American Council of the Blind
Annual Report 2011
Celebrating 50 Years of Service
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ABOUT THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
ACB's National Information Hotline
ACB Scholarship Program
The Braille Forum
Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
The Washington Connection
ACB Radio
ACB Reports
ACB's Audio Description Project
ACB Annual Convention
FINANCIAL REPORTING
ACB Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2011
ACB Enterprises and Services
ACB Officers and Directors
ACB Board of Publications
Staff
FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends, Members and Supporters of the American Council of the Blind:
We are honored to present the annual report of the American Council of the Blind for its 51st year of increasing the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. Fifty years ago, ACB started with twenty-six people who wanted to have a positive impact on the lives of the blind. Today, ACB’s membership has grown to tens of thousands of people, both blind and sighted, who have made monumental positive changes in the lives of people who are blind throughout the world. This year, you will hear directly from some of the people, both blind and sighted, that ACB has impacted through its programs and services.
During fiscal year 2011, we made great strides in enhancing the quality of life for all blind people in the United States. Highlights include:
In January, several ACB members were appointed to the advisory committee convened by the Federal Communications Commission to make recommendations regarding how to implement portions of the Communications and Video Accessibility Act, one of our bills signed into law in 2010. It deals with, among other things, audio-described programming on TV.
In May, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner gave his approval to the methods that the Department of the Treasury will use to provide people who are blind with meaningful access to U.S. currency. These methods, recommended by ACB, include adding a raised tactile feature to U.S. currency, which will provide users with a means of identifying each denomination of notes by touch; continuing the practice of adding high-contrast numerals and different colors to each denomination of notes allowed by law to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; and implementing a supplemental currency reader distribution program for U.S. citizens and other legal residents of the U.S. who are blind or visually impaired.
In July, a new affiliate, the Idaho Council of the Blind, was chartered.
In October, ACB released an updated edition of its “Pedestrian Safety Handbook,” a publication which informs people who are blind and visually impaired, their families, and others about contemporary approaches to assuring safe paths of travel for blind pedestrians. It also discusses effective ways to advocate for accommodations like accessible pedestrian signals, tactile warnings at the edges of curb ramps, and mechanisms for routing travelers safely through problematic intersections.
ACB and its members submitted comments to the U.S. Access Board that covered a variety of issues related to making streets and walkways more accessible to pedestrians, including those with visual impairments. In these comments, we reiterated the need for more accessible pedestrian signals at intersections, and supported the need to use them at entrances to roundabouts.
ACB signed a historic agreement with the American Cancer Society which will provide information in braille, large print, audio CD, MP3 format and accessible PDF. The ACS web site will also be updated to comply with accessibility standards.
ACB staff and volunteers met with officials from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Sprint to establish working relationships with them to provide consultation toward making their products and services fully accessible to persons who are blind or visually impaired.
ACB and its affiliate, the Guide Dog Users, Inc., supported efforts by the U.S. Department of Transportation to make sure that airports provide access to safe dog relief areas that can be used without having to leave secured areas and be re-screened in order to re-enter an airport terminal. Getting to a flight has been a major challenge for people who travel with guide dogs and other service dogs for years.
Also this year, we have been actively involved on the international level, continuing to advocate for the free exchange of books in accessible formats through our participation in the World Intellectual Property Organization. We have attended meetings in Geneva, Switzerland to advocate for support of a treaty which would guarantee open access to copyrighted material across international borders.
Our progress in meeting ACB’s mission and goals is only possible through the combined efforts of our staff, our generous supporters, and our volunteer-members who made this year’s progress happen. We thank you for your participation in these efforts, and look forward to your support and participation in the years to come.
With warm regards,
Mitch Pomerantz
President
Melanie Brunson
Executive Director
Pictured are Melanie Brunson and Mitch
Pomerantz as they stand at the podium
and address the crowd from the microphone.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
Established in 1961, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a national organization of people who are blind, visually impaired and sighted whose mission is to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and improve quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. With 71 state and special-interest affiliates, its thousands of members have a long history of commitment to the advancement of policies and programs which will enhance independence for people who are blind and visually impaired.
ACB's national office is based in Arlington, Va., and is supported by hundreds of volunteer-members from throughout the United States who donate their time and effort to assist the organization in meeting its goals. ACB works through a variety of programs and services to enable blind people to live and work independently, to become active in their communities and to participate fully in the democratic process. The Council has influenced positive change in areas such as:
Education
Employment
Rehabilitation
Pedestrian Safety
Civil Rights
Social Security
Transportation
Recreation
ACB has state affiliates in virtually every region in the United States and 20 special-interest affiliated organizations which focus on the unique concerns of various professions and special populations, for example, blind lawyers, teachers, parents, information technology specialists, business owners, and users of guide dogs. Like the national organization and state affiliates, these special-interest organizations offer their own newsletters, become involved in specialized projects and host annual meetings for their membership.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
ACB’s National Information Hotline
ACB's National Information Hotline helps thousands of people each year, who are looking for answers to questions about blindness, low vision and vision-related services. For the newly blind person, the opportunity to talk with someone who is blind can make a significant difference in how quickly and how well that individual adjusts and accepts the vision loss. For a family member, questions can be answered regarding services available and the potential for their family member to learn skills to regain independence. For a business owner, information regarding laws pertaining to accessibility can be provided to avoid issues related to discrimination. Whether the call is of a crisis nature or more purely informational, this hotline provides people with an opportunity to get answers to questions that are not readily available elsewhere.
