FCB 2022 Fall Board Meeting October 29, 2022

The meeting was called to order by President, Sheila Young at 10:30 AM on Saturday, October 29, 2022.

pledge was led by Jason Goldfield.

Invocation was done by Patti Cordell.

Roll was called by Mary Tyson.  Chapters and affiliates  in attendance were: Braille Revival League of Florida,  Chapter at Large Members, Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind, Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision, Greater Orlando Council of the Blind, Guide Dog Users of Florida, Halifax Council of the Blind, Jacksonville Council of the Blind, Greater Miami Council of the Blind, Miami Beach Council of the Blind, Miami Metro Council of the Blind, Palm Beach Council of the Blind, Pinellas Council of the Blind,  Southwest Florida Council of the Blind,  Tallahassee Council of the Blind, and Tampa Council of the Blind.  Officers:  President, Sheila Young; 1st Vice-President, Mikey Wiseman; 2nd Vice-President, Cassandra Jessie; Treasurer, Mark Lear; and Recording Secretary, Mary Tyson. The Chairs of the following committees were also in attendance:   Access, Awards, Budget and Finance, Convention, Education and leadership, Employment, Executive, Fundraising, Governmental Affairs, Membership, Project Insight, Publications and Publicity, Resolutions, and Technology.  
Members absent were: Northwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Council of the Blind, Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of Florida, Sarasota Council of the Blind, Membership Secretary, Sally Benjamin; Immediate Past President Jim Kracht and the chairs of the Constitution and By-Laws and Credentials committees.  

Sheila thanked Ryan Cordell for setting up our equipment on Thursday and John Richards and Kati Lear for manning the technology table.   

Committee Reports:

Access – Doug Hall reported that voting is the primary topic for this year, specifically, accessible vote by mail. He stressed the power of the disability community as 25% of Americans have a disability. Further, if we do not utilize the accessible vote by mail system, we are likely to lose it.

In January the Access Committee, in conjunction with the Governmental Affairs Committee, will be having a meeting devoted specifically to transportation issues.

Wanda Stokley made a motion to approve the Access Committee report.  Motion was seconded by Anthony Corona and was approved.

Governmental Affairs – Anthony Corona reported that at the ACB midyear meeting that Legislative Week would be bisected into two portions; four days for legislative meeting and a four day leadership conference.  He recommended that FCB retain the virtual model for legislative meetings for at least this year as they have been extremely successful for the past two years. 

Regarding the leadership portion, it was recommended that two leaders and up to six up and coming leaders of FCB be selected to attend.  Those wishing to be included with have to submit letters of intention as to why they wish to do so and what commitment they will make to bring back information to FCB       that would make their attendance a worthwhile investment.  
   
The Governmental Affairs and Access committees have reached out to the Florida Office of Governmental Accountability who have agreed to publicize Accessible Vote by Mail and to include the FCB resolution proposed today, (should it pass), in their legislative referral packet for the coming year.  

It was recommended that these two committees, with many shared areas of responsibility, develop quarterly goals focusing on one specific goal at each meeting. Currently proposed: quarter 1 transportation, quarter 2 leadership, and quarters 3 and 4 to be determined.

They would like to have a regional representative to be in communication with local chapters to facilitate a free-flowing exchange of information and issues between their region and the committees. Further, they would like to hold quarterly advocacy meetings for essential status updates of issues and progress. It was stressed that developing relationships with our local representatives would be helpful as many things that effect members most are developed in city, county and state offices.  

Further, an August review was suggested to check with our legislative contacts to assess progress of our national imperatives.

Due to lack of progress in solving paratransit issues in Dade County, Anthony reported that the Miami Beach and Miami Metro chapters collected customer complaints regarding paratransit service.  They met with County officials who are instituting several measures to address the problems.  They will include members of the local chapters to be involved in the contract review process.

Anthony made a motion that FCB take the funds allocated to send representatives to Washington for Legislative Week and use them to send a total of 8 representatives; two established and six aspiring leaders, to the Leadership Conference to bring that knowledge back to the FCB membership.  Motion was seconded by Eugene Batke.       


Dan Spoone made a friendly amendment that the delegation to the Leadership Conference scheduled for March 9-12, 2023, consist of up to seven people with an $800 stipend.  With the delegation to be chosen by the committee chair and the president. Anthony accepted the friendly amendment.  After considerable discussion the question was called and the motion passed.

