April 25, 2024
From the Editor
I can’t believe we’re already heading into May! The year is flying by, and pretty soon we’ll be at Perkins for our Spring Conference and then in Jacksonville for the ACB Convention. I will be at both events in-person, and I cannot wait to see everyone. I’ve also been trying to read a lot of good books lately, but I always feel there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything. But enough about me. In this issue, you can read about some cool ocean and space things, more about books, something about baseball, and accessible word games. Enjoy!
As always, if you would like to contribute information or comment on ways to improve BayLines Express, please contact Dianna Leonard at dianna.l93@gmail.com. And if you have an idea for a monthly article and would like to contribute, please contact Myra Ross at myraross@comcast.net.
Mother’s Day is arriving soon. In honor of moms everywhere, here’s a popular tune interpreted by Celine Dion:
A Mother’s Prayer, Celine Dion
News from the Board
The Board last met on April 14.
Organization of the Spring Convention is well underway. The Board decided to charge a $25 registration fee for in-person participants to cover food cost. There will be no charge for remote participants. The Board also approved a $100 donation to Penny Forward, an organization that promotes accessible personal finance. One of their members will be making a presentation to the convention.
The Nominations Committee, chaired by Carl Richardson, has met twice and will soon announce its recommended slate of officers for the elections. Brian Charlson has put out a call for auction contributions. Please be generous and offer an item if you have not yet done so. Kim Charlson, chair of the Awards Committee, has put out a call for nominations of award recipients.
Convention registration opened on April 19. If you have not yet registered, please do so soon. There is a 52-person capacity at the Grousbeck Center auditorium at Perkins, and in-person participation is first come, first serve.
Membership Committee chair Pam Loch reported that the recertification process is complete thanks to Mary Haroyan and Nick Corbett, and we have 194 members in BSCB. We have some new members and some who did not renew. We also had a few members who passed away this year. We will have the same number of delegates as last year for voting purposes at our national convention. She also reported that our first ambassadors, Sharon Strzalkowski and Jim Murphy did a presentation on March 28 in Worcester to the Low Vision Clinic staff.
Advocacy Committee co-chairs Nona Haroyan and Jerry Berrier reported that accessible voting will continue to be a priority this year. The AutoMark machines will be used throughout this election year. Setting up a meeting with the Secretary of State’s office to begin the conversation about the next generation of voting marking devices is a top goal. The committee has invited a representative from that office to the next committee meeting on April 23.
David Kingsbury reported that he has been appointed to the state Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board. As soon as he has passed his background check, he will join in board deliberations. So we can all learn more about its goals and operations, the head of this board will be a speaker at the convention.
Transportation Committee chair David Kingsbury reported that the Massachusetts Association of Regional Transit authorities (MARTA) sent us a draft fillable PDF intended to serve as the common ADA eligibility form for accessing RTA paratransit services. However, the form had several serious accessibility problems that were reported back to MARTA.
The next Social Committee event is scheduled for April 27. This will be a morning tour of the Arnold Arboretum, followed by lunch at the PF Chang’s restaurant at Park Plaza in Boston.
Events Calendar
The 2024 Bay State Council of the Blind Spring Conference and Convention will take place on Saturday, May 18. This will be a hybrid event, with in-person attendance taking place at the Grousbeck Center at Perkins School for the Blind. A virtual auction will take place via Zoom the night before on Friday, May 17. For more information, please make sure you’re subscribed to our email announce list at bscb-announce+subscribe@acblists.org to stay up to date.
The next Blind and Visually Impaired User Group (VIBUG) meeting will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 1:00pm via Zoom. Further information and how to join is listed at https://vibug.org/.
The next Perkins Library Without Walls will meet on Tuesday, May 15, 2024. To RSVP or listen to the upcoming LWW schedule, call the voice mailbox system at (617) 972-7852.
There will be no Third Thursday with the BSCB in May, due to our Spring Conference being right around the corner. Please be sure to subscribe to our nnounce List at bscb-announce+subscribe@acblists.org to stay up to date.
Below are landing page links for the MCB Rehabilitation Council (RC), and the MCB Statutory Advisory Board (SAB). You may want to bookmark them and check them often for time-sensitive entries. They contain details of upcoming events and meetings, recordings of recent meetings, and other relevant information.
