by Judy Wilkinson
On our recent trip which included a visit to Belgrade, Serbia, Steve and I met an incredible blind woman, head of The White Cane, her nonprofit organization
providing services for blind people. Thirteen years ago, this journalist, Zoka (her nickname) went into action! "Blind people want to move about independently,
to communicate, to live independently." Last fall, Zoka brought Serbia's first guide dog into the country, and she has been fighting those battles all
too familiar to guide dog handlers: denial for the dog to get on the bus, in the store or restaurant. They have hired certified OM instructors and have
trained some 45 folks to travel with a white cane. They have a small computer lab with one computer station, and a tiny, poorly equipped kitchen. With
assistance from her delightful son Marko, her right-hand man and in charge of fundraising, they are hard at work raising funds to train a certified guide
dog instructor so that others in Serbia can have guide dogs.
How easy to assume that all the important battles are behind us. How easy to forget what the beginning battles were like: how hard won those battles for
dignity and independence! CCB began by fighting for just such services and demands for independence and equality. Today the battles are no less important!
Who knows what educational, technological, legal and employment services CCB may provide in the future? Through our membership on the Blind Advisory Committee,
we monitor those entities (such as the Department of Rehab) to make sure that appropriate services are being delivered. Our advocacy efforts continue:
we are fighting for our guide dog bills in the legislature; we are hard at work demanding that Alameda County through voting machines, allow blind voters
to cast ballots privately; we are demanding AMC movie theaters train their employees on audio-description devices.
Zoka's story only adds to my determination to reinvigorate and inspire CCB as I begin my presidency! We are in the process of hiring an executive Director
who will be working on fundraising and financial development. The Board has also authorized a part-time administrative assistant.
As you can appreciate, there are some issues which I can't discuss until conclusions are reached, but I promise to keep the membership informed about our
activities. To that end, I will be attending several chapter meetings in the near future via conference call. Watch the connection to learn of my "office
hours" and presidents calls. Please phone into board meetings. As an experiment to keep in better touch with chapters, I plan to issue brief monthly messages
as audio files.
Yes I know the litany: we don't have younger members; the membership is growing old. But what I have experienced is members saying "Yes," when I ask them
to serve on committees. Our committees are doing amazing work for our members. The scholarship Committee led by Christy Crespin is interviewing scholarship
applicants. The convention committee under retiring Chair Eugene Lozano, has drafted a report suggesting changes for the next two years. The alternative
convention committee led by Rob Turner has held three meetings to meet the obligations of the resolution we passed last spring. The Constitution and Bylaws
Committee under Gabe Griffith will bring us extensive Constitutional changes for consideration next spring. Our Mutt Strut committee headed by Donna Pomerantz
and Debbie Cordero and assisted by the dynamo Amelia Sherman are planning the best Mutt Strut ever! The Publications Committee will add social networking
to its oversight. The Braille Revival League of California and California Library Users of America continue their merger discussion. The Students affiliate
with Robin Patch as president has a new presence. The Technical Operations Group headed by Vita Zavoli is developing guidelines for us to improve our website.
And so much more! As you can see, we are definitely fighting the 21st century battles!
I want to end my first message as president by acknowledging the shoulders of those who have helped bring us to where we are today. Teddie-Joy Remhold,
Connie and Al Gil, Obbie Schoeman and Winifred Downing would have understood what Zoka is fighting for in Serbia. They would urge us to advance our cause
by fighting today's battles! So my dear fellow CCB members: forward, onward and upward!
