Pennsylvania Council of the Blind 2021 Virtual Conference and Convention

Friday, September 17, 2021

• Support Groups- Sharing Ideas and Resources to Build a Stronger Peer Community. Marcy Graboyes, Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center, Jeanette Schmoyer, PCB Mentor and Residential Group Leader, and Jule Ann Lieberman, CVLT CATIS. Sponsored by the PCB Vision Loss Resource Team, this session will cover the role of support groups in the lives of persons impacted by vision loss or blindness. Join the experienced group leaders in discussion of their support groups, their settings, how they started a group and how they engage members. Come learn how to start a group in your area.

• Nurturing the Handler/Guide Dog Bond. Join Pennsylvania Guide Dog Users and Supporters (PAGDUS) and representatives from Guide Dog Foundation (GDF) as we discuss the bond with our trusty guides. In the first half, Lauren Berglund, GDF Consumer Relations Coordinator, and Cameron McLendon, GDF Graduate Support Manager, will discuss cultivating the unity of the handler and new dog team, including trust between the handler and new dog, and the information handlers can expect their guide dogs to provide. The second half of our session will focus on the handler perspective of bonding with our guides. A panel of PAGDUS members, who are graduates from various guide dog schools, will discuss the joys and challenges of bonding with our guides, whether it’s our first or sixth. They will talk about bonding with a new guide dog after retirement, loss, and bonding with a new dog during the pandemic. Whether you’re an experienced or potential guide dog user, we hope you’ll join us.

• Enabling the Deaf-Blind Community, Jessica Adams, Director of Deafstone and Melissa Hawkins, Director of the PA Office of Deaf & Hard of Hearing, sponsored by the Golden Triangle Council of the Blind, Community Advocate underwriter. Many individuals who are deaf-blind rely on the services of workers called SSP’s to assist them with bill paying, grocery shopping, doctor visits, and other errands. We will learn why these assistants are so important and what we can do to ensure future services continue.

• Gadget Gallery, hosted by the PCB Peer Engagement Team and underwritten by Tech OWL, Community Organizer. Are you looking for ways to make your life a little easier? Never fear, just call a PCB peer! Make sure you have your note-taking materials nearby when a cadre of peers share information about their favorite life-simplifying gadgets.

• Volunteering outside of the Blind Community, with Panelists, Ellie Goldfon, Angela Hadbavny, Jody Mullis, and Art Rizzino, Facilitator, Sue Lichtenfels. Many of us who are blind or have vision loss are unemployed, multi-talented, and highly skilled, so let’s consider how we stop wasting our abilities at home and start playing an active role in strengthening our communities. A panel of individuals will discuss both the trials and triumphs of their volunteer experiences in mainstream society.

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Pennsylvania Council of the Blind 2021 Virtual Conference and Convention

Friday, September 17, 2021

• Finding Your Stride: How to Advocate for Yourself. Melissa Carney, PCB Director of Outreach and Engagement, underwritten by Democracy Live, Community Advocate. The first steps to becoming a strong self-advocate are determining when it is necessary, remaining in motion, and most importantly, obtaining confidence in your own abilities and persistence. Please join us for an interactive discussion on how to make your voice heard by speaking up for what you do or do not need as a blind individual. Each of us possess different identities, skillsets, life stories, access priorities, and so forth, but, as a community, we all experience challenges that can be negated through our words, actions, and efforts to maximize our autonomy.

• Building Communities through Technology, Jule Ann Lieberman, MS CLVT/CATIS ATP, TechOWL. The TechOWL program provides all Pennsylvanians opportunities to explore a variety of technology devices which can assist persons who are blind or visually impaired in everyday life. This session will describe updates to the equipment lending library, options for obtaining special telephones, and devices to meet the distance communication needs of persons with both hearing loss and blindness. Learn how TechOWL has met the challenge during the pandemic with projects such as Connect with Tech. Learn how senior centers and adult communities are connecting with their clients through device loans to address social isolation.

