Board Meeting Minutes
May 7, 2025 BITS Board Meeting Minutes and Reports Packet
- Call to Order – Jeff Bishop
President Bishop called the meeting to order at 8:00 PM ET.
2. Roll call – Secretary Robin Frost
Present:
President
Jeff Bishop
Vice President
Brad Snyder
Secretary
Robin frost
Treasurer
Diane Scalzi
Directors:
Michael Babcock
John McCann
David Edick
Mervin Keck
Members present:
Donna Pomerantz, Larry Watkinson, Maryann Murad, Debbie Hazelton, Janice Revill’s iPhone (2), Linda Byers, Debbie Downey, Michael Doise, Kolby Garrison, Donna Clarke, Kayla Bentas, Daveed Mandell, Lynn Schneider, Sarah Edick, Ann McKay-Bacon, Cindy LaBon, Doug Hunsinger’s iPhone, Marsha Summers, Renee Zelickson, Miriam’s iPad, Karen T, Chanelle Allen, janos, Joe DiNero, Rosanna Beaudrie, Karen Hughes, Tony Thurman, Paul Miller, Jessica Dail, Jamaica Miller, Jim O’Neill, Peggy Carpenter, Omar AlRakhaimi, Yahye Osman, Nathan Brannon, Liz B, Ryan Mann, Janice, Jason Castonguay, Christopher Duffley, Grant Downey, Nicolette Noyes, Martys iPhone, Jonathan Cohn, Juliana-Belle Mills, Taylor Arndt,
3. Adoption of proposed agenda and Approval of Consent Agenda – Jeff Bishop
John McCann moved; David Edick seconded.
The motion carried unanimously.
4. Adoption of April 2, 2025, Board meeting minutes – Robin Frost.
John McCann moved; Diane Scalzi seconded.
The motion carried unanimously.
5. Treasurer’s Report – Diane Scalzi
BITS Treasurer’s Report – Apr 1-30, 2025
Checking:
Beginning balance: $26,755.94
Credits:
Proceeds from Teri Lynn Fundraising: $ 10.49
Stripe deposit: $297.44
transfer from PayPal: $24.01
Total credits: $331.94
Debits:
Registration for BITS exhibit table at 2025 national convention: -$200.00
Yearly ACB affiliate dues remittance: -$3,125.00
Zoom monthly subscription/Increased meeting size: -$53.00
Sendwp monthly subscription for web email: -$9.00
Total debits: -$3,387.00
Ending balance: $23,700.88 *1
PayPal:
Beginning balance: $0.00
Credits:
1 regular member dues payment: $25.00
Total Credits: $25.00
Debits:
PayPal fees: -$0.99 *2
Transfer to checking: -$24.01
Total debits: -$25.00
Ending balance: $0.00
Stripe (Mar 25, 2025-Apr 24, 2025)
Beginning Balance: $0.00
Credits
Amount collected less Stripe fees: $298.76
Total credits: $298.76
Debits
Bank deposit: -$297.44
Fees: -$1.32 *2
Total Debits: -$298.76
Ending balance: $0.00
Savings account:
Beginning balance: $61,132.54
Credits:
Interest: $0.50
Total credits: $0.50
Debits:
No debits
Total debits: $0.00
Ending balance: $61,133.04
Total for all accounts: $84,833.92
*1 $200.00 in the checking account restricted as seed money for grant fund, approved by the board on April 2, 2025. There will be a spread sheet to track fund activities.
*2 For information on PayPal fees, visit https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-fees.
*3 For information on Stripe pricing, visit https://stripe.com/pricing
Submitted for audit
Prepared by Diane Scalzi, BITS Treasurer May 5, 2025.
6. President’s Report – Jeff Bishop
– In person convention planning is well underway.
– Microsoft will be assisting in our AI presentations.
– Eager to see planning centered around communication being undertaken across teams within BITS.
– We are looking for talent to assist with convention related activities for digital development and testing scenarios.
– Venturing to Florida where we will focus on web accessibility, AI and more.
