Vol. 34, No. 2
MARCH-APRIL 2009

THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE
A publication of Mid-Florida Council of the Blind


TABLE OF CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT SHELLEY JUSTICE
NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETINGS
ACTIVITY CORNER - by Sheila Young
MFCB JANUARY AND FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING REVIEWS
UPDATE ON ACCESS LYNX FARES FOR TD RIDERS
ADDING ICE TO A PHONE NUMBER
FCB E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST AND VOICE CHAT ROOMS
MFCB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
ACB CONVENTION 2009 IN ORLANDO - MEETING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE
ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS ACCESSIBLE
MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader
BIRTHDAY PEOPLE


MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT SHELLEY JUSTICE

Hello MFCB Members and Friends,

This message to you concerns our Newsletter, THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. A position of leadership quite often includes times when there are tasks that are difficult. This, for me, is truly one of those times. This will be my last President's Message to you, at least for a while.

I know that many of you received a call from Leslie Spoone asking you for your feelings on our Newsletter. There have been discussions, both at the Executive Board level and in general membership concerning abolishing the Newsletter. After considerable discussion among the members at the General Meeting, it has been decided to suspend our Newsletter, at least for a time. Therefore, this will be the final issue of THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE for a while.

There are several reasons for this suspension. The main reason is that MFCB no longer has persons who have the time or the equipment needed to contribute to or produce the Newsletter. Contributions to the VOICE have been dwindling over time, despite repeated requests for input from the MFCB Membership. Almost all of the information currently in the MFCB Newsletter can be found in the White Cane Bulletin, which is the state newsletter. The White Cane Bulletin should be received by most, if not all FCB Members in the format of his/her choice. If any MFCB Member does not currently receive the state publication, steps can and will be taken to see that all who want to receive it do.

Our local publication has had a good long run. It began sometime around 1975, and was very dear to the heart of Connie Rotter, sister to our own Jim Lamb. In those days, it was called MUMBLES, and remained under that name until 2004, when the name was changed to The MID-FLORIDA VOICE by a vote of the Membership of MFCB.

It is hoped that this suspension will be temporary. Our Newsletter can certainly return at a future time, if there are people who wish to take on the task of producing and contributing to it. In the meantime, all information relevant to MFCB will be made available in the White Cane Bulletin.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this decision or anything else relative to MFCB, please feel free to contact me or any of the Officers of MFCB. Our excellent Telephone Committee will continue to contact all Members with reminders of meeting times, upcoming activities, etc. All of our Members are important, and keeping in contact with everyone remains a very high priority. Please know that just because you will not be receiving THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE does not mean that you are no longer a valuable part of our local chapter. You will still be hearing from the chapter. If there are significant issues that arise that require written notification, special issues of the MFCB Newsletter will be sent out.

Last, but certainly not least, please come join us at our monthly General Meetings. We always have an enjoyable time, and the more the merrier. So long for now. I hope to be seeing you at future Meetings and activities.


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NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETINGS

The next General Meetings of MFCB will be at William Booth Tower, 633 Lake Dot Circle, Orlando, FL, 32801, on Saturday, March 7th, and Saturday, April 4th, 2009, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. The phone number at William Booth Tower is (407) 843-5533. It is highly recommended that if anyone uses paratransit, please plan your rides accordingly.

Immediately following this section is something 1st Vice President Sheila Young calls "Activity Corner," which will include Guest Speakers for these next Meetings. And since this is the final issue until further notice, please be aware that the MFCB Telephone Committee will be contacting Members as a reminder of our upcoming Meetings and activities.


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ACTIVITY CORNER - by Sheila Young

Dear Members,

The following are some upcoming events happening with the MFCB. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us.

March 7th: Officer Kirkpatrick, District 3 Liaison Officer with the Orlando Police Department, will be speaking on self-defense and personal safety. A 14-year veteran with OPD, part of his job is taking appointments to come to your home to give suggestions on how to make sure one is as safe as they can be in their own home. If you would like to make an appointment with Officer Kirkpatrick, his office phone number is (407) 246-2196.

April 4th: Sherri Brun will be speaking to us about the celebration of the birth of Lewis Braille and talk to us about NEWSLINE.

May 2nd: Asli Goncer will be entertaining us with her beautiful soft voice and guitar, while we enjoy our pizza, compliments of Jim Lamb. (There will be C.D.'s available for purchase if you enjoy Asli's music, for $10.)

Sometime in April or May we will be having a cookout. Members will be asked to bring side dishes, and the chapter may provide, if we aren't able to have them donated, hot dogs and hamburgers.

June: We will hold our Annual Awards and Scholarship Luncheon. Place and date to be announced.

