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.
Usually I have trouble knowing what to write about, and this month is no exception. Alice and I celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with Mike and Star, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.
As we all know, it is tough to travel while the COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing. Evidently I needed what nowadays is called a "staycation." It wasn't planned, but all I did over the Thanksgiving four day weekend was to read, sleep, ignore the news, skip my usual exercise routine, and put off any chore that could be done later. It proves that one doesn't necessarily need to travel to take a vacation.
Remember that our December meeting is just a get-together, not an official business meeting. It will be a chance to talk about your holiday plans, or just check in. After that we will present a holiday-related old-time radio show for those who wish to stick around. There may be more, but planning is still underway. I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving, and I look forward to talking with you at our December meeting.
Well, there isn't much to report. Guess everyone is stuffed, and there's not much to say. "Except I didn't get anything." But King, I know you've been running around looking for Santa's guide helpers. "That's right, but I learned it's too early, have to wait for Christmas eve. Got misled by Frozendog, who insists Christmas is happening now." Well, the notion of Christmas happening now isn't so bad. We're done with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so let's do Cheery Wednesday. "I say cheery Everyday, and never mind that credit card."
So there you have it, Christmas is either coming or is here, take your pick! And we do have the SVCB Holiday Party on Saturday, December 19, from 1 to 3 PM. It's virtual, so you can stay home and not have to pay anything. It's still being planned, so stay tuned to the coming phone tree message.
It's time to renew your SVCB membership! Dues are $20, or $10 for CCB life members. You can pay your dues by check or by using the brand new PayPal page on our SVCB website:
If you have PayPal, it's the way to go! You can pay your dues, make donations, and give a nest egg to SVCB. Put some gold in there!
If you're paying by check, please send it directly to Treasurer Victor Clifford's home address: 8499 Grenache Court, San Jose, CA 95135-1420. Our SVCB post office box has been cranky lately.
Let's wish happy December birthdays to Celina Carey, Lorraine Brown, Milton (Mickey) Quenzer, Noel Runyan and William Tipton. They'll be at the party, no excuses.
At the November membership meeting, SVCB member Lynnette Kersey described what she's doing. She does proofreading for the Braille Project, and compiles monthly book lists that are published on the California Library Users of America (CLUA) mailing lists. We got into an interesting discussion of the lack of direction of the NLS braille section. Hear the program segment at: http://svcb.cc/psaudio/20/ps1120.mp3
We used our little November business meeting to elect the 2021 SVCB administration:
Rob Turner: President (second term)
Mike Keithley: Vice President (second term)
Carol Silveria: Corresponding Secretary (second term).
Gail Roe: Recording secretary (second term)
Victor Clifford: Treasurer (unlimited term) Thank you very much, Victor.
Naomi Grub: Director (first term)
"Same old, same old!" Ah, King.
We also had our first-ever virtual auction, a fun event to attend. Check out Carol Silveria's fund-raising report.
The Fund-raising Committee met on Tuesday evening, November 10. We discussed how the silent auction was doing and decided to add a few more items, which Rob Turner introduced at the Wednesday social hour on Zoom. At our meeting held on Saturday, November 21, 2020 on Zoom, we ended up having a very lively auction. The items listed in the November newsletter, as well as the items the committee added, were all bid on.
The new soft brown Sherpa Throw Blanket went to David Hoffman, with a high bid of $15. The Toshiba 1 terabyte portable USB 3.0 drive and Legacy cable went to Gail Roe, with a high bid of $20. The Suzanne Somers Somersize Electric Grill went to Lorraine Brown, with a high bid of $50. The new Buffet Caddy from Mesa Inspired Living went to Lorraine Brown, with a high bid of $25. The two single, 100% polyurethane foam mattresses went to Lupe Medrano, with a high bid of $40. The new solid light blue Berkshire holiday throw-type blanket went to Lupe Medrano, with a high bid of $20. The new light blue Berkshire holiday throw-type blanket with a snowman pattern went to Lupe Medrano, with a high bid of $10. The light-weight baby blanket with a pattern of smiley faces in very bright colors went to Lupe Medrano, with a high bid of $5. The metal luggage cart and bungy cord went to Mike Keithley, with a high bid of $20.
