of the
San Mateo Council of the Blind
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Spring 2000 Vol. I No. 2
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President's Message
Members of the San Mateo Council of the Blind will be participating in several interesting events in the next two months. First, on May 6, instead of holding our regular meeting we will be attending a special inter-chapter picnic for the California Council of the Blind chapters in the Bay Area. The picnic will take place at the East Bay Blind Center in Berkeley. This will give participants a chance to make and renew many friendships.
The Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, located in Palo Alto, along with other groups, will present a seminar about low vision on May 12 at the Stanford University Medical Center. I expect to learn a great deal at this meeting. Perhaps some of our other members may wish to attend.
The CCB's spring convention will take place in Sacramento from Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21 at the Arden West Hilton hotel in Sacramento. Not only are conventions of blind people interesting political and educational events, but, perhaps more important, they are highly affirming social events. The experience of staying in a hotel amid a concentration of hundreds of blind people where one feels, not like a minority or a lone individual, but like a member of a majority is something that one does well to repeat often.
In fact, I'll repeat the experience in a big way by attending the national convention of the American Council of the Blind that will take place on July 1 through July 8 in Louisville, Kentucky.
On June 3 our focus will be on local things again during our regular SMCB meeting as we hear from Gil Johnson and Tony Candela from the San Francisco office of the American Foundation for the Blind. Don't miss this chance to find out what's new at AFB, one of the premier agencies in the blindness field.
I have two final notes. Those of you who are SMCB members should be receiving copies of The Braille Forum the monthly magazine of the American Council of the Blind and The Blind Californian the quarterly magazine of the California Council of the Blind. If you are not receiving them contact me, and I'll see that you do. Also, There is the possibility of reviving a blind bowling league in San Mateo County. If you're interested in joining a bowling league contact me.
Don't forget that we meet on the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 AM. at the Bank of America at El Camino Real and 3rd Avenue in San Mateo. Feel free to call me for further information.
Frank Welte, President SMCB
(650)508-8329
Welcome to Our Club Newsletter
This is our first issue–Vol. 1-1. Its inception is at the beginning of the new millennium. There will be several interesting features and new ones added as we grow from one sheet to a regular-sized edition.
Our front page has a president's message. We are fortunate in having Frank Welte in the role of leadership, for his computer ability is fantastic, and he also is treasurer of the Santa Clara Chapter of CCB. You will learn more about Frank when we write his biography. At the Nov. meeting he gave a conference report.
The types of articles we shall have relate to trips and visits our members have taken. What are your favorite restaurants or shopping places? Lately, have you used a new piece of equipment or technique you would like to recommend to us?
If you have any information you wish included in the newsletter, you may also send it online. Phil Kutner is our new editor and his e-mail address is [email protected]
The Life and Times of Bill Hobson
Bill Hobson is treasurer of our San Matea Chapter of the Council for the Blind. He has been in the club for most of athe history of the and was Vice-Pres. and then President for a year. He came from Chicago, IL in the 60's, In 1992 Bill retired from Cal-Trans of California as a dispatcher for a fleet of several hundred cars when he developed Macular Degeneration.
Bill is on the advisory group at the Peninsula Center for the Blind in Palo Alto where he received low vision exams and support groups.
His unusual hobby is public speaking with the Toastmasters International. Every Tues he travels to the Oracle Corp. in Redwood Shores and makes presentations. He has taken first place in 3 table-topic talks. These are spur of the moment public speaking events.
Bill has had a computer for 5 years and a 20" CCTV, a 586 IBM PC, with JAWS, Zoomtext, and a scanner. His e-mail address is: [email protected]