Winter 2014 
Ohio Connection 
American Council of the Blind of Ohio 
3805 N. High St., Ste. 305 
Columbus, OH 43214 
1-800-835-2226 
Winter 2014 
Ohio Connection 
American Council of the Blind of Ohio 
3805 N. High St., Ste. 305 
Columbus, OH 43214 
1-800-835-2226 
Winter Sports Retreat 2015: Snow Much Fun! 

- By Jenna McCartney, Recreation Committee Chair 

Long-time readers of these pages 
probably expect to see Chris 
Schumacher’s name associated 
with stories about the Winter Sports 
Retreat. Starting with this issue, you’ll 
be hearing from me about ACBO’s 
sports and recreation activities. Who 
am I? I’m Jenna McCartney, and I am 
starting my first full term on the ACBO 
board. I have been to conventions in 
two previous years as a scholarship 
winner. I am excited to serve as your 
recreation chair and to get to know 
those of you that attend our events. If 
you wish to contact me, you can email 
acboassist@gmail.com or call (419) 
310-6452. But enough about me; now 
on to the much more exciting point of 
this article! 

Recently while leaving my office, I overheard 
a co-worker announce “Snow 
flurries!” Winter is here once again. 
While this means Christmas is just 
around the corner, there is even more 
to look forward to in the new year with 
ACB Ohio. 

Our upcoming Winter Sports Retreat 
will be full of new experiences and new 
places. Because Punderson is being 

renovated, this year’s retreat will be 
held at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, 
Ohio. Managed by the same 
company that manages Punderson, 
Maumee Bay has many of the same 
options regular Winter Sports Retreat 
attendees remember, including three 
hiking trails and the possibility for cross 
-country skiing. 

If you are not a fan of all that snow, 
don’t worry! We have many other indoor 
activities! We’ll play various card 
and board games throughout the 
weekend. No matter what interests 
you, you will have a blast at ACBO 
Winter Sports Retreat 2015! 

For any questions or to register, e-mail 
acboassist@gmail.com. A $100 deposit 
is required at the time of registration. 
The deadline for registering is December 
12, and no money will be refunded 
after December 26 if you cannot at

tend. If transportation 
is not available, your 
deposit will be refunded. 
I hope to see you 
all in January! 

Keep active! 

2014 Conference and Convention Roundup

- By Katie Frederick 

The theme for the 2014 American 
Council of the Blind of Ohio’s conference 
and convention was Actively Connecting 
to Build Originality (ACBO). 

Friday afternoon, attendees had opportunities 
to visit the exhibit hall, find their 
way around the hotel, reconnect with 
friends and make new ones, and attend 
breakout workshops. New vendors offered 
innovations in product labeling, 
indoor navigation, artwork for purchase, 
information about accessible video 
games, and products for those who are 
blind or visually impaired. Walking 
through the exhibit hall offered convention 
goers a chance to learn about 
guide dog schools, distance education, 
products to help in their daily lives, 
technology, and chances to purchase 
Scentsy products, jewelry, candy, cookbooks, 
coffee, 2015 braille and large 
print calendars, and raffle tickets. 

Friday night’s activities began with a local 
Girl Scout troop leading the Pledge 
of Allegiance, followed by Keynote 
Speaker Christy Demetrakis, who 
spoke about following dreams and taking 
risks. After the opening session, 
many attendees enjoyed a game of 
Friendly Feud. The game was based 
on the popular Family Feud TV show 
and was a fun way to end the first day! 

Saturday morning’s breakfast speaker 
was Tracy Grimm, representing the 
State Library of Ohio. Some highlights 
from her presentation include 69,000 

titles available through the library for 
checkout, approximately 800 audio described 
DVD’s available for patrons, 
new update to the iPhone BARD app, 
monthly book discussions, and a new 
book club for children and teens. Tracy 
also spoke about the partnership between 
the National Library Service and 
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing 
to distribute free talking iBill currency 
identifiers. Beginning in September 
2014 and continuing through December 
31, 2014, an individual who is an 
NLS patron and wishes to obtain a currency 
reader should call the Ohio Library 
for the Blind (800) 362-1262. 
Free currency readers will be available 
for all consumers who are blind or visually 
impaired in January 2015; 
Tracy’s informative presentation closed 
with some fun--a trivia game that encouraged 
audience participation and 
the chance to win a USB flash drive if 
the title of a book was guessed correctly 
after the reading of a short passage. 

