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 1:00 PM, the third Saturday of the month and are open to all.
Welcome to the month of October! We are officially in autumn!
On September 19, SVCB members, guide dogs, families, friends, and volunteers gathered for our annual picnic at Martial Cottle Park in San Jose. I will defer to David Hoffman, SVCB Treasurer and chair of the Picnic Committee, to provide a more detailed (and if you know David), light-hearted, report about the day's activities, and the team who worked together to plan and coordinate the event.
I will share that it was a beautiful autumn day, and the food and hospitality provided by the Picnic Committee members and volunteers were outstanding. Thank you to all of our members and volunteers for your service to our community!
Our October SVCB meeting will be held on Saturday, October 17, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Our good friend and ally, Pete Stahl, from the League of Women Voters, will join us to discuss the important, and at times complex, issues facing us as voters in the mid-term elections.
Pete will present in person at Vista Center San Jose, located at 101 N. Bascom Avenue, and the program will also be streamed on Zoom. Members and community members are welcome to join us at Vista Center San Jose at approximately 9:30 a.m. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m.
Feel free to spread the word to your family members and friends. Zoom information will be sent in the usual email and through the phone tree.
To assist you in preparing for Pete's presentation and in developing questions you may have, Pete has provided the following helpful links to learn more about the candidates and the issues on the ballot.
I am happy to report that Vista Center San José will again be a voting center, and accessible voting machines will be available for the blind and visually impaired. These are the dates and times that Vista will be open for you to come in and vote.
Saturday, October 31, 2026: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m
Sunday, November 1, 2026: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Monday, November 2, 2026: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
We look forward to Pete's timely and important program, and to visiting with each other at our monthly meeting.
Treat! The two hamburgers I ordered were exceptional, and my care giver gave me one to take home. From comments I've heard, the hot dogs were superb, also.
"Yes, I heard that too, despite the fact that "hot dogs" are an insult to us dogs."
You ought to stash that one, King; no one has ever listened to you.
"Yeah, that's true; where's their pride, anyway?"
Actually, I think they're laughing over the story on Kela's blog of how she saw you eating a hot dog someone gave you under the table.
"By the time I got it, it was cold and just a bun and a dog."
So, remember that folks: to avoid King's wrath, cool your hot dogs.
"Well, you don't have to put them in the fridge. Just say it's a coldadog."
And everything else about the picnic was wonderful! My care givers, Sana and Daniel, liked all the vibrant people, and I had fun talking to friends. I hear there were 63 people there, probably a record. And Claudia won $100 from the 50-50 event.
"And I had 2 coldagogs!"
Many thanks to the Picnic Committee and volunteers for organizing such a memorable event.
"And don't forget us dogs! We were all there at 8:30 in the morning to kick out mischief makers."
Well, I'm glad they let me in.
Let's wish happy October birthdays to Diane Harms, John Kanze, Grace Mata, Gail Roe, Donna Sanchez, and Catherine Stewart. And someone will bring hot dogs to the meeting.
"Master!"
We'll be hearing from Pete Stahl from the League of Women Voters in the program segment of the October meeting. I really enjoy his presentations.
We are excited to announce a new Speak4 campaign for the Stop the Wait Act of 2025. This bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and in the Senate by Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey. This legislation would phase out the up to five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits after approval. The SSDI waiting period would be fully phased out by 2030. Additionally, for disabled individuals who cannot afford minimum essential medical coverage, this bill would also eliminate the current 24-month waiting period before Medicare eligibility. ACB has supported this bill in the past, and we are proud to continue that support today.
-Urge Congress to reaffirm the Integration Mandate--New Speak4 Campaign
In response to the recent challenges to community integration, a bipartisan House Resolution reaffirming the right of disabled people to live in their homes and communities has been introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. H.Res.1586 maintains that the Congressional intent of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act was affirmed in the Supreme Court decision of Olmstead v. L.C. This resolution clearly states that the integration mandate is the law, and that unnecessarily segregating people with disabilities into institutions is a form of discrimination. This resolution also details the history of the integration mandate and its firm placement in the law today. It calls on all levels of government to champion policies that promote community integration for people with disabilities.
ACB applauds this resolution in the House, and calls on the Senate to put forward a similar resolution. To reach out to your House representatives and encourage them to sign on to this resolution and affirm disability rights, you can use our Speak4 campaign at this link:
https://speak4.app/lp/at01eszb?ts=1790867190
We're your partner in accessibility. For decades, Benetech has helped make books accessible through Bookshare. Now Bookshare Plus brings that same commitment to accessibility to the worksheets, PDFs, handouts, and other materials students use every day.
