THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXIII April 1995 No. 10 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 Saunders News Briefs From The ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller D.C. Subway Authorities Seek To Derail Transit Regulations, by Nolan Crabb Disabled Riders Sue MBTA Over System's Inaccessibility, by Sharon Lovering Are You Ready For The 1995 Convention?, by John A. Horst Managing The Monster, by John Dashney Alma Murphey: Her Own Words Excerpts From A Speech By Sen. Bill Frist: Individuals With Disabilities Should Have The Same Opportunities And Choices As Other Americans, by Glenn Plunkett Are You A News Hound?, by Steve Bauer ACB Board Adopts 1995 Budget, Long-Range Plan, by Nolan Crabb Award Reminder Here And There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon USABA 1994 Athletes of The Year Affiliate News Join Those In The Know And Become A Life Member Of ACB, by Charles S. P. Hodge High Tech Swap Shop "Convention Connections" þ A Unique Way To Make New Friends, by Sharon Keeran PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE by LeRoy F. Saunders Since the new Congress took office this January, I have been watching very closely in an attempt to better understand Congress's agendas and how it will implement them. This Congress acts more rapidly than any I can remember. It may be among the fastest in passing legislation in history, as I suspect you agree. It is apparent this Congress is bent on reducing the deficit and cutting as many expenses as possible to achieve this. I believe that all the federal funding for programs that specifically affect blind and visually impaired people will come under some scrutiny during this year. Congress will make an effort to reduce funding for these programs as much as possible. That fund reduction could come in the form of combined services provided under one head or single agency. I am naive enough to believe we can make it through this session of Congress without having to make some sacrifice in some of the benefits the visually impaired receive. I feel we must primarily strive to maintain current services at current funding levels. Should it become necessary to entertain some type of service reduction, due to diminished funding, we must work to keep these reductions as minimal as possible. As all of you are aware, there is a great deal of talk about block grant funding to states. The idea behind this is to block grant money to the states, enabling them to provide services, which have heretofore been provided and regulated by the federal government. Should these block grants become reality, our state affiliates, more than ever, will be on the firing line. We must vigilantly monitor the implementation and use of these block grants to make sure the state governments provide the services they should in utilizing this funding. It may become necessary for ACB to play a larger role in assisting our state affiliates in their local legislative processes. Therefore, it will be necessary for us to do more legislative training than we've ever done. This will also mean members of state affiliates will have a greater responsibility to react and act in reference to what is happening in their state. This emphasis on state provision of services, in turn, will make state affiliates much stronger and more vital than before. The fact that we will have specific and meaningful causes to work for on the state level will also help in maintaining membership as people realize how important it is that the affiliates work on the state legislative scene. By the time you read this, I will have been to Washington, D.C., to attend the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute. While I was there, I met with various people and briefly attended meetings sponsored by ACB and the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America immediately after the Taylor meeting ended. ACB, in partnership with ALL, conducted a legislative training seminar and encouraged attendees to visit their congressional delegates while they were in Washington, D.C. I hope by now that most of you have already made plans to attend our convention in Greensboro, N.C. I feel this will be one of the finest conventions we have, even though we need to conduct important business at that time. You will be receiving the pre-registration packet and other information which refers to this convention very soon. I look forward to seeing you in Greensboro. NEWS BRIEFS FROM THE ACB NATIONAL OFFICE by Oral O. Miller, National Representative The mid-winter meeting of the American Council of the Blind board of directors has come to be the focal point for a number of other very important meetings such as those of committees, special-interest affiliate boards of directors, and the affiliate presidents themselves. The major item of business handled by the ACB board at its meeting in Greensboro, N.C., and by the affiliate presidents was the consideration of the long-range plan recommended to the board by the ACB Long-Range Planning Committee. The board approved the plan generally and recommended approval by the membership of provisions that require membership action þ such as the amendment of the constitution or bylaws. Since the ultimate impact of the plan will depend, to a great extent, upon the details of the implementation strategy, this matter will undoubtedly receive great attention and consideration at the coming national convention in Greensboro. The ACB president will be in communication with the affiliate presidents further before the convention. During almost any month throughout the year, ACB staff members take part in countless advisory or strategizing meetings on a wide variety of issues, policies, and projects. A simple recitation of those meetings would not be worthwhile, but a few recent ones deserve mention. For example, during February, Jennifer Sutton represented ACB at the two-day-long annual meeting of the Machine Study Advisory Committee of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. During the same month, I provided input to the National Advisory Committee of the White House Domestic Policy Council regarding the preparation of a statement of national policy on disability. During the same period, Glenn Plunkett and Julie Carroll took part in many meetings of the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities and/or the advisory committee for the White House Conference on Aging. Similarly, Nolan Crabb attended meetings focusing on access to and development of the electronic superhighway. Other staff members took part in other meetings relating to such matters as fund raising, transportation issues, and personnel training. Those of us who are citizens of the United States of America are, indeed, fortunate in so many ways and the fact that we as individuals can give meaningful assistance to people from less fortunate nations was underscored recently by a visit of a representative from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. More specifically, she was exploring the possibility of obtaining sponsorship of a primarily non- financial nature to enable talented, disabled performing artists and artisans from other countries to take part in worthwhile educational and training programs or activities in this country. We are looking further into this matter from the viewpoint that our affiliates, both state and special-interest affiliates, might wish to serve as sponsors in appropriate cases. As stated by radio announcers of old, "stay tuned!" During the past month, national office staff members devoted much attention to implementation of ACB resolutions calling for the installation of detectable warnings on subway platform edges and for compliance by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority with regulations requiring such warnings. As those who attended the ACB national conventions in San Francisco and Chicago will recall, WMATA has traditionally refused to comply with most regulations regarding service to disabled passengers unless forced to do so. During the summer of 1994, WMATA was given an extension of six month by the Federal Transit Administration to conduct research regarding the suitability of alternative surfaces to serve as such warnings; for many years, WMATA had insisted that the 18-inch wide granite strips along its platform edges were satisfactory warnings for blind passengers even though ACB members (such as Dr. Bud Keith and I) had informed WMATA officials as far back as the late 1970s that the granite strip, although attractive, was not at all satisfactory as a warning for blind passengers. During the six-month extension, WMATA paid approximately $300,000 to a research firm in Columbus, Ohio to research the matter. Although the absurdity, irrelevance and worthlessness of that research is the subject for a separate lengthy article in the future, its worthlessness can be summarized here by pointing out facts such as that the blind people who took part in the research were required to follow a guide wire aiming them directly at a make- believe platform edge (thereby preventing them from approaching the edge at an angle as would happen under real-life conditions) and that no weight was given to the number of blind test subjects who failed to detect the various warning materials in time to keep from falling over the edge. As unbelievable as it may sound, WMATA further distorted the results of the research to support its claim that its granite edge is as good as any other surface þ conveniently forgetting that its own research showed that one surface which WMATA itself had developed was much more detectable than the granite edges. If there was any doubt as to WMATA's real intentions, it was dispelled in late February when WMATA's general manager testified before Congress that WMATA wants to be exempted from the federal regulations; that the WMATA system is safer for blind travelers than any others in the country (although two blind travelers have been killed after falling from its platforms); that only 10 people had fallen onto the tracks over the years (although five minutes later he raised that number to 13, while in reality at least 23 have fallen); and, that a watch-like electronic detector might be used to warn blind people about the nearness of the platform edge. Questioning by one Congressman elicited the admission from the general manager that WMATA's assertion about the cost of installing detectable warnings was based on estimates of its own engineers as contrasted with estimates by a consortium of suppliers that the job will cost less than one-fifth that amount. During the testimony which I presented in behalf of the American Council of the Blind, the Blinded Veterans Association, the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the American Foundation for the Blind, among others, I attempted to bring reality to the "Alice in Wonderland" story presented by WMATA's general manager. My testimony was also accompanied by a statement by ACB member Amanda Lee concerning a fall she had experienced from a platform. The significance of this incredible narrative is not that detectable warnings on subway platform edges in Washington, D.C., are more important than other issues faced by blind people around the country every day but that allowing the WMATA to blatantly refuse to comply with ADA regulations is one of the best ways to encourage other transportation and service providers around the country to thumb their noses at compliance with other safety and access regulations. Finally, why may Congress give serious consideration to the WMATA's request? One reason is that another organization which testified in support of WMATA's non-compliance was the National Federation of the Blind. How many times have we heard legislators and other decision- makers hide behind the statement that they will not do anything until "you blind people can agree