Editor’s Corner
By Mike Keithley

We’ve had a dry winter in the Bay Area, and the window for rainy weather is closing fast. Are we in for another round of water rationing?

Well, that’s a local thing, not much interest to the BC Audience. But the spring BC does have a couple of how-to and fix-it article that will engage you.

Deborah Armstrong discusses friendly, experienced strategies to help you fix your recalcitrant technology, and Doug Rose introduces the notion of testing before buying in the Amazon age. Plus we have Jeff Thom’s intense article on activities in the new aging program proposed by the Governor. One of President Wilkinson’s articles will feature the upcoming issue of the BC memorializing the Late Cathie Skivers, which should be in September. The other article, her president’s message, is super special. Read on to find out why.

And there’s “Why I Didn’t Get that Job,” and more.

So enjoy the cool spring mornings and lengthening evenings, and read your BC.

But before I retire, let me point out that those of you thirsting for an audio version of the BC can hear it on NFB newsline. Unfortunately only the telephone interface works. The BC is not available on the Victor Stream or other computer devices.

To get to the BC using the telephone, follow these steps:

1. Use your credentials to log on to NFB Newsline using the local phone number you were given. If you’ve used Newsline before, you start at the main menu. For information on getting your Newsline account, read Linda Porrelle’s article “The Future of The Blind Californian” in the Winter, 2019 BC.

2. Find a Blind Californian. The instructions work if you’re in California.

Press 2 for the state information channel.

Press 9 3 times to reach the option-list that includes the California Council of the Blind.

Press 1 and then select a BC issue.

If you loose track of where you are, press the star key until you reach a place you know.

President’s Message
By Judy Wilkinson

Editor’s Note: President Judy Wilkinson spent her entire month of February attending the Seeing Eye Guide Dog School, from where she recently graduated with her new pup Kirsten. Avid writer that she is, she kept a journal of the experience in 3 parts. Here is part 2. Those BC readers who have never experienced guide dog school, training and lifestyle will find this piece informative and entertaining. You may even be inspired to investigate the guide dog lifestyle for yourself. Those who already have dogs will enjoy comparing Judy’s reflections and experiences with their own.

Tuesday, February 11

A new student joined us yesterday. She will stay through the 27th of February. New students stay a week longer than retrains for added training. Also two of our class members had to get new dogs and so they must start from the beginning and will also stay added days beyond what was originally scheduled.

There are all kinds of reasons for this kind of mid-class change: one of the dogs was repeatedly distracted by the same “planted” poodle sent to test all our dogs during our Elm Street route Monday – Wednesday morning. And the dog was relieving too often while working. Occasionally the dogs of course need to relieve while working and usually head us to the curb, but this was excessive. Remember when the dogs join their handlers is the first time they’ve been with someone 24/7 since they lived in their foster environment. And those people were basically socializing the dogs and teaching them basic manners. After their training, it’s a whole different ballgame to be working with one person for days in a row.

Another dog turned out to be too slow for her handler. Again, such changes happen all the time.

Rain was a big factor Tuesday, slowing us down considerably.

We had lots of fun late morning working on brushing teeth. Most of us start out using dental wipes wrapped around our finger, and hope to graduate to real toothbrushes and maybe even doggie toothpaste (yum!) though the vet tells us that these days, brushing without toothpaste seems okay. I who have been really bad about this (and lucky that my first two dogs’ teeth stayed in good condition) promise all of you that I will brush Kirsten’s teeth, well, if not daily, then mostly!

We also cleaned their ears and learned to “pill” them. The little stinkers can get rid of pills if we don’t actually put the thing far down the throat and close the mouth and massage the throat. When the tongue pops out to lick: pill success! Once I tried to give Carly a pill in her food. The little rascal ate every morsel of kibble, leaving the one lone pill in the bowl! So no trusting about pills.

That evening we learned massage techniques. Kirsten basically flopped on her side and was perfectly happy to let me stroke/massage her one side. Then the instructor showed me how to “flip her over like a pancake” by taking her two paws near the floor and literally flipping her over!

We had an extremely successful conference call with the Director of Library Services for the visually-impaired and print disabled: nearly 60 people on the call. I was exhausted. I had had two calls Monday night, one in California so ending after 11 PM. And yes, 5:30 comes early!

Wednesday, February 12

Yippee! Our final official route: for me the modified Elm Street route. And in the afternoon “FREELANCE!!”

Our instructors have a checklist of things we must do, but often depending on which other small groups the trainers want to join together, and the weather activities vary.

Most of our groups went into town to the one old-style department store with escalators and worked with the dogs on the escalator. Kirsten is definitely a pro! The dogs are taught to love escalators, and our instructors only cared that we’d figured out a safe way to get them on and off. Since I ride escalators a bunch, this was pretty easy. My instructor told me a story about one of her trainees in her last class, a man of 77 who had an 80-pound dog who told her he never takes escalators by himself and carries his dog down them. So by gosh, she watched him pick up the dog, safely balance it and going down the escalator (and back up!) Not my idea of a safe way, but hey, it worked for him and she in fact saw that he could do it safely! Well, to each his own!

I’m working more with Kirsten on obedience: something I witness here that I will do regularly with Kirsten. All too many handlers skip obedience. As my first trainer told me, “Obedience tells the dog ‘It’s another day, and I’m still in charge!'”

Obedience is having the dog sit, then down and sit; then heel, come and sit. Finally ending with the “rest” command. “Rest,” comes from the French “rester” (stay). And since Mrs. Dorothy Eustes who originally trained Morris Frank, the founder of The Seeing Eye with these German/French commands, they are still used by The Seeing Eye today. I learned to work with Kirsten on a long flexilead for the “rest” cycle so I could get many feet away from her and still have her stay at “rest” until I returned to her side.

Later with her at “rest,” I went to the length of the leash and called her to “Come” She is getting better at this each day.

Our Wednesday evening lecture from the vet Dr. Holly was informative and shook some of our (well my) commonly-held notions: for me about what kinds of toys should be allowed (no antlers; no bones) and, alas, probably no ice, which my dogs have loved. It can crack their teeth.

My knitting goes with me when we meet in these large-group meetings. I have my favorite corner easy chair, and the current afghan is progressing nicely.

Thursday, February 13

This morning’s outing was to a grocery store where of course the dogs must behave and keep noses out of the produce!

Sarah and I worked on what’s called “high collar” correction where you push the chain as high as it will go and give a hard tug. It briefly cuts off the dog’s wind, and is very quiet and effective. I never used this technique, but I now realize how effective (and quiet) it can be. But honestly, it doesn’t damage the dog; but really gets her attention. I now feel I know how to safely and confidently perform this maneuver.

Fairly heavy rain in the afternoon as we rode a bus and took a train! The kind of train with four high steps to get in and out! And the trainers showed us how the dog resisted when we asked her to move toward the tracks! This “intelligent” disobedience means the dog has been taught to fear the edge and not go near it. There have been unfortunate incidents where handlers have ignored their dog’s warning and have even been killed. Kirsten definitely wasn’t letting me near that edge! And I had enough terror of my own having once fallen between two muni cars in San Francisco.

Our vet visit went well. I got all her records. It turns out that Kirsten is three fourths lab! One of her parents was already a 50/50 yellow lab golden retriever cross; then was mated with a pure lab. So Kirsten is mostly lab but with her beautiful retriever curls!

This was a red-letter evening as we now have permission to measure out water between official drinking time, only a cup though; we can also let the dog free in our room (with bell on of course) and we’re allowed to start leaving the dog alone in the room: starting with two minutes and working up to longer; not hours and hours though!

Kirsten keeps losing our Kong, but only once did I have to ask someone to find where it ran away to! Carly used to bark when her toy went under the sofa as if to say, “Get that white thing and get my toy! That’s all it’s good for!” Yes indeed, my cane has already gone fishing several times over recent days for that sneaky kong!

Friday, February 14

No chocolate shop today as the lines are sure to be long! But this cold, sunny morning (around 30 degrees) we went to the park, put the gentle leader on, and hoped to find squirrels! Most of them were too sensible to be out in the cold though we saw a few. My girl was brilliant and didn’t chase a one!

Sarah and I worked on clicker training for Kirsten to find my exact chair in the dining room. We will change chairs soon, and I will teach her with the clicker how to find the new target: my new chair. This is the only time we reward with food. So handy when I get home and want to find the pole to cross East 14th to go to Aunt Vita and Uncle Frank’s house!

The temperature today had a high of 32 degrees, so for the afternoon, we headed to the Mall! We sat in the food court while, one by one, Sarah took us around the mall. I ducked into Old Navy seeking socks (nah) then a candy store to look for peanut butter or mint chocolate (nah). A man was petting Kirsten without my catching it; Sarah let me know and before I said anything, Sarah let him know (with great clarity) she was a working dog. He said, “Oh I thought it was a therapy dog.” As if that gave him permission to pet a strange dog! It takes all kinds doesn’t it?

I had work with me, but somehow the smells of the pretzel store, my classmates chatting, work didn’t happen!