The Document Converter, the Bookshare Reader, Natural Voices, and the Reading Companion turn those materials into accessible content so students can listen, personalize how they read, and work through the pages themselves.
This is a big day for accessibility in schools, and we can't wait for your students to try it.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has filed their court-ordered semi-annual report on their efforts to make US currency accessible. Unfortunately, the BEP asserts that they have run into additional testing and calibration needs for the accessible $10 note. Therefore, the note is now scheduled for production in 2027 instead of 2026. ACB is disappointed with this news.
Additional updates included in the report were that BEP continues to work with various entities across the United States to distribute currency readers to constituents, including libraries, Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Centers, and others. As of September 3, 2026, BEP states that the program has distributed more than 120,000 currency readers. Further, BEP continues to support mobile device applications which can function as currency readers. As of September 3, 2026, there have been more than 229,000 app downloads.
ACB will continue to keep members informed of progress on this issue.
Sincerely,
Grace Hart
Operations Administrator, Advocacy and Accessibility
American Council of the Blind
202-978-2593
Recipes contributed by Suzanne Smith and Bev Clifford
(Copy editor's note: The first recipe is from Suzanne; the second recipe is from me.)
Rice Salad
From Cooking with Family and Friends
Ingredients
1 box Rice-a-roni, chicken flavored
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, chopped, juice saved
2 green onions, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound fresh shrimp, small
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook the Rice-a-roni as instructed on the package. Let cool.
Add the artichoke hearts, bell pepper, onion, and shrimp, Stir in the mayonnaise, saved juice from the artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper.
Mix well, and chill.
Notes: You can substitute chicken or crab meat for the shrimp. You can also add carrots, frozen peas (thawed), red onion, or mixed green, yellow, or red bell peppers. To make a large quantity, increase ingredients as necessary.
Bev's Chicken and Dumplings
Tasted at a friend's house long ago, and since greatly modified by me.
Ingredients
8 medium bone-in or 4 large skinless boneless chicken thighs
water to cover for cooking (at least 3 cups)
2 medium-sized cans chicken broth
6 carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium celery stalks, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen French-style green beans
salt and pepper to taste
2-1/4 cups bisquick, sifted
2/3 cup cold milk
Directions
Place chicken in an 8-quart pot, and add water to cover. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, lower heat to simmer, and cook until chicken is well done, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove meat from broth, remove bones if necessary, and set aside.
Pour canned chicken broth into the pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Put in all the vegetables, bring to a rolling boil, cover, and simmer until all are tender, about an hour. Return chicken to the pot.
Stir together the bisquick and the cold milk to make dumpling dough. Use a round tablespoon scoop to float small dumpling balls into the broth, distributing them as evenly as you can throughout. (This is why you need such a large pot.) Cover, and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, or until dumplings are done (meaning that they are no longer gooey).
This is a soup that will warm your heart as well as your body!
So, the song says it all. You know the drill by now, pick your favorite month, contact me (your Goodies Chairperson), and I'll put you down for the month you've chosen. You can bring 3 or 4 dozen of something sweet or savory, and add some fruit if you like for people who are avoiding loads of sugar.
Here's my contact info:
Phone: 408-638-9743 (leave a message there)
Email: goodies@svcb.cc
Or look up my personal information in your membership directory and contact me that way.
P.S. For those of you who like to take the same month every year (and there are at least four of you), please let me know if you still want to volunteer for those months. I hope to hear from many of you soon, and thanks in advance to you all.
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
October: Employment of People with Disabilities Awareness Month
October 11 at 1 PM and October 18 at 6:30 PM: Phantom of the Opera, with descriptions by AudioVision, SJCPA, see notes.
October 15: White cane safety day.
October 17, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB Monthly membership meeting, Vista San Jose. Formally consider Constitution and Bylaws amendments, and appoint Holiday Party committee chair.
October 18, 1 PM: Dracula, with descriptions by Gravity; MVCPA; see notes.
October 19: November newsletter deadline. Distribute Constitution and Bylaws if necessary, publish slate of 2027 SVCB nominees, and distribute Fall membership list.
November
November 3, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast Cancer Support Group. For questions, call Lori Scharff at:
516-887-1336
or email:
lorischarff@gmail.com.
November 5, 7:30 P.M: SVCB Board meeting. SVCB members are invited, contact Alice Turner.
November 21, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB 39th anniversary meeting, San Jose Vista Center. Elect officers for 2027, announce Budget Committee.