Expertly and courteously chaired by our still relatively new UKAAF chair Roger Firman, the 13th annual UKAAF AGM has just successfully concluded.
In cyberspace again for the second time (thanks to a certain novel coronavirus), the event was ‘standing room only’ for board members and the many enthusiastic (and patient!) attendees via Zoom (32 all told) … on which we are all experts now, at least with the raise hand function (though a few muting and unmuting issues raised a chuckle or two).
It was particularly delightful to welcome UKAAF president, distinguished politician, law scholar and veteran impaired visibility campaigner Lord Low of Dalston. The AGM was his first opportunity to attend a virtual UKAAF meeting, so a great opportunity to express his pride in working with us as he is a “great enthusiast for all it does”.
“UKAAF is a fine example of a charity that has successfully integrated a number of charities into one, and I am very enthusiastic about the work UKAAF has been doing,” he told us all.
A showcase of UKAAF’s work and achievements over the last year
Roger then paid a moving tribute to former UKAAF honorary member Bill Poole, whose contribution to the advancement of Braille both nationally and internationally is considered unrivalled. Roger invited the participants to pause for a few minutes in his memory, a quite moving moment and for many of us another ‘virtual first’.
We then proceeded to complete the AGM business at hand, followed by a run through of last year’s AGM minutes, e.g. signing off accounts, election of board members and so on. Sounds a lot, but everything went smoothly, and at an impressive rate of knots!
One thing that I left the day with was a reminder of the sheer breadth of the organisations who collaborate with UKAAF on standards and accessibility best practice: it was wonderful to get caught up on all the many great projects underway, all being carried out with so much enthusiasm and valuable volunteer time being given for free.
Best of all, the board then shared a wonderful showcase of UKAAF’s work and achievements over the last year, and if you have time, I really recommend you check it out on YouTube here.
So, on to the 14th AGM in 2022—and even more UKAAF success!
Carina Birt
Public Relations Officer, Board Member and founder of Sarum PR
