THE
OBSERVER
Summer
2022 Edition
Vol.
75, No. 3
Jocelyn
DeHaas & Tonya Mhoon, Editors
Michael
Mhoon, Narrator
Montana
Association for the Blind
1802 W. Park
Anaconda, MT
59711
(406)
442-9411
The
mission of the Montana Association for the Blind is to promote the social and
economic self-sufficiency of blind and low vision Montanans through the
facilitation of quality education, learning, training and employment services
and opportunities, and to foster a positive understanding of blindness.
Our
vision is of a Montana in which blindness is perceived and understood to be an
ordinary and respectable part of life, and in which the skills and tools of
blindness are readily available to all who may benefit from them. We envision
an environment in which blind and low vision Montanans have ample and equal
opportunities to learn, to achieve, and to contribute in our homes,
communities, state, and nation.
MEMORIAL LOAN
PROGRAM/ELDER BLIND LEASE LOAN PROGRAMS
Montana Talking Book
Library News
Montana Shares Raffle
Helps the MAB!
The MAB is a member of
Montana Shares and receives a nice sum of money each year based on donations
through workplace giving and other fundraising.
Where did the time
go? We are already half through 2022 and
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer.
I wanted to take a few minutes of your time and give you an update on
what has happened in the last 9 months since the members elected me as your
President. The biggest accomplishment is
redesigning and launching a new website on March 1. We continue to track analytics for our
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube accounts and
is always interesting to find out where in the world people access our information. Because of this and focusing on some of the
data in the 990 report we file and many other factors, we have raised our non-profit
rating from a Bronze to a Silver. Our
Executive Director, Jocelyn, and a handful of the MAB board is working hard to build
a solid policy manual for the MAB state board to ensure we have guidelines that
follow nonprofit regulations and how we run MAB.
The MAB state board also
has taken a look at our chapter charter and we will be distributing this to
each chapter to allow us to have accountability between the state and
chapters.
MAB 2022 SOP in Billings
this year is closing on July 8 and what an amazing talent with teachers,
students and staff that have worked to learn how to be more independent. the Rimrock Chapter is assisting with the
success and supports necessary to build an amazing program for MAB. By now, you probably found out how the parade
in Laurel went on July 4, featuring our MAB bus that a member has purchased to
support our organization.
MAB also has been able to
get behind chapters as they do fundraise and post on social media what is
transpiring throughout our communities.
In January, the MAB state board approved a chapter in Missoula and
thanks to Lisa and Chris for leading and growing a much-needed support in that
community. The fundraising in each
chapter has been amazing to see the chapters willing to put forth the effort to
raise funds to support the mission and programs MAB sees as part of our vision. There is just no way I can list all the
happenings throughout our state to support MAB.
I will tell you though that we can not do it
without your support. This September,
MAB will be launching a new giving program called “Monthly Support giving. Our goal is to have a minimum of 25 individual
donors contributing monthly. If you
attend the convention, you can be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Also, the new president Buzz is “the power of
One”. The core to this idea is the
impact we can have on telling 1 person about our organization and bringing them
into the organization whether volunteering, training, drivers, etc. In closing, please visit our social media
platforms and visit our new website at www.mabsop.org. It gets
updated weekly with new information. I
hope to see you all at convention on September 9 – 11 in Helena. The theme this year is “Looking forward,
looking back”. Please be watching your
mailbox by the end of July for registration forms.
Humbly your president,
Todd Fahlstrom
The board met on April 2nd
at the Bozeman Low Vision Center. All board members were present except Chandra
Scheshy and Eric Hyatt who both sent proxies. Todd Fahlstrom talked about the
social media, including MailChimp and the website. There is an opening now on
the Social Media Committee. Jocelyn DeHaas pesented a Community Transportation Program proposal. It is
not complete, but she wanted to know if the board wanted her to pursue the idea
or not. They approved of it. John Snowberger
suggested a committee to work on the job description for the president. This
was also approved by the board. The board canceled the Dining in the Dark event
because of slow ticket sales. Jocelyn is working on finding out about liability
insurance coverage for the MAB. Jocelyn is also working on a policy and
procedure manual for the board. It is almost finished. John read the changes to
the Chapter Charter. The board agreed to look at it again in June.
