February 25, 2026
From the Editor
BayLines Express is officially ten years old as of this issue! What were you doing ten years ago in February of 2016? I don’t remember much other than being finished with my undergrad studies for almost a year at that point, but maybe I’m dating myself. However, as a special treat, BSCB President David Kingsbury went through the archives and found the first ever edition of BayLines Express from February 25, 2016! You can view this page on our website here. For easier viewing it will also be sent to our email announcement list along with this current issue.
Don’t forget about our blog! You can read member spotlight articles and all past member-submitted articles to BayLines Express by going to https://acbofma.org/blog. Blog posts are ordered newest to oldest, and there are several of them per page. Each individual post’s title is a link that will take you to the full body of text.
If you would like to contribute information or comment on ways to improve BayLines Express, please contact Dianna Leonard at newsletter@acbofma.org. And if you have an idea for a monthly article and would like to contribute your writing, please contact Myra Ross at newsletter@acbofma.org. The newsletter mailbox is shared between Myra and Dianna.
News from the Board
The Board last met on February 9.
We are well into the annual dues payment and ACB certification process. The new online payment process seems successful. About 50 members have used the online mechanism to pay. They are split roughly half and half between at-large members and those signing up to join or rejoin chapters. First-timers signing up for free membership total 13 so far.
A quick reminder that the Social Committee is organizing a story slam on March 14, remotely via Zoom. Put on your thinking caps to come up with a good story and maybe win a prize.
BSCB’s advocacy initiatives now appear on the MCB web page. Take a look at:
Legislation of Interest to the Blind Community, Mass.gov
Efforts have begun to organize the Spring Convention in Burlington, scheduled for Saturday May 16. Plenty of interesting sessions are being planned, and we will be voting for officers this year. Carl Richardson will chair the Nominations Committee, Kim Charlson the Awards Committee, and Brian Charlson the Resolutions Committee. No constitutional amendments are envisaged this year.
The Board approved the design of a new calendar that will eventually appear on the website. Its intention is to give visitors to the website a better idea of what BSCB does, and to better coordinate scheduling of events and activities. The Communications Committee will be working out the details.
The next Board meeting will take place on Sunday, March 8.
Events Calendar
Save the date! The 2026 BSCB Spring Convention will take place on Sunday, May 16 in a hybrid fashion, with in-person attendance taking place at the Burlington Marriott and remote attendance via Zoom. More info is to come, so be sure to subscribe to our Announce List at bscb-announce+subscribe@acblists.org to stay up to date.
The next meeting of Blind and Visually Impaired User Group (VIBUG) will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2026 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 in March of 2026. 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 March. Please be sure to subscribe to our Announce List at bscb-announce+subscribe@acblists.org to stay up to date.
The BSCB Social Committee will be hosting a Story Slam on Saturday, March 14, at 7:00pm via Zoom. Come prepared with a funny or exciting story, and you may be awarded a prize in return! Please be sure to subscribe to our Announce 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
BSCB was recently featured in Boston.com and The Boston Globe in an article involving Waymo coming to the state. The Boston.com article is linked below.
Waymo wants to expand into Boston. Massachusetts law isn’t ready.
Here’s another article close to home, outlining the state’s new digital accessibility and equity plan.
Massachusetts publishes digital accessibility and equity plan
Cassandra Xavier, a Boston resident who identifies as Deafblind, met with MassLive to show how difficult it is to be a cane user with the current snow buildup on the sidewalks. (Note: This article was updated on February 12 with a statement from the city’s Disability Commission.)
‘Body at risk’: Boston snow leaves disabled residents stuck on sidewalks weeks after storm
Several blind and low vision individuals, including members of American Council of the Blind (ACB) staff, were invited to the Super Bowl to experience the game in an accessible format with the OneCourt device.
Blind and low vision fans to experience Super Bowl 60 in new way
Making a Case for Vision: a Story of Inclusive Marketing for Assistive Tech, by Simon Miner
An accessible marketing campaign rooted in community, creativity, and joy
One of the things I love most about working in digital accessibility is how often it takes me somewhere unexpected. Over the years, that’s meant everything from code reviews and training sessions to advocacy work and storytelling. What I never expected was that accessibility would lead me to writing a jingle, producing videos, and helping shape an inclusive marketing campaign for an assistive technology product. But that’s exactly what happened with Case for Vision.
