Thursday, April 22

6:00-9:30 pm: First Session Gabe Griffith, President, Concord, Ca Presiding

• 6:00 pm: Welcome
  Gabe Griffith, CCB President, Concord, Ca
• 6:05 pm: Pledge of Allegiance
  CCB Board of Directors
• 6:10 pm: National Anthem
  Valerie Salcedo, Fresno, Ca
• 6:15 pm: Roll call of Chapters and Affiliates
• 6:35 pm: Adoption of CCB Convention Rules
• 6:40 pm: CCB History Remembering Our Past, to Build Our Future

This panel will feature longtime CCB members highlighting key moments in CCB past.

• 8:30 pm: Credentials Committee Report
  Frank Welte, Committee Chair, San Leandro, Ca
• 8:40 pm: Nominating Committee Report
  Frank Welte, Committee Chair, San Leandro, Ca
• 8:50 pm: First reading of Bylaw Amendments
  David Jackson San Francisco, Ca and Sarah Harris Fresno, Ca Co-Chairs

Friday, April 23

9:00-10:00 am: Advocacy Workshop #1
Your Voice Counts!
Self-Advocacy Basics
Sarah Harris, Fresno, Ca
Steven Mendelson San Leandro, Ca

Does the word advocacy intimidate you? Don’t be afraid. We advocate for ourselves every day. Come see how you are already an advocate and learn some advocacy basics.

10:00-11:00 am: Advocacy Workshop #2
Make a Difference
Systems Change Advocacy Basics
Ardis Bazyn, Burbank, Ca
Alice Turner, Sunnyvale, Ca
Sarah Harris, Fresno, Ca

This workshop will focus on systems change and basic tips on how to be an advocate at the local, state, and national levels.

11:00 am-12:30 pm: Virtual Exhibit Hall Part 1

1:00-4:00 pm: Second Session
Sarah Harris, First Vice President, Fresno, Ca Presiding

• 1:00 pm: Welcome
  Gabe Griffith and Sarah Harris
• 1:05 pm: Legal Update
  Rachel Weisberg Attorney and Employment Rights Help Line Manager, Chicago, IL

  Learn about recent legal developments in employment law and other areas of importance to people who are blind or have low vision.

• 1:50 pm: Untapped Asset: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in CCB
  Inclusive Diversity of California

  The Inclusive Diversity of California (IDC) panel will examine how advocating with individuals facing multi-layered bias and discrimination strengthens and enhances the California Council of the Blind. We will explore the role of our affiliate, how we can offer resources to the blind community, and promote cultural and ethnic diversity as an asset to the organization and beyond.

• 2:50 pm: Let’s Get Moving
  calisthenics with Leslie Spoon, Winter Park, Florida
• 3:05 pm: Conflict and Collaboration: Blind Services vs. Cross-Disability Services
  Roger Peterson, CCB Member, Mountain View, Ca
  Larry Wanger, Executive Director, Dayle McIntosh Center, Orange County, Ca
  Peter Benavidez, Executive Director, Blindness Support Services, Riverside, Ca
  Shellena Heber, Executive Director Valley Center for the Blind Fresno, Ca
  Suzanna Gamez, Executive Director Resources for Independence Central Valley, Fresno, Ca

  This panel will discuss the history of both the blindness and cross-disability movements. The discussion will explore the conflicts that have existed between the two, as well as successful collaborations that have happened along the way.

4:30 pm-5:45 pm: Virtual Exhibit Hall Part 2

6:00-9:30 pm: Third Session
Lisa Presley Thomas, Treasurer, Fresno, Ca Presiding

• 6:00 pm: Welcome
• 6:05 pm: Invocation Liv Presley Fresno, Ca
• 6:10 pm: Remembrances
  At this time, we will recognize CCB members who have passed during the last year.
• 6:35 pm: Presidents Report
  Gabe Griffith, CCB President Concord, Ca
• 7:00 pm: Governmental Affairs Report
  Jeff Thom, Sacramento, Ca
• 7:30 pm: CCB Board of Directors Elections
  At this time the CCB membership will be electing new officers and board members. Voting instructions and information will be distributed widely.

Hospitality zoom room will open following the close of elections. Use pre-convention zoom info to login and enjoy the fun!

Saturday, April 24

9:00 am-12:00 pm: Fourth Session
Rob Turner, Second Vice-President, Sunnyvale, Ca Presiding

• 9:00 am: Welcome
• 9:05 am: American Council of the Blind Update
  Clark Rachfal, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Alexandria, Virginia
• 9:40 am: Artificial Intelligence: How it is Enhancing Our Everyday Lives
  CCB Technology Committee

  The technology committee and guests will explore how machine learning and artificial intelligence are already being used to enhance our lives. We will also discuss other ways that AI and ML could be used to benefit us in the future.

• 10:30 am: Domestic Violence: It’s Not Just Physical
  Shari Roeseler, Executive Director
  Society for the Blind Sacramento, Ca
  Beth Hassett, CEO
  WEAVE Sacramento, Ca

When we hear the words domestic violence, we often automatically think physical abuse. There are other types beyond physical and this presentation will cover the less talked about types of domestic violence and how people who are blind or have low vision are affected. It will also explore how to find resources, and when and how to report suspicions of abuse.

• 11:15 am: Mid-day Mindfulness

11:30 am-12:45 pm Virtual Exhibit Hall Part 3

1:00-3:00 pm: Fifth Session
Linda Porelle, Secretary, San Francisco, Ca Presiding

• 1:00 pm: Welcome
• 1:05 pm: Pedestrian control over Drivers’ Yielding
  The Rev. Dr. Gene Bourquin, COMS
  New York, NY and Chiang Mai, Thailand

  All pedestrians are reliant on drivers to yield when they share spaces like crosswalks with vehicles. Many variables affect drivers’ behaviors. In this presentation we will review these factors, emphasizing the principles and techniques pedestrian can use to increase the likelihood of drivers yielding.

• 2:15 pm: You Have a Story to Tell
  Kelly Brakenhoff, Author Lincoln, Nebraska

  Everyone has a story to tell.
  Maybe it’s your life story of the obstacles you’ve overcome to get where you are today. Or maybe characters in a fantasy world have lived inside your head for years. Or maybe listening to the news made you curious to know the backstory behind the headline. Find out how Kelly Brakenhoff, an ASL Interpreter, finally followed her childhood dreams and became a mystery and children’s book author.
  If she can do it, maybe you can, too.

4:00-6:00 pm: CCB Awards Banquet
Larry Gassman, Master of Ceremonies, Fullerton, Ca

Come join us to celebrate during our annual awards banquet. There will be awards presented by the Awards, Publications, Membership, and Scholarship Committees. We will also have the special treat of being entertained by ACB’s own Jason Castonguay.

Hospitality zoom room will open following the close of the virtual banquet. Use pre-convention zoom info to login and enjoy the fun!

Sunday, April 25

9:00 am-12:00 pm: CCB Business Meeting
Gabe Griffith, President Presiding

To close the 2021 virtual convention, we will conclude with our convention business meeting. This meeting will include the 2020 Convention Minutes, Treasurer’s Report, Newell Perry Report, and voting on proposed Resolutions and Bylaw Amendments.