Silicon Valley Council of the Blind
"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.
Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB) Purpose
SVCB Organization Links
Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (SVCB) Purpose
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
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SVCB Organization Links
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
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SVCB Meetings
Our meetings take place every third Saturday in the community room of the Monte Vista Terrace Apartments (1101 Grant Road in Mountain View) and run from 9:30 AM. to 1 PM. The Monte Vista Terrace Apartments are one block from the intersection of Grant Road and El Camino Real and are accessible by bus #22. To read timely announcements and find out what will be happening during our next meeting, read our SVCB Phone Tree Message.
SVCB Past Meeting Recordings
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SVCB Phone Tree Message
SVCB meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month, 9:30 AM to 1 PM. The location is the dining room of the Monte Vista Terrace Apartments at 1101 Grant Road, Mountain View, one block from El Camino Real, 22 VTA bus.
Phone Tree Message for March, 2018
Our April Membership Meeting
Date: Saturday, April 21,
2018.
Time: 9:30 AM to 1 PM. Note
that the room must be cleared by 1 PM.
9:30: Coffee and conversation. Lunch order deadline: 9:45.
10 to 11: Program
11:10 to 12: Business
12 to 1: Lunch and socializing
Place: Community room of the Monte Vista Terrace
Apartments
1101 Grant Road, Mountain View
Event: 50/50 Raffle, see Michelle's blurb below.
Program
The speaker for our April program will be Liz
Dietz, Registered Nurse with the Red Cross. She will talk to us about Disaster
preparedness.
A second part of the meeting will be adventure stories from those who attended the recent CCB convention!
MEET
GABRIELA Aldana
When you arrive at our April
21st membership meeting, make a point of greeting Ms. Gabriela
Aldana, this year's Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant winner. Those who
attend Wednesday gatherings at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center have already
experienced Gabi's warm and vivacious personality. A San Jose native, Gabi
attended Independence High School, and had planned to join the U.S. military,
but then life threw her some peculiar curves. In her senior year of high
school, she was diagnosed with diabetes. In 2008 her vision and her kidneys
simultaneously stopped working. She received both a kidney and a pancreas
transplant, and now lives a health-focused lifestyle complete with good food,
exercise, and a positive attitude. Her voice lights up when you ask her about
the classes she's taken at the Blind Center, and her experiences as a mentor
there. "The Blind Center is my second home," she says, "and my
friends there are like family. I love Ernie's classes."
Gabi is only 39 years old. At age 21, she worked
at the YWCA with at risk youth. She speaks Spanish and English fluently, and
would like to attend college in order to become an interpreter. "I don't
like to start things without finishing them," she says, "and whatever
I do, I always give 150 percent." Her tech grant award of a new iPhone and
computer will allow her to give that 150 percent to her college studies and her
work at the Blind Center.
And what does Gabi do for fun? "I share my
home with a 7-year-old Russian Blue cat named Buster, and I love to read
thrillers. I like people. I like life."
Michelle’s Blurb
Save the dates and spread the word! Please join
us at our next fund-raising event at Marie Callender's (751 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA
94087) any time Monday, April 23 through Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (11 AM-8 PM) for a meal, dessert or snack, or even to purchase
a pie to take home! Please call 408-245-3710 to make reservations if you have a
party of 6 or more. Present one of our required 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 grant program! We'll have flyers at
the March and April meetings, or you can download and print the required flyer
by visiting SVCB Restaurant Flyer. Note that Marie Callender's will not
have extra copies, and we will not receive credit for your purchases if your
party does not have a flyer.
In April, we’re having another 50/50 raffle!
Tickets will be $1 per ticket or $5 for six. However, if you have items you'd
like to donate for a future raffle or auction, or if you'd like to suggest
ideas for possible items for either event, please let someone on the
Fund-raising Committee know!
For April, Bev Clifford will be baking
Nieman-Marcus Cookies, a very ‘choclatey’ cookie containing oatmeal and lots of
nuts. Each bag of cookies will sell for $1. If you would like to volunteer to
bake cookies this year for this fund-raiser, please call 888-652-5333 (leave a
message to be forwarded to me or look me up on our Membership List to call me
directly), or send email to fundraising@svcb.cc.
