by Elizabeth M. Lennon
The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement of those products and services 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 or services mentioned.
Scholarships
The Blinded Veterans Association is offering 16 scholarships as part of its Kathern F. Gruber Scholarship Program for the 2000-01 academic year. There will be eight scholarships of $2,000 each, and eight of $1,000 each available. The scholarship committee will choose 16 recipients and four alternates. Only dependent children and spouses of blinded veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for the scholarships. The veteran must be legally blind; blindness may be service-connected or non-service-connected. To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must have been accepted for admission, or already be enrolled, as a full-time student in an accredited institution of higher education, or business, secretarial or vocational training school. Applications must be received no later than Friday, April 14. To request one, write to: The Kathern F. Gruber Scholarship Program, Blinded Veterans Association, 477 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20001-2694, or phone (202) 371-8880.
Another Scholarship
Friends-In-Art wishes to announce the second annual scholarship for students in the arts. Any visually impaired student who is planning to, or is currently majoring in the arts, such as music, drama, graphic arts or related fields, is eligible to apply for this $1,000 scholarship. Application forms can be obtained from the president of FIA, Michael Mandel, 400 W. 43rd St., Apt. 20-L, New York, NY 10036. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to him before April 15, 2000 in order to receive the form and details about the scholarship.
More Scholarships
The New York State Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired has scholarships available. To be considered for a scholarship, you must send in: an application narrative that demonstrates your need and intent (special consideration will be given to people who will work in rural or underserved areas of New York state and/or bilingual skills); three letters of recommendation; copies of letters of acceptance or application (pending) from a college or university for a course of study in orientation and mobility, rehabilitation teaching or teacher of the visually impaired; proof of current AER membership (photocopy of current membership card is acceptable); statement of financial resources (including grants, scholarships, agency support, household income {copy of 1999 tax return should be submitted} and expenses); and your contact information, including address, daytime phone number and e-mail address. Checks will be sent to the college or university to be placed in the recipient’s account. All documentation must be received by the chair of the scholarship committee on or before May 26, 2000 in order for the person to be considered as a candidate for the award year. Send your applications to: Anne Hersee, 2130 Angling Road, Corfu, NY 14036-9652, or e-mail ahersee@eznet.net. E-mail copies need not be followed by hard copies.
Bowl-A-Thon
Seedlings Braille Books for Children invites you to participate in the annual “Bowl Where You Are” Bowl-a-Thon. When? Your choice. Where? Your choice. Seedlings is a tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to providing low-cost braille books for blind children. Every $10 earned during this bowling event will create one more book and will help strike out illiteracy! Last year, bowlers raised more than $20,000. Select a specific date, time and place to bowl for Seedlings. Use a pledge form to obtain sponsors before you bowl. Contact Seedlings for a form at (800) 777-8552. Sponsors may pledge a certain number of cents per pin (3 cents or 5 cents per pin, for example); the minimum is a penny per pin. Or they may pledge a flat amount (a donation of $10 or $20, for example). Seedlings hopes each bowler will raise at least $25. Bowlers should collect their own pledges and send them to Seedlings Braille Books for Children, P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924. Each bowler who turns in $100 or more will be given a free Seedlings mug or T-shirt. Bowlers who turn in $150 or more will be given their choice of a free Seedlings tote bag, sweatshirt or braille keychain. Make checks payable to Seedlings Braille Books for Children. If you live in the Detroit metropolitan area, join Seedlings at the Cloverlanes Bowl in Livonia on Sunday, March 26 at 12:30 for the fun at the 13th annual Seedlings Bowl-a-Thon.
Art Competition
The American Printing House for the Blind is looking for visually impaired or blind artists of all ages to contribute art work for its ninth annual international art competition. Artists may enter artwork created in any medium, including (but not limited to) painting, drawing, printmaking, fiber, metal or wood. Entry forms and art pieces must arrive at APH no later than April 1. To request a copy of the entry form and competition rules, call toll-free (800) 223-1839, or e-mail rwilliams@aph.org.
Cure for Cabin Fever
Have you been thinking about giving the Mail-Call e-mail-by-phone service a try? Well, during March and April, you can sign up with Mail-Call and pay no registration fee. In addition, your first 10 minutes will be free! This offer will apply to the first 200 ACB members who sign up, so hurry to your telephone, or PC, and let e-mail spirit you away from the winds of March and the raindrops of April. Call Mail-Call at (800) 299-4722. A representative will sign you up and answer your questions. You’ll need to give that person ACB’s identification number, which is ACB6299. If there’s no one available to take your call, leave a message in Mail-Call’s voice mail and a registrar will call you back. Or you can register online. Go to http://www.mail-call.com and follow the link to the secure sign-up page. When you click “submit,” if any of your information is missing or incomplete, someone from Mail-Call will telephone you to complete the registration.
