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The White Cane Bulletin September - October 2024
Articles for the White Cane Bulletin must be submitted to Sally Benjamin no later than the 15th of the month before it is published. Sally’s email is: editor@fcb.org.
If you do not have access to a computer and email, please find someone in your chapter to help you. We want to hear from anyone who wants to contribute to our newsletter, so if you cannot find a way to submit your article, call Sally and she will be glad to assist you.
Articles published in The White Cane Bulletin are in compliance with Public Law No. 104197, Copyright Law Amendment of 1996. This law allows authorized entities to distribute copies of previously published non-dramatic literary works in specialized formats, including Braille, audio or digital text that are exclusively for use by Blind people or those with disabilities. Any further distributing of such articles in another than a specialized format is an infringement of copyright.
Those much-needed contributions, which are Tax-deductible, can be sent to the Florida Council of the Blind Treasurer, Mark Lear, at:
P.O. BOX 214235
DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32121.
To remember the Florida Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose in your Will or Trust. If your wishes are complex, please contact the FCB at 800-267-4448.
The FCB is a 501(c)(3) organization.
For other ways to support the Florida Council of the Blind, visit our Fundraising page found at https://www.fcb.org.
ARE YOU MOVING? – Sally Benjamin
If you are moving, please notify me of your new address so you will continue to receive your White Cane Bulletin. Also, if you know of anyone interested in joining FCB and who would like to receive the White Cane Bulletin and the Braille Forum, please contact me at: (850) 980-0205 or E-mail: membership@fcb.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
President’s Message by Mikey Wiseman
FCB Convention 2025 by Kati Lear
Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs ONLINE Business Expo November 16, 2024 by Ardis Bazyn
Book Corner submitted by Sheila Young
My First National Convention by Alicia Eidson
My first National Convention by Chantale Napier
2024 ACB Conference and Convention Recap by Greg Lindberg
My first National Convention by Janeen Lea
My First Time: Julien's Journey to National! by Julien Clement
My First National Convention by Ryan Mann
Recipe Corner submitted by Sheila Young
Jottings From Jacksonville by Paul Edwards
The Light Chronicles: In Plain Sight by Cachet Wells
Chapter News
GOCB Update by Martha James
Float-a-thon by Alicia Eidson
Tech Tips by John Richards
Poetry Corner submitted by Shelley Sawyer
FCB OFFICERS, 2024 – 2026
2024-2026 FCB Chapter & Special Affiliate Officer Liaisons
Handy Telephone Number References
President’s Message by Mikey Wiseman
Greetings all!
At the time that I am writing this for our beloved White Cane Bulletin, we should all be recovered from the adrenaline overload and the exhaustion of the American Council of the Blind National Convention, which was held in Jacksonville Florida in the month of July.
As a new president, a member of the host committee and representing the host state I can let you know that I have a newfound respect and admiration for any host state. It was a great experience to see the inner workings of a large convention operation, and I often found myself taking a step back in absolute amazement at the level of involvement and attention to detail as well as the amount of resources that are spent in ensuring the national convention runs smoothly.
I wanted to share with everyone that although I am not completely objective, this was in both my own personal opinion and in many individuals with whom I spoke was one of the best conventions we have had in a very long time. This fact is indicative of the support that Florida and the host committee Received from all of our members, both individually as well as chapters and special interest affiliates. Your suggestions, donations, and most importantly your time and effort were key and demonstrating what a great and collaborative organization Florida Council of the Blind is and we really did knock it out of the park! For this, I thank you all very very much!
While I am very proud of the work, Florida Council of the Blind did in many aspects of the convention, I can honestly tell you that I am very happy for a reprieve and I’m not jumping up and down begging for another national convention to come back to Florida. It was honestly quite a bit of work, and very stressful. We were successful in all of our endeavors and our welcome and bon voyage parties were enormous successes.
A few notes in reference to organizational structure:
Committee chairs have been appointed or reappointed and an updated list will be on our website shortly. There were only two changes to Committee chairs and I would like to thank our former chairs for their service. If anyone is interested in learning more about committees or would like to get involved in any specific committees of interest to them, I would encourage our individual members to reach out to those committee chairs to get an understanding of what would be expected of committee members and have a discussion and that their intentions be known.
An updated list of officer liaisons to each chapter, and to each special interest affiliate will be on the website just as soon as I am done, positioning everyone as equitably as possible. Will share with you that I took a bit of a different approach when it came to officer liaisons and wanted to make sure that my fellow executive committee members had a voice and I’m trying to line up their interest with their assignments.
On our last president’s call, it was generally agreed that our upcoming virtual board meeting will be held over a two-day period and it will probably be starting on a Friday night and ending the following day on Saturday, the dates for that meeting are yet to be determined.
As many of us, Floridians are aware we are approaching the peak of hurricane season. Many of our members, friends and family have already been impacted by one storm and we are hoping that the relatively inactive season continues. I believe it’s a good time for all of you reading this to double check And review your hurricane safety plans and to put some type of protocol in place as it is better to be ready than to try to make decisions and arrangements when there is already a storm on the way.
As always, I would like to remind all of our members that the entire Executive Committee as well and specifically myself are always available to hear your thoughts and ideas or concerns and we strongly encourage you to reach out to us or to get in contact with us by any of the Means provided. One of these means is our new email addresses which can be found on the FCB. org Website. We have decided to create easy and separate email addresses by position which will remain with the position and not with the person. My email is now: president@fcb.org .
For a full list of emails please review the website.
