CCB BC - Yukon Division
“The voice of the Blind”
CCB BC-Yukon Division Newsletter – Summer 2019 Edition
Summer 2019 News
President’s Message///
Hello, hoping you all have had a wonderful summer; – we are quite blessed that our forest fire situation mostly stayed in check and there were fewer campfire bans for campers; toasting marshmallows around the campfire is one of my favourite memories from Guiding and family camping. Hoping you all are ready to get back into the routine of school and meetings and curling and hockey and whatever your Chapter is involved with…
Okay, not to fret! I remembered and here’s my riddle/joke for you
Why do cows have hooves and not feet?
Please check the end of this newsletter for the answer. And now back to business…
Your Division Board of Directors have met twice since our AGM and we want to be sure Lori Fry is recognize as a Hounourary Director of our Division Board of Directors. At our 2019 AGM the membership bestowed this honour on Lori as a token of their appreciation for the time and work Lori has done on behalf of the CCB BC-Yukon Division for many years – 2002 to 2019. Congratulations Lori and thank you for all the time and work you have given our Division!
It will soon be time to start collecting membership dues for 2020 and your Chapter contact should be hearing from CCB National soon. Wow 2020 – it’s hard to believe – where have the years gone to… But we do have an excellent excuse to celebrate in 2020 – it is the 75th Anniversary of our organization – the CCB BC-Yukon Division. Please be sure to celebrate however, whenever and wherever you can in 2020 – during Chapter meetings, White Cane Week or use your imagination and just make sure you plan something special… Your Division is planning on an extra special White Cane Week event in February and celebrating at next year’s AGM being held in the Comox Valley from Monday April 20th (arrival day for delegates) to Thursday April 23rd (departure day for all) – with lots of celebrating, fun and exciting activities planned between those days. It will be our time to shine!
Since 2014 the Division newsletters have been coming to you in this format and we have never christened it with a name. So… please email your suggestions to me at ann4council@telus.net – I will keep track of who sends what and if there are duplicate suggestions; and at our 2020 75th Anniversary celebrations in the Comox Valley, we will choose a name for our newsletter – your suggestion will be anonymous when we choose, but there will be an announcement and a prize for the member(s) who sent in the winning suggestion! Please don’t ask me what the prize will be – I think it’ll be a surprise to me until we decide… But please participate and help christen our newsletter.
Have fun at your upcoming meetings and please remember your Division Board of Directors is here to help you. And please do not hesitate to email or call me or any other Division Board Member for more information or clarification on any matters concerning the CCB BC-Yukon Division. Ann McNabb, President
Facebook///
If you have Chapter events or pictures, please send them to
Lenni Kennedy at lennikennedy@shaw.ca
to post on Facebook. We would like to hear from you!
Using the Trade Exchange///
The Division would like to offer our Chapters the opportunity to have their brochures printed using the Trade Exchange. Chapters would be responsible for the design and layout, as well as any delivery and taxes charged. Please contact Judy Macdonald if you have any questions on how this process would work… judymacdonaldccbassistant@yahoo.ca
Membership Tidbits///
– submitted by Pat Chicquen
Well, I have been busy for the past few weeks working with a few clubs and it seems that every club is doing fine. At least I hope so. Remember if you have any concerns give me a call and if I can’t help you, I will find somebody who can.
I will be going to Penticton in September to attend the meeting Lori Cyra has organized. Good work Lori getting the club started again.
Don’t forget if you need to or want to chat call me at 250-339-3904.
2020 Annual General Meeting///
– submitted by Pat Chicquen
I am so pleased we are having our 2020 Annual General Meeting in The beautiful Comox Valley. It is also the 75th anniversary of the Canadian Council of the Blind BC-Yukon Division, making it even more special. There is a hint of a winery on the agenda and so we will be able to toast our 75th in our great Province with style. Looking forward to see all of you who can make it.Have a great rest of the summer and take care…
Chapter Call in Sessions///
Calling All Chapters…
Once again this coming year, the Division will be hosting Chapter Call In Sessions. These call in sessions give Chapters/members the opportunity to share and have open discussion and communication. It is the chance for you to share your ideas and opinions. It allows us to learn more about each other and what’s important to us.
Your next Chapter Call In Sessions are Thursday October 17th and Friday November 15th at 10:00 AM. Before each call, President Ann will send out a reminder with the call in instructions. We hope to hear you on this call. And please feel free to email or call if you have any questions or would like to suggest discussion topics – contact information is at the top of this publication.
Sports and Recreation///
Provincial Blind Curling Championships///
– submitted by Bill Mah
Kelowna will be the hosts for the 2020 Provincial Blind Curling play downs from January 10-12th, 2020. This event will host 4 blind and visually impaired curling teams from throughout the province. Our play down is used to determine the 2021 BC REPRESENTATIVES to the Canadian Vision Impaired Championships held in Ottawa and the 2 representatives for the Western bonspiel held later on in the year.
Earlier on this year, the West Coast Blind Curling group was advised that 100 Mile House would not be putting a team in the 2020 event. It was felt by the executive of the Association that we could not have an event with only 3 teams. With this in mind, we need to put together a fourth team.
We are looking for interested blind and visually impaired persons that would be interested in participating at our championships with players that are made up of curlers from throughout the province. Past curling experience is critical as this is not a learning opportunity. From the participants expressing interest, we would determine if we need to augment the group with other players from the existing teams.
I can be reached by email at bmah59@shaw.ca or phone at 250-878-0710 if you want further information or to let your name stand to be a part of this fourth team. You can also text me at this number. Looking forward to hearing from past curlers.
