ACB National Convention
is Only $25 This Year
That is a huge WooHoo!
Submitted by your Happy Editor☺
No air fair, no hotel or food expenses, you can’t beat that!
If you’ve ever wanted to go to a national convention, but couldn’t afford it, here is your golden opportunity. You can hardly go out to dinner for less than $25 by the time you do a drink, tip and transportation.
This gets you 10 days of excellent information, attendance to a ton of the special interest groups, access to vendors and a couple of virtual tours of historic sites and a ton more.
Joel Snyder, the director of the Audio Description Project, will be describing the 4th of July fireworks on Saturday the, you guessed it, 4th.
They have figured out how to still have a pretty amazing convention even though it will be held virtually.
Keep reading for the info about how to get access to the convention for only $25.
Important Update about The ACB National 2020 Conference and Convention
Due to the ever-changing restrictions involving the Coronavirus and The American Council of the Blind’s concern for everyone’s health and safety, we have
made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person 2020 Conference and Convention in Schaumburg, IL. This does not mean there won’t be a convention. Our
team has worked hard to develop an engaging and inspiring virtual agenda across a host of interactive and accessible platforms. We will still hold our
general sessions, special-interest affiliate, committee and business partner programming. Vendors will be able to provide information to you about their
products. There will even be a virtual walk, auction and banquet.
To make sure you receive the most up to date information, subscribe to our convention
announce list by sending a blank email to
acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org
or contact Janet Dickelman, convention coordinator at
janet.dickelman@gmail.com
or by phone at (651) 428-5059.
Registering for the 2020 Virtual Conference and Convention
• Since there are no capacity limitations on events and sessions this year,
pre-registration will be open to both members and nonmembers on May 21 st at 7:00AM EDT.
• Pre-Registration closes at 11:59PM EDT on June 21 st.
• While much of the conference and convention will be live-streamed on ACB Radio, pre-registering will allow you to actively participate in the zoom meeting
for each session. By pre-registering and paying the required $25 administrative fee, you will be provided the zoom link, phone number, meeting ID and password
to each of the sessions you have selected. There are no additional fees for any meetings, workshops or seminars.
Major differences in the 2020
pre-registration process:
• All sessions featuring programs, seminars, or virtual social gatherings are free of charge.
• There is an administrative fee to help offset the cost of the convention program and the cost of presenting the conference and convention.
• Special-Interest Affiliate fees help offset the cost they incur in presenting their programs and seminars.
• The official conference and convention program may contain more free programs and activities.
• Once you have completed your initial order, you may return later to select additional sessions.
If you need to delete an item you have purchased,
You will need to contact Alicia Knight at
612-332-3242
or aknight@acb.org.
Alicia will remove the paid item from your order and refund your credit card. This doesn’t apply to sessions that have no charge.
• If your convention program format choice is
braille or large print, your program will be mailed to you at the address in your preferences section. As always, you may choose digital formats instead of print.
Attention Sponsors, Advertisers and Exhibitors
ACB has developed a host of opportunities for you to promote your business in a virtual environment. Online ordering is no longer active, but we can work
with you personally to develop a custom package to meet your needs.
If you need help or more information, contact Janet Dickelman at
janet.dickelman@gmail.com
or call 651-428-5059.
If you have registered for the convention you will receive zoom invitations for the sessions you have selected and can join via computer or phone.
Streaming Sessions
Much of the 2020 ACB Virtual Conference and Convention will be streamed on ACB radio using multiple streams. All general sessions, and much of our afternoon
and evening programming will be live streamed on ACB Radio.
Other sessions will be recorded and replayed on ACB Radio. Sessions will be available as podcasts after the convention and archived for later listening
on ACB Radio.
There are several options to listen to ACB Radio:
By Computer
• Listen from your computer by going to
acbradio.org
and selecting the stream you want to hear.
By Smart Phone
• Follow the convention via ACB Link on your smart phone – Download ACB Link from the Apple app store for your iPhone or from the Google Play Store for
your Android phone.
By Alexa
Follow the convention using Alexa. Seven Alexa skills exist for your use. The following phrases should be used to launch the streams:
• To play the ACB Radio Mainstream channel, say “Open ACB Radio Mainstream.”
• To play the ACB Radio Mainstream West channel, say “Open ACB Mainstream West.”
• To play the ACB Radio Cafe channel, say “Open ACB Radio Café.”
• To play the ACB Radio Community channel, say “Open ACB Radio Community.”
• To play the ACB Radio Live Event channel, say “Open ACB Radio Live.”
• To play the ACB Radio Special Event channel, say “Open ACB Radio Special.”
• To play the ACB Radio Treasure Trove channel, say “Open ACB Radio Treasures.”
By Phone
• Listen on the telephone by calling (518) 906-1820.
• Registration for the convention is now open.)
• To register go to
• Acbconvention.org
• And select the link for pre-registration.
•
• Please feel free to contact me with any questions either via phone (651) 428-5059 or email
•
janet.dickelman@gmail.com
To Register:
If you don’t already have an account, you will have to create one with a username and a password. Then you can get in and fill out the pre-reg form.
For 1st Timers and New Comers
in lieu of our normal Keys to the convention segment at our in person conventions, the ACB Membership Committee is sponsoring four upcoming calls to provide first-timers and others information on attending the upcoming virtual conference and convention and more about ACB benefits after the event. Please forward this info to first-timers and newer members you know.
The first call will be
on Thursday, June 18, 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern.
This call will Outline what is available at the upcoming ACB virtual conference and convention. Janet Dickelman will be the main speaker on this call. Those listening will still have time to register for the conference and convention.
On Sunday, June 28 and recurring on Thursday, July 2, 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern, we’ll have calls on ways to access the virtual conference and
convention. Tyson Ernst will cover listening on the Victor Reader and joining calls via Zoom. Jeff Bishop will explain listening to ACB Radio via the internet,
phone, ACBLink, and Echo products.
After the conference and convention, we’ll have a call to let first-timers and others listening to the conference know about ACB benefits and the great advocacy ACB accomplishes. This call will be on Thursday, July 16 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern
Join the calls:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82724760720?pwd=b1VzQjdFc1gvSG5sUUg4WHlXUHVsQT09
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,82724760720#,,636237#
Phone: 312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 827 2476 0720
Meeting Password: 636237
Now, back to your happy editor.
I fervently hope you will take advantage of this ridiculously low registration price. Conventions are always packed with information and meeting new people. I think they have figured out a way how you can even connect with new people at some of the virtual mixers. Be part of a historic event and come along with ACB as we forge a new path into the future.