Focus On ACBI October-December, 2015 A Publication of ACB of Indiana CONTENTS Contact Information for Officers, Board and Chapter Representatives…………..……………………………………………P. 1 From Your President……………………………………………......…P. 2 A.C.B.I. Makes Changes to Governing Documents……................P. 3 Renew Your Membership………………………………....................P. 4 SCAVI News……………………………………………………………P. 4 ACB Names New Executive Director……………………………..…P. 5 New iPhone App from the American Council of the Blind Links Blind People to its Affiliates and Services …..………………………….....P. 5 Over The Back Fence…………………………………………………P. 6 Macular Degeneration May Be Treatable with Parkinson’s Drug ..P. 8 Renewal/Membership Application…………………………………....P. 9 President: Web Master: Lynn Powers Edie Huffman 317-638-3765 johnediehuffman@hotmail.com powlynn@gmail.com ACB-I listserv: ACBI Website: http://www.acb-indiana.org Focus is published four times a year: March, June, September and December. It is available via e-Mail, in large print, on cassette, and PC disk, with special translated file for Braille output. Article submissions should be sent to the editor by: Feb. 28, May 31, Aug. 31 or Nov. 15. Rita Kersh edits this newsletter and can be contacted at hoosierrita@gmail.com or 1820 G St., Bedford, IN 47421. Cheryl Sparks narrates the Focus for cassette output. Don Koors is responsible for the printing and mailing of hard copies, as well as e-mail distribution and cassette duplication and distribution. Please contact any officer or member of the board with concerns, suggestions, or comments. 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers President Lynn Powers, Indianapolis 317-638-3765 powlynn@gmail.com Vice-president Barbara Salisbury, Bloomington 812-287-8006 Barbara.salisbury@att.net Secretary Edie Huffman, Indianapolis 317-228-0496 johnediehuffman@hotmail.com Treasurer Don Koors, Indianapolis 317-251-2562 donkoors@aol.com Immediate Past President Mike Bowman, Indianapolis hmbowman@sbcglobal.net Directors Deanna Austin, Indianapolis Deannaaustin2009@comcast.net Jeff Bush, Bloomington jrayb73@gmail.com Brenda Eads, Smithville Pwee111@aol.com John Huffman, Indianapolis J73.huffman@comcast.net Rita Kersh, Bedford hoosierrita@gmail.com Don Lane, Indianapolis 20donsue05@sbcglobal.net Vicky Saari, Heltonville vsaari2000@yahoo.com Bill Sparks bill@billsparks.org Rich Vonderhaar, Bedford pipesmoke@samobile.net Chapter Representatives Circle City Gerry Koors, Indianapolis gerrykoors@aol.com Heartland Association Barbara Salisbury Barbara.salisbury@att.net LaKota Sue L’Esperance, Columbia City lcacbi03@embargmail.com North Central Sandy Lingofelter, Elkhart sanken3@juno.com South Central Rich Vonderhaar, Bedford pipesmoke@samobile.net From Your President By Lynn Powers Good Day Everyone and Happy Holidays! Greetings! This issue contains information on the joint ACB-Indiana and ACB-Ohio state convention. It was a social and financial success for ACBI. The planning committee (Barbara Salisbury, Bill Sparks and Rich Vonderhaar) worked hard with the folks from Ohio to put together a great program. Kathy Nimmer, our banquet speaker and 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year, was amazing. In the future, we will consider doing another joint convention. ACB-Michigan has expressed a desire to join us. The auction brought in over $1800 that will be divided between the state affiliate and the local chapters who donated items. Deanna Austin was an excellent auctioneer, Edie Huffman did a great job on the setup and Harriett Stanton provided the braille lists. “Thank You” to all who worked on this effort. The business meeting consisted of the usual reports, constitution changes and elections. After a discussion, the proposed changes to the constitution were accepted. An article by John Huffman, which appears in this issue, will present the details of those changes. The content dealt with the audit committee, term limits and whether or not an ACBI member needed to reside in Indiana.Elections were also held. The officers as of January 2016 are: Lynn Powers as president; Barbara Salisbury as vice-president; Edie Huffman as secretary; and Rich Vonderhaar as treasurer. The election of a new treasurer represents a big change for ACBI. It is a position that has been held by Don Koors for a long time. As Don is one of the founding members of ACBI, we all would like to thank him for his efforts over the years. Don will continue to serve on the board as a director; he will complete Rich’s term. Take care and we will be in touch soon! Cheers! Lynn A.C.B.I. Makes Changes to Governing Documents By John Huffman At ACBI's most recent convention, held jointly in Cincinnati with ACB-Ohio, Hoosier participants approved changes to our Constitution and Bylaws which will improve the administration of our organization. Article III of the Constitution, entitled "Membership" was amended to permit any person aged 18 years or older to become a member of ACBI; previously, membership had been restricted to residents of Indiana, but some members who moved out of state had been allowed to retain their memberships. The age requirement is new, but is similar to an age requirement long stated in ACB's national Constitution. There was some discussion of adding a provision for junior members, and this question could be revisited at a future convention. Reflecting another long- standing national provision, the approved language also states a requirement that a majority of ACBI's members must be blind or visually impaired. Also in the Constitution, Section C of Article IV, "Officers," was amended to: (1) extend the number of consecutive terms to which the president and vice- president can be elected from two to three; (2) set the same term limits for the secretary and treasurer; and (3) specify the portion of a term to be counted as a full term for deciding how long an officer may serve when a vacancy has first been filled during an unexpired term. We believe these changes will enhance our ability to develop future leaders within ACBI. Finally, Section C of Bylaw 5, concerning an Audit Committee was amended to clarify that members of the Board of Directors may not serve on this committee. The committee drafting these proposals consisted of ACBI Vice-President Barbara Salisbury and Immediate Past President Mike Bowman with John Huffman serving as committee chair. If you have questions about these changes, you are welcome to contact me by phone at (317) 228-0496 or by e-mail at j73.huffman@comcast.net. We intend to have the amended Constitution and Bylaws posted on our website at http://www.