among yourselves?" D.C. SUBWAY AUTHORITIES SEEK TO DERAIL TRANSIT REGULATIONS by Nolan Crabb WASHINGTON--The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says it won't install 24-inch wide truncated domes known as detectable warning strips along the edges of its subway platforms despite regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act which mandate their installation. The transit authority, known as WMATA, has asked U.S. Department of Transportation officials for an equivalent facilitation waiver, stating that the system's smooth granite edge is sufficient to warn blind and low vision passengers when they're nearing the edge of the platform. WMATA's recalcitrance could affect every "Braille Forum" reader in the United States, according to ACB National Representative Oral O. Miller. "If the transportation department agrees that WMATA doesn't need to comply with the regulations, or if Congress gets deeper into the fray and agrees to change the regulations to benefit WMATA, blind and partially sighted people throughout the nation will see other transit systems asking for waivers as well." In a worst-case scenario, Miller said the waiver, if granted, could ultimately affect the installation of detectable warnings at intersections and driveways. Virtually every blind American could feel the ripple effect of any attempt to weaken the transit regulations. With that in mind, ACB members from throughout the metropolitan Washington area mobilized their forces and prepared to do battle with WMATA and the National Federation of the Blind, which has consistently opposed the installation and use of detectable warning strips on subway platform edges. The first face-off came before a Congressional subcommittee on transportation in late February. Larry Reuter, general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, defiantly declared that the D.C. subway system was safe and asserted, "Anyone who can travel independently can travel safely using every one of our rail stations. ... This is far more than the law requires, and far more than any U.S. rail system can say." It became immediately clear that Metro's safety statistics varied from those compiled by ACB and others. It was revealed that Metro didn't count a subway fall unless the individual sustained injuries sufficient to require hospitalization. As ACB's Oral Miller pointed out, a fall from a platform should be counted as a fall regardless of whether hospitalization is required. Injury statistics weren't the only discrepancies in Reuter's testimony, however. He claimed that $30 million was needed to equip all Metro stations with detectable warning strips. In fact, manufacturers of detectable warning strips have proposed that the entire system can be done for approximately $5 million. In his testimony, Oral Miller countered Reuter's claim that Metro is safe. "We have identified right here in the Washington area 19 blind people who have fallen off Metro platforms over the years," Miller said. "There have been three fatalities þ three people were killed as a result of falling from platforms in this area." He said blind people represent a disproportionately high rate among the statistics of people who have fallen from platforms. "Blind people can generally detect the edge of a subway platform with a cane or with a guide dog," Miller said, "but detectable warnings become important when there is something that interferes with the operation and the use of these guides or when there's momentary disorientation or when a person is nearly walking parallel to the tracks." Miller pointed out that society is full of safeguards that "really should not be necessary for sighted people who can see the potential danger they're approaching." He reminded his listeners of such common safety devices as doors on elevator shafts and rails around balconies and on staircases. Miller then introduced Amanda Lee, a member of ACB and a survivor of a fall from a Metro platform. She described two occasions in which she either fell or nearly fell. "A discernable detectable surface would have prevented my loss of orientation," Lee affirmed. "I'm a high-functioning blind person with better-than-average orientation and mobility skills. All blind people do not have the same skills," she said, anticipating an NFB argument that if blind people are appropriately trained, they do not need additional platform edge warnings. "The ADA is first and foremost and only a civil rights law," said James Gashel, director of governmental affairs for the National Federation of the Blind. "Its purpose is to provide equal and effective access for persons with disabilities. By law, that should be the purpose of any of the ADA's implementing regulations. So I think it is a fair question ... to ask 'is it really necessary to mandate a particular configuration of bumps on a platform edge for purposes of upholding or protecting our civil rights?" Unfortunately, no one in Congress took Gashel's argument to its next logical step. If detectable warnings installation is a civil rights issue, then perhaps funding of WMATA's police force can be relegated to a civil rights issue as well. That police force can, after all, protect black passengers and others from having their civil rights violated by racists who would abuse or beat them. In such a case, protecting black passengers from those who would violate their civil rights certainly enhances their safety and improves their access to the system þ just as detectable warnings can enhance safety and improve access to the system for blind and low vision travelers. Gashel insisted that detectable warnings are unnecessary since the edge itself can be detected with a cane or dog. He said detectable warnings send a message that the sighted "must see that the blind are protected whether they need to be protected or not." "In regulating under the ADA," Gashel said, "the burden is, or at least it should be, on the government to show that the bumps on the platform edge are necessary to protect civil rights." In a question and answer session following the testimony, Reuter quoted from a study commissioned by WMATA which was done under the best of laboratory conditions at a facility in Columbus, Ohio, hundreds of miles away from the nearest subway platform. That study is badly flawed, according to Dr. Billie Louise Bentzen of Boston College, a renowned expert on the use of detectable warnings. Metro's own study, flawed though it is, indicated that the truncated dome mandated by the transportation department is superior in preventing falls to WMATA's current smooth granite edge. Several committee members wondered why WMATA was so unwilling to comply with the regulations when virtually every other transit system in the nation had either begun to comply or was already in compliance. Reuter declared that his system was different from every other system in the nation in that it already had a smooth granite warning edge. Oral Miller recalled having felt that edge when it was first installed before there were any trains in the system. "We told them that the granite strip was inadequate then, and it still is," he said. The hearing became somewhat contentious when Gashel was put on the spot by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.). "Mr. Gashel," he said, "I guess Ms. Lee isþ what þ poorly trained? Is she incompetent? ... She's just having a bad morning þ is that it? And you're much better at doing this and you've never had a problem like that?" "I think it's unfair of you to try to put words into my mouth," Gashel shot back angrily. "I can't speak for why Ms. Lee fell off the platform; and, I regret that she did. The question is for the Congress, I think, whether or not this is a civil rights issue?" Gashel was later forced to admit under questioning that in fact the truncated domes would be detectable. Julie Carroll, ACB's Director of Governmental Affairs, and Scott Marshall, vice president for governmental relations at the American Foundation for the Blind, felt perhaps the best way to get ACB's point across to the media would be to host a press conference. Accordingly, ACB members from the Washington area and leaders from other organizations in the blindness field met with representatives of the press last month at the National Press Club. Speaking to the press at the conference, Dale Otto, director of the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind in Washington, called the city's subway system "a lifeline to independence." "Unfortunately," he said, "it is a frayed lifeline that, without warning, can plunge a user into a life-threatening situation." He said WMATA officials have been "hiding behind" one excuse after another for nearly 10 years in an attempt to avoid upgrading the system. "Many of our members in the Washington, D.C., area report they do not use the Metro system here at all because they're afraid of falling from the platform," said ACB's Julie Carroll. "These are people who go to the Rockies every winter for cross-country and downhill skiing. These are white water rafters. One member set out alone to sail the Atlantic. They are not afraid of these things. Yet they are fearful of their daily commute on Metro." She said Metro officials had been invited to don blindfolds and receive training in the subway; they have consistently declined. Based on its own study, she said, nine people were unable to detect WMATA's smooth granite edge, while every test subject detected the warning strips mandated by the transportation department. She said when the underfoot detectability of WMATA's current edge was tested, 105 people would have stepped into oblivion because they felt nothing under foot. Only 54 individuals had problems detecting the truncated domes. Dr. Billie Louise Bentzen said WMATA claims there's no difference between the detectability of its smooth granite edge and that mandated by the transportation department. "The report by WMATA completely ignores the fact that underfoot detectability is the critical measure for establishing a secondary detection system that has a high probability of alerting persons that don't use a long cane or don't use a dog guide or who do not respond quickly and accurately to the information provided by these aids to the presence of a hazard such as a transit platform edge." While other disability groups remained silent in their support of ACB's quest for detectable warnings, the National Council on Independent Living took a courageous stand and offered unqualified support. Denise Figuroa, president of the National Council on Independent Living, told the press her group, which represents people with a variety of disabilities, supports the installation of detectable warnings. "Although there have been issues raised about the effects [of detectable warnings] on folks with mobility impairments," Figuroa said, "but the truth of the matter is, as was said earlier, there has been no study that shows that that's really true. The average sidewalk is more difficult to negotiate than a warning strip would be to enter a subway car." She indicated that as one who had used crutches and braces, she found detectable warning strips were actually valuable in providing traction while getting into a subway car. "I think with other types of mobility enhancements," she said, "it may actually be an enhancement rather than a barrier." She reminded the press that WMATA had traditionally fought every attempt at making the system accessible. "They've fought every step of the way to make their system accessible, and this is just another area where they're refusing to comply with the law." James D. Orafice, chairman and CEO of Detectable Warning Systems, a manufacturer of the truncated domes, said, "We're here to tell you that it doesn't need to cost $30 million, or even half of that amount, for WMATA to comply with the ADA regulations and install appropriate detectable warning systems in the D.C. Metro