THE MISSOURI CHONICLE (June 2001)

I want to apologize for the delay in the mailing of the March Chronicle. Our tape producer miled the tapes without the free matter t postage, so several of them went to the office and had to be re-mailed. The studio hafered to run additional copies if they are needed, so if you did not receive your March Chronicle, please let me or the office know.

I think we have a number of interesting articles in this issue, including two pieces about some promising breakthroughs in the treatment of blindness due to retinal problems. When you read them, please keep in mind, though, that these are not immediate cures; they are long-term research projects that are several years away from being utilized. I present them in order to give you an idea of what new treatments doctors are working on that may be of benefit to you sometime in the future. Also in this issue: articles about the Missouri School for the Blind, a blind bowling league, legally blind Olympic runner Marla Runyan and an article from the Wall Street Journal about audible traffic signals. We'll also review the free matter postal regulations. Enjoy the June Chronicle and keep in touch.

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President's Message
by Chip Hailey

Dear MCB members and friends,
I would like to begin my message with a quote from Henry Truman because I think that it best exemplifies how I have spent the past several months as your MCB president: "I studied the lives of great men and famous women, and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm." The past several months have certainly been busy months.

The month of February found my wife and I off to Washington D.C. for the American Council of the Blind Legislative Conference. We had the distinct pleasure of being accompanied by Clint and Rachel Campbell, Bessie Reece, and of course our Health, Education, and Welfare chairperson, Lucille Fierce. Even though the trip was an arduous experience, I sincerely believe that it was a very productive experience in that we were able to convey all of our issues to the staff of our U.S. Senators and Congressmen. Later that same week, we were in Jefferson City for MCB Legislative Days. Here again, I think that the time we spent at our state Capitol was equally productive as well in that many of our state senators and state representatives are now very cognizant of many of today's issues facing blind Missourians.

One of the highlights of the past several months was when I had the good fortune to attend the Power Up conference in Columbia. During the awards presentation on Monday morning of the conference, Dennis Miller and I, on behalf of the Missouri Assistive Technology Project Advisory council, presented Teddi Emmons with an outstanding leadership award in Kenny's honor. The award was in recognition of Kenny's exemplary leadership, dedication, and perseverance in assuring equal access for all Missourians. Here is to you Kenny; you proved that success is the result of hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work, and persistence. You proved your worth by making us want to listen when you were with us and now you are making us want to think.

Dennis Miller and I have also been working with the Missouri Assistive Technology Project on its Telecommunications Access program for the Internet. We have spent a great deal of time in establishing the guidelines for the program. Applications for the program should be available by the time you have receive this issue of the chronicle. For more information on the program, you may want to contact Rosalie Bakker-Thomson at 1-800-647-8557.

During the past several months, I have also been extremely busy working with the MCB finance committee and the constitution committee. One of the things that I have discovered in working with these two committees, as well as with some of the other committees, is that there is a great deal to be said about the strength and character of this fine organization. I am not permitted to go into detail here, but just let me say that I honestly believe that even though MCB may experience some strong and difficult challenges ahead, I firmly believe that by the grace of All Mighty God and by the people we have on all of our committees we will meet and overcome these challenges, and I firmly believe that MCB will be the stronger for it.

I have also been extremely busy in working with Sheri in the overall everyday operations of the organization. Even though Sheri and I may correspond several times during the day by telephone, I still check my e-mail regularly to see whether I have any messages from the office, which I usually do. This helps to cut down on telephone costs. With a bustling schedule such as mine, I thank God for cell phones and e-mail.

In closing, just let me say that Linda and I are very much looking forward to making as many of the affiliate visits as possible. By the time you have received this particular Chronicle issue, Linda and I will probably have made several affiliate visits already. I would also just like to say that I am having the time of my life as your MCB president. It has truly been an enjoyable experience in getting to know all of you better. My heart swells up with great emotion when I think about the many friendships I have made since becoming a member of MCB. I have deep, genuine affection for you all. I certainly count my blessings every day for having the marvellous privilege of having made so many wonderful friendships. May God continually watch over all that we do. Have a wonderful summer and we hope to see many of you at summer camp.
Best wishes, Chip hailey, MCB president

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From The Executive Director's Desk
By Sheri Keller

  So, where did spring go anyway? Like everyone else I had high hopes that there would be sometime between the furnace running and the air conditioner which is not the case this year.
  Well, somewhere between winter and summer I attended the legislative subcommittee of the State Independent Living Council. Several of us volunteered to work on voting access issues within the state of Missouri. I will keep you posted on the developments in future issues. Also during this reporting period I had the pleasure of attending Power Up 2001. It truly was an enjoyable and educational, experience for me, with the highlight being Teddi's acceptance of an award on behalf of Ken Emmons.
  Lucille Fierce and I went to Jefferson City on April 24, and provided testimony regarding HBBLEFAB. This bill addresses among other things, establishing the "Community First Commission" which would oversee Missouri's implementation of the Olmstead Supreme Court ruling (Olmstead v L.C.). The House Substitute also includes the language of HB 512, which allows a person with a disability to keep his o! her Medicaid coverage in the event the individual obtains employment and is earning up to 250 percent of the poverty level.
  Education and Welfare Report by Lucille Fierce
  Many things have happened in the Missouri Council of the Blind since I wrote my article for the March Issue of the Chronicle. First we did celebrate our annual legislative days in Jefferson City and I believe that it was successful; however I have not heard from many of our affiliate representatives to get their reaction after calling on their own legislators. This would be helpful to have your thoughts on what could be done to make the visit more effective. The only serious problem that I am aware of was Donna Giger's fall and I understand that she is doing well.
  Chip and I discussed who we thought would be able to make the trip to Washington on the 24th and 25th of February and we decided that Rachel and Clint Campbell, Chip and Linda Hailey, Bessie Reece and I would attend the meeting. Ask any of us how much walking was involved and for myself I can say I had blisters on my feet. The first two days were spent in meetings and the topics were, among others, Voting Accessibility, changes in the Service for the Older Blind, changes in SSDI which would allow a blind person to earn up to $2,500 dollars a month before losing any benefits, audible traffic signals and Descriptive Video Service. These were among the topics we discussed with our state's representative and senator's staffers, as none of the representatives and senators were available the 26th and 27th.
  If you are interested in the material which we received, we will make it available to you if you request it before August 1st.
  I am sure all of you have heard about the other organization for the blind supporting the entertainment industry in its lawsuit against the FCC. We know that most blind individuals want and feel that they should have Descriptive Video Service. You might think of contacting legislators who would see this as a right that we have as citizens who pay the same taxes and prices for television and for the products being advertised.
  The ACB Convention will soon be here in our part of the country and since Des Moines is not so far away perhaps you might consider going and adding your voice about the issues which I have mentioned.
  Remember, at our MCB Convention in October, you will be electing a new Education and Welfare Chairman, so I think you should think about your decisions and select a strong Legislative Committee.

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Public Relations Report
by Bill Burris

President Chip and First Lady Linda, along with fifty other people from approximately five other affiliates from MCB attended the White Cane Walk in one of the city parks in Springfield, Mo, Saturday, May 12th. Some $1,200 was raised to benefit the Lions Eye Research program. Following the walk around the park, lunch was served by local lions club members from the Springfield area. Entertainment was provided by Mr. Don Waters of Rogerville, Mo., singing many of our old favorite songs. He was fantastic and was enjoyed by everyone there. How about it, Sringfield Service Club, why not find a spot for him on Friday or Saturday night during the MCB state convention? Our thanks to KYBLEC Tv for being there and doing a live news report for the local Tv channel, and local merchants for providing the food and soft drinks. It was all great!!! It would be a wonderful thing if other affiliates would do something similar during Missouri's White Cane Week. Looking forward to a great turn-out at the State Convention in Octoler at the Days Inn Hotel in Springfield, Mo. See you there.

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MCB Odyssey 2001
by Phyllis Lovett, Leo and Donna Giger, convention Chairpersons

It's time to plan the a'nnual MCB convention which will be held on October 11-14, 2001. We have great and exciting plans. We will have a contest in which you will be challenged to name MCB members from descriptive clues. Each person who registers will be given a list of questions. We will have sighted volunteers, braille writers and a talking computer available for your answers. We will have prizes for the person who gets the most names right. Also, on Friday night, after the dinner, we will have an auction of donated items. The proceeds from this auction will go to pay part of the convention expenses. There will be a professional auctioneer to sell these treasures. Bring money, as we have some very unusual items.

The convention hotel is the day's Inn, 3108 North Kentwood, just off I-44. This is the same hotel where we hosted the convention in 1981 and 1991. The room rates are $45 per day for up to four persons in the room. Sales and motel taxes are 11.5 percent or about $5 per day. The phone number is (417) 833-3108 or toll-free (877) 633-3108. Be sure to tell the operator that you are with the MCB. The hotel has a free continental breakfast, indoor heated pool, hot tub, restaurant and free parking. There is a Waffle House across the parking lot easily walkable. Some of the rooms are on the second floor, with no elevator, so ask for a ground floor room if stairs are a problem.

The MCB Board meeting will be on Thursday. The craft room will be open on Thursday afternoon late, Friday morning, after the Friday afternoon meeting, and Saturday morning. We are planning to have several exhibits, such as talking computers. The banquet tickets are $18. We promise no cardboard chicken. The menu is very appetizing. There will be a vet on call. Free shuttle service is available upon request from the bus station. Be sure to ask when you reserve your rooms. We will work hard to eliminate some of the problems occurring at the May Board meeting. We hope to see you there.