Following the breakfast, conventioneers 
participated in the ACBO business 
meeting. The meeting began with 
elections of officers and board members, 
followed by reports from the 
treasurer, president, and executive director. 
Vicky Prahin and Chris Schumacher 
were elected to serve as president 
and treasurer, respectively; their 
first term will end in 2016. Robert Rogers 
was elected by acclamation to 
serve as the organization’s second 

vice president. Board positions were 
then elected and filled by Terry 
Olandese, Theresa Carroll, Tom Dimit, 
Jenna McCartney, Mary Ann Donelon, 
Irwin Hott, and Lita Wesley. Congratulations 
to those newly elected, and thank 
you to those who have served on the 
ACBO board for your hard work and 
dedication to the organization. 

Two breakout workshops were held after 
the business meeting; attendees 
could choose to hear a presentation 
about the new KNFB Reader iOS app 
or participate in a workshop for cancer 
survivors. As in previous years, ACBO 
awarded its scholarships during lunch. 
See elsewhere in this issue and future 
issues of the Ohio Connection for profiles 
and photos of this year’s winners. 

Afternoon sessions gave conference 
and convention attendees time to hear 
about AI Squared, the ACBO website, 
and a short sneak peak at Windows 10, 
Microsoft’s operating system slated for 
release in 2015. For the fashion conscious, 
a workshop entitled “Dress for 
Success and Coordinate Your Colors” 
offered a chance to learn what colors 
went well together, examine different 
clothing patterns courtesy of tactile 
drawings, and ask questions of the presenters. 
Those who wished to venture 
outside into the sunshine and warmth of 
the October Saturday, could pet a small 
cadre of animals, thanks to the Generation 
Next 4-H club. Two final sessions 
held in the afternoon featured information 
about services pharmacies can 
provide and a presentation on the Fitbit, 
a wearable device for tracking one’s exercise 
activity. 

Ray Foushee, a narrator for the National 
Library Service’s talking book 
program, provided the Saturday evening 
banquet address. He spoke about 
how he became involved with the program, 
how much he has grown to enjoy 
reading, and some book suggestions. 
Following Ray’s address, four 
awards were presented to individuals 
and organizations for their efforts to 
improve life for those who are blind 
and visually impaired. Please see 
elsewhere in this issue for more information 
about the awards and photos 
of the 2014 recipients. Saturday’s activities 
concluded with the annual auction; 
as in years past, many unique 
items were available for purchase. 

The 2014 ACBO conference and convention 
wrapped up Sunday morning 
with a nondenominational Christian 
service, breakfast, where we remembered 
those who passed away during 
the past year, and honored veterans, 
and concluded by sharing information 
with attendees about the Apple TV. 
Special thanks to Doug Hunsinger, 
Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, for 
his expertise and assistance, which 
allowed us to stream the event via 
ACB Radio this year. Thanks also to 
all the vendors and workshop presenters 
who gave their time over the weekend 
to attend and make our conference 
and convention so informative. A 
final thank you to the hotel staff of the 
Cincinnati Holiday Inn & Suites East-
gate for its professionalism, cooperation, 
and assistance throughout the 
weekend. If you were unable to attend 
this year, we missed you and hope to 
see you in 2015! 

A Look Back at the Conference & Convention … 
A Look Back at the Conference & Convention …A Look Back at the Conference & Convention … 

Christy Demetrakis key-
notes the 2014 convention. 

The Noble sisters (Leah, Teresa, Jill) 
dressed for Halloween. 

