March 25, 2026
From the Editor
March has flown by, and it’s hard to believe we’re finally on to spring! There are a lot of changes in the air, such as my new position at American Council of the Blind as the Audio Description Project Coordinator. Audio description is something that’s near and dear to my heart, as an avid consumer of it, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to take the ADP to the next level. In more local news, our Spring Conference and Convention is fast approaching, so read on to find out more!
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 8.
Member certification with ACB is now completed. As of the Board meeting, Mary Haroyan of the Membership Committee reported there were 215 members. There has been significant growth in several chapters including Charles River and Guide Dog Users with 65 and 60 members, respectively. A total of 59 members paid their dues via the new online system, and 14 people took advantage of the free membership offer.
The Membership Committee will be organizing a Zoom meeting with new members on April 30. Committee members will also be calling new members individually.
The Board responded to a question regarding clarification about BSCB lifetime memberships: whether a chapter member who is a lifetime member of BSCB needs to pay the $9 base rate in addition to what they pay to join a chapter. Lifetime members are not required to pay the $9. If a lifetime member mistakenly pays this amount along with their chapter dues, they have the option to seek a refund of the $9 or make it a contribution to BSCB.
The Board decided to offer a $150 subsidy to those wishing to book hotel rooms at the Marriott Burlington on the Saturday night of the Spring Convention. This will be good for up to 20 rooms and is intended to make the hotel more affordable for those who might not have otherwise decided to stay there that evening. Nona Haroyan has posted on the Announce list detailed information on how to reserve a room.
Advocacy Committee co-chair Nona Haroyan shared positive news about a response from the Secretary of State’s office regarding new accessible voting machines at poll sites. As we know, the AutoMark machines are quite old and need to be replaced with a new generation of machines around the state. The Secretary of State office intends to organize tech fairs this summer to test prospective voting devices with voters. Hopefully, new machines can be procured and ready for the 2028 elections. It was emphasized that this is not a replacement for accessible absentee voting, which will continue to be available.
The BSCB Story Slam took place on March 14, via Zoom. Ten members told stories and everybody had a great time. Thanks to Social Committee chair ElizabethAnn Johnson for organizing the event, Tim Cumings for serving as MC, Jeanette Kutash for Zoom hosting, and to Nona Haroyan and Cheryl Cumings for judging. Congratulations also to the three best story winners: Jerry Berrier, DeAnn Elliott, and Bill Henderson. Each will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
The next Board meeting will take place on April 12.
Events Calendar
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, April 11, 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 April of 2026. 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 be April 16 at 8:00pm via Zoom, where we will hear from an assembled panel about the world of streaming services. 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.
News from the Web
If you have a pair of Meta glasses, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s a new partnership in town! Be My Eyes and Meta are collaborating to help train inclusive AI models, which will help users in the blind and low vision community.
Be My Eyes Announces Collaboration with Meta to Help Train Inclusive AI Models
It may be spring now, but earlier in the month, Boston residents with disabilities spoke at City Hall on snow removal relief.
Boston residents with disabilities pack City Hall, demand fix to snow removal
Matt Shifrin, a Newton resident, founded Bricks for the Blind which is making LEGO set instructions more accessible. I met him at the 2024 ACB National Convention in Jacksonville where he had some hands-on sessions, and I am definitely going to use their instructions for the sets I have still sitting in their packages.
Bricks for the Blind: Newton man adapts LEGO products for visually impaired
My EchoVision Glasses, by Myra Ross
My Agiga EchoVision glasses and I have been through many trials, let’s say growing pains, for me and them. I am a Pioneer, meaning I have had the glasses, which even now are not quite ready for prime time, since late December. Initially, everything was great. I read holiday cards; I heard detailed descriptions of my home. I was pretty impressed. The problem started when I went to another town and tried to get on a different wi-fi network. Nothing worked. I came home figuring it would work again here as it had in the past. Nope. I did more factory resets than I care to count. I kept getting unstable messages, and the wi-fi kept going in and out. Every update took three or four attempts. Between successes that were amazing, including reading much of a book, I had lots of failures. I could barely complete a task. I ultimately asked for another pair of glasses, which I recently received. Although my first pair was erratic, the new pair is great.
