News You Can Actually Use
Brought to you by
The American Council of the Blind
of Oregon (ACBO)
1st Quarter Newsletter
March 2020
In This Issue:
The Patty o’Patty Adventures
Off and Running by Carrie Muth
Dancing in The Stars by Desiree Christian
Blind Disasters: Are We Prepared? by Lenard, Desiree, Carrie and James
Fun Money by Deb Kokel
Library Report: Magazines on BARD by Jeannemarie Moore
Sick of Hearing About the Virus?
Want to Have Some Fun in Spite of the Virus? by Teresa Christian
Talking prescription readers save lives. by Pat Wallace and Teresa Christian
What does 10,888 Mean? by Carrie Muth, President
Sabotage: It Is Real by Carrie Muth, President
Some Sad News by Sue Staly
ACBO January Board Meeting Summery
Meet the Stylus Team
NEW! NEW! NEW!
Patty o’Patty, the leprechaun is back. He’s trying to find out who won the Stylus
submission contest this quarter. Follow his progress throughout this issue to find out who won.
Off and Running
By Carrie Muth, President
I have had an amazing few months preparing for & serving as your President. We have a great Board & some very active committees.
Several of us began this year in Cottage Grove, at the site of our 2020 Convention. A leadership team composed of Desiree Christian, Sasha Severson, Teresa Christian, James Edwards, & me presented some excellent information during a Leadership Training Day. It was incredible to watch Sasha & Desiree run sessions; these 2 women had well-prepared subjects & kept the audience engaged. Our day began with a session on the qualities of a leader & progressed through the day with an engaging game of “Squeak Piggy Squeak”. James also discussed experiences he has had during his time with ACBO & other organizations, including his time as a public servant & Mayor of Lakeside, Oregon. It was a great day, filled with great information & team building.
Our committees were tasked with coming up with fun names: a few names include Techy Trio, Fun Squad, Fun Money, & The Lawmen. People are working together & moving ACB of Oregon forward.
If you haven’t looked at our website recently, I encourage you to check out the new design. Our Techy Trio (Marty Sobo, Michael Babcock, & Aaron Parker) have been hard at work. Be sure to check in frequently as it is a work in progress. Our website is acboforegon.org.
The 2020 Convention will be in Cottage Grove. Plans are under way to make it a memorable event. Be sure to make plans to attend. The Board strongly encourages all chapters to work on fundraising efforts. We hope to have a huge turn-out at the convention October 16-18.
Be sure to read my other article regarding the ACB DC Leadership event.
We have a great start to 2020; I look forward to working together to grow ACB of Oregon.
Patty o’Patty calls his best friend Elven Elf asking,
“What are we going to do? I can’t meet you at Paddy’s Pub like we usually do. Everything is shut down because of that darn flu like virus.
Dancing in the Stars
By Desiree Christian
Here in the Portland Metro Area we have the opportunity to witness the stars aligning perfectly. Visually impaired adults have the rare chance to have social (aka partner) dance lessons from a blind instructor.
Up until I had children, I was involved in some form of dance my entire life. But alas a medically fragile daughter followed by a special needs daughter happened. 20 years later, with a much “rounder” body shape and my kids pretty much grown I have been able to return to my passion of dancing. Through this avenue I met Greg Krolicki our instructor, who happens to be blind and has competed as a blind person in ballroom dance with his sighted wife.
During our first conversation I learned he had always wanted to teach blind adults to not just dance but how to navigate the social dance scene as a blind person, so you are not left being a wall flower. With his connections to the dance world and mine to the blind, Voila! His organization Footloose Friends agreed to sponsor our, not just ACB, all-inclusive blind/low vision dance classes.
We had our one and only lesson on March 7th. Each of our ten blind students was paired with a sighted volunteer. Greg had each pair get in a circle with about 10 feet in-between each pair. He would give five minutes of instruction followed by ten minutes of practice. The leaders, traditionally men, would rotate one partner over. By the end of the lesson everyone had the basic steps down for East Coast Swing.
The joy that I heard being expressed from both students and volunteers was awesome! Everyone seems eager to come back for more.
Unfortunately, in the week that followed our first lesson It was made clear how serious this, curse word curse word, Corona Virus is. With many of the volunteers being elderly and in the vulnerable category it was decided that lessons would be postponed until at least May.