See packet appendices for full report.
7. Committee reports:
Budget and Finance:
Auditing and Budget: Taylor Arndt
Discussion revealed that the Treasurer’s meeting with JPMorganChase did not yield positive results as they wanted a minimum investment of $100,000 even though BITS is a non-profit.
Due to difficulties encountered by both the Treasurer and the Chair of the Budget Committee to get to locations of Fidelity to pursue exploring creating investment accounts with them on behalf of BITS,
John McCann moved;
Be it resolved:
that William Bradford Snyder, Jr., is authorized to negotiate on behalf of Blind Information Technology Specialists, Inc., as the official agent to establish deposit accounts with Fidelity Investments.
David Edick seconded.
The motion carried unanimously.
See packet appendices for full report.
Fund Raising: Ann Bacon
The Chair reminded members that they can now give their input via the fund-raising survey which is live on the BITS website.
See packet appendices for full report.
Membership:
Membership Committee – John McCann
BITS currently has 793 members.
Expirations for 2025 =569,
Expirations for 2025=88
Expirations for 2027=5
And BITS life Members=131.
See packet appendices for full report.
Technical Infrastructure and Organization:
IT Infrastructure Committee – Larry Watkinson and Michael Doise
Michael Doise highlighted the 3D printed BITS coins which will be available at the in-person ACB Convention boasting various colors. Those that are gold will yield recipients a one-year BITS membership.
Each coin will display BITS in both print and braille.
President Bishop indicated that BITS will have a room set up on both Monday and Tuesday nights from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM during the convention to offer technical assistance to those who will be participating in the in-person educational opportunities BITS is offering. The cost of this room, which BITS will incur is $300 per night which will come out of the grant money received from Microsoft.
Fees for the necessary microphones, and wi-fi, and room for the 3 days of educational training have not been furnished by the convention coordinator as of yet. Grant money will also be used to reimburse those teaching and assisting with the courses in honor of their services therein; but those amounts have also not been determined as of this time.
See packet appendices for full report.
Communication:
Email Management Committee – Mervin Keck
The Chair indicates that an email list will be created for those who wish to chat about the upcoming convention.
See packet appendices for full report.
Publications Committee – Rosanna Beaudrie
The Chair welcomed Jason Castonguay as the editor of The BITS Bulletin Newsletter; and she reminded anyone who wished to submit articles to do so by May 20th.
See packet appendices for full report.
Chat Management Committee – David Edick
See packet appendices for full report.
Presentation and Outreach:
Convention, Presentations and Membership Recognition Committees – Brad Snyder
Presentations:
See packet appendices for full report.
Convention:
Since snacks were slated to be more expensive this year the committee has decided to forego them and reallocate the funds that would be spent on snacks to instead procure live entertainment in the form of acoustic guitar music. The musician was recommended by Janet Dickelman the convention coordinator; and the fee for the musician is $500 which is scheduled to be paid around July 1st. Another benefit of the musician is use of his P.A equipment during the event.
See packet appendices for full report.
Member Recognition Committee:
The Chair is still awaiting feedback from the Board on the Grant Application Form which he posted to the Board list. The Chair if I.T. Committee also requested that he be furnished a copy so his team could become familiar with that which it would contain.
See packet appendices for full report.
Education Committee: Debbie Armstrong
See packet appendices for full report.
9. Old Business
– Update on representation of BITS at the Exhibit Hall for Convention – Larry, Michael and others
See I.T. Committee Report above.
– Update on Summer Auction – Echo Show 10 due to Alexa Plus.
Link to item was sent to the Board list for review by The Treasurer.
10. New Business
- John McCann moved that recordings of the training BITS will be offering at the Convention be made available to those not attending for the lesser price of $50 for those who pre-register and after the fact people would have to become a member before gaining the ability to purchase these recordings; David Edick seconded.
The motion carried unanimously. - The Treasurer expressed concerns about BITS ability to continue filing form 990N which she will file on or before May 15th with the Internal Revenue Service; she underscored the possibility BITS would have to switch to form 990EZ. However, others clarified that this form is governed by how much an organization takes in during a given year not how much accounts contain.
