The Minnesota Memo
Spring 2025
A quarterly publication of The American Council of the Blind of Minnesota. The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the position of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota. They are the views of the article’s author.
Product and service information is provided as a resource only, and not as an endorsement of a particular product or service.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Nicky Schlender Editor
E-mail: kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Jennifer Dubbin
E-mail: lyndidog@comcast.net
Michael Lauf: Web Administrator
E-mail: info@myeffectivesolutions.com
Phone numbers of note:
SSB main number:
(651)539-2300
ACBM:
(612) 223-5543 Leave Message
Apple support for people with disabilities
(877) 204-3930
Microsoft support for people with disabilities
(800) 936-5900
Comcast Support for Persons with Disabilities
(855) 270-0379
Instacart For Seniors and Persons With Disabilities
(844) 981-3433
Amazon’s Accessibility Customer Service
888-283-1678
Audible Support:
888-283-5051.
American Airlines Special Assistance
800-237-7976
AT&T
National Center for Citizens with Disabilities (NCCD)
866-241-6568
Delta Airlines Disability Services
1-404-209-3434
HP Accessibility Support
888-259-5707
Samsung Accessibility
972-761-7123
For general support in the U.S. contact Samsung at: 800-726-7864 by text or voice.
T-Mobile Accessibility
833-428-1785
United Airlines Accessibility Desk
800-228-2744
Verizon Wireless National Accessibility Center
888-262-1999
TSA Cares
(855) 787-2227
Contact them at least 48 hours prior to your flight.
Table of Contents
President’s Message
By Janet Dickelman
News From The Treasurer
By Patty Slaby
Quarterly Meeting Announcement
By Janet Dickelman
Nominating Committee Report
By Janet Dickelman
Join us in Dallas By Janet Dickelman
E-Things By Catherine Golding
My Healthcare Experience By Mike Vining
President’s Message
By Janet Dickelman
To quote the famous Yogi Berra
“it’s De Ji Vu all over again.”
It is hard to believe that in April 2011 I was writing my farewell from the president message for the MN Memo. I was terming out after serving four years. As you know I never left ACBM, continued to attend board meetings, chaired the state convention, worked with Joseph’s on the quarterly meal selections, served as secretary, and was a resource person for ACBM officers.
Fast forward 14 years and I’m once again saying farewell to you as your president. I hope that my legacy is that I’ve led with fairness, kindness and made an impact as ACBM president. I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my work with ACBM in whatever capacity that might be. Whether this makes you happy or sad I’m not going anywhere, smile!
Your support, hard work and dedication to ACBM has made my job much easier, I appreciate each of you and what you bring to our affiliate.
News From Our Treasurer
By Patty Slaby
As your treasurer I want to share some information about our active affiliate.
It is related to our exciting, fun virtual auction which was held in January, 2025.
First, thank you to each of you who donated in anyway to the auction or for that matter the convention. We had 40 items which I challenged you to try to reach. There were actual more donated as a few members added additional items when bidders were excitedly having fun.
Next, after the excitement and fun we brought in $3,009.00. Thanks to our many out of state friends who supported us. When I contacted the winners, they expressed their enjoyment at the fun we had. I must share that one bidder gave two of the items bid on to friends. One was one of the flags and when that surprise arrived that person was so excited and pleased. This is what ACB Family is all about.
To my knowledge, everyone has their items. If you or anyone you know does not, please let me know as soon as possible. I want everyone to be happy and ready to do this again in 2027. Thank you again to each of you who took part in anyway for the auction and the convention.
Some people donated to the Convention but a special thank you goes to the sponsors, vendors, and Scott Egge for all the refreshments he provided.
It is a pleasure to work with an affiliate who takes action and is willing to step forward when called to do so.
Quarterly Meeting Announcement
By Janet Dickelman
Hello ACBM members and guests, our quarterly meeting will be held on Saturday, April 26 at Joseph’s Grill 140 S Wabasha in Saint Paul.
Our social hour will begin at 11:15, lunch will be served at noon.
We plan to end the meeting by 3:00 PM.
lunch choices:
1. Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Grilled Chicken Breast, Swiss Cheese, and Red Pepper Aioli.
2. MEAT LOAF
Our House Recipe with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Vegetable of the Day
3. Cheeseburger
Agenda items:
Elections for president, secretary and two board members
Committee reports
2025 national convention
Speaker pending
Additional items will be added to the agenda at the meeting.
Responses:
Please e-mail Steve Robertson with your meal choices at
stevetrobertson4@gmail.com
or call him at (612) 223-5543.
We would appreciate hearing from you by Sunday, April 13.
Payment methods:
select and pay for your lunch from our website, go to
https://acbminnesota.org/meeting
contact ACBM treasurer Patty Slaby at (608) 323-3614 to pay by credit card,
send your payment to
Patty Slaby
837 Jefferson St, Arcadia WI 54612
pay by check or cash at the meeting.
Please remember when paying via credit card ACBM does incur a cost, if possible, please add in $1.20 to your payment to cover the cost.
Cancellation policy: If you make a reservation and then find you are unable to attend, please call Steve by noon on Friday, April 25th.
If you cancel after that time, you will be responsible for paying for your meal.
We look forward to seeing you.
Nominating Committee Report
By Janet Dickelman
2025 ACBM elections
At our April quarterly meeting we will be electing several open officer and board positions. President, secretary and two board positions. Nominations are always welcome from the floor. Here is the list of candidates we have thus far:
president: Janet has termed out, we currently have one candidate, Ken Rodgers, running for this office.
Secretary: Nicky Schlender our current secretary is able and willing to run for another term.
Board members: the term held by Colleen Kitagawa and Jennifer Dubbin are up for reelection. Colleen has termed out. Jennifer can run again and is interested in running again.
In addition, Marian Haslerud and David Tanner are interested in running. We also have several individuals who are considering running.
If you are interested in running for an officer or board position please contact our nominating committee chair, Colleen Kitagawa
kitagawa@mysero.net
or by phone at 612-964-2005.
Join us in Dallas
By Janet Dickelman
Are you considering attending the 64th annual conference and convention of the American Council of the Blind in Dallas? Read on to learn all the details.
ACBM is providing $400 to any member who wishes to come to Dallas. To stay updated with all that will be offered during the convention, subscribe to the convention email list by sending a blank email to
Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org
Virtual convention dates:
The following is a list of events that will be held virtually prior to the in-person portion of the convention.
All times listed are Central time.
Wednesday, June 11 7:00 PM candidate’s forum
Saturday, June 21, 5:00 PM: you won’t want to miss our hugely popular virtual summer auction, proceeded by two days of appetizer auction!
Monday, June 23
7:00 PM Call to order, reading of standing rules, 1st credentials report, and other ACB business.
8:30 PM nominating committee (room will open at 8:00 PM)
On the evenings of Tuesday June 24 through Thursday, June 26th at 7:00 PM resolutions will be read and discussed.
The evening of Friday June 27th we will discuss constitutions and bylaw changes. Voting on resolutions and constitutions and bylaws will be held on Monday, June 30.
Wednesday, June 25:
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Exhibitor open house
Thursday June 27 through Saturday June 29
Virtual only programming; including affiliate business meetings, ACB committee, special-interest affiliate and business partner sessions.
In-person convention information:
Committees, special-interest affiliates and business partners will hold events in Dallas Friday July 4 through Thursday, July 10.
We will have 2 hybrid rooms, and provide space for other sessions that are in-person only. In-person only sessions (excluding mixers and other purely social events) can be recorded by ACB and will be available as podcasts but they will not have zoom capability.
General sessions:
This year opening general session will be held on Saturday, July 5 at 7:00 PM.
On Sunday July 6 at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM there will be two breakout sessions on Advocacy, the history of Blind Veterans Association, the People’s Choice awards, and a session from John Bramblitt, a blind painter.
Daily general sessions will be held Monday through Wednesday 8:30 to noon and Thursday from 8:30 to 1:00 PM. Our banquet will be held Thursday evening, featuring our keynote speaker Dave Williams.
Exhibit hall:
Based on recommendations from our 2024 convention survey and reaching out to our exhibitors this year the exhibit hall will open on Sunday, July 6 to allow exhibitors to travel to Dallas. Exhibit hall hours will be 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, 11:00 to 5:00 Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 to 1:00.
Touring Dallas: Our first tours will be on Friday, July 4th and final tours on Friday, July 11th. Join ACB for a myriad of tours.
A lake dinner cruise, hot air ballooning, a barbecue at a ranch, a visit to the stadiums where the Cowboys and Rangers play, the George H.W. Bush Museum, the 6th floor museum at Dealey Plaza, city bus tours, and much more! There is something for everyone!
If you’d like to join ACBM in Dallas let us know at the April quarterly meeting or reach out to our treasurer, Patty Slaby at (715) 497-9849. You will be asked to write about your convention experiences for the July memo.
E-things
By Catherine Golding
Like almost everyone, I complain about the cold weather in winter, especially when that knife-edged wind blows from the north. And I am happy that spring is on its way some days. It means that I get to garden and take long walks. But on every walk, I encounter e-things.
Let me explain. There are e-bikes, e-skateboards, e-cars, and most annoying are those e-scooters in the middle of the sidewalk. My dog approaches them cautiously, not sure which way to go around them. Let’s face it! Many times, they take up the whole sidewalk, so then where is the dog to go? With a cane, the tip can get stuck in the structure of the e-scooter and break. Then what? I’ve encountered them leaning against an APS pole, not on the opposite side from the button I want to push, but right under it. So, I have to reach across, locate the button, and push. On one walk I approached the pole with the button. There were two sandbags stacked on top of each other and an e-scooter. From way down the street I heard, “Wait a minute,” and running feet to where I stood. “I’ll push it for you.” A thoughtful thing to do I thought to myself, but can’t they just keep those poles cleared?
So, I called the city because after all, it is city property! “Why are the poles with walk buttons on them cluttered with junk?” I asked. “They are always supposed to be accessible to everyone so the buttons can be pushed easily.” “Did you say accessible?” I asked, incredulous. I explained my dilemma. The voice on the other end said, “Thank you for letting us know. We’ll get it taken care of.”
Encouraged, I looked forward to my next walk. The next day I thought I would check out the commitment to “accessible poles.” I approached the location. My dog stopped dead in his tracks. He wouldn’t go right, and he wouldn’t go left. Then I heard it—those running feet down the street. “Hold on,” said the voice, “I’ll take you around all the junk. They need to clean this mess up.” My curiosity said, “What all is there?” “Two sandbags and an e-scooter.”
I called the city again. “Oh,” said the person at the other end, “we put it on the schedule. It should be all cleared up in a day or two.” I sighed. So much for accessibility. Very frustrating. I’ve decided that the next thing I need to do is take a picture of the situation on my I-phone. At least I can say with some confidence that my I-phone isn’t an e-thing!
My Healthcare Experience
By Mike Vining
As some of you know, I have been dealing with prostate cancer for the last couple of years. I have been seeing a urologist starting in 2017. There was
no cancer then until 2023. The cancer had to reach a point through my PSA to need treatment. This happened in September of 2024. After preparation procedures
which lasted until this past February, I was ready for treatment, which included a hormone shot which lasts six months. Then I spent five and one half
weeks, which included 28 days of 10 minutes of radiation treatments. This started on Monday March 3rd and ended on Friday April 11th. I had to go to
the radiation place each day. I was not sure how this could work out, since as a visually impaired person, I do not drive and neither does my wife, Elaine. Metro Mobility takes a great deal of time going and coming and scheduling may be a problem. Friends are busy and cannot help everyday. Someone suggested
that the American Cancer Society could help. I knew that they did many things for cancer patients. They provided a hospital bed for my father when he had cancer
of the esophagus fifty years ago. They also supplied a bed for both of Elaine’s sisters. After some quick thought, I called them and found out that they
could help me. To make a long story short, I would be set up with my phone number and/or a website to go in to every week or so up to three weeks to enter
my name, address, phone number, web address, and appointment times for going and coming. They would be able to try to set up rides for me from volunteers.
This worked out fine everyday except one day. A friend helped on the one day. Elaine was able to go with me to the appointments. Two of the drivers
were a woman named Cathy and a man named Mark. These were very interesting people and came from different walks of life. They were able to pick
us up, drive us to the appointment, and bring us home. They were very helpful and supportive. They were wonderful volunteers for the American Cancer Society.
Many of you may know about this service, however I just wanted to mention this and publicly thank The American Cancer Society for what they do.
Birthdays:
Happy Birthday to:
Elaine Vining, April 7th
Abby Winters, April 19th
Suzanne Pauluk, May 21st
Niki Mattson, May 23rd
Jeff Peterson, May 28th
Colleen Kitagawa, June 2nd
Stephanie Hall, June 14th
Jennifer Dubbin, June 22nd
Officers and Board of Directors
President: Janet Dickelman, Saint Paul, MN
Second term ending 2025 | (651) 428-5059
E-mail: janet.dickelman@gmail.com
Vice president: Jeff Mihelich, Crystal, MN
1st term ending 2026 | (612) 381-7163
Secretary: Nicky Schlender, Minnetonka, MN
1st term ending 2025 | (612) 618-4335
E-mail: kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Treasurer: Patty Slaby, Arcadia, WI
3rd term, ending 2026 | (715) 497-9849
Email: Pattyslaby135@gmail.com
Board Of Directors
Coleen Kitagawa, Richfield, MN
Second term ending in 2025 | (612) 964-2005
E-mail: kitagawa@mysero.net
Jennifer Dubbin, Saint Paul, MN
1st term ending 2025 | (651) 334-8895
E-mail: lyndidog@comcast.net
Ben Durand, Mounds View, MN
1st term ending 2026 | (763) 784-8796
Charlotte Lang, Bloomington, MN
1st term ending 2026 (952) 300-2188
Mike Vining, Minneapolis, MN
Second Term Ending 2026, (612) 408-7652
mevining@peoplepc.com
ACBM Standing Committee Chairs
To reach any of our standing committees, see chair info below.
Membership: Mike Vining
(612) 408-7652
E-mail mevining@peoplepc.com
Budget and Fundraising: Patty Slaby
(608) 323-3614
Email: Pattyslaby135@gmail.com
Advocacy: Ken Rodgers
(612) 817-4760
kenrodgers@comcast.net
Editorial Committee: Nicky Schlender
(612) 618-4335
E-mail kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Social Committee: Colleen Kitagawa
(612) 964-2005
Email: kitagawa@mysero.net