by Sharon Lovering
The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The Braille Forum” cannot be responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned.
Seeking Evidence
Medicare occasionally pays for electronic visual aids and devices. I need evidence of such cases to succeed at reimbursement for a closed-circuit TV (CCTV). Call or write Gregg Welch, 144 SE 133rd Ave., Portland, OR 97233; phone (503) 408-1419.
FedForms
The FedForms web site, http://www.fedforms.gov/, provides “one-stop-shopping” for forms needed for the top 500 government services used by the public. Check it out!
Recall
Invacare is recalling power wheelchairs purchased between 1988 and June 2000. If you have such a wheelchair, please contact the dealer you purchased your chair from to have the replacement kit installed on your chair. If you cannot locate your original dealer, contact Invacare Corporation toll-free at (800) 333-6900, select option 8, and you will be directed to an Invacare Service Center.
Referral Network
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently announced the creation of the Employment Assistance Referral Network (EARN), a national toll-free telephone and electronic information referral service for employers who are seeking to hire workers with disabilities. EARN is designed to assist employers in locating potential employees with disabilities in their own geographic area. An employer seeking to fill a specific position may contact EARN with the job specifications. EARN staff will then search a database of local employment providers who may have appropriate job candidates with disabilities and send that information back to the employer, who can then follow up directly with the service provider.
EARN also offers employers technical assistance. Any subject related to the employment of people with disabilities — such as co-worker attitudes, tax credits, personal assistance services, disability laws, return-to-work strategies, job interviewing techniques, and recruitment and hiring strategies — can be addressed by EARN staff. To contact EARN, call 1-888-695-8289, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time. EARN may also be accessed via its Web site: http://www.earnworks.com.
Talking Rx
The Talking Rx makes your prescription talk to you! This device, which reads the information about your prescription with the assistance of a computer chip embedded in the label, can help you avoid taking the wrong pill at the wrong time. The suggested retail price of the Talking Rx is $19.95. It is available for sale through Vision Dynamics, 470 West Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410; phone (203) 271-1944.
New York Has Talking ATMs
Citibank has announced the installation of New York’s first five talking ATMs. The ATMs, using text-to-speech technology, deliver audible information privately through an earphone so that people who may have difficulty reading an ATM screen in print, can independently use the ATM. The five New York machines, along with five Citibank talking ATMs in California, are the beginning of a 16-month plan to install a talking ATM at each of Citibank’s Financial Centers and its ATM centers across the country. The machines will be upgraded, improved versions of the talking ATMs originally installed by Citibank in November 1999.
New York locations are: 717 Avenue of the Americas at West 23rd Street, Manhattan; 460 Park Avenue at East 57th Street, Manhattan; 2861 Broadway at West 111th Street, Manhattan; 181 Montague Street, Brooklyn; and 95-12 63rd Road, Rego Park, Queens.
California locations are: 8800 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles; 2566 Overland Avenue, West Los Angeles; 2323 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley; 260 California Street, San Francisco; and 780 Laurel Street, San Carlos.
New Novel-Tees
Blind-Novel-Tees now has hats, T-shirts and nightshirts with four new designs! And best of all, shipping is free in the USA! Hats and T-shirts are available in two colors, in medium, large or extra large. The nightshirts are only available in dark gray and are one size fits all.
“Blind People Feel Better” hat (black or royal blue), $15; T- shirt (black or royal blue), $18; nightshirt (dark gray), $22
“Ears Work Eyes Don’t” hat (black or royal blue), $15; T- shirt (black or royal blue), $18
“Blind Computer User” hat (black or kelly green), $15; T- shirt (black or kelly green), $18
“Please Don’t Pet My Dog” hat (black or red), $15; T-shirt (black or red), $18
“Too Much Sex Causes Blindness” hat in black or royal blue (the word “sex” is in braille), $15; T-shirt (black or royal blue), $18; nightshirt (dark gray), $22
“If you are reading this I hope we’ve been introduced” hat in black or purple (the word “introduced” is in braille), $15; T- shirt (black or purple), $18; nightshirt (dark gray), $22
Check us out online at: www.bntonline.com. If you would like to place an order, please send your check or money order along with the item, size and color required to: Blind-Novel-Tees, P.O. Box 460, New Tazewell, TN 37824. Handwritten, print or braille orders welcome. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.