- Discuss Advertising on Lists for ACB Affiliate events – Everyone.
Related to this topic the Chair of the Email Management and Inter-Personal Communications team will confer with the team regarding the creation of an announce only out-going email list through which important items of interest mentioned during BITS Chats could be further disseminated.
We need to revise our advertising policy to add clarity. Asking communication and publications to assist in drafting:
Below is a draft policy that outlines the submission process for ACB affiliate announcements pertinent to BITS members:
Draft Policy: ACB Affiliate Announcements Submission for BITS Members
1. Purpose
This policy establishes the guidelines for submitting, reviewing, and disseminating ACB affiliate an announcements relevant to BITS members. These announcements should support either the ACB national organization or an affiliate while maintaining a clear connection to BITS interests. The goal is to ensure that all communications distributed through BITS Bytes are consistent, on-brand, and compliant with established advertising policies.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all ACB affiliate announcements intended for release to BITS members. It governs submissions from both organization leaders and any BITS member who wishes to propose content, ensuring a streamlined and controlled process.
3. Submission Guidelines
- Relevance: Announcements must support either the ACB national organization or an ACB affiliate and demonstrate a relevant connection to BITS.
- Format: All submissions should be provided in writing.
- Compliance: Submitted content must adhere to BITS advertising policies and overall communication guidelines.
4. Submission Process
- Leader Submission:
- Leaders across the organization are responsible for compiling and formally submitting content for inclusion in BITS Bytes.
- Leaders should review and verify the relevance and accuracy of the information before submission.
- Member Proposals:
- Any BITS member may propose an announcement by submitting the content to the secretary of BITS.
- The secretary and communications team will evaluate the submission and, if deemed appropriate, forward it to the Publications team for comment.
5. Editorial Review and Approval
- The communications team will assess the nature and quality of the proposed announcement after collecting all feedback if required.
- The team holds final editorial authority and may approve, modify, or reject any submission to ensure compliance with BITS guidelines.
- Only material that meets BITS communication standards will be disseminated as part of BITS Bytes.
6. Posting Restrictions
- Direct posting of announcement content by members to any email lists is prohibited.
- This measure is implemented to safeguard the integrity of the email lists and to prevent any deviation from established advertising policies.
7. Effective Date and Amendments
- This policy is effective immediately upon approval and distribution.
- The policy will be reviewed periodically, and BITS reserves the right to amend or update the guidelines as necessary to reflect evolving communication strategies or organizational needs.
This draft should provide a clear framework for the submission and review of ACB affiliate announcements, ensuring that all communications are managed professionally and in line with BITS policies.
11. Member Comments and Questions
Member comments and questions were heard and addressed.
12. Date and time of next Board meeting – June 4, 2025
13. Adjourn
By consensus, the meeting adjourned at 10:14 PM ET.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Frost, Secretary,
Blind Information Technology Specialists.
Committee Chair Reports
Budget Committee
Fundraising Committee
Fundraising Committee Report May 2025
Great news! The Product Interest Survey is now live on the BITS home page on the website. We encourage you to take a few minutes to share your preferences—or suggest new items you’d like the committee to explore. Responses are already rolling in, so keep them coming!
Jeff, you’ll be glad to hear that backpacks are already on some members’ wish lists!
Mark your calendars for July 9, 2025! Our BITS in ACTION event is happening at the convention, and we’re excited to bring the community together once again. We’re inviting all Board members and Committee Chairs to participate in our next round of beta testing. Show us your BITS pride—snap a photo in your BITS gear while using accessible tech! We’ll be collecting these soon from our membership as part of a fun initiative to showcase how we are leveraging technology around the world. Get ready to be part of this dynamic, global snapshot of innovation in action!