Our next auction will be introduced after the holidays, during the Wednesday social hour and in our January newsletter.
If you have any items that you would like to donate to our auctions, please contact me by phone at 1-408-978-2348, or by email at csilverbug@sbcglobal.net.
During our committee meeting we also discussed some other ideas for raising money, which we will explore further after the holidays. Our next Fund-raising Committee meeting will take place in early January.
We will continue to keep all of you informed of changes as they occur. As always, please stay safe and well!
(Written in 2008, and reprinted here with permission from Jeanne-Marie Moore)
This piece is inspired by Dave Barry's Travel guide, which I was reading while cooking. I know the tenses are wrong, but what can one expect after such an adventure, perfect grammar? Don't bet on it.
Now I understand why sighted people (and maybe some blind people, too, I'm not sure) are generally amazed about us blind people cooking. Restaurants are the real solution to this problem for blind and sighted people alike, and that's what I should have done really: go out like a sensible person.
For one thing, while reading during cooking, it's hard to remember to wipe off your fingers (which are supposed to be a good substitute for the eyes) when needing to stop the tape recorder or CD player or whatever non-print media you are using to cook. By the way, that's rule #1.
Spatial relationships are a crucial part of cooking, and I can prove it. Simply chop up a large onion and several cloves of garlic on a cutting board. Then, delighting in the fact that, despite multitasking you didn't cut yourself, pour olive oil (because butter is so bad for you, don't you know) into a pan and then, while either talking on the phone or reading and laughing hard, pour the choppings into the pan which is too small for the task. Be sure to aim the cutting board's corner into the pan ... Spatial relationships. I decided to take a shortcut and spread the oil with my fingers (hey, the pan hadn't heated up yet), then I poured in the onions and garlic. Using proper kitchen tools was rule #2.
Spatial relationships ... Women are not as good at this as men, they say, and adults who are blind as a result of being premature really are not good at it. So there will be onions to clean up from the stove edge, inside the burner. And the floor. Rule #3 is: Keep the floor very clean so the 30 second rule can apply, and it all goes back into the pan. Do sauté all of it and then, feeling the counter, find the one garlic clove you missed and be faced with an important decision. Can it be sliced or chopped in the hand, like a firm tomato, or should you use a garlic grater? This decision has to be made quickly, as the veggies are cooking ... Thanks for inventing that little gem purchased from the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Grate the garlic over the pan because the grater is very tiny, and if you drop the remaining garlic it will be even harder to clean up than were the onions.
Okay, so to finish the job, open the freezer and be faced with bags of things which, aside from blueberries (which are immediately discernable), you should have labeled but didn't. Rule #4 by now, but it's really Rule #1, #1 in cooking class for the blind: "Label everything as you obtain it," because you will NOT have the luxury of being able to see what the hell it is. I know this to be true from the day I was about to pour what I thought was crushed pineapple into the jello I was making, and happened to sniff and discovered it was enchilada sauce. Anyway, when in doubt, just thaw whatever it is and hope for the best. After all, the person across the hall, upstairs, or at the mailbox will not always be available to rescue you and identify stuff. That's Rule #5.
Tonight when I did this, I found myself smelling something like toe jam, and had the shape of peapods in thin slices. I was frightened because it struck me as dangerous ... no human would eat this; how did it end up in my freezer? I had been hoping for quinoa so I could balance the protein and not have to make rice. Well that failed so I just kept forging ahead, using the rest of the ingredients which did have labels. Skip the rice or whatever.
