California Connection

December 19, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 19, and will be updated on January 9. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Gabe Griffith, connection editor: Due to the Christmas and new years holidays the next connection will not be until January 9. Merry Christmas and happy new year to all.

From Jeff Thom: Many of you will remember Larry Sieber, an employee of CCB for a number of years. I regret to inform you that Larry died last week. He was a hard working and devoted employee and a friend to many of us.

From Gene Lozano, CCB convention chair: "The CCB Convention Committee is seeking ideas and referrals for potential general session speakers for the Spring and Fall 2009 conventions. Please provide me with topics that you feel would be of interest to the majority of our membership and the contact information of speakers who could talk on this subject. This information is needed by December 31st, 2008. Ideas and suggestions can be emailed to me at lozanoe@csus.edu or you can call the CCB office at 800-221-6359 with your ideas and they will get the information to me. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

From Joel Isaac, CCB web master: recordings of sessions from the Fall 2008 CCB Convention are now available at: http://www.ccbnet.org/ConventionArchives.htm Recordings include sessions on audio description, stem cell research, taking control of your finances, and hybrid vehicles.

As most of you now know Dan Kysor is leaving CCB to take a job with our state legislature. Therefore CCB is now advertising for a new director of advocacy and governmental affairs. For more information please visit the CCB web site at www.ccbnet.org or contact the CCB office at 800-221-6359. Remember that the deadline for the application is January 12.

The Greater Long Beach Chapter CCB, I survived the holiday's party will be held on Saturday January 3, 2009 from 11:00 am -4:00 pm, at Lone Star Steak House & Saloon, 6575 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA. The cross street is 2nd Street. The phone number is 562-549-8999. The menu is your choice of the following: 16 oz. Prime Rib, Filet & Shrimp Combo, 14 oz. New York Strip or Salmon & Shrimp combo. The entree includes a garden salad or a bowl of soup and your choice of two of the following sides: Baked Potato, Baked Sweet Potato, Steamed Vegetables, Garlic Mashed Potato, Texas Rice or Steak Fries and their famous homemade rolls, and honey butter and a soft beverage. Price is $22.99 plus tip and taxes. Other beverages are not included in the price and for those who need there is a vegetarian alternative available. If you have any questions please feel free to call 562-438-7100. Happy Holidays!

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) on January 15, 2009. The City of Sacramento in conjunction with Several State Departments, Cities, private organizations, and the U. S. Department of Justice, will be on hand with up-to-the-minute information and education as a celebration of civil rights for people with disabilities. This is a free Seminar and is in conjunction with Martin Luther King's Birthday. The seminar will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1030 15th Street, Room 202, Sacramento, CA 95814 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. To register for the seminar e-mail ada@srcity.org. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request by contacting Dianne Russell at (916) 558-5763.

Many disabled taxpayers may be overlooking a valuable tax credit that could increase their federal income tax refunds by as much as $4,824. The IRS estimates that up to one in four taxpayers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit - or EITC - fail to claim the credit. Are you one of them? You may qualify if your income was under $41,646 last year and you, or your spouse, worked or received disability retirement benefits under an employer plan and were under the minimum retirement age. The amount of your EITC depends on several factors, such as the amount of your earned income, your filing status, whether you have children and how many, etc. Special rules apply if you have a child who is permanently and totally disabled. To get the credit you earned, you must 1) file a federal income tax return and 2) claim the credit. Many communities have volunteer income tax assistance sites or local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers, which will compute your EITC and prepare your return without charge. To locate a volunteer site, call your community's 211 or 311 number for local services or call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887.

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

December 12, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 12, and will be updated on December 19. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Gene Lozano, CCB convention chair: "The CCB Convention Committee is seeking ideas and referrals for potential general session speakers for the Spring and Fall 2009 conventions. Please provide me with topics that you feel would be of interest to the majority of our membership and the contact information of speakers who could talk on this subject. This information is needed by December 31st, 2008. Ideas and suggestions can be emailed to me at lozanoe@csus.edu Or you can call the CCB office at 800-221-6359 with your ideas and they will get the information to me. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

From Joel Isaac, CCB web master: recordings of sessions from the Fall 2008 CCB Convention are now available at: www.ccbnet.org/ConventionArchives.htm Recordings include sessions on audio description, stem cell research, taking control of your finances, and hybrid vehicles.

As most of you now know Dan Kysor is leaving CCB to take a job with our state legislature. Therefore CCB is now advertising for a new Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs. The entire job announcement can be located at the end of this connection.

The Society for the blind in Sacramento is advertising for a part time adaptive technology instructor and an employment specialist. To apply for either position send a cover letter and resume to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818, Attn Marianne Hewitt or fax at 916-452-2622, or e-mail mhewitt@societyfortheblind.org

"AIRS-LA currently has 2,094 podcasts on its website at www.airsla.org. There is a total of 992 hours of program content. New material is being added constantly. If you have ideas for programs, email us at info@airsla.org."

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

December 5, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 5, and will be updated on December 12. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Jeff Thom: As was reported in last week's connection, claims may be filed against Target based upon the NFB lawsuit concerning the inaccessibility of Target's website. If you are a legally blind individual who has attempted to use Target's web site since February 7, 2003, you may be entitled to damages of up to $7,000. Claims may even be filed if you attempt to use the site unsuccessfully prior to December 9 of this year so you still have a few days. Claims must be filed by January 8, 2009, by either using www.NFBtargetlawsuit.com or by contacting the claims administrator at 866-742-4955. It is of extreme importance that the blind community demonstrate to parties such as Target how many of us are impacted by their lack of success, and the way to accomplish this is to file a claim if you think it appropriate. You may even consider donating a portion of your award to CCB.

The Bayview Chapter of CCB is holding its Christmas party Saturday December 13, 2008 at the Hayward Ranch located at 22877 Mission Boulevard in Hayward. The phone number is 510-537-5522. Attitude adjustment hour will begin at 4: pm followed by dinner and installation of chapter officers. Dinner choices are prime rib with baked potato, salmon also with baked potato, and teriyaki chicken with rice. All dinners include salad and vegetable. Cost per dinner is $24. For more information and to make reservations contact Ida Johnson at 510-655-1982 or contact Catherine Skivers at 510-357-1986.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter, CCB, will be holding its Christmas lunch on Saturday, December 20, 2008, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $30, and each person needs to choose from one of three banquet menu items (all chicken dinners with salad and dessert. Please contact Ken Metz, Chair, at 626-300-8477, or email at kenmetz@sbcglobal.net . Please respond no later than December 10, 2008. Thanks, and hope to see some of you in the local hood attend.

The Yosemite Gateway Chapter extends an invitation to a Holiday Open House here in Merced on Friday, December 12th from 3-6pm. It will be held at COVE, the newly formed Center for Blindness and Low Vision located at 510 W 25th St, Merced. Please come and join us for an afternoon of good cheer and good food!

Are you a woman living with breast cancer? Would you like to be part of a caring community who understands your unique experience as a woman with vision loss, also dealing with cancer? The ACB Women's Concerns Committee is sponsoring a support group for you by phone. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, at 5-30, Pacific time. This group will not give any medical advice, or provide therapy. It will foster a safe and positive atmosphere in which to discuss relevant issues and support one another. To attend the breast cancer support group for women, call 866 633-8638, then put in the group identification number spelling the word support. That is, 7877678. If you have any trouble using this number, please do not use 0, but instead, hang up and call 650-969-3155 for assistance. When calling, you must verbally identify yourself and your city location when prompted by the system, in order to further ensure confidentiality and so that we know who is on the conference call.

The San Gabriel Valley Choral Company Stefanie Chamberlain-Farris, Artistic Director In her last performance with the SGVCC, Presents Sounds of Christmas Featuring Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, I Wonder as I Wander, and other traditional and contemporary carols. Saturday, December 13, 2008, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church 101 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia. Tickets are $10 General Admission and $7 Seniors & Students. If attendees wish to have a Braille copy of the program, they need to RSVP as soon as possible to Guillermo Robles at 323-268-7889.

The Society for the Blind in Sacramento is advertising for a part time adaptive technology instructor and an employment specialist. To apply for either position send a cover letter and resume to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818, Attn: Marianne Hewitt or fax at 916-452-2622, or e-mail mhewitt@societyfortheblind.org

"AIRS-LA currently has 2,094 podcasts on its website at www.airsla.org . There is a total of 992 hours of program content. New material is being added constantly. If you have ideas for programs, email us at info@airsla.org."

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

November 21, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 21, and will be updated on December 5. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Jeff Thom:

CCB members Bob and Connie Leblond, at Assistive Technology Center, have offered to donate 10% for December sales of the new MobilEyes product (other than purchases made by the Department of Rehabilitation). MobilEyes is a hand-held Optical Character Recognition scanner, an organizer, media player, notes recorder, electronic magnifier, barcode reader, and more. For further information on MobilEyes go to www.atechcenter.net. We thank ATC for this generous donation and hope people will take advantage of this offer.

Urgent reminder that we are establishing a thrift store taskforce to look into possible locations for a thrift store with which we may contract as a fundraising mechanism. If you have experiences with thrift stores or even appropriate small business experience, please consider contacting me about joining this taskforce. The chair will be Gerry Konsler. Call me at 916-995-3967 or e-mail me at jsthom@comcast.net

Our warmest congratulations go to Dan Kysor, who will be leaving his position as CCB's Governmental Affairs Director in early December in order to take a position as a staff member for the Legislature. Although we will greatly miss Dan's excellent advocacy on behalf of blind and low vision Californians, we are thrilled at the opportunity that has presented itself and, of course, we'll still see much of Dan as a hard-working CCB member. Moreover, it is extremely gratifying when a blind person is able to gain employment in the difficult arena that our state Legislature presents. Again, our very best wishes to Dan.

As was reported in last week's connection, claims may be filed against Target based upon the NFB lawsuit concerning the inaccessibility of Target's website. If you are a legally blind individual who has attempted to use Target's web site since February 7, 2003, you may be entitled to damages of up to $7,000. Claims may even be filed if you attempt to use the site unsuccessfully prior to December 9 of this year. Claims must be filed by January 8, 2009, by either using www.nfbtargetlawsuit.com or by contacting the claims administrator at 866-742-4955. It is of extreme importance that the blind community demonstrate to parties such as Target how many of us are impacted by their lack of success, and the way to accomplish this is to file a claim if you think it appropriate.

The CCB and Disability Rights Advocates are very interested in hearing from individuals who are going to take or who have recently taken the LSAT. So, if you know pre-law students who are blind/visually impaired or you, yourself, fall into this category, please contact us and let us know about your/their experiences Applying for accommodations for the LSAT, obtaining accessible LSAT preparation materials from LSAC or filing applications to law schools through the Law School Data Assembly Service website. At this time, applicants to law school are in the process of preparing or filing applications. Please share your experiences by contacting the CCB office at 800-221-6359 or Julia Pinover at DRA at jpinover@dralegal.org or Karla Gilbride at kgilbride@dralegal.org Feel free to call us at 510-665-8644.

Deck the Halls! Come join the Orange County Chapter in celebration of the holiday season! Saturday, December 13, 2008 11:30 a.m. 2 p.m. The location will be Marie Calendars Restaurant 13252 Brookhurst Street Garden Grove. We will be ordering off the regular menu, so the price will vary, depending on what you order. We're having a regift exchange, so bring something you've been given in the past that is not wanted or needed. Guests are welcome. Please RSVP to Andrea Pitsenbarger at 714-921-0289 on or before December 5. We hope to see you all there.

The San Gabriel Valley Choral Company Stefanie Chamberlain-Farris, Artistic Director In her last performance with the SGVCC, Presents Sounds of Christmas Featuring Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, I Wonder as I Wander, and other traditional and contemporary carols. Saturday, December 13, 2008, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church 101 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia. Tickets are $10 General Admission and $7 Seniors & Students. If attendees wish to have a braille copy of the program, they need to RSVP as soon as possible to Guillermo Robles at 323-268-7889.

We have an extra PowerBraille 80 Braille Display from Freedom Scientific. It has been used very little, and is supported by Freedom Scientific and made to be used with Jaws, Window-Eyes, Macintosh and all the major screen readers and computers. You can connect by USB, serial or Parallel. Asking $875. Contact CJ Sampson at 801 618 1969 or email homemail1@gmail.com

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

November 14, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 14, and will be updated on November 21. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Jeff Thom: Urgent reminder that we are establishing a thrift store taskforce to look into possible locations for a thrift store with which we may contract as a fundraising mechanism. If you have experiences with thrift stores or even appropriate small business experience, please consider contacting me about joining this taskforce. The chair will be Jerry Konsler. Call me at 916-995-3967 or e-mail me at jsthom@comcast.net

If you are an individual who is blind or visually impaired living in California and have tried to use the target.com web site you may be entitled to damages under the settlement against target. For more information go to www.NFBtargetlawsuit.com or contact the settlement administrator at NFB v. Target Claims Administrator, RG2 Claims Administration LLC, P.O. Box 59479, Philadelphia, PA 19102-9479 or by phone at 866-742-4955.

The San Gabriel Valley Chapter of CCB had a very successful Fundraiser at the Fall Convention. Our Entertainment Coupon Books were very popular purchases at the exhibit tables and our volunteers were very busy. To all of you who purchased these books we send a heartfelt THANK YOU! To any of you who missed the opportunity, you have until the fifteenth of November to contact Rayanne to order Holiday gifts for distant family members and friends. Just call (626) 358-3584 or e-mail fuzzycyclops@charter.net These discount coupon books are available for cities in all fifty states and many areas of Canada. Time is running out to order the gift that gives all year long. We can even have them delivered directly to your friend's and family's homes. Contact Rayanne now for locations and prices!

The San Gabriel Valley Chapter wants you to come celebrate Christmas and the Holidays with us. Come join the festivities which will take place on December 6th starting @ 11:30 A.M. to 3 P.M. at Brits in the City of Pasadena. Your meal choices are either salmon, prime rib, or vegetarian lasagna. All will be quite tasty and we will also have some great surprises that some of you might go home with courtesy of our very resourceful chair of Membership and Fundraising, Rayanne Myers. Brits is located at 1770 East Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. The cross street is Allan Avenue and the cost will be $35.00 per person. We hope you will come celebrate with us. If you are interested please send your check to Pam Polagi made payable to "San Gabriel Valley Chapter CCB" at 5646 McCulloch Ave. Temple City, CA 91780 no later than Friday, November 21st. Also, please call either Pat LaFrance Wolf @ 626-279-2954, Kelly Weiss @ 310-453-1142 or Zena Reubel @ 323-939-2234 and give them your meal choice. We can not take payment at the door as we must give the full count ahead of time. We are all looking forward to celebrating the season with you in December at our own Brits of Pasadena.

The Glendale-Burbank Chapter is having its holiday celebration at Taix French Restaurant at 1911 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles. cross street is North Alvarado. The date is December 6 with the social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. Please call John Mavis with your selection (323) 467-6263 and send him your checks. Choices of entree are: Coq Au Vin French dish of chicken in red wine sauce with mushrooms; Filet of Sole Normandie: Braised, in Chablis, mushrooms and cream; Beef Bourguignon beef in Burgundy wine mushroom sauce. Dinners are $25 per person. Reservations must be made by November 28.

Active adults with impaired sight are invited for lunch and music at I-Connect's year end party at CPS's Tarzana office, 18425 Burbank Blvd., 91356. Free. Saturday, November 22 10:30- 1pm. For reservations, call Janice at 310-458-3501 X 148 or Vickie at 818-705-5954.

