Date of Meeting: January 13, 2001
The Meeting was called to order at 1:05 by Amy Ruell, President. The minutes were read and accepted.
Amy reminded all present that membership dues of $20.00 are now being accepted for the calendar year 2001. They can be paid at meetings, or sent to Jim Roberts at 20 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA, 02108. Checks should be made payable to VIBUG.
Jim Roberts gave the annual treasurer's report. We had 56 members in 2000. We began the year with $1704.61, and currently have $2502.01.
Amy informed all present that Ted Filteau's wife's Cousin had recently passed away. The officers had made the decision to send $50.00 to Project Triangle. She stated that while this was not generally Vibug's practice, we felt that since Ted had been a former past president and did so much work for us behind the scenes, it was important to acknowledge his loss.
Amy told all present that to ensure the safety of all of our computer equipment it was now time to consider buying a new storage cart. After some discussion, a motion was made and approved to allow Amy and Don to spend $300.00 on a cart that would adequately meet Vibug's needs.
Amy reminded people that if they were interested in having more computer classes, they should contact her and let her know which topics they would like covered.
Jennifer Bose announced that Mia Simons from the Institute for Community Inclusion was doing a project involving adaptive technology, websites, and the employment of disabled people. For further information Mia can be contacted by e-mail at Mia.simons@tch.harvard.edu. She can be contacted by phone at (617) 355-3066.
Cheryl Comings announced that a group entitled Friends of the Library was being started. On February 11, 2001 they will have a speaker who will discuss employment rights of the disabled. In March they will be having a meeting with a professional NLS reader. Cheryl stated that people could talk with her after the meeting if they were interested in learning more about this group.
We have been offered a CD Writer if we can use it in our current computer system. This possibility will be explored. One person told us that once his system is upgraded, he would like to offer us a used computer. This will be discussed further when the system is actually available. We did state, however, that space might be an issue, and if that is the case, we will try to assist in finding a place where this computer can be donated.
Following a question and answer period the business portion of the meeting was adjourned and Bill Kilroy demonstrated some features of Openbook 5.0, Magic 8.0 with Jaws, and Connect Out Loud, a new program specifically designed for people who want access to a simple word processor, the Internet, e-mail, and the Windows desktop. The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jeanette Kutash
Vibug Clerk