Welcome to the California connection for January 13.

From President Judy Wilkinson

Don't miss our first CCB Board meeting of the year
Thursday, January 26 at 7:00 PM
Dial-in number: 712-770-8014; access code 127353.
We really really really hope to record this meeting for playback at your convenience.

Agenda items include discussion and approval of our 2017 budget which is being presented in an entirely new way this year, by program rather than line item.
We will consider volunteer and gift acceptance policies, get a convention update and much more.

Save The Date

We will hold our first Presidents Call of the year on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:30 PM.
Look for an agenda and dial-in instructions nearer the date.

Self-Service Kiosks

Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Goldstein Borgen Dardarian & Ho (GBDH) are investigating the accessibility of self-service kiosks to individuals who are blind and low-vision. These kiosks have become prevalent in retail stores, healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
We would like to hear about people's experiences with self-service kiosks relating to any aspect of life.

To share your experience, please contact Kyle Ruiz by email at kruiz@dralegal.org or by phone at (510)665-8644.

Updates From The CCB Office

From CEO Paul Shane:

1. Timing is running out to purchase your tickets to the Tommy T's Comedy Benefit. No tickets will be for sale after January 19, 2017. No tickets are available at the door so, be sure to call the office to purchase tickets. Tickets purchased through the office, can be mailed, hand delivered or held at "will call" on event night.

   We also have received the following exciting auction items to be sold at the silent auction: A Steven Tyler of Aerosmith Signed Electric Fender Guitar; A Full Sized Signed Football Helmet From The Legend Of Your choice: Joe Montana Dan Marino, John Elway, or Troy Aikman; A Ladies Fashion Diamond Cluster Ring Set In Yellow gold; A Hand-Knit Valentine's Day Themed 100% Wool Afghan, measuring 36 x 50 inches; A Star Wars Chewbacca Legendary Wookiee Warrior (Peter Mahew) Signed 12" X 15" Framed Photo and, A Muhammad Ali and The Beatles Framed Photograph 12"x15".
   If you cannot attend the event and would still like to bid on an auction item, call Paul Shane directly.

2. The CCB is looking for Virtual Volunteers to help with funding research and to assist in identifying volunteer groups to support the 2017 convention. Call Paul Shane if you are interested in volunteering.
3. There were some mix-ups with the delivery of the last Blind Californian. If you had the wrong version delivered to you or, you did not receive your copy of the Blind Californian, Please call the office to confirm your address and desired format with Jenn. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.
   Call Paul or Jen at 800-221-6359.

San Francisco Chapter Meeting

You are invited to the next meeting of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Council of the Blind.

Date: Saturday, January 21, 2017
Time: 10:30 AM.
Location: LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 10th Floor Multipurpose Room, San Francisco.

Our meeting location is fully accessible, and we are equipped with an assistive listening system. Contact Frank Welte no later than Wednesday, January 18 if you want to reserve an assistive listening device. His Email address is Frank.A.Welte@gmail.com, and his cell phone number is (510) 541-1442.

Our meetings are also accessible by telephone.
The conference phone number is (302) 202-1110.
The meeting code is 340741.

CCLVI Scholarship Announcement

The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) will award three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to one full-time entering freshmen, undergraduate and graduate college students who are low vision, maintain a strong GPA and are involved in their school/local community.

Application materials must be received by March 1. Scholarship monies will be awarded for the 2017 - 2018 academic year.

To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an online application, please visit http://www.cclvi.org and click on the "CCLVI Scholarship Programs" link.

Applications will be available to submit online from January 1 until March 1 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Questions may be directed to CCLVI at (800) 733-2258 or scholarship@cclvi.org.
We look forward to receiving your application materials!

Library Survey

Hello, my name is Reed Strege and I am the new Director of Library Services for Braille Institute. Together with my colleagues, we are beginning to plan for our second century of library service.

In order to continue our tradition of high-quality library service, it is critical that we hear from our community of readers. We are especially interested in feedback from engaged community members such as the California Council of the Blind.
I would love to hear from you with your thoughts about books, technology, programs, and anything else you would like to share.

Please take a moment to answer these questions and respond to me via email at rwstrege@brailleinstitute.org or by phone at (323) 906-3185. I would love to hear from you.

1. If you are a patron of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), do you use Braille Institute in Los Angeles, the California State Library in Sacramento, the San Francisco Public Library, or the Fresno County Public Library?
   
   1. Braille Institute
   2. California State Library
   3. San Francisco
   4. Fresno
2. Which of the following improvements would interest you the most as a library user? Please choose as many as you would like.
   
   1. Larger collection of reading material
   2. More technology training opportunities
   3. More original audio content available over the phone or Internet
   4. Improved facilities for in-person visits
   5. Better customer service
3. Can you think of anything library staff members can do to improve your library experience?

Thank you for reading, have a nice day