What: Guide Dog Day 2008: Harnessing the Power of Partnership
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where: Westin LAX Hotel, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
Agenda to include: Presentations from the three guide dog schools, consumer organizations, panel discussion on service animals, roundtable discussion regarding out-of-state schools, international standards, consumer growth and outreach to the business community. For more information, visit us on the web at www.guidedogboard.ca.gov

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

November 7, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 7, and will be updated on November 14. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Jeff Thom: The president humbly apologizes for neglecting to mention the re-election to the board of directors of Ken Metz in the last connection. He is sincerely sorry about this agregious oversight. The CCB office will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day".

From Gene Lozano: Christian Wilde, author/researcher, who spoke during the third general session of the Fall California Council of the Blind convention, wishes to share some phone numbers for individuals who are interested in applying for entrance into the macular degeneration (MD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or uveitis clinical trials beginning mid 2009. For those who are interested in applying for entrance in the MD and RP trials, call Casey Eye Institute, Dr. Francis, office contact coordinator Jeri at 503 418-1627. To apply for entrance in the uveitis trials, call Ms Douglas 323 442-6335.

From Dan Kysor, CCB governmental affairs director: Dan reports that the governor's new budget proposal for the upcoming special session of the legislature would reduce SSP levels by $77. He also wants to change the eligibility of receiving IHSS benefits as well as rolling IHSS worker wages down to the state's minimum wage. Again, the governor is trying to resolve the budget shortfall on the backs of the disabled. Please contact your legislator to let them know of your objections. You can call the state operator at 916-322-9900 for assistance in reaching your legislator.

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

October 31, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 31, and will be updated on November 7. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Jeff Thom: The CCB family lost one of the fiercest advocates that I have ever known. On Friday, October 24, Barbara Rhodes, a member of the CCB board of directors, lost her long post-stroke battle. Health care issues, paratransit, and pedestrian safety are just a few of the issues that she fought for on behalf of all of us. But there was far more to Barbara than just her advocacy. She always had the time to ask how you were in a way that showed your welfare was really important to her. I am sure the best legacy we could leave to Barbara's memory would be to continue her outstanding work in CCB. A memorial service will be held for Barbara at 10-30 Wednesday, November 5, at South Hills Church, 6601 Camden Ave. in San Jose. There will be a reception afterward at the same location. Our condolences go to her husband of 51 years and her entire family. The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the California Council of the Blind.

As those of you know who attended last weekend's Fall 2008 CCB convention in Los Angeles, we were treated to perhaps the best group of speakers that we have ever had. Be ready for an even better year ahead when we celebrate our 75th anniversary in Sacramento, with our spring convention, April 2-5, and in our birthplace, Fresno, over Halloween weekend. We'd love to hear from all of you with ideas for these big events. In addition to incumbents, Jeff Thom, Gene Lozano, Chris Gray, David Jackson, Ann Kysor, and Lewis Preston, our congratulations go to newly elected board member Vince Calderon.

For the fourth year, the San Francisco chapter of CCB is sponsoring a contest to identify someone who needs monetary assistance to meet an education goal. It is called the Alice Chavez Pardini Education Advancement Grant. The contest is open to visually impaired persons in the five Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo. The grant can be up to $2,500 and is to be given to a legally blind student in grades 6-12, college, graduate school, or a certificate program. Applications must be postmarked before midnight of October 31, and the judgment will be announced on January 15. Applications and instructions can be secured from Charlie Dorris, 966 Union Street, San Francisco CA 94133; (415) 755 0487or tyreedorris@aol.com

What: Guide Dog Day 2008: Harnessing the Power of Partnership
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where: Westin LAX Hotel, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Agenda to include: Presentations from the three guide dog schools, consumer organizations, panel discussion on service animals, roundtable discussion regarding out-of-state schools, international standards, consumer growth and outreach to the business community. For more information, visit us on the web at www.guidedogboard.ca.gov

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

October 17, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 17, and will be updated on October 31. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

From Gabe Griffith: Due to the CCB fall convention there will not be a connection on October 24th. The next connection will be on October 31.

The CCB fall convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. The convention program is now available on the website at http://www.ccbnet.org/con08b.htm This document also includes an updated hotel description.

Fall 2008 CCB Convention menus:

Friday, October 24, 2008 Menus:

Friday Women's Breakfast: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Friday luncheons:
- Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken With Mushrooms and Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce, with California garden salad and carrot cake.
- Vegetarian selection: Grilled Vegetables with Soy Plum Sauce and Jasmine Rice.
Friday President's Dinner:
- Chicken Florentine Baked Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Swiss cheese with Basil Cream Sauce and Spinach salad and Traditional baked apple pie.
- Vegetarian selection: Parmesan Crusted Tofu with Tomato Basil Sauce and Roasted Carrots.

Saturday October 25, 2008 menus:

Saturday Education and PR Membership Breakfasts: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Saturday luncheons:
- Chicken Marsala Tender Breast of Chicken Saut�ed with Marsala Wine and Mushrooms, with spinach salad and New York cheesecake.
- Vegetarian selection: Avocado and Honey Roasted Cashew Salad with Baby Greens and Spicy Green Tomato Dressing.
Saturday Banquet:
- Prime Rib of Beef Slowly Roasted Au Jus with Creamy Horseradish, with Caesar salad and Tiramisu Cake.
- Vegetarian selection: Penne Pasta with Sun dried Tomato, Artichoke Hearts, Corn and Shallots in a Pesto Cream Sauce.

We are thrilled to have as our convention banquet speaker our own Olympic gold-medal winner and motivational speaker, Jessie Lorenz.

Hey Bidder, Bidder, Bidder! As some of you know, the California Council of the Blind will be conducting a live auction after the banquet at the CCB Convention in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 25. You can certainly donate items valued at $25 or more, or solicit donations for the auction on your own and bring them with you or have someone else bring them to convention for you. If you would like a sample letter we can provide it. The CCB Fund Raising Committee thanks you in advance for your support.

The fall sweepstakes tickets stated that one of the prizes is spending new years eve in Las Vegas. These tickets should have specified that the new years eve in question is 2009/2010. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

The committee on access and technology and the California council of citizens with low vision will be holding a joint session dealing with quiet cars on Friday October 24. Be at the California Council of the Blind Volunteer table located outside of the California A/D room at 9:00 AM to be escorted outside for a hybrid car demonstration to hear the vehicle idling, backing up, and moving through traffic. The demonstration will be followed up at 10:00 AM by a debriefing session regarding the hybrid car and other program items in the California A/D room. This will be followed by a presentation of the Accessibility Features of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Bus and Rail Programs.

From Gabe Griffith, chair resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about resolutions you want to submit for the upcoming CCB convention. The earlier you can get them to us the more work we can do on them. Please send them to me at Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net or call me at 916-505-8780. Also, please make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and, if possible, during the convention as well. This will make things much easier for the committee. Thank you.

COME ONE, COME ALL! Stop by the San Gabriel Valley Chapter's booth during your time at the CCB Fall convention. Our SGV/CCB Chapter is selling the renowned Entertainment 2009 Coupon Books as a fundraiser for our chapter. The San Gabriel Valley edition is only twenty dollars and can save you hundreds of dollars in restaurant, supermarket, sports facilities, etc. The usual discount is fifty percent and some are available for a party of four. Coupons state that they are effective starting now until November of 2009! If you are interested in an Entertainment book for your area, we can get one at a discount for you. Just e-mail or call Rayanne at (626) 358-3584 or e-mail fuzzycyclops@charter.net Some areas are the same cost as the SGV book; other areas may vary in cost, depending on the cities involved. If you call or e-mail Rayanne she can look up the cost of the area book in which you are interested and have your choice waiting at the convention. Our booth will be open on Friday, October 24 and 25, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. each day. We look forward to seeing you in L.A.!!

From Bernice Kandarian: Now that the video cassette is gone and analog TV is soon to follow, what is the future of description on TV and on home videos? Someone who knows as well as anyone does, Mary Watkins, from the Media Access Group at WGBH in Boston, will speak at the joint session of the Seniors with Vision Loss Committee and the California Council of Citizens with Low Vision, at 10:30 Saturday morning, October 25 during the CCB Fall Convention. The time slot is one hour, so we should be able to discuss the topic in some detail.

All new from Guide Dog Users of California, GDUC. Check out our new exciting surprises at our exhibit booth while you renew your membership and get in our 50/50 drawing! Meet guide dog users, puppy raisers, and some truly awesome dogs! Open Friday and Saturday!

Bill Gillespie is seeking a non-smoking male roommate for the Fall CCB convention. He has a guide dog. If interested, call him at 707-2175272.

From Dan Kysor: The November 4 election is rapidly approaching and those of you who rely on the cassette version of the California Voter Guide can order it online at www.sos.ca.gov by going to �voter information� then audio cassette order form. There is also a large print guide now available. To telephone the Secretary of State and request the cassette or large print guide, Call the toll free line at the Secretary of State 800-345-8683. There are numerous ballot propositions and local ballot measures, and of course, the all important presidential and vice presidential election The entire state assembly is running as well as the odd numbered senatorial districts. And you know this is coming, get out and vote! For more up-to-date legislative information, contact our legislative line toll free AT 800-221-6359 Monday through Friday after 4 pm and before 10 am and all days Saturday and Sunday.

From Jeff Thom: Attention government employees: Fall is the time for the local and state employee charitable campaigns. The California Council of the Blind will be on the list of designated charities to which state employees may donate, and should be on the list of major local employee campaigns as well. Even if our name is not on that list, you can still designate your donation to be paid to the CCB. It's an easy way to help the organization, and I thank those who are willing to participate.

On Saturday, October 25, from 9-30 to noon, at the Center for the Partially Sighted, 18425 Burbank Blvd., Ste 706, Tarzana you are invited to attend a discussion of the practical and psychological implications of a cane and the different uses of an I.D. cane and a mobility cane. To RSVP, call 310-458-3501 X 148 www.low-vision.org

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

October 10, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 10, and will be updated on October 17. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

Note from Gabe Griffith, the CA Connection editor: If you are sending me a message for the California Connection please make sure that you state in the subject line that it is for the Connection. I have several hundred e-mails to sort through in a given week and some messages have been missed recently due to them not stating in the subject line that they are for the Connection. If you will please help me with this it will make it much easier for me to make sure your announcement makes it in the Connection. Thank you.

The CCB Sacramento office will be closed Monday, October 13th in observance of Columbus Day.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy. In order to obtain the $90 rate, you must make your reservation by October 14.

Fall 2008 CCB Convention menus:

Friday, October 24, 2008 Menus:

Friday Women's Breakfast: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Friday luncheons:
- Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken With Mushrooms and Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce, with California garden salad and carrot cake.
- Vegetarian selection: Grilled Vegetables with Soy Plum Sauce and Jasmine Rice.
Friday President's Dinner:
- Chicken Florentine Baked Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Swiss cheese with Basil Cream Sauce and Spinach salad and Traditional baked apple pie.
- Vegetarian selection: Parmesan Crusted Tofu with Tomato Basil Sauce and Roasted Carrots.

Saturday October 25, 2008 menus:

Saturday Education and PR Membership Breakfasts: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Saturday luncheons:
- Chicken Marsala Tender Breast of Chicken Saut�ed with Marsala Wine and Mushrooms, with spinach salad and New York cheesecake.
- Vegetarian selection: Avocado and Honey Roasted Cashew Salad with Baby Greens and Spicy Green Tomato Dressing.
Saturday Banquet:
- Prime Rib of Beef Slowly Roasted Au Jus with Creamy Horseradish, with Caesar salad and Tiramisu Cake.
- Vegetarian selection: Penne Pasta with Sun dried Tomato, Artichoke Hearts, Corn and Shallots in a Pesto Cream Sauce.

We are thrilled to have as our convention banquet speaker our own Olympic gold-medal winner and motivational speaker, Jessie Lorenz.

From Gabe Griffith, Chair, Resolutions Committee: It is once again time to start thinking about resolutions you want to submit for the upcoming CCB convention. The earlier you can get them to us the more work we can do on them. Please send them to me at Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net or call me at 916-505-8780. Also, please make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and, if possible, during the convention as well. This will make things much easier for the committee. Thank you.

A little pasta, a little song. Come join the Capitol Chapter for pasta and karaoke, from 3 to 8 PM, October 19, at the VFW Hall, 2784 Stockton BLVD in Sacramento. Adults $15, children under 12 $10. There is also a separate $10 charge for entering the karaoke contest. A trophy and a cash prize will be presented to the top 3 winners. So, don't miss the biggest happening since the gold rush. For tickets and info contact Paul Patche at 916-240-3130.

Bill Gilespie is seeking a non-smoking male roommate for the Fall CCB convention. He has a guide dog. If interested, call him at 707-2175272.

The Greater Los Angeles and Long Beach Chapters of the California Council of the Blind will be holding their annual fundraiser together on Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Junior Blind of America, 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd in LA. The cross streets for those using Access Para Transit are 54th Street and Alviso. That is the back gate which must be used. The menu will consist of rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob, green salad, potato salad, rolls, butter, soda, bottled water, and cake for dessert. We will have a meatless Lasagna available for vegetarians. The cost of the fundraiser is $15 per adult, and $8 for children 4-12 years of age. There will be Karaoke, door prizes and an auction with the auctioneer being our own CCB State President, Jeff Thom. Please contact Ken or Pamela Metz with your reservation at (626) 300-8477. Those who RSVP by October 6, 2008 will be added into a special door prize category. Come one, come all.

From James Forbes: Humboldt Council of the Blind presents; �Making Blindness Fashionable� A benefit cd compilation of 22 Humboldt County bands plus others from elsewhere in California. Cost is $10ppd and all proceeds go into the fund created for installation of a DVS/CC system In 1 local theater in Eureka. &, yes, there are blind musicians on the cd also!

From Bill Gillespie: The Redwood Empire Chapter is selling Calendars again. The cost is $12.00. We will have some at the fall convention. You can call Beryl Brown at 707-545-7642 or 707-636-0082 and put your order in. We will mail the calendars.

California State University, Los Angeles ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPENING DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION & COUNSELING, Charter College of Education POSITION: A tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the area of Rehabilitation Counseling and Rehabilitation Services. STARTING DATE: June, 2009. Address applications, required documentation and/or requests for information to:

Dr. Randy Campbell, Division Chair Division of Special Education & Counseling California State University, Los Angeles 5151 State University Drive, KH C1064 Los Angeles, CA 90032-8141 916-654-2881 or by email at bmonroe@dds.ca.gov or bbmonroe@comcast.net

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

October 3, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 3, and will be updated on October 10. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. Also, please make sure your message states in the subject line that it is for the connection or it may get missed.

Note from Gabe Griffith, the CA Connection editor: If you are sending me a message for the California connection please make sure that you state in the subject line that it is 'for the connection'. I have several hundred e-mails to sort through in a given week and some messages have been missed recently due to them not stating in the subject line that they are for the connection. If you will please help me with this it will make it much easier for me to make sure your announcement makes it in the connection. Thank you. ***important*** I will be on vacation next week so Jeff Thom has graciously agreed to do the connection. If you have items for the connection for the week of October 10 please get them either to the office or to Jeff at jsthom@comcast.net or call him at 916-995-3967. Thanks to Jeff for filling in.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Fall 2008 CCB Convention menus:

Friday, October 24, 2008 Menus:

Friday Women's Breakfast: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Friday luncheons:
- Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken With Mushrooms and Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce, with California garden salad and carrot cake.
- Vegetarian selection: Grilled Vegetables with Soy Plum Sauce and Jasmine Rice.
Friday President's Dinner:
- Chicken Florentine Baked Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Swiss cheese with Basil Cream Sauce and Spinach salad and Traditional baked apple pie.
- Vegetarian selection: Parmesan Crusted Tofu with Tomato Basil Sauce and Roasted Carrots.

