THE STYLUS 2019-3 SEPTEMBER ISSUE

THE STYLUS

2019-3

SEPTEMBER ISSUE 

The official quarterly publication of the

American Council of the Blind of Oregon.

James Edwards, President, ACB of O

Phone: (541) 404-8214

Email: jamese.acbo@gmail.com

For more information about the American Council of the Blind of Oregon, go to our web page at: http://www.acboforegon.org

A Word from Our President

Here we are, the beginning of September, summer is going, and next month we will be gathered together for our annual convention. We should have a very exciting convention this year, not only because of the programs the Willamette chapter convention committee has put together, but also because this year is an election year for your executive board officers.

    This will be the first time in twenty years of being a member of ACBO that I will not be running for a position on the board of directors. Although I have had the honor and privilege of serving as your president for the last eight consecutive years, I truly believe it is time for a change in leadership. Serving in the position of president is a very challenging, yet very rewarding job. The challenges are in motivating people, serious commitment to the job, keeping your passion for your beliefs in what we’re trying to accomplish, communicating and delegating. There are times one must make decisions that you feel is best for the organization, even though it may not be the decision others may want or expect you to make. But the rewards are numerous, gaining the respect of others, always learning and gaining knowledge, meeting people you wouldn’t have met otherwise, and learning you can step outside your comfort zone, get involved with others, and experience the good feeling of accomplishment when you have been a part of doing something for the good of others.

     For sure, I’ll miss being in the position, but it will be interesting to see where we’ll go from here, and I know it will be in a forward moving direction. And, I’ll still be involved on the board as immediate past president, so I’ll still be around.

     Last January, Bobi Earp, of the Metro PDX chapter, proposed a revision of our state bylaws, mostly changing the format to make them easier to read and understand, and in the process she and Joan Hill found some instances where the context and wording were inconsistent and needed to be changed. We’ll be submitting the changes to the membership at our Sunday business meeting. We’re trying to get them into everyone’s hands prior to the session so you can review the proposed changes and be prepared for the discussions.

      We now have a facebook page that allows discussion on any topic you wish to talk about. Using your facebook search bar, find ACB of Oregon, click on the join button, and start talking. There are currently 35 members in the group. I really would like to see that number reach a thousand or more, and it is easily doable, just join and invite all your friends to join.

     I was introduced to Congressman Peter DeFazio last week at a town hall meeting in Coos Bay. Although I was introduced as the Mayor of Lakeside, I couldn’t resist reminding him I had met him previously four years ago in his office in D.C. while advocating for issues concerning the blind community. Taking advantage of every opportunity, that’s what we do!

     I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Salem at our convention. Fill out your registration forms, send them to Sue Schwab, make your hotel reservation, and come and have a good time!

James Edwards, President

Important info about the Convention

This years convention is shaping up to be an exciting one for a couple of reasons. Not only because of the great program the convention committee has put together, but also this year we are voting on the officers, plus the bylaws have a number of changes we need to take a look at.

Below are the bios of several people who have already declared their intention to run for office. Please read them so you have a better idea about who is running and who you might want to vote for.

Also in a separate document after the Stylus, is a list of the bylaw changes and a copy of the proposed bylaws themselves. There won’t be time to read them, three times, in their entirety at the convention so they are being included in this mailing to provide an opportunity to have a look ahead of time.

There is also a copy up on the state website for your reading pleasure as well.

www.acboforegon.org

Convention Info

If for some crazy reason you haven’t received convention registration and hotel info yet, contact Sue Schwab at

Sueschwab00@hotmail.com

Or call her at

Phone: 503-871-6175

Registration paperwork can be emailed and needs to be in by September 15th to avoid the late fee.

Registration is $50 and registering late it is $75.

You can send a check, but you can also pay online. For on-line payment click on http://acboforegon.org/ then click the link for ACB of O Convention and follow the page to the PayPal button for payment.

Hotel reservations must be made by September 27th in order to get the ACBO convention rates. Be sure to let the hotel know you are with ACBO. You may need to say the entire name and not use the letters; in the past I have found that sometimes this confuses the reservation person.

