KCB Board Meeting – January, 2014
The monthly meeting of the Kentucky Council of the Blind Board of Directors was held via conference call on Monday, January 20, 2014. President Deb Lewis called the meeting to order at 8:04 PM Eastern Time. Members present were Deb Lewis, Deb Trevino, Joey Couch, Rick Boggess, Carla Ruschival, Bill Deatherage, Patti Cox, Debbie Deatherage, Natalie Beyers, “Cisco” Slusher, Elaine Weisbard, Adam Ruschival, Gerry Slusher and Bill Wright. Members Vurah Berry and Donnie Parrett were absent. Guest Dave Trevino was also present.
President Deb Lewis called for reading of the minutes from the December 16 meeting. Since a copy had been e-mailed to board members prior to the meeting, she asked if anyone needed the minutes read. “Cisco” Slusher moved to dispense with the reading of the minutes and for their approval. Carla Ruschival seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Carla Ruschival presented her report for December, 2013. Elaine Weisbard made a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded by “Cisco” Slusher and unanimously approved.
Chapter Reports
Eastern Kentucky Christian Council – Joey Couch reported the chapter has not had any recent activities. Attempts are being made to set up a meeting next month. He will post the information when the decision is made.
Northern Kentucky Council – Gerry Slusher reported that Peel and Save cards are selling well. Members have discussed the fact that the White Cane law is not addressed in the Kentucky Driver’s Training Manual. Members have also been updated on the upcoming Crossroads conference and are being encouraged to apply for a vacancy on the SRC Board. The chapter has a conference call on the second Thursday of each month. Meetings may eventually be moved to the public library since remodeling is complete.
Greater Louisville Council – Since Bill Wright was late checking in, Debbie Deatherage updated the board on GLCB activities. Frozen pipes at the Kentucky School for the Blind have forced changes to the activity calendar. Upcoming activities include a dine out at Mark’s Feed Store on January 25, a taxes workshop during the ACB Families Conference call on January 26, and bingo on January 27. February also promises to be busy with a technology workshop on February 1, Craft Chat on February 3, and the quarterly meeting on February 15.
Tri-state Library Users Group – Adam Ruschival reported that about six people attended the chapter’s first meeting on January 7 at Denny’s on Eastern Parkway. Due to the small number in attendance, elections have been postponed until the March meeting. Those interested in seeking office should contact Bill Wright. The next statewide teleconference meeting will be held at 8:00 PM on February 4. Adam stated that $12 dues are now being collected; about 12 people have paid at this point. Last year there were about 24 paying members. Joey Couch asked how many people paid their dues during the KCB convention. Adam responded that he did not know when the dues were paid. Carla Ruschival pointed out that it will be possible to include the dues amounts for various chapters on the membership letter which will be going out in the near future.
Guide Dog Users of Kentucky – Deb Lewis reported that the chapter did not meet in December and has not been involved in any recent activities. The next meeting will be a conference call on January 28 at 8:00 PM.
Other
Owensboro Support Group – Rick Boggess reported that 13 people attended the Owensboro group meeting on January 14. Two new people attended the meeting and there have been three referrals since the meeting. The next meeting will be from 1:00 to 3:00 PM on Thursday February 13 at the Western Kentucky Assistive Technology Center on the campus of the Wendell Foster Center. Beginning in March, meetings will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 PM on the second Tuesday of each month at Wing Avenue Baptist Church.
Committees
Crossroads Conference – Deb Lewis reported that plans continue for the upcoming Crossroads conference. The Program Committee has completed plans for Friday and is working on Saturday’s activities. The next meeting of the full planning committee will be at 9:00 PM on January 27 on the conference line. Registration forms should be mailed in early February.
PR/Membership – Rick Boggess reported on the PR/Membership committee January 8 meeting. Thank you notes have been emailed to all those who donated door prizes and/or sent printed materials to be distributed in the “goodie bags”. Natalie Beyers, Deb Lewis and Rick Boggess have drafted a membership letter which will be sent out very soon. At its February 5 meeting, the committee will be exploring ways to disseminate information about KCB around the state. The committee continues to explore ways to get more people involved with maintaining the KCB Facebook and Twitter pages and the KCB webpage.
Old Business
Carla Ruschival reported she is working on updating the archives of the Sound Prints shows. Dave and Deb Trevino are checking to insure the links are working properly since all shows since 2008 must be archived. Carla is also working to link some of the stories placed on the web pages to related Sound Prints interviews, thus allowing interested parties to link directly to the audio from the new webpage. She hopes to get the links up soon and plans to seek input from KCB board members once a few links have been established.
New Business
President Deb Lewis and Carla Ruschival reminded the board that the recent water pipe breaks at KSB had resulted in considerable damage to property, equipment and materials. Given the extent of the damages, they asked that the board consider whether or not to offer assistance to KSB in dealing with the situation. Patti Cox made a motion that KCB set aside up to $2000 to assist KSB in dealing with things they might need to replace, or things they might need, when dealing with the children there. The motion was seconded by Gerry Slusher. While supportive of the motion, Joey Couch asked if committing $2000 to this cause would negatively impact funding for the upcoming Crossroads conference or other KCB projects. Rick Boggess also indicated that, while he does not oppose offering assistance, he does not think it should be used for structural repairs to state property. After some discussion, the motion was amended to state that KCB set aside up to $2000 to assist with purchasing items that might have been damaged from the complications of the cold weather. Gerry Slusher seconded the amendment to the original motion and the motion was unanimously approved as amended.
President Deb Lewis encouraged the board to begin thinking about the upcoming national convention in Las Vegas. She pointed out that the board needs to consider whether or not to provide stipends for people wishing to attend. Those who know they will be attending should make room reservations as soon as possible.
Cisco Slusher suggested that the board consider ways to thank troops for their service in the military. In the discussion which followed it was noted that it would be difficult to recognize individual troops since we would not have names. It was pointed out that chapters might recognize returning veterans. Other possible ideas might include participating in community Veterans Day or Memorial Day activities. In addition, KCB might explore ways to incorporate recognition into the KCB state convention program.
Rick Boggess indicated that he had done some additional investigation, including a discussion with a mobility instructor at the Kentucky Office for the Blind, about whether or not there is reference to the White Cane Law in the Kentucky Driver Training Manual. Since there appears to be no reference to the law in the manual, he wondered if this issue should be addressed. Subsequent discussion indicated that this is an issue which might be best addressed by a coalition of groups interested in such issues. Therefore, the board agreed to try to gauge the interest of other groups, and to further investigate how White Cane Laws are addressed in other states.
Rick Boggess informed board members that there is a piece of legislation in the Kentucky Legislature which will allow monkeys to serve as service animals. In the follow-up discussion, Carla Ruschival pointed out that federal regulations govern what may be considered as service animals as well as their training through licensed programs. However, we might want to monitor this piece of legislation to insure that it does not negatively impact guide dog users.
Announcements
Deb Lewis reminded the board about the ACB Families call on Sunday night and the ACB Focus call.
Since there was no further business, Adam Ruschival moved that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was seconded by Joey Couch and the board unanimously voted to adjourn at 9:16 PM.
Submitted by Rick Boggess, KCB Secretary
Download Summary: KCBBoardMeetingJanuary2014