We still have some chocolate for sale! Meltaways
from Bakers Candies come in four-ounce bags containing about 13
individually-wrapped chocolates, and sell for $4 per bag. I have the following
flavors available: four kinds of dark chocolate (plain, mint, orange, and
cherry), five kinds of milk chocolate (plain, mint, peanut butter, coconut, and
raspberry), milk chocolate wrapped caramel, and the assorted (mix of both dark
and milk chocolates).
We'll have the following for sale at the
meeting: Meltaways ($4 per bag), and
for $1 each, we'll have nut mix (with
cranberries or with chocolate), Welch's
Fruit Snacks, Nut Bars, and Nieman-Marcus
Cookies (chocolatey cookies
containing ground oatmeal and plenty of nuts)
baked by Bev Clifford for our
April Cookie of the Month. Funds from the cookie
sales benefit our tech grant.
To pre-order any items, please call 888-652-5333
(leave a message to be
forwarded to Michelle, or look her up on our
Membership List to call her
directly), or send email to fundraising@svcb.cc.
Picnic!
Don’t forget the SVCB picnic August 18. It’s at Hellyer County Park in a site called Yerba
Buena, next to Sylvendale. The address for Hellyer Park is 985 Hellyer Ave, San Jose.
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SVCB Past Meeting Recordings
SVCB Meeting Programs – To skip instructions, click SVCB Program List.
Welcome to the index page for SVCB's meeting program segments. Through links on this page, you can stream or download presentations that occurred during the program segments at monthly meetings of the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind. Program segments posted here have been approved by their presenters for online availability. Other segments that have not been approved are available to SVCB members by contacting membership@svcb.cc.
Feedback is welcomed. Send comments to webmaster@svcb.cc.
What is streaming and downloading?
Each month in the list below has two links associated with it: "stream" and "download." Both links let you listen to your selected program but in different ways.
When you select "stream," your media player starts, and you hear the program almost immediately. Problem is, you can only listen to it, you can't move forward or backward easily nor do you have a copy of the program on your computer to listen to later. But if you just want to sit back with your favorite "whatever," selecting "stream" is the right choice. When you need to stop the program, exit your media player (typically with the alt-f4 key combination).
Selecting the download link for a program starts the sequence you use to download a file. After the file is downloaded, you start your media player, open this file and begin listening to your program. The difference is that now you can easily move backward and forward through the program as well as increase the speech rate (on some players). The downside of the download process is that getting the file to your computer can take some time, perhaps two minutes.
Trouble?
Depending on file associations on your operating system, you may have trouble with the audio links. If nothing happens when you click on the "listen" link, try the "download" link as experiments indicate that this may behave like the "listen" link.
If you can only listen to audio, the audio file can still be downloaded. Here's how:
Do the keystroke to stop the audio. This is control-p in Windows Media Player.
Pull down the file menu:, typically with alt-f.
Select the "save as" function.
The name of the audio file will be highlighted so all you have to do is click the "save" button.
You will be returned to your media player after the file has downloaded to your computer.
SVCB Program List
Choose a year, and then select stream or download.
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SVCB Officers / Board Members
All SVCB Officers and Board Members may be contacted by phone at: 888-652-5333 (leave a message).
President – Susan Glass, president@svcb.cc
Vice-President – Alice Turner, vice.president@svcb.cc
Recording Secretary – John Glass, recording.secretary@svcb.cc
Correspondence Secretary – Naomi Grubb, corresponding.secretary@svcb.cc
Treasurer – Vic Clifford, treasurer@svcb.cc
Board Members – Mike Keithley, John McNulty, Lupe Medrano, boardmbrs@svcb.cc
Immediate Past-President – Rob Turner, past.president@svcb.cc
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SVCB Committees / Chairpersons
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
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SVCB IN-TOUCH Newsletters
Due to content sensitivity, for online IN-TOUCH Newsletter review prior to February 2018, email an access request to: web@svcb.cc
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SVCB Business Calendar
http://www.svcb.cc/business_calendar.htm
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SVCB Membership
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).