- acb-indiana.org by the time this issue of the "Focus" reaches you. Renew Your Membership By Donald Koors It’s that time again. Membership dues to ACB and ACBI for 2016 are now due. ACB and ACBI members that are not a member of a local chapter should send their 2016 dues by January 15, 2016 of $7.00 to Donald J. Koors, 5885 North Central Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220-2509. Please complete the membership form on the last page of this newsletter. The state chapter will need to send the phone number and e-mail address of members to the national office this year so please include that information on the form. ACB and ACBI members who are members of one of the local chapters will pay their dues to the local chapter. Thanks for sending in your dues so a separate notice will not have to be mailed to individual members. In addition to your dues, consider making a donation to ACBI for its general operations. Thanks for all you do for ACBI and your local chapters. SCAVI NEWS By Rich Vonderhaar, Chapter President As we move in to the fall season, all of us at SCAVI are excited to report that our fall fund raiser which was a chili supper turned out to be a huge success. Thanks to publicity in our newspaper as well as on air and web site announcements at our radio station, the event was better attended than expected. Thanks to the good food and silent auction that followed, everyone really had fun. What made the event unique is that all the set up, cooking, serving and cleaning was done by SCAVI members. It really was a huge success. Eight of our members were fortunate enough to be able to attend the ACBI convention which was a joint convention with ACB of Ohio which was held in Cincinnati. Both affiliates benefited by combining resources and people. We plan to end the year with our Christmas party in December. 2015 has been a wonderful year for SCAVI! We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!! ACB Names New Executive Director WASHINGTON — The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Bridges as the organization’s new executive director effective Nov. 1, 2015. In June of 2007, Eric joined the ACB staff as the director of advocacy and governmental affairs, representing ACB’s legislative and regulatory priorities on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch. His contributions were critical in the passage and implementation of such key legislation as the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, and the Prescription Drug Labeling Act that was incorporated into the FDA Safety and Innovation Act in 2012. Since 2013, Bridges has served as ACB’s director of external relations and policy. In this role, he has cultivated countless key relationships with representatives of business, industry, ACB members, and the general public, as well as government officials, policy makers and agency staff. These types of relationships have become essential to ACB and its success in advocacy and legislative arenas. “The ACB officers and board of directors are thrilled to welcome Eric Bridges into this new role for the organization. His knowledge and experience with ACB, his commitment to membership services and advocacy, his enthusiasm, energy, and dedication to ACB all make Eric the right leader for our organization,” said ACB president Kim Charlson. “Eric’s experience, depth of understanding of the critical issues of the blindness community, and his ability to collaborate with key players from government and industry, all make him the right leader for ACB in these changing times.” ACB and its affiliates look forward to working with Eric to build on the solid foundation he has carved out, continuing to work with him to forge new alliances to advance ACB’s advocacy and public policy agendas, as well as partnerships with industry, for a stronger and more accessible future for all people who are blind or visually impaired in the country or around the world. New iPhone App from the American Council of the Blind Links Blind People to its Affiliates and Services The American Council of the Blind (ACB) announced today that its iPhone app, ACB Link, is now available. This app will assist ACB staff, members and friends to readily communicate news of relevance to the blind community. ACB Link will give access to valuable resources offered by ACB, and users will receive push notifications of news relevant to ACB’s work and the blindness community at large. The app will allow each user to be easily and quickly connected with the nearest ACB state affiliate, and be informed and entertained by the wide variety of Internet radio programming offered by ACB Radio. ACB Link will bring blind people, their friends and families together in a new and exciting way. "We are just at the beginning of something big here for ACB," says Jeff Bishop, ACB board member and team lead who directed the effort for ACB Link. "Innovation has always been at the forefront of ACB's vision, and ACB Link takes the organization even farther down the path in building tools and technologies for our members.” Eric Bridges, ACB’s Interim Executive Director, states, “People, whether they are blind or sighted, have the ability to obtain information through multiple platforms. We feel that it is critical for our organization to provide access to valuable resources to our