Danene Fast, accepting 
ACBO / OSU scholarship 

Columbus Chapter members taking in a session 

on behalf of Karen Koehler 

Jim Debus accepting the 
Linwood Walker Scholarship 
The 2015 ACBO Board of Directors 

Scholarship winners Emily Pennington, Emily Molchan, 
Jenny Ham, Jim Debus, Whitney Johnson, Rachel Zeiter 

Marty and Larry Honaker selling goodies at the 
Columbus Chapter table 
Enjoying the petting zoo 

Karen Spry, Vicky Prahin and

Irwin Hott and Kate Sniderman at the Newsreel 

Jenna McCartney at the AC-

table 

BO table 

“
““A
AActively 
ctivelyctively C
CConnecting to 
onnecting toonnecting to B
BBuild 
uilduild O
OOriginality” 
riginality”riginality”

The Qualities of ACBO Leadership 

- By Vicky Prahin 

As we settled down for the elections at 
the 2014 Conference and Convention, 
someone mentioned qualifications for 
the leaders of the organization. Looking 
back, I see qualities more than 
qualifications. I see foresight, conviction, 
and fortitude. 

Dessie Page gathered three of us together 
more than 30 years ago and introduced 
to us the ideals of the American 
Council of the Blind. With his guidance, 
we put together the first constitution 
and sought out the earliest members 
of the American Council of the 
Blind of Ohio. His foresight got the 
Ohio affiliate off the ground. Ken Morlock, 
the first Executive Director, kept 
the momentum going and helped the 
organization establish a solid financial 
footing, at least in part because of his 
conviction that ACB Ohio would flourish. 
I wonder if he ever thought we 
would be where we are today. 

We have had many leaders who have 
handled challenges with diplomacy 
and grace. I have great admiration for 
those who, because they were convinced 
of the validity and strength of 
what ACB stands for, picked up the 
pieces when someone else dropped 
the ball or simply gave up. The adroit 
way Mary Hiland and Nolan Crabb 
dealt with the embezzlement of our 
funds a few years ago serves as only 
one example of the fortitude and solidarity 
of the membership of ACBO. In 
2013 that ability to work together and 

share talents, along with the willingness 
to think outside the box, served 
us well as we helped plan and successfully 
bring off the first national convention 
in Ohio. 

Christy Demetrakis, our keynote 
speaker on the first evening of the 
2014 convention, made several salient 
points during her talk, but one thing 
has stayed with me; she said “We can’t 
get there from here if we stay here.” 
Those who preceded me as president 
have led us here; now we move on to 
there. ACB Ohio has a reputation nationally 
for cooperation and accomplishing 
what needs doing. I want to 
build on that, and I need the support of 
every member to achieve it. As we start 
into and move through 2015, we’ll find 
challenges to stretch our horizons, and 
we’ll find ways to meet them. Building 
on the foresight, conviction, and fortitude 
of the leaders who brought us to 
“here,” we will determine where “there” 
is and move on. This will make some of 
us a little uncomfortable at times because 
most of us don’t like change, but 
without change we stagnate. Let’s work 
together and move ahead. 

The Ohio Connection is a quarterly 
publication of the American Council 
of the Blind of Ohio. Please submit 
your material in print or through 
e-mail. The next deadline is February 
15, 2015. 

2014 Awards Presented 

- By Terry Olandese, Awards Committee Chair 

The presentation of awards at our annual 
banquet is among the most significant 
things we do as an organization. 
This year, we made such presentations 
not merely once, but four times. I’m 
pleased to announce the winners of 
our 2014 awards, and I’ve concluded 
that the best way to do that is to simply 
present the nominations for those 
awards. By so doing, I’m providing you 
with the compelling reasons for our 
choices. The nomination letters are below. 
(Letters have been edited for reasons 
of formatting and space.) 

Ruth Davidson Award, Presented 
to Joyce Asher 

The Davidson award, you’ll recall, is 
given to a sighted person who is recognized 
for extraordinary efforts in providing 
assistance to blind and visually impaired 
Ohioans. 

“I wish to nominate a person for the 
Ruth Davidson Award, a person who 
has been a member of ACB for more 
than eight years and who has faithfully 
attended our (ACB Ohio Greater Cincinnati 
Chapter) monthly business 
meetings for all that time. She not only 
attends the meetings, but she comes 
well prepared with carefully written reports 
for each meeting. 

“She is now in her fourth term as an officer 
of our chapter… Why? Because 
she is a one-in-a-million treasurer who 
is dedicated, competent, reliable, trustworthy, 
and cheerful. … She is so 

cheerful in the work she does that we 
are beginning to think that she actually 
likes us weird folks who read with our 
fingers and walk by swinging long 
sticks about or bringing four-legged 
creatures with us wherever we go. 
(Maybe we are more lovable than we 
think). 