This year has been the most “interesting” year at SOP that perhaps has ever
been. Shortly after we arrived, several staff members and students came down
with COVID-19. Current CDC guidelines advise to isolate in place, although some
people went home. We watched as nearly everyone caught and recovered from
COVID. The COVID nurse for the county said that this variant was very mild but was
much more transmissible than the original variant. Fortunately, no one needed
to be hospitalized. We taught students skills as we could, and soon the
O&Ms were taking the students out on mobility trainings. Then, we started
having full regular classes again.
The
attitudes of the students and of the staff have been amazing. The students are
now members of the MAB, and I hope that you welcome them into your chapters.
All chapter presidents have been given a list of the SOP students who are in
their areas.
We
look forward to a more peaceful SOP 2023!
Jocelyn DeHaas
IT'S COMING!
What? 76th Annual MAB Convention
Where? DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Helena
When? Sept 9 - 11, 2022
Why? Learn. Share. Laugh. Cry. Remember. Dream.
Eat.
Who? Capital City Chapter and YOU!
How? Be danged if we know, but we're working on
it and we can use your
help!
The theme of the
Convention is "Looking Forward, Looking Back." We plan to have a
panel of members who will share their thoughts and ambitions for the MAB of the
future. We'll also take a look at MAB history.
Please consider volunteering for the "future" panel or contributing a
story or memory from the past.
Friday afternoon, we're
planning a trolley tour of Helena, or alternately, a short hike on the recently
completed ADA accessible trail on Mount Helena.
Our special guest
speaker is Dr. Cheryl Godley, a psychologist from Casper, Wyoming who began
losing her sight when she was 17. She speaks on many issues related to vision
loss, disabilities, depression and empowerment in the face of adversity. She is
a guide dog user and the author of "Four Principles for Facing Life's
Challenges."
Election
time is here! This year you will be voting for district representatives.
Ballots will soon be arriving in your mail for your district. Please vote for
the candidate of your choice, and return the ballot in the self-addressed
stamped envelope. With the ballot, you will find the proposed bylaw changes. These
you do not have to return – we will vote for these at the convention.
The Bozeman Chapter of
MAB, along with Blind and Low Vision Services and Eagle Mount of Bozeman, are
sponsoring an exciting 3-day workshop in Bozeman on November 10th –
12th. The workshop will feature classes in low vision,Iphone,
cooking, mobility, ADL, horsemanship, horticulture, swimming, and arts and
crafts. It will include evening speakers, a banquet, and a COMMUNITY ED program
where the participants teach a class on whatever they want. Registration is
just $50 for MAB members. The theme is LIVE IS LIFE as we hopefully recover
from Covid isolation. Events will take place at the Gran Tree Inn
beginning Thursday the 10th at 8:00 and conclude Saturday at 5:00.
For a registration and information, please contact Ken McCulloch at (406)
556-7103. Volunteers and instructors are also welcomed to apply.
The
MAB has two programs to provide no-interest loans to individuals for equipment
or education to help them to have a more independent and fulfilling life. The
Memorial Loan Program provides loans to people below the age of 55, while the
Elder Blind Lease/Loan Program provides loans to people who are over 55. These
are available to legally blind MAB members. The deadlines to apply for a loan are
January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October
1st. Please call the MAB office at: 406-442-9411 for an application or
information.
While traveling to space,
astronauts' eyeballs can change shape, leading to vision problems. Among those
who had spent over six months at the International Space Station, NASA
documented several instances of astronauts suddenly becoming far-sighted,
having issues reading, and needing others to assist them because they couldn't
see. It is believed that this is due to a build-up of fluid in the head, which
applies immense pressure to the eyeball.
It is still a good idea
for some people to test themselves at home for COVID. How can we do this as
blind/low vision people? The standard tests require us to take a sample then
look for a line to appear – or not – on the test strip. That leaves blind/low vision
people without a way to test themselves. The government has launched a new
initiative to expand the availability of at-home tests that are more accessible
for people who are blind or have low vision. The tests work with a
Bluetooth-enabled smartphone/tablet app to provide users with audible
instructions, and audible test results. You will need a smart phone or tablet
and also need to download the app. If you are interested, you may call: 1-800-232-0233.
