Insight support group meetings we had one of our newest
members, Caroline, speak about her audio GPS system. It was really quite interesting. Caroline describes herself as being a
computer geek. I think she will be a
great asset to our Association.
In
closing, I want to wish all of you a safe and fun-filled summer. I hope to see a lot of you at
the magic kingdom at camp.
Minot Area News
Thanks to the NDAB Board for organizing the abbreviated
convention in Rugby! Didn’t those Lion
members take good care of us? Nine
members and one nonmember attended from Minot.
Now, we all need to
turn our thoughts to Camp Grassick. Loris
has rounded up some great sounding classes.
Minot may bring one new camper again.
As I am writing this Lester and Eunice Ketterling and Evelyn
Hildebrand are at the national ACB convention in Florida.
Hope you all had a great 4th of July! Carol Schmitt went boating at Devils Lake
with family and friends. She said a big
boatload of 18 people. I also spent some
time on the water over the 4th but we were all old fogies and we
pontooned!
Tammy and Roy went camping and Baby (their dog) did not like
the fireworks. So that was quite an
adventure for them. Laverne has moved to
Arizona permanently. Also, Roy is no
longer looking to retire within the next year.
Marilyn Nelson had surgery on July 10. We pray for a good and fast recovery because she
and her son have a trip to Wisconsin planned in August.
The Stips have renewed their memberships and are looking at
coming to camp.
Diane Geissinger and Amy Bruner are moving their office on
July 14th to Town and Country shopping mall into the Rehab
Consulting and Service area where Carol Schmitt is located.
Amy also has the dates for the Adult weeks at ND Vision
Services/School for the Blind. The dates
are: September 13-18, 2009; December
6-11, 2009; March 21-26, 2010; June 20-July 3, 2010.
Williston Area News
Some of us waited all winter for spring and summer so we
could enjoy walking outside without snow boots or ice cleats. Well, the snow and ice are gone but they were
replaced with mosquitoes! So far, we
have had a cool, wet summer but I guess that makes for a very green
Dan and Sheryl Gerhardt are heading to
Janelle and Jeff Olson will be taking two trips before
camp. They are going to
Helen Howard took a tumble earlier this summer and is still
trying to recover. She didn’t break
anything which is a blessing.
Kathy and Stan will be entertaining company from
Carol Scallon’s mother, Lila Quarne, age 82, died May 14 in
Williston. Her funeral was held May 20
at
After a recent phone conversation with
I am working a few hours for five weeks this summer teaching
braille to my two little girls that I worked with last spring. It is so much fun to watch the learning
taking place right in front of me. I
will continue my work with them every school day this fall. I enjoyed a four day weekend in the
Our vision support group continues to meet at Gramma
Sharon’s restaurant at noon the second Saturday of each month. We are always encouraging others to join us
but I can’t say that we have run out of seating yet.
All in all, life is good!
Happy summer to all of you!
Submitted by Loris Van Berkom
2009 SCHOLARSHIP REPORT
This year we had one scholarship applicant. A scholarship was awarded to Candace Rivinius. Candace graduated from
Candace does have Leber’s Congenital Amourosis, but according
to both of her letter’s of recommendation, she does not allow her sight loss to
hinder her in any way. In fact, she has
become a strong self- advocate and does try to make others see what she can do
on her own.
Candace has been involved with several extra curricular
activities such as Spanish Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and
Future Educators of America. She appears
to have a variety of interests, including helping people and working with kids.
I believe Candace to be a very well rounded student and very
worthy of receiving our $1000 scholarship.
Tammy Winn
NDAB Scholarship Chairperson
Ready, Set, Go!
Are you ready? Many
NDAB members are ready! They are ready
to share another week of fun and fellowship at the NDAB Summer Camp.
Are you set? If the
answer is yes, that means that your bags are packed and your class schedule is
in your possession.
Then all that is left is to “GO”! On August 9th, head to the Elks Camp Grassick
located on the shore of the beautiful, and very full
Submitted by Loris Van Berkom & Rick Feldman,
What Can We Learn From Three
Blind Mice?
This is a true
example of how we can learn from everybody and everything.
Here’s the
story:
Once upon a time there were three blind mice living in the
Cat city. One day, the friendly cat,
Kathy, decided to play a trick on the three blind mice. She took
the three blind mice to visit an elephant in the zoo.
She took the first
blind mouse to the elephant trunk and let him feel it. Then she took the second blind mouse to the
elephant leg, and the third to the tail.
As the three blind
mice grew up not seeing an elephant before, when they were asked to describe an
elephant this is what they said:
1st mouse: “It is a
tube. Something like a vacuum cleaner.”
