20220515-1 California Council of the Blind 20220515-1 6th General Session Day 4

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Gabe Griffith, President, Presiding To close the 2022 virtual convention, we concluded our convention business meeting. This meeting included the 2021 Convention Minutes, Treasurer’s Report, Newell Perry Report, and included voting on proposed Resolutions and Bylaw Amendments.

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20220514-3 California Council of the Blind 20220514-3 CCB Banquet Day 3

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• CCB Banquet o Larry Gassman, Master of Ceremonies, Fullerton, Ca Participants celebrated CCB at our Banquet. We announced our annual award winners, listened to a fun panel presentation from CCB’s Children of Blind Parents, and back by popular demand was entertainer extraordinaire Jason Castenguay.

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20220514-2 California Council of the Blind 20220514-2 5th General Session Day 3

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Linda Porelle, Secretary, San Francisco, Ca Presiding
• Welcome Back!

• Susan Glass: The Wild Language of Deer o Susan Glass, Sunnyvale, Ca o Alice Turner, Sunnyvale, Ca Connecting How Braille Literacy Influenced the Publishing of a Book of Poetry – “The Wild Language of Deer” authored by Susan Glass Participants joined us for a lively interview with Susan Glass, author of a newly published book of poetry, “The Wild Language of Deer,” and learned how her life-long understanding of braille and love of nature influenced her as a teacher, writer, and published author. The discussion included how Susan connected with a cooperative publishing group to collaborate to select poems and designed the book, resulting in a beautiful selection of Susan’s poetry. Participants heard Susan read selected poems and learned the background story for each selection, and helpful tips for best practices for writers.

• Storytime with Kelly Brakenhoff o Kelly Brakenhoff, Author, Lincoln, Ne Who doesn’t love a delightful story time? Participants sat in a virtual circle and listened in as Kelly Brakenhoff read her Childrens Book from the “Duke the Deaf Dog” series, Farts Make Noise.” Duke the Deaf Dog learns that some noises are loud, and some are quiet. Whether it's a tapping crayon, a beeping fire drill, or a crinkly candy wrapper, both parents and children alike will understand the need to know the difference between noises. A fun, engaging way to teach children that some noises are not polite.

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20220514-1 California Council of the Blind 20220514-1 4th General Session Day 3

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Rob Turner, Second Vice-President, Sunnyvale, Ca Presiding
• Welcome Back

• ACB Get Up and Get Moving Campaign o Tom Tobin, Chairman, Get Up and Get Moving Campaign, Cleveland Heights, OH Participants learned about the ACB Get Up and Get Moving Campaign, its mission/goals, timeline, past achievements, future activities, and best of all, how you can get up and get moving too!

• Mental Health Challenges for People with Vision Loss o Lynda Johnson, San Mateo, Ca o Roque Alas Bucton, Duarte, Ca This panel helped us to gain an understanding of the severity of the problem, the challenges we face, and the solutions that we need to pursue.

• Help! Independent Travel Keeps Getting Harder o Billie Louise “Beezy” Bentzen, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, PhD, Director of Research, Accessible Design for the Blind, Fairbanks, AK I can’t find the crosswalk. There’s no traffic I can align with, or I think I’m aligned to cross, but I sure don’t end up where I want to. The streets are so darned wide that I’m sure to veer, and sometimes there’s no parallel traffic to help me keep going straight. And now I must cross bike lanes everywhere, even to get to bus stops. This presentation gave participants some strategies that they could use in these challenging situations. There are not any good strategies for many of them. Participants learned about some new environmental modifications that have been shown to help—but your informed advocacy is needed to get them implemented.

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20220513-3 California Council of the Blind 20220513- 3rd General Session Day 2

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Lisa Presley-Thomas, Treasurer, Fresno, Ca Presiding
• Welcome Back

• Remembrances At this time, we recognized CCB Members who had passed during this last year.

• Elections At this time, the CCB membership elected new officers and board members.

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20220513-2 2nd General Session Day 2

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• 2nd General Session - Sarah Harris, First Vice-President, Fresno, Ca Presiding
• Welcome

• Dreaming Big, A new World for People with Disabilities o Andy, Imparato, Executive Director, Disability Rights California, Sacramento, Ca Participants discussed vision for the disability community in California and specifically for Disability Rights California, with an emphasis on concerns impacting people with vision loss.