Just before Sarah left for her well-deserved day off (we get one too!) she showed us where the free run area is. It is an enclosed area about 15 X 20 feet: small to us but the dogs love it. We are to take them (bell on!) inside with a flexilead to make sure they come back to us. Kirsten pulled the flexilead out of my hand she was so excited. Now free, she ran around like a maniac! And yes, she had an accident! Thank goodness Sarah was with me! I plan to bring her back tomorrow on our day off, but the temperature is once again supposed to be no higher than 32 degrees.

We had interesting films to watch: one showing orientation and mobility instructors how teaching students using dogs is different from teaching cane users. The second film? Well I can’t tell you since I slept through the entire thing. In fact a trainer came up to me at the end and whispered, “You’re dog is wandering!” She had sneaked away without my knowing the little stinker!

As you might guess, I was in bed by 8:30!

Saturday, February 15

It was 11 degrees when we took the dogs out at 5:30 AM. I had a day off and did a lot of catching up on email and writing a couple of articles in the morning.

During the afternoon I took a nice nap but roused myself around 3 and took Kirsten to the free play area. She whined because we had to wait for a couple of folks to learn about that area. Once in, she got the “zoomies” and raced around and around. She brought me a little “donut” toy which I threw for her. What a happy, waggy dog!

Then we walked on the leisure path: a loop of around one third mile. It was the very first time she and I had been absolutely alone working as a team.

We got back safely if somewhat cold, the temperature having risen to around 30 degrees.

The after dinner lecture was a fascinating one given by Lukas Franck, an expert on mobility as well as dog training. He has also become a renowned expert on clicker training. He discussed the fascinating concepts surrounding this so-often misunderstood Skinner-style reinforcement training to find a specific target. We have learned to have the dogs go to our chair in the dining room.

I told Lukas about my great story with Carly who during our visit to the kennels for TSE’s 90th reunion last August, ran up and rang the target bell on a door across from kennel C where the dogs are when first in training. If they can’t signal a target, that is an early clue they won’t succeed as guides. But little Miss Carly remembered what to do: ringing the bell as she did nearly 10 years before, even though I had done almost nothing with clicker training during her time with me. They never forget because, of course, food is the guaranteed reward for ringing the bell. But alas, I had no treat for her that day, but was I ridiculously proud!

Sunday, February 16

“Country work” this morning! This is where there are no sidewalks and the dog must trail the left-hand edge thus facing oncoming traffic. I use my cane (to make sure Kirsten is indeed right on that left shoreline). Sarah showed me my right foot works too, just not quite the reach of the cane. We really have to trust the dog when making “left” turns as so often there is no traffic.

This afternoon was a red letter day! No, not because for several hours I placed first in my Dice World 3’s tournament, not because I ultimately came in fourth, but because we got to hear our puppy profiles!

These amazing folks who foster our guides from around 8 weeks until they return to TSE for evaluation, between 14-18 months. In addition to the heartbreaking wrench of giving the dogs back after loving and training them so well, they send us a profile describing the type of family and living environment, favorite toys and how the dog indicated the wish to relieve, but all the fosterers in my group sent additional lengthy letters, pictures and gifts! How things have changed with electronics! My girl apparently was rehomed at around 7 months to this second family who sent me all the goodies. She lived with two teenaged boys (one at college), but the Mom mostly cared for her. I already suspected she’d be the kind who would tear up toys with squeakers in them! I’ll write more about this aspect of her history when I do the third part of this journal about our first two weeks at home.

The lecture, about going home, reminded us that none of these dogs have ever flown before, so in addition to everything else that’s new about their being with us, we’ll be having that new adventure Thursday.

Monday, February 17

Today we went into Manhattan. Including an hour ride each direction and lunch at “5-napkins burgers” we spent just four hours, but that was enough time to get a lot of exposure to different kinds of activities. We started at the Port Authority, riding two escalators (one very long), and an elevator down to the subway level. We took a local from 42nd one stop to 50th, but that allowed us to experience boarding and exiting a crowded subway on this President’s Holiday. But the good news is the streets weren’t nearly as crowded: we breezed over to 9th Ave and down to 45th. After a fabulous lunch (I had a cookies-and-cream milkshake, matzo-ball soup and brussel sprouts with a balsamic/wasabi sauce). I whined and got a couple of onion rings from one of my classmates.

My adventures included: children wanting to pet the dog; a woman asking me why I “hit the dog” when I was correcting her for snatching food off the sidewalk. I explained I was an experienced handler and I wasn’t hurting the dog, just getting her attention. Sarah stepped in as well; she reminded me to administer a quiet, high-collar correction, (which the woman witnessed) then I loudly praised Kirsten as we moved on. She was still with us at the corner, now asking what kind of dog it was. We really do spend a lot of time educating the public, especially about how we’re not torturing the dogs.

Did I mention construction on one of the cross streets? Did I mention traveling carts being trundled along? Kirsten was stellar, and even though the literal trip was only a few blocks, she, at 6:30, is now sacked out in her crate.

We got her brand new lovely leather, beautifully-oiled harness today, and I put it on her for the first time to walk down to the dining room for dinner: I didn’t think I was hungry, but I managed to choke down the shrimp and broccoli stir-fry and the egg roll. I did resist the apple turnover! (After all, I did have that scrumptious milkshake!)

One of our classmates was sent home today Whispers were all over the dining room. We never know why a student is sent home though sometimes behavior gives clues. The reasons are kept strictly between the student and the class’s trainers and training supervisor. This does happen from time to time. I am always amazed at how astute and professional our trainers are to catch behavior that could create problems down the line.

Tuesday, February 18

This morning we took a trip into town with a number of activities including a block of “country” work. But Kirsten’s original trainer, Julie was with us. Kirsten went bananas when she saw her. All the way in the van, she wanted to go up to the front seat. Julie told me about her: that she was “queen of the hill” in the play yard, yes, that like her foster family said, she eats soft toys with squeakers wanting to get to that squeaky thing inside!

She described her to me: her ears are the darkest part of her: a caramel color. Her chest and belly are the palest. She definitely has a golden retriever’s curls.

We have the rest of the morning off: I did some obedience; tried brushing teeth; I did get my finger in her mouth a bit longer today. then the free play area. She found a ball a bit too large for her mouth, and now and then, she let me have that “OOkey” ball to throw! And oh yes, I went to coffee break at 10: which I’ve only been to once before since I’m mostly not here at 10. Of course I really needed those chocolate chip cookies: did I mention the two desserts today are lemon cake at lunch and pecan pie at dinner?

THE PET STORE: Probably the dogs’ favorite trip of the entire class!

And I dropped a bundle: a rope, a squeaky ball with “ribbons” for me to hang on; a benebone (softer than nylabones); and her ID tag. The include name camps: put no name: no one can entice the dog with its name; the “name” included camp (my thinking) that it would comfort her to have someone know her name: obviously an important individual decision I also included the word “microchipped” as an added bit of insurance in addition to my name and our two cell numbers.

The lecture was about dog attacks: a conceivably difficult situation. Key: Make Noise! Do our best to get beyond the other dog: even a blind person can use the camera and get some clues, especially once they buy National Braille Press’ coming-soon up-to-date revised “Get The Picture” book by Judy Dixon! And the thing I’m most careless about remembering to do: carry at least a small “ID cane” (a pencil-thin cane which could allow one to be independent in a pinch say if the dog is hurt and you have to take her to the vet.

Wednesday February 19

It’s clearly time for me to get out of Dodge! I didn’t gain any weight this past week in spite of all the carbs I’ve been indulging myself with. But as if it knew and has been lying in wait, the Monster Pain switch got turned on: as if the battery ran out on my steroid injection (which I got just four weeks ago today)! The bursitis pain in my right hip is back. Jim Kessler the training supervisor and my trainer Sarah have been wonderful! They could clearly see I was in pain. I have really done most of the things required: I’ll deal with revolving doors when I find one, and I’ve got the clicker thing down (mostly). I have the morning off and Sarah even took Miss K out to “park”. “Park time” the term is the standard TSE command for the dog to relieve: the provenance is somewhat unclear! Is it the reverse and variant of “krap”? Was there a “park” near the original seeing eye school and so “Let’s go to the park?” The antecedents are lost in the mists of time.

Sarah has even offered to drive me this afternoon directly to The Creamery: a general stampede there by most training groups as a final treat, and some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had!

After dinner I packed (and repacked) cramming in all the added dog goodies I’d acquired.

And so to bed after “park time” and up at 4 AM for my 7 AM flight.

I’ll be sending along Part Three about my first two weeks at home with Kirsten: she is supposed to be with me at all times, attached via leash, on tie down, or in her crate.

Of Aging, Advocacy And The Long Road Ahead
By Jeff Thom

Rather than a comprehensive Governmental Affairs report, my column for this issue will center around advocacy efforts in the aging and vision loss arena. However, as you will see, the article will be far more than just a chronology of events on our advocacy efforts. It will focus on my observations during this advocacy journey. I don’t claim to be a font of knowledge on this subject, but I do have the “power of the pen” at my disposal and invite others to consider the content of this article critically.

