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, training programs, emotional support, recreational opportunities, scholarships, and more.
Our purpose is to support a sense of community and to ensure full participation in all aspects of life for persons who are blind or visually impaired, leading to an increased quality of life.
Executive Director Mary Hiland
PO Box 307128
Gahanna, OH 43230
Phone: (614) 221-6688
Toll free: (800) 835-2226 or (800) 835-ACBO
E-mail: mary.hiland@wowway.com
WWW.acbohio.org
The term number and ending date for the term appears after the name of the officer or director holding that position.
Linda C Wyman, president, term 1, 2010
242 W New England Avenue
Worthington OH 43085
Home: (614) 846-7268
Email: lcwyman@columbus.rr.com
Nolan Crabb, First vice president, term 1, 2011
4899 Princess Diana Ct.
Hilliard, OH 43026
Home: (614) 742-7458
Cell 614-535-7174
Email: nolan.crabb@gmail.com
Irwin Hott, Second vice president, partial term, 2010
1540 Northridge Road
Columbus OH 43224-2801
Home: (614) 263-5319
Work: (614) 469-0700
Email: ishott@gcfn.org
Robert R Rogers, secretary, term 2, 2011
1121 Morado Dr
Cincinnati, OH 45238
(513) 921-3186
Email: rrrogers@nuvox.net
Jill D Noble, treasurer, term 2, 2010
3633 Riedham Road
Shaker Heights OH 44120
Home: (216) 283-6949
Work: (216) 433-3711
Email: jill.d.noble@nasa.gov
DIRECTORS
1 Sara Soper, term 1, 2011
854 W. Wooster St.
Bowling Green, OH 43402
(419) 509-6441
sara.soper@rsc.state.oh.us
2 Katie Frederick, term 1, 2010
2877 E. Broad St. Apt B11
Columbus, OH 43209
(419) 306-3721
Email: katiefred@gmail.com
3 Charlee Major, term 1, 2011
2233 Lytham Road
Columbus, OH 43220
(614) 459-6555
Email: cmajor@columbus.rr.com
4 Leah Noble, term 2, 2010
4542 Leo Street
St. Bernard OH 45217
Home: (513) 242-4232
Moblile: (513) 317-4692
5 Vicky L. Prahin, term 1, 2011
601 Richards Road
Columbus, OH 43214-3743
Phone: 614-268-0380
Email: Prahin@hadley.edu
6 Carl Kienzle, term 3, 2010
4533 Timberwilde Drive
Kettering OH 45440
Cell: (937) 361-6909
Email: number1coffeeman@yahoo.com
7 David Perry, term 1, 2011
4711 Vine St. 2nd floor
Cincinnati, OH 45217
Home: (513) 242-1767
Cell: (513) 470-1122
Email: daveperry@fuse.net
8 Enjie Hall, term 1, 2010
1760 Neil Av.
150 Pomerene Hall
Columbus, OH 43210
Office: (614) 292-3307
Cell: (614) 584-2508
Email: Hall.1270@osu.edu
9 Sue Wesley, term 1, 2011
4130 Forest Av.
Cincinnati OH 45212
Cell: (513) 679-0944
Email: wesley1939@yahoo.com
10. George Barnes, term 2, 2010
3174 Townhouse Drive
Grove City OH 43123
Home: (614) 875-5223
Email: gbarnes_ohio@hotmail.com
11 Jacqueline G. Horn (Jacque), term 2, 2011
4711 Vine St. 2nd floor
Cincinnati, OH 45217
Home: (513) 242-1767
Cell: (513) 967-5564
Email: jgperry@fuse.net
Summary of Activities and Accomplishments Over the Past Year
Goal:
Be a support and source of information to families of children who are blind or visually impaired.
Successes:
We held our fourth annual “Building Blocks for a Brighter Future on September 25 at the Ohio State School for the Blind. The Ohio Lions Foundation made a $1,000 contribution toward this effort. There were exhibits from the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, Hadly school for the Blind, GW Micro, Universal Low Vision Aids, Ohio Assistive Technology, and the State Library of Ohio. Our two keynote speakers were second grader, Caiden Hooks and senior Sam Shepherd, both students at OSSB.
The rest of the day’s agenda was
as follows:
11:00 Two Concurrent Sessions:
A. What You Should Know about Education for Your Child
Panel Presentation - Auditorium
* Cynthia Johnson OSSB Interim Superintendent
* Bonnie Nelson, Education for Exceptional Children
* Colleen Miller, State Coordinator, Ohio Coalition of Education for Children with disabilities
* Mary D. Wachtel, Voices for Ohio's Children
* Tiffany Wild, PhD, The Ohio State University
B. Little Movers and Shakers: Purposeful Movement and Travel for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers - Staff Dining Room
(* Kay Clarke, COMS/TVI, Infant/Preschool Outreach Specialist, Ohio State School for the Blind.
