The Arizona Council of the Blind is excited to invite you to join us for the 2026 Annual Conference and Business Meeting, which will take place virtually on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11, 2026. The details and a link to our online registration form are below.
Building Beyond the Basics!
This year’s theme is “Building Beyond the Basics,” and our goal for the conference is simple. We will be sharing updates and information that we can use to go beyond the basics of survival, so that we can thrive as a state organization, within our local chapters, and as individuals. Specific topics that we will cover will include: approaches for strengthening our statewide and local chapter advocacy efforts, and tips that individuals can use for strengthening their personal and family finances, as well as tools and technologies we can all use to improve the quality and productivity of our lives as blind and visually impaired people. We will also have updates from our parent organization, the American Council of the Blind, from a number of Arizona agencies, focused on serving people who are blind or visually impaired, and we’ll provide information on new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for the websites, mobile apps, and other digital assets provided by state and local governments, transit agencies, and others. This will be a powerful program that you will not want to miss.
Conference Schedule
- Friday, April 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. MST – Pre-Conference Game Night – Join your friends online for great conversation, fun, games, and door prizes. It’s a chance to reconnect with fellow AZCB members and friends, in advance of the next day’s conference activities.
- Saturday, April 11, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MST – The Conference will begin with a 30-minute virtual Pre-Conference Mixer, where you can connect and catch up with other AZCB members and friends. The conference will officially kick off at 8:30 a.m. with four full hours of presentations and workshops in line with our theme of “Building Beyond the Basics.” We’ll also have a few door prizes, so plan to stick around for as much of our conference as you can.
- Saturday, April 11, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. – Arizona Council of the Blind Annual Business Meeting – During this “Members Only” meeting, we will hold elections, consider any resolutions or changes to our Constitution and Bylaws, that are proposed for member consideration, and we will hear updates from several additional agencies serving people who are blind or visually impaired within Arizona.
Registration is Free and Required
If you wish to attend any portion of the AZCB Conference and Business Meeting, you will need to register.
Register for the Conference
Arizona Council of the Blind 2026 Conference and Business Meeting
Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11, 2026
Location: Virtual on Zoom
Friday, April 10
-
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Pre-Conference Mixer –
Join AZCB Vice-President, Lily Bogan, and Central Arizona Chapter member,
Ron Brooks, for two hours of conversation, games, trivia, and of course,
door prizes. And here’s a pro tip: We’re in Arizona, so the fun and games
could include an array of topics that we all discuss down here in the Grand
Canyon State. Think rattle snakes, scorpions, the heat, deserts, outlaws
(those who are elected as well as those who are not), and of course, the
Arizona Council of the Blind.
Saturday, April 11
-
8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. – The Meeting Before the Meeting
– Grab your favorite breakfast pastry and beverage, and join host and
AZCB President, Melanie Sinohui, for 30 minutes of casual conversation. This
is a great way to connect with your AZCB friends, to catch up on pets, guide
dogs, and everyone’s cats, to complain about how cold it’s been in
Flagstaff, how hot it’s been in Phoenix and Tucson, and to marvel about how
weird it is when it actually rains. -
8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. – Session #1 “Opening Remarks,
Updates, and the Fight for Digital Accessibility.”
– We’ll begin this year’s conference with updates from the AZCB
President, Melanie Sinohui, our American Council of the Blind
representative, Jeff Thom, and we’ll hear a presentation on new ADA
requirements that state and local government agencies must meet regarding
the digital accessibility of public-facing websites and mobile apps. We’ll
also learn about an Interim Final Rule, which the U.S. Department of Justice
has stated it plans to release, which, if issued, will amend these new
accessibility guidelines without prior notice or public comment. We will
also discuss advocacy strategies that the AZCB and its members may want to
take in the event of this potential Department of Justice action.
Facilitator: Melanie Sinohui, AZCB President, Phoenix.
Presenters: Jeff Thom, Board Member, American Council of
the Blind, Sacramento, CA. Skylar Colavita, Staff Attorney, Disability
Rights Arizona, Phoenix. - 9:20 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – Break
-
9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. – Session #2 “Building Our State,
Local, and Individual Advocacy Skills.”
– We’re living in a time when advocacy (and especially state and local
advocacy) matters more than ever before. This workshop will focus on steps
we can take within our state organization, within our local chapters, and as
individuals to become better, sharper, and more effective advocates.
Facilitator: Melanie Sinohui, AZCB President, Phoenix.
Presenters: Jeff Thom, Legislative Director, California
Council of the Blind, Sacramento, CA; Vicki Cusino, Executive Director,
Direct AZ, Tucson. - 10:20 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. – Break
-
10:40 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Session #3 “Building and
Maintaining Your Financial Health for a Better Financial
Future.”
– Join Chris Petersen, CEO of Penny Forward for a comprehensive look
at everything from how to build a budget, to ABLE accounts, to investment
and estate planning. It’s a practical workshop that you do not want to
miss.
Facilitator: Lily Bogan, AZCB Vice-President, Tucson.
Presenter: Chris Petersen, Chief Executive Officer, Penny
Forward, Minneapolis, MN. - 11:30 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. – Break
-
11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Session #4 “Tips, Tools, and Tech
to Make Your Life with Blindness or Low-Vision Easier.”
– Some of our best talent comes from right here inside our AZCB
affiliate, and this workshop’s the proof. Several of our AZCB members will
share practical tips about the tools and tech they use to get practical
things done online, in the kitchen, in the home office, in the area of
personal health and fitness, and more.
Facilitator: Rhonda Carroll, AZCB member, Tempe.
Presenters: Kaila Allen, AZCB Membership Committee
Co-Chairperson, Mesa; Lisa Brooks, AZCB Secretary, Mesa; and Lupita
Hernandez, AZCB Member, Tucson. - 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Break for Lunch
-
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Arizona Council of the Blind Annual
Business Meeting (Members-only)
– Join your fellow AZCB members to discuss the state of the AZCB, to
conduct the organization’s business, to hold elections, and to plan for the
future of our chapter. You will also have the chance to hear updates from
several agencies supporting the blind/low-vision community here in Arizona,
including the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Arizona Braille
and Talking Book Library, and the Governor’s Council on Blindness and Visual
Impairment.
Registration is Free and Required
If you wish to attend any portion of the AZCB Conference and Business Meeting, you will need to register.