2nd mouse: “What? You
must be crazy. It is a tree trunk!”
3rd mouse: “Both of
you are wrong! It is a rope.”
They started fighting
with each other. Kathy was delighted with the trick she played on them.
What’s the moral of
the story? (eek…)
Different people have
different perspectives in life.
Their perspectives
are determined by the experience they have had.
We all believe what
we want to believe. Our minds have many different ways of
mapping different possibilities.
From the three blind mice story, we
learn that people might not see something the same way you see it.
We should be open to
other opinions.
Listen to them.
Try to see where they are coming from.
Understand them.
Get into their shoes.
Only after you fully
understand where the other party is coming from will you then be able to
communicate effectively.
Without proper
understanding of the other person’s point of view,
you will be left guessing his thoughts.
Being wise means
being open to learning from the other perspectives. When you experience
conflict and frustration in relationships, it’s probably because you have not
been able to see from the other point of view.
Remember: We all see things differently
depending on our individual experiences.
It doesn’t make us right or wrong, just different.
Family Adjustment Seminar
The Family Adjustment
Seminar will be held October 10 at the International Inn in
e-mail her at klarson@dia.net. The seminar is intended to provide
information and support to individuals and families who are dealing with sight
loss.
Submitted by Janelle
Olson, Seminar Chairperson
NDAB Walkathon 2009
Thanks to all of you NDAB members who participated in our 11th
annual NDAB Walkathon held on Saturday, April 25th. The grand total raised this
year was $17,704.00. I commend the co-chair persons and all of you who walked,
collected pledges and donations, helping with this project in any way. Thank
you for your hard work!
Donations collected in the various towns are as follows:
The race is already on for the 2010 Walkathon with nearly
$2,000 collected so far. Let’s see how much we can raise for our 12th
annual event.
Kathy Larson, Financial Chair Person
Legislative Report, Summer,
2009
By
Allan Peterson
Do you find politics and these legislative
reports to be boring and a waste of your time? Please direct all gripes and
complaints to the Bureau of NMSP (that would be the Bureau of No More Stinking
Politics). Good luck finding their phone number in the yellow pages!
On a somewhat more serious note, the 61st
Session of our North Dakota Legislative Assembly is behind us and is receding
into the political rear view mirror, which gives us an opportunity to reflect
on what was and what wasn't accomplished by this Session with regard to issues
that affect people with disabilities.
When we look at disability advocacy within
the legislative process we need to look at it from two somewhat different
viewpoints, first from that of people who have blindness and sight loss, and
second from the perspective of belonging to the much larger community of all
people who have some form of disability. With all due humility, As members of
NDAB who lack or have diminished eyesight, we are in the very best position at
the grassroots to advocate for legislative initiatives that will lead to the
improvement of the lives of all North Dakotans who are blind and visually
impaired. To this end, we can now celebrate the most notable accomplishment
from this most recent legislative session, which is that a second professional
teaching position has been added to the staff at North Dakota Vision Services /
School for the Blind. The position is
dedicated to provide blindness rehabilitation skills training to adults. This
position is comparable to that which Amy Bruner filled in the fall of 2007. The
announcement of a job opening for this position has been made and is likely to
be filled sometime late this summer or this fall.
A very special thank you to State Senator
Ray Holmberg and members of the Senate Appropriations Committee for their
willingness to amend the Budget which led to the decision to add the staff
position for adult rehabilitation services at NDVS/SB. Senator Holmberg and
members of the Senate Appropriations Committee not only listened but took the
necessary action to add this position to improve rehabilitation services that
are essential to help us achieve a greater degree of independence. It is with
this in mind that a resolution was adopted at our most recent NDAB Convention
thanking Senator Holmberg for his leadership on this issue.
I believe that the second major accomplishment that can be
taken away from this Legislative Session, that I know will help many people, in
the North Dakota community of people with disabilities, is the increase in the
medically needy level; also referred to as recipient liability. This is the
target income level that people who receive health care insurance coverage from
Medicaid, must “spend down” to so that they are eligible for this program. In
the next biennial Human Service Budget, the Governor and the legislature have
agreed to increase this income level from $500 per month to $720 per month.
The way in which the medically needy level is implemented,
on an individual basis, is that if someone had income that was $1000 a month,
and then had incurred a medical expense of $600 during a month , that
individual would have to pay the state $500 to retain health care insurance
coverage from Medicaid. With the new increase in the medically needy level the
person in that particular situation would now be able to retain $720 for living
expenses and would pay the state $280 to retain health care insurance coverage
from Medicaid.
