The UCB Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council of the Blind
May 2025
For the latest news updates, check out the website at utahblind.org
and follow us on Facebook and/or join our email list.
E-mail us at utahblind@gmail.com
Mailing address:
Utah Council of the Blind
PO Box 1415
Bountiful UT 84011-1415
For credit card payments, to make reservations, or for other business,
call the business office at 801-245-9264.
Disclaimer
Articles and announcements included in this publication
are presented for your information and interest. They reflect the opinions of
the respective authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the UCB.
In This Issue
Ensign Cassettes and Player
Available
ACB Launches Accessibility
and Training Services Program
Leslie’s Chicken Chow Mein
Casserole
On Saturday May 10th, we will have an opportunity to hear storytelling tips from two professional storytellers. After they have shared some tips and each told a story, the audience will be invited to share stories of their own. When we are finished with the Story Tips and Telling, we will have lunch.
The activity will take place at DSBVI, 250 North 1950 West, SLC, UT. It will start at 10 a.m. and go until 1 p.m. Lunch will be sandwiches, chips, fruit, and a drink. The cost for lunch will be $5 a person. Please specify any dietary needs. We are asking the participants to bring a dessert to share with others at the activity. Please RSVP by April 30th by calling the UCB office at 801-245-9264. Hope to see you there.
Utah Opera invites people who are blind or visually impaired to a special dress rehearsal event of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Doors open at 5:30 pm
Presentation begins promptly at 6:00 pm
Opera starts at 7:00 pm
The Capitol Theatre, 50 West 200 South, SLC
Reservations are required. Please RSVP by Monday, April 28. Moran Eye Center – Stephen 801-585-2213. Online registration is available at: https://utahopera.org/events/2025/21579/
In this groundbreaking new production created by an all-Japanese and Japanese-American creative team, Madame Butterfly’s story is re-envisioned in a contemporary setting where fantasy and reality mix. With some of the most breathtaking music in all of opera, you’ll follow the passionate journey of Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San and her fleeting romance with the American naval officer, Pinkerton—and feel the heartbreak as she awaits his return with unwavering faith.
Rating: PG-13 for mature themes and instances of violence. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.
This exciting event is offered free of charge to persons with visual impairment, plus a driver. At 6 PM, Utah Opera’s Artistic Director and Opera Education Manager will describe the opera, staging, composer, costuming, and sets. Props from the stage and costume samples will be available to touch and inspect up close. Then, enjoy the production with braille supertitle scripts and headsets to describe the action on stage.
If you would like to read the braille supertitle script in advance of this event, the Library for the Blind can print a copy for you, beginning April 25. Call 801-715-6789 to order one. To have digital versions of the supertitle scripts and synopsis emailed to you, email your request to usuoeducation@usuo.org.
I have available issues of the Ensign from 1980 to 2005 on four track half-speed cassettes. The cassettes are in good condition. I also have an APH recorder suitable for playing them on, but not for much else. I'm not charging for these items, I simply need to give them away. if you want them contact me at tommit60@gmail.com, or by phone at 385-210-9120.
Tom Mitchell
Planning a trip should be exciting, not stressful – especially for travelers with disabilities. At Magically Accessible Travel, we specialize in creating seamless, inclusive travel experiences so that everyone can explore the world with confidence. Whether you need assistance booking hotels, flights, or transportation, I ensure that accessibility is a priority every step of the way.
From recommending adaptive technology and mobility aids to providing resources for a smooth journey, my goal is to remove barriers and make travel as enjoyable as possible. No matter your accessibility needs, I’m here to help. Let’s start planning your next adventure today!
LeiLoni Bertrand
Travel Designer Specializing in Accessible Travel
Salt Lake City, UT
801-747-9779
leiloni@magicmousetravel.com
https://linktr.ee/magicallyaccessible
www.magicallyaccessibletravel.com
Dear ACB Members,
We are excited to share news of a new initiative that will strengthen our collective impact: the launch of ACB’s Accessibility and Training Services program. This new program is designed to promote equal access and greater inclusion for people who are blind or have low vision across all aspects of life, including workplaces, websites, applications, products, services, and more.
Your involvement will be key to our success and growth. As ACB members, you bring invaluable real-world experience and insights that will help shape the accessibility solutions we provide. We can work together to ensure that accessibility is not just a requirement, but a fundamental standard.
The program is also designed to help overcome accessibility challenges on an individual level. If you are experiencing an accessibility issue, such as not being able to equitably use a website, application, product, or service, we want to hear from you.
To get in touch, contact Accessibility and Training Services Coordinator, Kolby Garrison, at accessibility@acb.org. You can also learn more on our webpage at https://www.acb.org/accessibility.
Thank you for your support of this exciting new program area!
Scott
Thornhill,
ACB Executive Director
The American Council of the Blind is thrilled to announce our banquet speaker. The banquet will be held on Thursday, July 10 during our 64th annual conference and convention in Dallas Texas. Joining us in-person will be Dave Williams.
