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.
For our January member program, we were pleased to hear from Richard Rueda, a long-term member of CCB and a person with a long and accomplished work history in the nonprofit community serving blind and low vision youth and adults.
Richard's talk focused on his shared experience with a long-time traveling companion as they walked the final segment of the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain. As pilgrims complete between four and ten miles per day, they meet fellow travelers from almost every country in the world. Richard's presentation struck two important notes for me.
First, he spoke about the interdependence and shared responsibilities involved in traveling with his sighted friend, Tom. Richard and Tom met many years ago on a trip, and their friendship has sparked many adventures and meaningful experiences. Each brought unique perspectives and skills to their journey, demonstrating how collaboration can enrich travel and life.
The second message was encouragement to pursue aspirations on our own bucket lists of adventures. Stepping outside our usual environments, and most importantly, spending ten days immersed in nature—provides a perfect opportunity for reflection and for remaining unplugged in a world that demands instant responses from us every day.
Perhaps in a future program we can discuss the bucket lists many of us carry quietly in the back of our minds. We know that stating a goal aloud to others often helps clarify both the goal itself and the steps needed to achieve it.
I encourage all of us to examine our bucket lists, whether they include travel, taking up a new hobby, putting ourselves forward for a volunteer or work opportunity, or anything that nudges us a bit outside our comfort zones.
We are fortunate to hear talks from talented and inspiring speakers at our monthly chapter meetings, thanks to the Program Committee chaired by Susan Glass.
Have a great February ahead, and we look forward to seeing you at our February chapter meeting!
Darrin: First things first. Can you clear up the big mystery for us? How do you pronounce your name?
Yane: Absolutely. It's pronounced "Yane"—like it's spelled Y-A-N-E. To help people remember, I sometimes introduce myself as "Yane with a cane."
Darrin: And how is it spelled legally?
Yane: I-A-I-N, which is why people often assume it's "Ian." My father told me "Yane" is the Highland Scottish pronunciation. Strangely enough, some people even misread the capital "I" as a lowercase "L" and call me "Lane." That's happened more than once, especially in doctor's offices.
Darrin: Where are you from originally?
Yane: I was born in England in 1966. When I was very young, my family moved to Texas, and then to California in the mid-1970s, because my father worked in the semiconductor industry.
Darrin: Did you stay in California after that?
Yane: Pretty much, yes. I went to UC Davis for college, and I've mostly lived in the Bay Area ever since.
Darrin: What did you study?
Yane: Physics. I almost double-majored in math, but it didn't work out with my schedule.
Darrin: Can you share a bit about your vision journey?
Yane: I was born with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). My parents noticed something was off when I was an infant. I've always been night blind and colorblind, and I used large print starting around third grade. My vision declined gradually over time, so I didn't always notice the changes. Around 2010, I started needing larger fonts at work. By 2015, I realized I needed to begin using a screen reader. The biggest changes to where I am now likely happened between 2018 and 2021. At this point, I have some light perception, but I'm effectively fully blind.
Darrin: What do you do for work?
Yane: I work at NASA Ames Research Center in the supercomputing facility. My role is basically a systems engineer. I still think of it as classic system administration. I maintain systems, and also write and maintain tools as part of a team.
Darrin: How long have you been there?
Yane: About 27 years.
Darrin: What assistive tech do you use to do your job?
Yane: Primarily VoiceOver on the Mac. I moved away from Windows years ago, and found that VoiceOver worked well in my environment. Before that, I relied on larger fonts, contrast settings, and command-line tools. I even used a text-to-speech workaround with a terminal setup. Eventually I skipped magnification and went straight to a screen reader, because I knew that's what I'd need long-term.
Darrin: What about at home?
Yane: I use a Mac mini with VoiceOver, and my monitor is usually off now. I also recently got an Orbit Speak device. I've used it mainly for internet radio so far, but I also want to improve my braille skills, since I didn't rely on braille much when my vision was more functional.
Darrin: How did you find SVCB?
Yane: I joined a little over a year ago, just before last year's picnic. I'd heard about it through Vista, but the pandemic delayed things.
Darrin: What has SVCB meant to you?
Yane: The biggest thing is community. When you're blind or low vision, you don't always have a peer group. Being around people who understand the challenges firsthand really matters.