I apologize for the choppiness of this message and I thank the editors for making it a little bit more seamless. I am still getting the hang of writing these articles on a regular basis to keep you guys abreast of what is going on, and if you guys have any feedback for me by all means, let me know what you’d like to hear about or any topics you’d like for me to discuss. I hope everyone has a great rest of their summer and remains safe and dry!
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FCB Convention 2025 by Kati Lear
We have put our 2024 FCB convention to bed but we have wonderful memories that live on in our minds. Thank you to all who made our convention so special.
Now, we are moving forward to our 2025 convention. It will be in Jacksonville at the same hotel, the Southbank Riverwalk at 2525 Prudential Drive. Our room rates will be the same, $109 per night plus tax. The dates are Thursday, May 15 through Sunday May 18, 2025. Please make your plans and join us.
Your thoughts and ideas for programs and workshops are always welcome. Please send them to me at floridacouncil@comcast.net
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Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs ONLINE Business Expo November 16, 2024 by Ardis Bazyn
IVIE is offering a great opportunity to blind or visually impaired business owners/entrepreneurs. When you join in our Online Business Expo shopping experience, you can describe your products and services, pass on contact information, and allow participants to ask questions. For IVIE members, the fee for presenting for fifteen minutes is $10, for a half hour is $20, or for an hour is $30. Not an IVIE member? Then, the fee for presenting is an additional $15 -- $25 for fifteen minutes, $35 for a half hour session, or $45 for an hour session. Nonmembers have the option of having $15 of the payment used to pay IVIE dues for 2025.
All those participating in the call, whether presenting or not, will use the same Zoom information to connect. The date and time line is November 16, 2024, from 11:30 am to 7 pm Eastern. At 11:45 am, an introduction of all the vendors participating with their specific time slots would be given along with instructions for those attending. A wrap-up after all the presentations would be available for anyone to ask any final questions of those exhibiting online.
The deadline for purchasing a time slot to give a presentation is October 31, 2024. To purchase a time slot or ask questions, send an email to info@ivie-acb.org with your request to present/exhibit. Please send your business name, product line, your telephone number, and your email address. You will be sent a link for payment and additional information. If you wish to attend the IVIE Online Business Expo and listen to this unique shopping experience, there is no cost. However, please send an email to register so we can send you the Zoom call details. Send the email request to info@ivie-acb.org or contact Ardis Bazyn, phone 818-209-8684.
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Book Corner submitted by Sheila Young
Vision: a memoir of blindness and justice. DB122023
Tatel, David S. Reading time: 10 hours, 22 minutes.
Read by John Lescault; David S. Tatel.
Biography of Persons with Disabilities
Disability
U.S. History
"A memoir by one of America’s most accomplished public servants and legal thinkers—who spent years denying and working around his blindness, before finally embracing it as an essential part of his identity. David Tatel has served nearly 30 years on America’s second highest court, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where many of our most crucial cases are resolved—or teed up for the Supreme Court. He has championed equal justice for his entire adult life; decided landmark environmental and voting cases; and embodied the ideal of what a great judge should be. Yet he has been blind for the past 50 of his 80-plus years. Initially, he depended upon aides to read texts to him, and more recently, a suite of hi-tech solutions has allowed him to listen to reams of documents at high speeds. At first, he tried to hide his deteriorating vision, and for years, he denied that it had any impact on his career. Only recently, partly thanks to his first-ever guide dog, Vixen, has he come to fully accept his blindness and the role it's played in his personal and professional lives. His story of fighting for justice over many decades, with and without eyesight, is an inspiration to us all."-- Goodreads. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
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My First National Convention by Alicia Eidson
“This was my very first national ACB convention and with the amazing help of FCB, I was able to attend and experience it with no major monetary stress. I am so grateful so I will begin by screaming out a huge thank you to the committee that chose my application for this stipend.
I learned so many things about technology, leadership, how ACB works and functions and saw areas that I would someday like to be involved in as committee members or leadership opportunities.
One of the very best things I enjoyed was getting to meet and hang out with some of our leaders like Scott Thornhill and his beautiful bride, Michael Wiseman our brand new Florida president and board members like Rachael Schroeder and Kenneth Simian. Meeting people in person after only hearing them on zoom was awesome as well. The diabetics in action group and media team were amongst some of them.
The other highlight for me is very personal. Since 1982, I have been a guide dog user and now after 5 have retired, I am starting over with a cane. I am not a good cane traveler. So I was very nervous. I went alone with my cane and was so scared to walk around that huge hotel on my own. I listened a lot to others, asked for help when I needed to and never once felt like there would not be a way out of a certain situation I may have found myself in. I gained so much confidence. That was a real growth spurt for me and I am eternally grateful for those who role modeled for me.
Finally, I thought the exhibit hall was a blast. It was so much to take in but I learned a lot about who is out there working their magic and what is out there for those of us in need to tools at assist us with technology and other areas to reach my maximum potential.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am so very grateful to those who chose me as one of the stipend recipients.”
Thanks with love, Alicia Eidson
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My first National Convention by Chantale Napier
I had the honor and pleasure of attending ACB. Here we are, back in Jacksonville, FL for ACB 2024. Had I known what I know now… Let's just say I'd have done things a little differently. First off, thank you FCB for the stipend to offset the cost of attending the convention. It was a huge help and I hope it continues so that others may benefit from it. So let’s start with what I didn’t realize when registering for the convention.
There were tours and excursions. There were city tours, tours of Sweet Pete’s, tours of the deaf and blind school, a museum tour, and sand and surf. Participants could engage in sky-diving without the parachute and go-karts. Yes. Go-karts. And there were parties, banquets, and karaoke. Oh my!