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SVCB Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant
Launched in 2010, this program annually awards a grant of up to $1500 to a blind or visually impaired person living in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz or San Benito Counties 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:
Ø Polarizing sunglasses
Ø Hearing aids and audiologist fees
Ø Mobility aids (like white canes) and payment for mobility instructors
Ø Adapted mobile devices
Ø Adapted computers
Ø Repair of adapted computers
Ø Magnifying systems
Ø Medical aids
Ø Bar code readers
Past awardees
2010
Grant Recipient Awarded $1000 for a Trekker Breeze
Our first recipient, Fulton Mah of San Jose, received a Trekker Breeze, a GPS system designed for visually impaired people, at SVCB's February, 2011 meeting. Fulton told us how his award will help him travel on foot and use public transit.
2012
The 2012 grant recipients were Ms. Lynette Kersey and Mr. Abdihakiin Ahmed, both from San Jose. Both award recipients are blind. Ms. Kersey was awarded a Language Master talking dictionary to help her teach braille to blind students whose first language is not English. She also used her grant funds to purchase a 1-year maintenance agreement for her braille notetaker, a computer that she uses for teaching, and for her work as a braille proofreader.
Mr. Abdihakiin Ahmed is the founder and developer of a nonprofit organization called East African Visually Impaired Community (EAVIC) which advocates for the East African Blind Community in both the Bay Area and Africa. He was awarded an iPhone, which he plans to use to enhance both his personal independence and his nonprofit organization.
2013
The 2013 technology grant was awarded to Ms. Susan Durst of Santa Cruz California. Ms. Durst is a client of Vista Center for the Blind, and she has been losing her eyesight for some time now. She received a Junior Goose Neck Lamp that affords good lighting for low vision people, and a Pico Magnifier, a small CCTV that fits in a purse. Though retired from her career, she enjoys an active life complete with lots of reading.
2014
The fifth-annual Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant, awarded at SVCB'S April, 2015 membership meeting, was awarded to Mr. John Vandervort of San Jose! Mr. Vandervort has partial sight, and for some time now has found reading difficult. He requested the following items: Reinecker MANO Portable CCTV (a portable video magnifier), ZoomText Update version 10.1, and the Jim Bliss Low Vision System +training course.
2015
Our 2015 Tech Grant award winner was Ms. Camille Gilmore. Diagnosed as legally blind with glaucoma at the Vista Center Low Vision Clinic, Ms. Gilmore has attended Mission College since 2011, where she is earning a Community Health Worker certificate, and an Associates Degree in Sociology. She has thus far completed 60 units, and she has 3 more semesters to complete. In addition to her studies, Camille volunteers as an assistant in the Adaptive PE program at Mission College. She will use her grant award to purchase school supplies and adaptive technology. From the Vista Blind Center store, she'll purchase Eyewear shades, 10-20 pens, bold line paper, Symantech Endpoint Protection, a Kurzweil 1000 upgrade, and a Clear View c Speech 24-inch HD Desktop Magnifier. Congratulations, Camille!
2016
The 2016 Barbara Rhodes Technology Award was given to Lupe Medrano. Lupe is a long-time SVCB member, and she received an iPhone along with funds to pay for training at the Silicon Valley Blind Center and funds to cover transportation costs to and from the center. Lupe hopes that her iPhone will help her be more independent.
2017
The 2017 Barbara Rhodes Technology Award was given to Gabriela Aldana. Gabriela is a mentor to new clients at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, and she continues to learn new technology to further cope with her blindness. She received the grant to purchase accessible computer technology, specifically an Apple iPhone 7 Plus phone and an HP Laptop computer – replacing outdated and failing equipment.
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.