system." He said the actual cost would be less than $5 million, and that it would allow WMATA to maintain the aesthetic platform edge it is so proud of. "These systems do not require removal of existing granite," Orafice said. "They do not require extensive down time for installation, and they will provide the safety that is required on all the transit systems in the United States. Of course, we have no doubt that WMATA could find ways to spend $30 million if they chose to; we just don't understand why they would want to do that." DISABLED RIDERS SUE MBTA OVER SYSTEM'S INACCESSIBILITY by Sharon Lovering On December 1, 1994, disabled users of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's rail system filed a class action suit against the agency for failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. "The MBTA was not responding to the disability community," said Kim Charlson, president of the Bay State Council of the Blind, which is a plaintiff in this case. Very few of the system's 150 rail stations had been equipped with detectable warnings, even in the stations designated by the agency as key stations such as Lowell, Reading, Salem, Beverly Depot, Gloucester, Bradford, Stoughton, Attleboro, and Quincy Center. In addition, telecommunications devices for the deaf have not been installed; there is a lack of accessible parking spaces in lots at key stations, and a lack of van-accessible parking spaces; parking spaces that do not conform with size requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines; a lack of accessible travel routes from accessible entrances to transit areas; placement of ramps in ways that increase the distance wheelchair users must travel; track crossings that aren't level with rail tops; lack of visual displays of information announced by public address systems; lack of signage directing individuals to accessible routes to transportation facilities, and curb ramps exceeding the allowable grade. Some elevators lack braille or raised lettering on door jambs, car controls or number panels, and in one station, the visual display signs do not correspond with public service announcements. The Green Line is inaccessible to people in wheelchairs. And that's not all. Announcements of stations, required at all stops, are often not made; elevators at some stations are dirty, while another is locked at 5 p.m.; visual displays do not correspond with verbal announcements; the accessible fare collection device at one station has been out of service for extended periods of time; parking prohibitions at one station are not enforced, and the elevator at the Park Street station is not maintained well. The Ride, MBTA's paratransit system, also provoked complaints about, among other things, skipped or missed trips, the van going to the wrong address, and riders being asked to take a trip more than half an hour earlier or later than they requested. Since the suit was filed, Charlson said, the "T" has installed lots of detectable warning strips, including in Davis Square, where Peggy McCarthy fell and died a few days later of her injuries in 1993. The council believed that her death would be a catalyst to motivating MBTA into installing the warning strips. Installation of the warnings there was a "nice gesture," she noted. McCarthy's death "is a factor in that it is referenced," she said. McCarthy's family has filed a wrongful death suit against the transit authority, Charlson said, because "they felt that the T was taking no action." Currently the council is waiting to see the outcome of this suit. As far as the class action suit, Christine Griffin, a lawyer for the Disability Law Center handling the case, said they hope to enter into a consent decree with the MBTA. She was writing a document containing the elements the disability side would like to see happen. If the two sides can come to a settlement, with a judge overseeing the MBTA, she said, the disability community would be pleased. She noted the presence of detectable warnings in more rail stations, and said if the suit spurred them to get the strips in faster, good. What the disability community really wants is someone to oversee the MBTA and make them comply, she noted. Susan Krupanski, the MBTA lawyer, said, "We have been working all along to fulfill our ADA obligations." She mentioned the scheduled meeting with the Disability Law Center lawyers, in order to try to settle this suit, but she commented no further. People were noticing that deadlines for compliance passed, no work had been done, and no one was doing anything about it. "Quite a number of people are fed up with the transit agency," Griffin said. Transit agencies have noticed that the Federal Transit Administration is not enforcing the law, "so it's up to people like us [to sue them and make them comply]," she stated. Recently the MBTA appropriated money to buy telecommunications devices for the deaf, and hired a person to work on ADA compliance. There was a hearing before a judge on March 23 to determine whether the case would go to trial, but at press time this information was not available. "We'll just have to see," Griffin said. ARE YOU READY FOR THE 1995 CONVENTION? by John A. Horst, Convention Coordinator Convention time is fast approaching and planning detail for all attendees should soon be completed. Watch for your convention packet which will be in your mailbox as early as possible in May. This packet will consist of information on many convention activities including special meetings, seminars, tours, and social events. Be certain to complete your pre-registration form promptly and return it in the addressed envelope provided. The packet information is available on cassette if requested from the ACB national office. Call (800) 424-8666 weekdays between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. You may also call (202) 467-5081 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Remember, printed forms must be used for all pre-registrations, one form per person please. ACB's 34th annual convention will occur July 1 to 8, 1995 at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C. Rates are $47 per night plus tax for up to four people per room. The Holiday Inn Four Seasons is handling all reservations, including those at overflow hotels. Call (800) 242-6556. Do not call (800) HOLIDAY, since they will not be able to provide convention rates. The cutoff date for all room reservations is June 21. By this time, all special-interest groups, committees, and others holding program sessions or social functions during the convention should have forwarded complete information to Jennifer Sutton, ACB's Coordinator of Affiliate and Membership Services in the national office. Space is available for exhibits and boutiques. You may want to place an ad in the convention program, be a convention sponsor or patron, or place information in the individual registration kits. For information on costs for any of these items, call the ACB national office. As indicated in the March "Braille Forum," (see "ACB's 34th Convention Will Be The Best Yet"), the itinerary for the overnight tour this year includes visits to the Cherokee Indian Reservation and to the Biltmore Estate. This will be a fabulous tour, but somewhat distant from the Holiday Inn Four Seasons. The tour will depart at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 30 and return by 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1. The tour costs $165. Exact cost is not available at this writing because hotels close to the reservation do not open until April. However, costs will not exceed $165. This fee will include air-conditioned motor coach transportation and one night's lodging double occupancy (if you want a single room, be prepared to pay an additional $15.) The tour also includes lunch both days, dinner Friday evening, admission tickets to the Indian village, the outdoor theater, and the Biltmore mansion and winery. Reservations are required for this tour. Please contact ACB's Minneapolis office at 120 S. 6th Ave., Suite 1005, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1839; phone (612) 332-3242. Reservations will be accepted after April 1 and will only be confirmed when full payment is provided by Visa or MasterCard number, check or money order made payable to ACB Convention 1995. Please be aware that there will be considerable walking involved in this tour. Several volunteers will accompany the tour, but individual guide service will not be available. Additional outstanding tours are on tap that will allow visitors to enjoy the North Carolina triad. These tours will provide convention attendees with an opportunity to view and absorb some of the history and culture of the local people. Cynthia Towers, assistant convention coordinator, and others who are working on tours are doing their best to make these experiences interesting and meaningful. Detailed narration and hands-on experiences are being emphasized. The 1995 convention will be exciting and challenging. Keep your mind open to learn, your heart mellow to greet new and old friends, and your entire person ready to grasp new ideas as well as become acquainted with another part of our great country. MANAGING THE MONSTER by John Dashney When I attended my first ACB convention (Phoenix, 1983), I was introduced to a funky little group called Friends-in-Art. They were a loosely organized gang of art lovers and performers who liked to get together for an informal talent show and jam session. People passing by were invited to come in to listen or participate. I did and I was hooked! The next year in Philadelphia it was almost a show, but it was still free. Walk in, take part or just enjoy yourself was the order of the day þ or night, in this case. In 1985 in Las Vegas it became a real show. We passed the hat to cover expenses and took in enough to start us dreaming about becoming a real ACB affiliate. The following year, in Knoxville, I started a six-year run as emcee. We sold tickets and the show grew þ and grew þ and grew! Now, for better or worse, we have a monster on our hands. FIA Showcase is one of the highlights of the convention, drawing over 500 paying customers each year. Last year there were nearly 40 acts in a show that ran well over three hours. That's too much of a good thing. So, to improve and modify Showcase, we (naturally) formed a committee. The committee came up with 12 guidelines to make a smoother, more workable Showcase that will ensure (we hope) a fun time for audience and performers alike. Here they are. 1. The show will be cut back to 20-22 acts with a running time of roughly two hours, including intermission. All acts will have a maximum running time of five minutes, including the performer's introductory remarks. 2. The Monday audition will be a real audition. All acts will be timed, and those that run too long will not be used. No one who does not appear at the audition will perform on Showcase. 3. Talented newcomers will get first preference. The "regulars" þ those who have appeared at least twice in the last four years þ are still loved and appreciated, but will be used on alternate years. We'll want to use half of you this year and the other half next year þ and so on. 4. Performers who appear elsewhere in the convention (i.e. at the morning general sessions or at the ACB hospitality room) will get last preference. 5. Showcase stresses variety. If you're a pretty fair banjo- picker, you probably have a lock on appearing. If you play the piano, you've got loads of competition. (I think every ninth person in ACB plays the piano.) In all cases, you do not have to be a professional, but you do have to be good. 6. One good way to get on Showcase is to team up with other performers. Duets, trios and quartets are welcome. We may even have a chorus. 