edited by Sue Lichtenfels

The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.

NIB Now Recruiting 

National Industries for the Blind is working on developing a recruitment pipeline of legally blind, highly qualified customer service representatives to fill the growing need in this field. Responsibilities include: responding to inbound account-related questions and issues, completing customer correspondence via e-mail and regular mail, and processing inventory reports daily. Successful applicants should have the following experience: a high school diploma or equivalent, previous customer service experience, proficiency with data entry, Word, Outlook, and Excel, as well as either JAWS or ZoomText. Candidates should also have good verbal and written communication skills, be punctual and reliable, be a team player, be able to type 35 words per minute with at least 80 percent accuracy, and have a great phone presence. To be considered for this recruitment opportunity, send resume, three professional references, and proof of legal blindness to Sarah Schraven at [email protected].

Jewish Guild's Scholarship Winners 

The Jewish Guild for the Blind recently announced the 16 high school seniors who will each receive a $10,000 scholarship for the 2010-11 college year. The winners are: Ryan Alsman of Normal, Ill.; Carlos Baeza of Rockport, Maine; Nathaniel Book of West Suffield, Conn.; Kyle Coon of Jacksonville, Fla.; Matthew Cooper of Durham, N.C.; Jameyanne Fuller of Concord, N.H.; Marcus Meyer Goldberg of Austin, Tex.; Dillon Hawley of East Arlington, Vt.; Claire Elizabeth Johnson of Portland, Ore.; Cord LaBarre of Hayward, Wis.; Ashleigh Ladner of Slidell, La.; Andrew Luk of Chino Hills, Calif.; Duncan McLaurin of Jackson, Wyo.; Jeremy Morak of Hewlett, N.Y.; Helen Georgie Sydnor of Lynchburg, Va.; and Daniel White of Watertown, Mass. For information on the Guild’s scholarships for the 2011 academic year, contact Gordon Rovins at (212) 769-7801 or e-mail[email protected].

Two Plextalk Resources

Shinano Kenshi Corporation, maker of the Plextalk Pocket, a digital recorder/player for books, music and voice, has partnered with two accessible information providers to offer more resources to its users. Through a joint venture with Serotek, the Plextalk Pocket now has the ability to receive content transferred from the Serotek SAM Network. For subscribers to the SAM Net, this means portable access to news, described movies, blogs, podcasts, and more. The partnership with ReadHowYouWant of Australia allows users the opportunity to download five selected books each month from this online book provider’s classics collection. For more information, visit www.plextalk.com or call 1-866-202-0520.

RSA Awards Hadley

The Hadley School for the Blind recently received the 2010 RSA Commissioner’s Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation Education and Training. The school was honored for its commitment to offering braille instruction as offered through 13 different courses. RSA has also awarded Hadley a $500,000 grant to continue its braille distance education courses for the next five years.

Award-winning Children's Book

“Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids,” by Carol McCloud is an award-winning children’s book that is also a leading seller on Amazon.com. National Braille Press now offers this title in a print/braille edition for $9.95. The book, aimed at children ages 4-9, uses the metaphor of "filling a bucket" to convey the simple lesson of "doing unto others as you would want done unto you." It teaches kindness, responsibility, and respect for others. The book can be ordered by calling 1-800-548-7323 or visitingwww.nbp.org.

Exploring Outlook 2007 With JAWS

Toni R. Fraser has written another computer manual to help users of JAWS 10. The e-book, entitled “Exploring Outlook 2007 with JAWS,” is available for $25. For more information, visit https://www.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4554432.

2010 Tours For The Blind

Mind’s Eye Travel, which offers group trips for people who are blind or visually impaired, including sighted guides, has planned several tours for 2010. The first is a four-night tour of San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa scheduled for May 17-21. From May 22-June 1, the company offers a 10-day cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage aboard the Sea Princess. October 6-9, Mind’s Eye will show off many of the historical landmarks and museums of New York City. The Canada & New England Fall Foliage Cruise sets sail for seven nights, Oct. 9-16, on the Caribbean Princess. And in November, the company offers its final group tour of the year: seven nights on New Zealand’s South Island. Group tour prices are based on double occupancy and a minimum of six participants. Travel packages can also be organized for individuals and families to a variety of locations. For more information, contact Mind's Eye Travel at (207) 542-4438 or e-mail [email protected].

Tipsheet For Blind Visitors

For international professionals and students who are blind or have low vision, visiting the United States just became easier. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) has published a new informational tipsheet to assist international blind and low-vision visitors in preparing to come to the United States. It contains a variety of resources about accessing orientation and mobility services, living independently, available assistive technology, information on learning braille, and locating sources for accessible books. "Blind Visitors to the United States: What you need to know" can be found atwww.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/blindvisitorstousa.