When I learned that the Governor had promulgated an executive order requiring the preparation of a Master Plan on Aging and persons with disabilities, I knew that the blindness community had to participate in this effort in order to make its needs known. My first attempt, which was to obtain a position on the Statewide Committee for the preparation of the Master Plan, did not succeed. This led to the calling of some meetings with others in the aging and vision loss field to attempt to craft some recommendations for submission to the committee. Those meetings resulted in some fascinating discussions, but perhaps as much due to the busy schedules of so many folks, these discussions did not come to final fruition. Late last year, however, we learned that a Master Plan subcommittee was being appointed on long-term care services and supports. It was clear that this might serve as a way for us to enhance our participation in the content of the final report. I sought a position on this subcommittee and was fortunate enough to be the only individual with expertise in blindness and vision loss to be appointed.

Before discussing my experience on that committee and the outcomes we have been able to achieve, let me clarify that long-term care services and supports include all kinds of services in the home, community and residential settings. Thus, this very broad definition of long-term care services and supports applies to the types of rehabilitation-related services provided under the Older Individuals who are Blind program by the private agencies across the state providing specialized services to those who are blind or have low vision.

The subcommittee was comprised of many prominent figures in the aging field, a number of whom I was acquainted with from my lobbying efforts on CCB’s behalf. As I saw it, my major task would be to ensure that the interests of persons with vision loss were adequately mentioned in the subcommittee report which is required to be completed by early March. Since the deaf-and-hard of hearing community was also not represented, I also worked to ensure that, to the limited extent of my knowledge about issues surrounding that population, the concerns of that community were also discussed.

I won’t bore everyone with recollections of the hours and hours of in-person and telephone meetings, but will say that, beginning in November and continuing until even after you will have read this article, an enormous amount of hours has been spent on this effort. What I want to focus on is what was achieved, why it was achieved, and what I learned from the experience.

The content of the subcommittee report, which will not be finalized until March, but which I will disseminate when it is complete so that you policy wonk types like myself can read it, was driven largely by recommendations submitted by subcommittee members and organizations and individuals in the aging and disability field. Sadly, other than various recommendations that I submitted, I didn’t see any emanating from the blindness field, although I didn’t examine them all. Our first achievement was on a topic we have been working on unsuccessfully for four decades, namely changing the In-Home Supportive Services law to allow reading and document completion as a covered service. Our last effort, conducted jointly with the United Domestic Workers, an IHSS provider union, looked like it would finally get over the hump, only to have Governor Brown veto it. However, without my even having to suggest it, the United Domestic Workers’ lobbyist, with whom I walked the halls of the Capitol working for our bill, submitted the recommendation as part of their package for the subcommittee report. The lesson is obvious: entering into coalitions with worthy and willing partners can lead to positive results even if the original work of the coalition did not succeed.

The second breakthrough came in an area that was actually the subject of a part of one of our in-person meetings and is something that everyone on the subcommittee could relate to. Not surprisingly, that topic was technology, and the guest speakers at the meeting even mentioned accessible technology that enhances opportunities for people with vision loss. The report contains a broad technology-related goal, not only applicable to all seniors, but to their caregivers as well. After all, I am only preaching to the choir when I say that we must absolutely do everything we can to ensure that the ongoing technology revolution continues to sweep us along with it, rather than passing us by. Now, as they say, to the rest of the story.

I submitted a variety of recommendations, including the need to make nursing and residential care facilities more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, including having materials in accessible formats. Similarly, I submitted a recommendation that adult day programs and similar services needed to make their programs far more accessible and usable for people with vision loss. Obviously, I also submitted detailed recommendations concerning the need for more funding for specialized services for people who are blind or have low vision.

Weeks before I submitted my recommendation on specialized services for seniors who are blind or have low vision, I began to talk about them in our meetings in various contexts. One message I pounded home was that, like so many seniors, most of those with vision impairments are in the middle class when their vision markedly deteriorates. What surprised me, but I suppose it shouldn’t have, is how little knowledge most of the subcommittee members had, both with respect to all of the services that specialized agencies provide for people with severe vision impairments, and the almost exponential rise in the unmet need for these services due to the dramatic increase in the number of seniors requiring them. It is evident to me that blindness advocates and services providers have done an extremely poor job in California and throughout the nation of educating those in the field of aging as to how important specialized services are to people with vision loss and how great the need is for additional funding. No wonder we struggle even to maintain federal funding levels for our services under the OIB program, while other groups receive occasional increases. Clearly, we need to do a far better job of making our case. As to what I was able to accomplish, I was hoping to get strong language specifically addressing specialized services for people who are blind or have low vision. However, in large part because the landscape of the report is so broad and in many cases recommendations had to be made at a high level, I did need to settle for less than I might have liked.

Nonetheless, recommendations that can have a positive impact on our population did make it into the draft report, including 1. “Establish a California Community Living Fund as a ‘bridge’ program that provides goods or services not available through other means to individuals either transitioning to the community or at-risk of institutionalization,” and 2. “Provide incentives for Medi-Cal managed care plans to participate in an institutional diversion and transition strategy.”

Finally, we appear to have been fortunate to obtain some excellent draft language on the topic of people with vision loss who reside in nursing and other residential facilities. The report recommends people with vision loss be provided “with information on menus, daily activities, among other things, in large print or other formats, orientation and mobility instruction that enables these individuals to navigate the facility successfully, and assistive technology that allows for communication with others outside the facility. Any aspect of nursing facility reform is a tough nut to crack, but it is probably long past time for CCB to engage in dialog with the industry.

Moreover, the work of our subcommittee is only one component of the ultimate report. Areas such as housing and transportation cry out for input from the blindness community perspective, and it is up to us to figure out a way to ensure that our input is received and included throughout the entire Master Plan, when it is completed later this year.

Finally, it will come as no surprise to many readers of my columns, that I absolutely believe that until we have a paid lobbyist representing our field, whether paid by a consortium of entities or by one organization such as CCB, we will continue to struggle to see our issues receive the attention they deserve, whether special reports, legislative initiatives, or regulatory changes. The days of extremely successful volunteer lobbyists have gone with the dodo bird and political civility. Such a lobbyist should be full-time, if possible, blind or low vision if at all possible, and absolutely must possess or very quickly acquire an excellent knowledge of both the California state government system and the important players, as well as sufficient connections to make him/her a force to be reckoned with. Nonetheless, it is imperative that CCB continue to do its best with what it has and do its utmost to advocate for services that will enhance the ability of persons who are blind or have low vision to maximize their potential and live independently.

Jeff Thom Receives Well-Deserved Recognition From State Orientation And Mobility Instructors
By Susan Glass

It is my pleasure to pen this long overdue congratulations to Jeff Thom for an accomplishment and an award that he has kept humbly tucked under his hat.

Many BC readers will recall Assembly Bill 947 which focused on extending orientation and mobility instructor rights to teach students in broader areas. You may recall that some California school districts were preventing orientation mobility instructors from taking blind students off campus in order to teach them about crossing streets, boarding buses, navigating shopping malls, and addressing many skills essential to their survival in an urban world. Districts were expressing concerns about student safety, but also their own liability, and O and M instructors were severely curtailed in what they could teach.

Jeff worked hard with O and M instructors, school district officials, and state legislators until finally on October 12, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 947 into law.

At its 2019 annual conference, the California Association of Orientation and Mobility Specialists (CAOMS) presented Jeff with its Pete Wertsburger Award, in recognition of his essential work in removing prescriptive criteria that school districts were applying to O and M instruction. This was the first time in history that CAOMS has ever awarded someone outside of their own ranks.

According to their website, “CAOMS is a nonprofit statewide organization whose mission is to facilitate professional growth, and to support the role of orientation and mobility (O and M) specialists in rehabilitation and education of individuals who have visual impairments. Founded in 1966, CAOMS hosts an annual statewide conference. Membership consists primarily of credentialed O and M specialists. Student and associate memberships also make up the ranks of its membership.”

Congratulations, Jeff! This is truly an honor for you, one that you richly deserve. And thank you from all of us in CCB.

Honoring Catherine Skivers
By Judy Wilkinson

On the early morning of December 12, 2019, Catherine Skivers passed away. The last few months of her life were increasingly difficult for Cathie and her family. She had to leave her beloved home to be cared for in a rehab facility and finally in a hospice setting. The blindness community lost a giant that day.

But up until a few days before the end, she was taking calls from her friends from around the country. And being Cathie, she was still concerned about the day-to-day doings of The California Council of the Blind. In her last call with me she gave input on various budget matters which the board was considering. She wanted to make sure her concerns were known. Isn’t that just Cathie?

Usually, in the issues of The Blind Californian immediately following the death of such an important personage as Cathie, we would publish remembrances and tributes. But we have lots more plans to remember her which are laid out below. We will be honoring Cathie over the next year. All the contact information and instructions are summarized in the final section of this article.

Memorial Service

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 2, (Cathie’s 95th birthday) from 1 PM to 4 PM at the San Francisco Lighthouse. Lighthouse CEO Brian Bashin has generously donated the space for this event. Seating is limited to 110 people, but we will be broadcasting over ACB Radio so that folks around the world can share in remembering Cathie. The Lighthouse has a state-of-the-art sound system so those wishing to be on the speakers’ list can participate in person or by phone. You should sign up for the speakers’ list to ensure inclusion. While there may be time for spontaneous remarks, the speakers who sign up will present first. Also, we must account for every person in the building, so we need those planning to attend in person to sign up was well.

