Bev Clifford – Kaiser Permanente San
Jose and Presciption Labeling
Shared Vision - Low Vision Expo - FREE Event
"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
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.
Our Next Membership Meeting: tbd
Back to Top of Section
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.
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).
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
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
Due to
content sensitivity, for online IN-TOUCH Newsletter review prior to February 2018,
email an access request to: web@svcb.cc
October
2018 (see the following)
SVCB IN TOUCH
Newsletter of the
SILICON VALLEY
COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
A Chapter of the
California Council of the Blind
October 2018
EDITOR: Susan Glass,
editor@svcb.cc
COPY EDITOR: Beverly
Clifford, copyeditor@svcb.cc
ADDRESS: P.O. Box
493, Mountain View, CA 94042
DEADLINE: for the
November, 2018 issue: noon, October 26
VOLUNTEERS: Naomi
Grubb, volunteers@svcb.cc
MEMBERSHIP: Mike
Keithley, membership@svcb.cc
LEGISLATION: Mike
Keithley, legislation@svcb.cc
PHONE: 888-652-5333
EMAIL:
svcb@onebox.com
URL: www.svcb.cc
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
DISCLAIMER: This
publication contains announcements from the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind
and is also a forum for opinions relating to blindness issues. Signed articles
reflect the views, and research, of their authors.
STATUS: SVCB is a
501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization under the California Council of the
Blind.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS:
Contact Mike Keithley, database@svcb.cc.
MEETING LOCATION:
SVCB's monthly meetings are held in the community room of the Monte Vista
Terrace Apts. at 1101 Grant Road, Mountain View. Meetings run 9:30 AM to 1 PM
the third Saturday of the month and are open to all. Monte Vista Terrace is one
block from the intersection of Grant Road and El Camino Real and is accessible
by bus #22.
IN THIS ISSUE
* President's Message
* News From Your
Roving Goodies Reporter
* Membership Corner
* Magical Bridge
Accessible Playground
* Fund-Raising Report
* Snack Shack
* Event Calendar
PRESIDENT's MESSAGE
by Susan Glass
On Friday of Labor
Day weekend, my husband John, my sister Jo Lynn, her friend Jim, and I visited
and toured the Fort Point National Monument, which is situated just at the
southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Point is one of 15 California
national parks that now features an audio-described park brochure and mp3 tour.
You can download both on a Victor Stream or other audio player, and you can
also download the brochure on your iPhone. This will sound familiar to those of
you who visited Muir Woods in late April. Originally, Fort Point was a military
base active during the Civil War. Its purpose was to defend San Francisco and
the West Coast from attacks by foreign powers who either sympathized with the
Confederacy, or still had hopes of claiming West Coast territories for
themselves. As things turned out, Fort Point never fired an offensive shot, but
it was, and remains in its restored form, an impressive establishment. In
addition to listening to the Mp3 brochure, John and I and our companions were treated
to a one and a half-hour tour"usually tours are only 20 minutes"given
by an enthusiastic and well-informed ranger named Nate. Nate had never
conducted a tour for blind people before, but he proved himself a natural,
marking off distances for us by talking to us as he walked them, and always
facing in whatever direction he was pointing. He also encouraged us to touch
everything: the iron-fortified oak doors of the building, the exquisite brick
and stone masonry, the casks or barrels where gunpowder was stored, the muzzles
of two different types of canons, as well as two different kinds of canonballs.
We climbed a winding and precipitous staircase to the top of the building
(fourth floor) where guards on watch paced the parapet. We toured the living quarters
for military officers and for privates. The poor privates slept 24 men to a
room, two men lying in each bunk and positioned head to toe so they'd be less
likely to give one another head lice.