One of the resolutions that we adopted at our most recent
NDAB Convention dealt with thanking the Governor and the Legislature for
increasing the medically needy level. I believe that it is very important to
let our political leaders know when they do a very good thing and that was the
thought I had in mind when I submitted this resolution of thankfulness and
appreciation.
A third outcome of the recent legislative session that I
believe, will be a very positive development for people with disabilities, is
an increase in the amount of state appropriated funding for public transit
operators in North Dakota. The appropriation for public transit was increased
by 1.2 million in this next state biennial budget; this appropriation is shared
by public transit providers throughout the state. The state subsidy is combined
with federal and local government funding to help offset the cost of operations
for transit services throughout the state. Another significant outcome
involving transit that came out of the session is approval for the setting up
of a pilot project to determine how all providers of transit services in a
designated region might be combined into a cooperative program to make transit
operations more efficient and effective in that area.
On the national stage, the American Council
of the Blind continues its ongoing strong advocacy for congressional enactment
of two familiar legislative initiatives, one dealing with the issue of quiet
cars and the second that deals with descriptive video access to visual content
and inaccessible printed matter on television & cell phone screens,
computer monitors and the array of communications devices that are coming into
the marketplace as a consequence of the digital revolution. Both of these
legislative initiatives have bill numbers associated with them. The issue that
deals with quiet cars is known as the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act; the
bill number for this initiative in the U.S. House is HR734 and the companion
bill in the Senate is S841. The bill in the House currently has 127 co- sponsors
including North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy. The initiative on descriptive
video and inaccessible digital formatted printed matter is known as the 21st
Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. This bill was just
reintroduced on June 26th to the House Energy and Commerce Committee
by Congressman Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts).
Congressman Markey did initially introduce
the Communications and Video Accessibility Act last year but it didn’t get onto
the Committee agenda so, as a consequence, it died in the Committee bill
hopper. All legislation that dies in one congressional session must be
reintroduced in order to get consideration by Congress in succeeding sessions.
Two of the NDAB resolutions adopted at our most recent
Convention dealt with the congressional bills described in the prior paragraph.
They also were the priorities that were the principal focus of the legislative
Seminar conducted by the American Council of the Blind in February this year.
The intent of the resolutions is to get support for these two legislative
priorities from our
A lot of talk during the most recent
political campaign evolved around the word “change”. Change can happen but it
often means that we, at the grassroots level, must be involved in making change
happen! There is no better example of making change happen than the current
debate that is happening around the issue of health care reform!
In one way or another, all of the legislation that is passed
and enacted by the federal, state and local governing bodies has a huge affect
on our lives; some of these laws, of course, affect us more than others. If
health care reform actually is implemented, it will no doubt affect everyone,
which means us who live at the grassroots level.
The American Council of the Blind and the American
Foundation for the Blind would like to see health care reform include such
things as (1) improved access to personal medical information, such as talking
prescription containers, (2) coverage for durable medical equipment, such as
magnifying glasses and CCTV’s and (3) coverage for blindness skills
rehabilitation training. These issues get down to the specifics of health care
but are so very important to us who have experienced loss of sight.
The really big debate on health care, which is getting so
much media attention, is how to reform a system that presently costs a lot and
is steadily becoming even more and more expensive. Disregarding political
biases which I know that all of you have, I really do applaud President Obama
for taking on this issue; I believe it is so very important to our economy and
our health that we develop a system that is more cost effective and is more
responsive to each person including us who live with blindness and sight loss.
That’s it – no more talk about stinking politics!
NDAB BOARD MEETING, 04-05-09
BOARD MEMBERS
PRESENT: Michelle, Milissa, Karlyn,
Rick, Kathy, Mavis, Shereen, Sheryl, Renae
President Michelle
called the board meeting to order on Sunday, April 5th at 7:00
pm. Members were connected per a
telephone conference call.
Michelle reviewed the
meeting agenda and two items were added.
SECRETARY’S REPORT
Karlyn read the
minutes from the October 2008 Board Meeting.
Kathy moved that the minutes be approved as read. The motion was seconded and carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Renae reported the
checkbook balance and stated that it is working well for Missy taking the
membership dues.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Kathy Larson, as
Financial Chairman, reported on fund raising thus far. We chose not to sell Herberger's
Coupons. The Spring Walk-a-thon will
take place in most cities on April 25th, except for
MEMBERSHIP
REPORT
Milissa reported that
we have seven new members who were approved by the Board via e-mail since last
November. The names and dates are: 11-12-08 Shannon Houle, Grand Forks; 1-9-09
Debra Johnson, Wahpeton; 3-5-09 Pat Berlin and Bill Muck, Fargo; 3-19-09 Clint
Miller and Jesse Shirek, Fargo, and Carol Radenz, Williston. Missy stated that one member had died, with
15 people not renewing their membership.
