THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXIII March 1995 No. 9 Published By The American Council of the Blind PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE AND EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY LeRoy F. Saunders, President Oral O. Miller, J.D., National Representative Nolan Crabb, Editor Sharon Lovering, Editorial Assistant National Office: 1155 15th St., N.W. Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large type, half-speed four-track cassette tape and MS-DOS computer disk. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to: Nolan Crabb, THE BRAILLE FORUM, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions, which are tax deductible, may be sent to Brian Charlson, Treasurer, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. You may wish to remember a relative or friend by sharing in the continuing work of the American Council of the Blind. The ACB National Office has available printed cards to acknowledge to loved ones contributions made in memory of deceased persons. Anyone wishing to remember the American Council of the Blind in his/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you may contact the ACB National Office. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 6 p.m. to midnight eastern time Monday through Friday. Washington, D.C., residents only call 331-2876. Copyright 1995 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message, by LeRoy F. Saunders News Briefs From The ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller ACB's 34th Convention Will Be The Best Yet, by John A. Horst They're Putting The Brakes On Rising Transportation Costs, by Sharon Lovering Accreditation: A Need For A New Model?, by Kenneth J. Shaw How Many Victims Fit Under The ADA Umbrella?, by Mary Jane Owen Preparing For The Worst: Losing Your Job, by William Lewis Health Insurance Information And Counseling From Your Perspective: Improving The Visibility Of Numbers On Buildings, Elevators, and Transportation, by Irving I. Silverman Where There's Press, There's Ire, by Kathi Wolfe Studying Spanish, by Ray Howard Here And There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Apologia High Tech Swap Shop Acknowledgments CORRECTIONS The phone number for the American Diabetes Association ("Here and There," December 1994) is incorrect. The correct number is (800) 232-3472. The price for the National Rehabilitation Information Center's "Directory of National Information Sources on Disabilities" ("Here and There," December 1994) was listed incorrectly. The price is $15. Due to an editing error, the term "Twin Vision" (TM) was inappropriately used to refer to print/braille books. ("Here and There," December 1994) "Twin Vision" (TM) is a trademark of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. We apologize for inclusion of the trademarked phrase, and wish to assure the trademark holders of our intent not to use the phrase unless referring specifically to books produced by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE by LeRoy F. Saunders The ACB board of directors held its first board meeting of 1995 in early February. The board met in Greensboro, N.C., at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons Hotel. This is the site of our 1995 ACB Convention. The board dealt with the usual business that occurs at mid- year meetings such as this -- the 1995 ACB operating budget and various reports from the committees -- but we dealt with one unique issue this year that hasn't been part of our mid-year meetings in the past. I'm speaking of our long-range plan. This plan will be implemented over a four-year period. I appointed a Long-Range Planning Committee comprised of nine people, including me. We worked for a year and a half to develop the plan which was ultimately submitted to the board. The members serving on the committee were: Sue Ammeter, Paul Edwards, Bernice Kandarian, Raymond (Bud) Keith, the late Durward McDaniel, Pamela Shaw, Stephen Speicher, Otis Stephens, and myself. Robert Berendt, a Washington, D.C.-based consultant, served as our facilitator and adviser. This committee met on five different occasions. Four teams were established with two committee members per team. Each team was assigned a special section of ACB's operations to review. The teams devoted many hours to research and interviews to gain all the knowledge they could about the various aspects of ACB. They spent hours gleaning input from ACB members. They prepared position papers that were shared among the teams in advance of upcoming meetings. While we don't have the space in this column to provide many details of the plan, I would like to at least share with you the mission statement: The American Council of the Blind strives to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. The ACB board adopted this plan with only a very few minor changes. As soon as the final document is changed to reflect these minor modifications, I plan to send a copy of the long-range plan to all of our state affiliate and special interest affiliate leaders. I can't say enough about how well this committee worked. I'm not suggesting that peace and harmony prevailed constantly. In fact, there was much healthy debate. In the end, however, the group came to a consensus and ACB was the winner. I intend to implement this plan as soon as possible. There will be a few items that will require changes to our constitution and bylaws. This, of course, must be addressed by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee and then submitted to the convention for its approval. I hope you as a member of ACB will be as pleased as I am with the work performed by the Long-Range Planning Committee and the board of directors. A long-range plan is an instrument for an organization to use as it prepares for its future. It is not something that is cast in stone. Rather, it should serve as a blueprint that can be changed as needed. Long-range planning is an ongoing process. I hope the next president will also appoint a long-range planning committee that will build on what we have done. Such a committee will enable ACB to prepare for its future and more ably serve its members and the blind and visually impaired of this nation. I hope many of you will be attending the legislative training seminar and meeting in a few days as you read this. Sponsored by the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America and ACB, this seminar brings us together and provides us with a prime opportunity to meet the new people in Congress and educate them regarding our issues and their role in our success. NEWS BRIEFS FROM THE ACB NATIONAL OFFICE by Oral O. Miller By this time, many readers of "The Braille Forum" have had an opportunity to meet ACB's new director of governmental affairs, Julie Carroll, who joined the ACB national staff and "hit the ground running" the same day the 104th Congress came into session. Julie is, among other things, a 1994 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Law School and a member of the Virginia Bar. One of the pressing issues which immediately demanded a large part of her time was the continuing effort by ACB and some of the other organizations in the blindness field to compel the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and other transit systems to comply with federal regulations requiring them to install tactile detectable warnings along subway platform edges. The urgency in connection with that issue was based on the fact that WMATA was preparing to seek approval to use an alternative surface following completion of research done for it by a Columbus, Ohio research firm concerning alternative but supposedly "equivalent" surfaces. ACB had objected to some of the proposed testing or research techniques that had been publicized last fall at the time the transit authority sought a six-month extension in order to complete the research, and the test results that were announced recently were just as flawed as they were expected to be. Although a separate article will be written in the future regarding the tests and testing procedures, one of the fatal flaws in the test design was the fact that the various blind subjects who participated in it were required to follow a guide cable straight to the platform edge without any regard for the realistic conditions which usually exist on subway platforms -- namely, the presence of other people, columns and poles, signs, newspaper recycling deposit boxes, briefcases sitting on the platform, trash bins, ambient noise, etc. ACB is opposing the plans of WMATA to ignore the federal regulations because, although there is some expense to the installation of detectable warnings, allowing the transit authority in the nation's capital to ignore the ADA regulations which have been complied with by the other transit authorities would be an invitation for the other ADA regulations to be ignored automatically. The new Congress introduced its Contract With America legislative program as soon as Congress came into session and very quickly thereafter held a number of very important hearings. For example, legislation was introduced to remove the long-standing linkage between the amount of money which blind recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance and retirees between ages 65 and 69 may earn without jeopardizing their social security benefits. I am pleased to announce that joint testimony in behalf of all the major organizations in the field of blindness was presented at a Congressional hearing on January 9, 1995; that testimony reflected the views of the American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Blinded Veterans Association, National Federation of the Blind, National Industries for the Blind, and the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. The rationale of the unified position was that the raising of the amount which blind people can earn would encourage more blind people to continue working or return to work, thereby producing additional tax revenue as well as improved independence and dignity. The legislation introduced by the majority party would raise over the next five years the amount which people between the ages of 65 and 69 may earn from the present level of $11,280 to annually to $30,000 annually, but that legislation would not raise the level for blind SSDI recipients accordingly. Additional information on this subject was sent to all ACB affiliate presidents recently. Other issues which have been placed on the fast track for consideration to date by the new Congress include: unfunded federal mandates and possible downsizing or elimination of funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The bills approved to date by both houses of Congress regarding unfunded federal mandates contain an exemption for expenditures intended to protect civil rights, but ACB will continue to monitor this subject very carefully and report on it via the Washington Connection. The opportunity for ACB to testify regarding the funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting came so suddenly that the staff literally had only a few hours to prepare our statement in final form and deliver 100 copies thereof to Capitol Hill. The day-long hearings, however, were conducted by a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on January 19, 1995, were broadcast over National Public Radio, telecast via the public television network, and C-SPAN. The testimony which I gave as the representative of the only disability organization emphasized the enormous support which radio reading services receive from local public radio stations affiliated with NPR or other networks which receive Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding and the enormous support which Descriptive Video Service receives ultimately from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Tape-recorded copies of ACB's testimony may be purchased from National Public Radio or obtained from ACB. Recently it was the pleasure