So if you are willing to travel to Portland for blind dance lessons please email me at: blue.rock.girl@gmail.com
If there is enough attendance and interest, there is a good chance the lessons may continue on from just the four originally planned.
I hope to see you out on the floor where dancing is like flying through the stars and if you happen to bump into another couple is not a blind thing it’s a normal dance thing.
Elven Elf replies,
“We’ll have to talk on the phone or facetime or even Skype too.”
Patty o’Patty returns,
“But who won the Stylus submission contest? I’m not THE omniscient almighty just merely a leprechaun who can snap his fingers and poof to any where I want to!
Blind Disasters: Are we Prepared?
Contributions from Desiree Christian Committee Chair, and from committee members Lenard Kokle, Carrie Muth, and James Edwards
There is a newly formed committee under the umbrella of ACBO. Disaster Preparedness. With all of us coming from a little different perspective we have each contributed a little tid bit of what is to come in the next 2 years.
Where are you going?
By Carrie Muth
What is your escape route? I only have about 10 minutes to get to safety from my home if a tsunami arrives. I have practiced my escape route so I can get myself to safety. I also have a plan to have things at a building that’s in the safety zone where I can be safe without going to the major craziness that will be the school where they say everybody should go. I have also informed several people so that they know where to find me when it’s time to start looking. Where are you going to go? Make sure you practice your route because in the craziness of a natural disaster, there will not be time to figure it out; you need to know where you’re going, how you’re getting there, and be prepared for obstacles that wouldn’t normally be there. Make sure you have friends or family other people that know where to find you once it’s safe.
Be ready, be ready, be ready!
By Lenard
How many times have we heard that?
Some have heeded the warning, but many have done nothing. If you are one of those, start today preparing for the disaster of your lifetime.
What is important to have ready in case of that disaster? First, if you are on medication, you should have a supply stored. Along with that, it is very necessary to have an adequate amount of water.
The thing I first thought of was how would I be able to communicate with others? That’s when I realized that we probably would not have phones, electricity, or even be able to travel. I got busy and obtained my Ham Radio license. With a handheld portable radio, I should be able to receive some emergency communications. Prepare a plan.
Toilet Trained?
By Desiree
The last thing most people think about is the inevitable of what goes in must come out. Usually much smellier and certainly just as much of a health risk as not washing your hands. As I live in an apartment with no balcony to speak of, let alone a yard, it’s going to a learning curve no matter what I do. Whether or not I get a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet lid attachment, which is relativity cheap, or I invest in some form of composting toilet that one may find on a boat, RV or Tiny Home. In any case many disposable gloves with be gotten to deal with our bodily refuse.
Final Thoughts By James
Being prepared for a natural
hazard is something we all need to be concerned about, but it´s a topic we all
become complacent about because it is thankfully, such a rare occurrence. We,
on the Disaster Preparedness committee, decided to keep reminding our members
that anything could happen at any time, and we need to frequently ask
ourselves, Are We Prepared? So, watch for articles coming out in each issue of
the Stylus for tips and instructions on how to be prepared in the event of a
natural hazard.
The question was raised during our meeting about the
Corona virus, and whether it qualifies as a natural hazard. In some ways it
might, because if you are quarantined to your house for several days, you need
to have enough supplies of the things you need to survive. But the difference
is, you will be in the comfort of your home during that time, whereas in a
natural disaster scenario, your home may be physically destroyed or be
uninhabitable for other reasons.
The important message we will be reminding everyone of is to
be prepared for all possibilities. While we recognize that thinking of life
disrupting disasters daily can cause undue stress on people, we also recognize
that if you know you have done all you can to be prepared can relieve that
stress from your life.
It is rather ironic that we are asking people to be prepared
for something we hope never happens, but, being prepared increases your chances
of survival in the event it does happen. Be Safe!
Elven Elf, “Perhaps find Carrie Muth ACBO’s new president maybe she can inform you.” Patty o’Patty headed out towards the Oregon Coast and the Bay with the name of Coos.
Fun Money?
by Deb Kokel
What’s that, you ask? Since some of us are a bit on the serious side, we refer to our fund-raising efforts as getting “fun money”.