The weather on the
day we visited was sunny, cold, and windy, pretty typical for the Golden Gate
area except that usually its foggy, cold, and windy. We had a great time, and
relayed our enthusiasm to the Parks Service, The University of Hawaii, and
Google, who are the entities responsible for brringing audio-described
brochures to all of California's national parks. There are several more parks
in our area that need visits and feedback from the blind and visually impaired
community, and the Google grant will pay $500 for every park visit by a CCB
chapter. John and I did not collect any funds because we were visiting Fort
Point as private citizens, not as representatives of SVCB. You'll recall that
when SVCB and the San Francisco chapter visited Muir Woods together, we split
the $500 between our two chapters, each receiving $250. SVCB may want to
consider visiting other local national Parks: The Pinnacles and Point Reyes are
two that come to mind. We can enjoy the parks together, provide feedback that
benefits all blind and visually impaired park visitors, and earn a bit for our
chapter's treasury.
Parks and recreation
are a featured topic in this month's newsletter. Please take time to read the
article on the Magical Bridge Project, which is a collaboration between Jay
Gluckman, Director of Education for the Bridge Parks Project, and Yours Truly.
And here is a shout out to SVCB member Abby Tamara for connecting our chapter
with Magical Bridge.
At our October
general membership meeting, Pete Stahl, a representative from the California
League of Women Voters, will present pros and cons for state and local measures that will appear on
our November voting ballots. Mr. Stahl has presented for us in the past, and
"?? done an outstanding job. At the November SVCB meeting, our focus will
be on accessible play. Rob Turner will bring his audible darts, Noel Runyan
will bring his nerf rifle, and John Glass will lead a Name that Tune game.
Are you interested in
becoming an SVCB officer or director on our board? If so, contact Rob Turner or
Roger Petersen, who comprise our Nominating Committee.
NEWS FROM YOUR ROVING
GOODIES REPORTER
by Bev Clifford
Vic and I are in the
last throes of preparing and packing for our marathon train-and-car trip, but I
wanted to take a minute to let you know how we're doing goodies-wise for 2019.
The only months still available for you to bring scintillating snacks to an
upcoming meeting are April, May, and November, so do consider filling in these
slots. Who knows"your snacks may become the talk of the town! You can call
our SVCB phone number and leave me a message at 1-888-652-5333, drop me an
email at goodies@svcb.cc, or look me up in our SVCB Membership List and contact
me directly by phone or email if that works better for you. We will be checking
our home voicemail and email messages as we travel, so I won't miss any eager
goodies volunteers. I'll be here until Saturday September 29, so if you're
quick about it you can catch me before I leave. Thanks ever so much to those
who've already chipped in, and thanks in advance to the newbies: We love you!
MEMBERSHIP CORNER
by Mike Keithley
"Well, Master
blew it, again! He totally forgot to submit his articles to the newsletter. And
I looked for the wet noodle he keeps talking about in regards to me, but I
couldn't find it anywhere. Kasia finally told me that Master asked her to hide
it somewhere on Uranus. Well, that planet isn't friendly to dogs like me, and I
gave up. So please, punish him roundly. Thank you."
Well King, this is
all true, and I humbly ask newsletter readers to forgive me. But I had a
colonoscopy to prepare for, had a peck of trouble on a website wanting me to
select images whose names JAWS kept secret, and I researched and ordered a new
hearing-impaired cordless phone. So there!
"Yah yah,
Excuses."
Enough of this! Let's
wish happy October birthdays to John Kanze, Donna Sanchez, Brian Higgins, and
Michelle McGrew--they'll love you!
Bev and Victor
Clifford are embarking on a nine week trip starting in late September. Have fun
you guys!
At the September
meeting, we got a chance to get re-acquainted with Mickey and Sandy Quenzer,
who were visiting from Grants Pass, Oregon.
And Bev Clifford told
us about the chapter's braille literacy project of labeling a topographical map
for the Nature Center in Watsonville. I think we'll do an outing there soon.
Leslie McNeil, a
registered nurse from Vanda Pharmaceuticals,
described the Non-24 sleep disorder, where the body clock is not reset
by circadian rhythms. You can hear her presentation, plus an auction, at
svcb.cc/psaudio/ps0918.mp3.
