Blog

A Publication of Guide Dog Users, Inc.

President: Sarah Calhoun

Editor: Andrea Giudice

Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President: Penny Reeder

Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI)

A special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) since 1972

https://guidedogusersinc.org/

Toll-Free: 866.799.8436

From the editor: Hello fellow GDUISters

Well, it has been busy and this is coming out a bit later than anticipated so I will let the content speak for itself. There is lots to this issue, studies to participate in, tips for taking better pics, a good idea for your next read, and really interesting information about recycling. Stay tuned, another Paws for GDUI News You Can Use is coming very soon full to bursting with all things convention!

Until then, keep your leash loose and our shoulders back!

Sending cyber hugs and wags, Andrea and Mr. A

From the President: Greetings everyone!

I hope this note finds you well! It has been nice getting out and about more with our guide dogs, those working with a new four-legged partner, and just enjoying the ability to visit family and friends!

Thank you to all who voted! We certainly have a wonderful, secure and easy to use system through VoteNow!

With summer just around the corner and outdoor activities being available to everyone this year, I hope you and your guide dog enjoy the sun and fresh air! If you have any fun and interesting encounters, please let us know by sending them to the GDUI chat list!

We are still compiling experiences completing the Department of Transportation forms prior to traveling by air with your guide dog. Whether you have a positive or negative encounter, please let us know! You can send your story to:

president@guidedogusersinc.org

Remember to register for the GDUI convention presentations on the ACB convention registration form. To be eligible to win a door prize during one of GDUI’s convention presentations, you need to pay the registration fee of $15.00.

Thank you for being a valued member, friend and supporter of GDUI! Not only are you supporting this wonderful organization, but the schools and people who afford us the opportunity to travel with these spectacular guide dogs! Wishing you fun, enjoyable and safe travels, four paws at a time!

Fondly,

Sarah Calhoun & Lakota

Announcement: The market research company, Eye Square, is currently conducting a new nation-wide project to help improve map and search apps for visually impaired users.

We are looking for visually impaired map and search app users to talk to us via Zoom and give us their feedback. We are especially interested in finding people who use Android mobile phones. Interviews will last about an hour, and participants will be compensated for their time.

The basic qualifications to participate are that individuals be 18 years or older and that they use a screen reader on their smartphone. Those interested will be required to go through a short screening process by phone to determine if they meet the study’s eligibility criteria

Contact Katie, if you are interested in the project or have any questions.

accessibility@eye-square.com

Announcement: Be My Eyes Introduces New Partners!

We have great news for Verizon customers! You can now connect directly with Verizon through Be My Eyes to get your questions about accessibility features for Verizon products and services answered. As one of the leading telecom providers in the US, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Verizon to help you get the most out of your phone plan and all the accessibility features.

The Verizon service is already available through the Be My Eyes app – just enter the Specialized Help menu in the Be My Eyes app, locate Verizon in the Technical category and give them a call. To start, the Verizon Accessibility Support team is available to answer your Be My Eyes calls Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5 to 7 PM ET.

But wait, there’s more! To make things even more exciting, we’ve announced our first Careers partner, Jobs for Humanity. With the launch of their new job board, blind.jobs, they already have more than 1,000 positions available around the world, where employers have committed to interviewing the top visually impaired candidates. This is pretty amazing stuff, and they’re holding open office hours on Specialized Help a few hours per week to help people get familiar with the service they provide.

Announcement: Study relating to face coverings and mobility

COVID-19 has introduced many new barriers. This study explores the impact of face masks on echolocation and the ability to draw on other environmental cues during independent travel. We want to hear from you, even if you have not encountered barriers. You will have the opportunity to share strategies that have worked for you, which will contribute to the development of recommendations. We invite you to participate and share widely!

Mobility with Face Masks Study – Need Participants!

Attention to all persons who are blind, deafblind or who have Low Vision! We are seeking individuals 18 years or older to complete a short online survey about your experience with face masks or facial protection and with independent travel during COVID-19. This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Montreal. Results from this survey will inform important recommendations to address barriers related to orientation and mobility during COVID-19. Visit https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/835673-lang-en/p69q/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw to learn more or to participate! If you encounter difficulties, you may also call (514) 343-7962 to request assistance by phone.

Announcement: Book by guide dog handler Nominated for an Audio Book Award!

BY: Betsy Folwell with Hartlyn

“Short Carries: Essays from Adirondack Life” was my pandemic project says Betsy Folwell, a GDB graduate working with Hartlyn an eight-year-old black Lab. The book is a collection of articles on nature, outdoor recreation, local history and small-town life that was published as a paperback in 2009. “After visiting some GDB folks in Montreal in January 2020 I realized that my book is just not accessible to my new friends, nor, for that matter, to me as a blind person.”

“Using the Audible Creative Exchange, a platform that connects authors and narrators, I selected a price range for production and posted samples for auditions. I was blown away when 60 MP3 files came in, all women reading the same sample I chose,” Linda Jones, who has narrated scores of books for major publishers had just the right delivery for the book, which runs 8 hours and 18 minutes.

In April Jones notified the author that Short Carries is a finalist for the Independent Audiobook Awards in the nonfiction category. The winner will be announced at the Hear Now Festival in June.

The Independent Audiobook Awards website: https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/2021-05-06/p68x/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw

The HEAR Now Festival website: https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/2021-05-06/p68z/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw

The original Facebook announcement: https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/kAwards-posts-3709836569069370/p692/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw

To purchase the audiobook visit Audible.com or https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/-books-toolbox-ign-itscg-30200/p696/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw 

For a sample of Linda Jones reading from Short Carries visit https://communications.guidedogs.com/e/896181/watch-v-NoFbv6JNqHk/p698/137262015?h=MVodVDWyS5PBY_PBrW4WF8e4ijt3lsQ_zHO6R19fglw 

Article: Capturing Picture Paw-fect Moments

 BY: The GDB Marketing Team

(Excerpted from: Guide Dogs for the Blind ALUMNI NEWS- Volume 29 – Number 2)

Are you itching to capture those perfect, post-pandemic memorable moments with your dog back out at a favorite spot? Here are some pro tips from GDB’s marketing team and photo maven, Morry Angell.

Photograph people and dogs in close proximity; eg: rather than have a person standing next to a dog (where the person is tall, and the dog is short), get the dog and person’s faces in closer proximity – it may mean having the person kneel or the dog get on a bench.

Photograph dogs at their eye level, rather than from above.

If appropriate, get the dog’s attention so that they look alert. Particularly in the case of Labradors, they look best in photographs when their ears are “up” or flagged. If their ears are lying back on their head, they can look sad, nervous or scared – even if that is not the case.

While the gear- leashes, bait bags, leash luggage, etc.-   serves valid purposes, it can clutter up photographs. When it is safe to do so, consider discreetly tucking said items off to the side or behind the dog. Remember- Safety first- Always!

Be aware of the surroundings in your photographs. What is in the background and foreground? Can you move your subject or your camera to get a cleaner background or foreground? Can you remove clutter (garbage cans, odd furnishings, etc.)? Are there people in your background that shouldn’t be?

Be aware that taking your photo in front of an open window or door where the light is behind the subject can create a backlight effect where everyone looks like a shadow and is difficult to see in the image. Instead, try switching the positioning so your subject is facing the window, door or light source.

Most important, be safe and live in the moment with your dog while having fun.

Editor’s note: I included these tips because, unlike many of you, I am a total novice at taking pictures of my guide. Mr. A is tired of me prominently featuring his toes, the tip of his tail, or one nostril in my photos. When I read the above tips recently I found them helpful and thought others might too. Please remember they are simply suggestions and, while originally published by Guide Dogs for the Blind, I have excerpted the original

Article: Sustainability Through an Inclusive Lens

BY: Hillary Scanlon

(Excerpted from: Guide Dogs for the Blind ALUMNI NEWS- Volume 29 – Number 2)

When I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my vision in 2016, I felt that I was thrown into a world that I had never known before. Certainly, this world has always existed, but I did not have the time or desire to notice it until I needed to. This world, the world of inaccessibility and exclusion, is full of hurdles and hoops for people with disabilities to navigate, understand, fight against.

When I first lost my vision, I was extremely frustrated with my inability to complete seemingly simple tasks such as reading a book, texting a friend, putting toothpaste on a toothbrush, and throwing out my waste when I was in public. I never imagined that being able to dispose of waste properly in public spaces was tied to a certain level of privilege and ability. If I went to grab tea on my university campus, I had to think about what I was going to do with the cup, the lid, the tea bag, and the cardboard sleeve that I had now acquired. Should I walk up and down the hallway with my cane to see if I can into anything that feels like a waste container? If I happen to find one, should I try and determine the proper waste stream for each of the cup components? This would require me to touch and feel the containers and try to decipher which waste stream was which. If I went this route, I often ended up touching something sticky, and was then tasked with finding a hand sanitizing station and/or a washroom. If I was determined and had time that day, I would do what I described above. If I didn’t, I had a few options. First, I could just try and find the waste unit and throw out my cup in whichever stream I could find. The second option was to litter. The third option was to put my cup in my bag (which often resulted in a mess), bring it home with me, and dispose of it at home where I am familiar with the locations of the garbage, organics, and recycling. All of these options are not only inconvenient, but they are also unacceptable.

In 2019, I received my first guide dog, Margarita. She is a 60lb Yellow Lab who is the perfect combination of a co-worker, a friend, and a dog. When her harness is on, she has her game face on. When her harness is off, I usually have to convince people that she is indeed a guide dog because she is so silly and goofy. The perfect combination. I would do anything for her, and I know she would do anything for me.

As all guide dog users are aware, one of our responsibilities as a handler is to clean up after our dogs, “do their business.” Picking up waste and keeping spaces clean is part of being a community member and a steward of the environment. Properly disposing of this waste, however, is a barrier. Whether you have a bag of poop, a cup of tea, a tissue, etc., you are asked and expected by society to dispose of this waste properly. Unfortunately, society has not provided all of its members with the tools necessary to do this. That is why I developed STIL Solutions (Sustainability Through an Inclusive Lens).