• Increasing Accessibility with the Louie Voice App, Pramit Bhargava, App Developer. Created originally for Android phones but in development for iPhones, the Louie Voice is a voice-controlled app that performs tasks within other apps through voice commands. Louie’s developer will show us what we can do in apps such as YouTube, WhatsApp, and Uber. So, if you are ready to simplify your smartphone functionality and ease your inaccessibility frustrations, be sure to attend this session.

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Pennsylvania Council of the Blind 2021 Virtual Conference and Convention

Thursday, September 16, 2021

• Auction Item Showcase Preview. The bidding won’t begin until Sunday, but you don’t have to wait any longer to hear the parade of great items up for bid this year. Start making your wish list and familiarize yourself with the bidding process to give you the best chance of nabbing your favorite item. 5:50 PM Pre-Session Entertainment

• Conference Call to Order and Welcome, Christine Hunsinger, PCB President

• Invocation, Jacqueline Wissinger, PCB Chaplain.

• President’s Address, Christine Hunsinger, PCB President.

• Necrology Remembrance, Jacqueline Wissinger, PCB Chaplain.

• Door Prizes

• Sharing Your Craft-Ability with the World. Panelists, Kaila Allen, Mike Grove, and Annie Pineda, and Facilitator, Mary Ann Grignon. Community, confidence, compensation, and charity can all be achieved when we pursue our crafty, creative aspirations. We will hear from a panel of creative individuals about their crafty journeys to success.

• Low-tech Solutions to Get Grocery Essentials. Lisa Salinger and Jule Ann Lieberman, sponsored by the PCB Technology Access Team. Life changed dramatically for most of us in the past two years. Routine grocery shopping changed with social distance and limited transportation. This session discusses options to get the groceries you need even if you don’t have a computer or smart phone.

• Proposed Bylaw Amendments, First reading. John Luttenberger, PCB Parliamentary Team.

• Door Prizes & Announcements

• Jeopardy for the Common Man (Women and Non -Binary Individuals Welcome), hosted by Tony Swartz and Blair Wissinger, sponsored by the Golden Triangle Council of the Blind, Community Advocate underwriter. Whether you love or hate the television game show, you will surely enjoy this homemade version of the popular game that has you guessing the question to meet the answer.

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Pennsylvania Council of the Blind 2021 Virtual Conference and Convention

Thursday, September 16, 2021

• Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Maggie Felton, MSN, CRNP, Clinical Nurse Educator. Vanda offers the only approved treatment for Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24), a serious, chronic disorder that disrupts a person’s circadian rhythms. Non-24 affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind, whether you were born blind or became so later in life.

• Democracy Live, Bryan Finney, CEO. OmniBallot is an ADA compliant solution that allows people with disabilities to accessibly exercise their right to vote. We will demonstrate the accessibility our system offers.

• The Seeing Eye, Chelsea White, Outreach Specialist. The Seeing Eye enhances the independence, dignity and self-confidence of people who are blind through the use of specially trained Seeing Eye® dogs. Come join folks from The Seeing Eye to learn about our program and what we’ve been up to lately. We love questions, so come ready to ask.

• Accessible Pharmacy, Andy Burstein, Founder. Accessible Pharmacy Services for the Blind is a home delivery pharmacy service specializing in blind and low-vision patients. They are the only provider of its kind and the largest blind-owned healthcare company in America.

• EnVision America: Advocating for Accessible Prescription Labels in the Store and at the State Capitol, Sharla Glass, Public Policy Liaison. For those who can’t clearly read their medication labels, accessible prescription labels can be crucial to ensuring medication safety and adherence. Find out more about advocating for accessible prescription labeling locally at your pharmacy and statewide through support of legislation such as Pennsylvania House Bill 89.

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Pennsylvania Council of the Blind 2021 Virtual Conference and Convention

Thursday, September 16, 2021

• HIMS Inc, Earle Harrison and Thomas Simpson. We believe the star of this year’s exhibits will be our BrailleSense 6 notetaker because it’s the fastest notetaker out there and it’s now running Android 10. And don’t miss learning more about the one-of-a-kind QBraille XL 40-cell braille display which pairs with your computer and screen reader better than your favorite wine and a good cheese.