I’ll tell you about one fabulous experience I had. I connected to my hotspot, and with my sighted husband I took the glasses for a spin at the supermarket. I used both the Q&A (photo) and Live AI (video) modes, depending on what I wanted to know. My glasses told me that the pharmacy counter was at 2 o’clock three feet ahead of me, true, and that the tech had blond hair and was wearing a green hoodie and blue jeans, also true. It accurately read me the signs about vaccinations.
In the produce section, it told me what kind of apples there were, and how much they cost. It identified the plastic container next to the apples as caramel dipping sauce — who knew that was even there? It told me that the peppers, eggplants, summer squashes, and zucchinis were in the display in front of me. I found the peppers which it identified by color as I picked them up. I found the two summer squashes, but not the eggplants. I said to myself that I couldn’t find the eggplants and my glasses told me they were higher up than the squashes. I didn’t even know the display went up that high. I reached way up and forward, and voila, eggplants!! It misidentified the mangos that were between the two kinds of avocados, but I knew they were mangos. It did hallucinate a little, as AI can do. It kept insisting that a container of blueberries was raspberries even when reading the container in my hand. I knew they were blueberries, but I did not buy them at that price!
There was a random display of canned goods in the middle of somewhere. I picked up a can that my husband was pretty sure the glasses would not be able to read. Oh yes they could — Campbell’s vegetable soup. The glasses even read a round can!
The sign for prepared foods drew me. I picked up a package, which the glasses said was sliced turkey. Without further prompting, I heard the glasses say, “the package says chicken, but it looks like turkey!”
I learned that there are yellow sale signs everywhere. Entenman’s donut holes were BOGO, and I was tempted until I asked the price. The glasses said $5.69 per box — too much for donuts I don’t eat very often anyway.
My battery was running low, so we went to the chips aisle — my weakness.
Wow, there are a lot of kinds of chips, and there were jars of salsa in front of the chips almost all the way down the long aisle. Who knew? I did not try to read the jars as we would have been there all day. Then the battery died. Too bad. I was having so much fun. Battery life will increase when the final version of the glasses is released, and importantly, the glasses can be comfortably recharged while in use. All you need is a small power bank and a USB-C cord (I purchased a retractable one) which can be in a purse or backpack while the glasses are worn – not uncomfortable.
Shopping online is great, but it is true that there is nothing like being there. I’m sure that exploring will get old ultimately, but I was like a kid in a candy store. The fact that I now can “see” something of what it looks like in that store that I have gone too often for forty years is nothing short of thrilling to me.
Because my first pair was defective, I have not had as many experiences as some of the other Pioneers. They are reading mail, price tags, paper and wall menus in restaurants, church bulletins, and are learning about landmarks they never knew about in neighborhoods they have lived in for decades.
I know sighted people who have two, sometimes three, pairs of glasses, depending on what they are doing. I think we are no different. No glasses can be everything for all people. These glasses were designed essentially to help us see, for me, the most noble of purposes. Importantly, they do not censor; they offer incredibly detailed descriptions; they connect to Aira and Be My Eyes; they take telephone calls; they answer clarifying questions; they can both summarize and OCR text. Most functions are button-activated. They are working on alternative voice commands. Even before they are ready for prime time later this year, they are very promising. I love that they were designed by blind people for blind people. They are constantly considering suggestions from the early adopter Pioneers and Beta testers who have tried features not yet known to me. The EchoVision glasses will only get better. The amazing engineers are now working on improving stability and connectivity, short form responses, and facial ID, perfect for making all-important quick identifications. I don’t need them to do all of the things that other smart glasses already do, at least not anytime soon. I’m all in on their priorities – to provide as much accurate visual access to the world as possible.
Despite my trials with the glasses, I say thank you, and Bravo!!
BSCB Contact Information
Phone: (773) 572-6312
BSCB website: https://acbofma.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACBOfMA/