THE TEXAS STAR

Vol. 23, No. 4 October 2015

Neil Finley, Editor
Expressions from the Presidents Desk Kenneth Semien,
Sr.
Membership Updates Peggy R. Garrett
Tales from the Treasurer Sheila
Derrick
ACBT 2015 State Conference/Convention Peggy R. Garrett
ACBT Scholarship Program Cynthia Julun
Resolutions Report Bob Bartlett
ACBT Advocacy Services/Legislation Committee Paul Hunt
Alamo Council Rosalyn Benavides
Dallas Area Council Ana Russo
El Paso Council Dianna Carter
Fort Worth Council Jean Russell
Houston Council Happenings Bob Bartlett
Braille Revival League of Texas Gigi Firth
Computer Users Bob Bartlett
Guide Dog Users of Texas Cindy Finley
Member Morale Committee Cindy Finley
Your voices are being heard, so keep communicating.
Scott Bowman, Interim Assistant Commissioner, DBS
Note from the Editor
Thanks to Our Sponsors

Toll-free number: 866-929-2228

[Note: Articles printed in The Texas Star are submitted by the

subscribers and are not necessarily reflective of the membership
as a whole. The articles express only the opinion of the author.]
 -2-
Expressions from the Presidents Desk Kenneth Semien,
Sr.

Greetings Members, Friends, and Colleagues:

We had an outstanding annual Conference/Convention in
Corpus Christi this September, and it was great greeting all of you
who were in attendance. The enlightening workshops are sure to
make an impact on our personal and professional lives. The
launching of the first two components of the ACBT Advantage
Suite ignited a flame of personal empowerment that is sure to
capture the essence of the spirit of ACBT. We are grateful for
every volunteer, including members, colleagues, and friends, who
provided assistance to ensure that everyone would be able to
hold on to pleasant memories. Remember to keep your copy of
the ACBT Conference/Convention Program Book. Larry Johnson
of San Antonio contributed much of the work involved in
producing this book. The ads submitted by sponsors are
resources you can access and benefit from throughout the year.
Funds acquired through this venture will truly make a difference.
Please join me in expressing appreciation for the efforts of
Olivia Chavez of El Paso and Dennis Sims of Austin as they led
the exciting and educational opportunities experienced by
students who participated in the Youth Advantage Program
activities. Special thanks to the DARS/DBS Transition Specialist,
Transition Counselors, parents, and sponsors who assisted in the
success achieved. Appreciation is extended to the
conference/convention guest speakers and facilitators of
workshops, especially those who presented during the Resources
and Services for Seniors workshop that placed an emphasis on
strengthening and promoting independence of our senior
members through the Senior Advantage Program. These
workshops are only the beginning of what we plan to do to meet
the needs of all our members in a greater way.
Congratulations to the 2015 award and scholarship
recipients acknowledged during the annual awards breakfast, and
our newly elected Directors, Andrew De Avila of El Paso and Ken
Sparks of Buda.
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Please inform me of your interest in serving on one of our
standing committees in support of the betterment of our
organization. Lets keep in touch. Write or call me with any
questions, concerns, or ideas. My email address is
semien@sbcglobal.net and my desk phone number is 409-866-
5838. Enjoy the upcoming holiday season with family and friends!

Membership Updates Peggy R. Garrett

Yes, it is that time of year again! While we are beginning to

see some cooler weather and to look forward to the upcoming
holidays, it also is time to renew your ACBT membership.
We tried to hold some membership conference calls this
year, but due to everyones extremely busy schedules, we werent
able to make it happen. However, we will be scheduling calls in
the coming months to help chapters and special interest affiliates
with recruiting and retaining members. Stay tuned for updates!