• A Blind Man’s Perspective on the Future of Life with Vision Loss o Joe Xavier, Director, Department of Rehabilitation, Sacramento, Ca The “new normal” is upon us. How can people with vision loss leverage their adaptability skills in it? Participants heard Mr. Xavier’s perspective on this and so much more.

• Target Practice: Determining Which Transportation Issues are Local, which are Federal, and How to Hit Where You’re Aiming o Ron Brooks, CEO and Founder of Accessible Avenue, Phoenix, AZ Participants joined Ron Brooks on a ride that is sure to be within your pick-up window and won’t keep you on longer than 90 minutes. By the time attendees reached their destination, attendees were informed, entertained, and inspired.

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20220513-1 California Council of the Blind 20220513-1 Morning Session Day 2

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Healthcare Advocacy: Navigating Healthcare in the Dark o Steven Mendelson, San Leandro, Ca o Pam Metz, Chatsworth, Ca Navigating the Healthcare System is an adventure. Navigating the Healthcare System as a person who is blind or has low vision can be an episode of the reality game show Survivor. Participants learned how they can be their own advocate in their journey to manage their health.

• Kiosk Access: Past, Present, and Future o Stuart Seaborne, Managing Director-Litigation, Disability Rights Advocates, Berkley, Ca What is going on with those kiosks on restaurant tables, fast food lobbies, and medical facilities? Are they accessible yet? Participants heard about the history of kiosk access, the current landscape of what is happening and where things are headed in the future.

• I have left, now what? Life after Domestic Violence o Shari Roeseler, Executive Director, Society for the Blind, Sacramento, Ca o Beth Hassett, CEO WEAVE, Sacramento, Ca You or someone you care about has taken the step to leave an unhealthy or abusive relationship. What might the rest of that journey look like? Participants joined a discussion about what to expect during the calm after the storm of domestic violence and how to support someone who is living this experience. This was a small, intimate discussion.

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20220512-1 California Council of the Blind 20220512-1 1st General Session

2022 Conference & Convention Navigating the Future Together

• Welcome - Gabe Griffith, President, Concord, Ca Presiding

• Pledge of Allegiance o Jeff Thom, Board Member, Sacramento, Ca o Frank Welte, Board Member, San Leandro, Ca

• National Anthem - Angel City Chorale, Los Angeles, Ca

• Chapter and Affiliate Roll Call
• Convention Rules

• Navigating the Future Together ACB: Present and Future o Dan Spoone, ACB President, Winter Park, Fl

• CCB President’s Report o Gabe Griffith, CCB President

• Governmental Affairs Report o Jeff Thom, Director of Governmental Affairs o Ardis Bazyn, Governmental Affairs Co-Chair, Burbank, Ca o Alice Turner, Governmental Affairs Co-Chair, Sunnyvale, Ca o Regina Brink, Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs, Sacramento, Ca

• Credentials Committee Report o Frank Welte, Chair

• Nominating Committee Report o Frank Welte, Chair

• Bylaws Committee Report o Steve Bauer, Chair, Culver City, Ca

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20220501 Bay State Council of the Blind 20220501 Morning Session

• Overview of Recent Perkins Library Activities - Kim Charlson

• Exercise: You Thought it Was Boring? Look Again! o Leslie Spoon o Jeanette Kutash

• Chapter Reports o Boston, Frank Ventura o Central Mass, Sharon Strzalkowski o Charles River, David Morrison o South Shore, Chris Devin o GDUM, Carl Richardson o Students, Nick Claudio

• Committee Reports o Advocacy, Jennifer Harnish o Membership, Cheryl Cumings o Publications, Sharon Strzalkowski o Social, Rosemary Miller o Fundraising, Brian Charlson o Transportation, David Kingsbury

• Closing Remarks - BSCB President elected on Saturday.

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20220501-2 Illinois Council of the Blind 20220502-1 Business Meeting Day 3

• ICB Business o Elections o Treasurer’s Update o Resolutions o Affiliate Reports o Reading and Vote on Convention Bids o Old Business & New Business

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