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 in-person meetings are held at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center (Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired San Jose). Meetings run from 9:30 AM to 1 PM, the third Saturday of the month and are open to all.
July is often called the "dog days of summer", and for our busy SVCB membership, that's only partly true! Our July meeting was full of energy and inspiration. We had two great segments included in the program: a recap from members who attended the American Council of the Blind (ACB) Convention, either in person or virtually, and a fascinating presentation by a San Jose high school student on 3D printing.
Our members who attended the ACB Convention shared their thoughts in a lively discussion covering the General Sessions, the election process and results, and highlights from various workshops and exhibits. We gave a big round of applause to Deborah Armstrong, who was elected as a Director on the ACB Publications Committee, which oversees all of ACB's communications. Congratulations, Debee!
Recordings of all the ACB General Sessions and workshops will be available through ACB in September. We'll send out a note to members with details on how to access them.
In the second part of our meeting, we welcomed Arjun Nelabhotla, a high school student from San Jose, who joined us to explain how 3D printing works, and to explore how this technology might benefit the blind and low vision community. Arjun passed around three samples of his 3D-printed work, and answered many thoughtful questions. He's interested in continuing the conversation, and plans to join us for future meetings. He also collected suggestions from members, and is open to collaborating on new ideas. Contact info for Arjun has been shared on the SVCB member listserv.
While attending the ACB Convention in Dallas, I participated in a workshop hosted by the ACB Membership Committee. It featured two panels focused on ways to bridge the generational divide within ACB and it's affiliates and chapters. We heard insights from members of ACB NextGen, including Millennials (ages 29-44) and Gen Z (ages 13-28), as well as Baby Boomers (ages 61-79). In upcoming issues of In Touch, I'll be sharing more takeaways and resources from that discussion.
Remember, when you're a member of SVCB, you're also part of the California Council of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind!
Don't forget to reach out to David Hoffman to reserve your spot at our September picnic. Until then, enjoy your own version of the dog days of summer, and we'll see you at the August meeting.
Birthdays, Picnic Reminder, and Why technology Is Not Always My Friend
Everyone, please warm up your best singing voices and sing Happy Birthday to the following folks celebrating in August:
Cathy Cassetta, Bev Clifford, Elizabeth Kelley, and Nancy Prior.
Also celebrating August birthdays:
James Cameron, Madonna, Angela Bassett, Steve Carell, Herman Melville, Francis Scott Key, and Ken Burns.
Reminder: Our our August membership meeting will be at the San Jose Vista Center at 101 North Bascom Ave on Saturday, August 16—program to be determined, although rumor has it that Elvis Presley will make his reappearance. Meeting time is 10 am until 1 pm, so please book your rides accordingly, in case the center has the hall rented out in the afternoon.
My post in this space for last month included "as we move into the hotter days of summer". Well, at least for this area, Summer has been falsely advertised. Being unusually cooler, I am wondering what August and September might be like, or if we are in store for a colder winter. Not that I am complaining, other then despite the cooler weather Hayley still sheds like she is a Husky living in the Caribbean. If I knew how to turn dog hair into a small business, I would have my seed money right at home. Hoping everyone has made the most of the cooler temperatures.
Let me remind you that the SVCB picnic is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, from 11 am to 2 pm at the Edward Cottle picnic area within Marshall Cottle Park. The address of the park is: 5283 Snell Avenue, San Jose 95136.
For those with access to a vehicle, parking is free for those with disabled placards or disabled license plates. Please register with either Victor or me if possible, on or before the August membership meeting. Deadline for picnic registration is Friday, September 12. As always, payment can be made in person, through PayPal at svcb@svcb.cc, or via check to the PO Box listed at the top of this newsletter. The cost is $20 for SVCB members, and $25 for non-members. For those who want to become members, $40 will get you picnic registration plus membership through the end of 2026. Get those payments in before we start haranguing you for the 2025 holiday party in December.
In conclusion, here is my soapbox topic: Technology—Love it or Hate it.
The ever-changing landscape of accessible technology, especially over the last year or so, causes me equal amounts of anxiety and interest. Here is why.
Having lost my vision in 2009, I witnessed a vast improvement in accessible technology over the 12 years or so that followed. These include (but are not limited to) computers, web access, smart phones, and stand-alone devices, each with its own learning curve. Although this is an oversimplification, I believe that the learning curves are not only steeper with always more to learn, but they change too quickly. While I am catching my breath from learning one new feature, it is broken, or I am hit with a new offering in the realm of AI, smart glasses, or other technology changes. I believe that visually impaired people in my age range (45 plus) who lost vision later in life have a more difficult hill to climb to keep up to date.
