Bev Clifford – Kaiser Permanente San Jose and Prescription Labeling
"Access to Life"
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 493, Mountain View, CA 94042–0493
Phone: 888-652-5333 (leave a message)
eMail: svcb@onebox.com
Website URL: www.svcb.cc
The Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization under the California Council of the Blind. We are a membership organization of persons who are blind or visually impaired, our families and friends. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for all persons with vision loss through advocacy and mutual support. We are organized as a chapter of the California Council of the Blind, which is a state affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, and draw our membership largely from Santa Clara County.
The Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB) is a membership organization of persons who are blind or visually impaired, and our families and friends. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for all persons with vision loss through advocacy and mutual support. We are organized as a chapter of the California Council of the Blind, which is a state affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, and draw our membership largely from Santa Clara County. To accomplish our mission, we have undertaken the following activities:
Ø Educate both the public and ourselves about the capabilities and responsibilities as well as the special needs of persons who are blind or visually impaired.
Ø Work jointly with other organizations who share our goals.
Since our founding in 1987 both our size and the scope of our efforts have increased substantially:
Ø Regular monthly meetings are held where persons with vision loss can learn about and discuss issues of concern to them with public officials, professionals in the field of blindness and other blind persons.
Ø Through our annual Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant, we offer up to $1500 to a blind or visually-impaired person who can best demonstrate the need for adaptive technology that will improve his/her quality of life of advance her/his educational and/or employment opportunities. To access the current grant application, see www.svcb.cc or email svcb@onebox.com.
Ø A newsletter is published monthly featuring items of current local interest provided in large print, braille, E-mail, and cassette tape.
Ø Our web site has links to resources and contact information.
Ø We continually educate ourselves about legislation and government regulations related to blindness, while actively trying to improve them through testimony and negotiation. For example, we are continuously engaged in efforts to maintain and improve the quality of public transportation, which is so vital to the independence of our members.
Ø SVCB sponsors social and recreational activities where persons who share our goals can get to know one‑another and experience the solidarity which helps us all to "keep up the good work".
Participation in SVCB is extended to all persons who share our desire to improve the quality of life of persons with vision loss. Suggestions, donations and volunteers to support our work are welcome.
Rev 1/2018
California Council of the Blind – CCB is a non-profit tax-exempt organization composed primarily of Californians who are blind or have low vision. www.ccbnet.org
Toll-Free in California: 800-221-6359
Outside California: 916-441-2100
American Council of the Blind - ACB strives to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life, for all blind and visually-impaired people. www.acb.org
Phone: 202-467-5081
SVCB Committees / Chairpersons
SVCB Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant
For many years our monthly chapter meetings had taken place every third Saturday in the community room of the Monte Vista Terrace Apartments, 1101 Grant Road in Mountain View, CA
Starting with our February 16th, 2019 meeting, from then on SVCB meetings are being held at the Vista Center – San Jose Branch, 101 N. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128, 1-408-295-4016, every third Saturday from 9:30 AM. to 1 PM. The center is now under the direction of Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Palo Alto, CA.
We will offer the same lunch function through Subway at the new location as we had in Mountain View.
To read timely announcements and find out what will be happening during our next meeting, read our SVCB Phone Tree Message.
FUND-RAISING REPORTby Michelle McGrew Marie Callender’s Fund Raiser -Save the dates and spread the word! Please join us at our next fund-raisingevent at Marie Callender’s (751 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087) anytime Monday, April 22 through Tuesday, April 23, 2019 (11 AM-8 PM) for a meal,dessert or snack, or even to purchase a pie to take home! Call 408-245-3710 tomake reservations if you have a party of 6 or more. Present one of our fund-raising event flyers to your server, and Marie Callender’s will donate 20%of each purchase (excluding alcohol, tax, and tip) to SVCB’s technology grantprogram! We’ll have the required flyer at the March and April meetings, and theflyer is available at this link ‘Marie Callender’s’ for you to download and print.Note: Marie Callender’s will not have extra copies, and we will not receivecredit for your purchases if your party does not have a flyer.)
Our Next Membership Meeting: March 16, 2019, Vista Center – San Jose Branch, 101 N. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128, 1-408-295-4016, from 9:00 AM. to 1 PM.
9:00: Coffee and conversation. The lunch order deadline is 9:45.
