American
Council
of the
Blind
of
Minnesota
January 2002
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
A "THANK YOU" TO ACB-MN BOARD
George Failes Honored!
January Quarterly Meeting
SSB Quality Results 2001
Dreaded discussions
Communication Center Project
Seats on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
News Notes
VISION WORLD WIDE, INC.
This Might Help
Fundraising
ACBM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
I would like to start out this newsletter by thanking all of you who attended our state convention this year. The Convention Committee did a wonderful job in coordinating it all; none of it would have been possible with out them. Thank you all.
It was our first convention in the last seven years and will not be our last. The theme of the ABC's of ACB went extremely well. We had time to look at advocacy, betterment and commitment with panels set up to talk on each one of these areas. Very informative.
We were also honored to have Paul Edwards, our past president of ACB national, attend our convention. It was a good chance to visit with him and to hear his thoughts and ideas on subjects we were looking at. There was also the time to have some fun and to also meet and visit with some venders to check out the latest and greatest ideas out there right now.
The final event was the banquet and I was honored to give two awards. One went to Representive Dan McElroy for his service to all blind Minnesotans. The other went to member George Failes for his lifetime of efforts in improving life for all blind persons in Minnesota. As your president I must say this was one of the high lights so far of my time serving you all.
To all of you who attended the Convention, I hope you enjoyed and learned from this weekend and to all who were not able to be there I hope to see you in two years at the next one. It was a good chance for ACBM to start to show that we are here and growing and will not be going away soon. What I hope to see happening is during the time between the October 2001 Convention and the next convention we can still keep growing in members. And that we will find more effective and efficient ways to keep involved in the moving the conserns of the blind community. Lets all be proud to be a part of ACBM.
Walter Waranka, President
A "THANK YOU" TO ACB-MN BOARD
From George Failes
By the time you read this issue of the MEMO, I should have come down from "Cloud Nine" after receiving the beautiful "life Time Achievement" Plaque during the convention. I have it hanging on a wall just to the right of my computer desk. The sun reflects off of the Brailled message and gives me a warm feeling to recall the years gone by when so many of us organized conventions, the in between quarterly meetings on Saturday outings to the Wilder Farm for a sleigh ride with a side trip to the nearby apple orchard etc.
Needless to say that the period between the convention in October and early November was a bit overwhelming as I was informed by the Virginia McKnight Binger foundation that my nomination by the senior Federation was among 9 other recipients to be accepted. The foundation was recognizing the years of peer counseling for Vision Loss, the church Befrienders Ministry and recent efforts in initiating the so called "train the trainers" computer access project for the great number of baby boomers who will be experiencing sight problems in the years ahead. There's much work ahead, but with the help of a network of agencies and people like yourselves, we can get it done.
The following article on George Failes appeared in the Virginia McKnight Binger program book handed out at the awards ceremony.
An inherited condition gradually stole George Failes' eyesight. Yet he has not only maintained his own independence but has helped other vision-impaired people do the same. An 18-year volunteer peer counselor with the Vision Loss Resource Center, George is proof that despite the loss of sight, one can stay fully engaged with the world.
A former agronomist at what is now Cenex-Harvest States, George used adaptive technology to keep working until he became legally blind. His experience and education enabled him to be an articulate advocate for blind people as technology became feasible to improve their lives. He is especially proud of helping launch Minnesota's Dial-In News program, which delivers daily news over the phone, and serving as an advisory member for Radio Talking Book. He recently helped establish a major public-private partnership that will teach older people with poor vision to use adaptive software to "read" their mail, manage their finances, and communicate via email. He's now working to establish training sites. "I get a lot of satisfaction in being able to initiate concepts and carry them through," he says. "I get the help of many other people to get the job done."
"He has been a wonderful role model and spokesperson on how technology can help the visually impaired", said Peter Wyckoff.
The quarterly meeting will be held at Champions on Saturday, January 26, 2002,from 1:00 to 4:00. Remember, it is time to pay your 2002 dues.
I am pleased to present to you the Fiscal Year 2001 Quality Performance Results for State Services for the Blind (SSB). In February of 2001, SSB published for the first time the outcomes and measures the agency would report on each year. The outcome and measures were open for public comment in November 2000. This report also depicts the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Performance Indicators that went into effect this year.