Our diligent Telephone Committee will be calling to remind all Members of these events, so please plan to attend when you can.

We hope to have another lunch gathering in the near future, as those of us who were able to attend the O-Boys lunch after the February General Meeting, really enjoyed the time we had to socialize with each other.

If you have any ideas for an activity, please feel free to contact me at (407) 999-8929. Until then, I look forward to seeing all of you at the next General Meeting.


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MFCB JANUARY AND FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING REVIEWS

19 Members and Guests were present at the MFCB General Meeting held on Saturday, January 3rd, at William Booth Tower in downtown Orlando. After President Shelley Justice led Members in the Pledge of Allegiance, Members and Guests were asked to introduce themselves.

Once the Secretary's and Treasurer's Reports were read and approved, Shelley then told Members that the MFCB Executive Board at its December 30th, 2008, Meeting recommended to discontinue publication of THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. 2nd Vice President Paul Hutsko then made a motion that the MFCB Newsletter be published at the discretion of the Chapter President, which was defeated. After some discussion, it was decided to table further consideration of this issue until a later time. Leslie Spoone said she would contact Members, especially those that do not regularly attend General Meetings, regarding the Newsletter and give a report at the February General Meeting.

Shelley also talked about the MFCB Raffle that was drawn at the Annual Holiday Luncheon, which she won a Dell laptop. Bill Dennis, who was announced as the donor of the computer, had agreed to donate software for the laptop if it was needed, or give the money for it to MFCB otherwise. However, due to unforeseen financial restraints, Bill was requesting to amend that offer. Shelley Justice was given nothing in writing to explain why the funds are no longer available. Treasurer Dan Spoone made a motion for Shelley to arrange with Bill a proper resolution to the situation, which was approved. Dan also followed-up by saying Bill would be sent a Thank You letter for what turned out to be the most successful fundraiser for MFCB in quite some time. Leslie added that a Thank You letter be sent to Julie from her Git Fit gym for printing out the tickets used for the Raffle.

Committees were then formed and re-formed for 2009, with many of them having new Chairpersons. These would be noted in the upcoming 2009 MFCB Telephone Roster. Shelley added that all the Committees need working Members and encouraged the Chairpersons to put those serving on the respective Committees to various tasks important to MFCB.

With no Old Business brought forth, New Business began with 1st Vice President Sheila Young announcing that she has an Ovations free-standing scan-and-read device to give to a deserving person. Any Members who would be interested should contact Sheila and submit why they want the product in writing. The product would be awarded no later than the March General Meeting.

Sheila also suggested that a 50/50 Raffle be done every month, with the money raised be put into an account for transportation assistance for Members to attend Meetings. It was also mentioned that any Members who go to Transportation Meetings can be reimbursed.

Membership Secretary Jay Bader then announced that MFCB has 51 Members reported to FCB. And the 2009 Phone Roster should be ready hopefully for February but no later than the March General Meeting.

Shelley told Members that for the 2009 ACB Convention in Orlando this July, she needs assistance to line up people to conduct Religious Services as well as some Invocations during the daily General Sessions. Especially for those who attend church regularly, Shelley urged Members to contact her with information of ministers and clergy for this purpose.

After the Business Meeting adjourned, and since there was no Guest Speaker for January, the following Door Prizes were awarded, with each being Football-themed bags:

Bag 1: Jackie Gideons
Bag 2: Debbie Hazelton

Congratulations to the Door Prize Winners!

24 Members and Guests were present at the MFCB General Meeting held on Saturday, February 7th, at William Booth Tower in downtown Orlando. President Shelley Justice led Members in the Pledge of Allegiance, and afterward, Members and Guests were asked to introduce themselves.

Once the Secretary's and Treasurer's Reports were read and approved Shelley then opened the floor for Committees to report. For the Membership Committee, Membership Secretary Jay Bader announced that the 2009 MFCB Phone Roster was available at the Meeting in Large Print, Cassette and Braille, with an e-mail version already sent to those who receive THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE in that format. Shelley also mentioned that Lois Huddle is the new Chairperson for the Sunshine Committee, which is reflected in the Roster.

1st Vice President Sheila Young announced for the Activities Committee that there will be a Lunch at O-Boys BBQ after this Meeting and that Debbie Hazelton would be the Guest Speaker after the Business portion of our Meeting. She also told of what is to come for Guest Speakers and activities for the upcoming months.

For the By-Laws Committee, Recording Secretary Larry Turnbull said that he is finalizing his Committee Members shortly. Leslie Spoone announced for the Fundraising Committee that there would be Valentine’s Day gifts being drawn later in the Meeting at $1.00 per ticket. She added that in March, there may be a Voice Mate available and even a 50/50 Raffle.

