The UCB
Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council
of the Blind
April
2021
For the latest news
updates call the Utah Connection 801-299-0670 or 1‑800-273-4569. (You may
also leave a message at the end of the announcement.)
Check out the
website at utahcounciloftheblind.org
Mail
correspondence to: UCB, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. E-mail us at ucb.board@gmail.com.
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The UCB Buzz is available in large print, Braille,
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If you would prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format, please
call the Utah Connection or send an e-mail to ucb.board@gmail.com and let us know.
Editor: Tom Mitchell
Utah Connection Manager: Linda Holladay
In
This Issue
Disclaimer.................................................................................................. 2
UCB
Scholarships...................................................................................... 3
Award Nominations.................................................................................... 5
Help Wanted: Share Your Skills!................................................................ 6
The Harbolt
Company: Another Place to Shop........................................... 7
Tape King Talking Tape measure............................................................ 11
Helpful Hints............................................................................................. 13
General UCB
Information......................................................................... 18
Upcoming Board
Meetings...................... 19
Articles
and announcements included in this publication are presented for your
information and interest. They reflect the opinions of the respective authors
and are not necessarily endorsed by the UCB.
By Cordie Weed and Sandy Ruconich
If you are a Utahn graduating high school or college senior and plan to attend a college or university during the fall semester of 2021 to pursue undergraduate or graduate course work, or if you already attend a college or university, you can apply for a scholarship from the Utah Council of the Blind (UCB). Three to five scholarships are available, and each scholarship will be at least $500.
Following are the requirements to apply for these scholarships. You must:
• Be blind or visually impaired.
• Join the Utah Council of the Blind.
• Seek a degree from an accredited higher education institution.
• Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
• Take at least 12 credit hours per semester.
• Submit a completed application and one original letter of recommendation.
• Submit a certified transcript from your current educational institution.
• Submit an autobiographical sketch.
The scholarship application and all other documents noted above may either be emailed to
ucb.board.@gmail.com or sent to
Utah Council of the Blind
PO Box 1415
Bountiful, UT 84011-1415.
Scholarship applications must be received no later than August 1, 2021.
Scholarships will be presented at the annual business meeting of the Utah Council of the Blind in September 2021. If UCB cannot hold its business meeting due to the COVID pandemic, the Scholarship Committee will contact winners and present scholarships as soon as possible in late September. Find Out More: Click Here
by Cordie Weed
It
is that time of the year when the UCB recognizes those who have given their
time generously serving the blind and visually-impaired community. The UCB will
present awards at the next annual business meeting in September.
There
are four awards offered to those who have served so faithfully. The Albert M.
Talmage award is offered to a blind person who has given devoted service to
blind and visually impaired individuals. The Sarah Talmage Award is a similar
award given to a sighted person. The Linda Braithwaite award goes to a person
who has given 10 or more years of service to the visually-impaired -community,
and the Leslie H. Gertsch award is given to individuals who have given
life-time service to the blind.
If
you have anyone who deserves recognition by serving you or others whom you
know, write a paragraph or two about this individual and mail it to Awards
Committee, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415 or e-mail it to ucb.board@gmail.com
no later than August 1, 2021.
By Sandy Ruconich
Do
you or someone else you know who is blind or visually impaired have great
skills in one or more of the following areas:
• daily living skills (cooking, cleaning,
marking and using appliances, etc.),
• reading or writing braille,
• using technology (iPhone, Victor Stream,
computer, etc.)?
If
you do, if you enjoy teaching others, and if you are interested in earning
$12.50 an hour while you teach the skills you know, the Utah Council of the
Blind wants to talk with you!
Many
people in Utah are losing, or have lost, their vision and need help to learn
how blind or visually impaired people do everyday things. The teachers UCB is
looking for, with their drivers, will go into the homes of people seeking help,
to show them how to do things in ways that work for people with vision loss or
blindness. We will do our best to keep you and your driver close to the area in
which you live and will provide you with materials and training that will make
it easier for you to teach.
Interested?
Need more information? Please contact Sandy Ruconich, either by email
(sruconich@gmail.com) or by phone (801-461-0265).
My name is Brent Harbolt, and I would like to introduce you to The Harbolt Company. We are an online retail company that caters to the visually impaired.
All of the items we sell are not specifically designed for the visually impaired, but are tested for accessibility.
In 2014, while working for another company, I decided to start a little side business. I didn’t set out to actually start a business, but wanted to sell a few things on the side to pay for my love of technology. Although I was working, I did not have a lot of extra income. As a blind person, our life is centered so much around technology, it becomes an every day staple. What’s the next best gadget, or what’s the next best device, or how is this new piece of technology going to enrich my life? For some of us, it’s a fun new toy, but for others, it’s an every day necessity. I was always looking for my next electronic purchase. Whenever I would find a good deal on a product, I would buy a few extra to resell. This grew and grew until I was actually running a full-blown business.
With a background in customer service and technology, I wanted to ensure that The Harbolt Company set out to fix many problems that exist with online businesses.
Many websites we visit are either cluttered and hard to navigate or they have thousands of items. By the time you finish shopping, you are stressed to the point of needing a cocktail. After all, you are spending your hard-earned money and your shopping experience should be fun and stress-free, not stress-full!
I can honestly tell you that our website is one of the easiest websites to navigate. All items are organized into categories and each item is separated by a heading. We even have a single page checkout and do not require an account with us to shop. We pride ourselves on having one of the cleanest websites you will ever visit. No computer? No problem! Our website is completely mobile-friendly!
Many websites rarely include written descriptions and consist mostly of pictures and graphics. For those who are visually impaired, this is not acceptable. We do something a little different with our site. Not only do you get a great written description, but you also get an audio description of every item we sell. We offer you the ability to listen to or download the MP3 file for every available product. You can hear the details about the products before they ever reach your door. This has been such a game-changer for the shopping world, and we have seen other vendors follow our lead. Something so simple, makes such a huge difference for those unable to easily read or access written product manuals.