Anthony made a motion that FCB continue their Capitol Hill visits virtually for the year 2023.  Motion was seconded by Janeen Lea.       

Dan Spoone made a friendly amendment that the majority of visits be held via Zoom this year, with some in person visits when possible and appropriate.  Anthony accepted the friendly amendment.  Motion passed.

Motion to approve the Governmental Affairs Committee report was made by Jim Warth and seconded by Paul Lewis.  Motion passed. 

Archives Committee – Liz Bowden reported that progress is continuing on digitizing and organizing the archived material.  It was agreed to purchase photo books for use in organizing and preserving our numerous photographs.  

The Archives Committee portion of the Policy manual has been reviewed and updated and is ready for submission.  

Sheila asked if Archives had copies of all of the chapter and affiliate charters.  Liz will check and make sure but believes we have them all.  

Motion to approve the Archives Committee report was made by Janeen Lea and seconded by Anthony Corona.  Motion passed.

Publications and Publicity – Shelley Sawyer reported that the committee had met on October 24, 2022.  They reviewed their portion of the Policy Manual and determined that as it had been updated two years ago that it was fine.  The committee agreed that it will be reviewed on a yearly basis.

They continue to update the resources page on the FCB website.

Shelley thanked everyone for sending articles to the White Cane Bulletin.    

The FCB brochure is now a downloadable link on the FCB website.  Attempt is still being made to get FCB business cards. They are scheduled to be printed in mid November. They will be print with a Braille overlay and will have a QR code.         

Sheila advised that the next issue of the White Cane Bulletin will have to be printed at Office Depot as Kati doesn’t have access to her FCB computer at this time.

Motion to approve the Publications and Publicity Committee report was made by Janeen Lea and was seconded by Eugene Batke.  Motion carried.

Break for lunch at noon with the afternoon session to begin at 2:00 PM with roll call.

The afternoon session began at 2:00 PM.  Roll was called by Mary Tyson.  Chapters and Affiliates  in attendance were: Braille Revival League of Florida, Chapter at Large Members, Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind,  Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision, Greater Orlando Council of the Blind, Guide Dog Users of Florida, Halifax Council of the Blind, Jacksonville Council of the Blind, Manatee County Council of the Blind, Miami Beach Council of the Blind, Miami Metro Council of the Blind, Pinellas Council of the Blind, Southwest Florida Council of the Blind, Tallahassee Council of the Blind, and Tampa Council of the Blind.  Officers in attendance: President Sheila Young, 1st Vice-President Mikey Wiseman, 2nd Vice-President Cassandra Jessie, Treasurer Mark Lear and Recording Secretary Mary Tyson. The chairs of the following committees were in attendance:  Access, Archives, Budget and Finance, Convention, Education Leadership and Scholarships, Employment, Executive, Fundraising, Governmental Affairs, Membership, Project Insight, Publications and Publicity, Resolutions and Technology. Those absent included Northwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Council of the Blind, Palm Beach Council of the Blind, Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of Florida, Sarasota Council of the Blind. Membership Secretary Sally Benjamin and Immediate Past President Jim Kracht.  Also absent were the chairs of Awards, Constitution and By-Laws, and Credentials.   

Continuation of Committee reports:

Membership – Cassandra Jessie advised that it had been suggested that workshops for FirstTimers be held to welcome and assist those coming to the convention for the first time. A Zoom call will be set up, basically a Convention 101 class.  The voucher process will be discussed as well as how to navigate the hotel and to answer any questions they may have in that regard.     A text communication system will be set up so they can contact someone should they need assistance with meeting up with folks, providing directions, etc. It is hope that this will make members feel more comfortable and help them to get more involved with FCB.

Mikey Wiseman suggested that the Membership Committee discuss a program with a limited amount of funding that could be used to assist in welcoming new members and may be used to assist in their participation in FCB social events.  
 
Motion to approve the Membership Committee report was made by Mikey Wiseman and seconded by Eugene Batke. Motion passed.

Constitution and By-Laws – Paul Lewis, standing in for committee chair Will Grignon, reported that they had not met since the convention and had not been given any items for discussion and/or approval.  He reminded everyone that chapter by-laws could not take effect until approved by the Constitution and By-Laws Committee.

Motion to approve the Constitution and By-Laws Committee report was made by Jason Goldfield and seconded by Janeen Lea.  Motion passed.

Budget and Finance – Mark Lear reported:
Assets:

General Fund - $63,240.27
DHSMV - $12,245.73
Merrill Lynch - $427,414.94
  
FCB’s accountant decided that they would no longer serve nonprofit organizations and they have been filing our required Forms.  The forms   that must be submitted include: 990, DHSMV, and Department of Agriculture. Our new accountant from Miami has completed the 990 which has been accepted and all other forms have been completed to keep us in compliance.    We are currently looking for a company who will complete all three of these forms for us. Mark completed the Department of Agriculture and DHSMV forms this year but the committee feels that we need to find someone who can take on the responsibility.  It is hoped to find someone to do this at a cost of $5,000 or less.

Dan Spoone made a motion that $5,000 be allotted to pay a company to fill out the three required forms to keep FCB in compliance.   Motion was seconded by Paul Lewis.  Motion passed.

Mikey Wiseman made a motion to approve the Budget and Finance Report and it was seconded by Paul Lewis.  Motion passed.

Convention Committee -   Kati Lear reported that 2024 was the end of the contract with the Sheraton North in Maitland and a new convention site is being researched.  Please share any suggestions for a new venue with the committee.

Convention dates for 2023 are June 1-4.     The FCB auction will be on Tuesday, May 30, at 7:00 PM.  Program write-ups are due on February 14, and convention call will be sent out by April 1.  

Motion to approve the Convention Committee report was made by Wanda Stokley and seconded by Anthony Corona.  Motion passed.

Education, Leadership and Scholarships – Gabriel Lopez-Kafati reported that the first item to be approved by the committee was the language and criteria for the Nancy Burgess-Hall Advocacy scholarship.  The first one will be awarded in 2023.  The winner will also receive one year’s membership in FCB and ACB Students. (Doug presented the check to Gabriel.) Doug advised that in the future the amount would automatically be provided to FCB each year. 

The committee is requesting that scholarship recipients be encouraged to provide an article to the White Cane Bulletin the following semester after receiving the scholarship.  The article may reflect their convention experience and how FCB and the scholarship is effecting their lives.  We will introduce them to CALM as they can participate from anywhere and it should encourage involvement, especially if there is not a local chapter. Further, 15-minute interviews will be held with each applicant to give us an opportunity to get to know them better and get a better idea of their goals.

Outreach will continue to keep in touch with former scholarship recipients.   

Community calls will be held regarding FCB scholarship programs; what FCB does as an organization and how members can stay engaged with FCB.  

Doug clarified that applicants for the Nancy Burgess-Hall Advocacy Scholarship could be either blind or sighted.

Paul Edwards made a motion to approve the Education, Leadership and Scholarships report and was seconded by Mark Lear.  Motion passed.

Employment Committee – Barbara Brown reported that they are working on employee safety in the workplace.  They plan to get with managers of places that employ people with vision impairments and other disabilities to discuss what safety protocols are in place. They discussed their ideas for convention workshops and stressed that they are focusing on 15–21-year-old students searching for employment upon leaving high school.

Motion to approve the employment committee report was made by Wanda Stokley and seconded by Jason Goldfield.  Motion passed.

Resolutions Committee - Paul Edwards presented three resolutions:

Florida Council of the Blind
Board Resolution 2022-01
Guaranteeing Services to People who are Blind or have Low Vision After Disasters

WHEREAS, Florida is subject to disasters such as hurricanes and pandemics; and
WHEREAS, such disasters can often cause service delivery to people who are blind or have low vision to be curtailed or interrupted;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors assembled at the Sheraton Orlando North Hotel in Maitland Florida on October 29 2022 that this organization urges all agencies of the government of the state of Florida to develop, implement and communicate plans that will safeguard the delivery of services to people who are blind or have low vision after disasters; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in particular, services being provided by local agencies who serve people who are blind or have low vision be guaranteed and safeguarded; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Division of Blind Services is hereby encouraged to develop and implement a disaster preparedness plan that will outline what steps will be taken to assure the viability of local agency services and the provision of ongoing support from local area offices. and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this plan shall include specific provisions that will ameliorate funding shortfalls that disasters may create for local agencies.

