Reporting the 2018 CCB Conference and Convention
Compiled from Reports to the GSDGHI Affiliate and the SVCB Chapter
[Editor's note: This report of the 2018 CCB Conference and Convention is a compilation of two reports. Alice Turner and Mike Keithley reported for the SVCB chapter in its May newsletter. Maile George reported for the GSDGHI affiliate. Since this is a compilation, you should acquire the sources if necessary.
Getting There
SVCB writes: Both Alice and Mike took the Capitol Corridor train with John and Susan Glass and Rob Turner. Other SVCB people who attended the convention were John Vandervort and Lorraine Brown. Maile doesn't say how she got to the convention, so King proposes that we say she walked all the way from somewhere in Contra Costa county. Whew, and in the rain too!
Mike roomed with Steve Fort, an old friend. "The first thing that happened after arriving in his room was the discovery that he couldn't open his suitcase" the zipper broke. But a bellboy from the hotel got the suitcase unzipped, though that thing is still broken.
So began the convention for Mike—a collection of good and not-so-good. Being able to hear in meetings was a chronic problem, CCB's ability to cover events other than the general sessions was disappointing, and he often found that he became angry about this situation. But the general sessions and banquet were on ACB radio, and he actually used his iPhone to hear broadcasts when the ALD system was failing. The hotel's food was pretty good and not outrageously expensive.
Wednesday evening was a time for relaxing and getting familiar with the hotel's floor plan, which was quite compact and easy to understand. This year there were more volunteers than usual, even though attendance was obviously higher than last year.
Capitol Day
Maile writes: The rain was heavy on the morning of Thursday, March 22 when over twenty convention attendees rose early and traveled via light rail to the state capitol. We each had arranged our appointments with our assigned legislators or a legislative staff person in advance. Gabe Griffith and I live in the same district, so we visited with staff from Senator Steven Glazer and Assemblyman Timothy Grayson's offices. We also made appointments with staff from the offices of Assemblyman Adam Gray (Merced) and Matthew Harper (Costa Mesa). During telephone meetings held prior to the convention, Jeff Thom, Legislative and Governmental Affairs Chair, reviewed the four legislative issues we were to discuss during our appointments. The first one was an issue that we as GSGDHI members are familiar: AB 1865. This is a bill meant to expand protection for guide, signal and service dogs by eliminating the requirement that the dog be in discharge of its duties. The person who owns the attack dog would be required to pay for treatment of the injured service dog and the cost to replace the dog, if necessary, and cover any injuries that the guide Dog handler suffers and/or lost wages as a result of the attack.
We discussed three additional issues: the need to increase the state portion of SSI income up to the poverty level (AB 3200- Kalra), which was heard in April; SB1396, which would establish the Office of Accessible Technology and insure that persons with vision loss have full access to online information on state services and programs, including education, employment, health and social services, housing, disaster and law enforcement services. Finally, we urged our legislators to commit to a budget allocation of $400,000, which would send a strong message about the value that state legislators place on the shrinking federal funds allocated for library services. [See Jeff's Governmental Affairs report in this BC.]
Thursday Afternoon
SVCB writes: Convention-related things didn't begin for Mike until the Technology Committee meeting Thursday afternoon. Though there was no ALD transmitter and Mike couldn't hear the speakers well, he was sitting next to Sheila Somebody who summarized what people were saying, mighty helpful in a pinch.
One important part of the meeting was a discussion of how visually impaired diabetics can access their glucose meters. The Prodigy system was described, together with techniques of getting an accurate blood sample on the test strip.
The current state of affairs seems to be that there is no truly accessible blood glucose meter in the United States. In Europe there are accessible systems, but they haven’t been approved in the US through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and some that are approved are not insured by Medicare. We hope that the Dexcom system, which uses an iOS device and a sensor under the skin, will soon be universally available.
Ken Metz volunteered to set up an email listserve to discuss diabetes, and whether there is interest in forming a CCB special-interest diabetics affiliate. Alas, Ken is gone now so someone else will do this work.
Mike went to the Credentials Committee meeting to monitor the official seating of SVCB, and its 17 votes, for the convention. Pam Palagi, Credentials Committee Chair, has been ill, but Mike hears she is out of the hospital and recovering nicely. Frank Welte did the honors. Mike thinks it's safe to say that SVCB is still the largest chapter in CCB.