Holiday Inn Salem

Phone: 503-370-7888

Hope to see you there, Teresa☺

Front and Center, Campaign 2019

As some of you may be aware and some not, if not, you’re ok too, we alternate voting for officers and district representative positions on the state board. In odd years we vote for officers and during even years we vote for the district reps. This being an odd year, yes a very odd year in deed, we are voting for the officers. The positions up for grabs this year are: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.

The process of becoming a candidate works like this. If someone wants to run for an office and knows this before the convention, there is a nominating committee, one person from each district. I will give their contact info down farther. The interested person needs to let the nominating committee know they are interested in running for a particular position and the committee will add their name to the slate. This will be read several times during the convention.

People can nominate an individual from the floor at the time of the election during the business meeting on Sunday morning. It is customary and a good idea to have someone speak on behalf of the person being nominated from the floor.

Offices will be effective as of January 1st, 2019 and and the new officers will take their new positions at the January board meeting.

Nominating Committee Members:

Steve Fort, District 1, P971-254-9979

eMail, stevefort6215@gmail.com

Michael Babcock, District 2, P541-435-5568

eMail, michael@yourownpay.com

Judene Weymouth, District 3, P541-580-5352

eMail, azaleasula@gmail.com

The candidates who have declared at this point have submitted short bios for your consideration.

For President

Carrie Muth – Presidential Candidate

This October, I am running for the ACBO President position at the convention. I am committed to helping blind & visually impaired Oregonians to live life to the fullest. I strongly believe that we can live full, rewarding lives and make a positive difference in both our local communities & our state.

As a teenager, I remember the Southwestern Chapter inviting me to their Christmas parties. During college, I received scholarships from the local chapter & state.  In 1994, I moved home to Coos Bay from Portland & wanted to be a part of ACBO. Choosing to be a part of ACBO has provided me opportunities to grow & meet some amazing role models.

To me, being part of an organization means being active. Locally, I have served as Vice-President, Treasurer, & am current President. Statewide, I have served as District Representative several terms and am the current District 2 Rep. I have enjoyed many conventions and have had the privilege of working on some great convention committees. This year I have been serving on the Policy Committee, Convention Committee, & Finance Committee. Being a member of ACBO has given me valuable leadership skills that I am eager to utilize for our organization.

During the Leadership Training for ACBO in January 2019, Steve Fixtell stated that leaders are not born; they are trained. My education & work history have “trained” me for the presidency of ACBO. I have an Associate’s Degree in Computer Information Systems, a Bachelor’s in Business Management, & went half-way through a Master’s in Business Administration. I have been a vendor with the Oregon Commission for the Blind for over 20years; teaching others blind skills to regain independence & work skills. Since February 2016, I have worked as a job developer helping people with many different disabilities find employment in their community. My work history & education in business have been “training” me for a leadership role in ACBO.

My life is very full with work & family. I have 4 amazing children of which many of you have watched grow up over the years. They are productive adults who show compassion for those of us with vision loss. They have attended conventions, state board meetings, & volunteered to do a wide variety of tasks over the years for both the Southwestern Chapter & ACBO. I feel very fortunate that these young people have been able to see productive people with vision loss; thanks to members of ACBO, they know that we are not limited by our vision loss. Our children, and grandchildren, see us as productive members of our community.

ACBO has the power to help change lives of Oregonians who are experiencing vision loss. I have been “training” for the role of ACBO President throughout my life. If elected, I will do my best as Your President.

For First Vice-President

Sue Staley for First Vice-President

A bit  about myself.  I have actively participated in activities in the American Council of the Blind for more than 40 years (boy does that tell you my age).

During this tenure, I have gained much knowledge and have had many wonderful experiences and personal growth in my life and made many lifelong friends.

I have held chapter offices in three states, California, Colorado, and Oregon. Then, having the opportunity to be the First vice-president and District One Representative and serve under the leadership of President James Edwards. I have also had the pleasure of working on many committees.

The last year has been a tough road for my family, but despite my many obligations I have managed taking on the task as President of the Pioneer Chapter in Portland.

I am proud to say that this chapter has a long history in Portland, and I am enjoying working with the members to revitalize the chapter.