By then, I was so hungry that I decided to microwave it instead of baking it, and that's where I am now: waiting for this bean, tortilla, and sautéed veggie thing to be done ... skipping the cheese because I've had it for awhile and I'm afraid it might have mold I can't see, and glad to FINALLY be using that enchilada sauce!
Note added October, 2020: Jeanne-Marie now uses a cafeteria tray while cutting her veggies. She said that nothing (or nearly nothing) finds its way to the floor.
"When you have a big pie in the sky dream to change something that's bigger than you are, and your dream comes true, it's amazing, thrilling!"
That's Lisa Quan, manager of the San Jose office of Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The dream to which she refers is that Vista would become a Voters Choice location, and as such, be an accessible hub for the blind and low vision community. That happened this year for both the March primary election and the November general election. Lisa Quan worked hard to make it happen, so I was delighted when she agreed to talk with me about it.
S G: What inspired you to want Vista San Jose to be an accessible, Voters Choice location?
L Q: A number of our clients told me they hadn't voted since they lost their sight. Many would get their ballots by mail and ask me to help fill them out. Of course I was happy to do this, but it got me thinking about how I would feel if I couldn't vote privately and independently. Voting is such a basic civil right and responsibility. We should do all we can to enfranchise everyone.
S G: What steps did you need to take for Vista San Jose to become a voter site, and what circumstances set the process in motion?
L Q: About a year ago, I learned that California would be reducing its number of voter precincts and consolidating votes in central locations. I wanted very much for our center to be one of those locations. I contacted the League of Women Voters about this, and learned that because of COVID, the dimensions of the voting site would need to be large enough for social distancing. We would need a representative on the Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC). I received an email asking if those of us working at Vista San Jose were interested in having our center be a Voters Choice location. Of course I (we) jumped at the opportunity. It turned out that the physical space of our auditorium and conference rooms met the social distancing requirements. Very soon thereafter, we found ourselves attending an orientation meeting where we learned all the ins and outs of being a Voters Choice site. When I say "we," I mean the entire San Jose staff. Sergio Alatorre was especially helpful and supportive. I joined the Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee as our site representative. When we held our orientation meetings, we invited interested Vista clients to attend and learn how to become election volunteers. (I think this is especially important, by the way, because when the general public comes to our site, it will be great for them to see visually impaired voters and visually impaired assistants in action. That's one way our voting place becomes everybody's place.) So anyway, we all learned how to operate the accessible voting machines, receive and check voter drop-off ballots, and greet voters and direct them wherever they needed to go. SVCB's own Lupe Medrano was one of our first low vision volunteers.
S G: Can you describe what general election week was like at our center?
L Q: I personally know 10 blind and low vision folks who voted at our site, and there were at least 3 others outside of our community who voted. In total, 700 people voted at our location, and most came early, that is, before election day. Many of these people dropped off their ballots. We had a record number of first-time voters at our center. Some were college age. Some had just moved to Santa Clara County, and did not want to do a mail-in ballot for their first time voting here. Many voters had just turned 18, and this was their first election. Some registered on the same day they voted.
S G: Did our blind and low vision clients think that their voting experience went smoothly?
L Q: For the most part, yes. We had one voting machine where the volume was too low, and we couldn't seem to fix the problem. But people voted using the machine anyhow. All of our clients said they thought the help that they got from volunteers was excellent.
S G: Did you hear any public reaction or comment about encountering blind and low vision voters?
L Q: Not specifically. But one gentleman who was there conducting exit polls hadn't known anything about Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and he was blown away by our programs and services. And that got me thinking: We can and should be an accessibility flagship. For future elections, we might run some sort of online adds where Vista clients tell about their experiences with us, and highlight those concerning voting accessibility. We should continue to have blind and low vision volunteers present at every election. And maybe, if this is legal, we could have some Vista literature placed strategically throughout the building.
S G: Thank you for this interview. Is there anything else that you'd like to say?
