Vol. 30, No. 4
APRIL 2005
THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE
A publication of Mid-Florida Council of the Blind
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT RACHEL BADER
NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETING
MARCH GENERAL MEETING REVIEW
REMINDER ABOUT LYNX FARE INCREASE & MORE PARATRANSIT NEWS
PLAN AHEAD FOR THE 2005 FCB CONVENTION
FCB HAS A DISCUSSION LIST!
MFCB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
FCB RAFFLE TICKETS HELP MFCB
OCLS HAS GUEST AUTHORS & ARTISTS IN APRIL
ABC PRIMETIME SERIES WITH VIDEO DESCRIPTION
MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader
BIRTHDAY PEOPLE
MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT RACHEL BADER
Hello all MFCB members and friends. As I write this message, we’ve just come back from our March activity which was a lunch at
Buttermilk’s in Fern Park. It was great to catch up with so many of you as we enjoyed some good country cooking and conversation. The
staff there was very pleasant and helpful and the outing was a big success.
As we move into April, we continue to keep a presence in our community as a number of us will be taking a tour of the MV Transportation
facility to get a better perspective of how things work behind the scenes with our paratransit system. We are also gearing up for the FCB
state convention happening in May (Details later in this issue.).
See you all at the next General Meeting!
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NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETING
The next General Meeting of MFCB will be at Booth Towers, 633 Lake Dot Circle, Orlando, FL, 32801, on Saturday, April 2nd, 2005, from
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The phone number at Booth Towers is (407) 843-5533. It is highly recommended that if anyone uses paratransit,
please plan your rides accordingly.
The Guest Speaker for the April General Meeting will be our own Immediate Past President, Leslie Spoone. Leslie will talk about how
she developed her talent for aerobic exercise and dancing, and then began teaching. She eventually opened her own gym, and will
instruct not only sighted individuals but blind people as well.
Have you ever thought you would like to work out at a gym, but were too shy? Didn't know how to work the equipment? Were afraid you
might bump into someone, or not know where the locker rooms were located? Well, Leslie can answer all these questions, and has
invited us to her facility to check it out among friends.
Please don't miss this interesting program!
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MARCH GENERAL MEETING REVIEW
24 Members and guests attended the MFCB General Meeting on March 12th at Booth Towers in downtown Orlando. President Rachel
Bader began the meeting with leading the Members in attendance with the Pledge of Allegiance, then gave those in the room the chance
to introduce themselves and thanked all, especially 1st Vice President Patti Land, for taking care of things over the past month.
After the Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports were read and approved, Rachel gave a gave a brief follow-up on the February activity, which
was at the Orlando Science Center on Saturday, February 19th. The staff there was very helpful with the group, even though due to issues
with paratransit, some Members could not attend. MFCB Members who were there were still charged the group rate, even though the
total Members was less than what is required to obtain that rate. MV Transportation would be informed as to what happened and
hopefully the next time, many more can enjoy an activity at Orlando Science Center.
With no Guest Speaker at this General Meeting (the one who was scheduled informed Patti earlier in the week he could not be there due
to illness), Rachel reminded Members that FCB Raffle Tickets are still available. If there is still interest after the last ones currently
available run out, Patti said MFCB can get more of them. Membership Secretary Jay Bader thanked Leslie Spoone for all her efforts in
selling these tickets, especially since she had sold over 400 of them.
The MFCB By-Laws Revision/Addition, concerning any Member having to be a paid Member for 1 full year before running for an MFCB
Office, was unanimously passed. The Revised MFCB By-Laws would be sent to the FCB Constitution and By-Laws Committee for final
review at the upcoming 2005 FCB Convention.
Then the topic turned to the 2005 FCB Convention. Delegates and First-Timers would be chosen based on those volunteering for the
positions. Even though she was interested in being a delegate, Sheila Young will go to the 2005 FCB Convention as a First-Timer, with
MFCB matching the $100.00 that FCB gives each chapter towards a First-time attendee. Based on the MFCB Membership total given by
the January 15th deadline of 57 Members, MFCB has 6 delegates for this Convention. Once Rachel reviewed the responsibilities of
those delegates, the following Members were chosen:
Rachel Bader
Bill Freeman
Shelley Justice
Nicole Hugues
Jim Lamb
Larry Turnbull
In case any of those 6 delegates cannot participate, Jay Bader and Bo Justice were chosen as Alternates for the 2005 FCB Convention.