Our chapter has gained membership this year and we are currently writing a brochure to promote membership for senior citizens. There is much work to do in this area. We are also planning several fund-raising events in the near future. Over the past three years, I have advocated for blind people, especially  in the area of hospital and medical facilities. There is still a lot of work to be done before access to hospitals and clinics and related care is truly accessible.

I strongly believe that advocating and educating consumers everyday is the key to success for the future well being of blind and visually impaired persons   .

As you can see by my past experience, even though I have not recently been serving in a visible way, I have diligently continued to quietly work behind the scenes to make life better for the blind of Oregon and beyond. 

I look forward to being the right hand person for our new president.

Pat Wallace for First Vice-president

Currently

I moved to Portland from Arazona in January 2013 and have attended every state convention and all state board meetings since then so have stayed abreast of ACBO’s activities. I have served on the advocacy, fundraising and legislative committees. I assisted with Script talk legislation and also gave a live demonstration of the ScriptTalk equipment which was well received by the legislators.

Because I believe in accessible medication labeling I am an invision america ambassador for Script Talk.

Currently I serve on the Metro PDX board plus am on the Pedestrian Safety Committee. We have joined forces with several other organizations concerned with pedestrian safety and formed a coalition. I also am the chair of the state membership committee.

As membership chair, my goal over the next two years is to increase our membership by fifty to seventy-five members by promoting ACBO by increasing our visibility state wide. Currently I’m a member of Metro PDX chapter and was simultaneously a member of the Multnomah chapter. When I lived in Klamath Falls twenty years ago, I was an ACBO member.

In the past

For most of my life, I have lived in various towns in Washington state.

I have started and owned several businesses including: an auto parts business when I was 16, two thrift stores, buying and selling contents of storage units and an eBay store.

I started and was the president of a non-profit support group for visually impaired seniors that grew to over forty-five members. The group created an extensive equipment lending library of which, I was very proud.

I worked for two years as a job developer for workman comp cases in Washington state

I have been a member of several Lions Clubs and most recently was the president of the Portland Centennial Lions Club. I was able to accomplish all this while raising a family of four children and am now the proud grandfather of six grandchildren.

Skills and qualities

Because of my wide range of experiences and having to do considerable problem solving, I bring skills to the table that would greatly assist the board in furthering the mission of ACBO.

I support blind people whenever possible to go for their dreams. I focus on being a team player and am able to delegate when needed. I am willing to listen to people and their concerns and assist with problem solving.

As First Vice-president, I will be able to utilize my skills on behalf of ACBO. I’m eager to serve and support the new president in whatever way possible.

I look forward to talking with you at the convention and hearing your concerns.

For Second VicePresident

Darian Slayton Fleming for Second Vice-president

Hello my fellow ACB of Oregon Members. I am writing to declare my intention to run for second vice-president of ACB of Oregon in the 2019 elections.

I have been involved in the American Council of the Blind since 1975 when I was part of forming Oregon’s first student chapter, along with Kim and Brian Charlson. I have been attending national ACB conferences since 1979.

In early 2000 I joined the Multnomah Chapter and was president for two terms. During that time, I also accepted the role of editor of “The Stylus”. I have served on ACB National’s Resolutions Committee and as program director and president of the ACB Human Service Professionals organization while it existed. More recently, I was part of founding the Metro PDX Chapter of tee ACB of Oregon and served as president for three terms. Our membership grew immensely while I was president, and Metro PDX continues to be very active in advocating for the rights of people in Portland who are blind. I am in my fourth term as secretary of the ACB of Oregon. During my terms, I have assisted President James Edwards with preparing for meetings and follow-up with work planned. I have been successful in obtaining sponsors for our conventions that have significantly helped offset our costs. In 2018 I received the J. P. Morgan Chase Leadership Fellow Award which introduced me to new and younger organizational leaders and gave me ideas and encouragement for the future.

I have enjoyed serving ACB of Oregon in the secretarial role. It is time for me to focus my efforts on other important aspects of supporting ACB of Oregon. In the role of second vice-president, I will have more time to address much needed committee work, serve in my appointed position on the Talking Book and Braille Library Advisory Board and attend to advocacy projects. I appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to continued work with the ACB of Oregon.

