Editor’s Note: What follows is the April 17, 2019 edition of Blind News Victoria, released in April 2019. For convenience, headings have been added to this archived version. The timestamp on this archived copy reflects the date but not the time the original newsletter went out via email.
Blind News Victoria Bulletin
April 17, 2019
Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) “Employment and Empowerment” 2019 Convention
With thanks to official sponsors AMI Accessible Media INC.; Canadian assistive Technologies; and private donors.
The Canadian Federation of the Blind will hold its annual convention on May 3 – 5, 2019 at the HILTON VANCOUVER METROTOWN, 6083 McKay Ave., Burnaby, BC.
This year’s convention promises to be one of the best; it includes a full weekend of activities including a blindness resources, exhibits and skills fair; a philosophy session about the abilities of blind people; a welcome reception; live auction; a full-day conference with speakers discussing topics relevant to blind Canadians, such as employment, blindness skills training, advocacy, blind youth, peer mentoring, Braille literacy, adaptive technology and accessibility; hands-on demonstrations and exhibits; talent night; and a closing banquet with keynote speaker.
There is limited funding but If anyone needs some financial assistance for registration or hotel etc., please email president@cfb.ca by April 20, and CFB will do its best to support you.
For more information about the convention, please visit the following link.
http://www.cfb.ca/blindside/?p=642
VocalEye Described performance at the Belfry Theatre 1291 Gladstone Ave, Victoria
Sunday April 28 2019 at 2:00 PM
Tickets: 250-385-6815
4000 MILES
An intergenerational comedy about finding peace, love and understanding.
Vera, an irascible, politically active 90-year old is awakened by her grandson Leo, who has cycled from Seattle on a trip with his best friend.
In their month together, Vera and Leo bewilder each other, argue and connect as they discover the thin line between growing up and growing old.
A finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, Herzog’s 4000 Miles is populated with beautifully drawn characters you’ll fall in love with.
VocalEye described performance of Countess Maritza
Sunday May 5, 2:30 PM (pre-show talk at 1:30)
Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street, Victoria
VocalEye is thrilled to partner with Pacific Opera Victoria to provide the first live described opera production (sung in English) in BC! A limited number of tickets are available for $78 with a free companion rate for VocalEye users. Please call 250-385-0222 to purchase. VocalEye’s Ticket Access Program makes tickets more affordable for those in financial need. To register for a rebate subsidy for this event, please contact rick@vocaleye.ca
Victoria Society for Blind Arts and Culture members are also eligible for a bursary which can be combined with the VocalEye subsidy. Contact Linda at
lbartram@telus.net for more information.
When the beguiling young Countess Maritza invents a fiancé in order to keep her hordes of admirers at bay, it’s inevitable that she will find true love by the end of the story. With plenty of plot twists and fireworks, a happy ending, and scrumptious music from the heyday of Viennese operetta, this romantic comedy is sophisticated, nostalgic, and unabashedly entertaining – a joyous reminder that not all opera is “a song of love and death.
Two accessible performances at Uno Fest this May
Raising Stanley/Life With Tulia
Thursday May 2 and Friday May 3 at 6:30
Intrepid Theatre Club, 2-1609 Blanshard (at Fisgard)
Performed by Kim Kilpatrick and Tulia
Storytelling with visual art | 14+ | 75 minutes
Is a guide dog just a dog that works, or are they more than that? Kim Kilpatrick tells stories of the four guide dogs she has handled, accompanied by Karen Bailey’s paintings of the puppy she raised for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind – guiding you on the journey from energetic puppy to working dog for the blind. Whether your experience is through sound, sight, or the combination of both, you are fully included in the stories, the paintings, and the stories behind the paintings in this theatrical collaboration.
And:
Jellyfish Are Immortal
Created and performed by Sydney Hayduk
Friday May 10, 7:00 pm (Vocal Eye Described Performance)
Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra (at Johnson)
Multimedia performance art | PG14+ | 70 minutes
Welcome to the ocean. Grab a life vest. You’ve just floated upon a theatrical explosion between the self-help aisle and the marine life section of the bookstore in this Ted Talk/theatre mashup. A love letter from the academic and the artist, to the planet. Jellyfish are Immortal is a bizarre yet thoughtful look at the monsters we see on our screens and the monsters we see within ourselves. We’re going deep, but it’s going to be a party.
Tickets for either Uno Fest performance are $10 for VocalEye members and sighted companions are free.
Call 250 383 2663 or get your tickets at the door, available 1 hour prior to show time if still available. The theatres are not very large so best to call ahead.
Butchart Gardens
On Wednesday May 8, the Gardens will be hosting their annual complimentary lunch for blind persons and their companions. There is no admission charge to the gardens for participants. This event is organized through the Sidney White Cane Club. Call Jennifer Vanes at 250-656-5537 by Wednesday May 1 if you and a friend would like your names added to the guest list for the lunch. PTCB students do not need to call. Just let Elizabeth or Alex know if you would like to attend. PTCB will be travelling to the gardens as a group on transit.