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Bylaws Committee Update
by John Weidlich

I thought I would give you a brief update on what the Bylaws committee is doing. You will remember that last year's convention passed a motion to appoint a committee to draft a revision of our Constitution and Bylaws. That committee consists of Chip Hailey, Dennis Miller, Marti Watson, Bill Burris and John Weidlich as Chairman. The committee held a very productive meeting in April and we have prepared a first draft as a working document. It has been sent to our Parliamentarian for her suggestions before we write the final draft. We are not making any major changes in our existing Constitution and Bylaws, but we are combining the two separate documents into one. I'm not going to give details here, but we are proposing some changes in some of the committees and removing some things from the Bylaws dealing with voting procedures. That doesn't mean we won't follow those procedures, they just won't be part of the Bylaws. Our Parliamentarian has suggested that the Revised Bylaws be sent to every member prior to the Convention, not just to the Affiliate Presidents. That way, you can all study the revision before it comes before the convention. We hope to do this as soon as the final document is ready to be circulated. My original thought was to make the Bylaws revision a part of the September Chronicle, but I think now that it will be a separate mailing from the office. My understanding is that the revised Bylaws will be read at the convention and you will have the chance to offer amendments to them on the convention floor. We will be meeting with Virginia, our Parliamentarian, prior to the convention to find out the proper way to do this. Time is going to be allotted on the agenda to deal with the Bylaws, so that we can give them our full attention and not rush through the process. Please read the revision carefully when you receive it so that you will be prepared to discuss it at the Convention.

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FROM THE ACB BOARD
by Jerry Annunzio

Although the ACB Board has not meet since January and, unless a special meeting is called, will not meet until the pre-convention meeting on Saturday, June 30, the board members receive a financial report each month. This report, called "Operating Results," is, I am pleased to say, positive. The spending is within the approved budget so far and income is more than anticipated. This is a big change from the past few years.

I hope by now you are all set and ready to go to ACB'S fortieth annual convention in beautiful downtown Des Moines, Iowa. This convention should be a most pleasant experience. Because Des Moines is farther north than most of the cities we have been in lately, the weather will be cooler. And if you are in one of the three hotels on the air conditioned skywalks, you will never have to get outside if you don't want to. Within the skywalk system you will find stores and services of all kinds such as: a small grocery store, a large department store, restaurants, food courts and shopping centers. I should have more good news to report next time after our next board meeting. If you have anything that you want me to bring to the ACB board, let me know.

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Obituary: Ed Rieman

From The Editor: In the last issue, I reported that Louise Rieman, an active MCB member and former editor of the Chronicle, had passed away. Here is an obituary from the newspaper reporting the death of her husband, Ed. Both will be remembered by all who knew and worked with them.

Eddie A. Rieman, resident of Pleasant Valley Manor Nursing Home, Pleasant Valley, MO, passed away Wednesday, March 7, 2001. There are no scheduled services. Burial will be in the South Point Cemetery in Orrick, MO. at a later date.

Mr. Rieman was born January 28, 1908 in Illinois, to Fredrick C. and Gustine Markert Rieman. He lived in St. Louis, MO from the late 1930's until the early 1960's, when he moved to Kansas City.

He married Mary Louise Stevenson, October 14, 1938. Ed was a graduate of the Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis, MO.

He retired from the Missouri Department of Social Services, as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in both St. Louis and Kansas City for many years.

Ed was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Kansas City, where he served on the church council and as president of the congregation.

He and Louise were active in several blind organizations including The Missouri Council of the Blind, who in 1984 awarded them with the Ellis M. Forshee Award for dedicated service to the blind people of Missouri.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary Louise and brother, Carl Rieman and survived by his sister-in-law, Edith Rieman; one nephew and two nieces.

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A vision for the future
By Matthew Franck

This article appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 23 in connection with the 150th anniversary celebration of the Missouri School for the Blind.

Missouri School for the Blind, which celebrated its 150th birthday last month, has seen much progress in the aspirations of its students over the years. Whereas the visually impaired once were limited to learning a trade at most, now they can dream of becoming almost anything a sighted person can be.

In a sense, the ambitions of teen-ager Miguel Renaud have been building up for 150 years. And yet, the 17-year-old is only about as sure of his future as any adolescent. He has a hunch that international business and translation could be a profession that would capture his attention. He knows what that career would require of him. But you wouldn't bet on what he'd be up to in 10 years. Because he has options. Lots of them. And that's the remarkable part--the part that's been a century and a half in the making. Renaud is one of about 125 students attending the Missouri School for the Blind, 3815 Magnolia Avenue, which opened in 1851 and celebrated its sesquicentennial last month. He is also an example of how far blind education has come from the days when the aspirations of the visually impaired often were limited to making brooms or binding mattresses. Today, those aspirations have been unshackled from misconceptions about the disabled, and set free by the possibilities of technology. "I figure if a sighted person can do it, I can do it," Renaud said. "Except maybe fly a plane." Renaud, like so many of his classmates, spends his days in college prep courses. He uses a computer lab that instantly translates text into speech and hooks up to a Braille printer. And his recreational options include track, swimming, ice skating and skiing.

It's a far cry from the mid-19th century, when many in the Missouri Legislature thought "it would be time, money and labor lost to try to teach the blind to read or do anything else." In 1847, the state appropriated enough money to educate just 15 blind people throughout the whole state. At the time, there was no school for the blind west of the Mississippi, and fewer than a dozen nationwide. But a tenacious blind educator would soon change that, with a public awareness campaign that challenged policy-makers and the general public. In 1850, Eli William Whelan, who had once operated the Tennessee School for the Blind, founded a private association in St. Louis to instruct the blind. The effort started with just two students. Almost immediately, those children became lobbyists of a sort, presenting an exhibition before lawmakers of their intellectual and musical talent. By Feb. 27, 1851--the date the school celebrates as its birthday--the Legislature agreed to set aside $15,000 for the "Missouri Institution for the Education of the Blind." The school opened within months.

A history in pictures: Today, as the school looks back on its history, workers and volunteers are combing through archives for clues of student life as it once was. On a recent afternoon, a library table was covered with stacks of old photos, some of which caused a tinge of uneasiness among staff members. Many of the photos show children preparing for professions that would be deemed menial today, like brush making, caning chairs and working looms. And in a few pictures, the students seem oddly to be part of a display. In a 1908 photo, titled "The Pyramid," young ladies in white dresses stand in a formation, holding flowered garlands to create triangular patterns. Another photo shows several young men, performing acrobatic skills in what appears to be a cafe. Many of the boys amaze the crowd of onlookers by balancing at odd angles from a wooden ladder. The images are anachronisms. And if the photos were taken today they might be deemed to lack a certain dignity. But no one at the school condemns the photos. Rather, they say they offer evidence of how far the blind have come.

Principal Tom Culliton said he believes there was never a time when the school wouldn't have been viewed as progressive, if not radical. When most people believed that the blind could not function at all in society, the school taught trades, he said. And while those trades might be looked down on today, that training made it possible for new generations of the blind to become productive. "They saw the potential that was there," Culliton said. "They knew that they could be employed." The school's history is one of breaking down barriers and combating ignorance, Culliton said. For decades, the state-run institution was viewed as something less than a center of learning. In its early years, the school was popularly known as the "Blind Asylum," a stigma that kept many parents from enrolling their children. It wasn't until 1921 that the state classified the institution first and foremost as a school. And yet, the school was also known worldwide as a leader in innovations. The school was the first in the Western Hemisphere to introduce the use of Braille. The English version developed at the school around 1860 became popularly known as "Missouri Braille." Many of the school's educators were among the inventors of prominent Braille devices, including a slate that was used nationwide, and a method for outlining maps and figures.

Opening options: Alumnus Philip Hamilton said the school's innovators helped to expand his world as a boy. As a fourth-grader in 1962, Hamilton had rarely ventured out in public and felt comfortable walking around only at home and at school. The school, he said, opened up options as simple as walking down the street or using public transportation. Now he travels as a minister to several churches and serves as vice president of the school's board.

Today, the school reaches about 1,300 children, at least indirectly. With the passage of special education laws, hundreds of visually impaired students attend their home schools. Educators from the Missouri School for the Blind travel the state helping teachers to adapt their classrooms. As a result, enrollment at the school has dropped from its peak of 226 in the 1960s. Many families are using the school differently today, as well. Some students attend just a few years in order to learn Braille and mobility, others enroll part-time, taking most courses at traditional public schools. About half of today's 125 students are boarders; the others live with family members.

Three main programs: The school now operates three programs: an academic track that includes a college preparatory curriculum, a vocational program for immediate job placement after graduation, and a program for children with multiple disabilities. The school's academic wing is remarkably typical of a traditional public school. Because most of the children have at least limited sight, classrooms are colorful and adorned with posters. In Renaud's afternoon careers class, all but a few of the students were reading printed textbooks, rather than Braille, and taking notes with paper and pens. The school's computer lab, meanwhile, has needed only a few modifications. Software programs convert text into speech. Another enlarges images and print. "This is the great equalizer," said computer teacher Wayne Seitz. "They can do whatever they want because they have the technology." And Seitz predicts the computer lab's potential will skyrocket within a few years, as voice-recognition technology becomes practical for common desktop computers.

Pushing boundaries: The new frontiers of blind education are being mapped out not in the computer lab, but at the opposite end of the school. There, educators work with children with multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, hearing impairments and severe cognitive problems. Several of the children would not have lived far past birth when the school was founded. Those who would have survived would almost certainly not have enrolled at a school of any kind. But in an enormous room that is sparsely furnished with toys, puzzles and a computer, teacher Caroline Kinney's job is to mine possibilities from the school's youngest children. Her students on a recent afternoon included just two 5-year-old boys. Bryson, slightly built and smiling, sat mesmerized in front of a light board as Kinney experimented by illuminating different colors and shapes. She repeats whatever appears to attract the attention of Bryson's limited vision. The process will continue for years as educators attempt to bombard children like Bryson with whatever sensory offerings they can. In his six months at the school, Bryson has responded. He speaks a little. He can turn the light board on and off by clicking a large button switch. When Kinney holds Bryson's hand and counts to 20, he will tap her palm with each new number. It's too soon to say for sure, but already the teacher has told family members that in 10 years she could see Bryson in the school's vocational program, training for a productive job. And she hasn't ruled out his potential to go even further, perhaps even to college. "I think Bryson will do very well," Kinney said. Because there are options, even for Bryson. Already, she can see that.