I would like to draw your attention to some key statistics in this report. In 1997, RSA expressed concern about the high number of homemaker closures that Minnesota was reporting each year for the Title I portion of the Vocational Rehabilitation program. Such closures, while permitted, are discouraged by RSA. They are not aligned with the intent of the vocational program which is competitive employment in the integrated labor market. Rather, individuals interested in the homemaker goal could more appropriately be served with state resources or the federal Older Blind monies. SSB began steps to serve homemakers with other resources in FFY 97 and 98. In SFY 99, Minnesota experienced a deficiency of funds and had to go to the legislature to request a deficiency appropriation. During that time, the agency implemented an order of selection in the Title I program which limited the number of new customers receiving services. The agency remained on an order of selection until September of 2000. As a result, the following data should be noted:
• The number of customers served in the Workforce Development Unit (Vocational Rehabilitation) dropped from 2,328 in FFY 98 to 1,039 in FFY 01. The significant drop is a result of moving homemakers to the Self-sufficiency Unit and the effects of order of selection.
• The number of customers served in the Self-sufficiency Unit rose from 1,875 in FFY 1998 to 2,863 in FFY 2001. The large increase is partly due to serving homemakers in the Self-sufficiency Unit instead of the Workforce Development Unit.
• The weekly wage at application significantly dropped from $147.55 in FFY 1998 to $63.23 in FFY 2001. The drop in wage at application may well be due to the increase in the number of applicants with multiple disabilities.
• The full-time hourly wage at closure in FFY01 was $11.51/hr., which is the highest it has ever been. It increased from $10.71/hr in FFY98 to $11.51/hr. in FFY01, which is higher than the cost of inflation. This suggests customers are getting better jobs.
• The decrease in the number of paid closures from 132 in FFY 1998 to 91 in FFY 2001 is a direct result of the decrease in the number of customers in the program due to the order of selection imposed in FFY 99 and FFY00. It is expected to climb again in FFY 02.
• The Self-sufficiency unit increased the percentage of those who exited the program and achieved all of their communication and self care goals from 76% in FFY 98 to 84% in FFY 01.
• Although the RSA performance indicators do not become effective until the end of FFY 01, Minnesota would not have met the required standards if they had been in effect in FFY 98 and 99.
I hope you will take the time to review the data. SSB will continue to report on the outcome measures annually and look forward to the opportunity to continually improve our performance on behalf of Blind Minnesotans.
If you have any questions on this report, feel free to call me at 651-296-1822.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Elsey
Assistant Commissioner
State Services for the Blind
Dreaded discussions
By Rebecca Kragnes
As a blind person and a dog guide user, I'm used to fielding lots of questions. Most are fairly harmless. What is the dog's name? How old is the dog? How does the dog know when to cross the street? I think I can safely speak for most dog guide users in saying these are pretty common questions. We each have different ways of dealing with them. Some of us won't give the dog's name, and some will, for example.
Although I can't speak for other dog guide users, there is one topic about which I personally do not like to answer questions. It comes in many forms. "Where's your dog?" "No doggy today?" "What happened to your dog?" Then after I've given an answer, people make statements or ask follow-up questions to get more details. "Why?" "What happened?" "he looked healthy to me." "She seemed like she worked ok to me." For some, the "where's your dog?" question may occur more often, because they choose to leave their dogs at home. It may be mildly annoying to them that people focus on the dog rather than the person. I don't have a problem with the focus on the dog, and I understand all too well that a dog guide becomes a part of me. It is very rare for me to leave my guide at home unless something is wrong with the dog or the environment is not conducive. Many times under one of these conditions, I elect to stay with my dog.
I am asked these questions most often when I am not currently working with a dog. Things happen which force a period of time between dogs, and this is when the same questions tend to repeat again and again. I am very aware of the absence of my dog, and I hope that other people won't point out the obvious. I feel vulnerable -- a bit like not having my pants on.
I know these feelings very well, as I have had to part with two dogs in the last year. After four years of working with me, my first guide, a Golden Retriever named Tanner, suddenly got very ill with a kidney disease. Because the effects of this disease could not be reversed or stopped, I decided to put him to sleep in order to avoid inevitable pain. According to my vet, he would have had trouble breathing and eventually would have drowned in his own fluids.
Many people have pet dogs die, and this is hard on animal lovers. I have had some of these people say they know exactly how I feel, because they were close to there pet who died. Although I understand they are trying to be empathic, I grow impatient with such comments. When the dying dog is also someone's eyes, the impact is much greater than having a pet die. I compare it to having someone like a spouse or a child die. During the months between Tanner and Shelly, other people said, "Well, you'll get another one, so what is there to be upset about?" Replacing a dog isn't like replacing a cane or a pair of pants. There is an interdependent relationship which is hard for people who do not use guides to understand. I can't make the reader understand it, but I can say that these kinds of comments feel about as insensitive as telling a mother who's child died that she will have another. Similarly, it's like telling a widower that he can always marry again. Socially, we are taught not to ask for details about a death directly from the family members. It's tacky and tactless. So why is it anymore ok to say such things about someone's guide?