You will be able to order the tests from them and get information about the
app. There are only a limited number of these tests, so if you have a family
member or other person who can help you with testing, they ask that you leave
these kits for those who do not have assistance.
The MAB has some used
equipment that was returned to us. We would like to sell it to pass savings on
to you and to help the MAB. We have several CCTVs - three Merlins,
a SmartView Extend, an Enhanced Vision, and an Acrobat. These are several years
old, but they are still in fine working condition, and for sale at a low cost.
We also have an older model CCTV by Optilec that we
will give to someone who needs it. If you are interested, call Ken at:
406-556-7103.
We all love the Montana Talking Book Library (MTBL),
and we are concerned for its future. You may have heard some rumors about the
future of the MTBL, and I’ve done research so we can know exactly what is
happening. Back in 2017, the legislature severely cut the budget of the Montana
Talking Book Library, merging it with the digital section of the library. At
that time, the service for the blind/low vision people of Montana was
diminished and several long-time Talking Book Library employees lost their jobs.
This included Christi Briggs who was head of the Talking Book Library Division
and a long-time friend to us all. At a public hearing, held after the cuts were
made, we were told that service would not really be reduced, and, perhaps 10
years in the future, we would have a separate Talking Book Library Division
again. We are facing changes again, and we must say goodbye to more of the
dedicated reader-advisors who have not only served us but also cared about us
for these many years. It is tragic that they have lost their jobs.
Some of the MTBL services will be outsourced to Utah
State Library Program for the Blind and Disabled soon. The MTBL and the Utah
Library are still in negotiations. Marilyn Bennett at the Montana Talking Book
Library said decision based on economics – and, most importantly, we are not
losing the Montana Talking Book Library. The readers’ advisors will soon be out
of Utah as will the distribution and circulation of machines and cassettes.
Utah is the regional headquarters for the National Library Services for the
Blind and can provide these services at a lower cost than the MTBL can. The
reader advisors in Utah will be available from 8 am to 5 pm.
Most importantly, the Montana Talking Book Library is
not going away. Montana books will still be recorded at the library. They will
also take the money that they are saving to invest in a concentrated outreach
program. New staff members will be hired for this.
In talking with Lisa Nelson, the program manager for
the Regional Library for the Blind, I found that she is doing this in part
because of her friendship with Christi Briggs. She remembers the love that
Christi had for her job and for the clients of the MTBL. She and her staff want
to give us the excellent service that we received before.
In addition to moving services, our book formats are
going to be a bit different. We will still be using the cartridges and the
machines we are using now. However, instead of having one book on each
cartridge, there will be several – this is called the Duplication on
Demand. The cartridge will be customized
for each of us, so if you want one book by one author, and another by a
different one, and a third by another, you can get what you want. You will be
getting the same number of books, but on fewer cartridges. This will save on
money for the cartridges and handling by the post office. Many states are
already doing this, including Indiana, Alaska, Utah, Vermont, and more.
These changes are new, and we will have to wait to see
how it all works. We will definitely miss our long-time reader-advisors – our
friends. Let’s hope that these changes are for the best for the patrons of the
MTBL.
Jocelyn DeHaas
We’re excited to share
that Netflix is expanding its language availability of Audio Descriptions (AD)
and Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH). Starting this month and
into 2023, these features will be made available across their catalog for more
titles and in more languages including Spanish, Portuguese, and French. They
also will have more AD and SDH coverage in English for shows and films made
outside of the US where we previously only had language availability for the
country of origin.
Summer
is a beautiful time of the year. Along with the beauty comes some of the
discomforts. I sure hope the fire season will not be a monster this year. Now,
I thought I would pass along some of the little tips that might help you with
your summer battles.
1. Stamp Out Weeds:
Begin layering around your plants wet newspaper,
over-lapping them, and then cover with mulch. Now you can forget about weeds
and begin to build more nutrients back into your soil.
2. Squirrel Away:
Here we go. To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle cayenne pepper
on the plants. This will not hurt the plants and the squirrels won't come
near it. There is also a pepper spray you can buy for this purpose. I wonder if
this would work for Deer or Rabbits???