Saturday October 25, 2008 menus:

Saturday Education and PR Membership Breakfasts: Plated Breakfast: California Sunrise Breakfast- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Served with Smoked Bacon, Sausage Links and Hash Browns
Saturday luncheons:
- Chicken Marsala Tender Breast of Chicken Saut�ed with Marsala Wine and Mushrooms, with spinach salad and New York cheesecake.
- Vegetarian selection: Avocado and Honey Roasted Cashew Salad with Baby Greens and Spicy Green Tomato Dressing.
Saturday Banquet:

Prime Rib of Beef Slowly Roasted Au Jus with Creamy Horseradish, with Caesar salad and Tiramisu Cake.
Vegetarian selection: Penne Pasta with Sun dried Tomato, Artichoke Hearts, Corn and Shallots in a Pesto Cream Sauce.

We are thrilled to have as our convention banquet speaker our own Olympic gold-medal winner and motivational speaker, Jessie Lorenz.

Larry Freeman is seeking a male non smoking roommate, with guide dog is okay, for the Fall convention. Larry can be reached at 619-281-7939.

From Gabe Griffith, chair resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about resolutions you want to submit for the upcoming CCB convention. The earlier you can get them to us the more work we can do on them. Please send them to me at Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net Or call me at 916-505-8780. Also, please make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and, if possible, during the convention as well. This will make things much easier for the committee. Thank you.

From Dan Kysor: Final bill signings and vetoes occurred this week so Dan has much to report. Find a full legislative report either on the toll free line at 800-221-6359, online at www.ccbnet.org or via the CCB-l e-mail listserv.

For sale: Aladin Rainbow Reader Model RB1. Purchased in 2003 for $3,000 for lady with macular degeneration. She was only able to use it for 9 months before she passed away. Son-in-law wishes to sell it for $800 to $900. If interested please contact Ben Monroe at 916-654-2881 or by email at bmonroe@dds.ca.gov or bbmonroe@comcast.net

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

September 28, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 26, and will be updated on October 3. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Editor's note: Please take note of the new e-mail address for submitting connection items. The new e-mail address is Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net. Thank you.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Larry Freeman is seeking a male non smoking roommate, with guide dog is okay, for the Fall convention. Larry can be reached at 619-281-7939.

From Gabe Griffith, chair resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about resolutions you want to submit for the upcoming CCB convention. The earlier you can get them to us the more work we can do on them. Please send them to me at Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net Or call me at 916-505-8780. Also, please make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and, if possible, during the convention as well. This will make things much easier for the committee. Thank you.

A little pasta, a little song. Come join the Capitol Chapter for pasta and kereoke, from 3 to 8 PM, October 19, at the VFW Hall, 2784 Stockton BLVD in Sacramento. Adults $15, children under 12 $10. There is also a separate $10 charge for entering the karaoke contest. A trophy and a cash prize will be presented to the top 3 winners. So, don't miss the biggest happening since the gold rush. For tickets and info contact Paul Patche 916-240-3130.

From Dan Kysor: There is an important budget update relative to blind services within health and human services and information on legislation CCB is supporting and opposing on the Capitol Report. Dan will report on transit funding, ssi/ssp and medi-cal benefits. The Capitol Report is available on the toll free line at 800-221-6359, the website at www.CCBnet.org and on the CCB listserv CCB-l.

The Greater Los Angeles and Long Beach Chapters of the California Council of the Blind will be holding their annual fundraiser together on Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Junior Blind of America, 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd., Los Angeles. CA. The cross streets for those using Access Para Transit are 54th Street and Alviso. That is the back gate which must be used. The menu will consist of rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob, green salad, potato salad, rolls, butter, soda, bottled water, and cake for dessert. We will have a meatless Lasagna available for vegetarians. The cost of the fundraiser is $15 per adult, and $8 for children 4-12 years of age. There will be karaoke, door prizes and an auction with the auctioneer being our own CCB State President, Jeff Thom. Please contact Ken or Pamela Metz with your reservation at (626) 300-8477. Those who RSVP by October 6, 2008 will be added into a special door prize category. Come one, come all.

For the fourth year, the San Francisco chapter is sponsoring a contest to identify someone who needs monetary assistance to meet an education goal. It is called the Alice Chavez Pardini Education Advancement Grant. The contest is open to visually impaired persons in the five Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo. The grant can be up to $2,500 and is to be given a legally blind student in grades 6-12, college, graduate school, or a certificate program. Applications must be postmarked before midnight of October 31, and the judgment will be announced on January 15. Applications and instructions can be secured from Charlie Dorris, 966 Union Street, San Francisco CA 94133; (415) 755 0487 or tyreedorris@aol.com

On Saturday, October 11, 2008, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, San Francisco Chapter will be hosting an informal organizing reception for the San Francisco VisionWalk followed with a presentation by Dr. Lawrence Morse from UC Davis on learning how supplements and diet can benefit eye health and prevent vision loss. The presentation will take place from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the San Mateo Public Library (Oak Room) 55 West 3rd Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94402. Attendance and parking is free. To reserve your space or for more information call Lisa Lloyd at 866-782-7330 or email SanFrancisco@FightBlindness.org

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

September 19, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 19, and will be updated on September 26. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Editor's note: Please take note of the new e-mail address for submitting connection items. The new e-mail address is Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net. Thank you.

Attention government employees: Fall is the time for the local and state employee charitable campaigns. The California Council of the Blind will be on the list of designated charities to which sate employees may donate, and should be on the list of major local employee campaigns as well. Even if our name is not on that list, you can still designate your donation to be paid to the CCB. Its an easy way to help the organization, and I thank those who are willing to participate.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Larry Freeman is seeking a male non smoking roommate, with guide dog is okay, for the Fall convention. Larry can be reached at 619-281-7939.

From Gabe Griffith, chair resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about resolutions you want to submit for the upcoming CCB convention. The earlier you can get them to us the more work we can do on them. Please send them to me at Gabriel_Griffith@sbcglobal.net Or call me at 916-505-8780. Also, please make sure you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and, if possible, during the convention as well. This will make things much easier for the committee. Thank you.

From Frank Welte: The audio book club will be meeting on Thursday September 25 from 2:00 to 3:00 P.M. at Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107, Palo Alto. The book for discussion will be "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie King. For more information, call Frank Welte at (650) 858-0202 Extension 143, or send Email to fwelte@vistacenter.org

This week at the ACB Open, it's Texas Hold'em. Now you can participate in the flavor of poker that everyone's talking about, free of charge. All inPlay and ACB Radio are teaming up to bring you the ACB Open, Texas Hold'em style. If you haven't already, head over to allinplay.com/acbradio to sign up for a free account. The tournament starts Saturday September 20 at noon.

From Ken Metz: AIRSLA is a new Internet Radio Station based out of Los Angeles. The purpose of this station is to provide various types of programming specific to the needs of persons who are blind or visually impaired. Please visit www.airsla.org and take a look at the current programming. I appreciate any suggestions for future additional programming. You can send your suggestions to me at kenmetz@sbcglobal.net

The Glendale-Burbank Chapter is having a fundraiser at the Islands Restaurant in Burbank on September 24 from 6-9 pm. please come and enjoy the great food and seeing friends. Please invite friends as well. The address is: 101 East Orange Grove (cross street 1st Street). I hope to see you then. Just let staff know you are there for our chapters. Members will have flyers.

The Center for the Partially Sighted: i-Connect - A free series for adults with impaired sight. Socialize with other people with impaired sight. Have breakfast with friends. Where: The Center's Tarzana Office, 18425 Burbank Blvd., Suite 706, Tarzana, CA 91356. On Burbank Blvd., just east of Reseda Blvd. Current Schedule: Saturday, September 27 � Time: 9:30 � noon. Moderated by Janice Goldhaber, MFT. Nutrition Update: Come explore new ideas in nutrition, vitamin therapy, and exercise. Presented by Natalie Nankin, R.N., M.S. To RSVP by no later than September 26, call 310-458-3501 X 148.

Thank you for reading or listening
Gabe Griffith

September 12, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 12, and will be updated on September 19. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: Due to a printer's error the Fall 2008 sweepstakes tickets read that the drawing will be held on October 27, 2008. As usual the drawing will be held on Saturday, October 25th, 2008. Please pass the word!

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Would you like to spend New Year's Eve 2009 in Las Vegas, or win $500? Would you like to make $5 for every $10 book of tickets that you sell for this sweepstakes? Well, remember to keep selling those Fall 2008 Convention sweepstakes tickets and your chapter will benefit, and you just might as well. The winner does not need to be at the convention to win.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First-Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this fall's convention in Los Angeles from October 23 � 26th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or in an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org no later than Friday, September 19th. The committee will make a decision by October 1st.

Are you a CCB woman who: is interested in networking with other women; feels the need to fellowship/socialize with other women; has talents, resources, and treasures to share; and would like to get together for a breakfast where you can participate in a short presentation, networking exercise, and socialize at the CCB Convention in October? Then please consider registering for a new CCB Women's breakfast event on Friday, October 24, 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., cost of $22.00 for a nice breakfast to be facilitated by Andrea Pitsenberger and Christy Crespin. If you wish to have your favorite resource or idea included in our handout to be included with the meal, please e-mail it to: crespin@roadrunner.com. If you wish to conduct a short presentation at one of the future breakfasts during one of the conventions, please email patches921@sbcglobal.net . This is a way for women across the state to connect and share with others so we can be strong in voice and in support of one another. Thank you.

COME ONE, COME ALL! Stop by the San Gabriel Valley Chapter's booth during your time at the CCB Fall convention. Our SGV/CCB Chapter is selling the renowned Entertainment 2009 Coupon Books as a fundraiser for our chapter. The San Gabriel Valley edition is only twenty dollars and can save you hundreds of dollars in restaurant, supermarket, sports facilities, etc. The usual discount is fifty percent and some are available for a party of four. Coupons state that they are effective starting now until November of 2009! If you are interested in an Entertainment book for your area, we can get one at a discount for you. Just e-mail or call Rayanne at (626) 358-3584 or e-mail fuzzycyclops@charter.net. Some areas are the same cost as the SGV book; other areas may vary in cost, depending on the cities involved. If you call or e-mail Rayanne she can look up the cost of the area book in which you are interested and have your choice waiting at the convention. Our booth will be open on Friday, October 24 and 25, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. each day. We look forward to seeing you in L.A.!!

The Glendale-Burbank Chapter is having a fundraiser at the Islands Restaurant in Burbank on September 24 from 6-9 pm. Please come and enjoy the great food and seeing friends. Please invite friends as well. The address is: 101 East Orange Grove (cross street 1st Street). I hope to see you then. Just let restaurant staff know you are there for our chapters function. Members will have flyers.

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

September 5, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 5, and will be updated on September 12. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: The large print and audio cassette version of the fall CCB convention announcement are being mailed now. Because the Braille version routinely goes out a week later, if any of you would like an alternate version please contact the CCB office. Due to a printer's error the Fall 2008 sweepstakes tickets read that the drawing will be held on October 27, 2008. As usual the drawing will be held on Saturday, October 25th, 2008. Please pass the word!

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Input Needed on Diagonal Crosswalks: It has come to our attention that diagonal crosswalks will soon be installed in the Los Angeles Area. For those who may not be familiar with diagonal crosswalks these are intersections with a third traffic light cycle which allows all pedestrians to cross diagonally, i.e., both streets at once. We would like to hear your positive or negative experiences or comments about them. Do you like them? Are you able to use them? How do you determine if an intersection has such a crosswalk? Please send your input via email to Donna Pomerantz at dmpomerantz@earthlink.net or by phone to Gloria Broderick at (626) 683-9560. Thank you in advance from the San Gabriel Valley Chapter.

From Lainey Feingold: Dear CCB members: if you have an account with T. Rowe Price, or have thought about opening an account with them, CCB's lawyers Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian would like to speak with you. They can be reached by email at LF@LFLegal.com or by telephone at 510-548-5062. You can also leave a message on the toll-free line at Linda's office at 800-822-5000.

Editor's note: This survey was advertised previously in the connection but was not ready. It is now ready for anyone who is interested in participating. From Robert Pellerin: The purpose of the survey, that will take approximately 45 minutes to complete, is to learn more about the impact of unemployment/under-employment on the blind/visually-impaired in California. The benefits of completing the survey are that educators, rehabilitation specialists, and others who read the results of this survey may have a better idea of how unemployment and/or underemployment impacts the blind/visually-impaired in California. The online survey can be found at www.demographicsurveycaliforniablindlowvision.com The link to get started is located at the bottom of the web page. Participation in the online survey is, of course, voluntary. No names are required, and all participants will remain anonymous. If you have any questions and/or are interested in the resulting report, please call me at 916-764-7158 or send an e-mail to robert.pellerin@demographicsurveycaliforniablindlowvision.com

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

August 29, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 29, and will be updated on September 5. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Would you like to spend New year's Eve 2009 in Las Vegas, or win $500? Would you like to make $5 for every $10 book of tickets that you sell for this sweepstakes? Well, remember to keep selling those Fall 2008 Convention sweepstakes tickets and your chapter will benefit, and you just might as well. The winner does not need to be at the convention to win.

From Jeff Thom: As many of you know, CCB is launching Friends of the California Council of the Blind, in an effort to find volunteers, donors, fundraisers, and just those who want to help us in any way that they can. We are ready to begin sending out brochures on the program to individuals and companies whose contact information you provide to the office by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org or phone 800-221-6359. We urge you to contact the individuals and companies whose information you provide to us and let them know that we will be sending them this invitation to join Friends of CCB. Our future is up to each one of us, so let's make it happen.

The annual East LA picnic will be held September 13, 2008 at Mrs. Garcia's home located at 1226 South McBride in the city of East LA. The cross street is Olympic. Our menu will consist of hotlinks, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Bring your appetites since this will be an all you can eat picnic. Naturally all good eating comes with a price of $10 not including drinks. Be assured there will be soft drinks and more. Please RSVP by September 8 by calling Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722 or Mrs. Lopez at 323-268-4526. Our chapter members look forward to picnicking with you.

Starting Saturday September 6, ACB Radio is partnering with All inPlay to host The ACB Open, a series of tournaments to take place on the allinplay.com web site. All inPlay is an online community of blind and sighted folks who come together to play and interact as equals. The tournaments start on Saturday the 6th with Five Card Draw Poker. The next week will feature Crazy Eights, followed by Texas Hold'em, and rapping up with Tag, All inPlay's new Anagram game, on Saturday September 27th. All tournaments are 24 hours long and start at noon. And they're completely free to play. Visit www.allinplay.com to sign up for an account. You'll have fifteen days to try the site free of charge, and you'll be able to play in each tournament free, regardless of when you sign up.