Planning for our
holiday party is underway. It will be at the Silicon Valley Blind Center on
Saturday, December 15. Do plan to come! You can register by coming to the
October meeting. Registration is $20 for CCB/SVCB members and $25 for friends.
Give your money to Mike Keithley at the meeting. You can also send a check to
SVCB's PO. Box. Use the address at the top of this newsletter.
We'll have another
holiday show of old-time radio, produced by John Glass, and Armadillo Willys
will be our caterer, so expect great food.
Very good news! The
Marrakesh Treaty was passed by the House and now awaits the signature of
President Trump and final preparations by the State Department.
MAGICAL BRIDGE
ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUNDS
by Susan Glass and
Jay Gluckman
If you're in the mood
for some outdoor recreation this fall, and you either play with kids or are a
big kid yourself, there's a playground in Palo Alto that is designed especially
for you. It's called the Magical Bridge Playground, and it's nestled in the
southwest corner of Mitchell Park (the official address is 600 E Meadow Road,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, but if you use paratransit the best address is 3864
Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303). Magical Bridge Playground was designed to
be highly accessible (their word is inclusive) to people of all abilities and
ages. More Magical Bridge parks are being planned for Redwood City, Mountain
View, Sunnyvale, and Morgan Hill.
Magical Bridge
Playground is divided into play zones, and the equipment found in each one has
been specially created with children of varying abilities in mind, and a focus
on autistic children in particular. The equipment helps these children develop
their proprioceptive or spatial awareness, as well as their sense of balance.
It comes as no surprise that developing proprioceptive awareness is also
crucial for blind children. The grouping
of the equipment into play zones is helpful for those with visual impairments. If you are in the Spin Zone, you know that
all the equipment will spin. If you are
in the Swing and Sway Zone, you know that this is the only place in the
playground that the equipment swings and sways.
The summit of Slide Mound is the only place to enter the slides at the
playground.
Navigating the park
with a white cane is easy. You walk on an aggregate pathway that parallels the
play areas, the surfaces of which are a springy textured rubber. It's easy to
detect surfacing differences with your cane tip, and as long as you stay on the
aggregate path, you're safe from exuberant swingers, swayers, sliders,
spinners, and climbers.
I especially enjoyed
the play equipment in the Spin Zone. One piece called the Net Spinner is like a
jungle gym with a ladder that you climb to a platform where you rest your
hands. You hang on while standing, and someone on the ground spins you round
and round. Another delight is Disk Spinner, which is a saucer where you spin
around while lying on your back. I also enjoyed a piece of equipment called the
Roller Table, which is a narrow bed of metal cylinders that can rotate. I
enjoyed lying on my back and pulling myself along the rollers using overhead
metal bars.
Other attractions in
the park include a wheelchair-accessible playhouse with a pretend hardware
store complete with hammers and screwdrivers carved out of wood, plus a cafe
with a toy cash register. There are boat swings, bucket swings, and slides.
Three of the play zones have a Cozy Cocoon, a metal nest particularly for those
with autism and other folks prone to sensory overload, to hang out in when
active play feels overwhelming. The cocoon is a large sphere with openings, and
provides a calming place to sit and regroup before emerging to re-engage in
active play.
On Friday, August 17,
I had the pleasure of being invited by Mr. Jay Gluckman, who is Director of
Education at Magical Bridge Foundation, to a personal preview of some
prototypes for a Magical Bridge Foundation project called Visual Magic. These
prototypes are part of a plan in the works to make the new Magical Bridge
Playground under construction in Redwood City friendly to people with visual
impairments. Magical Bridge Foundation was awarded a $50,000 grant from the
Bernard Newcomb Foundation to support the work of the Visual Magic Project's
installations at the forthcoming Redwood City Playground. (Bernard Newcomb was one of the co-founders
of EininTRADE, and is currently a philanthropist. Newcomb himself happens to be visually impaired.)
