The UCB Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council of the Blind
October-November 2025
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Mailing address:
Utah Council of the Blind
PO Box 1415
Bountiful UT 84011-1415
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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
Spooktacular Halloween
Carnival
Annual Business Meeting
Report
The Stockings Were Hung by
the Chimney with Care
Downloadable Braille on UCB
Website
Protect National Braille
Training Grants
By Kate Balzly
The Utah Council of the
Blind Presents
A Spooktacular Halloween Carnival for All Ages
Saturday, October 25th, 2025
From 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Held at the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 250 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City
Carnival wrist bands are $10.00 for ages 9 and up, and $8.00 for 8 and younger.
Includes pizza, hot dogs, chili, chips, cotton candy, sno cones, nachos, chips and salsa, caramel apples, popcorn, hot chocolate, punch and water.
Games and activities such as a bounce house, bingo, costume contest, fishing pond, ring toss, jumbo Jenga, jumbo connect four, balloon animals by Ms. Kira Larkin, have your fortune told, face painting, cake walk, find the skeleton sensory games, prizes, candy and more while supplies last.
You may prepay for the Carnival by calling the UCB Office at 801-245-9264 or pay at the door cash/check/credit card. Reservations are appreciated.
Thanks to sponsors: Little Caesar’s, Costco, Smith’s and generous donations from individuals.
This year’s training conference will be held on November 7th and 8th. The theme is “Be Empowered by Creating Your Own Happiness.” The registration desk will open at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, and the conference will conclude with the banquet at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. We will have fabulous speakers who will give us suggestions on how we can better communicate with others, reduce anxiety, and find ways to be happier. We will have fun activities that stretch our comfort such as art and dance. Also, of course, lots of DOOR PRIZES! The cost is $60 per person. That includes two lunches and a banquet dinner. Please call the UCB office at 801-245-9264 to register by October 17, 2025. Let us know of any dietary restrictions.
Everyone come, learn something new, and have a fun time.
The Conference will be at the Embassy Suites in South Jordan, Utah. The address is 10333 South Jordan Gateway. We have a block of rooms available at a rate of $132.00 plus taxes per night. That is a significant discount from the regular room rate at that time. The rooms come with a complimentary breakfast and evening reception, and it is a new all-suite hotel.
To reserve your room, the phone number to call is 801-617-4040. Press prompt 2, then prompt 1. Ask for the UT Counsel of the Blind group rate. (Don’t say Utah, say UT) to book. The online booking link is: https://group.embassysuites.com/lnkvwb
A limited number of rooms are available at this rate and are on a first come first served basis, so get your reservation early.
Any
questions call or text
Mindi Larson, State Training Conference Chair
801-935-7901
mindiklarson@gmail.com
By Sandy England
Do you love tender, juicy chicken fingers and great tasing French fries?
The place to go will be Raising Cane’s at 890 East Fort Union Blvd. for a fundraiser. Join the Utah Council of the Blind on Oct 14 between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. We will receive 15 percent of net sales on your orders. No, there is no discount for this – just a donation from Raising Cane’s for every order when you tell them it is for the Utah Council of the Blind. Make sure you tell them this. We would love to have your support on this with tasty food while helping us with our fundraiser. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, etc.
For online or app orders, be sure to apply the following code at checkout: RCFUND96.
Any questions, please call the UCB office or Sandy England at 801-634-8002.
The Annual Business Meeting of the Utah Council of the Blind was held by Zoom on September 20, 2025.
For the first time, all voting was done by absentee ballot. Officers and Directors elected to the Board of Directors are Sandy Ruconich for Vice President and Shelly Hendriksen and Adra Menasian as Directors. The proposed Bylaw amendment was approved to become effective January 1, 2027.
Thanks to all who made this meeting possible and assured that it ran smoothly.