Darrin: What's been your biggest challenge, and what helped you push through?
Yane: Honestly, the hardest part was getting a full-time job after college. I went to job fairs and struggled to get traction. A nonprofit called Project Hired helped me access Unix training courses, and an internship through the Foothill-De Anza system led me to NASA, and eventually a full-time role. As for motivation, I never really considered "giving up" an option. I just kept trying until something worked.
Darrin: Thanks, Yane. I appreciate you sharing your story with the SVCB community.
As many of you know, we have worked with the credit reporting companies off and on for many years to make sure your free credit reports are accessible online, and available in braille, large print, and audio.
We started working with Linda Dardarian and Lainey Feingold on this issue more than twenty years ago using the Structured Negotiation process that they developed along with many of us in the blind community.
Our most recent agreement about accessible credit reports ends at the end of January. (All settlement agreements, in both lawsuits and Structured Negotiation, have ending dates.)
We are confident that the credit report companies understand the importance of accessible credit reports, and will continue to offer them after our agreement expires.
Information on how to obtain them is below. If you encounter any problems, please contact us at ACB using this email address:
advocacy@acb.org
1. For braille, large print, or audio format
To obtain your credit report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion in Braille, Large Print, or audio format, please call
877-322-8228.
This is an automated system. You will have to enter your personal information before you have the option to choose braille, large print, or audio format.
Select "Request Yours Now" from the top-level menu, and follow instructions.
-Microsoft Windows Narrator Survey
The following information is being shared with you in partnership with Microsoft and ACB's special interest affiliate, Blind Information Technology Solutions (BITS).
The American Council of the Blind thanks Microsoft for its ongoing commitment to equitable access for its platforms, products, and services for people who are blind or have low vision.
Microsoft is inviting screen reader users worldwide to share their experiences using Narrator and other screen readers through a short survey. If you are a screen reader user, or work closely with someone who is, please consider filling out the survey below to help improve accessibility on Windows. Feel free to share this survey with your network. Access:
https://is.gd/oTf2e5
-Registration for the D.C. Leadership Conference
Registration for the D.C. Leadership Conference is now open.
The hotel is the Sheraton Pentagon City, 900 S. Orme St., Arlington, VA 22204. Room rates are $163 per night, plus taxes and fees. This rate applies to any night starting on Thursday, March 5, 2026, through Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
To make your reservation, call 1-800-325-3535, and inform the Marriott representative that you will be attending the ACB Leadership Seminar to receive the group rate. The group code is:
A26
If you experience any issues booking a room, please email Hannah Park at
hpark@acb.org
Schedule of Events:
* Friday, March 6: Afternoon tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The tour is free of charge; however, it needs to be indicated when registering. Members will be responsible for their transportation to the tour. For more information on the museum, visit
https://nmaahc.si.edu/.
* Saturday, March 7: Board Meeting and Evening Welcome Reception
* Sunday, March 8: Presidents' Meeting (including luncheon) and Evening Dine Around in Pentagon City.
* Monday, March 9: Legislative Seminar (including luncheon)
* Tuesday, March 10: Attendees may visit Capitol Hill to meet with their representatives.
The Community Support Committee would like to congratulate Travis Butler, who was voted Volunteer of the Month for December. Thank you, Travis, for all you do for our ACB Community!
-Olympics, Paralympics to Be Audio Described in Stereo
NBCUniversal's coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be accessible to more viewers of all abilities than ever before, providing the excitement of the Olympic Games with enhanced closed captioning, audio description, and improved digital content accessibility.
Closed captioning will be available for all Olympic events airing across NBCU's properties, as well as the Gold Zone whip-around show on Peacock. NBCUniversal will also provide closed captioning for digital livestreams, with commentary across Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app, for all live events and full event replays from linear coverage.
Audio description (AD) will be available on the second audio program (SAP) for viewers who are blind or have low vision. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will provide more AD than any previous Winter Games. All coverage on the NBC network (including full event replays), and the Gold Zone whip-around show on Peacock, will feature Audio Description.
In a first for a U.S. broadcaster for a Winter Olympics, audio description services for coverage on NBC will be provided in stereo, enhancing the quality of sound for viewers. NBC Sports' Paralympic broadcast team of Tony Ambrogio, Adam Giardino, Pat McCarthy, Tony Simeone, and Norma Jean Wick will be providing audio description.
