THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXI June 1993 No. 11 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 Nicole Willson, 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 1993 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS Treasurer's Message: ACB In The Information Age, by Brian Charlson Last Minute Convention Reminders, by John A. Horst Former Hostage To Address Banquet Legislative Affairs Update, by Paul W. Schroeder Blind Juror Candidate Wins Substantial Disability Rights Victory In Federal Court, by Charles S. P. Hodge Editorial: The "Pros" Could Learn A Few Things From The Amateurs, by Nolan Crabb San Francisco Here We Come, by Socorro Queen Be Prepared To Enjoy The Harmony And Diversity In Art, by Janiece Petersen Computer Information You Won't Want To Miss Legal Access: Cutting Curbs Or Costs: And The Winner Is?, by Charles D. Goldman Product Review: Many Data Bases In One, by Paul Edwards Affiliate News ACB Government Employees: We Keep Them Honest, by Mitch Pomerantz Here And There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Realistic Planning For Blind And Visually Impaired Adulthood, by Eugene Saumier High Tech Swap Shop Tips For The San Francisco Traveler, by Catherine Schmitt TREASURER'S MESSAGE: ACB IN THE INFORMATION AGE by Brian Charlson Although the Americans with Disabilities Act has undoubtedly expanded the general understanding of the access needs of persons with disabilities as a whole, I believe that the level of understanding of the term "access" continues to be limited to access to buildings and, perhaps, to employment. Relatively few members of the general public, along with, unfortunately, many in the cross-disability community, understand that "access" also means full access to information. As governmental agencies embarked on the task of collecting input for the proposed regulations to implement the ADA, it came as no surprise to me when the Department of Transportation failed to provide the proposed regulations to persons with visual disabilities, in any accessible format, in time to allow for comments. It was through the insistence of ACB that the time for comments was extended to allow persons with visual disabilities to read the proposed regulations in order to submit informed comments. The American Council of the Blind has always been committed to total access to information for those with visual disabilities. Even during financial hard times, the ACB Board of Directors refused to consider limiting braille subscriptions to "The Braille Forum" to only those who "absolutely required" the braille edition. Brochures, resolutions, and the ACB constitution and bylaws were also made available in a wide variety of formats. It was also during this time that ACB committed itself to send out its direct mail fundraising appeal in accessible formats. You, the members and friends of ACB, confirmed that judgment by giving more to ACB when your letter came in braille, large print or on cassette. Now that the ACB is again financially secure, having retired all debt and established a reserve fund, ACB has decided to expand its information services. In some cases this has taken the form of expansion of existing services, while in other cases, new programs are being established. In 1993, publication of "The Braille Forum" returned to a monthly schedule. In addition to increasing "The Braille Forum" from eight to twelve issues a year, it is now available on computer diskette, either 5.25" or 3.5" MS-DOS formats. This development will allow ACB to reach many new readers by way of electronic bulletin board services, as well as meeting the needs of those who prefer reading by way of their computers. ACB President LeRoy Saunders recently gave me an assignment to research, acquire, and install an electronic bulletin board service for ACB. I was delighted to accept this assignment, in that the establishment of such a service has been a dream of mine for ACB for years. I am proud to announce that ACB will be launching its own electronic bulletin board service on July 1, 1993. "ACB OnLine" will be available 24 hours a day by calling (202) 331-1058 with your modem-equipped personal computer, Braille 'n Speak or Braille Mate. This new service will allow ACB members and friends to share views through an online messaging feature, and retrieve countless information items electronically about ACB activities, issues of concern to blind and visually impaired persons throughout the country, and allow affiliates to transmit information to the ACB National Office about local concerns and activities. "Braille Forum" editor Nolan Crabb will serve as the system operator, and he and I welcome your feedback on how well it works for you, and your assistance in keeping things lively and informative through your use of the messaging feature and the resource files available. To call "ACB OnLine", dial (202) 331-1058 after July 1st. Another useful information resource of ACB is the Washington Connection, (800) 424-8666, a telephone information line, which continues to be a major element in the dissemination of legislative and employment-related information of interest to persons who are blind or visually impaired. Now available from 6:00 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and on weekends and holidays, the Washington Connection is an important link in the information services provided by ACB. "ACB Reports," a monthly program produced by ACB for distribution to the nation's network of radio reading services, is heard on more than 75 radio reading services around the country. Show host Laura Oftedahl brings us closer to the people and events who shape our world as persons with visual impairments. Contact your local radio reading service to find out the times that "ACB Reports" is aired in your area. If it is not broadcast by your radio reading service, ask them to start broadcasting it and refer them to the ACB national office to be placed on the distribution list. LeRoy Saunders has started distributing a quarterly information letter to presidents of all ACB state and special interest affiliates called "ACB Closeup." Intended to keep affiliate presidents up to date on activities and programs in progress as well as to seek the advice and counsel of ACB leaders from around the country, this newsletter will assist ACB to continue to keep communications open between local, state and national leaders. Those affiliate officers who are responsible for sending in state and special-interest membership lists will have noticed changes in the method of reporting information. All affiliates are now provided with large print lists of their membership from the previous year, and are provided more room to make corrections on the form itself. Affiliates may also request their membership list on computer disk to assist them in the submission of the printed report. Information access while at the ACB national convention is also an important concern. Information is provided to conventioneers by way of a telephone information line (equipped with a new answering machine), as well as by the convention press room. Under the management of ACB Board of Publications Chair, Billie Jean Hill, the press room produces a daily newspaper in braille and large print. This year ACB is providing two computers, equipped with speech and large print access, to assist the volunteers of the press room with this worthwhile task. As you can tell, the American Council of the Blind is committed to access to information. We do not expect others to live up to a different standard than we do ourselves. Whether in braille, large print, voice recording and/or computer disk, true "access" means not only access to buildings, employment and programs, it means access to information. The information age is upon us and President Bill Clinton and ACB President LeRoy Saunders are both determined that all people have equal access to information and the future it offers. If you have any suggestions on how the ACB can further the cause of information access, please let us know. Contact your local leadership, the National Office or a member of the ACB Board of Directors. We are anxious to put your ideas to work. CAPTION ACB Treasurer Brian Charlson addresses the 1992 National Convention audience in Phoenix. LAST MINUTE CONVENTION REMINDERS by John A. Horst, Convention Coordinator The 32nd annual national convention of the American Council of the Blind may have the highest attendance ever. You may have heard that all rooms at the Airport Marriott, our lead hotel, and the Airport Westin have been reserved. Also, the 20 rooms secured at the Clarion, located next door to the Westin, have also been taken. However, we were able to secure up to 250 rooms at the Radisson Hotel in Burlingame, located about one mile from the Airport Marriott. The rate at the Radisson is $55 per night for single, double, triple or quad. However, if a rollaway bed is requested, there will be an extra $15 charge. The telephone number at the Radisson is (415) 342-9200 or (800) 423-4736. This hotel also provides free transportation from the airport and will assist with transportation to the Marriott. LAST MINUTE INFORMATION 1. All hotels provide transportation from the San Francisco Airport. Upon arrival, check with a volunteer or call the hotel for your pickup. 2. Preregistration forms should be sent in immediately. Forms received after June 21 in ACB Assistant Treasurer Jim Olsen's office will be considered registration at the convention. This will mean higher costs for some items. 3. The convention program is available in large print, braille, and on cassette. Request the program in the format you prefer. 4. Many of your questions concerning convention logistics will be answered in the preliminary information in the program. Be certain to review this material thoroughly. 5. The information desk, the registration desk and the convention offices will be located on the second level of the hotel. The volunteer desk will be on the first level. 6. Transportation to downtown San Francisco is being made available Monday through Thursday of convention week. The buses will leave at 11 a.m. and return by 7 p.m. There will also be transportation to the Hillsdale Mall at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on these same days with return by 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. 