Tales from the Treasurer Sheila

Derrick

I hope all of you have recovered from the excitement of the

conference in Corpus Christi. It was a great experience. I want to
thank all of you who supported the 2015 auction, both with your
donations and your purchases. We raised almost $1,800.00 for
ACBT. Great job everyone and many thanks to our volunteers for
their time and dedication!
It is now time to begin renewing ACBT memberships and
bringing in those new members. Dues are as follows: local
chapters pay $7.00 per member and $3.00 for junior members
aged 13-18, at-large members pay $10.00, and special interest
affiliates with ACBT (Library Users of America-Texas, Braille
Revival League of Texas, and Guide Dog Users of Texas) pay
$2.00 for each member. I would like to encourage each of these
special affiliate members also to participate in ACBT as a
member
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of a local chapter or as an at-large member.
Current membership rolls will be sent to each chapter
treasurer in December. This should make it easier to make
changes and add new members. (Remember, new members can
be added any time during the year.) Because of the ACB deadline
of March 15 for certifying affiliate membership for the national
convention, corrected rolls must be returned by February 15,
2016. The following information is needed for each member:
name, address, phone number, Braille Forum format (large print,
cassette, Braille, or email), The Texas Star format (large print,
CD, or email), vision status (totally blind, legally blind, vision
impaired, or fully sighted), and email address. Please encourage
all members with email access to please opt to receive their
publication via email as this helps reduce printing and recording
costs.
If you have any questions, please contact me: Sheila
Derrick, ACBT Treasurer, 309 Paloverde Ln., Fort Worth, TX
76112; 817-507-3964; sjderrick212@hotmail.com.

ACBT 2015 Conference/Convention

Peggy R. Garett, Conference/Convention Coordinator

The Holiday Inn Downtown Marina, located in Corpus

Christi, Texas, was the site of the American Council of the Blind of
Texas 2015 Conference/Convention. The hotel was conveniently
located in the Marina District of Downtown Corpus Christi
overlooking the bay.
There were more than 200 attendees and twenty-four
vendors in attendance this year. Attendees were offered a variety
of sessions including Fraud/Identity Theft, How to Be a Smart
Traveler, Resources for Seniors, Best Practices for Effective
Communication, Sounding the Trumpet: Leadership Training,
Social Ballroom Dancing sessions, and much more.
There were two tours on Friday. The first tour was an audio
described tour at the Texas State Aquarium which included lunch.
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The second was a dinner tour aboard the USS Lexington. We
express much appreciation to the South Texas Lighthouse
Foundation for their very generous sponsorship which helped to
keep the cost down and make it affordable for our attendees.
In addition to the Saturday luncheon and opening session,
we also held the annual banquet. The keynote speaker was Alana
Manrow, Director of Public Affairs and Development with the
South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind. The banquet was followed
by the auction where attendees picked up some great bargains,
thanks to the generous donations from our local chapters and
members.
On Sunday morning, we held the Awards Breakfast. The
following awards were presented:
ACBT Ed & Linda Bradley First Timer Award-
Miguel Palomar of El Paso
Whos Who Among Blind Texans Award-
Dr. Gene I. Brooks of Austin
Rev. Michael E. Garrett, Missouri City
We held our annual business meeting and elections.
Congratulations to the newly elected board members, Andrew De
Avila from El Paso and Ken B. Sparks from Buda.
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the hotel
staff who went above and beyond to help make this a successful
event for all of our attendees. Thanks to everyone who joined us
in Corpus Christi. We look forward to meeting you next year in
Austin for the 38th Annual Conference/Convention of the
American Council of the Blind of Texas.

ACBT Scholarship Program Cynthia Julun

 The American Council of the Blind of Texas (ACBT)
Scholarship Committee, consisting of Rosalyn Benavides of San
Antonio, Michelle Boyd of Tyler, Michael Garrett of Missouri City,
Jan Gray of Fort Worth, and Warren Julun of Beaumont, was
honored to have the opportunity to present scholarships to three
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well-deserving recipients at the annual conference/convention.
Leanne Ireland, a native of Houston, Texas, was presented the
Carolyn Garrett Scholarship. Kathryn Hurd, a resident of Austin,
Texas, received the Randy and Viola Greene Scholarship. Holly
Weston is from Lewisville, Texas, and she was awarded the
Durward K. McDaniel Scholarship. Thank you to each committee
member for their assistance, diligence, support, and willingness
to serve.

