A MESSAGE FROM THE LEAGUE PRESIDENT
Hello, I am Randy Meyer, Mayor of Sheboygan Falls, and I am honored to be your new League President. The combination of being competitive and blind means keeping up with cutting edge technology and strategically using
as well as being able to display tactile graphics, which is amazing, but I can’t afford/justify the $18,000 price, which would give me something near the equivalent of a computer display. I keep up with the sighted world by listening to books and podcasts at triple speed. Friends say I have an unfair advantage, reading a book at 425 words per minute, while potentially doing something else at the same time. Bone conduction headphones allow me to keep my ears on the world while reading. Meta glasses are a more recent tech add allowing me to ask them what they see, and many other apps allow me to use AI video assistance or describe pictures. When I give motivational talks, I tell people there is no better day to be blind than today, and tomorrow will be even better. I would love to know how your community is innovating with technology. Is anyone using a robo-lawn mower or other cool tech? Technology is great, but compassion and human decision making is still supreme. I am Randy and I am happy to talk tech with you.
technology in a cost-effective manner. This isn’t just important, it is critical for me. Over 20 years ago, I was the first one in my city to ask for agenda packets to be emailed to me, now a common practice for everyone. When COVID hit, I learned Zoom before anyone else on my city team, allowing us to hold seamless online meetings. I was an early adapter of ChatGPT, and now subscribe to ChatGPT+. Blindness technology includes: JAWS (Job Access With Speech) making all my computers talk, iPhone with built-in VoiceOver speech, the apps Seeing AI (text recognition, handwriting recognition, bar code detection, and more), and BeMy Eyes (millions of volunteers available to give quick help, plus awesome AI features at my fingertips), and many more. Braille displays allow me to read 40 characters at a time, but cost roughly $100 per character, or Braille cell. A new Braille display could show me 10 lines of 32 cell Braille,
CONGRATULATIONS!
Toya Harrell, MMC, WCMC, Village of Shorewood Along with President of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association’s Board of Directors (WMCA), Co-Chair, IIMC IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Learning) Committee, and of course Village of Shorewood Clerk, Toya Harrell has one more title to add after her name. Congratulations to Toya as she has earned the designation of Master Municipal Clerk (MMC), which is awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Inc. What a great achievement! “Carpe Diem is my life’s mantra,” Toya told the League. She also shared some great advice, “Never stop learning.”
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The Municipality - October 2025 | 28
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