12:30 to 1:30 Pizza Lunch
1:30 Two Concurrent sessions
A. What About Siblings? – Staff Dining Room
* Cynthia Johnson, OSSB Interim Superintendent
B. What Technology is best for my child? - 2nd Floor * James Duffield, TVI, Dan Kelly, TVI, and Irwin Hott, ACB-Ohio 2nd Vice President
Nineteen families attended, shared experiences, received handouts on resources, and gained inspiration and encouragement for their visually impaired children.
Goal:
Provide technology support and education for people who are blind or who have low vision.
On May 1, our technology committee hosted a half-day learning experience at the Ohio State University. With the help of the ADA office, we were able to use four classrooms for four one-hour sessions which featured the following:
Talking GPS
Accessible cell phones
Low vision aids
Social networking
Note takers
Windows 7
Mac OSX
Apple iPad
Daisy players
Because we had the use of four classrooms for four hours, we were able to repeat most of the sessions, to maximize exposure to several products. The presenters were all people who actually use these devices themselves. Rather than a technology fair type experience, it was meant to be a clinic, where attendees could try out various types of technology and see what would work best for them. For instance, for the workshop on talking GPS, the attendees were taken outside for a walk in the neighborhood to more fully understand how the device works.
Goal:
Preserve and promote the use of Braille among people who are blind or visually impaired.
Our Touch of Wonder program is a Braille reading and writing contest
2 ARLENE COHEN Braille ESSAY CONTEST
Reading Braille: the Touch of Wonder
A Program Developed and Conducted by the American Council of the Blind of Ohio
The Reading Braille Program includes children in Ohio who are blind or visually impaired between the ages of eight and sixteen. In order to participate in the program, you must fill out the attached form and send it in with your essay of between one hundred fifty and two hundred words on the topic of "Why I Enjoyed Reading This Book."
The book is any book that you chose to read and which gave you both enjoyment and a new insight into yourself and other people. You must read your selected book in Braille or large print. Each applicant who submits a completed application and an acceptable essay will receive a book of his or her choice selected from the Seedlings Catalogue, and he or she will be entered in an essay contest which may win him or her any one of three prizes. The essay contest is named the Arlene Cohen Braille Essay Contest in memory of Arlene Cohen, an outstanding and dedicated teacher and former president of the American Council of the Blind of Ohio. There are three prizes:
first prize $150, second prize $100, and third prize $75 for each of two age groups, eight to twelve year old contestants and thirteen to sixteen year old contestants.
ACB-Ohio will accept applications between September 7 and October 27, 2010. Winners will be presented with their monetary gifts at an event in their honor in their home town.
Goal:
Be the primary resource for newly blinded individuals around the state.
Objective:
Provide seminars, conventions, websites, recreational opportunities, and resource materials to any blind or visually impaired person or friends/families of visually impaired persons at minimal cost.
Strategies:
Develop resource booklets for each region of the state, which will be regularly updated and distributed to venues where visually impaired people are served. Keep this resource guide updated on our website, with links to certain other websites, and with links on their websites to ours. Make this resource guide available in print, on CD, or in electronic format.
Jan - Dec 10
Income
401 · Membership Dues 2,345.00
402 · Summer/Winter Retreat 9,320.00
403 · Convention 4,352.00
404 · Vehicle Donation 896.50
405 · Fund Raisers 1,356.35
406 · Donations 4,034.34
414 · Grants 3,995.00
Total Income 26,299.19
Jan - Dec 10
Expense
501 · Salaries 14,160.00
502 · Wages 5,199.96
506 · Telephone and Fax 3,192.51
508 · Insurance 5,104.00
510 · Office and Committee Expense 1,365.56
512 Bank Charges 35.00
513 · Legal and Accounting 1,821.69
515 · Newsletter/Brochures/Braille 2,043.74
516 · Postage 101.49
517 · National Dues and Membership 1,285.00
518 · Dues & Subscriptions 609.69
520 · Payroll Expenses (290.40)
521 · FICA Tax (1,481.06)
523 · Worker's Compensation 100.00
525 · Health Insurance 4,830.74
549 · Board Meeting Expense 1,204.00
550 Legislative Seminar 2,453.50
552 · Meals & Lodging 258.53
553 · Travel 1,343.90
554 · Legislative Expense 1,959.10
555 · Fund Raising 675.58
556 · Summer/Winter Retreats 10,689.72
557 · Donations from ACB-Ohio 800.00
558 · Scholarships 11,000.00
560 · National Convention 1,670.89
561 · ACBO Convention 13,642.33
563 · Chapter Support Groups 487.64
564 · Specialty Seminars 1,582.39
570 · Sub-Contract Services 3,000.00
571 · Consultant Fees 4,125.00
572 Professional Development 85.00
Total Expense 93,055.50
Net Income (66,756.31)