For State Secretary

Bobi Earp for ACBO State Secretary

My first ACB of Oregon State Convention was in 2018, in which I was on the Door Prize Committee.  I have been the Secretary for Metro PDX for the past three years, and maintain and update the Metro PDX website. 

I helped update the Metro PDX Bylaws 5 years ago, and have worked on updating the State Bylaws this year with Joan Hill, Leonard Kokel, and James Edwards.

I have been Secretary of several other organizations and feel I have most of the expertise necessary to do this job.  I use a Bluetooth keyboard with my iPhone, along with a Victor Reader.  I feel my weakness is that I do not have the voices of all the individuals in the group memorized yet!

I have enjoyed getting to know some of the ACB of Oregon members this past year, and look forward to working more closely with all of you!

My other interests include volunteering at a K-8 school teaching letters, phonics and reading to K-4th graders.  Before that I volunteered for 12 years cooking for about 150 homeless folks every day at The Downtown Chapel.  I loved the difference in cooking for such a large number compared to just myself.

I started a GDB Alumni Chapter in Portland 6 years ago, shortly after receiving my first guide dog, and we continue to meet monthly!  I am active in several Low Vision support groups, have 2 grandsons, and love living in the Portland area.

I have the background that has given me the skills to be your state secretary and would love to serve.

Legos – I can hardly wait to play

August 2019

By Carrie Muth

Lego’s audio & Braille building instructions – AND Braille Legos too

I have had a lot of fun over the years building with Lego’s; first with my brother (as a girl, I didn’t have Lego’s), as a Mom enjoying quality time with my kids, and now as a Grandma who enjoys listening to my adorable almost 7-year-old twin granddaughters putting their imaginations to work. Previously, sighted people had to help my kids learn to use the instructions to create some of the elaborate creations, but now there is a better alternative.

According to the website article listed below, Matthew Shifrin, a 22-year-old who was born blind, has developed audio & Braille Lego instructions. Lego has teamed up with him to make these instructions available to all of us.  “Lego’s goal is to develop braille and audio instructions for all their sets and in more languages besides English, says Fenella Blaize Charity, Lego’s creative director. “

       You can find out more information by reading the following article “Lego launches new feature to make building sets accessible to blind children” at https://mashable.com/article/lego-instructions-for-the-blind/

Other exciting news — Lego will soon be offering a set of Braille Lego’s. You can read more about it at: https://www.scarymommy.com/lego-braille-building-bricks-visually-impaired-kids/

When the Braille Legos are available, this blind Grandma plans to play; I enjoy exposing people to new things, so, don’t be surprised if we play with Legos at a chapter meeting ☺

Assisted Tours – A Summery

By Christie Joachim

This Spring I was fortunate to go on an assisted tour to Iceland and Scandinavia.  I learned about this tour company from Blindskills, a support group in Salem.

Assisted travel is designed to support the blind and visually impaired traveler with all areas that make the trip enjoyable and safe.

Your guide is trained and gives you the assistance you need.  They do what you want and go where you choose to go.

In addition, you are assisted in the airport, with your luggage, in passport control, boarding the ship, should you be sailing.

I had a wonderful trip and did things I wouldn’t have been able to do had I not had a trained assistant.  Also, I got to know other travelers who had traveled widely and learned things that will help me in the future. It was so good to be among accomplished people who had the same needs as myself.

If you are interested in learning more about this type of travel, I will be giving more details at our convention in October.  Hope to see you there.

Hull Park News

By Carrie Muth

Hull Foundation for those with Blindness & Low Vision is the new name for the Hull Park Retreat Center. New name, but still dedicated to providing opportunities to those of us with vision loss.

I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as the ACBO Representative on the Board of Directors; however, my term is soon over. I encourage any interested ACBO members to contact me. I can be reached by email, carrie.muth@gmail.com, or by phone, 541-269-1993.

Upcoming Hull Park Events:

September 4 – Lunch Bunch Gathering at IHop Restaurant

October 2 – Lunch Bunch Gathering at IHop Restaurant

October 8 – 10 – Introduction to Living with Vision Loss

October 15 – National White Cane Appreciation Day

October 22 – 25 – Monster Mash Event- Hull Park

November 6 – Lunch Bunch Gathering at IHop Restaurant

November 6 – 16 – Mexico Vision and Health Clinic

November 20 – 22 – Getting Ready for the Holidays

December 4 – Lunch Bunch Gathering at IHop Restaurant

December 10 – 13 Winter Holiday Getaway – Hull Park

For more information, please call 503-668-6195

Have you heard?