3. Fruit Flies:
To get rid of nasty Fruit Flies fill a small glass half full with apple cider
vinegar and two drops of dishwashing liquid soap. The flies will be drawn to
the glass of liquid and be gone forever! Who knew???
4. Ants Be Gone:
To get rid of unwanted ants place small piles of cornmeal where you are bothered
by the pesky little critters. They eat the cornmeal, can't digest it and then
go back to their nests and die. This is a good alternative to using poisons, so
we don't have to worry about our pets or small children getting into it.
5. Aphid Battles:
Here is a little recipe to help get rid of Aphids. Add to 1 gallon of water 3
tablespoons of liquid soap and 1 Tablespoon of alcohol. Mix and spray onto plants.
Many times a systemic product has to be used on large
trees.
6. Mosquito Repellent:
Use a good mosquito repellent on exposed areas of skin when going outside during
the mosquito time. When sitting on the patio burn a citronella candle to detour
the pesky critters.
7. ORGANIC BUG SPRAY RECIPE:
1 Gallon water
2 small bottles hydrogen peroxide
2 Tablespoons dish soap
This spray can be used on outdoor plants and areas to control many different
kinds of bugs.
Here is our last recipe of the day:
How to get rid of the dreaded Skunk smell. If you or your pet ever get sprayed
by a skunk let the recipe work its magic!
1 Quart of Hydrogen Peroxide
˝ Cup of Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Dawn dish soap
Mix well and apply as many times as needed. Rinse out completely.
Have a great summer!!!
Treasure Box Recipe:
FRUIT SMOOTHY
In Blender mix...
1cup milk
˝ cup berries
˝ banana
Add protein powder and flack seed if desired
Fill with ice
Blend and enjoy
Sharon
Henderson
Avoiding tick bites.
Many of us like to spend time outdoors
during the summer.
Some insect repellants such as mosquito
repellants with DEET will repell ticks as well. However, it is always better to avoid putting
chemicals on our bodies. So, what do we
do?
Recently I listened to an article
titled, “Spray Your Shoes With Permethrin to Avoid
Ticks This Summer.” That is the same chemical from the chrysanthemum that is
used in bug repellant clothing.
The article suggested treating your
shoes you wear when walking in grasses and brush that may have ticks. You treat the shoes by taking them outside
and spraying the shoes enough to moisten them.
Then you let the shoes dry and the treatment should be effective against
ticks for months.
If you do not have bug repellant
clothing, such as can be obtained from companies such as ExOfficio,
Columbia Sportswear, REI, Campmor, etc., then I would
suggest considering treating some of your own clothing.
Basically you lay the
clothing on a flat surface outside and then spray it until it is thoroughly
wet. Then let it dry. Once the clothing has dried, it is ready to
use. The areas that I especially suggest
treating are the lower half of arms on long sleeve shirts, pant legs, and
especially the first few inches above the bottom of your pant legs. And, you may want to consider treating a pair
of socks.
Basically the
permethrin seems to at least partially paralize the
ticks so that they cannot cling to the clothing and therefore cannot climb
along the clothing to get to your skin.
You may wonder, if I am treating my
clothing, how often do I need to do it?
Pre-treated clothing from the companies that I mentioned all say that
the treatment lasts up to 70 washings.
And, the bottle of permethrin that I have states that the treatment
should last up to 70 washings depending upon how deeply the permethrin bonded
with the clothing. But they suggested
that to be safe, assume 10 to 30 washings depending upon the type of material.
As a bonus effect, permethrin also
repels mosquitoes and flies.
Wishing you
happy and safe travels,
Dexter Penwell
The raffle tickets for the 28th annual Montana
Shares Raffle were in our last issue of the Observer. Buy tickets and help the
MAB by supporting Montana Shares, a partnership of nonprofits working together
to improve the quality of life in communities across
Montana.
The member groups of Montana Shares
address issues such as health care, sustainable living, children and families,
the humanities and the arts, justice, wildlife habitat, women’s needs, and
animal welfare. They work together to bring each other’s important messages to
audiences in public presentations as part of the Montana Shares workplace
giving campaigns.
For Montana Shares Raffle Tickets and more information,
please call Rhonda at the MAB office 406-442-9411.
Thank you for your support of Montana
Shares and MAB.
Have you remembered the Montana Association for the Blind in your will?