At a recent fund-raising committee meeting, feeling at a loss to help, I volunteered to give a concert at which we could ask for donations. I had no idea how much work would be involved. I had raised funds this way once before . . . Thankfully, despite getting the flu the prior week, and losing my voice, I sang for 2 – 1/2hours, and church members and friends from the community gave over $1,400.00! 😊
Naturally, doing it again elsewhere was suggested; I am not anxious for a repeat performance. Stay tuned for upcoming events!
With a blinding flash a rather large ye olde timey incandescent bulb sparked above Patty o’Patty’s head, “I don’t need to poof all the way down to the Bay of Coos, I can just call Carrie. “Carrie!” he called into the silence.
With a smack of his hand to his forehead, “Doh!” he exclaimed than digitally dialed Madame President Carrie Muth.
Library Report: Magazines on BARD
By Jeannemarie Moore
From the TBABL newsletter a very handy tool for magazines:
We talk a lot about how great our download-on-demand service called BARD is for downloading books, but did you know you can download magazines as well? That’s right; all the magazines that you get on cartridge can also be downloaded!
Downloading magazines from BARD is very easy. On the BARD main page there is a drop-down menu that lists all the magazines that are available. Just select the one you want and click the Go button. BARD will display all the issues from the past 12 months. To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu.
There are some major advantages to downloading magazines vs. receiving them through the mail. First, and probably most significant, is that magazines you download do not need to be returned.
There have been a couple of instances over the last year where the magazine publisher that mails all the magazines was having issues checking in returns in a timely fashion. Downloading your magazines eliminates this problem.
Second, you can set up subscriptions within BARD for your favorite magazines, so you never miss an issue. Just click the subscribe button at the top of the magazine’s page. New issues of magazines you subscribe to within BARD are automatically added to your BARD wish list, making it that much easier to download them (especially within the BARD Mobile app).
If you switch to downloading your magazines from BARD instead of getting them through the mail, please let us know so we can update our records. Subscribing to a magazine within BARD does not automatically stop your magazine by mail subscription.
I can’t wait to have magazines automatically added to my wish list!
Carrie answered her phone straight away. After Patty o’ Patty queried his query she replied, “I do not know who has won, but perhaps our outspoken ACBO secretary Bobi Earp may have heard something.”
Sick of Hearing About the Virus?
By Teresa Christian
Bet you haven’t heard about it from a blindness perspective.
We all keep hearing repeatedly how we need to be careful about what we touch, not to touch our face, to cough into our elbows and wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.
Yes, all that is true with the additional reality that because we are visually impaired, we need to touch things more than your average person, therefore, we need to wash our hands more than your average person. In the process of locating the door handle, we touch all around the door handle. In the process of finding the keypad at the check-out counter at the store, we feel our way there. After touching the myriad of surfaces then our hands land on our cane handle or dog guide harness handle.
Because of this, we need to be as diligent as possible about washing our hands for at least the 20 second time span officials are telling us. The Oregon Health Authority says we should be washing our hands many times a day, so for us, that means twice as much hand washing and twice as much of cleaning other surfaces such as cane and harness
handles.
Another aspect of this is the amount of miss information that is going around. Even sources that we could trust in the past, have lost the commitment to accurate reporting. Some of the information is a mixed bag, some of it you can trust and some, not so much. Here is a website where you can get up to the minute info.
Oregon Information:
Oregon Health Authority, (OHA)
Nation Wide Information:
Global Information
World Health Organization Links
Patty o’Patty then dialed Bobi. “Bobi?” the Leprechaun asks, “Prey tell who has won this quarter’s submission contest.” After a long pause, “Oh you mean the Stylus submission contest, why that would be…whisper whisper whisper”
Want to Have Some Fun in Spite of the Virus?
By Teresa Christian
As some of you may know, I am the president of the Metro PDX chapter in Portland. For our March meeting we ended up having it on the phone due to virus concerns. Every month we have what we call “Socials.”
Socials are a time when we get together and do something fun that has nothing to do with chapter business. Sometimes it can be going out to dinner at a restaurant someone recommends, sometimes it might be meeting at a club and doing karaoke, we’ve had game night at the home of one of our members. We have had app swops where we meet at someone’s home and sit around sharing apps that we like, what one is the favorite of the moment.
For our April social we were planning to do karaoke at the Voice Box, a place that has only karaoke. Due to the virus, we cancelled that event.
We came up with an alternative way to socialize without having to travel and get unnecessarily exposed. We thought of some games that can be played on the phone such as word games, roll playing games, (RPG) Name that Tune, and even get on the RSGames website and play together.