And Now, Dining in the Dark
Maile writes: Approximately 25 CCB members, including many from GSGDHI and their dogs, committed to serve as table hosts during this fundraiser at which we were dressed in our finest! Christine Ha, Blind Chef and Winner of Master Chef Season Three designed the menu and was available to sign her cookbook or pose for photos. The Dining in the Dark table hosts and other CCB members took advantage of every opportunity to highlight the 84 year history and accomplishments of the CCB. These included the number of volunteer hours, scholarships awarded, crisis support, community referrals, educational rights, talking ATMs, voting rights and the "white cane law." Prior to the five-course meal at which guests were encouraged to wear their Dining in the Dark eyeshades, a cocktail party and silent auction was held. Immediately following dinner, a lively auction took place. Generous donations to CCB were also made by donors. Though I didn't stay, Drinks and Dancing with live DJ’s took place afterwards.
SVCB writes: Thursday evening Mike went to the Dining in the Dark fundraiser for CCB. He had never attended such an event, and it was just as someone said: an expensive dinner. There was a silent auction, with some items exceeding $5,000. And noisy, whew! There was no ALD transmitter for a time, and the couple sitting next to me was nice, but I couldn't talk to them. About half-way through the third course (there were five courses), the woman gave me a nice glass of red wine (maybe I was looking glum). And then an ALD transmitter appeared, so I could then hear the MC and his work to get money, money, money! (Estimates are that CCB made $12,000 that evening alone.) The dinner featured offerings by blind chef Christine Ha, and the second course, a fish soup, was especially good.
Alice and Rob were joined at the Dining in the Dark event by Rob's brother and sister-in-law, who live close to the hotel. This made the event even more special for them. [See Paul Shane's article in this BC.]
Friday Morning
Friday morning is traditionally Mike's busy time, with meetings of the Braille Revival League of California and the California Library Users of America. There was no ALD transmitter in the room, so he was rather crippled as to participation, but he did accept the BRLC presidency. At the CLUA Meeting, Mike Marlin, Director of the Braille and Talking Book Library, talked, But Mike missed much of his speech, which is covered later, so there! Mike was signed up to attend the BLRC/CLUA luncheon, but he knew there would be no ALD transmitter, so he had a bacon-cheese burger at the restaurant instead, telling King he really didn't want those French fries.
Alice attended the three-hour session titled "Access and Advocacy." Its co-moderators were Steven Mendelsohn and Jeff Thom. This included a series of speakers on three different topics. The first presentation, titled "Integrating Access and Functional Needs: We Fail or Succeed Together," was given by B. L. Vance Taylor, who is Chief Office of Access and Functional Needs, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. He talked about the essential steps individuals with disabilities need to take to prepare for emergencies. He cited many examples of issues that occurred during the fires of 2017. His advice was that every household should assemble a "go-bag" packed with essentials, and every person in the household needs to know where the bag is stored. He suggests a closet near the front door. There should be a plan in place for all family members to meet at a designated spot in case of a fire or disaster, for example at the Smith's mailbox one block away. The speaker uses a wheel chair, and he shared the steps he takes so all members of his household have a job to do when evacuating and they practice the drill. To prepare for emergencies, he suggested the CA Emergency Preparedness website as a place to find tips and tools targeted to individuals with disabilities. The link to put into your browser is: www.caloes.ca.gov/AccessFunctionalNeedsSite/Pages/AFN%20Library.aspx. Another tool he mentioned is an app targeted to specific counties, which sends out alerts in the event of an emergency or disaster. For Santa Clara County, the app is called ReadySCC.
Then the attendees heard from Fred Nisen and Paul Spenser, attorneys from Disability Rights California's Voting Rights Unit. They discussed the state and federal requirements for accessible voting. They reviewed the changes in specific counties for voting independently at home using your computer. The process is not perfect yet, as several people in the room were beta testers; and there are challenges with printing the ballot, which needs to be signed and mailed by the voter. Individuals are encouraged to contact the presenters if they experience difficulties in voting.
Lastly, Michelle Iorio, Staff Attorney, of Disability Rights Advocates, presented what their law firm is doing in regards to accessibility of websites. She discussed the process they need to follow in order to take legal action when a website does not provide equal access to information, and shared how the courts are ruling.
When this meeting is posted on our CCB website, it will be a good one to listen to if you are interested in these three topics.