At The Harbolt Company, we are more community than company! Our website includes a newsletter subscription to keep you informed about new products, contests, and upcoming events. We hold monthly Zoom groups that are free to join and help everyone stay connected through social events. Our contests are legendary and are a small way for us to give back to the customers who have gotten us to where we are today. After all, who doesn’t like winning something for free? We even sponsor and host an annual online talent show, as well as raise money for less fortunate children at Christmas!
Almost 7 years later and my love for technology has blossomed into over 5,300 orders and counting! I hope you can see how The Harbolt Company has changed the online business model. Although we are not a billion dollar company, we have hundreds of customers who like us just the way we are! We ship all over the world and gladly accept phone orders.
Even though we started with electronics, we have evolved into much more. We update our inventory regularly and you never know what you will discover when browsing our site. From time to time, we even have vintage talking products from Sharp and Classco. Whether it is a product for your home, kitchen, or office, we have you covered. We even have a special category for Aira explorers.
Thank you for reading about our little company, and we hope you will stop by our website to see what makes us different. We love what we do, and so will you!
Brent Harbolt
The Harbolt Company
www.harboltcompany.com
sales@harboltcompany.com
405-633-2572
By Tina Terry
This
year my husband gave me my most unusual, but one of my favorite, Valentine's
Day presents. I have been interested in the Tape King Talking Tape measure
since I heard about it about 2 years ago. When we moved to our new home, I
found several times when I needed to wait for someone to measure something for
me. For those of you who know me, this is something that I really hate to do. I
want to find a way to do it myself. I received the tape measure and have found
many uses for it already.
It
is a tape measure, spirit level, and clinometer. The unit is extremely easy to
use and has a very clear voice. The size is about 4 inches with the case. The
tape itself extends out to 16.4 feet. There are 4 buttons on the front of the
unit and one button on the side next to where the tape comes out to help
retract it when you are finished. The 4 buttons on the front control the
on/off, mode, volume, measurement with the case and without, ways to read
measurements such as metric or feet and inches. It also has a memory function
which allows you to store the last 10 measurements and add measurements
together. When you are using the level or the clinometer, it will emit a
beeping sound that raises or lowers if something is uneven. There is a large
LED display on one side of the unit for the sighted as well. The back has a
clip that you can attach to a handbag or belt. It also comes with a very nice
carrying case. The unit is powered by 2 rechargeable aaa batteries. This will
be something I use almost daily and would give it a thumbs up. My family
members thought that it was too much to pay. The cost is about $169.00. Now
that they have seen it, however, they all covet it. They all carry tape
measures around with them, but now they all want to use mine. Go to Link: Click Here
by Sandi
I,
Sandi, have collected all of these over the years.
(1) Flies or bees bothering you? Spray
them with hairspray and they will take a quick dive.
(2) Sealed envelope: Put in the freezer
for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be
resealed. hmmm…
(3) Use an empty toilet paper roll to
store appliance cords. It keeps them neat, and you can write on the roll what
appliance it belongs to.
(4) For icy doorsteps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn
dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (Wish
I had known this for the last 60 years)!
(5) Crayon marks on walls? This worked
wonderfully! Use a damp rag dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort
(elbow grease that is)!
(6) Permanent marker on appliances or
counter tops (like store receipt BLUE)
Rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
(7) Whenever I purchase a box of SOS
Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After
years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally
decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of SOS pads
lasts me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened
this way!
8) Opening brand new jars can be a feat
in itself. Well, I have found a way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead
of banging a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I
simply reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to
the size of the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!
(9) Blood stains on clothes? Not to
worry! Just pour a little peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every
drop of blood. Works every time!
(10) Use vertical strokes when washing
windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which
side has the streaks. Straight vinegar
will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on sunny days. They
will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
(11) Spray a bit of perfume on the light
bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is
turned on. Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes
will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels
and linen.
(12) Candles will last a lot longer if
placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
(13) To clean artificial flowers, pour
some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt
will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking
like new! Works like a charm!
(14) To easily remove burnt-on food from
your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover
the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil on the stove top.
(15) Spray your Tupperware with nonstick
cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won't be any
stains.
(16) When a cake recipe calls for
flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mixes instead and there
won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
(17) Wrap celery in aluminum foil when
putting it in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
(18) When boiling corn on the cob, add a
pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
(19) Cure for headaches: Take a lime,
cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
(20) Don't throw out all that leftover
wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
(21). To get rid of itch from mosquito
bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
(22) Ants, ants, ants everywhere ...
Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and
draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
(23) Use air-freshener to clean mirrors.
It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell.
(24) When you get a splinter, reach for
the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch
tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most
splinters painlessly and easily.
We are always looking for articles,
book reviews, or interesting tidbits of information from our readers or other
interested persons. The deadline for submitting items for publication is the
15th of the month. You may e-mail any articles you wish to submit to tommit60@gmail.com;
send Braille, print, or audio to UCB Buzz, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT
84011-1415. Please allow extra time for processing Braille, print, or audio.
If you have questions or concerns for any board member or would like to be placed on the agenda of a board meeting, e-mail ucb.board@gmail.com or leave a message on the Utah Connection, and you will receive a timely reply.
Members are invited and encouraged to attend meetings of the Board of Directors. These are typically held the fourth Thursday of each month at 4:45 p.m. via Zoom, except as noted. If you would like to participate in the Board meetings, please leave an announcement at the end of the Utah Connection, 801-299-0670, or send an e-mail to ucb.board@gmail.com with your contact information.
· April 22
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