Light refreshments will conclude the event.

Catherine Skivers: An ACB Angel

Bayview Chapter got the ball rolling and through a motion plus additional donations, the amount guaranteeing her angel status was reached at the chapter’s January meeting. The CCB board voted to donate $500 as well. You can donate to Cathie’s Angel status by calling the Minneapolis office. A presentation will occur during ACB’s convention some time between July 4-9

Memorial Issue of The Blind Californian

The Publications Committee has taken on a major project to honor Cathie. We will publish a special issue of the BC in print, audio and braille at $20, as well as our current email and web formats. We hope to publish this issue in late fall. We plan to gather a number of Cathie’s writings, but here is where you come in. We will publish memories and tributes from anyone wishing to remember Cathie. Pieces may be edited because of space concerns. Please send all submissions to Blind Californian Editor, Mike Keithley by September 1 2020: editor@ccbnet.org. The web and email versions will be distributed at no cost, but we are asking for a $20 donation for those wishing a keepsake print or braille version.

Catherine Skivers Contingency Fund

In carrying out these various plans to memorialize Cathie, the Council may incur unforeseen costs. Funds which are not used in support of the various events will be put into CCB’s Crisis Fund.

Historic Recordings

In 2018 Steve Mendelsohn, a member of CCB’s History Committee worked with Cathie to create some historic recordings. He submitted questions which she answered. These are old-fashioned 2-track cassette recordings which we plan to digitize and make available both on our website and the San Francisco Lighthouse archives. We have no planned completion date for this project. Steve has several hours of precious material. When digitized, this material will be available to all free of charge. This is a magnificent treasure trove in Cathie’s own voice!

Next Steps

As you can see, we have lots of ways we will be honoring Catherine Skivers, this ACB and CCB amazing leader.

What You Can Do

Memorial Service:
May 2, 2020
1 PM to 4 PM
San Francisco Lighthouse
1155 Market Street
San Francisco (10th floor)

To be placed on the speakers’ list in person or by phone or to get your name on the in-person seating list:
Call Bayview Chapter member Connie Skeen
Phone: 510-532-7687 (leave a message and if necessary, Connie will return your call. She does not identify herself by name.)
Email: conske@pacbell.net

ACB Angel

To donate to the Catherine Skivers ACB Angel Fund:
Call the Minneapolis office: 612-332-3242 (using a credit card)
Checks: Send checks to ACB with a note in the memo line that it is for the Catherine Skivers Angel Fund
6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy, STE 195
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

Blind Californian Special Issue or Catherine Skivers Contingency Fund

To be placed on the print or braille list for the special BC issue, or to donate to the Contingency Fund:
Call CCB Operations Manager Nicole Pacheco
916-441-2100 or toll free 800-221-6359.
Send checks payable to Skivers Contingency Fund; if for BC, in the memo state whether for braille or print. ($20 per copy) If for the contingency fund, put “donation” in the memo.

FIA Scholarship
By Peter Altschul

Friends-in-Art (FIA), a nonprofit organization with the mission of advancing accessibility and opportunity for artists and audience members who are visually impaired, offers an annual $1,500 scholarship to college students who are legally blind and live in North America.

If you are a high school senior or a college student planning to, or are currently majoring in the field of music, art, drama, or creative writing, and are blind or visually impaired, we encourage you to apply!

Note: Legal blindness is defined as an individual who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the corrected eye and/or 20 degrees or less visual field in the corrected eye. Only individuals who are legally blind in BOTH eyes are eligible to receive this scholarship.

To apply, please go to: www.friendsinart.com and complete the application and upload/mail the required materials, including documentation of visual impairment from a medical professional, per the directions on the form by May 15, 2020.

Please direct any questions to Peter Altschul, FIA’s scholarship chair, via email at searchforcommonground@outlook.com

Together Let’s Strive Forward!
By Vivian Younger

Greetings to All!

My work with a cohesive CCB Membership Committee feels like a blessing. Although I resigned as Membership Committee Chair, I plan to continue serving as a committee member. Allow me to share a few highlights of my experience.

Under my leadership, the Membership Committee strove to promote membership growth as well as spread positivity within the exceptional CCB Organization.

The Membership Committee held informal First-Timers seminars at CCB conventions. Those who were able to attend learned about the origin, history, and organizational structure of CCB. We urged them to engage with a local chapter in their community. The Committee also encouraged internal mentorship as this remains a critical link in relationship development. The Committee responded by offering mentorship training to chapters and affiliates.

The Committee launched a letter campaign to connect and engage CCB At Large Members.

My last official duty as Membership Committee Chair involved moderating the Membership Retention and Recruitment Focus call on 1/19/2020 (presented by Cindy Vanwinkle, ACB Membership Coordinator).

Cindy’s presentation was so powerful! I felt inspired and considered the idea of starting a CCB chapter/affiliate myself. She provided us with a framework, resources, education, encouragement, and enlightenment. Offering a myriad of strategies that CCB can use to increase membership, Cindy showed us how to grow, one chapter at a time, one member at a time. The motivational call enlivened me. If we implemented all of her suggestions, we could establish a robust California Affiliate membership. She’s got the tactics right in her notes and urges CCB members to contact her.

Most of all, I have enjoyed collaborating with chapters and affiliates to increase membership numbers. Each of you holds a special place in my heart. Moreover, cooperating with the CCB Membership Committee to select annual COTY Award winners and coordinate an appealing membership engagement platform proved that positive energy and optimism abounds in CCB.

As Membership Chair, I thank each committee member for their hard work, commitment, teamwork, and recognize their part in the Committee’s accomplishments. They played a vital role in sustaining CCB, and their steadfast dedication to membership growth and retention is important to CCB’s success.

Special thanks to Sugar Lopez for standing alongside me as CCB Membership Committee Co-Chair. Her work ethic contributed greatly to safeguarding Committee affairs and assuring a smooth, accessible, and supportive course for chapters and affiliates.

Now, I take this opportunity to wholeheartedly welcome Guillermo Robles, the new CCB Membership Committee Chair. Just as Ardis Bazyn mentored me, I intend to assist Guillermo through his transition process.

Finally, it is my fervent hope that every CCB Member clasp hands with our perspective and new members to welcome them into our great organization!

Fix Your Computer Problems When You Aren’t A Wizard
By Deborah Armstrong

Is your computer acting strangely? You’re not alone, but unlike most folks out there, who depend on family, friends and paid services, you really can do a lot more on your own than you think.

As a tech at a community college, I help everyone from students and their cousins to tenured professors to figure out why the computer is wonky. The skill I teach most often is describing the problem.

Did you know you are frequently halfway to a solution once you can explain your problem clearly? I remember a co-worker once who informed me she was getting a “big brown error”. But when she read the error message out loud, the problem was obvious. It told her the printer wasn’t connected, and you know what, its cable had slipped out of the back of her PC!

So when trouble starts, it’s time for you to stop, think, and write down a description of the problem. You might be lucky like my co-worker and solve it immediately! If you have difficulty writing, you can always dictate to a recorder, but the act of describing the problem is crucial because to ask or search for help, you’ll need to understand specifically what’s not working. For example, “I plugged in my flash drive, but I cannot find its contents.” Or “I saved a report, but I don’t see all those changes I made today.” Or “when I try to read my mail, the speech just says the name of the web address.” Or “when I try to answer my phone with the two-finger double-tap, it doesn’t answer the call.”

A recorder is really handy here because you can record what your speech is saying or what you’re reading off your screen using magnification. You can also make notes on the recorder as you attempt a task again, noting each step and what’s happening at that point.

Write down or record the exact message you are reading or your speech is reading. Write down what you are trying to accomplish and the steps you took. For example: “I found the document attached to the email. I pressed Enter and the document loaded in Microsoft Word. But when I press the arrow keys to read the document, I can only read the first line.”

While you are collecting this information, I can feel your frustration mounting. You want it solved, not described. But the act of describing has two important purposes. First, it forces you to think rationally, a first step towards finding a solution. Second, it gives you terms you can search for or explanations you can share with tech support.

Now your problem is clarified, you can try searching the web for a solution, if the problem isn’t affecting your web browser. If it is, consider finding an accessible computer elsewhere such as a school, library or friend’s house. It is helpful to include your screen reader’s name in the search phrase so you’ll find help tailored to your access technology. For example: “jaws, Microsoft word page numbers” pulls up some helpful tutorials on numbering and reading page numbers in Word.

If something that was set up for you has stopped working, for example a shortcut to your email, contact the person who set it up, or if they are no longer available, see if you can find a friend who will not only fix it, but explain and write down how it was set up in the first place. For example, when I set up email for my mom, I gave her a note explaining that I put a shortcut on her desktop to the Comcast website. This way if Comcast changes its site or the shortcut gets deleted, she can show my note to any helpers who assist in the future.

When you do have helpers, take full advantage of them by not just having them fix a problem but explain what’s happening. For example, my recorder is always ready if a friend is available to describe the layout of an unfamiliar screen. It might help me in the future to know that there are red check marks on items I haven’t filled out, or that the button I need to click is on the lower right.

