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.
Monthly meetings are held at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center (Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired San Jose). Meetings run 9:30 AM to 1 PM the third Saturday of the month and are open to all.
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer weather. These past two weeks It has been especially good with daytime high temperatures hovering between 75 and 85 degrees. I guess that is why we pay the big bucks to live here.
Our picnic is canceled but that does not mean we cannot have a virtual get together. Look for details in our upcoming phone tree message. You might be surprised.
Recently we had our carpet cleaned which we knew would be a noisy business and had to get out of the house for a while. There are not many places to hang out in these COVID-19 days with our favorite restaurants all closed. What to do? Alice had a bunch of clothing and a comforter to be dry cleaned. She suggested that we fill our backpacks and two plastic bags and walk down to our local dry-cleaning establishment to kill some time. We got there and to our chagrin they were not open. I called and heard their phone ring several times before their answering machine prompted me to leave a message. When I did, my voice came through loud and clear from inside the shop. Next Alice called Aira to read the hours posted on the door. They should have been open. She contacted Aira again to find another nearby dry cleaner. The Aira representative was extremely helpful and after two or three bad leads, found an option that would work$. Next it was Uber to the rescue with a friendly driver who thankfully liked guide dogs and was fine with all the assorted dry cleaning. We got dropped off and after all the items were checked in, the clerk asked us how we got there. We said that we took an Uber. At first, we wondered why he was asking. When he volunteered to deliver everything to our house, we understood. This clerk clearly went way beyond the call of duty to help us. I also had positive experiences at the Department of Motor Vehicles and at the AT&T store. If you have a positive story, please share it. With all the bad things we keep hearing about these days, acts of kindness need to be shared too.
It's like Rob said: we need all the positivity we can get. After all, the notion that "normalcy" will return is a mirage! So we started what'll probably a two-week adventure: eat in all the restaurants on Castro. It's actually Star's idea and doable because most of the street is blocked off to traffic, accept for delivery robots running up and down sidewalks between tables. Star saw one just sitting there and told me to touch it. I wiggled it backward and forward, and it clicked and glided away. "You frightened it, master. It doesn't understand blind weirdos." Perhaps, but it reminded me of the order robot we had in HP production. It went through assembly lines on tape tracks on the floor, and if you got in front or touched it, it said 'excusa-me.' "Yes, Lancer told me about those tracks as he often got in trouble following them."
Anyway, we're having lots of fun at breakfasts and dinners eating outside on tables. The way Star talks, there's a street scene to dig: poodle-dog Sally and her retired master (a retired personal injury lawyer), babies talking in strollers and lookin around with Star trying to get their attention, yayaya. And there's getting lost: 'we parked on California,' no it's Dana.' "I stay out of that, wiser!"
So the thing is, Covid has changed our worlds, but it hasn't ruined them, they're still bright and fresh.
And what about this "virtual picnic" or picanickie as Rose Deterding used to say; we'll have to get used to our favorite food coming out of our PC speakers or phones. "Hey hey, bring it on!"
Happy August birthdays to Bev Clifford, Charlie Stein, Claudia Gulasch, and David Hunter.
We hear that Dawn Wilcox is settled at a new address in Baninbridge Washington near Seattle. Also we understand that John Vandervort has moved to an assistive living center. Contact Victor Clifford for contact info, and look forward to hearing from them on our weekly social hour calls.
This is my first fund-raising report and I have some very big shoes to fill. Michelle and Darin dropped off the fund-raising supplies as they headed out of town on Friday, July 3, just past midnight.
We have sold the last of our Welch's Fruit Snacks as Michelle mentioned in her last fund-raising report. The committee does not plan to restock these, as our sales have dropped significantly over the last couple of years.
We have sold the last of our candy bars! We hope to order more in October, provided we can sell them.
And, at the time of this writing, Lupe Medrano has offered to purchase the last six bags of Meltaways at $4 each, 30 bags of nut mix with sweetened dried cranberries with a best by date of September at $1 each, 30 bags of nut mix with chunks of dark chocolate with a best by date of November for $1 each, and 9 bags of nut mix with dried cranberries with a best by date of July, which we are selling to her at half price. Kannie Loomis has offered to purchase the 9 Kirkland Nut Bars we have left for $1 each. By the time you read this, Lupe will have picked up her items, and Joe and I will have delivered Kannie's items to her.