At STIL Solutions, we aim to bridge the gap between sustainability and accessibility by making waste disposal more accessible to people with vision loss and other disabilities. We do this by providing communities, institutions, business, etc. with a product known as the WasteFinder. The WasteFinder is a two-part system that uses a technology similar to tactile walking surface indicators (i.e., similar to what you may interact with at a crosswalk or at the top of stairs). The first component, the Vicinity Indicator, goes on the ground (like a large mat), surrounding the waste container and alerts individuals who pass over it that they are in the vicinity of a waste container. The Vicinity Indicator is light blue and contains raised outlines of flat triangles. This unique colour and texture make it easy for individuals of all abilities to determine that they are in the vicinity of (or close to) a waste container.

The second component of the WasteFinder is the Stream Indicators. Stream Indicators are also placed on the ground, however, they are located directly in front of the appropriate waste stream, thereby enabling people with vision loss, and those of all abilities, to identify which waste stream they are directly in front of without having to touch the waste container. This is done by seeing or feeling the unique design of each Stream Indicator under your feet, mobility device, etc. STIL currently provides 3 types of Stream Indicators, the Recycling Stream Indicator, the Garbage Stream Indicator, and the Organics Stream Indicator.

The Recycling Stream Indicator

The Recycling Stream Indicator is a royal blue 12” x 12” indicator that is placed on the ground directly in front of the recycling stream. It contains a large, raised outline of a equilateral triangle, a shape that resembles the recycling symbol. If the tip of the triangle is pointed towards you (i.e., away from the waste unit), that indicates that you are directly in front of the plastics and containers waste stream. If the tip of the triangle is pointed away from you (i.e., towards the waste unit), that indicates that you are directly in front of the paper and cardboard waste stream.

What does it feel like?

If you were to stand on the Recycling Stream Container or move your mobility device over it, it may feel somewhat like a Toblerone (a pyramid-like candy bar). In other words, the top surface of the raised outline of the triangle is not flat, but rather, it is triangular.

The Garbage Stream Indicator

The Garbage Stream Indicator is a black or dark grey 12” x 12” indicator that is placed on the ground directly in front of the garbage stream. It contains a large, raised outline of a square.

What does it feel like?

If you were to stand on the Garbage Stream Container or move your mobility device over it, it may feel somewhat like a miniature step. The top of the raised outline of the square is smooth and parallel with the ground.

The Organics Stream Indicator

The Organics Stream Indicator is a forest green 12” x 12” indicator that is placed on the ground directly in front of the organics stream. It contains a large, raised outline of a circle, a shape that is often used to represent the Earth or organic materials. The circle also resembles the letter “O,” which is a great way to remember that “O” is for “organics.”

What does it feel like?

If you were to stand on the Organics Stream Container or move your mobility device over it, it may feel like you are interacting with a solid hose that has been cut in half lengthwise and placed in a circular formation. In other words, the top surface of the raised outline of the circle is not flat, but rather, it is rounded.

Product characteristics

• AODA compliant
• ADA compliant
• Weather resistant – whether you are in California or Ottawa…
• 7 Principles of Universal Design
• The use of shapes, textures, colours, rather than text, makes the product usable/accessible to people whose first language may not be English, to young children who cannot yet read, to individuals with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, to people with developmental disabilities who often rely on shapes and colours to understand and communicate with their environment.

If you are interested in the WasteFinder and would like to implement it in your space, we invite you to visit our website at www.stilsolutions.ca. We are always open to feedback and we welcome your contributions to the development of a more sustainable and accessible world.

Sincerely,

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Andrea Giudice, Editor

Penny Reeder, Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President

Paws for GDUI News You Can Use

Visit our website: https://www.guidedogusersinc.org/

Call us, toll-free, at 866.799.8436

Our Facebook page can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/GDUInc/.

Our Facebook group can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GDUINC/.

Our Twitter timeline can be accessed at https://twitter.com/gduinc.

Download or subscribe to the GDUI Juno Report pod cast here: http://acbradio.org/gdr.xml

Support GDUI when you use this link to shop at Amazon.com:

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1871119.

To join the GDUI-Announce List, visit this link: http://www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/gdui-announce.

To subscribe to the GDUI Chat list, visit this link: chat+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

To subscribe to the (members only) GDUI Business list, visit this link:

business+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

A Publication of Guide Dog Users, Inc.

President: Sarah Calhoun

Editor: Andrea Giudice

Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President: Penny Reeder

Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI)

A special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) since 1972

https://guidedogusersinc.org/

Toll-Free: 866.799.8436

From the editor: Hello fellow GDUISters

Alas, my hope for March going out like a lamb has not come to fruition. Well, Spring is officially here so consistently warmer days should be ahead- no joke!

Turning to this issue…, there is a wide range of topics to keep you engaged- including, but not limited to, more audio description on HBO, an opportunity to give your input on autonomous vehicles, Webinars offered in April, words from GDUI’s President and more.

Sending cyber hugs and wags, Andrea and Mr. A

From the President: Hello GDUI members and friends!

Welcome to spring, nice weather and long walks with your guide dog!  

It has been a challenging year dealing with the pandemic, isolation, lack of activity and keeping our guide dogs happy, healthy and keen on their training! Now we can grab the harness, leash and start traveling around again!

GDUI will be holding two candidate forums for members to meet the candidates before voting begins in May. The dates, time and Zoom information will be shared on the email lists.

The GDUI program committee is working hard on the 2021 virtual convention! A list of the programs will be announced shortly after the committee has finalized their schedule. I know for sure we will have the Guide Dog School Update! This is one of the favorite programs GDUI has each year.  Don’t miss the update, it will be spectacular!

Please share with your fellow GDUI members your thoughts, adventures, traveling tips or anything you and your guide dog happen upon! You can post to the GDUI chat list; If you have a story, poem or a guide dog related article you want to have published in, “Paws for GDUI- News You Can Use” please send it to:

editor@guidedogusersinc.org

Lakota and I wish everyone very happy holidays and a wonderful spring!

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Announcement: (short notice) Audio Described Performance

Saturday, April 3 at 4 PM.

The American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) is presenting an of their live, online show, The Conjuror’s Club.

This multi-magician event is presented live, online, via Zoom. You don’t need any special equipment beyond a computer that is Zoom compatible. All description users will gather in one Zoom breakout room, where Cori Couture will provide description. Once you’ve booked your ticket, you will receive detailed instructions via email in the days leading up to the show.

Also, a recorded pre-show description will be available on the A.R.T. website toward the end of the week.

To reserve your spot, visit:

americanrepertorytheater.org

call: 617-547-8300

Tickets are $58 per Household, but to increase accessibility, a limited number of discounted tickets are available for $25 per household!

More About the Show… Join us for an intimate and interactive multi-magician experience, performed live nightly.

For the first time in 100 years, the secretive magic society, The Conjurors’ Club, pulls back the curtain for an interactive experience that redefines the face of modern magic. Take a front-row seat and immerse yourself in the arcane and mysterious with three different magicians. Physical distance can’t keep the amazing mind-reading, reality-bending illusions, and extraordinary transformations from reaching through the screen and directly into your home. As honorary members of the Club, you’ll receive your own secret package for use during your visit that is guaranteed to surprise and delight all of your senses—but you must promise to keep the secrets… (Visual details of the secret package and its contents will be included in the recorded pre-show description.)

Learn even more about the show, read reviews, and further explore the world of magic at:

https://americanrepertorytheater.org/shows-events/the-conjurors-club/

Announcement: Dr. Nicholas Giudice and the VEMI Lab at the University of Maine are seeking input on their research to make autonomous vehicles (AVs) accessible and usable for blind and visually impaired people and older adults.

In their ‘AVs for all’ initiative, they will be conducting a range of studies, focus groups, and interviews and are seeking input, feedback, and guidance from blind and visually impaired folks on the research. This user-driven approach is critical to ensure that their work, and future AV development, is based on real needs and addresses actual concerns of blind and older adult end-users. As such, they invite you to become involved and hope you will consider signing up as a potential participant in their research.

More about the Autonomous Vehicle Research Group, which Giudice leads, can be found at: https://umaine.edu/vemi/av-research-group/

If you are interested in participating in future research, you are invited to fill out the information intake survey at the URL below. Your data will be kept confidential and you will only be contacted when openings in experiments, focus groups, interviews, or other types of research become available in the future. We hope you make your voice heard and are willing to give your input. If interested, please fill out the voluntary intake survey at:

https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6F44v1o5kyXjvtI

Announcement: HumanWare Live Webinars

We are proud to present our next series of HumanWare Live webinars for the month of April. This month, it’s all about braille. Our experts, Andrew Flatres and Peter Tucic, will guide you through our Brailliant BI X series of braille displays and the benefits of using the BrailleNote Touch Plus for teaching blind students.

A discovery of our intelligent braille displays

Date: Tuesday, April 6th

Time: 8 PM (EST)

Intended for: Braille device users

During this webinar, you will gain an insight into product features and explore the software and hardware that set the new Brailliant BI 20X and the Brailliant BI 40X apart from any other stand-alone braille displays available today.

Register in advance for this webinar

Teaching and monitoring the progress of students learning braille

Date: Thursday, April 8th

Time: 3 PM (EST)

ACVREP approved continuing education hour: 1 CE credit

Intended for: Teachers for the visually impaired, assistive technology specialists, parents, BrailleNote Touch Plus students and users.

This HumanWare Live webinar will focus on the Take Off Unified English Braille (UEB) curriculum that teachers can use to teach braille. Participants will learn how to use this free braille curriculum that is integrated into the BrailleNote Touch Plus via the Duxbury Learning Tables. Participants will then take a tour of the HumanWare Buddy App to learn how to track student progress through personalized and pre-determined lessons.

Register in advance for this webinar

If you have any questions about our live webinars, contact us at:

humanwarelive@humanware.com.

The HumanWare Team

Announcement: Verizon Media Announces Media Donation for ACB and Other Disability Organizations

On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Verizon Media announced that they will be donating $5 million in media to a number of disability organizations, including the American Council of the Blind (ACB). ACB is excited to further our mission driven brand and message through the generous support of Verizon Media. Along with other nonprofits committed to expanding opportunity and equality for individuals with disabilities, the advertising grant provided through Verizon Media will allow ACB to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities at a time when the hardships of social isolation born out of the global pandemic have reverberated throughout our community. We wish to thank Verizon Media for their continued support as ACB fosters voice, choice, and community for people who are blind and visually impaired. For more information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2ev7juyu.  