7. While we are not the gospel sing, many attendees do bring their children to Showcase þ so don't get too raunchy. Risque is OK þ gross is not. 8. We will have a sighted accompanist at the audition. If you want to make use of him/her, bring your music and make sure it is in the key you sing in. 9. If you plan to sing to a tape accompaniment, bring the tape to audition. It must be a top-of-the-line chrome (not metal) cassette. 10. Poets and writers wishing to read from their works are welcome to audition, but the same time rules apply. 11. We will probably need a couple of short novelty acts to segue between heavier numbers and cover complicated setups. So if you have something really off the wall, bring it. We might just go for it. 12. The committee's judgment as to who appears and in what order is final. Performers will be notified Tuesday morning. If you are not picked, don't take it as a harsh judgment on your talent. ACB is full of talented people, and it is probably a case of too many applicants in your particular area. (See guideline 5 above.) We want Showcase to continue as one of the high points of the ACB convention. We hope these guidelines will help. Please do not feel intimidated about auditioning. Even if you're not chosen, you'll meet some great people and have a fun time. ALMA MURPHEY: HER OWN WORDS (Editor's note: Alma Murphey was the editor of "The Braille Forum" from 1969 to 1971. She served in many capacities, including ACB secretary, president of the Braille Revival League, and as a member of ACB's board of directors. Alma has consistently been a prominent part of ACB, helping to shape its future from the early days until her death in January as the result of a long illness. We thought you would enjoy reading some of her columns.) ACB CONVENTION REPORT 1963 by Alma Murphey, Secretary ("The Braille Forum," October 1963.) The American Council of the Blind held its second annual convention at the St. Clair hotel, Chicago, Illinois, on July 19, 20 and 21. Approximately one hundred people registered and 19 states were represented. The first session was called to order by President Ned Freeman at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 19. After the invocation, convention chairman Bradley Burson welcomed us to the city, made several announcements and reviewed the agenda. The remainder of the session was devoted to a panel discussion on projects and programs of state organizations. Participants were: Clyde Ross, president of the Ohio Council of the Blind; Juliet Bindt, president of the Associated Blind of California; and Wanda St. Clair, field representative of the Oklahoma Federation of the Blind. Robert O'Shaughnessy, past president of the Illinois Federation of the Blind, served as moderator. A lively question period concluded the discussion. The afternoon session featured talks by: (1) Raymond Dickinson, Coordinator of Services for the Blind, Illinois Department of Mental Health; (2) Arthur Eisenberg, Field Representative, Department of Communications, American Foundation for the Blind; and (3) Mrs. Louis Kuppenheimer, Vice President, Board of Directors, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. Question periods followed each talk. Following the invocation on Saturday morning, Mr. George Magers, Assistant Chief, Services for the Blind, Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, delivered a talk and effectively answered questions. Then proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws were read and the convention heard credit union committee chairman Durward McDaniel's report and Legislative committee chairman Paul Kirton's report. Most of Saturday afternoon was devoted to talks by distinguished guests: Mr. Louis Vieceli, Coordinator, Placement Counselor Training Program, Southern Illinois University; Mr. James B. Duffin, U.S. Civil Service Commission, Chicago; and Mr. Donald Nold, Editor of the Talking Lion. Four resolutions were then adopted and the session adjourned. A reception was held immediately prior to the banquet on Saturday evening. The banquet program included: a talk by president Ned Freeman, presentation of the first Ambassador Award by Earl Scharry to Miss Jearldine Noeller of Kansas, three vocal solos beautifully performed by Louis Davis of Chicago, and an address by our guest of honor, Col. E.A. Baker, President of the World Council for the Blind. Dr. Bradley Burson proved himself to be an excellent master of ceremonies. The first item of business on Sunday morning was the treasurer's report for the year beginning July 1, 1962. The following figures are quoted from the report: total receipts $7,019.74, total disbursements $5,058.53, balance as of June 30, 1963, $1,961.21. During the rest of the session consideration was given to the proposed amendments which had been read to the convention on Saturday. (All amendments adopted by the convention can be found in your copy of the revised constitution appearing in this issue.) The newly authorized board of publications was set up Sunday afternoon. The three members elected by the convention are: Floyd Qualls, W.A. Routh, and Jearldine Noeller. The two members appointed by the president are: June Goldsmith, chairman, and Harriet Penner. After rescinding a motion to hold our next convention in New York City, Rochester, N.Y., and Louisville, Ky., were approved as convention sites for 1964 and 1965 respectively. A motion carried that the period of conventions be extended to four days, and it was decided that our 1964 convention shall be held on July 23, 24, 25 and 26. Paul Kirton presented 11 recommendations of the legislative committee. They were all accepted. Resolution 6305 was adopted. The president announced that time had not been available for consideration of the statement of purpose (see Braille Forum for July 1963) and it was sent back to the resolutions committee to be presented at a later date. After the usual closing announcements, the convention adjourned at 5 p.m. A WORD FROM THE EDITOR ("The Braille Forum," September 1969) Dear Readers, "The Braille Forum" isn't the place to record secrets, but I can't help whispering to you that this editorial job was never one of my goals; it isn't the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream. As a matter of fact, I accepted it with great reluctance, and with sincere regret that our more accomplished members were "too busy" for the assignment. However, I do feel highly honored that the ACB board of directors as well as the board of publications seemed confident that I wouldn't wreck the ship. So, while relying heavily upon tact, courage and wisdom of president Reese Robrahn, Washington representative Durward McDaniel, sweet Loretta Freeman, my veteran editorial colleagues George Card and Earl Scharry, and many others, I promise to do my best. As everybody surely knows, all members of the American Council of the Blind were shocked and grief-stricken by the death of our beloved Ned Freeman, who had figured so prominently in the founding, growth and activities of the organization. Whatever one's role in the ACB, we must still be "all shook up" over that tragic event. Generally speaking however, we shall feel our loss mostly keenly when reading "The Braille Forum" because, of all the ACB programs, the Forum was dearest to Ned's heart and most profoundly influenced by his hopes, his ideals, his philosophy þ his personal touch that is as inimitable as his fingerprints or signature. We shall carry on Ned's work to the best of our ability, of course; yet the Forum will never be quite the same þ we must face the fact that change is inevitable. Your comments and suggestions (either typed or brailled) will be most welcome. But only the more urgent communications can be answered. The reason: domestic duties and involvement with half a dozen time-consuming projects. Three cheers for "The Braille Forum!" Mrs. Alma Murphey, editor ALMA MURPHEY TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN YUGOSLAVIA ("The Braille Forum," September-October 1975) Alma Murphey of St. Louis, Missouri, a former editor of "The Braille Forum," past president of the Missouri Federation of the Blind, and former national secretary of the American Council of the Blind, will represent the latter organization at the International Conference on the Situation of Blind Women. The conference will be held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, November 18-20. Its theme will be: "The Contribution of Blind Women to Development and Peace." Mrs. Murphey will deliver a paper and participate in a workshop on "The Participation of Blind Women in a Modern Society, Her Family and Community." Other papers and workshops will deal with blind women's access to education, access to rehabilitation, and access to training and employment. The conference's program committee was created by the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, in cooperation with the International Federation of the Blind. The idea for the conference was inspired by the United Nations' declaring 1975 as International Women's Year. We congratulate our esteemed member, who will represent us and blind women well on this occasion. At our national convention, delegates and affiliated organizations contributed more than $700 toward her expenses for this conference. Her letter of appreciation follows: Dear Editor: This is just a note to convey my heartfelt thanks to those individual members and affiliates of the American Council of the Blind who responded so generously to the motion that a collection be taken up to help with my travel expenses when I fly to Belgrade, Yugoslavia in November. Without such munificent assistance, I never could have hoped to take such an expensive trip. But now, with such help as may come from the Missouri Federation of the Blind, I feel that all should go well. Though I still do not know how the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind program committee ever heard of me, I certainly shall try to let the conference know that America is a grand place for a blind person to live and work. Cordially and gratefully yours, Alma Murphey INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE SITUATION OF BLIND WOMEN by Alma Murphey ("The Braille Forum," January-February 1976.) The International Conference on the Situation of Blind Women was exceedingly interesting, as well as most enjoyable. Attended by 170 delegates and observers from 37 countries, the conference was held at Belgrade, Yugoslavia, November 18-20, 1975. The meetings were held in the Hall of Engineers and Technicians, where all speeches were immediately translated into English, French, German, Russian and Serbian þ the latter being the language most used in Yugoslavia þ and each of us was supplied with earphones attached to a little battery-operated instrument (probably a radio) so that we could listen to the language of our choice. Communication was more difficult outside the meetings, but a surprising number of delegates used English fluently, and interpreters were usually available when needed. The opening session on November 18 was largely devoted to warm welcoming addresses by the president of the city council, Belgrade's highest official, by the president of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and by the president of the International Federation of the Blind, Dr. Fatima Shah. We also heard a telegram from the United Nations, regretting that it could not send a representative to the conference, and a telegram from Portugal stating that their delegation was unable to attend as had been planned. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Dorina Nowill on the general status of blind women. Dr. Nowill of Brazil is vice president of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind and was program chairman of the conference. She speaks English quite fluently. Early in the afternoon session, I was called upon to read my paper, "The Blind Woman and Her Family and Participation in the Community, in an Urban Setting." Dr. Fatima Shah, a charming blind woman from Pakistan, then delivered her paper, which described the appalling trials and tribulations of most blind women in her country, where many people equate blindness with uselessness and shame. I hope her paper will be published some day, because it cannot fail to rouse American blind women to a fuller appreciation of their countless blessings. The latter part of the session was devoted to education. One paper, delivered by a teacher of the blind, discussed schools for the blind in Yugoslavia. Dr. Isabel Grant of California followed with a discussion of the integrated public school program. During a lovely reception that evening, I presented the vice president of Belgrade's city council with the key to St. Louis and conveyed warm greetings from the mayor and the people of my beloved city. Then I had the great pleasure of personally meeting delightful people from many parts of the world. Their comments on the paper I had read that afternoon were truly gratifying, for I had felt a bit uneasy, lest my remarks would be of little interest to such a group of professional workers for the blind. Rehabilitation was the theme of the Wednesday morning session. We heard several excellent papers on that subject, including one about rehabilitation programs in Yugoslavia and another about a recently initiated program for blind women in Ghana, West Africa. A discussion period followed during which many delegates spoke briefly on rehabilitation programs in their respective countries. Wednesday afternoon was devoted to a most interesting tour of Belgrade's school for the blind. It reminded many of us of the residential schools we knew so well. The geography class was using maps with which we are all familiar, and the children in the math class had Perkins braillers on their desks. On Wednesday evening, we attended a splendid concert by blind musicians. It began with a choral group from the school we had just visited. This was remarkably good. Then numbers by Bach, Mozart and other great composers were expertly performed by older blind musicians. The program ended with folk music, which the Yugoslavs love so well. Employment was the theme Thursday morning. We were treated to several fine papers on the subject. Then, during the discussion period, 17 persons from 14 countries briefly described what is being done to employ the blind in their own countries. During the final session, we learned that the two blind delegates from Uganda, Africa, had just arrived. Their delay had been caused by the refusal of an airline on which they had reservations to let them board without a sighted companion. By the time they had made travel arrangements on another airline, the conference was nearly over. What a frustrating experience that must have been for those two delegates! Although the conference was formally adjourned late Thursday afternoon, a lovely banquet and very gay three-hour party kept all of us very busy and happy far into the night. It was the climactic event of three fascinating days in Belgrade as guests of the Yugoslav government, the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and the International Federation of the Blind. I shall always treasure the memory of that deeply satisfying encounter with dedicated workers for the blind from all over the world. Accompanied by a charming sighted girl, a resident of Belgrade who had spent a year in St. Louis during the mid-1960s, we three Murpheys þ my son Paul, his wife Anne and I þ went shopping Friday morning. Our young friend's efforts to help, her fluency in both English and Serbian, and her familiarity with the best stores made that a delightful experience. She was a jewel! We made the short flight from Belgrade to Vienna that afternoon. There we enjoyed a delicious dinner at our hotel, then had a long, restful night þ we needed it, too. We shopped a little and did a lot of leisurely sightseeing on Saturday, had another marvelous dinner, slept well, and finally boarded a TWA plane for home Sunday morning. When we landed in St. Louis at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, it was actually 3:30 Monday morning in Vienna and Belgrade þ a fact which added one more Alice-in-Wonderland touch to my wonderful trip. ACB PROFILE: ALMA MURPHEY, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT ("The Braille Forum," June 1977.) Blinded by nitrate of silver in early infancy, Alma Rogers Murphey, elected first vice president of the American Council of the Blind at its 1976 convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas, received her formal education at the Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis. Three years after graduating from that institution, she became the wife, devoted companion and business assistant of Jack Murphey, a man who was totally blind and profoundly deaf. They have six children. Five are doing well in their chosen fields; the youngest will graduate from high school in June. In addition to her remarkable career as wife and mother, Alma Murphey has served with distinction in the ranks of the organized bind since 1955, when she became a charter member of RITE (Real Independence Through Employment), a now well-known St. Louis club. Not only has she been an outstanding member of RITE over the last 22 years, but she has also served as president of the Missouri Federation of the Blind during that statewide organization's most turbulent periods, 1957-1962 and 1970-1972, when she led in the formulation, promotion and implementation of the Missouri Federation's major policies and programs. Alma also served as secretary of the National Federation of the Blind from 1958-1960 þ a disillusioning experience for one who had so admired the NFB's leadership until coming face to face with the realities of its intolerance. As a result, she led the Missouri Federation out of the NFB, became a charter member of the American Council of the Blind, and served as its secretary for six years. For a time, she also served as editor of "The Braille Forum." In 1975, she traveled to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, as ACB's delegate to the International Conference on the Situation of Blind Women, where she delivered a paper, "The Blind Woman and Her Family and Participation in the Community in an Urban Setting." In Indianapolis, Indiana, in July of 1976, she was named recipient of the Midwest Regional AAWB Award, in recognition of her dedication and outstanding leadership in services to the blind. Small wonder, then, that this quiet, competent, dedicated blind woman was thoroughly amused when asked from the floor of the Missouri Federation's 1970 convention: "What are your qualifications for the presidency of the Missouri Federation of the Blind? Have you ever held a job?" EXCERPTS FROM A SPEECH BY SEN. BILL FRIST: INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AND CHOICES AS OTHER AMERICANS as reported by Glenn Plunkett (Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from a speech by Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to a consortium of people with disabilities and disability advocates. We think this will help you judge from the senator's speech the direction disability policy will follow, and the approach taken in establishing disability policy. Considering the philosophy as outlined by the senator, you may wish to consider the approach you will take in advocating for programs affecting people who are blind.) You and I are at the beginning of a potential long-term relationship. I want it to work. This year I intend to focus my energy on programs under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee, especially the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and on assisting in the drafting of the Job Training Consolidation act. If I do a credible job on legislative activities in which I have a legitimate role, and in the process bring my colleagues to a clearer understanding of the nature and values of proposals þ what they mean to all citizens of this country þ I will be in a better position and better prepared to offer advice on legislation in 1996 and later. Now I would like to offer a few observations on the political climate. In November people voted for change þ a smaller federal government, fewer federal mandates, and more state and local control over how people are served. In the abstract, this vote and its manifestation is neither good nor bad, right or wrong. It is a question of how the change is accomplished. We should not assume that any and all reconfiguration of programs and any and all approaches to shifting control and discretion to states will be harmful to individuals with disabilities. The vote does mean, however, that we must enter the debate, be flexible, and focus on outcomes. It means that we must enter the national debate, and every state and local debate as well. If we are serious about the fullest possible participation of people with disabilities in their communities we should not view block grants as opportunities to carve out separate or exempted programs for individuals with disabilities. Rather, we should view block grants as opportunities to create service standards that mandate the meaningful participation for persons with disabilities in whatever is being offered through block grants. The vote means we should work to influence the development of outcome standards by which block grants will be judged. We should urge data collection on programs that includes information on how all participating individuals benefit, both disabled and non-disabled. We should urge that data for individuals with disabilities also be reported separately. By having such data, two things are possible: We will have a true index of how individuals with disabilities are doing when compared with their non-disabled counterparts. And, if the comparison is not favorable, we will have a fact-based justification for retaining or reinstating separate financing, specialized services, and separate more targeted programs. If governors and mayors know that their control and discretion over use of programs funds are contingent upon how individuals with disabilities are treated when compared to non-disabled persons, then they will have a real incentive to do it right the first time. If governors and mayors know that their control and discretion over use of programs funds are contingent upon how outcomes achieved by individuals with disabilities compare to non-disabled persons, then they will have a real incentive to do it right the first time. I wish to spend my remaining time talking about your relationship to the subcommittee. This subcommittee has a history of bipartisan cooperation, and I am committed to continuing this bipartisan tradition. The basis of this cooperation was a fundamental belief in the rights of individuals with disabilities to have the same opportunities and choices as other Americans. Already we have an example of that bipartisanship. That is the schedule and agenda set with regard to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization. The challenge you face is not that this belief has been altered or discarded, but that it, along with other human service programs founded on the same belief, have been brought up in the wave to cut the deficit, to reduce the federal bureaucracy, and to shift to the states control and responsibility. In reacting to this, I ask you to work with us. Job training consolidation is a case in point. Engage us with an open mind. IF, for example, case management and an individualized approach to service planning are being proposed as central provisions of a restructured program, consider if a simple clarification of the provision would increase the likelihood that any eligible individual, including one with a disability, would be treated fairly. Help develop basic service standards so that all eligible recipients, including those with disabilities, have equitable access. Help