As a first-time attendee to ACB, I tried to sit in as many sessions as possible. Much knowledge and wisdom were gained at the Leadership Buffet. We could role-play and think of different ways to combat different scenarios within our chapters. This could be anything from recalcitrant members to encouraging committee chairs.
Networking was an interesting workshop as we went around the room and introduced ourselves to others. This wasn’t too difficult. In my other persona as an author I have an elevator pitch and using the same technique I went around the room. Other sessions I attended were Bricks for the Blind, Insight into the Supreme Court Decisions, Legislation Passed, Talking Books with the Deputy Director of NLS and narrator Mare Trevathan, and Oils Around the World. Somehow I managed to give blood and visit the exhibit hall, where I bought a hot pink floppy hat.
With over 500 blind and visually impaired persons in attendance, to see so many in attendance was empowering, encouraging, and simply incredible. One incident that stands out for me, well two, but the first was coming in from taking my guide out. Another lady and her guide bumped into us. I could read the stress or tension this caused her and just saying, “It’s okay,” with a smile and giggle in my voice relaxed her. Bumping into her and others was truly okay. Even when my guide got distracted and wanted to explore some scent he found when I desperately wanted him to lead me to my room, a couple assisted us. As I walked away I heard her comment to her companion “it happens,”
And she’s absolutely correct. It does happen. We will get disorientated, overwhelmed, distracted, frustrated, tired, and just plain annoyed. The best thing is knowing we’re not alone. There were over 500 other people who experienced the very same emotions and we were treated with respect, grace, and understanding And if you bumped into me with a lot of humor. Being in a convention surrounded by your peers is a safe space. ACB and FCB made sure the conference was a safe space. This was something I truly appreciated.
I’m looking forward to attending the convention next year. There is still so much more for me to learn and give to others around me. And hopefully, there will be go-karts again. Oh and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
Chantale Napier
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2024 ACB Conference and Convention Recap by Greg Lindberg
This summer, I had the chance to attend my sixth ACB Conference and Convention. It was the fourth convention in which I attended at least part of the in-person programming. It was nice that I didn’t have to hop on a plane to attend this year. It was amazing that we had over 100 more members in attendance compared to 2023.
During the board meeting, I liked listening to the wide-ranging efforts of ACB and everything we’re involved in. I enjoyed hearing from Scott Thornhill, the new executive director, on his goals, specifically his idea on increasing revenue streams by offering accessibility services and training programs. I think it is critical for the long-term success of ACB to find impactful avenues like this to continue to grow the organization.
At one of the general sessions, I very much enjoyed hearing from the gentleman from Trinidad and Tobago to learn about “blind culture” in that country. To me, it is astounding that they currently have at least some accessible currency there, yet we are still waiting in this country until hopefully 2026 for the $10 bill to become accessible. I was also quite impressed by the scholarship winners. Hearing what they have already achieved in their lives makes me wonder just how incredibly far they will go in the future. It also gives me hope for the future of ACB and the blind community in general if we can find ways to engage them in our organization.
I got to attend a few breakout sessions and walked away with some key takeaways. One session on self-advocacy in the workplace brought up several thought-provoking stories and ideas on situations some people have experienced at work, along with strategies to overcome some of these challenges. I learned that I have been relatively lucky in terms of support from my employers over the years, but I did walk away with some ideas on how to professionally advocate for myself should I encounter any challenges down the line. The session on emotional intelligence was quite interesting as well. The simple concept of listening to others closely really resonated with me. It’s so easy to get caught up in an interaction and subconsciously forget to actually listen to those around you, or only listen to what you want to hear.
For the DKM First-Timer reception, I was honored to get to perform a handful of songs. This included “Come Sail Away” from Styx, a nod to the theme of this year’s convention. It was great hearing from some longtime members of the organization about Durward McDaniel’s life and how powerful of an advocate he truly was. I still need to read the People of Vision book.
I experienced two pleasant surprises during the banquet which I was not able to attend in person. ACB Next Generation was presented with the Hollis K. Liggett Braille Free Press Award for our NextGen Insight newsletter. I proudly chair our Publications Committee and oversee the production of this newsletter, so it was quite an honor for our affiliate and committee to receive this national award. Plus, I thought Scott Thornhill did a tremendous job interviewing Judge Tatel. Not only was the judge’s story honest and inspiring (and his book is also on my list), but I thought Scott was quite effective with his conversational style of interacting with him. I seriously think Scott could be a fantastic podcaster or host of a show on ACB Media.
Somehow, it never fails that I go home from an ACB convention feeling empowered and motivated about the future. The same can be said for this year. Thank you to FCB for supporting my participation in this year’s convention.
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My first National Convention by Janeen Lea
First and foremost I want to thank the Florida Council of the Blind for the stipend to attend the American Council of the Blind national convention. It was my first in-person national convention and very educational. Next, to the members, I want to say you're welcome for my advocacy on your behalf, through multiple meetings, to advocate for Florida to provide stipends for my fellow members to attend national convention. At first it was voted no, and then we made it work, and then at this year's Florida Council of the Blind 2024 convention I brought the motion to the floor to ask for the stipend to continue for many many years, and I had a lot of support with the votes, so thank you so much. I am thankful to see democracy work.
I am very proud to have been involved with getting a blood drive at a national convention. They have had national conventions for 63 years and no one has had a blood drive ever. Even though we don't have working eyes, we as blind people can still have a vision and there's no sight required to give blood and save lives. Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who donated blood; I cannot thank you enough. Hopefully going forward American Council of the Blind and Florida Council of the Blind will continue in the effort to serve and help people survive with blood donations. I especially want to give a huge shout out to Haley with One Blood because we were so busy that we had to get an extra bus so it's great to have that relationship. I'm so excited to work with her in the future and for multiple events. I encourage everyone to donate blood whenever they can.