Now, of course, everyone is different, and I was always a visual learner, so I will adapt to the new software and accessible technology differently than I would have when I was sighted, younger, or had lost vision earlier in life. Part of what I feel is that things move too fast for some in the visually impaired community to keep up, and I recognize that this causes anxiety, stress, and in many cases shuts out too many disenfranchised people from the tools that would help them.
Simple examples are the hundreds of websites, email lists, groups, non-profits, and for-profits that exist today. Over the last months, I have made an effort to click on links and follow up with things I have heard, and from that I have discovered for myself many services, technologies, and organizations that have things to offer.
Here is an example: I signed up for a newsletter a month ago from which I have received about ten emails a day (except weekends), with posts from services, links to new tech, AI information, and much more. I have learned so much from this one email list, and wonder how I can digest everything it has to offer.
Although this ramble is not going to solve anything, hopefully it sparks some fruitful thought or conversation within your circles. If not, then it just confirms what I already know: I am one French fry short of a happy meal.
The U.S. Department of Energy has placed a 60-day postponement on the Direct Final Rule for building Section 504. This Direct Final Rule would remove accessibility requirements and standards for new DOE-funded buildings, weakening protections for those with disabilities.
The Direct Final Rule was due to take effect on July 15, 2025. However, the rule has been postponed for 60 days for further review. Its postponement is a direct result of many disability rights organizations and members of the public voicing their opposition to this rule. More than 20,000 comments were submitted against the rule. Because of the public opposition and the postponement, the Department is now required to review the comments submitted, which may prompt further evaluation or revision of the rule.
While the postponement is not a final withdrawal of this rule, it is important progress in protecting accessibility rights.
-BITS Presents: The Mentoring Hour!
Got tech questions? We've got answers! Whether you're a novice or an expert, join Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS) for The Mentoring Hour, your go-to community call for all things access technology.
We kick things off with listener-submitted questions (send yours to:
ask@bits-acb.org
then open the floor for live discussion.
When? The 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Where? Streamed live on ACB Media 5 and available in Clubhouse.
Bring your questions, we bring the answers! Don't miss this excellent opportunity to learn, share, and connect with the BITS community—because together, we make technology work for you!
The American Council of the Blind website has links to services and activities: links to state and special interest affiliates, links to press releases, ACB events, ACB sponsors, and other activities; links to various resources; and links to Leadership and Membership articles. Visit
www.acb.org.
ACB can provide information and referrals for members. Phone 202-467-5081.
ACB has many partners who sponsor ACB events. Contact information for many vision-related companies is on the ACB website or available from the ACB office.
ACB committees provide information on ACB activities. Check the ACB website for a current list of committees and their missions and chairs.
ACB email discussion lists: ACB has a conversation list for any member interested in discussing blindness-related issues. To join, send an email to
acb-conversation+subscribe@acblists.org.
The ACB leadership list is an email discussion list for leaders in ACB. All ACB board members, committee chairs, and ACB presidents, as well as three other leaders in each affiliate belong to this list, and are encouraged to forward important information to their affiliate members.
The ACB membership discussion list is for ACB affiliate membership chairs. Announcements of "membership focus" calls, membership articles, and membership-related topics can be discussed on this list.
ACB has an announce-only email list providing updates on important legislation, regulations, and other items related to advocacy. To join, send an email to
announce+subscribe@acblists.org.
The Washington Connection also provides this same advocacy information over the phone. This is provided through the ACB Washington office number.
The ACB Braille Forum is the ACB publication and provides updated ACB information, blindness-related stories, affiliate activities, some accessible technology updates, and event notifications, reports, and contact info for board members. Members can subscribe to the ACB Braille Forum in several formats: email, large print, Braille, and digital cartridge.
ACB media streams many community calls, ACB board meetings, affiliate conventions, and most ACB-related events. You can find podcasts of many events and community calls on the acbmedia.org site.
ACB community calls are provided daily on numerous topics. Anyone interested in providing a community call can contact ACB community. Anyone can sign up for the daily email listing community calls by sending an email to
community@acb.org.
ACB provides annual scholarships for blind students attending colleges, universities, or technical schools.
ACB offers awards for a variety of accomplishments, both for members and nonmembers.