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SVCB Constitution & By-Laws
http://www.svcb.cc/constitution.htm
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SVCB Resource Links
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
Breast Cancer Support Group - For questions, call Lori Scharff
516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com
Career Corner - Organizations serving the blind, and employment organizations. http://www.svcb.cc/career/index.htm
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. March 19 to March 23, 2018, Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, San Diego, CA 92101. 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
Exercise To Try At Home For Disabled People
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
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
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/
617-266-6160 or 888-965-8965
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
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SVCB Local Activities
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 Theatre on San Pedro Square, 29 North San Pedro Street, San Jose.
Ø Apr 13-May 6: Tabard Theatre, ADRIFT IN MACAO, 1:30 pre-
show Apr 14
Ø Jun 23-Jul 8: Tabard Theatre, RED.
Ø Jun 24-Jul 9: Tabard Theatre, GEORGIA O’KEEFFE.
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: At this time, AudioVision is not commissioned to describe shows in 2017 at SJCPA. If you want 2017 shows described at SJCPA, email didisalvo@msn.com.
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.
CCLVI - Apr 17, 5:30 to 7 PM: Let's Talk Low Vision, Resources and Support Groups for People with Low Vision, 712-432-3447 with ID 145330.
TheatreWorks - Apr 27 and 28 at 8 PM, 29 at 2 PM: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, descriptions by the Visual Voice, MVCPA.
Los Altos Ye Olde Towne Band –
Come and enjoy a free, old-fashioned band concert in a beautiful park setting. Each month, Ye Olde Towne Band of Los Altos provides an enjoyable concert presenting music ranging from rousing marches to popular musicals. Spend a lazy Sunday afternoon sitting on the grass listening to your favorite concert music. A playground is available for the youngsters. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy. http://www.windband.org/oldtowne/
Vista Center –
Location: Vista Center for the Blind and the Visually Impaired, 2500 El Camino Real, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA 94306
From: AERNet [mailto:aernet-bounces@lists.aerbvi.org <>] On
Behalf Of Mark
Richert
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2018 9:59 AM
To: aernet@lists.aerbvi.org <>
Subject: Re: [AERNet] You're Invited! Take AFB's
Tech Surveys, and Tell
Policymakers Your Story about How Well Industry
is Doing
If you use a cellphone, watch television, use
office communications equipment, or enjoy described TV, this invitation is
for you! View this email in your browser
You're Invited! Take AFB's Tech Surveys, and Tell
Policymakers Your Story about How Well Industry is Doing
Visit: www.AFB.org/TechSurveys
For further information, contact:
Mark Richert, Esq.
Director, Public Policy, AFB
(202) 469-6833
MRichert@afb.net <>
If you use a mobile phone, watch television, use
office communications
equipment, enjoy described TV, or in any other
way make use of today's most
popular technologies, this invitation is for
you!
The Twenty-First Century Communications and
Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the most comprehensive disability and
technology policy enacted since the landmark Americans with Disabilities
Act, became law in October 2010. We are asking for your help in
determining how well the communications and video industries are doing to
meet the expectations of the CVAA. The CVAA is intended to revolutionize
the way in which people who are blind or visually impaired can fully use
and enjoy today's most popular technologies, from mobile phones to tablet
computers, from VoIP office telephone equipment to email and electronic messaging,
from digital televisions and cable/satellite set top boxes to emergency
alerts and TV programming accessibility through video description.
To periodically assess how well industry is
doing to ensure the accessibility
and usability of communications and video
technologies, we have developed an array of surveys to help us gauge and
report on the experiences, both positive and negative, of consumers with
vision loss who are using these technologies today.
Visit: www.AFB.org/TechSurveys
By taking a few minutes to respond to these
surveys, you can help us track
how effectively these technologies meet your
needs. In addition, your responses will help AFB keep policy makers
informed about how well the communications and video programming
industries are doing to comply with federal law and to offer truly
accessible and usable products and services.
We may share your specific feedback with
Congress, as well as the Federal
Communications Commission (the agency with
enforcement responsibilities for much of the subject matter covered by
this survey) so that they can hear
directly, but anonymously, from consumers across
the country.
The more complete that your answers are, the
more useful these survey results will be. If you do not have time to
respond to all of the surveys right now, respond to the ones that you have
time for now and come back as often as you would like to offer additional
feedback.