I'm going to talk about a few things that I really enjoyed during the convention and was grateful to have had the chance to receive and participate in. First, I loved getting a swag bag in person. When I'm virtual, I don't get one for DC leadership or for national. It was very very nice to finally receive a goody bag. For those of you who might not have known, it was a green grocery bag, with one side for veterans and the other side for American Council of the Blind. There were multiple Braille papers in there. I don't read Braille, so I can't tell you what they were but there were around five of them. There was a bag of pretzels and a Rice Krispie Treat. If you were lucky you got a piggy bank. There was a pair of Sony earbuds. There were two bags of peppermint tea donated by yours truly, and they were hand wipes and bags for ID tags. Some bags had squishy balls. They were all very random, and not all the same. Some of them even had a small pack of tissues. In any event, it was very nice to be able to get the headphones that were donated for American Council of the Blind members because I was in person.
Second, it was amazing and wonderful to meet people that I have been talking to virtually for multiple years and the camaraderie in person can't be beat. I'm such an introvert, so things got overwhelming for me at times but it was still nice to be able to meet people that I've been talking to and spend time with them and go to sessions with them.
I really enjoyed when we had role-playing of leaders. It was really great to talk about how to be an effective leader, and how to communicate, and how to work on things when committee members are not performing their duties, and how you can encourage them to do things, and how you can reach out to people and make them feel important.
I think in the future for stipend recipients or other first-time attendees of a national convention, I think our leadership of Florida Council of the Blind should do more. They should reach out and call and say hey how are you doing? Are you OK? Is there anything I can do for you? Since they are the governing board and governing body and supposed to be our mentors and teachers and leaders, I feel they should reach out and help members not to feel lonely, unwanted, unappreciated and lost. The same goes for American Council of the Blind. American Council of the Blind only focuses on seven people: the two DKM winners and the five JP Morgan Chase winners. The other 50 people in the room - it's like we don't matter. They wait three days before we even meet and then when you ask questions and ask for more support they say no we don't do that that's not something we do and shoot ideas down. Just a note for the future. Something to learn from, chew on, think about: be more supportive leaders, please. There are no guidelines to blindness. There are no guidelines to going to a national American Council of the Blind or Florida Council of the Blind statewide convention. A lot of leaders and members have been around for years and years and years and years, and they think that it is common sense how to act at a blind convention. It is not common sense how to act, how to figure things out, and how to do things at a blind convention. In this world we live in, there's not a manual of the rules and guidelines, and what to do. I was hoping being at a national convention, they would have more of a direction manual than our state. I personally reached out for help from certain leaders and did not get responses. I went to my treasurer and said I felt our leaders were not doing a good job at making us feel welcome, which is true if you are not on a tour and if you are not getting scholarships then there was no time for you and they didn't say hi to you and they didn't help you navigate a national convention. It's not about handholding. It's just checking on your members. I feel that our leadership did not do that with me; I'm only going to speak for myself and not other people but for me, I don't feel there was the support. And one of our leaders promised to do something and the time got away from them and did not follow through with it which is understandable. Also when going to a member of the board to express my concerns that member of the board mentioned it to someone and then one of our leaders said that I was attacking and trashing our leadership and I was not. Back to fact. The fact is the leaders were not available. They were not kind, considerate, or helpful like let me buy you a drink let me anything. To me that is not good leadership. I guess going to sighted conventions and being in sighted leadership is very different than the blind world.
It was very awesome to be in person during the democratic process to be able, even though it was not popular on the last day, to bring a motion to the floor on the mic. Previously on Zoom it's been very difficult to feel like you're part of the legislative process and to make a difference in a change, so I was very happy that I got to make a motion. Unfortunately, certain members of our leadership who were sitting next to me, kept telling me to be quiet and it wasn't important and the whole room was groaning much like at Florida Council of the Blind conventions because at the last minute they're running late and there's no time, but that is where the new business is for members to bring up concerns and motions to the floor for change. If I had not done that in the past for Florida Council of the Blind, we would not have an activities committee and we would not have the stipend we have for DC leadership. We also would not have the stipend that's going to go forever for national conventions in the future. I encourage every member to come up with ideas and make motions and implement change and growth for the better.
One cool thing that really happened to me as I went to the BITS (Blind Information Technology Specialists) mixer and I had raffle tickets and I was very lucky and won the $500 package with microphones and mixer and a recording board and all those things. I will be looking for a good home for that because I'm not so familiar on how to use those items and someone else has more technology skills than myself. LOL.
I enjoyed being able to go in the exhibit hall and feel Braille books and I got to walk a guide dog. I never thought that I would ever like walking by myself with a guide dog. I just have my friends who let me pet their dogs and this time I actually got to walk with the dogs so that was really really cool. I got to help some vendors do some things which was really really great. I miss trade shows and conventions in that capacity.
It was really really nice to be able to just go to dinner with friends and have casual chats. The hotel was fairly easy to maneuver as well. I learned so much going to this national convention. I appreciate Florida Council of the Blind giving me the stipend to attend. I'm not sure if I'll ever go again in the future, but it was good to have gone at least once.
In closing I'd like to say life is hard and life is tough. Everyone's going through something; you don't know what you don't know. You don't know what people are going through in their lives. I know sometimes it probably could be hard but it would be helpful to be kind and caring and just ask someone how they're doing and not assume that they're OK and that they know what they're doing because again everybody has grown up differently and understands different things and processes different ways. I believe in love and friendship to my core and making things better and accessible for everyone everywhere. I love being involved in nonprofits and sharing happiness. I know that my perkiness and outgoingness can come across different ways and people don't like it and that's their choice. I'm just me and at my core I'm very shy and introverted; I know you might not believe that but it's very very true. I am so grateful to the people who were kind at convention and inclusive. Thank you to those of you that were.
