Saturday, June 30, 2012

NEW LEAGUE IN OKLAHOMA!

Tulsa Strikers has completed our inaugural bowling season. We had a
short summer league to acclimate folks to league bowling followed by a 15-week winter league. We feel we have some good competitive bowlers.

Currently, we're the only bowling league in Oklahoma. There used to be one a long time ago  in Oklahoma City but they faded out. We're bringing Oklahoma back into the alley! We bowl at the AMF
Sheridan Lanes 3121 S. Sheridan in Tulsa, OK, every Saturday morning. We started with six bowlers and now we have ten and are expecting to grow.

Photo of bowling ball striking pins.
This didn't happen over night. We started with just a few of us
wanting to open bowl. We started bowling once a month, and then it became every other week and finally, it was every week. So, my husband and I talked to the others about starting a blind bowling league and joining ABBA. When we went to Reno last summer 2011 for another convention, we met another couple who were members of ABBA and that encouraged us even more. Now we're here to make a name for ourselves, have fun, and make Oklahoma proud!

Submitted by: Jeri Cooper
President, Tulsa Strikers

Come join the Tulsa Strikers as they prepare to start for their second
winter season. We will start August 18 at 10 am at the AMF Sheridan Lanes located at 3121 S. Sheridan in Tulsa. The cost is $15 to be a member of the American Blind Bowlers Association which we are sanctioned under and our league is $8 per person per week to join the league. Read more about the ABBA at http://www.abba1951.org/

For more information about the Tulsa Strikers, call David and Jeri Cooper at 918-832-7035 or email Jeri at jericooper@att.net

Friday, June 29, 2012

July and August TCB Meeting Reminders

Hello to all TCB members and friends!

At the June meeting, members voted to not have a meeting in July. We will however, have a meeting in August and we will have a guest speaker for that  meeting.

A representative from the League of Women Voters will be coming to speak to us at our August meeting to enlighten us on issues that should be very high on our priority list as our right to us as American citizens. They will inform us on how to stay up with the most recent information pertaining to elections and candidates. Come be educated so you can act on your civic duty.

The August TCB meeting will take place on the second Friday of the month, August 10th at the West Tulsa Free Will Baptist Church located at 930 W. 23rd Place. The meeting will begin at 6 PM and we will adjourn no later than 7:30 P.M.. If you plan to eat dinner with us before the meeting, please try to arrive no later than 5:30 P.M.. Cost for dinner is $5 per person, and details of what that will be will be announced as soon as possible.

Please come and find out everything you need to know about being an educated voter in this election year!

Julie Bailey

TCB President

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Accessible Prescription Drug Labeling for the Blind


For Immediate Release

Contact: Eric Bridges
Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
Phone: (202) 467-5081

American Council of the Blind Lauds U.S. Congress for Including
Accessible Prescription Drug Labeling Language in FDA Bill
That Now Moves to the President's Desk

ARLINGTON, Va., June 26, 2012 –  Blind and visually impaired citizens will gain  independent and private access to the information contained on their prescription drug labels as the United States Senate passed S.3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.

"We are grateful that the House of Representatives and Senate, through the staunch leadership of Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), have passed legislation that will allow for a greater level of privacy and independence for blind and visually impaired Americans of all ages who take prescription medications," said Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind.

More than 21.5 million Americans experience vision loss that renders them unable to read prescription drug labels or other medication information independently. With the incidence of vision loss expected to increase with the rapidly aging American population, the consequences of being unable to read prescription information pose a significant public health challenge. People who are blind or visually impaired can mistakenly consume the wrong medication, the incorrect dose, or an expired drug because they are unable to read the label or to distinguish between medicine containers.

Description of the Legislation
Under S.3187, representatives of the blind and aging communities along with pharmacies and the U.S. Access Board will convene a working group. This group will establish best practices for pharmacies to ensure that people who are blind or visually impaired have access to prescription drug labeling. The group's recommendations would provide guidance to pharmacists on actions they can take to ensure that the blind or visually impaired understand the information on their prescription and to enable independent access to that information.

The guidelines will provide pharmacies a range of options they can choose to offer consumers. Many of these options are low-cost, widely available, and compatible with equipment already in pharmacies.

After pharmacies have had the opportunity to adopt the guidelines, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will review the degree to which pharmacies are in compliance. They will examine whether the blind or visually impaired still lack safe and independent access to prescription drug labeling and issue a report to Congress on the remaining gaps and the scope of the problem.

###

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

DON'T MISS IT!

Final Reminder!!!