International Luncheon
Maile writes: Susan Glass spoke about the partnership between the national park system, University of Hawaii, and ACB, that is a gigantic project involving access and audio described materials for every national park in California. Luncheon attendees learned about the experiences of the Fresno chapter members who provi
ded input on this project at the Yosemite National Park. We were encouraged to contact Susan Glass to find out more about our National Parks and about how we might be able to participate in the expansion of this wonderful project!
First General Session
SVCB writes: ALD was available at the first general session, and Mike celebrated with King, who barked during the Pledge of allegiance "I couldn't help it, too happy!" [And now he says to be serious!]
Maile writes: President Judy Wilkinson opened by recognizing convention sponsors. She thanked the streaming team for making the convention accessible through ACB Radio: John Glass, Gabe Griffith, Ken Metz and Rob Turner, plus Brooks and Ronnie: sound people.
Peter Pardini gave an inspirational invocation, and the Cordova High School JROTC did a presentation of the colors (our flags), followed by Louis Fawcett leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Frank Welte, serving as the Nominations Committee chair, complimented committee members on how orderly and fun the nominations meeting was. The slate was announced: President: Judy Wilkinson; 1st Vice President: Gabe Griffith; Treasurer: Lisa Presley-Thomas; Directors: Frank Welte, Sharlene Ornelas, Penny Valdevinos, and Rob Turner.
Rancho Cordova Mayor Linda Budge was introduced, and she presented Judy with the key to the city. She welcomed CCB and commended our organization for bringing activities in which the entire community could participate, including the art exhibit and Dining in the Dark.
From sponsor Wells Fargo: Kathleen Martinez reported that since the end of 2017, she's been leading the Well's Enterprise Accessibility Program Office, which is focused on making products and services accessible, awarding scholarships, and recruiting employees with disabilities. Contact her about any of these programs at kathleen.martinez@wellsfargo.com.
President’s Report: Judy reported on some of the disappointments from the past year and explained that she and CCB learned from these mistakes. She quickly went on to what we should all be proud of: Nicole Pacheco was hired, bylaws committee has spent hundreds of hours revising the to-be adopted Bylaws; RBGG helped in the success of the vote by Mail settlement; abolished the Guide Dog board (thanks primarily to Jeff Thom and Margie Donovan); created the first draft of our Case for Support; updated CCB Internet site--it now has an online version of the Scholarship application and CCB survey; ZoomCloud technology will soon be used for meetings; the Seated Treadmill project should be expanded despite a setback; convention sponsors are up 50%; the number of convention registrations are up; Dining in the Dark was a success; opened our Southern California office; plans are already being made for next year’s convention: CCB's 85th anniversary—ACB President Kim Charlson has been invited as our guest. Judy thanked Paul Shane, Nicole Pacheco, the CCB board and the committees, and closed with a final huge thank you to her husband, Steven Mendelsohn!
Update from the BTBL: Speaker Mike Marlin, who just celebrated his tenth work anniversary, opened by joking that he works for the American Library Association, and that his Guide Dog Vivaldi works for the American Labradorian Association! He went on to say that Vivaldi's title at work is Canine Librarian!
Technological Innovations (possibility of NLS circulating refreshable Braille displays); next generation talking book players featuring wireless delivery. (The U.K has a unique player called In Your Pocket, voice-activated and similar to Amazon's Echo/Alexa.) For a demonstration, Mike encouraged us to do a Google search.
Library Services: NLS is focusing on getting books to us quickly without having to rely so heavily on the postal service; the Patron Centric Cartridge Program will enable a library to put multiple books on a single customized cartridge for an individual patron with a 2 to 3 month loan period. Because the library invested time and money converting many of the Recorded Cassette titles, Contact the Braille Institute Library if interested in participating in the pilot.
The Descriptive video service now has over 500 movies available to borrow.
Bookshare: The institute for museums and library services provided a grant to do a two year pilot for Bookshare. They currently have 280 of the 325 seats filled, so if you want to have the $50 annual Bookshare fee waived, contact your library about this pilot. The purpose is to make as many opportunities for reading books available to people with print disabilities as possible.
The Patron Advisory Council is always looking for new members. Mike recognized Warren Cushman who represents CCB on this council. If interested, visit the patron advisory council application at www.library.ca.gov/btbl/advisory-council.
Dear Appropriator Letter writing campaign: President Trump has proposed complete elimination of federal library funding in 2019. Mike encouraged each of us to write to the Senate appropriations committee about why libraries are important. For more information, contact Mike or check out www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries.
The Marrakesh Treaty was signed in 2013 as part of the World Intellectual Property Organization with the United Nations. It allows for cross-border sharing of books and magazines in alternative formats in countries with copyright exception laws. Though Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris are in favor, Mike encouraged us to contact our Senators and tell them why the Marrakesh Treaty is important.
If you have any other questions about what Mike talked about, and there was a lot, contact him at Mike.marlin@library.ca.gov.
Major Gifts Ramp-up: Louis Fawcett began by saying he loves California, especially the wine country! He grew up in Virginia and served for eleven years as a Lutheran pastor. He now lives in South Carolina and works for the National Organization of Non-Profit Organizations and executives.
The Major Gifts Ramp Up model will fund our work for the next three years and consists of thirteen steps, starting with step one that will insure that donors are a priority in the mission of CCB. The remaining steps focus on identifying talent amongst key leaders; developing a Case for Support (describes our mission in an inspirational way in 60 seconds or less); identifying Prospects through Donorscope, which is a list of names and addresses of wealthy households; planning an awareness event, we will invite 2,500 households and prominent members of the community, plus CCB leaders, to an inspirational lunch event. According to Mr. Fawcett, about 125 will attend; 80 will feel inspired enough for us to ask for money, and 40 to 50 will say yes; then visiting these 40 to 50 households and listening and learning about their concerns and goals; in the spring, hosting a signature event like Dining in the Dark—likely to overlap with the convention; seeking a campaign cabinet consisting of 15 prominent individuals who will be involved in asking for major gifts for the operational needs of the organization—a one-time contribution to cover CCB through the next three years; and, finally, celebrating the success of the campaign and the impact it had.
Mr. Fawcett candidly reported that the success rate of the organizations he's worked with has been one third have never been able to get it going; a third raise more money than they've ever raised before, but they don't reach their goal—usually because they get caught up somewhere in the model or they fail to follow-up with all the donors; and a third work all the way through the model and reach their goal. They do the hard work that needs to be done.
Note: A major gift is $10,000 or more. These gifts will not be secured through fundraisers on social media; golf tournaments; or bingo games or bake sales, which are all a lot of work for not very much money and they don't build long-term relationships like this major gift campaign does.
Uber: Austin Heyworth Manages California policy for Uber. He lives in Sacramento and grew up in Los Angeles. He assured us that the company listens to feedback from customers and continues to focus on ways to make the service better and more accessible.
All drivers must acknowledge quarterly that they understand their ADA responsibilities, including not denying passengers who are accompanied by their service animals. He encouraged us to use their complaint process if we are denied service. When we rate a driver a level three or less several times, the driver will be suspended and we won't ever be matched with that driver again. Interesting fact: There are over 100,000 Uber drivers in the state of California. He closed by saying that Uber’s goal is to treat each and every customer with dignity. Contact Austin at heyworth@uber.com.
Legislator of the Year Award: Jeff Thom, Legislative and Governmental Affairs Chair related a story about the abolition of the Guide Dog Board and how Assemblyman Evan Low (San Jose, Saratoga, Campbell and Cupertino) helped to make it happen, even though we rarely see the abolition of a state board. Because of his leadership and his willingness to listen and do the right thing for the community, we awarded Assemblyman Low the CCB Legislator of the Year Award (The plaque was read and accepted by Robert Sumner, Principal Consultant from the Assembly Business & Professions Committee.) Jeff also noted that Assemblyman Low has been a supporter of our right to vote privately and independently.
Leadership Dinner and Second General Session
SVCB writes: O boy! There was working ALD at the Leadership Dinner sponsored by Vanda pharmaceuticals. Eric Bridges from ACB discussed his work in making everything accessible to visually impaired people, work that takes him around the world.
At the second general session, Jeff Thom presented his Governmental Affairs Report, which featured the Guide Dog Board sunset plus several happenings in 2018.
Elections were held. Judy Wilkinson remains CCB President, Gabe Griffith is now First Vice President, and Ken Metz was elected to complete the term for Second Vice President. Lisa Presley-Thomas was elected as Treasurer, and for directors, our own Rob Turner kept his seat for a second term, in addition to Frank Welte, Sharlene Ornelas, and Paul Pache.
