Please join us for two-and-a-half days of virtual fun and camaraderie as Washington Council of the Blind gathers together for our annual convention: WCB, Strength Unveiled. Many things will be familiar, but of course some things will be brand new because the convention will be virtual. We hope your experience will be a positive one!
Registration is a great deal at only $25; all WCB members registering by September 30 receive an even better rate of $15. If you are not currently a member of WCB and you register by September 30, you can choose to join WCB as a member at large, receive the discounted registration rate, and be eligible to vote and fully participate in the business of our organization.
Those who register will:
- be able to participate in all discussions and interactive activities of the convention
- receive the important Zoom information to connect to all sessions from Thursday, October 29 through Saturday, October 31
- have their name placed into the door prize drawings
All sessions will take place using the Zoom platform, which is accessible through computer, smart phone, and landline phone. With the exception of hospitality each night and parts of the Youth track, all events of our convention will also be streamed on ACB Radio.
Convention Program
This year’s convention program is now here. You can view the program as an HTML page, or as a Word document.
Live Auction
This year’s live auction items are now live on the website. Visit our auction page to learn more.
Convention Registration
You can register for the convention by filling out our Online Convention Registration Form.
Vendor Registration
We invite everyone who would like to showcase their products to register using our Online Vendor Registration form.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, we will enjoy having our vendors on parade, as well as making their information available on our website. Don’t miss the door prizes drawn throughout the entire weekend — your convention registration is your entry into the drawing.
WCB will also have a Youth component to our convention, with blind teens and their families taking part in many of our general activities, as well as some designed just for them.
Daily Convention Highlights:
Thursday, October 29:
- First-timers reception – an orientation for those who have not experienced a WCB convention before.
- Welcome lounge – mingle with friends from near and far.
- Pre-convention WCB board meeting – get a first look at some of the items on the agenda for Saturday’s business meeting.
- Hospitality – everything WCB is known for!
Friday, October 30:
- Full day of sessions: from accessibility of credit reports and online grocery shopping, to educating ourselves on writing, advocacy, and preparing for college, to a host of technology including iPhones, smart homes, and cutting the cord, and so much more.
- The first ever Live Auction fundraiser – silent no more, bidders won’t want to miss this chance for a wide variety of items.
- Hospitality will round off the day!
Saturday, October 31:
- Guide Dog Users of Washington State (GDUWS) will have both a business meeting in the morning and a lunchtime program they will sponsor.
- Morning session: our ACB national report, our three state agency leaders serving the blind, our always popular employment panel, learning about National American Association of Blind Sportsmen, and hearing from someone in the Deaf/Blind community.
- Afternoon session: our annual business meeting where important decisions will be made which set the course for WCB in 2021 including electing officers and directors, passing a budget, voting on resolutions and amendments to our constitution and bylaws, and any other business that comes before our membership.
- 5 p.m. – WCB Youth Event: participants from the Youth Track will organize and host this event.
- Evening: our annual banquet where awards will be presented and scholarships awarded; the banquet address will be none other than Dan Spoone, ACB President … plus many other surprises.
- Post-banquet: the evening will culminate with a hospitality celebration of karaoke (since we didn’t get to showcase our talent this year).
Come join us October 29, 30, and 31
and witness WCB, Strength Unveiled!
Curious as to how our annual business meeting will unfold? Read on for more details.
Most of our sessions, including our annual business meeting on Saturday, will take place in a webinar meeting room. However, we will be using regular Zoom rooms for various reasons, and voting is an important one.
When the question on the floor is a yes or no, aye or nay response, we will vote in our webinar meeting room by raising hands. When we are electing a position involving two or more candidates, we will need to use a secret ballot. For our virtual convention, we will be utilizing Zoom Voting Stations.
Each convention registrant who is a WCB member in good standing will be verified prior to the opening of the convention and will receive individual Zoom information to their designated Zoom Voting Station. The link sent to you is the one you must use to cast your vote and should not be shared with anyone.
Once a ballot is opened, members will be instructed to leave the webinar meeting room and go to the appropriate Zoom Voting Station. Use your individual link to go to your Zoom Voting Station. Once you arrive there, you will be placed in the waiting room. Members will be admitted one at a time. Your eligibility to vote will be verified, then your vote will be taken. Those handling the voting will not be involved in any way with WCB.
Once you have cast your vote, you will leave the room. Take a break or return to the webinar meeting room. Most likely the “Vendors On Parade” recording will be streaming until all votes have been counted.
Zoom Voting Stations will be regular Zoom rooms and can be accessed by computer, smart phone, using one tap mobile, or a landline.
If you are unable to access Zoom using one of these methods, please contact Lisa George by email at lmwgeorge10@gmail.com or by phone at (816) 668-5345 to request assistance.