Curling in the Lower Mainland///
– submitted by Iris Thompson
Curling Anyone? Our curling starts up October 2nd 2019, from noon until 2:00 PM. Curling is held at the Hilcrest community center in Vancouver. If people wish to have lunch beforehand, a soup and sandwich can be purchased for $6.
Contact Carol Kent at 604-266-9656 or email at carolkent@telus.net. No experience in curling is necessary, there are several coaches to explain and help out with the sport. Curling is held weekly until the middle of March.
Blind Hockey, Blind Tennis & Dragon Boating///
-submitted by Brodie McKenzie
Greetings everyone all chapters in the BC and UConn division, I hope everyone had a fantastic summer it wasn’t too hot and it was very nice with some rainy days here and there 🙂
Below I will include information about blind hockey, blind tennis, and Dragon boating…
Blind Hockey…
This summer team Canada and other hockey clubs plus players across the nation got together in Toronto during July for one week of hockey training camp. The hockey training camp was split into three groups the first group was team Canada, the second group was all other players trying to make the cut for the national team and gain better skills, and the third group was the younger division. All players got a chance to practice with multiple ice times during the day, group gatherings with special guests, and a scrimmage at the end of the training camp.
At the end of the hockey camp there was the selection for team Canada with only a small number of spots it was a tough decision for the coaching staff. All players we’re positive throughout their experience and enjoyed the company from everyone, and they are all looking forward to the regional blind hockey tournament in the fall plus the national 2020 blind hockey tournament in the spring 2020.
Below I will include a post from Canadian blind hockey with the new rosters for team Canada.
2019 – 2020 CANADIAN NATIONAL BLIND HOCKEY TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Canadian Blind Hockey named the 2019 – 2020 Canadian National Blind Hockey Team today, selecting seventeen players and five coaches from across the country. Players and coaches were selected from a deep Canadian National Team pool based on performances at this year’s National Championships, followed by the National Team Selection Camp which took place in Toronto and ended last week. The 2019 – 2020 Team Canada has twelve returning players, as well as five rookies who will be making their National Team debut. Players and coaches come from six different provinces: Alberta, BC, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec.
“We had to make some extremely tough decisions,” said Team Canada Head Coach Paul Kerins. “As awareness of Blind Hockey continues to grow, we are finding more and more elite hockey players who are blind or partially sighted from all across the country.”
Canadian Blind Hockey recognizes the efforts of all of the players who participated in the selection process, and congratulates everyone involved on a fantastic showing.
2019 – 2020 Canadian National Blind Hockey Team
Skaters
# 17 – François Beauregard (Montreal, QC)
# 37 – Julien Blais-Savoie (Montreal, QC)
# 64 – Anthony Ciulla (Langley, BC)
# 5 – Joseph Del Grande (Toronto, ON)
# 9 – Mark John DeMontis (Toronto, ON)
# 93 – Joe Fornsy (Burlington, ON)
# 89 – Wyatt Harvey (Peterborough, ON)
#66 – Kiefer Jones (Calgary, AB)
#27 – Tristan Lindberg (Edmonton, AB)
# 97 – AlexAngus MacEachen (Mabou, NS)
# 22 – Kelly Serbu (Cole Harbour, NS / Ottawa, ON)
#58 – Thomas Raymond (Ste-Julie, QC)
#19 – Simon Richard (Dieppe, NB)
# 87 – Scott Roberts (Richmond, BC)
#91 – Jason Yuha (Rosalind, AB)
Goaltenders
#33 – Joey Cabral (Toronto, ON)
#30 – Lorne Webber (Edmonton, AB)
Coaches and Management Staff
Head Coach – Paul Andrew Kerins (Toronto, ON)
Assistant Coach – Joe McCallion
Assistant Coach – Jeff Street (Toronto, ON)
Goalie Coach – Joey Ali Proali Goalie (Langley, BC)
Director of Hockey Operations – Luca DeMontis (Toronto, ON)
This is the Canadian blind hockey YouTube channel,
Canadian Blind Hockey YouTube
Blind Tennis…
Blind tennis has started in Coquitlam during spring 2017. We have been playing at Pine tree community centre with multiple players enjoying tennis thank you to our wonderful coach, all the volunteers that have been coming to help out. The community centre and BC Blind Sports have been generous enough to let us have the space and time for multiple months which was a great opportunity for players to enjoy playing tennis. This past summer months in July we had one day for Bc Blind Sports members, and the next day for blind beginnings members to play blind tennis. The players from both organizations God the month of August to come back and play if they wanted to. We have one more summer tennis session the last Wednesday of August and then in the fall September 10, 2019 blind tennis starts up once again.
Blind tennis is a wonderful game, it is not as fast as normal tennis but if you wanted to depending on your ability and skill level it could be a fast or slow game to improve technique and disciplined for the game. The tennis program has started on the West Coast here in 2017, and there is one other group in Toronto our goal is to get tennis rackets in the hands of blind players in more cities for everyone to enjoy the game. And one day to represent team Canada for blind tennis in the near future.
Blind tennis was started in Japan in the 1980s, it is represented at international tournaments with multiple countries competing for the championship and soon will be a para Olympic sport.
Dragon Boating…
The 2019 season was great the weather was good on most days, falls creek water was OK to practice for the two festivals.