L Q: Voting is fundamental to all of us. I hope Vista San Jose is a Voters Choice site for years to come, and I encourage our clients to volunteer, learn more about the voting process, and stay involved.
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.
I recently came across a website that is a whole food plant-based (WFPB) meal delivery service throughout the country. The website is:
The person starting the business has a mother who at age 80 was in end stage cardiac failure, and also had failing kidneys. The daughter eventually tried a WFPB diet for the mother, who is now 90, swimming a few times a week, driving, and playing cards with her friends. The daughter and her partner began a meal delivery service of meals that are healthy and only need to be heated up to enjoy.
MamaSezz sells ala carte items, or bundles. "All MamaSezz meals are Oil-free, Gluten-free, Wheat-free, Meat-free, Egg-free, Non-dairy, Refined sugar-free, Peanut-free, Sesame-free, All-natural, whole food plant-based. Some MamaSezz meals are also: Salt-free, Soy-free.
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard-trained Psychiatrist, Professional Chef, and Nutritionist, Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has recently published a book, This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More. The book is available to read on Bookshare. Her website is:
Across the top of the website it says, "It's time for us to understand that we are what we eat."
Debbie Mouvsesian, a Physician Assistant and Health Coach, recently put on a free online summit called the Diabetes Turnaround Masterclass Series. One speaker that she interviewed was Dr. Rizwan Bukhari, known as Dr. "Riz," who is a Board-Certified Cardiovascular Surgeon in Dallas, TX. His website is:
He said that when he learned that a plant-based diet was more effective in helping individuals overcome disease than the minimally invasive procedures he had been practicing for over 20 years, he started learning as much as he could about plant-based diets. "Now board-certified in lifestyle medicine, Dr. Bukhari lectures and teaches about lifestyle changes to improve overall health and quality of life. He has a specific interest in nutrition as it relates to cardiovascular disease." His Youtube channel is:
One of Dr. Riz's podcasts is with Kim Murphy (https://simplyplantbasedkitchen.com). He describes the podcast as, "How do you go from being a microwave meal mom, or mainly preparing frozen dinners, to successfully preparing healthy plant-based meals on a regular basis? Kim Murphy of Simply Plant-Based Kitchen will tell you how."
In another conversation between Debbie Mouvsesian and Laura Marbas, M.D., MBA double board-certified family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, Dr. Marbas got to plant-based diets (PBD) through treating a patient in western Colorado who couldn't eat dairy or meat, and started a PBD that changed her life. When a second patient tried a PBD and changed her inflammatory markers in a two-week period, Dr. Marbas changed her own family's diet. Dr. Laura Marbas is a doctor I wrote about in a previous column that does telehealth medical appointments in California.
Ocean Robbins wrote a recent blog titled, "How to Take Care of Your Eyes, and the Top 12 Foods for Eye Health." The article is quite lengthy, and he eventually gets to the topic of Eye-friendly Nutrients: Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Beta Carotene, and Zinc. He follows this by saying the best foods for eye health to include in your diet are Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Avocados, Carrots, Asparagus, Grapefruits, Lentils, Flaxseeds, Spinach, Black-eyed peas, Broccoli, and Bok Choy.
Last month, I mentioned a date paste product advertised by Chef AJ. I have found another Medjool Date product that I have purchased called Just Date Syrup. I found it at Cost Plus Whole World Market in Mountain View. It comes in a plastic 8.8 oz. squeeze bottle. The advertisement on Cost Plus' website states, "A naturally healthy and enticingly sweet alternative to sugar, Just Date Syrup is made from vitamin-rich, California-grown medjool dates. Use this versatile sweetener in your morning coffee, for baking, in dressings and granolas, or anywhere else you might use sugar or honey." Just Date Syrup is from a company in San Mateo, CA.
