Friday, January 25, 2013

TCB Valentine's Party - Feb. 8

Come join us for an evening of fun at our TCB Valentine's Party February 8 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the West Tulsa Freewill Baptist Church located at 930 W. 23rd Place in the Family Life Center. Great food and fun to be had by all!

Valentine party cupcakes and party favors.
We will be playing The Family Feud Game. Survey Says!! We will be having door prizes!!! Everyone will receive a Valentine treat!!!! Everyone is invited to bring their favorite Valentine Treat to share. Meal will be prepared by the great Pastor Chef at $8 per person
Logo: Family Feud
Please let Jesse know if you are coming to the Valentine's Party as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday February 5. And please let him know if you need a sugar free Valentine treat. His email is okie3268@yahoo.com
<mailto:okie3268@yahoo.com>  or phone 918 2327164.  

Saturday, January 19, 2013

TCB Update - Change in Officers and New Member-at-Large


President:
Julie Bailey
Julie Bailey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but now lives in Broken Arrow with her husband David. She has two children, two stepchildren, a grandson and three step grandchildren. 
Julie has hereditary glaucoma. Her father and son are affected as well. She was able to see fairly well until 23 years of age. At that point, she had to quit driving; and today, she is totally blind.
After graduating from Broken Arrow Senior High School, Julie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Northeastern State University. She received a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Teaching from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in December, 2012.
Julie has served as secretary, vice president, and now president of the Tulsa Council of the Blind. Besides being a member of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), Julie is a member of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and Mid America Council of Rehabilitation Teachers (MACRT). 
Her hobbies include reading, spending time with family and friends, doing things with TCB members, and participating in a Pontiac car club with her husband. 
Vice President:
Allison Fallin
Allison has been blind since birth as a result of retinopathy of prematurity. She attended a school for the blind as a day student until sixth grade and then finished her education in a public school. She graduated from Eastern University with a degree in English.  
Allison has held various jobs, all working with people; a perfect fit since she’s a people person. Her most important job, though, was raising her two daughters.  
After Allison remarried five years ago, she moved from Oneida, New York, to settle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She’s involved in various capacities at her local church, enjoys reading, and is a big fan of the OKC Thunder.
Secretary:
Jeri Cooper
Jeri Cooper was also born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a child, Jeri didn’t respond well to light and sound, so her doctors advised her parents to send her to Hissom, an institution for the mentally handicapped. Instead, her mother raised her at home. Later, it was determined that Jeri was not developmentally delayed; rather, she was legally blind and hearing impaired.  
From fourth grade until graduation in 1976, Jeri attended the Oklahoma School for the Blind. In 2009, Jeri earned her Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Teaching for the Blind; and, in 2010, she earned her Deaf-Blind Rehabilitation Certification. She is currently the Deaf-Blind Specialist for Visual Services.  
Although Jeri is now totally blind and severely hearing impaired, Jeri is a very active person. Her hobbies are bowling, watching the Tulsa Drillers baseball games, TU football, and of course OU and OSU football. She enjoys visiting with people and giving back to others what she has received: patience, faith, and love.
Treasurer:
Jesse Martinez
Jesse Martinez has been a member of Tulsa Council of the Blind for five years. He has served as a member at large and is currently serving as TCB's treasurer, cultural events chairman and fundraising chairman.  
In addition to his service to TCB, Jesse serves as a member-at-large and fundraising chairman for the Oklahoma Council of the Blind. He was OCB convention co-chairman in 2010 and is serving as convention chairman in 2012.   
Jesse has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and is working on his Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling through the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Jesse is married and has a five-year-old son. He and his family live in Broken Arrow.
Member-At-Large: Darla Cook
Darla Cook and "Laddie" 
Darla Cook was born in Tulsa and graduated from the OklahomaSchool for the Blind in Muskogee. She is married and has 2 grown sons and grandchildren.

Darla was born prematurely and has been visually impaired since birth as a result of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

She volunteered at Ability Resources for three years before being hired, and has been employed with them for fifteen years as their receptionist.

