2014 CONVENTION PROGRAM

WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
WCB STRONG!

2014 CONVENTION PROGRAM

October 30, 31 and November 1, 2014
Hotel Murano
Hosted by
Pierce County Association of the Blind

All WCB meetings are open to members and non-members alike. The WCB is pleased to offer this program to assist you in locating all activities of this convention along with times and room assignments. Throughout the general sessions, the Friday luncheon, business meeting and banquet, door prizes will be given out to those registered for the convention and in attendance at the time their name is drawn, unless working directly on behalf of the convention.

This year most convention related events will take place in the Pavilion with the exception of those in the Lido Board Room and Torcello/Burano on the 3rd floor of the hotel.

All events will be streamed live when possible on ACB Radio www.acbradio.org / 231-460-1047, and recorded for future access on the WCB website at www.wcbinfo.org. Sponsored by United Blind of Walla Walla.

Thursday October 30, 2014

  • 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Information/Registration desk open, Pre-Registration only. (Rotunda)

  • 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM WCB Welcome Lounge: Here’s your opportunity to go over the program, buddy up with a new friend or meet up with an old one, and maybe even find a partner for dinner – hosted by the Membership Committee. (Torcello/Burano)

  • 7:00 PM Pre-convention Board Meeting. (Room A)

  • 9:30 PM Constitution & Bylaws Committee meeting, following the Board meeting – Facilitator: Frank Cuta, Chair, Constitution & Bylaws Committee. (Room A)

  • 9:30 PM Resolutions Committee meeting, following the Board meeting – Facilitator: Denise Colley, Chair, Resolutions Committee. (Room E)

  • 10:00 PM Hospitality: Come socialize with other conventioneers over a drink, snack and good conversation – Sponsored by Yakima Valley Council of the Blind. (Torcello/Burano)

Friday October 31, 2014

  • 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM Information/Registration desk open. (Rotunda)

  • 7:30 AM First-timer breakfast. (Room E)

  • 7:30 AM Presidents breakfast, for Presidents only! (Lido Board Room)

  • 8:00 – 10:00 AM Exhibits set up, vendors only. (Rooms C/F)

  • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Exhibits: No need for a catalog or online order when you can peruse the many products and services presented here. (Rooms C/F)

  • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Silent Auction Open: Bid on some great items and help raise funds for WCB! (Rotunda)

  • 10:00 AM-4:00 pm One-on-One Computer Training, Al Yardley (253) 223-2069, Reservations Required. (Room E)

  • 8:45 – 11:50 AM General Session. (Room A)

  • 8:45 AM Call to order – Cindy Van Winkle, President, Washington Council of the Blind; leading of the Pledge of Allegiance: Alice Stephenson, SP5 and Robert Stephenson, SSG, retired US Army; Invocation: Pastor Al Hoenhouse, Puyallup Evangelical Community Church; Welcome to Tacoma: Marilyn Strickland, Mayor, City of Tacoma; Welcome from the host chapter: Lori Allison, President, Pierce County Association of the Blind.

  • 9:05 AM President’s report – Cindy Van Winkle, President, Washington Council of the Blind.

  • 9:30 AM Nominating Committee report – Stuart Russell, Chair, WCB Nominating Committee.

  • 9:40 AM Constitution and Bylaws Committee report – Frank Cuta, Chair, WCB Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

  • 9:50 AM Keynote Address – Representative Cyrus Habib, 48th Legislative District, Kirkland.

  • 10:20 AM Break

  • 10:35 AM The Future of Braille: Colleen Lines, Director and Zach Lattin, Braille Expert, Ogden Resource Center.

  • 11:10 AM Resiliency In The Face of Disaster Makes You Strong.  Nancy McDaniel, Emergency Management Exercise Practitioner, Chimacum.

  • 11:40 AM Adventures in Norway: skiing abroad – Tim McCorcle, Ski for Light.

  • 11:55 AM Break

  • 12:00 PM Awards Luncheon – MC: Cindy Van Winkle, Chair, WCB Convention Committee; presentation of internal WCB Awards: Gloria Walling, Chair WCB Awards Committee; Luncheon address: From Prison Transcriber to Successful Employment – Angela Vargas, Braille Coordinator, Washington State School for the Blind. (Room D)

  • 1:30 PM Cover to Cover: the story behind the writer – J.A. Jance, Author.

  • 2:30 PM Staying Safe in Our Communities – Detective Ed Troyer, Public Information Officer, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

  • 3:00 pm Break

  • 3:15 PM Microsoft with Accessibility in Mind – Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft.

  • 3:45 PM You Don’t Need Sight to Raise a Child – Facilitator Cindy Van Winkle; panel: David and Hayley Edick, Tacoma; Yvonne Thomas-Miller, Bellingham; Janice Squires, Richland; and Amanda Wearstler, Bremerton.