Sheryl moved to accept the name of Mary Verlinde from
Missy has received 7-8
phone calls in response to the Public Service Announcement which has been
airing.
CORRESPONDANCE
Karlyn read a thank
you note from Anna Minciel. Mavis
expressed thanks for the card she had received.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
1.FAMILY ADJUSTMENT SEMINAR
A Chairperson is
needed to lead this seminar, as Paula will not be able to fulfill this
position. Locations for the seminar have
been booked for the next two seminars, and contracts have been signed.
2.NOMINATING COMMITTEE
In Olga Neal's
absence, Michelle reported on the names placed on the Nominating Report: Promoter Editor- Zelda Gebhard; Board Member-
Mark Kueffler; ACB Convention Delegate-
Janelle Olson and Denise Kirsch.
3.SCHOLARSHIP REPORT
Tammy received one
application. Mavis moved to approve the
name of Candace Rivinius as the $1000 Scholarship recipient. The motion was seconded and approved. Candace is a senior attending Century H.S. in
4.CONVENTION
Shereen reported on
the plans made thus far for the convention in
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1.
Dolly luggage
cart: This cart hasn't been ordered yet,
but Sheryl will order one so that we will have one by Convention time.
2.
Editor's
Manual: This is being worked on and
getting wrapped up.
3.
4.
Public Service
Announcement: The ad was sent to all
radio and T.V. Stations in N.D. It's not
on Prairie Public, as there is a charge for this service.
5.
T-Shirts: Ordering has been on hold since we found out
we couldn't sell them at Ski for Light.
After a discussion, Rick moved that we order 50 T-Shirts to sell, with
Braille on the back, with Kathy to decide on the colors we order. The motion was seconded and carried. Kathy will check on the current prices and
will get these ordered so they will be available at the convention.
6.
NDAB Display
Board: This is up and running, and was
used in
7.
Vision Group
Brochure: These were to be ready by the
first of April, but aren't available yet.
8.
Talent Show
DVD: Mark needs more equipment to get
these made, but his goal is to have one done this year.
9.
Bob LePage
Award Selection: Four applications were
received and one name has been selected.
Kathy moved to accept the name of Terry Narum as the recipient of the
award which will be given to him during the Convention Luncheon. (He and a guest will be invited.) The motion was seconded and carried. Michelle will see that an article is written
for the Lion Newsletter, and that letters are sent to Terry Narum as well as to
the other 3 applicants. Kathy moved to
purchase an award plaque for him from the same place that the
10.
Legislative
budget: A discussion was held regarding
paying for two people to attend the annual mid-year Legislative meeting in
NEW BUSINESS
1.
Board
Meeting: It was decided to hold another
teleconference Board Meeting on May 17th at 7pm, to take care of any
pre-convention business including any resolutions.
2.
Braille Forum
Donations: Mavis moved to increase our
donation of $200 to $300. It was noted
that many affiliates don't give any cash donations to the Braille Forum. The motion was seconded and carried.
3.
ACB Convention
Stipend: It has been suggested that we
increase our Convention stipend for members attending (doesn't include the
delegate or President) from $200 to $400 per person, with a total limit of
$3000. After some discussion, Rick moved
to table this matter until the May 17th meeting. The motion was seconded and carried.
4.
ACB Walk or
Run Marathon: Kathy moved that we do not
participate in this activity. The motion
was seconded and carried.
5.
ACB Door
Prizes: Kathy moved that we continue to
provide one door prize. There was
discussion on whether to provide more.
The motion was seconded and carried.
6.
ACB Convention
Meal Stipend: There was discussion on
increasing the amounts delegates receive for meals. Shereen moved to increase the $25/day to
$40/day. The motion was seconded and
carried.
7.
Updating
By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation:
Michelle will appoint a committee to work on updating the By-Laws and
the Articles of Incorporation and have them ready for the 2010 NDAB Convention.
The updates will need to be published 60 days prior to the convention.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Michelle noted that through ACB,
Regional Leading Conferences will be held, to help members how to be better and
more effective leaders.
The meeting adjourned
at 9:40pm.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Karlyn Frantsen,
Secretary
4-13-09
NDAB BOARD MEETING, 5-17-09
BOARD MEMBERS
PRESENT: Michelle, Milissa, Karlyn,
Rick, Kathy, Mavis, Shereen, Sheryl, Renae
GUEST: Allan Peterson
President Michelle
called the board meeting to order on Sunday, May 17th at 7:00 pm.