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Blind Bowlers Find Fun, Companionship in League
by Rich Corno

From The Editor: This article appeared in the St. Louis Suburban Journals Newspapers on April 22nd. Several people mentioned here are MCB members. The American Blind Bowlers Association held its National tournament this year in St. Louis from May 24-27. Sam White is 69, retired and nearly blind but, to him, life is an experience to be embraced and enjoyed. White, a Crestwood resident, brings his cheerful disposition and friendly humor with him to Epiphany Lanes every Thursday night to bowl. He is part of a league for blind bowlers that has been in operation for about thirty years. "I enjoy meeting people," said White, who was born with a rare visual disorder that left him completely blind in his left eye and only partially sighted in his right eye. "Bowling has been my life. I started setting pins when I was twelve years old in Flat River." White, who has bowled for 52 years, worked mostly as a janitor and managed a bowling center for two years. He has a 159 average in the Epiphany League, which consists of six four-person teams that bowl a 35-week season. Like sighted bowlers, blind bowlers roll three ten-frame games. Partially blind bowlers use a rail to help them align their position. Rubber bumpers to prevent gutters are not used. White bowls a pretty hook. "The pins look like a white sheet to me," he said. He can still roll a strike without being able to see the foul line or the arrows, though he does need a sighted volunteer to tell him which pins are still standing after the first roll when he doesn't strike.

Bob Fisher, 42, a Bevo Area resident, carries a 125 average in his sixth season. He has partial sight in his left eye and is completely blind in his right as a complication from diabetes, which he developed when he was nine years old. Fisher, who can't work, started losing his sight when he was 28. "I'm a pancreas and kidney transplant patient," he said. "That keeps me at home. I can see some things. I don't walk on sidewalks. I'm not thrilled about using a stick, but I'm still here. I'm thankful for that. If you get a chance to get out and do stuff like this, it helps you mentally."

Angelo Trapasso, who lives in the Princeton Heights neighborhood of South STILL. Louis, has been bowling for 29 years. At age 60 he works in the laundry of a nursing home in South County. He has to wake up at 3:00 to take two buses to work. His blindness was caused by an accident when he was a child, but he carries a calm demeanor with him. Trapasso uses a lens enclosed in a case and holds it up against his right eye with his left hand while he bowls with his right hand. "It visualizes the pins for me," he said. "It's the same as a bifocal except that it's for one eye. I can tell what pins are up." Trapasso carries a 126 average. He bowls mostly to have social time, he said.

Charley Trotter, who is fully sighted, drives from his home in Belleville to South St. Louis every Thursday to help blind bowlers have fun. He keeps score for them, among other things. He's been doing this for 24 years. "I enjoy everything about it," said Trotter, 65. "I was in a sighted league, but this is more fun." Trotter works as a medical courier and volunteers to operate the board at the Radio Information Service for the Blind at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville.

Donna Weidlich, a South Side resident, is the President of the league, called the Pin Splitters. She is partially sighted. "It's made a big difference in my life," she said. "In a roundabout way, it's how I met my husband."

Transportation is provided by several local Lions Clubs. "For them, it's a great recreational activity that gets them out of the house," said Mike Weidhaas, the Hampton Lions Secretary. He said most live independently. "They have spouses or they're single and live alone. They don't live in apartment buildings where everybody blind."

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Audible Crosswalk Signals Divide Blind Community
Devices Are Common in Europe, But Opponents Say They Can Stigmatize and Distract By Jeffrey A. Tannenbaum Staff Reporter of the Wall Street Journal

To public-works officials in Baltimore, it seemed like a good idea: Install the city's first audible traffic signals, to both aid blind pedestrians and help the U.S. play catch-up on a promising technology. But last October, when officials laid plans to outfit four intersections with beeping devices, they ran into unexpected flak--from some blind residents themselves. The nonprofit National Federation of the Blind, which maintains that audible signals are usually unnecessary objected to the proposed locations. The group says the spread of needless audible signals would reinforce stereotypes of the blind as people who need huge amounts of help.
So Baltimore tabled the plan--only to trigger a protest by members of the nonprofit American Council of the Blind, which had sought the signals in the first place. Now Baltimore is going ahead with a slightly altered plan, months behind the original timetable. "It doesn't make it easy, from a public-policy perspective, when two groups of the blind differ drastically on these signals," says Sheila Dixon, president of the city council.

Division within the blind community has slowed adoption of the audible-signal technology in much of the country, says Lois Thibault, research coordinator for the U.S. Architectural and Barriers Compliance Board, which makes rules under federal disabilities law. The so-called accessible signals beep, chirp or give voice messages to alert the blind when a "WalkstDon't Walk" signal changes. Some devices emit noises automatically, while others require activation by a button.

By some estimates, there are roughly 5,000 communities in the U.S. that have some audible signals. Many are on the West Coast, such as San Francisco and Seattle. Ms. Thibault and others say many blind individuals have requested audible signals near their homes, but the requests often meet opposition from other blind people. Clashes over proposed signals have arisen in recent years not only in Baltimore, but also in Minneapolis, Vancouver, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Hot Springs, Ark, according to advocates for the blind.

Though declaring itself "flexible" since 1992 on the issue of audible signals, the National Federation of the Blind confirms that its chapters--and sometimes just individual members--occasionally oppose requests for signals. "If there is a plain four-way stop and no good reason for an audible traffic signal, the mere request of a single individual would not justify it," says James Gashel, director of governmental affairs.

Indeed, the wrangling in Baltimore led the city to change one of the four locations slated to get the signals to a more complicated intersection.

The federation believes the signals, if used in intersections that aren't especially complex, can stigmatize the blind. The group also believes that money used for signals could be better applied to programs such as job training for the blind. Some members think the devices can even be harmful at times.

Scott Labarre, a 32-yencear-old Colorado lawyer, says he was once distracted by a beeping signal and thus nearly stepped in front of a moving car. "I was afraid my cane was going to get crunched, if not myself," he says. In Salt Lake City, 52-year-old Ray Martin says audible signals "are useless to me. I've been taught the proper skills of cane travel."

The National Federation viewpoint tends to reflect the opinions of the most mobile and cane-savvy of the blind, sometimes known among themselves as "super blinks." The American Council, which advocates changing facilities to help blind people, tends to speak for the less mobile--and more numerous--members of the community. Both groups say they represent all blind people.

Marlaina Lieberg, a 51-year-old Seattle resident and member of the American Council, says she was once hit by a car in Boston when a "Walk" light changed sooner than she expected. An audible signal would have helped, she says, calling the issue a "no-brainer." She adds: "Why wouldn't you want any cue you could possibly use to enhance your safety?"
Accessible signals are already widely used in Europe, Japan and Australia. Bob Panich, owner of a company that installs such signals in Australia, says: "We're most surprised at the U.S. being so far behind in this regard, knowing that the U.S. also has antidiscrimination laws and a powerful deafstbl lobby."

The U.S. is moving to catch up. Following intense lobbying by disability coalitions, Congress in 1999 made federal funds available for accessible signals in the same way it was already available for such things as sidewalk wheelchair ramps. Only traffic signals that are along public bus or rail lines are eligible. The devices typically cost $400 to $500 per box, with eight needed for a four-corner intersection.

In addition, a key federal manual for highway engineers late last year included standards for accessible signals for the first time. The action removed a huge stumbling block: communities' fear of liability suits if they installed signals without uniform standards. "A lot of communities didn't know what to put in. Now a standard is available," says Julia Wilkie, a project engineer at MDU Resources Incdd's Wagner Smith unit, which installs and maintains traffic signals for 140 Ohio communities.

Another boost for accessible signals came in January, when a federal advisory panel endorsed the devices, making a federally mandated phase-in likely within a few years. Such a mandate could require that new intersections or ones being rebuilt include accommodations for the blind.

The signals promise to take some hazardous guesswork out of the way the blind cross streets: They listen carefully for traffic sounds, then take their chances. When Mr. Labarre, the Colorado lawyer, needs to cross Denver's Colorado Boulevard where it intersects Mexico Avenue, there is often heavy traffic moving along Colorado. So he listens for that traffic to stop for a red light. When he thinks he hears that, he enters the crosswalk, sweeping a white cane back and forth in sequence with his steps. Crossing "is not terribly complicated," he maintains.

But the procedure seems terribly intimidating and risky to many other blind people, who are happy when they encounter audible signals. "You know precisely when the walk signal is on," says Christopher Gray, a 46-year-old San Francisco technical writer. When standing at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street in Berkeley, Calif., Mr. Gray says he hears a chirping sound if pedestrians crossing Shattuck have a "Walk" signal; otherwise he hears a cuckoo sound.

Several trends in traffic control have been making it harder for the blind to predict when lights will change. Computerized traffic flow, for example, sets traffic lights depending on such things as traffic density instead of at regular timed intervals. Advocates of audible signals say that at least a dozen blind pedestrians have died while crossing streets during the last three years, though whether an audible signal would have changed the outcome isn't always clear.