of several ACB staff members as well as ACB members in the Washington metropolitan area to attend a very impressive public ceremony presented by the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Education celebrating the 20th anniversary of the amendments to the Randolph- Sheppard Vending Act. During the ceremony, an award was presented posthumously to the late Durward McDaniel for the enormous contribution he made to the Randolph-Sheppard program as an advocate and tireless supporter. Over the years, the American Council of the Blind has been visited by countless international guests who have requested assistance of one type or another and ACB has provided appropriate assistance whenever possible within its means. Recently, however, we received a particularly meritorious request for assistance from the organization of blind people in one of the former Soviet republics. That request was for a blind consumer with knowledge in a variety of specific service areas to visit that country for a few weeks and to assess the quality of services available, suggest sources of services, and recommend ways for the blind people of that country to improve the overall service delivery system. We are now looking into the feasibility of providing the assistance requested as a joint venture with the nation involved. We have also passed onto one of our national special-interest affiliated organizations a request from an international organization for co- sponsorship of talented foreign students who wish to study specified arts in this country. ACB is now distributing public-service announcements to hundreds of radio stations throughout the country. We are transmitting to affiliate presidents the names of the stations receiving these latest PSA's and we are encouraging them to urge their members to encourage local stations to play the PSA's, which are very informative and interesting. At its recent meeting, the ACB board of directors considered and acted upon a number of recommendations made by the ACB Long- Range Planning Committee. Those recommendations will be very important to the future effectiveness of ACB and will undoubtedly generate considerable discussion of the type that is so important to ACB's democratic heritage. ACB'S 34TH CONVENTION WILL BE THE BEST YET by John A. Horst, Convention Coordinator The 34th convention of the American Council of the Blind will take place at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C. More than 100 ACB members have just returned from attending ACB's winter meeting at this hotel. We found the Holiday Inn Four Seasons very accommodating and the staff most gracious. Attendees were excited about the size of the convention hotel and its capacity to handle all ACB convention functions. There is ample meeting room and exhibit space for all our activities on the first, second and third levels, and there are elevators, steps and escalators leading to these floors. The ballroom where general sessions will be held and the exhibit hall will be on the first floor, located within a short walking distance of each other. The Holiday Inn Four Seasons will be an excellent facility for our convention. Greensboro and the Triad Piedmont area of North Carolina offer many attractions and opportunities. The Four Seasons Town Center, a huge, three-level shopping mall with a large food court, is located just across the parking lot, a short walking distance from the hotel. High Point, known as the furniture capital of the world, and Winston-Salem, with historical Old Salem, are not far away. Tours are being planned which will give convention attendees the opportunity to explore and gain knowledge of the history and culture of the area. During the February meetings, the ACB convention committee had the opportunity to meet with a number of representatives of the North Carolina Council of the Blind. This meeting was well- attended and we were most pleased to observe and welcome the support of our North Carolina affiliate and the Greensboro chapter. Planning for and coordinating the ACB convention is a monumental task but with everyone working together we will again have a great convention in 1995. The overnight tour this year will be to the Cherokee Indian Reservation and to the Biltmore House and winery in western North Carolina. Departure will be at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, June 30. There will be a stop for lunch at Asheville, N.C., and then it's on to the reservation for a tour of the Oconaluftee Indian Village where you will share the rich heritage, traditions and crafts of these early Native Americans. After dinner you will attend the drama of the Cherokee, "Unto These Hills," the tragic and triumphant story of these brave people. The drama is presented under the stars on three stages in a beautiful mountainside theater. Saturday morning it's on to the Biltmore Estate and the world of George Vanderbilt for a special tour. There will be detailed narration and items that can be touched as you walk through some of the 250 rooms of this mansion. You will also want to visit the winery to learn how wine is made. This tour concludes with complimentary wine tasting in the tasting hall. This overnight tour, which includes transportation, one night's lodging, lunch both days, dinner Friday evening and admission to all sites visited, will cost approximately $155 to $165. Check the April "Braille Forum" for exact cost and more details. Additional tours during convention week will include a Greensboro area tour Saturday afternoon, repeated Sunday afternoon, a trip to Raleigh for a detailed narrated tour of the governor's mansion, a visit to Old Salem, a trip to High Point to see how furniture is made, a trip to Seagrove to observe pottery making and a Saturday night dinner theater or similar activity. Your pre- convention packet, to be sent out in early May, will provide all the details. However, you will need to contact James Olsen, registration chairperson, for the overnight tour. His number is (612) 332-3242. Information and forms to be completed have been sent out to all special-interest group presidents. It is important that due dates are followed. Also, information has been mailed to potential exhibitors. Anyone interested in having an exhibit or a boutique who has not received this information can request it by calling the ACB national office at (202) 467-5081 or (800) 424-8666. The ACB national convention will take place July 1-8, 1995, at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at (800) 242-6556. Rates are $47 per night for single through quad. The hotel address is 3121 High Point Rd., Greensboro, N.C. 27407. All room reservations, including those at overflow hotels, are being handled by the Holiday Inn Four Seasons. Shuttle service between the hotels will be available. We are looking forward to a great convention in 1995. THEY'RE PUTTING THE BRAKES ON RISING TRANSPORTATION COSTS by Sharon Lovering Whether we're buying a new car or paying for a cab ride to the store, all of us are affected by high transportation costs that can deal a low blow to any budget. A new program designed to take some of the sting out of the cost of transportation is about to enter the test phase in Omaha, Neb., and the group that has been working toward its implementation is excited about it. Called Share A Fare, the program is intended to provide a partnership of sorts whereby the blind or visually impaired taxi rider would pay part of the fare and the program would pay the rest. Jan Anderson, former chairperson of the Share A Fare group, and several others in the Omaha area have been trying to get the program off the ground for five years. "The goal of Share A Fare is to help visually handicapped people be more independent," she stated. The group put "people first, causes second," and came up with the Share A Fare idea, patterned after the Give a Lift program in Lincoln. "It's not a handout, it's a hand up," she said. Give A Lift began in 1987, and is only applicable to cabs. It began "because there was a need for transportation," Mary Susan Orester, a member of the Lincoln chapter, said. Usually there aren't any buses running after 6:10 p.m. weekdays, or any on Sundays. Give A Lift was born "so that people could use the cabs when the buses weren't running." Originally, blind people could ride the Handi-Van, the van ride system for disabled people. But when the Handi-Van program eliminated blind people, stating that blindness was not a qualifier for the program, then State Sen. Carl T. Curtiss helped them raise seed money, a few thousand dollars, to buy coupon books, said Bill Orester, president of ACB of Nebraska. Other funds have come from contributions and a grant from the Abbott Charitable Foundation. Visually impaired people are eligible for the program; they pay $5 for a $10 book of coupons. Give A Lift covers the remaining $5. Omaha's books of 20 coupons will sell for $10, and blind and visually impaired people can use them to pay up to half a cab fare. There is a limit of two books per usage period. The fee will make people feel as if they're contributing something to the program, and not overtax already strained wallets. "If you pay for something, it has more value," Anderson said. She and her group set a goal of raising $10,000, and while they have not yet reached it, they feel confident in running the test phase. They're so confident, in fact, that they've already selected 31 people to participate in the program. They have sent out several contribution letters, held dances (with her husband's bands donating time and energy), held raffles and sought grants and money from trust funds. Omaha's Channel 6 news aired an interview with Anderson to inform the public about the program, and the group received about $100 in donations. The printing and coupons were donated by a local chapter of Telephone Pioneers of America, she added. Boston's taxi discount program began in the early 1970s, according to Joe McLean of the Mayor's Commission on Elderly Affairs. The taxi industry wanted to raise rates. The mayor, the elderly office and the taxi industry cooperated, putting together a program that would enable senior citizens -- those ages 65 and over -- and disabled people to afford the taxis. Books of coupons sell for $6, and there is a limit of three a month. The program goes through 25,000 books of coupons a year. The coupons are only applicable to Boston-licensed taxis, he noted. "It's probably one of the more popular programs we have," McLean added. "It's something the seniors like ... [They] can see a return on their money." And, McLean said, word about the coupons is spreading faster in the disability community. Sometimes home health aides, home care nurses and other professionals come in to pick up the coupons, he said. The commission also does home visits once a month to make the coupon books more accessible. The program additionally offers a van ride system. Vans have portable ramps and the same meter and rates as cabs do, and people can flag the vans down on the street just like cabs. The goal of the program is that all cabs can be used by able-bodied and disabled people alike, he said, acknowledging that it would take a while and cost a lot of money before that happened. Give A Lift's goal is "to provide all blind and visually handicapped people with reasonably priced transportation," Orester said. Blind people wouldn't have to sit at home waiting for relatives to drive them to doctor's appointments, grocery stores or other such places. He would like to see fare-sharing in other communities, and would love to see a statewide program. "Hopefully we can get a statewide program going eventually," he said. Right now, "we're trying to get [Share A Fare] up and going." He noted that the Abbott Foundation would help Share A Fare once it got up and running. In order to buy coupons in Omaha, purchasers must pay cash, check or money order; Lincoln accepts cash or check, but Boston prefers cash. Unlike Boston, however, Share