by Sharon Lovering
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.
Recall
The National Library Service has recalled all C-2 Talking Book players due to a potential shock and/or fire hazard. If you have a C-2 player, please unplug it immediately and return it to your local NLS branch library. You will be sent a replacement machine as soon as possible. Can’t tell what model you have? The model number is located on a small metal plate on the bottom of the player.
Your Turn
The Solutions Marketing Group wants to hear from people with disabilities about their vacations. Tell the company what you liked most about the hotel, airline, resort or theme park that has provided consistently good customer service that met your needs and/or exceeded your expectations. Responses will be posted on the Solutions Marketing Group bulletin board, http://www.disability-marketing.com/bulletin/.
DVS Movies On Screen
In June and July, the movie “The Patriot” was released with captioning and descriptive narration. Keep your eyes open for these movies: “The Hollow Man,” “The Sixth Day,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “102 Dalmatians,” “Cast Away” and “Finding Forrester.” All will have captioning and descriptive narration. For more information, check the WGBH web site, http://www.wgbh.org/access or http://www.mopix.org.
Now on ACB Radio ...
“Whole Note: The Blind Musician Magazine” show is now airing on ACB Radio’s mainstream link. It is hosted by Jeremy Hartley, a blind musician working professionally for the last 15 years. It covers various aspects of making music, including braille music resources and related topics, music-related technology used successfully by blind musicians, profiles and interviews with blind musicians, and much more. To hear it, point your web browser to http://www.acbradio.org and select the mainstream link. It runs for an hour, and is repeated every three hours over the next 24-hour cycle.
To learn more about the show and its goals, contact Jeremy at jeremydh@california.com and place the words “whole note” in the subject line.
Freedom Scientific
Have you had trouble with any of your Arkenstone, Henter-Joyce or Blazie products and had difficulty finding the correct number to call for help? For Blazie technical support, call (561) 223-6443. For Henter-Joyce and Arkenstone technical support, call (727) 803- 8600. And if you’re looking to buy a product from the combined group, call (800) 444-4443. Send your Blazie and Arkenstone repairs to Blazie, Division of Freedom Scientific, 2850 SE Market Pl. #3, Stuart, FL 34997. And don’t forget to check the web page, http://www.freedomscientific.com.
Pennsylvania Skiing
The 2001 Northeastern Pennsylvania Regional Ski for Light event will take place during the third week of February in Sherman, Pa., near Binghamton, N.Y. Sighted and visually impaired adults ski together. If you would like to learn to cross-country ski, or already know how and enjoy it, and want to enjoy the outdoors, evening social events, good food and fellowship in a country setting, come on up! For more information, contact Barry or Louise Wood at (201) 868-3336.
Moved!
Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc. has moved. The new address is 551 Hosner Mountain Rd., Stormville, NY 12582; phone (800) 454- 3175; fax (845) 226-2793, or e-mail annmor@webspan.net. If you would like to shop Ann Morris online, visit http://www.annmorris.com. The company’s 2001 catalog will be available shortly. If you are not already on the mailing list, call or write for a free copy in large print, cassette, disk or e-mail. Braille costs $10. New items include a VCR co-pilot, talking tape measure, talking pedometer, new talking watches, microwave accessories and much more. To subscribe to the announcement e-mail list, send a blank e-mail to annmorris-subscribe@egroups.com.
Outstanding Vet
Jesse Brown, former secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, was recently selected as the Disabled American Veterans Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year. Brown is a combat- disabled veteran of the Vietnam War. While serving as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps he was wounded by enemy gunfire in 1965 during a combat patrol near Da Nang.
Audio Described
Do you like opera? Will you be in the Washington, D.C. area in November 2000 or March 2001? Audio-described performances of “Il Trovatore” and “Turandot” will be held at the Washington Opera Nov. 16, 2000 and March 27, 2001 at 8 p.m. For tickets, call the Washington Opera at (202) 295-2495.