Carrie, our new president, loved the idea and wondered if we could expand it for the whole state. We think we can do it.
If you are interested in participating call or email me and I can put you on the list of interested people.
971-322-8462, call or text
e-Mail: synergydragon@gmail.com
Talking prescription readers save lives.
By Pat Wallace and Teresa Christian
Ever had trouble identifying a particular medication?
I did one time and it literally almost killed me.
Now there is an easy and free solution to this potentially deadly problem.
This legislation
- Enables independence for those of us who already have to depend on others for some assistants
- A talking prescription reader gives us a way to safely and independently manage our medications.
- Quality of life is better as we have the confidence, we can take the right medicine.
- Saves a lot of calls to the pharmacy trying to figure out which pill is which and how many must be taken.
- Enables timely contacting of doctor for renewals when we need a new prescription.
- Saves money as we, prescription reader users, do not have to be treated for taking incorrect medicines and amounts.
- Reduces fear and depression caused by not knowing for sure we are taking prescriptions correctly.
- Prescription readers cost a whole lot less than a trip to the emergency room or a hospital stay or a funeral.
On January 1, 2020 the new law went into effect requiring all pharmacies in Oregon to provide patients with the information about how to obtain an accessible pill bottle reader.
En-Vision America worked closely with us to help get this bill passed and are now still working closely with us to get the word out to as many visually impaired people as possible not only in Oregon, but across the rest of the country.
All pharmacies will be able to provide you an accessible label in audio, large print or Braille.
Not all pharmacies are equipped yet, some of them are dragging their feet because they don’t realize how important accessible medication bottles are for their visually impaired patients.
So it is imperative that you let your pharmacy know you need this accessibility accommodation.
Here is a short list of Oregon pharmacies we know are already providing the service:
Walmart
Safeway
Fred Myers
Kaiser
BuyMart in Oregon except for the Portland area
Large print, Braille and audio versions are available. For the audio version you need a special machine that is free.
The pharmacist puts a special round label on the bottom of the medication bottle and the machine reads the info off that label. It says the patients name, medication name, prescribing physician, dosage, quantity, how many refills left, how long the medication is good for, warnings and where to get more info about that medication.
Several months ago, En-Vision America came out with apps for both the iPhone and Android phones. The apps are even easier to use than the machine.
Here are the links to get the ScriptTalk apps.
If you have questions call or email Pat at
971-400-0841, only voice calls
EnVision America
ScriptTalk Accessible Medication Bottle Reader
800-890-1180
What does 10,888 Mean?
By Carrie Muth, President
What an amazing, educational, & exhausting experience. I was honored to attend the ACB DC event in Alexandria, Virginia & Washington DC in February. I appreciate James Edwards traveling with me & “showing me the ropes”. He introduced me to several people & kept us from getting lost amongst the craziness.
It was an awesome experience to hear our ACB national Board of Directors & staff present sessions on topics like the Audio Description Project, autonomous vehicles, the 2020 Convention in Illinois, ACB Radio, & ways to use social media. Some great ideas were presented that I hope ACB of Oregon can benefit from. Below are a few things I learned:
ACB has an Audio Description Project (ADP). There are many audio described movies & shows out there. ACB keeps a current list with providers (like Hulu or Disney) on their website. You can go to www.acb.org & locate the link, or go directly to: the master ADP List. The list is updated twice a week. What a great way to pick out a movie.
The ACB National Convention will be in Schaumburg, Illinois in July; I am super excited to attend my 1st national convention. In addition to many sessions, they will have many tours. They will have a hands-on tour of a museum of science & industry, hot air balloon rides, a baseball game, a city tour with a twist including Chicago pizza places, an accessible escape room experience, a mystery dinner, a dinner cruise, & other exciting events. I am looking forward to a little fun mixed in with all the convention sessions. Let me know if you plan to attend.
Living here on the west coast, people often think we are behind the times compared to the east coast; how wrong we are. Other states are advocating for accessible voting & accessible prescription labels — Way to go ACB of Oregon, we have already fought these battles (set some great strides anyway).
