t: Accessible World & Books And Beyond present Frank WeltWednesday, March 9, 2011
Accessible World And Books And Beyond present Frank Welt Wednesday, March 9,2011 Newswire: On our next Books And Beyond, we will spend an hour with a very important man, Frank Welte. Why is he important to all of us? Although you may nothear his name often, he works for many of the things that have improved our lives as blind individuals. Change is often met with resistance. It takes an eloquent deeply caring person like Frank to gather facts that will convince legislatures to listen and eventually implement all the progress we benefitfromHow have the advances we enjoy as blind persons occurred? They start with aneed and happen through hard work, dedication and the diligent efforts of individuals and organizations whose hope and purpose it is to bring aboutpositive solutions to important aspects in our lives. Living from day to day, we hear little of the process which results in the advances we enjoyor much about the people involved. Advocates see a need and do all theycan to address it. What are the elements of successful advocacy? With somany issues from which to choose, how is one finally decided upon? How do experts play a part? Must certain improvements be sacrificed for othersthat serve more people? Who makes decisions like this? How can we let those in positions of power or influence know what we need? What is the best wayto approach and convince others of our position? If we want to get involved, how is that accomplished? What do advocacy organizations orlegislative bodies need to know in order to utilize our skills and talents?Frank Welte is the Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs for the California Council of the Blind. He has held this position since 2009.Since 1994 Frank has served the American Council of the Blind as a committeemember and elected officer at the local and state levels, and he has been involved in the blind community at the national level, primarily as an officer in Blind Information Technology Specialists, a special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. Frank represents the California Council of the Blind before the California State Legislature and before other government agencies. He has also advocated for blindness issues to members of Congress in Washington, DC on several occasions since 2002.Frank was recently appointed to a position on the California State Guide DogBoard by outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.Prior to becoming employed by CCB, Frank had worked as a computer programmerand as a web site accessibility tester. More recently, he has held positions with nonprofit blindness agencies in Northern California. Frank lives in San Leandro, California with his wife, Vita and their dog guides, Jeep and Violet. He enjoys reading, bowling, dancing and cross country skiing. Bonnie Blose, Host, E-Mail: bookmaven1@xxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011 Time: 5:00 PM PST, 6:00 PM MST, 7:00 PM CST, 8:00 PM EST, and elsewhere in the world Thursday 01:00 GMT. Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time; go to The Books and Beyond Room at: http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs3cfe7424e06c Or, alternatively, Select The Books and Beyond Room at: www.accessibleworld.org Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to downloadand then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World rooms. All online interactive programs are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and others in the virtual audience. To speak to us, hold down the control keyand let up to listen. If no microphone is available, you may text chat withthe attendees. Accessible World uses News Wires, like this one, to inform people of the topic and times for the many Discussion Groups on Accessible World. The lists are announce only to keep the traffic to a minimum. You can join the Accessible World Announce List, the Tek Talk Announce List or the Sports Talk Announce List by completing the form at: www.accessibleworld.org/mailinglists Accessible World Contacts: Robert Acosta, Chair Accessible World 818-998-0044 Email: boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx Web: www.helpinghands4theblind.org Marcia Moses, Events Coordinator Accessible World 734-495-1496 Email: mgmoses@xxxxxxxxxxx Steve Hoffman, President Talking Communities Email: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe Accessible World, a division of Helping Hands For The Blind, a 501(c)(3)not-for-profit organization, seeks to educate the general public, thedisabled community and the professionals who serve them by providing highlyrelevant information about new products, services, and training opportunities designed specifically to eliminate geographic and access barriers that adversely affect them
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