Registration
Pre-Registration for the 2024 ACB Annual Conference and Convention is open from May 13 (May 20th for non-ACB members and closes June 17th. To register online, go to https://members.acb.org/
Joining ACB Next Generation
Don’t miss one of the hottest deals of the summer! Take advantage of this sizzling offer by joining or renewing your membership with ACB Next Generation. Did you know that by paying your ACB Next Gen dues during the 2024 ACB Conference and Convention, you can rest easy by covering your membership through 2025! That’s right. All you have to do is either join us as a new member or renew your membership between June 24 through July 12, 2024 and you will be a paid member of this growing affiliate through 2025. Dues are only $15 per year. Just think of what you can do with the extra cash in your Venmo or PayPal account. From Bitcoin to Starbucks coffee to Reese’s Cups, the possibilities are endless.
To join us as a new member, or renew please complete the membership application located at: https://www.acbnextgeneration.
Please direct questions or comments tomembership@
Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk and ACB Next Generation Allstars Gear
Who’s Got Spirit? The ACB Next Generation Allstars do! We are fired up for the 2024 ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk and we are ready to walk into a brighter future! 50% of the funds raised from this event come directly to our affiliate. This fundraiser helps our organization provide funding for our members to attend the DC Leadership Conference and the ACB Conference and Convention, as well as our Technology Grant. No amount is too small, so give generously! Check our ACB NextGeneration Allstars page here: https://interland3.
ACB Next Generation Allstars gear from Blind Girl Designs
Look and feel an “Allstar” this Summer by grabbing your very own ACB Next Generation Allstars gear! This year, the ACB Next Generation Allstars will shine brighter than ever before. In collaboration with Blind Girl Designs, we are excited to announce that you can purchase your Allstar gear today! Items available for purchase include a T-shirt, a hoodie, a full zip hoodie, and a tote bag. A description of the design and the link for purchasing items are included below. All items are available in navy blue and have been created specifically for our ACB Next Generation All Stars team for the ACB Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk! Support the team today and look and feel like an Allstar while doing it!
Design Description: This vivacious white and yellow tactile print starts with the words “ all stars” in collegiate puff print letters printed in a sweeping arch across the top of the print. The letters are in white puff Ink, surrounded by yellow tactile ink. Underneath the collegiate letters are the words in readable Braille. Below the words “all stars” are the letters ACB in 3-D white puff ink with Braille beneath each letter. The center of the print is filled with five lively stars which replicate the star from the NextGen logo. Each star is a different size and is either white puff ink on the inside or yellow tactile ink on the inside, surrounded by the opposite color. The bottom of the print is anchored with the NextGen logo with the iconic shooting star, flying off the X. The words are in white puff ink , and the star is in yellow ink. Beneath the letters are the words in readable Braille.
A note from Blind Girl Designs: The last day to order to have your items by the ACB Conference and Convention is Tuesday, June 25. Shop here: https://blindgirldesigns.com/
2024 ACB Next Generation Program and Events of Interest
Since the conference and convention is being held in Jacksonville, Florida, all times referenced for the convention will be in Easter Daylight Time (EDT or ET)
Wednesday June 19, 2024
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm ACB Candidate’s Forum (Virtual)
Thursday June 20, 2024
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm ACB Next Generation’s Candidate’s Forum (Virtual)
Saturday, June 22, 2024
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm ACB Summer Auction (Virtual)
Monday, June 24, 2024
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm ACB Convention Call to Order (Virtual)
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Resolutions (Virtual)
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
11:00 am – 2:00 pm Exhibitor Open House (Virtual)
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Resolutions (Virtual)
Thursday June 27, 2024
5:00 pm – 6:15 pm P.R.E.P for Successful Networking (Virtual)
Come join Chris Peterson, Swatha Nandhakumar, and Dianna Leonard as they help us ready ourselves for any networking event. They’ll guide us through an interactive P.R.E.P session to learn how to plan, research, navigate an event, and pursue leads. Then join us at our in-person event on July 6th to practice what you’ve P.R.E.P’d, where various affiliate and ACB committee members will be in attendance to network with.
Facilitator: Carrie Muth, ICAP Vocational Rehabilitation Career Coach, Coos Bay, OR
Panelist: Chris Peterson, Founder and CEO, Penny Forward, Richfield, MN
Panelist: Swatha Nandhakumar, ACB Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, Alexandria, VA
Panelist: Dianna Leonard, Marketing and Outreach Professional, Virginia Beach, VA
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Resolutions (Virtual)
Friday, June 28, 2024
5:00 pm – 6:15 pm Match Wits with NextGen and the Boomers (Virtual)
AAVL and Next Gen members are facing off. Trivia questions will cross generations as we try to stump each others’ knowledge of the eras. Come join the fun – even if you aren’t a member of either group yet. Smirks to laughter are mandatory! Some will be pretty easy and some will break your brain.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Constitutions and Bylaws (Virtual)
Saturday June 29, 2024
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm Exploring New Worlds through Sensory Games (Virtual)
Whether you like audio or video games, this program is for you! Come learn how people with blindness and visual impairment create and play these accessible games: Brock the Investigator, The Last of Us, and Knight Manager. Join us for game demonstrations and lively discussion about present and future audio/video games.