“This person has also taken the lead in 
supporting our efforts to participate in 
the Flying Pig Marathon. She attended 
the Flying Pig Marathon meetings in 
the beginning and helped us navigate 
the logistics of registration. She now 
plays a key role in getting our t-shirts 
designed and donated to ACBOGCC 
each year so we can be visible to others 
in the Flying Pig as members of the 
local chapter of ACBO. She walks or 
runs in the Flying Pig herself and 
serves as a guide. 

“A young woman named Meghan Kirkpatrick, 
a good friend of Joyce's, skillfully 
and joyfully designed our t-shirts 
the last two years. In March of this 
year, Joyce has invited us to honor Meghan's 
memory by piling up Miles for 
Meghan as a Million Miles for Meghan 
project reported on face book. Meghan, 
who was only in her twenties, died this 
year of cancer, but Joyce has given us 
the privilege of remembering her 
through our walks or runs over the 
months and years to come. Between 
March 21 and June 30, members of our 
local chapter and their guides walked 
or ran a combined total of 786.1 miles 

for Meghan. With Joyce's help, we will 
always remember Meghan for her 
kindness and generosity.” 

Katie Frederick (left) and Karen Spry 
congratulate Vicky Prahin (middle) on 
her Ambassador Award 

ACBO President Vicky Prahin received 
the Ambassador award, given to a 
blind or visually impaired person who 
has reached out to others and ably 
represented ACB Ohio in a variety of 
capacities. 

“For the past thirty years, a hardworking, 
dedicated, and passionate individual 
has been involved with the 
American Council of the Blind of Ohio, 
serving in various roles at the local and 
state levels. Recently, she has become 
more involved at a national level with 
the American Council of the Blind as 
well. 

“The board of ACBO, scholarship and 
awards committees, to name a few, 
have benefited from her organization, 
time management, and willingness to 
try new ideas. Those who serve on the 
newsletter committee appreciate her 
knowledge and understanding of the 
rules of grammar, the countless hours 
spent reading, editing, and compiling 

articles, and assembling the Ohio Connection. 

“Actively serving on committees, assisting 
with campaign events, and keeping 
track of ACB Ohio’s involvement with 
Community Shares of Mid-Ohio are other 
ways she tirelessly gives of her resources 
and time to ACBO. 

“Her leadership skills have resulted in 
election to positions including past secretary 
and current president of the Columbus 
chapter, board member of the 
American Council of the Blind of Ohio, 
chair of the 2013 ACB Conference and 
Convention Host Committee, and ACB 
Information Desk Coordinator. In addition, 
she has traveled to Washington, 

D.C. to represent ACB Ohio at the affiliate 
presidents meetings and discuss 
key legislative issues of importance 
with elected officials and their staffs.” 
The Ken Morlock award was given to 
Jamie Piechuta, vice president and secretary 
of the Medina ACBO chapter. 
She is visually impaired. 

“What an asset Jamie is to Friends n 
Focus! Jamie is always at the meetings. 
She comes early and sets up for meetings. 
If necessary she makes sure that 
things will run smoothly. She takes 
wonderful minutes and sends them to 
ACBO. She puts a lot of effort into lining 
up speakers. She sends beautiful handmade 
birthday cards to our members 
and calls members to find out how they 
are doing. If she hears about someone 
in the area [who] needs help, she 
brings it to our attention so we can help. 

“Jamie takes the initiative … to do all 
this! The lovely boxes and cards our 
group auctions off at the ACBO convention 
are all lovingly done by Jamie. 
She also loves animals and belongs to 
Canine Therapy Companions (CTC) 
(Medina and Wayne County chapter of 
Therapy Dogs International). She has 
had three therapy dogs. 

“In the past Jamie was a Medina County 
4-H dog club advisor [for] 20 years. 
In Medina County, [she] helped start 
PROJECT RIDE, a volunteer therapeutic 
horseback riding program for children 
and adults with special needs [for] 
15 years. Her family raised [guide] 
dogs for Pilot Dogs, Inc., [She] volunteered 
for St Martin of Tours Church, 
Valley City Ohio, former parish school 
of religion, PSR teacher.” 