For those who do not know, Claire Stanley, ACB’s Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, was on the Hulu Plus show “Pick of the Litter”. The show tracks 6 Guide Dog for the Blind puppies through their journey to become guide dogs; one of which becomes Clair’s partner. I enjoyed meeting Claire & Tulane. My granddaughters are big fans; Claire graciously allowed some photos that my granddaughters were excited to get.
After our day at the Capitol, I posted on Facebook a question: What is 10,888? Any ideas? It is the number of steps I walked while at the Capital. James & I visited the offices of our 5 Oregon Representatives & 2 Senators to share info on 3 initiatives. I kept thinking, take our state Capitol in Salem & magnify it by about 100; the space was immense. It was an exhausting, but educational day.
This was an amazing experience & I learned a great deal. I plan to include more information in future issues of The Stylus, so, keep watching.
ACB puts these on each February. I strongly encourage all of you to make plans to attend. I look forward to attending next year.
Thank you ACB of Oregon for providing me the opportunity to represent Oregon & enjoy this amazing experience.
With a flick and a wave, he hung up with Bobi. Then with a snap and a poof he arrived in a mix of green smoke and golden sparkles in front of a very startled Desiree Christian.
“You Won! You Won” cries a very enthusiastic Patty o’Patty.
“Wait, What?” Exclaims a confused and still slightly startled Desiree.
Sabotage: It Is Real
By Carrie Muth, President
Are you sabotaging your job interviews? This information was taken from a hand-out from Cardinal Services, Inc titled “Tips for NOT Getting Hired! “. Working is directly from them; I have only changed the formatting.
“A recent survey of employers throughout the US determined that it doesn’t take long for hiring managers to know whether or not they’re talking to a viable candidate — 50% of employers know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good fit for a position.”
5 instant deal breakers, according to employers:
- Candidate is caught lying about something: 69%
- Candidate answers a cell phone or text during the interview: 68%
- Candidate appears arrogant or entitled: 60%
- Candidate dresses inappropriately: 50%
- Candidate swears: 50%
Personal Behavior in the Interview
Here are the worst mistakes according to the survey
- Failing to make eye contact 67%
- Failing to smile: 39%
- Playing with something on the table: 33%
- Having bad posture: 30%
- Fidgeting too much in their seats: 30%
- Crossing their arms over their chests: 29%
- Playing with their hair or touching their faces: 27%
- Having a weak handshake: 21%
- Having a handshake that was too strong: 7%
- Using too many hand gestures: 11%
Answer These Six Interview Questions or Go Home!
Here are the five most-often asked interview questions. You MUST BE READY to give sensible answers to these questions. If you can’t answer these, most employers will wonder why you are wasting their time!
- Tell me about yourself: 55%
- Why do you want this job? 50%
- Why did you leave your last job? 50%
- What is your greatest strength and greatest weakness? 49%
- Describe a difficult work situation and how you overcame it. 48%
The information found above has been sourced from Indeed, Monster and Forbes.
If you are looking for a job & need help, be sure to reach out to the Oregon Commission for the Blind. You can also contact me, Carrie Muth, at 541-269-1993 or carrie.muth.acbo@gmail.com
Good Luck!!!
Some Sad News
Ron Staley, most recently a member of the Metro PDX chapter, passed away on Feb. 22, 2020 at the Kaiser Westside hospital in Hillsboro. Ron had been battling Parkinson’s Disease and Congestive Heart Failure for several years. Both Ron and Sue have been active in ACB for over forty years. Many of those years Ron produced the National ACB Convention newspaper. For twenty-eight years they operated a Braille transcription business called QuickScribe. Ron had a passion for old time radio and had hundreds of recordings and could rattle off many jingles. He met many of the actors of those old shows. He loved sharing fun and interesting stories about his experiences related to the actors and shows. Frequently Ron would pop out with a quirky absolutely hilarious thing that was so totally Ron. He will be deeply missed!
Rest in peace my friend.
“You Won! You Won! You Won!”
“Won what?”
“The contest, the Stylus contest” the still very excited Patty o’Patty shouts.
Pausing as an afterthought springs freshly to his mind, he quietly adds, “But you have to call Teresa and let her know you’ve read and followed this little interlude.”
Smiling Desiree replies, “Oh. I can do that.”
Patty o’Patty the leprechaun and Desiree Christian Metro PDX’s VP both turn and wink at you the reader.
ACB of Oregon Board Meeting Summery
Jan. 17, 2020
If you want a copy of the complete minutes, contact Bobi Earp, ACBO State Secretary at bobiearp@gmail.com
Meeting was called to order by President James Edwards.