The 2019 Concord Pacific festival was the second biggest international Dragon boating festival with over 5000 paddlers from multiple countries was in June. This wonderful festival had paddlers racing on Saturday and Sunday, the team I paddle with is dragons in sight. We had two races on Saturday and one semi-final and the last final race on Sunday. Our team did pretty good for our division gaining speed on each race. The final race on Sunday it was a close one but we did not gain a medal for division D.
Now we have more practices for the 2019 Steveston Dragon boating festival. Dragons in sight a dragon boating team filled with strength, and passion. We have four races in one day hopefully for a medal in each paddler’s hand. The weather was great, the mighty Fraser River was rushing with energy, every Paddler and team were ready for their races. Teams representing from BC Blind Sports were competing for their fastest times on each race with races starting at 9:30 AM with only a short time between each race to warm up fuel up, and get ready to go. The festival had teams racing 2 250 m, and 2 500 m races. The final race dragons in sight the team I paddle with was bursting with energy, strength, and positive vibes determined to win and receive a fantastic time. The competitiveness was flowing and it was a close race within milliseconds there were teams racing in the final race with division D and we just made it 9/10 of a second for second place. The team was so excited for second place and to receive our silver medals afterwards.
Each team from Bc Blind Sports worked very hard all season and receiving their metals in the festivals. The 2019 Dragon boating season ended with the last Dragon boating festival it was a great time for all, and we are looking forward to the 2020 season.
Blind hockey, line tennis and Dragon boating are my way to strengthen my mind, body, and soul participating in various sports helps me build my courage for my daily life. Pushing myself further, and having great camaraderie is creating a positive pathway to look past my blindness to become a leader, and re-creator. It’s not over, it’s only just begun. You have to believe to achieve. Always have confidence in the vision you have.
BLIND GOLF IN BC WRAPS UP///
– submitted by Darren Douma
“The Kootenays catches the eyes of all blind golfers”
BC kicked off a ten-day stretch of Championship blind golf in Creston, BC with the first-ever BC Provincial Championships. July 5th and 6th. The Championships had five BC players participating and two who were newcomers to blind golf. As you can see by the results, both had success in their first Championships. The Creston Golf Club provided a challenging course for these championships and Mother Nature also cooperated and provided great weather for the 36 holes of Championship play. This event was also the lead in to two other Championship events in BC following in Kimberley (The Western Canadian Blind Golf Championships) and in Cranbrook (the ISPS Handa Canadian Blind Golf Championships).
This event would not have happened without the strong support and sponsorship of BC Golf and BC Blind Sports and Recreation. In addition, this event was well supported by local sponsorship support and we recognize their support and promotion of blind golf in Creston.
BC Provincial Final Results:
Overall Low Net Provincial Champion is George Thirkill and Coach Nitro Rite of Langley, BC
Overall Low Net Provincial Runner-Up is Doug Penner and Coach Charlotte Penner of Winnipeg, Manitoba
BC Provincial Senior Low Net Champion is Howard Colwell and Coach Jim McLeod of Creston, BC
BC Provincial Senior Low Net Runner -Up is Zohar Sharon and coach Shim Shon Levi from Tel Aviv, Israel
BC Provincial Ladies Low Net Champion is Julie Moroney and Coach Pearse Moroney of Victoria, BC
BC Provincial B1 (no vision) Men’s Low Gross Champion is Gerry Nelson and Coach Chris Villeneauve of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
BC Provincial B1 Men’s Low Gross Runner-Up is Joe Furber and Coach Francis Oliver of Winnipeg, Manitoba
BC Provincial B2 (5% vision) Men’s Low Gross Champion is Tyler Thompson of Lexington, Kentucky USA and coach Lawrence Ward of Creston, BC
BC Provincial B2 Men’s Low Gross Runner-Up is Darcy Furber and Coach Ron Oliver of Winnipeg, Manitoba
BC Provincial B3 (10% vision) Men’s Low Gross Champion is Kiefer Jones and Coach Deb Frey both of Calgary, Alberta
BC Provincial B3 Men’s Low Gross Runner-Up is Hugh Montgomery and Coach Laurie Montgomery of Simcoe, Ontario
The 2019 Western Canadian Championships and the 2019 ISPS HANDA Canadian Championships concluded in Kimberley and Cranbrook this past week. Both events were blessed with great weather along with an overwhelming amount of praises from all participants. Both Bootleg Gap and St. Eugene courses were in exceptional condition and provided the participants with great beauty, along with the vast overwhelming scenery. Both events also had an overwhelming amount of participation. Along with 31 Canadians, the field was also made up of 7 players from the USA, as well as players from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Israel, Mexico, and South Korea.
Prior to these events, Bootleg Gap also hosted the official opening ceremonies to kick off these international blind golf Championships. In attendance to welcome our visitors was Mayor of Kimberley Don McCormack, MLA of Columbia-Kootenays Wayne Stetski, and Ktunaxa Nation Director, Kathryn Tenesse. A local piper started the ceremonies by marching in all the country flags being represented at these events, including the Ktunaxa Nation’s traditional flag. These flags were proudly carried by the local Kimberley-Cranbrook Special Olympics, along with several representative players, and Kathryn Tenesse.
The Western Canadian Championships at Bootleg Gap was a stableford event along with gross stroke play for the men. The results were as follows:
Overall Low Net Stabeford Champion was Tyler Thompson from Lexington Kentucky along with his guide Lawrence Ward of Creston, BC.
Overall Low Net Runner-Up was Jason Bastable and his guide Ben Skym, both from England.
Overall Senior Champion was Henri Therrien and guide Marie Diamond, both from Montreal, Quebec.
