American Council Of The Blind Ohio Chapter Inc

TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY-IMPAIRED PEOPLE.

CONFERENCE AND CONVENTION: EACH YEAR, ACB-OHIO PLANS AND HOLDS A CONVENTION TO WHICH ANYONE CAN REGISTER AND ATTEND. THIS EVENT IS A WEEKEND FILLED WITH SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS, SOCIAL EVENTS, EXHIBITORS/VENDORS, AND SPEAKERS. OUR PROGRAM PLANNING COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF BOARD MEMBERS AND ANYONE FROM THE ORGANIZATION WANTING TO PARTICIPATE. THE COMMITTEE LOCATES A VENUE AND PLANS FOR THE CONVENTION, SUCH AS MEETING ROOMS, MEALS, AUDIO/VISUAL SETUP, AND EXHIBIT SPACE, AS WELL AS FINDS SPEAKERS, PRESENTERS, AND EXHIBITORS, ARRANGES THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, ORGANIZES REGISTRATION, AND SEEKS SPONSORS TO HELP DEFRAY THE COST OF MEALS, SUPPLIES, TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER EXPENSES. WE COLLABORATED WITH ACB-INDIANA TO PLAN AND HOLD OUR 2022 CONVENTION. THE 2022 CONVENTION TOOK PLACE AT THE HILTON GARDEN INN IN BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA, ON NOVEMBER 11-13, WITH 14 EXHIBITORS/VENDORS AND 90 ATTENDEES. (71 ATTENDED IN PERSON AND 19 ATTENDED VIRTUALLY.)

AWARDS: ACB-OHIO OFFERS SEVEN AWARDS TO HONOR OHIO INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS WHO IN SOME WAY HAVE IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND BLIND COMMUNITY. THESE INCLUDE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME, ENERGY, AND RESOURCES; ORGANIZATIONS OR COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE PROVIDED ASSISTANCE; AN AWARD TO SOMEONE IN THE MEDIA WHO HAS WRITTEN ABOUT BLINDNESS; AN EMPLOYER WHO HAS HIRED AND MADE THE WORKPLACE ACCESSIBLE TO ONE OR MORE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE; AND AN AWARD TO A TEACHER OF THE BLIND. THE AWARDS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS NOMINATIONS FOR AWARDS AS NOMINATIONS ARE RECEIVED AND MAKES DECISIONS BASED ON EXISTING CRITERIA, ARRANGES FOR PLAQUES, AND MAKES PRESENTATIONS AT THE ANNUAL CONVENTION. IN 2022 THE COMMITTEE PRESENTED FOUR AWARDS, INCLUDING THE KEN MORLOCK AWARD, THE RUTH DAVIDSON AWARD, THE AMBASSADOR AWARD, AND THE ARLENE COHEN ART OF TEACHING AWARD. OUTREACH AND REFERRAL SERVICES: PEOPLE LOSING VISION AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS CALL OUR OFFICE TO LEARN ABOUT RESOURCES IN OHIO. WE PROVIDE CONTACTS, WHEN POSSIBLE, ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO FIND OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION, AND OFFER SUPPORT. OUR OFFICE RECEIVES AROUND 12 CALLS A WEEK FROM SOCIAL WORKERS AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL, REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER NONPROFITS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. WE HAVE A MONTHLY PROGRAM ON VOICECORPS, A LOCAL RADIO READING SERVICE, TO SHARE OUR ACTIVITIES AND NEWS OF RELATED ORGANIZATIONS. LEGISLATION: OUR STAFF, OFFICERS, AND BOARD MEMBERS ARE CHARGED WITH KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH CURRENT LEGISLATION ON THE LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVELS. WE DO THIS THROUGH SUBSCRIPTION TO NEWSLETTERS AND ANNOUNCEMENT LISTS PROVIDED BY LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, CONTACT WITH STATE AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT MEMBERS, AND SUBSCRIPTION TO THE LEADERSHIP LIST WHICH ACB PROVIDES. ONCE A YEAR, SOME OF OUR MEMBERS VISIT WASHINGTON, DC, FOR A LEGISLATIVE SEMINAR, DURING WHICH THEY LEARN ABOUT CURRENT NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE IMPERATIVES AND OTHER IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES, EXCHANGE INFORMATION ABOUT STATE AND LOCAL EVENTS, AND VISIT CAPITOL HILL TO SPEAK WITH REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS OR THEIR STAFF MEMBERS ABOUT THESE VITAL ISSUES. NINE OF OUR MEMBERS REPRESENTED ACB-OHIO IN MARCH 2022 AND ATTENDED THE LEGISLATIVE SEMINAR. THEY ALL ATTENDED VIRTUALLY BECAUSE THE LEGISLATIVE SEMINAR WAS HELD ONLINE. NEWSLETTER: OUR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER, THE OHIO CONNECTION, GOES TO ALL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS AND TO ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN OUR WORK. OUR NEWSLETTER CONTAINS ARTICLES ABOUT LEGISLATION, UPCOMING EVENTS, MEMBER PROFILES, WEBSITES THAT CONTAIN PERTINENT INFORMATION, AND ITEMS THAT PEOPLE SUBMIT ABOUT TRAVEL OPTIONS, EYE RESEARCH, AND BIOS OF AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS AND BOARD MEMBERS. WE PROVIDE COPIES IN LARGE PRINT AND BY E-MAIL. THE MOST RECENT ISSUE, AS WELL AS ARCHIVES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE.

SCHOLARSHIPS: ACB-OHIO OFFERS THREE SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN OHIO. THE AMOUNTS OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS RANGE FROM 1,000 FOR AN ENTERING FRESHMAN TO 5,000 FOR A GRADUATE STUDENT. OUR SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE BEGINS ADVERTISING THE SCHOLARSHIPS IN SPRING, COLLECTS AND REVIEWS APPLICATIONS AFTER THE AUGUST 1ST DEADLINE, AND THEN DETERMINES RECIPIENTS BEFORE OUR CONVENTION TAKES PLACE. WE ENCOURAGE OUR SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION TO RECEIVE FUNDS. COSTS OF THE CONVENTION ARE COVERED FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, AND EACH OF THEM RECEIVES A ONE-YEAR COMPLIMENTARY MEMBERSHIP TO ACB-OHIO. IN 2022, WE GAVE THREE SCHOLARSHIPS, AND THE THREE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ALL ATTENDED OUR CONVENTION VIRTUALLY TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE. ACB-OHIO ALSO ENDOWS SCHOLARSHIPS AT THREE UNIVERSITIES IN OHIO: THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO, AND WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY. WE ALSO INCLUDE THOSE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS, CHOSEN BY THE UNIVERSITIES, IN OUR RECOGNITION CEREMONY.

MATCHING GRANTS: BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS OR ACBO CHAPTERS CAN APPLY FOR FUNDS UP TO 500 TO MATCH FUNDS RAISED FOR A SPECIFIC PROJECT OR ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT. GRANTS IN 2022 PROVIDED FUNDS TO HELP TWO INDIVIDUALS PAY FOR ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO READ AND NAVIGATE.