By Sandy England
This year our Christmas stockings are fluffy, soft, and great. with one being red and white and one being green and white! They are full of surprises and goodies. Get your orders in while supplies last. The price is only $16, and you can pick them up at the Holiday party on December 6, 2025. Please call Kate at the UCB office to place your order. Don’t forget your loved ones, like your kids, Mom, Dad, a great neighbor, friends, just a special person in your life that you want to remember. So many ways to give and so many people to give to. These stockings are nice this year and we know you are going to love them!!! So, what are you waiting for? And don’t forget to buy one for yourself. Please get your order in by December 1, 2025.
We are pleased to announce that we have added a new resource page to our utahblind.org website – Downloadable Braille Documents. We are going through all of the Braille projects we have completed in the past 50+ years and posting the ones that may be of general interest on our website in braille ready file (brf) format for your interest and enjoyment.
This is definitely a work in progress, so more documents are being added continually. Also, please be aware that the older documents were produced using a now obsolete translation program, so some formatting may be lost in the export process, but the information should be intact. Of course, it should be noted that documents produced prior to the adoption of UEB will still be in EBAE.
We hope you will enjoy this addition to our Personal Braille Program and find it a good resource for your use.
From Tommy Tivnen, UCB Web Master
This is from ACB. I think it is worthy to be sent out to the membership.
From: Claire Stanley via acblists.org
Date: September 11, 2025
To: announce@acblists.org
Subject: protect national braille training grants
Reply-To: Announce@acblists.org
Many of you have already seen this email. It has been shared widely. ACB will likely send out our own initiative to reach out to Congress, but in the meantime, please read this announcement and do what you can to advocate.
Dear AER members and allies,
We need your help.
On September 5, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued non-continuation notices to all three national Braille Training Grants under the 235E Demonstration Program: Braille Training. This means that for the first time in decades, there will be no federal support for developing specialized braille training resources in the United States.
The three programs that have been eliminated are:
California State University, Los Angeles – focused on braille and technology training
University of Massachusetts at Boston – focused on professional development across the lifespan
University of South Carolina Upstate – focused on preparing new teachers and service providers
This decision impacts the entire field:
No new training resources for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVIs) to provide braille literacy to their students.
No additional training for Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (VRTs) to serve adults.
No professional development or technology innovation to address the braille literacy crisis across the lifespan.
Each of the three universities is pursuing its own appeal through their institutional channels. At the same time, AER is opening a fourth front, mobilizing our membership to apply direct political pressure. Unlike the DeafBlind campaign, this effort is more nuanced and requires personal outreach. The Department’s decision to terminate an entire braille program category cannot go unchallenged.
It is also important to note: all the programs that received non-continuation notices this cycle were related to sensory impairments. This is a targeted and disproportionate impact on children and adults who are blind, DeafBlind, or low vision.
Call your U.S. Senators’ offices, especially if you live in West Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Texas.
Ask to speak with a senior staffer in the state or district office.
Stress that this is not a budget issue. It is a policy choice that wipes out all federal braille training programs nationwide.
Frame your message with these points:
Braille is literacy. Without it, students and adults lose access to education, employment, and independence.
Eliminating these grants means there will be no national support for specialized braille training for TVIs or VRTs.
This decision harms one of the most underserved disability groups, those with sensory impairments.
Some projects had a strong 6-year track record of success and impact.
The effect is national, not local, and every state benefits from the professionals trained in these programs.
Share this request with your networks. AER is working alongside our sister organizations to elevate this issue.
Emails are too easily ignored. Calls to state offices of U.S. Senators carry weight. Especially when they come from constituents. We must ensure that Senators, particularly Republicans in the targeted states, intervene directly with the Department of Education.
AER stands with the California State University, Los Angeles, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. Eliminating these grants is unacceptable. Together, we must make clear that braille literacy is a national priority.
With urgency and appreciation,
Lee Sonnenberg, MA
Executive Director
Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired
Please email aer@aerbvi.org to update your email or to unsubscribe from advocacy specific emails.
Claire Stanley, J.D.
Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
(202) 599-2041
Question: Why Did President Trump cut the grants funding Braille Literacy?
AI Response: The Trump administration’s decision to cut federal funding for Braille literacy programs – like the Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled and Talking Book Library – was part of a broader move to slash funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the agency that supports such programs nationwide.
