American
Council
of the
Blind
of
Minnesota
April 2001
A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF MINNESOTA
P O BOX 7341
MINNEAPOLIS MN 55407
The articles and comments stated in this newsletter are not necessarily the position of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota, but rather are the position and opinion of the article's author.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Bert Morlock, Editor
4815 28th Ave. South, #217
Minneapolis, MN. 55417
Phone: (612) 721-9970
E-Mail: morlock@visi.com
Bob Lockwood
3625 Cardinal Road
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Phone: (952) 932-7269
E-Mail: Peggy_Bob@email.msn.com
Dennis Bartlett
3338 38th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: (612) 722-8686
Shirley Bartlett
3338 38th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: (612) 722-8686
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
SSB NEWS
QUARTERLY MEETING
LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP
WRISTWATCH TRACKS BLOOD SUGAR
ACBM ELECTIONS
2001 POSTAL REGULATIONS ON FREE MATTER MAILING
MIKE'S NEWS NOTES
NATIONAL CHURCH CONFERENCE OF THE BLIND
100 YEARS AGO IN 1901
TECH TALK
Fundraising Report
Procrastinator's Creed
ACBM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As events and activities keep going on around me I'm often frustrated with all the spin doctoring that goes on. I see how individuals and groups can take information and make it support their cause. They use the information to create the "facts" that they need and want to support their agenda. It happens on all levels and in all areas, it seems, and makes it so difficult to determine what is the truth. Sometimes it just seems that the truth does not mean a thing and as long as you can make it support your agenda that is all that matters. But one thing that always seems to catch the spin-doctors is when they are questioned on their facts. They usually skirt the question or use the tactic of avoiding or changing the subject. All that is accomplished by any of these efforts is confusion or delays on efforts that are all ready in progress.
I mention this all because I have seen a lot of this going on, again, during this legislative session. The opportunities for confrontation and frustration are all that benefit by this. It calls for us all to look deep at what is being said and proposed these days. It is good to keep looking at ways to change and grow but there is always a way to do this. I feel we are all open to discussion in a civil way. Always ask questions and check out the truths before you act on the proposals.
I just want to let all of you know that Carol Heinl and I spent Thursday, March first, at an all day conference with the group that is doing the customer focus study for SSB. The subject was self-sufficiency for the 55 an older and it was an interesting one. There are some very creative and unique ideas being looked at. We had the opportunity to say what we liked and disliked with their suggestions. They will take them back to do more shaping of the plan. It was a good day full of many ideas. The ideas are still in such a preliminary state of development it does not pay to talk about them yet but I was pleased in the start so far.
Walter Waranka, President
The quarterly meeting will be held at Champion's restaurant on April 28, 2001 from 1 to 4 p. m. Champion's is located at 105 West Lake St. in Minneapolis.
The menu choices are: Scalloped potatoes with ham, vegetable and roll or Chef's salad with roll. The cost is $9.00 per person.
If you are not contacted by a calling committee member by April 21st and would like to attend the meeting and luncheon, please contact Carol Heinl at 651-489-8609. See you on the 28th.
LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP
by Thomas J. Heinl
ACBM had a huge presence at the Minnesota legislature this year. For the first time in many years legislators realize that there is a reasonable blind advocacy group that represents the views of 95% or greater of the blind population of Minnesota. At this writing here are the status of major bills that effect the blind community:
If you have any questions or any ideas about legislation please contact me at 651-489-8609.
The following article from the Grand Forks Herald, Friday, March 23, 2001.
Wristwatch tracks blood sugar
By Lauran Neergaard
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Diabetics are about to get a science fiction-like way to measure their blood sugar painlessly: The government approved a wrist-watch-looking device Thursday that uses tiny electric currents to monitor diabetes. The long-awaited Gluco-Watch won't completely re-place diabetics' dread finger-prick blood tests because it's not perfect, the Food and Drug Administration warned. Nor is it for children, a disappointment to parents anxiously awaiting pain-free alternatives to sticking little fingers. But it does promise adult diabetics important benefits: supplementing finger testing for more frequent glucose monitoring that may keep them healthier, and sounding an alarm if blood sugar hits dangerous levels — possibly lifesaving if that happens during sleep.
"This particular device is going to allow patients to have an early warning signal" that less frequent blood tests don't allow, explained Dr. Bernard Statland, FDA's medical de-vice evaluation chief. Manufacturer Cygnus Inc., which struggled three years to win FDA approval of the prescription-only GlucoWatch, revealed Thursday' that most people will have to wait until around year's end to buy it. Cygnus hasn't scaled up manufacturing to make enough, so immediate sales will be to about 150 patients in test marketing to ensure diabetics use it properly.
GlucoWatch will cost $400, plus a $4 to $5 disposable sensor that the patient must replace every 12 hours. To get a doctor's prescription for a watch, the FDA is requiring that patients be trained to use it and pass a quiz.
GlucoWatch is a good first step toward diabetics' ultimate goal of continual, painless glucose monitoring, said Dr. Christopher Saudek, president-elect of the American Diabetes Association. Supplementing finger-stick tests can be very helpful, and some diabetics have longed for the watch, he said. But, Saudek cautioned, "it still has development to go before it becomes something that would be used for all comers."
