THE BULLETIN

of the

San Mateo County Council of the Blind

November 2000 Vol. 1 No. 7

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President's Message

by Frank Welte

All of us face our share of disruptions in life, and the San Mateo County Council of the Blind is no exception. Because the CCB’s (California Council of Blind) state convention and the Veteran's Day holidays take place on the first and second week-ends in November respectively, we shall be moving our November meeting to

SATURDAY, NOV. 18 at 10:30 AM.

Speaking of disruptions, those of you who have been in the vicinity of SFO the (San Francisco International Airport) in recent years have experienced unexpected changes on a massive scale. How will this new airport construction affect people with disabilities?

Ron Fong, the airport's ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) co-ordinator,

deals with this question on a daily basis, and he'll be at our November meeting to tell us what we can expect to encounter at this expanded facility. This is a golden opportunity for us to learn how the ADA impacts what is probably the largest commercial establishment in San Mateo County. Given the fact that some of us will have had recent encounters with the airport while traveling to our state convention I'm sure we'll have our own opinions to share on the subject as well. In addition to hearing Mr. Fong's presentation we will be planning our December holiday party, setting our 2001 meeting schedule, and reporting on the CCB Los Angeles convention and other happenings affecting our community. The CCB has two semi-annual conventions. One is in Northern California and the other in the southern portion of the state. This past Spring the convention was in Sacramento.

Each year the ACB (American Council of the Blind) our parent organization, has an annual convention. Last year it was in Louisville, KY. Next year it will be in Des Moines, IA. The national conventions are a full week while the states are half as long.

Recently our gatherings have been growing in attendance and enthusiasm.

I'm confident this trend will continue. Don't forget that we meet at the

Bank of America at El Camino Real and 3rd Avenue in San Mateo. Feel free to call me for further information.

Why not suggest that a friend or family member also attend. Our programs are great and they will thank you for suggesting it. If each member brings only one new person, our size doubles.

Frank Welte, SMCCB President

(650)508-8329

[email protected]

California has over *100* Talking ATMs

We urge everyone who is blind or visually impaired, and everyone else who would benefit from audible instructions on an ATM, to use the machines. Using these machines will send a message to banks across the country about the importance of talking ATMs.

Make a personal commitment to use the machines, and to share this information with people who will benefit from this exciting breakthrough in information access. The talking ATMs provide audible instructions privately through an earphone plugged into a jack. The banks are providing the earphones free of charge. The machines also work with any standard 3.5 millimeter headsets.

In addition to the web sites listed at the beginning of this announcement, you can also find the Bank of America Talking ATM location closest to you by calling 1-800-362-2538. The closest Wells Fargo Talking ATM location can be found by calling 1-800-869-3557.

Please let us know what you think of the machines. Send comments and feedback

Thank you.

Lainey Feingold, Linda Dardarian, Scott Grimes, Laura Ho, Dondria Morgan

SMCCB on the Way to Doubling in Size

Starting with 15 members this year, we are up to 28 as of this writing. Our success has come from our members recommending a prospective member. If each member were to bring in just one member, we would double our size. At this rate we can set a goal of 60 members by the end of 2001. One must set tough goals and reach for them.

An objective is a stepping stone on the journey towards your goal. Maybe you won’t reach the goal, but striving for it makes you work harder and smarter. So let us reach just a little further.

Just as in nuclear physics, you need a critical mass. It is the smallest amount that will set off a reaction. At our last meeting we had our largest attendance ever. It gave us quite an interaction among our group that is difficult to get with few people in attendance.

On the next page is a list of areas of concern we call committees. We have a well-balanced membership with a multitude of talents, interests and accomplishments. If you have a question and would like to have some free advice, call them. The phone numbers of our officers and newsletter editor are shown after their names. You can get the phone number of a member by calling an officer or the editor.

If you’re interested in writing an article, please let us know. Perhaps you have found a better way of doing a task or suggesting a novel approach to solving a problem. We can all benefit by your experience and be better for it. So dust off the old computer. We are lucky, for they never made a talking typewriter.

The Spirit Of Ada Torch Relay

by Jean Ackerman [email protected]

While visiting friends in Houston, I had the good fortune to participate in The Spirit of ADA Torch Relay. The event celebrated ten years since the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) was passed into law.

Throughout the year more than 500 events will take place nationwide. The torch relay started in Houston on June 11th and ended in New York City, NY on August 7th.

I had the very distinct honor of carrying the historic and symbolic torch as the relay started. My friend at my side rode a powered wheel chair. We had worked there together at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in the Texas Medical Center.

A former patient at TIRR, Lex Frieden was appointed as the Executive Director of the ADA project. Before leaving for Washington D.C., Lex sought input from many people at TIRR.

At the Institute my role encompassed education and research. I worked on part of a research grant, which was funded in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine. This gave access to a worldwide network for rehabilitation and research. I was asked to contribute to the ADA database.

And now we celebrate the first ten years of the Americans with Disability Act. Everyday we test the responsiveness of the ADA to meet the needs of our diverse target population.

San Mateo County Council of the Blind Committees

PRESIDENT - FRANK WELTE

VICE PRES. - JUDY HEMMER

SECRETARY - TERRYY CONEY

TREASURER - BILL HOBSON

BRAILLE - TERRY CONEY

COMPUTERS - JAY YI

EMPLOYMENT - JIM ERTOLA

FUNDRAISING - HELEN GOTINCO & BILL HOBSON

GUIDE DOGS - MARGIE DONOVAN

LEGISLATION - JOHANNA WALLACE

ORIENTATION/MOBILITY ––––––––––––––

MEDICAL - JEAN ACKERMAN & PUI CHAN

MEMBERSHIP - PHIL KUTNER

NEWSLETTER - PHIL KUTNER

PROGRAM - FRANK WELTE

PUBLICITY - JOHANNA WALLACE

SPORTS - JIM ERTOLA

SUNSHINE - TERRY CONEY & JUDY HEMMER

TECHNOLOGY - FRANK WELTE

TELEPHONE SQUAD - HOBSON, KUTNER, WELTE