20250517-4 FCB convention Saturday night banquet

Originally broadcasted May 17, 2025 on ACB Media 8

Annual Banquet Attendees attended FCB'S Annual Banquet: hosted by FCB President, Mikey Wiseman. FCB’s Banquet speaker was Jeff Bishop who was a prominent figure in the field of accessibility and assistive technology, dedicated to enhancing digital experiences for individuals with visual impairments. Jeff was President of Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS), served on the Board of Publications and was influential in the ongoing efforts of ACB’s overall information technology (IT) infrastructure and outlook. He lived in Phoenix, Arizona and told his life story, providing entertainment for attendees.

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20250517-3 FCB convention Saturday afternoon

Originally broadcasted May 17, 2025 on ACB Media 8

FCB Annual Town Hall Meeting Attendees planned to attend this exciting and informative meeting moderated by President Mikey Wiseman. They heard from the Director of the Division of Blind Services, (DBS) Robert Doyle, regarding the current status of the goals and mission of the agency including specific news that he wished to bring to attendees. After his presentation, he answered questions from the audience. Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision (FCCLV)FCCLV conducted its annual meeting and program. FCCLV 2025 program presenters were Cachet Wells and Greg Lindberg, co-chairs of the FCB’s Activities Committee. As a special interest affiliate, FCCLV members resided in many communities throughout the state. The Activities Committee planned, organized, and announced events and happenings all over the state. Attendees got together with fellow visually impaired FCCLV members in their community and met new/other individuals of the low vision community. To the surprise of many, with little preparation to any activity, game or skill, attendees could rework their favorite to be accessible and inclusive to those who were Blind and Low Vision. FCCLV and the Activities Committee helped attendees navigate and explore new ways to enjoy outdoor and indoor activities.

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20250517-2 FCB convention Saturday morning continued

Originally broadcasted May 17, 2025 on ACB Media 8

·       The Blind Kitchen Presenter Debra Erickson, MS Executive Chef and Founder of the Blind Kitchen Attendees were welcomed to The Blind Kitchen where adaptive tools, helpful strategies, and specialized knowledge were provided to blind and vision-impaired people who wanted to cook safely, confidently, and independently. Chef Debra discussed safe cooking techniques and products that The Blind Kitchen sold to make culinary experiences meaningful and provide attendees with confidence.

FCB Technology Committee Program Attendees learned about online security information. Those who worried about online security, wondered how to keep themselves safe while shopping or visiting websites, or responding to emails, learned about scams, phishing, captchas, and what these words meant. Attendees came to the Technology Committee session to learn tips about how to avoid online problems. The session barely touched on the subject, but helped attendees think about avoiding security breaches along with threats and perhaps led them to a few ways to learn how to protect themselves while online. Attendees joined Petr Kucheryavyy, Sr. Manager with Spectrum’s Accessibility team. He presented an informative look at all of Spectrum’s Accessibility offerings. Attendees found out what was new with the Spectrum FREE Access app, Spectrum TV app, accessible self-support and more. Additionally, attendees learned about the all new Xumo Stream Box with a voice control remote, available at the time.

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72nd Annual State Convention Opening Ceremony Empowering Through AI: Presented by Jeff Bishop and moderated by Debbie Grubb Jeff Bishop was a prominent figure in the field of accessibility and assistive technology, dedicated to enhancing digital experiences for individuals with visual impairments; President of Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS); served on the Board of Publications and was influential in the ongoing efforts of ACB’s overall information technology, (IT) infrastructure. A Training for Assistive Technology Users and Professionals was an engaging multi-hour event designed to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in the realm of assistive technology. Participants learned about AI-driven tools and techniques that enhanced accessibility, independence, and productivity for individuals with disabilities. This hands-on training provided actionable strategies for integrating AI into daily workflows, empowering both users and professionals to unlock new opportunities. The session included practical demonstrations, real-world applications, and interactive discussions to ensure attendees left with a deeper understanding of AI’s role in shaping a more inclusive future. Jeff Bishop’s interactive session continued. The demonstrations, discussion and amazing insights into AI continued. Attendees didn’t miss a moment of this potentially life changing presentation.