I was recently on a call with visually impaired individuals that use eSight. Here is an item that one user said she uses in the kitchen. It is a bamboo stand with adjustable heights for the stand, and has 2 fold-out short arms that keep the cookbook, tablet, cell phone, etc., stable. The Amazon link is:
eSight 4 is now on the market. It is a new design, and uncorded. The Vista Center in Palo Alto has a demo until December 21st. Interested individuals can call the Vista Center to make appointments for either a Monday or Friday. The Vista Center in Santa Cruz has one eSight 3. The CTO of eSight, Charles Lim, Chief Technical Officer of eSight, was a panel member of "The future of AT devices and the companies that make them" at the Vista Center's Sight Tech Global conference on December 2 and 3rd, 2020.
Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Tarragon, and Dijon Vinaigrette
Steam asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Combine water, vinegar, walnuts, raisins, mustard, and garlic in a high-powered blender. Stir in red onion. Mix with asparagus just before serving. Add roasted red pepper. Sprinkle with pine nuts and tarragon.
Per Serving: CALORIES 203, PROTEIN 8g, CARBOHYDRATES 30g, TOTAL FAT 8.2g, SATURATED FAT 0.8g, SODIUM 28mg, FIBER 6.8g, BETA-CAROTENE 1426ug, VITAMIN C 46mg, CALCIUM 87mg, IRON 6.1mg, FOLATE 141ug, MAGNESIUM 68mg, ZINC 1.9mg, SELENIUM 6.3ug.
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added or low-sodium pasta sauce
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Marinate mushrooms in balsamic vinegar for 10 minutes. Remove from marinade. On a parchment-lined or lightly-oiled baking pan, layer in 4 stacks: mushrooms, eggplant, basil leaves, and tomato. Season with oregano and black pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until mushrooms and eggplant are soft.
In a small saucepan, heat pasta sauce. Serve stacks topped with sauce and chopped pine nuts.
Per Serving: CALORIES 196, PROTEIN 5g, CARBOHYDRATES 28g, SUGARS 15g, TOTAL FAT 8.1g, SATURATED FAT 1.5g, CHOLESTEROL 1.9mg, SODIUM 46mg, FIBER 8.9g, BETA-CAROTENE 471ug, VITAMIN C 6mg, CALCIUM 43mg, IRON 1.6mg, FOLATE 64ug, MAGNESIUM 62mg, POTASSIUM 904mg, ZINC 1.4mg, SELENIUM 12ug
Set an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker on the sauté setting, and allow it to heat. Add the onion, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, and adding water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic; cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Press the cooker's "Cancel" button, then stir in 3 cups of water, plus the tomatoes and lentils.
Lock the cooker's lid in place, adjust the setting to "Manual," and cook for 20 minutes. Let it stand to release pressure naturally, at least 10 minutes. If necessary, carefully open the steam vent to release any remaining pressure. Open lid carefully. Stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper.
Teff is a tiny Ethiopian grain. Here is an Instant Pot recipe for it. I have enjoyed making teff in a simple way with either water or vegetable broth. I have also made teff burgers. For those of you who would like to try something different for breakfast, here is a recipe for Teff Porridge in the Instant Pot. Add berries or other fruit.
Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot (IP), and heat up for 2 minutes. Add the teff, and cook for 1 minute, stirring a couple times.
Turn off the IP, and add the water and the vanilla. Stir with a whisk, and then lock the lid into place, making sure the nozzle is pointed in the sealing position.
Using the Manual (or Pressure Cooking) mode, set the timer for 3 minutes. When the timer goes off, use the natural release method. When all the pressure is out of the pot, carefully remove the lid.
Take your whisk and stir until all the clumps are out, and your porridge is creamy and smooth.
Serve with non-dairy milk, nuts, fresh fruit, and a drizzle of maple or date syrup. One of my favorite combos is unsweetened soy milk, diced apple, chopped walnuts, and maple syrup.
Recipe Notes: As this cools in the fridge, it will get thick. When heating it up, add some non-dairy milk, and stir until it reaches a good consistency for you, and it smooths out.