Good places to find free quality help are senior centers, ham radio clubs, public libraries, local colleges, and other blind people who may be more knowledgeable. There’s also an abundance of paid help from other blind folks who sell their tech support services online.

If it’s a problem with your access technology, do call their tech support, and armed with your clear explanation, you’re likely to get quick and effective assistance. If it’s a problem with amazon.com, a Microsoft or Apple product, those companies have special technical support for people with disabilities.

If it’s a problem with some software you use that doesn’t have tech support, try searching its user manual or asking on an internet mailing list. If you haven’t gotten help previously asking on the internet, remember that was before you learned to describe the problem without emotion like Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. Answers are more forthcoming when helpers can quickly grasp your issue.

Many problems are simply caused by your own lack of knowledge. For example, the problem with Microsoft Word and email attachments is that they are usually in read-only mode. Access technology can’t work with this mode. You either need to save the document with the Save As command so that another copy is generated, or turn read-only mode off in the current document (the keystrokes are alt-F I E.). But if you didn’t know that fact, you wouldn’t be able to read many email attachments.

One of the best ways to crack the knowledge barrier is to simply keep a list of things you don’t know. “I don’t know how to sort my files so I can see the most recently added ones first,” or “I don’t know how to get rid of junk email” or “I don’t know how to get the phone to open those PDF files people keep sending me”.

Your “I Don’t Know” list gives you a handle on what you need to learn and you can do this at your own pace, by reading free tutorials online, paying for training, asking friends for help, or searching YouTube for answers. Even though I’m a tech, I have an enormous I Don’t Know” list, and when I have a few free minutes, I always take a crack at one of the items on that list. I might search the web, or if another tech is in the office, I might ask him how something works.

Another thing I do is keep a Rolodex in braille of every new keystroke I learn. You can use your phone, computer, voice recorder or file box; it doesn’t matter. But none of us can remember all those keystrokes, and if you depend on them to access your computer, it’s helpful to write them down. I often ask myself “is it alt-shift-S or control-shift-S?”. My senior brain cannot contain all that trivia, but my Rolodex can! And when trusted keystrokes fail, you can add them in your steps when you describe the problem, for example: “I pressed F6 to go to the next window but the cursor did not move.”

Lastly, if you feel really upset because you need to get something done and the computer isn’t cooperating, just step away. Go for a walk, pour a beverage, take a warm bath. Nothing will get fixed when you are overwhelmed with stress!

It’s my hope that these tips and the resources below will make at least some of your computer frustrations things of the past.

(Deborah Armstrong is alternate media specialist at De Anza Community college in Cupertino. Though she works just a mile from the Apple campus, she admits to being completely clueless when it comes to using a Mac.)

Resources

Microsoft Disability Answer Desk:
www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/disability-answer-desk

Apple Disability technical support:
877-204-3930

Amazon technical support for customers with disabilities:
888-283-1678

Applevis (a community of visually impaired apple users):
www.applevis.com

NVDA Mailing list (searchable even if you aren’t a subscriber
nvda.groups.io/g/nvda

My Eighth Good-Bye
By Christy Crespin

My eighth guide, a spunky, lively, apricot-colored Labradoodle bounced into my life in November 2009. I had met her prior to this when the Guide Dogs of the Desert trainer allowed me to “test” her out. There was another male Labrador Retriever in line to “test”, but I said “yes” to Caroline.

Due to work responsibilities, I trained in my home and work setting, at Guide Dogs of the Desert, in Redlands, Pasadena, and at the Palm Springs airport. We worked well together, and finally, after our allotted hours, we “graduated” and went on our merry way.

Caroline and I traveled to Guide Dogs of the Desert with my husband and daughter so we could “walk” during the “graduation ceremony.” Caroline’s sponsor was there, along with her puppy raiser. During lunch I asked, “So what was the worst thing Caroline ever did?” Her puppy raiser replied, “She ate the door jam when I left her alone at home.” Thankfully, she never did that with me. In fact, I started out with the crate as suggested, but found it was not necessary. Caroline liked sleeping under my desk at work and home, probably as a result of “crate training.”

Caroline and I grew in our ability to travel together. We bonded very strongly. Caroline loved the adult children and grandchildren. Ten years passed quickly by.

In November 2019 Caroline began to act a bit out of character. She snapped at dogs and made it known she did not want to be around other dogs. She had difficulty pushing to relieve. She seemed reticent about leaving with me for work in the mornings.

In reporting these behaviors to the vet, he suggested she be x-rayed. Results showed pinched nerves near the tail. She went on immediate retirement and began a regimen of pain medication and joint support.

I thought she was going to two different families, but neither worked out. I approached the school and suggested someone contact her puppy raiser. Caroline met her puppy raiser on January 28, 2020 and immediately recognized her. She left with her puppy raiser and also recognized the home in which she was raised.

While it is bitter-sweet, I feel at peace and know that my eighth good-bye has allowed Caroline a good retirement with someone she had bonded with and who knows Caroline and her needs. Her current/former “mom” understands the structure and responsibility of guide dog work, and also understands what it means for enabling happiness in retirement.

Both families have great love and respect for Caroline. This is why I can say “my eighth good-bye.”

California Civil Grand Jury: An Opportunity To Serve

Editors Note: My friend and colleague Victor Clifford, from the Silicon Valley CCB chapter, has been serving for the past year on our local Grand Jury. He has enjoyed the experience enormously, finding in it both intellectual and civic satisfaction. He asked me to pass along the following information about state wide grand jury service. There is no reason why we as blind and visually impaired people cannot serve on such a jury.

Every year, in each of California’s 58 counties, a group of ordinary citizens takes an oath to serve as grand jurors. Its function is to investigate the operations of the various officers, departments and agencies of local government. Each Civil Grand Jury determines which officers, departments and agencies it will investigate during its term of office.

In California, the grand jury system consists of 58 separate grand juries—one in each county—that are convened on an annual basis by the Superior Court to carry out three functions:

Investigating and reporting on the operations of local government (which is known as the “watchdog” function a civil, rather than criminal function), issuing criminal indictments to require defendants to go to trial on felony charges, and investigating allegations of a public official’s corrupt or willful misconduct in office, and when warranted, filing an “accusation” against that official to remove him or her from office. The accusation process is considered to be “quasi-criminal” in nature.

With regard to its watchdog authority, the grand jury is well suited to the effective investigation of local governments because it is an independent body, operationally separate from the entities and officials it investigates. It conducts its investigations under the auspices of the Superior Court and has broad access to public officials, employees, records and information.

The grand jury’s fact-finding efforts result in written reports which contain specific recommendations aimed at identifying problems and offering recommendations for improving government operations and enhancing responsiveness. In this way, the grand jury acts as a representative of county residents in promoting government accountability.

In some counties, the regular grand jury issues indictments. In others, the Superior Court, at the request of the District Attorney, impanels a separate “criminal grand jury” to hear evidence in support of an indictment. Accusations, which are also filed and taken to trial by the District Attorney, are filed infrequently. Overall, grand juries throughout the state spend considerably more time on investigating and reporting on local government operations than they do on criminal matters. CGJA does not get involved in the any criminal indictment matters; however, the Penal Code requires the Grand Jury to: inquire into the condition and management of the detention facilities within the County; investigate and report on the operations, accounts and records of county and other local public agencies, officers, departments or functions; inquire into the willful or corrupt misconduct in office of public officers; and submit a final report of its Findings and Recommendations no later than the end of its term to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.

The local governmental entity to which a report is directed is required to answer both the Findings and Recommendations in writing and within a specified period of time after the issuance of the final report (60 days for officials or agency heads; 90 days for governing bodies).

As a truly independent body, each grand jury is free to choose which local governmental entities or public officials to investigate. With very limited exceptions, no one outside the grand jury can direct it to conduct an investigation. Ideas for investigations generally come by way of three avenues: citizen complaints; matters raised by the members of the grand jury; and referrals from the preceding grand jury.

During its investigations, the grand jury acts as a finder of fact. In addition to determining if the official or entity under investigation is adhering to the laws that govern the operations of that entity, the jury analyzes whether the entity is operating in a businesslike manner and providing public services effectively and economically.

While it has no authority to order or otherwise compel compliance with its recommendations, it is through its reports that the grand jury wields its power.

Grand juries have existed in this state since the adoption of California’s original Constitution in 1849-50. Section 23 of Article 1 of the state Constitution requires that a grand jury “be drawn and summoned at least once a year in each county.” This Constitutional mandate is supported by statutory provisions found in the following: Sections 888 through 939.91 of the California Penal Code—relating to the selection and impanelling of grand jurors and to the grand jury’s watchdog and indictment functions; Government Code sections 3060 through 3075—covers the grand jury’s accusation process.

Many of the statutory provisions relative to the grand jury have been reviewed and interpreted by the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal. Their written opinions, known as “case law,” clarify the powers and duties of the grand jury. Because of the complexity of state law, the legislature has provided legal assistants for each county grand jury: A judge of the Superior Court; the District Attorney; the County Counsel; the state Attorney General (under certain circumstances).

In addition, the law requires the Superior Court to ensure that each incoming grand jury receives training to help it understand these laws; this training also provides practical advice on conducting watchdog investigations and writing grand jury reports. Most grand juries are given a local orientation program in addition to attending training provided by CGJA.

