American Council of the Blind Ohio Chapter

Conference and convention: each year, acb-ohio holds a convention that offers for people who are Blind or low vision. One does not have to be a member to attend. In 2023, eighty attendees (65 in person, 15 virtual) attended the three-day event in columbus on november 9-11. the conference featured seminars, workshops, social events, speakers, an exhibitor/vendor hall. Our program planning committee, which is comprised of board members, meticulously plans all aspects of the convention and seeks sponsors to defray costs. In 2023, acb-ohio raised 3,500 from corporate sponsors and 1,500 from individuals. the theme was "defying expectations"-and we did just that. We had 17 exhibitors, workshops on accessible video gaming, independent living skills, dealing with change, 3-d printing of tactile models, travel and more. In one popular workshop, attendees learned cpr, how to use an aed (defibrillator), and first aid for emergencies, and they were certified through the American heart association. A large group went to an escape room where the guides created tactile, audio, and braille clues. At the banquet, we presented five awards to those who went above and beyond to advance the quality of life for ohioans who are Blind or visually impaired. the evening ended with a fundraising auction.

Legislative efforts: our staff, officers, and board members are charged with keeping up to date with current legislation on the local, state, and national levels. We do this through subscription to newsletters and announcement lists provided by local and state government entities, contact with state and national government members, and subscription to the leadership list which acb provides. Once a year, some of our members visit Washington, dc, for a legislative seminar, during which they learn about current national legislative imperatives and other important activities, exchange information about state and local events, and visit capitol hill to speak with representatives and senators or their staff members about these vital issues. Two of our members attended virtually and one went to Washington, dc in 2023.

Matching grants: in 2023, acb-ohio awarded 11 grants totaling over 8,000. This program has two aims: to help ohioans who are Blind or visually impaired afford adaptive/accessible technology, which can be quite costly, and to help fund Chapter projects. Acb-ohio provides up to half the cost (1,000 limit). Ten individuals received funds to help pay for high powered digital magnifiers, electronic braille display notetakers, a tablet for reading music, and a device that will read text aloud-technology that helps them live and work independently that they may not have been able to afford otherwise. the cleveland Chapter applied for and received a grant to rent a van to transport a group of members to and from the state convention.

Awards: acb-ohio offers awards to honor Ohio individuals and groups who have improved the quality of life for the visually impaired and Blind community. These include awards to individuals who volunteer their time, energy, and resources; organizations or communities that have provided assistance; an award to someone in the media who has covered issues about blindness and low vision; an employer who has hired and made the workplace accessible to one or more Blind or visually impaired people; and an award to a teacher of the Blind. the awards committee considers nominations for awards as nominations are received and makes decisions based on existing criteria, arranges for plaques, and makes presentations at the annual convention. In 2023 the committee presented five awards, including the ken morlock award, the ruth davidson award, employer of the year award, community service award, media award. Newsletter: our quarterly newsletter, the Ohio connection, goes to all newsletter subscribers and to anyone else interested in our work. Our newsletter contains articles about legislation, upcoming events, member profiles, websites that contain pertinent information, and items that people submit about a wide variety of topics, including accessible technology, travel, board elections, legislative imperatives, and bios of award and scholarship recipients and board members. We provide copies in large print, by e-mail, and each issue is on nfb newsline, an audio reading service. the most recent issue, as well as archives from previous years, can be found on the website. Voicecorps program: for years, acb-ohio has had a monthly show on voicecorps reading service. For each show, host and board member vicky prahin (often a fellow board member will cohost) features one or more guests who talk about a topic of interest to people in the blindness/low vision community. In 2023 guests included technology experts, product vendors, authors who happen to be Blind, leaders from acb's national office, and more than once she had representatives from the Ohio secretary of state's office to inform listeners about accessible voting options. Recreation: acb-ohio provides opportunities for recreation, as social interaction and exercise are vitally important to physical and mental health. In 2023, the recreation committee planned a fallfest retreat weekend in wooster, Ohio. the group enjoyed an oktoberfest-style street fair with entertainment, vendors, food, and activities. the following days included fishing and hiking at the izaak walton nature preserve and a picnic and walk at seacrest arboretum. Scholarships: acb-ohio offers three scholarships to students who are Blind or visually impaired in Ohio. the amounts of the scholarships range from 1,000 for an entering freshman to 5,000 for a graduate student. Our scholarship committee begins advertising the scholarships in spring, collects and reviews applications after the august 1st deadline, and then determines recipients before our convention takes place. We encourage our scholarship winners to attend the convention to receive funds. Costs of the convention are covered for the scholarship winners, and each of them receives a one-year complimentary membership to acb-ohio. Acb-ohio also has endowed scholarships at three universities in Ohio: the Ohio state university, the university of toledo, and wright state university. We also include those scholarship recipients, chosen by the universities, in our recognition ceremony. Outreach and referral services: people losing vision and their families and friends call our office to learn about resources in Ohio. We provide contacts, answer questions about how to find other sources of information, and offer support. Our office receives around 15 to 20 calls and emails a week from people who are experiencing blindness and vision loss or their family members, social workers and medical personnel, representatives of other nonprofits, and the general public. We have a monthly program on voicecorps, a local radio reading service, to share our activities and news of related organizations.