RC landing page: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/mcb-rehabilitation-council
SAB landing page: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/mcb-statutory-advisory-board
News from the Web
Anyone ever thought of scuba diving? I love swimming, but I think I’d personally rather be closer to the surface of the water. This USA Today article, however, which is part of a series highlighting accessible travel, explores a blind diver and their guide as they dove into the water off the coast of Mozambique this past March.
Are there blind scuba divers? Here’s the accessible way anyone can explore the ocean.
A totally blind nonvisual designer and tactile technology specialist works with a NASA program called Astro Access, which seeks to integrate people with disabilities into the space program. Learn more about this endeavor in the article below.
How people who are blind are designing ways to explore space, the final frontier
Another ocean themed article ahead! Amy Bauer, a blind oceanographer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is involved in the Accessible Oceans project which aims to turn data into sound.
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How a Blind Oceanographer Studies Temperature-Regulating Currents
You may have already heard, but Aira recently partnered with the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs, a Double-A affiliate of the Red Sox! This partnership is aiming to advance the fan experience through Aira’s visual interpreting. Learn more in Aira’s recent blog post.
Here’s a bonus article for this month! Have you heard the debate that listening to audiobooks isn’t considered “reading”? I disagree with that. I think anyone is reading no matter how they absorb their content. Listening to audiobooks (and reading e-books) are just as enjoyable as reading print or braille. Let’s take a look at audiobook production and its lasting power on society.
The Lasting Power of Audiobooks
Accessible Puzzle Games, by Myra Ross
I’ve not been much of a gamer. I have had no interest in roleplay or action games. Several years ago, I purchased some of the Blindfold games. I enjoyed Solitaire, but it’s not a game I would play often. Sudoku was just too hard. Several times it seemed like I was doing so well only to find in the very end that I had made a mistake somewhere, one that I could not find. Very frustrating; I gave it up! I was definitely addicted to Color Crush for a while, but it kept losing track of my winnings, so I could not advance easily. I gave it up too.
I have new games now. The New York Times offers several free daily puzzles. “Wordle” has been accessible on the iPhone for quite some time. Play on https://nytimes.com. Choose the “play” tab at the bottom of the screen. You get six chances to guess a five-letter word. The errors you make are your only clues. After Jerry Berrier told me how to access the game in the fall of 2022, I quickly became addicted. Until three weeks ago, I had a 376-day streak, which was a lot better than my previous 96-day streak! I’m building up again. I just learned there is a harder version, which I may try.
Last summer, some sighted friends told me about a new puzzle on the NY Times app, then in beta. “Connections” is a list of sixteen words that must be organized into four groups of four, each group sharing a characteristic that players have to determine in order to group them. Words often appear to connect with each other in several ways, but only one alignment works. You are permitted to make four errors before you lose. For several months, Connections was not accessible. VoiceOver read and even spelled the words on the list, but there was no accessible way to choose them. I was excluded, and I have to confess that I felt it acutely whenever people would mention how much they liked the game. I took the opportunity to fill out the comment form requesting accessibility with VoiceOver, explaining what did not work, and I asked others to make similar submissions. I even went to The New York Times’ website and sent a comment to the puzzle department. I got a “thank you for your interest” reply, which didn’t give me much confidence that things would change. After about six months of checking periodically, about three weeks ago I was thrilled to see that they have added check boxes to each of the items. It is accessible now. I immediately replied to their reply with a thank you note. I now agonize over the game every day. I win more than half of the time, but even when I lose, I enjoy the quest. I also enjoy just knowing that I can play when I want to!
For years, I have also enjoyed playing “Seven Little Words” on my phone. You get seven clues and a long list of two-to-four-letter combinations that spell the words that satisfy the clues. It’s free, and you can get harder puzzles with an in-app purchase. Some of the free daily puzzles are moderately easy, but some of them are a real challenge. They provide free puzzles every day. There is even an easy introductory level. I don’t play regularly, but I do binge on it from time to time.
Cindy Wentz told me about a puzzle she plays on the Mac, called “Quordle,” where you get nine chances to create four five-letter words simultaneously in a grid. It’s like Wordle on steroids. I have found it to be inaccessible on both the PC and the iPhone. I would love to play. Please let me know if you can figure out how to access it on those platforms!
Now it’s your turn. Are there any accessible games of any kind that you play? I’ll be open-minded; talk me into a good action game!
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/
Twitter: @ACBofMA