The ACB Mentoring Committee works with mentors and mentees to help newer members learn and understand all about ACB.
The Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee provides convention scholarships for First-Time Attendees to participate fully in the convention. They also choose several members to attend the convention as ACB JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellows. Check:
www.acb.org/dkm.
ACB provides most of its event programming in English and Spanish.
Everyone in our chapter knows that I'm a bird nerd. Well, I'm happy to report that my bird obsession is shared by blind birders throughout the U.S. and Canada, and (I'm glad to say) by several members of SVCB. On May 18 of this year, Deb Runyan, Debee Armstrong, Nancy Prior, and I participated in the first ever national Blind Birders Bird-a-Thon.
Before I tell you about our day, here's some background information about how the event evolved.
Next to gardening, bird watching is the second most pursued hobby in the United States. For many years, common lore divided people who enjoyed birds into three groups: bird watchers (think Grandma and Grandpa with backyard bird feeders and binoculars), Birders (those people who galloped around the globe searching for the next illusive species to add to their Bird Life List), and ornithologists (the scientists who studied birds). Over time, these categories have merged. As advancements in technology allow for more "citizen science" participation, backyard bird watchers and globe trotters contribute significant knowledge to bird study. Today we have a catch-all term: birder. A birder is anyone who enjoys watching birds, listening to birds, helping to build bird habitats, hiking to find birds and sitting for birds (allowing the birds to come to them).
Enter blind birders: those of us who specialize in identifying birds by ear. I'm quoting now from a Washington Post article about the Bird-a-Thon that was published on May 21st of this year:
"The idea for the blind birder Bird-a-Thon came from Martha Steele, 73, who lives outside of Boston. An avid birder for 35 years, Steele had to adapt how she birded over the years, because of Usher Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that caused progressive hearing and vision loss. Steele said she wanted to help introduce birding to blind or visually impaired people who may not have considered the hobby, or felt shut out of it."
"People think they have to see to bird," Steele said. "The word Birdwatcher implies you have to see to do it. People who are blind would say, “I can’t see, so I can't bird. But that's one of the things we're trying to change. You can identify birds by their song."
Steele Teamed up with Jerry Barrier, another blind birder from Massachusetts, and Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Bird Ability, a nonprofit organization working to make birding and the outdoors accessible and inclusive for everyone, especially those with disabilities and health concerns. This team emailed invitations to as many blind birders as they knew about, inviting all to attend zoom orientations that would introduce the May 18 event. Here's the text of the invitation:
What: The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon is a 24-hour birding event designed for participation by birders who are legally blind. This inaugural event encourages participants to identify as many bird species as possible by sound (or sight as able), celebrating accessibility and the joy of birding.
Who: Any legally blind individual in the United States—of any age and any level of experience—is welcome to participate.
When: Sunday, May 18, 2025
From 12:01 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. (local time)
Where: Anywhere you bird! Participants can bird solo, with a team, or alongside a sighted assistant. Backyard birding, traveling teams, an outing on a trail, and more are all welcome!
Why: To foster community, increase participation in birding for people who are legally blind, and embrace birding by ear—a skill that often makes legally blind birders exceptionally adept.
No experience necessary!
Our Silicon Valley team decided to meet at McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino. McClellan Ranch is home to the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance (formerly Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society) and I am friends with its Executive Director Matthew Doddard. We met in front of the Nature Center at 7:30 in the morning, and immediately heard songs and calls from the nearby bird feeders. Debee Armstrong identified an American Robin and a House Finch by ear, and Matthew Doddard, who is sighted, confirmed her findings. I heard an Acorn Woodpecker and a Nuttals Woodpecker, which he also confirmed. I started a bird list on my phone, and Matthew started a bird list for us on his phone, which he later sent on our behalf to E Bird, an international database that permanently records people's sightings.
For the next 2-and-a-half hours, we strolled leisurely along a relatively level half mile trail that followed Stevens Creek through woodlands, a partial orchard, and a meadow. The morning was sunny and cool, with temperatures starting at around 68, and climbing to 75 or 76 around the time that we headed home. Our three guide dogs, Omni, Vara, and Memphis, concentrated on their work exceptionally well considering the many distracting fragrances welling up from leaves, wildflowers, and mulch.