For the personalized
preview, I had the pleasure of meeting the entire Visual Magic Project team
that worked over the summer to refine the prototypes that I was shown. The team included: Rachel Wallstrom, a design
and engineering intern from Stanford University; Cathy Tran, a volunteer for
Magical Bridge Foundation and a design researcher by profession; and Nikki
Dadlani, a blind high school student, who has provided invaluable input to
Magical Bridge Foundation to create a roadmap for how to make public
playgrounds accessible to blind and visually impaired people. Also present at the playground that evening
were several members of the Mid-Peninsula Guide Dog Puppy Foundation who were
invited there to give playground visitors an opportunity to learn about guide
dogs, and for the puppies to have an opportunity to acclimate to a busy
playground environment.
So for the Visual
Magic preview, I was shown two prototypes of what the team calls Zone Entry
Monuments. The idea is to greet visitors
to each playground zone with a place that provides information about the
equipment found in that play zone. So
that the design is universal, the prototypes of zone monuments had text for
those with low vision, a brailled map, and two- and three-dimensional models of
the equipment found there. In addition,
detailed information about the playground equipment will be available
online. I was sent some of the drafts of
the online information about the equipment, and it gave a good idea of what I
could expect for my visit to the playground.
The Visual Magic team
had the two- and three-dimensional models ready to show Nikki and me on
August 17, and the team was eager to
learn which models (the two-dimensional or three-dimensional) we thought would
suit the needs of blind people. Hands down, we both preferred the
three-dimensional models. Each model is a scaled miniature of a piece of the
playground equipment, the purpose of which would allow us as blind people to
experience the entire shape of the play equipment that we are about to
encounter, and recognize the real thing immediately when we touch it. Two-
dimensional models cannot deliver this immediate recognition.
Jay Gluckman and the
Visual Magic Team at Magical Bridge would love more input and feedback from
members of the visually impaired community.
If you want to learn more, schedule a presentation of the Visual Magic
prototypes, or arrange a personalized tour of the Magical Bridge Playground in
Palo Alto, contact Jay Gluckman by email at jay@magicalbridge.org, or call him
at 650-793-5009.
In closing, I would
like to thank Chapter Member Abby Tamara for putting me in touch with Jay
Gluckman, for letting me know about the Magical Bridge Foundation Playgrounds,
and for the opportunity for all of us with visual impairments to visit them and
enjoy them"as well as to give feedback to their designers to make their
future playground more inclusive and fun for people in our community.
FUND-RAISING REPORT
by Michelle McGrew
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,
October 22 through Tuesday, October 23, 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
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 October meeting, or you can download and
print the required flyer by visiting www.svcb.cc. 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.
Thanks to all who
donated items for our auction at the September meeting! We auctioned a pair of
matching livingroom pillows, a sushi set for two, a wok set, a table lamp, a
winter cape, a bartender set, and a 15.5 pound bag of dog food. Thanks to all
of our participants and to Carol for assisting me with the auction.
Congratulations to our highest bidders: Mike, John V., Frank, Kathy H., and
Lupe. We raised $92, plus we received an additional $20 donation!
At our October
meeting, we're having a 50/50 raffle! Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six.
Our September Cookies
of the Month fund-raiser, benefiting our tech grant, featured a crunchy version
of Dawn's Almond Cookies. (The recipe that we published in the "Snack
Shack" column of our newsletter in December, 2016 makes a softer cookie.
But if you like crunchy cookies, try flattening them with a glass or measuring
cup dipped in white sugar, and bake them to the doneness that you prefer.)
After our meeting, I baked more so we'd have enough to sell at the Blind Center
the following Wednesday. But it seems we still didn't have enough cookies! I'll
be baking more to sell the last Wednesday of September. So far, we sold 16 bags
of cookies at our meeting and another 22 bags at the Blind Center. Thanks to
all of our supporters! At the time of this writing, we've raised $38!
Please stay tuned to
the Phone Tree to find out which cookie will be featured in October. If you
would like to volunteer to bake cookies for this fundraiser, 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.