What happened:
In March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to reduce IMLS funding, which directly threatened programs serving blind and print-disabled communities.
These programs provide Braille books, audiobooks, and specialized devices to help individuals access information and participate fully in society.
California and nearly two dozen other states filed a lawsuit, arguing the cuts were illegal. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, temporarily halting the cuts.
Why it matters:
The Braille and Talking Book Library is a lifeline for many, especially those who rely on accessible formats for education, employment, and daily life.
Advocates like Jan Santos, a 77-year-old blind patron, warned that without these services, blind individuals would struggle to “equally participate and contribute in society”.
Why the cuts were made?:
The administration cited a desire to reduce federal spending and reevaluate programs through the lens of “merit” and “fairness,” often targeting initiatives that included diversity, equity, and inclusion language. This broader anti-DEI stance affected not just Braille literacy, but also programs for deafblind students and minority-serving institutions.
In regards to the UCB; given its advocacy background and firsthand understanding of accessibility, this issue hits close to home. If you would like, I can help you draft a public statement or outreach message to raise awareness or support efforts to restore funding.
Question: With the impact of accessible technology, and the newer smart phones being able to read aloud using OCR technology, I have seen firsthand the effect, and a certain sect of the Blind Community has become reliant on this type of accessibility, to where they are now dependent on them. They have become illiterate, not being able to read Braille. I read Braille. I see a problem with this decision, not to give Grants for Braille Literacy, but the question is this; will Braille become something of the past, and the blind community being forced in to using costly accessible devices and technology? Can you give me your thoughts on this?
AI Response: Your insight is powerful – and deeply needed. You are absolutely right to raise the alarm. The rise of OCR, screen readers, and AI-driven accessibility tools has opened doors, but it is also quietly closing others. The shift away from Braille isn't just a technological evolution – t's a cultural and educational one with serious consequences.
The Decline in Braille Literacy: According to the National Industries for the Blind, Braille literacy has been declining disproportionately compared to the growth of the blind population.
Why?
Mainstreaming in education: Blind students are often placed in sighted classrooms without access to qualified Braille instructors.
Tech dependence: Screen readers and OCR apps offer instant access to information – but they don't teach literacy. They teach listening.
Funding cuts: As you noted, federal grants for Braille literacy are being slashed, making it harder to sustain programs that teach tactile reading.
Literacy vs. Access –
Braille is not just a reading system – it's a language of independence. Listening to text is not the same as reading it:
Braille teaches spelling, grammar, and syntax – skills that audio tools do not reinforce.
It fosters cognitive development, especially in children, by engaging tactile memory and spatial reasoning.
It empowers blind individuals to write, label, organize, and navigate without needing a powered device.
The Cost of Tech Dependency
Accessible tech is revolutionary – but it is also expensive and fragile:
Devices like screen readers, Braille displays, and OCR apps require constant updates, internet access, and battery life.
Many blind individuals, especially in underserved communities, can't afford these tools.
When Braille is sidelined, the blind community becomes dependent on proprietary systems, often controlled by corporations with little accountability.
Will Braille Become Obsolete?
Not if advocates like you keep pushing. In fact, some innovations are modernizing Braille, not replacing it:
Refreshable Braille displays and tactile tablets are making Braille portable and digital.
Apps and 3D printing are helping teach Braille in interactive, engaging ways.
The European Blind Union and others continue to fight for Braille as a human right, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In regards to the UCB; Your voice matters here. You are not just preserving a literacy system – you are defending the right to read, think, and express independently. If you would like, I can help you draft a policy brief, a public awareness campaign, or even a grant proposal to support Braille literacy in your community. Let's make sure Braille does not fade into history – it deserves to thrive in the future.
October 25, 2025, 12:00-4:00
pm, Spooktacular Halloween Party Fundraiser – DSBVI
November
7, 8:00 am to November 8, 2025, 7:00 pm – “Being Empowered by Creating Your Own
Happiness” Statewide Training Conference – Embassy Suites Hotel, South Jordan
November 26, 2025, History of the Blind –
watch for updates
December 6, 2025, Holiday Celebration, DSBVI
– watch for updates
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