Berl Colley, a 58-year-old computer programmer in Lacey, Wash., says he was once struck by a car and badly bruised. "Now, every time I cross the street, I wish I had some audible indication that I should go," he says. While the disagreements among the blind have slowed the advance of audible signals, marketers think the industry is poised for a leap forward. "It's going to be another two years before it really takes off, but it is building momentum now," says John McGaffey, president of Polara Engineering Inc. The Fullerton, Calif., firm, has sold audible signals for several hundred intersections, including many in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Novax Industries Corp., Vancouver, has outfitted about 1,000 intersections in the U.S. and Canada during the last six years.

Most accessible signals are heard by all within earshot, but there is another promising technology to help blind pedestrians. In San Francisco, about 100 blind people carry special receivers marketed by Talking Signs Inc., a small company in Baton Rouge, La. The receivers pick up infrared-light signals from transmitters installed inside buildings and, in a few cases, at intersections. Users can hear a computer-generated human voice describe the surroundings and the status of any traffic lights.

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People Who Have Made It
by Ethel Lee

From The Editor, This is the second in a series of articles written by Ethel Lee on people who have made it. This time the spotlight is on UWB member Ned Cox.

Before I begin my article, I would like to congratulate John Weidlich for 25 years of service and dedication at Radio Information Service. I, many others, appreciate the time he puts into his work. I would also like to thank all of you for your compliments on my last article.

Now for my hero's story. Have you ever played the card game of poker? If you haven't you don't know the rules. A winning hand is four aces, or five if you're playing with wild cards. My subject this time is Ned Cox, a man with no aces up his sleeve, a man who never cheats but has a winning hand most of the time.

Ned was born in Chicago in November, 1916. He moved to Covington, Kentucky at the age of five. He was a happy youngster, loving animals and enjoying his life with his family. But at the age of ten, his life changed. While attending a Catholic school, he was hit in the eye with a stick. This terrible accident put out his right eye. The left eye then became infected. At the age of twelve, he was totally blind. He then attended the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville, where he made some life-long friends. He also met an older student by the name of Sam Riche, who returned to the school as an instructor of music and piano tuning. Sam taught Ned to play several wind instruments and he also taught Ned to play the piano. Ned graduated from high school in 1935.

In September of that year, he entered the University of Cincinnati. He graduated from college with a major in political science and a minor in sociology. He then went to work for the State of Kentucky as a rehabilitation specialist, placing blind people in jobs.

While in college, his best friend's sister introduced him to a lady named Pat, his first love. Ned and Pat were married in the spring of 1942, a marriage which lasted for more than fifty years, until her death in 1996. They had one child, a daughter, Kathy, born in 1946.

Even with a state job, things were not easy. His hobby of music became valuable to him. He was, as Sam Riche said he would be, a musician. He played in combos and trios. He loved his music, playing everything from religious tunes to rag, classical music to swing.

In 1946, Ned joined the vending stand program. Later, he took a job with his friend Paul Langan, who was the Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind. Ned managed the school's workshop, a facility similar to the Lighthouse for the Blind here in St. Louis. At first, the workshop was part of the school but later became a separate business of its own, called Kentucky Industries. He managed the work shop until he resigned in 1979 because of health problems.

He then took up a new hobby: woodworking. He taught himself to use all kinds of tools, making stools, bird houses cabinets and his big item, a bowling alley. Yes, you read that right. Ned designs and makes bowling alleys. The table top bowling alley is 10-1stb feet long, 20 inches wide and 30 inches high. If you would like to see one of these alleys, Ned is going to try to send one to Cobblestone for the summer.

In 1992, his beloved wife, Pat, began to show signs out Alzheimer's disease. Ned says that at first, he closed his eyes to the facts, but it happened all too quickly. In 1994, Ned's daughter Kathy and her husband were transferred to St. Louis. Kathy persuaded Ned and his wife to move to St. Louis to be with her. Because of Pat's health problems, they went to live at Delmar Gardens, Meramec Valley Retirement Home, where their daughter visited them every day. Leaving their home state was a very hard thing to do for Ned. He had joined the Lions Club in 1954. He and some friends had also started a organization called the Kentucky Research Eye Foundation, of which he was President for many years.

The year 1996 found Ned lonely, depressed and in a wheelchair. Pat's health was getting worse and Ned knew that she would die soon. But a new friend had come into Ned's life. Her name was Phyllis Kemp and she was the activity director at Delmar Gardens. She encouraged, convinced and willed Ned to walk and resume activities. She told Ned that she was sure that some Monday morning she would find him standing at the activity room door. And she was right. On January first of that year, he left his room and, using his cane, he walked to Phyllis's door. He had regained his independence and could join in the activities of the home. He now calls bingo five times a week, using Braille bingo numbers. He plays piano for religious services several times a week. He attends UWB meetings and has attended camp at Cobblestone and intends to go back again this year. He has written a book called Ned Cox Remembers. He lost his wife Pat in 1996, but he knows that Pat is watching him from above. What a wonderful movie Ned's story would make.

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2001 Postal Regulations
On Free Matter Mailing for the Blind

I'm sure we all use and greatly appreciate the free mailing privilege given to blind and physically handicapped individuals. Often, we have questions about exactly what can be mailed free and how this free mail is handled. I recently received the latest free mail regulations and thought it might be good to review some of the relevant points. This can be found in the Domestic Mail Manual, Issue 56, dated January 7, 2001 under section Eblejdj, Free Matter for the Blind and Other Handicapped Persons. The information given here applies only to domestic mail. The manual defines blind or other handicapped persons as "those who cannot read or use conventionally printed material because of a physical impairment and who are certified by a competent authority as unable to read normal reading material." A competent authority can be "any licensed medical doctor, ophthalmologist, optometrist, registered nurse, or professional staff member of a hospital or other institution or agency." Material mailed free under this standard is not considered part of any mail classification and may be subject to inspection.

Postmasters must keep records of persons who are blind or handicapped who are eligible to use this service. This can be done in several ways. A postmaster may require a written statement from a competent authority certifying that a customer is unable to read conventionally printed material or a postmaster, based on personal knowledge about a customer, may include the customer on the written record without requiring the statement from a medical authority. You can contact the post office and ask to be included on the record by submitting a statement certifying that you are eligible for the free mail service. You can always find out whether you are on eligible list by contacting your post office.

Here is the list of items that can be mailed free to or from blind persons, as printed in the Manual:

  A. Reading matter and musical scores.
  B. Sound reproductions.
  C. Paper, records, tapes and other material for the production of reading matter, musical scores, or sound reproductions.
  D. Reproducers or parts of them for sound reproductions.
  E. Braille writers, typewriters, educational or other materials or devices, or parts thereof, used for writing by, or designed or adapted for use of, a blind person or a person who has a physical impairment as described in 1.3.

Matter mailed free by the blind must meet these conditions:

  A. The matter must be for the use of a blind or other handicapped person.
  B. Either no charge, rental, subscription, or other fee is required for this matter; or, if required, may not exceed the cost of the item.
  C. The matter may be opened and inspected by the USPS.
  D. The matter contains no advertising.

What about letters? Here is what the manual has to say about letters:

   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 sightsaving type (idde. 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.

Material mailed free under this standard must be marked "free Matter for the blind or handicapped" where the postage would normally be placed.

Free matter can be insured, but insurance fees must be paid by the customer. I hope this information will be helpful to any of you who may have questions about the free mailing privilege.

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Retinal Implants May Restore Vision
By Todd Ackerman New York Times Syndicate April 30, 2001

HOUSTON--In the closest thing yet to the bionic eyes of science fiction, researchers at the University of Houston and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have developed retinal implants they say will restore sight in people with retinal blindness. The devices, ceramic microchips that activate cells leading to optic nerves, have been successfully tested for biocompatibility in lab animals and could be ready for trial implants in human patients as soon as early 2002. "This is not an eye replacement for those with an eye poked out," said Alex Ignatiev, a University of Houston professor of physics and chemistry and lead researcher on the project. "But for those with retinal blindness, this device will allow them to see--first light, then shape, then print and, ultimately, even color."

Ignatiev said his team is identifying patient and surgery-site candidates and preparing paperwork for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the trials. The microchip has been patented and two papers describing the team's work were recently submitted to academic journals.

Retinal blindness, a degenerative condition in which the retina detectors don't function, affects roughly 1 million people in the United States. Roughly one-third of all blind people in the U.S. have this condition.

Treatment of blindness has long been a holy grail of medicine. Previous attempts to implant artificial retinas failed, Ignatiev thinks, because the material used--silicon solar cells encased in glass and connected by wiring--" simply too big and unwieldy. Ignatiev's device, discovered serendipitously during University of Houston Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center research to develop infrared-sensitive materials for NASA and surveillance applications, is microscopic, inert and optically active. Made of a zirconium-titanium-lead ceramic, the chips naturally adhere to the retina upon implantation and generate sufficient voltage to activate the retina's neural circuit, resulting in a signal the brain translates as "seeing light." The chips are one-tenth the size of a human hair in diameter and one-hundredth its size in thickness.

They are implanted in hexagonal arrays of more than 50. At some point, once enough chips are implanted, the researchers expect the brain's optic nerve to relearn seeing on its own. The optic nerve connects the brain to the retina, the innermost coat lining the interior of the eyeball. The first surgery will involve the implantation of four arrays of microchips, which Ignatiev said should allow the patient to see light in four directions--up, down, left and right. Adding more microchips should enable the patient, initially, to see shapes and, then over time, to bring everything into focus. Within five years, estimated Ignatiev, the patient should be able to read again. The microchips respond to monochromatic light--meaning, the patient will see everything in one color. Ignatiev said the team will eventually make polychromatic chips to allow patients to see all colors, though that will be tougher. Dr. Charles Garcia, chairman of the University of Texas Health Science Center department of ophthalmology, said that once the surgery is optimized, patients will need only one or two procedures to restore Vision. The procedure will involve rolling back the skin at the corner of the eyes and entering that area with a needle without cutting the skin.

The project, which began more than three years ago, included laboratory work that measured the amount of voltage generated by the chips. It also included laboratory work on non-blind rabbits, more than 50 of which have undergone the surgery and none of which have shown any adverse effect. Future laboratory work, perhaps at the same time as the human trials, will involve dogs with retinal blindness.

Retinal blindness comes in two main types--retinatis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition that can strike in youth and gradually causes the person to lose his or her eyesight; and macular degeneration, which usually, but not always, strikes late in life. Age-related macular degeneration is one of the two main causes of legal blindness. "I have great confidence this will work," said Ignatiev, also a professor of electrical and computer engineering. "The big hurdle was the biocompatibility shown in animal tests. Now I think it's just a matter of time before we're able to help millions of people with retinal blindness."

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Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Dog
By Malcolm Ritter AP Science Writer

NEW YORK-- Using gene therapy, scientists have restored vision in dogs with a version of a rare disease that blinds human infants. The work may lead to treatments for several genetic forms of blindness. The dogs had a version of Leber Congenital Amaurosis, an untreatable condition that causes near total blindness in infancy. Perhaps 10,000 Americans have it, and about 1,000 of them have the particular genetic defect corrected in the dogs, said researcher Dr. Jean Bennett. If the gene therapy works in Leber patients, it might pave the way for treating a variety of hereditary vision diseases that strike the retina, known collectively as retinitis pigmentosa, which affects 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, said Dr. Gerald Chader, chief scientific officer of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. "It should open the floodgates," said Chader, whose organization helped finance the research.

Bennett, an associate professor of ophthalmology with the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues report their experiments on three Briard dogs in the May issue of the journal Nature Genetics. She said she hopes initial experiments in people can begin within about two years. The dogs were blind because they lacked a particular gene. Without it, their eyes could not make a pigment necessary to perceive light. The therapy was designed to deliver working copies of the gene to their eyes. Researchers used eye surgery to deliver a dose of the gene, carried by a virus that deposited the gene within eye cells. They treated one eye in each animal and used the other eye for comparison. Four months after treatment, several tests showed the animals had regained at least some sight in the treated eye. Most dramatically, the dogs were allowed to wander in a room cluttered with furniture. The dogs were much better at avoiding objects on the same side of their bodies as the treated eye than on the other side. The dogs also seemed to be using the treated eye to look around, Bennett said.

Researchers also measured how much the dogs' pupils contracted in response to light. The treated eyes showed a better response than untreated eyes did, although it was not as good as normal dog eyes show. The treatment's effects have lasted nine months so far, Bennett said.

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Legally blind Olympian has made running her life's passion
By Michael Klitzing The Daily Aztec
(San Diego State U.)

Athletic competition is often used as a metaphor for life. But in the case of former San Diego State University track star Marla Runyan, it is life. "I don't feel complete in a day unless I've run," Runyan said. "Just to go out on the trails and run for 10 or 12 miles is just the greatest feeling. "It's part of who I am."

Whether it is a jog with a friend near her Eugene, Ore. home or competing before the eyes of the world at the Olympic Games, running defines her. However, her love of running is not what sets Runyan, 32, apart from countless other world-class athletes. What makes her story truly remarkable is what she has had to overcome. Runyan is the first legally blind athlete in the history of the Olympics.

Living with Stargardt's disease, a degenerative eye condition, Runyan has 20stdjj vision in her right eye, and 20stcjj in her left. She is able to see movement within a 5 to 10 foot radius, but has problems reading and seeing stationary objects. Yet Runyan has never been one to let Stargardt's get in the way of her life. "Whenever she sets her mind on doing something, she's going to do it," said former Aztecs head track coach Jim Cerveny. "She's very determined to go out there and prove to everybody that she's normal." Said SDSU distance coach Jennifer Nanista, a friend and former teammate of Runyan: "Being around Marla a lot, I would forget that she was legally blind. We would go to a fast food restaurant and there would be the menu up there and she would stand there and look at it. The cashier would say, `can I help you?"' and she would say, `Just a second, I'm trying to decide."' Well, she couldn't read it."

Likewise, her impaired vision has not impeded her athletically. "Visually, (running) is not as much of a challenge as some of the other things I do in everyday life," Runyan said. "When I run, I can see the curve of the track and I can see the people around me." However, were it not for a coach at SDSU, Runyan may not have had the chance to see the curve of the track at all. Runyan was recruited to Montezuma Mesa in 1987 not to run, but to jump. Despite having participated in track events in high school, she was used mainly as a high jumper her first two years under Cerveny. That all changed when Rahn Sheffield took over late in 1990. Before, as an assistant coach, Sheffield believed he saw a hidden talent in the young athlete. He wanted to see what Runyan could do as a sprinter. "You could see that she had something," Sheffield said. "The minute they made me the head coach is the minute I told Marla that we've got to start doing different things." Said Cerveny: "She was always interested in doing more. She never thought that she had a handicap, so she wanted to go out and prove it." Under the tutelage of Sheffield, Runyan began to compete in myriad of events. She was a heptathlete, competing in six events, such as running sprints, relays--even hurdles.

And it did not take long for her to prove the faith of her coach was not misplaced. Runyan faced her first competition as a sprinter at the 1990 Red and Black Meet, an intersquad event for the Aztecs. In the 300-meter dash, Runyan took first place, beating out sprinters Mikki Bradley and Rakita Roberson, some of the top Aztec sprinters at that time. "THE sprinters were all walking back afterwards making excuses about why Marla beat them," Sheffield said. "They were saying their hamstring hurt, or they were a little tight, or that Marla must have false-started. "No. Marla just won."

With the help of her coach, winning soon became a habit for Runyan. "Rahn developed my speed more than any coach on this planet could have," she said. "He also made me a hurdler when I was not born to be a hurdler. When your coach believes in you, it helps you believe in yourself."

After her collegiate career, Runyan continued to pile up the accolades while running for the Sheffield Elite track club and competing in the Paralympics in 1992 and 1996. There, Runyan set seven world records, and in the 92 games in Barcelona, she captured four gold medals. But her Paralympic success did little to satisfy her competitive spirit. "The Paralympics was a great experience, but my true athletic goals were not going to be met there," Runyan said. "Even when I was there, my expectations for myself were on the Olympics."

By 1996, it was evident that Runyan had accomplished all she had to with Sheffield. She realized if she was going to achieve her Olympic dream, she would have to focus on distance running. "We did all we could do," Sheffield said. "It was time for her to move on and get a change from San Diego and from me as a coach. "It was time." So Marla Runyan ventured out. It was a journey that eventually brought her to Eugene to work with a new coach, Margo Jennings. The move paid dividends.

Last September, Runyan's status as a world-class distance runner was cemented by a race in which she finished eighth. Eighth place may not sound like such an impressive performance, until it is put into the proper perspective. Runyan's finish was logged as a member of Team USA in the finals of the 1500-meter run at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She was able to compete with the best distance runners in the world even after being sidelined for six weeks just one month before the Games with an injury to her left leg. Despite the setback, Runyan actually took an early lead in the race before falling victim to the missed training time, fading toward the finish. Some say her decision to take the early lead was a tactical error. "By pushing the pace early, she kind of shot herself in the foot," Nanista said. "She kind of died after a lap and a half or so. I think if she would have stayed back (at the start), she would have had a very good chance of medalling the way the race was going." But Runyan feels there is no point in second-guessing herself. "I don't want to look back on the race and have regrets," she said. "The thought to take the lead came and left my mind within a fraction of a second. It was almost like an instinct." Sheffield looks at the maneuver in a different light. "What if she had taken the lead and never come back?" he said. "Then we would all be talking about what a courageous move it was. That was a courageous move to me, anyway. If she was going to go down, she was going to go down with both guns blazing."

But for Runyan, Sydney may have only been the beginning. She followed up her Olympic performance by setting a new American indoor record in the 5000-meter on Feb. 18. And Sheffield feels that she has only now started to realize her potential. "She has the speed of a quarter-miler and the strength of a distance runner," he said. "With those two components, I believe she will one day be one of the best runners in the world. "The United States is looking for a hero in the distance events. I believe it is going to be her." But whatever the future holds for Runyan, one thing is certain: she will be running. "It's what she does," Sheffield said. "The way you see Marla on the track is the same way you see her off it. "Track is Marla's life."

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Affiliate Affairs
Where we find out what's happening in your corner of MCB

AWB REPORT: by David Plumlee
  From The Editor: This time we are going to have two reports from Allied Workers. David Plumlee sent a report for the March issue which, due to a mix-up, did not reach me in time. Debra Fitzpatrick sent a report for this issue. We begin with David's report: AWB has been quite busy the past few months. A good number of our members attended the MCB convention in October. One interesting thing I remember about the Settle Inn is that set of metal railings and posts which rang out loud and clear when tapped with a cane. I confess to sending forth several chime-like sounds to float on the air to folk nearby; but I wasn't the only one who "rang the rails." I wondered if those sounds made some folk think that the hotel had installed bells!
  On December 30, we had our holiday party with delicious food and a gift exchange. The dinner was barbecue, and my wife and I made a simple but good punch from a recipe Debbiedoll got from her mother.
  We are currently selling candy bars as a fund-raiser. The bars are great, and they are selling very well. When a few of my close friends hesitated to buy candy bars because of the calories they contained, I told them that some of us blind guys moved all the calories over to a place where we couldn't see them. Laughter was the response I expected--and received. But I sold a few candy bars to those friends, who planned to give them to other friends as Christmas gifts. Several of our members have sold goodly numbers of the candy bars. As AWB President, I am glad to see many of our members helping with the candy sale.
    We were saddened to learn that Louise Rieman passed away a few days ago. She served as President of AWB and held other offices in our organization. At the state level, she served as President in the days when our organization was called Missouri Federation of the Blind. Long-time Chronicle readers will remember that she served as Editor of this magazine for several years. Though a long illness prevented her from being active in work for the blind during the last few years, her faithful service at the state and local levels is well known and will be greatly missed.
  Good Knobbin'

ALLIED WORKERS FOR The BLIND
  AWB has been selling candy as a fund-raiser which went very well. We had 3 reps at the legislative Seminar in Jefferson city. Two of these reps were new to doing a project for Education and welfare. We are planning a get together with PEAB, PCB and President Hailey in May. We are very saddened to report the passing of Ernest Perou. Ernie and his family were very helpful to AWB at picnics and other entertainment functions. We will miss him. Debra Fitzpatrick's daughter, Tammi Fitzpatrick, who is a member at large, will be getting married on June 30th. We will have members attending summer camp and the ACB convention this summer. Stay happy, keep smiling. Debra Fitzpatrick.