The Committee recommended a due pass.  The motion was seconded by Jim Warth and was adopted.


Florida Council of the Blind
Board Resolution 2022-02
State Web Site Accessibility

WHEREAS, the Florida Council of the Blind has for more than a decade worked on trying to make web sites developed and operated by the state of Florida accessible; and
WHEREAS, we made repeated efforts to work with the various departments of the state of Florida and with state leaders in computer software propagation; and
WHEREAS, when the state essentially refused to seriously discuss accessibility with us, the Florida Council of the Blind filed a complaint under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and
WHEREAS, our complaint was received by the Department of Justice and accepted by them;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors of the Florida Council of the Blind assembled at the Sheraton Orlando North Hotel in Maitland Florida on October 29 2022 that this organization wishes to reiterate that we continue to be absolutely certain that many components of state web sites remain inaccessible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, while the Department of Justice has indicated it has received our complaint, no action has yet been taken to make this situation better; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Committee of this organization is hereby required to send a letter to the Department of Justice asking for a status report on our complaint.

The Committee recommended a due pass and was seconded by Mikey Wiseman.  The resolution was adopted.


Florida Council of the Blind
Board Resolution 2022-03
Voting and Training

WHEREAS, the largest minority in the state of Florida are people with disabilities who constitute more than twenty percent of the population; and
WHEREAS, in the 2020 election the identifiable turn out of voters with disabilities was tiny compared with their potential numbers; and
WHEREAS, very few county election departments provide organized, focused training for voters with disabilities; 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors of the Florida Council of the Blind assembled at the Sheraton Orlando North hotel on this the 29th day of October 2022 that this organization demands that the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections develop and implement a statewide program to recruit and train potential voters with disabilities utilizing the various voting options available to them;
and 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this program also train county staff and poll workers so both groups will be truly welcoming of people with disabilities and their various voting accommodations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Committee, the Access Committee and the Government Affairs Committee of the Florida Council of the Blind prepare a specific paper that can be shared with local chapters outlining what chapters should ask county election officials to do; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demands that counties and the state assure that their web sites are accessible to people who are blind or have low vision and that such accessibility shall be tested utilizing people who are blind or have low vision.

The Committee recommended a due pass and it was seconded by Anthony Corona.  

Mikey did not like the verbiage that individuals should be recruited and trained he thought that there should be more of an outreach and is concerned about anonymity.  Paul said that if we wish to remain anonymous and not be recognized as having a disability, then it is difficult to ask the state to spend the money to implement a system, for instance Vote-by-Mail, to accommodate those with disabilities.  Mikey believed that the resolution should be more narrowly focused as we are the Florida Council of the Blind and not speaking for all with disabilities.

Mikey moved that this item be tabled until the June convention.  Motion was seconded by Wanda Stokley.  Motion to table was defeated.

This resolution was adopted via voice vote with a substantial majority. 

Motion to approve the report of the Resolutions Committee was made by Jim Warth and seconded by Anthony Corona.  Motion carried.

Fundraising – Dan Spoone reported that the committee had met on October 24, and looked at activities for the remainder of the year.  They then brought forth three motions that they would like to recommend to the body today.

Fundraising Activities:

-Brenda Dillon memorial walk - Florida Hurricanes raised $4,000.  Targeting $2,000 for this year’s share for FCB.
-The Monthly Monetary Support Program – earns FCB $4,000 per year.
-FCB Virtual and Live Auctions – Target is $5,000.
-Convention Corporate sponsorships – Targeted $7,000.
-50/50 Raffle – Targeted is $300.

Total goal $18,500.

Expenses:

-FCB Raffle - $1,000.
-Printing of raffle tickets - $300

-MMS – A $200 prize to the chapter who gets the most members to join the MMS program and/or increase their pledge by $5 per month.

Total Expenses - $1,500

The first motion from the committee is to have funds raised by the Florida Hurricanes Walk Team dedicated to pay for the White Cane Bulletin.  Motion was seconded by Eugene Batke. Motion passed.

Second motion is to award a prize of $200 to the chapter who gets the highest number of members to join MMS or to increase their monthly pledge by $25. Motion seconded by Mikey Wiseman.

Tom Hanson made a friendly amendment to make it the chapter with the highest percentage of members to increase their pledge which would make it more fair to smaller chapters.  Dan accepted this friendly amendment.  Motion passed.

