Explore every episode of the podcast ACB Braille Forum and E-Forum

ACB Braille Forum March 2026

Table of Contents

- President’s Message: All in Favor?, by Deb Cook Lewis

- Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours, by Janet Dickelman

- Connecting the Dots Through Life, Part Three: Braille in Retirement, by Penny Moss

- Alaskan Bucket List, by Michael and Elaine Vining

- My Why: Living with Blindness, by Allan Peterson

- How to Add a Website Shortcut to Your Windows Desktop (Keyboard Steps), by Michael Babcock

- Robyn Hughes’ Pioneering Journey to Revolutionize Braille Tutoring/Braille Translation through ChatGPT Cove 4.0, 5.0 AI Assistant Developed by OpenAI, by Robyn Hughes and ChatGPT Cove 4.0 developed by OpenAI

- Volunteering, by Deborah Armstrong

- In Memoriam: George Abbott Jr., December 9, 1940 – December 2, 2025

- Come Join Us at the Interstate Auction!

- Affiliates in Action: Alabama Council of the Blind, by Deborah Armstrong

- Affiliate News

- Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins

- High Tech Swap Shop

- When Denied, by Ann Chiappetta

- ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

ACB Braille Forum Volume LXIII • April 2025 • No. 8

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Let Your Voice Be Heard, by Deb Cook Lewis
• Advocacy in Action: Working Together, by Claire Stanley
• Registration for Dallas Is Just Around the Corner, by Janet Dickelman
• 2025 Candidate Submission Process
• Start Thinking About the Summer Auction, by Leslie Spoone
• February 10, 2025 Board of Directors Meeting Summary, by Katie Frederick
• Searching for a Boundless Education, by Cheryl Cumings
• The Heart of Equity and Inclusion, by Regina Marie Brink
• Navigating the Education System for the Blind in Texas, by Michael E. Garrett
• Education in the Public Schools, by Dr. Lynne Koral
• Diversity: Has It Now Joined Religion and Politics?, by Anthony Corona
• The Bursons Abroad
• Lynn August, Blind Zydeco and Blues Star from Lafayette, Dies at 76, by Joanna Brown
• In Memoriam: Beulah Maria Carrington
• Introducing Loving Touch Connection, by Lucy Edmonds
• Radio Life, by Al Daniels
• Facebook Penalizes the Blind, by Bob Branco
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers
• ACB Board of Directors
• ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

"ACB Forum November 2023.

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

• President’s Message: Join Us at the Accessible Currency Rally, by Dan Spoone
• ACB’s 2023 Leadership Conference
• Convention Changes, by Janet Dickelman
• Stimulate Your Potential and Personal Greatness: Apply to Become a 2023 ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellow, by Kenneth Semien Sr.
• The BOP Seeks to Award Excellence, by Katie Frederick
• ACB Diabetics in Action: Legislative Update, by Charles Nabarrete
• Libre Link and Dexcom CGM: An Updated Comparison, by Randy Knapp
• Artificial Sweeteners Could Cause Diabetes, Shocking New Research Says, by Erin Keller
• Recipe Corner, by Sugar Lopez
• Summary of the Fall Board Meeting, by Penny Reeder
• How Special-Interest Affiliates and State Affiliates Working Together Builds Membership, compiled by Ardis Bazyn
• Affiliate News
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications
• Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

Volume LXI January 2023 No. 7 Published by the American Council of the Blind

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Humble and Proud to Start the New Year, by Dan Spoone
• 2022 in the Rearview Mirror, by Eric Bridges
• Holiday Auction a Big Success, by Leslie Spoone
• Announcing Our 2023 Convention Tours, by Janet Dickelman
• Call for Nominees for 2023 ACB Awards, by Carrie Muth and Koni Sims, Awards Committee Co-Chairs
• Embrace Possibilities and Opportunities: Apply to Become a 2023 Durward K. McDaniel (DKM) First-Timer, by Kenneth Semien Sr.
• In Memoriam: Warren Toyama, by Don Thomson and Chris Gray
• Summary of the August and September Meetings of the ACB Board of Directors, by Penny Reeder
• Affiliate News
• How Can We Bring What We Learned at the ACB Convention Back to Our Affiliate Members, compiled by Ardis Bazyn
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia Hawkins
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Happy Holidays and ACB Reflections!, by Dan Spoone
• A Preview of the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, by Janet Dickelman
• Glimpses of Croatia, by Maria Kristic
• Furry Travels, by Maria Kristic and Gabriel Lopez Kafati
• How I’ve Visited Over 100 Countries, and You Can, Too, by Tony Giles
• Posh Gabriel Barcelona, by Gabriel Lopez Kafati
• My Velvet Adventure – A Coming of Age Story, by Sandra Sermons
• My International Adventure through Israel, by Meryl Shecter
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

The ACB Braille Forum November 2022 Volume LXI November 2022 No. 5 Published by the American Council of the Blind