The community Service Award was given 
to Huntington Bancshares, Inc. to 
recognize the company’s achievements 
in creating an accessible consumer 
banking website and a mobile 
app. 

“I’m writing to nominate Huntington 
Bancshares, Inc. for the 2014 Community 
Service award. It is my belief that 
few if any financial institutions have 
worked harder to ensure access to 
online banking features from the consumer 
perspective than has this organization. 

“For more than two years, I have been 
able to successfully navigate the consumer 
banking portion of its website. 
Because of the access built into the 

site, I have successfully and independently 
conducted every manner of 
business that any sighted account holder 
would conduct. 

I first began using the mobile app soon 
after I opened my accounts, and even in 
its earliest iterations, I found the app 
highly accessible. Early on, transferring 
funds among accounts was difficult, but 
subsequent updates to the app now 
make it possible for a blind iPhone user 
to successfully transfer money among 
various accounts. 

“Additionally, I have found Huntington’s 
ATM’s to work successfully when I 
needed to use one, and the sheer density 
of its network means that as a blind 
person I am not forced to find transportation 
to some distant out-of-the-way location 
to do something as simple as 
ATM banking. 

“In short, I’m nominating Huntington because 
I believe it has demonstrated an 
interest in and a concern for accessibility 
in its online and mobile operations. 

“It is my hope that the committee will 
award Huntington with the 2014 Community 
Service award. By so doing, its 
representatives may be able to remind 
others in the financial industry of the importance 
of and value of creating a 
banking environment that is inclusive 
and promotes the success, well-being, 
and independence of all of its account 
holders.” 

Meet Our Scholarship Winners 

- By Vicky Prahin 

The scholarships ACBO set up with 
three Ohio universities to support the 
education of teachers of the visually 
impaired and blind students continue to 
thrive. We are proud of the three women 
chosen this year to receive $2000 
each. 

The University of Toledo awarded the 
ACBO-UT scholarship to Chelsea Gerhan, 
who will graduate in May 2015 
with dual Honors degrees in Special 
Education for the Visually Impaired and 
Mild/Moderate Special Education. This 
year she completed a summer research 
project, creating the first Tactile 
Map of the University of Toledo main 
campus. She has served as the Senior 
Braille and Tactile Graphic Coordinator 
for the Student Disability Services, has 
acted as a puppy raiser four times for 
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and worked 
as a summer camp counselor for children 
and adults with blindness or visual 
impairments, most recently serving as 
camp supervisor. She next wants to 
earn a Masters in Orientation and Mobility. 
Her professional goals involve 
working as an itinerant teacher. 
Chelsea said, “Without the help of 
this organization, I would be unable to 
achieve all of these accomplishments 
in the way that I have.” She was not 
able to join us for lunch. 

Karen Koehler is a doctoral student in 
the College of Education and Human 
Ecology at The Ohio State University, 
one of the few universities in the United 

Whitney Johnson, Wright State 

States still offering degrees in special 
education. She has taught students with 
visual impairments for the past 26 years 
and hopes to continue serving these 
students in a greater capacity. She will 
soon receive her Ph.D. in Teaching and 
Learning. She wants to improve science 
and mathematics instruction for students 
who are visually impaired, thereby 
making it possible for more students 
to pursue these areas of study upon 
graduation from high school. Since she 
could not attend the convention, she 
wrote a very nice letter of thanks, read 
by Danene Fast of the OSU Program in 
Visual Impairments. 

Whitney Johnson, recipient of our 
Wright State University scholarship 
again this year, is from Columbus. She 
is majoring in middle childhood education 
and learning to be an intervention 
specialist. She has completed two in

ternships with Franklin County DD 
Northeast Schools as a classroom assistant 
and did some student teaching 
at Four Oaks in Beavercreek. She has 
participated as a peer mentor and disability 
awareness speaker for Disability 
Services. 

Introducing Jenny Ham

- By Sam Moats 

Jenny Ham, U. of Cincinnati 

This year, a new scholarship was created 
to honor an incoming freshman 
majoring in any field of study. The first 
Friends of Freshmen scholarship was 
awarded to Jenny Ham from Cincinnati. 
Jenny graduated from Sycamore 

Each issue of the 
newsletter will 
feature information 
about our 2014 
scholarship winners. 
High School with a GPA of 3.93. In 
school, she was a member of the National 
Honor Society, a staff writer for 
the school’s newspaper, the Sycamore 
Leaf, president of the Yoga Club, sang 
with the choir, and participated in cross 
country. Outside of school she sang 
with the Sycamore Community Chorus, 
participated in the Relay for Life for 
several years, and went on a mission 
trip into rural Kentucky where she first 
saw the effects of poverty and malnutrition. 

Since, as she said, food is her passion, 
she decided to pursue a career where 
she could make an impact helping the 
malnourished. She is attending the 
University of Cincinnati, majoring in nutrition, 
and plans to work with a nongovernmental 
organization that provides 
education and support to impoverished 
communities. We at ACBO 
congratulate her and wish her well in 
her pursuit of a career in nutrition. 

Chapter News

- By Mickey Prahin 

Medina Friends-N-Focus 

About a year ago I talked with Don Kalman 
of Medina concerning Friends-N-
Focus and its gumball project. He said 
there were two machines placed and 
one looking for a home. I thought it was 
time for an update. 

Don says the gumball machine in the 
beauty parlor is nearly empty, and I 
know he'll be happy to refill it. He still 
has a machine looking for a home. In 
the meantime, the Friends-N-Focus 
Chapter ACB Ohio is keeping busy. It 
has given a CCTV to one user, glasses 
to someone else, and worked to meet 
other needs that arise. 

Chapter members were 
contacted by the 
Brunswick Chamber of 
Commerce to set up 
130 tables on a Friday 
night and take them 
down on Sunday. For 
that the chapter received 
a contribution. 

In September, the 
chapter hoped to have 
a speaker from Hospice. 
Keep up the good 
work, Medina! 

Appleseed Chapter 

The ACB Appleseed 
chapter's Loss of 
Vision (LOV) support 
group, Richland 
County, met on 
September 3 with 
Guest Speaker Te

resa Miller of the 
Richland Public Health Department, 
who presented information about senior 
health screenings and other health-
related services offered by the agency. 

Our October 1 meeting was an opportunity 
for open sharing to tell our personal 
stories about our vision loss by 
responding to questions posed by Steve 
Nemeth. This discussion allowed 
those present to share their challenges 
and solutions in overcoming these obstacles. 

Our November 5 meeting was a tribute 
to veterans. Our speaker was Mariann 
Ryan, LISW, of the Louis Stokes VA 
Medical Center of Cleveland, who 
talked about low-vision and blindness 
rehabilitation services available to eligible 
veterans. The VA provides outreach 
services across the state to link veterans 
challenged by vision loss to appropriate 
services. 

Happy Holidays from our group to 
yours! 

Back to the Acting Future 

- By Jim Oyer 

When I was fully sighted, I counted acting 
among my talents. I had thought vision 
loss had stripped that opportunity 
from me, but after nearly 20 years I 
was able to return to the theater stage. 

Dan Kelley, who teaches at the Ohio 
State School for the Blind, was contacted 
by Vern Hendrick, who was looking 
for a blind actor for the play he was directing. 
Dan phoned me, gave the contact 
number, and I phoned Vern. 

My blindness meant I was unable to 
read a script at the auditions; Vern auditioned 
me at my house. The play is 
End Game by Samuel Beckett. For 
those who are not familiar with Beckett’s 
plays, his work is somewhat avantgarde, 
generally positive about the human 
experience. However, you really 
have to dig deep to find it. The lead 
character, Ham, is blind and in a wheelchair. 
His assistant is mobile but has 
difficulty with his legs. There are two 
other characters. Nag, Ham’s father, 
and Nag’s wife, Nell. Both live in their 
own trash cans because they lost their 
legs in a boating accident. Pretty uplifting, 
huh? 

Vern and I discussed me playing Ham, 
but I felt it was too much for me. So, I 
played Nag. I didn’t need to worry 
about blocking, that is what your movement 
on stage means. Again, because I 
can’t read a script, I memorized my part 
before the rehearsals began. 

Beckett’s use of prose is unusual, and 
part of my performance required me to 
do four different voices, gestures and 
head positions rapidly as I told a joke. I 
did a Walter Cronkite for the narrator, a 
Floyd the barber from the Andy Griffith 
show for the tailor, and an angry Englishman 
for the customer and my own 
character. 

I was hesitant to do the play because it 
has been a long time, but parts for a 
blind person in local theater are very 
rare. I am really glad I did it. Some of 
the people that came to see this show 
were fellow actors I had not seen in 20 
to 30 years. They were so happy for me 
because they knew me in plays before 
my eyesight failed. 

Vern was the best director I have ever 
worked with. He really knew this play 
and was very demanding that we delivered 
our performances to the tee. The 
Columbus Civic Theater in Clintonville, 
which is just north of Columbus, is very 
intimate. It seats only 50 in three rows. 

Acting continued on next page 

Acting continued 

My thanks go to Glenn Beachy and 
Katie Frederick who came to see the 
show. I could hear Katie laughing. 

On a final note: Some members of the 
audience knew that there was a blind 
actor in the play. They left the theater 
and some said, “Who was the blind actor?” 

If I have whetted your curiosity, you 
can download a performance of this 
play done by the Irish theater which is 
good. But the actor that does my part 
sucks. Enter the play End Game by 
Samuel Beckett. 

Nolan Crabb 
Editor 

Michelle Spillan 
Editorial Assistant 

Thanks to the contributors: Katie 
Frederick, Jenna McCartney, Sam 
Moats, Terry Olandese, Jim Oyer, 
Mickey Prahin, Vicky Prahin, Elizabeth 
Sammons. The deadline for 
the next issue is February 15. 

Katie Frederick, Jill Noble, Leah Noble, Lynn 
Powers and Melody Banks busy at registration 

News Bits 

- By Elizabeth Sammons 

December 31 is 
the last day on 
which you can 
apply for a grant 
from the Association 
of Blind 
Citizens Assistive 
Technology 
Fund. You may 

apply for up to $3,000 or 50 percent of 
the retail price of adaptive devices or 
software. Applicants must be legally 
blind and a resident of the USA, have a 
family income of less than $50,000 and 
cash assets of less than $20,000. 
http://tinyurl.com/mqzc7yg 

January 15 is the final day on which you 
can apply for a scholarship from Guild 
Scholar College Scholarships for 

U.S. blind/legally blind high school 
students, merit-based, to the college or 
university of your choice. Up to 
$15,000. Applications are accepted 
from students in their junior year, with 
scholarships awarded the following academic 
year. 
http://tinyurl.com/l5qxu6e 
Products and Devices to Help You 
Identify Your Medications 

http://tinyurl.com/n9h43kq 

Reading for All: The Potential of the 
Public Library System in Providing 
Access 

http://tinyurl.com/qhus2vx 

American Foundation for the Blind’s new 
public service announcement titled 
“Breakthroughs,” hit national television 
in honor of Blindness Awareness Month. 

The PSA highlights breakthroughs 
from nine decades of AFB’s history— 
from the creation of the talking book 
in the 1930s to the passage of landmark 
communications legislation in 
2010. A longer version of the PSA, 
which contains video description and 
more breakthroughs, is also available 
on the AFB website and YouTube Channel. 

Keep handy this list of disability tech 
support hotlines from companies committed 
to providing some special services. 
http://tinyurl.com/pxp6vmp 

Regardless of your situation, many people 
share things in common with your 
life circumstances. Browse this A to Z 
listing of over 500 e-communities of 
people facing similar life challenges, 
medical conditions, and mental 
health issues whose goal is information 
sharing and support. 
http://tinyurl.com/6sscmmk 

ACBO Community Shares 
Campaign Codes 

State of Ohio 19003 
City of Columbus 60240 
Franklin County 60240 
Ohio State University 60240 
Columbus State Comm. College 1061 

American Council of the Blind 
3805 N. High St., Ste. 305 FREE MATTER 
Columbus, Ohio 43214 FOR THE BLIND 

ACB OHIO DATEBOOK 

JANUARY 4 
ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF LOUIS BRAILLE 

JANUARY 9 
ACBO BOARD MEETING 
VIA CONFERENCE CALL 

JANUARY 16-19 
ACBO WINTER SPORTS RETREAT 

FEBRUARY 21-24 
ACB NATIONAL MID-YEAR MEETINGS