Members were connected per a telephone conference call.
Michelle reviewed the
meeting agenda and seven items were added.
Shereen moved to approve the agenda as updated. The motion was seconded and carried.
SECRETARY’S
REPORT
Karlyn read the
minutes from the April 2009 Board Meeting.
Kathy moved that the minutes be approved as read. The motion was seconded and carried.
TREASURER’S
REPORT
Renae reported the
checkbook balance and will move some of the money to a CD or Savings
Account. Anticipated expenses through
August are $24,000. It was noted that interest
from the Savings Account feeds into the checking account.
FINANCIAL
REPORT
Kathy Larson, as
Financial Chairman, reported that less than $16,000 has been received thus far
from the Walk-a-thons. She is waiting
for Thrivent Money from Williston and Fargo to come in.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
It was reported that
we have 179 members, with the following being accepted May 13th by
Board approval via e-mail: Caroline
Congdon, West Fargo; and Wanda Brottlund,
CORRESPONDANCE
Michelle had received
information from Midcontinent Communications.
They contribute over $4,000,000 in broadcast time to mostly non-profit
organizations through public service announcements. Spots which aired in January, February, and
March 2009 for NDAB totaled 28, 960 for a monetary amount of $239,712.00, paid
in full by Midcontinent Communications!
Karlyn read a thank
you note from the family of Dorothy Regnerus.
NOTE:(Karlyn has sent 17 Sympathy cards to NDAB members since last year at this time.)
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
1.
2.
Legislative
Report: Allan spoke to the four resolutions which he
had written: 2009-01 Electronic
Communication and Video Accessibility;
2009-02 Vehicles That Emit Minimal Levels of Operating Noise; 2009-03 Expression of Appreciation for
increasing the “Medically Need” Level;
and 2009-04 An Expression of Appreciation & Gratitude to State
Senator Ray Holmberg. These resolutions
were available and were reviewed prior to the meeting by each Board
Member. Kathy moved a do pass
recommendation on all of the resolutions.
There was no discussion. The motion
was seconded and carried.
UNFINISHED
BUSINESS
11.
Dolly luggage
cart: This cart hasn't been ordered yet,
but Sheryl said she'd get it ordered.
12.
Editor's
Manual: No further action has occurred.
13.
Name plaque
for the
14.
T-Shirts: Kathy reported that 50 shirts have been
ordered in red, navy blue and gray, in sizes medium, large, X large, and XX
large. Plans are to have them available
for sale at the convention. Sheryl moved
to sell them for $12 each. The motion
was seconded and carried.
15.
Vision Group
Brochure: Each of the three
organizations included in this brochure received 7,500. There was a discussion on what to do with
them and how to distribute them. No
decision was made. Michelle will bring
them to the convention.
16.
Talent Show
DVD: There was no further update since
the last meeting. (From the April
meeting-Mark needs more equipment to get these made, but his goal is to have
one done this year.)
17.
Wording on the
Bob LePage Award Plaque: After some
discussion it was decided that Rick and Karlyn would work on the choice of
words for the plaque.
18.
By-Laws and
Constitution Chairperson: Lester
Ketterling has agreed to serve as the Chairperson of this committee, and would
like 2 or 3 people to serve on the committee with him. Anyone interested in serving in this capacity
should contact Lester.
NOTE: MISSY AND ALLAN
LEFT THE TELECONFERENCE AT 8:05pm.
19.
Stipend for
the ACB Convention: There was discussion
on whether to increase the amount given as a stipend for attendees to the ACB
Convention. Rick moved to increase the
amount from $200 to $300 per person with a cap of $3000. (This would allow 10 members to be able to
receive a stipend. The delegate and
President are not included in this number.)
After further discussion, the motion was seconded and carried.
20.
Family
Adjustment Seminar Chairperson: A person
is still needed to take on this responsibility.
This request is included in the most recent issue of the Promoter.
21.
2009 Convention: Shereen reported on the final details in
preparation for the convention.
NEW
BUSINESS
8.
Next Board
Meeting: The next meeting will be held
in
9.
Attorney
General: We received a letter from the
Attorney General's office requesting a business invoice or receipt that
documents the actual use of the funds which Benson
10.
Miracle Worker
DVD: This is now available in
descriptive video. Kathy moved that we
purchase one, so it is available for camp viewing. The motion was seconded and carried. Shereen was advised to purchase one at the
ACB convention and would be reimbursed by NDAB.