I am taking orders
for next year's large print/braille calendars, featuring artwork by blind and
visually impaired people of all ages (36 of 55 are already reserved). At the
time of this writing, the calendars have not arrived yet, but I expect them to
be here before our October meeting. Remember, these are great to share with
others! This year, they will cost $10 each. To reserve yours, please contact me
as listed above.
We hope to resume our
chocolate bar sales in October, but as of this writing, we are still making the
necessary arrangements. Until the chocolate bars return, we will continue to
sell our nut mixes (with cranberries or with chocolate). Stay tuned to the
Phone Tree to find out which we will have at the October meeting. And, whether
we have chocolate bars or not, we will continue to sell Welch's Fruit Snacks
and Kirkland Nut Bars. All snacks sell for $1 each. Contact me as listed above
to order snacks or to check on the availability of our snack items.
See you at the
October meeting!
SNACK SHACK
Broccoli Salad
Submitted by Suzanne
Smith
This recipe comes
from Favorite Recipes of WoW: High Desert Widows or Widowers Cookbook.
10 slices bacon
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
1 cup red onion,
chopped
1 large fresh bunch
broccoli
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
Fry bacon until
crisp. Crumble. Cut up broccoli in small pieces. Chop red onion. mix together
all ingredients. Toss with dressing and chill.
Lemon Mousse
Submitted by Suzanne
Smith
This is from Chef
Tell Tells All (A Gourmet Guide from the Market to the Table).
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
3 teaspoons lemon
rind
4 cups heavy cream,
whipped
Heat the lemon juice,
sugar, lemon rind, and egg yolks in a saucepan. Stir until thickened. Remove
from heat and allow to cool. Fold in the whipped cream and spoon into
decorative wine glasses. Chill well before serving. Serve plain, with sweetened
whipped cream, strawberries, or a lemon garnish.
EVENT CALENDAR:
October-November 2018
Compiled by Mike
Keithley
Notes
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.
Shows described by
AudioVision: 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.
The monthly
"Let's Talk Low Vision" conferences from CCLVI can be accessed as
podcasts at www.airsla.org/cclvidd.asp.
Bay Area Association
of Disabled Sailors: Departs every Sunday at noon from Pier 40 in San
Francisco. Call 415-281-0212 for information and reservations, or visit
www.baads.org.
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. For event listings, call Lori Gray at 510-843-4398, or visit
www.borp.org.
Calendar
October: Employment
of People with Disabilities Awareness Month
Oct 1 to Oct 7:
ANOTHER ROLL OF THE DICE, Tabard Theatre (see notes).
Oct 2, 5:30 to 7 PM:
Breast Cancer Support Group, call-in: 605-715-4920; ID: 2776167. For questions,
call Lori Scharff at 516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com.
Oct 4, 7 to 9 PM:
SVCB Board meeting. If you're not on the Board but wish to attend this meeting,
please contact President Susan Glass.
Oct 6, 2 PM: ON YOUR
FEET, descriptions by AudioVision, Golden Gate Theatre, see notes.
Oct 15: Blind
Americans Equality Day, formally White Cane Safety day.
Oct 16, 5:30 to 7 PM:
Let's Talk Low Vision, Lighting and Eye Protection, 712-432-3447 with ID code
145330.
Oct 20, 9 AM to 1 PM:
SVCB Membership Meeting: Formally consider Constitution and Bylaws amendments.
Oct 23 through Nov
??"' THE EXPORER's CLUB, Tabard Theatre, see notes.
Oct 26, noon:
November SVCB newsletter deadline. Distribute fall membership list, publish
slate of 2019 SVCB candidates.
Oct 26 and 27 at 8 PM
and 28 at 2 PM: TheatreWorks, FUN HOME, descriptions by the Visual Voice,
MVCPA.
Nov 1, 7 to 9 PM:
SVCB Board meeting.
Nov 3, 2 PM: MISS
SAIGON, with descriptions by the AudioVision, Orpheum Theatre, see notes.