Overall Senior runner-up was George Thirkill and Coach Nitro Rite from Langley, BC.
Ladies Overall Champion was a newcomer from Victoria, BC, Julie Moroney and her coach Pearse Moroney.
Ladies Overall Runner-Up was Diane Wilson and her coach Byron Wilson from Port Ludlow, Washington, USA.
B1 Men’s Gross category we have golfers with no vision (light perception). The Men’s B1 Gross Champion is the World’s number one B1 golfer and reigning world Champion, Zohar Sharon and his coach Shim Shon Levi from Tel Aviv, Israel.
The B1 Men’s Low Gross runner-up was also a newcomer from Aguascalientes, Mexico was Ricardo Silva and his coach Ismael Delgado.
B2 Men’s Gross Category (players with about 5% vision) the Champion was another newcomer from Medford Oregon, Britton Munoz and Coach Larry Douglas.
B2 Men’s Gross Runner-Up was Darcy Furber and Coach Ron Oliver from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
B3 Men’s Gross Category (Players with about 10% vision) the Champion was Kiefer Jones of Calgary, Alberta and coach Jim Currie from Mervin, Saskatchewan.
B3 Low Gross Runner-Up was Glenn Babcock and Coach Lois Babcock from Thornhill, Ontario. Glenn, who has never shot lower than “80” in his golf career, finally broke “80” in our Western Championships shooting a score of “77”.
All participants had such an amazing experience at Bootleg Gap and General Manager Trevor Simkins and all the wonderful staff at Bootleg Gap are commended for making our Western Canadian Championships successful and memorable for all involved.
Following the Western Canadian Championships was the 2019 ISPS HANDA Canadian Championships at ST. Eugene Golf Resort. The same participants attended both Championships and four additional participants from Canada and the USA came to participate in the Canadian Championships. The results are as follows:
2019 Overall Low Net Champion was Sung Woo Cho and Coach Byeong Choi from Seoul, South Korea
Overall Low Net Runner-Up was George Thirkill and Coach Nitro Rite from Langley, BC – Thirkill was also Overall Seniors Canadian Champion, but spreading the awards, the Senior Champion was awarded to Doug Penner and Coach Charlotte Penner from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Senior Low Net Runner-Up came down to a tie between Howard Colwell and coach Davit Butt of Creston, BC and Victor Goetz and Coach Mary Goetz of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Overall Ladies Low Net Champion was Diane Wilson and Coach Byron Wilson from Port Ludlow, Washington.
Overall Ladies Low Net Runner-Up was Lillian Has of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Coach Kay Montgomery from Mervin, Saskatchewan.
Overall Ladies’ Low Gross Champion was Jan Dinsdale and Coach David McVeigh from Comber, Northern Ireland.
Overall ladies’ Low Gross runner-up was again newcomer, Julie Moroney and her coach Pearse Moroney from Victoria, BC.
Overall Men’s B1 Low Gross Champion was Zohar Sharon and coach Shim Shon Levi from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Overall Men’s B1 Low Gross Runner-Up was Ricardo Silva and Coach Ismael Delgado from Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Overall B2 Low Gross Champion is the reigning B2 Canadian Champion, Derek Kibblewhite and coach Lindsay Anderson from Calgary, Alberta
B2 Low Gross Runner-Up was Tyler Thompson from Lexington Kentucky and coach Lawrence Ward of Creston, BC.
B3 Low Gross Canadian Champion is the World number one B3 Golfer, and two-time World-reigning Champions, and now three-time B3 Canadian Champion, Kiefer Jones of Calgary, Alberta and his coach Jim Currie from Mervin, Saskatchewan.
B3 Low Gross Runner-Up is Darren Douma and Coach Walter Harder of Creston, BC.
These Championships were very exciting and were also made more exciting by one of the B2 players from Redcliff, Alberta. Roy Bert. Bert made one amazing shot on the Par 3 seventh hole at St. Eugene in his final round by rolling in his first hole-in-one of his golf career. Memorable as it was, Bert would have liked to have made this hole-in-one during the Charity practice round on the Thursday because there was a $10,000 hole-in-one prize on that hole sponsored by Lazy Bear Lodge. Bert and coach George Goulder of Creston were very happy with the shot and were recognized by St. Eugene Head Professional Cindy Soukoroff during the awards dinner.
The 2019 ISPS Handa Canadian Championships were well hosted at St. Eugene Golf Resort by Head Professional Cindy Soukoroff and all her friendly and hard-working staff. All staff made our stay and our golf very memorable and unforgettable. All participants could not say enough about how breath-taking the golf courses were and the vast scenery surrounding them. The East Kootenays touched the hearts of all our visitors and expect most to return in the very near future.
Another memorable moment for all the participants came at the closing awards dinner. The Ktunaxa Nation Dancers came and performed prior to dinner. One special dance which got all participants involved was the circle dance or the circle of friendship dance. Everyone participated and enjoyed and respected the great talented and traditional dance and dress of the Ktunaxa Nation.
In blind golf all players rely heavily on their coaches on and off the golf course. Without the coaches, they could not play. Also, with any of these events, they could not happen without sponsorship support or the help of many volunteers. Both events had the huge volunteer support of the local Cranbrook Lions Club. Many volunteers from the Cranbrook Lions Club came out to both golf courses each day to act as hole spotters to aid golfers in locating their stray shots. Without this help, golfers would have been on the golf course a lot longer. So, to the Cranbrook Lions Club, all the participants of both events thank all of you for coming out to volunteer and be a big part of our Championship events. This can also be said for Free Spirit Travel owner Vicki Syfchuk. Vicki and all her family stepped up to sponsor our Championship events and take care of our transportation needs for the entire week I the East Kootenays. Not only did they provide transportation, but they also helped with other volunteer needs including delivering pizza to some of our guests. They went above and beyond and this was recognized and appreciated by all participants. As mentioned, without sponsorship support these events would not be possible. Thanks go out to all our sponsors for their generous support and commitment to blind golf.