SayIt 2000
FutureForms, a division of Pummill Business Forms, Inc., recently introduced SayIt 2000, a new assistive technology software which enables visually impaired people to fill out forms online. The program is designed to scan the user’s PC to determine if a screen reader is present and active. If a screen reader is active, the software will decipher the form on the screen for the user. If no screen reader is active, the software will remain quiet and allow the user to complete the form. For more information, visit http://www.futureforms.com, or call (800) 748-0235.
A new web site was launched recently to make it easier for federal employees to buy a multitude of business products and related supplies right from their desks, with next-day delivery for the most frequently used items. This site, http://www.jwod.com, features products made by blind or severely disabled people under the Javits-Wagner-O’Day program. It provides federal customers with convenient one-stop shopping. In addition to online orders, federal or commercial customers may order by phone, (877) 438-5963, or by fax, (877) 329-5963. Customers may also use authorized commercial distributors for JWOD products (listed at http://www.jwod.gov/splydist.htm), or visit military base supply centers operated by JWOD-participating non-profit agencies on many installations.
Door Stop Alarms
Brett Davis Company sells door stop alarms. You place it in back of your door, and when someone attempts to enter your home, the door presses on the door stop, which activates a loud alarm. The sound frightens off the intruder, and alerts you to dial 911. It comes ready to use, with batteries. You can take it on vacations, in your hotel or motel room, or wherever you wish. Each alarm costs $29.95 plus $5 shipping and handling. To order, contact the Brett Davis Company, 776 Corydon Ave., Suite 712, Winnipeg Manitoba R3M 0Y1, Canada.
Habitat Houses
Lions Clubs International and Habitat for Humanity International have launched a three-year partnership to build homes for individuals and families with visual impairment or serious physical or mental disabilities. Between 2000 and 2003, these clubs’ partnership will enable local Lions clubs and Habitat affiliates to build low-cost homes for people with disabilities. If you wish to be considered for this program, contact your local Lions Club or Habitat for Humanity office. Applications will be reviewed on March 31. In Jefferson County, Ky., homes are being built in the downtown Louisville area. People in that area who wish to obtain more information about qualifications, contact Louisville Habitat for Humanity at (502) 583-6599 before April 1.
NTN on the Net
Narrative Television Network’s TV and movie programming is now available worldwide on the Internet, http://www.narrativetv.com. The programming is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Users can enjoy programs on demand. For more information, visit the web site, or contact Jim Stovall at (918) 627-1000.
Graph Reader
Centaurian Systems LLC, a Michigan-based software development company, recently developed a graph reader for the visually impaired. It describes the graph and labels its parts, as well as interprets the information by telling a visually impaired user what kind of graph is being described. It can read more than 17 different graphs, including bar, 3D bar, area, pie, line and scatter graphs. Centaurian plans to include its graph reader with every new system it develops. For more information, call Steve Timmer at (517) 381-9611 or e-mail him at Steve@centaurian.com.
New Awards
The American Printing House for the Blind recently awarded the first Virgil Zickel Awards to three individuals who have contributed innovative ideas for products now produced by APH.
Nancy Rinker worked with APH to produce a prototype of her idea for a new reading easel for visually impaired students. The GrandStand Reading Easel is a bright yellow, lightweight, portable and inexpensive aid for large print readers. It has an adjustable shelf that can be raised and lowered as needed to accommodate different size books. Rinker has taught at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton for 31 years, and is an itinerant teacher in the Staunton school system.
Marcia Gevers developed the MasterPlan Calendar designed to fit low-vision needs. It is written in large, bold print and includes month-at-a-glance and weekly planning pages. It fits in a three- ring binder which allows for flexibility in adding and subtracting pages. Gevers is a rehabilitation teacher for the Indiana Department of Services for the Blind.
Alex Snow suggested a new type of binder that would make it possible to manage braille paper more efficiently. The result is the three-hole Floppy Braille Binder. Before the introduction of this soft-cover binder, 11 by 11.5-inch braille paper was held in a 19-hole hard-cover binder that Alex and others found difficult to manage. Snow is a 12-year-old blind student in the seventh grade at Newtown Middle School in Newtown, Conn.
To order any of these items, call APH at (800) 223-1839.
AdaptiveWare
AdaptiveWare is a mail-order business specifically tailored to the needs of blind and visually impaired computer users. Products sold include custom-built computers, scanners, screen readers, speech synthesizers and braille embossers, as well as such products as the Road Runner and Aria. For more information, or a free catalog, contact AdaptiveWare at 2700 Lakeland Dr., Nashville, TN 37214; phone (615) 884-8904 or toll-free (800) 470-7482.