Nov 10, 2 PM:
WAITRESS, described by AudioVision, Golden Gate Theatre, see notes.
Nov 17, 9 AM to 1 PM:
31st SVCB anniversary membership meeting. Elect officers for 2019, announce
Budget Committee.
Nov 23, noon::
December newsletter deadline.
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).
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.
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
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
Indiana[VC1] University Bloomington – Researchers are conducting a study
to understand the use of camera-based assistive technologies by people with
visual impairments. You are invied to participate in this study by taking part
in a 15-20 minute online survey from a place of your convenience. To
participate in the survey you need to have access to a computer or smartphone
with a screen reader and Internet connection. For your participation in the
survey, you will be enrolled in a random drawing with a chance to win one of
ten $20 gift certificates and have a 1 in 10 chance of winning. I interested or
have questions about the study, fill out the form at: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_kcfYGKoQ_hUZJznxYe-bmzPAZ6C4ttwmjA9MCHAfW2GzjQ/viewform
Alternatively,
you may email Taslima Akter at takter@iu.edu or call Tousif Ahmed at
1-812-606-6542. Participants must identify as visually impaired, be 18 years or
older, and live in the U.S.
Regard,
Taslima Akter
Indiana
University Bloomington
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 –
Another Roll Of the Dice – Sep. 14 – Oct. 7, 2018
The Explorers Club – Oct. 26 – Nov. 18, 2018
Uptown Holiday Swing – Nov. 30 – Dec. 16, 2018
Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook – Jan. 11 – Feb. 3,
2019
Beau Jest – Feb. 15 – Mar. 10, 2019
Queen Of the Mist – Apr. 5 – Apr 28, 2019
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.
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 – Tech User Group Meeting October 3 -
You are invited to attend our next meeting on Wednesday
October 3, from 2:00-4:00 in the conference room at Vista Center’s Palo Alto
office. Our presenter will be Damian Pickering with HIMS. He will be showing us
their brand new product, the QBraille.
A unique blend of a Perkins Keyboard and QWERTY Function
Keys! QBraille XL represent an entirely new type of 40-cell Braille display.
The QBraille XL replaces the need for special keystrokes with the intuitively
placed function keys found on all QWERTY keyboards. With the QBraille XL,
closing an application means simply pressing the dedicated and familiar Alt+F4
buttons.
We may also have some Stanford students visiting, who are
interested in getting our input on an assistive technology project they are
working on.
If you are able to attend, please rsvp by sending a message
to: techusergroup@vistacenter.org. We look forward to seeing you at the
meeting!
Sincerely,
John Glass
Access Technology Manager
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired
2500 El Camino Real, Suite 100
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-858-0202 ext. 123
Vista Center – League
of Women Voters of Palo Alto presents: Pros and
Cons - The arguments For & Against Ballot Measures to be Voted on November 6th, 2018
Presented
by Members of the League of Women Voters Jean Lythcott and Veronica Tincher
______________________________________________
Vista
Center Palo Alto is proud to host the Palo Alto League of Women Voters at our
office for an informative summary of the ballot
measures for the upcoming November 2018 election.
Date:
Tuesday,
October 16, 2018
Time:
11:00 AM to
1:00 PM
Location:
Vista
Center Palo Alto
2500
El Camino Real, Suite 100
Palo
Alto CA 94306
Volunteers
will be available from noon to 1:00 PM to assist
individuals in registering to vote in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
Discussion
will include ballot measures from the State of California, Santa Clara County,
City of Palo Alto and Palo Alto Unified School District
The
League of Women Voters is a national civic
organization that was formed in 1920 to help women take a larger role in public
affairs after they won the right to vote. Its purpose is to promote active,
informed citizen participation at all levels of government through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters is
officially nonpartisan--it neither supports nor opposes candidates or parties.
This presentation is one of education: to explain the proposal on the ballot
and provide the arguments proponents for and against
the measure.