In addition, Dan Spoone made a motion that MFCB give $100.00 to each Delegate and Alternate to help defray costs for attending. That
motion was carried.
Jim Lamb announced that with his nephew (and fellow MFCB Member), Bob Huntsman, using a van to take him to the Convention, there
are some seats available for those who would like to go with them. If any Member who wants to go to Convention is interested, contact
Jim at (407) 423-0707.
Patti then talked briefly about the next MFCB activity. It would be on Saturday, March 19th, and be a meal at Buttermilk's, located at 9001
Highway 17-92 between Maitland and Fern Park (but in Fern Park city limits). The phone number at Buttermilk's is (407) 332-6446. Patti
recommended that Members who go order a meal, priced at $8.99-9.99, which includes 2 side items and a drink. She added that if
anyone wants to use the fixed bus route to get there to use Link 39, which goes to Sanford, as there is a bus stop near the front of the
building.
Nicole Hugues then gave a Transportation Committee report on behalf of Chuck Graham, who was unable to attend. Nicole talked about
the Lynx TAC (Transportation Advisory Committee) meeting held on Wednesday, March 9th, in the Board Room at Lynx Central Station in
downtown Orlando. Sheila Young also added that Members can now order Access Lynx coupon books, although at the moment that can
only be done online at the Lynx website, http://www.golynx.com. Nicole also reminded Members
that if they want to have the All Access paratransit newsletter sent in an alternative format, call or E-mail Bill Hearndon at Access Lynx
(More on that later in this issue.)
The fundraiser for the March General Meeting was a 50/50 Raffle, which raised $30.00. $15.00 of that money was won by Patti Land.
Then the following Door Prizes were picked, based on the winners who chose them:
A Set of 4 Storage Containers - Ken Norman
Leather-Handled Opener - David Land
Basketball Night Light - Robert Batts (Guest at the Meeting)
Teflon Spoon - Nicole Hugues
Congratulations to all the Door Prize winners!
After the meeting adjourned, Members were invited to stay as Rachel, Larry Turnbull and Patti demonstrated various accessible devices
and took questions about each of them. Rachel showed her accessible Nokia 6620 cell phone and a talking Caller ID box; Larry had a
talking color identifier, Braille tape measure and talking multimeter; and Patti showed a desktop large-face timer, handheld talking
thermometer and wind-up portable radio.
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REMINDER ABOUT LYNX FARE INCREASE & MORE PARATRANSIT NEWS
As this issue goes to press, there are increases in the fares for the Lynx fixed bus route as well as those for ADA and Transportation
Disadvantaged (TD) riders. Here are those fares:
Fixed Bus route: $1.50
ADA (inside 3/4 mile from a fixed route stop): $2.50
ADA (outside 3/4 mile from a fixed route stop): $3.50
TD (trip within 5 miles in length): $1.50
TD (trip from 5 to less than 10 miles long): $2.50
TD (trip exceeding 10 miles in length): $3.50
Medicaid fares remain unchanged at $1.00
Also, Lynx has announced that pre-paid paratransit tickets are available. For the time being, these tickets are only available for purchase
online at the Lynx website, http://www.golynx.com. Tickets are in denominations of 50 cents and
$1.00 and are sold at a 10 percent discount for those who buy books of $20.00 (cost is $18.00) or $50.00 (cost is $45.00).
Individual customers or agencies can purchase the coupons. To assist the visually-impaired, the $1.00 ticket is yellow and notched in
the upper right-hand corner; the 50-cent ticket is blue and not notched. If you have any concerns about these tickets not being available
other than online, contact Lynx Customer Service at (407) 423-8747.
In addition, there have been some who have expressed concern that the All Access paratransit newsletter has not been made available
recently in alternative formats. If you are interested in receiving All Access in formats other than print, please contact Bill Hearndon,
Manager of Paratransit Operations, at (407) 254-6092 or E-mail at
BHearndon@golynx.com. Please let him know how important it is that you stay informed
about the system you use.
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PLAN AHEAD FOR THE 2005 FCB CONVENTION
The 2005 Convention of the Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is just around the corner. This year's FCB Convention will take place at the
Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Airport Hotel, located at 1825 Griffin Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33004. It will run from Thursday night, May 12th,
through Sunday morning, May 15th.