10 AM to 11 AM: Program
11:10 AM to 12 PM: Business
12 PM to 1 PM: Lunch and socializing
Program:
Our March program speaker will be Ms. Evelyn Comstock, long-time volunteer
for the Santa Clara Valley Braille Transcription Project. Evelyn will discuss theorigins of the project, work it has done in the past, current work and clients,and ways in which we in SVCB can help promote its mission.
Choose a year, and then select stream or download.
All SVCB Officers and Board Members may be contacted by phone at: 888-652-5333 (leave a message).
As of January 1, 2019:
President – Susan Glass, president@svcb.cc
Vice-President – Alice Turner, vice.president@svcb.cc
Recording Secretary – Rob Turner, recording.secretary@svcb.cc
Correspondence Secretary – Naomi Grubb, corresponding.secretary@svcb.cc
Treasurer – Vic Clifford, treasurer@svcb.cc
Board Members – Mike Keithley, Lupe Medrano, Joe Silveria, boardmbrs@svcb.cc
Immediate Past-President – Rob Turner, past.president@svcb.cc
All SVCB Committee members and Chairpersons may be contacted by phone at: 888-652-5333 (leave a message).
Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant:
Chair: Alice Turner – techgrantchair@svcb.cc
Committee: Alice Turner, John Glass, Susan Glass, Diane Harms, Bev Clifford, Lynette Kersey, Mike Keithley, Michelle McGrew – techgrantcommittee@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Braille Literacy:
Chair: Bev Clifford – braillelitchair@svcb.cc
Committee: Bev Clifford, Susan Glass, Mike Keithley, Rob Turner – braillelitcommittee@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Constitution & By-Laws – Roger Peterson, constitution@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Database Information – Mike Keithley, membership@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Events:
Chair: – eventschair@svcb.cc
Committee: – eventscommittee@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Goodies – Bev Clifford, goodies@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Fund-raising – Michelle McGrew, fundraising@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Hospitality – Naomi Grubb, hospitality@svcb.cc
__________________________________
IN-TOUCH Newsletter:
Chair: Susan Glass – editor@svcb.cc
Copy Editor: Bev Clifford – copyeditor@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Legislation – Mike Keithley, legislation@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Membership – Mike Keithley, membership@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Sound – Mike Keithley, sound@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Transportation – Lupe Medrano, transportation@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Volunteers – Naomi Grubb, volunteers@svcb.cc
__________________________________
Webmaster – Vic Clifford, web@svcb.cc
For online IN-TOUCH Newsletter review prior to 2019, email an access request to: web@svcb.cc
2019
http://www.svcb.cc/business_calendar.htm
Become a member of SVCB
SVCB is a support group for visually impaired people. If you're visually impaired or want to help, become a member. Although our meetings are open to everyone interested in the blindness community, SVCB membership has these additional benefits for you:
Ø Opportunity to serve on the Board or committees and directly influence chapter activities in the blindness community.
Ø May participate in special SVCB activities such as parties and outings.
Ø Become a member of the California Council of the Blind, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for visually impaired people in California. SVCB is a local chapter of CCB, and we actively assist members to participate in CCB conferences and conventions as well as network within the CCB family.
Ø Become a member of the American Council of the Blind, the national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for visually impaired people in America and the world. Since CCB is a state affiliate of ACB, you'll belong to the ACB family, and we help visually impaired people attend ACB conferences and convention.
Becoming an SVCB member is easy - fill out a membership application, and along with membership dues send it to P.O. Box 493, Mountain View, CA 94042-0493. Dues are $10 per year (or $13 if between 7/31 and 12/31 to cover through the next year). Click SVCB Membership Application for a print application to be downloaded that gives all the instructions. For more information, email membership@svcb.cc or call our voicemail box at 888-652-5333 (leave a message).
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GRANT?
The purpose of the grant is to ensure greater economic opportunity and a richer quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people, which is also the goal of the California Council of the Blind (CCB).
In keeping with this goal, the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB), a chapter of CCB, will make a grant of up to $1500 to a blind or visually impaired person who can best demonstrate the need for adaptive technology that will improve his/her quality of life or advance his/her educational and/or employment opportunities.
