« July 2024
Welcome to the ACB Maine Newsletter
for July 2024
President's Message
From Amanda Frost
Hello to One and All!
Beautiful weather has opened up and I hope everyone has had a wonderful spring leading into the summer months. aCB Maine has been checking the boxes. The past few months we have secured a convention date, location, and have put together a great list of guest speakers we will contact to speak on convention day. We have made changes to our website. Please check it out and let us know what you think by emailing me the president Amanda Frost using the contact information under this message. I will gladly pass along any suggestions to our website committee. We have been pleased to offer to fundraisers so far this year a pampered chef party and Tupperware party. If you haven’t yet, check out the Tupperware party that is currently in session with only a couple more days to go. We have had a couple new members join since the beginning of the year and I would love to welcome you to Acb Maine. Best wishes for summer fun to all!
Support Groups
VISTA -
From Linda Richards
The Visually Impaired Support Team Alliance meets via Zoom on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The group seeks to provide a safe and confidential place for members of the blind and visually impaired community to share thoughts and feelings about their needs and status.
Linda Richards has Zoom-hosted this group for over a
year, and is very pleased with the level of participation and the degree
of honesty that members express in the meetings. Linda sends out reminders
every month and you can subscribe to her reminders by calling her at
207-680-0290 or by sending her an email at linsue1313@gmail.com
BaVIP
From Jordan Kim
B A VIP (Blind and Visually Impaired Person) is a Peer Group for Blind and Visually Impaired Adults in the greater Androscoggin County area. Meeting on the second Friday of each month at the Lewiston Career Center, the group provides a friendly and supportive space for individuals to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another.
Each meeting features a guest speaker who brings valuable expertise to the group. Past speakers have included an orientation and mobility specialist, a vision rehabilitation therapist, an assistive technology specialist, and a group member who actively serves on multiple boards for blindness-related organizations. These sessions provide insights into navigating the world with a visual impairment, offering practical advice and innovative solutions.
Following the guest speaker’s presentation, group members have the opportunity to share their own tips, tricks, and tools that have proven helpful in their daily lives. This exchange of knowledge fosters a sense of community and mutual support, enabling members to learn from each other's experiences and successes.
Convention! Convention!
from Linda Porelle
Save the Date…
While we are all enjoying another glorious Maine summer, the ACB Maine convention committee is busy making plans for our annual state convention this fall. Here’s what we know so far…
When: Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Time: 9 AM to 4 PM.
Where: Best Western Hotel, Waterville, Maine (in person) or
Virtually on Zoom with help from ACB Media.
We have reserved a block of rooms for Friday and Saturday night for anyone wishing to arrive early and visit with friends before and after the convention program.
We are currently contacting potential speakers who could address important issues for our community, including transportation, employment, and artificial intelligence. The full program should be ready to share with you by late August.
Our committee welcomes all suggestions to make this a successful and memorable convention.
ACB National Convention
The ACB national convention will be held this summer in Jacksonville, Florida. The virtual portion will begin on Monday June 24 and in-person activities will commence on Friday, July 5. The convention activities are outlined on the acb.org website.
Linda Porelle and Joel McQuade will represent Maine as delegate and alternate delegate again this year. Maine has two affiliate votes for each open ACB director position as well as votes for every resolution under consideration. In addition, each affiliate member can cast an individual vote for each board seat and resolution.
If you would like to learn more about the folks who are running for office, just check out their bios on this link.
https://www.acb.org/2024-candidate-bios
Linda and Joel welcome all inquiries from our members.
July is Disability Pride month!
From Courtney Tabor
Did you know that July is celebrated as Disability Pride month across the country? Begun as a way to commemorate the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, this month has now become a celebration of disability identity. Disability pride does not negate the struggles that disability presents; rather, it recognizes disability as a natural part of human diversity. Disability Pride month is a time for us to celebrate who we are as whole, complex humans who live full lives marked with joy, challenge, creativity, and strength. Let us continue to break down shame and stigma, advocate for accessibility and inclusion, and seek and build community with one another.
Here is some information on the disability pride flag that celebrates the creativity, struggle, and strength of the disabled community.
https://www.umassp.edu/inclusive-by-design/who-before-how/disability-pride
Quite New
From Amanda Frost
Here is an interesting web site and article. The website describes a new product developed by Glidance, Inc.
Glidance’s Sensible Wayfinding System is a high intensity computer vision and sense making AI system built by Glidance, which connects all active Glides and powers their ability to understand complex spaces and guide you through them.
It uses real-time data from an array of advanced sensors to map the best routes, identify targets of interest, and avoid obstacles to get you safely to your destination.
A Reflection
From Courtney Tabor
I saw the sunset once when I was six years old on a family trip to Maine. I remember nothing else about that trip, but the brilliance and beauty of those colors has been imprinted on my mind ever since. I had never seen the sunset before that day, and I never saw it again.
I have been legally blind since birth, and my vision has degenerated over time so that I now have no remaining functional vision. In general, I’m content with this, and sometimes even quite proud to be blind. This does not erase the ache of longing for more sunsets, more color, more moments of awe in the pictures painted by nature.
Nowadays, I am a mom to two sighted kids. I am very open with them about my experience with blindness, the pride and the ache all mixed up together. I ask them to tell me about the sunset when they see it. Sometimes they do; other times, they say things like, “It’s nice. Can I have some ice cream now?”
Last night, my kids were at their other parent’s house when I got a text from their stepmother. My youngest son saw a beautiful sunset and thought of me. He asked her to send me photos so I could use Be My AI to describe them. The app described the dramatic sky filled with deep purple and fiery orange. I will hold onto this photo like I hold onto my childhood sunset memory, not because of what it is but because of why it was shared with me. I still felt an ache in my chest, but this time, it was the ache of profound love for a little boy who thought of his mama when he looked at the sky.
About this newsletter - This may be one of our best newsletters! And that's because many of the board members submitted an article. Most of all, this is your newsletter and articles are always welcome. Send articles to rfuller@mainenet.org.
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