The third motion regarded the FCB raffle.       It was proposed that FCB put up a $1,000 prize and $300 for the printing of raffle tickets.  The tickets will sell for $5 each and 3,000 tickets will be printed.  It is further proposed that the chapter not be charged the 35% assessment on $1,000 of ticket sales.  We want the chapters to keep 100% of the monies raised.  

Motion was seconded by Eugene Batke.  
 
Sheila has spoken with the Constitution and By-Laws chair and he advised that this program should not be called the FCB raffle, that another name would make it more clear and we would not be violating the constitution.    

Tom Hanson recommended that it be called the Chapter Revenue Plan.  Tom also suggested that instead of $300 for printing tickets, that “the appropriate amount for the printing and mailing of 3,000 tickets” be substituted.  Dan and Mikey accepted these friendly amendments.  Motion passed.

Paul Edwards moved that the Fundraising Committee report be accepted.  Motion was seconded by Janeen Lea.  Motion passed.

Technology Committee – Jason Goldfield reported that their convention topic has not been decided at this time.  There have been several ideas proposed, but if anyone wishes for a particular topic they should get in touch with him.

Motion to accept the report of the Technology Committee was made by Janeen Lea and seconded by Anthony Corona.  Motion passed.

Project Insight – Nancy Folsom spoke about working with Division of Blind Services to get the word out that they exist and that they have many resources to share.  They will also reach out to the CRPs so that they can inform their clients.  They will also be contributing a series of Project Insight News articles to the White Cane Bulletin. 

Motion to accept the Project Insight report was made by Wanda Stokley and seconded by Paul Lewis.  Motion passed.

Executive Committee – Sheila thanked her committee and Kati for their hard work.

Anthony Corona made a motion to accept the report of the Executive Committee and it was seconded by Wanda Stockley.  Motion passed.   
  
Unfinished Business:

Sheila wished happy birthday to Sila Miller, Kati Lear and Sharon Youngs.

She strongly encouraged anyone who is not to get subscribed to the FCB list serve.

Please make sure that chapter officers are correct on the website.  If there have been changes, let Kati know.

New Business:

ACB Update by Dan Spoone:

November 27 is the 11th annual ACB Media Holiday Auction.  At 7:00 PM.
November 29, is the 2nd annual Audio Description Gala at 7:30 PM.
March 9-12 ACB Leadership Conference.
ACB Convention June 30 through July 7 in Schaumburg, IL.

Senator Tammi Duckworth has introduced the Website and Software Applications Accessibility Act.  Workshops have been and will be held on this topic but the results to this point are encouraging.  Many prominent companies have been included in these discussions such as Apple, Google and Microsoft.  

The creation of an Activities Committee was approved at convention but a plan has not been presented as yet.  The plan is being worked on and if anyone wishes to participate in the creation of this committee, reach out to Sheila Young.

Please continue to provide ideas for the monthly community calls.

Florida Rehab Council Update – Paul Edwards reported the Governor has appointed additional members, including Paul, so he is officially back on the Council although he does not believe he will be representing FCB.  If he is not, FCB will still not have a representative on the Council.

At the most recent Council meeting there were some questions regarding how disaster plans handled the issues of people with disabilities. There was discussion about funds for the training of seniors and children.   And it was reported that the Rehabilitation Center has a new director while the library director position has not as yet been filled.

Mary Tyson reported that any chapter or affiliate adversely impacted by Hurricane Ian would receive a one month extension on the time in which to turn in their annual documents: Constitution and By-Laws, Minutes and Treasurer’s reports.  All they need to do is let Mary know. When sending the documents, email them to:
Fcbyearly docs@gmail.com. 
If documents, money and rosters are not received, your chapter will be unable to vote at the 2023 convention.  Rosters are to be sent to Membership Secretary, Sally Benjamin at:
Salbenjamin60@gmail.com

Money can’t be sent via check to Sally or via PayPal or Zelle to Mark.  If you send via PayPal or Zelle, it is necessary that you notify Sally that it has been sent and the amount that is sent.

Convention 2023 is June 1-4 and convention 2024 is May 16-19 at this hotel. No venue for convention 2025 has been selected.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM.  

  Respectfully submitted by,
Mary Tyson,
FCB Recording Secretary