Adaptive Technology Healthcare Seminar: September 5, 2008 Panel Presentations: 1 pm - 3 pm, PDST Vendor Exhibits: 3 pm - 5 pm, PDST LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired 214 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102 Join us to discuss innovations that make your day-to-day health routines easier. This is the sixth in our series of technology workshops which are free and open to the public. Learn about products such as a talking Glucose Meters, prescription bottles that speak, and many more accessible options to keep you healthy. You can participate in one of three ways: Via live audio stream on our website Through a free telephone conferencing service Or come in person and stay for the post-seminar demonstrations. This location is wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices and other disability accommodations are available upon request. Please RSVP to attend by calling 1-888-400-8933 or emailing info@lighthouse-sf.org Instructions for the conference call and live stream will be provided when you RSVP.

Thank you for reading or listening,
Gabe Griffith

August 22, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 22, and will be updated on August 29. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Dan Kysor, Director of CCB Governmental Affairs is happy to report that CCB's quiet vehicle research legislation has passed out of the Legislature and now moves to the Governor's desk. Please let the Governor know that you support this greatly needed research into the proper sound emissions for these alternative fuel type vehicles which would enable individuals who are blind or visually impaired to safely cross streets and intersections. Finally, a SACRA federal district court judge ordered a temporary halt to the 10% Medi-Cal provider rate reduction that went into effect July 1. The judge's order impacts the Medi-Cal rate reductions for Medi-Cal doctors, dentists, pharmacists, adult day-care centers and other providers who provide services to people in the Medi-Cal program. The order excludes some hospitals who do not contract with the State and do not provide emergency care. The temporary order by the district court judge was made because he believed there was a possibility the lawsuit, filed by a coalition of Medi-Cal providers, could have a chance of prevailing. The case has not yet gone to trial, but the judge's order, which the plaintiffs (those who filed the lawsuit) requested, would halt the provider rate cut for most of the Medi-Cal providers impacted. The temporary court order means that the State reduction of close to $600 million in State general funds would have to be restored, at least for now.

Connecting Through Dance Grand Finale, August 30, 2008. After eight years of sharing the joy of partner dancing, Connecting Through Dance is closing its doors. Our primary focus has been the blind and visually impaired (VIP) community. We hope that our VIP friends will be with us to remember and celebrate. Connecting Through Dance's Grand Finale will be held at the Lake Merritt Dance Center on August 30, 2008 from 7:00PM to 11:00PM. Lake Merritt Dance Center is located at 200 Grand Avenue at Harrison Street, Oakland, California. The Grand Finale will run from 7:00 PM, beginning with the Samba lesson, and end at 11:00 PM. There will be ballroom dancing throughout the evening and many dancers will seek VIP partners. A scrumptious dessert bar will be available throughout the evening to replenish your energy. Tickets to the Grand Finale are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available at http://ctdgrandfinale08302008.eventbrite.com/ or by sending your check to CTD Grand Finale, c/o Brenda MacGregor, 278 Maywood Dr, San Francisco, CA 94127. You may reach Brenda MacGregor at 415-585-0150, if you have questions.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 15, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 15, and will be updated on August 22. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 10:00 AM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

Adaptive Technology Healthcare Seminar:
September 5, 2008.
Panel Presentations: 1 pm - 3 pm, PDST
Vendor Exhibits: 3 pm - 5 pm, PDST
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
214 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Join us to discuss innovations that make your day-to-day health routines easier. This is the sixth in our series of technology workshops which are free and open to the public. Learn about products such as a talking Glucose Meters, prescription bottles that speak, and many more accessible options to keep you healthy. You can participate in one of three ways: 1) Via live audio stream on our website, 2) Through a free telephone conferencing service, Or 3) come in person and stay for the post-seminar demonstrations. This location is wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices and other disability accommodations are available upon request. Please RSVP to attend by calling 1-888-400-8933 or emailing info@lighthouse-sf.org Instructions for the conference call and live stream will be provided when you RSVP.

From: The Center for the Partially Sighted: i-Connect- A free series for adults with impaired sight. Socialize with other people with impaired sight. Have lunch with friends. Where: The Center's Tarzana Office, 18425 Burbank Blvd., Suite 706, Tarzana (On Burbank Blvd., just east of Reseda Blvd.) Moderated by Janice Goldhaber, MFT. Current Schedule includes Saturday, August 23- �S.F. Valley Vision Awareness Day� Freedom Scientific staff will teach attendees how to use their latest products, including JAWS, MAGIC, GPS systems, SARA scan and reading system, Topaz video magnifier, ONYX near and distance video magnifier, and Pac Mate, a PDA. Time: 9:00 - 2:00. Lunch Provided To RSVP, call 310-458-3501 X 148 or X 150. www.low-vision.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 8, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 8, and will be updated on August 15. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Dan Kysor, CCB Governmental Affairs Director reports the excellent news that our legislation, AB 2555, Torrico, which provides parental notification on the option of the California school for the blind was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 1st. Dan would like to thank all who took the time to come testify as well as write or phone legislators for their support. * Dan also reports the excellent news that SB 1174, Lowenthal, our quiet car research bill has passed the assembly appropriations committee and now moves to the assembly floor. This is amazing as many bills died in that committee.

From Joel Isaac: you can listen to various sessions from the Spring 2008 convention at http://www.ccbnet.org/ConventionArchives.htm. Thanks so much to Mike Keithley and Joy Tilton for making this possible.

From the Publications Committee: Hollis K. Liggett was editor of the Braille Free Press, an alternate source of information to the Braille Monitor, inside the National Federation of the Blind, and is generally recognized as the precursor to the Braille Forum. This year, the ACB Board of Publications inaugurated a new annual award in his name to reward excellence in affiliate publications. The first one was presented at the recent ACB convention to CCB for the Blind Californian. The plaque is a brass plate, mounted on wood, engraved in print and embossed in Braille and reads as follows: American Council of the Blind The Hollis K. Liggett Braille Free Press Award Presented to Mike Keithley and the California Council of the Blind for affiliate newsletter excellence. July 6, 2008 Louisville, KY

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 1, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 1, and will be updated on August 8. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

A memorial service will be held for Diana Lui on Sunday August 3, at 2 PM in the chapel of First United Methodist Church, 2100 J. Street, Sacramento.

A celebration of life party to honor Rose Harter who recently passed away will be held on Saturday, August 9th from 2 pm. to 6 pm. at the East Bay Center for the Blind, 2928 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA 94703. If you are planning to attend, please contact the East Bay Center for the Blind at 510-843-6935.

Reservations can now be made for the CCB Fall 2008 Convention at the LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The convention Dates are from 1:00 PM Thursday, October 23 through 12 Noon Sunday, October 26, 2008. The location is LAX Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 9750 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To make reservations call 310-645-4600. The room rate is $90 Single or Double Occupancy.

From Margaret Buchmann-Garcia: We will be having our next CCB chapter organizational meeting for the Merced Area on Tuesday, August 5, 2008, at 1:00pm. The meeting will be held at COVE, 510 W 25th Street, Merced, CA. Anyone interested in joining is more than welcome.

Editor's note: there was a mistake in the web site previously given in this announcement. Cathy Schmitt Whitaker seeks your support as she walks a marathon (26.2 miles) to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. She is walking to honor and remember loved ones who have been diagnosed with blood-related cancers. The previously mentioned web site had a mistake, sorry for any inconvenience. It is not too late to visit her secure web page to learn more and make a tax-deductible donation at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf08/cschmitt%20Whitaker The walk will be on October 19 in San Francisco. Come out and cheer her on!

From Joel Isaac: You can now listen to the summer version of the Blind Californian online at http://www.ccbnet.org/bc/bc0803.htm

From Tricia Leetz: The Department of Rehabilitation is implementing cost cutting measures on consumer services. Please refer to this audio on the CCB website for assistance if you are a consumer during these times www.ccbnet.org then to audio archives and then to, joint meeting of the Technology Committee and Rehab Committee on Thursday, April 10th, 2008. You may want to fast forward through the first hour which is the Technology Committee speaking, before you get to the Rehab Committee presentations. Mainly, the Rehab Committee wants you to know, we are providing mentors to assist consumers with services through the Department of Rehabilitation, as well as other topics. You may call the CCB office in Sacramento at 916-441-2100 and let them know you would like to be connected with a mentor.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 25, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 25, and will be updated on August 1. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Dan Kysor, CCB Governmental Affairs Director: Our bill to provide parental notification to special education pupils on the California School for the Blind, AB 2555, Torrico (D) Fremont, passed unanimously out of the Senate and is now on the Governor's desk awaiting action. Please urge him to sign the bill by writing or calling his office Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger First Floor Capitol Building Sacramento, Ca. 95814 You can also call 916-445-2841 and select option 2 then 0 for a member of his staff who will take note of your opinion. Remember, they will only answer Monday through Friday 8 to 5 pm. There is also a new governmental affairs report on our toll free line at 800-221-6359 as well as on the web at www.ccbnet.org under governmental affairs. Please be prepared to take down important information.

From Joel Isaac: You can now listen to the summer version of the Blind Californian online at http://www.ccbnet.org/bc/bc0803.htm

Sing! Sing a song! The Orange County chapter of CCB invites you to come and sing your heart out at our second annual Karaoke Party fundraiser, August 2, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Reform Christian Church 530 North Dale Street in Anaheim, across the street from the Orange county Braille Institute. The cost is $15, which includes lunch of lasagna, salad and dessert. RSVP with your meal preference (meat or veggie) to Andrea by phone at 714-921-0289, or by email at patches921@sbcglobal.net on or before July 26 to be eligible for some great door prizes, including a talking microwave, IPOD shuffles, and more! Hope to see you all there!

From the Publications Committee: How can we help beat the bushes for more chapter news for the connection? We think that the connection should connect us.

Google Accessibility User Study: Google is working on new technology to assist visually impaired computer users using Gmail, Google's email application. JAWS users are needed for user testing. If selected you will be asked to give feedback and reactions to some new Gmail accessibility features. Some studies will be conducted at The Google campus in Mountain View, The Santa Clara Valley Blind Center and The LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco. The San Francisco dates will be July 31 and August 5. If you are interested in participating, are a visually impaired or fully blind user, use JAWS, and have never used the web version of Gmail, before, or have questions please respond to Joshua Hailpern at jmhailpern@google.com Remuneration will be provided for participants, as a thank-you for your time. For more information about Google consumer testing visit their Usability FAQ site at http://www.google.com/forms/user_faq.html

Job Announcement: Executive Director Silicon Valley Independent Living Center, San Jose, CA B.S. or B.A. in Business Administration, Rehabilitation, Social Services, Public Administration or related field Master's degree or Certification in Non-Profit Management Administration preferred Minimum of five years management experience in the human services field, including non-profit management and work with a volunteer board of directors To apply, please forward your cover letter and resume to esue2@mac.com or mail to Eleanor Sue, President, Board of Directors, Silicon Valley Independent Living Center, 2306 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131. Date: Posted until position is filled.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 18, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 18, and will be updated on July 25. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: It gives me great sadness to report that the California Council of the Blind has again lost another truly wonderful member of our family. Rose Harter passed away last weekend from a blood clot in her leg. For the past several years, Rose battled severe medical problems, which included a 9-month hospitalization. Even the use of a walker never slowed her indomitable spirit. Whether through her work for the IRS, her presidency of the Alameda County Chapter, the wonderful way in which she approached parenting, or her interaction with so many of us, Rose was a uniquely gifted person. She will be deeply missed. Our condolences go out to another member of the CCB family and a friend to so many of us, her son Sam Harter. We will provide you with information about services for Rose Harter as soon as it becomes available.

From Frank Welte: Greetings to all. You are invited to attend the next Meeting of the Vista Center Talking Book Club. Date: Thursday, July 24, 2008. Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM. Location: Conference room, Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Palo Alto. We will discuss the book, "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death". We will also share our most interesting reading experiences in the past month. Please share this announcement with people who might enjoy being part of the club. To RSVP or for more information, please call me. My contact information is as follows.

Frank Welte
Program Assistant
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone: (650) 858-0202, ext. 143
Email: fwelte@vistacenter.org

Pac Mate User Seeks Mentor: CCB member, David Hunter, from Redwood City wants assistance from an experienced user of the Pac Mate BX from Freedom Scientific. He especially needs help getting connected to the Internet. If you are willing to help, please call Dave at (415) 519-1231.

From the Publications Committee: How can we help beat the bushes for more chapter news for the connection? We think that the connection should connect us.

From Roger Acuna: I am having difficulties convincing B of A's supervisor to repair their only talking ATM located at 2129 on Shaddock and Center streets in Berkeley. Please contact me ASAP if you are also having issues accessing this machine. Email: Kearney@lmi.net Thank you.

From Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian: We are interested in hearing from anyone with a credit card from Wells Fargo. We would like to know if the bank is providing credit card statements in Braille. If anyone who wants a Braille statement has a credit card and has not yet requested a Braille statement, it would be helpful if they could make the request and let us know what happens. The bank has told us that statements in Braille are available, but some people have been unable to get one. People can either email me at LF@LFLegal.com or call Linda's toll free line at 800-822-5000.

AIRS-LA is a website that provides information and entertainment specifically to those with low or no vision. Get the latest on health, finance, science, product information, and more by clicking on www.airsla.org

I-Connect-Sat. July 26, 9:30 � noon. Free: Entrepreneurship: Is it right for you? Ardis Bazyn discusses setting reachable goals and other steps to starting a business. The location is 18425 Burbank, #706, Tarazana Call 310-458-3501 X 148 or X 150 to RSVP.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 11, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 11, and will be updated on July 18. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: It is with deep sadness that I report another loss from the CCB family. Diana Lui, CCB Capitol Chapter member for almost 20 years, died at the age of 55 of various complications arising out of kidney failure. After a lengthy hospitalization more than two years ago, she fought back to work while on dialysis three times a week. Having known Diana both within our CCB family and as a coworker with the Legislature, I, and those who knew her, can tell you that she was a person of tremendous courage and of great compassion for others. She will be sorely missed. A memorial service is in the planning stages and we will certainly provide details when they become available.

Editor's note: Please note the new time for the exploratory meeting in this announcement. From Margaret Buchmann-Garcia: Some of us in the Merced area are looking to form a new CCB Chapter! The information and organizational meeting will be held on July 16th at 3:00 p.m. at COVE at 510 W. 25th Street in Merced. Please come and join us! For further information please call COVE at 209-722-8118 or Margaret Buchmann-Garcia at 209-722-5525.

Sing! Sing a song! The Orange County chapter of CCB invites you to come and sing your heart out at our second annual Karaoke Party fundraiser, August 2, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Reform Christian Church, 530 North Dale Street in Anaheim, across the street from the Orange county Braille Institute. The cost is $15, which includes lunch of lasagna, salad and dessert. RSVP with your meal preference (meat or veggie) to Andrea by phone at 714-921-0289, or by email at patches921@sbcglobal.net on or before July 26 to be eligible for some great door prizes, including a talking microwave, IPOD shuffles, and more! Hope to see you all there!

From the California board of guide dogs for the blind: 1. The State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind now has a toll free number! This toll free number will allow our in-state stakeholders to contact the Board at any time. The number is (866) 512-9103.
2. We are happy to announce our two new Board Members, Amy Lyons and Belinda Barragan. For more information about our two new members, visit us at http://www.guidedogboard.ca.gov/about/board_members.shtml
3. The next Board meeting will be Wednesday, August 13 (1:00 - 5:00 PM). This meeting will be held at the Department of Consumer Affairs building in Sacramento. Come meet our new Members, help us create our Vision Statement, and see what else is new at the Board!

From the Publications Committee: How can we help beat the bushes for more chapter news for the connection? We think that the connection should connect us.

