[Iabs-talk] [il-talk] Braille Examiner

Patti Chang pattichang at att.net
Fri Nov 16 15:52:39 UTC 2012


Connie I'm responding to Hill this message which indicated that she was glad to be a member of the Federation.

p.s. give to our annual appeal by sending to NFBI c/o glenn Moore po box 1065 Elgin, IL 60121.

Patti S. Gregory-Chang
NFBI President 
NFB, Scholarship Committee Chair
Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 16, 2012, at 8:30 AM, "Connie Davis" <connie.davis at rcn.com> wrote:

> I assume you're referring to the fact that the entire newsletter since I did not see any message in Hilda's original e-mail. All I can tell you is the entire newsletter come through on my computer when it was posted to IL-talk and IABS-talk. 
> 
> Connie 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: il-talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Patti Chang
> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 7:33 AM
> To: NFB of Illinois Mailing List
> Cc: NFB of Illinois Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [il-talk] Braille Examiner
> 
> Me too
> 
> p.s. give to our annual appeal by sending to NFBI c/o glenn Moore po box 1065 Elgin, IL 60121.
> 
> Patti S. Gregory-Chang
> NFBI President
> NFB, Scholarship Committee Chair
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Nov 16, 2012, at 4:39 AM, Hilda Sandifer <hildasandifer at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On Nov 15, 2012, at 7:51 AM, "Connie Davis" <connie.davis at rcn.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Below is a copy of the Braille Examiner. And for those of you who 
>>> like it nicely formatted, I have attached MS Word and text formats. 
>>> Unfortunately, when I copy and paste some aspects of the formatting change.
>>> Thank you to everyone who helped with this!!!!
>>> 
>>> THE BRAILLE EXAMINER
>>> Post-State Convention 2012
>>> Editor: Connie J. Davis
>>> Co-Editor: Debbie Stein
>>> President: Patti Chang
>>> 
>>> CONTACT INFORMATION
>>> President: Patti Chang, (773) 307-6440, pattichang at att.net
>>> Editor:  Connie Davis, (773) 338-6922, connie.davis at rcn.com
>>> Co- Editor:  Deborah Kent Stein, (773) 203-1394,dkent5817 at att.net 
>>> <http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org>
>>> Formatting & Electronic Distribution: Connie Davis, (773) 338-6922, 
>>> connie.davis at rcn.com <mailto:connie.davis at rcn.com,> Newsline® 
>>> Edition:  David Meyer, (708) 209-1767, 
>>> <http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org> datemeyer@ 
>>> sbcglobal.net Limited Print Edition:  Bill & Roberta Reif, 
>>> billreif at ameritech.net Braille Edition:  Leslie Hamric, 
>>> lhamric390 at comcast.net
>>> Proofreaders: Meg Dowell & Glenn Moore,
>>> Website:  Byron Lee, webmaster, www.nfbofillinois.org, 
>>> webmaster at nfbofillinois.org
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ANNOUNCEMENTS
>>> 
>>> Articles and calendar postings should be submitted to Connie Davis at 
>>> connie.davis at rcn.com. The Newsletter Committee will meet prior to the 
>>> publication of each issue of the newsletter. Meetings will be 
>>> announced on our e-mail listservs, posted to the NFBI calendar and on 
>>> our website. Our meetings are open and new members are welcome. This 
>>> newsletter is available in electronic format on our listservs, via 
>>> e-mail, and on our website. It is also available on Newsline®. It is 
>>> published in Braille and limited print edition for our donors as well.
>>> 
>>> Postal mail, e-mail address and format changes should be sent to 
>>> Connie Davis, connie.davis at rcn.com. Question or comments may be addressed with
>>> Connie, Debbie or Patti.   
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS CONTEST
>>> (This is a post that appeared on NFBnet.net Members List, posted by 
>>> David
>>> Andrews.)
>>> 
>>> It's time to start reading! The reading period for the annual Braille 
>>> Readers Are Leaders contest for adults begins November 1. 
>>> Registration for the contest is now open! You can register at 
>>> www.nfb.org/BRAL now through the end of the contest, January 4, 2013.
>>> 
>>> The contest is for adults who read Braille. There are categories for 
>>> all levels of Braille readers, from beginners to experts. 
>>> Participants read for  prizes, practice, and pleasure. Whether you 
