You are cordially invited to BSCB’s 2024 Spring Conference and Convention which will take place on Saturday May 18 in hybrid fashion: In-person at the Perkins School for the Blind’s Grousbeck Center for Students and Technology, and remotely via Zoom. The address for the Grousbeck Center is 55 Beechwood Avenue, Watertown. In-person registration will begin at 8:45 AM. For remote attendees, the Zoom room will open at 9:15 AM. The conference will start promptly at 9:30 AM and end at 4:30PM.
The registration fee for in-person participants is $25 to defray refreshment and lunch costs. It is free for remote attendees. Morning refreshments, including coffee and pastries, will be provided prior to the 9:30 kick-off. Cold beverages will also be provided during lunch. Boxed lunches (sandwich or salad, plus chips and a cookie) will be ordered from Panera for in-person attendees, who are required to make their choice on the registration form below.
The Grousbeck Center has a maximum capacity of 52 persons. If and when we reach that limit, in-person registration will be closed and you will receive an announcement to that effect. Therefore, be sure to register early to assure your place at Perkins.
We plan on having informative sessions on an array of topics, as well as our annual business meeting and awards ceremony.
All BSCB members who have registered will be able to participate in our election of Board officers, as well as vote on proposed resolutions and formal adoption of our Code of Conduct policy. Our annual fundraising auction will be held the evening before – Friday May 17, beginning at 7:00 PM. This will be held remotely with Zoom hosting by ACB Media.
Assisted Listening Devices
Please note that assistive listening devices will be available. Email David Kingsbury, BSCB President, at davidkingsbury77@gmail.com if you would like to reserve one. We will have someone available to show you how to operate it on the day of the conference.
How to Register
There are several ways for you to register. You can register electronically by filling out the form at the following link:
Register for the 2024 BSCB Spring Conference and Convention
After submitting your completed form, a message will pop up with a link to a PayPal page for paying your $25 registration fee. In-person attendees should open the link and pay the fee. Remote participants should ignore this pop up.
You can also leave a voicemail at (773) 572-6312 indicating that you would like to give your registration information over the phone. You will receive a call back within 48 hours and you can give your payment and lunch choice information then.
If you wish to pay by cash or check on the day of the conference, you can also indicate this by leaving a voicemail by calling the aforementioned number. Please leave your name and phone number so we can confirm to you that we received your message. We prefer you prepay because it makes our administrative job easier.
You can also register in-person the day of the conference. However, the registration fee will still be $25 and there is no guarantee that you will receive lunch.
Remote registrants will be emailed Zoom information a few days before the conference.
How to Make an Optional Donation
If you would like to make an optional donation to BSCB for any amount, please open the PayPal link below:
Donate to the BSCB
Door Prizes
Throughout the day, we will be awarding door prizes to both in-person and remote registrants, provided that they are BSCB members. For the most part, these will be small gift certificates. If you would like to donate a door prize, please contact ElizabethAnn Johnson, Social Committee Chair, at elizabethannjohnson53@gmail.com
Availability of a BSCB Transportation Subsidy
In recognition of the difficulty that BSCB members have in traveling across regional transit authority zones to attend BSCB events, the Board has established a transportation subsidy policy. If you are coming to the Convention from outside the MBTA zone, you may be reimbursed up to $100 for this cost. It will be reimbursed only after you have participated in the convention.
Elements of the policy are:
- Only BSCB members in good standing are eligible for the subsidy.
- Reimbursement is limited to travel to BSCB statewide events: the Spring convention, the Fall conference, and Social Committee-organized events. Chapter-sponsored events are not included.
- A member may request up to $100 per event and must submit their reimbursement through this Transportation Subsidy Request form. Reimbursement is for actual travel costs. It is not a flat rate.
- The $100 per event limit does not mean that the subsidy covers two $100 fares of a roundtrip, but a maximum of up to $100 per event.
Pooled travel among members is encouraged in order to save costs. If an individual member pays for a pooled trip for themselves as well as for several other members, reimbursement may be requested up to the maximum of $100 per member.
Conference and Convention Program
Registration will begin at 8:45 AM, followed by the general session, beginning promptly at 9:30 AM. The conference will conclude at approximately 4:30 PM.
In addition to our business meeting and awards ceremony, the convention will feature speakers on a variety of topics, including MCB Commissioner John Oliveira who will provide an update on MCB activities, representatives of state boards dealing with digital and transportation accessibility, an interview with author Andrew Leland, an update on Perkins Library happenings, and sessions on personal finance and technology.
As the date approaches, we will send further announcements with the final program agenda, Zoom information, instructions on how voting will be conducted, the slate of Nominations Committee-proposed candidates, the text of the proposed Code of Conduct policy, and a list of auction items.
We look forward to seeing you on May 18, either in Watertown or over Zoom. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at davidkingsbury77@gmail.com.