We do not plan to restock Meltaways again until November. As to the other items we sell, our committee will need to discuss how best to proceed as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please stay tuned to the Phone Tree for updates, and please stay safe and well!
If you are tired of those grocery delivery charges, you might find Walmart's curbside pickup a joyous alternative as it's free.
You need access to a friend or family member with a car, though theoretically, you and a folding shopping cart can accomplish the pickup using public or paratransit. One nice thing about having a car is that groceries will be placed in your trunk while you continue to maintain social distance.
One solution for couples without a car is to assist a friend or volunteer by offering to buy a large quantity of something and split it, or offer to pay for gas.
The site is very accessible. First, you'll need to create an account, but you won't have to worry about a captia or any fields that a screen reader cannot voice. After that you need to pick your store. Many Silicon Valley Walmart locations have grocery pickup and the site will list them in order of distance, so enter your zip code and peruse that list.
Once you have an account, you can use Walmart's iOS or Android apps or order right in your browser. You can shop by department or search for items. For example, today when I search for ground beef, 83 items appear and that amount varies each week. You can then filter by type or brand, or just read through all the results.
You can also shop by simply looking at previous orders and adding any of those to your cart. And you can shop through a favorites list as well.
If you use a screen reader in Windows, it helps to know about less common keystrokes which let you jump by next and previous list item, next and previous different element, next and previous graphic and next and previous same element. JAWS even has a feature (press the > key) to step over the current element. Learning these keystrokes can speed up the process of browsing a list of available groceries.
My sighted friends find the iOS app harder to use than I do, so don't be afraid to explore whether shopping on the app or the computer is easiest for you. You can also create an account within their apps, though I hate typing on the phone so it's something I haven't tried.
You can add to your cart right from the list or select an item and view its ingredients and package directions. Some items have more description and some less. You can also add to the cart from that detail view. However, on the phone app, looking at the list rather than an item's detail, it's easy to accidentally add the wrong item.
Adding groceries to your cart is straightforward, but viewing the cart can be confusing. It is shown near the top of your screen as a number in parenthesis which is the number of items currently in your cart.
There's a $35 minimum but unlike Amazon Fresh delivery, you don't have to do all your shopping now. You can add to the cart as the mood strikes and then pick your pickup hour at any time. Even after you select your pickup hour and check out, you can still add to your order.
You can also add to the same order on both your computer and mobile devices. At our house, both of us add to the order on different devices and it all works out fine. I've used both my home and work computers, my iPhone and Kindle Fire all on the same account to add items to an already checked out order without a problem. Make sure though you only share your account and password with people adding to the order who are trusted family members and who can also see your pament information.
When you check out, you'll be asked to decide whether it is OK to make substitutions. We've found substitutions are usually a more expensive item, for example, we often buy Walmart's EveryDay value Brand and if Walmart is out, they will substitute with something that costs more, but they will not charge extra. This is especially true for frozen meals, produce and premade salad.
When you select a delivery hour you can arrive to pick up any time within that hour. You either use the phone app to let them know you have arrived or you call a number they have posted. You need to tell them the number of your parking slot, or that you are standing in the pedestrian pickup area. While you wait you are often updated by email or the app about any substitutions that were made or missing items. Your card is billed when they bring the order out to you. At that time, you are also emailed an itemized receipt.
A Walmart associate brings out a large shopping cart with your groceries and proceeds to load them in your trunk or your personal bags and folding cart. You can choose online whether to use their bags, which are currently free or your own, but in our experience they seem to ignore that choice and simply use some of their bags and some of our canvas bags. What's nice though is that it truly is contact free—we can remain in the car while they load it all up.
Walmart has a huge selection and are rarely out of items you order. Usually you can see on their site if something is unavailable and you will not be able to add it to your cart. Amazon Fresh we discovered doesn't have as effective inventory control. But Walmart isn't perfect; last week we bought hot dog buns and bratwurst. We got the buns but not the sausages!
There is sometimes an enormous number of people waiting and sometimes nobody. But there are patterns. Our store which is near a business park has a big rush Monday mornings and nobody waiting on Sunday mornings. Associates have told us that for other stores, the big rush is Sunday morning. The pandemic has also changed the pickup patterns but for our store at least, Sunday morning at 8 AM is very quiet with us often being the only customers.
I hope this article gives you another way to get your groceries while sheltering in place.