Walmart Announces Nationwide Rollout of ScripTalk Service

Walmart has officially announced the nationwide rollout of ScripTalk audible prescription labels as a free service for their low vision, blind and print impaired pharmacy customers.  This expansion of services means all pharmacists and locations should now be aware of the service which will make requesting the service at any Walmart location a lot easier!!

No forms to fill out, no proof of vision loss necessary: just tell the pharmacist you have trouble reading your prescriptions and would like ScripTalk labels added.

Help Us Spread This Life-Saving News By:

Emailing the links to family, friends, organizations and service groups;

Posting to your social media pages and encouraging your friends to share;

Sharing the links with your local media, encouraging them to do an article;

Hashtag everyone and anyone who you think will benefit from this service; and

Hashtag us so we can follow and share your successes!  #ScripTalk

A Different Kind of Vision:  Why We’re Working to Make Prescription Labels more Accessible

Sharla Glass

En-Vision America

Public Policy and Community Outreach Liaison

When Technology Fails (OK, & memory too)

By Carrie Muth

In early August, I was camping with my twin granddaughters (almost 7); it was a Church Family Camp with a potluck.  Prior to the camp trip, I asked the girls what we should bring to the potluck; of course, they requested orange fluff (they did not want strawberry fluff since one of their Sunday School friends is allergic to strawberries).  Anyway, I made sure to have the ingredients & I knew the recipe was in my email – no problem.

Well, I get ready to make the delicious fluff, only to get an error message in my email because the message was not downloaded from the server (I often camp where there is no service for my phone). I proceeded to make the fluff from memory; however, memory can fail. Failed technology, failed memory – instead of orange fluff, we had orange soup – still delicious, but soupy.

Orange Fluff

Mix together 1 Large box of Orange Jell-O (6 oz.) & 1 large carton of cottage cheese (24 oz.)

Add 2 small cans of mandarin oranges (11 oz. cans with half the liquid)

Mix in 1 large container of whipped topping (16 oz.)

Refrigerate or serve immediately.

** Be sure to only use half the liquid from the mandarin oranges, or you’ll end up with Orange Fluff Soup too

There are several versions of “Fluff” recipes online. Many include mini-Marshmallows, but I find that extra sweet.

Moral of the story – keep a Braille copy of the recipe in the trailer; of course, don’t let the cans of mandarin oranges smash the Braille

Enjoy ☺

Willamette Chapter Summer Activities

John Hammill, President

Willamette Chapter has a shortened meeting schedule during the summer months.

We had a regular meeting in June, at which we started preparations for hosting the ACB of Oregon state convention in October. The convention committee consists of James Edwards, state president, Carrie Muth of the Southwestern Chapter (Coos Bay), and three members of the Willamette Chapter. The registration packet is just about ready for release; the detailed program will follow in a few weeks.

We also talked about forming a Special Interest Group (SIG) for college-age blind people. One of our members, Reuben Flores-Hernandez, has just completed his first year at Corbin College just outside Salem, and is interested in getting together with other blind Oregonians of his age. That’s entirely appropriate; most Willamette Chapter members are baby boomers with a scattering of younger people. We came to the conclusion that the Salem-Keizer area probably doesn’t have enough young blind people to go it alone, so we’re in the process of transferring the college-age SIG to the state level. On that score, if you know of any college-age people with low vision, pass their contact information on to Pat Wallace, state Membership Committee chair.

In July we had our traditional Summer Picnic and Penny Auction instead of a regular meeting. We had a good time and made a couple of hundred dollars for the chapter at the auction. Attendance was down substantially this year; Willamette Chapter had three deaths since our last Summer Picnic. That’s a pretty high percentage for us. We’re looking forward to growth and more participation for next year.