For more information, check the following resources:
Annual elections will be held at the April Quarterly Meeting. This year we
will elect a President, Treasurer, and 3 General Board members. The
Nominating Committee has twisted the arms of the following people to run for
office:
If you want to run for one of these positions and make the election more competitive, please make your desire known to any current Board Member at the Quarterly Meeting.
2001 POSTAL REGULATIONS ON FREE MATTER MAILING
DMM issue 56, January 7, 2001
E040.2.1
Summary — E040 describes the standards under which mail may be sent to or from blind or handicapped persons free of postage.
1.0 — Basic Information
General 1.1 — Subject to the standards below, matter mailed by or for the use of blind or other handicapped persons may be mailed free of postage. The provisions of E040 apply to domestic mail only.
Mail Classification 1.2 — Matter mailed free under this standard is not considered part of any particular class of mail and is not protected against postal inspection. This matter is treated as First Class Mail for the exclusive purposes of determining appropriate standards for processing and delivery and for handling if undeliverable.
Definitions 1.3 — For purpose of this standard:
List of Qualified Individuals 1.4 — A postmaster must establish and maintain USPS 010.060 (see Administrative Support Manual) as a record of customers who are blind or handicapped and eligible to mail matter under this standard. Conditions that apply to this record include:
2.0 Matter sent to blind or other handicapped persons
Acceptable matter 2.1 — Subject to 2.2, this matter may be mailed free:
Conditions 2.2 — The matter listed in 2.1 must meet these conditions:
Letters From Sighted 2.3 — Letters prepared in any form by sighted individuals, to be sent to a blind or other handicapped person, or empty shipping materials for mailing matter described in this section, may not be sent free and must bear the full applicable postage.
3.0 Matter sent by blind or other handicapped persons
Acceptable Letters 3.1 — Only letters in raised characters or in sight saving type (i.e. 14 points or larger) or in the form of sound recording may be mailed free, and only if unsealed and sent by a blind or other physically handicapped person.
Other letters 3.2 — Letters that are handwritten, or printed or typed in a type size smaller than 14 points, may not be sent free. These letters must bear the full applicable postage.
4.0 Preparation
Basic standards 4.1 — All matter mailed under this standard:
Special Services 4.2 — Insurance is the only special service that can be added to mail sent under this standard. The fee for insurance must be paid by the sender.
MIKE'S NEWS NOTES
by Mike Vining
Well, it is time for News Notes again.
Bowling
We were bowling in the Mailagraphic tournament back in December. This is a national tournament. We had some winners, who are ACBM members. Gar Giddings was first place in the totally blind division. Elaine Vining came in fifth in the Sighted, and Mike Vining came in 45th in the partially sighted division. This is competition among bowlers in the entire nation.
Congrats. Gar Giddings and Elaine Vining also, won bronze medals for the high game of 422 and 568.
By the time you read this, we will have been back from the Midwest Blind Bowling tournament in Cleveland. The dates were March 16th through the 18th. So, the winners cannot be announced here, until the July Memo. Let's be optimistic and say that everyone had a wonderful and successful tournament.
Playing with the Internet
Simondelivers.com:
Have you tried one of the latest ideas in the world of Ecomerce? Simon Delivers operates on the premise that you order your groceries on line and they are delivered to your home.
We tried it, and it works. For people, who do not drive, like Elaine and this writer, it works great. Just go in to simondelivers.com and get all information. I do not know how blind friendly the service is; however, it could be big for us. We sent them an email, and may get in contact more.
The first three deliveries are free, and any orders after that over $80 are free delivery. There is a rumor that there are no delivery charges for the blind. That is false.
Food.com:
There were radio ads for this service so we checked it out. There is a list of local restaurants listed in all different food types/cuisines. As of this writing, I have not had the nerve/guts to try to get delivered meals by this method. I may yet.
Elections
As mentioned earlier, Bob Lockwood and Mike Vining are on the nominations committee. So, if you want to run for office, or a board seat, it is time to get nominated.
New guide dog
News notes wants to welcome Becky Kragnes' new four-legged friend, Shelly. Shelly came from Seeing Eye®. We hope she is used to the snow.
NATIONAL CHURCH CONFERENCE OF THE BLIND
The National Church Conference of the Blind will be having their annual Conference July 22nd to the 26th, 2001. It will be held at the Holiday Inn South/Convention Center, 6820 S. Cedar St., Lansing, MI 48911. Phone number: (800) 333-8123 or (517) 694-8123. Make your own reservations and make sure you let them know you are with the NCCB conference.
Come and join us for great Bible teaching, workshops, tour, talent time, wonderful fellowship and more. For more information, contact our membership secretary, Rheba Dunn at NCCB, P. O. Box 196, Grover, CO 80729. Phone: (970) 895-2352. Email: radioman@oneimage.com. Hope to see you there.
100 YEARS AGO IN 1901
By Donald Kezar
Hello all, not a whole lot new in the computer world this quarter but I thought you'd be interested in the following article. Many of us who take medication could use this device.