A Fare has just one requirement for eligibility: the person must be legally blind. Give A Lift's requirement is that the person be visually impaired. Utah's Salt Lake Valley also has a transportation program. Pat Gann, Utah Council of the Blind's membership chair, said the council buys coupon books for $8.50 and sells the books for $5 to help blind people afford Yellow Cab rides to shopping areas, doctor's appointments, rides to the airport, library or hospital. "It helps people," Gann said. Blind people can buy six coupon books a month, and since the coupons aren't dated, people can hold them as long as they want. It began eight years ago "because we needed to do something" to help people get around, she said, and two programs have been added since. The volunteer program provides access to volunteer drivers for two hours, once a week, for $2. This program, like the cab discount program, gets people out to doctor's appointments and the like. Participants aren't under tight time constraints as they are with other forms of transportation. The paid transit program also gives people access to drivers; the Utah Council reimburses its drivers 30 cents a mile. Ogden, some 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, has a similar program, Gann said, but those who want to buy the coupons must be Utah Council members. The transportation program in Salt Lake City doesn't do that because it can serve more people if there are no membership requirements. Share A Fare, like Boston's program, will just apply to cabs. Bus transportation is spread out in Omaha, Anderson said, and getting on the MOBY paratransit van is difficult. One of the problems they've had in Omaha, she said, was getting the cab companies to help. One company agreed to go along with the Share A Fare program as long as the other company did. Kristal Platt, president of the Greater Omaha chapter and an ACB board member, said she thinks Share A Fare is good for people on fixed incomes, the unemployed and the underemployed. Currently any blind person can use it. She did not apply because, she said, the program was "not geared for me." Her view of the program's goal is that it's meant to give people on fixed incomes a chance to get out of the house, which may help some people find a job. Kim Charlson, president of the Bay State Council of the Blind, said she believes the program, though limited to the Boston area, is helpful. Regina Chavez, a Bay State Council member, agreed in part. "I feel that it is a help," Chavez said. "But it does not mean a heck of a lot on Social Security or whatever disability [program]." She said she'd take public transportation, or paratransit, over the taxi coupons. Funding is still a problem for Utah's program. "Grants are being cut back," Gann said. The Utah Council hopes to keep its current grants, but if it does not, it will have to seek other sources of funding. Give A Lift also had problems with finances in the beginning, Orester said. Nevertheless, "we've been real happy with [the Give A Lift program]." The other "problem" he noted was "finding all the blind people in town to use it." Cab drivers who refuse to take the coupons have posed problems for the Boston program, McLean said. The penalties for refusing the coupons are a fine or a revoked license. His advice: when calling the dispatcher, let him/her know that you'll be using the coupons. If you wish to contribute to the Omaha Share A Fare effort, the address is Share A Fare, c/o Jan Anderson, 3854 N. 65th Ave., Omaha, NE 68104. For more information on Lincoln's Give A Lift program, contact Bill or Mary Susan Orester at (402) 423-1435. For more information on the Utah programs, contact Leslie Gertsh at (801) 292-1156. ACCREDITATION: A NEED FOR A NEW MODEL? by Kenneth J. Shaw (Reprinted with permission from "The Goodwill Forum.") (Editor's Note: Kenneth Shaw is the Director of Program Development and Research for Goodwill Industries.) In the field of vocational rehabilitation, accreditation has come to be equated with the term "accountability." Rehabilitation organizations many years ago recognized the need to show a strong commitment to protecting the people they serve. Accreditation then became the process by which to ensure the health, safety, welfare and client benefits of those served. In addition, as accreditation has evolved, it has taken on the responsibility of measuring best practices in the field of rehabilitation, as well as compliance with laws, regulations and other forms of external control. A secondary benefit of the development of accreditation, using this process model, has been the educational side benefits. The establishment of standards defining best practices is a method by which rehabilitation organizations seeking accreditation might learn how best to provide services or programs. Goodwill Industries, as an organization, has long demonstrated a commitment to accreditation and accountability for our various customers and consumers. Goodwill Industries was a pioneer in the development of standards of accreditation for its own member organizations. It was recognized that a third-party, independent accreditation model would be perceived as being more advantageous, and Goodwill Industries became one of the founding members of a national independent accrediting organization now known as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The early days of accreditation focused on the development of standards measuring the process of providing services and programs, as well as standards defining best practices or methods of service delivery. As standards have evolved there has continued to be an emphasis on the development of process standards. Sections added included methods of conducting contract bidding, personnel issues, staff training and requirements for specific content in program areas. The assumption was that, if an organization met the standards of process, then it would in fact ensure health, safety, welfare and client benefit. This method of accreditation, when conceived and developed, was probably appropriate and correct for the field of vocational rehabilitation. Given the absence of standardized training and degree-granting programs leading to employment in the service- provider field, there was little continuity. Without the development of process standards it was unlikely that some programs and services would ever have been standardized. Unfortunately, the existing accreditation processes may well have outlived their usefulness by failing to stay abreast with the changing requirements for accreditation. Instead of moving toward a method of outcome evaluation to demonstrate the true benefit of the programs, the accreditation systems have continued to focus on process. A criticism of existing accreditation programs is that they have become intrusive and meddlesome -- delving into the administration and management of rehabilitation organizations, and actually impeding progressive or innovative approaches to service delivery. As an example, a state director of vocational rehabilitation was heard to say that an accreditation system needed only two standards in financial or accounting areas: that the organization be required to obtain an annual independent audit, and that it demonstrate corrective actions for any deficiencies identified in the audit. Accreditation systems currently have multiple and varied standards to spell out how an organization can meet the requirements of financial management, resulting in a good audit outcome. It may well be time to recognize that the educational process for the purpose of maintaining standards is nearly complete, and that it is time to look at the outcome of programs. It may be time to have only two standards for financial management. Rehabilitation programs, like many human service-provider programs, are constantly coming under scrutiny and evaluation. Funding is difficult to obtain, and, unless organizations can demonstrate that they truly contribute to the solution of social problems, it is unlikely that programs will be maintained in the future. A recent Government Accounting Office report indicates that the state/federal rehabilitation system basically results in "no harm," meaning that, after two years, people who have participated in vocational rehabilitation are not much better off than those who did not. With those kinds of results it doesn't make any difference what our process is. Unless we start demonstrating that we have value, and contribute to the accomplishment of some preset objectives, we have to question whether there is a need for the ongoing delivery of our types of programs. Rehabilitation organizations traditionally have been somewhat resistant to outcome-based evaluation. Rehabilitation facilities have minimized the need for developing outcome standards as a major part of the accreditation process. Rehabilitation organizations believe they do "good," but they have felt it is very difficult to demonstrate that they do it "well." The rehabilitation community has focused on trendy terms like "empowerment" and "independence." Both are nice words that result in organizations being able to take credit for individual achievement, but taking no responsibility for blame or failure when the individual does not achieve. The delivery of services does not result in empowerment, since individuals empower themselves. Likewise, rehabilitation organizations are not responsible for the individual's ability to achieve independence. We can only provide the tools for that to be achieved. Outcomes must be measured by what the program is intended to do, and what could be a result of the interventions being provided. It is time for the rehabilitation industry to take a look at the next step in the evolution of accreditation. We should start looking at programs as outcomes, and measure the performance of those programs and hold ourselves accountable to some preset standard of measurement. The benefit of measured performance must be the result of what happens to the person who is a recipient of services, as well as a benefit to the community. Since most of our programs are funded through state/federal dollars, as well as contributed dollars in local communities, it seems only appropriate that we recognize our obligation and responsibility to the broader community for achieving some outcome and contributing to social good. The rehabilitation industry must move toward an accreditation process that measures effectiveness, efficiency and customer satisfaction. Effectiveness would measure how well we achieve what we said what we wanted to achieve. Efficiency would measure the time and resources required to achieve the outcome. Satisfaction should be measured from all customers of the rehabilitation organization. Of primary importance should be defining who is the customer of the organization, including the community employer. If vocational rehabilitation does not result in a person going to work, then we have to question whether the program has any real value. To move forward, the rehabilitation industry must do a great deal of significant research. This research should no longer focus on process or best practices, but essentially on what impacts the outcomes. Traditionally, vocational rehabilitation as an industry has done little significant research on the models of programs or service delivery. Our approach has been to implement an idea that sounds or feels good and is focused on the consumer. Oftentimes, when a new idea was introduced, an old idea or approach had to be criticized or made out to be bad. No one ever said "How did you know that?" or "Prove it" in talking about a new service-delivery model, an approach to providing services or a change in practices. Our traditional approach to research has been to study a topic by committee, with the outcomes determined by the strength of personality of the individual committee members or an opinion the members already have when they enter discussion. The process, in rehabilitation, of