The Savannah Association for the Blind, Inc. is seeking an executive director. This position will be in Savannah Georgia and will cover 29 counties in the southeastern part of the state. If interested Please send r�sum� to Dr. J.A. Dandy at drjadandy@yahoo.com or fax resume to (912) 354-1996 in care of Dr. J.A. Dandy.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 27, 2008 (Revised July 3rd)

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 27, and will be updated on July 11. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith: In recognition of the independence holiday next week there will not be a connection. Happy 4th of July to all of you and the next connection will be recorded on July 11.

Cathy Schmitt Whitaker seeks your support as she walks a marathon (26.2 miles) to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. We are walking to honor and remember loved ones who have been diagnosed with blood-related cancers. Please visit my secure web page to learn more and make a tax-deductible donation: http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf08/cschmittWhitaker For additional questions, please call Catherine at 909.816.2131

From Margaret Buchmann-Garcia: Some of us in the Merced area are looking to form a new CCB Chapter! The information and organizational meeting will be held on July 16th at 5:30 p.m. at COVE at 510 W. 25th Street in Merced. Please come and join us! For further information please call COVE at 209-722-8118 or Margaret Buchmann-Garcia at 209-722-5525.

From Walter Chavira: I have a Motorola Q9H and I would like to sell it for $200. It's in good condition. It has all the paperwork and USB cord and charger as well as an extra battery and cover. Call me at 661-361-3983.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 20, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 20, and will be updated on June 27. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Peter Pardini: The San Francisco Bay Area memorial service for Alice Chavez Pardini will be held on Saturday, June 28th at 1 p.m. at the East Bay Center for the Blind, 2928 Adeline Street Berkeley, CA 94703. If you are planning to attend, please contact the East Bay Center for the Blind at 510-843-6935.

From Frank Welte: Audio Book Club announcement. Are you a lover of recorded books? Our group of fans gets together each month to talk about the books we've listened to. We meet the last Thursday of the month at Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107, Palo Alto. The next Meeting will be on Thursday, June 26th from 2:00 to 3:30 PM. We'll discuss the book, "The Maltese Falcon", and we'll also share our encounters with other books over the past month. For more information, call Frank Welte at (650) 858-0202 Extension 143, or send Email to fwelte@vistacenter.org

From Walter Chavira: I have a Motorola Q9H and I would like to sell it for $200. It's in good condition, it has all the paperwork and USB cord and charger. Call me at 661-361-3983.

From I-Connect For active adults: Saturday, June 28 � Eat breakfast and enjoy a descriptive movie with new friends and help launch the Center's new Movie Club in our Tarzana office. To RSVP, call 310-458-3501 X 148 or X 150.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 14, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 13, and will be updated on June 20. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: It is with extreme sadness that I report to you that yesterday saw the passing of Alice Chavez-Pardini. Alice was an extremely courageous, loving, intelligent, and sometimes wonderfully zaney person. She took the bad that life had to offer and made the best of it, and she took the good times and made them great. She was a very loving mother and grandmother, and of course a wonderful wife to CCB board member Peter Pardini. I can't recall ever having seen any more loving couple than Alice and Peter. Her passing marked the end of a long fight with cancer. Our deepest sympathies go out to Peter, her daughter Melody whom so many of us know, and her entire family. A memorial service is being planned, to be held at the East Bay Center for the Blind in Berkeley, and we will provide you with details when they become available. Donations in honor of Alice may be made to the East Bay Center for the Blind. For more information, you may call the Center at 510-843-6935.

From Margaret Buchmann-Garcia: Announcing the Grand Opening of the Center of Vision Enhancement (COVE) on Monday, June 23, 2008 at 510 W. 25th Street in Merced, California. The phone number is 209-722-8118. The opening will be from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. COVE will be a resource center for the blind and visually impaired. Please come and meet us! Also, some of us in the Merced area are looking to form a new CCB Chapter! The information and organizational meeting will be held on July 16th at 5:30 p.m. at COVE at 510 W. 25th Street in Merced. Please come and join us! For further information please call COVE at 209-722-8118 or Margaret Buchmann-Garcia at 209-722-5525.

From Dan Kysor, CCB governmental affairs director: Please note that a new legislative affairs report is available on our toll free line at 800-221-6359 and online at www.ccbnet.org under legislative affairs.

The East LA Chapter will hold their annual Mexican food fundraiser June 21, at 1226 South McBride Ave, in the city of East LA. The cross street is Olympic. Our festivities will begin at 11:00 AM and go until 2:30 PM. The menu will consist of: stake Picado, beans, rice, salad, and pie Ala Mode. Our refreshments will be: margaritas and Modelo Negra $2.00, beer, and wine $1.50, sodas $1.00 and water $.50. Tickets are: adults $12, children six and older $8, and children under six free. We will raffle a joy basket, which will consist of wine and other goodies, and a Hoover vacuum. There will have door prizes galore. The winners do not have to be present. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new friends. If there are any questions or need additional information, please contact Marie Herrera at 818-894-3722.

From Walter Chavira: I have a Motorola Q9H and I would like to sell it for $200. It's in good condition, it has all the paperwork and USB cord and charger. Call me at 661-361-3983.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

From President Jeff Thom: As some of you know, the American Council of the Blind will be holding its second annual auction at the ACB Convention in Louisville on Wednesday, July 8. Last year's auction raised almost $19,000. You can certainly donate or solicit donations for the auction on your own and bring them or have someone else bring them to convention. If you would like a sample letter we can provide it. However, CCB would like to put together some California baskets. If any of you would like to donate items with a California theme like wine, cheese, chocolate covered raisins, maybe a surfboard would be a bit big, but you get the idea, then you can send them to the office at 1510 J. St., Suite 125, Sacramento, 95814. We can then put together the basket and show our California spirit.

The Active Blind Inland Valleys chapter is putting together a paper regarding service provision of paratransit service agencies in the catchment area of Riverside and San Bernardino counties within this next month. Therefore, please send your factual information to Christy Crespin at: crespin@roadrunner.com. Questions include: services provided, not provided, satisfaction with drivers, reservationists, dispatchers and scheduling; if management was contacted, was the resolution satisfactory; do you have written policies on service provision or the subscription process; how and why do you use the paratransit service; have you received appropriate and fair service when making reservations; are you accommodated with a ride when you schedule, and if so, what percentage of time do rides work out; how are various zones dealt with and what is the wait time; have you been denied rides to certain locations within Riverside or San Bernardino counties? Please provide factual, rather than emotional answers to assist us in writing this position paper that will be sent to all agencies involved, city counsel, county supervisors, legislators, and to the CCB. Also, please state which service you are using, and give me your contact information in case we need to speak together to gather more information.

The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) is gathering information on how people with disabilities use the Internet, and most importantly, what barriers they face online. CETF plans to use this information to fund projects that will create awareness of accessibility barriers on the Internet. The survey takes only 5-10 minutes to complete, and Californians who complete the survey are eligible for a cash prize. To take the survey, or to read more about it, go to http://www.cforat.org/main_page/Survey.htm

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 30, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 30, and will be updated on June 6. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

You are cordially invited to attend our annual Bay View Chapter -- CCB lasagna fund-raiser dinner on Saturday June 7, 2008 at the Lions Blind Center at 3834 Opal Street Oakland from 5: pm to 9: pm. Attitude adjustment hour will begin at 5: pm and dinner at 6: pm along with door and raffle prizes. The cost is: $10.00. Meet old friends and acquaintances and make new ones. Come join the fun, Hope to see you their. Please enter side door at parking lot. To make reservations call Ida Johnson at: (510) 655-1982.

The Active Blind Inland Valleys chapter is putting together a paper regarding service provision of paratransit service agencies in the catchment area of Riverside and San Bernardino counties within this next month. Therefore, please send your factual information to Christy Crespin at: crespin@roadrunner.com Questions include: services provided, not provided, satisfaction with drivers, reservationists, dispatchers and scheduling; if management was contacted, was the resolution satisfactory; do you have written policies on service provision or the subscription process; how and why do you use the paratransit service; have you received appropriate and fair service when making reservations; are you accommodated with a ride when you schedule, and if so, what percentage of time do rides work out; how are various zones dealt with and what is the wait time; have you been denied rides to certain locations within Riverside or San Bernardino counties? Please provide factual, rather than emotional answers to assist us in writing this position paper that will be sent to all agencies involved, city counsel, county supervisors, legislators, and to the CCB. Also, please state which service you are using, and give me your contact information in case we need to speak together to gather more information.

HumanWare and the California Council of the Blind cordially invite you to join us for a "Town Hall Meeting" to publicly share your ideas, comments and suggestions to our company. This informal get together gives everyone an opportunity to speak with us, ask questions and contribute ideas so that we can better serve our customers and agencies. Phil Rance, President of HumanWare, Dominic Gagliano, Vice President of Blindness Sales, Kevin Hughes, Western Blindness Manager and Dave Wilkinson, Product Specialist will be present. New products such as the Victor Stream and a preview of the new Trekker Breeze GPS system will also be demonstrated; Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. We look forward to having you join us at either of the following venues! Friday June 6th - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM. Braille Institute of Orange County, 527 North Dale Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92801. Contact: Thomas Olzak 714-821-5000. Saturday June 7th, 11:30 AM-2:00 PM. Junior Blind of America, 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90043. Contact: Kevin Hughes, 800-722-3393 ext. 260.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 23, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 23, and will be updated on May 30. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection. The CCB Sacramento office will be closed Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day.

In case you haven't heard the great news, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of ACB in its currency case this week. The Treasury department could still appeal this decision but this is another huge step in our fight for accessible currency. Congratulations to all on this wonderful victory.

You are cordially invited to attend our annual Bay View Chapter -- CCB lasagna fund-raiser dinner on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at the Lions Blind Center at 3834 Opal Street Oakland from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Attitude adjustment hour will begin at 5: pm and dinner at 6: pm along with door and raffle prizes. The cost is: $10.00. Meet old friends and acquaintances and make new ones. Come join the fun, Hope to see you their. Please enter side door at parking lot. To make reservations call Ida Johnson at: (510) 655-1982.

From Cathie Skivers: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced his appointment of Joe Xavier to the position of Deputy Director for Independent Living and External Affairs Division for the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). Joe will be assuming the full range of duties and responsibilities of the Deputy Director position, including oversight of the Independent Living Unit, Assistive Technology Unit, the Disability Access Section and the Public Affairs Office. He will also, in collaboration with the State Independent Living Council, oversee the development of the federally mandated annual State Plan for Independent Living and monitor its implementation. Additionally, Joe will take on and continue the DOR's vital leadership role in emergency preparedness and providing expert guidance to other state agencies around accessibility and compliance with the American Disabilities Act.

From Frank Welte: I'm pleased to announce the inaugural Meeting of the Vista Center Talking Book Club. Date: Thursday: May 29, 2008. Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM. Location: Conference room, Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Palo Alto.

Here is the agenda for the first meeting.

Introductions.
Discuss the kinds of books you like to read and what books are your most favorite.
Select a list of books to discuss at the next three club meetings.
Set a regular day and time for future meetings.

Please share this announcement with people who might enjoy being part of the club.

To RSVP or for more information, please call me. My contact information is as follows.

Frank Welte
Program Assistant
Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone: (650) 858-0202, ext. 143
Email: fwelte@vistacenter.org

The documentary BLINDSIGHT about 6 blind Tibetan teenagers who climb the northside of Mount Everest, opens May 30 at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Los Angeles with audio description for one week. Meet the director Lucy Walker who is partially blind on May 30 and May 31 at the 7:00 show and June 1 at the 4:15 show. www.blindsightthemovie.com

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 16, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 16, and will be updated on May 23. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, the big day is fast approaching. CCB Treasurer Chris Gray and his decidedly better half will be tying the knot on Sunday, May 18. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to the couple on their wedding.

As some of you know, the American Council of the Blind will be holding its second annual auction at the ACB Convention in Louisville on Wednesday, July 8. Last year's auction raised almost $19,000. You can certainly donate or solicit donations for the auction on your own and bring them or have someone else bring them to convention. If you would like a sample letter we can provide it. However, CCB would like to put together some California baskets. If any of you would like to donate items with a California theme like wine, cheese, chocolate covered raisins, maybe a surfboard would be a bit big, but you get the idea, then you can send them to the office at 1510 J. St., Suite 125, Sacramento, 95814. We can then put together the basket and show our California spirit.

You are cordially invited to attend our annual Bay View Chapter CCB lasagna fund-raiser dinner on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at the Lions Blind Center at 3834 Opal Street Oakland from 5: pm to 9: pm. Attitude adjustment hour will begin at 5: pm and dinner at 6: pm along with door and raffle prizes. The cost is: $10.00. Meet old friends and acquaintances and make new ones. Come join the fun, Hope to see you their. Please enter side door at parking lot. To make reservations call Ida Johnson at: (510) 655-1982.

From the LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco:

AFFORDABLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS SEMINAR. June 6, 2008. Panel Presentations: 1 pm - 3 pm, PDST. Vendor Exhibits: 3 pm - 5 pm, PDST 214 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. Join us to discuss accessible software solutions that are no cost or low cost (under $200). This is the fifth in our series of technology workshops which are free and open to the public. Learn about products such as Leopard for Mac, System Access, Microsoft Accessibility tools and other options for screen magnification and screen reading systems. You can participate in one of three ways: Via live audio stream on our website Through a free telephone conferencing service Or come in person and stay for the post-seminar demonstrations. This location is wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices and other disability accommodations are available upon request. Please RSVP to attend by calling 1-888-400-8933 or emailing info@lighthouse-sf.org. Instructions for the conference call and live stream will be provided when you RSVP.

I-Connect at Center for the Partially Sighted's Valley Office at 18425 Burbank Blvd., Suite 706, Tarzana. RSVP at 310-458-3501 X 148. Saturday, May 31st at 10 am

Relationships: Bring your partner, friend or come alone to a discussion about the joys and struggles of relationships. Moderated by Janice Goldhaber, MFT and Vickie Parker, MFT. Light breakfast provided. Free.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 9, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 9, and will be updated on May 16. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: The CCB Board of Directors has voted to send one student to the 2008 American Council of the Blind convention in Louisville, to be held July 5-12. Applications should be submitted to me by May 15, either by e-mail at jsthom@comcast.net or in other format sent to the CCB office, 1510 J. St., Suite 125, Sacramento, 95814. We will cover room, food and transportation costs, as well as your registration costs for the convention. You must be a CCB member to apply, must attend the ACB banquet on Friday July 11, and sit with the California delegation during convention general sessions that occur each morning from Monday through Friday. You are also urged to attend the National Alliance of Blind Students meetings. Finally, you will be asked to write a brief article for the Blind Californian on your convention experience. Applications should specify why you would like to attend and what you believe you will gain from the experience.

From Dan Kysor: Please read or listen to the updated governmental affairs report either online by visiting www.ccbnet.org and clicking on governmental affairs or by calling the toll free line at 800-221-6359 and choosing the legislative line.