If so, please let us know so that we can properly thank you. If you have not,
please consider helping us continue to foster independence and a positive
future for the blind and low vision people of Montana.
Remember, everyone loves
to read about what has been happening in the chapters – secretaries &
presidents please get your next report in to Jocelyn around October 1st
.
The Anaconda Chapter has
not been very busy this year. Our members are older and very scared of the
COVID Virus still.
Rhonda calls them once a
month, just to say Hi and make sure everyone is doing ok, and if they need
anything or if the chapter can assist with anything they might need any help.
We are planning a picnic
in August when the meetings will start up again.
Hope everyone has a
wonderful summer. Enjoy yourselves and be safe.
Rhonda Cochrane
President
The At-Large Chapter did not submit a report. For information
on when meetings are held by telephone, contact John Snowberger
at 406-823-9292.
In
April our program was a presentation by Khristi Wetsch, the activities director for the Bozeman Senior
Center. The membership fee for the senior center is $20 annually. Exercise
programs are available for a fee of $10. Their hiking programs in the summer as
part of the exercise program. Lunch at the senior center is $5 per meal.
Information about senior exercise programs offered by Bozeman Parks and
recreation was distributed. Our book for April was the second half of
Eragon.
On
May 3 our Craft Club made spring wreaths. At our May chapter meeting Todd
demonstrated some low vision aids. The members were able to have hands on
experiences with the Victor reader, a talking meat thermometer, the click rule,
Pen Friend, Blind Shell and the bar code reader. The book for May was Catch22.
In
June the chapter had an informal gathering to have lunch and see the movie “Top
Gun/Maverick” with audio description. Our book for the month was The Friday
Night Knitting Club.
Christi Small, Secretary
Butte Silverbow Chapter
Butte has been meeting over the phone, but on April
22, 9 members gathered at Perkins for an Easter lunch. They currently are
working on settling on a picnic for the summer and they plan on meeting in
person at Perkins starting in September on the first Friday of the month.
She reports all members are doing well but continue to connect over the phone.
Vicky King, President
The
Capital City Chapter now has a regular meeting day, time and place - the second
Wednesday of the month, 6:30pm in the Board Room at the DoubleTree Hotel. We also are trying to meet with our Touchmark
members who are unable to get to evening meetings. Great Falls reported doing
this and we thought it sounded like a good idea.
After
much investigation, planning and working through liability insurance issues
with the executive director, we had to cancel our "Fun Run"
fundraiser because one of the sponsors wasn't able to meet our timeframe. We
plan to try this again next year so we don't waste the lessons we learned in
the process!
The
April meeting revolved around fundraisers and convention planning. We're hoping
all chapters will send door prizes and items for the live and silent
auctions.
At
our May meeting, newer member Sam White spoke about the Blind Enterprise
Program and the vending route he will take over later in the month. He'll
service machines in 19 state and two federal buildings in Helena. When we
learned he has to buy his own van, a lengthy discussion of possible grant
sources ensued.
Later
in the month, we had a second May meeting at Touchmark. The primary topic was the
Talking Book Library (TBL). The State Library's outsourcing
of the TBL to Utah was poorly handled and has left readers in the dark and
fearful they will lose services. We will invite the Talking Book Library to
address these concerns at the state convention in September.
In
May, Vicky spoke to the Lions Club and in June, both Vicky and Jacob attended a
ceremony at a local grade school where they were presented with a check for the
MAB from a student fundraiser. We were all impressed that the school kids
selected the MAB as the organization they wanted the bulk of proceeds to
benefit.
June's
meeting brought more intense convention and fundraising discussions. Vicky
announced the chapter would be the beneficiary of a fireworks related event
sponsored by Big Sky Fireworks at the end of June.
In
mid-July, we will send a convention invitation letter, hotel information and
registration form to all members. (See the article about the convention in this
Observer.)