Event Chairman and host, Darren Douma although exhausted from this huge undertaking is extremely happy with the outcome. “We hosted these blind golf championships in the Kootenays over a ten-day stretch. All were successful and memorable for all involved. Everyone loved the golf courses and all the excellent service they received from the staff. All our visitors loved the vast amount of great scenery we have in the Kootenays and surrounding these golf courses. This was one of my priorities in hosting”. “The other priority I had was to bring awareness to the Kootenays about the existence of blind golf. Our motto at Blind Golf Canada is, WE CAN STILL PLAY”. Many people still hear that the blind and partially sighted can play golf and cannot believe it. Blind Golf Canada continue to try and expose and bring awareness to Canadians that you can golf, and we want new members from across Canada to join and come out swinging. This can be said for any sport. Anyone coping with vision loss can participate in any sport, whether on a recreational or competitive level. You just need to believe in yourself and look at your ability, not your disability.
We certainly want to grow the awareness and participation in blind golf, so we encourage anyone interested to visit: www.blindgolf.ca to find out more. I also encourage anyone looking into other sports to also to visit www.bcblindsports.bc.ca
Personal thanks also to Volunteer Leader Virginia Harder and Walter Harder (members of CCB-VIBE-Creston Chapter) for all the hard work in organizing and assisting in making these events possible. Another big job is scoring for these events and Virginia Harder and local Lesley Weaver poured hours into scoring these tournaments.
CCB 100 Mile House Chapter///
– submitted by Lori Fry
NO FIRES, NO SMOKE! What a great summer, the first since 2016. With a nice combination of sun and rain, the 2019 summer in 100 Mile House is sadly coming to an end. Soon we will put away the summer things and bid farewell to one season as we welcome the next; dust off our curling shoes and get ready for our tenth season of curling.
The 2019–2020 curling season will be slightly different for the 100 Mile House team as they put competition on hold to accommodate previously scheduled endeavors that clashed with the curling calendar. A couple of the team members have extended travel plans while a couple of others are busy preparing for a major hike.
In the meantime, the 100 Mile curlers will continue to play locally and will return to competition next season. We encourage other curlers from around the province to sign up for the West Coast Blind Curling Provincial Playdowns 2020 team that will substitute for the 100 Mile team. This will help the WCBCA keep the 2020 event running smooth and balanced with a full roster.
NO SIGHT, NO PROBLEM!
VISION – THE BLIND CLIMB MOUNT KILIMANJARO 2020
On September 1, 2020, Lori Fry, Jim Vinson and their guide Arlette Heck will begin an eight day Trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Representing British Columbia and Alberta, Lori, Jim and Arlette are the western members of this national team, “CCB Team Limitless,” and have agreed to join other low vision and blind participants and their sighted guides from across Canada to accept this 2020 Blind Challenge. Learn more about Team Limitless: www.teamlimitless.ca.
Although each team member has their own personal reason(s) for accepting the challenge, collectively, the team will demonstrate the ability to overcome adversities while providing inspiration, hope and empowerment to others dealing with vision loss, blindness or other life challenges.
The year “2020” is an unique opportunity to bring attention to healthy vision, vision loss and discovering life with blindness and Mount Kilimanjaro is the perfect platform to demonstrate that reaching for the stars is achievable. Team members hope that this trek helps provide educational insight to others regarding vision loss and the ability to overcome its related challenges. Additionally, the team would like to promote the prevention of vision loss through good eye health care and preservation of 20/20 vision. Although “hind sight” always seems to be 20/20, don’t wait until it is too late for an eye test.
Lori and Jim have been active advocates in the low vision and blind community for many years. Their involvement in adaptive sports, public events, peer counseling and fundraising as members of the 100 Mile House & District Blind and Visually Impaired White Cane Club has helped to provide the Cariboo region with a valuable community resource since 1991.
Team Limitless is now seeking contributions through sponsorships and donations to help raise funds to support their quest to conquer Mount Kili. Lori, Jim and Arlette would like to thank their first sponsors,Dr. Neil Vanderhorst, 100 Mile Vision Care. Members of this team are also fundraising for Camp Abilities – a sports camp for children with visual impairments. Donations collected in excess of expenses for the Mount Kilimanjaro hike will be directed towards Camp Abilities. Learn more about the organization here: www.campabilities.org.
Canadian Paralympian, Terry Kelly has been instrumental in establishing the first Camp Abilities in conjunction with the CNIB at Lake Joseph in Ontario. New locations of Camp Abilities are to be established in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.
For further details, contact: Lori Fry at 250-395-2452, Jim Vinson at 250-609-3088 or Arlette Heck at 403-625-9129.
Email them at: blindchallenge2020@shaw.ca
Mailing Address: 100 Mile House & District White Cane Club – PO Box 1232, 100 Mile House, BC V0K 2E0
Donations made by cheque should be payable to: CCB 100 Mile House WCC
GO FUND ME:
No Sight, No Problem – The Blind Mount Kili Climb
https://www.gofundme.com/h6mpn4-no-sight-no-problem-the-blind-mount-kili-climb
Facebook :
No Sight, No Problem. The Blind Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro 2020
@blindclimbkili
CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) BC-Yukon Division
119218899 RR0001
CCB Campbell River Chapter///
Our Goal is complete…
– submitted by Connie Burns and Lorraine Welch
Sparked by an advertisement in an email, in October 2017, our Chapter set a goal to make available 20 inch Desk Top Magnifiers for each of our Senior Care Homes and our Library.
