October 25, 2024
From the Editor
Halloween is just around the corner! Do you have any plans? I usually spend mine passing out candy, making sure no one takes the entire bowl (this happened last year thanks to a group of tween boys caught on our Ring doorbell). Also happening soon is Diwali, which is the day after Halloween this year and changes based on the Hindu calendar and moon cycle. It is a “Festival of Lights” when families clean their homes and fill them with colorful diya lamps, handmade rangoli art from various materials such as chalk powder, and bake an abundance of sweets. I also recently learned that it’s a gift-giving holiday. To come full-circle, what’s your favorite Halloween candy or fall sweet? I love apple cider donuts, and for candy I think my favorite would have to be either a KitKat or a Nestle Crunch bar.
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.
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.
News from the Board
The Board last met on October 13.
Hopefully you have already registered for our Fall Conference being held on Saturday, November 23 at the Grousbeck Center at Perkins, to either come in-person or Zoom in. The agenda is 99% complete with just a few details to be worked out. Among the special treats: A pair of Sony LinkBuds to go to all in-person members who express interest in them on the registration form (other members can get a pair shortly after the conference by mail), and a hands-on demo of the new Democracy Live accessible in-person voting hardware and software.
In an attempt to provide “equal time” to other companies in the voting business, Advocacy Co-Chair Nona Haroyan has reached out several times to the Dominion company, but they have not communicated back to us.
The Fall Conference will not be our only November event. The Social Committee is organizing a November 2 evening call for you to share stories about your cultural traditions during Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Membership Committee Chair Pam Loch reports that the committee continues its outreach efforts to local universities and organizations to inform them of BSCB activities. We may soon start contacting support groups hosted by MABVI which has an extensive network throughout the state.
MCB will soon begin its move out of its headquarters at 600 Washington Street in Boston, to another location not too far away. Since the pandemic, fewer staff members come to the office on any given day so this is being done to save on space and money. The Board agreed that it will be important to monitor how this proceeds to ensure that the quality and timeliness of provision of services and tech equipment does not suffer.
Events Calendar
Save the date! The BSCB annual Fall Conference will take place on Saturday, November 23, 2024. This will be a hybrid event, with in-person attendance taking place at the Grousbeck Center at Perkins School for the Blind and virtual attendance via Zoom. Please be sure to subscribe to our email list at bscb-announce+subscribe@acblists.org to stay up to date on all the important info.
The next meeting of Blind and Visually Impaired User Group (VIBUG) will take place on Saturday, November 9, 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, November 19, 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 November due to our annual Fall Conference. 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
Given the recent NFB rally concerning guide dog denials outside of Uber and Lyft headquarters (where ACB Immediate Past President Kim Charlson also spoke), this link outlines the new options Uber is rolling out to its app to make the rider experience more accessible. I try to be unbiased when sharing these articles, but I’m also cynical and believe this may also lead to more ride denials.
Uber Launches Improvements To Boost Accessibility
On the flip side, this NBC Bay Area article covers the rally from the perspective of the attendees. Note that upon loading the webpage, a video may autoplay with the news story.
Blind people rally against Uber, Lyft in SF claiming discrimination
A few months ago, Disney Parks made it more difficult to obtain a Disability Access Pass (a pass giving guests with disabilities and their party an attraction return time if they have difficulty waiting in line): They have restricted DAS to be limited to those with autism and other, similar disabilities, and those with physical disabilities are now unqualified. Universal, meanwhile, is going with a more standard approach, and has made it easier for guests and their party to obtain a disability pass if they need it.
Universal Modifies Disability Access At Theme Parks
Adam Morse, a British actor and filmmaker, was fearful of what people might think if they knew he was blind. Now, however, he’s blazing a trail for other disabled artists.
Blind filmmaker hopes to blaze a trail for artists with disabilities
Our Wonderful Cruise, by Lill Johnson
I consider myself very fortunate to have done a lot of traveling to many destinations, including Europe, the islands, and of course elsewhere in the States. Each trip was very positive and remains etched in my mind. Some of the trips included riverboats, which brought much enjoyment.
This past winter, my sister and I got in touch with our travel agent. We told her what we were looking for, and she suggested a week-long cruise with Holland America. What we liked about this trip was that it would be convenient, leaving and returning to Boston, lasting one week, in July. We immediately got to work and put together all the necessary paperwork, not only for us, but also for my guide dog. Once that was successfully done, all we had to do was look forward to July 20th.
When the great day came, our ship was docked, waiting for us. Before we knew it, we were on board. They treated us very well. They asked me if I needed a daily schedule in braille, which was quite a nice surprise. They showed us where our cabin was on the seventh deck, and they showed us where to find other important locations on board. Those were actually easy to find. Our cabin had an outside deck and even a special box for my guide dog to use for her needs. Normally when I travel with her and stay overnight, I put an elastic band or ribbon on the doorknob so we can easily locate the door to my room. I did that on the ship. Sure enough, my amazing, beloved dog brought me to the correct door all week.
The ports we traveled to were most exciting. At each location, we had choices to make as to which excursion we wanted to go on. All points of interest sounded so filled with history and more, and we finally made our choices.
Our ship had 1,500 passengers and a crew of about 700. Everyone we met was so friendly, smiling all the time. Our first stop was in Portland, Maine. We basically walked around, taking in various sites. We then continued on to Canada. The first stop was at St. John’s, New Brunswick. We chose to go on a photographic excursion. The guide was very informative about what we saw. There was an area called the tidal bore, where the tide went far out and we could walk on the ocean floor, until we were told to get back onto the beach with great haste, before the tide came back in—all at once. The next stop was Halifax and this time, my sister, guide dog, and I had a private tour with a driver who was so informative. He would stop and let us get out and take in the sites. One place was a lovely public garden which displayed many beautiful plants and trees, and lovely paths we could take in so many different directions. We also stopped and saw the changing of the guards. Halifax is filled with history. Lobster is highly recommended in Canada, and of course we enjoyed each time we ate it. The next port was Sydney, also in Nova Scotia. Again, our tour guide told us so many interesting stories about this beautiful place. Alexander Graham Bell was born there. He married a totally deaf woman. Their relationship was so special. A park was even named after them, and on one bench was a statue of both husband and wife. They had four children who all did well.
Our last port was on the way back—Bar Harbor, Maine, where we heard and saw a lot. We know that Maine blueberries are a favorite. Puffins are a lovely, colorful bird. Photographers took many pictures of them. Acadia National Park is very popular. We were told that millions of people visit its many acres in October to view the colors of autumn.
You are probably wondering about the meals on the ship. I am not kidding—each meal was so flavorful, and presented beautifully. The menu always changed each day with many choices and there were three dining rooms to choose from. Dress during the day was casual, while at night, we dressed as though we were going out for dinner to a nice restaurant.
The shows in the evening varied. Twice we heard a group of four men called “The Suits.” They were fantastic, singing songs from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. One night, there was a presentation about how the ship is run, including many details. This crew was on top of everything, in every way. Our drinking water came from the ocean and of course it had to go through many filtration processes. It was so good and refreshing.
I was asked to speak about myself and my guide dog and felt honored to have been chosen. When finished, I was given a bottle of champagne. My dog was welcome no matter where we went. Her manners were impeccable.
When we finally arrived back in Boston, we wanted to take the trip all over again. We could not get over the fact that in a few hours, the ship would head out with a group of new passengers, and to a different destination. I would highly recommend Holland America, and cannot find anything negative to say about our fabulous cruise.
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/
Twitter: @ACBofMA