Dame Edna
If you live in Minnesota, you will also be able to see some described plays. “Dame Edna” will be described on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Intermedia Arts, 2888 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis; call (612) 927-6438. “Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” will be described on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. and Friday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis; call (612) 874-0400. “The Road to Kyoto” will be described on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. at Bloomington’s Nine Mile Creek Theatre (Bloomington Education Center), 8900 Portland Ave. S. “Little Women” will be described on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the Stages Theatre Co., 1111 Main St., Hopkins; call (952) 979-1111. “The Invention of Love” will be described on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Guthrie Lab, 700 N. First St., Minneapolis; call (612) 377-2224. “City Rhapsody” will be described on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. at the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Minneapolis; call (612) 721-2535. And speaking of beasts, “Beauty and the Beast” will be described at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, on Sunday, Nov. 12; call (612) 989-5151. “Turandot” will be described on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., Saint Paul; call (612) 333-6669.
Now Available
A number of new titles have been added to the National Library Service for the Blind’s collection. There are pamphlets on Alzheimer’s disease, autism, braille reading, articles on braille mathematics, disabilities, education of visually impaired children, electronic publishing, questions and answers about IDEA, museum access, Social Security programs, talking books, and toy guides. Curious? Ask your local branch for more information.
New Magazine
“Disability Life” is the newest entry in the magazine field. It will report on public policy agenda, spotlight individuals who are living creative and unique lives, and reach out to the global disability community. Annual subscriptions for the magazine are $21. To subscribe, or submit articles, cartoons, art, poetry, fiction, essays or reviews, write to Disability Life Magazine, 790 Washington St. #1001, Denver, CO 80203, or phone (800) 321-8708.
Pilot
NLS is now conducting a pilot test of putting braille magazines onto Web-Braille. These formatted grade 2 braille files will be similar to those for books and can be accessed and used in the same manner. Initially, the pilot will consist of a weekly posting of the braille edition of the New York Times Large Type Weekly and an occasional posting of braille sports schedules. Other magazines will be added over the next few months. A link to the braille magazine pilot test can be found on the Web-Braille site; passwords are required. All current subscribers to Web- Braille can access them immediately. Eligible American citizens and residents interested in signing up for Web-Braille should contact their regional library to obtain a username and password.
Able-Net
ABLE-NET has a variety of Internet services available: DSL, dial-up and ISDN. It offers discounts for people with disabilities and non-profit organizations. Services are available in all 50 states and Canada. Unlimited Internet access and e-mail start at $11.50 a month. To sign up, call toll-free (888) 221-4900, or visit http://www.able-net.net.
New from RPM
RPM Press recently published a community living training program entitled “Family Life Curriculum.” It is designed for use in community-based rehabilitation programs, residential facilities, transitional living programs, mental health agencies, schools, group homes, independent living centers and similar settings. The program will help students and adults with severe disabilities learn human relations and independent living skills that will help them in their homes and other living settings such as group homes. It includes a 185-page instructor’s handbook with detailed curriculum, trainee workbooks, dozens of activities, a video, visual prompts, certificates, reproducible handouts and more; it costs $99.95 plus 9 percent shipping and handling.
The company has also released the third edition of its “Job Accommodation Handbook.” It includes information on a variety of topics such as: updated information from EEOC on all aspects of job accommodation and related employment issues; updated case law; guidance on employer, employee and job applicants’ rights and responsibilities when it comes to job accommodation issues; Internet resources; and much more. The handbook is designed to benefit vocational rehabilitation counselors, case managers, job developers, occupational therapists, supported employment specialists, rehab nurses and other professionals and employers involved in employment activities with individuals with disabilities. It costs $39.95 plus 9 percent shipping and handling.
To order, call toll-free (888) 810-1990, or write to RPM Press, Inc., Dept. NR, PO Box 31483, Tucson, AZ 85751.
Ocularis
Project Ocularis aims to create a complete computing environment and suite of applications that will allow visually impaired people to communicate and work through computers, as well as to install and customize their systems without sighted assistance. This operating system and applications will be free to anyone. Basic applications include a word processor, calendar, calculator, accounting/finance, file manager, Internet browser and e-mail client. Ocularis will be based on the Linux operating system. To learn more, visit http://ocularis.sourceforge.net/.
Survey Results
According to the 2000 NOD/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities, there are still gaps in levels of participation between people with disabilities and other Americans in employment, income, education, socializing, religious and political participation, and access to health care and transportation. The survey does, however, show progress for some groups. According to the survey, only 32 percent of disabled people of working age (18-64) work full- or part-time, compared to 81 percent of the non- disabled population. More than two-thirds of those who are not employed say they would prefer to be working. Among those who say they are able to work despite their disability, 56 percent are working. People with disabilities are almost three times as likely as people without disabilities to live in households with total incomes of $15,000 or less; they are also less likely to be registered to vote. For more information, visit http://www.nod.org, or call (202) 293-5960.