Ruff Wear
Ruff Wear, a manufacturer of gear for dogs on the go, recently upgraded its web site, http://www.ruffwear.com and improved its accessibility for the visually impaired. Through a series of changes, the web site now complies with the W3C guidelines and is Bobby compliant. For more information, or a catalog, call toll-free (888) 783-3932, or visit the web site listed above.
KidAbility
According to the Gallup Youth Survey, only 46 percent of youths say that schoolmates with disabilities feel only “somewhat welcome” and another 17 percent say that they “don’t feel too welcome.” KidAbility is a newly released video created to provide an opportunity to understand and improve the lives and conditions of individuals. It was made for general audiences. It costs $89 plus $6.75 shipping and handling from Program Development Associates, P.O. Box 2038, Syracuse, N.Y. 13220; phone (800) 543-2119.
Buy, Sell or Trade
BST is a new electronic list that formed recently. Do you have an item you’d like to turn into cash? Are you starting a new home business and want to let others know about it? Or are you looking for an item, such as a braille printer? BST is the list for you. It welcomes “buy, sell or trade” items, and even welcomes your reviews of new products. All ads sent to the list are the responsibility of a sender. Ads must include the name of the sender, a full description of the item(s), the asking price or a price range you’re willing to pay, and your e-mail address. Do not make your deal on the list. When buying or selling, contact the advertiser directly. Only contact the person who placed the ad you’re interested in. The list owner reserves the right to remove any person at any time for displaying any type of bad manners or any other abuse of the list or its subscribers. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to BST-subscribe@onelist.com.
Independent Living
The American Association of Retired Persons will celebrate Independent Living Week May 1-7, 2000. During this week, volunteers from across the country will be helping older people remain independent in their homes. Many people are unaware that making simple changes in homes can help people remain in charge and maintain their independence. AARP has four publications available especially for the week: “Tools and Gadgets for Independent Living” (D17035), which lists ACB as a resource for finding assistive technology; “How Well Does Your Home Meet Your Needs?” (D16270), which helps you identify problem areas in your home; “Home Safe Home: How to Prevent Falls in the Home” (D16598), which provides a checklist for preventing falls in your home; and “100 Simple Ways to Make A Difference” (D16685), which provides 100 ideas to help aging family members, friends and neighbors to continue living on their own. To order these brochures, write to AARP Fulfillment, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049. Allow four to six weeks for delivery. Be certain to include the title(s) and stock number(s) with your order, as well as your name and address.
Seeking Recipes
Eva Kurtz, 715 SW Fillmore #1, Topeka, KS 66606, is looking for the recipes from the ADA Forecaster from “A Cookbook for Diabetics” by Maude Behrman, edited by Leonard Louis Levinson. She specifically needs volumes 1, 4 and 5. If you have any of these to spare, please send them to her.
Literacy Packet
The Braille Revival League recently released its 2000 special edition braille literacy packet, which contains numerous resources for conducting a variety of braille literacy activities during the year. It includes information on the history of braille, recommendations for possible projects, a sample proclamation, a special set of posters, information about the league, a bibliography of books about Louis Braille, an updated Internet resource list of braille-related web sites and e-mail lists, and other information. Also included in the packet is an IBM-compatible 3.5-inch diskette which contains ASCII, WordPerfect 5.1, Microsoft Word and braille-translated files of all documents in the packet.
If you or your organization would like to receive a packet, send a $5 check to cover the cost of production and mailing to: Braille Revival League, Attn: Kim Charlson, 57 Grandview Ave., Watertown, MA 02472-1634; phone (617) 926-9198.
Kurzweil Honored
Ray Kurzweil received the National Medal of Technology on March 14 from President Clinton. The citation reads: “For pioneering and innovative achievements in computer science that have overcome barriers for and enriched the lives of disabled persons and of all Americans, including developing the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first commercially marketed large vocabulary speech recognition technology, and the ground-breaking Kurzweil 250 computer music keyboard.”
The National Medal of Technology is the nation’s highest honor in technology. It was enacted by Congress in 1980 and has been awarded by the President of the United States each year since 1985. It is awarded to several individuals (and/or groups of individuals) each year. In most years, a company has also been honored. There are no categories specified in the award. Previous winners include: Kenneth L. Thompson and Dennis M. Ritchie, for the UNIX operating system and the C programming language; Vinton Gray Cerf and Robert E. Kahn, for the TCP/IP protocol on which the Internet is based; Edward R. McCracken, pioneer in 3D visual graphics; and AT&T Bell Labs for contributions to electronic communications.