design national outcome standards so state or local efforts to serve citizens can be judged in the same manner across the country. Be willing to illustrate the merits of legislative gains you have made in the past to shape pending legislation. Most of you have experience, perhaps personal experience, with the effects of federal programs that promote access, mandate individualized services and choices, and offer due process to resolve disputes. The legislative provisions that established or clarified access, choice and dispute resolution for individuals with disabilities have value in the broad arena of federal human resource policy. Share this experience with those restructuring programs. Be willing to identify the limits and strengths of legislative approaches you know about. Such efforts may accomplish two ends: First, you may introduce a new approach to accountability in pending legislation; and second, your efforts may lessen the need to attach separate guidelines for individuals with disabilities affected by such legislation. Finally, I would like to repeat something I said a moment ago. Please be patient, help us carry out the subcommittee's agenda for this year. Our success and your success will be affected by our ability to be focused, address issues in a bipartisan spirit of cooperation, and tackle things we must, first. This may mean some issues, some debates and some solutions must be held to another. I can accept that. I ask you to accept it, too. Together we represent a powerful, positive force for good, for responsible change, for preserved civil rights, for meaningful opportunities, and for real choices for Americans with disabilities. ARE YOU A NEWS HOUND? by Steve Bauer (Editor's note: Steve Bauer is a member of the Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired. For many years, Bauer has contributed stories to "The Braille Forum," "Dialogue," "Tactic," and a variety of other publications. This story was provided to "The Braille Forum" via the Internet.) If you like to watch news on TV, listen to news/talk radio, hear the newspaper read on a radio reading service, read magazines, well, you get the picture; then you are probably a news hound. If you have a computer and have either an Internet mail address or an account on America Online, then you can have access to the news hound's dream come true. In short, if you're a news hound, then you need NewsHound. What is NewsHound? NewsHound is a service offered by the San Jose Mercury Center. It automatically searches the stories and most classified ads in the San Jose Mercury-News, as well as hundreds of stories not published in the paper. Selected articles and ads matching your profiles are sent directly to your Internet address. You create a NewsHound profile which tells the system what type of articles you want to receive. The profiles you create contain the words or phrases you would expect to see in articles. This way, you get news stories on the topics you are most interested in reading about. Once created, a NewsHound profile searches incoming articles and advertisements every hour on the hour throughout the day and sends the most relevant ones to your e-mail box. You don't have to spend time searching for this information because your NewsHound does the work. The special rate for charter subscribers to the Mercury Center NewsHound service is just $4.95 per month for a total of up to five different profiles. That's half off the usual rate of $9.95 per month þ and the first month is free! This is a flat rate that applies regardless of the number of stories or ads delivered to your e-mail box during the month. You can delete old profiles and create new ones as often as you like so long as the total is five or less. If you need more profiles, the special rate for charter subscribers is an additional $4.95 per month for each group of five. To register your Internet address to use the NewsHound, please call (800) 818-NEWS which translates to (800) 818-6397 or (408) 297-8495. Customer service hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. Charges are billed on your credit card on the 15th of each month by the San Jose Mercury-News. With NewsHound, you control how little or how much news you receive. In fact, they encourage you to modify your profiles to meet your current news needs. This is an excellent service and the customer service representatives are very helpful. When you sign up, you will be able to submit your profiles in about one hour and news will start flowing immediately. If you have any questions, my e-mail address is sbauer@tyrell.net. ACB BOARD ADOPTS 1995 BUDGET, LONG-RANGE PLAN by Nolan Crabb ACB's future, both short-term and long-range, was the major focus of discussion for members of the organization's board of directors when they met in Greensboro, N.C. for the council's mid- year board meeting. The group passed a lean 1995 budget that reflected what budget committee chairman Brian Charlson called a "pragmatic and realistic approach" to spending and revenue collection estimates. Board members agreed that at least for 1995, the July and August issues of "The Braille Forum" would be combined, and leadership training seminars would be temporarily put on hiatus. But the 1995 budget isn't one of all gloom, doom, and cuts, nor is it a retrenchment to the darker fiscal days of the past. Money has been set aside for revamping of some of ACB's brochures, and those computer users who have access to the Internet or another on-line service such as GEnie, CompuServe or Delphi will soon be able to have limited access to ACB's bulletin board service through their local connection rather than dialing long distance. The board approved a budget line item that will fund the connection of ACB ON-LINE to the Internet. The board spent the afternoon of the first day's session looking at a proposed long-range planning document produced by the Long-Range Planning Committee. A final draft of the report was not available at press time, but an upcoming issue of "The Braille Forum" will include additional details. Board members also heard from Jamal Mazrui, a member of the Bay State Council of the Blind, who had been involved in negotiations with Microsoft that sought to increase Microsoft's awareness of the information access problems which Microsoft's graphical Windows operating system poses for blind computer users. "The graphical user interface is the largest single threat currently facing blind people," Mazrui told the board. "It represents a clear and present danger regarding the employment of blind people." He indicated he had attended meetings with Microsoft officials in August. Paul Schroeder, ACB's former Director of Governmental Affairs, represented the council at that meeting. Subsequent to that meeting, the National Council on Disability and others applied increased pressure to Microsoft, demanding meetings and urging the company to increase its efforts to help solve the accessibility problems prior to the release of a new computer operating system called Windows 95. (Editor's Note: Since the mid-year board meeting, Microsoft has, in fact, responded by announcing the availability of four jobs which deal with programming and marketing and which are designed to find solutions to the graphical access issue.) Mazrui told the board that Microsoft will host an accessibility summit in which industry leaders and consumers will be able to discuss present technology and future directions. In other action, the board heard an update regarding the council's thrift stores from James Olsen, executive director of ACB Enterprises and Services, the company which manages the thrift stores. He indicated that a new store would open in the Midwest in the early spring. Other facilities, he said, are in the process of relocating. AWARD REMINDER Your window of opportunity to nominate someone for one of ACB's prestigious awards is rapidly closing. As many of you know, the awards are presented each year as part of the ACB banquet or part of the Sunday evening opening ceremonies. These awards offer the perfect opportunity for you to recognize someone in your state or someone engaged in a particular project of merit. The annual presentation of awards recognizing outstanding dedication, distinguished service, and achievement by and/or for blind and visually impaired people has become a widely anticipated event at recent American Council of the Blind national conventions. The Awards Committee seeks nominations for the 1995 awards and asks that all nominations be sent directly to the ACB National Office, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. For your information, criteria for the several ACB awards for which nominations are sought are: The Robert S. Bray Award, established in 1975 in memory of the late chief of what is now the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, is presented periodically in recognition of outstanding work in extending library services or access to published materials, or improving communications devices or techniques. The Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award recipient is selected each year from among blind candidates who, through their lives, associations, and activities, have demonstrated their integration into and their interaction with the life of the community. It is not necessary that the candidate be a member of or active in any organizations of the blind, or be engaged in work for the blind. The George Card Award is presented periodically to an outstanding blind person who has contributed significantly to the betterment of blind people in general. This award is not limited by locality or by nature of the contribution. Nominations should be postmarked no later than June 1, 1995. 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. NEW BOOK "Dancing in the Dark" by Frances L. Neer is a book for friends, family and others who deal with those whose sight is failing. It is a good-humored, direct, non-threatening reference guide for living in such a situation; it also includes a resource directory and a primer of common eye disorders to help people understand the language of visual impairment. The author's royalties are being donated to the William L. Neer Scholarship Fund for the San Francisco State University students who are enrolled in the visually impaired section of the special education program. The book can be ordered through your favorite bookstore or through Wildstar Publishing, 1550 California St., Suite 330, San Francisco, CA 94109. It costs $10.95 plus $3 shipping and handling; California residents pay 8.5 percent sales tax. For credit card orders, call (800) 321-1912. CUSTOM CRUISES Anyone who recently requested or currently needs information from Custom Cruises Unlimited regarding the Jamaican cruise should again contact Susan Brewer, Custom Cruises Unlimited, 8036 Congresswood Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45224. Write in braille or cassette only. VIDPI ON THE 'NET The Visually Impaired Data Processors International, VIDPI, has created the vidpi-l Internet mailing list to facilitate communication among its members. The mailing list can be accessed by any VIDPI member with an Internet mailing address. This includes those members with accounts on most of the major online information services such as Compuserve, Delphi or GeNie. VIDPI members wishing to subscribe to the vidpi-l mailing list should contact: Frank Welte, VIDPI Special Projects Officer, at his Internet address: f.welte@genie.geis.com, at work (415) 983-7656, or at home, (415) 508-8329. SIMPLICITY READING Donald Chumley sells the Simplicity color CCTV reading system. The monitors are 13 or 14 inches. Systems cost $2,695 plus $75 shipping. If you're interested, call Donald Chumley at (614) 886- 6305, or write him at Route 2, Box 447-L, Proctorville, OH 45669. JAWS FOR WINDOWS JAWS for Windows, made by Henter-Joyce, is now available. It's