If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at: rhonda@bntonline.com. For a detailed product list send a blank e-mail to: info@bntonline.com or call (423) 626-2075.
Osteoporosis Risk
Osteoporosis is a major health threat for more than 28 million Americans. Here are the warning signs that your bones may be in trouble, leaving you susceptible: you break a bone; you have a family history of osteoporosis or hip fractures; you do not get enough calcium; you smoke or drink excessively; you weigh less than 127 pounds; you have chronic medical problems; you have persistent back pain; and/or you are shorter than you used to be. Osteoporosis is often preventable if bone loss is detected early. Check with your doctor to determine your risk for developing the disease and the necessary preventive steps. Several drugstore chains offer a bone density test for a reasonable fee; check with your local drugstore to see if it does. For more information on osteoporosis, call toll-free (800) 223-9994 or visit http://www.nof.org.
New Service at FCC
The Federal Communications Commission recently initiated an e-mail service to inform consumers about developments at the FCC, to disseminate consumer informative materials prepared by the Commission to a wide audience and to invite comments from other interested parties on FCC regulatory proposals. FCC fact sheets, consumer brochures and alerts, news releases, public notices, notices of proposed rulemaking, reports and orders, and other consumer-related information are the types of items that will be sent out via this new e-mail distribution list.
To subscribe, submit a subscription request by e-mail to the following address: subscribe@info.fcc.gov. Put the following request in the subject line or in the body of the message (not both): subscribe fcc-consumer-info firstname lastname (replace with your real first name and last name). To unsubscribe, send the following request using the same procedure as with subscribing: unsubscribe fcc-consumer-info.
Capable Canines
Capable Canine Company now has grooming smocks available. These are worn over clothing and greatly reduce the amount of hair collected on clothing during dog or cat grooming. Smocks are washable, but due to the semi-waterproof material may not respond well to extreme heat.
All grooming smocks are customized. To order, please send the following information: neck size; waist or hip size (use larger measurement for best fit); arm length from underarm to tips of fingers; and length from neck to mid-calf.
Orders must be prepaid. In the U.S., contact: Cheree Heppe, 68 Gilman Street, Hartford, CT 06114-2536; e-mail her at dogsc4me@ntplx.net; or phone her at (860) 296-4922. In Canada, contact: Claire Roberts, 2930 5th Avenue SE, Salmon Arm, B.C. V1E 2H1, Canada; e-mail her at croberts@jetstream.net; or phone her at (250) 832-2421. The price per smock is $30 U.S.
Capable Canine Company also makes collapsible, folding fabric-type water and feed bowls; custom plasticized dog raincoats which fit under harnesses; leather double leashes fitted for short or long use, specify color, length and width; buckle-on, adjustable leather check chain type collars (specify desired width and color and the dog’s neck measurements); and custom harnesses.
Blind Diabetic List
The blind-diabetic list is for those of us who are blind or visually impaired people to find support in exercising, dieting (or some people call it a change of lifestyle), keeping their sugar down, being overweight, bingeing, overeating and problems with obesity. We can discuss different food plans, such as Weight Watchers, low-carb, and TOPS which stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly. We discuss both types of diabetes as well. Even if you just want to lose weight, and are neither blind nor a diabetic, you are welcome.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to blind-diabetics- subscribe@yahoogroups.com; to unsubscribe, send a blank message to blind-diabetics-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
IEP Guide List
There’s a new listserv available for families and teachers to discuss individualized education plans for children with special needs. Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEP_guide, and follow the instructions to join the list.
Booz-Allen & Hamilton Internship Program
Booz-Allen and Hamilton (BAH), an international consulting firm, has developed the Emerging Leaders Program — a unique internship providing college students with disabilities meaningful summer work experience in the public and private sectors. Students will also have an opportunity to develop professionally and be exposed to leadership training.
Six weeks of the program will be spent with the employing firm and two with a non-profit or government agency. The Emerging Leaders Program offers participants an opportunity to gain a broader perspective on their potential and how they can contribute to their families and communities. The list of finalists includes students from all over the country.
To read the May 2001 Profile about Booz-Allen and Hamilton, visit http://www.disability-marketing.com, go to the Profiles in Excellence link and select “Booz-Allen and Hamilton, May 2001.”