Better Together:
Connection, Commitment, Community
The California Council of the Blind and the Convention Planning Committee our excited to invite you to our 3rd Pre & Post Convention virtual activities.
All activities with the exception of the pre-convention Board of Directors meeting, the Nominating Committee, and the Virtual Exhibits will be held on the Pre-Convention Zoom link.
Email convention.ccb@gmail.com for the pre and post convention zoom information.
All times listed are in the pacific time zone.
Pre Convention
Friday, March 3
7:00-8:30 pm, Kickoff
Come join the membership committee for a great start to our 2023 CCB convention. Get to know your board members by playing Two Truths and a Lie! Fun and surprises await you!
Membership Committee Chair, Joe Green
Sunday, March 5
6:30-8:00 pm, Scattergories
Join your CCB hostesses with the mostesses, Regina Brink and Sarah Harris, along with their game moderator Andrea DeKlotz, for a fun game night with lots of laughs and good friends.
Monday, March 6
7:30-9:00 pm, Emergency Preparedness 101 with the blind and those with low vision in mind.
Whether one is just beginning, or is a grizzled veteran of emergency preparedness planning, this presentation, especially tailored to people with blindness and vision loss, will focus on what we need to be ready. Furry friends, accessible copies of documents and other disability ideas will also be featured.
Presented by: Sheela Gunn-Cushman, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Center for Independent Living, Berkeley, CA,
And member of the San Francisco Chapter of CCB.
Tuesday, March 7
7:30-8:00 pm, APH CareerConnect:
From Empowerment to Employment
Presented by Richard Rueda, Digital Content Manager CareerConnect
Wednesday, March 8
7:30-9:00 pm, Housing Committee Listening Session
All are invited to a listening session to share your concerns about housing in California.
CCB Housing Committee Chair, Frank Welte
Thursday, March 9
7:30-9:00 pm, Pre-Convention Board Meeting
Please note that this meeting will be held on it’s typical zoom webinar link.
Saturday, March 11
9 a.m.-10:45 a.m., What does accessible transportation look like for you?
Whether you live in a rural, suburban or urban area, transportation services are essential to independence for people who are blind or have low vision. Come have a peer discussion about what your ideal access to transportation services looks like.
Presented by Daveed Mandell, CCB Member and member of the Transportation Committee for the American Council of the Blind
1:30-3:30 pm, California Diabetics In Action Springing Forward
While many of us recognize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, some of us may already be living with diabetes or receiving a diagnosis of pre-diabetes or type II diabetes. We are an affiliate that is supportive, educational, and advocating for inclusion, accessibility, and better medical staff knowledge and representation.
Come and join us for a short business meeting, some supportive conversation, and a short presentation. We will have time for questions as well.
President, Christy Crespin
5:00-7:00 pm, California Council of Blind Students, CCBS Business Meeting
Join the California Council of Blind Students (CCBS) for our yearly Business Meeting as we elect new officers, hear the Presidential Report, and hear from our special student speaker. We will also be hearing from four different residential adjustment to blindness centers from across the country. These centers help people gain back their independence as a blind or visually in paired person. The four centers are the Helen Keller Center, *, The Carroll Center For The Blind, and someone that attended a National Federation of the Blind (NFB) center.
President, Aaron Espinoza
Sunday, March 12
10:00 am-1:00 pm, Resolutions Committee
Join the Resolutions Committee as they work on the backbone of CCB’s work.
1:30-3:30 pm, Golden State Guide Dog Handlers Inc., GSGDHI Business Meeting and Program
Approval of most recent minutes; election of officers and directors.
program:
The Triumphs and Tribulations of Puppy Raising
Learn firsthand from long-time puppy raisers about their experiences with their pups! Hear what questions they have for handlers!
President, Susan Glass
5:00-7:00 pm, CCB Bylaws Committee
Come join us as we have several important proposed bylaw amendments to discuss.
Committee Chair, Steve Bauer
Monday, March 13
7:30-9:00 pm, California Council of Citizens with Low Vision, CCCLV Program Intersectional Low Vision: Navigating Low Vision and Identity
Join us for an insightful and empowering discussion on the intersection of low vision and identity! We explore how low vision intersects with social identities, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability, to create unique and compounded lived experiences. Using Kimberlé Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality as a framework, we delve deeper into our own experiences involving low vision and oppression to center on building resilience, community, and empowerment. This discussion promises a supportive and inclusive space for people with low vision to explore their experiences, connect with others, and learn practical strategies for navigating low vision and identity.
Presented by Rise Diamond M.A.
President, Cathy Schmitt Whitaker, Ed.D., CPC, ELI-MP
Tuesday, March 14
7:30-9:00 pm, Credentials Meeting
* Need only to attend if changes need to be made to your chapter or affiliate credentials.