Announcement: ACB Quoted in WSJ Article on Accessible Currency

We thought you may find interesting an article published this Friday in the Wall Street Journal, which announced Britain’s newest tactile currency and reported on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s continued failure to provide accessible currency in the United States.

ACB’s own Executive Director Eric Bridges was quoted in the article, and we think it did an excellent job highlighting the issue we continue to struggle with in the U.S. as other countries move forward with recognizing the value in producing accessible currency for people who are blind and visually impaired.

We hope you, too, will enjoy the article, and please share through your own social networks if possible.

Team ACB

American Council of the Blind: www.acb.org

Announcement: Our Space Our Place, Inc. workshop

How do they do that? How do they audio describe a show?

Please pass along –

A unique opportunity for blind and low vision middle and high school students. Come and learn. For middle and high school students who are blind and low vision, learn a dance from the Nutcracker and the techniques to describe the dance.

Date/time details:

April 20 – 24 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm(EST.)

Phone number: (617) 459-4084

Register: President@ourspaceourplace.org

Website: www.ourspaceourplace.org

Article: HBO Max Rolls Out Audio Described Content: Customers Who are Blind Will Notice Many New Features, With More on the Horizon

March 26, 2021 – Advocates for people who are blind applaud WarnerMedia’s first delivery date of significant upgrades in the landmark agreement signed last October by WarnerMedia; the American Council of the Blind (ACB); the Massachusetts-based Bay State Council of the Blind (BSCB); and individual claimants Kim and Brian Charlson. These blind individuals and advocacy organizations were represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national non-profit legal center, and Disability Law Center, the Protection & Advocacy agency for Massachusetts.

WarnerMedia has pledged to increase the accessibility of HBO Max, and in the first phase of delivering on that promise, the streaming platform rolls out major enhancements this week, including:

• Nearly 1,500 hours of audio described content on Web and Mobile platforms including select HBO originals, Max Originals, Warner Bros films, and some acquired content. Audio description is a separate audio track that, when activated, provides a verbal description of visual elements on screen. For more on audio description, visit ACB’s Audio Description Project.
• An Audio Description category will be prominently featured in the navigation menu. This prominent browse location will also increase awareness about the importance of audio description and accessibility.
• Improvements to the accessibility of the HBO Max website and mobile applications for individuals who are blind or have low vision and use screen reader software to navigate and interact with digital content. Screen reader software enables people who are blind or have low vision to access online services by rendering the content displayed visually on the screen as large print, synthetic text-to-speech, or as digital braille on a braille display. Programming for compatibility with these types of assistive technologies is something website and app developers need to keep in mind.
• Addition of articles to the HBO Max help site specifically supporting customers with disabilities, including detailed instructions on how to perform certain tasks that may be unclear for some users.
• Training for HBO Max customer service specialists to help them better support customers with disabilities, including sensitivity training and training on assistive technology.

Providing 1,500 hours of audio described content is a major commitment to access for WarnerMedia. Select programming released in the launch with audio description includes His Dark Materials, Genera+ion, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Dunkirk, Euphoria, Love Life, Sesame Street and many more titles.

WarnerMedia will continue building on these improvements in the months and years to come. Later this year, HBO Max plans to make audio description available across all supported Internet-connected TVs. Furthermore, audio description is now being created for all new HBO and Max Original programming, and customers can expect 3,000 hours of described content to be available by the end of March 2022, doubling again to at least 6,000 hours in total by the end of March 2023.

In addition, over the next few months, accessibility of the HBO Max website, mobile apps, and applications for supported Internet-connected TVs will continue to be improved for individuals who are blind or have low vision and use screen reader software to navigate and interact with digital content. While screen reader users may still experience difficulties with setting up an account following this week’s updates, those problems should be resolved in coming months.

Dan Spoone, President of the American Council of the Blind, commented, “This process has been extremely positive, and will open many doors for individuals who are blind or visually impaired to both enjoy what HBO Max has to offer in terms of entertainment and education, while also allowing our community to share equally with family and friends in the truly universal pastime of viewing television and movies. By working together to bring thousands of additional hours of audio description content to HBO Max, along with the improved accessibility of the website, mobile apps, and smart TV interfaces, WarnerMedia and blind advocates are providing meaningful access to a significant aspect of our modern-day world.”

“At HBO Max, our goal is to let storytelling take center stage, and for each and every subscriber to be able to enjoy world-class content, regardless of how they access the platform,” said Sarah Lyons, Executive Vice President, Direct-to-Consumer Global Product Management. “This month’s initial accessibility improvements are only the first of many steps we plan on taking to improve the experience for all users. We encourage continual consumer feedback, as it is critical to evolving the product and supporting all of our valued customers.”

Staff Attorney Meredith Weaver of Disability Rights Advocates said, “We are excited to see the fruits of WarnerMedia’s investment in accessibility over the last year and are encouraged by their demonstrated commitment to creating an exceptional experience for all customers.”

Tatum A. Pritchard of the Disability Law Center, said, “WarnerMedia’s commitment to these improvements is a welcome and significant step towards greater accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired to streaming content that serves as an important source of both entertainment and information for our society.”

Blindness community members are encouraged to reach out to HBO Max customer service representatives with feedback and questions. The HBO Max Help Center has been made accessible and all feedback about audio description and screen reader access will make its way to HBO Max’s accessibility team to guide them in prioritizing their work.

Contacts

Meredith Weaver, Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Advocates: 510-665-8644, mweaver@dralegal.org

Tatum A. Pritchard, Director of Litigation, Disability Law Center: 617-723-8455,

tpritchard@dlc-ma.org

Kim Charlson, Immediate Past President, American Council of the Blind: 617-501-5752, kimcharlson@acb.org

Article: Exciting News!!

The Helen Keller National Center is excited to announce:

FeelingThrough, the first film ever to star a deafblind actor has made the OSCARS shortlist in the category of best live action short film!   It went from 179 films to the top five! 

FeelingThrough is written and directed by Doug Roland.  Doug worked with HKNC to produce the film.  If you have not seen it already we invite you to enjoy the short 18-minute film.  It is captioned for persons interested.  Just click to watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1CqzntEZZ8&t=2s

Do you need audio description of the film?  Use this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM_7_BofpPQ&feature=youtu.be

Finally, “Connecting the Dot” is a short documentary that shares the story behind the scenes, the filmmaking in progress and authenticates the partnership between Doug Roland and the Helen Keller National Center.  We invite you to enjoy the documentary, the link and password are below.   This film is also captioned. 

Connecting the Dots: The Story of FeelingThrough

Link: https://vimeo.com/465975419

Password: CTD_Doc_2020

Finally, more exciting news.  Award winning actress and producer Marlee Matlin has partnered with Doug Roland to produce a feature length film of FeelingThrough.  More to come on this exciting development.  You can find fascinating interviews and discussion every Friday by viewing the FeelingThrough FaceBook page.  https://www.facebook.com/feelingthrough

Sincerely,

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Andrea Giudice, Editor

Penny Reeder, Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President

Paws for GDUI News You Can Use

Visit our web site: https://www.guidedogusersinc.org/

Call us, toll-free, at 866.799.8436

Our Facebook page can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/GDUInc/.

Our Facebook group can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GDUINC/.

Our Twitter timeline can be accessed at https://twitter.com/gduinc.

Download or subscribe to the GDUI Juno Report pod cast here: http://acbradio.org/gdr.xml

Support GDUI when you use this link to shop at Amazon.com:

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1871119.

To join the GDUI-Announce List, visit this link: http://www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/gdui-announce.

To subscribe to the GDUI Chat list, visit this link: chat+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

To subscribe to the (members only) GDUI Business list, visit this link:

business+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

A Publication of Guide Dog Users, Inc.

President: Sarah Calhoun

Editor: Andrea Giudice

Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President: Penny Reeder

Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI)

A special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) since 1972

https://guidedogusersinc.org/

Toll-Free: 866.799.8436

From the editor: Hello fellow GDUISters

Here in Connecticut, March has come in like a lion and, one can hope, will go out like a lamb. While the wind howls and the temperatures make me glad for a parka, there is a new issue of “Paws for GDUI- News You Can Use” to enjoy along with a cup of tea or cocoa. Yes, if you are from one of those hot places you can make it an ice tea or a frozen “hot” chocolate.

This month we have announcements, sometime sensitive, interesting articles, information about open GDUI board positions (last article) and words from our president.

Sending cyber hugs and wags, Andrea and Mr. A

From the President: Greetings GDUI members and friends!

I hope this newsletter finds you well! We have been thinking about our Texas members and friends, everyone across the country who have suffered a terrible snowy winter, lack of water and electric for several days to weeks. Hopefully, our friends have been able to recover and return to their day to day living.

We hope you and your four-legged loveable furry guide dog celebrated a wonderful Valentine’s Day! Our dogs love getting that extra treat or toy to join in on the human special events! Don’t forget March 17, Saint Patrick’s Day! Think green!

GDUI has a busy schedule on our calendar with elections, Membership renewal and the 2021 virtual convention! To keep up to date, please visit the GDUI website at www.guidedogusersinc.org

Please consider running for a position on the board of directors. This is a wonderful way to get involved, learn more about GDUI and be a part of keeping this organization terrific!

Coming up soon will be an announcement of several exciting fundraising events! They will be announced on GDUI email lists, social media platforms and of course, our website!

Spring is just around the corner and we can begin to plan those enjoyable long walks outside with our guide dogs as we soak up the sun, get exercise and breathe the fresh air!

Lakota and I hope you and your families and friends are well! Hopefully this year will not be as challenging as last year.

From our house to your house, Lakota and I wish you and your guide dog many happy tails and trails!

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Announcement: March 10, GDUI Community Call

Getting a Guide Dog During COVID-19: PM ET, PM PT, PM HT

Thinking about getting your first or successor guide dog but unsure whether now might be the best time because of COVID-19? Come hear from clients of several guide dog schools who will share their experiences of training with new guides in these most unique of times.