establishing new service-delivery models or programs is to:  define it  legalize it  fund it  start it  study it Rarely do we measure it, and if we do research and find it has limited value, we have a hard time changing it because it has already been institutionalized through the legalization and funding process. In order to move toward establishing standards for programs, a significant amount of research must be done. We must start asking questions like: Do staffing patterns or staff qualifications impact on benefits achieved by people participating in programs? Do specific types of curriculums, or a range of curriculums, tend to impact on positive achievement for those participating in a specific type of program? Organizations also need to ask whether it is time to move away from a traditional program model to a service-delivery model in which individuals receive individualized attention and an individualized curriculum. Rehabilitation also must start defining what types of individuals with what types of characteristics are likely to benefit from what types of services or programs. It has long been recognized that not everyone learns the same way or benefits from the same type of service or program. More-targeted programs would result in more-targeted benefits, if more attention were given to those who benefit from a certain type of teaching or service. Rehabilitation organizations may also look at the potential impact of various funding sources, or how an organization is organizationally or administratively configured. Are differences in funding, organization or administration impacting on outcome or efficiency? Finally, rehabilitation organizations must ask about the influence of collaborating in various ways with other community providers or helping organizations. Rehabilitation organizations must start moving toward an accountability model that provides value to the various communities and individuals served. They must move toward some form of accountability, in a form of accreditation that measures efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction. This will result in an outcome accreditation model. In order to fully establish an outcome accreditation system it will be necessary to obtain the commitment of and input from purchasers, consumers, providers and the various end users of the product. The traditional approach to accreditation has been to leave off the community at large or employers in determining the equation for developing standards. The purpose of the accreditation model of the future will be to develop a system that measures outcomes, facilitating improved results by vocational rehabilitation organizations. HOW MANY VICTIMS FIT UNDER THE ADA UMBRELLA? by Mary Jane Owen (Reprinted with permission from "Horizons," January 1995.) Several things have reminded me of a remark I heard some years ago while attending a briefing on Capitol Hill about worker's compensation and the ways to get people with work-related disabilities back to work. One of the presenters said something which has continued to stick in my mind. "That individual who will not go back to work after an injury has already decided that course of action the morning before the injury." What he was saying had something to do with being a victim. If you hate your job or your responsibilities, it's nice to have a way out, to get back at one's employer or family or the total system. And disabilities can possibly present just such an opportunity. "This happened to me and now the world owes me because I'm a victim." That presenter went on to say that those who feel a certain loyalty to their place of business have a higher incidence of returning to work, in spite of the severity of their injuries or impairments. Recently there was a television show about how the whole country is thinking "victim," and going to court with their local lawyer to prove it. The major target of the program appeared to be the woman who sued and won a case against a fast-food drive through restaurant. She bought a cup of coffee, which she balanced between her knees. It slipped and scalded her legs. She got an attorney and a huge judgment. She was a victim! The show also focused on people on welfare who trade their food stamps for cash, buy drugs and sell them at a profit. That was less personally threatening than those portions of the show which explored the complaints under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The commentator talked of some people who worked for a county office somewhere here in the eastern United States. They insisted the building they were working in made them sick -- that they were environmentally disabled. The county, as I remember it, put in an expensive new air cleaning system and still the problem persisted. The office environments were changed in many ways. The individuals thought maybe the photocopy machines were the problem so they were removed from proximity to such equipment but they were still "disabled." So maybe it was the chemicals on the paper which had gone through the photocopy machine. They were provided with an accommodation which did not require them to touch freshly copied material. But still their "disability" persisted. In the end, the women took disability retirement. But one man refused. He seemed to be yelling something like, "I'll not quit and they have to accommodate me. I don't care if they have to build a new building for me. They've got to accommodate me under the Americans with Disabilities Act." Even this advocate didn't feel good about his demands. That attitude, following as it did upon many attempts to accommodate him, seemed to feed into the worst prejudices about the requirements of the ADA. Fortunately the show also included a wonderful segment about a blind man who asked nothing from anyone but the chance to do his job. The cameras followed him on his long bus trek to work in an airline reservation office. He credited the ADA with opening the opportunity and the company was so pleased with his work they had advanced him. He was a shining example of the best of what ADA has done for American business. But that angry man still sticks in my mind. We've all heard about the obese woman who filed the ADA complaint against a disco bar (in which less endowed young women showered in a transparent stall for the "entertainment" of male customers) because the management wouldn't make the "reasonable accommodation" of an enlarged shower cabinet. And several obese women have appeared on television talk shows complaining about the lack of accommodation by the airline system. (Actually, I sometimes have wondered who were the models used to determine the norm for travelers. I don't know anyone who seems comfortable in the "regular" seats.) Is obesity a disability? Is it perceived as a disability? How fat does one have to be to claim ADA coverage? If not today, will it seem more appropriate to claim a violation against one's rights tomorrow? Recently we learned there is a gene which seems to be implicated in how we utilize calories. Is it possible that one day obesity, and other predictable physical difficulties, will be classified as developmental disabilities? The genes are there before birth. But that opens many more doors through which the victims can flow into court. We are not that far from a time when a pre-existing tendency to acquire all sorts of predispositions can be predicted. Will we all be victims? Those thoughts were interrupted on December 11th by an article in the "Washington Post." The University of Minnesota's Department of Social Work in Minneapolis has banned all scented personal care products. Two women in that educational facility have reported they suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), which the "Post" article characterizes as "a trendy new malady that also goes by such names as 'environmental illness' and '20th century disease.' ... It's an allergy-like condition generally regarded by the mainstream medical establishment with skepticism, though more people are reporting MCS symptoms all the time. MCS sufferers insist they're the first wave of the disease which they believe is a result of pollution. Many researchers think MCS is more likely an outbreak of hysteria." My personal experience doesn't offer a lot of help in forming an opinion. There was this woman I was replacing in her job. Our time overlapped by several weeks and it was a difficult time for both of us. She claimed to have a terrible reaction to any scent I wore. I changed. She was still bothered. "It's what you're wearing," she told me. "I'm not bothered by any other scent." I wore several different ones but she still had the reaction. A friend wore some of my scent and the "victim" of my personal environment had no symptoms. It seemed obvious it was less my perfume than me that made her sick. On the other hand, I know that I personally have many sensitivities which don't appear on the allergy tests. So ... One of the women in that social work department says she can't go to movies and can spend only a few minutes in a shopping mall. When a new carpet was installed several offices away from her work site, she missed almost two weeks of work. The director of the program affirms she considers MCS a real disability. The "Post" article goes on to state, "In implementing its ban the school cites the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as its authority for making a 'reasonable accommodation' for the two women -- a position that has subsequently not been supported by university officials. Nor has it sat well with students from other departments who attend classes (in the building where the ban is posted)." A professor of psychiatry at the University of California's San Francisco facility, Carroll Brodsky, says it boils down to being a question of which side of a belief system one concludes seems more realistic. Some people believe MCS is an illness and others do not. The American Medical Association doesn't recognize it as a medical condition, although acknowledging there is now a sub- specialty called "clinical ecology," which is addressing the complaints of those who present themselves as having MCS. The article quotes the posted ban as saying, "Persons who wear scented products will be asked to leave." Before I encountered a hint that some people might become sick because of smells, I suggested wearing distinctive scents was a reasonable accommodation for those of us who are blind. At the time I was attending a rehabilitation center for the blind in California. I was glad many of my colleagues wore favorite scents. "Here comes Betty," we'd say, or, "I think I smelled Jack down by the rec room." It's not the first time that an accommodation for one individual might turn into a barrier for another. So I'll probably go on wearing my favorite "Private Collection." I just ordered a new bottle. Am I straying beyond the politically correct disability advocacy position? Am I victimizing someone? I hate being a villain but I'll probably continue to throw a sheet of Bounce in my clothes dryer. PREPARING FOR THE WORST: LOSING YOUR JOB by William Lewis (Editor's Note: ACB member Bill Lewis is a semi-retired clinical social worker in private practice with College Hill Psychiatric in Wichita and enjoys freelance writing.) International investments from American businesses are increasing but manufacturing jobs in these United States are declining. Service jobs are growing. Salaries are barely climbing if at all. Job descriptions are being redefined. American companies continue downsizing to be more competitive. New small business ventures are failing faster than the usual rate. Smack dab in the middle of all this are young visually impaired job seekers looking for their first good jobs, while on the other end experienced older employees are being squeezed out. How new job seekers find good jobs in a tight market is a subject to be dealt with elsewhere, but the bottom line is the job seeker must be willing to go where the job is, even if it means moving to another state. After all, 200 million people live and work in states other than their own. No longer can one simply wait and hope for a first choice position to open up in one's own community. The longer the wait to find a job, any job at all, the greater are the chances of discouragement creating an attitude of resignation and permanent unemployment. Therefore, looking for that choice job is much more promising when one is already working, even if it is with Pizza Heaven, or industries for the blind or community volunteer work. But what about the older visually impaired employee who has worked satisfactorily for years but may be facing pressures to leave? Civil service workers and some union workers may have some protection against discriminatory layoffs but not against company sell-outs or shutdowns. Although some private and even non-profit companies offer early retirement plans to older employees, "restructuring" layoffs may come anyway, especially if company A sells out to company B. I have met dozens of visually impaired individuals who in their 40s and 50s reluctantly accepted early retirement or were simply laid off during company restructuring. If you see the braille writing on the wall saying you "are going to be leaving your job," be prepared to confront a number of psychological, economic and social readjustments. To begin with, some workers are ready to retire at 40. Others want to work until they're 80. In any case, there should be a plan in mind which will be affected by income. You should have saved up something through the years. You absolutely cannot depend on most outside retirement plans alone. Furthermore, I do not think anyone can comfortably and with good self-esteem leave a job until he or she believes it is time to get out and say, "They can take this job and shove it." What should this new plan include? All those interests you never had time for before like pleasure reading, loafing, church activity, social and civic clubs, volunteer work and specialized skills which have been known to lead to a successful second career. Many retired individuals have won awards and public recognition for services rendered to others which exceeded anything accomplished before. On the other hand, many retired people prefer living a quiet, relaxed and leisurely pace. Why not? Once retired our time is our own. We are the masters of our fates, the captains of our souls and the controllers general of the alarm clocks. The bottom line is to establish solid roots for our new life before giving up the old life. By the time we learn our services will no longer be needed, we should already know what will come next. One man I know saw the handwriting on the wall when his workload was doubled, paperwork tripled and new requirements to attend meetings and perform written committee assignments increased. He realized that even with adaptive equipment he could not keep pace at the effective speed he used for years. He chose to let others have the ulcers with the stress-producing demands and retired early from his job of 33 years. But leaving caused ambivalence. On one hand, he wanted to continue working at the high competitive level as other workers. On the other hand, he realized the new demands were not for the better. He reasoned that leaving was a move upward and a freeing experience regaining control over his time and energies. But he also discovered another effect, that the brain is a creature of habit. Change long-term routines and the brain may protest, like it or not, with symptoms of mild depression and lethargy because it takes many weeks to find new interests, make new friends, and establish new comfortable activity schedules. Despite positive gains there are inevitable losses of old support systems. "Birds of a feather stick together." Give up a job and you leave the environment of situational friendships which were once meaningful but where now daily experiences are no longer shared. You may feel like an outsider. Nevertheless, it is usually nice to run into an old colleague occasionally and gossip about what is going on at the company. Letting go of one's former identity may be difficult. Some retirees still talk as though they were at the office. The word "retired" holds no prestige for them so they cling to their identity of what they used to be, especially if they never planned an afterlife from work. Two common barriers to happy retirement are having to live with inadequate community resources or insufficient income. But, what can you do? First, if transportation is inadequate, move if at all possible. Millions of people move every year to be closer to their work, more affordable housing, particular schools, family support, better resources, etc. On the other hand, there may be an alternative. It may take some looking around to find a resource but special transportation services, senior centers, some churches, and other organizations may offer transportation service to your area. If you are not as active as you want to be, phone the United Way information and referral service and ask about community resources such as churches with programs for all ages, organizations with special ethnic or cultural focuses, university sponsored sports, culture and entertainment, community service agencies, and don't overlook organizations for the visually impaired. Secondly, if you cannot afford to move to a more accessible location, and if limited income prevents the use of expensive transportation, you are stuck in a "problem of living" which is a circumstance of living where insufficient resources offer limited possibilities. In such a case you are probably doing about the best you can under the circumstances. Finally, we try to adapt to our changing environment and do the best we can to accomplish the most we can and enjoy it for as long as we can, and what we cannot enjoy we can always complain about. But, one thing is for sure: we can get up early or sleep late. After all, who is the boss around here? HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION AND COUNSELING Every state, plus Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, has a health insurance counseling program that can give you free information and assistance on Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap, long term care and other health insurance benefits. You can call your state counseling office and ask for printed information, help with choosing health insurance coverage, or even help understanding your bills, insurance claims and explanation forms. Phone numbers are listed below (the 800 numbers work only within the state). If you have trouble reaching your counseling office, call the Medicare hotline at (800) 638-6833. Alabama -- (800) 243-5463 Alaska -- (800) 478-6065 Arizona -- (800) 432-4040 Arkansas -- (800) 852-5494 California -- (800) 927-4357 Colorado -- (303) 894-7499, extension 356 Connecticut -- (800) 443-9946 Delaware -- (800) 336-9500 District of Columbia -- (202) 676-3900 Florida -- (904) 922-2073 Georgia -- (800) 669-8387 Hawaii -- (808) 586-0100 Idaho -- (800) 247-4422 Illinois -- (800) 548-9034 Indiana -- (800) 452-4800 Iowa -- (515) 281-5705 Kansas -- (800) 432-3535 Kentucky -- (800) 372-2973 Louisiana -- (800) 259-5301 Maine -- (800) 750-5353 Maryland -- (800) 243-3425 Massachusetts -- (800) 882-2003 Michigan -- (517) 373-8230 Minnesota -- (800) 882-6262 Mississippi -- (800) 948-3090 Missouri -- (800) 390-3330 Montana -- (800) 332-2272 Nebraska -- (402) 471-4506 Nevada -- (800) 307-4444 New Hampshire -- (603) 271-4642 New Jersey -- (800) 792-8820 New Mexico -- (800) 432-2080 New York -- (800) 333-4114 North Carolina -- (800) 443-9354 North Dakota -- (800) 247-0560 Ohio -- (800) 686-1578 Oklahoma -- (405) 521-6628 Oregon -- (800) 722-4134 Pennsylvania -- (717) 783-8975 Puerto Rico -- (809) 721-5710 Rhode Island -- (800) 322-2880 South Carolina -- (800) 868-9095 South Dakota -- (605) 773-3656 Tennessee -- (800) 525-2816 Texas -- (800) 252-3439 Utah -- (801) 538-3910 Vermont -- (800) 642-5119 Virginia -- (800) 552-3402 Virgin Islands -- (809) 774-2991 Washington -- (800) 397-4422 West Virginia -- (304) 558-3317 Wisconsin -- (800) 242-1060 Wyoming -- (800) 438-5768 FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE: IMPROVING THE VISIBILITY OF NUMBERS ON BUILDINGS, ELEVATORS AND TRANSPORTATION As a legally blind person, I am constantly distressed with the inability of reading house and building numbers. There appears to be no consistency in which these residential or commercial building numbers are displayed. I recently conducted a personal research in New York City and discovered more than 50 different types of numbering, varying from the fanciest script letters which were virtually unreadable from a distance to giant two-foot-high numbers perched 30 feet above ground level on a building archway. The situation was recently exacerbated for a 9-1-1 emergency crew which was dispatched to a residence where a critically ill person was awaiting medical attention. There were no numbers at all on the residence and the crew wasted precious minutes hunting for the correct address. Architects and builders spend vast amounts of money to beautify the fronts of residences and commercial buildings and pay scant attention to providing proper visibility for address identification of their properties. Some cities have recognized the seriousness of the situation and have instituted some guidelines or requirements in their building codes, but even these show a complete lack of universal standards. Great strides have been made in incorporating braille symbols in elevators in many commercial buildings, but very little attention has been expended to provide adequate lighting and sufficiently large letters for the visually impaired on elevator signal panels. The problem of improper signage visibility is further compounded on transportation vehicles. How can a person with limited sight be expected to read the bus route designation at the top of the windshield which very often is blurred or poorly illuminated? Why not place the bus numbers on the lower left-hand corner of the windshield where it would be in close visual range of the person entering the vehicle? It may be difficult to get speedy action on uniformity standards to be designated and approved by governmental edict. But there are some things which can be done by each of us who recognizes the seriousness of the problem and is willing to exert some effort to effect change. We can start locally with building code enforcement agencies, architectural societies and building trade associations. Indeed, some voluntary efforts can be undertaken by appropriate individuals and practitioners who realize the sense of frustration they can overcome by simply being more considerate of the visual needs of a significant number of people who until now have been sorely overlooked. Irving I. Silverman, Roslyn, N.Y. WHERE THERE'S PRESS, THERE'S IRE by Kathi Wolfe (Reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag," November- December 1994.) Ladies and gentlemen, I beg you, please hold a telethon for me. I have two afflictions that even the best medical care in the world can't cure: respect for free speech and faith in human understanding. What's brought on this overwrought plea? Coffee, phone calls and culture wars. I don't think about "culture wars" that often. (I ponder important stuff like laundry and lunch.) Lately, though, I've been thinking about this topic. One recent evening I had coffee with an acquaintance. The conversation was pleasant but unsurprising until she said, "No one who's able-bodied has any business writing about disabled people. You should get journalists with disabilities to start a revolution." I tried to imagine myself as the next George Washington, leading an army of disabled journalists into battle against The Media. But all I could see was myself standing there, white cane in hand, saying, "Stick 'em up! Stick 'em up! Wherever you are!" As a battle