7. A shuttle between hotels will be available during the day. In the evening, we hope to be able to use the hotel vans. 8. We have added a Saturday evening dinner theater tour at Sabella's Restaurant in downtown San Francisco. This will be an exciting climax to convention week. 9. Take time to view the exhibits at the Westin. New items are added each year. 10. A new exhibit this year is Mitoll Botanical from Canada, which will feature health, fitness and diet products. The booth will have products to sample and economical, quick meals for sale. 11. Sign up early for tours. Space on buses is limited. Your convention committee, assisted by the California Council of the Blind host committee, is doing everything possible to accommodate you. Our 32nd annual national convention in San Francisco should be our best ever. FORMER HOSTAGE TO ADDRESS BANQUET SAN FRANCISCO--Dr. Thomas M. Sutherland, held hostage for 77 months in Lebanon, will address the banquet during the 32nd Annual National Convention of the American Council of the Blind slated for July 9, 1993.Held at the San Francisco Airport Marriott, the banquet will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. In 1983, Dr. Sutherland accepted an invitation to serve as dean of the faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, serving on the campus for two years. As he was returning from a visit to the U.S. in June 1985, he was kidnapped by gunmen of the Islamic Jihad, a subgroup of the Hezbollah organization ("Party of God.") He was held for 2,354 days in various locations in Lebanon, making him the second longest held captive of the western hostages. He was released in November 1991 with fellow hostage Terry Waite. Born in Scotland in 1931, Sutherland received a B.S. in Agriculture from Glasgow University and a post-graduate diploma from Reading University. He earned an M.S. degree from Iowa State University in 1956 and a Ph.D. from the same university in 1958. He married Jean Murray in 1956, and they are the parents of three daughters. Sutherland has addressed more than 125 groups throughout the nation since his release. He speaks articulately and with balance and humor on his hostage experience while presenting the lessons he learned in captivity. He has addressed such topics as why westerners were kidnapped in the 1980s and why they were subsequently released. "We're looking forward to Dr. Sutherland's remarks for a variety of reasons," said ACB National Representative Oral O. Miller. "Dr. Sutherland is a living example of courage in the face of crisis. The American Council of the Blind seeks to promote independence and equality for blind Americans. In a very special way, Dr. Sutherland understands the importance of independence, freedom, dignity, and equality." "I think all of us can learn some important lessons about patriotism and overcoming adversity from Dr. Sutherland," said LeRoy Saunders, president of the American Council of the Blind. "This man is a genuine hero who overcame incredible difficulties. We are indeed privileged to include him as part of our great convention." Attendance at this year's banquet will be more important than ever since Dr. Sutherland has asked that his remarks not be recorded. ACB members planning to attend the banquet should not bring tape recorders. CAPTION Dr. Thomas Sutherland will speak at the 1993 National Convention Banquet in San Francisco. LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS UPDATE by Paul W. Schroeder, Director of Governmental Affairs A new communications revolution is already well under way, and it has the potential to dramatically improve the independence, self-sufficiency and productivity of people who are blind or visually impaired. The inability to read and use standard print has been a constant barrier for blind people over the years. That barrier is coming down as printed pages are replaced by digital electronic files. Advances in computers and communications networks have the potential to dramatically expand access to virtually limitless collections of information. The rapid flow of digital or electronic information is made possible by a fragmented collection of computer networks known as the Internet. There are perhaps as many as 10,000 computer networks in dozens of countries with as many as 15 million users. The number of users is expected to double by year's end. Many of you are probably familiar with the Internet because of your use of networks such as CompuServe or Genie. The wealth of information such as newspapers, periodicals and other material available on the Internet, along with the ability to send and receive electronic communications, is already staggering. But dramatic changes may be in store because of efforts by the Clinton administration and the private sector to improve the communications infrastructure. Vice President Al Gore expressed the administration's ultimate goal this way in an interview published in a recent edition of Congressional Quarterly's "Weekly Report": "In the next decade it will be possible for an elementary school student to come home after class and instead of playing Nintendo, plug into the Library of Congress and explore an entire universe of information. ... It will be possible for creators of software and other forms of electronic intellectual property to download their products into a national grid and make contact between buyers and sellers instantaneously." President Clinton has given Gore responsibility for administration policy on the national communications network--or, the "information super highway." The administration's first step into the computer and communications network policy arena was modest: a two billion, five-year federal program to link more schools, libraries, hospitals and businesses into a markedly improved and more information-rich nationwide computer network. However, neither Congress nor the administration has conclusively determined how to bring the improved communications network across the "last mile" into people's homes. Equally unclear is the question of how the information and services available over these computer networks will be made accessible to people of all ages, abilities and incomes. The copper telephone wire which brings basic telephone service into most homes lacks the capacity for the high-speed, large-volume communications that are now envisioned for the next century. Fiber optic cable, which now links most local telephone exchanges, has tremendous capacity for rapid transmission of massive amounts of information. However, because of the cost of replacing the existing copper wire, the communications industry is turning to coaxial cable, the wire used for cable TV, to bring the communications revolution into American households. Others argue that many of the benefits of computer networks can be provided on a wide scale at low cost over the myriad of current communications vehicles such as copper wire, radio frequencies, cable TV and satellite transmissions. In the interview with Congressional Quarterly, Gore did say, "Now is the time for more emphasis on the configuration of data bases, the last-mile problem, the sociopolitical and economic problems of ensuring access and devoting more attention to user software issues, ways to broaden the universe of information and make it more available to the network." Congress is moving very quickly to enact the initial Clinton plan. By the time you read this, a committee in the House of Representatives may have already acted on a version of the Clinton proposal. And, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee may also have cleared passage of a similar proposal sponsored by committee chair Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C. The House legislation, H.R. 1757, is sponsored by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Science. Boucher's bill, known as the "High Performance Computing and High Speed Networking Applications Act of 1993," amends legislation, "The High-Performance Computing Act of 1991," which was sponsored by then-Senator Gore. At a press conference to introduce the legislation, Boucher said, "Just about everyone agrees that the building of an interactive communications network capable of delivering voice, video and data seamlessly to every home and business in America is necessary." Addressing the question of who should be responsible for developing the network, Boucher said, "We do not intend for the federal government to build the information superhighway. The physical network, including fiber optic lines and high capacity switches, will be deployed, owned and maintained by the private sector." However, the legislation would require that the federal government establish common standards and protocols for electronic information storage and retrieval. Looking toward the future, Boucher noted that "This common formatting will be particularly important when libraries throughout the United States store in electronic form the millions of volumes of printed material currently on their shelves." The legislation provides incentives for the creation of these digital libraries of electronic information including the vast quantity of government information. "Our goal is for every individual in his or her home or office to be able to obtain access to any library in the nation, to utilize an electronic index, retrieve a particular document and print that out on his or her laser printer all within a matter of minutes," Boucher said. THE DISABILITY PERSPECTIVE Responding to the introduction of H.R. 1757, Rep. Major R. Owens, D-N.Y., a longtime advocate for people with disabilities and a leading sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, told Boucher's subcommittee, "Our future electronic village must contain no barriers; the frontier of the tele-community must be open to every American." Drawing an analogy to access for people with disabilities under the ADA, Rep. Owens urged the Subcommittee to include "electronic curb cuts" by amending the legislation to "require that all expressive and receptive electronic communications (are) readily usable and affordable by persons with disabilities, thereby ensuring that the system will be user friendly for every American. ... We must consider multiplicity or redundancy of channel to ensure that individuals who are blind, for instance, can also hear the data or images that are 'pulled down' from a data base." OTHER FRONTIERS OF ACTION The Regional Bell Operating Companies want to be able to provide cable TV programming, manufacture telephone equipment and offer information services. The Bell companies were prevented from undertaking these activities by the 1984 U.S. District Court ruling, which created the