Darla enjoys meeting new people and doing what she can to help newly blind people see the positive things in their life. She is an OU football fan, she likes to read and take walks with her guide dog Laddie, and she likes to shop and travel.
Member-At-Large: Bill Downes
Photo: Bill Downes

Bill Downes was born in Newark, Delaware, and is a retired Delaware State Trooper, helicopter pilot, professional photographer, and computer technician. He has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and a Master's degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
 Bill began losing his vision in 2006 from causes unknown. By 2011, he was legally blind. Although his symptoms are similar to macular degeneration, doctors have been unable to diagnose the exact cause of his vision loss.
In addition to his membership in Tulsa Council of the Blind, Bill is also active in Broken Arrow Amateur Radio Club, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots, and his local church.
Bill lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with his wife, Cindy. They have two children, Wil and Shelly, who live in the Tulsa area. 

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Products of Interest


Photo of phone with
tactile screen protector.
Tactile Screen Protectors for iPhone 5 and iPad Mini now available!
Also, check their line of cell phone accessories, including cases, Bluetooth keyboards, and batteries:

A T Guys now offers tactile screen protectors for the iPhone 5. The overlays mark important spots on your phone to help you be more efficient. Also available for the iPad Mini and the latest iPod Touch, or with an Otterbox Defender case.
order yours at


Quiet Car Rule Making


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released the long-awaited rule making for the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act. This proposed regulation seeks to require hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound emission standards in order to make all pedestrians aware of their presence.      The public will have 60 days to comment after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register which is expected to take place tomorrow. ACB will be submitting comments in the coming weeks and will distribute them widely. Below are links to the proposed rule making, potential alert sounds, and an article published on NHTSA’s website.

Eric     
Link to   proposed rulemaking  

Link to Fourteen Sample Sounds

Article from NHTSA’s web site
U.S. Department of Transportation Proposes New Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
Monday, January 7, 2013
Contact: Karen Aldana, 202-366-9550
Proposal Would Allow All Pedestrians to Detect Vehicles that Do Not Make Sound

WASHINGTON – As required by the bipartisan Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 (PSEA), the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards in order to help make all pedestrians more aware of the approaching vehicles.

"Safety is our highest priority, and this proposal will help keep everyone using our nation's streets and roadways safe, whether they are motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians, and especially the blind and visually impaired," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Electric and hybrid vehicles do not rely on traditional gas or diesel-powered engines at low speeds, making them much quieter and their approach difficult to detect. The proposed standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, would fulfill Congress' mandate in the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound requirements so that pedestrians are able to detect the presence, direction and location of these vehicles when they are operating at low speeds.

"Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design different sounds for different makes and models while still providing an opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and the visually impaired to detect and recognize a vehicle and make a decision about whether it is safe to cross the street," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

The sounds would need to be detectable under a wide range of street noises and other ambient background sounds when the vehicle is traveling under 18 miles per hour. At 18 miles per hour and above, vehicles make sufficient noise to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to detect them without added sound. Each automaker would have a significant range of choices about the sounds it chooses for its vehicles, but the characteristics of those sounds would need to meet certain minimum requirements. In addition, each vehicle of the same make and model would need to emit the same sound or set of sounds.

NHTSA estimates that if this proposal were implemented there would be 2,800 fewer pedestrian and pedalcyclist injuries over the life of each model year of hybrid cars, trucks and vans and low speed vehicles, as compared to vehicles without sound.

NHTSA will send the proposal to the Federal Register today. Upon publication, the public will have 60 days to submit comments on this NHTSA action.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

News from our Members

Logo containing the words Guide Dogs
and stencil image of dog and owner.
TCB member, Yvonne Hamm, is leaving this month to get her new guide dog. To help finance her trip, she is selling key chains for $5.

If you would like to help, please contact Yvonne.


Disability Awareness Day - April 3

Logo: Disability Awareness Day
This year, Disability Awareness Day is on April 3. It is important that our members and friends attend and participate in this annual event. With that in mind, Tulsa Council of the Blind will be providing information on how we can better advocate our legislators. TCB will provide information about topics to discuss with your legislators and encourage you to join us in a letter-writing/email campaign just before April 3. Look for more information on this blog in the near future.