Lynnette Curtis,
Treasurer
The Great Falls Chapter
has reinstated in person meetings and are doing them every second Friday at
1:30 p.m. every month at the library and on the fourth Wednesday of the month
in the evening at 7:00 p.m. on either Zoom or conference
call. Anyone is welcome to attend our meetings on either day. Attendance has
been a bit low since resuming, but the folks we have showing up are as
enthusiastic about being involved as ever. We are planning on a picnic in
August for the chapter. A poll has been sent out to chapter members. If anyone
would like a copy of this poll to share what specific weeks, days, and times
they are available they can reach Janet at (406) 727-8443 or janetkoostra@gmail.com. All members and friends, family, nonmembers, etc.
are welcome to attend once the picnic date is announced. Our chapter is also
looking to share out information at our local farmers market this summer to
generate awareness. We are also still looking to throw a gauntlet in for a
cross chapter bowl-a-thon to raise money for the organization. Information on
this is still TBD. We hope to send in a proposal idea on this to state to have
shared with everyone hopefully soon. There are some other hopeful projects
planned for the rest of this year, but they too are still works in progress and
info will be released as soon as more is worked out on them. We look forward to
seeing what the rest of this year brings!
Chandra Scheshy, District Representative
Polson Chapter
Although
our chapter is still here, we haven't had a meeting since COVID hit. We
hope to gather together for a meeting soon though and get back on a schedule.
We sure appreciate all that everyone does at the state level!
Una Rose Graham, Secretary
In April Rimrock had a
successful Community Impact Fundraiser held at the Heights Pizza Ranch in
Billings. During the event we had a bake
sale and pictures with the Easter Bunny.
A special thank you to Nancy Cormier for being a friendly and energetic
bunny! The 4th Annual Rimrock
Raffle drawing was held on May 1st.
The winners are Barbara F. Freier - Samsung
Laptop, Ruben Serna - Indoor Grill, Jill Haugan -
iRobot, and Angie Cormier - TV. Thank
you to everyone who sold and purchased tickets!
MAB Rimrock 2022 Elections
were held and announced on May 13, 202.
Election results were President – Michael Mooney, Vice President – Jack
Jackson, Secretary – Tina Wright, and Treasurer – Stacie Huff.
Both in April and May
guest speakers from LIFTT (Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow) and
Eagle Mount-Billings, respectively. On
June 1 Rimrock had a bowling event that included some SOP students. All participants had a great time. Rhonda and Jocelyn were presented a $1,000
check from Joy Lutheran Church of Billings to Rimrock chapter that was
designated to be used for SOP. The
chapter voted to match the donation. On
July 4 Rimrock and SOP participated in the Laurel, MT 4th of July
parade. As the truck, walkers, and bus
passed by spectators cheered and clapped.
SOP and Rimrock also had a joyful time at a delicious BBQ Buffet on the
Rocky Mountain College campus after the parade.
Special thanks to Stacie, Nancy, Crissie, Richard Clawson, Richard’s
friend Pete, and SOP participants!
Please contact Tina Wright
at 406-543-9972 or rimrockmab@gmail.com for transportation information to our
monthly meetings. The Rimrock chapter meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of the
month at 7PM at the American Legion in Billings, MT.
Tina Christensen-Wright, Secretary
In April the
Missoula MAB Chapter went on a field trip with the Five Valleys Audubon Society.
We did a birdwatching trip focused around the bird calls.
It took a
while but Missoula has a designated meeting time which is the last Thursday of
every month at 7 PM via Zoom unless otherwise noted. In June some members met
up at Montech to look at and sample low vision tools
and devices.
Lisa
Chamberlain, President
Make your check
payable to MAB Capital City Chapter
and mail it with this registration form to:
Capital City Chapter
PO Box 7474
Helena, MT 59604
If
you have questions, contact:
Lynnette Curtis 406-431-4189 lpcrrr@gmail.com
Vicky Greaney 406-458-9433
Jacob Krissovich 406-475-4310 jjkrissovich@gmail.com
Capital City Chapter capitalcitymab@gmail.com
The Observer is published four times a year. Please send all
comments, questions, and submissions for publication to:
Jocelyn DeHaas
MAB Observer Editor
505-818-8721
The Observer
is available in three formats:
1. Large
print
2. Email
3. Digital
audio (an MP3 file on a thumb drive that works in a computer or talking book
machine)
If you would prefer
your copy of the Observer in a different format, please contact the office at:
406-442- 9411.
The Observer is also available on the NFB Newsline.
Free Matter for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped
Montana Association for the
Blind
1802 W. Park
Anaconda, MT 59711