Resolutions Report Bob Bartlett

The Resolutions Committee had a quiet year for 2015 as

only three resolutions were handled. The first resolution had to do
with encouraging use of the Nemeth Code for teaching math in
Braille today. The other two resolutions were "thank-you" type
resolutions, thanking the hotel and staff, as well as thanking
volunteers who helped so much.
My thanks to LouAnn Williams, Ed Bradley, and Chris
Prentice for their work on the committee this year.

ACBT Advocacy Services/Legislation Committee Paul Hunt

In the last Texas Star article, I told you that the Texas
Legislature passed Senate Bill 208 which transfers all of our
programs, with the exception of the blind children's program and
the Blindness Education Screening and Training (BEST)
program, to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC.) The
legislature also passed House Bill 2463 which requires the state
to contract Independent Living Services to the Centers for
Independent Living (CILS).
Finally, they established the Health and Human Services
Transition Legislative Oversight Committee to oversee the
transition. This committee is composed of four senators, four
representatives, and three members appointed by the Governor.
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Several of us applied for positions on the committee, but none of
us were selected. I am checking to find out how we can
participate in the activities and meetings of the oversight
committee and will pass the information along on the ACBT email
list.
The Division of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) are creating
transition plans. As part of the planning process, they conducted
seven public hearings across Texas and received oral and written
testimony. These hearings were completed on September 18.
Many of you participated in the process and we really appreciate
your efforts. After the Transition plan is written, DARS and TWC
will conduct additional public hearings. We will post additional
information on the ACBT email list when it is available.
We had a successful ACBT state convention in Corpus
Christi on September 17-20. I appreciate the work done by Peggy
Garrett and the Convention Committee. On September 19, the
Advocacy Committee conducted an advocacy workshop. During
this workshop, we updated the participants on our work. We then
reviewed several scenarios and explored steps that people can
take to advocate for themselves based on the scenarios. This
workshop focused on solving problems in the real world.

Alamo Council Rosalyn Benavides

The only problem with the 2015 ACBT Conference was that
it went by too fast! The two high points for us were listening to our
banquet speaker, Alana Manrow, Director of Public Affairs for the
South Texas Lighthouse, and having Alamo Councils Jose
Rangel receive an ACBT Leadership Award recognizing him for
his many contributions.
Ms. Manrow spoke movingly about her journey from the time
she was diagnosed with her eye disease to when she realized
that the answer is not about recovering lost vision, but in working
to help others. She said a lot in a few minutes.
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Back home in San Antonio, our three visually impaired
scholarship winners happily received their checks which totaled
four thousand dollars. They were Natalie Watkins, a UTSA
student studying counseling; Nicholas Garcia, attending Texas
State University studying Audio Visual Technology; and Lily
Campbell, a Texas A&M student studying Meteorology.
Congratulations to our winners and to LouAnn Williams,
Scholarship Committee Chair!
Let me give an update on our sensitivity training with the
Star Shuttle paratransit drivers. The experience is enjoyable and
the feedback forms we get back are gratifying. We calculated that
since mid-March to mid-September, we met with 124 drivers.
And, on a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (very good), we got 117 or 94%
very goods. Just had to mention this. Thanks to the very good
trainers and to Donna McBee who does a great job as chair of
this project. Cheers!!

Dallas Area Council Ana Russo

Greetings from Dallas. Conferences, aren't they a kick?