The Society for the Blind in Sacramento has several job openings. The Society for the Blind is a 501c(3) non-profit agency dedicated to empowering individuals who are blind or have low vision to live productively and independently by building confidence through training, tools and mentorship. The job announcements are as follows:

Position: Communications Instructor, (Formerly Braille Instructor) Non-Exempt/Part-Time. General Description: The essential functions of the job are to teach all aspects and levels of Braille and other communication devices used by blind or low vision clients with special emphasis on enhancement of Braille competence and effectiveness geared towards employment settings and outcomes. For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Marianne Hewitt. Fax: 916-452-2622 E-mail: mhewitt@societyfortheblind.org Application deadline: Until the position is filled. No Phone Calls Please!
Position: Driver/Assistant, Senior Impact Project. Non-Exempt Full-Time For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Michelle Bruns. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email: mbruns@societyfortheblind.org Application deadline: May 15, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
Position: Accounting Assistant (Non-Exempt/Full-Time) For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Cherry Flanagan. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email cflanagan@societyfortheblind.org Application deadline: May 16, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
Position: Rehabilitation Instructor I, Senior Impact Project. Non-Exempt/Part-Time. The essential function of the job is to provide instruction and information to seniors through training sessions in the client's home and community within the Sacramento, Mount Diablo, and Chico regions. Duties also include giving instruction in daily living skills, as well as orientation and mobility skills. Proficient English grammar and usage. Computer keyboard, computer basics and word processing and database software and some knowledge of Excel necessary. A minimum of five years professional working experience, preferably in the field of blindness rehabilitation or Masters Degree in Orientation and Mobility or a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation teaching. For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Regina Brink, Volunteer Coordinator. Society for the Blind, 2750 24th St., Sacramento, CA 95818. Phone 916-452-8271 ext. 319. Fax: 916-452-2622.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 2, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 2, and will be updated on May 9. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Lainey Feingold: In a move praised by state and national blindness organizations, Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) today announced it has undertaken a nationwide initiative that will benefit Rite Aid customers with visual impairments and other disabilities. As part of the program, Rite Aid has made enhancements to its Web site and has begun installing new point of sale equipment with tactile keypads to protect the privacy and security of all shoppers who have difficulty entering numbers on a flat screen. Today's announcement is the result of collaboration between Rite Aid and major organizations including the American Foundation for the Blind, American Council of the Blind and California Council of the Blind.

The society for the blind in Sacramento has several job openings. The Society for the Blind, located in Sacramento, California, is a 501c(3) non-profit agency dedicated to empowering individuals who are blind or have low vision to live productively and independently by building confidence through training, tools and mentorship. The job announcements are as follows: Driver/Assistant, Senior Impact Project. Non-Exempt Full-Time: For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Michelle Bruns. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email: mbruns@societyfortheblind.org Application deadline: May 15, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

Position: Accounting Assistant (Non-Exempt/Full-Time).
For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Society for the Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Cherry Flanagan. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email cflanagan@societyfortheblind.org Application deadline: May 16, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
Position: Rehabilitation Instructor I, Senior Impact Project. Non-Exempt/Part-Time. The essential function of the job is to provide instruction and information to seniors through training sessions in the client's home and community within the Sacramento, Mount Diablo, and Chico regions. Duties also include giving instruction in daily living skills, as well as orientation and mobility skills. Proficient English grammar and usage. Computer keyboard, computer basics and word processing and database software and some knowledge of Excel necessary. A minimum of five years professional working experience, preferably in the field of blindness rehabilitation or Masters Degree in Orientation and Mobility or a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation teaching.
For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: Regina Brink, Volunteer Coordinator. Society for the Blind, 2750 24th St., Sacramento, CA 95818. Phone 916-452-8271 ext. 319. Fax: 916-452-2622.

The American Council of the Blind's class action lawsuit seeking to require the Social Security Administration ("SSA") to provide reasonable accommodations to blind and visually impaired individuals encompasses SSA applicants, beneficiaries, recipients and representative payees in communications. To proceed as a class action we must include as plaintiffs actual people who fall into each of these categories. Recently, our plaintiff representative payee suffered the loss of her husband for whom she was acting as the representative. The SSA has now filed a motion challenging our right to act on behalf of blind or visually impaired representative payees since our named plaintiff is technically no longer in this status. We believe and argue that this is wrong but we must also be prepared to add someone now acting as a representative payee to the lawsuit if the court requires it. If you are interested or willing to become a representative payee contact Wondie Russell to learn what is entailed in acting as a plaintiff. All of the attorneys representing ACB and the individuals are acting in pro bono and plaintiffs will incur no legal fees, costs or other personal expenses. Wondie Russell, Attorney | HellerEhrmanLLP | 333 Bush Street | San Francisco, CA 94104 Phone: 415-772-6294 fax: 415-772-6268 email: wondie.russell@hellerehrman.com web: www.hellerehrman.com

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

April 25, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on April 25, and will be updated on May 2. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Dan Kysor, CCB governmental affairs director: Dan would like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended our very successful capitol day at this spring's convention. Many ccb members were able to meet with their legislators. There is also a new Legislative update on the toll free phone line at 800-221-6359 or online at www.ccbnet.org You will find information in this update on csb and other proposed budget cuts and the status of our bills before the state legislature. Also, there is a new downloadable version of the Official Voter Information Guide available from the California Secretary of State online at http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/audio/.

From Ardis Bazyn: The Glendale-Burbank Chapter invites YOU to our Pizza fundraiser at Shakey's Pizza, 1300 N. San Fernando Road, (cross street: Bethany), Burbank, CA; on Thursday, May 1, 2008; 6-9 PM. Menu includes: pizza, chicken, mojo potatoes, salads, and more. A portion of each food purchase will be donated to our chapter.

From Cathie Skivers, Chair, Housing Committee: Forest City Residential Management announces the opening of The Uptown, A Residential Community. This is located in the heart of Oakland. These low cost properties include 665 total units, 499 market rate and 166 affordable housing rates. The first building of the community is in the process of leasing with the second due to begin leasing June 2008 and the third November 2008. Applications are available at The Uptown Resident Services office at 601 William Street, Oakland CA 95612.

From Lainey Feingold: (Washington, D.C.; April 23, 2008) The nation's three major consumer credit reporting companies today unveiled a comprehensive program to provide improved access to important credit information for people who are blind or visually impaired. The initiative, crafted with the American Council of the Blind, its California affiliate and several individual members of the blind community, will help protect the credit information of individuals who cannot read a standard print credit report. Under the plan announced today, Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Experian (EXPN.L), and TransUnion have begun working to make online credit reports and related information accessible through their jointly operated website, AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site to help consumers obtain free credit reports. Accessible credit reports for people with visual impairments will be available online by October 31 of this year. By the end of the year, the companies will also make credit reports available in Braille and other formats at no charge to qualified individuals who cannot access print information. This full agreement is available on line at www.LFLegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-agreement and the entire press release is available on line at http://lflegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-press-release/

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

April 18, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on April 18, and will be updated on April 25. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Those of you who were unable to attend the Spring 2008 CCB convention missed a wonderful time. The seminars and workshops, the policymaking work of the organization, and the fun had by all made for a great event. However, an excellent spring convention only means that chair Gene Lozano and the convention committee, along with so many others who play such an important part in our conventions, are beginning to work on the fall convention at the Four Points Sheraton in Los Angeles, October 23-26. We urge you to provide ideas, suggestions, and any feedback you might have to the office by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org or by phone at 800-221-6359, so that we can continue to improve your conventions.

The CCB Board of Directors has voted to send one student to the 2008 American Council of the Blind convention in Louisville, to be held July 5-12. Applications should be submitted to me by May 15, either by e-mail at jsthom@comcast.net or by other format sent to the CCB office, 1510 J. St., Suite 125, Sacramento, 95814. We will cover room, food and transportation costs, as well as your registration costs for the convention. You must be a CCB member to apply, must attend the ACB banquet on Friday July 11, and sit with the California delegation during convention general sessions that occur each morning from Monday through Friday. You are also urged to attend the National Alliance of Blind Student meetings. Finally, you will be asked to write a brief article for the Blind Californian on your convention experience. Applications should specify why you would like to attend and what you believe you will gain from the experience.

From Cathie Skivers: Wells Fargo Bank has Braille Debit Cards and offers Braille Checking and Savings Account Statements.

There will be a free lecture by Dr. Takeshita. Titled �Cell Phones and other Gadgets� held on Saturday, April 26 at 10a.m. The location will be the Center for the Partially Sighted, 18425 Burbank, #706, Tarzana. Call to RSVP at 310-458-3501 X 148.

The Washington State Department of Services for the Blind is looking for a vocational rehabilitation councilor. This will be a permanent full time position. For more information write to elldrumheller@dsb.wa.gov

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

April 4, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on April 4, and will be updated on April 18. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith: Due to many of us being in Sacramento next week for the CCB spring convention the next connection will come out on April 18.

From Jeff Thom: Due to a scheduling conflict, Mr. Tony Sauer, The Director of the Department of Rehabilitation will be speaking at the CCB Convention on Friday evening at approximately 8 PM, rather than Saturday afternoon, as currently scheduled. In order to accommodate this change, ACB President Mitch Pomerantz has graciously agreed to change the time for his address to Saturday afternoon at 1:40 PM.

For all of you music lovers in northern California, at the convention we will be auctioning three pairs of tickets for the San Francisco symphony, for Mothers Day and for Fathers Day, with the three highest bidders taking the baton. Bidding will be held during all hours at which the CCB convention registration table is open, beginning at 12 Noon Thursday and ending 5 PM Saturday afternoon.

A Victor Stream Reader, donated by HumanWare Inc., will be given away at the CCB Spring Convention Banquet. You must, however, be there to win.

Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. Prizes include $ 500 cash, an IPOD and 4 gift certificates to major restaurants of the winners' choosing. All proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

From Bernice Kandarian, The convention program is now available on the CCB web site at www.ccbnet.org If you have any questions you can contact Bernice by phone at 650-969-3155 or by e-mail at bernice@tsoft.net

From Ardis Bazyn, CCB Membership Chair: I want to remind all of you to sign up for the PR/Membership Breakfast Seminar for Saturday, April 12 at 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m. It is listed on the pre-registration form if you have not sent or called it in already. I hope you designate someone from your chapter to attend. Our special speaker is a good friend of mine in Sacramento, Frances Gracechild. She is a coalition builder for people with disabilities. She will share great tips on how to outreach to people in the community to gain membership and get the word out. I look forward to her presentation and hope we can all give her a great welcome on Saturday, April 12 at our breakfast seminar. Breakfast will be served at 7 a.m. followed by our speaker.

From Gabe Griffith, Chair, Resolutions Committee: It is not to late to submit any resolutions you may want to submit for consideration at this spring's convention. You can submit them by e-mail at gabe@griffith.net by April 9, or by phone at 916-505-8780. We just ask that you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and if possible whether or not you are planning on attending the convention. The absolute cutoff date for submitting resolutions will be the close of the general session on Friday night so please make sure you contact either myself or one of the resolutions committee members before that time or your resolution will not be able to be considered at this convention.

From Ann Kysor: All new from Guide Dog Users of California, GDUC. Check our new exciting surprises at our exhibit booth while you renew your membership and get in our 50/50 drawing. Meet guide dog users, puppy raisers, and some truly awesome dogs. Open Friday and Saturday.

Job announcement San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind: Adaptations Technology Sales Associate. JOB PURPOSE: The Adaptations Technology Sales Associate is responsible for increasing sales at Adaptations with an emphasis on technology. Core components of the position include: maintaining both Adaptations On-line and the Adaptations eBay store; Evaluating products for inclusion in the Adaptations product line; organizing community events to demonstrate products; strategically positioning Adaptations as a superior informational source in adaptive technology for people who are blind. Read more at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/sls/623314464.html

Dining in the Dark, through Opague events is looking to hire persons to be hosts and wait staff for their dining in the dark dining experience at their new San Francisco location. Interested applicants shall have good mobility skills. A fundraiser on April 15th will be the first run through for the San Francisco location. Interested persons need to contact Ben at 310.395.4217.

The astonishing documentary BLINDSIGHT about 6 blind Tibetan teenagers who climb the northside of Mount Everest is at Rafael Film Center with audio description. Visit www.cafilm.org for details.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

March 28, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on March 28, and will be updated on April 4. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

The $95 room rate for the Spring CCB Convention at the Arden West Hilton has been extended to April first. We would urge all of you to make your reservations by that date. You may make reservations by calling 916-922-4700 or 800-344-4321.

A VictorStream Reader, donated by HumanWare Inc., will be given away at the CCB Spring Convention Banquet. You must, however, be there to win.

Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. prizes include $ 500 cash, an IPOD and 4 gift certificates to major restaurants of the winners' choosing. All proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

Luncheon menu change: Friday's Luncheons entree has been amended from Three Cheese Ravioli to Sausage Lasagna.

From Gene Lozano, Chair convention planning committee: Update on Sacramento Arden West Hilton Hotel Swimming Pool, Guide Dog Relieving areas and Harvard Grill restaurant. I wish to inform conventioneers that there have been some changes made to the hotel's swimming pool and guide dog relieving areas.

First, the hotel's Jacuzzi has been removed from the alcove in front of the health club building. The Jacuzzi has been relocated to the left of the swimming pool if you are looking out from the backside of the hotel toward the health club building. Warning: There is no fencing encircling either the pool or Jacuzzi.
Second, the guide dog relieving area is still in the same location behind the health club building to the right where there is a large open grassy area. The change that has occurred is the installation of a wood gate on the right side of the health club building that you must walk through to get to the guide dog relieving area. You will need your hotel room key to open the gate to re-enter the pool area from midnight to 6 a.m. All other times the lock will not be operational. When it is windy, the gate feels heavy and you may need someone's assistance to open it.
Another change that has been made is the elimination of the fence that use to separate the relieving area from the parking lot. Please read the hotel narrative description in the convention program for these and other small changes that have occurred in the physical environment of the hotel.
Also, the Harvard Grill restaurant is under renovation, it is being moved into what was the Folsom ballroom located next to the coffee bar in the main lobby. The restaurant is now operating in the old Brandywine ballroom just across from the Cameo Lounge (the bar). Restaurant meals are also being served in the Cameo Lounge seating area.

From Gabe Griffith, Chair resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about any and all resolutions you may want to submit for consideration at this spring's convention. You can submit them by e-mail at gabe@griffith.net or by phone at 916-505-8780. We just ask that you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and if possible whether or not you are planning on attending the convention. The absolute cutoff date for submitting resolutions will be the close of the general session on Friday night so please make sure you contact either myself or one of the resolutions committee members before that time or your resolution will not be able to be considered at this convention.

From Tricia Leetz: Roxanne Stallings will be speaking at 2:00 on Thursday April 10th as part of the rehab committee which is joining forces this year with the technology committee. She will speak on advocacy and being a mentor and inspiring others to do so. Don't miss this since building a mentorship program is key to making social change.

The Central Coast Low Vision Council in conjunction with the San Luis Obispo Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Center is presenting a FREE self-defense class for people with visual impairments, ages 15 and up. Participants under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

When: Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Time: Two Classes, 9 A.M. - 12 P.M. and 1 P.M - 4 P.M.
Location: San Luis Obispo Senior Center
1455 Santa Rosa San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Please RSVP by Thursday April 3rd. Space is limited!! Contact Thomas Athanasion at 805-783-2007 or Michelle Mason at 805-544-4803.

The astonishing documentary BLINDSIGHT about 6 blind Tibetan teenagers who climb the north side of Mount Everest, opens March 28 in San Francisco and San Rafael. Visit .blindsightthemovie.com for details.