Blind of Central Mo

April showers bring May flowers,
June will bring us weddings and honeymoons.
Hello to everyone from Sedalia,

Our club attended a lasagna and salad supper on Thursday, March 22 at a methodist church in Warrensburg. It was very good and we had a great time.

We will not have our bowling party this year because we may try something different. I'm sure Trudy and some others will miss it because they like to bowl.

We will have our anual outreach club picnic on Thursday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Liberty Park. The ones that want to will ride the little train around the park. We will have hamburgers and hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, potato chips, s'mores and soda to drink. I'm sure it will be a good time of food, fun, and fellowship.

Emma Lou gave some awards to our drivers for the good job they do at getting people to the meetings and helping our club in other ways. She gave them each a box of candy.

Susan, Terry, and Gerry went to the technology exhibit in Columbia Mo. on Sunday, April 8. They were impressed with what they saw.

We hope to see some of you at camp during the 2 weeks and the weekend.

We hope everyone has many good months ahead. So until next time keep smiling and keep a song in your heart. If you can't be good, be good at it.

Trudy Howard
Blind of Central Mo
Recording Secretary

Delta Area Blind

Hello again from the Delta Area Blind,

Our news will be short this time. We haven't done too much, except that we had our 50-50 drawing on April 13th. The winner was a newly married lady named Elizabeth White from Kennett, Missouri. We would like to thank all of you who bought tickets. We made $402, so our winner got $201.

I attended the Power Up Conference in April. I would like to congratulate Teddi, who was there to receive an award in memory of Ken Emmons.

We have a new member, Harold Hodges. Welcome aboard, Harold. We also have a new member named Lee Earl Neighbors, who attended the Missouri School for the Blind.
Marie Thompson

Ozark Association of the Blind

   We would like to welcome our new blind member Helen Shirrel from Farmington, Mo. and thank Dorothy Moranville for introducing her to our organization. OAB has been making contacts for new members and encouraging them to join.
  Ida Scotti and Yvonne Schnitzler attended Legislative Days in Jefferson City, visiting many representatives. They were receptive to what they had to say and seemed eager to help our cause. Long time member Carrie Lewis who is 102 years old and still loves to play pass the trash is living at the Ste. Genevieve Care Center, 1010 Ste. Genevieve Dr., Ste. Genevieve, Mo. 63670. Send her a card and say hi. Ida Scotti and Yvonne Schnitzler are looking forward to representing OAB and Missouri Council of the Blind at the National Convention in Iowa. Submitted by, Yvonne Schnitzler

Progressive Council of the Blind

Hello to all MCB Members, from the Progressive Council Of the Blind.
  First a message from our President Clint Campbell:
My wife (Rachel) and I were pleased and proud to be selected to help represent the
Missouri Council of the Blind along with our MCB President and his Wife (Linda) and Lucille Fierce and Bessie Reece at the American Council of the Blind Legislative
Seminar and lobbying effort on February 24-27, 2001.
  We spent Saturday and Sunday in training seminars and information gathering work shops. This was very interesting and educational. Then on Monday and Tuesday we made appointments with our Senators and Representatives to advocate for issues that are important to people who are blind. These issues included: 1. Accessible, private, and verifiable voting machines and ballots; 2. more funding
  For services for older blind people; 3. A precise definition for "Legal Blindness" as viewed by the SSI and SSDI agencies; and 4. Reimbursable services added to The ADA legislation that would allow services for the blind and visually-impaired to be reimbursed by SSI. These services would include Orientation and Mobility,
Low-vision specialist, and Rehabilitation Teachers.
  Altogether our group was able to see the aides for both our senators and aides to nine of our representatives. We found general support from all our representatives in congress for these issues.
  My wife and I found this to be a very interesting and educational endeavor and were both impressed with the efforts of ACB in lobbying for issues important to people who are blind and visually impaired. We look forward to being able to represent
MCB again in future national affairs and issues.
  One of our members, Jose Lopez, was very helpful in assisting the Salvation Army as a volunteer. Jose is a ham radio operator, and was able to help families obtain important information during the earthquake in El Salvador.
  Our junior member Evelyn Nash, won the Founders Award from the Arrowhead Lions Club for a Peace Poster she designed. Evelyn was the winner of Teen Read Week, which was sponsored by Wolfner Library, in October. Evelyn read a total of 17-1stb hours, which was the highest in the state. Evelyn and her mom, Rebecca, went skiing the week of March 18-23 in Snowmass, Colorado. The trip was sponsored by Adventure Fitness, and Challenge Aspen. This was Evelyn's second year, and she really had a great time. Another member, ED Rayes went skiing as well, with the blind Veterans. Ed had a wonderful time.
  We had our party at T.G.I. Friday's on March 24th. This was to make up for our canceled Christmas party. We all had a great time, along with excellent service.
  I was appointed to the SILC Board on April 4th, which is the Statewide Independent Living Council for Missouri. I am looking forward to the many duties and challenges of the position. I would also like to thank Edna Freeman for nominating me.
  On April 29th, Progressive will have several members participating in the annual Trolley Run. This is a fund-raiser for the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.
  Well so long for now, from Progressive.
  Barbara Dewberry

River City Workers

Greetings, Fellow MCB Members from River City Workers of the Blind,

I want to let you know that we still exist down in Southeast Missouri. We were unable to meet in December or January because of inclement weather. In April, we sent our nominations for the Nathaniel Johnson and Eelis Forshee awards. We also bought gifts for our adopted family. We also had an Easter party after our April meeting.

At our May meeting, we will have our election of officers. We are also having a yard sale on May 18 and 19 at Teddi Emmons home.

We will have our picnic on June 16th.

Springfield Service Club of the Blind

Hello, readers,

These are very busy days for the Springfield Service Club. We will have our annual White Cane Walk on May 12. Several affiliates will be joining us for the walk, which will be followed by a picnic. The money raised will go to the Missouri Lions Eye Research Hospital and whatever we raise will be matched by Wall-mart. We have sold tickets for a quilt and the drawing will be on the day of our White Cane Walk.

We are also getting ready to start another fund raiser, selling fruits and nuts.

We are also making plans for the state convention, which will be held in Springfield in October.

Our club Chaplain, Frank Sekinger, passed away in March. We were also saddened by the death of Travis Van Winkle, the husband of Jeannie Van Winkle in February.

Most of you probably know by now that Donna Giger fell and broke her arm at the State Capitol during MCB'S Legislative day. By the time you read this, the splint will be removed.

Several of our members plan to attend the ACB Convention this summer in Des Moines. Several of our members will also attend summer camp in July.
Marilyn Tuso

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From The Lower Left-Hand Drawer

I think I might have emptied the drawer out a little too thoroughly last time, because it isn't very full this time. But we do have some new e-mail lists, new internet phone services similar to tell-me, some new medications for glaucoma, chocolate mathematics and a lot of other new items that I hope you will find interesting and useful. As usual, please keep in mind that we are not endorsing any of these products or services; just mentioning them for your information. With that established, let's open the drawer and see what we find.

I'm going to start with several medical items. The Food and Drug Administration has just approved two new glaucoma medications. They are called Travatan and Lumigan and both work by draining fluid from the eye. Interestingly, Travatan seems to be especially effective for Blacks, who have a much greater risk of developing glaucoma. The new medications work very much like Xalatan and, like Xalatan, these new drugs can cause the eyes to change color. My wife, Donna, has just been put on Travatan to lower the pressure in her left eye, so we will get a first-hand look at how well it works. Travatan will cost about $38 for a month's supply; both will require prescriptions.

The Fda has also approved a new device for diabetics, although it may not yet be very usable by blind people. It is the Glucowatch Biographer, a continuous glucose monitor. Worn like a large wristwatch, it provides continuous readings of blood glucose levels, automatically testing blood sugar every twenty minutes. Unfortunately, the glucowatch will not eliminate the need for finger sticking. Every time you change the automatic sensor, about twice a day, you will have to do a finger stick test to calibrate the device. It can be set to give an alarm if sugar levels are getting dangerously low. The glucowatch will cost several hundred dollars and the auto senior test strips cost three or four dollars each. At this time, the glucowatch does not have speech capability, but the manufacturer will be working with another company to solve this problem in the near future. For more information about the glucowatch continuous blood sugar monitor you can call the manufacturer at (866) 459-2824.