For the Transportation Committee, Debbie Hazelton gave a detailed report, which ranged from the gathering of a list of accessible pedestrian signals (APS), to the Access Lynx situation (especially Transportation Disadvantaged riders, which is noted later in this issue), to even Visitor Status for Access Lynx. She added that an ID card for transportation purposes could be available by early summer, which may help both riders and visitors.

Jim Lamb reported for the Public Education Committee that in the next few days, there would be a Vision Summit in Tallahassee. All are invited to voice their concerns.

Under Old Business, talk began with deciding if THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE would continue. After much discussion, Sheila made a motion to suspend publication until someone else wants to restart it. The motion was approved, with the last issue being for March-April 2009. Telephone Committee Chairperson Jackie Gideons then said that all Members would be contacted by her Committee to keep them informed of upcoming Meetings and Events.

Sheila then gave the Ovations scan-and-read machine to Leslie. Shelley also announced that she has a source who is giving cassettes to those interested. After a couple of Members expressed interest, Shelley added that she may get some as well.

Under New Business, there was discussion regarding the FCB Convention Bus and whether or not MFCB wants to commit as a chapter to it. After motions were made and withdrawn, Sherri Brun, President of the National Federation of the Blind-Greater Orlando Chapter (NFB-GOC), who was a Guest at the Meeting, mentioned that Votran can also be used by Members while in Daytona Beach for the FCB Convention (as long as they are faxed a person's paratransit status prior to Convention), especially if going on Greyhound to Daytona. Shelley will report at the next FCB Chapter President's Meeting of at least three MFCB Members who would be interested in using the FCB Convention Bus this year.

Shelley also announced a fundraiser for Members to consider. It is a CD opener on a keychain. All in attendance had the opportunity to check out what one looks like, and Shelley said that it will be decided at the March General Meeting what should be done for the fundraiser. And since MFCB wants to re-establish regular visits to Lighthouse Central Florida to inform students and graduates about our organization, Shelley and 2nd Vice President Paul Hutsko mentioned each will try to make those visits for the chapter. This is something Shelley said is very important to her and MFCB.

After the Business portion of the Meeting adjourned, the following Door Prizes were given out, which were Valentine-themed gift bags:

Bag 1: Bob Huntsman
Bag 2: Jay Bader

The Valentine's Day Gift Raffle raised $32.00, with a Valentine's Gorilla drawn to David Land, and Heart-shaped boxes of candy to Sheila Young and Paul Hutsko.

Congratulations to the Door Prize and Raffle Winners!

Sheila then introduced the February Guest Speaker, MFCB Transportation Committee Chairperson Debbie Hazelton. Debbie briefly talked about her experience in dealing with transportation concerns in Broward County in South Florida, and focused on "SMART Complaining." For reference, here’s what SMART stands for, the presentation of which was well-received:

S - Specific
M - Manageable
A - Accurate
R - Relevant
T - Tone

Members can contact Debbie for any further assistance, as well as to express their concerns to her regarding transportation that she can relay to those she is getting to know, especially in Orange County.


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UPDATE ON ACCESS LYNX FARES FOR TD RIDERS

Debbie Hazelton, Chairperson for the MFCB Transportation Committee, has been hard at work attending as many Meetings regarding transportation issues that affect MFCB as possible. Here she reports on an important decision regarding Access Lynx fares for those under the Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) program:

Hi Everyone,

I'm pleased to report that the proposal to raise the fares for Transportation Disadvantaged trips was unanimously defeated. Lynx will be revisiting the issue of uncollected fares and ways to resolve the problem of riders who do not pay. In the coming months, we'll hear more of how Lynx deals with this matter.

I thought you'd be glad to know that TD trip fares will remain the same:
$2.50 for 0 to 5 miles, $3.50 for trips 5 to 10 miles, and $4.50 for trips over 10 miles.


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ADDING ICE TO A PHONE NUMBER

MFCB 1st Vice President Sheila Young wanted MFCB Members and Friends to be aware of something that is proving to be quite important when it comes to emergencies, especially in our area:

I.C.E.

Apparently this is a standard procedure all paramedics follow at the scene of an accident when they come across your cell phone.

ICE - "In Case of Emergency"

We all carry our mobile phones with names and numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell (mobile) phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE.'

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!



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FCB E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST AND VOICE CHAT ROOMS

Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is proud to have its members throughout the state participate in a couple of ways on the Internet. 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."

And FCB has 2 improved voice chat rooms for members of the organization. One of these is for General chat, the other is for the FCB Board and its respective committees to meet. Everyone is invited to sit in on these chats, especially to participate with those in the General chat room.

For more information about these FCB chat rooms, especially if you want to know how you can join in on the chats, click on the link "Voice Chat for FCB" at http://www.fcb.org.


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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 website, http://www.fcb.org, there is information available on the Internet about MFCB, especially the MFCB By-Laws, as well as current and past issues of the MFCB Newsletter. MFCB is proud to have people find out what is going on with our organization in this global manner.

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 better what we have on the Web.


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ACB CONVENTION 2009 IN ORLANDO - MEETING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE

MFCB Members and Friends, since this is the last MID-FLORIDA VOICE until further notice, a reminder that individual reservations are being accepted for the 2009 ACB National Convention, but space is filling up fast. It will take place July 4th through July 12th at the Rosen Centre Hotel here in Orlando. The hotel's address is 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819, which is just north of Sea World. The phone number at the Rosen Centre Hotel is (407) 996-9840 or call toll-free at 1-800-204-7234.

Please remember to only reserve a room IF you truly have plans to attend. The practice of reserving rooms just in case you decide to spend a week with ACB causes problems such as those experienced by many in 2006 in Jacksonville and 2007 in Minneapolis, and can result in enormous additional costs to ACB. Rates are $83.00 single/double plus tax. Add $10.00 for each additional person in a room.

The ACB Local Host Committee continues to work hard in making the 2009 ACB National Convention a huge success. With all there is still to do, we at MFCB want to extend our invitation to all readers of THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE to help us make it the best week possible, whether it be visiting the Convention for a day, or assist us by volunteering time during Convention Week itself in the many responsibilities of hosting a National Convention like this. So please contact any MFCB Officer for more information, as most of those same Officers serve on the ACB Local Host Committee.

As noted previously, there will be Members of the American Council of the Blind from throughout the United States and around the world who attend the ACB National Convention. So for those who want to meet an ACB Member from outside our area and even outside Florida, the ACB National Convention is as good an opportunity as any to do so. Places that are ideal for meeting other ACB Members include attending a seminar, going on one of the tours scheduled for Convention, checking out what is happening in the Exhibit Hall, and one other place that proves to be convenient every year: the ACB Café.

The ACB Café began a few years ago and has become a staple at the ACB National Convention. It is usually set up near where the General Sessions or Exhibits are located. The food and drinks are quick and simple, but you never know who you may meet at any table. There are wonderful people in ACB, and spending even one day at Convention may result in forming a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

The ACB Local Host Committee encourages Members to let their friends know about the ACB National Convention as well and make our national organization feel more than welcome in The City Beautiful. We look forward to as many Members and Friends of MFCB as possible join us at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando for the 2009 ACB National Convention this July.


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ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS ACCESSIBLE

Many thanks to 1st Vice President Sheila Young for submitting the following information, as it is valuable to all of us.

You can visit the site for annualcreditreport.com which will issue a free credit report annually. Then they ask for your credit card numbers, and if you aren’t sure, you can use the option to receive the reports by phone. That allows you to answer questions and the reports will be sent to you. The really great thing is that they offer them in accessible formats in compliance with the ADA, so you can receive your report in Braille, Large Print or audio.

If you want to try this out, the phone number is 1-877-322-8228.


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MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader

The MFCB Telephone Roster for 2009 is now available, and is being mailed on cassette to those Members receiving this Newsletter in that format. E-mail, Large Print and Braille versions are also available, especially at the March General Meeting. However, as 2 New Members have joined, the E-mail version has been revised since its original printing and already sent.

Please welcome the following New Members to MFCB:

Patti Cordell
Kirk Harmon

Also, as mentioned by MFCB President Shelley Justice in her President's Message earlier in this issue, for those who have received THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE but not the FCB Newsletter, The White Cane Bulletin, we will do all possible to make sure you begin receiving that Newsletter in the same format as you have been with our Newsletter. We want all Members to be aware of what is happening with MFCB, and certainly our reinstated Telephone Committee will be doing its part to assist in this process.

If you have any further questions regarding Membership issues, please call me at (407) 658-2479 or e-mail me directly at badddman@bellsouth.net. It has been a pleasure to get the MFCB Newsletter out to Members and Friends since 2003, so let's hope that if and when it returns on a regular basis, THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE will be a stronger, much more active Newsletter that proudly represents the Orlando-area chapter of the American Council of the Blind. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming MFCB General Meetings!


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BIRTHDAY PEOPLE

MARCH

10 - Sarah Brown
14 - Matti Hickson
14 - Marc Letzkus
15 - Pat Spoone
16 - Patti Cordell
21 - Gay Elliott
22 - Joseph Musil

APRIL

2 - David Land
13 - Bill Spoone
15 - Mary Schwable
19 - Rachel Schroeder
30 - Linette Thompson



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