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20250516-4 FCB convention Friday night banquet

Originally broadcasted May 16, 2025, on ACB Media 8

Awards and Scholarships BanquetAttendees celebrated and recognized FCB leaders and deserving students at a special dinner hosted in their honor by Mary Tyson and Sheila Young, committee chairs for the Awards, Education, Leadership and Scholarships Committees. Select advocates and leaders were recognized with prestigious awards and deserving students were presented with valuable scholarships.

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20250516-3 FCB convention afternoon

Originally broadcasted May 16, 2025 on ACB Media 8

·       FCB Annual Legislative Seminar

Moderated by Debbie Grubb Attendees joined the 2025 FCB Legislative Seminar. The FCB legislative team brought interesting, informative and insightful thoughts regarding the reception by the Florida Congressional delegation of the 2025 legislative imperatives set forth by ACB. The 2025 legislative imperatives confronted the issues of lack of access to home use medical devices and outpatient equipment; access to websites applications and online services; access to media, video user interfaces and video conferencing services. The perceptive thoughts shared by the 2025 FCB Legislative team and honored guest, Jeff Bishop, accessible technology expert and President of BITS, served attendees well as next steps in the organization's advocacy agenda were determined. Attendees made attending this event one of their convention priorities so that they could play a role as the history of meaningful advocacy undertaken by the Florida Council of the Blind since its founding continued.

·       Demystifying Self-PublishingPresenter Lynn Chantale Mapier

Those who had written a book but didn’t know what to do next, or had a collection of family anecdotes they’d like to hand out as gifts, or just wanted to see their name in print, learned from author Lynn Chantale who provided the tools to self-publish a manuscript. From editing to cover art, Lynn demystified the publishing process. Lynn Chantale was an accomplished author with over 30 titles under her belt. She had self-published as well as traditionally published. Attendees took a seat and peeked behind the veil of self-publishing.

*Democracy LiveBuilding Bridges through Accessible VotingPresenter Charlie Kinnune, Director of EducationWhat should have united attendees, had divided them. Some of the most successful advocacy organizations in the country disapproved of accessible absentee electronic balloting. What had proven to be a game changer in accessible voting was not accepted by some organizations that historically supported accessible voting in the past. Attendees engaged these groups to discuss this very pressing issue.

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20250516-2 FCB convention morning session continued

Originally broadcasted May 16, 2025 on ACB Media 8

·       Coalitions for the Concerns of the Totally Blind (CCTB)This year, The Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind had a program featuring Hans, founder and CEO of Be My Eyes, who informed attendees of the many things they were doing for the blind and low vision community. Be My Eyes was one of the world’s largest networks for blind and low vision people that provided digital accessibility tools to blind and low vision people worldwide. Some of these tools included:• Being able to call a volunteer for general assistance.• Be My AI: Being able to take a picture and get back a detailed description.• Being able to call a company or organization to receive specialized assistance with a product or service.• And being able to use Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses for additional ways to gain knowledge and information. Attendees joined the program and learned about the many ways Be My Eyes could help them become more independent and self-sufficient! Project Insight Committee

·       First Aid Tips Presenters: registered nurse Margaret Mosher (Paul Edwards' daughter) and Dr. Stella Hayes Attendees joined Project Insight as outreach to the blind and visually impaired community continued with a topic of common interest that affected everyone. Health concerns were discussed, and attendees knew to contact health care providers in an emergency, but everyday things that needed immediate First Aid attention were also covered. Attendees learned how to manage these things for themselves and for those for whom they provided care and support. Special guest presenters, Ms. Margaret Mosher, a registered nurse, and Dr. Stella Hayes shared their medical knowledge, and most of all, practical suggestions for managing those everyday health situations.

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Carl Richardson and Kim Charlson, Co-Chairs of the Audio Description Project chat with Rick Morin about the 2025 Audio Description Awards Gala and the AD industry prior to the airing of the 2025 Audio Description Awards Gala on November 13, 2025.

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2025 American Council of the Blind Audio Description Gala

Audio Description Project

November 13, 2025

Join us for the 2025 AD Awards Gala! We honor people and organizations that help make film, tv, and video games more accessible. And we'll announce the winners of the AD People's Choice Awards.

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20251118 1900 ACBVA Banquet Keynote Address - Celebration, Debra Hill

Debra Hill, motivational speaker, singer, and proud member of ACBVA shares her story, voice, and vision for resilience and empowerment. Learn more about her work and music at debrahillsings.com

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