Steamed Greens with Garlicky Lemon Sauce, (Instant Pot plus Stove Top)
1/2 cup cashews (70g), soaked in water for at least 10 minutes
1/4 cup water (60ml)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Coconut Aminos
1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
First make the sauce by draining and discarding the soaking water from the cashews, and placing the cashews into your blender, along with the (fresh) water, lemon juice, Coconut Aminos, garlic, and salt. Blend until super creamy and smooth, transfer the sauce into a small bowl, and set aside for now.
If you're using a Vitamix to make the sauce (or any other wide-bottomed blender), you will have to add a bit more water for the blades to pick up the mixture and really blend it until it's creamy and smooth. Just add a little water at a time until the blades catch the mixture.
Steam the greens in either your Instant Pot or in a regular pot.
If you use your Instant Pot, add about 1/2 cup of water (120ml) to your IP, and place a steamer basket or the IP trivet on the bottom of the pot. Place the greens in the basket or on the trivet, and lock the lid into place, making sure the nozzle is in the sealing position.
Use the steam function, and set the timer for 1 minute. As soon as the timer goes off (like really, AS SOON as the timer goes off), use the quick release method and take out your greens immediately.
If using a regular pot on the stove to steam your greens, add about a cup of water (235ml) to the pot, and place your steamer basket in the pot. Place your greens in your steamer basket, and cover the pot with a lid. Turn the heat to medium, and cook for about 4 minutes, until the greens are nice and soft (this is 4 minutes TOTAL cooking time).
Whichever method you used, transfer your steamed greens to a strainer, extract any excess water, and then place your greens in a mixing bowl. Add however much Lemon Garlic Sauce you like, and gently toss the greens so they get coated in the sauce. Save the rest of the sauce for another batch of greens.
From Favorite All-Time Recipes: Hershey's Holiday Collection
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Beat together butter or margarine, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl until fluffy. In another bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the butter mixture, mixing until the mixture is the consistency of course crumbs. Stir in Reese's Peanut Butter Chips.
Reserving 1-1/2 cups of the mixture for the crumb topping, firmly press remaining mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Meanwhile, in a medium-size saucepan, combine cranberries, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla. Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the baked layer. Sprinkle the reserved 1-1/2 cups crumb mixture evenly over the top.
Return to the oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until set. Cool completely in the pan or a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes about 16 bars.
Cranberry Relish
Submitted by Bev Clifford
I make this relish every Thanksgiving, just as my mom did when I was growing up. There's always plenty to share with family and friends for other holiday gatherings, too, especially for Christmas. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 bag cranberries
2 oranges, peelings left on
2 apples, cored, peelings left on
2-1/2 cup walnuts
3-1/2 cups sugar
Instructions:
Coarsely grind cranberries in food processor or food grinder, and place in a large bowl. In the same manner, grind the oranges, apples, and nuts, mixing well after adding each to the bowl with the cranberries. Stir in sugar, and mix until dissolved. Yields about 10 cups.
If you want to participate in these conferences, visit ltlv.cclvi.org.
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
December 10 through December 24: Tabard Theatre Presents IT's A WONDERFUL LIFE, a pre-recorded livestream radio play (visit the Tabard Theatre website for specific dates and times; see notes)
December 15: Let's Talk Low Vision conference, Gifting the Low Vision Person in Your Life (see notes).
December 19, 1 to 3 PM: SVCB virtual holiday party.
December 28, noon: January, 2021 newsletter deadline. Distribute Business Calendar.
January, 2021
January 5, 5:30-7 PM: Breast Cancer Support Group meeting; call-in: 605-715-4920; ID: 2776167. For questions, call Lori Scharff at 516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com.
January 7, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting. If you're not on the Board but want to attend this meeting, contact SVCB president Rob Turner.
January 16, 10 AM: Annual SVCB membership meeting, see notes.