Ann, Chair
Presentations Committee
BITS – Presentation Committee Report for May 2025
Submitted May 7, 2025
The following presentations were held during April:
Tue Apr 8 – Mac Bytes – Categories in Mac Mail
Wed Apr 9 – Another Look At Braille Screen Input with iOS 18
Sat Apr 12 – Basics With BITS – Text Editing with Lisa Salinger
Wed Apr 23 – Apple Bytes – Another Look At Mail in iOS
Sat Apr 26 – Basics With BITS – Text Editing Part 2 with Lisa Salinger
Wed Apr 30 – What’s New With JAWS, Fusion and ZoomText with Vispero’s Jeff Bazer
The following presentations are scheduled during May:
Sat May 10 – Basics With BITS – Open Forum
Tue May 13 – Mac Bytes
Wed May 14 – Introducing The Windows Screen Reader Primer, 4th Edition, with David Kingsbury
Wed May 21 – A Look At The New NLS Digital Advanced Player 2 (DA2)
Wed May 28 – Apple Bytes
Note: Due to the Memorial Day weekend, there will not be a Basics With BITS presentation on Saturday May 24.
Report Submitted by:
Brad Snyder
Presentations Committee Chair
Convention Committee
BITS – Convention Planning Committee Report for May 2025
Submitted May 7, 2025
The Convention Planning Committee is finalizing plans for the 2025 ACB Convention.
Virtual Presentations:
Presenter Name, Title, and Location information was submitted to Janet on April 17.
Presenter and facilitator email and phone numbers are due to Cecily by May 15.
BITS Reception
The 2nd Annual BITS Reception is planned for July 9 at the In-person portion of the convention in Dallas.
Originally, we planned to have a cash bar with snacks, similar to what we had last year in Jacksonville.
We know that cost for food and beverages will be higher than last year.
The cash bar will be $225, but we have yet to receive any cost proposal for snacks.
Therefore, in order to move forward with planning for the reception, we have decided to modify our plans.
We are still planning to have a cash bar, but have decided to skip snacks, and will have live entertainment instead.
Janet Dickelman was able to provide us with a referral of an individual who plays acoustic guitar.
The guitar player’s name is Blake Cheek, and he will also be playing at the Welcome party on July 4.
Janet was able to hear Blake play along with the Host Committee when she was in Dallas last October, and Janet provided a positive recommendation.
The cost of the guitar player is $500 for 2 hours, and is within the reception budget already approved by the Board, so no additional approval is needed.
Blake can be paid by PayPal, and the payment can be made by the BITS Treasurer.
Report Submitted by:
Brad Snyder
Convention Planning Committee Chair
Membership Recognition Committee
BITS – Member Recognition Committee Report for May 2025
Submitted May 7, 2025
During the last Board meeting, the Member Recognition Committee submitted a draft of the Membership Dues Grant Application form for the Board’s review.
As we have been awaiting feedback on this draft form, we have nothing further to report this month.
Report Submitted by:
Brad Snyder
Member Recognition Committee Chair
BITS – Membership Recognition Committee Report for May 2025
Submitted May 7, 2025
Education Committee
The HTML course just finished its 14th class session, with a lively question and answer session as students delve deeply in to using WordPress, a system for creating and updating websites. These students will be able to assist their affiliates in building accessible, useful and comprehensive sites when they complete the training.
Another comprehensive training in mastering the fundamentals of AI is planned for in-person sessions at the upcoming national ACB conference.
Additionally, education committee members have begun work on mentoring. One major decision is to have two levels of mentors. First level mentors will be able to help folks over the phone or zoom but will not have access to their computer. Trusted second level mentors will be able to access RIM.
Forms are being developed so mentors can enumerate their skills and mentees can list their needs.
Currently the education sub-committee working on mentoring is struggling to find a time to meet as everyone’s schedule is different. However, the education chair has met privately with several members to begin organizing the mentoring plan.
Basics with Bits continues to enjoy an active audience. Lisa Salinger presented more on text editing for its last two sessions. On May 10, Basics with Bits will hold an open forum to find out what members of the community would like to learn.