I had to say goodbye to my second guide, another Golden Retriever named Shelly, because she didn't care for working in the city. It stressed her out, and the shortcuts she tried to take to avoid work were putting us both in danger. I had someone compare it to an amicable divorce. I chafed at the analogy at first, but now have come to see how true it is. Even if a person knows that two people who are divorcing do not hate each other, does he/she ask for details of the divorce? No, so why is it anymore correct to ask about why a person and a dog had to separate? Similarly to last year, I've had people ask why I am so upset, because I can always get another dog. I bet these same people wouldn't tell a divorcing friend not to be upset because they can always find another spouse.
Both of these experiences have involved intense grief for me. I naturally want to feed and relieve my dogs at the given times. I tread carefully around their favorite places and think I hear paws or tags at home. Both at home and in public, I have to keep from reaching down to pet a dog who isn't there. There is also guilt involved in the grieving process. The what ifs and if onlys seem to sneak out of nowhere.
Travel is much more frustrating. Most dog guide users have some cane travel skills, but they haven't been used for a while. In winter if I am between dogs, snow covers up familiar landmarks detected by the cane. My left side isn't protected by the barrier of a dog, and I am just as likely to slip off the sidewalk on that side as the right. I must remember to slow down, or my cane will whack someone in the back of the legs. It's more effort for me to negotiate tight spaces and crowds with a cane. I always listen carefully to traffic before crossing a street, but I don't have the dog to intelligently disobey me if I'm wrong about my judgement. I must try to keep that straight line when crossing the street, and if I stray at all, I hope it's away from traffic. If someone decides to turn in front of me, I no longer have a dog to put on the brakes. I am not arguing that the dog is better than the cane, because it's a personal preference. I am arguing that to be forced to go back to a method of travel I do not prefer is jarring and agonizing.
The final layer of frustration when I am between dogs is the way people treat me. Before getting a dog, I thought that all blind people were treated the same. Granted, there is a lot of similarity, but the public is much more curious about my dog than about my cane. I sit on a bus with the cane, and no one says a word to me (except to ask where the dog is). Most of the time I am ignored. If I have a dog present, we start by talking about the dog and then move onto other topics. Icebreaking isn't the main reason for having a dog, but it sure is a nice side benefit. Suddenly, that's gone too.
All of this grief and frustration is brought to the surface every time I am asked where my dog is. People mean well, but they really don't understand how horrible it feels to constantly be reminded that the dog is gone. I am reminded without them asking, and then they expect detailed explanations!
Like someone going through a death or divorce, sometimes I need to talk about what has happened to my dogs or the fact that I miss them. I would rather choose with whom, when, and where I have these conversations just as anyone grieving a death or a divorce usually does. It's bad enough when friends and acquaintances ask, but it's twice as bad to be stopped on the street by people I don't even know just so they can ask.
I would like to suggest an alternative to making these queries. It's better to wait until the person brings the topic up themselves. This is often how we socially handle death and divorce. We are present to the grieving person but wait for them to bring it up. Once they do, we are careful to let them talk about what they need to and to just listen. In an ideal world, the public, family, friends, and acquaintances would look at the separation between dog guide and human in a more sensitive light and do these things.
As blind people, most of the time we want people to ask questions, but this is one time when sensitivity should come before education. I know that I'll never be able to stop this from happening to me, but I pray that reading this article will alert someone to how hurtful such inquiries can be. It would be worth the effort I put into writing this to learn that one grieving dog guide user did not have to go through the personal torture of being asked these questions during an extremely painful time.
I wanted to let those of you outside the Communication Center know that the Public Strategies Group (PSG) has been contracted to work on a project called "Communication Center Success." This was noted during the recent Radio Talking Book program featuring a discussion regarding "where should SSB be placed in state government?"
The draft mission of the project is:
"To develop alternative funding strategies to help support the Communication Center's strategy to maintain and expand service and to select a long-range funding plan that has stakeholder support."
PSG has met with CC leadership this week and the project deliverables are due by June, 2002. Stakeholders and others will be contacted for input in this process.
Chuk Hamilton, Director
State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
Seats on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
Editor's Note: The following letter was recently received from Tom Lijewski.
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Tom Lijewski, Chair
SUBJECT: Seats on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
DATE: December 12, 2001
The State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind is seeking new members. The term of appointment for several present members will be expiring January 2002. Members may serve up to two full terms but must reapply if interested in serving a second term.
The function of the Council is to advise the Commissioner of the Department of Economic Security about programs of State Services for the Blind. The Governor appoints all Council members. A majority of members must be blind.
Positions expected to be filled early next year include the following:
• Representative from the Statewide Independent Living Council;
• Current or former applicants for or recipients of, vocational rehabilitation services;
• Representative from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning;
• Representative from the American Indian vocational rehabilitation services grant carried out in Minnesota.
