VIBUG MEETING MINUTES

Date of Meeting: October 9, 1999

The October meeting of Vibug took place from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on October 9, 1999 at National Braille press. Tim Comings called the meeting to order. The meeting minutes were read and approved. Amy and Tim advised the group that on November 13th our meeting would present a potential dilemma for those who wish to attend the ACB Conference which was also scheduled for the 13th of November. Much discussion was held about this issue. Jeanette Kutash proposed that we switch the meeting to November 6th. The motion was discussed and accepted.

Cheryl Comings announced that she was not able to coordinate the Christmas Party this year. At the time of the meeting no one volunteered. Amy stated that anyone wishing to volunteer should contact her. The group did agree that without a coordinator it would not be feasible to have the party this year.

Joyce Breda announced that RNK had completed its work on Vision Community Services menu driven phone system. Callers to the telephone tape (entitled VCS Connections) can now select menu options to obtain information such as TV specials, groceries, entertainment and special information. VCS Connections can be reached at (617) 923-2790.

In our question and answer period Louise Beach asked if people had heard anything about using a Braille n Speak with a 700 series printer. She stated she had been informed this was not possible. We suggested that she save her documents on disk and print them from a computer. She also asked about how she could obtain a copy of Word. We suggested that before she go out and buy one that she try to find it on her system and made suggestions about how it may be listed. Al Stenn wanted to know about mail sent to people that attempts to track users addresses. We indicated that if you get Spam Messages that it is not advisable to respond to them. Jerry DeFranza discussed the technology bill which is currently in the house. He stated that the purpose of this bill was to attempt to make the government more compliant with making computer equipment and technology more accessible.

Jeanette Kutash asked whether anyone had encountered the difficulty of being taken to the end of a BNS file when using the command for moving word by word. No one had, and it was agreed that the only option was to call the company. It was suggested this could be an internal problem with hardware.

Elections were held for officers who will serve for next term. Amy Ruell was elected President. Jeff Turner was elected Vice President. Jeanette Kutash was elected Clerk and Jim Roberts was elected Treasurer. All officers ran unopposed and were elected unanimously.

Amy Ruell announced that next months meeting demonstration will be done by her. She will be demonstrating how to use the Internet and how to shop on line. Tim Cumings gave this month's presentation, demonstrating the use of a Shopping Service, Hannaford's Home Runs. The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jeanette Kutash

Clerk