ACB Focus: Transportation and Advocacy (2021‪)‬ ACB

GDB alumni and anyone was interested in Guide Dogs for the Blind and guide-dog access:
Attendees joined GDB for an update on the DOT Air Carriers Access Act Service, animal Ruling with national experts. including:
◘ Mr. Ray Prentice (Alaska Airline Accessibility Director)
◘ Mr. Eric Lipp (CEO of Opendoors Organization)
 What is the ‘Ruling’ in brief? How is the implementation going? Who can you give feedback to and how? Plus creative efforts to make the process more usable. This concern has weighed on many Guide Dog handlers. Attendees joined GDB to shape the future of air travel for guide-dog teams. Questions were sent to Rabih Dow, GDB Director of Outreach and Advocacy in advance at: RDow@guidedogs.com. -


Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 16

The staff from The Seeing Eye were joined by attendees  for a fun and informative discussion on The Seeing Eye’s program, what it’s like to partner with a dog, and an update on what we’ve been up to lately. Mots questions were submitted to; whitec@seeingeye.org in advance. - Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 16

En-vision America: Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, WILL: Why Asking for Help is so Difficult:
En-Vision America briefly addressed the psychology of why it is so hard to ask for help, offered hints and how to overcome hesitations and how to craft more effective requests.


~~Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 16~~

~~BITS/SASI: Do You Hear What I Hear:
Are you getting the most from your hearing devices? Have you ever wondered if any hearing aids will work with other technology such as your iPhone?  Attendees enjoyed an informative presentation during which two audiologists and a Hearing Care Professional served as panelists as they addressed the issues and answered questions.
Presenters:
• Dr. Carol Hamer, Audiologist, Hellen Keller National Center, Sands Point, NY
• Jacob Smith, Hearing Instrument Dispenser, Oak Lawn, IL
• Dr. Nancy Mascia, Audiologist, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, Birmingham, AL


Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 17~~

~~411 from the IAC – Part 2: Rehabilitation, providing remote services:
Attendees heard from two rehabilitation professionals about what providing rehabilitation services virtually has been like.
♠ Megan Conway from the Helen Keller National Center 
♠David Kingsbury from the Carroll Center for the Blind
Discussed providing rehabilitation services virtually, what accessibility challenges they faced and how they worked through them to continue serving their clients. They then began a conversation about remote support-based services. Many continue to work from home and they gave some opinions on the leading products in this space and some tips and tricks when working with each of these products. They discussed Apple, Microsoft, AIRA and more during this part of the 411 presentations. In addition, Judy Dixon made a brief presentation about a new technology found on the latest iPhones. Is this truly the thing to have for your iPhone? Attendees learned how this technology can be put to use in your environment to help follow people in a line, learn about a new space, and locate large objects.
Presenters:
♠ Megan A. Conway, PhD, Research and Accessibility Specialist, Helen Keller National Center, Healdsburg, CA
♠ David Kingsbury, Assistive Technology Instructor at the Carroll Center, Stoughton, MA
♠ Judy Dixon, Co-chair of the IAC, Arlington, VA
♠ Ray Campbell, Second Vice President of ACB, Glen Ellyn, IL 
Co-sponsored by: Information Access committee and Rehabilitation Issues Task Force


Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 17~~

~~RSVA® “The Journey- Navigating the Challenges”:
Motivational speaker: Dr. Bill Takeshita, OD, FAAO, F.C.O.V.D., Northridge, CA, spoke on his own challenges as a sighted optometrist and continuing his career after losing his sight.


Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 17~~