December 23, 2024
From the Editor
2024 has been an interesting year, to say the least. It is very chilly and in the 20s as I’m writing this, and we actually have snow sticking to the ground where I am in southern Maine! We won’t get as much as part of Massachusetts, but it’s a Christmas miracle. I know a lot of you dislike the snow, but I find it very pretty and I love it around the holidays. However, regardless of what or how you celebrate, the BSCB Communications Committee would like to wish everyone a happy, safe, and warm holiday season as we approach the end of this year and go into the next.
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 last Board call was held on December 8. The Board decided to allocate $900 for external bookkeeping assistance for tracking and tabulating financial data in QuickBooks, which unfortunately, has many usability shortcomings. The Board agreed to one of the options that had been presented by Aaron Spelker on the November Board call. Regular routine transactions will still be recorded by the treasurer, but the bookkeeper will organize all the data for purposes of periodic report preparation and facilitation of tax filing.
We continue to develop a new PayPal dues payment procedure for members who want to renew their BSCB and chapter memberships, and hope to roll it out early next year. People will still be able to pay their chapters directly by cash or check if they wish. The Board will extensively communicate with affiliate presidents and treasurers so everybody is familiar with the system.
On the January Board call we will review our investment allocation between stocks and bonds which currently stands at a 60/40 split. We may adjust this after considering our short-term cash needs and other relevant financial considerations.
The Transportation Committee submitted comments on the Massachusetts Association of Regional Transit authorities (MARTA) latest draft PDF form intended to serve as the common ADA eligibility form for accessing RTA paratransit services. This version is accessible, but needs a few improvements. We hope to have a meeting in mid-January with MARTA to discuss it.
The Board discussed the possibility of developing a deeper partnership with the Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), and identified a few possible areas for advocacy, including transportation, accessible healthcare records, and housing. The Advocacy Committee will further explore these areas early next year.
Events Calendar
The next meeting of Blind and Visually Impaired User Group (VIBUG) will take place on Saturday, January 11, 2024 at 1:00pm for our post-holiday party. Further information and how to join is listed at https://vibug.org/.
The next Perkins Library Without Walls will meet on Tuesday, January 21, 2024. To RSVP or listen to the upcoming LWW schedule, call the voice mailbox system at (617) 972-7852.
The next Third Thursday with the BSCB will take place on January 16 at 8:00pm where we will have a panel on banking apps. 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 member Tim Vernon, a Fitchburg State alum, was recently highlighted by his alma mater for his passion for disability rights.
Timothy Vernon ’06 is passionate about his advocacy for persons with disabilities.
I only know the basics regarding “Wicked”, but I’ve been seeing ads and collaborations for it everywhere. Marissa Bode, who portrays Nessarose in the film adaptation, recently addressed ableist comments about her character’s disability, urging kindness and understanding.
Wicked star Marissa Bode encourages people to be kind about her character’s disability
Discover the latest innovation from ChatGPT: Now you can call and ask questions directly over the phone!
You Can Now Call ChatGPT & Ask Questions On The Phone
This article shares some simple yet thoughtful tips to make guests feel welcome, comfortable, and included at every gathering.
How this expert’s advice for an inclusive holiday party benefits all guests
We Can Be Proud of Our 2024 Accomplishments, by David Kingsbury
This has been a year of notable accomplishments for BSCB. Our Board and committees have been hard at work addressing priority issues of benefit to our members and the Commonwealth’s blind and low vision community. While preparing this article, I reread the BayLines Express article I wrote last December. There I mentioned several priorities for the coming year in the areas of advocacy, communications and outreach, and social activities. I am happy to say that we have made substantial progress on each of these fronts.
On the advocacy front, in the Spring, BSCB successfully advocated for healthy Fiscal Year 2025 funding levels for MCB and library services. As in previous years, an earmark was also passed to increase funding for MCB technology training and equipment.
We actively Monitored the accessibility of the fall elections, as well as looking forward to the next generation of accessible in-person voting devices. We invited Democracy Live to our Fall Conference in November to demo their hardware and software which is in development.
With regard to accessible transportation, we continued our dialogue with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Transit Authorities (MARTA) in efforts to standardize and streamline procedures for renewing ADA eligibility for accessing paratransit services. We are just about finished on the design and adoption of an accessible PDF form for initial signup and renewal of paratransit services
We have been in steady dialogue with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) on seeking ways to expedite authorization of placing Board members on the Rehabilitation Council, the community advisory board to the MCB on vocational rehabilitation programs and priorities. Historically, this has been a slow and frustrating process, and we hope that our advocacy efforts will lead to durable improvements.
The Membership Committee began rolling out its Ambassador program this year to increase outreach and awareness of BSCB to community groups. Committee members spoke to a low vision clinic and group of pharmacy interns in Worcester, a home for seniors on the North Shore, and clients at the Carroll Center.
The Communications Committee has made significant progress redesigning the website, making it more visually appealing, among other things. Committee members continue to regularly produce quality content via BayLines Express, Third Thursday Zoom calls, Council Connection, and social media posts. We hope to soon launch a web page where members can pay their annual BSCB and affiliate dues, making the process quicker and less confusing. Those who wish to continue renewing dues directly with their affiliates will still be able to do so.
This year, the Social Committee organized a jam-packed calendar of fun and entertaining activities, including an afternoon at the Scores Restaurant in Boston, a pool party in Waltham, apple picking on the North Shore, and a social call on Zoom to talk about holiday traditions. We are always looking for new ideas for social events, and if you have any, don’t hesitate to contact our Social Committee chair, ElizabethAnn Johnson.
On a personal note, this fall, I found it very rewarding to serve as the principal instructor of a twelve-week Microsoft Office class of over 400 members, sponsored by the Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS) affiliate of ACB. I felt deeply honored to be awarded a BITS lifetime membership in recognition of my role leading the course.
Let me conclude by thanking all those who, through their efforts, contributed to make 2024 a very successful year for BSCB. Here’s hoping that we will do even better in 2025.
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/
Twitter: @ACBofMA