Sponsored by Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Join the Call:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85774922866?pwd=TDZFOVRBUFplanYwdlZpZGdOT042Zz09

One tap mobile: +13126266799,,85774922866#,,,,*447373#

Phone: 312-626-6799

Meeting ID: 857 7492 2866

Passcode: 447373

Announcement: Ann Chiappetta books free on smashwords (from March 7 until March 13)

Hi folks-

Smashwords is having a big book sale on all eBook titles. From March 7 to March 13 all   my titles on www.smashwords.com are free.

Go to https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnChiappetta

To download all or any of my titles. To make this guide dog related, my memoir, Follow Your Dog a Story of Love and Trust, is free.

I hope you come along for the word journey with me and share this link, it’s only free from March 7 until March 13, 2021.

#smashwords #ebookweek21

Ann Chiappetta, Author

Announcement: Patient Safety Week Webinar by En-Vision America

March 18, 2021 11 am PT/PM ET

What does it take to Make Change Happen??? Join us during Patient Safety Week for a conversation about advocating for medical error prevention and effective communication at the pharmacy counter. This will be a great opportunity for anyone who is planning a visit to the hospital, patient advocates, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, English as a second language advocates, and anyone working a grassroots legislation campaign looking for ideas and encouragement!

Register today!  Registration gives you access to the webinar the day of the event and the recorded version and resources afterward.

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1116125579759/WN_3JW24HNPSp63bPh8kN-mEg

Announcement: AFB turns 100!

For information about 100 years of AFB and our ongoing series of Centennial Conversations, visit: afb.org/100

Announcement: Hadley presents – Painting Blind with Artist John Bramblitt

Painting Blind

We are so excited to welcome world-renowned artist John Bramblitt to the podcast! In this episode, John shares how vision loss has shaped his painting and his life.

A downloadable transcript is available on our site, hadley.edu.

Have a suggestion for a future episode? Email us:

podcast@hadley.edu

call the Hadley Presents podcast line:

(847) 784-2870

Announcement: 2020 was most definitely a year to remember.

Join us for an audio described flashback to 2020 at the American Council of the Blind by visiting: https://youtu.be/Si_XcKIPB0U.  

Article: Visually impaired accessible technology – BingNews – Friday, January 29, 2021

David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist

WWW.DavidGoldfield.info

App will help visually impaired, seniors enjoy ride-sharing with self-driving cars

Self-driving cars will offer access to ride-sharing and ride-hailing with their suite of modern conveniences. However, many people with visual impairments who use these services rely on a human driver to safely locate their vehicle.

A research group led by the Virtual Environments and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory (VEMI Lab) at the University of Maine is developing a smartphone app that provides the navigational assistance needed for people with disabilities and seniors to enjoy ride-sharing and ride-hailing, collectively termed mobility-as-a-service, with the latest in automotive technology. The app, known as the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant (AVA), can also be used for standard vehicles operated by human drivers and enjoyed by everyone.

AVA will help users request, find and enter a vehicle using a multisensory interface that provides guidance through audio and haptic feedback and high-contrast visual cues. The Autonomous Vehicle Research Group (AVRG), a cross institutional collective led by VEMI lab with researchers from Northeastern University and Colby College, will leverage GPS technology, real-time computer vision via the smartphone camera and artificial intelligence to support the functions offered through the app.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $300,000 to AVRG for the AVA project through its Inclusive Design Challenge. The initiative sought proposals for design solutions that would help people with disabilities use autonomous vehicles for employment and essential services. AVRG was one of the semifinalists.

“This design challenge was exciting to us as it falls so squarely in our wheelhouse” says Nicholas Giudice, a professor of spatial Computing at UMaine. “We have worked in the areas of multimodal information access and navigation for visually impaired people and older adults for years, and have recently started a research program investigating human-vehicle collaborations for increasing the trustworthiness and accessibility of autonomous vehicles. This development project connects the dots by allowing us to bridge several areas of expertise to ensure that the technology of the future is ‘accessible for all.'”

Users will create a profile in AVA that reflects their needs and existing methods of navigation. The app will use the information from their profiles to find a suitable vehicle for transport, then determine whether one is available.

When the vehicle arrives, AVA will guide the user to it using the camera and augmented reality (AR), which provides an overlay of the environment using the smartphone by superimposing high-contrast lines over the image to highlight the path and verbal guidance, such as compass directions, street names, addresses and nearby landmarks. The app also will pinpoint environmental hazards, such as low-contrast curbs, by emphasizing them with contrasting lines and vibrating when users approach them. It will then help users find the door handle to enter the vehicle awaiting them.

“This is the first project of its kind in the country, and in combination with our other work in this area, we are addressing an end-to-end solution for AVs (autonomous vehicles) that will improve their accessibility for all,” says Giudice, chief research scientist at VEMI Lab and lead on the AVA project.

“Most work in this area only deals with sighted passengers, yet the under-represented driving populations we are supporting stand to benefit most from this technology and are one of the fastest growing demographics in the country.”

AVRG studies how autonomous vehicles can meet various accessibility needs. VEMI lab itself has explored tactics for improving consumer trust in this emerging technology.

AVA advances both groups’ endeavors by not only providing another means for people with visual impairments and other disabilities and seniors to access self-driving vehicles, but also increases their trust in them. The project also builds on a seed grant-funded, joint effort between UMaine and Northeastern University to improve accessibility, safety and situational awareness within the self-driving vehicle. Researchers from both universities aim to develop a new model of human-AI vehicle interaction to ensure people with visual impairments and seniors understand what the autonomous vehicle is doing and that it can sense, interpret and communicate with the passenger.

The app will offer modules that train users how to order and locate rides, particularly through mock pickup scenarios. Offering hands-on learning provides users confidence in themselves and the technology, according to researchers. It also gathers data AVRG can use during its iterative, ongoing development for AVA and its integration into autonomous vehicles.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to create accessible technology which will help the transition to fully autonomous vehicles for all. The freedom and independence of all travelers is imperative as we move forward,” says VEMI lab director Richard Corey.

VEMI Lab, co-founded by Corey and Giudice in 2008, explores different solutions for solving unmet challenges with technology. Prime areas of research and development pertain to self-driving vehicles, the design of bio-inspired tools to improve human-machine interaction and functionality, and new technology to improve environmental awareness, spatial learning and navigational wayfinding.

Article: Social distancing while blind takes dogged perseverance

Jake Koch works to socially distance during the pandemic with the help of a guide dog, white cane

Everyone has had to adapt at a rapid pace over the past year because of the COVID-19 crisis. Many adults are working from home while students school from home; many go-to pastimes are on pause and we’ve all had to learn to make masking and social distancing second nature.

But for those with visual impairment or blindness, social distancing is no easy task.

Jake Koch, Gresham resident and community outreach specialist for Guide Dogs for the Blind’s Boring campus, has experienced this first-hand. Even with his guide dog, Koch, who has bilateral microphthalmia — a physical disorder of the eyes, resulting in small, partially developed eyes, which renders him legally blind — Koch says he sometimes has to rely on other people to help him keep his distance.

“Apart from being a professional in the industry, I do also travel with a guide dog and am visually impaired myself,” Koch explained. Koch travels with a 6-year-old black lab named Forli. “Pretty quickly, I realized that (socially distancing would be a challenge). I’m an avid traveler. I travel both for work and for pleasure, whether it’s local, regional, national, so I’m out and about. I’m an extrovert. I enjoy being out and about in the city and around friends and in public places, so at first it was a bit overwhelming. (At first) nobody really knew anything about the novel coronavirus, including myself.”

 What also became quickly and overwhelmingly apparent was that guide dogs would not be able to perceive all of the safety precautions humans have in place during the pandemic.

“In the past 10 months of traveling through public spaces, what I’ve learned is the dogs, unfortunately, don’t understand the concept of social distancing,” Koch said. “I think the primary reason for that, in my personal and professional opinion, is social distancing is a social construct; it’s a social norm. It’s not black and white; it’s not factual like a curb or a set of stairs that are really obvious (obstacles that signal) you need to stop here or you’re going to get hurt. The way a dog perceives social constructs is they go ‘what is the safest, easiest path of least resistance that I can get my handler and myself through the environment.'”

“Our guide dogs don’t understand directional arrows, signage and taped-off measurements to ensure social distancing, and our white canes don’t feel them,” added Dorianne Pollack, alumni board member for Guide Dogs for the Blind. “Unlike sighted people who have learned to navigate in a socially distanced world, we’ve been left to fend for ourselves.”

An added challenge that makes navigating social spaces during the pandemic even more difficult for those with visual impairment, is because everything has evolved so quickly, yet the ADA hasn’t been able to catch up. This has led to inconsistencies in markings and signs for distancing in public places like grocery stores and to Koch, seeking supplemental ways to better get around and safely.

 “I’ve ended up taking a hybrid approach,” Koch said, explaining that he has been using both Forli and a white cane to navigate. While guide dogs see and avoid objects, white canes can help the user detect and avoid would-be obstacles and people. This way, Koch has the dog to get him to his destination and the cane helps him orient himself to other people.

“The average cane offers 4 to 5 feet of detectable space,” Koch explained. To achieve 6 feet of separation, he added, sometimes he will simply ask someone around him if he is distanced enough. He also always wears a mask for safety when he has to be in public places.

For the most part though, like many who are immunocompromised, have other conditions that make them at greater risk or are simply trying to help slow the spread, Koch has grown accustomed to using things like grocery delivery instead of shopping in the store. He has also taken to walking, when he can, to avoid public transportation where it is harder to make sure others are keeping their distance.

“The people moving around me is where it gets tricky,” Koch said.

In “normal” times, Koch says he typically gets quite a few people who come up to him and want to pet Forli, offer help or ask questions. Nowadays, while petting Forli is discouraged, Koch said: “Pandemic or not, if anybody wants to help, I appreciate people asking: ‘May I assist you?’ and self-identifying.”

Koch explains that while saying “How can I help you?” tends to sound somewhat ableist, implying the person with visual impairment needs help, asking “May I assist you?” is a more empowering offer of help.

Folks who wish to help someone with visual impairment in public spaces might be of assistance by kindly approaching the person and saying “I just wanted to inform you that you aren’t six feet away. May I help you?” Use specific directions such as “take two steps left” and never touch the person.

At Guide Dogs for the Blind, staff have worked very hard to ensure clients who must visit are safe and also offer guidance and assistance to their 2,200 graduates out navigating similar circumstances to Koch.

“We use video conferencing to help navigate people,” Koch explained. He added that Guide Dogs for the Blind has also partnered with the ‘Be My Eyes’ app, which offers assistance to those with visual impairment to do everyday things like reading labels and navigating.

“My normal is managing my blindness in a sighted world,” said Guide Dogs for the Blind client Bruce Gilmour. “However, COVID-19 has imposed big changes and adjustments to my normal. Aspects such as curbside pick-ups, online ordering, social distancing, language barriers, using touch to see in a no touch world, knowing where to stand appropriately at a transit stop, etc., have challenged my normal. Consequently, daily affairs developed around being independent and self-reliant have resulted in isolation, increased anxiety, and some really compromising scenarios where the public have lacked a complete sense of civility. Yes, indeed, we are all in this pandemic together which has put a lot of pressure on the nice values of normal like being kind, calm, and patient.”

“Change is hard for everybody,” Koch said. “Things changed very quickly. I think that’s what was very overwhelming. Be kind, be compassionate and offer assistance if it is needed. Also, feel free to step back or forward (from a person with visual impairment) to keep distance.”

Article: GDUI is SEEKING NOMINATIONS

GDUI 2021 Election Announcement

Do you know someone who has made significant contributions to dog guides and their handlers?  Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) wants to hear from you.

Each year at its annual convention with the American Council of the Blind (ACB), GDUI recognizes three outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the lives of guide dog teams through their dedication, work, advocacy, and support.  Each award is given to honor the individuals for which they are named, and to recognize the outstanding recipient of the year.

The Ethel Bender Award.  This award is presented each year to honor a sighted person who has provided significant service to the cause of enhancing the well-being of the guide dog and handler community.

The Moffitt-Gleitz Award.  The Moffitt-Gleitz Award is presented to a person who is blind and has significantly contributed to the well-being of the guide dog handling  community, and who by his or her contributions, has earned the gratitude and recognition of Guide Dog Users, Inc.

The Lieberg-Metz Award.  This award recognizes an individual who has advance the well-being of guide dog and handler teams through the writings or media presentations.

If you know someone whom you believe is deserving of such recognition, please submit your nomination to Margie Donovan, Awards Committee Chair at margie.donovan1@outlook.com, no later than April 1, 2021.  Please put in the subject line “GDUI Award Nomination”. If you need assistance in writing your nomination, you may contact Margie as well.

Your nomination should include the following information:

The name of the award you are nominating for.

Give the person’s name and contact information that you wish to nominate, and the reason why you believe he/she is deserving of an award.

All nominations should be no more than 350 words.

Article: Announcing the GDUI 2021 Elections

Interested candidates should submit an application, resume and cover letter to the Nominations Committee Chair, Margie Donovan at elections@guidedogusersinc.org by the deadline of March 31, 2021 

The 2021 GDUI Elections will commence on Saturday, May 29 at 12:01 a.m. EDT and run through Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

GDUI is seeking candidates for the following positions in our upcoming 2021 elections.

1 Interim Secretary ending in 2022

1 Interim Director ending in 2022

2 Director Seats (3-Year Term) ending in 2024

The two open director positions will be filled by the two candidates who receive the largest and second-largest number of votes for director. The Interim Director position will be filled by the candidate receiving the third-largest number of votes for director.

GDUI members in good standing are eligible to run for a position on the GDUI Board. Interested candidates should submit an application, resume and cover letter to the Nominations Committee Chair, Margie Donovan at elections@guidedogusersinc.org by the deadline of March 31, 2021.

The information supplied within the cover letter, application and resume will be shared with the GDUI members eligible to vote in this election.

GDUI members who have paid their dues by this year’s record date of April 9, 2021 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.

GDUI is proud of our universally accessible voting system in which each member of GDUI is entitled to a voice in the election of our GDUI Board.

If you have not renewed your membership, now is the time to do so.  An at-large membership in GDUI costs $25.00 per person per year. Dues may be paid online by going to https://guidedogusersinc.org/join/, by credit card by calling 1-866-799-8436 or by mailing your check to the above address and made payable to GDUI. 

Important dates to remember:

In order to be eligible to vote in the 2021 GDUI election your 2021 GDUI dues must have been received on or before the record date of April 9, 2021.

We will hold two Candidate Forums prior to the election.  Phone numbers for these calls will be publicized closer to the dates. 

Candidate Forum 1.  Thursday, May 6, 2021 7:30 p.m. EDT

Candidate Forum 2.  Saturday, May 15, 2021 1:00 p.m. EDT

Between the dates of April 1, 2021 and April 15, 2021, we encourage members to submit questions for your candidates.  Please submit your questions to the Nominations Chair, Margie Donovan at elections@guidedogusersinc.org and include “Candidates Forum” in the subject line of your message.

Election period: Saturday, May 29 12:01 a.m. EDT through Sunday, June 6, 2021 11:59 p.m. EDT

Amendments: Any questions relating to Constitutional Amendments should be sent to Maria Hansen at Byalaws@guidedogusersinc.org by March 15, 2021.

Application for Candidacy:

GDUI has three major responsibilities:

1. To promote the acceptance of guide dog teams by all agencies, employers, educational institutions, commercial establishments, and the general public;
2. To work for the expansion, standardization, and enforcement of legal provisions, both civil and criminal, governing the rights and responsibilities of guide dog users in the areas of public access, employment, housing, personal injury to dog and handler, transportation, and recreation; and
3. To work in cooperation with guide dog training providers by contributing constructive input concerning selection, training, health care, and accommodations for both canine and human students, and providing constructive suggestions that will improve the quality of the training experience.

With these goals in mind, please answer the following questions.

Date: 

Position for which you wish to be a candidate:

Applicant’s Name:

Street Address:

City/State/zip code:

Phone numbers:

Home:

Cell:

E-mail Address:

Are you a guide dog user?

Describe your background (Educational, occupational and general experience).

Why do you wish to serve on the GDUI Board?

Which of your skills and experiences would most support Board activities? Please describe a time when a group of which you were a part accomplished its goal(s).

What caused the group to be successful?  How did you contribute to this success?

The GDUI Board of Directors uses e-mail to communicate with one another.  Are you able to communicate effectively using this medium and do you have access to e-mail?

The GDUI Board of Directors meets every other month by telephone. Meetings last from two to three hours.  Other ad hoc telephonic meetings are sometimes called as well.

Board Members are often asked to chair and serve on committees and perform tasks on behalf of GDUI as directed by the officers and committee chairpersons. Will you be able to find time to perform the tasks described above?

Candidates, please note: Your cover letter, application and resume will be sent in its entirety to the GDUI members eligible to vote in this election. 

GDUI Officer and Director Position Descriptions

All GDUI officers and Directors must:

Be willing and able to participate in regularly scheduled meetings and e-mail discussions.

Always act in a dignified manner and interact respectfully with fellow directors and Officers and agree to abide by GDUI’s current code of conduct for board members.

Work as a team member to maintain and protect GDUI and its mission.

Become well versed with GDUI’s By-Laws.

Respect the authority of the GDUI By-Laws and work within their guidance and the requirements of the GDUI Articles of Incorporation.

Be a collaborative participant in the democratic process–respecting the outcome of votes of the membership and votes of the board.

Possess sufficient computer skills to participate in e-mail work.

Be flexible for scheduling meeting times. (The GDUI Board meets by phone conference bi-monthly for two or more hours, with committee meetings or other special meetings scheduled separately.)

Responsibilities and criteria for GDUI Secretary Position

The GDUI Secretary must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational secretary, in accordance with standard nonprofit practices and procedures.

The Secretary must:

Record (in document-form) meeting minutes for business meetings of the GDUI Board of Directors.

Arrange for the audio-recording of meetings if it is the secretary’s desire to take minutes from an audio-recording.

Possess thorough and quick note-taking skills in case an audio-recording of a meeting fails.

Have the ability to use notes, memory, and/or recordings to reproduce accurate accounts of meetings for minutes.

Use writing skills and discretion to summarize (or write in detail when appropriate) to create informative meeting minutes.

Submit drafts of meeting minutes in time frames which allow other board members to submit suggestions/corrections before a final draft is submitted for approval/ acceptance at the subsequent board meeting.

Send minutes and attachments to the Web Master for posting to the GDUI Web Site.

Assist GDUI by researching and reproducing content from previous minutes as is practical.

The secretary is expected to attend all board meetings. If the Secretary is unable to attend a board meeting, after informing the President, the Secretary will arrange for a competent recorder for the meeting which the Secretary will miss.

The Secretary may not miss three (3) or more meetings in any twelve month period without being excused.

Responsibilities and criteria for GDUI Board of Director position

Each member of the GDUI Board of Directors must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational director, in accordance with standard nonprofit practices and procedures.

Board members are expected to attend all board meetings.

Members of the GDUI Board of Directors shall inform the President, in advance, if unable to attend a particular board meeting.

A GDUI board member shall not miss three (3) or more meetings in any twelve-month period without being excused.

A majority of Board members will be guide dog users.

GDUI Code of Ethics – revised June 20, 2017 Code of Ethics of Guide Dog Users, Inc. This board of directors code of ethics was adopted by the Guide Dog Users, Inc. Board of Directors on June 20, 2017.