so-called "Baby Bells" from the breakup of telecommunications giant AT&T. An important precedent was set when the Bell companies agreed to adopt most of the recommendations of a coalition of disability groups, including the American Council of the Blind, in legislation which would permit the Bells to manufacture telecommunications equipment. The disability position is that the new equipment and services should be fully accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, and if that is not possible, then the new equipment and services should be configured to work with computers and other communication devices developed for people with disabilities. This would mean that graphics-based or video-image systems should be configured so that blind individuals can make full use of the information being distributed through the system. Technological developments and industry efforts are moving at a lightning pace. We must immediately work to convince Congress, the Clinton administration and the private sector that distribution of information and other communications is enhanced for all people when access is ensured for people with disabilities. If we are successful, we may see a new communications revolution which provides maximum benefits to blind and other disabled persons right alongside everyone else. CAPTIONS Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., sponsor of H.R. 1757. Rep. Major R. Owens, D-N.Y., envisions a barrier-free telecommunications future for blind and other disabled Americans. Vice President Al Gore is responsible for Clinton administration policy on telecommunications. BLIND JUROR CANDIDATE WINS SUBSTANTIAL DISABILITY RIGHTS VICTORY IN FEDERAL COURT by Charles S. P. Hodge, ACB Second Vice President On March 15, U.S. District Judge Joyce H. Green of the District of Columbia handed down her landmark decision in the case of "Galloway Vs. the Superior Court of the District of Columbia." (See "Second Vice President's Message," May 1993.) The case arose when plaintiff Don Galloway, a totally blind D.C. government official who resides in the District of Columbia, received a summons for jury duty in D.C. Superior Court on March 1, 1991. When Galloway, accompanied by his guide dog, appeared in the clerk's office, he was told by court officials to go home and ignore his summons, and that because he was totally blind, he could not serve on any jury in the D.C. Superior Court, which automatically disqualified all blind individuals from serving on juries. Not too surprisingly, Galloway was utterly dissatisfied with the explanation given for what he deemed to be a clearly discriminatory policy against potential blind jurors. After some fruitless correspondence and negotiation with Superior Court officials, Galloway retained legal counsel, determined to challenge the Superior Court practice in the Federal District Court. At the outset of her opinion, Judge Green held that the court system of the District of Columbia was covered and subject to liability under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Since some defense lawyers have argued that only the executive branch of a state or local government could properly be deemed to be a recipient of federal financial assistance and therefore be subject to liability under the Rehabilitation Act and similar civil rights legislation, this threshold ruling was crucial to the outcome of the case. Judge Green next turned to her analysis of the rationale presented to justify the D.C. Superior Court's practice in light of the non-discrimination prohibitions and reasonable accommodation regulations imposed under both the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. Court officials attempted to justify the exclusionary practice by arguing that eyesight was essential to performing the central function of a juror, namely to examine and assess introduced evidence and to weigh and judge the credibility of witnesses who give testimony. However, Judge Green pointed out that a blind juror can use other senses to make such credibility determinations and that the Superior Court, as part of its reasonable accommodation obligations, could provide court personnel to describe evidentiary exhibits or read documentary evidence to such a juror. The judge also stated that for many years, David Norman, a blind former judge of the D.C. Superior Court, had had to carry out precisely the functions which the Superior Court was now arguing was impossible for a blind individual to perform, and did so without complaint from plaintiff or defense lawyers. Judge Green also pointed out an ironic inconsistency in the practices of the D.C. Superior Court, which, while automatically disqualifying all potential blind jurors, permitted deaf individuals to be considered for jury service and even provided sign language interpreters to such potential jurors as a reasonable accommodation, even though deaf jurors could not physically hear any of the proffered oral testimony. Judge Green went on to say that the Federal District Court has permitted blind individuals to go through the process of being considered to serve on Federal Court juries without any problems for many years, and that numerous states, such as neighboring Virginia, have forbidden by statute the kind of blanket exclusion of blind jurors practiced by the D.C. Superior Court. Based on all of the above, Judge Green held that the D.C. Superior Court's practice of automatically disqualifying all blind candidates from jury duty was without any rational basis, and was not based on any justifiable peculiar business necessity of the local court system. Therefore, the District Court ruled that the D.C. Superior Court practice violated the disability discrimination provisions of both the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. The court also held that the challenged practice violated the provisions of the 1871 Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C., Section 1983) and that the practice deprived Galloway of his federally protected civil rights under the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA under color of state law. While highly technical in nature, this latter ruling is an important precedent for other litigants who may be attempting to assert their federally guaranteed civil rights. Finally, Judge Green reserved for further court proceedings issues concerning the remedy and relief to which Galloway may be entitled for the proven violation of his federal civil rights. The Galloway decision is clearly an important victory for the disability rights movement and for blind people in particular. We of course have known that an attentive blind juror can pick up on the quaver of a voice or on the mumbling, stammering, or stuttering of a witness in determining credibility. Yet, old stereotypes do not die easily. It is certainly rewarding to see an enlightened federal judge enunciate what we all know to be true. We also salute Don Galloway, who had the gumption to attain counsel and go into federal court and successfully challenge an old and outdated practice which he knew to be wrong. Galloway's action will hopefully serve as enlightenment for all of us who feel discriminated against on occasion and wonder what we can do to set things straight. EDITORIAL THE "PROS" COULD LEARN A FEW THINGS FROM THE AMATEURS by Nolan Crabb I once asked a first-time visitor to one of our conventions, "What did you like best about the convention?" The answer took me a little by surprise at first. I thought the general sessions, special-interest group meetings, tours, and opportunities to socialize would be high on the list. Instead, the reply came back without hesitation, "I like the fact that virtually everything was accessible to me. Even the coke machine." Access, even to small bits of information, can make the difference between real success and merely adequate performance or even failure. I was reminded anew of that fact when I decided a few months ago to enroll in a class whose objective was to help students obtain the Novice and Technician class amateur radio licenses. I first knew I wanted to get involved in amateur radio more than 20 years ago when I was a student at the Utah School for the Blind. One of the people who had a far-reaching positive influence on me was the school's band teacher, Merlin Peterson. I played the coronet in those days. When it became obvious to him during our one-on-one lessons that I hadn't practiced again that week, when he could no longer stand the tuneless blats and blurps that emanated from my horn, he would say with all the diplomacy of a great statesman, "Why don't we rest your lip a while." During those rest periods, he would regale me with stories about the exotic places and people with whom he'd talked as an amateur operator. For years, I offered one excuse after another to friends in ACB and others who encouraged me to pursue my dream. I had visions of learning the necessary information by myself. So when I heard about the class, I wasn't convinced it was a good idea. I pictured this class being like so many other classes I'd taken--piles of printed pages I couldn't read for myself and endless incomprehensible scratching on a blackboard. I called the instructor and expressed my desire to enroll in the class, mentioning that I was blind. "Not a problem," she replied, and gave me the exact information on starting times and location. Imagine my surprise when she called the next day and asked, "Are you familiar with Recording for the Blind? And if so, did you check with them to see whether they had the book we'll be using?" Of course, I was familiar with RFB, but I was amazed that she would be. That was the first of a long line of pleasant surprises. A few days before class began, I had the book from RFB. I was struck with the consistent high quality of the volunteer instructors. The endless incomprehensible blackboard scratching never materialized. Instead, instructors invariably verbalized diagrams and other information on the board. The few print handouts I received were always accompanied with explanations as to what they included. Tapes and computer disks containing Morse Code and written test information were provided to me and any other member of the class who asked. Instructors glued electrical components to cardboard for the hands-on help that made studying circuits much more meaningful than it might otherwise have been. When equipment was demonstrated, the teacher managed to stop by my desk long enough for me to get a close-up look at it. A few days before the fateful testing day, I called the volunteer examiner who would give me the test. "We're ready to go," he assured me. "Just bring your braillewriter, slate, Braille 'n Speak or whatever you use." Another jolt. This guy knew what a braillewriter was. Some would argue that I passed the test because I'd studied and was motivated. Of course, those things are vital; but the big factor that helped ensure my success was the ease of access and the level playing field that access meant during the class. I contrasted my experience with sighted volunteer amateur radio operators in my county with those experiences all too many of us have known. Contrast a group of dedicated people willing to do whatever they could to provide convenient access to information to the well-attended seminars produced for businesses who want to get around, over, or under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The instructor who taught my class on circuits didn't do a feasibility study to determine whether or to what degree electrical components glued on cardboard would be of use to me. Yet there are those who would advocate feasibility study after feasibility study to determine the need for detectable warnings. Perhaps some are offended that I would compare something as simple and relatively inexpensive as an amateur radio class to a complex costly issue like automatic teller machine access. While there are huge differences between the two, there are some similarities. Access in its most basic form requires common sense on everyone's part. It may not be practical for a municipal government in a town where the entering and leaving signs are on the same pole to buy an interpoint braille printer to produce one agenda for a blind citizen. But when that citizen and the city clerk use common sense, the resulting phone call where the agenda is read, or the tape in the mail containing the agenda, can make a world of difference in the blind citizen's ability to meaningfully participate in the affairs of his local government. The single most important issue currently before ACB's director of governmental affairs is the ongoing debate over telecommunications issues. Jobs and even our quality of life will depend on how much access we have to the fiber optic networks being planned for a not-too-distant tomorrow. Will there be a friendly audio, large print or braille interface allowing you to take full advantage of the cable/telephone scene? Or will the smart TV and smart terminals of tomorrow be nothing more than silent boxes to us complete with snazzy graphical interfaces that don't allow for adaptive equipment? If we sit back and let Paul Schroeder fight those battles single handedly, the victories he gains will be small indeed by comparison to what might have been accomplished. I showed up at a class in April, and a dedicated group of volunteers provided the kind of information access that made my experience thoroughly enjoyable. All of us can have a thoroughly enjoyable experience in the wonderful world of fiber optics, but only if we go to class, so to speak, and participate in the process that makes our needs known to the cable companies, phone companies, and newspapers who will be mapping out our information future. That first-time convention attendee's answer wasn't so strange after all. Whether it's braille on a coke machine or access to a fiber optic entertainment center in your home, access to information is indeed the key. I can't help but think maybe it's time the so- called pros learn a few things about access provision from the amateurs whose company I have enjoyed immensely and from whom I've learned so much. SAN FRANCISCO HERE WE COME by Socorro Queen It's June, and convention time is fast approaching. By now, most of you have made your hotel and plane reservations and you've probably filled out your pre-registration form with your choice of tours and special events marked. However, there remains one more item to be resolved: what clothes to take. Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful. Let's start with a weather forecast for a typical July day. " ... Southern California, hot and smoggy with temperatures ranging from the mid-90's along the coast to 100 degrees inland. Smog alerts are expected in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys ... " The San Francisco weather forecast will probably read like this: " ... Cool overcast mornings with temperatures ranging from the mid-60's to mid-70's along the coast, to the high 70's to mid-80's inland. No smog alerts are in the forecast ... " Occasionally, there might be a day or two of "hot" weather with temperatures in the high 70's to high 80's along the coast, but San Francisco's natural air conditioning (otherwise known as fog) rolls through the Golden Gate around four p.m., cooling things off. As you probably concluded from the above forecast, shorts, sun dresses and sleeveless blouses are more suitable for southern California than for San Francisco. However, don't exclude them from your list altogether. There are a few tours, particularly Reno, where such clothing is appropriate. All tours except for the preconvention tour to Reno and Virginia City will be within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco. Reno, commonly referred to as the "biggest little city in the world," is in a high mountain desert with daytime temperatures in the 90's. However, the evenings are cool and the casinos are air-conditioned, so you may want to bring along a sweater. Dress is casual even for any dinner theater shows you may attend. Virginia City is an old mining town about an hour's drive from Reno. In addition to gambling, Virginia City has interesting museums with some hands-on exhibits. You might want to take a self-guided walking tour along wooden sidewalks and explore this charming western town. By the way, food prices are quite reasonable in Nevada. San Francisco city tours are scheduled for Saturday, July 3rd and Sunday, July 4th. You will be visiting such famous landmarks as Mission Dolores, Chinatown, and Golden Gate Park. Be sure to bring a sweater or light jacket as the temperature will vary as much as 10 degrees from sunny Mission Dolores to Golden Gate Park near the ocean. For those of you who insist on wearing shorts, don't say I didn't warn you. On Saturday evening, join us at the Welcome to California party. There will be good music, good food and many surprises. What does one wear to Alcatraz? Stripes are out, but comfortable shoes and a jacket are definitely in. The boat ride over to the "Rock" can be windy, so bring along a scarf or hat. Monday's trip to Alcatraz will be followed by a visit to famous Fisherman's Wharf, a good place to grab a bite to eat and do some shopping along Pier 39 or the Cannery. On Tuesday afternoon, there will be a tour of the David Bruce Winery among the redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This will be a good opportunity for those of you who will not be able to go on the day-long wine country tour to do some wine tasting and visit a winery. On Wednesday morning we're off on a safari to the wilds of San Francisco's wholesale outlet district, where you can shop till you drop for clothes, jewelry, crystal and much more. Bring along your checkbook, credit cards and cash. If you forget to bring a sweater, not to worry--you can probably pick one up for a reasonable price. Don't forget to set aside a few dollars for lunch at one of the delis conveniently located throughout the area. We plan to be back at the hotel at four p.m., in time to get ready for the dinner cruise on San Francisco Bay. After a delicious meal, you can dance to the music of a good combo, walk along the deck, or just sit around and talk with friends. Ladies, this is a good time to wear that nice dress you brought along for just such an occasion. Gentlemen, coats and ties are in order. Thursday morning, buses will depart for the Napa Valley wine country, located approximately 50 miles north of San Francisco. The warm days and cool nights in this legendary valley are ideal for growing grapes used to produce some of the finest wines in the world. You'll have an opportunity to taste and purchase some of these wines at two wineries, Charles Krug and Inglenook. Lunch is planned at a local restaurant. There's no need for a sweater, as the sun and wine will keep you warm. Also on Thursday, for those of you who prefer cold beer and hot dogs, you can enjoy both plus a baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum, where the Oakland A's will take on the Boston Red Sox. Bring along your baseball caps, sun block and perhaps a sweater. July weather is ideal for a day game. Spend a fun-filled Friday afternoon at the Exploratorium. Be sure to wear comfortable clothes because you might be in for a few surprises. You'll be back in time for the banquet on Friday evening. Close out the convention on Saturday evening by helping to solve the "Murder in the Cafe Noir." This is a dinner mystery show at a Fisherman's Wharf restaurant. Male sleuths should wear coats and ties. Get away from the summer heat and humidity and spend a week in cool San Francisco. We look forward to seeing all of you in July. BE PREPARED TO ENJOY THE HARMONY AND DIVERSITY IN ART by Janiece Petersen Friends In Art in '93 will be a blend of firsts and traditions. We anticipate that more people than ever will discover they want to be a part of us. THE SUITE Beginning with the mixer on July 4, FIA will host activities in its own hospitality suite. There will be art displays, a poetry reading on Monday evening, hands-on demonstrations where workshop presenters and equipment will be available. There will be tapes of several showcases and of other artists for purchase. Other cassettes available include "Music Plus," and "Music Minus One." Several vocal instructors will offer some time to interested singers, and there will be door prizes. THE MIXER Besides getting to know new folks and greeting old friends, the FIA mixer is the ideal time for people to sign up for the rehearsal/audition for the Showcase For The Performing Arts. Again this year, the rehearsal is Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the showcase is slated for Tuesday evening. The Sunday sign-up will help minimize waiting time at rehearsal on Monday and if two performers have chosen the same selection, they will have as much time as possible to choose something else or team up. We also need to know if musicians prefer to work with a paid accompanist for an exact realization of an