Kelvin Adams attended a Kinsmen Club meeting and received funds for our first magnifier. Lorraine Welch attended the Noon Rotary Club to speak about our club; and we applied for a grant from them and received funds for two more. Lorraine attended another meeting to explain how happy the Adult Day Care was and how they were making use of the magnifier – reading books, reading medication info and labels, looking at family photos that they had not seen in years, and playing games such as placing an item on the magnifier and covering up a portion for viewers to guess what the item was. The Rotary was so impressed they generously donated one more Magnifier. Lorraine also attended the Willow Point Lions Club with a magnifier to give a demonstration and received funds for one more magnifier. Letters were sent by Lorraine to the Altrusa Club, the Eagles Ladies Auxiliary and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary. We have now met our goal and our seventh magnifier was placed on August 7th, 2019. We have raised a total of $15,500.00.
We would like to thank all our community services groups for their support and helping us complete our project and meet our goal.
CCB Chilliwack Chapter///
Chilliwack has had a busy summer – members have continued to enjoy chair yoga weekly, indulge in brunches and lunches, learn braille and attend a community picnic, where our friends Heidi and Ray entertained the crowds. And we are looking forward to getting back into our regular routine of meetings twice a month, guest speakers, good food, GTT, bowling and much more – and we’re hoping to get a monthly crib playing day going at one of our member’s community rooms.
One of our members shared that the Canadian Bible Society offers free Bibles to blind/partially sighted individuals – braille, large print cd or on an electronic device; and some of us have already received our Bibles and we will share the order form upon request.
CCB Comox Valley Chapter///
– submitted by Charles and Muriel Reid
During the months of July and August many of our members kept in touch by attending our monthly luncheons and in August we were well attended with 25 members and volunteers who met at our local White Spot in Courtenay.
Our annual picnic held July 9th at Knots Winery was a great success. It was a nice surprise to see Ann McNabb and hubby from Chilliwack, in addition, to many members from surrounding chapters – Alberni Valley, Campbell River, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville and Qualicum. Thanks to the Executive and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this a very special event as well as to Al and Linda Mornan who led us in a sing-along.
Additionally, door prizes were won by members whose names were pulled out of a large bowl and, of course, the wine tasting was a hit!
Our next monthly out-to-lunch brunch will be held on: Wednesday, September 11th at 11:30 AM at the Bisque Restaurant on Cliffe Avenue in Courtenay.
Our monthly meetings will resume on Tuesday September 3rd and we look forward to meeting up with all our Chapter members whilst working together to improve our Chapter for all.
CCB Kamloops Chapter///
– submitted by Vern Short
Members of our Club continue to lawn bowl and enjoy coffee and snacks after our games. On August 21st, the Club took a day trip to Sunpeeks Ski Resort and enjoyed lunch – it was a beautiful day up there. September 8th is our Club’s Annual Fishing Derby at Lac La Juene Lake – we are celebrating 25 years participating in the derby – with door prizes to win and The Kamloops Fish & Game Club provide hamburgers and hotdogs, the boats and fishing gear for our members.
CCB Provincial Book Club Chapter///
Do you like to read? Or listen to books? If so, this may be the ticket for you… The next teleconference call meeting for our Provincial Book Club is Friday September 27th at 9:00 AM – we traditionally meet the fourth Friday every month except July and August. Each month we read and discuss a different book; in September we are reading “The Trial” written by Franz Kafka.
If you would like to join us, need help locating the book or would like any further information, please call Kathy Sanness at 778-484-2298 or 250-395-0395 or email ksanness@telus.net.
CCB Vancouver Arts and Culture Lovers Chapter///
– submitted by Amy Amantea
What’s Happening at VocalEye? This summer was packed with special programming.
On July 12 a group of 26 people with sight loss were invited to the Indian Summer Festival – as in South Asian, to experience a reception of traditional foods and experience a concert style performance – it was an evening full of culture that was quite an experience to remember. This event was offered to VocalEye members free of charge on a first come first serve basis and they even offered a shuttle service from a central skytrain station to the venue and back afterward – reducing bot the financial barrier and the transportation barrier was a credit to the organizers who went as far as possible to make the event as inclusive as possible.
Bard on the Beach had 2 described performances of The Taming of the Shrew and Shakespeare in Love throughout the summer. The 2 matinee performance included a picnic in the park beforehand which was enjoyed by all and a chance for people to get to know each other, socialize a bit and just enjoy the summer weather. Free tickets were offered to our guests with sight loss and a half-price ticket for a companion.
A touch tour followed both matinee productions with some of the most interesting props including guns and swords and even some of the actors came out to share with us some of the intricacies and behind the scenes stuff of the performance.
Theatre under the start (TUTS) is an outdoor live theatre event in Stanley Park. This year we described Disney’s “Newsies” – an award winning show that is very highly acclaimed, There was also a picnic in the park before this show and tickets were offered as a 2 for 1 special for VocalEye users.