Being the host committee for ACB's national conference involved
lots of work, but the experience of meeting and greeting ACB
folks from across our country and beyond was well worth the
effort. A few of us from DACB traveled to Corpus Christi to our
ACBT conference and this, too, was a special treat. It is always a
pleasure to reconnect with all our statewide friends.
Becky Collier has again taken over the reins as DACB
President. We will now be holding our monthly meetings at The
Midway Point in Dallas as the Black-Eyed Pea location that we
were using has closed its doors.
Temperatures are slowly inching down into a comfortable
place as we move into the busy last quarter of the year.
Membership renewal time will introduce Ted Harper to his First
Vice Presidential duties as he steps into Becky Colliers prior
position. On October 15 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, we will
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celebrate White Cane Day together with other local organizations
that advocate for the blind. We walk around City Hall, enjoy a box
lunch, and listen to the presentations. DACB's speaker for the
month of October will be Rose Mary Rumbley, who gave a
colorfully humorous history of the founding of the city of Dallas at
the ACB National Conference. We invited her back to finish the
story as she had only been allocated 20 minutes. The plans for
our Christmas Party are still in the works, but it will be held at the
Bread Winners Restaurant.

El Paso Council Dianna Carter

Greetings from EPCB! It was good to spend time with

everyone at our ACBT Convention. Thank you again to everyone
for hosting such a great event. We would like to congratulate
Andrew De Avila for his election as an ACBT Director. Also,
congratulations to Miguel Palomar for receiving the Ed and Linda
Bradley First Timer Award. Great job, guys!
Fall is turning out to be busier each day. We are proud to
announce that our first shipment of Apple iPads arrived. This was
possible through a series of fundraisers. We will be training blind
and visually impaired students on how to operate the iPads
through a curriculum of classes. Upon completion, EPCB will
present the students with their own iPad at a graduation
ceremony. Our first shipment of 200 EPCB logo backpacks also
arrived. These will go out into the community through outreach
and awareness projects. We will share updates on our upcoming
events on our next post.
 Thank you, Neil, for the wonderful work on The Texas Star.
We hope the fall weather agrees with everyone, and wish health
and safety to all as we head into the holiday season.

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Fort Worth Council Jean Russell

We in Fort Worth hope everyone had a good summer and

now we can look forward to a (hopefully!) cooler fall.
July and August were basically preparation months for us.
Fundraising plans were implemented and, as of this report,
some have already proved to be successful.
A visit to Esters Place in Dallas was on our calendar. This
informative exhibit is always a favorite outing....so many new
ideas to help us in our daily lives.
The state conference in Corpus Christi was well attended by
our chapter, and a tour of the USS Lexington was one of the
highlights. All in all, everyone seems to have learned a lot, met
many old friends and, oh yes, business was taken care of also.
October fundraising plans are underway, and the 2015 White
Cane Walk is going to be another exciting event.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, YALL!!!!

Houston Council Happenings Bob Bartlett

We had at least twenty HCB members attend the ACB

National Conference in Dallas, and good reviews of the gathering
were offered by many. We also had a great turnout at the state
gathering in Corpus Christi, a very fun town. I just wish the Hooks
had still been playing.
Our chapter participated in Macys Shop for a Cause
program again this year. We also had HCB members work at the
Mayors Disability Kickoff held at City Hall. Further, we are now
planning, and will be a sponsoring entity of, the upcoming White
Cane Safety Day program. Our members have been keeping
busy as we advocate for all the blind and visually impaired people
in the greater Houston area.

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Braille Revival League of Texas Neva Fairchild

A big Texas thank you to all who visited the BRLT table in
the Exhibit Hall at the conference in Corpus Christi. We are
especially grateful to those who purchased raffle tickets for the
iPod Touch 64 GB and the Braille magnets from NBP that our
members were selling. We still have twenty tickets to sell before
we draw the winner of the iPod Touch. If you didnt get a chance
to buy a ticket, call Neva Fairchild at 972-897-4171 and get the
details. Only $10 to have a 1-in-100 chance to win a prize valued
at over $300.
In other news, a new board was elected at the BRLT
business meeting. Neva Fairchild is President, Nadine Saffell is
Vice President, Margarine Beaman is Treasurer, Sandhya Rao is
Secretary, and Olivia Chavez, Larry Johnson, and Ana Russo are
Directors. Many thanks go out to the members whose terms on
the board just ended, including Gigi Firth, Bernice Klepac, and
Lettie Jackson. BRLT hosted a trivia game during the conference,
and although we had a light turnout, we had lots of fun.
Do you have questions about Unified English Braille (UEB)?
National Braille Press offers two free resources: a UEB Brief
Symbols List, and a reader to help you explore the new literary
code. Visit nbp.org or call 888-965-8965 to order yours today. If
you believe that Braille is an important tool for people who are
blind or visually impaired to know and use, then you should be a
member of BRLT. It is only $15 per year, and if you join now, your
membership fee will cover the remainder of 2015 and all of 2016.
Send your dues to Margarine Beaman, 1406 Wilshire Blvd.,
Austin, TX 78722.
Computer Users Bob Bartlett

While we did not learn everything about internet radio, we

learned a lot about the depth of offerings available, thanks to
Michael McCulloch and Sandhya Rao. They stepped up and
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talked with us about several radio applications on the Apple iOS
system. The offerings will really expand your horizons, including
offerings from countries you may never have heard of!
Fascinating! And thanks so much to Michael and Sandhya!
We then were delighted to hear from Dr. Aaron Bangor, an
accessibility specialist with AT&T Corporation, and the newly
appointed Chairman of the Governor's Committee on People with
Disabilities. Again, the time was well spent as we had a lively
discussion.

Guide Dog Users of Texas Cindy Finley

Hello from the GDUTX outgoing president. I leave Guide

Dog Users of Texas in the extremely capable hands of our new
president, LouAnn Williams of San Antonio with her yellow Lab
guide, Atlas. She is married to Gene with the family being
rounded out with her retired guide, Bonney.
The reminder of the GDUTX board for 2016 is First Vice
President Gigi Firth, Secretary Bernice Klepac, Treasurer Neil
Finley, Directors Glenda Born, Donna Grahmann, and Paul Hunt,
and Past President Cindy Finley.
Members and prospective members, your 2016 dues are
due. If you paid your 2016 dues at this years annual meeting,
please disregard this reminder. Please note that if you pay dues
of $15.00 to the state organization, GDUTX, you will automatically
become a member of both GDUTX and Guide Dog Users, Inc.,
GDUI, our national organization. Your membership includes the
quarterly publication, PawTracks. Please make all checks
payable to GDUTX and mail to our treasurer, Neil Finley, 3710
70th St, Lubbock, TX 79413.

Member Morale Committee Cindy Finley

Greetings from your Member Morale Committee:

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In the July issue of The Texas Star, your M&M Chairperson
featured two of her committee members. For this issue, President
Semien, Sr. and the Member Morale Committee would like to give
you a little background about four of our award recipients. Each
person was contacted and asked if they would please answer
these two questions. 1) Name two or three areas in which you
have participated that you believe have contributed to your being
chosen for your specific award. (This does not have to be just
within the blindness community.) 2) Please include two to four
quotes that have great meaning in your life. Even though the
2015 ACBT Outstanding Member Award was the last award to be
presented at this years conference, we will begin with that award.

Outstanding Member Award - Mrs. Peggy Garrett, Houston

*I was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Houston
Commission on People with Disabilities for four years.
*I have been active in ACB at the local, state, and national levels
since 1998, including attending fifteen of the last eighteen ACB
Legislative Seminars in Washington D.C.
*I received the Care Award for volunteer services from the
Mayors Office on People with Disabilities in October 2014.
*I have been serving on the METROLift appeals Board for the
past five years.
Two of my favorite quotes are May I live this day
compassionate of heart, clear in word, gracious in awareness,
courageous in thought, generous in love. Isaiah 32:18; and,
Today is the day to do what you promised yesterday that you
would do tomorrow!
Whos Who Among Blind Texans - Rev. Michael Garrett, Houston
I was appointed by the Governor to serve on both the State
Independent Living Council and the Board of Texas School for the
Blind and Visually Impaired. I have been an advocate for people
who are blind or visually impaired for more than twenty-five years,
serving at the local, state, and national levels.

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Meaningful quotes to me include Cant whipped old could
until he would; If you always do what youve always done, youll
always get what youve always gotten; and, Times change, but
Gods principles remain the same!