Preamble:

Guide Dog Users, Inc., (hereinafter, “GDUI”) or “organization” is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization formed to promote, develop, educate, and otherwise further the guide dog team community as listed in its Articles of incorporation and bylaws. GDUI’s principal membership class consists of individuals and affiliates engaged in advocacy, legislative and civil rights. The business of the organization is managed under the direction of the GDUI board of directors. The board’s code of ethics serves as a code of conduct for organization volunteers in their capacity as board members. Code violations may result in sanctions imposed under the Procedures for Review of Board Member Conduct. The principles and requirements that comprise the code and procedures are based on and are designed to ensure full compliance by GDUI and its officers, directors, and volunteers with the fiduciary duties imposed on such individuals by Washington, D.C. non-profit code, the federal tax code’s prohibition on private inurement and private benefit, and other requirements of federal tax exemption, common law due process requirements, federal and state antitrust and unfair competition law, state tort law, and other legal precepts and prohibitions. At the same time, the code and procedures are not designed to supplant courts of law in the resolution of disputes within non-profits. Moreover, the checks and balances built into the code and procedures are designed to strike the proper balance between ensuring full compliance with the legal obligations described here and ensuring the integrity and efficacy of the code on the one hand and, on the other, the protection of board members, through the use of reasonable due process procedures, against patently false, malicious, or groundless accusations that could result in significant business or personal harm if not properly handled. Members of the board affirm their endorsement of the code and acknowledge their commitment to uphold its principles and obligations by accepting and retaining membership on the board.

Board of Directors Code of Ethics

Members of the board (including ex officio members of the board) shall at all times abide by and conform to the GDUI bylaws and the following code of conduct in their capacity as board members:

1. Each member of the board of directors will abide in all respects by the GDUI Members’ Code of Ethics and all other rules and regulations of the organization (including but not limited to the organization’s articles of incorporation and bylaws) and will ensure that their membership (or the membership of the entity for which they serve as officer, director, employee, or owner, as the case may be) in the organization remains in good standing at all times. Furthermore, each member of the board of directors will at all times obey all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and will provide or cause to provide the full cooperation of the organization when requested to do so by those institutions and their persons set in authority as are required to uphold the law.
2. Members of the board of directors will conduct the business affairs of the organization in good faith and with honesty, integrity, due diligence, and reasonable competence.
3. Except as the board of directors may otherwise require or as otherwise required by law or the organization’s bylaws, no board member or member subscribed to the Board list shall share, copy, reproduce, transmit, divulge or otherwise disclose any confidential information related to the affairs of the organization and each member of the board will uphold the strict confidentiality of all meetings and other deliberations and communications of the board of directors.
4. Members of the board of directors will exercise proper authority and good judgment in their dealings with organization members, suppliers, and the general public and will respond to the needs of the organization’s members in a responsible, respectful, and professional manner.
5. No member of the board of directors will use any information provided by the organization or acquired as a consequence of the board member’s service to the organization in any manner other than in furtherance of his or her board duties. Further, no member of the board of directors will misuse organization property or resources and will at all times keep the organization’s property secure and not allow any person not authorized by the board of directors to have or use such property.
6. Each member of the board of directors will use his or her best efforts to regularly participate in professional development activities and will perform his or her assigned duties in a professional and timely manner pursuant to the board’s direction and oversight.
7. Upon termination of service, a retiring board member will promptly return to the organization all documents, electronic and hard files, reference materials, and other property entrusted to the board member for the purpose of fulfilling his or her job responsibilities. Such return will not abrogate the retiring board member from his or her continuing obligations of confidentiality with respect to information acquired as a consequence of his or her tenure on the board of directors.
8. The board of directors dedicates itself to leading by example in serving the needs of the organization and its members and also in representing the interests and ideals of the guide dog user community at large.
9. No member of the board of directors shall persuade or attempt to persuade any employee of the organization to leave the employ of the organization or to become employed by any person or entity other than the organization. Furthermore, no member of the board of directors shall persuade or attempt to persuade any member, exhibitor, advertiser, sponsor, subscriber, supplier, contractor, or any other person or entity with an actual or potential relationship to or with the organization to terminate, curtail, or not enter into its relationship to or with the organization, or to in any way reduce the monetary or other benefits to the organization of such relationship.
10. The board of directors must act at all times in the best interests of the organization and not for personal or third-party gain or financial enrichment. When encountering potential conflicts of interest, board members will identify the conflict and, as required, remove themselves from all discussion and voting on the matter. Specifically, board members shall follow these guidelines:
    o    Avoid placing (and avoid the appearance of placing) one’s own self-interest or any third-party interest above that of the organization; while the receipt of incidental personal or third-party benefit may necessarily flow from certain organization activities, such benefit must be merely incidental to the primary benefit to the organization and its purposes;
    o    Do not abuse board membership by improperly using board membership or the organization’s volunteers, services, equipment, resources, or property for personal or third-party gain or pleasure; board members shall not represent to third parties that their authority as a board member extends any further than that which it actually extends;
    o    Do not engage in any outside business, professional or other activities that would directly or indirectly materially adversely affect the organization;
    o    Do not engage in or facilitate any discriminatory or harassing behavior directed toward organization staff, members, officers, directors, meeting attendees, exhibitors, advertisers, sponsors, suppliers, contractors, or others in the context of activities relating to the organization;
    o    Do not solicit or accept gifts, gratuities, free trips, honoraria, personal property, or any other item of value from any person or entity as a direct or indirect inducement to provide special treatment to such donor with respect to matters pertaining to the organization without fully disclosing such items to the board of directors; and
    o    Provide goods or services to the organization as a paid vendor to the organization only after full disclosure to, and advance approval by, the board, and pursuant to any related procedures adopted by the board.

Respectfully Submitted,

The GDUI Nominations Committee

Margie Donovan (Chair)

Robert Acosta

Dixie Sanderson

Sincerely,

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Andrea Giudice, Editor

Penny Reeder, Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President

Paws for GDUI News You Can Use

Visit our web site: https://www.guidedogusersinc.org/

Call us, toll-free, at 866.799.8436

Our Facebook page can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/GDUInc/.

Our Facebook group can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GDUINC/.

Our Twitter timeline can be accessed at https://twitter.com/gduinc.

Download or subscribe to the GDUI Juno Report pod cast here: http://acbradio.org/gdr.xml

Support GDUI when you use this link to shop at Amazon.com:

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1871119.

To join the GDUI-Announce List, visit this link: http://www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/gdui-announce.

To subscribe to the GDUI Chat list, visit this link: chat+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

To subscribe to the (members only) GDUI Business list, visit this link:

business+subscribe@guidedogusersinc.org.

A Publication of Guide Dog Users, Inc.

President: Sarah Calhoun

Editor: Andrea Giudice

Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President: Penny Reeder

Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI)

A special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) since 1972

https://guidedogusersinc.org/

Toll-Free: 866.799.8436

From the editor: Hello fellow GDUISters

Here we are mostly through month one of 2021 and things may not seem all that different from the end of 2020, however, I feel rays of sunshine through the clouds. First, while not a perfect execution, vaccines are available. Next, within the first three weeks of this newly minted year 2 very cool things occurred. A palindromic date (12021) was followed immediately by the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century… I say that is good mojo! Speaking of good mojo, I have a personal story to share. It goes to the point that we never know how when or where a chance encounter, conversation, or comment will be the small pebble that makes a big ripple. A few years ago, I spent an afternoon with the mother-in-law of a dear friend. She, the mother-in-law, is from England, and, after acting as my sighted guide for an outing to a local coffee shop, upon returning to her home across the pond she made Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) her special charity. When she recently shared this with me, it brought tears to my eyes. I have always understood that sharing my experiences with others may increase awareness, however, this example is so personal and direct an illustration of such.

Now, read on for a message from our fabulous, lady president, interesting announcements and cool articles. Keep your leash loose and your shoulders back!

Sending cyber hugs and wags, Andrea and Mr. A

From the President: Hello GDUI members and friends!

I want to wish both two and four legged GDUI members and friends a very happy and healthy New Year!

We have already stepped into 2021; the Covid vaccine is being distributed and spring is just around the corner, giving us hope and encouragement that we may slowly regain a bit of normalcy one step at a time.

GDUI held an informative community call on revised Aircraft Carrier Access Act (ACAA), along with the two attestation forms developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT), traveling by air with a service animal. Other informative community calls are in the planning process. If you have any suggestions, or would like to get involved with a community call, please send me an email at: president@guidedogusersinc.org

This year GDUI will have a few director positions open to serve on the board of directors. Please consider volunteering- apply and help GDUI continue to grow! After all, this organization has grown to our current size through the actions and volunteerism of guide dog handlers like you injecting your personal experience, knowledge and voice in building GDUI to where it is today. New ideas, experiences and personalities will ensure GDUI continues to grow!

Please remember to renew your membership! You can either renew on line by visiting the GDUI website at:

www.guidedogusersinc.org

Enter on “Join” and follow the directions. Or, you can call the GDUI office at:

(866) 799-8436

I sincerely thank everyone for your involvement in GDUI, your support and membership in forming this organization; making it a friendly and knowledgeable place for anyone to learn about the guide dog community. It is wonderful to be surrounded by friends who have the same interest in being partnered with a guide dog and the unique experiences we encounter. I extend my gratitude to everyone for taking the step of sharing your time and friendship with others across America, and around the world. Speaking openly and honestly of everything from the love and fondness you feel toward your guide to pick-up bags! Thank you for being a part of GDUI!

Valentine’s Day will be here in a few days and we can look forward to sharing friendship and love with those around us. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, eat something sweet and share the celebration with others. Reaching out to someone may make a difference in uplifting their spirits!

From my house to yours, Warmest regards,

Sarah Calhoun & Lakota

GDUI President

Announcement: Starting February 4 – An Accessible Virtual Ballet Class

This February, Fall In Love With Dance!

All are Welcome to Join

Have you always wanted to take a ballet class but couldn’t find one that was accessible?  Well, now is the time!  MindsEye is proud to partner with Vitality in Motion to offer a virtual beginners’ ballet class with audio description! This is a fun and adaptive beginner ballet class for adults of all ages and abilities led by Vanessa Woods, owner of Vitality In Motion. Vanessa is a former professional dancer with the Saint Louis Ballet and brings her adaptive virtual ballet classes to adults across the country through her work with Vitality In Motion. Learn a new skill and have a fun workout, right from home, in this inclusive virtual ballet class. You will focus on learning the traditional arm and feet positions of ballet along with flowing steps and stretches all set to beautiful music. Ballet is great for posture, stretching, coordination, strengthening and can be an inspiring outlet to explore artistic movement of the body. 