Thank you again for the stipend and letting me use what I advocated for during board meetings. It was nice to be picked as one of the six. I know that there were some that were not chosen for various reasons, and I was, so I do not take that for granted. Thank you to the stipend committee members that voted for me.
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My First Time: Julien's Journey to National! by Julien Clement
Being from Florida and it being just two months out from our FCB State Affiliate Convention, seeing that the National Conference & Convention would not just been here in Florida, but in the same city of Jacksonville which was a plus to me. It made all the sense in the world to take the journey to attend my very first ACB Convention. Arrangements were made and plans were all confirmed for the journey to Jacksonville. Due to my work schedule, I knew that I would arrive on Sunday July 7th just in time to attend the First timers workshop. However, those of us who are Blind and Low Vision understand the many nuances that occur during travel and with utilizing others to get us transported from place to place. In my case, it was a lengthy commute from South Florida to North Florida, but upon arriving at the hotel around 3am I was amazed at Hyatt premises. As one who works at a Luxury Hotel overnight, I like to call myself a self-identified Hotel Inspector. Taking in the interior views of the lobby, decor, rooms, amenities and most definitely the Customer Service was a plus with the added bonus of the Cafe that was open 24 hours. While observing it all, I was fascinated with the Hyatt Regency as I made comparisons of it to other hotels I've visited.
Early Monday morning I made my way to registration to check in as I pondered what an honor and a privilege it was to join my ACB & FCB family, associates and friends for my first National convention. I loved the check in setup, it was seamlessly easy and efficient for getting me all registered which was a plus. The staff and volunteers were very courteous, helpful and accommodating to assisting me to get a printed program, I was thankful even though I elected to get the electronic one. Let's just say that I was eager to get into the goodie bag because I was in the mood to enjoy a snack or two, but I never miss eating breakfast, so that had to be first.
Enthusiastic about what each day would bring of workshops, sessions, events and tours over the next few days made for an amazing and wonderful experience during the convention week. I was able to participate in the Ritz Museum Tour which was amazing. Actually being able to witness first hand and in person the voting process from nominations to contested elections to the affiliate roll call was explosive reality that every member should see and participate in. Enjoying the presenters and gazing upon a sea of members from all across the country as they're seated together in the daily general session was a sight to behold. The opportunity to truly grasp what ACB works hard to achieve in giving members a complete experience is one of the biggest concepts I was able to see in person. It was great to get a better understanding of how national convention is set up and put together. An associate of mine told me that the ACB Convention is like the state affiliate on steroids and WOW was that the truth. In the end, I had a wonderful experience for my first time. To the point that I've decided that I might do it again for a second time. Congratulations ACB for a job well done.
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My First National Convention by Ryan Mann
Since I attended my first convention of the American Council of the Blind, I would like to thank the Florida Council for awarding me a stipend to help me attend. In the past, I have attended conventions of the National Federation of the Blind. Below are my thoughts about the ACB convention.
The work shops were educational. The legislative seminars were educational because I learned about legislation that ACB and NFB are trying to get past and about court cases that have to do with blindness and other disabilities. Even though I am proficient with the JAWS screen reader and teach other people who are blind/visually impaired how to use it, I attended the hands-on JAWS training workshop. I was glad that I got a demonstration of an upcoming feature of JAWS 2025. This feature will allow JAWS users to ask questions to the upcoming JAWS assistant about how to perform tasks with JAWS. This feature will help me and the students I teach.
Besides the workshops, I enjoyed meeting people and the voting process. I had the pleasure of meeting the newly elected president of the Florida Council Mike Wiseman and hope to get to know him better in the future. I sometimes help people with computer and other technology issues over the phone. I got to meet two of these people in person. I liked the process for voting on resolutions and electing officers. Since people can vote either using their phone or computer, the ballot was secret, and people had plenty of time to make their choices. The only thing about the voting process that is not clear to me is why there needs to be both delegate and individual votes. Since people can vote individually whether they attend the convention or not, that the delegate vote is redundant.
I again thank the Florida Council of the Blind for awarding me the stipend to help me attend my first ACB convention.
Sincerely,
Ryan Mann
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Recipe Corner submitted by Sheila Young
Pasta Salad
1 pound pasta cooked and drained, (or less if you wish)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
Mix cooked pasta, celery, onion and cucumber.
Put in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
For the dressing, mix the ranch dressing, milk and mayonnaise.
Cover the bowl for the dressing and keep in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Mix the dressing with the salad and enjoy.
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Jottings From Jacksonville by Paul Edwards
LAWS
Laws, to put it simply, are rules that a country or a state or a town make that they expect to be obeyed. If laws are not obeyed, there are consequences or are supposed to be. Where disabled people are concerned and, frankly, where all other minorities are concerned we have only recently moved from the dark ages and, in some cases, we still aren't that far away from them.
At the time when the United States came into existence at least twenty percent of the population was property owned by someone else and as disposable as garbage! Fifty percent of the population (women) had very few rights. They couldn't vote. Their ability to own property was severely curtailed and, if they married, most of their rights and property reverted to their husbands. Perhaps five percent of the population could vote. The rest did not have the property right that allowed the ballot! No matter what our actual laws said, various religious denominations including Catholics and Jews were excluded from many of the privileges members of other more "acceptable" sects had.
We have come a very long way from that place but it has taken time and sacrifice and hard work and education to get us where we are. And where we are is a very imperfect place still!