adjustable, from beginner to pro, includes built-in pop-up helpers, and is CD-ROM compatible. The package includes six cassette training tutorials, manuals in print and disk, and on-line JAWS quick reference help. For more information, contact Henter- Joyce at 2100 62nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702. NEW TRUSTEES, OTHERS The American Foundation for the Blind has elected six people to its board of trustees: John Eyler, president and CEO of FAO Schwarz; Pam Farr, senior vice president of human relations, lodging group, Marriott International; Barbara McCarthy, president of AER; Stephanie Skurdy, director of communications, McDonald's Corp.; A.F. Specht Jr., president of Combined Health Appeal of Georgia, and C. Gerron Vartan, the designer of AFB's logo and graphic standards. In addition, Janina Sajka was named the director of information systems, and will direct the design and deployment of AFB's computer and telecommunication systems, in addition to ensuring that these systems are accessible. SCREENPOWER TeleSensory Corporation is now shipping ScreenPower for Windows. It identifies each icon, button, scroll bar and command element in Windows and makes them easy to find and operate. It builds an information tree for the user to explore with the keys on the numeric keypad. It is compatible with more than 30 speech synthesizers, including DECTalk, and TeleSensory's line of refreshable braille devices. It costs $995. For more information, call (800) 286-8484. DICTIONARIES ON DISK Recording for the Blind has recently introduced five dictionaries on computer disks that operate with BookManager. They are: "Black's Law Dictionary," "Dictionary of American Literary Characters," "Stedman's Medical Dictionary," Stedman's Pocket Medical Dictionary" and "Computer Words You Gotta Know." For more information, contact RFB at (800) 221-4792. SPACE CAMP Adult Space Camp for the Blind will be held at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Ala., from May 12 to May 14. The program is coordinated by the West Virginia School for the Blind. Braille, large print, and some adaptive equipment will be provided. Sighted guides and additional specialized assistance are provided by the teacher training program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The program's cost is approximately $500 for tuition, plus one night stay prior to the weekend, transportation, and souvenirs. For more information, contact Dan Oates West Virginia School for the Blind, 301 E. Main St., Romney, WV 26757; phone (304) 822-4883 weekdays, (304) 822-4410 evenings. BIKE RACES The USABA has announced its calendar of bicycle racing events for 1995. Races are as follows. May 6 þ Cedar Valley (Iowa) Tandem Race: Time trial in the morning, a 35-mile road race in the afternoon. There is a separate tandem category. Contact Russ Clark, Europa Cycle, Cedar Falls, IA 50613; phone (319) 277-0734. May 14 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. May 20-21 þ Pepin Hills (Wis.) Grand Prix: Hill climb, criterium, road race. Beautiful hill country with 660 feet of climbing per lap, twisty 50 m.p.h. descents. Contact Bob Benedum at 2319 Afton Dr., Menomonie, WI 54751; phone (715) 235-4343. May 25-28 þ Tour of Belgium (Europe): Four-day, five-stage tour of more than 30 visually impaired tandems from all over Europe. Four 80-kilometer road races and one time trial. Entry fee includes transportation, housing and meals. Contact Belgische TandemRace Club, p/a Deraet John, Pierstraat 21, B-2840 Reet Belgium. May 27-28 þ Miami Valley (Ohio) Criterium Race: Two criteriums in two days. Contact Doug Barker or Linda Clemens at 6351 Adams Circle, Centerville, OH 45459, or call (513) 436-9045. June 4 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. June 11 þ Lititz (Pa.) Criterium: Industrial park course criterium. Contact Rodney Moseman Bicycle World, P.O. Box 362, Lititz, PA 17543-0362 or phone (717) 626-0650. June 24 þ Mount Tabor (Ore.) Criterium: Approximately a 30- mile hilly criterium near Portland, Ore. Contact Pam Reid, 5779 NW Deschutes Dr., Portland, OR 97229, or phone (503) 645-8948. June 25 þ Central New Hampshire Road Race: 40-mile hilly race in Bow, N.H., sponsored by the local Rotary Club. Contact Jerry Carrier at 17 One Stack Dr., Bow, N.H. 03304, or phone (603) 224- 1286. July 1-4 þ Burley (Ore.) Duet Cycling Classic Stage Race: The premiere tandems-only stage race in America. Experience the challenge of close teamwork, steep climbs and fast descents. Five stages: three road races, one time trial, one criterium. Cash prizes, USCF license required. Organizer will provide housing. Contact Patricia LeCaux at Burley Design Cooperative, 4080 Stewart Rd., Eugene, OR 97402, or phone (503) 687-1644. July 4 þ Cycle Fitness (Conn.) Firecracker Criterium: Tandem category criterium event in Middletown, Conn. Call (800) 820-2453. July 9 þ West Hartford (Conn.) Criterium: USCF 15 kilometer criterium course in West Hartford. Contact Brian Cohen, Central Wheel Bicycle Shop, 62 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06032, or call (203) 677-7010. July 16 þ New England Regional Time Trial Championship: New England regional championship. Medals awarded to fastest men and women. Contact Minuteman Road Club, c/o Katie Robey, 97 Hudsen Rd., Marlboro, MA 01752, or call Rich Mazzola at (508) 881-8934. July 16 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. July 25 þ International Challenge Tandem: Lorient, France tandem race held within the Tour de France Feminin. Lodging and meals provided by promoter. Contact Michel Berthezene Federation Francaise Handisport Comite d'Organization Challenge International Tandem, 42 rue Louis Lumiere 75020 Paris, France. July 26-31 þ USCF Masters National Championship (Tenn.): Road race and time trial for the USABA and USCF National Championship in Nashville, Tenn. July 30 þ Tour of Lititz (Pa.): 22-mile tandem road race. USCF. Contact Rodney Moseman, Bicycle World, P.O. Box 362, Lititz, PA 17543-0362, or phone (717) 626-0650. August 20 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. Sept. 1-5 þ Killington (Vt.) Stage Race: First ever tandem category during pro stage race. Still in the planning stages. Call Breakaway Promotions at (617) 244-1577 to show your support. Sept. 9 þ Martha's Vineyard Criterium: Criterium held in conjunction with the Race for the Rock. Contact Bill Stafursky at (508) 693-1656 or (508) 693-0110, or write Cottage City Race Committee, P.O. Box 1108, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. Sept. 10 þ Race for the Rock (Mass.): Downtown criterium in historic Plymouth. Tandem category. Contact Dave Alger, Mass Bay Road Club, at (508) 643-0618. Sept. 10 þ Mt. Washington Hill Climb (N.H.): Eight-mile hill climb up New England's tallest mountain. Contact Tin Mountain Conservation Center, P.O. Box 1170, Conway, N.H. 03818, or phone (603) 447-6991. Sept. 16-17 þ International Championship of the Czech Republic: Open invitation. Uphill time trial and road race. Contact Vaclav Svoboda Na brazde 6, 141 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic. Sept. 17 þ Tour de Carroll (Mass.): Criterium and corporate challenge time trial. Three hour time trials for individuals and teams þ ride benefits the Carroll Center for the Blind. Contact Giselle at the Carroll Center for the Blind, 770 Time St., Newton, MA 02158; phone (617) 969-6200. Sept. 17 þ Bethel Industrial Strength Crit (Conn.): Criterium in Connecticut. Contact Susan Bannay at 25 Bart Rd., Monroe, CT 06468; phone (203) 268-2671. Sept. 23 þ LOTOJA Bicycle Classic (Utah): 203-mile road race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming through flat, hilly and mountainous terrain. Tandem category included for the first time in 1993. Cash prizes. Contact Sunrise Cyclery, 138 N 100 E, Logan, UT 84321; phone (801) 753-3294, or call the Cache Chamber of Commerce at (800) 657-5353. Sept. 24 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. Oct. 8 þ Wells Avenue (Mass.) Training Series: Tandem training series by the Boston Road Club. Criterium racing each month at Wells Avenue in Newton. Contact Fran Castano at (617) 926-3462. Oct. 8 þ Columbus Criterium (Conn.): Fast and furious one-mile rectangle, mostly flat. Prizes. Contact Cycle Center, Route 30, Post Road Plaza, Vernon, CT 06066, or call (203) 872-7740. Oct. 21 þ Turkey Day Bike Races (Md.): Columbia, Md. Smooth 2.2-mile circuit, flat with one big ring hill. Prizes/primes. Contact Bobby Phillips, 3983 Forest Valley Rd., Baltimore, MD 21234; phone (410) 882-9023. BALDWIN AWARDED Bryan R. Baldwin of Atascosa, Texas, is the 1995 winner of the Peter J. Salmon Award for National Blind Employee of the Year by National Industries for the Blind. He is a San Antonio Lighthouse employee. He has also returned to school, is active in church and spends most of his free time with his daughters and working on his home computer. MILLER STEPS DOWN Dr. Ronald Miller has stepped down from his position as executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association. He will step into the position of Blinded Veteran Advocate in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Miller had served as BVA's executive director since October 1985. Thomas Miller took over the position of executive director on Dec. 16, 1994. Thomas Miller had been BVA's Director of Governmental Relations for the last nine years. NEW AT HELEN KELLER The Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults has appointed Nancy Flax to the position of assistant director of the center. She began her new position on January 9. She is the former assistant executive director of the Steinway Child and Family Services, Inc. WONDER DOG'S STORY On Feb. 12, 1995, Ed and Toni Eames received the Maxwell medallion from the Dog Writers Association of America at its annual awards ceremony. Their article, "Kirby's Miracle," dealt with the rehabilitation of Ed's guide dog Kirby after cancer forced doctors to amputate his left front leg, and was voted the best 1994 feature article in a dog magazine. USABA 1994 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR Pamala Fernandes, USABA -- Tandem Cycling Pam Fernandes has excelled as an athlete in the face of adversity. She lost her sight when she was 21 due to diabetes. At 26 she had a kidney transplant. But the former high school varsity athlete has rebounded well and is now training for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games as an elite tandem cyclist for USABA. She trains six days a week -- two days of interval training, two long rides (about two hours each) and two days on a wind trainer. Last year she spent five days at the Olympic Training Center with the Cyclist Development Camp for athletes with disabilities. Along with pilot Mike Rosenberg, Fernandes won a silver medal at the World Tandem Cycling Championships, July 1-6 in Ghent, Belgium. It was the first world championship medal for the USABA cycling program. In 1993 she was a national champion at the Fresca Masters Road Championships (48K) in St. Louis, Mo. She also took fourth place at the 1993 Firecracker Criterium (15K) in Middleton, Conn., and fifth place at the 1993 Western Hartford Criterium (16K) in Hartford, Conn. Pam is less surprised by her success than many others. "Sometimes people look at me and think, 'She's blind, diabetic, she had a kidney transplant and asthma, and yet she rides a bike.'" Pam is also extremely active within her community. She works as a volunteer recruitment specialist and community relations coordinator for the Massachusetts Association for the Blind. She is the Equal Access Subcommittee Chairwoman for the Government Committee on Physical Fitness in Sports. As a Joslin Diabetes Center volunteer, she was its 1992 Distinguished Achievement Award winner. She also serves on the board of directors for the Non- Profit Marketing Association of Massachusetts. Pam graduated from