Bev Clifford – Kaiser Permanente San Jose and Presciption Labeling
Before I begin this narrative, I want to pay tribute to
the woman who started it all: the late Barbara Rhodes, long-time and treasured
member of our Silicon Valley Council of the Blind chapter. Due to her tireless
effort and New York chutzpah, Kaiser began offering Talking Pill Bottles to its
patients in our area sometime in the early 2000's. We miss her, and our chapter
has since created our Barbara Rhodes Technology Grant in her honor. I was one
of the patients who benefited from her work, and her example inspired me to take
action.
I was also inspired by a company called EnVision America,
which for several years had been
struggling to convince Kaiser Permanente that their product, ScripTalk (a
playback unit that audibly reads a person all the information on their
prescription labels) would be beneficial to its blind and visually impaired
patients. Near the beginning of 2017, not long after Vic and I had signed up
for the Kaiser Senior Advantage program, I determinedly began a phone campaign
to encourage Kaiser to seriously consider ScripTalk—and that's making a long
story short: there were many calls to many departments before finally, in April
2017, I reached someone who was willing to listen to and take notes on what I
had to say. And whether because of their ongoing communication with EnVision
America, or possibly spurred on by my insistent nagging, I received a call two
months later informing me that my next prescriptions would arrive with a
ScripTalk unit that would read the information that a mail-order pharmacist
would record on a little label on the bottom of each prescription bottle or
box. I was thrilled! And I made a special call to their Pharmacy Department
that very day thanking Kaiser fervently for finally seeing the light.
In January of 2018, I
became a member of Kaiser San Jose's Member Patient Advisory Council (MPAC),
which meets once a month to glean important input from and listen to the
concerns of patients on any and all issues, whether trivial or serious,
surrounding their Kaiser facility here, so that patients and Kaiser staff can
work together to address them. During my intake interview, I made it clear that
my major reason for joining this committee was to advocate for people with
disabilities, particularly (of course) those of us who are blind and visually
impaired, and that I was especially interested in speaking with pharmacy
representatives. For although I was extremely grateful for Kaiser's adoption of
ScripTalk, I knew they could do more. I was aware that EnVision America also
offers braille labeling on prescription containers (a fact that would be vital
to the deaf-blind community), plus they have developed an iPhone app called
ScripView that enables VoiceOver to read a specific kind of label affixed to
the little instruction booklet that comes with each prescription, therefore
allowing visually impaired patients with large print capability to read the
information on prescription containers as well.
Just last month, when I
received the agenda for our upcoming MPAC meeting, I saw that people from
Pharmacy would be attending. And fortunately for me, I was in a position to
demonstrate not only the ScripTalk unit, but also the braille labeling and the
iPhone app, reason being that before I returned to Kaiser I was under AETNA's
medical insurance, and AETNA had agreed to implement all three of EnVision
America's options, wherez at that time Kaiser hadn't agreed to any of them.
When I was asked which option I wanted, I requested them all, so that when the
time came I could show somebody at Kaiser how they all worked. And now, at
last, that time had arrived.
So I happily packed up
my ScripTalk unit, an old AETNA prescription bottle with the braille label, the
little instruction booklet to be used with the ScripView iPhone app (that I had
just downloaded that morning), and off I went to the meeting. The other MPAC
members and the assembled staff seemed impressed with the products--most of
them had never heard about or seen them--and after the meeting one of the
pharmacists came to my table to get a better look at the bottle with the
braille label. I was pleased with my demonstration except for the iPhone app,
which had worked (although slowly) that morning, but which I couldn't guarantee
would work properly at the meeting. But at least I was able to explain the
concept, showing them the app, and then turning up the volume to the max so
they could listen to how VoiceOver can read the prescription information from
the history of the labels it had previously scanned this morning. Then I went
home and forgot about it all.