Women were allowed to vote in 1919 but black people, particularly in the South and including women, had been disenfranchised after reconstruction. People with disabilities who qualified were not prevented from voting. They could not access voting places and couldn't vote independently or privately.
The point of all this discussion of other people is that people with disabilities are by no means the only group who have been egregiously discriminated against. Indeed huge portions of the population of this country have lived under laws that themselves limited their rights as compared to other parts of the population. We are, in my opinion, at a place where we are moving slowly closer and closer to a society that values everyone and treats most people equitably. In many ways the population that is still farthest behind are people with disabilities.
I have said in other articles that laws permitted the sterilization of women with disabilities. There were laws on the books in Florida until 1979 that made it illegal for a person who is blind to walk alone. People breaking this law could be arrested for vagrancy. This did not happen very often but the law is still obnoxious.
There were not a lot of laws until fairly recently that specifically included people with disabilities. After all, those folks were sick. Maybe you would write laws that would prevent them from being mistreated. But the expectation was that blind people would be taken care of by their families. For the most part they would be seen as little as possible and heard not at all. One of the purposes of "sheltered" work shops was to create a place where blind people could be taken where they would be out of the way, useful and could enjoy the company of other blind people.
It is important to recognize that the first comprehensive law to guarantee limiting discrimination did not include people with disabilities. This was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It did a lot to make certain that groups who had previously been disadvantaged or excluded would be treated better. In 1968 a law was passed that began the process of removing barriers that made it impossible for people with physical disabilities to access Federal buildings. It also led to the creation of an entity responsible for developing rules for disability access to Federal facilities called the Access Board.
With this one very minor exception, people with disabilities had to wait till
1973 when section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act was passed. It essentially said that programs that were receiving Federal funds had to provide accommodations for people with disabilities or risk losing Federal funding. It was a tiny little section of 46 words in a pretty obscure law about how disabled people should be rehabilitated. It had major ramifications though. It took five years to get regulations promulgated to implement the law for some agencies and another five to get people to understand what they had won and what had to be provided.
Lots of places received Federal funds. There was financial aid at colleges. There were programs in towns and cities and in states. Suddenly a society that had been pretty comfortable about excluding people with disabilities from many, if not most programs was told it had to change!
This law led to the creation of disabled student Services departments at colleges and universities. It led to the creation of complementary paratransit systems in cities where bus service existed. Perhaps most importantly the law, for the first time, suggested to people who were blind that they had rights. They were limited but suddenly, for the first time, people with disabilities were getting access to services that they had a right to expect. The extent of these services was limited. Only if Federal funds were involved could services be expected to change. There were lots of people at the Federal, state and local levels who truly didn't feel comfortable with this new era. Suddenly people with disabilities were coming out of the woodwork and expecting things. Lots of folks didn't know how to treat these people. Suddenly institutions were being asked to spend money on ramps and lifts and specially equipped buses and lots of other stuff to make it possible for folks with disabilities to be included in programs that received dollars from Uncle Sam!
During the 1980s it became clear that folks with disabilities were recognizing that section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act had begun to create opportunities for people with disabilities but these were only available where Federal dollars were involved. Suddenly people realized that the civil rights that others had did not apply to people with disabilities as a class. If Federal funds triggered services, shouldn't those services be available elsewhere too? People couldn't expect services from stores or offices that were private. People couldn't expect to get into restaurants or be able to go to a ball game or identify the hotel room they were staying in. The longer people looked at the Rehab Act the more they realized just how limited it was.
In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. It extended the civil rights protections available in the 1964 Act to people with disabilities. The laws were very different, though. There was no affirmative action built into the Americans with Disabilities Act and the regulations, when they came out, were written carefully so as to assure that the implementation of the ADA would be gradual and careful. In a way this was appropriate. There was insufficient information about what the needs of different groups might be. How high should counters be? How wide should doorways be? At what height should braille signs be placed? During the generation since the ADA was passed, we have seen lots of changes for the better. The first section of the ADA deals with employment. Section two concerns state and local government. The third section deals with private entities like stores and offices. Section four concerns the creation of relay services and the fifth part of the ADA covers odds and ends that didn't fit elsewhere and spends a lot of time saying what the ADA doesn't cover.
As with the Rehab Act, regulations have had to be written. Part of the problem with the ADA is that the world in which it was passed is very different from the world we live in now. The internet didn't exist. So online shopping wasn't a reality. Nor was the huge quantity of information now online available then. So these elements weren't a part of the ADA. At the same time as technology is creating huge new possibilities for people with disabilities, we have entered a period where passing laws at the state or the Federal level is getting harder and harder. We also may be at a place where people who are blind are considered just another minority who is perceived as expecting that money will be spent to protect it! There is certainly a feeling that governments should spend less on minorities. Many lawmakers want to provide less assistance rather than more. Nevertheless this year rules were released by the Department of Justice that make clear that states and cities have obligations regarding the internet that must be met and that were not clearly spelled out in the past.
In 1936 the Federal government passed the law that created the vending program. In Florida in 1973 the Little Randolph-Sheppard Act was passed that extended the law so it would apply better to state and local buildings and would allow facilities to be set up in private businesses as well.
As early as the 1940s White Cane Laws were being encouraged by Lions International and Florida passed a fairly typical version. Those laws created recognition that the white cane and later guide dogs afforded people who are blind protection when crossing streets. There is some question as to whether we should look at amending that law.
I have talked about other laws in other articles which created services for people who are blind in Florida. We have passed laws aimed at protecting access to braille for children in school, protecting the rights of users of guide dogs and creating elements like the Blind Services Foundation and the Florida Rehabilitation Council for the Blind. There are lots of other laws passed at the state and local level that have impact on people who are blind. For the purposes of this article, there is just one more law we need to look at.
