by Billie Jean Keith
The announcement of products and services in this column is not 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. Or you may call the ACB toll-free number, (800) 424-8666, and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please bear in mind that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates.
Update on Public Rights-of-Way
The Access Board is in the process of developing accessibility guidelines for public rights-of-way under the ADA. The guidelines will be based on a report submitted to the board last January by the Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee. The board created this committee to make recommendations on the content of the guidelines, which will cover access to sidewalks, street crossings, and other related pedestrian facilities.
A subgroup of committee members is working with the board to prepare guidance material focused on alterations in the public right-of-way. This group is arranging a series of meetings in different cities to analyze and recommend improvements to local sites and intersections that will be selected in advance for a good range of issues and opportunities, such as geometric design, orientation and mobility, signaling, and barrier removal. The aim is to gather information for “real world” case studies that will be included in the guide to be developed. The first program, sponsored by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), was held July 23-24, 2000, in Atlanta. ARC will provide traffic data, large scale plans, photographs, and other documentation as input for discussion, analysis, and planning. Future programs are under consideration for sites in Boston (September), St. Louis (November), Portland (February), and San Antonio (April). The board welcomes recommendations on other possible sites. For more information, contact the board at (202) 272-5434, ext. 132 (voice), (202) 272-5449 (TTY) or via e-mail at info@access- board.gov.
Free Braille Constitution and Declaration of Independence
“The U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence” is back in stock. This 79-page braille booklet is free from National Braille Press and can be downloaded. The braille file is ftp://www.nbp.org/Newbury/nbp/nmcondc.brf.
To order, contact NBP’s customer service department toll-free at (800) 548-7323 or e-mail orders@nbp.org.
Football Schedule
The 2001 NCAA college football schedule is available in braille with 132 division 1-A and some requested division 1-AA teams. Schedules include results of the 2000-2001 bowls, the top 25 teams in the AP final polls, the 2001 pre-season poll, 2001-2002 bowl schedule and much more. Each copy costs $10. Schedules will be available in August 2001, and mailing will be “Free Matter for the Blind.” Send orders right away, to receive schedules before the season begins. Please send check to: Allen H. Gillis, 302 Schaeffel Road, Cullman, AL 35055.
Healthy Vision 2010
The Healthy Vision 2010 web site is now available at http://www.healthyvision2010.org. This site provides information on the vision objectives and resources to help communities, and a forum for people to share ideas. To find out which National Institute of Health/National Eye Institute (NIH/NEI) trials are currently recruiting patients, go to the link: http://www.nei.nih.gov/recruit.htm.
International Conference
The second International Conference on Parents with Disabilities and Their Families will be held October 11-14, 2001 in Oakland, Calif. Through the Looking Glass, the U.S. National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities, is the host. A National Task Force on Parents with Disabilities and Their Families will reconvene at the conference. For more information, contact Through the Looking Glass, National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities, 2198 Sixth St., Suite 100, Berkeley, CA 94710, phone (510) 848-1112 or (800) 644-2666, e-mail conference@lookingglass.org, or visit the web site, http://www.lookingglass.org/conference.
Rights for Workers with Disabilities
If you have a disability and you’re working or looking for a job, take a look at a new ADA guide. This guide, developed by the Social Security Administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice, explains the rights of people with disabilities who are working or trying to find employment. It provides details about reasonable accommodations, how to request them and what to do if you think your rights under the ADA have been violated. Please download from the web site http://www.ssa.gov/work/workta2.html.
Hooked on the Net
List free classified ads at hookedonthe.net, a web site designed with the blindness community in mind. Anyone may post or respond to ads on the site. Posting and viewing of ads is simple, straightforward and speech friendly. Best of all, it’s FREE! The web address is: http://www.hookedonthe.net/classifieds/.
Beach Cities Braille Guild
Volunteer braille transcribing is available from Beach Cities Braille Guild, PO Box 712, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, phone (714) 969-7992. The Guild charges schools, agencies and organizations for production costs only; individuals pay less. Contact assignment chair Linda McGovern at the number above, or e-mail her at lmcgbrl@earthlink.net.