Also in July Willamette Chapter had its annual Garage Sale fundraiser. We’ve had good results the last couple of years; this year we brought in over $600 and cleared a very satisfying amount of seldom-used dust catchers from our garages. Weather was great; we had a lot of fun doing it, which is something I seldom say about a garage sale.

We do not meet in August, but took advantage of our break to use our meeting date and time to co-host a transit event for the local bus system. Cherriots provides local bus service for the Salem Keizer area and regional bus service to connect the smaller towns in  Marion and Polk counties. In addition, they provide paratransit and a shopper shuttle in the Salem-Keizer area. All this has been a 5-day a week operation for many years, but starting in September, Saturday service is being added along with later evening service. Since blind folks are transit users, we partnered with Cherriots to host a public roll-out of the new service packages the second week in August. We had a good turnout and look forward to using the expanded service in just a couple of weeks. Willamette Chapter has a good relationship with Cherriots; they will be providing the registration/swag bags for the state convention in October.

Southwestern Chapter News

August 2019

By Carrie Muth, Chapter President

We here on the coast are enjoying a beautiful summer. Our chapter does not meet June through August except for the summer picnic in August. We are looking forward to music by “The Worn out Frets”, delicious food, & a GREAT time with friends.

Several of us are looking forward to attending the convention in October. Our chapter uses funds raised with Candy Sales to help members attend the convention. The chapter pays for the registration fees for any Southwestern chapter member attending the convention. We also carpool to reduce the travel expense for those of us attending. This financial help enables more of us to attend; it also encourages members to participate in the fundraising efforts.

Fall is my favorite time of year; experiencing the changes in weather & anticipating the holiday season. Let’s embrace the fall & plan to attend the convention in Salem in October.

Carrie Muth & Marble

ACB of Oregon Board Meeting Summary

July 20, 2019

Darian Slayton Fleming

President James Edwards called the meeting to order at 10 AM. Officers Present: James, Leonard, Art, Sue Schwab, Teresa, Carrie and Bob Johnson. Guests Present: Bobi Earp, Dick Kohl,, Randy Hauth, Mary Lee Turner, Pat Wallace,  Cameron Hunt from Edward Jones, Joan Hill, Judene Weymouth and Steve Fort.

President Edwards introduced Cameron Hunt from Edward Jones. Sue Schwab invited him to our meeting to discuss our investments.  He presented an analysis and opinion on whether our investments are being properly handled. He lives in Salem, is an investment specialist and has been with the company for over a year. Realizations of the board: we want a low-risk portfolio. Quite a few of our mutual funds are heavily invested in stocks. This may not make sense given our goal. Bonds have the potential to act like stocks and stock market exposure. Several of our bonds such as Sprint matured in May. We have several low-interest-related utility bonds. Our portfolio is heavy in the stock and bonds side of the market. He recommended that we move to higher rated, more stable bonds. The question was asked: why do we have an investment with Salem Utilities since we are a nonprofit and don’t need this. The finance committee was directed to study this issue and bring recommendations to the body at the membership meeting in October.

Sue Schwab gave the treasurer’s report. To receive a copy, contact her at mailto:sueschwab00@hotmail.com.

Sue Schwab gave the Convention Report. They are planning for a game night Friday night social. Carrie has secured Bingo from the Hull Foundation for the Blind. Other games may be brought as well. Prizes may be offered. The exhibit room will hold 14 vendors, and several have already been lined up. Sue has reached out to Desiree Christian about reaching out to last year’s vendors. The committee has already secured the Mayor of Salem and a pastor. Volunteers have been identified from Future Farmers of America. James has expressed interest in inviting a legislator. Afternoon sessions will include one about Robert’s Rules of Order, the Public Utility Commission about phones and I Pads, ATI about new products and Marty Sobo and Pat Schwab to cover their topic from last year. Other items may include a Video interview of a blind woman, Jill Dempsey, a Fast Draw. Caesar, the no drama llama will also visit us. The keynote speakers will be talking book narrators from the American Printing House, Jack and Jill Fox.

The registration deadline will be September 15th.

District Reports:

District 1: Teresa reported that the RSVA Chapter has not met for over a year. The Willamette Chapter doesn’t meet over the summer. Highlights from their activity include their participation in SWEP and bowling, the Penny auction and picnic and potluck on July 12th, and their garage sale today. A member, Chris, talked with them about blind-friendly Europe travel.