“I am writing to thank you for the assistance you gave me when I called your Hotline for information about my mother’s vision loss. First, the person I spoke with was very understanding and gave me some encouragement about my mother’s future. Second, the referrals I was given proved to be very helpful to my mom. She has started receiving vision therapy and is getting her confidence back as a result. My mother also attended a chapter meeting of ACB and learned much from the people there who also had vision problems. Thank you for helping me get my Mom back to being a happy person.” (From Deborah C., living in Seattle, WA, whose mother lives in Sun City, AZ)
“…When I started losing my vision, I thought it was over. I didn’t know about the training that was available to me to help me learn how to adjust to my vision loss. ACB helped me find the services I needed.” (From Helen G. in Lexington, KY)
“…I wasn’t aware that, as an employer, I could hire a blind person by providing what they call “reasonable accommodation,” by letting him use a software program that made his PC talk to him.” (From a business owner in Trenton, NJ)
During fiscal year 2011, ACB’s National Information Hotline service received an average of 41 calls per day. If you or someone you know needs information regarding services pertaining to blindness or low vision, call 1-800-424-8666.
ACB Scholarship Program
Many blind and visually impaired students have needs beyond those faced by fully sighted students, such as the need for reader services for textbooks not already recorded or transcribed into braille; specialized equipment such as talking computers or adaptive equipment for science courses; low vision aids, etc. The expenses associated with meeting these needs added to tuition, board and other costs can make it extremely difficult or impossible for otherwise capable blind students to remain in school.
Pictured is a student being
presented with her ACB
scholarship award. She is
holding it up for display.
In 1982, ACB established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to outstanding blind and visually impaired post-secondary students. Since that time over $1 million in scholarship aid has been awarded to outstanding students.
“My receipt of the scholarship from the American Council of the Blind has enabled me to further my academic pursuits at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I am currently pursuing my major in social work and my minor in Spanish. ACB's scholarship was extremely beneficial to me during my sophomore year, in which I began my career as a social work student. I am very passionate about my educational goals, and I am grateful to ACB's generous contribution to my education.” (From Brooke J., a student at Baylor University, TX)
In 2011, $32,000 in scholarships was awarded to 15 highly competent blind and visually impaired students from throughout the United States.
"The Braille Forum"
"The Braille Forum," ACB's monthly national magazine, features organizational news on both the national and state levels, national legislative updates, reports from the president and the executive director, human-interest stories, occasional poetry and book reviews, plus columns featuring new products and services, obituaries, and "for sale" and "wanted" high-tech items (and the occasional "free to good home" item). It is available in braille, large print, four-track cassette, data CD, via e-mail, and an ever-growing number of individuals (approximately 2,000 per day) are accessing the online version of the publication.
In 2011, “The Braille Forum” was published ten times during the year and provided to 21,093 subscribers, including ACB’s members, businesses and overseas readers.
Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
The advocacy and governmental affairs staff and membership of the American Council of the Blind advocate on a wide variety of issues for people who are blind and visually impaired. In 2011, ACB national staff provided consultation on issues related to access and discrimination to approximately 220 individuals from throughout the United States.
In 2011, several ACB members were appointed to the advisory committee convened by the Federal Communications Commission to make recommendations regarding how to implement portions of the Communications and Video Accessibility Act, one of our bills signed into law in 2010. Discussions are under way regarding audio-described programming on television, accessibility to information provided through cable TV menus, and making accessible emergency alerts that are scrolled across the bottom of a TV screen.
Also in 2011, ACB staff and volunteers began discussions with officials from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Sprint to provide consultation toward making their products and services fully accessible to persons who are blind or visually impaired.
“Thank you for the help you gave me when I was trying to rent an apartment and was denied because I was blind. Whatever you said to them made them change their minds very quickly and they called me right after you spoke to them. It’s nice to know that there is someone like you to help people like me.” (From Susan G. in Pittsburgh, PA)
“You did it! After you spoke to the testing department at the university, they called me and said that I could take the GRE with a reader. There was no way that I could get through that test without someone to describe the math formulas and graphs, but they were firm in denying that accommodation until you contacted them. Now I’ll have a chance to get a good score on both parts of the test. Thank you so much for your help!” (From David R. in Fredonia, KS)
“Thank you for telling me about the laws about guide dogs. When I gave that information to my landlord, he backed down and told me that I didn’t have to move. I owe you big time.” (From Marilyn B. in Chicago, IL)
The Washington Connection
The Washington Connection is the American Council of the Blind advocacy and governmental affairs department’s recorded legislative and information service. It is updated as vital information regarding blindness issues, pending legislation, regulations, and news is available. Updates also occasionally include hot news that cannot wait for publication in “The Braille Forum.” Callers can access this service toll-free (1-800-424-8666) in English and Spanish daily, except weekdays between the hours of 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, when it is answered live by ACB staff members. In addition, the Connection is updated regularly on ACB e-mail discussion lists and the ACB web site.
ACB Radio
ACB Radio, our Internet radio station, showcases and nurtures the creativity and talents of the blind/low-vision community from many parts of the world. ACB Radio is heard by a global audience via the Internet -having visitors from more than 50 countries during fiscal year 2011. Broadcast streams include “Mainstream,” for entertainment and information; “ACB Radio Café,” the place to hear blind musicians; “Treasure Trove,” where you can hear classic radio dramas; “Interactive,” a wide variety of music, including requests; and “World,” programming from a blindness perspective in other languages. With all program producers who are blind or visually impaired, ACB Radio is one of the most innovative services for people who are blind to have come along anywhere.