There are some parallels between Civil Rights acts and voting rights acts in that the 1965 Voting Rights Act did not include anything meaningful for people with disabilities. It did however make clear that everybody had the right to vote and that there shouldn't be laws or regulations that inhibited access to the ballot. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that voting for people with disabilities was taken seriously. By 2002 Florida was recovering from its embarrassment over hanging chads and was open to making changes in their voting approach that, for the first time, authorized accessible voting machines in every precinct. Missing funds from HAVA (Help America Vote Act) and state and local dollars, by 2004 Florida actually had accessible machines in every precinct. A lot of work went into making that happen and FCB was at the center of that process. We did not manage to maintain this high-water mark for long. In 2008 it was decided that most of the voting machines that had been adopted earlier in the decade were illegal. They did not allow for a storable paper ballot and were therefore no longer allowed to be used by anybody but the population of people with disabilities.
Essentially, the only way we could vote privately and independently was on machines that nobody else was allowed to use. Gradually these machines have been replaced at the county level by devices which can produce paper ballots.
In 2018 both the FCB and NFBF became part of a law suit aimed to make accessible mail ballots a part of the voting landscape. We won the suit but most would agree we lost the war. Five counties were required to make accessible mail ballots available for the 2020 elections. Very little effort was made to publicize this process and then it was claimed that nobody wanted to use the system. Currently people must print the ballot and return it in an envelope. In other states ballots can be returned right from the computer without the need for an envelope. The envelope needs signatures and other elements that most people who are blind can't easily handle. This is a clear example of a law that still needs lots of work!
There is still a lot of work that is needed to assure that people who are blind are fully included in Florida. We have come a long way, though. Half a century ago there were virtually no laws that gave blind people rights in our society. There is much more to do but we should be proud of all that people who are blind have accomplished. We are people and society knows it!
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The Light Chronicles: In Plain Sight by Cachet Wells
Uneasily found, yet so easily visible in everyone's view. It's like walking boldly into uncharted terrain that is often times missed at first glance. Refreshing like the slow brewing of coffee that fills the morning air as your cup runneth over. It's the light off in the distance as the sun begins to rise above the clouds. It's the fixated stance of confidence that resembles the moon as it shines unwavering across the night's sky and bounces off the water’s edge.
The birthing of a blueprint of aspiration that seeks to yield itself unto its own purpose. The critical design and development of knowledge, skills and driven motivation to have a relevant exchange of balance through the following and guiding oneself and others. An interesting innate consequence of our birthright to find its proper place of harmony and passion to effectively manage, lead and achieve their ultimate greatness that is often overlooked. In hindsight, it is beautifully camouflaged in its own unique uniformity which cause it to be hidden in plain sight. Directed by the beat of their own drum and influentially marching with zeal as to stay the daily course. To impact abundantly and inspire at all cost those who are kindred, neighbors and community, all while they're building a confident empire of influence. Beholding the battle scars that one has to endure that are always craftly hidden from sight. Giving prominence to the lessons they quietly learn with grace under the resilient tutelage of those you've studied from afar. Skillfully leading as one that boast not in their own glory, but in the one above whom sent you. Brightly shining in a manner that doesn't have to dim the light of no one else to feel it can brightly shine alone. Hidden in plain sight are the soles of authority that are always hitting the ground running towards collaborative progress. Avoiding vices that don't allow their words and actions to align accordingly. Leading the way in truth of heart and stands of choice to know that all good champions begin and end with having the compassion for all humanity. Facing the undeniable truth that we don't have to all agree, but we must embody enough integrity to listen an seek to understand one another. In plain sight, sitting there for all to see is the virtue and value of those who are born through adversity and created by destiny to lead in such a time as this to be seen as a great leader, hidden in plain sight and a gem to those who choose to embrace their beautiful strength as they evolve in the next impactful and effective leader.
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Chapter News
GOCB Update by Martha James
The summer was a very busy one for GOCB, with two conventions in Jacksonville. First was the FCB state convention, and this was followed by the ACB national convention.
Despite a looming tropical storm, the August cookout went on as planned. There were 20 members in attendance. The food was great and the company was even better! Thank you to our members, Alicia and Rick, for opening their home to us!
In September, we will get back to business, with our regular monthly meetings. There will, undoubtedly, be much on the agenda.
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Float-a-thon by Alicia Eidson
Are you looking for a fun and easy fundraiser? While the summer is hot and you want to stay cool, how about a Float-a-thon? Recently, the Southwest Florida Council of the Blind chapter raised about $4,000 through this unique event. Member Doreen King felt this was a way she could give back and do something easy. She floated for approximately 7 hours at 10 cents a minute. If she can do it, so can you!
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Tech Tips by John Richards
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Why is This Off of The Shelf wearable Beneficial to blind people?
The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses connects to your smart phone via Bluetooth and uses the Meta View app to setup the smart glasses. Make calls and send messages with voice commands; use Meta AI in conjunction with the camera to describe your surroundings. In addition, you can ask Meta Ai to identify and further describe objects you hold in front of the camera. These smart glasses have an ultra-wide 12MP camera and five-mic system along with ENHANCED OPEN-EAR AUDIO speakers. The camera will take individual photos or short video clips. The battery life last four hours, however, frequent video clips, snap shots and constant monitoring of Meta AI will significantly drain the battery. The included case offers eight additional charges. The camera is located on the upper left front edge and the power switch is located on the left inside arm of the glasses. The shutter switch and navigational touch pad is located on the right arm.