  • 4:30 PM Environmental Chat: Come talk about public transportation, universal design, and how we can all promote better access. – sponsored by Environmental Access Committee. (3rd floor seating area)

  • 7:30 PM Annual WCB Showcase of Talent: come and enjoy the talents of many of our conventioneers – Host: Malissa Hudson, Secretary, United Blind of Seattle. (Room A)

  • 9:00 PM Life Members Reception, for WCB Life members only, hosted by the WCB President. (Room E)

  • 9:30 PM Hospitality: Happy Halloween! Come socialize with other conventioneers over a drink, snack and good conversation; come in costume for a chance to win extra prizes – sponsored by Capital City Council of the Blind. (Torcello/Burano)

SATURDAY, November 1, 2014

  • 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM Registration/Information desk open. (Rotunda)

  • 7:00 AM Guide Dog Users of Washington State breakfast/business meeting. (Room C)

  • 7:30 AM General breakfast. (Room D)

  • 8:45 – 11:50 AM General Session. (Room A)

  • 8:45 AM Call to Order and Announcements – Cindy Van Winkle, President Washington Council of the Blind.

  • 8:50 AM ACB Connection: learn what’s happening on a national level with the American Council of the Blind – Presenter: Kim Charlson, President, American Council of the Blind.

  • 9:20 AM The Jobs People Do: a panel discussion. Facilitator: Sue Ammeter, Board Member, Washington Council of the Blind; Panelists: Cindy Kessner, Community Director,  Conam Management Company, Seattle, WA; Sabrena Roddy, Licensed Massage Therapist, Sakura Gentle Massage, Seattle, WA; Rick Talley, Production Supervisor, Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., Seattle, WA.

  • 10:10 AM Break

  • 10:25 AM Employment Opportunities Continue to Expand for the Blind in Washington – Shawn Dobbs, Director of Public Relations and Development and Kevin Daniel, Senior Director of Recruiting, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

  • 10:40 AM Listen and Learn: an update from Audio Books Ministries – Greg Vicars, Executive Director, Audio Books Ministries.

  • 10:55 AM State of the State – The Big Three: Get in the know concerning the three agencies serving blind people in our state – Presenters: Danielle Miller, Program Manager/Librarian, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL); Dean O. Stenehjem, Superintendent, Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB); Lou Oma Durand, Director, Department of Services for the Blind (DSB).

  • 11:50 AM Adjourn

  • 12:00 PM General Lunch. (Room D)

  • 12:00 PM GDUWS lunch and program. (Room C)

  • 1:30 PM WCB business meeting: In memoriam; elections; adoption of WCB budget; resolutions; constitution and bylaw amendments; old business; new business. (Room A)

  • 4:30 PM Adjourn

  • 5:30 PM Scholarship Reception: Come meet the 2014 scholarship winners and enjoy light refreshments. Sponsored by: WCB Scholarship Committee. (Room C)

  • 6:00 PM No host social hour and WCB Silent Auction (Room A/D)

  • 7:00 PM WCB annual banquet – Mistress of Ceremonies: Alco Canfield, Secretary, Washington Council of the Blind; Invocation: Craig McCully, Member, WCB Convention Committee; Scholarship presentations: Tim McCorcle, Chair, WCB Scholarship Committee; Awards presentations: Gloria Walling, Chair, WCB Awards Committee; Banquet address: Kim Charlson, President, American council of the Blind. (Rooms A/D)

  • 10:00 PM Hospitality: Come socialize with other conventioneers over a drink, snack and good conversation – Sponsored by Pierce County Association of the Blind. (Torcello/Burano)

The Washington Council of the Blind extends a heartfelt thank you to the following groups and individuals who helped make this annual convention a success:
the 2014 Convention Committee who spent countless hours putting the program together working behind the scenes, our host chapter the Pierce County Association of the Blind, Tacoma area Costco for providing the goody bags, ACB Radio and those involved with streaming the convention over the internet and taking care of sound and recording, those overseeing the registration/information desk, Silent Auction, door prizes, volunteers, welcome lounge and hospitality, all of the many presenters who made our program complete, the chapters, businesses and individuals who contributed to the door prize pool and silent auction, Exhibits Coordinator Carol Brame and the vendors who came to share their products and services with us, and to each and every conventioneer who shared in this special weekend.

A Very Special Thank You To Our Convention Partners, through whose Sponsorships provided enormous support:
Capital City Council of the Blind;
Costco, Tacoma;
Pierce County Association of the Blind;
United Blind of Walla Walla;
Yakima Valley Council of the Blind.

Accessibility by WAH