For more information on the laws related to the grand jury, go to CA Codes.

Civic-minded citizens who have chosen to give back to their communities by collaborating with a diverse group of like-minded persons over a one-year period to evaluate the operations of local governmental entities and the conduct of public officials, and to develop practical innovative recommendations for improving government operations.

Grand jurors are agents of change in their communities. They come from all walks of life. They bring with them a broad range of interests, talents and life experiences, but they share a dedication to democratic ideals and a willingness to devote their time and energies to matters of civic importance.

Drawing from the life experiences of these citizens, “…(a) grand jury is a short-lived, representative, non-political body of citizens functioning without hope of personal aggrandizement. It comes from the citizens at large and soon disappears into its anonymity without individual recognition or personal reward…” (Noah Weinstein and William J. Shaw, Grand Jury Reports—A Safeguard of Democracy, 1962, Wash. U.L.Q., 191,191.)

All qualified persons are encouraged and welcome to apply for grand jury service.

Penal Code section 893 states that a person is qualified to be a grand juror if he or she: is a citizen of the United States; is at least 18 years old; has been a resident of the county for at least one year immediately prior to selection; possesses ordinary intelligence, sound judgment, and good character, and possesses a sufficient knowledge of the English language to communicate both orally and in writing.

There are only four disqualifiers. A person is ineligible to act as a grand juror if he or she: is serving as a trial juror in a state court at the time of selection; has been discharged from grand jury service within the preceding year; has been convicted of malfeasance in office or any felony or other high crime; or is serving as an elected public officer.

Check out: www.courts.ca.gov/civilgrandjury.htm

I remember my first computer—it was during my freshman year of college (circa 1985) and had 128 KB of memory, a built-in keyboard and a micro-cassette drive for storage. I also had a dot-matrix IBM printer that could print one page per minute. I felt fortunate to have this system because it made me “cool,” and it made me more productive than I ever could have been with my mom’s old Smith Corona typewriter and my old American Printing House for the Blind cassette recorder.

Since then, I’ve gone through a number of computers. Today, I have a 1-TB laptop computer no bigger than a file folder and a phone that has almost exactly one billion times the memory of my first computer. And, with Wi-Fi, I can use my laptop or phone to remotely print several pages a minute from anywhere in the backyard or house.

The process of getting around has also leveled up. In high school, I learned how to use a cane to navigate my environment. Then I got my first guide dog and learned how to take the bus and later the BART and San Francisco MUNI trains to get anywhere I needed to go. I learned how to read braille maps (which have always been difficult to come by), how to ask for directions, how to interpret directions which were almost always incomplete or inaccurate, and I learned how to use my memory, sound cues, traffic noises and even my sense of smell to navigate to my destination—and, all too often, to figure out where my journey went wrong and how to get back on track.

Then came paratransit. And now we’re beginning to see transit agencies experimenting with and expanding the use of more flexible service models, including mobility on demand, microtransit and other services designed to connect people with their communities. New technologies are also coming into the transit marketplace that have the potential of improving both access and accessibility for many—and not just people with disabilities. And there’s the currently unknown potential that autonomous vehicles offer for those of us who do not drive. Nevertheless, people with disabilities continue to list transportation as either the number one or number two barrier to employment and full social participation, so we have work to do.

One of the key questions is which new service models and emerging technologies offer the best opportunities for people with disabilities to gain access to work, school, essential services, friends, family, civic participation and everything else that our society holds dear? It’s a big question with many answers, and a host of federal agencies, transit authorities, municipalities, companies, universities and individuals are working hard to find those answers. Here are just a few of the services and technologies that seem promising to me from an accessibility standpoint.

Geofencing and Beacons for Wayfinding

In 1994, BART and San Francisco MUNI partnered on a pilot project to test the effectiveness of a technology called Talking Signs™. Talking Signs included two components. There were small transmitters that transmitted pre-recorded messages labeling items to which the transmitters could be mounted, including station entrances, escalators, stairwells, elevators, restrooms, ticket machines and gates, and blind people could carry radio receivers that were programmed to receive and play the pre-recorded messages being transmitted by Talking Signs transmitters. The technology worked well, but its success was ultimately limited by the fact that infrared technology does not work well in places with lots of ambient light and by the challenges of distributing receivers to the customers who needed them. But that was 1994!

Today, electronic beacons can transmit pre-recorded messages, and a smartphone user with Bluetooth capabilities and a mobile app created to intercept and play these messages can use the information to navigate to and from transit systems as well as within the transit system itself. Electronic beacons are inexpensive to purchase and maintain and can be used on stationary or moving objects. Beacons can also store multiple messages, including messages in multiple languages, making it possible for one beacon to serve the mobility needs of many different groups of customers.

Geofencing simply means drawing a shape around a point on a digital map. Once the geofence is drawn, a pre-recorded message can be created and associated with the geofence, and a smartphone user who has Bluetooth and the mobile app designed to play that message will hear it as soon as they enter the geofence. Geofencing does not require any hardware investment, but it cannot be used indoors unless the indoor environment is mapped, and it cannot be used to label moving objects. Since electronic beacons and geofencing offer many of the same opportunities, some developers are incorporating them into mobile apps that can use either technology to deliver information that can assist people with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency and others to navigate to, from and within transit systems.

There are many versions of these technologies and various vendors in this space. Within the past year, at least one transit agency, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), has issued an RFP for wayfinding technologies, and many other agencies are thinking about the challenge. Given that accessing an otherwise accessible transit system is one of the largest eligibility triggers for paratransit, these technologies offer more than accessibility improvements for people with disabilities—they offer potential financial savings to transit agencies as well.

Using Remote Assistance to Solve Wayfinding and Informational Challenges

For people who are blind, the challenges of using transit are not limited to wayfinding; access to information can also be a barrier. But there are several technologies that use varying combinations of artificial intelligence and human assistance to address both issues.

Seeing AI is an app by Microsoft that uses the camera of a mobile phone to capture an image which the app’s artificial intelligence then attempts to identify and, (in the case of text), to read out loud. Seeing AI is designed to read short blocks of text, to scan and read larger documents with more text, to identify colors, the availability of ambient light, denominations of an entire range of currency, and even faces. It is a better solution for the information challenge but to the extent that it can recognize and read conventional signs, it can assist with wayfinding as well. Seeing AI is currently available for Apple devices but not for Android users. Hopefully, this will change in the near future.

BeMyEyes is a mobile app that connects blind people with volunteers who can simultaneously see what a blind person’s mobile phone camera sees and then provide that information to the blind person. BeMyEyes can assist with navigation, with the identification of objects, with the reading of signs, placards and other printed information, and with the operation of ticket-vending machines and other transit technologies.

Aira stands for “Artificial Intelligence + Remote Assistance,” is a mobile app through which a subscriber can use a smartphone or customized Google glasses to show the environment around them to a trained employee who can provide navigational assistance, describe visual images, read visible text, etc. Aira also includes a dashboard and other tools that agents can use to navigate a subscriber’s computer, store images of people and items that the subscriber may need to locate in the future, and API integrations with several third-party apps (most notably the rideshare services Uber and Lyft), thereby enabling a subscriber to have Aira contact a rideshare service, book the trip, monitor the trip and direct the subscriber to the vehicle once it arrives. To date, three agencies, the MBTA in Boston, the New York MTA, and most recently, the Milwaukee County Transit System have launched Aira pilots to determine the extent to which Aira is able to influence transit use by people (and especially paratransit riders) who are blind or visually impaired. The results will prove interesting as agencies seek to encourage fixed-route use by people with disabilities.

Other Accessibility-Related Technologies

Efforts to improve accessibility are not limited to technologies and businesses serving blind and visually impaired customers. There have been other efforts to use smartphone apps to provide assistance to passengers with intellectual disabilities to ease conventional public transit by providing step-by-step directions for completing a trip and audio and visual prompts when the customer (either on foot or on transit) reaches the next step of their journey.

There are other efforts to use crowdsourcing and social media to identify accessible paths of travel for people using mobility devices, and there are ongoing efforts to improve the accessibility of ridesharing services for use by people who need wheelchair-accessible vehicles. All of these efforts, along with those described above, offer tremendous potential for people with disabilities to utilize public transit services more easily and with greater personal independence and dignity.

But What About Paratransit?

Paratransit is also part of the ongoing effort to improve transit accessibility and the overall mobility of people with disabilities. Paratransit providers are implementing new technology, including online customer portals, and smartphone apps for booking, canceling and monitoring service. In addition, agencies are beginning to explore ways of incorporating rideshare services as “opt-in” components of an ADA-paratransit system and/or as part of non-mandated demand-response systems that can operate with greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness than traditional shared-ride paratransit. Examples include a pilot project by the MBTA to offer rideshare services on-demand.

Meanwhile, a Mobility-on-Demand service being operated by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is providing opt-in paratransit, delivering first/last-mile transportation to a number of transit centers around the region and getting late-night commuters to and from work.