It’s important to remember that Basics with Bits trainings are archived on ACB Media, under community podcasts. If you are working with a person who needs assistance with a particular skill we have covered, why not download the corresponding podcast for them. You can also email them a direct link to any ACB community podcast.
Membership Committee
BITS Membership Committee Report
May, 2025
As of May 1, 2025, our membership count stands at 793, broken out as follows:
2025 expirations: 569
2026 expirations: 88
2027 expirations: 5
BITS life Members: 131
Total: 793
All 793 BITS members have now been certified in AMMS as that system came back on line on May 1st. The total number of BITS records in AMMS is 1078 which reflects 285 past members in addition to the 793 current members. With past experience having shown it to be problematic to rely on ACB certification as a proxy for BITS certification, I created a BITS-specific data field to track BITS certifications during last year’s dues moratorium. Hence, it has now become necessary to remove the “yes” indication in that field for 223 of those lapsed BITS members who have not renewed their memberships. (I had already done this for 62 previous members in the course of my regular attention to our BITS roster.) I expect to have completed these removals by the time this report is distributed. I have created an excel snapshot of the 285 lapsed / past BITS members so that we will have ready access to them should we decide to request that they be disassociated from the BITS roster. Frankly, such disassociation would make it easier to manage our AMMS roster going forward, though there is no immediate need to make that decision.
Respectfully submitted:
John McCann
Chair: BITS membership committee
IT Infrastructure Committee
The IT Committee has been busy planning for the ACB conference. We meaning Michael and Taylor have come up with a BITS coin that will have Braille and print on the coin as well a tag that will take folks to the BITS web site. These coins will be available at the BITS exhibit booth and there will be a few gold coins that will have a free one year subscription to a BITS membership.
We are in the final plans of the three days of class being offered on site with follow up sessions after the ACB Conference.
Please check out the web site, much work has been done and new items are being added almost daily. Folks should also complete the fundraising survey so the Fundraising Committee can make decisions on BITS merch.
Publications Committee
BITS Publications Committee Report for the month of April
The Publications Committee met in April for our regular scheduled monthly meeting. The Mastodon stats are up to 277 followers. We have had a few more new members that have joined our Facebook page. We are currently working on reviewing and updating some of our BITS documents. Publications will be working together with the Communications Committee to ensure that all communications regarding social media platforms as well as the newsletter and other important documents get out to the membership.
Convention is right around the corner and as you know there will be a lot going on with in BITS and on the ACB national level. This month we will publish the convention newsletter with all of the convention information that you will need to know. The Fund raising committee will be running the BITS in action day on Wednesday July 9. Members will be able to participate if they are in person or virtual. Watch for further information on this fun event coming out soon. If you are going to be in person, there will be a BITS reception on Wednesday July 9 from 5-7pm central time. More to come on this event.
At this time , I would like to welcome our new publications editor. Jason Castonguay has been a member of Publications and has accepted the role of editor. We look forward to working with Jason in his new role on this committee. Many thanks to Debrah Armstrong who has been our editor for the past 2 years. She has done an outstanding job collecting articles and putting the newsletter together.
We will be looking for articles for the summer newsletter. If you have something you would like to share with the BITS family, please send your submissions to
Rosanna Beaudrie
Publications Chair.
Email Management Committee
Email Management Team May 2025 Report
BITS Bytes:
We are so privileged to be bringing our BITS Family week Twenty-six of our weekly summary on May 9, 2025. That is half a year of Presidential Messages, Presentation Updates, Email Tips, Chat Reminders, and all the news from every Committee in BITS. All in one easily accessed post.
And we are far from finished. Keep watching for new features to be added as we look forward to our first full year of posting BITS Bytes.
Meet Your Officers, Board, and Chairs:
With the Interpersonal Communications committee being tabled, this project has been pushed back until after the convention in order to include the most up to date information. Email Management applauds the work that the IT Committee has done preparing the list of Chairs and Co-Chairs for the web site. It will help us when we do begin this project later this year.