Long Distance
Have you ever wished you could pay for long-distance by the month, not the minute? That service is now available. It costs $57 per month for residential customers, $99 per month for business customers. Call Loyd Drennan at (915) 592-1758 for more information.
Talking Pager
CPR Technology has available a talking pager called the Echo I. It costs $99; paging service is as low as $8.99 per month. It features a full numeric display with both vibration and audio alert tones, and it will speak any of the numeric messages stored in memory, as well as the message number and time and day received. Its built-in auto dialer will dial any number in memory. The pager also has a talking clock built in, and a memory back-up feature with memory lock. It comes with a belt clip and safety chain, and requires one AAA battery (not included). You must purchase paging services to be able to use your pager. Contact the company toll-free at (877) 277-5237.
Equipment
Khalid Zakaria Ayd, Postal Number 32073, Ezbett Abu Yusef, Shatanouf Ashmoun, Monousya, Egypt, needs your help. He needs the following items to help him finish high school: a braille timer, braille clock, braille writer, typewriter, personal computer, four-track tape recorder, disk player, white cane, reading machine and an Optacon. If you have any of those you can spare, send them to him at the address above.
Medical Transport
One of America’s best-kept secrets is the charitable medical air transportation system. Its purpose is to ensure that no financially needy patient is denied access to distant specialized evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of funds to pay for long-distance travel. The system provides transportation either via the airlines (for longer trips) or via private aircraft flown by licensed volunteer pilots. Many charities are involved, but the largest and only full-service system in the country is Angel Flight America. To access it, call the National Patient Travel Helpline at (800) 296-1217. Internet assistance can be found at http://www.PatientTravel.org.
New Manual
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped recently published the fourth edition of its “Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing.” This manual was developed under the leadership of Constance Risjord, literary braille transcriber and former member of the Braille Authority of North America, among many other associations; John Wilkinson, NLS literary braille adviser; and Mary Lou Stark, head of NLS’ Braille Development Section. More than 40 transcribers, peer reviewers, computer specialists, educators and editors contributed to the project. If you are interested in enrolling in the braille transcription course, or want more information, call (800) 424-8567.
Careercity.Com
Adams Media Corporation has moved its Internet recruiting division, Careercity.com, into a separate corporation in response to its rapid growth and the determination that the company needs its own identity and focus. Career City offers job postings, a host of tips, regional slants, and strategies for individual job seekers. For more information, visit http://www.careercity.com.
E-Books
Dolphin Computer Access Ltd., which acquired Labyrinten Data AB in December, recently acquired a major licensing agreement with Microsoft. Labyrinten Data, a Dolphin subsidiary, has entered into an arrangement with Microsoft and isSound.com that will enable text-to-audio synchronization of eBooks created for the Microsoft Reader Format. Microsoft Reader is Microsoft’s product for reading eBook content, and will have applications in all facets of life, including libraries, education, home entertainment, and much more.
On-Line Access
Cathy Anne Murtha, an access technology specialist, is offering on-line training in access technology designed to bring affordable training to the average blind computer user. Courses include 16 weeks of training (three hours per week online via voice chat), a registered version of the 1-Step Audio Publisher, comprehensive reviews of each class and step-by-step instructions of each skill in 1-Step Audio format, a comprehensive textbook which will include lessons on screen readers in an easy-to-follow format (both text and audio), subscriptions to an e-mail list for students to share thoughts, ideas and ask questions, and 24-hour access seven days a week to a classroom so that students can meet and review homework and skills together. For more information, visit http://www.cathyanne.com or call (916) 922-3794.
If you need a scholarship for this training, visit http://www.cathyanne.com/scholarship. Scholarship applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis. The scholarships are provided by the Class Act Scholarship Foundation. If you want to review a course syllabus, go to http://www.cathyanne.com/classes.htm.
