[Oabs] Thank you, and some shout outs!

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

Thank you to those who came to the make-up meeting tonight.  To recap,
here are the things which were discussed:
Contributions to the convention---we have elected to put together a
basket with a movie night theme.  This basket will include gourmet
popcorn; some decadent chocolate from Esther Price Candy, a Cincinnati
favorite that is known state-wide; possibly some general admission
tickets to a big and really common movie theatre like Showcase, Regal
Cinemas, or AMC; a hot beverage of some sort like apple cyder or hot
chocolate; and some fuzzy slippers or socks.  I anticipate that this
basket will be at least $25 in value, and if it doesn't seem like it
will remember that the chocolate will be more expensive than you might
think.  I also have a $25 gift certificate to Doey's Pizza I am
donating as a door prize, and a few of us including Aleeha and myself
are going to walk around our campuses and ask restaurants for gift
card donations.  Aleeha did pretty well with this last year, so I
think that's proof that businesses might be more generous than we
might think they would be.  I'm planning on trying a few of the
businesses on Brown Street by my campus either Sunday afternoon when
they're likely to be less busy and available to talk to me, or next
weekend if for some reason that doesn't work out.  Lillie also
mentioned that she has a Wal-Mart card she'd be willing to throw in.
2 cards is a good start, but we had more than that last year.  I'd
like to at least match 2014 to 2013.
The fundraiser this year will be a Split-The-Pot.  We are going to
make tickets in advance by brailling on index cards.  If you are
interested in making the tickets, you can use the following
description to help:

Insert the flash card into the brailler/slate in landscape.  Braille
in literary numbers in numerical order, leaving a space between each
number so they can be cut.  Depending on the size of your index card,
you should be able to get 2 to 4 numbers out of a card.  You can
adjust your margins if using a brailler as well.  When you can fit no
more numbers across, line feed down and braille dots 1 and 4 all the
way across the card.  Line feed and left align again, and write the
numbers you wrote before directly below the original ones.  Remove
card when finished and flip it over.  Insert the card into the
brailler again and line feed down till you are linged up with the row
of Cs.  Braille a row of Cs again on the otherside to create a crease
so that the tickets can be easily split into halves.  Fold the card
hamburger style along the crease with the braille facing outward, and
use scissors to cut the tickets apart.  When you have single tickets,
one should look like this.  number at top, a line below, same number
directly below.  If you need additional help, you can call either
Aleeha or myself as we've both done this before.  Place any/all
tickets you make into a baggy of some sort, and remember to bring it
with you to the convention.  Aleeha will be brailling tickets 1-100
because she is going to be at convention before the rest of us on
Thursday night and Friday morning.  I will braille tickets 101-200
since I will most likely be arriving at the hotel between 11:00 and
2:00 on Friday.  Lillie mentioned she'd be willing to braille, and
perhaps Emily could also help when home.  Lillie, would you be willing
to tackle 201-300 with the option of drafting Emily if/when available?
 I know the sisters will be arriving after 4:00, so that would be
great.  We will also need people who know how to use a slate to bring
their's to the convention so more tickets can be made if necessary.
Since travel for me will be more than hitching a ride on local
paratransit, and I may have to use Greyhound and figure out how to
transport my guitar in such a way that it isn't damaged, I won't know
if I'll be able to bring my Perkins like last year until I figure out
how I'm going to get to Columbus.  Barbara has challeneged me to come
to convention a competent slate-user, so hopefully this won't be an
issue and I'll also be able to help with emergency ticket production.
Lastly on this, tickets will be sold 1 for a dollar, and 6 for 5
dollars.  Make sure when you sell that you take half of the ticket
along with the money and place it in the container I will give you.  I
have quart-sized ZipLoc bags, and I'll give one for collecting money
and one for collecting ticket stubs to anyone who wants to help sell.

Next, membership committee needs help.  Membership is struggling, and
especially since convention is a month away we need to step it up.
Please join the call on the 10th of October; it will be the last one
before convention, and we need to make a good presence.

Be prepared to pay dues at convention.  Our constitution states that
we will vote on the amount to be paid to the treasurer there, but I
know initial thinking was that they would be $5.

No word on whether or not Dr. Maurer will be attending our seminar or
not, but Eric will keep me posted.  As soon as I know, I'll pass along
what I've found out.

Now for the shout outs!
Emily is gearing up to take the GMAT, which is the standardized test
for admission into MBA programs.  From what she told us about the
accomodations process, it sounds like College Board and ACT could
learn a thing or two from the GMAT people.  There seems to have been
no struggle at all in getting set up and approved for accomodations.
That's what we like to see!
Lillie will be making a TV debute, talking about the accessible TI84
calculator she's using.  Details on when the film crew will shoot are
still TBA.  Exciting!
This last one isn't a shout out, at least yet.  Please keep your
fingers crossed for me.  I've applied to go on a study abroad service
trip to Jamaica this summer.  If all goes well, I will spend ten days
on the northern coast of Jamaica, working in various clinical settings
for music therapy.  I feel really confident about the interview I had
earlier today and my professors have said they would support me iby
giving thei recommendations, but we'll see how it goes.  I should know
something within the next week, and then if I am accepted I'll need to
do some serious fundraising of my own.  It's a wonderful personal and
professional opportunity that I hope I will get the chance to have.

Thanks all, and if I left out any shout outs due to the late hour just
shoot me an email or reply to the list.
-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton 2016.
Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma