AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF OHIO

EVENTS AND ISSUES

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EVENTS AND ISSUES

1 ACB-Ohio Summer Sports Retreat

The 2008 ACB-Ohio Summer Sports Retreat will be held from Friday August 15, 2008 through Sunday August 17, 2008 at Jody’s place in Hockingport, Ohio. The cost is $85 for participants and no cost for volunteers. There will be camping, cookouts, camp fires, hiking, boating, water skiing, tubing, swimming and card games.

For those participants/volunteers who have not been to Jody’s place, there are two trailers with showers and a port-a-john. Jody has two extra tents, several extra sleeping bags, and extra pillows. If you have access to a tent and a sleeping bag, you may want to bring them. If you don’t want to sleep in a tent and want to sleep in one of the trailers, indicate that on the application. You will need to bring your own towels and wash cloths.

If you would like to participate in the 2008 Summer Sports Retreat, please contact the ACB-O office and ask for an application and return it with your $85 fee to Leah Wachtell 4542 Leo St., Cincinnati, OH 45217 by July 31, 2008. Please make checks payable to ACB-O. Applications will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Only the first 15 application for visually impaired participants will be accepted. After that you will be put on a waiting list. If there are any cancellations we will contact you. If we cannot accept your application, we will refund your money.

If you decide to cancel you must let us know by July 20th, or your money will not be refunded to you.

Please Note: No pets allowed (Only blind or visually impaired persons may bring their guide dogs if they feel it is necessary).

If you have any questions, or know of anyone who would be interested in being a participant or volunteer, please call Leah Wachtell at (513) 242-4232. We are looking forward to seeing you at this years Summer Sports retreat.

2 Second Annual Student Seminar

Second Annual Student Seminar Coming Soon This Summer
“Cool Tools for School” was such a success last summer that we’re offering this seminar for college students and college bound students and their parents again, but with some exciting changes. Wright State University has opened its doors to us for a day of learning, sharing, networking, and fun. On Saturday, August 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. we will have speakers on finding scholarships and other funding and job searches and readiness, a tour of the campus, which is widely known for its outstanding services for blind students, panel discussion about college life, and a discussion group for parents. We’ll end the day by sampling some of the adaptive recreational experiences offered at WSU. No matter what college you attend, or if you are still in high school, this is a seminar you won’t want to miss. This seminar is free, but pre-registration is required. Call the ACB-Ohio office at 1-800-835-2226 or e-mail
Mary.hiland@sbcglobal.net

3 Safety of Blind Pedestrians Update

For Immediate Release

April 22, 2008

Rep. Don Young Joins the American Council of the Blind in
Supporting the Safety of Blind Pedestrians

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) joined with the American Council of the Blind (ACB) today in demonstrating his continued commitment to the safety of blind pedestrians by signing on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 5734, The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008.

“The auto industry has made amazing technological strides over the past decade that have allowed our automobiles to be more energy efficient and to burn cleaner,” Young said. “This is to be commended, but, as with most advancements in technology, it has given us a newer and different set of issues to look at. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of these newer hybrid cars is that the noise level produced has been greatly reduced, leading to safety issues for those who are visually impaired. The safety of people is something I take very seriously, and for that reason I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 5734, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act. I am encouraged that Congress is looking into this issue and that we are looking to do something about this as soon as possible. Let’s continue to use our technology for good and use it to keep people safe.”

“ACB has a long history of being the leader in the blindness community regarding pedestrian safety issues and was pleased to see that much of the language in H.R.5734 mirrored draft legislation our staff had been working to have introduced by Congressman Young,” said Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind. When vision is reduced or completely eliminated as a means of understanding and responding to one’s environment, an individual’s hearing takes over as the primary source of environmental information. Traditionally, people who are blind or visually impaired have learned to rely on their hearing to navigate safely across streets and through other vehicular ways, such as parking lots. In so doing, the sound of traffic is their primary focus. Traffic sounds provide information about such things as the position of vehicles, their direction of travel, and the speed at which they are likely to move. With this information, the pedestrian can make informed decisions about when to cross a street or other vehicular ways safely.

Pomerantz said, “This issue is one that the entire blindness community is united in supporting. I urge ACB membership to contact their members of Congress to ask them to co-sponsor this legislation, as this is an opportunity to bring real change and make blind pedestrians’ lives safer.”

This legislation is being sponsored by Reps. Edolfus "Ed" Towns (D-N.Y.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.).

About H.R. 5734:
The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study beginning within 90 days of enactment of this legislation, and to complete it within two years of its commencement, at which time, the secretary shall report the study’s findings to Congress. Within 90 days after the conclusion of the study, the secretary is then directed to establish a standard that will take in to account the results of the study, and will set forth the minimum information that must be provided by motor vehicles required for blind and other pedestrians to travel safely and independently in urban, rural, and residential environments. The bill provides that the standard shall apply to all "new motor vehicles."