members and the general public in a timely fashion.” Over the Back Fence This column is for readers to submit announcements, poems, recipes, etc. Santa's Christmas Prayer On Christmas Eve the other night I saw the most amazing sight, for there beneath the Christmas tree was Santa kneeling on his knee. His countenance was different than that all-familiar, jolly grin; his head was bowed, with hand to breast, and slightly tucked into his vest. For there in a nativity was Jesus and His family; and as I heard him start to pray I listened close to what he'd say: "Lord, You know that You're the reason I take pleasure in this season. I don't want to take Your place, but just reflect Your wondrous grace. I hope You'll help them understand I'm just an ordinary man, who found a way to do Your will by finding kids with needs to fill. But all those centuries ago, there was no way for me to know that they would make so much of me, and all the gifts beneath the tree. They think I have some hidden power granted at the midnight hour, but it is my love for YOU inspiring the things I do. And so when they begin to open gifts for which they have been hoping, may they give You all the glory, for You're the One True Christmas story." Macular Degeneration May Be Treatable with Parkinson's Drug Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Published: Tuesday 10 November 2015 at 3am PST The mountains of data collected on health, patients, treatments and disease create opportunities to mine them for new insights. Now, such an exercise has led to a potential breakthrough in the treatment of macular degeneration - the most common cause of blindness among older Americans. The researchers found that taking L-DOPA, a medication often prescribed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, also appears to protect against AMD. Researchers have found it may be possible to delay or prevent macular degeneration using L-DOPA, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease. As many as 1.8 million Americans are affected by macular degeneration - often referred to as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - an eye disorder associated with aging that impairs sharp and central vision. AMD affects the macula - the middle part of the retina that allows the eye to see fine detail. As it progresses, the center of the field of vision becomes increasingly blurred, making it difficult to recognize faces, read and drive. Part-funded by the BrightFocus Foundation - a non-profit research organization based in Clarkson, MD - the new study is the work of investigators from several research centers around the US, and is published in The American Journal of Medicine. The study takes a novel approach to finding a new treatment for AMD, as senior author Brian McKay, a research associate professor in ophthalmology and vision science at the University of Arizona, explains: "Rather than looking at what might cause AMD, we instead wondered why certain people are protected from AMD. This approach had never been done before." The team started with the discovery that more highly pigmented or darker-colored eyes - which are known to be less prone to AMD - are more likely to have higher levels of a chemical called L-DOPA. L-DOPA is often prescribed as a treatment for Parkinson's disease because it is a precursor of dopamine - the brain chemical that depletes in the brains of people with the disease. Patients receiving L-DOPA less likely to develop AMD The researchers wanted to find out if people who are prescribed L-DOPA for the treatment of Parkinson's or other diseases may also be protected from AMD. One way to do this is to look through data that has already been collected - a retrospective analysis. The team first compared the incidence of AMD between patients taking L-DOPA and patients not taking the drug. They analyzed medical records from 37,000 patients from the Marshfield Clinic - a health care system in Wisconsin, with two hospitals and over 50 clinic locations. This analysis revealed that patients receiving L-DOPA were significantly less likely to develop AMD, and when they did, it began much later. The researchers then confirmed these first findings by analyzing a much bigger set of medical records from a Truven MarketScan database covering around 87 million patients worldwide. In the second, larger analysis, the team found that taking L-DOPA also delayed or prevented AMD progressing from the "dry" to the "wet" form, where abnormal blood vessels leak fluid or blood into the macula region, resulting in rapid central vision loss. The researchers conclude that taking L-DOPA medication appears to protect against AMD. They now plan to start a clinical trial to test how well it performs as such a treatment. The study follows a report that Medical News Today made earlier this year about a promising stem cell trial that brings closer a cure for wet AMD. The report is of a patient with wet AMD who had eye cells derived from stem cells transplanted behind the retina. NOTE: Mention of products and services in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement of any such product of service by the American Council of the Blind of Indiana. RENEWAL/MEMBER APPLICATION Persons interested in becoming a member or renewing their membership need only to send their check for $7, payable to ACBI, to Donald Koors, 5885 North Central, Indianapolis, IN 46220, along with the following information: Name _________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip: __________________________________________ Phone Number: (____) ____________________________________ E-Mail Address: _________________________________________ Occupation: ____________________________________________ Newsletter Format Preference: ____ E-Mail ____ Audiocassette____ Large Print ____ Computer Disk ACB of Indiana Free Matter For Attn: Donald Koors The Blind 5885 North Central Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46220-2509 Oct.-Dec., 2015