The Board Breakfast
Mike was supposed to cover the Board Breakfast, but alas, there was no ALD transmitter! He left and calmed down with a Chai Late at Starbucks, a nice, "quiet" place. But here's Maile’s description: Minutes were read and approved; a short Treasurers report was given and accepted. There were committee updates and public comments from those members who attended this meeting.
Saturday
SVCB writes: Saturday is a busy day for Alice, due to the series of events associated with Golden State Guide Dog Handlers, Inc. During the business meeting, Maile George was elected new Vice President, Vita Zavoli was re-elected as Treasurer, and the group welcomed William Elliot as a new Director. This was followed by a program titled, "Helping Our Guides Overcome Trauma," a panel discussion led by the five guide dog school reps.
The Guide Dog luncheon is always fun, even though Mike does not have a dog (and there were a few others who didn't, either). Mark Hines, an international representative from Kong, in California, told us about the fun history of Kong, and how the toys are used worldwide with many animal populations.
Second General Session
The main feature of the second general session was the formal adaptation of CCB's new Bylaws, the replacement document for the Constitution, which had become unwieldy. The Bylaws were not accepted by the narrowest margin. The lively discussion indicated that some members were not comfortable with voting on the bylaws without viewing the corresponding policy statements. This work will continue during the year ahead.
And Now, the Banquet, Sponsored by Uber!
It was MC'ed by President Wilkinson, and she started with three "desserts" before Mike ate his. (It reminded him of how he and Star would go to Baskin Robins and Hot Fudge Sundaes for dinner after a heavy lunch.) There was the Sacramento Banjo Band with music from the turn of the 20th Century. Tommy Edison, a blind motivational speaker (who is not related to Thomas Edison) regaled the assembled for over 45 minutes with descriptions of his rollicking lifestyle, and Mike realized he was the persuasive MC at Dining in the Dark.
Vivian Younger, chair of the CCB Membership Committee, presented the Chapter of the Year award to the Redwood Empire chapter for the best chapter project in 2017. Unfortunately, her presentation was marred by sound difficulties. She said that the other membership awards would appear in the Blind Californian. There were other awards, plus raffle winnings.
Fourth General Session
Maile writes: Remembrance of CCB colleagues who passed during the previous year.
Treasurer's report was accepted after being read aloud.
Jeff Thom then read the ten proposed resolutions for 2018, which are briefly summarized here.
01, Advocacy Resources: Calls for CCB to investigate finding a like-minded organization to share the cost of a legislative affairs person.
02, DOR Accessible Documents: Calls on the Department of Rehabilitation to provide all documents in accessible formats.
03, State Price Schedule: Calls on the Department of Rehabilitation to work together with consumers and providers of accessible technology goods and services to determine what changes, if any, need to be made in how assistive technology goods and services are purchased.
04, Paratransit: Calls for a state wide task force made up of legislators, paratransit funders, providers, and consumers to discuss issues such as transfer rides, pickup times, door to door service, and other issues arising from limited resources.
05, Polling Booth: Calls for the California Secretary of State to insure all voter verification systems and polling kiosks are accessible to persons who are blind or have low vision.
06, Accessible Prescription Labeling: Calls for state legislation requiring prescription labels and safety information to be provided in accessible formats.
07, Rehab Purchases of Over $5,000: Urges that the Secretary of Education examine those purchases made by the Department of Rehabilitation in the amount of $5,000 or more.
08, DMV: Calls on DMV to ensure that all field offices are aware that there is an exception to state law allowing DMV employees to assist a person who is blind or has low vision to fill out forms.
09, Physical Access: Deals with physical access with curb ramps and other barriers and affirms that the CCB will continue advocating for accessibility. It also will involve the CCB committee on access and transportation taking the lead in this advocacy effort.
10, Electronic Visit Verification: Concerns the accessibility and privacy of verifying IHSS workers' hours and tasks.
The proposed resolutions were passed by the membership. In addition, the hotel was commended for the high quality of its services, and the volunteers were joyously praised.
In closing, I can't compliment both the staff of the Marriott and the volunteers for this convention enough! They were absolutely wonderful; they were friendly, knowledgeable and patient! The Obie Shoeman Exhibit Hall was open on Friday and Saturday. Guide dog handlers could exit or enter the hotel's relief area 24 hours through a door in the Santa Rosa room. We could exit through other doors, but they were locked in the evening. The good thing was that if they were locked, our room keycards could be used to access the hotel.