I've birded by ear since I was a child, and Debee has done a good bit recently. Nancy and Deb Runyan are new to it, but seemed to have fun. Whenever Debee or I heard a bird that we knew, we'd call it out, and Matthew would confirm it by sight or by sound. If he spotted a bird that we hadn't heard, he'd play a recording of it for us to see if we could identify it, which we usually could. We learned some cool things about the birds we found. For instance, there's a bird called a Hooded Oriole that lives and nests exclusively in palm trees. Because so many people in Northern California have planted palm trees, a significant number of Hooded Orioles now spend their early summers here before returning to Central America. They have a rollicking song which to me sounds like, "Come along, come dance with me." Those of us who bird by ear often invent pneumonics like this one to help ourselves remember a bird's song. Another of my favorites, The Black Headed Grossbeak, has a song that I describe as creamy. We heard him singing also. We heard scrub jays whose voices sound like someone raking leaves, and Stellers Jays who say "Toink, toink, toink." Mathew thinks that the Western Meadowlark seems to be saying, "I'm telling Mother on you."
By the end of the morning, we'd identified 38 species by ear, and we sent our list off to E Bird, and to the Bird-A-Thon team.
On the national level, 200 people participated in the Bird-a-Thon, recording 212 species across 34 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. There were also birders in Canada and Venezuela that participated this year, but our list is limited to those birds found in the United States.
The Planning Committee has created a listserv for any legally blind birders who want to stay in touch, learn more about birds and birding, and continue building this community.
Hopefully the Bird-A-Thon will become an annual event. The Bird-A-Thon Leadership Team plans to host several Zoom gatherings where blind birders can continue to increase their knowledge. I will certainly join those calls.
Two months ago, I participated in the "blind birdathon," a contest where we attempted to identify as many birds as possible by ear at a nature preserve in Cupertino. Leading our trip was member Susan Glass, and she, Nancy Prior, and I were accompanied by our guide dogs.
Memphis, my golden guide, has been very pokey of late, so I was happily surprised when he took off like a flash on this nature trail, pulling strongly in harness, sniffing the air and wagging, wagging, and more wagging!
But after a mile, that wagging morphed into flagging. His head was down, his tail was even lower, and he was panting like a steam engine.
Memphis is my seventh guide, and this behavior is unfortunately not new to me. Once when Glade, my third guide, was guiding me among the outdoor diners on Murphey Street in Sunnyvale, I was stopped and questioned by one of the pedestrians about whether my dog was abused. Glade had been slogging carefully between the tightly packed tables, and her serious and focused demeanor was suspect to those who had never seen working dogs. But I also knew that Glade was finding guiding ever more stressful as she aged, and that comment spurred me into realizing I needed to retire her.
My sixth dog, Maxwell, and I were on a hike around a city park where a group of sighted friends were engaged in a sporting event. Because I was tired of sitting, Max and I decided to follow a two-mile circular trail, so I told my friends I'd return in about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the way through, Max lay down in the grass and refused to move. He was just too hot and exhausted to guide any further, and feeling stranded, I decided there and then he needed to retire. After a rest, he was able to continue, but that walk took me two hours, and my friends had begun to worry.
I've always retired my guides between the ages of 8 and 10, though I know folks who've worked their dogs up until age 12. I try to pay attention to the signs that the dog doesn't like the work anymore, or that they start a walk with high enthusiasm but wear themselves out quickly.
Sometimes the problem is that the dog wants to work, but really cannot. Nadia, my first guide, developed arthritis and limped along happily in harness, wagging more than shepherds typically do. But if she saw a flight of stairs, she pretended it did not exist because it hurt for her to ascend or descend. She treated them like obstacles, carefully avoiding going anywhere near a flight, and when I directed her towards one, she acted as if it was I who was going the wrong way. I taught her to find ramps, which made her happy, but I had to retire her because a guide who cannot use stairs really should not be working.
Boston, my fourth guide, never showed any stress or pain, but he simply got slower and slower until I started to feel some stress getting across those wide, six-lane streets. Bev, my fifth guide, started growling and snarling, which made us suspect she was feeling some pain and had no other way to express it. Dutchess, my second guide, continued to love the work, but had such a strong limp it was clear her guiding days were over. She was the only old dog I ever had who would shiver when lying on a cold sidewalk waiting for the bus.
Often when folks retire a guide, they cannot imagine life with a new dog. But the healthy choice is to embrace and truly feel your grief, and then move on. I've always needed a new dog to cheer me up, and seven times it has worked. I've kept three of my retired guides, though one went to her puppy raiser, another died prematurely, and another went to my in-laws who just had to have her. Memphis will belong to my husband and do regular pet therapy visits, just like my other three retired guides did. Retirement has always made them happier, and I knew the remainder of their lives was fulfilling.