arrangement. Finding out as much as we can as soon as we can helps us plan a balanced, well-paced showcase. If you need another reason to come to the mixer besides wine and light refreshments, you should know that CDs will be given as door prizes. REHEARSAL What's left to say? We encourage performers who have not appeared on the showcase to let us know about their talents. The showcase should reflect the richness, diversity of cultures and abilities we have in ACB. Time your selection. It should not be more than four minutes long to allow for as many acts as possible. Also, we try to have the audio arrangements at rehearsals just as they will be for the showcase. If you are using a pre-recorded backup tape, let us know and bring it to rehearsal. Lastly, we have a number of musicians who do on-the-spot accompanying of professional quality-- another reason to communicate about yourself at the mixer. If you have your act together, we'll help you get it on the road. MONDAY'S WORKSHOP "Demystifying Midi--It Really is Fun," will include two presenters. Mike Mandel of New York and Jay Williams of San Francisco both use keyboards, computers, speech output devices, and various programs. They are both composers/arranger/performers. The aim of the workshop is to show how technology can broaden the opportunities for blind musicians to excel. At the same workshop, the latest Kurzweil hardware and software for producing music will be demonstrated. BRING YOUR POETRY We will have a poetry reading on Monday evening in the suite. There may also be several on-the-spot writing exercises. Poets often read on the showcase too. THE TUESDAY MENU Our luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, followed by two brief presentations and our business meeting. Margaret Hardy from the San Jose Civic Light Opera will talk about access and outreach and will show an audio-described video. Rana Arnold from the Sight Support Group, State College, Penn., will talk about this group's new manual for training sighted guides at art museums and festivals. WRITERS' CLINIC Susan Schulter, instructor in creative writing, San Jose State University, will give a writers' clinic on Wednesday. This workshop is for the novice and the experienced writer of poetry, fiction, or factual writing. Come prepared to read and write. Schulter happens to be blind and will talk about technology and other factors affecting her writing process. MUSEUM TOURS Those participating in Thursday's tour will visit the M. H. deYoung Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park for a touch experience with objects both ancient and modern and from a number of different cultures. After visiting the very fine gift shop, we will then assess whether we can take in the Fragrance Garden, just minutes from the museum. We then go to the Rose Resnick Center to look at the work of Patrick Farley and several other disabled artists from the Bay Area. There will be a brief reception at the center, which concludes the tour. Friday's tour covers two concurrent activities on the Stanford University campus. Outdoors, visitors will enjoy a walking tour to look at the huge collection of Rodin pieces. Inside, eight to ten participants will attend a presentation in the lab of the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. Lab officials can arrange for two demonstrations if they know ahead of time that a second one is necessary. We can also leave a little extra time before the evening's activities. For this convention, come prepared to have a stimulating week. Bring your sheet music or backup tape. Bring your poetry and/or other writing samples and a little trail mix to keep your brain working. Bring your writing and recording tools, your time and talent, your walking shoes, and perhaps an umbrella. COMPUTER INFORMATION YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS What do the exhibitors have to offer at the 32nd Annual National Convention of the American Council of the Blind? What's happening in the world of computer graphics? These and a host of other questions will be answered this year as part of the activities of the Visually Impaired Data Processors, Inc. VIDPI's activities begin in earnest on July 4 with an opening session featuring a presentation on braille graphics. Other topics include "How Does a Blind Instructor Teach a Class of Sighted Students?" and "Assessing the Job Setting for Equipment Needs." ACB Member Doug Wakefield will address the topic "What is Happening with Access at GSA." VIDPI's traditional microcomputer seminar begins at 2 p.m. July 4. Items up for discussion include "Exhibitors: What's New and Where are Their Booths?" The July 5 session includes a panel presentation on the Graphical User Interface and researching ways to make it accessible. The panelists include Ron Hoekzema, marketing program manager, IBM Special Needs Center; Gregg Vanderheiden, Trace Research Center; Mark Sutton, Berkeley Systems; Beth Mynett, Mercator Project, Georgia Tech and Sun Micro Systems; Larry Skutchan, Microtalk; Ted Henter, Henter Joyce; Fred Grimes, HumanWare; Randy Knapp, Artic Technologies, and Greg Lowney, Microsoft Corp. The group rounds out its second day with a reception. VIDPI's luncheon is slated for July 6, featuring Kenneth McGill, the special assistant to the assistant commissioner, Social Security Administration, Baltimore. The group's activities conclude with the Kelly Cannon Memorial Hop. Proceeds from the dance will help build the scholarship fund for future computer science students. Admission is $7 at the door. LEGAL ACCESS CUTTING CURBS OR COSTS: AND THE WINNERS ARE? by Charles D. Goldman, Esq. (Reprinted with permission from "Horizons," May 1993.) Recently the United States District Court has ruled that each time the City of Philadelphia repaves a street, it must install curb cuts or curb ramps on all streets resurfaced since January 26, 1992, the date that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act became effective. Kinney vs. Yerusalim, Civil No. 92-4101, Slip Opinion Feb. 2, 1993, U.S.D.C. (E.D. Pa.) is now on appeal. But there are so many implications that the final "winner" may not be the side which prevails in the courts. Apparently, the plaintiffs in the case did not just go running off to court but complained to the City of Philadelphia first. The city, according to my source, took the complaint quite seriously and contacted the ADA Office of the United States Department of Justice, seeking the views of the federal agency responsible for implementing the law. The city did not get any response from Justice. The litigation came. The disabled plaintiffs successfully argued in court that repaving a street was an alteration under the ADA rules since it was work which affected the usability of the facility. Therefore, it had to be made accessible. The second issue in the case was whether the city had available to it the defense of undue burden, i.e. excess cost, when making an alteration. The city had hoped to have a hearing on the issue of undue burden and wanted to develop a planned method for putting in the curb ramps (apparently similar to the "key station" concept in mass transit but obviously entailing a much briefer period.) The court rejected the city's argument on undue burden and mandated curb ramps in all situations when an alteration is undertaken. The court said there was no undue burden defense when an alteration was made but that such a defense did exist with regard to program accessibility in existing facilities. Program accessibility is a concept in which the idea is that the program as a whole is available on a nondiscriminatory basis through numerous techniques, including relocating services, provision of aids, etc., as well as (possibly) some alterations. The city has appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, notoriously a circuit court which has been friendly to disabled plaintiffs. The Third Circuit Court upheld rights to reasonable accommodation in the form of a reader for a blind social services caseworker (Nelson v. Thornburgh) and to accessible mass transit (DIA v. Sykes.) The lower court is right that the repaving is an alteration under the ADA. The court's distinction between the requirements for program access which do allow for a defense of undue burden and an alteration project which does seem a bit blurred when you realize there is no method of achieving program access to streets other than by means of alterations. The lower court's reasoning on this latter point, which could easily be upheld in the Third Circuit, may lead this issue to the Supreme Court of the United States, among other forums. If the lower court is right and every time a city repaves a street, there must be curb ramps, then it would not be surprising to see the cities flooding Capitol Hill for some relief from this requirement. A few basic facts: Fact 1: Streets in cities--large and small--are deteriorating and need work. Fact 2: City coffers are generally in worse shape than city streets. There are financial problems which are real, including limitations on expenditures ("caps"). Fact 3: Every small hamlet in Iowa, Illinois, etc., knows the way to Capitol Hill. Fact 4: The economic stimulus package ("investment") will not cover this situation. If the requirement is curb ramps on all corners, every time you resurface a road but no curb ramps if you do not undertake the alteration, the practical result could mean less repaving of streets. If that happens, will the result be more or less accessible downtown and other sites? If the plaintiffs with disabilities lose in the courts, would not a major goal of the ADA be frustrated? Would it be open season to disregard federal mandates? Could this case touch off a debate on the cost of ADA to cities or fuel the debate about the hidden costs of ADA which need to be addressed in times of sacrifice? Who would "win" such a debate? Would victory be substantive or pyrrhic? Word is that the disabled plaintiffs are seeking to enlist the aid of the Department of Justice as an amicus curiae, a friend of the court on the appeal. It's a smart move. As my southern friends say, a "nice lick." But, if my source is right and Justice (which is overwhelmed by many good and many not so good inquiries) was totally nonresponsive in the prelitigation stage, does DOJ compromise itself by getting involved later? Since no Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights has been appointed, is Justice really a rudderless ship on these issues? The issue of the role of the