Pill Bottles 'Talk' to Elderly & Blind/Visually Impaired
WASHINGTON (AP) - The man squints at his medication, but his dimming vision can't make out even whether he picked up the Coumadin or Celebrex. So he aims a gadget the size of a deck of Cards at the bottle, and a computerized voice begins reading his prescription instructions.
Call them talking drugs: If pilot testing goes well at two Chicago Hospitals, blind and elderly Americans could soon begin buying prescriptions with "smart labels" that read aloud the potentially lifesaving fine print. Millions of Americans have eyesight so bad they can't read newspaper type, and thus struggle with medication bottles that put the drug's name, dosage and important safety warnings in even smaller print.
It's a problem that's only going to worsen as the aging population booms. Inability to read pill bottles can lead to very dangerous mistakes: Taking the wrong pill at the wrong time; or the wrong dose; or missing the warning not to drink alcohol or take various over-the-counter drugs with the prescription. Or even when to call a doctor about side effects.
Enter ScripTalk. Beam a small voice synthesizer at a prescription bottle with a special computer chip embedded into the label. The wireless technology translates the printed label into speech, literally reading aloud the pill instructions.
Manufacturer En-Vision America Inc. of Normal, Ill., hopes to begin selling ScripTalk this summer. First, vision impaired veterans at Chicago's Hines Veterans Administration Hospital is pilot testing the gadget to learn how helpful it truly is — nearby Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center soon begins a separate study to see if ScripTalk could reduce medication errors.
"When you're vision impaired ... it's very difficult to find the necessary information" to use a drug properly, explains Pharmacist Bruce Gaynes.
"Our major goal, and what these systems would allow, is greater independence," adds Jerry Schutter, chief of blind rehabilitation services at Hines. Hines so far has taught a dozen veterans to use ScripTalk at home. Some "are very happy with it," Schutter said. Others, usually the very elderly, still prefer family members to read their pill Bottles to them.
The pilot test isn't over yet, but will help determine if ScripTalk provides enough benefit for the VA to offer it once sales begin.
ScripTalk isn't the only such attempt: Hines also has a handful of veterans testing New York-based Asko Corp.'s Aloud, where pharmacists record drug labels into listening devices for patients. ScripTalk, in contrast, harnesses wireless technology to let computers synthesize the talking label automatically.
Rush's planned 300 patient study, which also will investigate low tech solutions such as larger print drug labels, will examine Whether ScripTalk reduces medication errors, thus saving money as well as preventing injury. That study could help insurers and pharmacists decide whether to pay for the device. ScripTalk won't be cheap, Schutter cautions. En-Vision would send participating drugstores blank, microchip embedded "smart labels." Each drugstore would have to buy a special $1,000 printer that encodes the microchip to read each label once it's printed. Patients would buy a battery operated ScripTalk reader, for about $250, that works on any smart-labeled pill bottle. A talking label Initially should add $1 to each prescription, a price that would drop as more were sold, En-Vision says.
At Hines, pharmacists had to write special software so the ScripTalk printer could read the VA's patient prescription records, a link retail Pharmacies may have to figure out, too. But En-Vision, which has begun pitching ScripTalk to drugstore chains and insurers, says don't forget one big benefit: Not every Drugstore will sell talking prescriptions, so those that do could gain instant loyal clientele among the millions of vision impaired patients. Not to mention the technology could be modified to help people who can't read prescription labels for other reasons, such as illiteracy or language barriers.
Fundraising Report
By the Fundraising Committee
A special thanks to all who participated in our annual bake sale that was held at the Old Spaghetti Factory on April Fools day. We raised over $600.00 for ACBM. Our next project will be the daily lottery that will start sometime in June.
I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.
I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.
I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesimally small, is not exactly zero.
If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.
I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the greater the task to be done, the more insignificant the work that must be done prior to beginning the greater task.
I know that the work cycle is not plan/start/finish, but is wait/plan/plan.
I will never put off until tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.
I will become a member of the ancient Order of Two-Headed Turtles (The Procrastinator's Society) if they ever get it organized.
Walter Waranka, President
26 10th Street West #1003
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 293-1299
Michael Vining, Vice-President
5257 Logan Ave. N
Minneapolis, MN 55430
Phone: (612) 522-7678
Marion Haslerud, Secretary
232 W. Franklin #205
Minneapolis, MN. 55404
Phone: (612) 870-8761
Esther Essene, Treasurer
3636 Denmark Ave.
Eagan, MN 55123-1046
Phone: (651) 454-4792
Bob Lockwood, Director
3625 Cardinal Rd
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Phone: (952) 932-7269
Tillie Gilliland, Director
2200 Nevada Ave. S. #106
St. Louis Park, MN 55426-2633
Phone: (952) 544-6758
Stephanie Hall, Director
433 7th St. S. #2227
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1645
Phone: (612) 332-7837
Becky Kragnes, Director
3515 Pleasant Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 827-2132
Juliet Silvers, Director
3244 Colfax Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN. 55408
Phone: (612) 824-2131
 | Copyright © 2001 American Council of the blind of Minnesota wallyw@lifetrackresources.org |