April 25, 2026
From the Editor
April has flown by, and we’re this much closer to our annual Spring Conference! There’s a lovely article by BSCB First Vice President Sharon Strzalkowski, information on accessibility at Fenway Park, links to a podcast where several members spoke about Waymo, and more in this month’s issue of BayLines Express. We hope you enjoy reading, and have a lovely transition into the springtime with hopefully warmer weather!
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 April 12.
The Board decided to grant an emergency donation to a member whose house had burned down several days prior to the Board meeting. Fortunately, the member and his wife were not seriously hurt, but they lost everything. Hopefully this modest donation will help them to purchase some essential items.
We continue to prepare for the May 16 convention. Rick Morin and David Kingsbury decided to forgo signing a contract with Encore, the audio-visual company that the Marriott contracts with. This is because costs were excessive and there was much we could do on our own instead. Rick will bring his own equipment and rent speakers for the convention.
We plan on submitting at least three resolutions for consideration by the membership at the convention. These include resolutions related to: guide dog refusals by ride share companies; autonomous vehicles; and accessible in-person balloting.
The Membership Committee will hold a new member orientation via Zoom on April 30. There are over 20 new members this year and it is hoped that most of them will attend.
Simon Miner and Kayla Bentas will join Dianna Leonard as co-webmasters. Among other things, they plan on revisiting the website theme, or visual layout. We are hoping to do a major refurbishment of the website in the coming months.
Social Committee Chair ElizabethAnn Johnson reported that the Story Slam in March was a great success. The next event will likely be strawberry picking at Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon in mid-June.
Events Calendar
The 2026 BSCB Spring Convention will take place on Saturday, 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, May 9, 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 May 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 May due to our Spring Conference and Convention. 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
Red Sox Information
The following information was provided to assist baseball fans at Fenway Park.
“For any questions regarding accessibility at Fenway Park, please contact the Accessible Services team. They can provide more information about the services we offer, including the Exceptional Fan Program, as well as assist with purchasing accessible seating.
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 617-226-6197
Email: accessibleservices@redsox.com
In-Game Availability:
- Live Chat
- In Person at any Fan Information Booth”
“The Exceptional Fan Program was designed to enhance the fan experience for individuals with disabilities and accessibility needs. This optional program is free of charge and available to pre-book through the Accessible Services Team or in-game at the Gate D Fan Services Booth.”
“Assisted Listening Devices are available to fans who may have hearing or visual impairments. The ALDs can be picked up prior to and during the game at all Fan Information booths located at Gates B, D, and E. Should fans encounter any issues with the devices, they are encouraged to utilize the Live Chat function of the MLB Ballpark app to report any problems or receive assistance.
Fans can also listen on their own smart phones by connecting to the Fenway Park Wi-Fi and downloading the Listen EVERYWHERE app. The IP address is 172.22.150.150. Once the IP is set, the app will default to the Listen EVERYWHERE screen and two services should be listed (Public Address and WEEI). Select which service you would like to listen to.”
Finally, the rules for Service Animals have been relaxed. They still have to enter through Gate D, but they can exit and re-enter any gate to relieve themselves.
Salsa ASL by the Shell
You are cordially invited to Salsa ASL by the Shell, hosted by Think Outside the Vox, Silent Rhythms and Esplanade Association. Led by DeafBlind Dance Instructor Kerry Thompson, this immersive event centers Disability Joy, bringing together disabled and non-disabled dancers, Deaf, Blind, DeafBlind, and wheelchair users on a radically inclusive dance floor. Join us on Saturday, May 2nd at 1:00 pm at the Hatch Grove on the Charles River Esplanade.
With a DJ, Audio Description, ASL and ProTactile interpreters, sighted guides, adaptive dance captains, and rest spaces, access is built into every beat. Rooted in Silent Rhythms’ mission to empower disabled artists and VOX’s commitment to building Disability Justice & Joy, this is more than just an outdoor dance class. It is accessibility embodied and joy revolution through music and dance!
Join us. All levels welcome to dance, laugh, and experience community activism without barriers.
This event is FREE, open to the public, and funded by a Neighborhood Activation Grant by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture. Vox is proud to be recognized as a Model Equity Organization in 2025. Registration in advance is preferred.
Registration for Salsa ASL by the Shell
News from the Web
You may have already seen this circulating, but Senator Markey is among those reintroducing the CTVA Act. Head to the link below for more information.
Aira, the popular visual interpreting app, now integrates seamlessly with the Meta AI smart glasses instead of users having to use a workaround for calls. Here’s more information directly from Aira.
BSCB member Carl Richardson, BSCB Board member Nora Nagle, and others are heard in the following podcast regarding autonomous vehicles and the push for Waymo access in Boston.
In a Driverless World, Who Loses and Who Wins?
Belonging, a fragile thing
By Sharon Strzalkowski
On a fateful Saturday in November the vote was cast, and my church would soon be closed as a result of a merger with another parish. Even though I was on the leadership team and knew that this could happen, the grief, anger and fear were immediate for me, as for many others. Financial considerations and lower attendance precipitated this move to shore up the merged parish, and my rational self understood this.
Then came the hard choices, which are still reverberating today. In an odd way I knew that I already belonged to the soon-to-be merged parish, because I knew many of the people, and knew that I would be welcomed there. But getting the inclusion stuff to work would be another matter. Could I get rides to their more distant location from my home? Could I navigate this old building with odd groupings of steps? Could I sing in the choir there, given a very steep choir loft?
My other choice would be to go to a new parish a little closer to my home where I am not known, but where the physical plant is easier and where the community is well established with good routines and administrative support.
Well, I have not yet decided for sure what I will do. Inclusion and belonging are fragile and gradual things, I am learning. Inclusion takes advocacy on my part and being willing to not have things go perfectly. Belonging is more of an emotional acceptance on my part and that of my fellow parishioners. Going into a somewhat different culture is challenging.
I feel sure that whichever community I choose will eventually be where I want to be, and I am trying to be patient with myself as I go through the grief of losing my parish of 30 years and embarking on a new adventure.
I think about new members coming into our ACB state affiliates and chapters, and urge all of us to be patient with them as they go through different emotions, with perhaps some fits and starts as to their attendance and dedication. We can help them by just letting them participate in whatever way feels right, and then eventually inviting them to help with this committee or other. I wish all the best to those who are recent members of ACB and who are feeling their way to belonging.
Amendment to original article:
Since the writing of this article for the April Braille Forum, I have decided to stay with the community in the less accessible and farther off building because the people are known to me and I feel connected to them. It is an uneasy decision, because I am dependent on a couple of people for rides, unless I want to pay $25 each way for an Uber. Even so, I am at peace with the decision for now.
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/