Please note that this column is for information, and not medical advice. Please consult your physician in regards to information concerning personal medical conditions. If anyone has any areas of nutrition or types of recipes they want information on, feel free to email me and I will be happy to assist you.
In plant based food recipes, not all sites, chefs, or programs consistently avoid ingredients that contain sugar, sodium or oil. Another program that does, besides Dr. Joel Fuhrman (drfuhrman.com), is TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, CA.
TrueNorth Health Center helps individuals regain their health. The website states that "Participants come to fast and detoxify, lose weight, and make diet and lifestyle changes while enjoying a health-promoting diet derived from whole natural foods."
There are 3 chefs at TrueNorth Health Center, and all three have written cookbooks or blogs with recipes. Ramses Bravo is the Executive Chef and Cooking Instructor. His books are called, "Bravo" and "Bravo Express." They're found at:
Here is a recipe from his blog for Tomatillo Salsa.
Tomatillo Salsa
by Chef Ramses Bravo
Ingredients
2 green onions trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds green tomatillos husks removed, rinsed, and halved
1 green bell pepper roasted
1 small white onion diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño chile (optional)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
Put half of the green onions and the tomatillos, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, optional chile, garlic, coriander, and cumin in a food processor and process until the desired consistency is achieved. Garnish with the remaining green onions. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Tomatillo Salsa will keep for 3 days.
Notes: Add more jalapeños if a spicier salsa is desired.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the tomatillos, onion, chile, and garlic on the lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes before processing. Note that the yield will be lower because the tomatillos will lose moisture during the roasting process.
Katie Mae is another Cooking Instructor at TrueNorth Health Center. Her blog is called Culinary Gym, "You have only one life. Make it full, long and delicious!"
Makes 2 stuffed potatoes, Ready in 65 minutes. Stores 4 days in fridge (without avocado).
Ingredients
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1-2 cups cooked black beans (about 6-12 oz.)
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup oil-free salsa and/or 1 fresh tomato, diced
1/4 - 1/2 avocado, sliced or diced (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, diced
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, or until they can easily be pierced with a fork.
If you prefer them warm, heat the black beans up on the stovetop.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a plate and let them cool for a few minutes. Slice them lengthwise about half way down.
Spread the sides apart to create a little bowl in the center of the sweet potato.
Fill the sweet potatoes with the remaining ingredients, starting with the beans and finishing with the fresh cilantro. Serve right away to enjoy the hot-cold contrast.
Chef's Notes: The amount of beans depends on how much food you want, and if you want more or less protein-rich food.
This recipe can easily be altered to fit your taste preferences or just add more variety. Feel free to use other varieties of potatoes, beans and greens. You can also stuff your potato with any other toppings of your choice, such as jalapeno, red bell pepper, or shredded carrots.
Pasta has expanded to many kinds of options. Some of the many spaghettis include: red lentil spaghetti, black bean spaghetti, black rice spaghetti, Edamame and Spirulina spaghetti, Black Bean and Sesame Fettucini, and Edamame and Mung Bean Fettucini. Be creative and experiment with ones that you haven't tried before.
Marinara sauces typically include high amounts of sodium, as well as oil and sugar.
Cathy Fisher is the third Cooking Instructor at TrueNorth Health Center. Her blog is called, Straight Up Food at:
Here is one of her recipes for a sodium, oil, sugar free sauce. "This all-vegetable version of traditional spaghetti gives the option of using traditional grain pasta (I like brown rice pasta), or using fresh zucchini 'noodles,' which are easily created using a mandolin (a type of vegetable slicer) or spiral slicer." -- Cathy Fisher
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce; Prep time: 25 mins, Cook time: 35 mins
Ingredients
For the pasta:
1 package spaghetti pasta (12 ounces) or 6 medium zucchini (about 7 inches each)
1 ounce walnuts, cashews, or pine nuts, ground (about ¼ cup; for optional garnish
For the Marinara Sauce:
8 medium cremini or white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (4 or 5 medium cloves)
Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a large frying pan or soup pot over medium high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the mushrooms and onions, and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes, adding a little water, as needed, to prevent sticking. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the diced tomatoes (including liquid), tomato paste, and Italian herbs. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare the noodles. If you are using a whole-grain pasta, cook it according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside. If you are making zucchini noodles, see step 4.