>>> love the competition or are spurred on simply because it's a great 
>>> way to promote and refine your Braille skills, this contest is for you.
>>> 
>>> For more information, you can check the Web site, www.nfb.org/BRAL. 
>>> There you will find all the forms and reading logs you will need to participate.
>>> If you still have questions, please contact the Braille Readers Are 
>>> Leaders team at (410) 659-9314, extension 2312, or BrailleReadersAreLeaders at nfb.org.
>>> <http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org>
>>> 
>>> Put your fingers to the paper and start recording what you are 
>>> reading today! Braille Rocks,
>>> 
>>> The Braille Readers Are Leaders Team
>>> 
>>> MANNA CERTIFICATES ORDER DETAILS & DEADLINE by David Meyer
>>> 
>>> The deadline for placing an order for our Manna Gift Certificates 
>>> Fundraiser is December 2nd. The order will be placed on December 3rd. 
>>> If you would like to place an order for certificates, please contact 
>>> Dave Meyer by calling
>>> 708-606-7091 or by e-mailing datemeyer at sbcglobal.net. 
>>> 
>>> A complete certificate list has been posted to both of our listservs 
>>> and on Newsline®.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> POST-CONVENTION 2012 PRESIDENTIAL REPORT by Patti Gregory-Chang
>>> 
>>> As I write from Washington State, I think with excitement about the 
>>> convention I am about to attend and review our recent convention in 
>>> Illinois with pride.
>>> 
>>> I begin with the numbers. We registered 149 people, almost one-third 
>>> of them people, under the age of thirty. This involvement of young 
>>> people bodes well for our future.
>>> 
>>> Most of this newsletter will be devoted to convention, but I would 
>>> like to note a couple of very important things here. First, our At 
>>> Large Chapter has been issued a charter. We were all so busy during 
>>> the convention that we forgot to present the charter at our banquet! 
>>> Be assured that it was issued by our national office. Second, our 
>>> Vendors Chapter met at convention. By all indications, a new charter 
>>> will be issued soon for our Illinois Association of Blind Merchants.
>>> 
>>> Now that convention is over, we can begin to work on our first 
>>> Illinois BELL Program. We plan to conduct a Braille Enrichment for 
>>> Literacy Program in Chicago next summer. If you wish to serve on the 
>>> BELL Committee, please let me know.
>>> 
>>> The NFBI board also approved a TVI/Parent seminar for next spring. 
>>> This should feed students into the more intensive BELL program. We 
>>> need people to work on this event as well. Even if you can't work 
>>> during the days of the seminar, you can help with the planning and 
>>> publicity. I will call on many of you. Please feel free to volunteer 
>>> by calling me at (773) 307-6440 or e-mailing at pattichang at att.net.
>>> 
>>> We want a good contingent of Illinois Federationists to attend 
>>> Washington Seminar, which will be held February 2-4, 2013. 
>>> Applications for Washington Seminar are now available. The 2013 NFB 
>>> National Convention will take place July 1-6. Please mark your 
>>> calendars. Convention will be held at the Rosen Center in Orlando, Florida. Please join us.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> WELCOME ILLINOIS VENDORS!!!
>>> by Mary Lou Grunwald
>>> 
>>> On October 17th, The Illinois Association of Blind Merchants voted 
>>> unanimously to become a chapter of NFBI. This has been a dream of 
>>> mine for
>>> 35 years. That dream has finally come true. Many of my vendor 
>>> colleagues have been attending state and national events over the 
>>> past year, and I have had the honor and privilege of sharing all the 
>>> exciting aspects of our organization with them. I have heard many 
>>> positive responses. I am looking forward to seeing what new talents and abilities they will bring to NFBI.
>>> 
>>> Welcome fellow vendors!!!!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> HOW TO KEEP YOUR NEWSLINE® SUBSCRIPTION by David Meyer
>>> 
>>> Several weeks ago, our state president, Patti Chang, received a 
>>> communiqué from Sharon Ruda of the Illinois Talking Book and Braille 
>>> Service. The message detailed the process the library has undertaken 
>>> to identify those who wish to keep or cancel their NewsLine® 
>>> subscriptions. Since our convention I have learned that not all 
