Several ACB Next Generation members attended the 2025 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention either virtually or in person in Dallas, TX this summer. Here’s what several had to say about their experience.
Amanda Selm
“I would like to thank the ACB Next Generation Board of Directors for providing the assistance I needed to attend the 2025 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention in Dallas, TX. With their help, I was able to support my committee and attend events to help move forward on my leadership journey. I enjoyed all of our NextGen sessions. In addition, I found the Berl Colley Leadership Institute session on Conflict Resolution to be very informative. I look forward to being with you in St. Louis as we work hard to plan events our members and attendees find valuable.”
Megan Meigs
“I really enjoyed convention this year. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend in person like I had hoped, but it was the first time I was on Next Generation’s Convention Committee. I learned so much about what goes into making convention successful, and I even went a little out of my comfort zone in helping to facilitate a couple events. It was a great experience for me, and I had a lot of fun working with and learning from everyone.
I think my favorite session was the virtual Leadership Link-Up. It was awesome to get to virtually meet some of our ACB leaders and get to learn from and interact with them. It was very empowering and inspired me to consider applying for the ACB Inspire Mentoring Program.
I also especially enjoyed the Five Love Languages session, as well as the Together We Thrive session. I learned things that I didn’t know about our love languages, and as a blind parent, I especially enjoyed hearing from the blind parents on the Together We Thrive panel. My favorite session outside of NextGen was a session put on by GDUI called Prison Pups which was about some programs where guide dog puppies are raised in prisons. It was interesting and a great example of restorative justice. And, of course, the general sessions were informative.
I wish we had been able to do our advocacy sessions hybrid rather than in person only, but I understand why that would have been difficult. Hopefully we can do it again next year, and hopefully next year I can finally attend in person. It would be great to officially meet all of our NextGen framily.”
Niral Sheth
“I am Niral Sheth, and I attended convention in person. There were quite a few NextGen sessions that I attended.
For starters, I attended the pep rally which was great, but I believe that that was not the perfect room for us for that event. I also attended the NextGen shindig and that was fun getting to speak and connect with others. The Five Love Languages session with TerriLynn was very insightful. This is because I kind of already had a feeling of my own love languages though, but it enlightened me on more of my love languages that I show too others. I attended and put on an act for all of you guys at the advocacy session and showed others what to do while advocating. At that session, we learned how to be a better advocate.
To anyone who has not attended a convention in person, I Highly recommend it because not only do you learn about technology, advocating, and so much more, but the best part would be connecting with others.”
Aaron Espinoza
“I had a great time at the ACB national convention, which I attended from July 4 to July 7. Getting around the hotel was easy, which made the experience even more enjoyable. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones. One of the highlights was the Next Generation breakfast, where many members showed up and shared great energy.
My favorite session was the Leadership Link-Up. We were split into groups of three and given five minutes at each table to ask two leaders questions about leadership. The leaders also asked us questions in return. I wish we had more time at each table because leadership is such an important skill to develop, especially in ACB and Next Generation. I learned the most from Matt Selm, ACB President Deb Cook Lewis, and First Vice President David Trott.
The Welcome to Dallas event was also a good experience. I got to see familiar faces and meet some new people as well. Another standout moment was the ABCs on Advocacy roleplaying session hosted by Next Generation. The topics were well chosen, and I appreciated how different people stepped up to lead and participate in the discussions.
I only went on one tour this year, the city bus tour. It took us around Dallas while a guide described the landmarks. I found it both informative and enjoyable.
One of the fun evening activities was a late-night social event that brought a lot of us together to relax and connect. This was also the first time I won a door prize at a convention. I’ve never won one before, either at the national or state level, so that made it extra exciting.
Overall, this ACB national convention was the best one yet. I left feeling inspired to get more involved with ACB and more motivated to keep working toward my goals. Meeting so many blind people who are living their dreams or actively pursuing them reminded me of what’s possible. I’m already looking forward to next year’s convention and hope it’s even better. I’ve recharged and feel ready to advocate for another year.”
Kristen Kelling
“I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the ACB national convention this year both during the virtual programming and in Dallas. I thought that all of our virtual programs were very informative. My favorite was the Together We Thrive program where we had the opportunity to hear how three different families navigate life with blindness or low vision. I also enjoyed watching the guides and explorers graduate from the Inspire Mentoring Program.
I enjoyed connecting with everyone during the in-person portion of the convention in Dallas as well. My favorite NextGen-sponsored program was the Leadership Link-Up, where I had the opportunity to meet a lot of leaders in ACB. I also enjoyed connecting with many of our members and some new people who attended our affiliate breakfast and dinner. The pep rally was also a big hit. I also had the opportunity to mentor one of the scholarship recipients this year, so I attended the ice braker, the luncheon, and the scholarship winners’ reception where I got to know not only my mentee but some of the other recipients as well.
I also had the opportunity to once again represent NextGen at the ACB Giving Society Reception where I enjoyed conversing with other leaders in ACB who have been around for a long time. Other events I attended included the Berl Colley Leadership Institute sessions on conflict resolution and mediation, one of the events on transportation, and the DKM reception.
Besides programming, I went on the bus tour where we learned a lot about the history of the city. A group of NextGen members also took a trip to Reunion Tower and used a variety of methods to get information about what we were seeing including the Meta glasses, AIRA, and Be My AI.
A huge thank you to NextGen for making it easier for me to attend the convention.”
Danielle Stevens
“Attending this year’s convention was fun, and highly informative. I learned a lot about tech, artificial intelligence, and ways that I can grow both personally and professionally. For me, all the different tech sessions were one of the reasons why I decided to attend this year.
As I stated earlier, I wanted to attend this year’s convention to help me grow personally, and professionally, as a business owner. I felt that attending all the BITS and IVIE sessions was most beneficial to achieving these goals. I especially got a lot out of being a part of the artificial intelligence programming that BITS put on during the convention. As a virtual attendee of this class, I was able to learn a lot about different AI tools that I had never tried before. I also had the opportunity to connect with some of the other virtual BITS attendees. For me, the tech workshops and sessions were a highlight for this year’s convention.
I also got a chance to attend some of the IVIE virtual sessions. I enjoyed the session that we had with the IVIE lunch speaker. He was very inspiring, and great to listen to. I especially liked the fact that his talk was so interactive and gave me the opportunity to reflect on my business.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this year’s convention. I would highly recommend that you consider attending the ACB convention next year. It will be worth your time and money. Whether you attend virtually like I did this year, or if you go in person, it will be something that you will want to experience repeatedly.”