About ACB:
The American Council of the Blind is the largest consumer-based organization of blind and visually impaired Americans advocating for the rights of blind Americans. Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across the entire United States, the organization is dedicated to making it possible for blind and visually impaired Americans to participate fully in every aspect of American society.

For more information about the American Council of the Blind, and the issues it supports, visit www.acb.org or contact the American Council of the Blind, 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202) 467-5081 or toll-free, 1-800-424-8666.

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4 Takes Two to Tandem

Takes Two to Tandem

ACB-Ohio Tandem Bike Rally to be held September 21, 2008
Kokosing Gap Trail, Mount Vernon, Ohio

The American Council of the Blind of Ohio, (ACB-Ohio) is hosting its second annual tandem rally-fundraiser. Visually impaired stokers and sighted captains will have three routes to choose from, 30 flat miles on the trail and 30, and 60 mile-routes on rolling terrain, each starting and ending on the beautiful Kokosing Gap Trail. The two more challenging routes will include the gently rolling hills and some more challenging ones through the beautiful Amish countryside, while the flat route will stay on the trail, which is noted as one of the prettiest and most well maintained rails-to-trails bike paths in Ohio. Sighted tandem teams and single bikes are also welcome.

Many Ways to Participate:

1. Bring your tandem and your stoker and enjoy a beautiful ride and meet some other folks who enjoy tandem cycling.
2. Bring your tandem and meet your stoker for the day, who might be visually impaired. Many blind folks love to ride, but they need a captain and/or a bike.
3. Volunteer for transportation, registration and/or food stops.
4. Pledge on a rider or sponsor a tandem team.
5. Donate give-aways to promote your business.
6. Join the PB&J lunch preparation crew the night before.

The American Council of the Blind of Ohio is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and equality of life for persons who are blind or visually impaired. We offer information and referral for resources for equipment, training programs, emotional support, scholarships, and more.

The proceeds from this ride will help sponsor the quarterly seminars ACB-Ohio conducts for visually impaired Ohioans and their families.

Sign Up Today!
Registration Donation--$30 or more, per rider
Snacks! Lunch! New friends! Great ride! Support a worthy cause! Free stuff!

How to Sign Up:

Contact Mary Hiland at mary.hiland@sbcglobal.net
Or Call 614-221-6688 or 800-835-2226 to request registration forms.
Registration packets will include directions to start and more information about ACB-Ohio.

5 5th Bi-Annual LCA Family Conference

Mark your calendars for the 5th Bi-Annual Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) Family Conference. We are pleased to inform you that we are partnering with
Project 3000 for this year’s Conference. The dates for the Conference are Friday, July 25 – Sunday, July 27, 2008. The Conference itself will be held at the InterContinental Hotel and Conference Center.

For more information please visit www.tfrr.org or contact Sally Lewinski at www.sally@tfrr.org

6 Low vision services available

UDS Low Vision Services has received a generous grant from the United Disability Services Women’s Board. The grant is to be utilized to provide low vision services and other specialized early intervention services for very young children in our community who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, contact Dr. Cheryl Reed at (330)996-4080 or creed@udsakron.org.

7 Two ways to help ACB-Ohio

Got an old cell phone lying around the house and you don’t know what to do with it? Don’t throw it away. If you do, toxic chemicles will leak into the soil and spoil the environment. If you hold onto them and bring them to your next chapter meeting, you’ll be helping the environment and ACB too. Your chapter representative will bring all collected phones to the next board meeting, where they will be collected and then sent in for a cash refund. We will get anywhere from 50 cents to $50 per phone. This is to be an ongoing project, so tell all your friends and family to bring you their discarded cell phones. No chargers or instruction books are needed. If you don’t belong to a chapter, bring them with you to the state convention, the summer retreat, the family seminar, or the tandem bike rally.

Do you shop at Kroger? Wouldn’t it be nice if a portion of what you spend at the grocery store would automatically be sent to ACB? Starting immediately, it can. All you do is purchase a special Kroger card that is programmed to take 5% of your total and send it to ACB. Here’s how it works. Send $5 for each Kroger caard you would like to the ACB-Ohio office. The $5 activates the card. Mary will order the cards, then send them to you. When you go to Kroger, first stop at the customer service desk and put at least enough money into that card to pay for the groceries. When you check out, instead of using cash, a check, or a credit card, use this special card. That’s how we get the 5%. Then, of course, you will need to keep replenishing the amount of money that card is worth, just like a gift card. If you belong to a chapter, the 5% that you have earned for us, just by buying groceries, will be split between the Ohio affiliate and your local chapter. If you are a member at large, the whole 5% goes to the Ohio affiliate. If you have questions, please call our tole free number. Then, let’s go Krogering!

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