Table of Contents

• A Brief Message from the President, by Dan Spoone
• Join Us at the ACB Media Holiday Auction
• Join ACB in the Land of Lincoln, by Janet Dickelman
• Tune into the 2022 Audio Description Awards Gala
• Describing While Blind: Audio Description by Blind People, for Blind People, by Lolly Lijewski
• Audio Description Brings the Cruising Experience to Life
• ACBDA President’s Message, by Tom Tobin
• Unwrapping the Sweetness That Is the ACBDA Peer Mentor Relations Program, by Elizabeth Oleksa
• Join Us in ACB Diabetics in Action!, by Linda Oliva-McKinley
• Accessible Insulin Pumps, by Kat Hamilton
• Accessible Insulin Pump Task Force, by Veronica Elsea
• Accessibility of Tandem t:slim X2 Insulin Pump and t:connect Mobile App with Bolus Capabilities – A Step in the Right Direction!, by --Patricia Maddix
• A New Lease on Life, by Jeff Bishop
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• I Remember, by Tyson Ernst
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Congratulations! We Did It!, by Dan Spoone
• Traveling to Schaumburg, by Janet Dickelman
• 2022 ACB Conference and Convention Summary, by Katie Frederick
• ACB Awards Scholarships to 20 Outstanding Students, by Denise Colley
• Sleepless in Omaha, by Cachet Wells
• My ACB Braille Forum Raffle Story, by Allan Peterson
• ACB Membership Committee Seminar: “Membership 101,” compiled by Ardis Bazyn
• Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws, by John McCann
• Summary of 2022 Resolutions
• Summary of the July 1, 2022 ACB Board Meeting, by Penny Reeder
• Affiliate News
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

The ACB Braille Forum September 2022 Volume LXI September 2022 No. 3 Published by the American Council of the Blind

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: The Audio Description Project Is Making a Difference, by Dan Spoone
• 2022 Conference and Convention Wrap-Up, by Janet Dickelman
• Thank You from the Auction Committee
• Section 508 Audio Description in the Federal Sector, by Pat Sheehan
• Smart Television for Dummies, by Carl Richardson
• The Audio Describer as Cast Member: Audio Description at Every Performance, by Joel Snyder, Ph.D.
• Audio Description Project 2022 Achievement Awards, by Kim Charlson
• ADP Congratulates This Year’s Young Audio Description Reviewers, by Susan Glass
• ACB 2022 Audio Description Awards Gala
• Affiliate News
• Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action and Fairness Hearing
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Find out more at https://acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum.pinecast.co

The ACB E-Forum August 2022

Volume LXI August 2022 No. 2

Published by the American Council of the Blind

Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind™ is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666.

Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office.

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Let’s All Scream, by Dan Spoone
• A Year Filled with Lasting Memories, by Kenneth Semien Sr.
• My Walk to Omaha, by Zelda Gebhard
• Wanted: A Fair Chance, by Emily Stenberg Brown
• How the Virus Got Me Fired and Launched My Future, by Ron Brooks
• Enepreneurship: Is It for You?, by Ardis Bazyn
• Respectfully Yours, by Dan “Sully” Sullivan
• Winning Disney Legacy Award Is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience, by John Gassman
• Affiliate News
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

The ACB Braille Forum July 2022 Volume LXI July 2022 No. 1 Published by the American Council of the Blind

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Welcome to the 2022 ACB Conference and Convention, by Dan Spoone
• Tips for Convention Attendees – Both In-Person and Virtual, by Janet Dickelman
• Thank You from the ACB Auction Committee
• Public Transportation Just Became More Accessible!, by Clark Rachfal
• Accessing ACB Information, by Katie Frederick
• Learning to Be a Better Leader through AFB’s Blind Leaders Development Program, by Danette Dixon
• Writers should reimagine roles for characters with disabilities, who have been limited to four tropes for years, by Magda Romanska
• How to Meet a Pregnant Nun, by John Buckley
• Blind student helps Pellissippi State professor ‘see’ calculus a different way
• Recipes from Our Readers
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• Wild Figs, by Ann Chiappetta
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

• President’s Message: My First In-Person ACB Convention, by Dan Spoone
• ACB’s 2022 Convention Will Be Hybrid, by Penny Reeder
• In-Person Convention Attendance Details, by Janet Dickelman
• Walking Everywhere for ACB and Its Affiliates, by Donna Brown
• Affiliate News
• In Memoriam: Travis Johnson, November 10, 1945-March 30, 2022
• Being Proactive: What Does This Mean to the Non-Sighted Community?, by Arturo Espinoza
• Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They’ll Have to Do It Again, by Damon Beres
• 60 ‘Choice’ Years
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