Examples of items that the grant might fund include, but are not limited to:
· Polarizing sunglasses
· Hearing aids and audiologist fees
· Mobility aids (such as white canes) and payment for mobility instructors
· Adapted cell phones
· Adapted computers
· Repair of adapted computers
· Magnifying systems
· Medical aids
· Bar code readers
WHO WAS BARBARA RHODES
Barbara Rhodes was a respected and valued member of SVCB from 1991 (when she joined the organization) until her death in 2007. She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa midway through her adult life. Friends and colleagues remember her good-natured (if sometimes feisty and outspoken) tendencies whenever issues of accessibility for blind and visually impaired people arose. She was a born advocate. A native New Yorker, she, along with her husband Bill and their son Kenneth, moved to San Jose, California, in 1976 where they bought a home in Almaden.
With CCB, Barbara worked tirelessly on the Committee for Access and Transportation (CAT), the Governmental Affairs Committee, the Public Relations Committee, and the Seniors with Vision Loss Committee. In San Jose, she served on the Elderly and Disabled Advisory Committee and the San Jose Disability Advisory Commission. This latter group was responsible for getting over 40 audible pedestrian signals installed throughout the city of San Jose and Santa Clara County. Barbara was passionate about accessible health care, and her voice did much to influence California's Kaiser Hospital system to implement "talking pill bottles," that make taking prescription medications infinitely easier for blind and visually impaired patients.
Barbara Rhodes lived a committed life. Her legacy is one of determination and concrete accomplishment.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GRANT?
The qualifications for the grant are as follows - the individual must be:
· Legally blind
· A resident of one of the following counties: San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, or San Benito
· Sixteen years of age or older
· Planning to use the technology for educational, vocational or quality of life purposes
· Seeking technology that the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation or other service/educational organizations will not fund or do not have available
WHO WILL SELECT THE WINNERS?
The winners will be selected by a task force comprised of SVCB chapter members who will read all applications and select a winner.
WHAT IS THE AWARD PROCESS?
The award process consists of a completed application, which must be postmarked no later than Thursday, February 28, 2019.
The Barbara Rhodes Technology Grant task force will review all applications. If you are selected as a finalist, you will be invited to meet with the committee for an in-person or telephone interview. The committee will notify the winner by early April, and present the application award at our May 18 general membership meeting, where the winner will be invited to attend a special ceremony.
HOW DO YOU APPLY FOR A GRANT?
Individuals who are applying for the grant need to complete the following steps:
1. Submit a completed application form, see: ‘Application Form’ Please fill in all the blanks.
Note: If you would like coaching to get you started on your application, call 888-652-5333 or email svcb@onebox.com. A committee member will contact you.
2. Write a 200-word personal statement, typed and double-spaced. At the end of the application form, you will find instructions explaining what is required in the statement.
Note: Some information asked for in the personal statement is the same as in the application form. Consider the statement an opportunity to tell your story more fully, using, if necessary, the facts listed in the application form.
3. Be sure to include a letter from an eye care professional, medical doctor, or blindness professional stating that you are legally blind.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, leave voicemail at 888-652-5333, or email svcb@onebox.com.
See: Past Barbara Rhodes Technology Grant Award Winners
For more info about the Barbara Rhodes Technology Grant, call 888-652-5333 or email svcb@onebox.com. Click SVCB Barbara Rhodes Grant for a print application to be downloaded that gives all the instructions.
http://www.svcb.cc/constitution.htm
American Foundation for the Blind - "We’re the dreamers and the doers, improving the lives of the more than 20 million Americans who experience blindness or vision loss by amplifying those voices and ensuring equitable access for all." https://www.afb.org/default.aspx
Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors - Departs every Sunday at noon from Pier 40 in San Francisco.
Visit www.baads.org or call: 415-281-0212
Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) - BORP believes that everyone should have access to the unique challenges that outdoor recreation provides, and makes every effort to accommodate each person's needs, including providing transportation and volunteer support. Visit http://www.borp.org/ or call 510-843-4398 (Lori Gray)
Be Ready to Go: Disability-Specific Supplies for Emergency Kits
Blind Interest Resource Directory (BIRD) – Resource guide offered through VISTA Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. http://www.svcb.cc/resources/index.htm
Bookshare – Bookshare makes reading easier. Access a huge collection of ebooks for people with reading barriers.
Breast Cancer Support Group - For questions, call Lori Scharff
516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com
Business.com - Information on business plans, adaptive speech-accessible technology, marketing strategies, funding, training, networking and more - all tailored specifically for entrepreneurs with vision impairments and other disabilities
California Assembly Members (as of March 2018):
California Senate Members (as of March 2018):
Career Corner - Organizations serving the blind, and employment organizations. http://www.svcb.cc/career/index.htm
Classical Guitar Using Braille – Let’s Play
Article Link: http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/new-web-app-teaches-classical-guitar-using-braille/
With Let’s Play, people who are blind or visually impaired can take lessons, and read music using Braille.