Attendees:
President: Carrie Muth
1st VP: Leonard Kokel
Secretary: Bobi Earp
Treasurer: Sue Schwab
Immediate Past President: James Edwards
District 1: Teresa Christian
District 2: Michael Babcock (installed)
Absent: Darian Slayton Fleming and Judene Weymouth
There were 13 Guests.
District 2 Representative was chosen with Sue reading the applications from both candidates. Michael Babcock was chosen as District 2 Rep.
James Edwards administered the Oath of Office for the incoming Board Members. He announced that Darian Slayton Fleming had been sworn in earlier in the week as 2nd VP.
Carrie said she is excited about working together in the forthcoming year.
Treasurer’s Budget Report was read and approved as read. Text format being processed and will be sent out when received.
•• District Reports
• District 1 Rep Teresa Christian
Pioneer Chapter – Sue Staley resigned, they were going to dissolve, but have decided to meet for socials at an assistant living location Wes Brown was the Treasurer, and Dick Kohl will be the new treasurer James reported that he had called Sue Jepson and to date, chapter has not been dissolved. They have 7 members, and will continue as a Chapter
Columbia Chapter – with 3 Members, Teresa will be working with them to not dissolve.
Willamette Chapter – Many things happening!
Their Christmas Party had 4 out of town guests: Carrie, James, Teresa, and Pat.
Metro PDX – Had a Christmas Party, and just had their annual Retreat with only a half hour of business, and the remaining 3 hours were games. They are working on what will be their fund raisers, 50/50 raffles and candy bar sales in winter have been quite successful. They also have a Calendar Sales program.
• District 2 Reps Carrie and Michael
Southwestern chapter – fundraiser, Feb. 16, Deb Kokel will be doing a concert, they are advertising from Brookings to Florence They are doing a movie night at the Egyptian Theater Candy Sales have been discontinued. Moving the saving account into a CD.
Dunes Park – James will be holding a meeting with visual impaired folks to try to
revitalize the Chapter
• District 3 Rep Mona Huntly standing in for Judene Weymouth
Rouge Valley – Four visitors attended their last event at Christmas. A member passed and donated equipment that they have redistributed. Membership went from 7 to 16. Mona posts regularly on FB in the ACB of Oregon page.
Klamath Falls – No Report
•• Committee Reports
• The Commission for the Blind (OCB)
Michael Babcock Will be getting trained on Jan. 30th and will have another session on 31st. He will be sending out some emails in the future.
• Talking Book and Braille:
Jeannemarie is on the Talking Book and Braille board until the end of December 2020. She reported that the Board is Not interested in changing its members, but she is willing to stay on this committee. Jeannemarie has been enjoying movies, a new addition to the program Jeannemarie is a Bard only downloader. She no longer has books mailed to her. The newsletter comes out quarterly, by mail.
• Hull Foundation.
Carrie’s 3-year term is up, and they are looking for her replacement. You can join the Board by phone. There are winter retreat events coming up. In July they are hosting a youth with guide dogs’ event.
• Legislative: Art – Notice from Sharla Glass, Bill 2935. Rules on. How they are going to implement pharmacy bill. Bi-Mart is no longer operating their pharmacy.
Legislative Session is coming up first part of Feb.
Huge truck rally on Feb 6 Ronald Reagan day.
• Membership Committee: Pat – All chapters are in process of tabulating their membership roster. James and John are also on the committee. There will be a membership meeting every 3rd Monday at 7:30 on the conference line.
• Bylaws Committee: James reported, we passed the full document, and will continue to update it.
• Convention: Sue Schwab: It looks like The Village Green in Cottage Grove will be where we will hold our Convention in October. Looking for suggestions for what to do on Friday night. Carrie mentioned that we need to look at what the organization could do to increase attendance.
• Nominating Committee, President Carrie Muth will appoint members in July.
• Website: Desiree Christian did not get as much done as had hoped and is stepping down.
• Stylus; Editor Teresa Christian reported that 90 or so getting the email version, 35 receive large print, 18 receive CD’s, and 4 receive Braille. Submission contest for articles you submit. $25. Read your Stylus as you might be the winner.
• Emergency Preparedness: Sue Staley and James Edwards. James was contacted about having a presentation.