>>> NewsLine® subscribers have received a survey or any other 
>>> communications regarding their subscription. We are publishing Ms. 
>>> Ruda's letter to inform Newsline subscribers before any decision is made on their behalf.
>>> 
>>> If you wish to keep your NewsLine ® subscription, please call the 
>>> Illinois Talking Book and Braille Service at 800-665-5576. Press 5 to 
>>> get to the Talking Book and Braille Service, then ask for Debra 
>>> Hurley. She will be glad to talk to you about this matter.
>>> 
>>> Here is Sharon Ruda's letter to President Chang.
>>> 
>>> Patti,
>>> 
>>> Below is information you can share with NewsLine® subscribers. I 
>>> think I have included all the information you requested. Please call 
>>> if you have additional questions.
>>> 
>>> Starting in November of 2011, the Illinois State Library Talking Book 
>>> and Braille Service began to survey individuals who are subscribers 
>>> to the NFB NewsLine®, a service sponsored and administrated [sic] by 
>>> the Illinois State Library. Although this survey was approved by our 
>>> Consumer Advisory Committee, we have learned that some people have 
>>> questions regarding this project. This is a project we do every two 
>>> or three years. We do this in conjunction with the annual review of 
>>> Talking Book and Braille Service readers. Every year, according to 
>>> National Library Service procedures, we review our Talking Book 
>>> clients to remove from our program database anyone who is deceased, 
>>> from whom we have received returned mail/location unknown, people who 
>>> called and told us to cancel their service for a number of reasons, etc. We follow through and make changes regarding each situation.
>>> It is our administrative responsibility to keep our records as 
>>> up-to-date as possible.
>>> 
>>> Five attempts have been made to contact subscribers who have not 
>>> responded to the survey.
>>> 
>>>              1. A large print letter was sent to 1351 subscribers in
>>> November,               2011. We received 334 responses.
>>>   A follow-up mailing was sent in March to those who did not respond.
>>>   Beginning in July, staff at the Chicago office of the Illinois 
>>> state library have been making calls to 689 subscribers who did not 
>>> respond to the 2nd mailing. A response was required if the patron 
>>> wished NewsLine ®. A voice message was left with instructions to call 
>>> an 800 number if the individual wished to continue the subscription.
>>> 4. If phone numbers given to us by subscribers from our database were 
>>> discontinued, additional sources including the national NewsLine ®) 
>>> database record phone number, whitepages.com, personal contact 
>>> numbers, etc. were used to attempt to reach the subscriber.
>>> 5. If we were unable to reach subscribers through the above process, 
>>> the final attempt was through email. We are receiving responses from the email.
>>> If we are unable to communicate with people, after trying numerous 
>>> times, they will be removed from the database. I'm sure you know, 
>>> being deleted from the NewsLine list is not a problem. If someone is 
>>> inadvertently deleted, a simple call gets him/her reinstated and at 
>>> the same time allows us to update his/her record. Updating changes in 
>>> address or telephone number is critical for any entity that 
>>> administers a subscription program. It is the responsibility of the 
>>> subscribers to keep their record up-to-date. If you move or get a 
>>> cell phone and drop your land line, the ISLTBBC needs that information.
>>> 
>>> An invaluable part of this survey is that David Meyer, our NewsLine® 
>>> mentor, is getting lots of referrals to people who need his assistance and training.
>>> This is beneficial to those who answered our survey, noting that they 
>>> found NewsLine® too hard to use or didn't know anything about it.
>>> 
>>> The Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service 
>>> understands how important NewsLine is to our patrons, and we are 
>>> pleased that NewsLine will continue to enhance the lives of those who use the service.
>>> 
>>> Sharon Ruda
>>> Associate Director Illinois State Library
>>> 
>>> 
>>> THE NFBI SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS OF 2012
>>> by Deborah Kent Stein
>>> 
>>> Last May t




More information about the IABS-Talk mailing list