Common Good Careers - A mission-driven search firm that is committed to social impact. Our purpose is to support the hiring needs of organizations that are dedicated to tackling today’s most pressing social problems. Contact Jessica Mah at: http://www.commongoodcareers.org
Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) - CCLVI is an advocacy membership organization for people with low vision ability. The monthly "Let's Talk Low Vision" conferences from CCLVI can be accessed as podcasts at: www.airsla.org/cclvidd.asp. www.cclvi.org/
1-844-460-0625
CSUN, California State University, Northridge – Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference. http://www.csun.edu/cod/ 1-818-677-4929
Disability Air Travel: Information for Seniors & Disabled
Disability Remodeling - What is the Average Cost to Renovate?
Ears For Eyes - A nonprofit public charity. We provide, free of charge, audio lessons that teach adaptive daily living skills to the vision impaired and their caregivers. www.earsforeyes.info
Exercises To Try At Home For Disabled People
When you live with a physical disability or illness, keeping fit can be difficult.
Fire Safety for People with Disabilities: A How-To Guide for Prevention and Evacuation
Guide Dogs for the Blind - Guide Dogs for the Blind empowers lives by creating exceptional partnerships between people, dogs, and communities. https://www.guidedogs.com/ 1-800-295-4050
Guide
Dog Users, Inc. - Publishes Handbook to Help People Who
Are Blind Decide If the Guide Dog Lifestyle is Right for Them. Guide Dog Users,
Inc. (GDUI), the largest membership and advocacy organization representing
guide dog handlers in the United States, is pleased to announce the recent
publication of a revised handbook for perspective guide dog users which shares
comprehensive information about acquiring and using a guide dog for safe and
independent travel. "A Handbook for the Prospective Guide Dog
Handler" is available as an E-book and in print from Amazon.com,
Smashwords, and other online sellers. Visit this link for further information
and to explore options for purchase:
www.dldbooks.com/GDUIHandbook/.
Help Colleagues With Disabilities Succeed in Meetings - If you’re working with a colleague with a disability in a new capacity, you probably have questions about how to address their needs. You and your organization can easily make accommodations for your colleague, whether you’re working with them remotely or in person. Here’s how to respectfully hold meetings with or onboard a disabled colleague. https://www.conferencecalling.com/blog/help-colleagues-with-disabilities-in-meetings/
Hidden Talent - How Leading Companies Hire, Retain, and Benefit from People with Disabilities, edited by Mark L. Lengnick-Hall https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0275992896
Legislative
Hotlines - current issues
for blind persons:
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION:
800-221-6359, after 5
PM and weekends
WASHINGTON CONNECTION:
800-424-8666, 3-9 PM and weekends
Let's Talk Low Vision - The monthly
conferences from CCLVI can be accessed as podcasts at www.airsla.org/cclvidd.asp.
Lighthouse For the Blind and Visually Impaired - Promote the equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or visually impaired through rehabilitation training, employment placement, Enchanged Hills camp and other relevant services. www.Lighthouse-sf.org 1-415-431-1481
Get paid to watch
movies: Seeking blind CA residents for paid AMC Theatres user study. Do you
enjoy watching movies with audio description? Want to contribute to the
accessibility of the AMC Theatres audio description experience for blind
patrons? The LightHouse is seeking a limited number of committed,
detail-oriented Bay Area and Los Angeles residents over age 18 for a
multi-part, paid usability testing project. In 2017, the LightHouse settled a
lawsuit with AMC Theatres wherein AMC agreed to ensure that audio description
equipment was installed and properly maintained in all theaters, and as part of
our collaborative agreement, it's now the LightHouse's task to investigate the
progress of the accommodations at AMC's many California theaters.