• President’s Message: Crisis, Chaos, Opportunity and Optimism, by Dan Spoone
• Convention Registration Information and Sneak Preview, Part 2, by Janet Dickelman
• Walking Everywhere, by Donna Brown
• Volunteer at the Information Desk in Omaha, by Vicky Prahin
• Extra, Extra, Read All About It in the Goldenrod Gazette
• Affiliate News
• When Initials Mean More Than One Thing, by Michael Byington
• How Kindness Taught Me a Lesson in Resilience, by Melody E. Holloway
• Fix Your Computer Problems When You Aren’t a Wizard, by Deborah Armstrong
• Accessibility for Some: Why Have Low-Income Blind Americans Been Left Behind?, by Daveed Mandell
• Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action and Fairness Hearing
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

The ACB E-Forum Volume LX April 2022 No. 10

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: Dad, Thank You for the Legacy, by Dan Spoone
• Convention Sneak Preview, by Janet Dickelman
• Calling All Candidates, by Katie Frederick
• The ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee Wants to Hear from You
• The Strength of My Grandmother’s Culture, by Cheryl Cumings
• A Mother’s Story, by Regina Brink
• Armenian Connections, by Mary Haroyan
• Finding Our Way, by Susan Kitazawa
• Growing Up in Los Angeles with a Political Mother, by Pamela Hill Metz
• Hispanic Culture for the Gringo Eye, by Gabriel Lopez Kafati
• Seeing Color While Blind, by Linda Samulski
• What It Means to Be Italian-American, by Anthony Corona
• My Six Weeks in Ghana, by Chris Bell
• Blindness Culture: Reimagining Who We Are, by Paul Edwards
• Where Have All the Voices Gone?, by Arturo Espinoza
• Love Letter to Me!, by Cachet Wells
• No More Racism, by Bob Branco
• Affiliate News
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• ACB Media Music, by Nancy Scott
• The Cabin, by Ann Chiappetta
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

ACB Braille Forum for March 2022

Table of Contents

• Board Makes 2022 D.C. Leadership Conference Virtual, by Penny Reeder
• President’s Message: Sharing a Positive Message from an ACB Affiliate President, by Dan Spoone
• Learn About Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours, by Janet Dickelman
• Time to Plan for Summer Auction
• MMS March Madness, by Jean Mann
• Walk Here, There, and Everywhere While Helping ACB, by Katie Frederick
• The Gifts of Mentorship, by Linda Porelle
• My Journey to Motherhood: A Tribute to Faith, Family and Fortitude, by Rachel Schroeder
• My Dance with Cancer, by Kate Chamberlin
• Boxes, by Melody E. Holloway
• Removal, by Ann Chiappetta
• Affiliate News
• In Memoriam: Bill Spoone
• Passings
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• ACB Officers, ACB Board of Directors, ACB Board of Publications

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: It’s All about People and Relationships, by Dan Spoone
• In-Person Plus Virtual Equals Hybrid, by Janet Dickelman
• Get on the Fast Track to Advanced Leadership! Apply to Become a 2022 ACB/JPMorgan Chase Leadership Fellow, by Kenneth Semien Sr.
• In Memoriam: Bernice Mae Kandarian, December 5, 1946-October 2, 2021, by Roger Petersen
• Readers’ Memories of Bernice Kandarian
• Passings
• The Importance of Touch
• The Perkins Brailler Turns Seventy, by Judi Cannon
• Have We Had It Wrong All These Years?, by Judy Dixon
• Access to the Visual World: The New Dependence?, by Daveed Mandell
• What Color Is Air?, by Larry Johnson
• Giving Back in California, by Cheryl Cumings
• What Are the Best Mobile or Web Apps for Blind People?, by Lucille Adams
• Affiliate News
• Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
• High Tech Swap Shop
• Aurora Borealis, by Ann Chiappetta
• ACB’s Scholarship Application Deadline Approaches
• ACB Officers
• ACB Board of Directors
• ACB Board of Publications

Table of Contents

• President’s Message: New Year’s Reflections for 2022, by Dan Spoone
• American Council of the Blind Salutes Audio Description Award Winners
• Come One, Come All to the 2022 D.C. Leadership Conference, by Clark Rachfal
• Announcing ACB’s 2022 Tours, by Janet Dickelman
• Call for Nominees for 2022 ACB Awards, by Carrie Muth and Koni Sims
• The BOP Seeks to Award Excellence, by Katie Frederick
• Reach Higher, Pursue and Succeed: Apply to Become a 2022 Recipient of the Durward K. -0 ----- McDaniel First-Timers Award, by Kenneth Semien Sr.
• Not Your Father’s …
• ACB Diabetics in Action
• Blind LGBT Pride International Welcomes You, by Melody E. Holloway
• Braille Is a Vital Link to Literacy
• Where Visually Impaired Artists and Audiences Thrive, by Peter Altschul
• Guide Dog Users, Inc. — We Can Help with That!, by Penny Reeder
• Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs (IVIE)
• Summary of the October 9, 2021 Meeting of the ACB Board of Directors, by Penny Reeder
• ACB Officers
• ACB Board of Directors
• ACB Board of Publications