March 25, 2025
From the Editor
Spring is finally here—although you might not know it with how weird the weather’s been where I am. The end of March means we’ve basically made it through the first quarter of 2025, and to me this year has felt incredibly long already, almost competing with the time it’s taking Amazon to process a return I dropped off on the 15th. It’s the 23rd when I’m writing this section and typically I’ve had great luck with Amazon returns only taking a day or two to process. We’ve also been watching a relative’s dog while they’re out of the country for the week. He’s an Australian cattle dog mixed with a standard poodle and probably other breeds, affectionately known as an “Aussie doodle” and while he’s much younger and more energetic than Fawn who you may or may not know as my retired guide dog (she’ll be 12 in April!), he’s a very good boy and a glutton for love. Anyway, look forward to a save the date for the 2025 BSCB Spring Conference in the Events Calendar! Also, please note some important changes on how to contact BSCB officers, committee chairs, and the BayLines Express editorial staff.
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 March 10.
The Spring Convention will be held on Saturday, May 17, at the Perkins Grousbeck Center in hybrid fashion. On March 17, we held our first organizational meeting. As has been the case in the recent past, the registration fee for in-person participants will be $25 and remote participants will not be charged a fee.
In collaboration with the Perkins Library and NFB of Massachusetts, the Social Committee is organizing an art tour at Perkins on Saturday, April 26. Tactile copies of several masterpieces like the Mona Lisa will be on display. While the tour itself will be about one hour, it will also be an all-day social event with optional box lunches. Those who opt for lunch will be charged a fee. Stay tuned for more details, including a registration form for attendees.
Member certification is now pretty much completed. At last count, the preliminary total was 196 members, but the final tally will probably total around 200. Thanks to all those who worked hard on getting all our data together, including Treasurer Nick Corbett, Co-Treasurer Aaron Spelker, Membership Committee Chair Pam Loch, and Membership Committee member Mary Haroyan.
Also concerning certification and dues, we will present an amended Constitutional bylaw on dues for a vote at the Spring Convention. The revised bylaw is intended to clarify what has always been a confusing process and to conform to the online payment system we intend to introduce later this year.
The board finalized planning for the introduction of new generic email addresses for the officer positions (president, first and second vice presidents, secretary, and treasurer). New email addresses will also be introduced for BayLines Express editors, as well as Advocacy and Membership chairs. The purpose is to provide a consistent and professional point of contact, protect personal information on the website, and potentially reduce spam and phishing attempts. An email will soon go out on the Announce list with the new email addresses.
The Board completed its annual budget review on March 16. Treasurer Nick Corbett presented the draft budget, and Board members reviewed each line item. The Board will formally adopt the budget at the April meeting.
Events Calendar
Save the date! The 2025 BSCB Spring Conference will be held on Saturday, May 17, in a hybrid format, in-person at the Perkins Grousbeck Center in Watertown and virtually via Zoom.
The next meeting of Blind and Visually Impaired User Group (VIBUG) will take place on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 1:00pm. Further information and how to join is listed at https://vibug.org/.
The next Perkins Library Without Walls will meet on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. 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 April. 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
Musician and writer Christa Couture navigates the world as an amputee, sharing tales of adaptive travel. Read more about her journey below.
From Accidental Tourist to Adaptive Travel Host
I’ve seen posts about this going around on social media from people in my network, and it’s finally happening! If you know of little ones in the Boston area, a new, accessible playground is officially in the works.
We never share tech rumors in this newsletter, but I thought this was too cool to pass up. Keep in mind this is just a rumor, but when it comes to Apple I feel as though most rumors do come to fruition.
Apple reportedly developing AirPods with built-in cameras for AI-powered features
CSUN happened not long ago before this issue went out, so here’s a roundup article from it!
CSUN 2025 in Review: Hope, Tech, and the Accessibility Landscape
What is a Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon?
by Jerry Berrier
A couple of months ago, Martha Steele, an expert blind birder from Massachusetts, approached me and asked if I might be interested in collaborating with her on planning a bird-a-thon for birders who are blind. We then reached out to Donna Posont, a blind birder from Michigan, and she agreed to join us.
Next I contacted my friend Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability, and we became a team of four. (Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody.)
On May 18, we will hold the first-ever blind birder bird-a-thon. We have high hopes that it will become an annual event.
No experience is needed, and you can participate from your own backyard, a porch, a park, or anywhere else where birds can be heard and seen. We will tell you how.
For all of the details, and to register, please visit https://www.birdability.org and find a link to the Blind Birder Bird-a-thon.
There is a list of questions and answers that will help you understand all about this unique opportunity.
By the way, after the event, we will schedule a Zoom social to get your feedback about the bird-a-thon, and to hold a random drawing for several very nice prizes.
Please spread the word, and Happy birding!
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/