Welcome to the ACB Maine
newsletter for April 2026
The newsletter is designed for accessibility and contains very few graphics. In the lower left hand section of the page is an accessiblity icon to change elements of the page.
Please forward the newsletter to any interested people or relevant agencies.
President's Message
Happy spring everybody!
We have been very busy in the ACB
Maine world. We set up a new post office box, secured our location for our
2026 ACB Main conference at Embassy suites in Portland, Maine, and we
wrapped up our spring Little Caesar's fundraiser. A couple members
have been diligently working on a brochure of resources to hand out around
the state. I want to say a big thanks to everyone who has been
working so hard on the projects so far this year.
Please feel free to roll up your sleeves, attend a meeting, and dig into the Fun, helping on any of our wonderful committees to make ACB Maine the best it can be!
A list of meeting dates and times are below
Board Meetings - All meetings begin at 7PM on Zoom.
June 11, 2026
August 13, 2026
October 8, 2026
December 10,. 2026
Annual Conference
November 7, 2026
Embassy Suites
Portland, ME.
Be sure to check the
calendar on our website - ACB Maine
Be sure to check meeting minutes on our website. - ACB
Maine Minutes
A Wicked Cool Public Service Announcement - Click this link
Stuff in the Works
ACB Maine is a busy busy organization. There are several initiatives under way. First and most important, we have begun planning for the annual conference, held this year in Portland, ME. Second, we have begun to create an outreach program by creating a brochure and a post card that can be given out at Drs. offices for newly diagnosed blind persons. Third, we have begun the process to update and revise our mission statement. Lastly, we have begun some revisions to the scholarship program, including an on-line application process.
All About B-a-VIP
The Blind and Visually Impaired Persons Group (B-a-VIP) of Androscoggin County was initiated over two years ago by Jordan Kim, a mobility instructor in the Lewiston-Auburn area. The group meets on the second Friday of each month at 11:30AM at Seniors Plus in Lewiston. Caitlyn Blodget from DBVI helps arrange monthly guest speakers and Julie Welch keeps the group motivated and on task. This networking group has become important to its members as a way to share information about the challenges and the help available for blind and visuallly impaired persons.
We welcome new members - and to be a member all you have to do is show up. After each meeting, we publish notes about the meeting. Here is a link to the notes for the most recent meeting. B-a-VIP April.
Other similar groups are emerging in Damariscotta and Portland.
All About Pegasus
Pegasus was originally an outgrowth of the B-a-VIP group in Androscoggin County. The group felt strongly that resources for blind and visually impaired persons need to be made widely available. We felt that while services may be available, they are not described in any one place and so are inconvenient and confusing.
Pegaus is a web site that provides web
links and descriptions to anyone concerned with limited eyesight.
The web site covers national, state, and county resources. The "Start
Here" page provides a map of the state of Maine and connects to the
resources for each county. The current link to the site is Pegasus.
The site is still in development and is searching for a home sponsor. You will be updated as changes occur. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Damariscotta Region Vision Loss Support Group
Join our peer-led support group for people who are
blind or low vision. The group, led by a local blind couple, provides an
opportunity for residents in the Damariscotta area to build a network of
support, encouragement and motivation. Group members also exchange
practical suggestions and coping strategies associated with sight loss.
Everyone is welcome, no matter the degree or cause of visual impairment.
Meetings are held from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM every second Thursday of the
month at the Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta. For more
information, please reach out to Ginger at 207-563-6098 or email ginger@ky2d.com.
From our freinds at PTGDU
Pine Tree Guide Dog Users (PTGDU) is an independent,
nonprofit membership organization serving blind and low vision residents
of Maine and beyond. Founded in 1997, PTGDU works to promote the equality
and inclusion of guide dog teams in all aspects of life. Visit us on the
web at www.PineTreeGuideDogUsers.org or email us at info@PineTreeGuideDogUsers.org.