That meeting was about
two weeks ago. And just two days ago, I received a call from one of the
Volunteer Coordinators we work with, who was delighted to spread the news that
Kaiser San Jose's mail-order pharmacy has just ordered the braille printer they
need to emboss braille labels for prescription bottles, and that when I refill
my next prescriptions, the bottles/boxes will have braille on them! And if
they'll do this for me, that means that any other San Jose Kaiser patient who
wants braille on their bottles can get it, too. Hallelujah! I'm not sure if
every walk-in pharmacy will have a braille printer quite yet, and I have no
idea whether Kaiser will implement the large-print option in the future, but this
is a good start. Hooray for advocacy!
SVCB Recognized with California Senate
Member Resolution No. 137
California Senate Resolution
By the Honorable Jim Beall, 15th
Senatorial District;
Relative to Commending
Silicon Valley Council of the Blind
WHEREAS, As a Mountain View-based,
nonprofit membership organization, the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind has
worked diligently for over 30 years to fulfill its mission to improve the
quality of life for all persons with vision loss through its long-standing and
singular advocacy, mutual support, and other consequential efforts, for which
the Council and its members are deserving of special honors and commendations;
and
WHEREAS, Extending a welcome to all
persons who share its desire to improve the quality of life for persons with
vision loss, the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind is a membership
organization of persons who are blind or visually impaired, and their families
and friends, that draws its membership largely from Santa Clara County and is
organized as a chapter of the California Council of the Blind, which, in turn,
is a state affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, a nonprofit
organization with a nationwide reach; and
WHEREAS, In service to accomplishing
its mission, the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind has undertaken a number of
activities which include, among others, educating both the public and its own
members about the capabilities, responsibilities, and special needs of persons
who are blind or visually impaired, and working jointly with other organizations
that share the Council’s goals; and
WHEREAS, Since the Silicon Valley
Council of the Blind was founded in 1987, as its membership has undergone a
substantial increase, so too has the scope of the organization’s efforts, which
now include regular monthly meetings that provide opportunities for persons
with vision loss to learn about and discuss issues of concern with public
officials, professionals in the field of blindness, and other blind persons;
the publication of a monthly newsletter in formats that include braille, large
print, e-mail, and cassette tape; the hosting of a Web site with links to
resources and contact information; and the sponsorship of social and
recreational activities where persons sharing the Council’s goals can get to
know one another and experience the solidarity that encourages them to “keep up
the good work”; and
WHEREAS, Also reflective of the
broader scope of the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind’s activities is the
focus on members educating themselves about legislation and government
regulations related to blindness, as well as members’ active efforts to improve
legislation and regulations through testimony and hearings, especially in
relation to matters vital to the independence of blind and visually impaired
persons such as transportation; and
WHEREAS, In addition, since the
initiation of its annual Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant in 2010 and
consistent with its mission, the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind has
offered up to $1,500 to a blind or visually impaired person who can best
demonstrate the need for adaptive technology as a means of improving quality of
life, or advancing educational or employment opportunities, or both; and
WHEREAS, Having worked diligently for
over 30 years to provide its members and the wider community of blind and
visually disable persons with “Access to Life,” the Silicon Valley Council of
the Blind has proved itself to be an effectual and laudably mission-driven
organization, whose members’ advocacy, provision of mutual support, and diverse
beneficial efforts have improved the well-being and quality of life for persons
with vision loss throughout Santa Clara County and beyond; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED BY SENATOR JIM BEALL, That he
takes great pleasure in commending the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind for
its exemplary efforts in fulfillment of its mission to improve the quality of
life for all persons with vision loss, and extends his best wishes for the
continued success of the Council’s invaluable services and programs in the
future.
Members Resolution No. 137
Dated this 10th day of
March, 2018
Honorable Jim Beall
15th Senatorial District
Bill Tipton - Celebrating
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
Picture of Bill Tipton.
May 17 was Global Accessibility Awareness Day
(GAAD). To celebrate that day and the importance of accessibility, Bill Tipton
shares a blog posted by his employer, Hewlett
Packard Enterprise Community, which includes a tip to assist in
increasing one component of accessibility. The blog also describes some of the
importance of accessibility and its content can be located at this URL:
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).
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
