[il-talk] Minutes for chicago chapter meeting in May

[David Meyer]

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, I sent Debbie's first draft of the minutes from the May Chicago
Chapter meeting.  I have since received a second draft with a couple of
changes, which I am pasting below.  Please consider this draft as a final
draft of the minutes.  Also, if you are a Chicago Chapter member, please
read the minutes and be ready with any corrections you might have.  

Finally, the minutes will also be on the NewsLine blind information channel.
Please tell your friends who do not have email, so that they will know to
look for them.




NFBI Chicago CHAPTER
226 S. Wabash, Chicago
May 14, 2011

CALL TO ORDER

Following the Spring Membership Tea, Chicago Chapter President David Meyer
called the meeting to order at 1:01 P.M. To make the meeting more lively,
the order of the agenda items was determined by drawing cards. Denise Avant
drew the cards.

PROGRAM

Steve Hastalis presented a program about audible traffic signals. He
explained some of the problems with early systems that were used in Chicago,
and Byron Lee played audio samples of chirps and cuckoos. The newer variety
is called the Accessible Pedestrian System. It is activated when the
pedestrian presses a button. As traffic patterns are becoming more
complicated, pedestrians do not always have the walk sign when there is
parallel traffic. Audible signals may be helpful under some circumstances,
but blind pedestrians still need to listen to traffic and maintain a sense
of direction.

STATE REPORT

NFBI President Patti Gregory-Chang said that Chappell and Jernigan
applications have closed for assistance to national convention. We will
assign mentors to new convention attendees. Contact Debbie Stein at (773)
631-1093 or dkent5817 at att.net with the names of any people who will be
attending for the first time. The Illinois Caucus will meet at 7 A.M. on
July 5. Bring banquet tickets for the banquet exchange, which Kelly Doty
will coordinate. Illinois has one national scholarship winner, Ma'Ayan
Malter, a senior at New Trier High School who will be attending the
University of Chicago. State convention will be held in Rock Island, October
7-9. Call the Holiday Inn in Rock Island for reservations. Reserve bus
tickets by contacting Steve Hastalis. Our next state board meeting will be
held on May 22 at 7 via the conference line, 218-936-1200 with pass code
6324. It will be followed by a meeting of the IABS board, also via the
conference line, with pass code 4227.

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of Mary Lou Grunwald, Kelly Doty asked for the names of people
willing to carry bags and mugs to Orlando. Trey Bradley, Jessica Lopez, and
Casandra Certeza volunteered.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT

Bob Widman thanked everyone for attending the tea and welcomed all of the
new people. He said that the committee is trying to improve the fan-out
process.

PRESIDENTIAL RELEASE

Dr. Marc Maurer announced that rooms at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel are
filled, but there are still rooms available in the Rosen Center, the
overflow hotel. Convention registration forms can be completed online or as
hardcopy. Driving simulators will be available at convention; we want to
learn how people react to the simulator experience. On June 22 Joe Ruffalo
will interview Parnell Diggs about the Imagination Fund on Thru Our Eyes
Radio. Listen at www.thruoureyes.org. Scott Labarre urged people to join the
PAC Plan or to increase their PAC Plan contributions. Natalie Shaheen has
become the new director of education at the national center. The tenBroek
Law Symposium met at the center and was a tremendous success.  It was
followed by the Leadership at Washington (LAW) program for middle-school
students, teaching them how to make a difference. The North
American-Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union met and talked about the
World Intellectual Property regulations.  The National Scholarship Committee
met at the end of April. We have done considerable work with Ticketmaster to
make its Website accessible. A settlement in a case brought by the NFB will
make online applications to law schools accessible to blind students.
Dr. Maurer just returned from a meeting of the International DAISY
Consortium in Helsinki, Finland.

NEW BUSINESS

The chapter voted to have a chapter picnic by the Landmark Café at the
Lincoln Park Zoo on July 16, the third Saturday of the month between noon
and 4 P.M. Attendees can bring or buy lunches. Gary Jones announced that
there will be an ADA picnic and parade in Joliet on June 4. All are
encouraged to attend.  Anyone interested should contact Gary at
815-722-4703.

INTRODUCTIONS

Thirty-six people were in attendance, including first-time attendee Jessica
Lopez.

TREASURER's REPORT

Treasurer Steve Hastalis presented a quarterly report for January, February,
and March, 2011. On January 1 the chapter had a balance of $4822. During the
quarter the chapter had income of $1708.28 and expenses of $432.28, for an
ending balance on March 31, 2011, of $6,098. The report was approved. The
second quarterly report will be read at the August meeting.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Dave Meyer thanked everyone who extended sympathy on the death of his
father-in-law. Steve thanked all who expressed their concern over his recent
illness, and said he is fully recovered.

SECRETARY's MINUTES

Dave and others raised concern that not all members may be reading the
minutes via Newsline or email. People need to get into the habit of reading
the minutes prior to the meeting. The minutes for the meeting of April 16,
2011, were approved.

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

Ken Staley announced that we will have a White Sox fundraiser at the game
with the Texas Rangers on August 20 starting at 6.  The tickets are $30 and
we earn $7 with each ticket sold. Ken thanked Linda Villa for volunteering
to deliver the spring candy. She will bring it to the June meeting. The
fifty-fifty raffle will also be drawn at the meeting in June.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 2:42 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Stein, Secretary


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