A newsletter celebrating ASB progress, programs and people.
At Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, we work every day to help individuals build skills and gain access to the information, experiences and resources they need to live the lives they wish to lead. We are an agency for anyone, anywhere on the vision loss continuum and offer education, training, community-based enrichment opportunities and referrals to help them achieve their individual goals.
Program Schedule Updates
Our programming schedule has been updated. Please review the latest dates for the following programs:
Health Speaker Series Updated Schedule (Fridays from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.)
- 2/12/21: Amber Carroll of Well Connected
- 2/19/21: Blood Pressure Control
- 3/5/21: When to Use the ER
- 3/19/21: From Coverage to Care
Special Events
- 2/17/21: Giraffe Conservation Foundation at 2 p.m.
- 2/24/21: Penn Museum Roman Exhibit at 11 a.m.
If any of the participants you work with are interested in these programs, they may contact Participant Navigator, Lexi Jones at ajones@asb.org.
Black History Month
February is Black History Month. This week’s Good Works Wednesday features several Black History Month virtual programs open to ASB participants.
Voices of Hope: A Black History Month Celebration
The Mann Center is back with its annual Black History Month Celebration, Voices of Hope! This year’s event’s central themes are love, hope, social justice, the impact of the pandemic within African American communities and how we as a city come together to grow stronger. This year, not only is the event virtual, but it celebrates the work of Black artists in our community with four very special Mann Music Room: Learn performances. Each week will bring you a new video and activity guide exploring the importance of Black artistry and its significance worldwide.
Voices of Hope is a community event that celebrates African American culture and iconic Philadelphia innovators within the health and wellness field. This year, the Mann is proud to present Reverend Doctor Lorina Marshall-Blake, President of Independence Blue Cross Foundation, with the 2021 Innovation Award. Reverend Doctor Lorina Marshall-Blake has influenced how her organization approaches health and wellness delivery, healthcare policy and advocacy for the Philadelphia community. Her work in the public health sphere has been nothing short of inspirational, and she has truly embodied the spirit of inclusivity and positive change that Voices of Hope aspires to honor.
For more information, participants can visit this link.
Longwood Gardens: Voices in the Landscape
Longwood Gardens invites you to an audio described exhibit: Voices in the Landscape.
Embark on a beautifully poignant journey with storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston as she honors and celebrates the strength, resilience and contributions of the Black community through the lens of horticulture and the power of story. Through a series of 10 stops—experienced in-person throughout the Gardens via your phone or virtually from home—surround yourself in her moving spoken word and the stillness around you.
Audio files with introductory audio descriptions of each location are available on the Longwood Gardens mobile map. Nicole Sardella voices the audio descriptions. The audio descriptions use words to describe the landscape and plants of Longwood associated with Charlotte’s stories. Each audio description is given based on the location of the sign in the Gardens.
Longwood Gardens’ Accessible Exhibition Guide is also available for participants. This guide provides information for people who are blind, low vision and/or experiencing hearing loss to enhance their participation in the Voices in the Landscape program.
ASB participants and families can go visit this Audio Described experience independently, and if the family has a PA State ACCESS Card, they can enter Longwood Gardens for $2/person, for up to four people (including the card holder). Tickets must be reserved in advance! Reserve tickets now through March 21, 2021. Click here for more information and to reserve tickets.
The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues
The Free Library of Philadelphia is hosting The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues on February 9 at 7:30 p.m. Participants can join for a conversation with novelist and musician, Victor Wooten.
Founding member of jazz fusion super group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, bass guitarist Victor Wooten is a five-time Grammy winner and has been called “the Michael Jordan of the bass.” A producer, songwriter, and solo touring artist, he is the only person to thrice be voted Bassist of the Year in Bass Player Magazine’s readers’ poll and was named one of the top 10 bassists of all time by Rolling Stone. He is also the author of the novel The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music. His new book tells the story of three strangers who are mystically summoned to Nashville to save the sound of live music.
Participants can learn more about the program and register for the event at this link.
REVOLUTION: A Programmatic Collaboration between Black History Untold and the Penn Museum
The opening to REVOLUTION, a short documentary by Black History Untold, invites viewers to uncover the past through a series of 15 interviews with community elders and others as they recount history as they have experienced it. This screening will be followed with a presentation by Black History Untold Founder Sofiya Ballin on the vitality of oral history and the power human stories hold.
Participants can attend REVOLUTION on February 10 at 6 p.m., and sign up for the program at this link.
The Letters of Marian & Orpheus A Love Story: A Reading by the National Marian Anderson Museum & Historical Society
Join us for a dramatic reading of the sacred love letters between the great Marian Anderson and her husband, noted African American architect Orpheus King Fisher. Accompanied with this treasured reading experience are unique aria love songs of the classical ages. This program features Brian Anthony Wilson reading as Orpheus King Fisher and Soprano Jillian Patricia Pirtle reading as Marian Anderson, with music from the Marian Anderson Scholar Artist Program
Participants can join attend this event on February 13 at 4 p.m. For more information, participants can visit this link or call 215-779-4219.
Racism is a Public Health Issue: Now What?
The Mutter Museum presents Racism is a Public Health Issue: Now What? on February 17 at 4:30 p.m.
Racism is a public health issue, a fact declared by all major public health groups, including APHA, PPHA and NAM to name a few. As the birthplace of our nation, of modern medicine, and as a leader in education, the City of Philadelphia has a long and storied past with racism and structural inequities. How will we reconcile our past with our present to better the health of our communities? Join The College of Physician’s Section on Public Health and Preventive Medicine on February 17 for a discussion on racism and health in Philadelphia.
Featured Panelists:
- Moderator: John Rich, MD, MPH, FCPP
Professor, Health Policy and Management, Drexel University School of Public Health
Co-Director, Center of Non-Violence and Social Justice Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University - Daniel Royles, PhD
Assistant Professor of History, Florida International University - Deborah Hinds, MPH
NAS Program Manager, Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health - J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Interested participants can register for the webinar at this link.