Valley Metro RideChoice is an on-demand paratransit program using a managed approach to deliver approximately 700 demand-response trips per day (80% on Uber) to seniors and people with disabilities residing in twelve communities throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

These programs are demonstrating the opportunities and the challenges of a more flexible, market-driven approach to paratransit, and they are demonstrating to agencies and customers that there are approaches to demand-response paratransit that do not require booking ahead and sharing the ride. Over the longer term, services with a high degree of flexibility may have an easier time integrating with high-capacity transit, thereby opening up other transit opportunities to more and more people with disabilities and seniors.

Autonomous Vehicles: The Next Frontier

A number of transit agencies and private providers are working with autonomous vehicle manufacturers, consultants and regulators to figure out how this exciting new technology can fit into the transit ecosystem. There has already been some limited success, including pilot programs in Florida and Nevada, and a Valley Metro/Waymo pilot program to transport people with disabilities under the auspices of the aforementioned RideChoice program. These efforts are in their formative stages, and the jury is still out on the extent to which autonomous vehicles will reinvent transportation for people with disabilities. Personally, I am optimistic. But that’s a story for another day and a future post.

Ron Brooks is VP of Transit Market Development for American Logistics, a national passenger transportation logistics company.

Board Meeting Summaries
Submitted by Linda Porelle

[Edited from official Minutes.]

California Council of the Blind
Board Meeting
November 14, 2019

The meeting began at 7:03 PM.

Present
Officers:
President: Judy Wilkinson
1st Vice President: Gabe Griffith
Secretary: Linda Porelle
Treasurer: Lisa Thomas
Immediate Past President: Jeff Thom
Directors:
Steve Bauer
Christy Crespin
Nelly Emerson
Pam Metz
Sharlene Ornelas
Rob Turner
Frank Welte

Absent
2nd Vice President: Sarah Harris
Directors:
Paul Patche, Jr.
Penny Valdovinos

Gabe moved and Christy seconded to approve the October 10 minutes. Motion was unanimously approved.

Approval of Treasurer’s Report

Lisa moved and Linda seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Motion was unanimously approved.

There will be a chapter and affiliate treasurers call on December 11 at 7:30 PM. Lisa will review fund-raising reporting expectations for CCB.

President’s Report

The CCB office moved across the hall on Oct 30. We have four offices, with one to be used as a conference room. We’ll also have a break-out area. Many thanks to Nicole for smoothly and successfully managing the move.

James reported that we should receive the EUC grant by early Dec. We asked for a little more money.

The new CCB informational postcard is available in the office. Nicole will send as many as you need so we can distribute it widely. The board wishes to thank the publications committee for creating this card.

OntheMuV Update

Judy took two units to the WA Council convention and was well received. Steve and Judy will be showing it all around. We will initially receive 100 motorized and 200 manual units. We’re still working on developing infO and Marketing and will need website coordination.

Committee Updates

Judy reviewed and updated committee memberships with Gabe, which will result in the elimination of some committees. Cindy van Winkle of CCB will help with membership roster discrepancy issues. Jeff suggested we focus particular attention on retention. Christy asked about progress on creating board liaisons. Cindy will have ACB liaison guidelines to share.

Auction Update

Andrea thanked Larry Gassman and auction committee members. $9,125 was the gross profit. $160 was returned to a bidder. $865 is left with some shipping still to happen. 63 people registered. 40 people were on the call. Vita thanked the TOG for their help with the auction.

Convention Update

Judy and Lisa talked with Doubletree staff. We’re looking at changing to fall dates in 2021. Our convention in 2020 will be in early June again. The room rate will be $145 per night. Jeff reviewed several sessions under consideration for that convention.

A subcommittee working on sponsorships with Alice Turner as chair. The convention title will be 2020: CCB’s Vision for the Future. Lori asked about regional meetings. Judy said they are still being planned even if we are having a convention again next year.

Legislative

Jeff reported that both of our bills passed and were signed by the governor. AB169 passed and was signed making guide dog attacks even when not in harness criminal liability. AB947 was a special education bill with CAOMS. It addressed the problem of districts setting limiting restrictions on o&m trainers working with students during school hours. We also succeeded in getting extended core curriculum but will need to get districts to include it. Jeff received an award from CAOMS for his advocacy work. He noted that CCB needs to be more involved in getting funding for BRAILLE Institute.

Budget and Finance

The process will proceed and a budget proposal will be brought to the board in January. Judy is the committee chair and Lisa is the vice chair. She will have some reports in December.

Hearing of the Public

Lori asked about acknowledgment of donations. Judy said that Nicole needs to let us know when donations come in.

Ken (a new CCB member) asked when board members will visit southern California. A regional meeting is planned for April 25. Judy offered to have CCB pay for meeting space for that session.

Jeff noted that the leadership seminar is coming up in February. Chapters can donate partial payment for an attendee.

The meeting adjourned at 8:43 PM.

California Council of the Blind
Board Meeting
Thursday, December 12, 2019

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM.

Roll Call, Present
Officers:
President: Judy Wilkinson
1st Vice President: Gabe Griffith
2nd Vice President: Sarah Harris
Secretary: Linda Porelle
Treasurer: Lisa Thomas
Immediate Past President: Jeff Thom
Directors:
Steve Bauer
Christy Crespin
Nelly Emerson
Pam Metz
Sharlene Ornelas
Paul Patche Jr
Rob Turner
Penny Valdovinos
Frank Welte

Approval of November 14, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Linda moved and Rob seconded. Motion passed with Sarah abstaining.

President’s Report

We will likely receive two thirds of our previous Energy Upgrade California grant with some smaller additional grants possible.

Judy and Nicole have created a procedure for acknowledging donations.

Judy thanked the publications committee for creating an appeal letter, which was sent to 700 email addresses and mailed to 600 addresses on our mailing list at the cost of $100.

Gabe and Judy have continued their efforts to bring our committees up to date to prepare for revising our web site. We will not continue with some of our current committees.

Two chapters have sponsorships for sending CCB members to the ACB Leadership mid-year meeting in February. Other chapters are encouraged to offer partial sponsorship.

Judy reported that the OntheMuV project is moving very slowly. Some of the devices are already in southern California. They are being evaluated before selling begins. We won’t start our contract until they’re ready to sell.

Judy, Jeff and Nicole talked with Cindy Van Winkle about updating our membership data for ACB. They conducted a three year review of our data. Plans for improving our data collection will include better tracking of life members by keeping their donations in a designated account. In addition, there will be outreach to members who didn’t rejoin in 2019.

Christy talked about updating the website.

Lisa and the Budget and Finance Committee will prepare and propose a budget for 2020 at the January board meeting. The budget will be read and approved at that meeting.

Treasurer’s Report

Jeff moved and Gabe seconded approval of Lisa’s report.

Question from Judy: How long can we go without more Newel Perry money?

Lisa noted that it will depend on EUC payment schedule, which should be quarterly, but not confirmed yet.

Christy presented the Ellen Murphy report. She is the only trustee right now but is searching for two more. It started in 1996 or so with Cathy Skivers. Pat LaFrance Wolf served for a while. Christy is doing some online banking. In 2019, helped 6 women with 7 applications. spent $22,065.17.

Christy moved and Nelly seconded to approve the report. It was mentioned that the two needed trustees can be approved in minutes.

Convention Update

Judy reported that Doubletree Hotel wants to see how our 2020 convention goes before making any additional commitments. After discussion, they now will offer a one-year contract if we’re willing to double up with another group. We will need to look at ways to use fewer meeting rooms starting this year.

Lisa’s report on Treasurer’s meeting on Tuesday, December 10

She noted that 20 to 25 people attended. She provided training on filling out and submitting the annual fundraising report, which is required from each chapter and affiliate. Some attendees were able to see their previous errors in completing this task. Lisa offered to support them on an ongoing basis. They may try to meet every quarter.

Hearing of the Public

Mike Keithley asked about plans for regional meetings. We will have another in southern California in late April. Mike would like to keep this idea alive.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM.

Test Driving Before We Buy
By Doug Rose

Just because you are visually impaired doesn’t mean you won’t need to do some test driving. Of course, it won’t be a vehicle you need to test, but a new talking or braille product. Some of you no doubt know exactly what I am talking about.

This past year I either had some devices that failed and needed replacing, or I wanted to test out a new product. What I thought would be a quick process of ordering a replacement product turned out to be anything but quick and easy. Here is what I faced:

I bought the talking device years ago, and needed to know exactly what was the brand and model, was it still being sold, who sells it, and at what price? Is there a new model and, if so, does it really work better than what I am replacing? All these questions were legitimate ones before I made an informed purchase. I didn’t realize in the “Information Age” that making a decision would feel so complicated. What I found is that even though I have access to more information than ever before, what I really needed prior to buying a product was to test drive it.

Test driving is sometimes an option if you are able to visit a facility that has the products you are interested in, it is demonstrated at a convention you are able to attend, or your friend has the model you can test, or it is a large ticket item a vendor will demonstrate in your home. Unfortunately, these options are not always available. Then you are left to purchase from home without any test driving. Luckily I am able to research options over the Internet. If you don’t have this ability, finding and purchasing becomes another challenge. In my case, I discovered key concepts I needed to use while doing my online test driving.

Because different companies give the same product different names, I had to drill down to the product description to know if I was comparing apples to apples. Sometimes the product description or customer reviews were either too vague or sounded like marketing hype. Given this preamble, below are my findings for some common household talking and braille tools.