Use a mandolin or spiral slicer to create thin, matchstick-sized zucchini strands. If you want to cook the zucchini "noodles" slightly (you can also eat them raw), place them into a pot of low-boiling water, and cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until they are tender but not falling apart (undercooked is better than overcooked). Drain and set aside.
Stir the basil into the sauce. You can add the cooked pasta or zucchini noodles to the simmering sauce, or keep the noodles and sauce separate, ladling the sauce over each plate of noodles just before serving. Serve as is or topped finely ground nuts (use a rotary cheese grater to create a parmesan cheese-like topping).
On our most recent SVCB community chat, we were delighted to hear the cheery voice of long time chapter member Dawn Wilcox, who recently relocated to Bainbridge Island in Washington State to live near her son Garth and her daughter-in-law Wendy. Dawn is thrilled with her new digs:
"It's fancy here," she quipped, "with real rugs on the floor and no tilting boat decks."
It's so like Dawn to say something funny; the remark is of course, a nod to her sailing days and the years that she, her husband, and their two children traveled around the world in their boat. Many in our chapter are familiar with the book Sea Trials: Around The World With Duct Tape and Bailing Wire, which is written by Dawn's daughter-in-law Wendy Hinman, and which chronicles the Wilcox family's 5 year sailing Oddysey. Dawn, Wendy and Garth shared excerpts from the book with us at one of our chapter programs, along with Tight Wads On The Loose, which recounts Garth's and Wendy's own sailing adventures.
Despite her move to Washington, Dawn continues her work at the Vista Center Health Library. I'm not sure how many years she's performed this valuable service, but I know that many in our chapter have benefitted from it. I wrote to her once requesting information on various osteoporosis drugs for my mother. Within one hour, she'd sent me 5 full-length articles on the subject. And think of the many columns that she contributed to our newsletter reminding us to get our annual flu shot, or update our first-aid training. During Dawn's career life, she was a registered nurse.
Who can forget our Christmas Jingliers concerts organized by Dawn, complete with bells, percussion instruments, and her own clarinet playing. And remember Anna, our wonderful pianist who could play virtually anything by ear? I remember fondly the Sunday afternoon concerts in Schupe Park performed by Ye Olde Town Band, in which Dawn also played clarinet.
Dawn's friendliness is well known and contagious. Here's what Perla Kohs has to say about her:
"I will miss Dawn's physical presence: her warm hands, booming greetings, tight hugs, humorous comments--everything about her presence said, I'm here and I'm so glad you are too!, If it weren't for Dawn, I might not be involved with SVCB. For years I read the monthly newsletter before Dawn convinced me to come to a meeting with the promise that she would be there to make me welcome. And she was, and she did, not only the first time I came but for years after that."
"Dawn is an expansively generous soul. The time and effort she put into her volunteer work at VISTA was invaluable to those of us new to blindness (resources in the BIRD) and hungry for information about medical research (the health newsletter). Even when her eyesight made it difficult for her to do the research, she never quit, knowing that her nursing background gave her the unique ability to find, understand, and simplify relevant information for the rest of us.
"Although I know Dawn is lucky to have loving children who want her close by and that Dawn will make lemonade of any situation, I am sad for myself and our membership. I send her off to Washington with a full heart and a big Thank You!"
Like many in our group, Dawn began losing her sight later in life, and is compassionately aware of the hurtles that sight loss presents. "The first time I attended an SVCB meeting in 1991," she says, I felt like I was an imposter. I was just losing my sight, and in denial. I didn't feel blind yet. But Roger Petersen saved me. Without Roger, I'd still be stuck in Egypt somewhere on the Nile." Dawn and Roger went on to be coworkers together in the Vista Center Health Library, and to forge a lifelong friendship.
Alice Turner, Director of Community and Corporate Relations at Vista Center, adores and admires her friend Dawn Wilcox:
"I met Dawn 14 years ago at Vista. She's the perfect person to work at the health library. She greets everyone who comes in, and essentially says "let me share the health library's information and what it can do for you." From that moment of first meeting on, Dawn and I worked together at Vista Center. She became my hero. Dawn and I share a similar eye condition, glaucoma. Mine is congenital, and hers is different. I knew from the moment that I met her that anyone can overcome anything with information, diligence, and most importantly, a sense of humor. Dawn will always be my hero."
So Dawn, we look forward to hearing about your many new adventures on Bainbridge Island, as well as to your continued wisdom in guiding SVCB. I'm afraid you can't be rid of us simmply by moving away. (Smile).