A pharmaceutical research firm called Genvac is currently testing something called PEDF, the full name of which is pigment epithelium-derived factor. This is a substance which may inhibit the abnormal growth of blood cells in the eye which causes diabetic retinopathy. If it works, this could replace the laser treatment that is now used to treat this condition. PEDF may also be effective for patients with macular degeneration. This research is still in the pre-clinical stage, which means it's a long way from being available. But if you want to know about the research, you can contact Genvac at (240) 632-0740. You can also visit the company's Web site www.genvec.com4

While we're on the subject of diabetes, the Braille Group of Buffalo has a collection of booklets about diabetes in Braille, including 101 tips for Improving Blood Sugar for $11.95 and the Complete Guide to Diabetes for $19.95. There are also exchange lists for meal planning and several cookbooks. Some of the books are free. For a complete catalog and price list contact The Braille Group of Buffalo, 4660 Sheridan Drive, Buffalo NY 14421. Phone: (800) 561-8253.

There is also a new e-mail list where blind diabetics can discuss such topics as exercise, diet, weight loss and controlling blood sugar. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to blind-diabetics-subscribeyahoogroups.com and you will be added to the list.

Now, let's talk about some other e-mail lists you can join. Wolfner Library has an e-mail list for distribution of library information such as staff changes, library news and library policies. Reader advisors also post bibliographies of books on particular topics, such as romantic fiction, mysteries or science fiction. It is not a discussion list, but a information source about Wolfner Library. To join, send e-mail to wolfnersosmail.state.mo.us or call Wolfner at (800) 392-2614. Information distributed on the list will also be made available in Braille, large print or cassette to readers who do not have computers. By the way, you can also order books by sending e-mail to your reader advisor.

Braille-users is an e-mail list for braille users to discuss topics related to the use of braille. At one time, the list was generating about 75 messages a day. I understand the volume has declined considerably of late, but you may want to check it out. To subscribe send a blank message to brl-users-subscribeyahoogroups.com4 I was on the list for a while. One of the more interesting topics was a discussion of the strange things braille teachers have found in Perkins Braillers--everything from toys to sandwiches!

If you're into crafts, like knitting, there's an e-mail list for you. Send a blank message to vip-sheep-subscribeyahoogroups.com to be added to the list.

There is also a list for blind people who like to travel. Members share travel experiences and make recommendations to others regarding travel opportunities. To join, send a message to listservsoftcon.com and in your message, write subscribe blind-travel, with your first and last name.

There is a new list called Employment-blindness-issues where blind people can share their on the job experiences and discuss employment-related issues. It is also a resource for blind people looking for work. Send a blank message to employment-blindness-issues-subscribeegroups.com to join.

MCB member Robyn Wallen has started an e-mail list, primarily for people with partial vision to discuss some of the unique problems of low vision. Some of the folks on this list are just beginning to experience vision loss and are dealing with issues such as giving up driving or deciding whether or not to have surgery that might restore vision or might cause the loss of the remaining vision they have. There is even an ophthalmologist on the list who will answer questions about various eye conditions. They offer a lot of encouragement and support to one another. They have a good deal of fun on the list, too. To join this list, send a blank e-mail message to wgps-subscribeyahoogroups.com4

Don't forget that MCB has an e-mail list, too, moderated by Dennis Miller. Chip contributes a lot of interesting newspaper articles about blindness issues, Dennis posts information about legislative issues, and the rest of us--well, you never know what the rest of us might do. We've had lively discussions about guide horses, audible traffic signals and the NFB'S decision to oppose the FCC'S requirement that networks begin providing audio description on television programs. Sometimes, it even gets a little crazy. You can join by sending an e-mail to majordomotelepath.com with a message that says subscribe missouri-like. You can see that there are numerous blindness-related e-mail lists out there. If you have found an interesting one, let us all know about it, so we can join it, too.

Hold on, a minute. Did I just say something about guide horses? I was kidding, right? Not me. A group called the Guide Horse Foundation is attempting to train miniature horses as guides for blind people. These small horses would be used in rural areas, for people who love horses or who are alergic to dogs. The organization has received a lot of publicity lately and is beginning to train two blind people. It has also been the source of a lot of humor, but these folks are serious about their mission. They're not opposed to guide dogs; they just think that miniature horses could make good guides in some situations. Time will tell if they are right. I wonder where Mr. Ed, the talking horse is these days. Wouldn't he make a great guide horse?

Now we'll look at some services you can access without a computer. I've talked in back issues about Tell Me, a service that gives you access to lots of information by phone such as news, weather, sports, stock quotes, horoscopes and lottery numbers. I've also mentioned a similar service called Audiopoint. Here are two more. You can get news, weather, sports, business information and more from HeyAnita. HeyAnita can also be used to get e-mail by phone. Another similar service is called Be Vocal. It has news, weather, sports, stock quotes, horoscopes, driving directions and tv dramas. Here are the phone numbers. HeyAnita: (800) 442-6482; Be Vocal: (800) 423-8622; Tell Me: (800) 555-8355 and Audiopoint: (888) 382-8346. They're all free and fun to use.

Sitting in front of your computer all day can be very rewarding. You can make contact with new people and obtain a tremendous amount of information. But there is a down side to using that computer; you don't get your exercise. Maybe this will help. Louis Scrivani has produced a tape called Weightless Workouts, a cassette tutorial on exercise, especially designed to be used was blind people. It costs $16.95 and it can be ordered by calling (888) 936-0001. You can also visit Richard's Web site which is www.redwhiteandblue.org/workout for more information. Then get up and do the workout.

I've mentioned this before, but I think it's worth mentioning again. The American Foundation for the Blind is publishing a periodical called Access World which contains product reviews and news about the latest in technology for the blind. It is published every other month in Braille, large print, cassette and computer disc. For subscription information, call (888) 522-0220.

Here are two sources that offer braille and recorded books and magazines pertaining to the Jewish religion. The first is the Jewish Braille Institute Library, 110 East 30th Street, New York NY 110016 Phone: (800) 433-1531. The other one is the Jewish Heritage for the Blind, 1655 East 24th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11229.

Reference books in large print are available from the Visionaries Store of the Columbia Lighthouse. Contact the store at 1421 P. Street, N.W., Washington DC 20005, Phone: 202 462-2900 extension 3050.

The Listening Library has unabridged books on tape which you can borrow. For a free catalogue, contact the Listening Library, 1 Park Avenue, Old Greenwich CT 06860, Phone: (800) 243-4504.

I just learned that popular Talking Book narrator Andy Chappell died on February 23. He was a narrator for the American Printing House for the Blind for 42 years, where he recorded 572 books and magazines, including Guidepost.

This sounds like a unique item. A company called Huff Services is offering, in Braille and on tape, an alphabetical list of types of yarn. Each entry shows brand name, fiber content, the ounces or grams per skein and the number of yards in each skein. The braille list costs $10.25, the tape list is $5.00. The address for hereuff Services is 25 Edward Avenue, Florence KY 41042.

A company called Elmore Productions offers access to the Internet through your touch-tone phone. Services include sending and receiving e-mail and the ability to access web sites by phone. For more information, call (877) 638-2974.

We've listed many recipe books in these pages in the past, so now we're going to tell you how to get recipes by e-mail. Here's how it works: Send an e-mail to recipesrecipesbyemail.comea with a search term in the subject line and a blank message. You will receive a list of numbered recipes. To receive the particular recipe you want, send a message with the number of the recipe you would like to receive on the subject line. You must send a separate e-mail for each recipe you request. The service is free.

You probably don't recognize the name Dionne Quan, but you've heard her voice if you've ever tuned into the animated cartoon show Rugrats on cable television. Dionne Quan, a 22-year-old totally blind woman, is the voice of Kimi, one of the characters on the show. The Rugrats is based on the adventures of seven toddlers who, when grown-ups aren't around, talk like adults and get into lots of mischief. The Rugrats characters are voiced by actresses. Quan, who was born with underdeveloped optic nerves, beat out over 140 other actresses to get the part. The only accommodation made by the show's producers is to raise the microphone slightly so that viewers won't hear the sound of Quan's fingers reading her Braille script.

Bigshot is software from AI Squared designed to help blind computer users avoid eyestrain. Bigshot has two magnification levels with twenty sizes in each level. Check out the Web site bigshotmagnifier.com for more information.

The Hadley School for the Blind is offering a new course on safety and self-defense strategies. For information about this course and about a hundred other courses offered by the School, call (800) 323-4238. All Hadley courses are offered free of charge.

Braille: Into the Next Millennium is a new book produced by the National Library Service. It is a 600-page anthology of articles by experts on the history, current use and future of Braille. The book is also available in Braille and on cassette from Wolfner Library.

Wolfner Library is offering a service called Missouri Web-Braille, containing information in Braille on Missouri history, Missouri literature and other information of interest to Missouri residents. The web site address is so long and complicated that I'm going to suggest you call Wolfner to find out how to get access to the material.

This is in the category of useful advice you hope you won't need to use: What to do if your wallet, containing your credit cards, is stolen. This can be a very serious matter, because thieves can use your stolen cards to run up big expenses or tamper with your records. Obviously, you would want to cancel your credit cards immediately and file a police report. But here is something you probably would never think of doing, but it could help you avoid a lot of trouble. Call the three national credit reporting services and ask them to put a fraud alert on your name and social security number. Any company that tries to check your credit will know your cards were stolen and will be required to contact you by phone to authorize any new credit transactions. Here are the numbers. Equifax: (800) 525-6285, Experian (formerly known as TRW) (800) 301-7195 and Trans-union: (800) 680-7289. The Social Security Administration also has a fraud report line which is (800) 269-0271.