A Reflection from Julie
This is Julie Welch. I would like to share with you folks some observations on ACB of Maine as I was nominated at the November convention 2025, and then accepted to take on the role of the secretary for ACB of Maine.
This role really has opened up to
refresh my office skills - like taking notes, typing up board meetings,
and, along the way, of connecting with people in the blind
community. It all has really helped me explore and learn from
others. My biggest passion lies in spreading the words of what we
have to offer and knowing what is available for in the state of
Maine.
I feel there’s a lot of work to do to raise
awareness about blindness and that we are not alone on our journeys.
And also, I would like to add that I
am so excited to have this opportunity to work with the amazing members of
this organization, and I hope to see this organization grow as we
help each other. I am looking forward what is ahead in the
future!
GLOW - This is wicked cool.
GLOW Makes Document Accessibility Magical -- No Technical Knowledge
Required
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- April 15, 2026
Your newsletter does not
have to be a guessing game about large print anymore.
The Blind Information Technology Solutions (BITS)
organization today launched GLOW Accessibility Toolkit (Guided Layout
& Output Workflow) -- a free, browser-based tool that turns the
headache of accessible document formatting into a guided, almost magical
experience.
No software to install. No textbooks to read. No obscure formatting rules to memorize. Just open your browser, upload a document, and let GLOW show you how to make it readable for people with low vision.
GLOW means Guided Layout & Output Workflow: practical,
standards-aware guidance from first upload to final publication.
The web app is live now at glow.bits-acb.org.
"I was a newsletter editor drowning in
ACB guidelines," says a typical GLOW user. "I did not know if my fonts
were right, my spacing was right, my formatting was right. GLOW looked at
my document and told me exactly what to fix in plain English. Now I
actually know what large print means instead of just guessing."
Jeff Bishop, President of BITS,
explains the magic: "Document accessibility should not require a degree.
GLOW's job is to understand the complex standards so you do not have to.
When you are editing a quick memo on your phone, or your chapter needs to
send out a last-minute agenda, GLOW is right there in your browser, giving
you answers in seconds."
My Real ID - What a Real Story
From Linda Richards
This is a story about a journey I took recently to get my real ID.
I wanted to make sure that if the laws got passed that you needed real ID to vote that I would be able to do that. So it must be easy enough, right?
Nope, it was not easy. First I tried calling for an appointment at the DMV and that took months and months. Finally a couple months ago I got an appointment, yes!
April 16 - Oh I was so happy. Now what do I have to bring with me? Here we go you need to have your ID - your birth certificate,and if your name is not the same, you need to have a trail of paperwork to show how you got from point "a" to point "b."
OK I could do this! So here is what I needed - a marriage license and divorce papers. The problem was that I have been married three times and divorced three times so here we go - off to the City Hall. I got my three marriage licenses. Yep $15 apiece so there’s $45 gone, and then I need three divorce papers and heard "Oh sorry ma’am. We can’t give those to you here. You have to go to the courthouse!" OK I can do this - so I went to the courthouse and had to go through a metal detector which I couldn’t see to walk-through - of course being blind that didn’t help. Anyways the sheriff was nice enough to take my hand and walk me through. I got that done. Got to the window only to have the lady say, "Oh it’s been a long time and those are all in archives. We don’t have those here."
"Well, I need them for next week, so is there a way I can get them?"
She said, "Yeah I’ll send over a request, but I don’t know if they’ll be back for next week." Oh my gosh, this is getting worse every minute!
Finally, I received a call on Tuesday, the day before my appointment. "Your divorce papers are here." I was never so happy to be divorced.
I had the papers in my hand as I was going on Tuesday. Then the ride I had had no ride. Oh my gosh no ride now I asked everybody for a ride. OK, I finally got a ride. I had to check in at exactly 10:10. If you are later than that, you lose your appointment! What the heck kind of thing is this anyways? I get there. It was only 10:09 and they said "Don’t check in yet. You gotta wait one more minute." OK 10:10 check-in and wait and wait because they’re not on time, but I had to be.