11.
ACB Convention
Guidelines: At a later meeting, the
Board will get on paper, the guidelines for delegates attending ACB
conventions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A fundraiser will be
held June 5th at the
The meeting adjourned
at 9pm.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Karlyn Frantsen,
Secretary
NDAB BOARD MEETING, 6-12-09
A brief meeting was
called to order by President Michelle at 7:50pm June 12th, following
the opening of the 73rd annual NDAB convention, to approve two names
for membership to NDAB. Present in
addition to Michelle were Renae, Missy, Shereen, Kathy, Rick, Mavis and Karlyn.
Missy moved to
approve Diane Giessinger as a member.
The motion was seconded and carried.
Shereen moved to
approve Dondi Sobolik as a member. The
motion was seconded and carried.
The meeting adjourned
at
Respectively
Submitted,
Karlyn Frantsen,
Secretary
“Blindness Solutions”
As part of the August
All Staff Development Days at ND Vision Services/School for the
Blind, David and Phil Weber with Second Vision,
On Wednesday, August
26 at
Solutions (SmartView Pocket, SmartView Graduate, MyReader 2. SmartView Xtend).
Please join us and also extend an invitation to other interested persons.
Thank you.
Carmen Grove Suminski, Superintendent
NDVS/School for the Blind
Phone: 701-795-2708
csuminsk@nd.gov
2009 American Council of the Blind Annual Convention
Some
Brief Notes by Allan Peterson
This year’s edition of the American Council of the Blind
Convention began on the 4th of July and concluded one week later on
Saturday July 11th. It was held at the
In making this very brief report it isn’t my intent to steal
anyone’s thunder but to try to give you, the members of NDAB, some information
on matters that might be viewed as important to be communicated, before the
opportunity for a more comprehensive report can be given.
I believe that we of NDAB truly did have an impact on this
year’s ACB Convention in many ways. Ten of our members attended this year’s
Convention – they included Elton & Shereen Faber, Evelyn Hildebrand, Eunice
& Lester Ketterling, Clint & Missy Miller, Melissa & Dean Petersen
and I. This is a much larger contingent than we’ve had for many years! NDAB can
take pride in the fact that even though our state has a comparatively small
population of people to draw from, we had many more members who attended this
year’s ACB Convention than any other state that has a comparable population
base.
Except for one bad incident, I believe that we had a really
great time! The incident involved a fall that Evelyn took due to a medical condition
that she had no prior knowledge of before this episode took place.
On Wednesday, July 8th, when Evelyn and the
Ketterlings were about to enter the security area at the Epcot Center, Evelyn
passed out, fell and struck her head on the hard concrete pavement. She received
medical treatment. Our prayers go out to
her and the very best of wishes to her for a complete recovery!
There were 25 resolutions that were submitted for
consideration by the Resolutions Committee at the this year’s ACB Convention,
one of them was one that I submitted in regard to the 21st Century
Communications and Video Accessibility Act. The resolution urges all members of
Congress to support this legislation and also asks members of ACB to do
whatever they can to advocate so this important legislation can be enacted!
As a member of the ACB Membership Committee, I participated
in two panels during the Convention. One of the panels was called “Keys to the
Convention”; the purpose of this panel is to provide an overview and orientation
to newcomers or anyone who would like more information about what happens at an
ACB Convention. I also participated as a panel member on the Membership Meeting
conducted to offer information to affiliates on how they can strengthen their
affiliate organizations. The area I addressed was how alliances with other
disability groups, like our participation with the North Dakota Disability
Advocacy Consortium, can strengthen advocacy efforts to pass legislation that
is of benefit to all persons with disabilities.
Given the history of ACB Conventions and their tendency to
have heated floor debate, this one was really tame! No really big controversies
over any issue happened at this year’s Convention. None of the current officers
were challenged for their offices and all did seek reelection to their
respective posts. All were reelected on Friday. This is perhaps an ACB election
record, because very little time was devoted to elections. At so many of the
Conventions I’ve attended in the past, elections have eaten up most of the time
for business on Fridays.
On a national scale, ACB together with other organizations
of and for the Blind are extremely concerned about the fact that many state
legislatures either have or are considering either closing or combining the
operations of their state Schools for the Blind. There was a panel discussion
about this during the ACB Convention that involved the head administrators of
three schools for the Blind that are doing a good job with their educational
programs. The bottom line is this; we must remain very vigilant in our advocacy
efforts to maintain these state institutions of education for children who are
blind in the face of state legislatures that are seeking any way to find a
means to balance their budgets. To close these institutions would be an
extremely short sighted solution to meet a goal that in the long run will no
doubt cost more to the taxpayer and be a real setback to the education of
children who are blind and sight impaired.