You can track your progression over four classes on Thursday evenings, February 4, 11, 18, and 25th from 6 to 6:30PM in the comfort of your own home via Zoom.  A MindsEye audio describer who is knowledgeable in dance will provide open audio description to assist as needed.  This four-session class is offered at no cost to individuals who are blind or visually impaired and their allies.

Important: Space is limited, so be sure to register here:

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/MindsEye/ballet.html

For questions, please contact 

Magan M. Harms, Arts and Culture Coordinator

MindsEye

mharms@mindseyeradio.org

(618) 394-6449 | mharms@mindseyeradio.org

Visit us at https://mindseyeradio.org

This free class is made possible through a grant from the Arts and Education Council Arts and Healing Initiative.

Announcement: From the Goddess of the ACB Convention…

Janet Dickelman

Dates and theme for the 2021 ACB virtual Conference and Convention

ACB – Better Together Wherever we are

July 16th through July 23rd.

Due to the timing of the 2021 Olympics, the Convention dates have been moved forward a week to enable convention attendees to enjoy the Primetime Olympics broadcasts in Audio Description.

Please feel free to contact Janet with any questions either via phone (651) 428-5059 or email

janet.dickelman@gmail.com

Announcement: From National Braille Press (NBP)

A new way to make Valentine’s day a “touching” holiday!

Get Ready for Valentine’s Day!

Don’t monkey around! This delightful print/braille card is a perfect way to tell your friends how special they are.

This year’s Valentine features a cute turtle telling his adorable chimp friend, “You’re chimply the best!” On the back of the card is a “braille decoder” to help friends and family read the message in braille.

The print/braille Valentines are the perfect way to promote braille among family, friends, and classmates.

Buy Them Here! 

https://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/VAL21-32.html

20 print/braille Valentines plus envelopes: $12
Large Packs: 32 print/braille Valentines plus envelopes: $15

Announcement: More from NBP

Helping Teachers of the Visually Impaired

This has been a hard year for teachers, and we’re more aware than ever of the minimal resources both teachers and their students have access to. When it comes to teachers of blind or visually impaired students (TVIs), the lack of resources is even more apparent.

 National Braille Press is looking to develop a new program that will provide braille resources directly to TVIs but we need your help to determine which resources are needed most!

We want to hear from:

• TVIs
• Orientation & Mobility Instructors
• Paraprofessionals
• Classroom Teachers
• Anyone who works with blind or visually impaired students.

Your feedback is critical to helping us develop a new program! Please take the time to share your experience by completing this brief survey, and sharing it with others: 

Take the Survey Here! 

https://share.hsforms.com/1_eK_7tJhTv6QD1KLTp_mlg1fsnq?utm_campaign=E-News%202020&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=108404394&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–aRLt8bsG1PafUDCMbTvocpCfBctUR3aumApiIcZsEb_QAtGpKlzXF-fuzb4dZUaXODCnTD1H10g491j5hUfSMk4wSPQ&utm_content=108404394&utm_source=hs_email

Announcement: Not too late to send New Year cards!

Send Lunar New Year Cheer with a Card from Adaptations

https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=67143d6694&e=d4dd5f649a>

Photo Caption: The Lunar New Year tactile greeting card, a red and yellow Chinese lantern with the words Happy New Year in English and Braille

Are you ready to celebrate the first day of the new year? Lunar New Year that is.

Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year where the months are cycles of the moon and is celebrated in many East and South Asian countries. In San Francisco, where LightHouse is headquartered, Lunar New Year has been celebrated by the Chinese American community since the 1860s. There are twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, each one being an animal. Each lunar year is assigned an animal in a repeating twelve-year cycle. This Lunar New Year, which falls on February 12 on the Gregorian calendar, is the Year of the Ox. The ox symbolizes attributes such as confidence and determination.

This year, our Adaptations Store https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=9e59e2a113&e=d4dd5f649a>

is selling a Lunar New year tactile greeting card, designed in-house by our Media and Accessible Design Lab https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=7b696aa231&e=d4dd5f649a>.

On the front is a Red Paper Lantern with red tassels, emblazoned in gold with the Chinese character “fu” (meaning good fortune). The card reads “Happy New Year” on the front, and “Wishing you happiness and good fortune” on the inside. The card is 5.5 by 8.5 inches and comes with an envelope.

Order your Lunar New Year card online at Adaptations.org https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=92d2eb38bc&e=d4dd5f649a>

or call 1-888-400-8933, or email adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org

You can also contact Adaptations staff by locating LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired under specialized help in the Be My Eyes app.

https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=8b0911d32e&e=d4dd5f649a

Announcement: 2021 Holman Prize for Blind Ambition

Have you been dreaming and planning out your pitch for the 2021 Holman Prize for Blind Ambition https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=22cfaa6155&e=d4dd5f649a>?

Maybe you’ve even already shot your pitch video. Well January 20 is the day. Beginning at noon Pacific time, you can apply for the 2021 Holman Prize https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=7e1edb847e&e=d4dd5f649a>.

Haven’t heard about the Holman Prize yet? Here’s more info.

Now in its fifth year, the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition annually awards up to $25,000 each to three blind people from around the world with incredible ideas that will shatter misconceptions about blindness worldwide. We are thrilled to announce this year that one of the $25,000 prizes is sponsored by one of our close partners, Waymo https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=46b1d40d93&e=d4dd5f649a>.

The Holman Prize named after James Holman, a blind 19th century explorer who is the most prolific private traveler of anyone, blind or sighted, before the era of modern transportation.

https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=041f2e1b92&e=d4dd5f649a>

The only qualifications for the Holman Prize are that you must be blind (including legally blind and partially sighted) and that you must be 18 years old by October 1, 2021.

But if you’re not quite ready to upload your 90-second YouTube pitch and fill out the application, there’s no need to worry; applications close on March 14 at 11:59 pm Pacific.

Check out our Holman Prize frequently asked questions

https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=cef3f637ad&e=d4dd5f649a>

and if you don’t find your answer there, email us at

holman@lighthouse-sf.org

From the Editor: This newsletter, LightHouse Lately, may be from an organization based in San Francisco, however, it contains treasures that are not so local! This weekly newsletter highlights upcoming LightHouse events and classes plus the latest trends in technology, advocacy and other issues of interest to our community. 

https://lighthouse-sf.us8.list-manage.com/vcard?u=f40e17a83bbae60b5969a0798&id=d375d4ca0e>

Announcement: Winter isn’t over yet. *sad face*

The following government website has some useful information about preparing for winter weather.

Winter Weather | Ready.gov

Announcement: GDUI Juno Report for January, 2021

Episode Notes

The January episode of the GDUI Juno report is now airing on ACB Radio Mainstream, see schedule below.

This month we feature content from ACB’s Advocacy call regarding implementation of the newly adopted regulations on air travel and service animals. This informative presentation will bring you up to date with what is known about how airlines will implement the regulations. Stay tuned for more updates as well. 

The GDUI Juno report airs on ACB Radio Mainstream on:

Thursdays— 4 and 7 AM/PM;

Sunday — 9PM;

Monday— 12AM, 9AM, and 12PM.

The podcast will be available mid-month. A direct link to the podcast feed is:

https://gdui-juno-report.pinecast.co/

To subscribe in iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gdui-juno-report/id1107836850

Ask Alexa or Siri to play the GDUI Juno report podcast. Note that for this to work on your I device, you must have apple Podcasts installed, but you do not have to be subscribed to listen.

Announcement: now available: A book by one of our members.

Fifty Years of Walking with Friends

by: DeAnna Quietwater Noriega  

C 2021

In e-book and print from Amazon, Smashwords, and other online sellers. 271 pages in print.

Can be purchased from Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Friends-DeAnna-Quietwater-Noriega/dp/B08SGZLF4N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Fifty+Years+of+Walking+with+Friends&qid=1610682891&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.dldbooks.com/dqnoriega/

Announcement: Very interesting research study seeking participants

I am a PhD researcher at the Queen Mary University of London. I am investigating and designing auditory overviews of routes for planning a journey for blind and visually impaired users. As part of my PhD research, I am conducting a web-based study to investigate the strategies behind route choices made by blind and visually impaired individuals when planning for a journey and also determining whether my system is useful for this. I would like to invite you to participate in my study. The study is completely online, with no physical contact at all. It will take approximately 2 to 2.5 hours and conducted over Zoom. There will be a £20 compensation for your time.  An information sheet for the study is included as an attachment. 

If you are interested in participating, please contact me at n.aziz@qmul.ac.uk

From the editor: I participated in this study and found the concept intriguing.

Article: AccessAbility Works

Kirk Adams, Leading the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Into Its Next 100 Years.

Friends, We are happy to report that there is another episode of AccessAbility Works—a podcast about the possibilities of accessibility for people with disabilities.

In this episode, titled Kirk Adams, Leading the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Into Its Next 100 Years. You will meet someone who is not just an accomplished leader, but a trusted friend and colleague. Learn about his childhood growing up as a person who happened to be blind and how he adapted and overcame obstacles he confronted daily. Kirk also shares his plans for the AFB’s next 100 years. 

AccessAbility Works is a podcast that advocates for authentic inclusion and digital equity —ensuring that organizations’ digital offerings, websites, mobile apps, and work environments are accessible and usable to people of all abilities. We are passionate about the importance of positioning Ability alongside Race, Gender, Orientation and Religion in both our social and corporate cultures. We discuss the value of true inclusion and how maximizing the full use and functionality of digital platforms and technologies makes good business sense. 

Through interviews with thought leaders, advocates, and industry experts, we make the business case for digital equity and how it can be a win/win for corporate America in addition to just being the right thing to do. 

If you have a topic of interest for the show or know someone you would like to see join us on AccessAbility Works, write us at podcast@MyBlindSpot.org. Don’t forget, you can download or subscribe to AccessAbility Works podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or you can go to https://myblindspot.org/accessabilityworks and listen there too. 

Be sure to keep an ear out for our next podcast featuring the unstoppable Caroline Casey, if you’re not charmed by her lilting Irish accent, you’ll be inspired by her amazing story and drive to make the world more accessible for people of all abilities. 