Whos Who Among Blind Texans - Dr. Gene Brooks, Austin

Three areas of contribution for me are serving on the Texas
School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Board of Directors,
serving as a Disability Rights Texas board member, and teaching
young people to become Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
(VRC) at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The means by
which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our
scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided
missiles and misguided men."

Ed and Linda Bradley First Timer Award - Mr. Miguel Palomar, El

Paso
Within the El Paso Council, I helped plan and execute two
fundraisers which contributed close to $4,000 to our cause. I also
worked with the media to attract attention for our cause. My
service animal, Abraham, and I are a part of Braille for Badges
awareness program, and work with the Boy and Girl Scouts. I
also am active in our ability awareness functions involving
students at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Some of my favorite quotes are You dont need sight to
have vision, Wendi Wassmer; Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who
looks inside awakens, Carl Jung; and "Leadership is the capacity
to translate vision into reality," Warren Bennis.

In whatever the four above award recipients have

participated, they have been involved in leadership. However, all
ACBT members should take pride in their ability to lead, whether
it be serving on a committee within their chapter, a board position
for ACBT, or leadership in any other organization. There are a
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myriad of leadership possibilities and opportunities available. The
Member Morale Committee would like to close this article with the
following story.
Every fall thousands of geese fly from Canada to the
southern part of the United States to escape the bitterly cold
Canadian winter. As soon as a flock of geese take flight from
Canadian waters, they quickly form a v-shape flying pattern, with
one rotating goose in the center lead and all the other geese
trailing behind in two close lines. Wildlife scientists have
conducted extensive studies to determine why geese and other
migratory birds always fly in a distinctive v-formation. They found
some fascinating results:
1. When geese fly together, each goose provides additional
lift and reduces air resistance for the goose flying behind
it. Consequently, by flying together in a v-formation, scientists
estimate that the whole flock can fly about 70% farther with the
same amount of energy than if each goose flew alone. Geese
have discovered that they can reach their destination more
quickly and with less energy expended when they fly together in
formation. When people work together harmoniously on teams,
sharing common values and a common destination, they all
arrive at the destination quicker and easier, because they are
lifted up by the energy and enthusiasm of one another.
2. When a goose drops out of the v-formation, it quickly
discovers that it requires a great deal more effort and energy
to fly. Consequently, that goose will quickly return to the
formation to take advantage of the lifting power that comes from
flying together. Sometimes people playing on teams will drop out
of the group and try to accomplish goals on their own. However,
like the geese, they usually discover that they miss the synergy
and energy that comes when they are an active part of a
cohesive team moving toward their destination, and want to
return to the group.
3. Geese rotate leadership. The goose flying in the front of the
formation has to expend the most energy because it is the first to

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break up the flow of air that provides the additional lift for all of
the geese who follow behind the leader. Consequently, when the
lead
goose gets tired, it drops out of the front position and moves to
the rear of the formation, where the resistance is lightest, and
another goose moves to the leadership position. This rotation of
position
happens many times in the course of the long journey to warmer
climates. When a team is functioning well, various members of
the team may take the leadership role for a while because of a
particular expertise or experience. Consequently, on good teams,
everyone has the opportunity to serve as a leader as well as a
follower.
4. Geese honk at each other. They also frequently make loud
honking sounds as they fly together. Scientists speculate that this
honking is their way of communicating with each other during
their long flight. Similarly, when working on teams, it is
exceedingly important for each team member to communicate
regularly with all the other team members. Teams frequently fall
apart because of the lack of adequate communication among the
various members of the team. Perhaps human teams can learn
from flying flocks of geese that constant communication among
members is exceedingly important in moving effectively towards a
common destination.
5. Geese help each other. Scientists also discovered that when
one goose becomes ill, is shot or injured, and drops out of the
formation, two other geese will fall out of formation and remain
with the weakened goose. They will stay with and protect the
injured goose from predators until it is able to fly again or dies.
Likewise, human teams work best when they do more than just
work together, but care for the well-being of each other.
As we end 2015 and begin 2016, think about the story of the
geese and how they adapt to different leadership roles. Take
care, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

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Your voices are being heard, so keep communicating.
Scott Bowman, Interim Assistant Commissioner, DBS

As the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services

(DARS)/Division for Blind Services (DBS) implements the new
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and state
legislation transferring DARS vocational rehabilitation (VR) and
other DBS programs to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC),
I
am continually impressed by the thoughtful and considered input
provided by blind and visually impaired consumers and
stakeholders.
Implementing the first major piece of federal workforce
legislation in fifteen years and moving VR and other DARS
programs to TWC at the same time is an enormous challenge. It
requires the expertise of hundreds of subject-matter experts from
various agencies, resources, time, and you. You are an
invaluable part of the process.
As many of you know, work on the 2017 2020 Combined
State Plan for Texas, including the writing of the DBS VR state
plan, began in spring 2015 and it has been an all-hands-on-deck
project. Fifteen DBS program specialists and managers wrote the
first draft of our four-year state plan; concurrently, DBS
management and staff continue to participate on interagency
teams tackling issues related to the movement of the DARS VR
programs to TWC.
 Part of our job during these processes is creating
opportunities for you as consumers and stakeholders to provide
feedback during the development phase when your input can be
considered and, where feasible, incorporated into the final
product. Your job is to tell us what you think and suggest methods
to provide the best VR services possible.
You have done exactly that, as individuals and as members
of service, advocacy, and professional organizations. The
Rehabilitation Council of Texas has been integrally involved in the
development of the DBS VR state plan and, since June of this
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year, has offered guidance on all DBS policy changes required by
WIOA.
Meanwhile, many of you attended one of seven DARS/TWC
joint meetings conducted across the state to take public comment
on the combined state plan, and on the transfer of the VR,
including Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, Business Enterprises
of Texas, and the Independent Living for Older Individuals Who
are Blind programs from DARS to TWC.
In Austin, you asked TWC commissioners, Executive
Director (ED) Temple, and DARS Commissioner Durden to
ensure that staff
at local workforce centers and centers for independent living have
the expertise and specialized services needed to serve people
who are blind or visually impaired. In North Texas, you said we
need to do everything possible to ensure quality services for
consumers across geographic boundaries and continue to assess
consumer satisfaction. In Lubbock, you advocated for those who
experience vision loss late in life, and in South Texas you spoke
eloquently about the need to retain the connection between the
Blind Children's Vocational Discovery and Development Program
and DBS VR services.
I was fortunate to be at all seven meetings as were
Commissioner Durden or Deputy Commissioner Neal, Assistant
Commissioner Fuller, TWC ED Temple, and TWC
commissioners. In addition to providing a platform for the expert
testimony many of you offered, we heard personal accounts from
many consumers and family members.
Each meeting gave our new partners at TWC a great
opportunity to put a face with the people served by DARS/DBS
and a chance for you to get to know them a little. We have all
made a great start at sharing our perspectives and opening doors
to further communication. As you know, this is just the beginning
and we will be seeking your input on an ongoing basis. We look
forward to hearing from you often.

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Editors Note Neil Finley

I wish to take this opportunity to tell you I have resigned as

editor of The Texas Star. I appreciate the support I have enjoyed
the past two years, but believe it is time to move on and let
someone else take over as your editor. I greatly appreciate your
patience as this issue has been delayed much longer than I
wanted due to my recovery from neck surgery.

Projects and activities are financed by annual dues,

fundraisers, and tax deductible donations made to ACBT by
members, friends, and other interested persons. ACBT
appreciates the continued support of its members and friends.
For more information about ACBT, please contact any state
officer, director, or your nearest chapter, call 866-929-2228 and
leave a message, or visit www.acbtexas.org.
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American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc.

President Kenneth Semien, Sr.

 1st Vice President Peggy Garrett
2nd Vice President Kevin Ratliff
Secretary Mary Alice Gary
Treasurer Sheila Derrick
Past President Carol Edwards

A publication of the American Council of the Blind of

Texas, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind