by Billie Jean Keith
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.
To submit an item for “Here and There,” send an e-mail message to billiejean@2keiths.com. You may call the ACB toll-free number, (800) 424-8666, and leave a message at extension 26. Please bear in mind that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates.
Free Access to Internet by Phone
A service called HeyAnita allows access to Internet information. All you need is a telephone; however, some elements of the service require an on-line setup. The service is free of charge; call toll-free (800) 442-6482. According to the press release, the service has been well received by visually impaired customers. Current information available by phone includes: weather reports (U.S. and international); news (national, headlines, world, business, entertainment and technology); stocks (quotes, market summary, IPO Watch, company news); sports (professional, college, trivia); horoscopes; flight tracker; message center (allows callers to access Yahoo e-mail from any phone. Functionality includes receiving, replying to and deleting e-mail messages. Requires on-line setup); measurement conversion; restaurant tipping guide; TV dish (soap opera and serial summaries); lottery results; Anita Express (personalized delivery of ongoing, requested information. Requires on-line setup); and favorites (personalized delivery of information within specific HeyAnita applications. Requires on-line setup). To learn more, contact Mark W. Willingham, HeyAnita Inc., 6100 Wilshire Blvd., 6th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90048; phone (323) 692-1522, e-mail markw@heyanita.com; or visit the web site, http://www.heyanita.com.
ABC Scholarship
The Association of Blind Citizens is offering a $1,000 scholarship to blind or visually impaired individuals seeking a college degree. The scholarship will be offered for the 2001-2002 school year. The scholarship may be applied to tuition, living expenses or related expenses resulting from vision impairment. Potential applicants are encouraged to visit http://www.assocofblindcitizens.org and click on the scholarship link for more details and an application.
Art Competition Seeks Artists
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) invites artists of all ages who are visually impaired or blind to submit art work for its 10th annual international art competition. Known as APH InSights 2001, last year’s competition received nearly 500 entries. The year 2000 selected artists are on view at the APH accessible web site, http://www.aph.org. 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, 2001. Artists should contact APH to request a copy of the entry form and rules for the competition. Call Roberta Williams in the Public Affairs Office, (800) 223-1839 or (502) 895-2405, or e-mail rwilliams@aph.org.
BVA Offers Scholarships
If you are a dependent or spouse of a veteran who is legally blind, you may be eligible for one of the 16 Kathern F. Gruber Scholarships to be awarded by the Blinded Veterans Association. The veteran does not have to be a member of the Blinded Veterans Association, nor does blindness have to be service connected.
Dependents and spouses are encouraged to apply for these awards. Completed applications and supporting materials must be received by the BVA no later than Friday, April 13, 2001. Eight scholarships of $2,000 each, and eight scholarships of $1,000 will be awarded for the 2001-2002 academic year. Candidates must be enrolled full-time in an academic or vocational program. To request an application, call the BVA Scholarship Coordinator at (202) 371-8880.
Retinoblastoma Survivors’ List
Three years ago, two people began to exchange information about their retinoblastoma. Thanks to Gilles Frydman of the Association of On-line Cancer Resources who provided the list, it has grown to a global support group of survivors, families, friends and parents with newly diagnosed children.
For people with long-term issues that may accompany life after retinoblastoma, this list may have some answers, and certainly much understanding. To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@listserv.acor.org. In the text of the message, type: subscribe rb-survivors, and your name, then send the message.
Low-Cost Eyeglasses
Wellness Choice, Inc., a medical services company that works with disadvantaged groups in several southern states, recently announced a nationwide program for low-cost prescription eyeglasses. The program is available to non-profit groups and local and state agencies. The children's glasses cost $30 for hard resin lenses and $38 for polycarbonate lenses in prescriptions up to +/-5.25 and a cylinder of +/-4.
An adult program is available for $39 and $45 respectively. A program for individuals with low vision with prescriptions greater than +/-5.25 and a cylinder greater than +/- 4 is available at a single focus price of $60 with polycarbonate lens in a quality fashion frame for either children or adults.
The company conducts screenings and examinations for Head Start programs, migrant workers, Native American groups, mental retardation centers, senior citizens and other groups that are traditionally underserved. Wellness Choice wants to expand its program to reach other groups, including agencies serving people with low vision. For more information, contact Les Wilson, phone (770) 541-7777, e-mail eyescreening@mindspring.com, or visit the web site, http://www.nonprofitwarehouse.com.
Listserv for Blind Business Owners
If you own a business, or are self-employed, you may want to join the listserv to discuss ideas with other business owners who are blind or visually impaired. The list owner has two business ventures, one as a vendor and the other as a braille transcriber and proofreader. If you are self-employed, or own a business and wish to join the list, send a message to blindbusinesspeople- subscribe@egroups.com. Leave the subject line blank. If you use a signature automatically on your e-mail address, type the word “end” in the message itself. Otherwise leave the message empty, and send it.
Free Publication on Low Vision
Here’s some of our tax dollars working for us. A free 22-page booklet titled “Know About Low Vision” is available from the National Eye Institute. Request the booklet by calling toll-free (877) 569-8474, or by e-mail at 2020@nei.nih.gov. The publication can be downloaded from their web site at www.nei.nih.gov.
Raised Number Playing Cards
Are you looking for regulation-size playing cards with oversized, raised numbers and symbols? Evelyn True developed such cards for a friend who lost her sight suddenly and wanted to continue playing bridge. Numbers and symbols are easily recognized by touch. Hearts and diamonds are red print and clubs and spades are black print. They cost $19.50 per pack, plus packing and shipping. Available only from Tru Products, 3105 Sudbury Lane, Louisville, KY 40220; phone (502) 491-3173.
Three New Recorded Magazines Available
Associated Services for the Blind has added three new magazines to its recorded periodicals division. Titles are: “The Family Handyman,” “The Oprah Magazine,” and monthly selections from “The New Yorker.” Each subscription is $36 per year. To subscribe, contact Recorded Periodicals, ASB, 919 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; phone (215) 627-0600, ext. 3206.
Too Much E-Mail? Read On
Have you logged on after being away from your computer to find your in-box cluttered with duplicate posts and unnecessary responses? Have you spent hours sifting through it, only to find three messages of interest, or have you given up in despair and hit the delete key while hoping you didn’t miss something important? Are you tired of reading extraneous information and off-topic discussions while looking for important tidbits? Do you want to read articles about job vacancies and adaptive and mainstream technology without searching for them on the web? If the answer is yes, Amy’s filters and forwards may be for you. For an annual fee of $20, Amy monitors more than 50 blindness-related and mainstream e-mail lists. After reading through many messages, Amy selects the most important information and, after stripping out extraneous headers, footers and tags, sends content to subscribers. Information is sent via e-mail and usually contains 15 to 25 messages per day. The originator of these messages is noted on the top of the message for future reference, as you are paying for Amy’s filtering and forwarding skills, not the original content. To subscribe, payment can be made on www.emoneymail.com, or www.paypal.com. A check for $20 to cover the 2001 calendar year should be sent to Amy Ruell, 9 Quail Run, Hingham, MA 02043. If you have questions, contact Amy Ruell by e-mail, aruell@mediaone.net.
Manpower
Do you have a college degree, a work background, work skills, and have you completed a vocational training program? Are you interested in finding work? Lions World Services for the Blind is accepting clients from all states in the Fast Track Assessment/Placement Program in partnership with Manpower, a national staffing service. The program is open-ended and length is adjustable to the goals of the client. For referrals or more information, contact Lions World Services for the Blind, Attn. Sherrill Wilson, Director of Training, 2811 Fair Park Blvd., Little Rock, AR 72204, phone (501) 664-7100, or toll-free (800) 248-0734, or visit the web site, http://www.lwsb.org.
Clothes with Braille Labels
A new line of women’s clothing, DeeDee with Braille and large print labels is now available at Henri Bendel Department Store in New York City. A great Valentine’s Day gift, DeeDee Dot T-shirts and other clothing items with washable Braille and large print labels are also available at http://www.deedeedot.com.