I did participate in the Walk to help raise funding for ACB
at the Convention. It was the first time that ACB conducted this event to raise
funds. It was a three and a half mile walk in the morning heat and humidity of
A third annual ACB fund raising auction was conducted
Wednesday evening during the Convention. The auction brought in over $24,000 to
the ACB treasury. This is an amount that is significantly more than they have
been able to raise from the prior two auctions.
The ACB annual budget is in the neighborhood of 1.2 million.
Last year ACB income exceeded expenses by about $400,000; ACB leaders are very
pleased about this outcome; it came about, primarily, because of a few
significant bequests from estates in which ACB was named as a beneficiary.
One of the areas, that always draws the biggest crowds at
ACB Conventions, is the exhibit hall. I think that I heard that there were 72
different exhibitors at the Convention this year. The vendors who are in the
technology business are usually the busiest. A camera that takes very rapid
fire photos of print material that is used as a scanning device, the notetaking
computer known as the Icon and a piece of equipment that could potentially
replace the CCTV, I think, were the most notable pieces of technology that I
witnessed or heard about.
I believe that ACB Conventions serve a number of very
worthwhile purposes! First, it serves as an excellent mechanism to unite people
who share a common disability and life situation. Among the many other benefits
are: it helps to set our advocacy goals, it offers a voice to anyone who is
affected by blindness, and it serves to motivate and educate anyone who
attends. Thank you NDAB for the support that you provide to help those of us
who attended this year’s 2009 ACB Convention in
Disney's New Audio Description Device Rated High
Article for release from ACB
The Disney-patented* technology delivers audio description of the visual
images inside attractions for guests who are blind or have low vision. The
device, slightly smaller than a TV remote and a bit wider, can be attached
to a lanyard and worn around the neck.
Once at the park, approximately 36 ACB members divided into three work groups.
Each group was accompanied by a Disney employee as they visited several
attractions with descriptions in order to try the new device in a variety of
settings.
Greg Hale, vice president of Worldwide Safety and Accessibility,
Rick Morin, a blind managing director for HP, stated: "I used the
'Attraction Description Device' during April break. I've been going to
Walt
Disney World since 1977. With attraction description, I was able to see,
from the audio descriptions, details that I never knew were there. I've
ridden the
Robyn Walker, who visited the pavilions in Epcot during the conference,
added, "I travel extensively and I spend a lot of time looking for things
like restaurants and restrooms. This device helped me find things
quickly."
Following the tour, the groups gathered in a conference room to talk about
the device. "Disney employees asked very specific questions and gave us
ample opportunity to provide constructive feedback. They seemed genuinely interested
in what we had to say," said John Weidlich of
The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization.
Its members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted individuals who
are concerned about the dignity and well-being of blind people throughout
the nation.
Formed in 1961, the ACB is one of the largest organizations of blind people in
the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates and a nationwide
network of chapters. For more information about the American Council of
the Blind, contact Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, American Council of the
Blind, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 650,
phone (202) 467-5081 or (800) 424-8666; or visit the web site,
<http://www.acb.org/> www.acb.org.
Improved
Access to Digital Download Books
On April 30, the National Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress in the
States
system, as well as releasing an upgraded version of its pilot download
website. Beginning with the testing of 5,000 digital players by NLS
patrons in their homes, NLS is preparing to launch full-scale production
and distribution of 26,000 machines per month this year, ensuring
continued access to reading materials for more than 500,000 registered
users.
New to the NLS program is a state of the art online component, called the
Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) site. This new site for blind
and physically handicapped patrons of NLS now provides better than ever
access to digital audiobooks and magazines. The BARD digital books and
magazines are in the ANSI/NISO Z39.86 2002 format, the specification for
navigable digital talking books. Readers may press buttons on the NLS
digital talking-book player and compatible players to jump from chapter
to chapter, section to section or page to page. This ability to quickly
navigate the book structure, combined with the high-quality human
recording, make the new digital NLS download books one of the most
significant advancements in the provision of talking books for blind and
low vision people.
"The high quality navigable digital books from the new NLS BARD service
represent a major advancement in access to books, magazines, and
electronic braille for Americans who are unable to read print due to
blindness, low vision, or physical disability", says Gilles Pepin, CEO of
HumanWare. "With BARD, NLS brings its library into the home of its
patrons. Not only do NLS patrons now have access to thousands of digital
books but they can find their book of interest and download it in minutes
independently and from the comfort of their home computer."