Article: Ice cream for dogs? Even pets are eating their pandemic feelings.

Ben & Jerry’s debuts super-premium ice cream treats for dogs

By: Laura Reiley

Jan. 15, 2021

(excerpted from 

Ben & Jerry’s announced the debut of Doggie Desserts. Rosie’s Batch was named after precious, pup, Rosie, who lives with Sarah from Ben & Jerry’s consumer insights department. 

We’ve reached peak pet. There’s really nowhere else to go. Animal shelters are out of dogs. Tech conventions are debuting cat exercise equipment and, more creepily, headless, robotic lap cats with very swishy tails.

How do we know we’ve planted our flag at the pinnacle of pet obsession? One of the best-known premium ice cream companies has gone to the dogs. Ben & Jerry’s this week announced the debut of Doggie Desserts: four-ounce cups of mostly nondairy frozen treats, one featuring pumpkin with cookies and another with peanut butter and pretzels. It’s nondairy because some dogs, like some people, don’t tolerate lactose well; the base is sunflower seed butter, the same as Ben & Jerry’s nondairy frozen confections for humans. And therein is the essence. During the pandemic, ice cream sales have surged. Over the 52 weeks ending Sept. 6, in-home ice cream expenditures were up 13.4 percent and unit sales increased by 8.4 percent, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.

Creamy, frozen treats have provided succor during these difficult times. And we want man’s best friend to be right there with us on the couch, eating our feelings.

A spice boom has left manufacturers scrambling, and packaging materials can’t keep up

The urge to anthropomorphize and accessorize the animals we live with has gained steam. Between 2013 and 2019, pet stuff has been one of the fastest-growing spending categories, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Surveys. In 2013, we spent about the same on our pets ($57.8 billion) as we did on alcohol ($55.8 billion). By 2019, we spent $13.5 billion more on our pets than on alcohol: $90 billion to alcohol’s $76.5 billion. We also spent more than twice as much on our pets as we did on major appliances, fresh fruit or tobacco products that year. Spending on dog treats alone has jumped 44 percent from 2015 to 2020, with pet owners spending $5.5 billion on them last year, according to data firm Euromonitor.

This is not news to Ben & Jerry’s, and its parent company, Unilever, a titan in the ice cream business. (Its brands dominate the freezer aisle: Magnum, Breyers, Klondike, Talenti, Good Humor and Popsicle.) There have been ice creams for dogs in the past — Frosty Paws, Pooch Creamery, Dairy Queen offers a Pup Cup and Starbucks whips up Puppuccinos so you can watch them scoot the cup around the floor — but this represents the first nonhuman foray into the “super-premium” category. Lindsay Bumps, global marketing specialist for Ben & Jerry’s and a certified veterinary nurse, says the idea for the product surfaced last February, right before the pandemic reached the United States. We have too much beer (and soda, and seltzer), and not enough cans. “Treats are such a big category. I might go to the vet with my dog and he did so great I want to take him for a Pup Cup,” she said (companion: a French bulldog named Spock). “It normally takes about 12 months to launch a product, but we had to adjust our ways of working, because we all started working from home.” Nonetheless, the project entailed a flavor guru (her companion: a Great Pyrenees named Boone who prefers the pumpkin flavor), the innovation team, a nutrition consultant, a regulatory consultant and lengthy negotiations over flavors and size. Then there was the focus-grouping: According to Bumps, in ordinary times, the Ben & Jerry’s Vermont headquarters has an average of 40 “Canine to Fivers” on premise any given day. Still, these work-from-home dogs weighed in. Cat owners are restive now. What about us? According to Bumps, dogs have receptors for sweet like humans, while cats do not. Sweet feline folderol would be lost on them.

Bumps suggests trying the product out slowly on pooches, scooping a little into a bowl to see how it is digested. There are no verboten ingredients, such as chocolate or coffee, but it’s still a good idea to take it slow. She says more flavors will probably be added down the pike. The treats — offered in mini-cups or multipacks priced between $2.99 and $4.99 — will debut next week but won’t be located in the B & J section next to Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey. They will be in the frozen “novelties” section next to bars and ice cream sandwiches. Might a human eat them by mistake? “They are very clearly for dogs, with dog tags for the flavor names,” Bumps says, and the stories of the flavors’ namesakes, Ben & Jerry’s staff dogs Pontch and Rosie, on the back. But what if you accidentally grabbed a cup for yourself? “You can absolutely eat them. I’ve tried,” Bumps says. “They are delicious.”

From the Editor: Mr. A says he needs this for Valentine’s day, our anniversary, or simply just because!

Article: The American Council of the Blind’s Audio Description Project

Announces Call for Nominations for the Thirteenth Annual ADP Awards-2021

The Audio Description Project (ADP) is a wide-ranging audio description promotion and production initiative with goals that include-

– building advocacy on behalf of audio description;

– offering a range of educational resources and working to establish nationally acknowledged user-focused guidelines for quality description in its various genres as well as a professionally recognized certification program for audio describers;

– encouraging growth of audio description with an emphasis on the involvement of AD users/consumers, especially youth;

– disseminating information on audio description and provide general support for regional, state, and local forums;

– encouraging studies on audio description particularly with respect to its efficacy as a technique for conveying visual images and its impact on literacy for children and others.

Learn more at www.acb.org/adp

How to Nominate

We urge you to recognize someone who has contributed significantly to the growth of audio description.  Submitting a nomination is easy!  It’s a three-step process: 

• 1–Tell Us About the Nominee
• 2–Tell Us About Yourself
• 3– Support Your Nomination

make your nomination on-line at:

https://jsnyder42.wufoo.com/forms/2021

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS:  Sunday, MAY 9, 2021 

Winners announced during a plenary general session of the American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention in July 2021 (the 2021 Conference and Convention sessions will be held virtually via ZOOM and also broadcast on ACB Radio).   

This year’s ADP Awards include a call for nominations in nine categories:

– Achievement in Audio Description – Media / Organizations

– Achievement in Audio Description – Media / Individuals

– Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts / Organizations

– Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts / Individuals

– Achievement in Audio Description – Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers / Organizations

– Achievement in Audio Description – Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers / Individuals

– Achievement in Audio Description – International

– Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award in Audio Description – Research and Development

– Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description

Past Recipients:

– Achievement in Audio Description – Media

2009- Maria Diaz and Closed Caption Latina

2010- WGBH and Media Access Group

2011- Harry A. Jessell, TV News Check

2012- Described and Captioned Media Program

2013- Hollywood Access Services

2014- Diane Johnson and Descriptive Video Works

2015- Netflix

2016- Fred Brack

2017- ABC Digital

2018- Rooted in Rights

2019- Microsoft/Xbox

2020- Disney +

– Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts

2009- Lisa Helen Hoffman and Geva Theater

2010- Paper Mill Playhouse

2011- Mimi Smith and Amaryllis Theater Company

2012- Kentucky Center for the Arts

2013- Steppenwolf Theatre

2014- Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center

2015- Jesse Minkert and Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences

2016- Arts Access 

2017- Lori Ward, Tennessee Performing Arts Center

2018- MindsEye Radio/Marjorie Moore

2019- Hunter Gullickson and The Guthrie Theater

2020- Broadway Sacramento

– Achievement in Audio Description – Museums/Visual Arts/Visitor Centers

2009- Elisabeth Axel and Art Education for the Blind

2010- Beth Ziebarth and Smithsonian Institution

2011- Rebecca McGinnis and Metropolitan Museum of Art

2012- National Park Service

2013- The White House

2014- Sandy Malmquist and the Connecticut Children’s Museum

2015- Meadows Museum of Art at the Southern Methodist University

2016- Dole Institute of Politics/Audio Reader

2017- none

2018- Tennessee School for the Blind and Julia Cawthon

2019- Hannah Goodwin and the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston 

2020- Michele Hartley-National Park Service

– Achievement in Audio Description – International

2009- Joan Greening and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, U.K.

2010- Bernd Benecke and Bayerischer Rundfunk, Germany

2011- 20th Century Fox International, U.K.

2012- Track One Communications, India

2013- Accessible Media, Inc., Canada

2014- Steph Kirkland and the VocalEye Descriptive Arts Society, Canada

2015- Anne Hornsby, Mind’s Eye, U.K.

2016- Bos Soluções e Serviços Ltda., Sao Paulo, Brazil

2017- ABLE, New Zealand

2017- Dr. Anna Jankowska, Poland

2018- Amos Be’er, Central Library of the Blind, Israel

2019- Vera Arma, Italy

2020- Vocal Eyes, U.K.

– Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description

2015- Sebastian Andrade-Miles – Glendale, CO

2016- Alice Austin, Eliot, ME

        – Mark Messersmith, The Visual Voice – Mountain View, CA

2017- Timothy Wynn

2018- Antonio Vazquez Martin, Aristia Producciones, Spain

2019- Montclair State University – Montclair, NJ

2020- Mary Hanks – Houston, TX

        – Audio Described Aotearoa Ltd. – New Zealand

– Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award in Audio Description – Research and Development

2009- none

2010- American Foundation for the Blind

2011- Dr. Joshua A Miele and the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute

2012- Dr. Philip Piety

2013- Ryerson University and Dr. Deborah Fels

2014- Dr. Louise Fryer

2015- Accessible Media, Inc. “AMI Player”

2016- Disney / Pixar “Disney Movies Anywhere App”

2017- Actiview

2018- Dr. Francisco Lima

2019- Dr. Brett Oppegaard

2020- United Airlines

– Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description

2009- Jim Stovall (Narrative Television Network)

2010- Gregory Frazier and Audio Vision

2011- Dr. Barry Cronin

2012- Dr. Alan Woods

2013- Rick Boggs

2014- Dr. Joel Snyder

2015- Dr. Pilar Orero

2016- Dr. Francisco Lima

2017- Diane Johnson, Descriptive Video Works

2018- The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM)

2019- Jon P. Skaalen

2020- Matthew J. Kaplowitz

Sincerely,

Sarah Calhoun, President

Guide Dog Users, Inc.

Andrea Giudice, Editor

Penny Reeder, Co-editor and GDUI Immediate Past President

Paws for GDUI News You Can Use

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