Arabic Language Reading System
Sakhr Software, Inc. markets a reading machine system for Arabic-speaking blind and visually impaired computer users. The system is bilingual and enables users to perform many computer tasks. The reading machine is composed of four programs: Paper Reader, Net Reader, Screen Reader and E-mail Reader. For more information, contact Mark Meinke, sales manager, at (703) 883- 0134, or via e-mail, mwm@sakhrus.com.
Power Through Knowledge
The Power Through Knowledge: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness conference will be held at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers, October 25-28, 2001. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council. For more information, or a registration packet, call the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council at (717) 236-2400.
NPR Puzzle Book Available
The Puzzlemaster, Will Shortz, presents 200 mind-bending challenges from the NPR radio program, “Weekend Edition Sunday.” The braille edition (2 volumes), is the same price as print, or $12. To order, send check to National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302, call toll-free (800) 548-7323, phone (617) 266-6160, ext. 20, or e-mail orders@nbp.org.
Blindskills
Blindskills, Inc. offers information about a variety of products and services that enhance the lives of visually impaired citizens. It also offers a quarterly magazine, “Dialogue,” written by visually impaired people who tell of their experiences at work, home and in their communities. Reading “Dialogue” is like having a mentor who knows exactly what it’s like to live life as a blind person.
The “What’s New and Where to Get It” column describes new products, publications, services and computer-related information. If you or someone you know is beginning to lose sight, request a free copy of “Where Do I Go from Here?”, a brochure on tape designed to encourage those who are just beginning to adjust to sight loss. There is a companion print brochure for family members. For a sample copy of “Dialogue” in braille, large print, cassette or IBM-compatible disk, or a copy of the brochure, phone toll-free (800) 860-4224, address Blindskills Inc., PO Box 5181, Salem, OR 97304-0181, e-mail blindskil@teleport.com, or visit the web site, http://www.blindskills.com.
Work Site Accommodations Symposium
A symposium for employers will be held October 1, 2001, in Rosslyn, VA (near Washington National and Dulles Airports). This one-day session is hosted by the International Center for Disability Information and features training by staff of the Job Accommodation Network. It covers accommodation issues for a broad range of limitations as well as legal and legislative issues.
For more information, visit the web site, http://conference.icdi.wvu.edu/, e-mail conference@rtc1.icdi.wvu.edu, phone (304) 293-5313, or fax (304) 293-6661.
AFB Directory Available
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has released the 26th edition of the AFB Directory of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in the United States and Canada. An essential resource, the directory has been completely updated. Available in print and electronic versions, the directory sells for $99. The electronic edition, available on the AFB web site, provides the same comprehensive information as the print edition. For orders and inquiries, call AFB Press (800) 232-3044, or fax (412) 741-0609.
California Canes Toll-Free
The new toll-free number for California Canes is (866) 489-1973. Or you may contact the company at 25611 Quail Run #125, Dana Point, CA 92629, fax (949) 489-0996. You may also visit the web site, http://www.californiacanes.com.
Computer Games for Blind People
Games have always been good teachers. They can cloak life’s lessons in fun and enjoyment. If you’re a computer gamer, Audyssey is the place for you. Audyssey is a free e-mail magazine of computer games accessible to people who are blind. To subscribe, the direct URL is http://www.espsoftworks.com/forms/audyssey_to.asp.
For children who like computer games, a company, MindsEye2, produces games for all ages, including collections of accessible crossword puzzles. To learn more about this company, go to www.mindseye2.com. To order by credit card, call toll-free (888) 892-7878.
Social Security Page “For Women”
The Social Security Administration recently unveiled a new web site, Social Security Online “For Women.” The site provides basic Social Security program information on retirement, survivors, disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits pertinent to women. The web site, “For Women,” www.ssa.gov/women, provides links to basic information through SSA’s official web site — Social Security Online — that can be relevant to women at different stages of life. The links are grouped in logical categories to coincide with the various life events affecting women: working women; beneficiary; bride; widow; new mother; divorced spouse and caregiver.
Poetry Books in Braille
The Louis Braille Center has produced a collection of classical poetry by renowned British and American poets. Selections include “A Shropshire Lad” ($10) by A.E. Housman; “Selected Poems by Emily Dickinson” ($12); “Renascence and Other Poems” ($10) and “Second April” ($10) by Edna St. Vincent Millay; “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience” by William Blake ($10); “Sonnets from the Portuguese and Other Poems” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning ($12); “Lyric Poems” by Keats ($12); “You Come Too” by Robert Frost ($12); and works of many poets, such as the Bronte sisters, and sonnets by William Shakespeare ($15).
There are other anthologies, and the Louis Braille Center welcomes your suggestions of poetry you would like to have in braille. To order, contact the Louis Braille Center, 320 Dayton St., Suite 125, Edmonds, WA 98020-3590; phone (425) 776-4042, or e-mail lbc@louisbraillecenter.org. A complete catalog is available in large print, braille or on the web site, www.louisbraillecenter.org.
Circle of Love
A sample issue of "Circle of Love" — a 90-minute monthly Christian publication — will be sent upon request. Annual subscriptions are $15 for read & return or $20 to keep the magazine. The magazine features Christian poetry, testimonies, music, Christian news and information, games and a monthly sermon. Checks should be made payable to “Circle of Love” and sent to: Circle of Love, 5028 S. Duck Creek Rd., Cleveland, TX 77327-6521.
Also available are sturdy thick signature guides (credit card size) for $1.50 each and sturdy check guides for $4.50, with cut-outs of all places for writing. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your order and send to Circle of Love at the address above.
Copper Dots
Marjorie Arnott has a wide selection of cookbooks, knitting and crochet books she compiled for reasonable prices in braille, large print or computer disk. Knitting and crochet books include instructions for afghans, blankets, sweaters for adults and children, mittens, gloves and hats, toys, etc. Cookbooks include: “Cookies Galore,” “Lipton Mix Cookbook,” “Mexican dishes,” “Vegetarian,” “Crockpot,” microwave, diabetic, “George Foreman Grill Manual,” bread machine, “Ice Cream Summer Delights,” and many more.
To receive a braille catalog, please write in braille or print to 1446 N. Coronado St., Chandler, AZ 85224-7824, phone (480) 345-8773, or e-mail marnott@azboss.net.
Daily Catholic Scriptures
The Word Proclaimed provides the daily Catholic Mass Scripture readings professionally recorded on monthly cassette tapes. The recording for each day includes the First Reading (usually Old Testament), a Psalm, a Gospel reading and a brief thought-for-the-day. Subscribers pay $7 per month. Visually impaired may request a reduced rate. Contact: The Word Proclaimed, 9042 Meade Street, Westminster, CO 80031; phone toll-free: 1-888-203-0697; or e-mail WordProclaimed@aol.com.
Note: The Sunday readings have been available through Xavier Society for the Blind. The Word Proclaimed is the only source for the daily readings.
Need Braille?
Did you ever wish you could have a braille copy of something you found on the Internet? Now you can. For a small fee, well within your budget, I can provide this service for you on a regular basis or just once in a while. Choose the braille you want: grade one, grade two, computer braille code, or a combination. Choose the paper size you want and also whether you would like single- sided or double-sided pages. Please contact Catherine Thomas via e-mail, braille@panix.com.
Clarity Solutions
Clarity Solutions, the leading manufacturer of “Flex Arm” Auto-focus video magnifiers, recently released its improved CLARITY AF FLEX video magnifiers. New features are: push button switches; rounded ergonomic design; and improved quick release on appropriate models. Other features include: auto-focus and manual focus; color, black and white, and inverse modes; desktop and distance viewing (Classmate and Travelmate); magnification up to 60X desktop with a 20" monitor, 24X distance, 90X with TravelViewer Stand; line markers; flexible mounting and battery options; and five different monitor options.
There are three models available. The CLARITY AF FLEX costs $1,695 for black and white, $2,195 for color, which comes with an auto-focus camera with desktop viewing, arm, and XY reading table. The CLARITY AF CLASSMATE costs $2,345 for color, and comes with an auto-focus camera with desktop and distance viewing, arm, XY reading table, and clamp mount. The CLARITY AF TRAVELMATE costs $2,495 for color; it comes with an auto-focus camera with desktop and distance viewing, arm, XY reading table, clamp mount, quick release and TravelViewer stand.
For more information, contact Clarity Solutions toll-free, (800) 575-1456, or e-mail at clarity@clarityaf.com. You may also visit the web site at www.clarityaf.com.