While observing demonstrations and descriptions from blind individuals, despite the battery life, the AI interaction and portability is what makes these smart glasses beneficial as a viable choice. I am sure that in the near future, other manufacturers will introduce similar items in the same price range. As of the time of this writing, these smart glasses sell for as low as $299 on Amazon and other retail web sites.
The style and color of frames and lenses will vary and ultimately determine the asking price.
Most of the time, I have written these articles without interjecting personal bias; however, in the future, I will make an unrefined fashion statement and most likely purchase without compromising operating features, the cheapest and ugliest pair.
Below are links to demonstrations and descriptions in greater detail by blind individuals of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. These pages contain "play buttons."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1Cuu_RsY0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zve74jtas87csir6jaq9q/Meta-glasses-tutori...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9d8JnnED5I
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Poetry Corner submitted by Shelley Sawyer
Richard, this one's for you.
Massachusetts
Written and performed by Aaron Lewis.
I sit here on the stairs and listen to
The night time as the daylight fades away;
It's such a haunting and familiar tune,
When I hear it in the distance I can say.
That I'm home, in Massachusetts,
Where my daughters and my wife they wait for me,
All alone, but the truth is,
It's where I always am, it's where I long to be,
Because I'm home.
The North Shore is where my father lives,
I wear my Red Sox hat around the world with pride.
But the Berkshires are where my heart is,
And when I see them in the distance I could cry.
Nyla started pre-school, and Indie just turned two,
And Zoe's just the perfect mix of me and you.
They keep getting older, and time keeps going by,
To think about it makes your daddy wanna cry.
So I just passed the sign that welcomes me to Worthington ,
Established long before this country came to be.
A place that hasn’t really changed with time,
The way this country that I love, it used to be.
Because I'm home, in Massachusetts,
Where my hero teaches classes everyday.
Where my friends, don't treat me different,
It's where my family is, it's where I'll always stay
Because I'm home.
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FCB OFFICERS, 2024 – 2026
President, Mikey Wiseman
Miami, president@fcb.org (305) 331-4870
1st Vice-President, Cassandra Jessie
Tallahassee, vp1@fcb.org (850) 567-4288
2nd Vice President, Shelley Sawyer
Tallahassee, vp2@fcb.org (407) 403-2099
Treasurer, Mark Lear
P.O. BOX 214235
DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32121
treasurer@fcb.org (386) 788-0463
Membership Secretary, and White Cane Bulletin Editor, Sally Benjamin
Tallahassee, (850) 980-0205
Membership Email: membership@fcb.org
White Cane Bulletin Email: editor@fcb.org
Recording Secretary, Elizabeth Bowden
Tallahassee, recordingsec@fcb.org (850) 345-0822
Immediate Past President, Sheila Young
Orlando, sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200
FCB Administrative Assistant, Kati Lear
(800) 267-4448 (386) 763-3836 floridacouncil@comcast.net
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2024-2026 FCB Chapter & Special Affiliate Officer Liaisons
Please contact your officer liaison if we can be of assistance or if you need anything from the Executive Committee.
CALM (Chapter At Large Members) Mikey Wiseman
president@fcb.org
(305) 331-4870
Greater Orlando Council of the Blind: Mark Lear
treasurer@fcb.org
(386) 788-0463
Halifax Council of the Blind: Sheila Young
sheilayoung125@att.net
(407) 425-9200
Jacksonville Council of the Blind: Cassandra Jessie
vp1@fcb.org
(850) 567-4288
Manatee County Council of the Blind: Sally Benjamin
membership@fcb.org
(850) 980-0205
Miami Beach Council of the Blind: Mikey Wiseman
president@fcb.org
(305) 331-4870
Miami Metro Council of the Blind: Mikey Wiseman
president@fcb.org
(305) 331-4870
Northwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Council of the Blind: Elizabeth Bowden
recordingsec@fcb.org
(850) 345-0822
Palm Beach Council of the Blind: Cassandra Jessie
vp1@fcb.org
(850) 567-4288
Pinellas Council of the Blind: Sheila Young
sheilayoung125@att.net
(407) 425-9200
Sarasota Council of the Blind: Shelley Sawyer
vp2@fcb.org
(407) 403-2099
Southwest Florida Council of the Blind: Elizabeth Bowden
recordingsec@fcb.org
(850) 345-0822
Tallahassee Council of the Blind: Sheila Young
sheilayoung125@att.net
(407) 425-9200
Tampa Council of the Blind: Cassandra Jessie
vp1@fcb.org
(850) 567-4288
Braille Revival League of Florida: Shelley Sawyer
vp2@fcb.org
(407) 403-2099
Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind: Elizabeth Bowden
recordingsec@fcb.org
(850) 345-0822
Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision International: Cassandra Jessie
vp1@fcb.org
(850) 567-4288
Guide Dog Users of Florida: Shelley Sawyer
vp2@fcb.org
(407) 403-2099
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Handy Telephone Number References
Project Insight: (800) 267-4448
Bureau of Braille & Talking Book Library: (800) 226-6075
Division of Blind Services, State Office: (800) 342-1828
American Council of The Blind: (800) 424-8666
(Available 3:00 to 5:30 P.M. EST Monday-Friday only)
ACB Legislative Hotline: (800) 424-8666
(Available evenings 8:00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight EST
and weekends 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. only)
AT&T Disability Services: (800) 872-3883
(Press 00 and speak with your long-distance carrier,
or Florida only: (800) 982-2891)
BellSouth Disability Services: (800) 982-2891
(From anywhere)
Social Security: (800) 772-1213
(24-hour voice and touch tone accessibility)