DOJ transcends this case, just as any burden here goes beyond a particular street in a particular city. Curb ramps seem so innocuous. Repaving seems so easy. But to get the full picture, you have to look below the surface to discern the real issues and consider what it means to win. Since I did not get to attend the Oscar Awards, or the Emmys: Welcome Back Award: To Yale Law Professor Drew Days, who returns to Washington to become the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice. Mr. Days will be the head of the office which argues for the federal government in the Supreme Court of the United States. Drew Days will be at the DOJ long enough to be seasoned for appointment to the Supreme Court, where he has obviously belonged for quite some time. It was my pleasure to know Mr. Days in his tenure as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Carter Administration. Clinton gets both thumbs up on this five star appointment. Virginia Slims Award (for coming a long way): To Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitation Services Judy Heumann, a refugee from Brooklyn, Capitol Hill, and Berkeley. If she survives, she will bring San Francisco to Washington, with earthquake-like tremors throughout the Switzer Building, as long dormant bureaucrats are shaken to their roots by a new boss, who knows the system from a consumer/advocate's perspective. The hope here is that she will not be a nominee for the next award. The Passport Award: To the disabled official who did not want me to give out his/her name to individuals with the same disability who were seeking employment tips. Maybe the passport will enable this person to remember from whence they came. PRODUCT REVIEW MANY DATA BASES IN ONE by Paul Edwards, ACB First Vice President People who use IBM-Compatible computers have an immense range of choices for data base programs. Most of the more popular of these programs such as dBase or Paradox are fairly difficult to learn and are not always speech friendly. It is thus good news when someone offers a product for sale that has done most of the work for you. If that program is also speech friendly, relatively inexpensive and extremely versatile, it becomes a program that people who are blind really ought to know about. The program is called CTS, which stands for "Contact Tracking System" and is written by Jamal Mazrui, a member of the Bay State Council of the Blind. Perhaps the best place to start involves explaining the purpose of a data base. Data bases are usually used to store information that needs to be sorted, selected, and manipulated in various ways. Mazrui has designed a product using "Clipper," which is a tool for writing programs using the FoxBase data base system. The program is configured with six databases but you can create as many as you need. Included are data bases to store information about business contacts, friends and relatives, a temporary data base to store records you are not sure you want to keep, and a database called "All," which many people use to store all their records. This works well because it is very easy to transfer records from one database to another. This multiple data base approach is just one of the many major advantages offered by CTS. Perhaps the most significant difference between the CTS program and others is its inclusion of a separate program that allows you to keep track of the status of each of the contacts you have entered. To put this in context, those of you who keep membership lists could add a two-letter code that would tell you whether the contact was a member, whether they had paid, whether they were life members and so on. You can generate reports on the status of specified contacts which can be presented on the screen, as a file or direct to your printer. You can create as many of these codes as your imagination will allow. More exciting is the program's ability to create form letters and labels that enable you to send personalized letters out to anyone in any of your files easily and quickly. As if that were not enough, the program allows you to use your modem to dial any of the numbers included in your files, whether those numbers are internal, local, medium or long distance. The program was specifically designed so it would work well with speech but is also visually appealing. All in all, this program is useful for anyone wanting to keep track of large numbers of folks in an organized way. However, nothing is perfect, and CTS is not. Its documentation is somewhat difficult to follow. While the instructions themselves are clear, more time should be spent explaining terms, and more detailed examples should be offered, particularly for using the status file. In addition, it would be nice if more fields could be added to the "contact" segment. The program sells for $90, which is a low price for an application that runs as smoothly and effortlessly as this one does. A demonstration version of the program is available on request. This program has all the features of the full program but it will only allow you to create 120 records. This is a product that I think state and local chapters might well want to consider for maintaining membership lists. For anyone who must maintain a large variety of files that store different alphabetical lists of people or companies, this program constitutes a really viable option. For more information, contact Jamal Mazrui, 745 Somerville Ave., #2, Somerville, MA., 02143. (617) 666-9856. AFFILIATE NEWS IDAHO CONVENTION Idaho Falls--Success! Success! We had a wonderful convention here. We had the largest number in attendance that we've had in many years. The convention was held at the Weston Hotel. Some of the topics that were presented at the convention included how the city of Idaho Falls recognizes and appreciates the visually impaired, given by Councilman Gary Mills; how the Commission for the Blind of Idaho is meeting the needs of the visually impaired in this area, by Ed McHugh, Director of the Commission, and how to gain new members, by Pat Price, President of the Council of Citizens with Low Vision, International. Other topics included an update on the state school at Gooding, and getting involved with support groups, by Jackie Rolph, coordinator of two Idaho Falls support groups. Conventioners also learned about activities of the CCLVI in Idaho, by Mark Bristol, President of CCLVI of Idaho. Braille unification, new visual aids and appliances and services offered, by a local low vision optometrist, and how the ADA will affect us and how we can use it to better our lives, by ACB Board Member Sue Ammeter, were among the other topics of interest. A special thanks goes to Roger Petersen and Bernice Kandarian for their efforts on our behalf. They put a lot of work into this convention to help make it a success. Also, a big thank you to Christina Denning for being our registrar. Her help was greatly appreciated. Our next convention will be October 8 and 9 in Boise. We'll keep you informed as details become available. Hope to see you there! WYOMING COUNCIL CONVENTION Gillette--The Wyoming Council of the Blind held its first state convention here at the Holiday Inn on April 24 and 25. We were honored to have ACB President LeRoy Saunders and Board Member Grant Mack in attendance. Both offered much by way of wisdom and comforting words, and we greatly appreciated their presence. The Bylaws committee and several interested members and guests met Friday evening for dinner. Saturday morning opened with an invocation and greetings from the mayor. Mack and Saunders were reintroduced. Darleen Heptner, President of the Wyoming Council, then turned the meeting over to Saunders. The membership discussed and voted on the bylaws. Audrey Hagemann was elected president. Darleen Heptner, the immediate past president, will be the delegate for the upcoming ACB National Convention. After a lunch break, the audience heard from Don M. Lich of Services for the Blind, who described the services his organization offers. He also discussed Ski for Light. Sue Martino, Director of the Senior Citizens Center and Coordinator of the Rural Transit Program, was the next presenter. This program offers rides to senior citizens and persons with disabilities for a small fee. Mack and Saunders then spoke on Social Security and the ADA. Both repeatedly commended the Wyoming Council of the Blind for their successful year and first convention. The banquet was a smash. Various merchants offered door prizes. Convention attendees enjoyed old-time fiddler music. Darleen Heptner offered some short comments. "I lifted this Wyoming Council off its feet--I do not want to see it fall," she stated. "I will be out in the state organizing, starting chapters, and we need to remember and to keep the Wyoming Council of the Blind." Many gifts were presented to Heptner in appreciation of what she has accomplished for the affiliate. After Heptner closed the first state convention, the new president, Audrey Hagemann, held a short meeting. Once again, many thanks to Grant Mack and LeRoy Saunders for their support, and also, many thanks to Darleen Heptner and the rest of the members for beginning this affiliate. THEY'RE MAKING MOUNTAINS OF SUCCESS IN COLORADO Denver--Members of the American Council of the Blind of Colorado met here April 17 for the state's convention. President Bryant Moore opened the convention with his report, informing his audience of plans to form new chapters in the state, one of which would be a chapter of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America. Moore announced the establishment of a scholarship fund--a direct result of a generous $2,000 contribution by a local braille transcriber to the ACB of Colorado. ACB First Vice President Paul Edwards spoke at the conclusion of Moore's remarks. He reminded his listeners that access to information won't happen without their participation. "Don't wait for leaders to ask you to do something," he encouraged. "Instead, ask them what you can do before they come to you." He said ACB has re-instituted leadership training seminars, the first of which is slated for this fall. Attendees heard from Steve Bush, a volunteer from National Handicapped Sports in Winter Park, Colo. The organization provides one-on-one ski instruction and recreational opportunities to blind and other disabled Coloradans. He said the program is the largest of its kind in the world, serving people in more than 40 disability groups. Conventioners kept up a sports frame of mind as Charles Huebner, director of the United