Dave is the Inclusive Design Ambassador, for Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Chair of the Braillists Foundation. He champions inclusive design principles to ensure equal access and opportunities for blind and partially sighted people.
For 25 years Dave's work has driven change enhancing accessibility across a wide range of industries, including technology, product design, the built environment and public services. Dave collaborates with stakeholders, including designers, developers, policymakers, and disability rights advocates, to raise awareness, influence decision-making, and create a more inclusive society for people who are blind or low vision to live our best lives.
Dave hosts RNIB Tech Talk, the UK's leading radio show and podcast for blind and partially sighted technology users. He is regularly invited to speak with local, national, and international partners and clients about blindness and the transformative power of accessible and inclusive technology, braille literacy, parenting and participation in sport.
As Chair of the Braillists Foundation, a community passionate about promoting independence and opportunity through braille literacy, Dave received the Prime Minister's Point of Light award that recognizes outstanding individual volunteers who are making a change in their community. He sits on the European Blind Union Braille Working Group and has been a UK delegate to the International Council on English Braille.
As a runner, Dave has completed the classic six Abbott World Marathon Majors, including New York, London, Boston, Chicago, Berlin and Tokyo, raising thousands of pounds for RNIB. As a keen tandem cyclist, Dave completed Prudential Ride London 100 miles raising funds for Blind Veterans UK.
During his time as ACB Radio Director, from 2003 to 2006, Dave delivered hundreds of hours of live and on demand content including coverage of three ACB Conventions and the General Assembly of the World Blind Union from Cape Town South Africa.
Room rates at the Hyatt are $99.00 per night (single or double occupancy), $124.00 (triple occupancy) and $149.00 (quadruple occupancy) plus tax, which is currently 17.2%. To make reservations online go to https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/DFWRD/G-AMCB.
If you prefer to make reservations by phone call (214) 651-1234, and use group code G-AMCB. If asked the Hyatt is located at 300 Reunion Blvd. The cut-off date to make reservations is Monday, June 9, but don’t delay, make your reservations today!
Once again, this year, the conference and convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to acbconvention-subscribe@acblists.org.
For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com
As you may have heard we now have contracts for American Council of the Blind conventions through 2028. Several people have asked about locations and dates.
Hyatt Regency St Louis Arch
315 Chestnut St
St Louis, MO 63102
Friday July 24 – Friday July 31
Room rate $104
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville
225 E Coastline Dr
Jacksonville, FL
Friday July 23 – Friday July 30
Room rate $119
Hyatt Regency Atlanta
265 Peachtree St, NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
Friday June 30 – Friday July 7
Room rate $125
2 cups chopped chicken (may use turkey or fried ground beef)
1 5-ounce can chow mein noodles
2 packages ramen noodles, broken and without the flavoring
2 cans mushroom soup
2 1/2 cans water
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Sauté onion and celery just until translucent. Mix well with other ingredients and bake in covered casserole dish for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
(Dates and details are subject to change, so be sure to watch your newsletters for updates. Also, we’re always looking for help, so if you’d like to volunteer to serve on any of the committees for these activities, please let us know.)
May 10, 2025, 10:00 am-1:00
pm – DSBVI Story Telling Activity – reservations due April 30th (Kira Larkin,
chair)
July
4-11, 2025, Dallas, TX, ACB National Convention – for more information check
out https://acbconvention.org
September
8 and 10, Utah State Fair – watch for updates (Kate Balzly, chair)
September
20, 2025, 9:00 a.m., UCB Annual Business Meeting, DSBVI
October
25, 2025, Time TBD, Spooktacular Halloween Party Fundraiser – watch for updates
(Kate Balzly, chair)
November
7-8, 2025, “Living a Happy and Satisfying Life” Statewide Training Conference –
watch for updates (Mindi Larson, chair)
November 26, 2025, History of the Blind –
watch for updates (Kira Larkin, chair)
December 6, 2025, Holiday Celebration, DSBVI
– watch for updates (Shelly Hendriksen, chair)
Members are invited to attend meetings of the Board of Directors. Meetings will typically be held on the first Thursday of selected months at 4:45 p.m. via Zoom. To be placed on the agenda or attend a meeting, email utahblind@gmail.com or call 801-245-9264.
August 7, 2025, 4:45
p.m.
October
2, 2025, 4:45 p.m. – Budget and Planning Meeting (by invitation only)
January 8, 2026, 4:45
p.m.
Anna Jeffery, President
Donni Mitchell, Vice President
Jeana Nielsen, Secretary
Vicki Flake, Treasurer
Sandy Ruconich
Sandy England
Dennie Clark
Kira Larkin
Shelly Hendriksen
Mindi Larson
Kate Balzly, Executive Director
The UCB Buzz is available in large print, Braille, audio CD, and by e-mail. If you would prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format (or an additional format), please call the UCB business office at 801-245-9264 or send an email to utahblind@gmail.com and let us know.
We always appreciate hearing from our readers and receiving your contributions. To submit materials for publication, email them to utahblind@gmail.com or mail to UCB Buzz, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415.
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