Council of Blind convention scheduled in Sparks

A convention of the American Council of the Blind that begins in Sparks this week is estimated to generate an economic impact of $3.2 million.

More than 1,500 blind and visually impaired people will gather for the 50th annual conference. John Ascuaga' Nugget is the host hotel for the event that runs June 8-16.

Also scheduled is a trade show that will include products ranging from white canes and talking GPS navigation devices to technology that translates print books and magazines into braille or artificial speech.

A fundraiser walk and run in Sparks on July 10 also is planned.