From the Desk of Patty L. Fletcher

Patty Fletcher sits comfortably in a black cushy office chair at a spacious black desk facing a window. Patty’s hair is halfway pulled up, while the bottom half of her hair flows down her back and shoulders. She is wearing jeans, socks, and a black sweatshirt. On the desk, her hands rest on a laptop keyboard with a beverage in a can sits to her left. Outside the window is a green lawn, a tan building, and a red door.

Note, the photo shown above was taken in what was for me, one of my favorite places to work.

Patty’s Worlds has moved on since the photo was taken, but that office will always be in my heart.

I hope you enjoy today’s offering.

Early Morning Musings on the day after The American Council Of The Blind 2024 Conference and Convention

By Patty L. Fletcher

Friday July 12, 2024

Hello! I hope all are well. Here, the coffee is hot, soon the weather will be too, Blue’s in bed, so you’ll have to settle for only the human half of Team Blue.

I wanted to come here and say, I genuinely enjoyed the Virtual and Hybrid American Council Of The Blind 2024 Conference and Convention. I learned a lot of stuff, especially about new tech information, which was not only handy to have but rather fascinating.

The presentations on Audio Description were awesome, and again I learned valuable information.

I also learned how not to do things. First, when you’re slated to volunteer for something, even if you’re sure beyond doubt that you’ve all the information you need to do what you said you’d do, double check about an hour beforehand anyway. Especially if you’ve received three new major tech machines within the last week. Do not_ assume you know what you’re doing. That old saying of, “It never hurts to check” is a good one. In the end, the show went on, and I had a lot of fun volunteering for the community Happy Hour Hospitality Rooms, and I am so glad I was allowed the privilege to do that.

I met up with old friends and made new. I learned more things about the goings on within ACB and we had a lot of laughs.

We even debated a last-minute topic which came before the floor during the last portion of the last day of general session.

This leads me to the second part on how not to do things.

I learned, just because a person brings forth what sounds like a promising idea, doesn’t mean they have researched their topic.

I’ve come to believe bringing something up in a meeting, especially during the last few minutes of the last day of convention without having absolutely as much information as is possible about your topic of concern isn’t productive and can lead those who aren’t as in the know as they should be astray when they’ve not got all the facts. Once again excellent job to our president, for having correct information to give us.

Though I do have some wonderful ideas on the topic of having something for registrants of the virtual portion of the convention and have had these thoughts for some time, thanks to my fellow attendees in yesterday’s happy hour, I now have a better understanding of things, and we also brainstormed some great ideas. It’s those types of discussions which can lead to some wonderful things getting done and is only one more reason I enjoy those Community Happy Hour Hospitality rooms so much.

Madam President if you’re out there reading, and you’d ever like to take a few minutes to sit and share a drink from the virtual bar and some good conversations with friends, please accept my open invitation to the Happy Hospitality – Southern Style room which is open every first and third Sunday at 8 PM eastern in the community. We’d love to get to know you better. I’d also love to interview you for the Patty’s Worlds Podcast.

I think, for me one of my favorite portions of the convention was indeed the general session. I enjoy watching our ACB board president conduct a meeting. She is straight-forward, no nonsense, remains

on task and topic and is kind, patient and polite when she needs to bring forth order when people get excitable in the moment and need a gentle reminder of how things should go.

Even when a curve ball was tossed into the last inning, she kept her cool.

Watching a woman who knows her business at work, always gives me great satisfaction.

Even when I don’t necessarily agree with something done or said, I admire someone who can take that sort of meeting to the level of respectful democracy she can.

I wish I’d had that sort of example when I was working as volunteer coordinator of 2-11 Contact Concern of Northeast Tennessee, an organization no longer here, which was near and dear to my heart as well.

All the presentations I heard were great and knowing even though I missed a few things, I can catch them as they’re podcasted, makes me incredibly happy indeed.

I’m proud to be a part of the American Council Of The Blind and I hope to become more involved in the future.

For those who didn’t take an active part in the convention this year, I’d like to advise you are a part of this organization. This is why it’s called The American Council Of The Blind, not For The Blind. It means simply, you do have a voice, and you will be heard. If yesterday morning’s last few minutes of the general session didn’t show that, nothing will. Regardless of the topic, voices were heard. Furthermore, I believe they were listened to, and understood.

Last year things got brought up and this year I saw those ideas at work.

It’s not enough to sit on the sidelines and wish things could be better. It’s not right that people should sit and complain, yet when they’re asked, “What have you done to make a change?” they say, “Oh I leave that to others.”

Our election was easy to participate in, and I felt well-informed on everything being voted on.

I hope you’ll excuse my passion when I speak of this organization I can no longer imagine being without.

I have never felt so included or that I was welcome and wanted, in any blindness organization ever.

Even with my multiple disAbilities I belong, and for me, that’s huge.

I suppose I’ve rambled enough. Besides, you don’t have to take my word for it, you can go here: https://ACB.org and see for yourself.

While you’re there, join us by becoming a member, donating, or both. I promise you won’t regret it.

For now, this is Team Blue saying, “Keep your nose to the ground and your tail waving at the sky.”

About Patty L. Fletcher

Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

For More information please visit: https://pattysworlds.com

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