• School for the Blind: Carrie would like to see perhaps change over to an Alumni will transfer info to the state website.
•• Unfinished Business:
Grant Application Procedure that did not get taken care of last Oct. Remit this to the Policy Committee. James made the motion and Carrie 2nd it, and it was approved.
•• New Business:
Sue Schwab asked for a discussion on how to increase attendance at future meetings. Item will be put on the April Agenda.
•• COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
These appointments are for a 2-yr term.
• Legislative: Art Stevenson, James Edwards and Randy Hauth.
• Fund Raising: Sue Schwab, Darian Slayton Fleming, Pat Wallace, Leonard Kokel and Pam Dejong.
• Bylaws: James Edwards, Leonard Kokel and John Hammill.
• Convention: Jean Marie Moore, Deb Kokel, Desiree Christian, Carrie Muth and Art Stevenson.
• Membership: Pat Wallace, James Edwards and John Hammill.
• Website: Chair Marty Sobo, Aaron Parker, Michael Babcock, Mona Huntly and Carrie Muth.
• Advocacy Liaison: Chair Art Stevenson and James Edwards.
• Natural Disaster Preparedness: Chair Desiree Christian, Leonard Kokel and James Edwards.
• Policy and Procedures: Bobi Earp and Jean Marie Moore.
• Public Relations: Chair Michael Babcock, Pat Wallace and Mona Huntly.
• Chapter Support: Chair John Hammill, Disct1 Rep Teresa Christian, Disct 2 Michael Babcock and Disct 3 Mona Huntly is standing in till Judene Weymouth’s health gets better.
• Pedestrian Safety: Co-chairs Mary Lee Turner and Jean Marie Moore. Deb Kokel and Luther Greulich are also on this committee.
• Oral Hull, Jean Marie Moore agreed to be the rep.
Carrie Wants Committees to set goals, take brief minutes and turn them into the Secretary.
•• Guest Comments:
• Luther said that in some meetings of organizations, he does not feel welcome to comment.
• John Hammill will talk to Desiree Christian about the Blind School representative for reading items.
• John Hammill wants the article from Jean Marie.
He needs to look at budget expenses especially for the Convention, as it is our largest line item.
• Desiree Christian stated that there is a wide gap between what young folks and older folks would want to do.
• Art Stevenson said he thinks that all of us want to encourage young folks.
•• Meeting was adjourned with a short break to reconvene in Executive Session to discuss a grant application.
Meet the Stylus Team
By Teresa Christian, Curator and Editor In Chief
As your happy editor, I want to acknowledge the team of folks who make this newsletter possible every issue.
Desiree Christian who formats the large print version to make it easier for the high partials to read.
Steve Armbruss who has been reading the audio version with his gorgeous voice since I’ve been in Portland and I think for a long time before that.
Donna Penny who is new on the team who formats the Braille version to make it easier for all my Braille readers.
Dan Ezell who provides teck support when my computer is misbehaving and kindly and patiently puts up with all my frustration.
Pat Schwab who embosses the Braille version and mails them out.
Aaron Parker who takes care of the labels for both the large print mailing as well as the cartridge mailers.
Pat Wallace who takes all the large print envelopes and the cartridge in their mailers and mails all of that off for me.
Last but definitely not least, Bill and Pam at Minuteman Press who print out the large print versions and kindly deliver them to me each time.
Thank you all for helping me with this large undertaking every three months. If it weren’t for you people, my job would be so much more time consuming and tedious.
Thanks, from the bottom of my heart for all the help and all of it done so cheerfully!!
The submission contest now has a deadline.
You will have till the end of the month of which the current issue is published, to contact me to let me know you discovered your name as the winner of this quarters contest.
As you all know by now, every Stylus issue has a contest for submitting items that will potentially go in the Stylus.
One name will be selected, and that lucky person will receive a check for $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!!
Thanks for reading this issue of the Stylus!
May you always have enough!
In love and light
Your Happy Editor
Teresa Christian
Email: acbo.stylus@gmail.com
Phone: 971-322-8462
The Stylus is the official quarterly publication of the American Council of the Blind of Oregon.
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
For more information about the American Council of the Blind of Oregon, go to our web page at:
President ACB of O Carrie Muth,
Phone: (541) 297-8309
Email: carrie.muth.acbo@gmail.com