cry, I thought, this doesn't quite match, "Give me liberty or give me death!" The ringing of the telephone interrupted my battlefield musings. "Able-bodied journalists who cover disability issues should step aside (even if their work has been ground-breaking)," the caller proclaimed, "so that disabled writers can get work." Before I could digest this proclamation, a friend phoned. "We should be writing about ourselves," she said. "For example, you can write about what it's like to grow up legally blind like no able-bodied reporter can." Three strikes and you're out, I told myself; it's time (excuse the mixed metaphor) to tackle these questions. You might want to start throwing tomatoes at me now. I'm going where angels fear to tread: I believe in free speech more deeply than most anything I know. It's one of the things that makes this country great; it's why you can write on everything from God to Godzilla in magazines ranging from "The Disability Rag" to "The National Review." So in my book, everyone, disabled or able-bodied, fitness freak or junk food fanatic, morning person or night owl has a right to write about disabilities. But, as "Village Voice" columnist Nat Hentoff says, what's even more important here than free speech is "understanding." He says: "Able-bodied journalists who actively listen to and learn from people with disabilities will increase their understanding of disability issues. This helps to improve coverage and change attitudes [toward disabled people]." Understanding what it's like to be disabled isn't easy. Good reporting involves hard work, empathy, accuracy and imagination; covering people with disabilities is no exception. And my friend is correct: able-bodied journalists can't write about disabilities as personally as those of us who are disabled. They can step out of their beat; for us, the beat is in our skins. Does this mean that able-bodied writers can't come to understand disability issues? That non-disabled journalists can't use their reporting skills, insights and imaginations to tell the story of people with disabilities? One only has to read the fine work of some non-disabled journalists to see the absurdity of this position. For example, Joseph Shapiro's book "No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement" (Times Books), just out in paperback, has brought the disability rights movement to the attention of able-bodied and disabled people nationwide. "No Pity" has taught me and many others about the history of disabled people in America. Shapiro's work isn't an isolated case. Other reporters have done excellent work on disability issues. Here are just a few examples:  If you want to learn what it's like to have a mental illness and how "respectable" people can organize to vehemently oppose group homes, there's no better guide than "9 Highland Road: Sane Living for the Mentally Ill" by Michael Winerip (Pantheon Books).  Andrew Solomon, who's hearing, uses top-notch reporting to provide a bird's eye view of deaf culture in the August 28, 1994 "New York Times Magazine" article "Defiantly Deaf."  Not only journalists who report on social issues, but also those who cover the arts have done lively, insightful stories on people with disabilities. National Public Radio's Susan Stamberg has done some of the best profiles of writers and artists with disabilities (singer Weslia Whitfield and author Lorenzo Milam, among others) to be found in any medium. Stamberg's work brings their personalities and work into your head. These stories do what we've been fighting for all these years: they focus on the people and their work, not on their disabilities. What most brings this issue home to me is the impact that Mary Johnson, the able-bodied co-founder and (former) editor of "The Disability Rag" for 14 years, has had on my life. Through her journalism, warped wit and uncanny ability to spot stereotypes anywhere in the universe, Johnson helped me to understand what it means to be disabled. If it weren't for Johnson, I'd never have gotten the nerve to start writing. I'll bet anything this is true for a generation of writers with disabilities. Call me Rebecca of Sunnycrip Farm. I believe more than anything on earth that we can write about people who aren't like ourselves; that we can use our imagination and intelligence to understand and tell the stories of those who are different from us. This is true not just for people with disabilities but for other groups, too. For example, in the '50s and '60s, though they didn't pretend to speak as African-Americans, journalists such as Murray Kempton and Dan Wakefield wrote moving stories on the black civil rights movement. Their reporting brought the civil rights struggle to the attention of the nation at a time when blacks had no voice in our society. Here's a current example: Recently, Donald Woods, a white journalist, returned to South Africa after years of exile. Woods had been forced to leave the country because of his reporting on apartheid. Does this mean that everything's coming up roses for writers with disabilities? Or that all able-bodied journalists are writing terrific stories on disabled people? No. You're on helium or catnip if you answer yes to either question. It's difficult for writers with disabilities to find work -- particularly those just starting out. Discriminatory hiring practices are still the rule. But what writer (especially a new writer) gets work easily? There are fewer newspapers today, and many have cut staff to a minimum. And how many editors, print or broadcast, are there looking for disability stories (whether from disabled or non-disabled journalists)? You have to be persistent, talented, hard-working and probably a little nuts to be a writer. In the end, though, you hope, good work will win out. Though some things are changing, some journalists still write and broadcast inaccurate stories that reinforce stereotypes about people with disabilities. (Some disabled journalists also do this.) Yet able-bodied and disabled journalists who write accurate, empathetic stories about people with disabilities help to create a climate that's favorable to coverage of disability issues. They break down the polarization of our society by getting able-bodied and disabled people to talk with each other. They bring disability issues into our nation's discourse. I want able-bodied people to use their imaginations and write about people like me. This gives me the freedom to write about those who are different from me. It keeps my imagination from being caged in. It means I can write about able-bodied people, men and elderly people; that I, who never comb my hair if I can help it, can tell the stories of hairdressers; that I, who hate cooking, can interview chefs; that, though I'm scared of heights, I can write about mountain climbers. If you want to set limits on free speech and the imagination, go ahead; I gotta go to the hairdresser before I talk with that mountain-climbing chef. STUDYING SPANISH by Ray Howard I must have been the first student the instructor saw as she entered the classroom. She was puffing from the stairs, her arms full of books, tape recorders, a grocery bag full of cookies, crackers and pretzels for snacks. She was greeting familiar students from the previous term, and already talking about the party they would have at the end of this term -- la fiesta. I judged her to be about my older daughter's age. It was a generation I never understood very well. But I liked her. She was so lively, so energetic, so full of fun. Seeing me, she seemed suddenly serious, approaching warily, eyes and ears alert like our cat Nimrod stalking a bird in our backyard. I felt a little nervous and out of place, an old man with a white beard, and none of the prerequisite courses. Miguel spoke from the back row. I did not understand, but what he probably said was, "Ramon does not see anything." Miguel probably did not know the Spanish word for blind: ciego. But she was speaking in very rapid Spanish. I only got the gist of it. "I can see that for myself. No problem. No problem." But it probably was a problem. She must have spent a good deal of that first class trying to figure out how I was going to manage. "I'll have one of my high school students, an exchange student from Argentina, read the assignments for you." I told her that wouldn't be necessary. But she insisted. I had begun studying Spanish 18 months before. I took my tapes on vacation trips. Sometimes, while my wife drove, I listened to them for eight or nine hours at a stretch, all the way from Greeley, Co., to Salt Lake City. After 18 months of this, I had learned a lot of Spanish. I was just beginning to study the present subjunctive when I decided to enroll in a conversation course at the community college. It was the advanced course. Our task that first evening was to interview a classmate. The instructor circulated around the room, listening to couples speaking Spanish. Then the couples went to the front of the room. I listened attentively, thinking: "This is how I will learn to speak Spanish." Then it began to dawn on me that these people were not speaking Spanish, they were reading Spanish. During the interview, they had all been writing down the answers to their questions. Now they were simply reading the answers aloud. When my turn came, it seemed that I was not expected to do the same thing. "Ramon, you do not have to come to the front of the room, if you don't wish to." It was a small sign that expectations would be different for me. I would not be expected to really perform. I would not be expected to take a real exam. If I attended all the classes and demonstrated some serious intent, I would get an A in the class. "No problem," I said and went to the front of the room with my partner. Now I had to talk about Brenda, the student I had interviewed. This was my first attempt at speaking Spanish, and I was making a public address without the benefit of notes. I tried to recall some scraps of information, some facts about Brenda. I really don't have a very good memory; consequently, my recitation was rather brief. Nevertheless, I wasn't totally displeased with my effort. I even managed to throw in an example of the future tense. "El futuro," the instructor explained to the uninitiated. "We will be taking that up next term." The pressure was terrific. When the break came, while other students lapsed into English and headed for the refreshment table, I got up and started looking for the door. This was another learning experience, with her shouting at my back, "A la derecha! A la derecha!" To show that I understood, I turned to the right. "A la izquierda!" This meant I had overshot the door, so I turned left. I added a new word, "descanso," to my vocabulary. But it was not rest that I craved, it was relief. It was not fatigue that drove me out the door, down the hall, around the head of the stairs, and through the first door on the left. It was overstimulation. And, later the same night, I tossed and turned until dawn, remembering all those phrases so carefully wrought and then forgotten before I had had the opportunity to use them. Perceiving the course as very difficult, seeing myself at a disadvantage, feeling the need to catch up, I worked very hard. During that 10-week course, I tried everything. I tried asking questions in the target language. I tried to break out of the confinement of the present indicative. And, though I never dared attempt the subjunctive, I ventured into the perfect, and once even tried the pluperfect. But this was obviously not a generation that appreciated grammar, and I was sometimes scolded, albeit playfully, for using tenses that had not yet been studied. My enthusiasm drove me to even greater excesses. I began discovering and pointing out mistakes in those grammar exercises. "In example number nine, the correct answer is neither the preterite nor the imperfect. It is the conditional." "No, no," she insisted. "It is the imperfect. El imperfecto. We will not discuss it now." After the break, we took up where we left off. She seemed a little older and tireder. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ramon is right. The correct form is neither the preterite nor the imperfect. It is the conditional. And I will explain the conditional next term." I realized then that, though I might get the A, I was not earning points in popularity. In fact, I sensed a kind of antagonism developing between us. I tried to understand why this was so. I think it was because she had created an image of Ramon as a special student. Ramon could not read. Therefore, he would have to be given special help, special homework, special exams and, in the end, even a special grade. Ramon had been typecast, pigeonholed, stereotyped. I was only trying to break out of the role she had assigned me. But she could not let go of that stereotype, even when my performance demonstrated it to be false. I obviously knew the grammar, and my pronunciation was better than average. She needed an explanation for this. How did I do it? How could a person who was blind, who could not read, learn so much? Perhaps she thought Ramon had a gift for language. Perhaps Ramon, being blind, was endowed with phenomenal hearing and memory. The answer was much simpler: I studied. Every Friday morning, after one of those sleepless nights following our Spanish lesson, I sat on my deck in the shade of my umbrella and listened to tapes. While neighbors on my right and left mowed their lawns, I listened to grammar exercises recorded by my wife. I spent some part of Friday afternoon, much of Saturday, and all of Sunday studying vocabulary and dialogues. Every Tuesday morning, my wife went to the high school to pick up the tape recorded by the girl from Argentina, and I would practice the phrases again, imitating the native accent. I would repeat this exercise on Wednesday, and once more before class on Thursday evening. We did not spend much time on grammar. Grammar was more like an interlude between one event and the next. She would call on the students, one by one. They would read, some of them obviously for the first time, one of the grammar exercises. Some students got the verb wrong, and some did not understand the sentence. When it came my turn, she read the sentence aloud for me. I listened and repeated. Perhaps she thought I was doing it for the first time, too. This may have been the crux of the problem, the thing that needed explaining. The ease with which I repeated the phrases, my tolerable pronunciation, and the fact that I always got the verb right. How did I do it? Turning to the class, she said, "It's easy for Ramon. It's because he can't see." HERE & THERE 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. RECENT DEATH It is with regret that we inform you of the death of Jeane Grow, past executive director of the Blue Grass Council of the Blind. Jeane Grow served on many community and state committees, including the Kentucky Department for the Blind's advisory committee, the board of the Independent Living Committee, the Advisory Board of the Charles W. McDowell Center, and many others. A memorial service was held Dec. 16 at St. Peter's Church, where she had been an active member. Contributions are suggested to go to the Blue Grass Council of the Blind or St. Peter's Church. AFB SEEKS DIRECTOR The American Foundation for the Blind's Southeast Office in Atlanta is seeking a director. This person would report directly to AFB's Vice President, National Programs and Initiatives Group. Responsibilities would include developing and monitoring the annual budgets, managing grants and contracts, training and supervising professional and support staff and volunteers, and overseeing the office's daily operations; providing information and guidance for AFB's leadership and other national organizations regarding critical trends and issues in the blindness field that are of regional and national significance; serving as team leader for AFB's national initiative, and help with communication with the Southeast Board. Successful applicants should have a graduate degree or equivalent in social services or a related field; five years of professional experience in the field of education or rehabilitation for the blind; at least three years of managerial experience; good oral and written communication skills; the ability to facilitate cooperation among professionals with widely diverse backgrounds, and political sensitivity and awareness regarding blindness and disability issues. Interested candidates should send a letter of application and a resume, including the names of three references, to: Dr. Susan J. Spungin, American Foundation for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001. SCOURBY NOMINATIONS The American Foundation for the Blind seeks nominations for the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Awards. Two awards will be presented, representing outstanding narration in fiction and non-fiction. All Talking Book readers are eligible to nominate a Talking Book narrator in each category. To cast your vote, send a letter or postcard with your choices (one per category) to the American Foundation for the Blind, Communications Group, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001. You may also vote by calling AFB's toll-free information line at (800) 232-4563. New York residents call (212) 502-7657 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays. Submissions may be made in print or braille and must be postmarked by March 29. STOKES ELECTED Milly Stokes of Delaware Council of the Blind was recently elected chairperson for the Paratransit Advisory Committee, Delaware Administration for Specialized Transportation, under the Delaware Transportation Authority. Congratulations! JOB OPENING The Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services is seeking qualified candidates for the position of superintendent of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired in Jacksonville. Responsibilities include administrative work in planning, organizing and directing educational, residential and related programs and activities for approximately 125 students; developing, planning, directing, managing and coordinating policies and procedures to promote and provide high program and operating standards for the students in compliance with state board of education mandates and state and federal statutes; representing the director, department and state at hearings, meetings and/or conferences and serving as a liaison to advocates, community service agencies, parents and the general public on issues related to the education of students with visual impairments who may have secondary disabilities. Strategic and fiscal planning, analysis and monitoring are also included. Candidates should have a master's degree in special education or a closely related field, preferably also possessing a Ph.D. or an Ed.D. in the field of vision and have three years of progressively responsible administration experience in special education or a closely related field. The job requires working knowledge of federal statutes related to special education, with a thorough understanding of IDEA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Illinois School Code. Interested candidates should send a resume, including salary information to Dee Showalter, Personnel Director, Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, P.O. Box 19429, Springfield, IL 62794- 9429; fax (217) 524-3385. Applications will be accepted until April 15. YOUTH EXCHANGES Mobility International USA seeks individuals for upcoming international educational exchange programs. The programs and requirements are listed below. Azerbaijan Youth Exchange on Culture, Language & Disability -- Young people between the ages of 15 and 18, U.S. citizens, will travel to Azerbaijan for three weeks. Russian Youth Exchange on Culture, Language & Disability -- Young people ages 16 to 21, U.S. citizens, travel to Russia for four weeks. Youth International Leadership Exchange on Leadership & Disability Rights -- Young people from around the world between the ages of 15 and 18 gather in Eugene, Ore., for two weeks. Young Adult International Leadership Exchange on Leadership & Disability Rights -- Young adults from around the world between the ages of 21 and 35 gather in Eugene, Ore., for four weeks. Mexico Leadership Exchange on Leadership & Disability Rights - - U.S. citizens, approximately 16 to 24 years old, travel to Mexico for three weeks. Those interested in these programs should apply as soon as possible. Partial scholarships are available. Persons with disabilities and those with minority backgrounds are encouraged to apply. For more information on these programs, contact Mobility International USA at P.O. Box 10767, Eugene, OR 97440; phone (503) 343-1284. LARGE PRINT BOOKLET America West Airlines has made its travel tips for persons with disabilities booklet available in large print. To get a copy, contact Diana J. Lawson, Physically Challenged Program, America West Airlines, 4000 E. Skyharbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034. IRWIN AWARD George J. Mertz, NIB's former president and CEO, and the late Grant M. Mack, former NIB board chairman and ACB president, are co- winners of the R.B. Irwin Award. This award commemorates the former executive director of the American Foundation for the Blind who advocated in the 1930s for legislation now known as the Javits- Wagner-O'Day Act to provide gainful employment opportunities to people with severe visual impairments who wanted to work. CALLING FOR STORIES Dr. Stuart Schwartz is revising his college textbook called "Exceptional People: A Guide for Understanding." He is seeking first-person accounts written by people whose religion, race, culture, size, sexual orientation, health, language, speech, or disability makes them "exceptional." These accounts should be 200 to 400 words long. Submissions will be chosen for publication on a competitive basis. Contributors selected must sign and submit a release form. All contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the book. Send your story to Mr. Craig Conley, University of Florida, Department of Special Education, G-315 Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611. For more information, call Mr. Conley at (904) 392-0701, extension 291. FIRST READER Arkenstone will continue its First Reader program into 1995 while supplies last. The First Reader program enables visually impaired people to get a complete reading system for under $1,400 or to acquire components to add to their existing products. First Reader systems are recommended only for users who already feel comfortable with computer technology, particularly DOS. First Readers include a new ArkenClone 386 PC, voice synthesizer, screen access program and Arkenstone reader with reconditioned scanner and hardware for $1,375. Units are available on a first-come, first- served basis. Arkenstone provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, a one-year warranty and technical support through its 800 number. If you are interested in one of these systems, contact Arkenstone at (408) 752-2200, or write the company at 1390 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089. APOLOGIA by Glenn M. Plunkett Some of you have called and left messages for me on the voice mail and have not received a response; for this I apologize. However, for those non-responses there is a good reason. The reason is that I was not able to decipher the telephone number, or there was no area code given. In some cases the telephone message, especially the telephone number, was given so rapidly that I and others in the office could not understand what was said. The capability of understanding a very rapidly spoken number may be, in part, my fault since I understand that the sense of hearing is the second function to go as one ages; Lord knows I am aging fast with the new political climate whirling around within the Washington, D.C. Beltway. To help me respond to your calls, please leave a complete telephone number, i.e. area code and telephone number spoken more slowly than your normal speech. It would be well to repeat the number. If you wish to have anything in writing, please be sure your complete name, address and zip code are given very clearly. Please call again. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: Numerous software and hardware items. Depending on what sells first, I will have to keep some things for home office work. The majority of the following is new, unless otherwise indicated. Megadots, $375. OsCar, $750. VocalEyes, $325. DECtalk PC, $900. HP Scanjet IICX with sheet feeder and interface kit, $1,100. Navigator 40/8, used three years, $3,000. Braille Lite with one-year service, $2,900. Index Everest braille embosser, $2,800. If you are interested in these, contact S.K. Shin at J.P. Morgan and Company, 60 Wall St., 22nd floor, New York, NY 10260; phone (212) 648-3931, or e-mail him at shin@panix.com. Some prices are negotiable. FOR SALE: Versapoint braille embosser. Includes braille and print manuals and large box of heavy paper for brailling. Asking $900. Write in any format to Ruth DiMarzio, 246 Dale Ave., Mansfield, OH 44902; phone (419) 522-5708. FOR SALE: Perkins brailler, excellent condition. Asking $300. Contact Crystal French, Route 2, Box 2923, Belton, TX 76513; phone (817) 939-6797. FOR SALE: DECtalk internal speech synthesizer with version 4.2 drivers. Asking $750. Call Sean Cummins at (602) 639-2111. FOR SALE: Kurzweil personal reader model 7320. Has automatic scanner. Used very little; purchased by elderly person who couldn't use it. Original cost $9,950; asking $2,500. Will take less if purchaser pays shipping. Contact Richard Scott at (214) 320-9044 or write him at 2614 Oates Dr., Dallas, TX 75228. WANTED: External speech devices, such as DECtalk or Keynote Gold. Contact Rick Boggs at (818) 773-1964. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACB wishes to thank its many members and friends who gave so generously in response to our fall 1994 letter requesting support for ACB's ongoing programs and services. This partial list of donors reflects only those people who gave us their approval to publicly acknowledge their gifts. Hertha M. Chavious, Anchorage, AK; Lynne Koral, Anchorage, AK; Sandy Sanderson, Anchorage, AK; Edna Baker, Little Rock, AR; Virginia R. Gratz, Hot Springs Village, AR; Nancy Kenimer, Conway, AR; W.C. O'Connor, Marmaduke, AR; Dick Seifert, Little Rock, AR; Tina Birenbaum, Tempe, AZ; Stanley F. Olivier, Sun Lakes, AZ; Tony C. Settle, Phoenix, AZ; Fern Woodward, Mesa, AZ; Tracy Barna, Mission Viejo, CA; David Bice, Loomis, CA; Ralph D. Black, Sacramento, CA; Michael Chin, Corning, CA; Geneva Coulter, Hesperia, CA; William H. Dailey, Jr., Fresno, CA; Ann De Lint, Cerritos, CA; Winifred Downing, San Francisco, CA; Anita S. Doyle, Encino, CA; John & Connie Ferritto, Ventura, CA; Gregory A. Fowler, Mountain View, CA; Bess Fuller, Yucaipa, CA; Phil Hallford, San Diego, CA; Russell & Elizabeth Johnson, Modesto, CA; Virginia Katsanes, Union City, CA; J. Henry Kruse Jr., Albany, CA; Jack Kuiken, Apple Valley, CA; Ray Penix, Burbank, CA; Mitch and Cherrie Pomerantz, Los Angeles, CA; Teddie Remhild, Burbank, CA; Rob L. Stephens, Fre- mont, CA; Lawrence S. Swenson, Penngrove, CA; Victoria R. Vaughan, Banning, CA; Jean Wellington, McKinleyville, CA; Marion and Hazel Beal, Pueblo, CO; Marjorie Gallien, Colorado Springs, CO; Cheryl Dresser, West Hartford, CT; Rosalie Gay, East Hartford, CT; Anna Godrie, Fairfield, CT; David Goldstein, Bridgeport, CT; Howard Goldstein, New Haven, CT; Alice Jackson, Hamden, CT; Barbara Lombardi, Shelton, CT; Louise A. Manginello, Hartford, CT; Marcia Nigro, Hamden, CT; Ellen Telker, Milford, CT; Roger E. Thomas, South Windsor, CT; Veronica Braun, Washington, DC; Roberta A. Douglas, Washington, DC; Oral O. Miller, Washington, DC; Thomas Miller, Washington, DC; Alice Capodanno, Wilmington, DE; Robert Albanese, Lake Placid, FL; Kay Briley, Cocoa, FL; Gladys M. Burck, West Palm Beach, FL; Mildred Frank, Daytona Beach, FL; Jane Hirons, Tarpon Springs, FL; Dennis J. Hodos, Hollywood, FL; Doris E. Kline, Titusville, FL; David Lang, Ormond Beach, FL; Frank & Judy Mazza; Naples, FL; Luis Oliva, Opalocka, FL; Beatrice Pyke, West Palm Beach, FL; Peter N. Reuter, Clearwater, FL; Richard M. Daley, Atlanta, GA; Joseph Parks Hill, Ellijay, GA; Phil Jones, Lilburn, GA; Juanita Matthews, Savannah, GA; Inez R. Moss, Roswell, GA; Charleen Y.K. Doi, Honolulu, HI; Cynthia Hirakawa, Honolulu, HI; Milton M. Ota, Honolulu, HI; Tooru & Ruth Yamane, Kapaa, HI; LuAnn Emmen, Harlan, IA; Leo Haverkamp, Ft. Dodge, IA; Dorothy O'Leary, Vinton, IA; Frances I. Thayer, West Des Moines, IA; Nellie Van Lydegraf, Boise, ID; Dick Bledsoe, Bartonville, IL; Joan L. Bonnett, Chicago, IL; Henry Butler, Charleston, IL; Ray Campbell, Naperville, IL; Sally Hering, Lake Bluff, IL; Florence Horton, Chicago, IL; Mr & Mrs. George Hoy, Chicago, IL; Judi Jasek, Orland Park, IL; Natalie F. Miller, Evanston, IL; Donald G. Morrow, Chicago, IL; Jill N. Meyer, Lake in the Hills, IL; Herbert Porter, Alton, IL; Evelyn J. Rex, Normal, IL; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenbom, Harwood Heights, IL; Terry-Ann Saurmann, Arlington Heights, IL; M.J. Schmitt, Berwyn, IL; Virginia Staver, De Kalb, IL; Rachael Wiley, Vandalia, IL; Arthur A. Baker, Muncie, IN; James J. Barnes, Crawfordsville, IN; Maurice Brockman, Bloomington, IN; Horace & Joanne Ferguson, Indianapolis, IN; John Huffman, Indianapolis, IN; Ruth McLain, North Vernon, IN; Marvin Price, Indianapolis, IN; Pat Price, Indianapolis, IN; Paul L. Bell, Leneva, KS; Jerry Ellis, Medicine Lodge, KS; George D. Enos, Wichita, KS; Joyce Wilbur Lewis, Wichita, KS; Marilyn G. Lytle, Wichita, KS; Mildred Meck, Gerard, KS; Jim Molski, Wichita, KS; Kathryn Hynes Smith, Manhattan, KS; Lewis & Anna Cain, Louisville, KY; Frank & Christina Kelley, Lexington, KY; Jean Meyer, Louisville, KY; Rosemary Raap, Fort Thomas, KY; James R. Stell, Glasgow, KY; Gary N. Ward, Pewee Valley, KY; Neil Himel II, New Orleans, LA; Troy Watters, West Monroe, LA; Beezy Bentzen, Berlin, MA; Marion Cole, Braintree, MA; Douglas Lincoln, Somerville, MA; Jamal Mazrui, Somerville, MA; Grace Mondor, Lynn, MA; Joyce Nadell, South Weymouth, MA; James C. Borra, Bethesda, MD; Herman Lesser, Baltimore, MD; Sheila McKeown, Baltimore, MD; Janet Merrick, Rockville, MD; Tom Rothrock, Hagerstown, MD; Carl Schmitt, Chevy Chase, MD; Jane C. Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD; James T. Martin, Ellsworth, ME; Gary L. McLaughlin, Bangor, ME; Jennie E. Baly, Lansing, MI; Daniel Bryant, Melvindale, MI; Linda Byers, Battle Creek, MI; Louis Cantoni, Detroit, MI; Frances B. Dell, Flint, MI; Carol Hahn, Kalamazoo, MI; Ruth Hebert, Hubbell, MI; Edwin Heyboer, Zeeland, MI; Stanley & Selma Hollander, Okemos, MI; Roberta A. McCall, Saginaw, MI; Rosemary A. Miller, Union, MI; Joanne Oosterhouse, Kentwood, MI; H. Kirkland Osoinach, MI; Edward D. Bender, White Bear Lake, MN; Jack & Sharon Hicken, Duluth, MN; Maryann Jokela, Sandstone, MN; Alden & Virginia Moran, Minneapolis, MN; Max Swanson, Minneapolis, MN; Price Waterhouse, Minneapolis, MN; Ruth M. Cramer, Lawson, MO; Thelma Donohue, St. Louis, MO; W.R. Sallis, Jackson, MO; Sarah Gordon, Okalona, MS; Elton Moore, Mississippi State, MS; Bill Fulp, Lexington, NC; R. William Joyce, Madison, NC; Norma Krajczar, Morehead City, NC; Judith K. Redfield, Clemmons, NC; Herbert Stowe, Gastonia, NC; Frances Knuds- on, Bismarck, ND; James Faimon, Lincoln, NE; Andrea Barto, Mt. Laurel, NJ; Joel Breslauer, Jersey City, NJ; Joan Leonard, Edison, NJ; Kenneth A. Rowe, Bloomfield, NJ; Lisa Valvano, Edison, NJ; Don Enterline, Belen, NM; Lois Tapia, Alamogordo, NM; Charles A. Sessions Jr., Pahrump, NV; Elizabeth Pohe, Boulder City, NV; Walter Barrett, Jackson Heights, NY; Carmen Bloom, Monroe, NY; Jeff L. Dunn, Yonkers, NY; Jacob Goldfein, New York, NY; Ronald M. Henriquez, Staten Island, NY; Richard Hutcheson, Potsdam, NY; Timothy A. LaCroix, Salamanca, NY; Mark Leeds, Riverdale, NY; Katherine Leff, New York, NY; Celeste V. Lopes, Plainview, NY; Martin Mahler, Brooklyn, NY; John W. Morse, Albany, NY; James Ricciardi, Oyster Bay, NY; Tracy Westerlund, Peconir, NY; Marilyn Huheey, Columbus, OH; Deborah Kendrick, Cincin- nati, OH; Kimberly Lauer, North Canton, OH; Cathy Manghelli, Lima, OH; James Oyer, Columbus, OH; James D. Storer, Gates Mills, OH; Donald Hansen, Oklahoma City, OK; Helen Henderson, Chickasha, OK; Marcia Moore, Oklahoma City, OK; Paul B. Shelton, Tulsa, OK; Margaret Alvarez, Tigard, OR; Drs. Hamada, Matti & Assoc., Grants Pass, OR; Teena L. Hazel, Pendleton, OR; Greg & Sharon Hill, Grants Pass, OR; Kitt Jordan, Portland, OR; Fred Krepela, Salem, Or; Janet D. Lauener, Eugene, OR; Gerald and Carolyn Patrick, King City, OR; Charles Warnath, Corvallis, OR; Richard C. Bechtel, Haverford, PA; Thelma J. Fundenberg, Philadelphia, PA; Mr. John A. Horst, Wilkes-Barre, PA; Evelyn Kaufman, Philadelphia, PA; Stacy Keller, Wexford, PA; Jerold Klevit, Jenkintown, PA; William McDonald, Norristown, PA; Hannah Meyer, Philadelphia, PA; Anna Porter, Lancaster, PA; Donald Schreiber, Harrisburg, PA; Margaret Sutter, Pittsburgh, PA; Carlene Wilson, Florence, SC; Jackie Campbell, Rapid City, SD; Joyce Eggleston, Huron, SD; Leighton Meyers, Sioux Falls, SD; Kevin Puetz, Rapid City, SD; Frank Strong Jr., Pierre, SD; R.K. Armstrong, Memphis, TN; James Carter, Knoxville, TN; Herbert G. Jared, Knoxville, TN; Michelle Parsley, Franklin, TN; Jo Cassidy, Cypress, TX; Thurman Dobbins, Austin, TX; Nancy and Ed Guerra, Austin, TX; David Hill, San Antonio, TX; Clessia Himes, Hurst, TX; Janet L. Jones, Houston, TX; Herbert Kadish, Austin, TX; Jim Rhodes Jr., Carthage, TX; McLeod Stinnett III, Dallas, TX; Alice Bai, Salt Lake City, UT; Robert L. Draves, Colfax, UT; Nadeen Hackwell, Ogden, UT; Noel Rasband, Salt Lake City, UT; Cindi Vega, Ogden, UT; Eugene M. & Eileen B. Wood, Salt Lake City, UT; Peter Davis, Arlington, VA; Beth Gordon, Fairfax, VA; Debra M. Hill, Alexandria, VA; Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA; Nancy P. Jenkins, Richmond, VA; Bud Keith, Arlington, VA; Barbara Lawson, Stanleyt- own, VA; Cynthia Roberts, Woodbridge, VA; Fred Schweigert, Arlington, VA; Carolyn Alberts, South Burlington, VT; Joann H. Nichols, Brattleboro, VT; Lloyd Anderson, Lynnwood, WA; Rhonda Nelson, Auburn, WA; Terry P. Waldron, Spokane, WA; Roger A. Behm, Janesville, WI; John Carter, Greenfield, WI; Tom Kohl, Ripon, WI; Dale Kraucyk, Wausau, WI; Donald Lehmann, Kenosha, WI; Marilyn Lundgren, Milwaukee, WI; Eugene C. Persohn, Green Bay, WI; Donna Brown, Romney, WV; Sharon Fridley, Nitro, WV; Carol Wolford, High View, WV; Leland Messman, Cheyenne, WY. ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sue Ammeter, Seattle, WA Ardis Bazyn, Cedar Rapids, IA Patricia Beattie, Arlington, VA Christopher Gray, San Jose, CA John Horst, Wilkes-Barre, PA Jean Mann, Guilderland, NY Kristal Platt, Omaha, NE M.J. Schmitt, Berwyn, IL Pamela Shaw, Silver Spring, MD Otis Stephens, Ph.D., Knoxville, TN Richard Villa, Bedford, TX BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Billie Jean Hill, Chairperson, Alexandria, VA Kim Charlson, Watertown, MA Thomas Mitchell, North Salt Lake City, UT Mitch Pomerantz, Los Angeles, CA Edward Potter, Goldsboro, NC Ex Officio: Laura Oftedahl, Watertown, MA ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT SECRETARY LEROY SAUNDERS PATRICIA PRICE 2118 N.W. 21st ST. 5707 BROCKTON DRIVE #302 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73107 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER CHARLES S.P. HODGE BRIAN CHARLSON 1131 S. FOREST DR. 57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE ARLINGTON, VA 22204 WATERTOWN, MA 02172 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR STEPHEN SPEICHER ELIZABETH M. LENNON 825 M ST., SUITE 216 LINCOLN, NE 68508