July 31 featured Canada at the Celebration of Lights Fireworks. Working with the City of Vancouver – VocalEye was able to secure free seating in the bleacher section and also a reserved “log” right down on the beach. No fighting with the crowd to find a spot and no going down five hours early to find a space. Our volunteer describers draw the shapes of the fireworks on the backs of the patrons to get a fully all-encompassing experience of the fireworks including the smell of the sea air and the feel of it on your skin, and the sounds and smell of the gunpowder as the fireworks shoot off. I have been for 4 years in a row and it is the best way to experience fireworks for people who have never had the privilege to have seen them in their lifetime and those who lost their sight later in life and are looking for a way to reconnect with this type of event.
The Vancouver Art Gallery continues to offer described tours free of charge until the end of the year – on the first Saturday of each month. You must register your attendance through VocalEye as the tours are still in the pilot stage and not advertised to the public. They are a one hour tour and you can explore the gallery on your own afterward if you choose, sighted companions are welcome!
This and so much more is available on the VocalEye website and by signing up for the free monthly newsletter.
VocalEye hosted their first every Sighted Guide Basics workshop on June 29th. This was a full day workshop offered free to the public to learn sighted guide technique and in the afternoon we learned about respectful language around disability, giving useful direction to someone with sight loss, guide dog etiquette and more about everyday tips to help assist someone with sight loss. It was quite successful and VocalEye will continue to refine the training workshop based on feedback from the participants. The plan would be to hold 3-4 of these a year and connect with our theatre partners and other people who also work in the service industry so they can better assist clients and patrons with sight loss.
August 11 2019 marked the final show for this theatre season and the next VocalEye season starts up in September! We will be entering our 10th anniversary year so we expect to do some new and exciting things so we hope you will join us.
You can sign up for our free and accessible monthly newsletter full of exciting stuff. The Fringe Festival is happening soon and VocalEye has some free memberships available so let us know if you are interested!
amy@vocaleye.ca
Amy’s 2019 Europe Adventure///
– by Amy Amantea
In May of 2019 I travelled to Europe with my mother for a three week exploration of museums, tourist attractions, cultural and historical experiences, good food and good people. We started in Paris and were there for a week. Now, this was my second time in Europe. I was first there in my early twenties (almost 17 years ago) and I had my full sight – so this was going to be very different. For my mother, however, this was to be her first time in Europe. It took a year of planning everything out – and, of course, one of the most important things that was forgotten was to pack light. Taking metro’s, public transit and EuroRail means a lot of luggage needs to be pulled on and off quickly. There are also no elevators in places like Paris when it comes to their underground metro – so there are a lot of stairs and not just little stair cases but large and long staircases. I was over the pulling of heavy luggage right away – next time, remind me again to pack light!!
Paris is spectacular. We were worried that the people there would be upset that we didn’t have good French – but when they recognize that you are giving it your best try they start to communicate in English. And when you carry your white cane you don’t wait in line at any of the federally owned attractions. The Lourve, the largest museum in the world, was our first stop. We joined the three hours long line up with all the other tourists when a staff member noticed my white cane and came and pulled us out and took us directly through security – our tickets were free since I have sight loss and the companion ticket was also free. We had booked ourselves a guided tour in the evening so spent the day exploring the many galleries – just when you end in one hallway, there is another one. This place has more than 650,000 square feet of space with more than 380,000 objects and displays and 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. So there is a lot to look at!!
The outside of The Louvre has been featured in many films, but probably the most noticeable was The Da Vinci Code. The iconic glass pyramid stands prominently in the centre court surrounded by ancient architecture. Speaking of Da Vinci – The Louvre is where the Mona Lisa is housed. Painted by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vince between 1503 and 1506 – but some historians say that he continued to work on it until 1517. I always have referred to this painting as a “postage stamp” because it is pretty small when you get up close. The gallery area is quite large and people fill this space from wall to wall trying to get a glimpse of the masterpiece. The perimeter of the space is roped off – it turns out that if you have a disability this is the line for you. It takes you past all the other tourists and directly in front of the paining for clean and unobstructed views and photos. It does feel a bit unfair but boy is it a time saver to get up close and personal.
A bit of history about the Louvre itself: The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. … During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces. There is a section inside where the original palace walls are preserved. Inside the section you will find all sorts of history on the building itself. This section also contains tactile information displays where you can touch with your hands the shape of the original building and how it has changed over the centuries. You can also touch the preserved walls of the palace. The panels are high contrasted and also have Braille on them. The Louvre also has a specific gallery that house reproductions of sculptures from throughout the museum – this gallery is a touch gallery and you can explore things with your hands and up close. They also have tactile information panels with Braille. As with everything in the Louvre, it is on a rotation schedule – closed Tuesdays and Saturdays for maintenance. Many of the galleries are like this. In fact, we visited the Louvre 2 days in a row, once we found out it was free and no line ups – it was easy to go back on day 2 and view the touch gallery and the Egyptian Antiquities gallery that had both been closed the day before.
Paris was filled with so many things to do and see. We also visited the Eifel Tower, did the hope on Hope off bus tour – we would absolutely recommend that! Saw Napoleon’s tomb and the war museum, and so much more.
Next newsletter I will share with you more of this incredible adventure!
CCB Get Together with Technology (GTT) Corner///
-submitted by Albert Ruel
How to Edit Text on the iPhone Using Gestures on the Screen
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Using the Word movement unit on the Rotor, flick up or down to place your cursor on the word you wish to replace/delete.
Note: Flicking up places the cursor at the start of the word and flicking down places it on the last letter of the word.
2. Spin the Rotor to the item called Text Selection, then flick up or down to find the item called Word Selection.
3. Flick right to select the word your cursor is sitting on and Voice Over should say that word followed by the word, selected. BTW, if you select too many words you can flick left to unselect the last one.