Wheelock College in 1985 with a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education. Kurt Fiene, USABA -- Track and Field Kurt was born October 25, 1961, with a condition called aniridia, which is the absence of the iris in the eyes. Consequently he has had to live with legal blindness throughout his life. Despite his visual impairment, Kurt has excelled in life and athletics, especially this past year. However, 1994 did not begin well for the Elmhurst, Ill., resident, because he was struggling to lift himself from unemployment. "By January I had given up looking for a job and decided to work on what I could -- my running. I started training hard for myself just to fill a gap because I was unemployed. It built up my self-esteem." As a result of running seven to 10 miles a day for eight months, Kurt won three medals at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin, Germany and proved to everyone that he is one of the best runners in the world in his division. In the 5K run, his best race, Fiene won a gold with a time of 16 minutes, one second. In the 10K run he won a silver with a time of 34 minutes and 18 seconds. He finished the 1,500-meter race in 4 minutes and 10 seconds, a personal best, winning a bronze medal. Kurt has also qualified for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games this year and runs many local races during the time between national and international competitions. IN addition to succeeding on the track in 1994, Kurt made professional strides by accepting a position as a computer programmer at the First Chicago Bank in downtown Chicago. In 1993 Kurt was invited to the USABA Elite Middle Distance, Distance and Cross Country Camp at the Olympic Training Center. He graduated from Illinois State University in 1983 with a bachelor of science degree in economics and business administration. He graduated from Glenbard East High School, Lombard, Ill., in 1979. AFFILIATE NEWS CALIFORNIA CELEBRATES 60 The California Council of the Blind celebrated its 60th anniversary at its fall convention. Elections were held. New officers are: president, Mitch Pomerantz; first vice president, Chris Gray; treasurer, David Parker. New board members are: Winifred Downing, Jeff Thom, Pat LaFrance, Teddie Remhild and Charles Nabarrete. AWARDS, ELECTIONS IN OHIO At the Ohio convention, awards and elections were prominent. Nola Webb received an award for her work in establishing the Medina chapter, the winter sports retreat and the Cleveland Sight Center's Children's Services. After she collected her plaque, fellow ACB member Fred McKinney proposed to her at the podium. (She accepted.) The Ruth Davidson Award was given to Jane Hoppe, past ACB of Ohio treasurer and membership coordinator. The Ken Morlock Award went to Anna McEachirn from Cincinnati Association for the Blind Talking Books program. The first scholarship recipients were Charles Ritley, a psychology and prelaw student at Kent State University, and Melissa Hoppe, studying computers at Wright State University. The banquet speaker was Dr. Raymond Gerandi, a Youngstown child psychologist who kept everyone laughing with his "Learning Lessons in Life from Children." Other featured speakers were ACB national representative Oral Miller, Tammy Christmas, William Casto, director of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, and Victor Leanza, Cleveland Heights psychologist. New officers are: Dawn Christensen, president; Barbara Corner, second vice president, and Stephen Cole, treasurer. New board members are Janice Carpenter-Cole, Mary Jo Strittmatter, Jill Tobin, Kent Stanley, Christopher Warner, Kelli Williams, and Leah Annette Tudor. JOIN THOSE IN THE KNOW AND BECOME A LIFE MEMBER OF ACB by Charles S.P. Hodge Just as we here in the Washington, D.C. area have finally gotten a reasonably warm day and my thoughts are turning to hot weather, summer and the upcoming ACB national convention in Greensboro, N.C., I felt the irresistible impulse to sit down and let all of you in on an important bit of information. It is not too late. Those of you out there who believe in the goals and objectives of our organization can do something important toward accomplishing those goals and objectives. What's that, you ask? Well, the answer is by becoming a life member of the American Council of the Blind. Now, I am aware that life membership dues as specified in the ACB bylaws are $1,000, which is a handsome and substantial amount of money. Yet this hefty dues burden can be spread over as many as five years of equal contributions of $200 per year. This sum of money may still be beyond the limited financial means of many of our blind members, but I dare say that there are many of our members who are employed and could legitimately consider such a financial commitment. For anyone who may be in a position to consider joining the growing life members' club within ACB, the advantages of such a decision are clear. First and foremost, of course, is the personal satisfaction that comes with the knowledge that by making a considerable and substantial financial contribution to ACB you are helping insure the successful achievement of many of our goals and objectives. Next, as a new life member, you will be awarded a beautiful, already matted and framed, life membership certificate at the opening session of the ACB national convention in Greensboro. You and one guest will also be invited to a VIP reception for life members to be held in the president's suite during the national convention at a time to be announced. As a life member, you will also be kept abreast of important information and developments regarding ACB through a series of special mailings throughout the year designed to keep life members informed. You will also be encouraged to sound off in your own way to keep the officers of ACB aware of your wishes and desires regarding future directions in ACB, and because of your status as a life member, you will be guaranteed of having the ear of the officers and staff of ACB. For all of these good reasons, please join in the know and become a life member of ACB. I am a fully paid up life member of ACB, so I feel comfortable in asking those of you who are able to do so to do what I have already done. Nothing would make me feel more proud than if ACB's life members' club could grow by the awarding of a dozen life membership certificates at this year's national convention. Please join me in making it happen. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: IBM-XT computer with a large print display processor (DP-11) and a large print display monitor. Asking $600 or best offer. Also, IBM Screen Reader (still factory packed) for $350. Call Donna James at (203) 627-5707. FOR SALE: Arkenstone Hot Reader True Scan card, HP Scanjet Plus with daughter card and automatic document feeder which attaches to the scanner, all documentation in print and on disk with taped tutorial, and software version 2.02. Asking $900, including insured shipping UPS in the United States. Write in any form or call Roger Behm at (608) 754-0658; 1611 Clover Ln., Janesville, WI 53545. FOR SALE: One-year-old TeleSensory Braille Mate with adapter, Y cable, manuals in braille, cassette, large print and 5 1/4-inch disk, and 128K RAM card. $1,500 or best offer. Also selling a Bearcat 2500 XLT hand-held radio scanner. 400 channels programmable. Asking $400. Contact Michael Todd at P.O. Box 144, Littlestown, PA 17340; phone (717) 359-7615. FOR SALE: 14-inch computer monitor with VGA card. $200. Call Michael at (301) 953-1806 for more information. FOR SALE: The Reading Edge Asking $4,300. Contact Ron Friedfertig at (516) 897-7308 or (718) 437-0502. FOR SALE: Four new Walkmates, mobility assistive devices. Must be used with a cane. $189 each. Will take in trade tape recorders in working or non-working order, other items such as microphones, cassette tapes and other electronic devices designed for the blind. Trade items represent a discount on the price. Write to William Parker at 2311 W. 183rd St., Apt. 201B, Homewood IL 60430; phone (708) 798-2838. FOR SALE: TeleSensory CCTV. In perfect condition þ used very little. Asking $1,200. Contact Bill Denham at (202) 364-0920. "CONVENTION CONNECTIONS" þ A UNIQUE WAY TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS by Sharon Keeran Are you attending an ACB convention for the first time? Or are you an ACB convention veteran who would like to expand your circle of acquaintances? Put an ad in "Convention Connections." Are you a sports lover, a devotee of the arts, or a technology buff who would like a friend to share your favorite pastimes? Put an ad in "Convention Connections." Are you a little shy and find it difficult to walk up to someone who just might be a new, interesting friend? Put an ad in "Convention Connections." Here's how it works. "Convention Connections" is a newspaper published by the American Council of the Blind Government Employees. The paper is dedicated to personal ads exclusively for the Greensboro ACB convention. It will appear in braille, large print, and cassette. Simply write an ad of 100 words or less outlining pertinent facts about you and what attributes you would like in a friend. As long as the ad is under 100 words and contains no inappropriate language it will be published without alteration. Four samples of ads appear at the end of this article to help you craft your entry. Send this ad in either print, braille or cassette, along with $10, to Sharon Keeran, 4557 45th Ave. SW, Unit 204, Seattle, WA 98116. Your ad and the $10 must be in Sharon's hands by June 1, 1995 to guarantee its publication. The paper will be available for purchase at the convention. Our first issue of "Convention Connections" was published last year in Chicago. We learned that many more people were interested in the paper than we had expected. This year we will be prepared to more widely distribute "Convention Connections." Acronyms will be used for common descriptive terms such as "sf" for single female, "LD" for light drinker, or "NS" for non-smoker. A list of these acronyms will be included in "Convention Connections." Personal ads have become an acceptable method by which people search out suitable friends in large urban areas. We suggest that you do not include your room number. Simply provide your full name and include a time that you will most likely be at a pre-appointed meeting place. Careful persons may prefer telephone contact prior to setting up a meeting. The following four examples are modeled after the ads appearing in many daily and weekly newspapers. "George Olson seeks any alumni of ______ school from 1955 to 1965. Please leave message in my voice mail at the Holiday Inn." "SF ld slim professional seeks 40 to 45 year old sm companion who likes dancing, movies, and leisurely swims. Leave message for ________ at the Park Lane hotel desk." "SM techie seeks new friend, no romance intended, with interest in radio, sports, and technology. call ________ at booth 45 in the exhibit hall." "It's my first time at an ACB convention and I would like to talk to someone who knows about particularly interesting programs for a job seeker. I'm inexperienced and am committed to making this convention important in seeking a professional career. Please call ________." 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 LEROY SAUNDERS 2118 N.W. 21st ST. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73107 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT CHARLES S.P. HODGE 1131 S. FOREST DR. ARLINGTON, VA 22204 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT STEPHEN SPEICHER 825 M ST., SUITE 216 LINCOLN, NE 68508 SECRETARY PATRICIA PRICE 5707 BROCKTON DRIVE #302 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220 TREASURER BRIAN CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE WATERTOWN, MA 02172 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ELIZABETH M. LENNON