2020 PCB Conference Details
Dates: Wednesday, October 21st through Sunday, October 25th
Location: As Close as Your Nearest Device
Theme: Bridging the Distance
Schedule:
Conference Registration $20 includes:
• Access to the Zoom platform to interact with all presenters and other attendees.
• Toll-free calling option upon request.
• Opportunities to participate in the evening entertainment and audio described events.
• Entrance into door prize drawings.
• Participation in elections and business for paid PCB members
• Conference Program provided in your preferred reading format.
• Automatic registration for the PCB Live Auction (Sunday, October 25, 3 PM)
Registering:
• Please register by Saturday, October 3 to grab your space in limited-participant events and to ensure we have time to get you the conference materials in your preferred format.
• Late registration $20 (After October 3 Braille, large print, and audio thumb drive not guaranteed)
• Register by phone 1-877-617-7407
• Register by mail (request a form)
• Register online after September 5 at the PCB Conference Registration Page
Additional & Emerging Details:
• Regularly visit pcb1.org/conference
• Follow us on Twitter: PCB_Advocate or on Facebook: PACounciloftheBlind
What is a virtual conference?:
This year, since we cannot meet in person at a physical hotel site, we will come together through the magic of technology. Our primary virtual meeting facility will be Zoom, a meeting platform that enables us to call, click, or tap our way to each other. So, rather than packing your suitcase, boarding a train, shelling out bucks for a room, and eating expensive hotel food all weekend, you get to sit in your comfiest chair, sleep in your own cozy bed, and eat your own scrumptious meals. And the best part, you’ll get even more great presentations and opportunities to participate than ever before at our conference.
Conference Activities:
Since we have no physical limits of hotel availability, we’re expanding this year’s conference programming. We’ll kick off Wednesday, October 21 at 4 PM with the annual conference meeting of the PCB Board of Directors. The conference will officially open afterwards at 6 PM. Thursday, October 22, our programming begins at 4 PM with doggy massage instruction followed by our Getting to Know You social hour for attendees who are either new to PCB or who are attending the conference for the first time, and then even more presentations. On Friday, October 23, we have events planned all day including an audio described movie matinee, breakout sessions, Kitchen Conversations discussion, and more. Saturday’s programming is all-day, similar to our format for previous years. On Sunday, we have another movie on tap and the PCB Live Auction. Our teams have planned presentations including tips and tricks for giving public presentations, the potential helpfulness of AI speakers, and information on managing your health with technology. We’ll also hear from two app creators, two book authors, and both of our U.S. Senators’ offices. Each night we will have interactive entertainment including improv, trivia, impersonations, and banquet social time. This year’s PCB Conference and Convention will truly be like no other.
Attending the Conference:
While PCB will stream portions of this year’s conference on ACB Radio, the only way to guarantee access to all programming and events is to register for the conference. Once registered, you will be given the codes and/or links to connect to the Zoom platform. Connecting through Zoom allows you to ask questions of presenters, participate in social time with other attendees, vote during the business meeting (if you’re a paid member), exchange ideas and feedback during the breakouts and discussions, and join in the evening entertainment fun. Participating in a Zoom conference isn’t much different than our monthly discussion calls. If you have a land-line phone, a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone, you can easily connect to Zoom. For those peers who don’t have access to a fancy tech device or unlimited long-distance calling, we’re ready to accommodate you. When you register, let us know you will need toll-free calling and we’ll get you that number. For the live auction, which is not offered through toll-free service, we will make every effort to match you with an auction Zoom partner who can bring you into the event.
If you attended this year’s ACB Conference and Convention or if you have been attending any of the ACB community calls, then you are already familiar with Zoom. Once you register for the PCB Conference and Convention, we’ll send you the connection information for each event along with a simple list of Zoom features to make access even easier.
Door Prizes:
What would a conference be without door prizes? If you register, you won’t have to find out. Like every other year, you will need to be registered to be eligible to win. You don’t have to be present though—not even in the session. This year it’s as simple as register to win! And if you win, PCB will mail your door prize to the address you provide on the registration form.
Virtual Exhibits:
This year we will use ACB Radio to bring peers information about our exhibitors’ products and services. When we are not streaming conference programming, you will be hearing virtual exhibits. Virtual exhibits will begin Wednesday, October 21 at 9 AM. We are still accepting sponsors to underwrite this year’s conference with packages beginning at $250. Chapters and paid PCB members can purchase a virtual exhibit to run on ACB Radio for just $38 and nonprofits for only $53. Email pcboffice@pcb1.org to request an exhibitor packet soon!
Start Zooming:
Zoom offers an accessible, safe way for us to meet this year, regardless of what device we choose to use. We encourage you to start becoming more familiar with Zoom by attending some of the community calls offered through ACB. For peers using a landline, simply dial the number we will provide and enter the meeting codes. When you want to raise your hand to ask a question or make a comment, press *9 and once the facilitator has recognized you, it’s *6 to unmute yourself.
We highly recommend for peers using a computer or smartphone to request their program materials in email because we will be including direct web links and one-tap mobile links to make the connection quick and easy. If you have never used Zoom on your device, you will be prompted to download the Zoom communication software. Once you’ve clicked the download button, you will be asked for your username and email. Do the meeting host a favor and fill in these fields before hitting the Join button. This is how we will identify you when you raise your hand. We will be providing additional Zoom tips in the conference program materials.
Listening to ACB Radio:
You can tune into the broadcast of the virtual exhibits and other portions of the conference on the Live Event channel of ACB Radio. Here are several ways to do so.
• Stream the audio on an internet-enabled device such as a computer or notetaker by visiting: acbradio.org/live.
• Tell an Amazon Echo device, “Open ACB Radio Live.” You first may need to “Enable ACB Radio.”
• Download the ACB Link app to your smartphone (iPhone and Android).
• Listen on the telephone by calling 518-906-1820.
• Use the Internet Radio feature on a Victor Reader Stream to access ACB Radio Live Event.