Ok, get out your calculators. It's time for Chocolate Mathematics! Do you like chocolate? Of course you do. So try this mathematical puzzle; don't cheat by looking at the answer before you do the math. It's not that hard. First, think of the number of times that you would like to have chocolate each week. (Who said 322? Sheri Keller? Well, any number will work, but you might want to start with a smaller number so it will be easy to work with--but that's up to you.) Now that you have your number, double it. Now add five. Now multiply this number by 50. Now, if you have already celebrated your birthday this year add 1,751 to the number. If you haven't yet had your birthday this year, add 1750. (That's why I advised you to start with a low number.) Are you still with me? Now from this total, subtract the four digit year in which you were born--and no cheating! Now look at the number you have. The first digit should be the original number you started with, that is, the number of times each week you want to have chocolate. The last digits will be your age, assuming that you were honest about the year in which you were born. Now, go have some chocolate while I close the lower left-hand drawer for this time. See you in September.

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Things I've Learned

From The Editor: I wish I had written this, but I didn't. It was sent to me by e-mail, as were the poems that end this issue. I hope you enjoy them.

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way hestshe handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch--holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
I've learned that "Friends are God's way of taking care of us."
I've learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. I just did. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.

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We Change

When I was in my younger days, I weighed a few pounds less,
I needn't hold my tummy in to wear a belted dress.
But now that I am older, I've set my body free;
There's comfort of elastic Where once my waist would be.
Inventor of those high-heeled shoes my feet have not forgiven;
I have to wear a nine now, But used to wear a seven.
And how about those pantyhose--They're sized by weight, you see,
So how come when I put them on, The crotch is at my knees?
I need to wear these glasses As the print is getting smaller;
And it wasn't very long ago I know that I was taller.
Though my hair has turned to silver and my skin no longer fits,
On the inside, I'm the same old me, Just the outside's changed a bit.

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A Friend:

Friends should be radical:
They should love you when you're unloveable,
Hug you when y'ofe unhuggable,
And bear you when you're unbearable.
Friends should be fanatical:
They should cheer when the whole world boos,
Dance when you get good news,
And cry when you cry, too.
But most of all, friends should be mathematical:
They should multiply the joy, divide the sorrow,
Subtract the past, add to tomorrow,
Calculate the need deep in your heart,
And always be bigger than the sum of all their parts.

I leave you now with this story, which I hope you will find amusing. It seems that a young man at a construction site was always bragging about how strong he was and how much more work he could do than anyone else. He particularly liked to make fun of the older workers. Finally, one of them had had enough. He told the young guy that he would bet him a week's pay that he could haul something in a wheelbarrow over to a nearby outbuilding that the young strong man couldn't haul back. "You're on, old man," the young fellow replied, "in fact, I'll be happy to make it two week's pay." What have you got?" With that, the old construction guy grabbed the wheelbarrow by its handles, pointed to the young braggart and said, "Ok, Son, get in."

MISSOURI COUNCIL OF The BLIND 8206-A Gravois St. Louis, Mo 63123 Phone: (314) 832-7172, toll-free (800) 342-5632,
Fax: (314) 832-7796 e-mail: moblindmindspring.com
Executive Director: Sheri Keller, Secretary: Patti Ashby

  OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEE Chairpersons
  President: Chip Hailey; 2940 West 17th Street; Joplin, Mo 64801. (417) 781-6728. toll-free (800) 644-9667. every-mail: chailey4ipa.net
  First Vice President: Bill Benson: 612 Francis Place, St. Louis, Mo 63105. (314) 863-6353.
Second Vice President: Jack Lenk: 6347 Mardel, St. Louis, Mo 63109. (314) 351-2814.
  Secretary: Marti Watson, 822 West Scott, Springfield, Mo 65802. (417) 865-0410.
Treasurer: Celita White, 856 Liggett, St. Louis, Mo 63126. (314) 822-2925.
Director: Don Shockley: 3337 Macklind, St. Louis, Mo 63139. (314) 352-4233. e-mail: dshockley1mindspring.com
Director: John Weidlich, 5736 Bancroft, St. Louis, Mo 63109. (314) 752-3031. every-mail: weidlichswbell.net
Director: Dennis Miller, 1103 N. Luther, Kirksville Mo 63501. (660) 627-4857. every-mail: dennismillercableone.net

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Adaptive Technology Grants, Gregg Hollins, 7512 East 52nd Street, Kansas City Mo 64129. (816) 924-3158. e-mail: gregghollinsearthlink.net
Budget And Finance: Celita White: 856 Liggett, St. Louis, Mo 63126. (314) 822-2925.
Chronicle Editor: John Weidlich, 5736 Bancroft, St. Louis, Mo 63109. (314) 752-3031 every-mail: weidlichswbell.net
Education And Welfare: Lucille Fierce, 2703 Mountain Top, St. Louis, Mo 63125. (314) 846-8305.
Health Benefits: Rosario Mazzella, 3234 S. Dayton, Springfield, Mo 65807. (417) 883-3484.
Membership: Leroy Welch, RR 2, Box 284, Butler, mo 64730. (660) 679-5429.
Public Relations: Bill Burris: 1202 Chateau Drive, West Plains, Mo 65775. (417) 256-3954. every-mail: burriswpcs.net
Resolutions: Bill Benson, 612 Francis Place, St. Louis, Mo 63105. (314) 863-6353.
Scholarship: Phyllis Lovett: 3925 South Jefferson, Number 45, Springfield, Mo 65807. (417) 883-7408.
Special Services: Phyllis Zirkle: 11695 S.W. Rogers Road, Stuartsville, Mo 64490. (816) 667-5884.
Summer Camp: Beverly Shockley, 3337 Macklind, St. Louis Mo 63139. (314) 352-4233. every-mail: dshockley1mindspring.com
Youth Services: Linda Gerken, P.O. Boing 95, Hughesville, Min 65334. (660) 826-1690.

   Affiliate Presidents
Action Council of the Blind: Russel Ewell, 4579 Laclede Avenue Number 121, Still louis 63108, (314) 261-3629.
Agape Council of the Blind: Elizabeth Moore, 4545 Forest Park Boulevard, Apartment 116, St. Louis, Mo 63108. (314) 361-2456.
Allied Workers for the Blind: David Plumlee, 1625 South Harriss Avenue, Independence, Mo 64052-3731, (816) 836-9247. every-mail: knobmanprimenet.com
  Blind of Central Missouri: Emma Lou Swopes, 502 Main, Hughesville, Mo 65334. (660) 826-2175.
County Line Council of the Blind: Leroy Welch, Route 2, Box 284, Butler, Mo 64730. (660) 679-5429.
Delta Area Blind: Marie Thompson, 932 Highway 162, Portageville, Mo 63873. Phone: 573 379-5007.
Innervisions, Inc.: Daryel Banks, 9532 Weyburn Drive, St. Louis MO 63136. (314) 869-7091.
   Joplin Service Club of the Blind: Lyman "Jim" Kauffman, 1410 Ryan Road, Joplin, mo 64801. (417) 782-9890.
Lake Stockton Area Council of the Blind: Eujean Dody, 2251 West College, Bolivar, MO 65613. Phone: (417) 777-7225.
Northeast Missouri Council of the Blind, Dennis Miller, 1103 N. Luther, Kirksville, Mo 63501. (660) 627-4857 every-mail: dennismillercableone.net
Ozark Association of the Blind, Melvin Brown, 1707 Old St. Mary's Road, Perryville Mo 63775, (573) 547-2729
Pony Express Association of the Blind, Phyllis Zirkle, 11695 S.W. Rogers Road, Stewartsville, Mo 64490. (816) 667-5884.
Progressive Council of the Blind: Clint Campbell, 408 East 64th Terrace, Kansas City Mo 64131, (816) 363-5773, every-mail: clintecunicom.net
Queen City Council of the Blind: Rosario Mazzella, 3234 S. Dayton, Springfield, Mo 65807. (417) 883-3484.
RITE for the Blind: Maryan Harrison, 3948 Potomac, St. Louis MO 63116. Phone: (314) 664-6558.
River City Workers of the Blind: Don Wiseman, 2556 Independence, Apartment 28, Cape Girardeau, Mo 63701. (573) 651-3762.
St. Charles Council of the Blind: Lynne Smith, 388 Staghorn, Wright City Mo 63390, (636) 745-8253.
St. Louis Council of the Blind, Jo-An Benson, 612 Francis Place, St. Louis, Mo 63105. (314) 863-6353.
  South Central Missouri Ozark Association of the Blind: Bill Burris, 1202 Chateau Drive, West Plains, Mo 65775. (417) 256-3954. e-mail: burris`wpcs.net
Southeast Missouri United Blind Club, Delavina Ferren, 1400 S. 14th Street, Poplar Bluff, Mo 63901. (573) 785-9046.
Southwest Missouri Friendship Council of the Blind: Rita Galbraith, 309 South Tom, Webb City Mo 64870. Phone: (417) 673-8559.
Springfield Service Club of the Blind, Phyllis Lovett, 3925 South Jefferson, Number 45, Springfield MO 65807, Phone: 417 883-7408.
Tower Club of the Blind: Marie Kelley, 2628 Hope, Maplewood, Mo 63143. (314) 646-8272.
United Workers for the Blind: Jack Lenk, 6347 Mardel, St. Louis, Mo 63109. (314) 351-2814.

Special Interest Affiliates
Adaptive Technoloogy (AT): Hank Pearce, 4914 Smart Avenue, Kansas City, Mo 64124, (816) 231-4914. every-mail: peertech`mciworld.com
Braille Revival League of Missouri: Maryan Harrison, 3948 Potomac, St. Louis, Mo 63116. (314) 664-6558.
Library Users of Missouri: Leo Giger, 827 North Nettleton Avenue, Springfield Mo 65802. (417) 866-5778.
Missouri Guide Dog Users: Marie Thompson, 932 Highway 162 East, Portageville, Mo 63873. (573) 379-5007.
Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of Missouri: Jack Lenk, 6347 Mardel, St. Louis, Mo 63109. (314) 351-2814.

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THE MISSOURI CHRONICLE June, 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE MISSOURI CHRONICLE
June, 2001