The Columbia chapter still meets socially.

Pioneer Chapter: Ron Staley continues to have health problems and may be moving to long-term care. No meetings were held for three months due to members’ illnesses. They met in July. Wes Brown went to national. They will have a picnic in August.

Metro PDX didn’t meet in July. Four members went to convention. They are selling 2020 calendars and their members sold twenty at the national ACB Convention.

District 2: Carrie reported that chapters have been off for the summer. On August 24th the Southwest Chapter will have a picnic featuring the Warn out frets.

District 3: Judene reported that they had a picnic in July. Mona Hunt took over as president.

Committee Reports:

Commission: Art discussed SWEP and gave an update on the Commission budget. Information goes out to commissioners, but since we don’t have a representative right now, he wondered if James could request to receive information in lieu of an active rep. James will try. He believes satisfactory funding was secured for this year.

Talking Book and Braille Library: Mary Lee reported that in May the library celebrated its 50th anniversary of the location in Salem.

Legislative: The Prescription labeling law was signed into law by Governor Brown. Envision America is acting to get pharmacies on board. James is having interviews with radio stations about it.

Art says he is investigating concerns about blind parents losing custody of their children simply due to blindness. We may need to introduce legislation. ACB national has three initiatives: get our affiliate involved with these initiatives. One is about coverage of equipment for diabetics.

Membership: Pat Wallace encouraged us to talk to people about ACBO and bring them to events. They are working on developing a membership brochure.  A State campaign is planned for membership recruitment. There is interest in forming a student chapter. He and Ruben are working with the national students affiliate.

Darian expressed concern about the Commission’s seemingly unwillingness to allow SWEP Students to attend ACB National Conventions.

Bylaws: the committee is painstakingly revising the bylaws. Almost every bylaw has been revised.

Nominating Committee: Judene agreed to serve on this committee.

Stylus: Michael Babcock won the submission contest. She sends out 18 cartridges, and 10 to 12 get returned. More members are switching to email with 110 issues going out. Large Print issues go out to 33 people and this amount is decreasing. We are now sending out copies in Braille. Way to go Pat Schwab.

Old Business: James gave an update on the status of our representative to the Commission Board. James and Art met with the Governor’s assistant, Jen Baker. The outcome was that she seems to have authority to write policy. She stated that she plans to implement a policy requiring all entities to submit three names for consideration for boards’ representation. However, this is not a written policy to date. James will write a letter asking whether they are rejecting our submission of Randy Hauth and the reason.

New Business:  Judene Weymouth is now our District 3 representative.

Joan Hill and James Edwards discussed the need to appoint a new manager for our ACB Database. Darian will step into this role.

The name of Carol McCarl will be added to the 2020 ACB Angel Wall. James reported that Kim and Brian Charlson will donate $100 to this cause.

Guest comments were heard throughout, so President Edwards adjourned the meeting.

This issues lucky winner is Carrie Muth

Call me Carrie, oh wait, my name is Teresa so don’t call me Carrie, so how about this.

Carrie, give me a call or an email or a text and let me know if you saw this.

About the submission Contest

As you all know by now, every Stylus issue has a contest for submitting items that will potentially go in the Stylus. Your name will be entered once for each item you submit to me for the upcoming issue. For example, if you submit 10 items, your name will be entered 10 times in the drawing. You can send as many items as you like and whether or not it makes it into the next issue, your name will still go into the drawing.

One name will be selected and that lucky person will receive $25. The winner must call or email me to let me know they discovered their name as being the winner for this issue. Your $25 check will be released after you contact me.

Keep those submissions coming and good luck!!

To change your address, request alternative formats for ACB publications, or request financial documents,

contact our state treasurer, Sue Schwab.

eMail: sueschwab00@hotmail.com

Cell: 503-871-6175

4352 Trapper Drive NE

Salem, Oregon 97305

Stylus Editor, Teresa Christian

acbo.stylus@gmail.com

Phone: 971-322-8462

Thanks for reading this issue of the Stylus!

May you always have enough!

In love and light, your happy editor, Teresa Christian

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