In addition to RDPFS, many organizations acted quickly to keep members of their communities connected during shutdown and beyond. American Council of the Blind (ACB) recently marked the anniversary of its Community Calls, which began in March 2020 as a new connection for peer-to-peer support. The broadcast recounted how, from a start of two events its first week, the calls quickly grew to 40 per week in May and to their new high of 100 a week mid-March 2021. Hosts are people who have turned their own interests into events that attract audiences who want to learn more about tech, crafts, health and wellness, sports, recreation, beauty, grooming, languages, books and more. Calls are via Zoom and hosts are trained by ACB to ensure that all listeners and viewers have the same high-level experience. Their 100 hosts, 99 of whom are blind or low vision, have held over 3,100 events, attracting over 75,000 callers via Zoom and many more listening on ACB radio, YouTube and other outlets. ACB looks forward to continued expansion of Community Calls and is currently training a new host from the Philippines. Another international host hails from Dubai. They’re looking for new hosts, too. Anyone with a skill to share or a topic they like to chat about can email Membership Services Coordinator Cindy Hollis through ACB’s contact page here. View and listen to the Community Calls first anniversary broadcast, including interviews with two of the hosts, on YouTube.
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