While you can take these surveys anonymously, we
do invite you to share your contact information with us, particularly if
you would welcome the opportunity to speak in greater detail about the
challenges you may be facing using today's communications and video
technologies.
Thank you for participating in this important
work, and please do share this
open invitation widely with your network.
Alice Turner
Community Relations Manager
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
2500 El Camino Real,
Suite 100
Palo Alto, CA
94306
650-858-0202 extension 130
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Breast Cancer Support Group. May 1, 5:30 to 7 PM. Call-in:
605-715-4920; ID: 2776167. For questions, call Lori Scharff at 516-887-1336,
or lorischarff@gmail.com.
Orpheum San Francisco - May 26, 2 PM: THE COLOR PURPLE, descriptions by AudioVision.
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SVCB Membership Spotlights
Honorary membership in SVCB awarded to Ms. Cathy Spielberger Cassetta, Tabard Theatre Company
This certificate is awarded September 16, 2017, San Jose, CA to: Ms. Cathy Spielberger Cassetta
The members of the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind, an affiliate of the California Council of the Blind, celebrate and commend Ms. Cathy Spielberger Cassetta, Producing Artistic Director at the Tabard Theatre Company, for her lifelong dedication to bringing live theater to blind and visually impaired patrons. She does this through carefully choreographed pre-show descriptions of stage settings, and hands-on experiences that let blind patrons touch actors' costumes and other props and artifacts that are integral to a particular show. She also provides accessible play bills, discounted tickets, and donated tickets that are part of Silicon Valley Council of the Blind's fund-raising efforts. We therefore present her with a Lifetime, Honorary Membership in the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind, with all benefits and privileges that accompany such membership.
Certificate award to Ms. Cathy Spielberger Cassetta
A Celebration of Julie B. Lovin’s Life
Dr. Julie Beth Lovins, civic activist, active citizen, “language doctor”, Mountain View resident.
A celebration of life occurred Sunday, 11 February 2018, 12:30 pm at the Mountain View City Hall Council Chambers. The event was led by Lenny Siegel, Mayor of Mountain View, California, and sponsored by the Pacific Studies Center and the Old mountain View Neighborhood Association.
Julie died peacefully in hospice care at her home in Old Mountain View on Friday night, 16 January 2018, after a 15-month journey with brain cancer, supported by wonderful friends and neighbors. Julie’s beloved husband and civic partner Dr. Greg Fowler had died unexpectedly on 25 September 2016. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma – an aggressive, incurable brain cancer – in October 2016, just 18 days after the unexpected death of her husband of nearly 29 years. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1945, she grew upon on the East Coast and attended high school in Amherst, Massachusetts. She earned her associate degree with honors at Pembroke College (now Brown University) and her master’s and doctoral degrees in linguistics at the University of Chicago. Julie taught Japanese phonology for three years at prestigious Tokyo universities, implemented early speech synthesis at Bell labs, then engineered software at seven Silicon Valley firms and consulted on computational linguistics for many more through the 1990s. According to her family, she invented the first “stemming algorithm” that cuts endings off a word until just its meaning-bearing stem is left, enabling computers to understand and synthesize human speech. This past September, then-Mayor Ken Rosenberg described her diverse and devoted civic efforts in a tribute at a City Council meeting, saying of her and her husband, “They enlightened our discourse and anchored our civic conscience. Few have done so much to make our lives better. This couple set us a high standard for what it means to be citizens of a democracy.” The video tribute may be viewed at: http://mountainview.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2786
The family prefers that memorial donations be sent to the League of Women Voters (www.lwvlamv.org), Mountain View Educational Foundation (www.mvef.org), Community Health Awareness Council (www.chacmv.org) and Silicon Valley Council of the Blind (www.svcb.cc).
You can carry on Julie and Greg’s good work by volunteering with Mountain View coalition for Sustainable planning (www.mvcsp.org) or Advocates for Affordable Housing (joan_wally_macdonald@calalum.org).