As the number of ACB members who have access to e-mail and begin surfing the web increases, the importance of state and local chapters having a website becomes even more relevant. With this realization the San Mateo County Council of the Blind (SMCCB), a chapter of the California Council of the Blind (CCB), decided to introduce a chapter web site.

The first step was to look at the CCB state affiliates that already had a website and to use them as an example. Of the 43 county chapters in California only one, Humboldt, had a site (update, Greater Bakersfield and SVCB have now been added). It thus seemed logical to look at the other states and see what their chapters had done.

It came as a surprise that only 18 states had a web site. The rest listed only their address and contact information. Of the state affiliates that did not have a website, 8 did not have e-mail and 5 of them did not even list a contact phone number.

It was decided not to include in the study the 19 Special Interest Organizations affiliated with the ACB. A careful evaluation was then made to learn how the state chapters with a website approached the problem and to be guided by their experience.

There seemed to be several items that many of the sites included--among them are:

• Belonging to the Blind Ring

• Calendars of Events

• Having discussion lists to which one could subscribe.

• Information of state matters affecting the blind

• Links to other sites

• Mission statement

States with Two Chapters
Blue Grass Council of the Blind KY
Old Dominion Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired VA

States not independent
Rhode Island Regional Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired
Said to contact Bay State Council, MA

Dreamweaver was the program used to create the site because the webmaster already was familiar with it. A decision was made to start with information about our chapter and then to add material that might be informational and interesting to others who might visit the site.

This is a labor of love and a task that is ongoing. It means that new material will be constantly added and that updating of the existing information needs to be carried on.

In the future we hope to develop a questionnaire for all the states. For states having a website the questions would relate with their experience in starting, and the problems they had/have. It also would be interesting to learn what the reasons are preventing the non-website states from erecting a website. Is it lack of funds, technical inability, seeing no advantage, or other reasons?