Today with the use of smart phones and smart speakers, people have the option to set a timer by voice. But what if someone needs an accessible timer without having a smart device? There are timers with tactile markings.

There appear to be two talking timers being sold. The model listed more often in our specialty device catalogs is the one I find to be less accessible, and of lesser quality. You will find it listed as “Talking Timer Clock”. It has many features that sound intriguing, but I find it lacks a very important option: to hear what is currently on the display. While it is truly a talking device with buttons and speaking functions, it is amazing how it could miss such a crucial option. I would caution people about selling or recommending this talking timer.

I find the talking kitchen timer from LS&S Products to be an accessible timer. I confidently recommend, and vision rehab teachers agree:
LS&S Talking Kitchen Timer: Call (800) 468-4789. It has a talk button which allows you to hear at any time what is on the display. There are only four buttons which are nicely raised, and the on/off button is larger. The voice is clear and at an adequate volume, and the construction feels solid. It is powered by two triple A batteries. It sells for about $15. Compared to the popular “Talking Timer Clock,” you won’t get a button for seconds, you won’t get a clock, or different sounds for the alarm, but you will get an all-important Talk button so you know what is on the display.

For years when we wanted a talking cooking thermometer, there was only one available, but those days are over. Now there are several. One of these is the Kizen Instapen Pro thermometer. This is a better quality device for less cost than the former talking food device. Kizen Instapen Pro Digital Meat Thermometer $25 at kizen.net or $17.95 at Amazon.

Several features make it a better quality device than the former talking thermometer. It is rated waterproof, and the probe is designed to be folded away for safe keeping when not in use. Think of the temperature probe as though it were a blade on a pocket knife. When you want to take a temperature, pull the probe out of its storage position. This will turn the thermometer on. There are three raised buttons on the face of the unit, which nicely fits under my thumb when holding the device. The talk button is strategically placed in the center of the three button configuration and is a bit larger than the other two buttons. One button you press to back light the display. I am told the displayed numbers are about three quarter inch in height, black numbers on a gray background. The other smaller button is used to switch the thermometer between Celsius and Fahrenheit readings. The voice announces in a reasonably pitched female voice with adequate volume. It is easy to change the button type battery, and it comes with a spare battery. There are three ways to store the thermometer: using the supplied Velcro dots, the internal magnet, or hole for hanging on a hook. I sent a suggestion to Kizen that their included documentation be available in accessible formats.

For years there has been the Cobolt Speechmaster -Talking Tape Measure. I received many good hours of use from this device. But it recently developed a short in the wires connecting the 9 volt battery. I considered purchasing another Cobolt talking tape measure replacement, but discovered there is another option available: the Caretec Tape King talking tape measure. It costs about $170 which is about $50 more than the Cobolt device, but I find it worth the cost.

It performs all the functions of the Cobolt tape measure plus more. It has an audible level, and clinometer to speak the degrees of an angle. You can change the volume of the speech and hear the battery level. The battery connection was always my concern on the Cobolt model. The Tape King takes two triple A batteries. If you don’t need the extra features of the Tape King, then the Cobolt Talking Tape measure will save you $50. CareTec says they have a deaf-blind version of the Tape King that vibrates. CareTec lists a talking battery charger and battery tester. I have not used either of these products, but would like to hear from anyone who has used them.

I purchased the Tape King through Blind Mice Mega Mall:
Blind Mice Mega Mall Tape King Talking tape measure
Call (713) 893-7277

I have tried two different sets of plastic measuring spoons and measuring cups with braille. I find the set that has four spoons and 4 cups has superior braille labeling. The other set has more gradation of amounts (nine spoons and nine cups) but the braille is poorly embossed and spaced. A person would be better off notching the handles than relying on the braille labels.

The ones I found with superior braille I got through Amazon via the Braille Superstore. You will find them described as: Braille Measuring Spoons, Set of four Plastic Spoons with Raised Print and Braille, Braille Measuring Cups Set of four Plastic Scoops With Raised Print and Braille. The set that has poor quality braille is sometimes referred to as Pourfect Braille Measuring Cup and Spoon, 9-piece set. So if you want good legible braille and don’t need the other five amounts of measuring, the four piece set is your choice.
Braille Super Store www.braillebookstore.com
Call (800) 987-1231

Finally, for those of us placing braille labels on cans and jars, we can use the older technique of embossing index cards and attaching them with a rubber band, or now we have the option of purchasing Candoable braille/print labels. Fortunately, you can test drive this product before purchasing. Lisa Dalton owner of Candoable offers a sample for your review. Once I received my sample I had enough information to purchase. They have worked well for me. They look like a plastic bracelet with braille on the outside and engraved print on the inside, and slip over a can or jar. You can pick from the list of already created labels, or specify a custom label. You can specify Grade 1 or Grade 2 braille. You can order online or talk directly to the owner Lisa Dalton. I find she provides excellent customer service.
Candoable candoable.co/?
Call (855) 226-3641

Hopefully my shopping journey can be of assistance to you even though it cannot replace the hands on experience. Currently I am evaluating how to select a talking clinical thermometer.

{Editor’s note: Doug Rose can be reached at:
McKinleyville Low vision Support Group (The bumpers)
dougrose@suddenlink.net

CCB Diabetics Group: Special State Affiliate
By Christy Crespin

“I can’t eat that.” “I need to test before I eat.” “I need to exercise.” “How can I test and read the glucometer?”

If you are one of the growing number of people diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, these are important questions to ask. You are not alone.

A group of people including Sylvia (Sugar) Lopez, Veronica Hernandez, Maile George, Guillermo Robles, David Jackson, Larry Gassman, and Christy Crespin heard the call by the late Ken Metz to research the need for a chapter affiliate in California that would speak to the needs of people with diabetes. For over a year and a half we have been meeting, offering suggestions for meals at convention, providing meetings via conference call and Zoom to address various topics, and more. At the 2019 conference/convention in Fresno, CA, Veronica made tiny sample bars of soap and we publicized this group.

Although this article is being written on February 15, 2020, we are hosting a town hall style meeting via conference call on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 to ascertain our next steps. Further discussion will be invited upon conclusion of this call, as well as a possible survey to address and follow through with our next steps.

If you are interested in becoming involved with this group, please contact Maile George at: maileg921@gmail.com.

As the late Ken Metz used to say, “There’s strength in numbers!”

California Council of the Blind
CCB Officers and Directors
as of July 1, 2019

Officers

President: Judy Wilkinson (2018-2020, 2nd term), San Leandro, 510-388-5079 C, judy.wilkinson@ccbnet.org

1st Vice President: Gabe Griffith (2018-2020, 1st term), Concord, 925-768-8195 C, gabe.griffith@ccbnet.org

2nd Vice President: Sarah Harris (2019-2021, 1st term), Fresno, 559-816-1507 C, sarah.harris@ccbnet.org

Secretary: Linda Porelle (2019-2021, 1st term), San Francisco, 415-577-8437 C, linda.porelle@ccbnet.org

Treasurer: Lisa Presley-Thomas (2018-2020, 1st term), Fresno, 559-250-6760 C, lisa.thomas@ccbnet.org

Immediate Past President: Jeff Thom (2016-), Sacramento, 916-995-3967 C, jeff.thom@ccbnet.org

Directors

Steve Bauer (2019-2021, 1st term), Los Angeles, 310-738-2853 C, steve.bauer@ccbnet.org

Christy Crespin (2019-2021, 1st term), Highland, 909-800-7189 C, christy.crespin@ccbnet.org

Nelly Emerson (2019-2021, 1st term), Santa Maria, 951-237-2960 C, nelly.emerson@ccbnet.org

Pamela Metz (2019-2021, 3rd term), Chatsworth, 818-882-3610 h, pamela.metz@ccbnet.org

Sharlene Ornelas (2018-2020, 2nd term), Oceanside, 619-339-6043 c, sharlene.ornelas@ccbnet.org

Paul Patche, Jr (2018-2020, 3rd term), Sacramento, 916-662-0861 c, paul.patche@ccbnet.org

Rob Turner (2018-2020, 2nd term), Sunnyvale, 408-203-9300 c, rob.turner@ccbnet.org

Penny Valdovinos (2019-2021, 1st term), Bakersfield, 661-378-8282 C, penny.valdovinos@ccbnet.org

Frank Welte (2018-2020, 1st term), San Leandro, 510-541-1442 c, frank.welte@ccbnet.org

Publications Committee

Linda Porelle, Chair, San Francisco, 415-577-8437 C, linda.porelle@ccbnet.org

Mike Keithley, Editor, Mountain View, 650-386-6286 H, editor@ccbnet.org

Susan Glass, Associate Editor, editor@ccbnet.org

Gabe Griffith
Sarah Harris
Lynne Nishihara
Roger Petersen
Bonnie Rennie

Donations

If you or a friend would like to remember the California Council of the Blind in your Will, you can do so by employing the following language:

“I give, devise, and bequeath unto the California Council of the Blind, a nonprofit charitable organization in California, the sum of $____ (or ____) to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons.”

If your wishes are more complex, you may have your attorney communicate with the Executive Office for other suggested forms. Thank you.