So yesterday, I interviewed for a new dog, my eighth. Memphis can still work, so it's OK if it doesn't happen immediately. But preparing for his retirement, and making it the best it can be for both of us, is always my goal.
For me, the pleasure of bonding with a working dog is always worth the sadness one feels when they must retire, and the grief when they pass away. ACB member Robert Acosta is working his eleventh guide now, and I hope to reach that pinnacle of partnership in my future.
IVIE is offering a great opportunity to blind or visually impaired business owners/entrepreneurs. When you join in our Online Business Expo shopping experience, you can tell the audience about your business, describe your products and services, pass on contact information, and allow participants to ask questions. For IVIE members, the fee for presenting for fifteen minutes, is $10, for a half hour is $20, or for an hour is $30. Not an IVIE member? Then the fee for presenting is an additional $15—$25 for fifteen minutes, $35 for a half hour session, or $45 for an hour session. Nonmembers have the option of having $15 of the payment used to pay IVIE dues for 2026.
All those participating in the call, whether presenting or not, will use the same Zoom information to connect. The date and time is November 15, 2025, from 11:30 A.M. to 6 P.M. Eastern.
The deadline for purchasing a time slot to give a presentation is November 1, 2025. To purchase a time slot or ask questions, send an email to
info@ivie-acb.org
with your request to exhibit. Please send your business name, product line, your telephone number, and your email address. You will be sent an online business expo registration form, which will include a link for payment and additional information. If you wish to attend the IVIE Online Business Expo and listen to this unique shopping experience, there is no cost. However, if you are not on the IVIE email list or the ACB-conversation email list, please send an email to register so we can send you the Zoom call details. Send the request to
info@ivie-acb.org
Ardis Bazyn, MAT/MBA Certificate
C: 818-209-8684 Preferred
303-963-5153
"Making the Impossible Possible"
www.bazyncommunications.com
The following two recipes are from Cooking with Yogurt
-Fruit Scones
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter or margarine
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Sift the unbleached flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the whole wheat flour and sugar; mix together.
Cut the butter into several pieces, and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles peas.
In a small bowl, beat the egg. Stir in the yogurt, and raisins or dates. Pour into the flour mixture and, using a fork, stir until a soft dough is formed.
Lightly flour a baking tray. Scoop the dough onto the tray, and pat into a round approximately 3/4-inch thick. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm with butter and jam. Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: This also makes a delicious dinner bread. Just substitute 1 tbsp of dried herbs for the raisins or dates.
When prompted for a participant code, press the Pound key.
Note that the above Zoom call-in information is used for SVCB's virtual link to monthly in-person membership meetings.
2. Shows Described by AudioVision Bay Area
For all productions (Golden Gate, Orpheum Theatres, Broadway San Francisco, and Broadway San Jose), 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
or visit:
www.theaudiovision.org.
3. TheatreWorks, with descriptions by Gravity Access Services.
Pre-register for tickets that include a free "show talk" 30 minutes before the show at the TheatreWorks box office at:
650-436-1960
or email:
boxoffice@theatreworks.org.
Shows are at the Lucie Stern Theatre or the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. A webpage with a listing of audio-described shows is at:
www.theatreworks.org/venues/accessibility.
4. San Francisco LightHouse
To hear weekly events at the San Francisco LightHouse, call:
415-694-7325.
5. Let's Talk Low Vision
The monthly "Let's Talk Low Vision" conferences are held on the third Tuesday of the month at 8:30 PM Eastern. Archives are at the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) Official website at:
www.cclvi.info/archive-lets-talk-low-vision/.
Zoom information is distributed through the ACB Community Schedule email list, or by emailing:
cclviwebmaster@gmail.com.
6. 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.
7. 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
August 5, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast cancer support group meeting. For questions, call Lori Scharff at:
516-887-1336
or email:
lorischarff@gmail.com.
August 7, 7:30 to 9 PM: SVCB Board Meeting. Interested SVCB members are invited.
August 16, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB monthly membership meeting, Vista San Jose. To register for the September picnic, contact David Hoffman.
August 18: September newsletter deadline.
September
September 2, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast cancer support group meeting.
September 4, 7:30 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting.
September 13: deadline to register for the picnic.
September 20, 11 AM to 2 PM: Picnic! Contact David Hoffman.
September 22, noon: October SVCB newsletter deadline.