HumanWare manufactures the popular Victor Reader Stream, a DAISY NISO compatible
digital talking-book player designed in collaboration with the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB), which several thousand NLS
patrons already use to play the new digital NISO books. The NLS digital
books on the BARD site are protected by encryption and compatible digital book
players must be authorized by NLS for eligible patrons to play the books.
The ability to press buttons on the Victor Reader Stream to easily jump
between chapters, pages, or magazine articles, like the NLS digital
talking-book player, provides a rich audiobook reading experience never
before experienced by audiocassette readers. For reference books such as cookery
books the user can even enter a page number from the table of contents on the
Stream telephone-style number pad and the playback will move immediately to
that page. With the NLS player, Victor Reader Stream, and the NLS BARD books,
users now have immediate access to thousands of books and can navigate them
just like they would navigate the equivalent print book's structure.
The new BARD download audiobook and magazine service is available free of charge
to eligible blind and physically handicapped individuals in the U.S. and to
citizens living abroad, who have access to a computer and
high-speed Internet connection, and who have a free NLS digital
talking-book player or own an authorized compatible digital talking-book
player such as HumanWare's Victor Reader Stream. To learn more about the new
BARD service visit https://nlsbard.loc.gov/
About HumanWare
HumanWare is the global leader in assistive technologies for vision,
including products for the blind and visually impaired. HumanWare's
products include BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for blind
people in education, in business and in their personal lives; the Victor
Reader product line, the world's leading digital talking book players;
and myReader2, the new version of HumanWare's unique "auto-reader"
for people with low vision. For more information visit www.humanware.com
Candy's Corner
Nowadays it seems
like we're all trying to include more fresh fruits and
vegetables in our diet. But if you're like me, you find that sometimes
these rather spendy items become over-ripe before we get a chance to
enjoy them all. I want to share some tips I came across in a braille
women's periodical called "Our Special" magazine. It is written for
blind
women, by blind women, as the slogan goes, and is published in braille
only by National Braille Press. "Our Special" is a favorite magazine
of
mine because it is short (only one braille volume), contains interesting
articles, and is published only 6 times per year, so I can usually read
each issue from cover to cover before the next issue arrives in the mail.
The cost is right too: only $15/year. If you are interested in ordering
"Our Special," call888-965-8965, or go to www.nbp.org.
Here are the tips:
To keep green, leafy
vegetables fresh longer, store them UNCOVERED in the fridge. If you want to
store them covered, place them in a plastic bag with holes punched into it so
the greens can "breathe."
Bananas keep longer
if they are separated rather than left in a bunch. Apparently, once one of the bananas begins to
turn brown, the process spreads quickly to the other bananas in the bunch, but
if they are separated this shouldn't happen so quickly.
Store tomatoes on the
kitchen counter, stem side down, to retain their flavor longer.
Keep fresh broccoli
and cauliflower in the refrigerator, stem end down, and wrapped loosely in
paper toweling for prolonged freshness.
Here's a dessert that
uses fresh, healthy ingredients, and that's just
right for summer:
RED, WHITE & BLUE PARFAITS
Ingredients
. 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
. 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Creamy filling:
1
cup low-fat, artificially sweetened vanilla yogurt
. 1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
. 1 teaspoon honey
Directions:
Make creamy filling by placing yogurt, cream cheese and honey into bowl and
beating until fluffy. Assemble parfaits by placing 1/3 cup
strawberries in each parfait glass. Top each with 3 tablespoons of creamy
filling, then ¼ cup blueberries. Garnish each by dividing remaining topping.
Chill until ready to serve. Makes four parfaits.
National
Dog Day
We
have always heard of the Dog days of summer but did you know that there
actually is a National Dog Day? National Dog Day is August 26th.
In honor of this special day, go ahead and have a little laugh at a
cat’s expense!
THE
TOP 8 REASONS CATS AREN'T USED AS GUIDE ANIMALS
8. The fire department has better things to do than constantly rescuing
the two of you from treetops, all tangled up in the leash and surrounded
by barking dogs.
7. Too high a risk of becoming disoriented while Snowball chases her own tail.
6. First bird they spot and you're a wet stain on the
5. Involuntary 2-mile sprints after every dog encounter.
4. They weave in and out of your ankles a few times and next thing you
know, you're being treated for a broken jaw.
3. Sunny spot in the middle of the road? Nap time!
2. There are too many injuries caused by slipping on hairballs.
…and the Number 1 Reason Cats Aren't Used as Guide Animals for the
Blind...
1. That daily jump to the top of the refrigerator is a killer.