[Cinci-NFB] National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter, Meeting Minutes for June 2020

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National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

Cincinnati Chapter

Meeting Minutes for June 2020

 

1.	The June 2020 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter was convened by President Gloria Robinson at
approximately 1:35 P.M. on Saturday June 27, 2020. In attendance were:
President Gloria Robinson, Emily Pennington, Christopher Sabine, Dave Perry,
Ahkeela Cade, Paul Jordan, Deanna Lewis, Diane Carmony, Candice Armstrong,
Anthony King, Tamara "Tammy" McRae, Walter Mitchell, Marianne Denning,
Allison Meloy, Joy Thomas, Lisa Hall and Gary Warren.

 

2.	Walter Mitchell moved to approve the may 2020 minutes as emailed.
Emily Pennington seconded, and the motion passed.

 

3.	Christopher Sabine reported briefly on his assistance registering
members online for National Convention, which is scheduled for July 14-18
2020. The 2020 National Convention will be held virtually due to the current
public health crisis.

 

4.	Walter Mitchell gave a report from the Ohio Diabetes Action Network
(DAN) at the request of President Gloria Robinson.  Walter expressed that
DAN has been holding twice-monthly "Educate, Inspire, and Empower" meetings
which revolve around a specific topic related to Blind people with Diabetes.
The most recent discussion, which reportedly took place at DAN's latest
conference call on June 13, centered around foot care and diabetes and was
facilitated by Mark Abrahams, Owner of Next Step Shoes, a Dayton-based
provider of footwear for people with Diabetes. Walter Mitchell agreed to
provide information about the DAN meetings to Allison Meloy from
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and post it to the Cinci-Talk
Listserv.

 

5.	Emily Pennington presented this month's Treasurer's Report. Walter
Mitchell moved to approve the Treasurer's Report as presented. Paul Jordan
seconded, and the motion passed.

 

6.	There were no Transportation Committee or Legislative Committee
reports presented this month.

 

7.	President Gloria Robinson reported that the Cincinnati Chapter Board
of Directors met on June 25 prior to today's meeting. It was decided at that
meeting to allocate $25 for the Chapter's annual contribution to each of the
four National funds: The tenBroek Fund, The Sun Fund, the White Cane Fund
and the Jernigan Fund for a total of $10. 

 

8.	Allison Meloy, Rehabilitation Counselor for the Southwest Ohio Field
Office of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, Opportunities
for Ohioans with Disabilities, gave an overview of the vocational
rehabilitation employment process and answered questions from Chapter
members.

9.	Marianne Denning began a discussion of a proposed dinner on June 18
to coincide with the banquet at the National Federation of the Blind
Convention, which will be held virtually this year due to Covid-19.
Marianne, President Gloria Robinson and other Chapter members agreed to
explore potential locations for the dinner. 

 

10.	Marianne Denning reported that The Cincinnati Association for the
Blind and Visually Impaired and West Side Brewery, located at 3044 Harrison
Avenue, will conduct a tapping   of a new Ale on July 16 2020-with proceeds
going to the agency. Branded as Braille Ale, the new beer will be sold in
cans featuring tactile symbols. Marianne expressed that she would like to
attend the event and represent the National Federation of the blind of
Cincinnati to educate participants about the importance of Braille to the
daily lives of the blind and strengthen the Chapter's presence in the
community. A food truck will also be available. Marianne expressed that she
will share further information regarding this event on the Cinci-Talk
Listserv. 

 

 

11.	Gary Warren gave a report concerning fundraising. Several ideas for
fundraising campaigns during the Pandemic, including a yard sale and other
product sales with proceeds going to the Chapter, were discussed. However,
President Gloria Robinson expressed that she would like to see how the
current public health crisis plays out before committing the Chapter to
specifics.

 

12.	President Gloria Robinson reported that the Flying Pig Marathon and
all related events have been cancelled due to the pandemic. However, the
"Meet the Blind" event is still on at this point. Gloria expressed that she
will report back to the Chapter on the status of "Meet the Blind" in July.

 

13.	Christopher Sabine began a discussion on a proposal to contact
members of the Ohio Legislature concerning the inaccessibility of
information on the locations of Covid-19 testing sites and other data from
the web sites of the Ohio Department of Health and the Hamilton County
Department of Public Health. Christopher expressed that the information on
both sites is presented visually in the form of a 3-D map with dots
representing testing locations. This format is entirely inaccessible for
assistive technology users-including screen readers. Walter Mitchell also
expressed that he was unable to apply for small business assistance due to
an inaccessible web site and was unable to obtain sighted assistance.
President Gloria Robinson proposed that a new committee be formed to address
technology accessibility. The committee would connect with state legislators
and other entities regarding accessibility issues and liaise with other
members regarding assistive technology, apps and web sites. This would also
include assisting new members to join the Ohio-Talk and Cinci-Talk
listservs. Christopher Sabine, Marianne Denning and Gary Warren agreed to be
part of this committee, which agreed to hold its first meeting on July 2 at
7:30 P.M. President Gloria Robinson expressed that she will provide
Christopher with a Toll-free number to use to order food on Doordash for
those unable to use the app. 

 

14.	The June 2020 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter was adjourned at approximately 2:55 P.M. on
Saturday June 27 2020.

 

15.	The July 2020 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter is scheduled for Saturday July 25 2020 from 1:30 to
3:30 P.M. by teleconference.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Christopher Sabine

Secretary

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

Cincinnati Chapter

 

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