Additionally, improved web content accessibility, including keyboard navigation, color contrast, and support for screen readers, will be available on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, and the NBC Sports app. Livestreams and replays which offer audio description will have English audio description as a language choice within the players on these digital platforms. To easily find all events with audio description, visit:
www.nbcolympics.com/audio-description
I think by now you know who I am, your LPSGS (Local Phone Service Goodies Sweepstakes) Coordinator, but I am always happy to greet you with a smile even if you've completely forgotten me. That's how accommodating our department is—and three more of you have figured that out, as Bev Clifford did hear from you. Good for you, I say! You will certainly not regret it, for you will make your fellow SVCB members jump for joy when they taste what you've brought them, and of course, you still have an opportunity to try for our prize. But for the two of you remaining, ah… such great cooks and such discerning shoppers you are! We still need you to activate your sweepstakes status. It's not too late, you can do it any time, the sooner the better. There are only two months left for you to choose from, and sorry, you may have already missed the one you would have preferred. Bev Clifford is on tinder hooks waiting for you to contact her by phone at
1-888-652-5333
to leave a message, or by email at
goodies@svcb.cc,
or by looking up her personal information in your local phone service membership directory to contact her directly. Don't delay, it's not hard, just get it done!
As for further clues to the puzzle you need to solve, in order to win our prize, I'm stumped. No more clues come to mind. All I can do is repeat the information I gave you last time. It is:
Look THREE times at the number 715-154-9519. You'll get a GRADE of A if you figure out this puzzle.
Perhaps by next month, one of you sweepstakes entrants will come up with a solution, and we will be thrilled if you do. So, till next month, put on your thinking caps and give it a go. You're smarter than you think!
Recipes contributed by Suzanne Smith, from Delicious Amish Recipes
-Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
1 pound dry split peas
2 quarts water
1 ham hock
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped or shredded
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine peas and water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour.
Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until peas look creamy and ham hock is tender.
Remove ham hock, trim meat from bone, and dice. Return meat to soup, heat thoroughly, and serve.
Add water or milk to soup if you want a thinner consistency.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
-Amish Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 cup navy beans, cooked
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
3 quarts milk
1/2 loaf stale bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
Directions
Before cooking the beans, soak them for 8 hours or overnight (4 cups water to 1 cup beans). Drain beans, put them in a soup pot, add enough water to nicely cover, and cook until they are tender.
Drain cooked beans, and return to soup pot. Add the 1/4 cup water, and bring to a boil. Add seasonings to taste.
Pour in milk, and bring to a boil. Stir in bread.
Melt butter in a saucepan, and let it sit on the heat a bit longer until it begins to brown. Watch it carefully, as browned butter can quickly burn. Pour browned butter over bread.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Note: Browning the butter adds an elegant, rich flavor to most any vegetable dish as well. When the butter is fully browned, pour it over any cooked vegetables, and serve.
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
February
February 5, 7:30 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting. Interested SVCB members are invited.
February 16, noon: March newsletter deadline.
February 21, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB Monthly membership meeting, Vista San Jose. Approve 2026 budget, appoint Picnic Committee, and discuss picnic sites.
March: Eye Donor Awareness Month.
March 3, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast cancer support group meeting. For questions, call Lori Scharff at:
516-887-1336
or email:
lorischarff@gmail.com.
March 5, 7:30 to 9 PM: SVCB Board Meeting.
March 6 through Mar 10: ACB Affiliate Presidents' Meeting and Legislative Seminar. All meetings are held at the Pentagon City Hotel, Arlington Virginia. Capitol Hill Day is Tue Mar 10. See Tidbits in this newsletter.
March 8, 1 PM: The Book of Mormon, with descriptions by AudioVision, SJCPA, see notes.
March 15, 1 PM: Primary Trust, with descriptions by Gravity, MVCPA, see notes.
March 16, noon: April newsletter deadline
March 19: Register picnic site.
March 21, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB Monthly membership meeting, Vista San Jose. Elect delegates for CCB convention. Discuss possible resolutions for CCB convention. Confirm picnic site. Distribute spring membership list.