Attention All Interested Parties: Please take advantage of attending the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Outreach Meeting to discuss the contstruction contracts that will be coming up for bid in May and June. Date: April 3, 2008 6 to 8 PM. Location: Joseph P. Borto Metro Center, 101 8th St., Oakland, CA 94607. Seating is limited: fax your seating reservation containing the following information: your name, your telephone number, your fax number, your email address and your firm name to 510-874-7470. For any questions, call Ruby Smith at 510-464-6324 or Harryu Overstreet at 510-464-6959.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

March 21, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on March 21, and will be updated on March 28. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

The $95 room rate for the Spring CCB Convention at the Arden West Hilton has been extended to March 25. Assuming rooms are available, we will seek to extend the rate beyond this date, but we would urge all of you to make your reservations by that date. You may make reservations by calling 916-922-4700 or 800-344-4321. A Victor Stream Reader, donated by HumanWare Inc., will be given away at the CCB Spring Convention Banquet. You must, however, be there to win.

Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. First prize will be $ 500 cash, second prize is an IPOD and third prize is 4 gift certificates to major restaurants of the winners' choosing. All proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

The menus for the spring convention will be as follows:

April 11, 2008 Friday Lunches
- Hearty Minestrone, Three Cheese Ravioli, Seven layer bar with carmel dark chocolate mousse topped with chocolate cookie crumbles.
- Vegetarian Option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Friday Presidents' Dinner
- House salad, Wild Rice blend, Tuscan style chicken cordon bleu, white chocolate cr�me brulee cheesecake with berry sauce.
- Vegetarian option: Grilled Vegetable Wellington with Saut�ed Spinach and a Cognac Butternut Squash Coulis.
April 12, 2008, Saturday Lunches
- Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, Greek marinated chicken, sherbet with a cookie.
- Vegetarian option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Saturday Banquet Dinner
- Napa salad, Roasted red potatoes, sliced roasted strip loin, tuxedo truffle mousse cake.
- Vegetarian option: Saffron Risotto Cakes On Mushroom Ragout with Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables.

Our apologies, the Association for Multi-Cultural Concerns Luncheon was omitted in error from the pre-registration form. The AMC Luncheon is $15 pre registration and $16 if paid for at the convention.

From Tricia Leetz: Come see a first, the CCB players will perform a skit at 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 10th at the convention. The Rehab Committee will be doing this in conjunction with the Technology Committee. This will be some of the finest acting ever as well as being educational for consumers receiving or wanting to receive services through the Dept. of Rehabilitation.

From Dan Kysor: There is an updated legislative update on our toll-free line at 800-221-6359 and on the web at www.ccbnet.org . There is information pertaining to proposed budget cuts to programs of concern to blind and visually impaired Californians plus information on our upcoming capitol day.

From Jeff Thom: In prior years, the CCB has provided a free members-only caucus breakfast for attendees at the ACB convention. Due to budgetary constraints, we are contemplating changing this practice. We would like to ask those of you who are planning to attend this summer's ACB convention whether you would prefer a breakfast as in prior years, except that a price (say around $17) would be charged, or a lunch caucus at which food would not be provided. Please provide responses to the CCB office either by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org or by phone at 800-221-6359.

Bill Gillespie is still looking for a Hamilton Beach microwave. If anyone has one for bill he can be reached at 707-217-5272 or bigbill49@gmail.com

Job Announcement: Society for the Blind a 501c(3) non-profit agency.
Position: Adaptive Technology Instructor (Non-Exempt/Full-Time.)
For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to:
SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. Attn: Marianne Hewitt. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email: mhewitt@societyfortheblind..org Application deadline: April 15, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!

DREDF is conducting an investigation into whether people with disabilities whose healthcare is paid by Medi-Cal are experiencing problems in obtaining health care services in California due to architectural access barriers (e.g., stairs, narrow doorways, lack of grab bars) or programmatic access problems (e.g., a health care provider's refusal to reasonably modify office or clinical policies, practices or procedures when needed). If you would like to share your experiences with us and Medi-Cal pays for your healthcare, please contact us by mail, e-mail, fax, or telephone as follows:

Attn: Medi-Cal Healthcare
Access Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF)
2212 Sixth Street Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: 510-644-2555 ((V/TDD)
Fax: 510-841-8645
E-mail: hmin@dredf.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

March 14, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on March 14, and will be updated on March 21. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

You may make reservations by calling 916-922-4700 or 800-344-4321. Convention topics will include Fire Safety, Digital Talking Books, Advances on Retinal Degenerative Disease Research, Accessibility to Core Curriculum for Blind and Visually Impaired students, state and federal legislation. We will provide other details as time goes on. Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. First prize will be $ 500 cash and second prize an IPOD. Other prizes to be announced, all proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

The menus for the spring convention will be as follows:

April 11, 2008 Friday Lunches
- Hearty Minestrone, Three Cheese Ravioli, Seven layer bar with carmel dark chocolate mousse topped with chocolate cookie crumbles.
- Vegetarian Option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Friday Presidents' Dinner
- House salad, Wild Rice blend, Tuscan style chicken cordon bleu, white chocolate cr�me brulee cheesecake with berry sauce.
- Vegetarian option: Grilled Vegetable Wellington with Saut�ed Spinach and a Cognac Butternut Squash Coulis.
April 12, 2008, Saturday Lunches
- Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, Greek marinated chicken, sherbet with a cookie.
- Vegetarian option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Saturday Banquet Dinner
- Napa salad, Roasted red potatoes, sliced roasted strip loin, tuxedo truffle mousse cake.
- Vegetarian option: Saffron Risotto Cakes On Mushroom Ragout with Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables.

From Gabe Griffith, Chair Resolutions Committee: It is once again time to start thinking about any and all resolutions you may want to submit for consideration at this spring's convention. You can submit them by e-mail at gabe@griffith.net or by phone at 916-505-8780. We just ask that you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and if possible whether or not you are planning on attending the convention. The absolute cutoff date for submitting resolutions will be the close of the general session on Friday night so please make sure you contact either myself or one of the resolutions committee members before that time or your resolution will not be able to be considered at this convention.

From Dan Kysor: Dan reports that there are budget reductions proposed for the California School for the Blind and needs your help. CSB has played a leading role in the education of blind and visually impaired Californians for more than a century. Our affiliate, CSB Alumni have also Lent strong support to this outstanding institution. We have learned that the Governor's budget proposal calls for a $1.3 million cut in CSB's funding. CSB provides quality educational services for blind students many of whom are multi-disabled. They also provide an excellent outreach program to school districts throughout the state. This program enables students to remain in their own districts, which provides them an education at less cost than those at the residential school in Fremont. We are opposed to these cuts. We believe that imposing this reduction will result in savings that are illusory in nature. This action would almost certainly necessitate the reduction in staff at the school and curtailment of the school's support to school districts through their outreach program. By reducing the outreach services that CSB can provide, it will be more difficult for school districts to find more effective methods, both from an educational and cost viewpoint of working with their population of visually impaired students. Moreover, we are equally concerned that these reductions will also diminish the likelihood that students at CSB who cannot be served by their local school districts, will receive the quality education they so much need and deserve. Please contact the Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 on Education at 916-651-4103 and register your opposition to these proposed cuts.

Dan also has a legislative update on our toll-free line at 800-221-6359 and on the web at www.ccbnet.org

Bill Gillespie is still looking for a Hamilton Beach microwave. If anyone has one for bill he can be reached at 707-217-5272 or bigbill49@gmail.com

From the Center for the Partially Sighted: New free support group for active adults begins in Tarzana. COPE- support group Wednesdays 1-2:30 at CPS Tarzana office. Call Vickie Parker, MFT for details- 818-705-5954 X 221 for more information.

Attn: Medi-Cal Healthcare
Access Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF)
2212 Sixth Street Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: 510-644-2555 ((V/TDD)
Fax: 510-841-8645
E-mail: hmin@dredf.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

March 7, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on March 7, and will be updated on March 14. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Its time to start making plans to attend the 2008 CCB Spring Convention at the Arden West Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, from April 10-13. The hotel rate is $95. You may make reservations by calling 916-922-4700 or 800-344-4321. The cutoff date for making reservations is March 18th. Convention topics will include Fire Safety, Digital Talking Books, Advances on Retinal Degenerative Disease Research, Accessibility to Core Curriculum for Blind and Visually Impaired students, state and federal legislation. We will provide other details as time goes on. Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. First prize will be $ 500 cash and second prize an IPOD. Other prizes to be announced. All proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event. Most of you will already have received your CCB Spring Convention announcement, although Braille readers may still be awaiting theirs as of the date of this connection. However, if any of you would like an e-mail version of the announcement, just let the office know by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org or by phone at 800-221-6359, and it will be sent to you. It is also posted on our website www.ccbnet.org

The menus for the spring convention will be as follows:

April 11, 2008 Friday Lunches
- Hearty Minestrone, Three Cheese Ravioli, Seven layer bar with carmel dark chocolate mousse topped with chocolate cookie crumbles.
- Vegetarian Option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Friday Presidents' Dinner
- House salad, Wild Rice blend, Tuscan style chicken cordon bleu, white chocolate cr�me brulee cheesecake with berry sauce.
- Vegetarian option: Grilled Vegetable Wellington with Saut�ed Spinach and a Cognac Butternut Squash Coulis.
April 12, 2008, Saturday Lunches
- Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, Greek marinated chicken, sherbet with a cookie.
- Vegetarian option: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Feta, Fresh Basil, Artichoke, Garlic and Olive Oil.
Saturday Banquet Dinner
- Napa salad, Roasted red potatoes, sliced roasted strip loin, tuxedo truffle mousse cake.
- Vegetarian option: Saffron Risotto Cakes On Mushroom Ragout with Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables.

From Dan Kysor: it is once again the time of year to be planning your visits to your state legislator. CCB's Capitol Day will be on Thursday, April 10th and we will be leaving for the capitol at 9:30 a.m. from the Arden West Hilton hotel lobby. For further information, contact Dan Kysor, CCB Director of Governmental Affairs. He will need to know who all is going to be attending. Dan can be reached at 916-441-2100 or toll free at 1-800-221-6359 or via email at dan@kysor.net

The San Diego Braille Club invites you to enjoy 3 days and 2 nights in Laughlin, Nevada for only $100.00 on May 13th, 14th and 15th, 2008. The trip includes 2 night hotel accommodations at the Riverside Hotel and Resort, round trip bus transportation and 2 meals. The bus departs from San Diego, Riverside or San Bernardino with snacks and beverages aboard the bus. 50% deposit due March 15th and the balance due April 5th, 2008. For more information call Jacqueline Jackson at 619-994-2776.

The 4th Annual �Tee Off For Dogs� golf fundraiser will be held on Monday, May 26 at Coyote Hills golf club. All proceeds will go to �Guide Dogs for the Blind�. Get more information at the Website www.TeeOffForDogs.org email FFrand@msn.com or phone (714) 662-2397.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

February 29, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on February 29, and will be updated on March 7. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith, Chair Resolutions committee: It is once again time to start thinking about any and all resolutions you may want to submit for consideration at this spring's convention. You can submit them by e-mail at gabe@griffith.net or by phone at 916-505-8780. We just ask that you include a phone number where you can be reached prior to the convention and if possible whether or not you are planning on attending the convention. The absolute cutoff date for submitting resolutions will be the close of the general session on Friday night so please make sure you contact either myself or one of the resolutions committee members before that time or your resolution will not be able to be considered at this convention.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First -Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this spring's convention in Sacramento from April 10th-13th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@ccbnet.org no later than Friday, March 7th. The committee will make a decision concerning the First Timers Award by April 1st.

Editor's note: Dan's last name was inadvertently misspelled in last week's connection. It has been corrected this week. My apologies to Dan. From Dan Kysor: it's the time of year to be planning your visits to your state legislator. CCB's capitol day will be on Thursday April 10th and we will be leaving for the capitol at 9:30 am from the hotel lobby. For further information, contact Dan Kysor, CCB director of governmental affairs. He will need to know who all is going to be attending. Dan can be reached at 916-441-2100 or toll free at 1-800-221-6359 or via email at dan@kysor.net Also, please note that there is updated legislative information on the above toll free number or on the web at www.ccbnet.org

The San Diego Braille club invites you to enjoy 3 days and 2 nights in Laughlin, Nevada for only $100.00 on May 13th, 14th and 15th, 2008. The trip includes 2 night hotel accommodations at the Riverside Hotel and Resort, round trip bus transportation and 2 meals. The bus departs from San Diego, Riverside or San Bernardino with snacks and beverages aboard the bus. 50% deposit due March 15th and the balance due April 5th, 2008. For more information call Jacqueline Jackson at 619-994-2776.

From Frank Welte: Please join us at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, for the fourth in our series of technology workshops, to discuss electronic devices that give the blind and visually impaired access to print documents by means of magnification or Optical Character Recognition. The date is March 7, 2008, and the location is 214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102. You can participate in this event in-person, via a live audio stream on our website, or through a telephone conferencing service. Please RSVP to attend this event, by calling 1-888-400-8933 or via email at info@lighthouse-sf.org

For those participating via conference call or live stream, instructions will be provided to you when you RSVP.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

February 22, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on February 22, and will be updated on February 29. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Dan Kysor: it's the time of year to be planning your visits to your state legislator. CCB's capitol day will be on Thursday April 10th and we will be leaving for the capitol at 930 am from the hotel lobby. For further information, contact Dan Kiser, CCB director of governmental affairs. He will need to know who all is going to be attending. Contact him at 916-441-2100 or toll free at 1-800-221-6359 or via email at dan@kysor.net

From the publications committee: The very popular publication developed by the Seniors with Vision Loss Committee, "Failing Sight and the Family Plight,� is available from the CCB office not only in English, but also in Spanish and Chinese. Either call the CCB office at 800-221-6359 or email ccotb@ccbnet.org

Job Announcement from San Diego Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired. Job Title: Community Employment Outreach Specialist (CEOS)- (Full-Time Exempt) Send Resume to: San Diego Center for the Blind, 5922 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, Ca 92115-3816 Or jshephard@sdcb.org Filing Deadline: Open until filled. Qualifications: Minimum bachelor's degree in related field. Experience in public speaking. Demonstrated computer skills. Professional manner and demeanor. Valid CA driver's license and insured vehicle in order to provide outreach throughout the county. For further qualifications for this position contact Jody Shepard at 619-583-1542x114 or jshephard@sdcb.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

February 15, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on February 15, and will be updated on February 22. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Bill Gillespie is looking for a Hamilton Beach microwave. If anyone has one and would like to contact Bill he can be reached by e-mail at bigbbill49@gmail.com or by phone at 707-217-5272.

Editor's note: the time for this open house was incorrectly reported last week. The time has been changed for this edition.

From Tony Sauer, Director Department of Rehabilitation: It is with great pride that I invite you to join the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) at our upcoming Open House at our new location on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 P.M. Our historic and newly renovated offices are located two blocks west of the State Capitol at 721 Capitol Mall. We would appreciate you joining DOR staff at the Open House and providing us the opportunity to show you the accessibility features of our headquarters, including: "talking" signs for individuals who are blind and visually impaired; meeting and training rooms that are wired with assistive listening systems for individuals who are hard of hearing; and wide pathways to more readily accommodate individuals in wheelchairs. Building tours will be offered to show you the renovation and historic preservation of our headquarters, as well as award-winning energy-saving features. There will also be demonstrations of computer technology, and educational, hands-on, disability simulation activities. The Open House will continue until 2:00 p.m.

There will be a free seminar on Internet Dating with breakfast and networking on February 23 at 9:30 at the Center for the Partially Sighted in Tarzana. Call 310-458-3501 X 148 for more information.