This study is part of the continued
collaboration between LightHouse and AMC to ensure straightforward and seamless
access to audio description for all theater patrons. Study participants will
document information about the audio description experience at pre-selected AMC
theaters in the Bay Area and Los Angeles between September 1, 2018 and April 1,
2019. Sign up for the study at
lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=78b4f2ee85&e=48a8c2e2d3
Moving an Aging or Disabled Parent into Your Home: 4 Things You Should Know
National Braille Press - Supports a lifetime of opportunity for blind children through braille literacy and provides access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community affairs. http://www.nbp.org/ 1-617-266-6160 or 1-888-965-8965
Online Shopping For Consumers With Disabilities – From ‘wikibuy’ a blog guide designed to help people with vision impairment and other common disabilities regain their independence by shopping online. The resources mentioned will help individuals with low vision, colorblindness, or dyslexia have a positive online user experience by helping them read what’s on their computer, tablet, or smartphone screen. https://wikibuy.com/blog/online-shopping-for-consumers-with-disabilities-f45fffeeb5c2
Online Writer’s Group for the Blind
Our
goal is to improve the quality of our writing by sharing and discussing our
work with each other. If you are a lover of fine writing, we encourage you to
join us. Even if you're not an author yourself, you can help by critiquing.
We have created a mailing list, Writersretreat
on groups.io.
There you can post any writing you wish the group to discuss. To subscribe to
the group, send email to writersretreat+subscribe@groups.io.
The link to the group is groups.io/g/writersretreat/topics.
Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB) – Board Meeting
SVCB Board meeting. Call-in:
800-662-6992; ID: 1184109. If you're not on the Board but wish to attend, contact the SVCB President beforehand.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) - A non-profit, non-residential organization which serves all people with all types of disabilities, including seniors with disabling conditions, who live in Santa Clara County. http://www.svilc.org/ 1-408-894-9041
Transportation Options for Seniors Who Don’t Drive
VISTA Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Empowers individuals who are blind or visually impaired to embrace life to the fullest through evaluation, counseling, education and training. http://www.vistacenter.org/
1-650-858-0202 or 800-660-2009
2500 El Camino Real, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA 94306
VTA/ACCESS - VTA ensures a comparable paratransit service is provided to eligible individuals with disabilities who cannot use conventional public transit service due to their physical, visual or cognitive disabilities. Read to learn more about paratransit Service, eligibility, and how to apply.
VTA Access: Call 408-321-2380. After dialing the VTA Access number, press 1 for English or press 0 for an agent and you'll get the recording you need. Then press 1 to schedule a ride, 2 to cancel a ride, 3 for status of a ride (late vehicle), and 4 for general info and client account info. With complaints, concerns, or compliments: call Robert Gebo at 408-321-5954. Your Guide to the Disability Process
Tabard Theatre shows: To order tickets, call the Tabard box office at 408-679-2330 and speak to Marilyn Watts, or visit tabardtheatre.org. SVCB members and Blind Center clients should use Discount Code BC27 when ordering. Performances take place at The Tabard Theatre, 29 North San Pedro Street, San Jose, CA 95110.
2018-2019 Season –
Beau Jest – Feb. 15 – Mar. 10, 2019
Queen Of the Mist – Apr. 5 – Apr 28, 2019
2019-2020 Season – New Beginnings
Into the Wake Of the Moon – Jun 8-9, 2019
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Crown Jewel – Sep 13 – Oct 6, 2019
The Tin Woman – Oct 25 – Nov 17, 2019
A Taffeta Christmas – Dec 6 – 22, 2019
A New Brain – Jan 10-26, 2020
The 39 Steps – Feb 7 – Mar 1, 2020
Baby – Mar 13 – Apr 5, 2020
The Secret Garden – Apr 17 – May 10, 2020
For shows described by AudioVision:
Get tickets for Broadway San Jose by calling 866-395-2929. Performances are at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts (SJCPA), 255 West Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, on Sundays at 6:30 PM unless noted. Note:
For all San Francisco productions (Golden Gate and Orpheum theatres): Tickets are generally on sale four weeks before the production opens. To charge tickets and reserve receivers, call
888-746-1799 (SHN Theaters), or fax your order to 415-581-2121 and ask for AudioVision tickets. If you have any questions, please email didisalvo@msn.com.
Vista Center – Tech User Group Meeting February 13, 2:00 – 4:00
You are invited
to participate in our next tech user group meeting here in Palo Alto on
Wednesday February 13th from 2:00-4:00.
Our presenter will be Greg Tognoli with Sterling
Adaptives.
He will be demonstrating the latest Orcam
products, as well as a couple of accessible tablets.
If you are able to attend, please rsvp by
sending a message to: jglass@vistacenter.org
John Glass
Director of Access Technology
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
2500 El Camino Real, Suite 100
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-858-0202 ext. 123
Bev Clifford – Kaiser Permanente San Jose and Prescription Labeling
SVCB Recognized with California Senate Member Resolution No. 137