Persons interested in serving on the Council need to complete an "Open Appointments" application form and submit it to the Office of the Secretary of State. That form is available on the web at:
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/openapp/forms.html
You can also request the form from the Office of the Secretary of State by contacting Nancy Breem at (651) 296-0128. Ms. Breem's E-mail address is: open.appointments@state.mn.us
Please take this opportunity to become involved. Your assistance is critical to the continual improvement of programs and services for blind and visually impaired Minnesotans.
Editor's note: These applications are held and may be used to fill unfinished terms.
Greetings from News Notes to all of you Memo readers in Minnesota, and with the website, to all of you in the U. S., the world, and cyber space.
Death takes another ACBM member
Al Dyka passed away on Saturday, November 17th, 2001, after dealing with bone marrow cancer for around three years. I got to know Al through beep ball in around 1982. Over the years, he was involved in Audio Darts, and bowling, in both St Paul. and later, in Minneapolis.
Al was an interesting person. He was born in eastern Europe. When Communism struck his homeland, he and his family left and, eventually, made their way to the United States. He enjoyed traveling, reading, and music. He had one of the largest record collections, I have ever seen.
He was independent enough, that he would travel on his own. Once, he flew to Memphis, stayed in a hotel near the airport, went to a record/music store near Graceland, bought a recording that he was interested in, and flew back to the Twin Cities. He, along with others, would travel to Las Vegas, to see the sights and do a little gambling. He, also, traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, and other places.
Since the mid 80s, Al was a vendor with Business Enterprises. His customers were always glad to stop in and see him, and of course, buy soda, chips, magazines, etc. He liked people and they liked him. He never complained about the negatives of the Business Enterprises world. This attitude permiated everything he did. Whether it was bowling, darts, or ACBM, he never liked the meetings, or inner workings of organizations. No controversy for him. He enjoyed life.
He attended the ACB National Convention in Louisville in 2000. His cancer was bothering him then, so, he did some activities, that his health permitted. We will miss you Al.
Travels with Mikey
Well we did not let 9/11 stop our travels this fall. My wife and I, along with some friends traveled to Champaign, IL, for the Gophers vs Illinois football game, in October. They allowed you to bring small bags in to the stadium. This was true for the Twins in late September, and Gophers home game vs Ohio state at the Metrodome. However, it was a different story in Michigan.
Around Nov. 9th, we traveled by car to Detroit to see the Gophers vs Michigan, and also, to see the Detroit Lions play against the Tampa Bay Bucks. In AnnArbor, for the Gophers game, the security was much tighter. No back packs, small bags, food, drinks, etc. were allowed in the stadium. You could bring a wallet with you. They wanted you to spend money too. At the Silverdome, the next day, Sunday, the same prohibitions were in force. Except one extra, the guards wanted each person to turn around, so, they could see that you were not hiding anything. And, I thought it was just for the guards to see the pretty girls. Silly me.
One other person was with us on the Michigan trip. President Wally Waranka joined us. He was disappointed that he did not get his full body search.
As Elaine and I traveled to Cleveland for Thanksgiving, we found security manageable. The neat thing about it is that you get to the airport early enough, that you can go to the bar, have a drink, food, and do some gift shopping. Is there something more to this security that we do not know about? People spending more money at airports?
Happy new year from News Notes to all of you.
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Please feel free to share this with your friends who are candidates to err on the safe side.
Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Perhaps you might want to make an extra copy and place that in your safe deposit box.
A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.
We've all heard stories about fraud that's committed using your name, address, Social Security Number, credit cards, etc. Unfortunately I (the author of this piece who happens to be an attorney) have firsthand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thief/thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.
As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never ever thought to do this). Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security Number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do this, almost 2 weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them in their tracks.
The numbers are:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
We pass along jokes; we pass along just about everything. Do think about passing this information along. It could really help someone.
Thanks to the Convention Committee for running a Chineese Auction at the October convention. We made a profit of approximately 125 dollars.
Our next fundraising event will be a bake sale to be held sometime in March. Look for more details concerning this fun event next month.
The Fundraising Committee thanks all of you who have participated in the various fundraising events held during the past year. Your continued financial support of ACBM allows our organization to continue to pursue issues vital to all blind Minnesotans.
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
Bob Lockwood, Treasurer
3625 Cardinal Rd
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Phone: (952) 932-7269
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
Nicole MykKanen, Director
732 NE Polk St. #10
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: (612) 623-0594
Barbara Bangsund, Director
24 105th Lane NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448
Phone: (763) 757-8951
 | Copyright © 2002 American Council of the blind of Minnesota wallyw@lifetrackresources.org |