Committee Chair, Frank Welte
Wednesday, March 15
7:30-9:00 pm, Writers Workshop-Publications Committee
Where Stories Come From: The Epiphany and the Fragrance Workshop
Description:
Take a break from CCB meetings, projects, and deadlines. Come spend an hour and a half playing and writing in the home and garden of imagination. Learn about the Memory Well, the "oh!" of discovery, and the intoxicating power of smells to goad your writing brain. You have more stories inside of you than there are in 100 heirloom cedar chests. We won't write with the explicit purpose of creating articles for The Blind Californian. We won't write with any specific purpose in mind at all, except perhaps, for the purposes of surprise, discovery, and sharing. Think of this gathering as a writers Play shop.
Committee Co-Chairs, Andrea DeKlotz and Sarah Harris
Thursday, March 16
7:30-9:00 pm, Resolutions Committee
Join the Resolutions Committee as they work on the backbone of CCB’s work.
Committee Co-Chairs, Jeff Thom and Sarah Harris
Friday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day
7:30-8:30 pm, Game Night-Shamrocks or Leprechauns?
Have you ever played the game Pancakes or Waffles? If the answer is no, you have been missing out! In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, come join the Crazy Blind Lady to spend a night being silly together.
Saturday, March 18
10:00 am-12:00 pm, Inclusive Diversity of California, IDC Program
Increasing Compassion, Listening, empathy, and self-care
Join Inclusive Diversity of California (IDC) to learn through interaction and stories of real people who increase compassion, exercise empathy, and practice self-care to guard against burn-out. Learn practical ways to respond to another's trauma, whether it is sudden sight loss, results of a hate crime, a natural disaster, or news of oppression and discrimination. With violence on the rise, IDC seeks to revive kindness and understanding between one another.
President, Regina Brink
5:00-7:00 pm, California Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss, CAAVL Program
Nursing Homes and Older Blind and Visually Impaired Adults
You are invited to a panel discussion addressing the specific concerns of blind and visually impaired adults with respect to receiving nursing home services.
President, Frank Welte
7:30 pm-until finished, Resolutions Committee
Join the Resolutions Committee as they work on the backbone of CCB’s work.
Committee Co-Chairs, Jeff Thom and Sarah Harris
Sunday, March 19
1:30-3:30 pm, California Library Users of America, CLUA Business Meeting
Come learn more about the California Library Users of America CCB Affiliate at its annual business meeting. There will be the election of Officers and the discussion of future activities.
President, Pam Metz
5:00-7:00 pm, California Library Users of America, CLUA Program
Do you like to read? Well then, you're in luck! The California Library Users of America will be having an up close and personal discussion with librarians Mike Marlin from the Sacramento Talking Book Library and Lisa Lepore from the Las Angeles Braille Institute followed by a discussion about book groups. Don't miss this opportunity!
President, Pam Metz
7:30 pm-until finished, Resolutions Committee
Join the Resolutions Committee as they work on the backbone of CCB’s work.
Committee Co-Chairs, Jeff Thom and Sarah Harris
Monday, March 20
7:30-9:00 pm, California Council of Citizens with Low Vision, CCCLV Business meeting & Program
All are welcome to the California Council of Citizens with Low Vision (CCCLV) annual membership meeting. In addition to sharing highlights over the past year, members will vote on the new CCCLV constitution and bylaws, and officer and board of director elections. Members will discuss recommendations for activities, activism and building community.
President, Cathy Schmitt Whitaker, Ed.D., CPC, ELI-MP
Tuesday, March 21
7:30-9:00 pm, Nominating Committee-For Nominating Committee Appointees only
Invitation will be sent from Committee Chair, Frank Welte.
Wednesday, March 22
7:30-9:00 pm, Braille Revival League of California, BRLC Business Meeting
All are invited to attend the BRLC Annual Business Meeting.
President, Frank Welte
Thursday, March 23
7:30-9:00 pm, Inclusive Diversity of California, IDC Business Meeting
Elections, directions, and check-ins, be a part of Inclusive Diversity of California (IDC). Time to elect officers and board members and hear from our committee chairs. Tell the leaders what you would like to see in IDC. Suggest seminars, activities, and resources for the upcoming year. Support one another! Celebrate unity while honoring diversity!
President, Regina Brink
Friday, March 24
9:00 am-1:00 pm, Virtual Exhibits
Please note that this info will be shared widely.
7:30-8:30 pm, What to expect-the Main Event
Come hear from CCB Convention Planning Committee Co-Chairs Andrea DeKlotz and Sarah Harris about what to expect at the hybrid conference convention Main Event happening March 31-April 2 in person at the Arden West Sacramento, on Zoom, and ACB Media.
Saturday, March 25
9:00 am-1:00 pm, Virtual Exhibits
Please note that this information will be shared widely.
3:00-5:00 pm, Candidates Forum
Come listen to the candidates for the CCB Board of Directors answer tough questions and tell the CCB membership why they should be chosen to serve.
Post Convention
Saturday, April 15
1:30-3:30 pm, Mental Health Discussion
Speakers and a candid discussion of mental health issues facing blind Californians
Presented by Warren Cushman and Leslie Thom
5:00-7:00 pm, California Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss, CAAVL Annual Business Meeting
Join with the members of CAAVL as we hold elections, plan our efforts in behalf of older Californians who are blind or visually impaired and conduct other important business.
President, Frank Welte