• Guide Lights and Gadgets, Barry Scheur and KaeAnn Rausch, Owners. We specialize in 3 lines of products, all intended to assist in access to adaptive electronics, enhance experiences for guide dog teams, and offer practical accessories for organization and travel. Then there are the random products that are included, just for fun! We work with our customers 1-on-1 to assure the proper selection of product to meet each individual customer’s goals and needs.

• PM Guide Dog Foundation, Lauren Berglund, Consumer Relations Coordinator. For 75 years, the Guide Dog Foundation has trained and placed guide dogs and service dogs to provide increased independence and enhanced mobility to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities. Once the decision is made to get a guide dog, applicants become part of the Foundations’ open and welcoming community and are supported with an uncompromising commitment to excellence, from highly empathetic and certified trainers to a meticulously constructed curriculum. Come learn more.

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• “Why NAYAX Is A Better Solution?” Harry Kozlovsky, Senior Director of Solution Sales, Nayax

• “Why not use Temp Agencies?” Tania Marler (FL), Business Development Manager, Graham Inc. Participants will learn why using temp agencies might help when facilities are short-staffed.

• “RSA June circular- What does it Mean?” Jesse Hartle (DC), Rehabilitation Services Administration

• “HR Compliance: Steps in Hiring and Firing Staff” Malena Otero (CA), Strategic HR Alliance This session focuses on Applications, interviews, employee handbook and expectations, and knowing how and when to fire an employee.

• “Discovering new products and services to enhance your sales” Scott Schwingler, Vistar; Webstaurant representative also Invited. This session highlights advantages of adding new types of products and services as well as new food products.

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• “How to present to legislators and others about the Randolph-Sheppard Program” Part I: “Getting advocates involved in Reaching Legislators and others” Robert Jackson (VA), NAMA Government Affairs Manager, National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA)

• Part II: “Telling Your Story” Donna Seliger (IA), Long-time IA advocate Jeff Thom (CA), California Council of the Blind Governmental Affairs Director Advocates will share Examples of telling your own story to lawmakers.

• “The importance of Necessary Business Insurance” Mark Polak (CA), Owner Lemark Insurance This session explains the need for the following: Product liability, Employee Non-owner Driver vehicle Insurance (ENOD), and Workmen's Compensation. It will also mention the benefits of an Umbrella policy and when to Bond Employees.

• “When to Use a Broker or get a 401K policy or Self- Employed (SEP) insurance plan?” Mark L. Simon (CA), LUTCF, Diversified Benefits Insurance Services

• “Navigating the Trends in Employee Compensation” Malena Otero (CA), Strategic HR Alliance This session focuses on managing increasing wages and other compensation and how to adapt to trends in the industry: Minimum wage, Implementing Benefits: Holiday Pay and Sick Leave, and Flexible Hours.

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• Banquet

• Mistress of Ceremonies Denise Colley, WCB Immediate Past President

• Invocation Julie Brannon, WCB President

• Presentation of scholarships Kim Moberg, Chair, WCB Scholarship Committee

• Presentation of awards Jessamyn Landby, Chair, WCB Awards Committee

• Introduction of Youth Track participants Hayley Agers, Chair, WCB Families Committee

• Recognition of WCB Life Members Julie Brannon, WCB President

• Banquet address Deb Cook Lewis, ACB First Vice President

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• ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING

• In Memoriam; Nominations/Elections: President, First Vice President, Treasurer and 3 board directors; Proposed Operations Budget for 2022; Proposed Constitution and Bylaw Amendments Resolutions; Old business; New business

• The Science of Sound (career panel) The panelists share how sound has played an important part of their lives, from being part of their career path to ways to make entertainment more accessible for the blind to radio, podcasting, and advocating through the use of social media. Facilitated by Hayley Agers, Chair, WCB Families Committee Panelists: Joey Stuckey, owner and Senior Engineer Shadow Sound Studio Debbie Hazelton, podcast producer/Grid FM radio host Anna Garcia, “Blind with a Vision” YouTube content creator Tanja Milojevic, voiceover artist/podcast producer

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