Last chance, if you are planning to attend the TCB picnic this coming Saturday, June 23rd at 4:30 pm, please don’t forget to let Marilyn and Perry Sanders (our hosts) know that you will be coming.

Call the Sanders at 918-488-0845 or email Marilyn at mksanders@cox.net by Wednesday, June 20th.

See you there!

Julie Bailey


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Deaf-Blind Conference in Midwest City - Oct. 12-13

You Can Do IT! Deaf-Blind Conference, October 12-13 in Midwest City.

The conference is co-sponsored by Sight Hearing Encouragement Program (SHEP) and Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.


You Can Do It Conference Photo
For more information, and to register as a participant or as an SSP (Support Service Provider), please go to the SHEP website (SHEP-ok.org) and click on Application (for Deaf-Blind participants) or contact them at 877-455-6151 or email at info@shep-ok.org  (for SSP applicants). 

This is a great opportunity for you to learn from successful Deaf-Blind speakers how they made a difference and You Can Do It too!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

TCB Annual Picnic


Just a reminder –

Photo of picnic basket and words: Picnic
The TCB Annual Picnic will be at the home of Perry and Marilyn Sanders, 7406 S. Fulton Avenue. The picnic will begin at 4:30 pm. We will be outside in the back yard, so dress appropriately.

If you plan to attend, please send an email to Marilyn at mksanders@cox.net or call 918-488-0845 to let them know. You can also contact them for directions to their home.

Please let the Sanders know if you plan to attend no later than Wednesday, June 20th.

Hope to see you there!!!

Julie Bailey

Legislative ALERT


Legislative ALERT
June 16, 2012

Photo of the Capitol Building
State Representative Jeffrey Hickman has requested an Interim Legislative Study to look at options for income tax reduction, possibly using sales tax on services as way to supplement the reduction.  The Study number is 12-025.  Before this study goes forward it will need to be approved by the Speaker of the House and assigned to a study committee.  This study topic is likely to be approved, and that should occur soon.

As we predicted a few months ago as income tax reduction/elimination proposals emerged in the State Legislature, the natural progression from income tax cutting moves would be to look for revenue elsewhere, most likely from property taxes and by increasing sales tax revenue through applying sales tax to services.  The idea has been floated in years past.  It means charging sales tax on services like taxi, cleaners, home repair services, plumbers, electrical services, medical services, lawyer services, accounting and tax preparation, house cleaning, in-home services, auto repair, appliance repair and so on.  This type of taxation would shift the tax burden onto people such as the elderly and people with disabilities – those who use services to compensate for their disabilities.

It is not too soon to begin informing legislators and candidates about the effect a sales tax on services would have for people who require many services due to age or disability. 

The move to cut or eliminate the graduated personal income tax while increasing the scope of sales tax would effectively shift the tax burden away from well-to-do Oklahomans while increasing taxes for those who are elderly, have disabilities, are low income or on fixed moderate incomes. 

Although widespread legislative attempts to cut or eliminate the state income tax were not finalized in the legislative session that just ended, those attempts will be renewed in the coming year.  Now we know for sure that one of the ideas we  had feared – charging sales tax on services – is an idea that will be put forward in order to offset revenue that would be lost by reducing or ending the state income tax.


Jean Jones

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bowling - Saturday, June 16

Photo of bowling ball and pins.
Knock 'em down! 
Don't Miss Out! TCB will be bowling this Saturday, June 16, from 10 to 1 at Sheridan Lanes, 3121 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK.

Hope to see you there!
Allison Fallin

Monday, June 11, 2012

2012 OCB Annual State Convention!

Building A Strong Foundation For Tomorrow!

Oklahoma Council of the Blind proudly presents the 2012 OCB Annual State Convention!

September 28-30, 2012

Wyndham Gardens Hotel
10918 E. 41st Street
TulsaOK
918-627-5000 or 800-996-3426

What better way to build a strong foundation than to have the opportunity to come together at this time and be informed by presenters covering topics such as:

* Leadership!
* Technology!
* Mind, Body and Soul!
* Self Defense
and so much more!
Keys-U-See large print keyboard.

Registration per person is $80 which covers:
* Five meals to keep your strength up for hammering!
* Informative speakers to build empowerment!
a host of fun activities to strengthen the foundation!
* Wall to wall exhibitors to bridge the gap!

Hotel rates are only $72 plus tax per night! And you can have up to four per room!
Call 918-627-5000 or 800-996-3426 and make your reservations!

Come join us for an important time of "Building a Strong Foundation for Tomorrow!"

For more information, contact Convention Chair, Jesse Martinez at 918-232-7164 or email him at okie3268@yahoo.com