I first encountered Case for Vision at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in 2025. While exploring the exhibit hall, I tried out their stand, a lightweight, articulated iPhone holder paired with a custom app that turns a phone into a hands-free magnifier. It can sit over a receipt, a worksheet, or a menu, and make it easy to watch TV from across the room using a small built-in mirror. With familiar gestures like pinch and swipe, plus quick toggles for high contrast, black-and-white, or inverted colors, it felt thoughtfully designed and immediately useful.
As I explored further, I pulled up the Case for Vision website and noticed a few accessibility issues. I began pointing them out to someone at the booth when the founder, Igor Feinberg, walked over. To my surprise, he said, “I know exactly what you’re talking about.” That moment sparked an ongoing conversation, and soon after, my agency, Pedal Point Solutions, began working with Case for Vision to improve the site’s accessibility.
As our collaboration deepened, I realized just how transformative the product was for me personally. I have nystagmus, which causes my eyes to move involuntarily, constantly shifting my focal point. That means I often have to move my head to follow where my focus lands, which can be exhausting, especially when reading or viewing distant objects. Even with a phone’s built-in magnifier, holding the device steady can be challenging. With Case for Vision, my phone is stable and hands free. That steadiness minimizes eye motion and makes it easier for me to hold focus. It has genuinely changed how I interact with the world around me.
Over time, my professional connection with Igor grew into a friendship, shaped by shared values and a mutual love of music. That common ground opened the door to an idea that neither of us saw coming: giving Case for Vision its own soundtrack.
Somewhere between accessibility reviews and marketing strategy conversations, a melody and a set of lyrics began to take shape. I wanted something upbeat and joyful, something that captured the independence and confidence Case for Vision offers. The lyrics came together quickly:
I’m making a case for vision I’m breaking it out I’m loving the newfound freedom The feeling of watching it all go down I’m stretching my legs to see ’em I’m standing my ground Whether near or far, there’s a Case for Vision
When I shared the song with Igor, he immediately embraced the idea of recording it and using it as part of Case for Vision’s marketing. But it was important to me that this project lived out the principle of “nothing about us without us.” If this song was going to represent an assistive technology brand, blind and low-vision musicians needed to be at the center of it.
Through my network, I connected with Precious Perez, an accomplished blind musician who has performed at the Kennedy Center and for artists like Alicia Keys. Precious didn’t hesitate. She agreed to record the song before even hearing it, simply because she believed in the mission behind it. Her band, Midair Decision, joined the project as well.
To bring everything together, I worked with my friend Tim Bongiovanni at Northgate Studio. I recorded piano and guide tracks, then shared them remotely with the band. Over the course of a week, blind musicians across the country added drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. Tim mixed and mastered the final track, and when I heard it for the first time, I couldn’t stop smiling.
The song became the foundation for a broader accessible marketing campaign. We produced a series of videos highlighting Case for Vision’s products. From the very first storyboard, accessibility was baked into the process. Audio descriptions were written directly into the scripts, and shots were planned with enough space and time for descriptions to fit naturally.
Rather than offering audio description as a separate track, we embedded it directly into the videos to make it easier for blind and low vision users to enjoy the content. My wife, Melanie Konstandakis, recorded the audio descriptions during production to help guide pacing and flow. On set, director Koo Chung worked with a diverse and neurodiverse cast and crew, capturing footage that felt authentic and unhurried. After filming, journalist and accessibility advocate Reshma Iqbal (who is also deaf) collaborated with me line by line to craft precise, well-timed captions.
The result is a set of polished, joyful videos that feel professional without losing their human warmth. They are now being used across social media, conferences, podcasts, and presentations to tell the Case for Vision story in a way that truly includes the community it serves.
Watch the Case for Vision videos on this YouTube playlist.
Looking back, it’s remarkable how a chance meeting at a conference booth led to a friendship, a song, and an accessible marketing campaign built by and for people with disabilities. This work is a reminder that accessibility isn’t just about compliance. It’s about creativity, collaboration, and making space for disabled voices to lead.
Next month, I’ll have the opportunity to share this story, along with practical lessons from the campaign, as part of a training session on accessible marketing at the 2026 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Whether through music, video, or design, this project shows what’s possible when accessibility is treated as an opportunity rather than a constraint.
Because whether near or far, there truly is a case for vision.
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/