Horizons
Horizons for the Blind has specialized in making cultural, recreational and quality of life experiences more accessible to the blind and visually impaired since 1977. Today Horizons produces a number of booklets in braille and large print that deal with such topics as crafts, kitchen techniques, food preparation, recipes, gardening, and so forth. There is also a magazine available, “Seeing It Our Way.” For a catalog, contact Horizons for the Blind, 2 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014; phone (815) 444- 8800, or e-mail mail@horizons-blind.org. Please specify braille or large print.
News from APH
Eugene Callahan, a former employee of General Electric’s Appliance Park, was honored recently at a reception at the American Printing House for the Blind. His donation created an endowment that supports the basic operation of the museum, which will be renamed the Marie and Eugene Callahan Museum. The museum explores the educational history of blind people and the role of APH in this history. Artifacts include tactile books, maps, educational aids, mechanical writers, braille production machinery, phonograph recording equipment and players, photographs and illustrations. Exhibits are accessible to everyone; earphones, braille labels and touchable exhibits for blind visitors are among the museum’s many features. The museum is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (800) 223-1839.
APH also recently received an award from “Pensions and Investments” magazine. After starting a new 401K plan through PNC Bank, the printing house received first place in the magazine’s annual competition in the category of initial education for a retirement plan with less than 1,000 participants.
New Web Site
International Disabled Marketing Associates has a new web site, http://www.quixtar.com. This site provides its clients, members and independent business owners access to thousands of products and services. This is a password-protected site. To access it, you will need to provide IDMA’s independent business owner number 147815. A free information cassette is available upon request. Write to International Disabled Marketing Associates, 901 Freeport Rd., Creighton, PA 15030; e-mail IDMA@mailexcite.com; or phone (724) 226-9855.
Oops!
We goofed! We made a typo in the address of the school in India that was looking for help. The correct address is: Welfare Center for the Visually Handicapped, c/o R.P. Padhi, Secretary In Political Science, Saepur College, Saepur Raj, QST Saepur, Orissa 767017, India.
Talking Calculator
Horizon Educational Software recently released TCalc for Windows, a talking scientific calculator program designed for use by blind and visually impaired people. It includes the following features: talk mode, for input and output to be spoken; magnification mode, to increase the print size on the input buttons and display panel; test keys mode, to enable the user to test the specific action of an input key at any time without interrupting a calculation; command keys to speak the displayed value, the last operator entered, and the number of brackets open; large print talking on-screen manual, to provide a simple, effective way for the new user to learn the features and operation of TCalc. To try it, visit http://www.HorizonSoftware.com.au and download a trial pack.
Foreign Languages
The Hadley School for the Blind offers two foreign language courses free of charge through its distance education program: basic conversational French and basic conversational Spanish. The courses are available on tape, in braille and in large print, and teach phrases that are essential for traveling, meeting people, talking on the phone, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, and much more. For a course catalog and enrollment application, call (800) 323-4238, write to the Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 60093-0299; or e-mail student_services@hadley-school.org.
MetDESK
A new law passed by Congress at the end of 1999 makes planning for a special needs child or dependent more important than ever, according to Nadine Vogel, the creator of MetLife’s Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids (MetDESK). The new law provides for a penalty of up to a 36-month maximum disqualification period for certain transfers by the recipient of Supplemental Security Income or the spouse. It also requires that the assets and income of certain self-settled trusts be counted for SSI eligibility purposes. Children or dependents with special needs should not receive any substantial sums of money directly or in a self-settled trust. MetDESK specialists can help families with their estate planning to ensure that special needs children or dependents receive good care after their parents’ or guardians’ deaths. For more information about MetDESK, visit http://www.metlife.com/specialneeds/ or call toll-free (877) 638- 3375. To request a free brochure from the company’s Life Advice program, “Planning for Your Special Needs Child,” call (800) 638- 5433.
British Isles
Have you ever wanted to look at a map of the British Isles and check out England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales? Well, now you can, thanks to the Princeton Braillists. They have published a new book containing tactile maps of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It’s called “Maps of the British Isles”; it contains 11 maps showing boundaries, bodies of water, mountains, hills and regions, major cities and towns, and major rivers. There are also maps of each country that show the counties or political regions, and maps that show points of interest in the London area. This book costs $10; shipping will be done by free matter. Send your check or purchase order to The Princeton Braillists, 28-B Portsmouth St., Whiting, NJ 08759. For more information, call (732) 350-3708.