4. Delete the word by tapping the Delete key, or replace it by typing any word or words, or dictating the replacement word/phrase.
Note: After replacing the word you will need to add a space.
How to Edit Text on the iPhone Using the Rotor Features from a Bluetooth Keyboard
Note: It is important to remember when using a Bluetooth keyboard that you need to turn QuickNav off to work within an edit field and turn QuickNav on to work with any rotor items.
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Double Tap on an Edit field to activate it.
BK: up-arrow and down-arrow at the same time (double-tap equivalent) when you are on the edit field and QuickNav is on. This will turn QuickNav mode off automatically.
2. Dictate some text for this practice session.
BK: Type in some text from the keyboard for the practice session.
3. Double Tap on the Edit field again to bring focus back to the front of the Edit field. Each time you Double Tap on an Edit field your focus will move to the front or back of the text depending on where it currently sits.
BK: Use Command plus up-arrow to move to the start of the edit field, Command plus down-arrow to move to the bottom of the edit field.
4. Spin the Rotor to Word then flick down with one finger to move forward through the text one word at a time, and flick up with one finger to move backward. The cursor will be focused on the last letter of the word when you flick down, and at the front of the word when you flick up. Conversely, when focus is on a single letter word or on a Space, flicking down sets the direction for deleting to move forward, and after a flick up the direction is set to delete toward the left margin.
BK: To “spin the rotor”, first turn on QuickNav with left-arrow and right-arrow together. Then use up-arrow and left-arrow to move the rotor left or up-arrow and right-arrow to move the rotor right. Once you reach the desired rotor option you can up-arrow or down-arrow to select a specific option on that rotor setting if any exist. The “word” rotor item does not have any such sub-options. Finally, turn QuickNav off again with left-arrow and right-arrow together to get back into edit mode.
Note: this assumes of course that you have previously added the “word” rotor item to your rotor. This you do in Settings / General / Accessibility / Voiceover / Rotor.
5. Flick with one finger to the word you wish to replace or delete, then flick up to set the cursor at the front of the word.
BK: With QuickNav off, use Option and right-arrow to move right a word at a time. As with flicking, the cursor will be at the end of the word so use Option and left-arrow together to move to the start of the word.
A simple right-arrow or left-arrow will move the cursor a character at a time.
6. Spin the Rotor to the item titled Text Selection and flick down with one finger to the desired movement unit, IE. Character, Word, Line, Page or Select All.
BK: Turn QuickNav on with left-arrow and right-arrow together. Move the rotor with up-arrow and left-arrow or up-arrow and right-arrow. Once on the “text select” item, use up-arrow or down -arrow to choose which option you want.
7. To replace the word that currently has focus, choose Word in the Text Selection Rotor item, then flick with one finger to the right and VO will speak the word followed by the word Selected. If you continue to flick to the right you can select multiple words if more than one is to be removed or replaced.
BK: While still in QuickNav mode, choose the “text select” rotor item, down-arrow to the word” option, then right-arrow to select one or more words to work on.
8. You can then Double Tap the delete button to remove the selected word from your text, type the replacement word or phrase, or you can activate the Dictation feature and speak your replacement word or phrase. What you type or dictate will replace the selected word or phrase. Close the Dictation feature and your editing is complete.
BK: To delete the selected text, press the Backspace key. You will hear “selecdtion deleted”. To replace the selected text, first turn QuickNav off using the left-arrow right-arrow combination then type in the replacement text. I am still trying to find an easy way to invoke the dictation option from a bluetooth keyboard so I’ll leave that for now.
For further reference go to Hadley Instructional Videos…
https://www.hadley.edu/instructionalvideos/iPhone_and_iPad.asp
Video Using the Rotor…
https://hadley.edu/PlayVideo.asp?vid=311
Video Adding Elements to the Rotor…
https://hadley.edu/PlayVideo.asp?vid=3
Video Selecting, Copying and Pasting Text using the Rotor…
https://hadley.edu/PlayVideo.asp?vid=14
Ruff Ruff Corner///
By Bill Conway
For those of us who fly frequently and encounter barriers when boarding a plane, please take special note from the media release sent out by, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) and the National Coalition of People who use Guide and Service Dogs. info@hooh.ca
CTA confidential toll-free Accessibility Help Line:
1-844-943-0273
Hi All, in case you have not heard, the following article from the Canadian Transport Agency website contains information regarding the CTA and its Accessibility confidential help line. The times are eastern which is not very good for people in the west. According to people at CTA, if you have issues booking with carriers, they are able to assist and may intervene. If anyone uses this line or has issues with regards to travelling with your Guide or Service Dog, please let us know.
We are monitoring the impacts of the new Passenger Protection and the Accessible Travel Regulations for Guide and Service Dog users and any information or issues you have, please let us know. Hope your summer has gone well.
Canadian Transportation Agency launches a new confidential toll-free Accessibility Help Line, August 20, 2019 – Gatineau, QC – Canadian Transportation Agency
The disability community and persons with disabilities now have new tools available to help them exercise their right to an accessible transportation network. In support of the implementation of the new Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has launched a new confidential toll-free Accessibility Help Line to provide information, and guidance about dispute resolution services relating to accessible travel. Callers to the Accessibility Help Line can have access to a staff member if they have questions relating to accessible transportation, or if they wish to file a transportation-related accessibility complaint. This is a confidential service. Staff are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time.
New Accessibility Help Line – 1-844-943-0273