Facilitator: Gregg Wandsneider, Game Master, Waukesha, WI
Panelist: Emily Nelson, Secretary, American Council of Blind Students, Fishers, IN
Panelist: Lindsey LaVere, Director, American Council of the Blind Next Generation, North Street, MI
Panelist: Aaron Espinoza, Chair, American Council of the Blind Next Generation Advocacy Committee, Bakersfield, CA
5:00 pm – 6:15 pm Convention Pep Rally with ACB Next Generation and ACB Students (Virtual)
Who’s got spirit? We do! Let’s get fired up for the 2024 ACB Conference and Convention. Join ACB Next Generation and ACB Students for our annual Convention Pep Rally, where we’ll party where the sun shines bright. Coach Kenneth makes a repeat appearance along with his special guests, Leslie Spoone and Koni Sims, who will get us up and groovin’. Enjoy meeting new friends, and learn about all our convention events. Bring your favorite snacks and get ready to cheer, 2024 will be a great year!
Facilitator: Melanie Sinohui, ACB Next Generation Convention Committee Co-Chair, Phoenix, AZ
Facilitator: Cassie Trosper, ACB Next Generation Convention Committee Co-Chair, North Bend, OR
Panelist: Amanda Selm, ACB Next Generation President, Louisville, KY
Panelist: Kenneth Semien, Sr, ACB Next Generation and ACB Students Board Liaison, Beaumont, TX
Panelist: Malia Thibado, ACB Students 2nd Vice President, Pell City, AL
Panelist: Leslie Spoone, Certified Aerobics and Personal Trainer, Orlando, FL
Panelist: Koni Sims, ACB Board Member, Sioux Falls, SD
Monday, July 1, 2024
9:00 am – 4:00 pm Individual Voting for Resolutions, Constitution, and ByLaws (Virtual)
Friday, July 5, 2024
9:00 am – 3:00 pm ACB Board Meeting (Hybrid)
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm ACB Students and ACB Next Gen Friday Night Bash (OnSite)
ACBS and ACB Next Gen collectively welcome you all back to the ACB Convention with our annual Friday Night Bash! Catch up with old frieds and meet new ones at this social event. Let’s start this convention with a bang!
This event was moved to the Matthews room
Saturday July 6, 2024
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm Burning the Candle at Both Ends (Hybrid)
Do you feel like you’re stretched too thin? Are things falling through the cracks and you don’t know where to turn? Join us as we learn from the experiences of Greg Lindberg, Koni Sims, and John McCann how they manage and balance their personal and professional responsibilities.
Facilitator: Cassie Trosper, President, Veterans of ACB, North Bend, OR
Panelist: Greg Lindberg, Senior Copywriter, Full Sail University, Maitland, FL
Panelist: Koni Sims, ACB Board Member, Sioux Falls, SD
Panelist: John A. McCann, Chair, ACB Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Tucson, AZ
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm Network Yourself for Success (OnSite)
In conjunction with our June 27th P.R.E.P for Successful Networking program, we are pleased to host an in person networking event where you can practice what you’ve P.R.E.P’d. Come mingle with members of the ACB Employment Committee, ACB Government Employees, American Association of Blind Teachers, American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys, Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs (IVIE), and Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (RSVA) among others and join us for an evening of creating new connections. All are welcome, whether you attended the virtual event or not.
Facilitator: Melanie Sinohui, ACB Next Generation Convention Committee Co-Chair, Phoenix, AZ
Sunday July 7, 2024
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm Discover, Connect, Thrive: Building Brighter Tomorrows (OnSite)
Juggling essential tasks such as managing finances, whipping up quick meals, and fostering social connections can feel like an uphill battle. Accessible tools and strategies can make these challenges manageable and seamless. Don’t let these roadblocks define your path; learn how to define your own path. Join Hindley Williams, Edward Shaham, and Rachel Pavone, who will offer tools and strategies to help you build and execute a future in which you can thrive. This is your chance to step out of the shadows of uncertainty and into a life where financial independence, health, and community are within your grasp.
Facilitator: Hindley Williams, Program Analyst, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Parkville, MD
Panelist: Edward Shaham, Accountant and Supply Chain Manager, West Hartford, CT
Panelist: Kolby Garrison, ACB Development Officer, Greensboro, NC
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm Keys to the Convention (OnSite)
This is a great opportunity for 1st time attendees and individuals who have not attended an in-person convention lately. Presentations will explain various sessions, business meetings and voting, as well as guide dog info, exhibit info, and some social events. A tip sheet hand-out will be available in Braille and large print.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Opening General Session (Hybrid)
Monday July 8, 2024
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm Discovering Emotional Intelligence: How to Develop It, Hone It, and Practice It (Hybrid)
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. This session is a discussion about what emotional intelligence is, how we apply it, and how it influences our communication styles.
Facilitator: Terri-lynn Higashi, Member, American Council of the Blind Next Generation Convention Committee, Ewa Beach, HI
Panelist: Pam Shaw, Member, Berl Colley Leadership Training Committee, Philadelphia, PA
Panelist: Danielle Grenevitch McIntyre, Children raised around the blind founder, Loganville, GA
Panelist: Debbie Green, Vice Chair, ACB Mental Health and Wellness Committee, Elizabethtown, KY
Panelist: Gregg Wandsneider, Waukesha, WI
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
8:30 am – 12:00 pm General Session (Hybrid
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
8:30 am – 12:00 pm General Session (Hybrid)
Thursday, July 11, 2024
8:30 am – 1:00 pm General Session (Hybrid)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm ACB Banquet (Hybrid)
Keynote Speaker: Judge David S. Tatel
Author of Vision A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, one of America’s most accomplished public servants and legal thinkers – who spent years denying and working around his blindness, before finally embracing it as an essential part of his identity. Judge David Tatel served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1994 to earlier this year. After graduating from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago Law School, he served as the founding director of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and then director of the National Lawyers Committee. He headed the Office for Civil Rights of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during the Carter administration and then founded and led the education practice at Hogan Lovells, where he is now Senior Counsel. Judge Tatel is a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In the past, he co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Science, Technology and Law, and chaired the boards of The Spencer Foundation and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.