States Association for Blind Athletes, addressed them. He said the Colorado Springs-based organization has a long-term goal of getting blind athletes to participate in the Olympics in 1996. "Our second mission," he said, "is to inform and educate about the needs and abilities of blind people." A variety of programs currently offer recreation and opportunities to compete for ACBC members. Huebner recognized the long- standing excellent relationship between USABA and ACB. He pointed out that ACB National Representative Oral O. Miller is the current president of USABA. He commended Miller, calling him "a great man who does a lot for blind athletics." He said the organization offers a computer bulletin board for those who have a personal computer and a telephone modem. The number is (719) 630-0422. The convention heard from a representative from the state's civil rights division who talked about non- discrimination in housing. "Braille Forum" Editor Nolan Crabb addressed the banquet. He reminded his listeners that great achievements often have their roots in small beginnings. BROADCAST JOURNALIST HIGHLIGHTS UTAH CONVENTION Salt Lake City--If you ever came here on a visit, or if you had a radio able to receive the far-reaching signal of AM station KSL, chances are you've heard Dr. Rex L. Campbell read the news. Members of the Utah Council of the Blind got the opportunity to hear Campbell in person at the convention banquet. His dignified voice, unique style, and distinguished career made Campbell's name a household word throughout the state. "The quality of broadcasting has gone down to the point where I cannot believe it's in existence," said the 72-year-old newsman and retired University of Utah professor. He said while he sees value in competition, he is "concerned" that quality programming is all too often sacrificed for whatever will play to the widest audience. For 35 years, Campbell has hosted a Sunday morning program in which he reads poetry. "They told me it wouldn't work, that no one would listen," he said, "but I've been doing that program every Sunday on KSL for 35 years." The UCB convention, held April 30 and May 1, spotlighted a variety of issues from Utahans Against Hunger to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The group also heard from Jim Stovall, president and founder of the Narrative Television Network, an organization providing audio description to classic movies shown on cable television. Grant M. Mack, a member of the board of directors of the American Council of the Blind, was elected president of the Utah Council. ACB MEMBERS MEET IN LOUISIANA Baton Rouge--The importance of braille was one of many topics discussed when Louisiana Council of the Blind members met here April 30 and May 1. Paul Edwards keynoted the convention and also spoke at the banquet. Edwards stressed the importance of braille literacy for blind children and the need for information access. The process of selecting books to be produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped was another topic of discussion. MISSISSIPPI COUNCIL MEMBERS CONVENE FOR HARD WORK AND GOOD TIMES Biloxi--Variety was the spice of convention life for members of the Mississippi Council of the Blind who met here April 23 through 25. Conventioners enjoyed a Las Vegas-type gambling party. The "money" won could only be used to bid on prizes available. Conventioners also participated in a candidates forum and were welcomed to Biloxi by Mayor Pete Halate. Featured speakers included Nell Carney, director of vocational rehabilitation in Mississippi and former commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration during the Bush administration. Claude Grant, representing the President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities, also addressed the convention. Mississippi Council Member Michael Smitherman was elected as the affiliate's new president. (Editor's note: Special thanks to John Denning of Idaho, Darleen Heptner of Wyoming, Vernon Daigle of Louisiana, Alvin LeDuke of Mississippi, and Linda Holladay of Salt Lake City for providing information on their respective conventions. If your state or special-interest affiliate has an activity planned, we'd like to know about it. Address your information to Affiliate News, The Braille Forum, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005.) ACB GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: WE KEEP THEM HONEST! By Mitch Pomerantz In 1975, then-ACB President, Floyd Qualls, suggested that an effort be undertaken to organize government employees into a special interest affiliate. After organizational meetings were held at the 1976 and '77 ACB conventions, the American Council of the Blind Federal Employees was formally chartered at the 1978 convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1989, the membership voted to expand the organization to include all government workers; thus, it became the American Council of the Blind Government Employees. Our purpose is to promote recruitment, placement and advancement of blind and visually impaired persons within federal, state, county and municipal government by creating a more healthy environment for employment through the education of responsible government officials; to provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas through conferences, seminars and newsletters; and to cooperate with other organizations of the blind in matters of common interest. Most of us who have worked in government service for any length of time have come to realize that while the public sector has given us the opportunity for employment, it frequently fails to provide promotional, training and other opportunities. Twenty years after passage of the Rehabilitation Act, we are still experiencing discrimination, subtle and otherwise. Blind and visually impaired government employees are still having problems obtaining readers, work-related materials in the appropriate medium, and other things which our sighted coworkers get without difficulty. That's why ACBGE exists, to keep 'em honest! We will be dealing with some of these problems at our forthcoming meeting, Monday and Tuesday July 5th and 6th, in conjunction with the ACB National Convention in San Francisco. As president of ACBGE, I urge every government employee to come to our meeting and to become involved in the effort to achieve total equality for all of us in the public sector. If you are unable to attend this summer's get-together, you may join us by sending your name, address, telephone number, employing agency, and a $10 check for dues for 1993-94 to our treasurer, Nona Graves, 12215 W. Dearbourn Ave., Apt. 2, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. Please become part of this effort! HERE AND 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. VETERANS SALUTE MOVIE The Blinded Veterans Association salutes the movie "Scent of a Woman," the story of Lt. Col. Frank Slade, a blinded veteran, according to Dr. Ron Miller, Executive Director of BVA. "The movie goes a long way to educate people about blindness," says Miller. "It introduces the public to a special segment of our veterans population--those men and women who served their country and are now visually impaired." "Scent of a Woman" recently won Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture and Screenplay of 1992. During the same awards ceremony, Al Pacino won the Best Actor Golden Globe for his portrayal of blinded veteran Frank Slade. ADA INFO "The 1993 Americans with Disabilities Act Resource Catalog" is a glossy 13-page listing of products and promotional services covering all aspects of the ADA, including education, hospitalization, housing, legislation, employment and transportation. Copies of the newly-revised catalog are available on request from the Administrative Services Department of the National Easter Seal Society, 70 East Lake St., Chicago, IL 60601. LOW VISION AID Combined Optical Industries, Ltd., of Slough, England, introduces a versatile new design for helping people overcome vision loss and lead more productive and independent lives. The COIL high-power tilt stand magnifier is designed with a counterbalanced tilt facility which allows comfortable viewing while maintaining the correct focal distance. There is less than five percent peripheral distortion throughout the 20 degree range of movement. The device is available in eight and twelve diopter models. The Tiltstand delivers multiple functions for a moderately priced, precision optical product. Besides viewing printed material, it allows the viewer easy, comfortable access under the lens for writing, observing small objects or performing hand tasks. To obtain ordering information for the high-power Tiltstand magnifier, or other COIL products, call (800) 933-2645. DEAF-BLIND TRAINING Training in the areas of communication, employment, daily living skills, and the use of adaptive equipment for deaf-blind individuals is offered by Communication Services for the Deaf, William Janklow Building, 3520 Gateway Ln., Sioux Falls, SD 57106. The agency also offers in-service training for prospective employers and others serving the deaf-blind community. BRAILLE AT EL TORITO'S El Torito's restaurants now offer braille menus for their blind and visually impaired customers. The chain is distributing the braille menus to El Torito's restaurants throughout the nation. RADIO DRAMAS The Blue Ridge Radio Players offer half-hour audio dramas for the cost of postage and handling. For more information and a sample tape, write to the Blue Ridge Radio Players, P.O. Box 933, Hendersonville, N.C., 28793. HELP FOR DIABETICS A group of physicians has organized clinical trials to experiment with a device which would allow persons with diabetes to check their blood sugar levels with a tester that penetrates the skin by using a beam of light, according to "The New Scientist." The researchers hope that if the tester proves effective, it could replace the finger-poking method, and thus help people with diabetes more closely monitor their blood sugar levels. AFFILIATE TAPES Proceedings of the mid-year ACB Affiliate Presidents Meeting are now available on cassette. The three-tape set costs $5 and covers all activities of the February 7th group sessions. To order, contact the ACB National Office, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. COMPUTER WORD GAME "Sounds Like" is a new computer word game for IBM and IBM-compatible computers that works well with speech output. You must guess words based on the clues provided