Mentoring:
Mentoring@bits.groups.io is still available while Education prepares to take over the Mentors Project. My role going forward is unknown at this time. The list that was originally gentle, helping hands which is now mentoring is still active and we are still doing our best to assist our members both on and off list. The subscribe address is:
Mentoring+subscribe@bits.groups.io.
Convention Talk
We are aware that some members are easily overwhelmed by the choices available to them regarding email. To put it simply, We recommend that you subscribe to Bits-Members and Events so you can stay up to date on what is happening with your affiliate. These are announce only. If you wish to dialog with anything specific then you can choose one or more of the topical lists and ignore any you don’t subscribe to. The most popular is Technology. This week, however, AI gained a lot of ground.
We are considering creating a list specifically for the discussion of convention. Anyone not interested in discussing Convention can simply not subscribe and it will not overwhelm them because for them it will simply not exist. Smile! It could possibly be high traffic for the next few months which is why we are explaining the list in this way.
It is our deepest desire to create something that will serve our BITS Members to the best of our ability. If you think you would like to see a list for the discussion of all things ACB Convention please let me know, not by emailing the bits general list but by emailing:
I would like to thank President Jeff Bishop, Co-Chair, Jason Castonguay, Debbie Hazelton, David Edick, and Nicki Keck for their excellent and essential work on our Team.
If anyone would like to contact me privately in regard to issues related to Email Management, or if you have a question and wish to email me privately, my email is:
Respectfully submitted:
Mervin Keck
Email Management Team, Chair
Chat Committee
Chat continues to be held every Friday and Saturday. We have had a few new people join for the first time and we have several breakout rooms available. Sometimes breakout rooms are where a focused discussion on a topic happens, or you might find a different stream of conversation going. The breakout rooms facilitate more options in the chats.
For the most up to date information on chat as well as other offerings from BITS, I encourage all of you to keep up with the Events list for the latest details and connection information. That is also where you will find out about special chats.
Please join us for a helping of conversation. You bring new conversation to the Chat. Chat is not the same if you are not there. so we hope to see you either Friday or Saturday or at a special chat event.
Thank you kindly,
David
Inactive Committees
Audit Committee
BITS Bylaws Committee
Nominating Committee
Zoom Meeting Information
May 7, 2025 – 8:00 PM ET
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Presidential Report
May 7, 2025
As we gather today, I want to begin by recognizing the extraordinary dedication and generosity that continues to define who we are as members of Blind Information Technology Specialists. Giving back—whether through time, mentorship, technical skill, or encouragement—remains at the heart of our mission. Each of you helps carry that forward in meaningful ways, and our collective impact is being felt.
We are being recognized not only within ACB but also externally for the innovation and talent we bring to the table. A recent example of this is our formal outreach to Microsoft, where we shared how we are using their technologies—including GitHub Copilot, Azure Cognitive Services, Microsoft Office, and Visual Studio Code—to empower students and professionals alike. We highlighted our work to deliver high-quality AI-driven translations and speech content for the ACB national convention, our training programs on inclusive technology, and the development of “The BITS Edition” of Visual Studio Code to simplify learning pathways.
That letter is more than just a note of appreciation—it’s a declaration of our intent to lead with impact, collaborate with purpose, and champion accessibility at every level. It reminds us that partnerships matter. We cannot—and should not—do this alone.
Which brings me to an important ask. As we prepare for the upcoming ACB convention, we are undertaking the challenge of automating and maintaining the convention’s electronic content. This includes formatting materials for multiple platforms, generating accessible speech versions, and translating documents into Spanish using the most inclusive technology available. We need help—technical, editorial, logistical. If you have the capacity or the curiosity, we would love to talk. Your contributions will have an immediate and meaningful effect.
Finally, I want to emphasize what I believe makes BITS truly special: our culture. A culture rooted in mutual respect, kindness, and valuing each and every member. In a world often divided, we remain united—not just by shared interest, but by shared humanity. And that, more than anything, is worth preserving and celebrating.
Thank you for everything you do. Let’s continue to lead with purpose, build with heart, and serve with integrity.
In partnership and appreciation,
Jeff Bishop
President, Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS)
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