The Society for the Blind in Sacramento is looking for a communications instructor. The essential functions of the job are to teach all aspects and levels of Braille and other communication devices used by blind or low vision clients with special emphasis on enhancement of Braille competence and effectiveness geared towards employment settings and outcomes. For consideration, please submit your resume along with a cover letter to: SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818, Attn: Michelle Bruns. Fax: 916-452-2622. Email: mbruns@societyfortheblind.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

February 8, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on February 8, and will be updated on February 15. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Its time to start making plans to attend the 2008 CCB Spring Convention at the Arden West Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, from April 10-13. The hotel rate is $95. You may make reservations by calling 916-922-4700 or 800-344-4321. The cutoff date for making reservations is March 18th. Convention topics will include Fire Safety, Digital Talking Books, Advances on Retinal Degenerative Disease Research, Accessibility to Core Curriculum for Blind and Visually Impaired students, state and federal legislation. We will provide other details as time goes on. Again, as part of this spring's convention, we will be holding a drawing for our Annual Sweepstakes fund raffle. First prize will be $ 500 cash and second prize an IPOD. Other prizes to be announced, All proceeds will benefit the production of the Blind Californian. Tickets are $ 5 each. Only 1,000 tickets will be printed so there is a great chance to win. The drawing will be held at the banquet on Saturday, April 12th, and the winners need not be present to win. To purchase tickets, please contact your chapter president or contact the CCB office directly by calling 800-221-6359. We thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

The CCB scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year is now available. You can get an electronic copy by visiting http://www.ccbnet.org/scholar.htm by calling the CCB office at 800-221-6359, or e-mailing ccotb@ccbnet.org Remember to follow all the directions. Applications must be completed and submitted to the CCB office by June 15.

From Tony Sauer, Director Department of Rehabilitation: It is with great pride that I invite you to join the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) at our upcoming Open House at our new location on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Our historic and newly renovated offices are located two blocks west of the State Capitol at 721 Capitol Mall. We would appreciate you joining DOR staff at the Open House and providing us the opportunity to show you the accessibility features of our headquarters, including: �talking� signs for individuals who are blind and visually impaired; meeting and training rooms that are wired with assistive listening systems for individuals who are hard of hearing; and wide pathways to more readily accommodate individuals in wheelchairs. Building tours will be offered to show you the renovation and historic preservation of our headquarters, as well as award-winning energy-saving features. There will also be demonstrations of computer technology, and educational, hands-on, disability simulation activities. The Open House will continue until 2:00 p.m.

You are invited to a free support group meeting for senior adults with low vision from retinal disease. Join thousands of people around the world for this monthly series of internet Webcasts. Time: Thursday, February 14, 2008 from 1 to 2 PM. Location: Lions Center for the Blind, 3834 Opal ST. Oakland Ca. 94609. Phone: 510-450-1580 x226, Anna E. Ortiz. Reserve your seat via phone by Wednesday February 13.

There will be a free seminar on Internet Dating with breakfast and networking on February 23 at 9:30 at the Center for the Partially Sighted in Tarzana Call 310-458-3501 X 148 for more information.

Legal notice: If you are visually, hearing or mobility impaired using a wheelchair or scooter and have been to or will patronize a California Coffee Bean location between October 24, 2005 - December 10, 2007 you could receive payment from a class-action settlement. If you don't want to be bound by this settlement's monetary provisions or wish to object, you must act before March 15, 2008. To receive payment you must submit a claim by April 15, 2008. A hearing will be held in Los Angeles U.S. District Court MAY 19, 2008 at 1:30 PM to consider this settlement's approval. For more details please contact the settlement administrator at: P.O. Box 9332, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9332, 1-877-625-9332, (TTY) 1-866-430-8983 or visit WWW.COFFEEBEANSETTLEMENT.COM

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

February 1, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on February 1, and will be updated on February 8. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: I am extremely excited to report on a motion passed by the CCB board of directors approximately two weeks ago. We will be establishing an informal group to be known as "Friends of the California Council of the Blind." The goal is to form a group of individuals who are dedicated to supporting and promoting the mission of the California Council of the Blind. Family members, friends, doctors, corporate CEO's, and everyone in between are welcome. You will be hearing far more in the next Blind Californian about how we intend to get this entity off the ground, but suffice it to say that its success is up to all of us. It may not make a major difference to CCB overnight, but I hope that, as the years go by, it will bring about important positive changes for CCB, not only financially but as a way of tapping into the volunteer spirit of many Californians. In this connection, I'd like to thank many of you, such as our 2nd vice president, Rhonda King, and immediate past president Cathie Skivers, both of whom have a vision for CCB which is always uplifting when I most need it.

From Dan Kysor, CCB governmental affairs director: View Dan's update to the capitol report on our toll free line at 800-221-6359 or online at the Governmental Affairs section of the CCB website. Find out the latest regarding the state budget and other critical state issues.

If you're interested in learning more about accessible cell phones, Joel Isaac will be presenting an overview of accessible cell phones in a free online webinar on February 6 at 11am PST. To pre-register, please go to accessible cell phone presentation.

The CCB scholarship application for the 2008-2009 academic year is now available. You may obtain a electronic copy by visiting http://www.ccbnet.org/scholar.htm or send your application request by e-mail to ccotb@ccbnet.org or by calling the CCB office at 800-221-6359. Remember to follow all the directions. Applications must be completed and submitted to the CCB office by June 15, 2008.

From Ardis Bazyn: Delegates from CCB will be visiting Capitol Hill on February 12. We've been making appointments with representatives. Some are not willing to meet with us since we are not constituents. Please let me know if we can use your name when talking to a scheduler for your representative. Please call me at: 818-238-9321 and give me your name and your representative's name or email me at: abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. Thank you.

From Cathie Skivers: The awards committee wishes to remind everyone that we want your nominations into us by February 15th. The Winter issue of the Blind Californian contains the description of each of the available awards. If you have any questions, please free to call me at 510-357-1986.

James Forbes is working on a benefit CD for the Humboldt Council of the Blind. Bands or artists with visually impaired members are invited to submit songs. All genres of music accepted. The CD is to be released in Sept 08. You can contact James at darkarts66@gmail.com

San Francisco State University (SF State) is seeking a highly skilled, dynamic and strong manager for its Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC). Under the general direction of the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of the DPRC, the DPRC's Managing Director provides day-to-day management of SF State's efforts to implement the principles of universal design, along with federal and state disability-access laws including: Sections 503, 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Title 24, and California Government Code 11135. For more information please contact Christine Gordon at cmg@sfsu.edu or by Phone at 415-338-2916.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) seeks an Analyst in Disability Policy to serve in the CRS Domestic Social Policy Division. To apply online (preferred) visit http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo or call 202-707-5627 to request an applicant job kit. Please refer to vacancy #080018 in all correspondence.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

January 25, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on January 25, and will be updated on February 1. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Announcing the online 2008-2009 Fred Scheigert Scholarship program through The Council of Citizens with Low Vision (CCLVI): On behalf of the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International, we announce our CCLVI Scholarship Program. Three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 a piece will be awarded for the 2008-2009 academic year. Please share with others the following scholarship information. If there are questions or additional information is required, please e-mail to scholarship@cclvi.org

Applications may be submitted beginning January 1st and all materials must be received by March 1st. Scholarship monies will be awarded for the 2008-2009 academic year.

To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an on-line application, please visit the web site www.cclvi.org/scholars.htm

Applications will be available to submit on-line until March 1st at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. We look forward to receiving your application materials!

The Eye Care Center at the Southern California College of Optometry announces the "Call for Artists" for "Shared Visions 2008-2009", the fourth annual juried art exhibit by artists who are blind or legally blind. Works selected will be exhibited in the Eye Care Center for a period of one year. The deadline for entries is May 14, 2008. For application and information on entering the fourth annual exhibit, (September 2008- August, 2009), please visit Call for Artists. Contact Rebecca L. Kammer, Southern California College of Optometry, by Phone at 714-449-7473 or by e-mail at rkammer@scco.edu.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

January 18, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on January 18, and will be updated on January 25. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Mitch Pomerantz: On Tuesday, January 15th, Melanie Brunson and I were notified via e-mail that Damar Travel and Cruises was exercising its option giving ACB 90-days notice of intent to cancel the existing agreement between our two organizations. This notice was given subsequent to routine inquiries requested by the ACB Board of Directors at our Teleconference meeting of January 2nd and carried out by Ms. Brunson.

It is regrettable that Damar has unilaterally chosen this action since so many of us participated in and thoroughly enjoyed at least one of the cruises organized by them. Such cruises were made especially worthwhile by the always friendly and helpful David Kronk. Rest assured that this decision was made solely by Damar's two principle partners, David and Marsha Schuman, without prior consultation with me, or anyone else connected with ACB.

Those of you who have sent in deposits for one of the upcoming Damar cruises and wish a refund should contact Damar directly. Also, since cruising has become such a popular form of travel for our members, we would like to contract with another organization which conducts tours for blind and visually impaired persons, or would be interested in doing so. Please forward any information you may have to me directly and off-line at either dmpomerantz@ccbnet.org or mitch.pomerantz@lacity.org

From Constance Griesmer: "For Residents of Pasadena only! The city is making available a Braille pamphlet of the text arguments for and against local measure D which will appear on the Primary Ballot. The pamphlet is bilingual. Residents wishing to receive the Braille copy may call the Accessibility Staff coordinator Mr. Robert Goriski at 626-744-4782.

Applications may be submitted beginning January 1st and all materials must be received by March 1st. Scholarship monies will be awarded for the 2008-2009 academic year.

To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an on-line application, please visit the web site www.cclvi.org/scholars.htm

Applications will be available to submit on-line until March 1st at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. We look forward to receiving your application materials!

The Society for the Blind in Sacramento is looking for a Daily Living Skills Instructor. The essential functions of the job are to train and to guide clients through courses of instruction designed to help them carry out daily living tasks; to teach skills and techniques to assist clients develop independence, good and effective communication, home orientation and home and personal management. For more information contact The Society at 916-452-8271.

February 2, 2008: 12th Annual Lowenfeld-Akeson Early Years Symposium "Communication: It's the Foundation, Strategies for Teaching Young Children who are Deafblind or Multiply Impaired". Co-sponsored by Blind Babies Foundation, CAPVI, CSB and NCAER. California School for the Blind, Fremont, CA. For information contact Michael McFarland at (510) 446-2229 or mcfarlandmike@blindbabies.org. (Fee; Parent/family scholarships available

IT'S TIME TO REGISTER FOR A FREE BRAILLE BOOK THROUGH SEEDLINGS BRAILLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN'S 2008 ANNA'S BOOK ANGEL PROJECT! These free books are made possible by donations made to Seedlings in loving memory of Anna Kirstina Bonde who was killed by a drunk driver in 2001. Every blind or visually impaired child is eligible to win one free book per year (please re-register each year.) Blind adults can also register to win one free book per year to read with their children. To register, please visit our website: www.seedlings.org. Click on "Special Projects" and then on "Anna's Book Angel Project" and fill out the form, including the list of books (from our catalog) that you might like to receive. You can also register by using the form in the back of the Seedlings catalog, or by calling Seedlings at 800-777-8552.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

January 11, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on January 11, and will be updated on January 18. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Dan Kysor: The Capitol Report has been updated so check it out on the toll free line at 800-221-6359 under legislation or on www.ccbnet.org under the governmental affairs link.

From the California Secretary of State's Office: To obtain a cassette tape of the �Official Voter Information Guide for February 5, 2008� Call 916-657-2166.

The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) will award three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to entering freshmen, undergraduate and graduate college students who are visually impaired, maintain a strong GPA and are involved in their school/local community. Applications may be submitted beginning January 1st and all materials must be received by March 1st. Scholarship monies will be awarded for the 2008-2009 academic year. To read the scholarship guidelines and complete an on-line application, please visit the web site www.cclvi.org/scholars.htm. Applications will be available to submit on-line until March 1st at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. We look forward to receiving your application materials!

Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) statewide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office is seeking a highly knowledgeable expert to administer our statewide Title VI Program. This involves development and training of WSDOT's Title VI special emphasis program areas. This position also provides technical assistance and training to WSDOT managers, cities, counties, municipalities, contractors and other sub recipients on Title VI compliance issues, implementation and monitoring. For more information call 360-705-7504.

The WestSide Center for Independent Living is seeking a Program Administrator. The Westside Center for Independent Living (WCIL) helps people living with disabilities maintain self-sufficient and productive lives through non-residential peer support services and training programs. Independent Living promotes self-determination, community living, full participation in community life and access to the same opportunities and resources available to people without disabilities. The Program Administrator is a member of the Center's Management Team and provides direction and oversight in the areas of program development, implementation and evaluation. Interested parties should send cover letters and resumes to Aliza@wcil.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

January 4, 2008

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on January 4, and will be updated on January 11. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From the California Secretary of State's Office: To obtain a cassette tape of the �Official Voter Information Guide for February 5, 2008� Call 916-657-2166.

January 2, 2008 (Washington, D.C.) -- One hundred and seventy nine years after the first book was published in braille, millions of people who are blind or have low vision continue to read, write, and communicate through the six dot system. In fact, braille is used throughout the world by people who read a variety of languages. Louis Braille designed the coding system, based on patterns of raised dots, by which the blind can read through touch. January 4th is Louis Braille's birthday, and thus, January is also designated to be National Braille Literacy Month.
Louis Braille was born January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France. An injury to his eye at age three resulted in total loss of vision. When he was ten, he entered the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, the world's first school for blind children. There he would live, study, and later teach. When Louis was fifteen, he developed an ingenious system of reading and writing by means of raised dots.
Louis Braille accepted a full-time teaching position at the Institute when he was nineteen. Unfortunately, he became seriously ill with incurable tuberculosis (a lung infection) in 1835 and was forced to resign his teaching post. Shortly before his death, a former student of his, a blind musician, gave a performance in Paris, France. She made a point of letting the audience know that she had learned everything she knew using the system developed by the dying Louis Braille. This created renewed interest in and a revival of the Braille system, although it was not fully accepted until 1854, two years after the inventor's death. Louis Braille died on January 6, 1852 at age forty-three.
The Braille system has been modified slightly from time to time over the years; for instance, to accommodate the new computer terminology and symbols. The fundamental version employed today was first used in the United States in 1860 at the Missouri School for the Blind. It continues to be used by many blind people around the world. Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), says: "As someone who learned to use Braille at the age of five, I am absolutely convinced that without this wonderful code, I would be, in every sense of the word, illiterate and unable to hold the responsible position I have with the City of Los Angeles." Lynne Koral, President of the ACB Affiliate, the Braille Revival League, which is at the forefront of the fight for Braille literacy, says: "Despite the substantial impact of digital communications, Braille is still the preferred medium for comprehension and literacy for many blind people."
The American Council of the Blind, and its numerous state and special interest affiliates, take pride in supporting the continued teaching and use of the Braille system. If you have any questions about the use of Braille or about blindness, or if you know anyone who has lost, or is losing, their eyesight, or if you are a parent of a blind or sight impaired child, contact us! We are here to answer your questions and help any way we can. Contact your state's ACB affiliate:

Jeff Thom, President
California Council of the Blind
Executive Office- 1510 "J" Street Suite 125
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-441-2100
Fax: 916-441-2188
Toll Free Californ ia Only 800-221-6359 10 am to 4 pm Monday-Friday
http://www.ccbnet.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

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