American Council of the Blind of Oregon
71st Annual Convention October 17-18-19, 2025
Location: Holiday Inn Express
919 Kruse Way Springfield, OR 97477
Phone: 541-284-0707
ACB of O
Watch Us Grow
The ACB of Oregon would like to invite you to the 71st annual ACB of Oregon convention. We are excited to see new faces at our convention as we welcome a new local chapter – Southern Willamette Chapter, as well as a new special interest chapter – Blindskills. Once again, this convention will be a hybrid event and carried by ACB Media. We encourage you to attend in person, but you have the option to attend virtually using Zoom.
Special Note – ACB of O has come to the point of needing to raise our convention registration fee. Our registration fee has not been increased in well over 50 years and it has become difficult to put together a quality convention due to the costs associated with both lodging and food. Our new fee for members is $60.
Our ACB of Oregon members will again have an option on the registration form below for Convention Assistance with one night of lodging and transportation paid through our Convention Assistance Fund. Please review the qualifying criteria information included with this registration. Your individual chapters will be responsible for arranging transportation for their chapter members to this location. A reminder to pack a lunch for the trip as no snacks will be provided at the hotel on Friday.
We have another great convention planned for this year. We begin our event on Friday at 3:30pm with our 3rd quarter board meeting. This will be offered as a hybrid activity.
Friday dinner is on your own, then join us in the convention room after dinner for social time and a music jam session! Please bring your musical instruments and/or singing voices. All are welcome to join in! A no-host bar will also be available.
Saturday afternoon after our traditional morning schedule we are planning some great activities for our in-person attendees. We will have a LEGO event where you have the opportunity to build, explore, and share your creativity with our other visually impaired convention attendees. Saturday Night is our Banquet with our keynote national speaker Jeff Bishop, President of Blind Information Technology Specialists. Under Jeff’s leadership, BITS has become a place where members thrive, leaders flourish, and innovation is fueled by empowerment and growth. Jeff also serves as an IT Accessibility Consultant at the University of Arizona, where he works to ensure that technology is accessible and inclusive for all. Beyond his professional and advocacy work, Jeff treasurers his wife Keri, their grown children, and his loyal guide dog Chief-who together remain the center of his life and the foundation for all he does.
Our committee has been working hard to acquire some great door prizes, a 50/50 Raffle. So, you will want to come prepared to buy those raffle tickets!
Note – our convention committee wants to let you know the convention room overhead lights may be a problem for some people. If you have sensitivity to intense lighting, please bring a hat or sunglasses.
Please complete the following registration form and return all pages before September 30th to avoid late fee. Then, you will make your own hotel reservations. Please make them early to take advantage of the low room rate. The hotel will honor our special rate until September 30th. After that date the block of rooms will be released, and rates will return to full cost. Note all hotels will ask for credit card information to hold a reservation. This is necessary even if Convention Assistance has been preauthorized. We will reconcile this payment with the hotel at the conclusion of the convention.
We will broadcast as much of our convention as possible through ACB Media using the Zoom platform, which is accessible through computer, smart phone, and landline phone. The Saturday night banquet will also be carried by ACB Media. More information will be provided regarding how to virtually access the convention.
We look forward to seeing you in October!
American Council of the Blind of Oregon Convention
Springfield, OR – October 17-18-19, 2025
CONVENTION REGISTRATION FEE
$60 Member In-Person/ $85 Non-Member
$30 Virtual Member/Non-Member
Preregistration Deadline: September 30, 2025
(Late Registration – $95)
- Go to ACB of Oregon website http://acboforegon.org/ then click the Convention tab that will open to the registration form and PayPal button for payment
- Or – Email completed form to sueschwab00@gmail.com and call Sue Schwab at 503-871-6175 for payment by credit/debit card.
To use Zelle, Venmo or Cash App – Call Sue.
- Or – Mail this completed registration form and payment to:
ACB of Oregon – Treasurer
4352 Trapper Dr. NE
Salem, OR 97305
NOTE:
For special diet restrictions, please contact Susan Schwab (contact information at the end of this form) by the September 17th deadline.
If you are attending only one day of the Convention, meals can be purchased at full cost on an individual basis. Please contact Susan Schwab for pricing of individual meals.
CONVENTION HOTEL INFORMATION
Holiday Inn Express
919 Kruse Way, Springfield, OR 97477
*** For Reservations Phone: 541-284-0707 ***
* Guests can make reservations by calling the hotel directly at the above number and requesting the American Council of the Blind group block and our discounted room rate of $149.00 per night.
Reminder – You are responsible for making your own hotel reservation even if you have requested Convention Assistance. Be prepared to provide your credit card information with your reservation. ACB of Oregon will reconcile any preauthorized Convention Assistance with the hotel at the conclusion of the convention.
** Hotel Reservation Deadline: September 30, 2025 **
- Room Rates: $149.00 per night plus 13.5% tax Standard Room
- Luggage can be stored on Friday while you attend board meeting
- Please confirm the check-in time and check-out time
Any questions about registration, contact Sue by –
Email: sueschwab00@gmail.com or Phone: 503-871-6175