Anyways I got to the window she said. "Could I see your birth certificate and your ID, Now we need a trailer of papers showing how you got from Goodale to Richard."
"OK here you go ma’am 60 bucks worth of copies that I’ll never use again."
So finally she says you can go to the next window and they’ll take your picture. OK I got this getting close to the end. I was so excited. Got my picture taken and now I need your signature on the keypad. Can I use my signature thingy? Nope you have to write it yourself well, trust me. I am not good at writing my signature but it’s on there and I said is this going to be on my ID she goes yes ma’am kand I’m like oh my gosh that’s awful!
She said, "It’s OK. Nobody looks at it anyways."
Oh my word it was done. At that point I could not get away from that place fast enough. So in 2 to 4 weeks I might if I’m lucky have my real ID -- just my real ID that cost me 100 bucks altogether with copies and the price of the ID which was only $30.
But it’s done and I thought you guys might enjoy the story as sad as it could be it’s done. Don't wait till the last minute.
Hugs, Linda.
FARMER NOAH
Dear Esteemed Professional at ACB Maine,
My name is Chris Hekimian. My company
has developed a new system to benefit blind and deaf-blind children
and adults and I wanted to share information about it with you. I call my
system "Farmer Noah".
Farmer Noah is a new system and method
for training the cognitive O&M skills of detecting non-visual cues;
making detailed and accurate mental maps based on the non-visual cues,
and; keeping track of one's position and orientation relative to the
mental maps and the actual surroundings.
It does this in the
context of a game-like activity that is particularly appealing to
children.
The method is based on 4 pairs of matching objects- we
call them "animals". 2 are pigs, 2 are turkeys, 2 are cows and 2 are
sheep. The O&M trainer distributes the animals arbitrarily within an
arbitrary training environment ( a school, home, clinic, playground,
library- etc.). The trainee is challenged to find the matching pairs of
the animals. This process exercises all of the skills I identified
previously. When this process is repeated in different environments
and with different configurations of the animal laydowns, the trainee will
develop and refine cognitive skill sets that can be applied to any
environment. The system also collects metrics that will help determine
when the system will no longer be necessary for that trainee- and that the
skills they have learned can be expected to be considered self-reinforcing
at that point.
The system is switchable to an adult mode where musical instruments
are matched up instead of animals. We also have a haptic feature so
deaf- blind trainees can be served. We are very proud of the fact
that our system can deliver the same benefits to deaf-blind users as it
does for blind ones.
We received a patent on the system in April of
2025.
The method does not replace what O&M trainers do
today- but it addresses a new, cognitive level that will support that
training as well as their everyday O&M activities. We think Farmer
Noah will help bring children into the O&M training cycle earlier and
improve O&M program retention. We have had O&M trainers tell us
that the system would help them deliver valuable O&M instruction
indoors.
The system has good accessibility features and is
intended to be used by blind O&M instructors.
It can be used in a
classroom environment with sighted children wearing blindfolds. It can
also be used recreationally or as a therapeutic and fun activity at camps
for blind and deaf-blind children.
Our latest news is that we
are working on a suite of games that will engage users in a recreational
way while still reinforcing important O&M skills.
Here is a video of me describing the
system at NFB 25 - Link
to Video
I also have a lot of
detailed information on my website at[
https://dxdtengineering.com/farmer-noah/visual/ ]www.farmernoah.com.
This is a new product and
I'm highly motivated to get these systems into schools and clinics.
The methodology is original and the research potential is large.
If you have any interest
in learning more about the system, please let me know. I am always happy
to talk or present about it. I have systems on hand and we can
arrange for a "Try before you buy" trial if you like.
Take care and thank you
for taking the time to learn about the Farmer Noah system
END OF NEWSLETTER