Reservations can be made through Central Reservations at 1-800-325-3535 or the direct number to the hotel is (954) 920-3500. The
room rate is $69.00 per night, as long as you mention you are with FCB. To insure you get this rate, you must make reservations by
Sunday, April 10th, 2005.
The 2005 FCB Convention Call is being mailed out as this issue goes to press. It is also listed on the FCB website,
http://www.fcb.org. Since it will be in large print, if you have any questions after you receive it, please
contact Project Insight at 1-800-267-4448. To reserve an Assistive Listening Device (ALD), please call by April 20th, 2005.
We understand many Members of MFCB may not be able to make the trip to South Florida. So remember, the 2006 FCB Convention will
be in our area at the Sheraton Safari in Lake Buena Vista. Hope to see those who can make it to Ft. Lauderdale in mid-May!
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FCB HAS A DISCUSSION LIST!
Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is proud to have its members throughout the state participate in its E-mail Discussion List. The FCB
E-mail Discussion List is a way for members, locally and statewide, to express themselves freely on a variety of issues. These can range
from those on a local level to issues on a state or even national platform.
MFCB encourages all Members with E-mail and Internet access to sign up and participate in the various discussions as well as maybe even
starting a few. To sign up for the FCB E-mail Discussion List, and for more information about the List, go to the FCB website at
http://www.fcb.org and go to the link for “FCB E-mail Discussion List Information and Instructions.”
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MFCB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Mid-Florida Council of the Blind has a presence on the World Wide Web. Through the Florida Council of the Blind web site,
http://www.fcb.org, there is information available on the Internet about MFCB, especially the
newly-approved MFCB By-Laws, as well as current and some past issues of the MFCB Newsletter, both in the previous name of
MUMBLES and the newer name of THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. This is only the beginning as another option has been made available for
people to find out what is going on with our organization.
To specifically get to the MFCB section of the FCB website, go to http://www.fcb.org/mfcb.htm.
Feedback is strongly encouraged as to the accessibility and content of the website, so if you have any questions or suggestions, E-mail
webmaster@fcb.org. With your suggestions, changes can be made that will better what we
have on the Web.
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FCB RAFFLE TICKETS HELP MFCB
Many members of Mid-Florida Council of the Blind have helped raise money for the Florida Council of the Blind. FCB has made its raffle
tickets available to its chapters throughout the state. MFCB still has tickets available and would like Members to continue to help in the
sale of these tickets.
Every year, FCB holds a raffle during the Annual FCB Convention, with the 2005 Convention taking place at the Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale
Airport from May 12th through 15th. There are many prizes awarded during the raffle, from $1000.00 to gift certificates. In addition, there
are additional prizes made available that are not announced in advance, and the best part is anyone who purchases raffle tickets need
not be at the FCB Convention to win.
Each ticket is $1.00, with 65 percent of the monies raised by each chapter going back to that chapter. It is the biggest fundraiser every
year so if you would like raffle tickets to sell, they are available at the MFCB General Meeting, or if you cannot attend the General Meeting,
contact Jay and Rachel Bader at (407) 658-2479 or Patti Land at (407) 521-9047 and arrangements can be made to acquire them. Help
FCB and, in turn, MFCB through selling these raffle tickets.
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OCLS HAS GUEST AUTHORS & ARTISTS IN APRIL
In addition to the improved services available for the blind, visually-impaired and print-disabled at all branch libraries, OCLS (Orange
County Library System) has scheduled the following authors and artists to visit various branches during the month of April:
Meet Patrick D. Smith who will attend the premier showing of Patrick Smith's "Florida: A Sense of Place" at the Orlando Public Library on
Sunday, April 3rd, 1:30 PM. Travel with Smith, one of Florida’s favorite writers and storytellers, as he takes viewers off the tourist path to a
time that exists today only in books, such as in his popular novel, "A Land Remembered." Copies of his DVD will be available for sale
and signing following the showing.
Meet author and artist Theodore Morris who re-creates a pictorial record of the state’s pre-Columbian peoples and discusses the
archaeological significance of each painting in his book, "Florida’s Lost Tribes." The artist’s 58 detailed paintings and drawings are
based on historical evidence as well as research conducted throughout the state. A sale of paintings and books follows the program on
Saturday, April 10th, at 2:00 PM at the Orlando Public Library.
Learn about various websites providing tips and information on how to "Write and Publish a Children's Book" on Wednesday, April 13th,
at 7:00 PM at the Orlando Public Library's Computer Resource Center.
Meet 14-year-old Olympia High School student and author, Jordan Wagner. Hear about his experiences in writing and publishing his
novel, "Nightmare Awakened," on Saturday, April 16th, at 11:00 AM at the Windermere Branch.
And meet Chris Chag, author of "The Thirsty Manatee" on Saturday, April 16th, at 2:00 PM at the Orlando Public Library. An adventure
featuring lost treasure and forbidden romance, "The Thirsty Manatee" goes from nightspot to battleground between a maniac craving
unparalleled riches and an adamant young bar owner hell-bent on vengeance. "The Thirsty Manatee" has been named the Best Mystery
of 2004 by the Florida Writers Association. A book sale and signing will follow the program.
For more information about these events, call OCLS at (407) 835-7481.
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ABC PRIMETIME SERIES WITH VIDEO DESCRIPTION
On Tuesday, March 8th, ABC premiered a mid-season replacement for the departed "NYPD Blue." The show is called "Blind Justice" and
here's what the ABC Press Release says about one special aspect of it:
"For the first time on the ABC Television Network, a regular scripted series, "Blind Justice," from Steven Bochco Productions, will be
broadcast with video description for the visually impaired. "Blind Justice," the next generation of police drama, chronicles the journey of
Detective Jim Dunbar, an officer blinded in a shootout because of his partner's negligence.
"Video description is a broadcast service for the visually impaired which offers a descriptive narrative woven into the soundtrack between
character dialogue.
"It is activated via the SAP (Secondary Audio Programming) feature on modern televisions. To date, ABC has offered selected theatrical
films or movies-for-television with video description, but never before a regular series."
In the greater Orlando area, WFTV (Channel 9) is broadcasting the show with video description available on its SAP channel. As of this
issue goes to press, the first couple of episodes have had a minor issue of the network feed of its SAP being a bit too loud. WFTV has
been informed of the problem and has said it will be working on lowering its volume to normal levels.
If you have not tuned into "Blind Justice," it has been receiving good reviews from many people, especially those in blindness
organizations. If you are not able to tune in to the series on Tuesday nights and have Internet access, take note of the following link:
http://www.shellworld.net/~jimkc/blind.mp3
This link, when loaded into an MP3 player, like Windows Media Player and Winamp, will play the video description of "Blind Justice." It is
updated after every episode's airing.
MFCB recommends that if you have cable or satellite TV, or even if it's local over-the-air, as long as you have the capability to receive the
SAP channel on your TV set, check out "Blind Justice." It is one of only a few shows on network television with video description and well
worth the time.
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MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader
Notes from Jay: The MFCB Phone Roster for 2005 is available in Print, Cassette, Braille and E-mail formats. They can be picked up at
the April General Meeting. If you are not able to attend the General Meeting and are interested in a copy of the Phone Roster in any
format, please contact me by phone or E-mail so arrangements can be made.
Since the Braille version of the 2005 Phone Roster was prepared before all other ones, there are 3 corrections to be noted if you do want
that version. Scott Larson has changed his phone number and Sheila Young's one was listed incorrectly:
SCOTT LARSON
(386) 257-7779
SHEILA YOUNG
(407) 422-3587
And on the Committees page, for the Sunshine Committee, Nicole Hugues can be contacted on her cell number, (321) 663-2007, which
is correctly listed in the Main section of the Phone Roster.
Also, please welcome the following New Member to MFCB:
ROBERT BATTS
5922 Indian Hill Rd.
Orlando, FL 32808
(407) 432-3824
In addition, note the following Member's Change of Address:
MARIE MAYERS
5200 Eggleston Av., Rm. 312
Orlando, FL 32810
And I always accept submissions to THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. All submissions must arrive by regular mail or e-mail to me by the 15th
of the month as issues are prepared shortly after that. You will be properly credited with the submission.
If you have any further questions, please call me at (407) 658-2479 or E-mail at
mfcbinfo@bellsouth.net. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the April General
Meeting!
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BIRTHDAY PEOPLE
APRIL
2 - David Land
13 - Bill Spoone
19 - Rachel Bader
29 - Ann Valentini
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