Between July 23 and August 1, CVS will be rolling out its Spoken RX APP service in nearly 600 more pharmacies in the following states: Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, California, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, New York, Louisiana, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Utah, New Mexico, Connecticut, Arizona, Washington, DC, West Virginia, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Nebraska.
If you reach out to your pharmacist and they are not familiar with the program, ask them to contact headquarters or search for Spoken RX in their computer for more information.
Also please contact me at the following email or phone number. As the ACB lead on this advocacy initiative, I will work with you and CVS to get your pharmacy connected with CVS support to get them started to provide you service for your prescriptions.
My company, Access Communications, specializes in accessible signs, including room identification signs with raised characters, readable by touch and braille.
We have developed a new font (typeface), called ADA/InvisiTouch, and think it will be especially easy to read by touch. The characters are small, with thin, rounded profiles, clearly separated from each other.
ADA/InvisiTouch is a "tactile only" font, which complies with the 2010 ADA Standards. This "invisible" text, plus braille, would always be accompanied by a companion visual sign. The visual sign would have much larger and bolder text, with high contrast and as little reflection as possible.
We hope the use of the combined signs will become a common practice, so people who are blind or have low vision will find accessible signage more usable.
We have worked to make letters and numbers like "I," "L," "1," and "7" easier to distinguish from one another. Also, we have added a diagonal slash through the zero, or "0," so to make it distinctly different from the letter "O."
We would very much appreciate your evaluation of ADA/InvisiTouch and especially what you think about our solutions to these often confusing letter and number identification problems. Also, we would like your specific input regarding our proposed solution for distinguishing between the "0" and "O", or an alternative solution.
We would like to mail to you, for evaluation purposes, a plastic panel, 6 inches wide by 5 inches high and 1/8 inch thick, with the entire font alphabet and numerals for your input. (Note: The actual font is complete, with all punctuation marks and symbols). Your input should include constructive suggestions as to how to improve the font and its tactile readability.
For those who reply with comments and permission for us to quote them, we will be happy to send you a "thank you" in the form of your choice of a house address sign or a name and title sign, using the font along with braille.
Just send us your house number and street, or if you prefer, a name and title you would like on a small plaque, or a welcome sign to your home, such as "Welcome to the Jones' Home." The sign will feature this tactile font and braille.
The evaluation panel is yours to keep and to share with others who would be interested in providing input to us. Those individuals who provide their input and permission for us to quote them will also receive a thank you in the form of one of the above signs of their choice.
Please email me at ADASignLady@gmail.com if you would like to evaluate the ADA/InvisiTouch for its readability and usability. Also, share this email with other interested parties.
Scholarships For College And Graduate Students Who Are Visually Impaired
Learning Ally Awarding $6,000 scholarships for visually impaired college and graduate students
Each year Learning Ally members who are completing undergraduate or graduate degrees, and who are blind or visually impaired are eligible to apply for our Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award (SAA) scholarship program in recognition of academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and service to others.
Scholarships range from $2,000 to $6,000 and are awarded to the top six students who are chosen by a national selection committee, based on the student's academic achievements, educational achievement, outstanding leadership and service to others.
We are accepting applications now through November 30th. Winners will be notified of awards in early 2021.
A weekly SVCB Social Hour is scheduled for 4 PM every Wednesday afternoon until sheltering at home has ended. Call-in: 408-638-0968 with ID code 739825688, and when prompted for a participant code, press the pound key. For PC or iPhone access, use the link: zoom.us/j/739825688
San Francisco LightHouse
To hear weekly events at the San Francisco LightHouse, call 415-694-7325.
Let's Talk Low Vision
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
August 4, 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.
August 6, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting; call-in 800-662-6992 with ID code 1184109. If you're not on the Board and wish to attend this meeting, contact President Rob Turner.
August 14: Let's Talk Low Vision: What is low vision Occupational therapy?
August 15, 10 AM: SVCB virtual meeting in lieu of picnic.
August 21, noon: September newsletter deadline.
September 1, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast Cancer Support Group.
September 3, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting.
September 15: Let's Talk Low Vision; Advances in Medical Treatments.
September 19, 10 AM: SVCB virtual monthly meeting. Announce Nominating Committee, begin planning for Braille Literacy Month, remind members to acquire prizes for holiday party.