like in a crossword puzzle, and then guess a famous person, place, saying or title that sounds like these words when put together. For your copy, send a check for $20 to Richard De Steno, 20 Meadowbrook Rd., Short Hills, NJ 07078. (201) 379-7471 for additional information. The game will be sent on a 5.25-inch diskette unless a 3.5-inch diskette is requested. NEW FROM USABA Sports Mates is a program created for the United States Association for Blind Athletes by Karl Mecklenburg, a player for the Denver Broncos football team. Professional athletes donate their time by participating in a campaign sponsoring a product. In return, the product's manufacturer agrees to underwrite the costs of training for blind athletes competing in the USABA Olympics. Pilot programs are underway in collaboration with Kellogg's and Wendy's International. For more information about the program, contact Joe Placek at (303) 674-5409. SCRIPTURES SCOURBY STYLE The voice of Alexander Scourby, who narrated many television specials and more than 500 talking books, can be heard reading the entire King James version of the Bible. The set of 48 audiocassettes is available for $69.95 plus four dollars shipping and handling. Order from Vision Products, Box 850, Hemet, CA 92546. NIB STATISTICS In fiscal 1992, National Industries for the Blind-associated agencies employed 6,000 people, 40 percent of whom have severe disabilities in addition to blindness. Those agencies paid more than $49 million in wages and fringe benefits, and placed more than 1,600 men and women who are blind in competitive positions in their agencies or in the private sector. According to NIB's annual report, those agencies sold 188 million dollars worth of quality products and services to the federal government and an additional $21 million dollars' worth to military stores. NIB also announced that Abram Claude, Jr., who has been a member of NIB's Board of Directors since 1963, and its chairman from 1984-90, is the recipient of the R. B. Irwin Award. The award is given annually to those who have volunteered a lifetime of exemplary service to people who are blind. CASSETTE MAGAZINE "Radiance," the magazine for large women, is now available on 4-track cassette. "Radiance" supports and encourages women of all sizes in living full, active lives. Each quarterly issue profiles dynamic large women from all walks of life along with articles on health, media, fashion and politics. Sample issues cost four dollars. Subscription rates are $15 for one year and $25 for two years. Write to "Radiance," P.O. Box 30246, Oakland, CA, 97604, (510) 482-0680. BLACK HILLS CONFERENCE The 3rd annual Conference for the Visually Impaired at Black Hills State University, Spearfish, S.D., will be held from July 29 through August 7. The cost of the program this year is $470, which includes meals, lodging, transportation, and many extra events. Attendees will have the option of taking four of six classes being offered as well as walking or aquatic exercise. Field trips will include horseback riding, attendance at several plays, a trip to Deadwood, a powwow, and more. For more information and an application, contact Verla Fish, Coordinator, Extension/Summer Sessions, Black Hills State University, University Station, Box 9508, Spearfish, S.D., 57799. FITNESS TAPE In an effort to increase health and fitness opportunities for persons with visual impairments, a team of faculty and graduate students in the Department of Blind Rehabilitation, Western Michigan University, have produced an audiocassette titled "Invisible Audio Exercise." The cassette incorporates a specially-adapted rhythmic aerobic exercise routine, using music and including step-by-step instructions for performing appropriate individual body movements. Tapes may be purchased for five dollars each, which includes postage and handling from Michigan Blind Athletes Association, 1541 Oakland Dr., Kalamazoo, MI., 49008. ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AIDS After years of operational experience, extensive research by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and recent breakthroughs in advanced electronic technology, Nurion Industries has announced that it has completed the next generation of its electronic travel aids, according to the "CCLVI News," Spring, 1993. The new laser cane has more reliability and is more durable. It uses a standard C-cell rechargeable battery, is collapsible, smaller in diameter, and accepts all push-on nylon tips. More importantly, however, the new design is less expensive than previous models and is easily serviced. For more information contact Nurion Industries, Station Square Three, Paoli PA., 18301. CHEAPER WORLD AT LARGE Subscriptions to "The World At Large," a weekly large-print news magazine, are now available at a discount of 50 percent off the newsstand cover price, or $65 for 52 issues. The weekly covers world and national news, law, politics, environment, education, health, medicine, art, books, theater, music, sports, crossword puzzles and more. To subscribe, send your name, address, phone number and a check or money order payable to "The World At Large," P.O. Box 390330, Brooklyn, NY., 11219. TAX CHANGE Many families eligible to receive the federal earned income tax credit may miss out on it this year due to a change in Internal Revenue Service regulations. In the past, the credit was sent automatically on the basis of income tax returns. Now, eligible recipients must file Schedule I-56. Earned Income Credit is a tax credit for families who work full-time, part-time or part of the year. To qualify, families must have an income of less than $22,373 in 1992 and have at least one child living with them. The credit is available to both married and single parents. Foster parents also may qualify. Families may obtain free help from IRS operators during regular business hours weekdays by calling (800) 829-1040. TAPE BOOKS FOR LOAN Books Aloud is a free circulating library with more than 5,000 titles on regular speed cassette, according to the "Louisiana Slate," the newsletter of the Louisiana Council of the Blind. For a catalog and application form, write to Books Aloud, 180 San Carlos, San Jose, CA., 95113. TSI VIDEO "Workplace of the '90s" is a free 11-minute video that depicts six visually impaired people working in their jobs. These include a scientist employed by NASA and a transit company public information operator. The video demonstrates how visually impaired workers can look up schedules, read documents, interact with co-workers, and solve complex problems. To order a copy, contact TeleSensory Inc., 455 North Bernardo Ave., Mountain View, CA, 94039-7455. NEW FROM DVS When "The New Explorers, The Fragile Fossil" was broadcast on March 28, it became the tenth Public Broadcasting System program to include Descriptive Video Service. This series tells the human story behind exploration into science, nature, and the environment while encouraging young viewers to consider careers in these fields. BRAILLE CAKES A very unusual cake is being produced by a Grosse Point Woods, Mich., bakery named "Josef's." The owner says that his braille cakes are iced with rolled fondant, a soft, creamy mixture made of boiled sugar and flavorings, often used in icing wedding cakes. The icing is then laid on top of the cake. Holes forming the words "Happy Birthday" are stamped in braille in the icing. The holes are filled with melted chocolate, creating the raised braille dots. The cake also comes with flower ornaments rolled from the same icing. Josef Bogosian, the owner of the bakery, can prepare cakes large enough to serve from eight to 100 people. An average cake to serve 12-14 people costs $16.50. GRAND CANYON TRIP The Special Populations Office of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department has packaged a spectacular 16-day rafting trip down the Grand Canyon, launching October 6, 1993. Jumping Mouse Camp is the first and only organization ever to get approval from the National Park Service to guide qualified people with disabilities on Colorado river raft trips. River rafts provide the perfect way for persons with special needs to experience the power, remoteness and beauty of the Grand Canyon, according to "Kenny Scope," Second Quarter, 1993. If you want to make a reservation, call the Phoenix Special Populations Office at (602) 262-4543. They will send you a very comprehensive application form which must be completed before a slot is held for you. ABLEDATA INFO The ultimate information service on disabilities, Abledata, has computer access to 180 databases, a large library of printed resource materials, and contacts to answer any question imaginable about disability. The information and services are provided free as a public service by the Springfield, Ill., Center for Independent Living. Contact the center at (217) 523-7426. KIDS BOOKS TOLL FREE Seedlings Braille Books for Children is pleased to announce a new toll-free service. The organization can now be reached at (800) 777-8552. Fax orders may be placed by calling (313) 427-8552. The newest books added to the catalog are "Together Time Books With Music" by Kathy Poelker. Each set of Together Time Books for preschoolers comes with three print books with braille added, a musical read-along cassette, and a parents' guide in print and on cassette. Currently, two sets are available. REALISTIC PLANNING FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADULTHOOD by Eugene Saumier Life, with or without disabilities, is a composite of thought and desires, skills and their educational applications, social adjustment or maladjustment, and our everyday actions, which can be responsible or irresponsible according to our age and walk of life. Since no element of this composite precludes visual impairment, we the visually impaired are life-- no worse or better than everyone else. Our creator endowed each of us with specific talents and the ability to develop those specific talents. We were not, individually, given the ability to develop all human talents. Our social and economic life will depend upon the amount of effort we are willing to put forth to develop our personal skills and the educational opportunities provided for their development. Attempting to master an education for the development of talents other than our own will inevitably result in a exercise in fruitless frustration and a waste of monetary educational appropriations. To verify such waste and frustration, we need only look about us and observe the ever growing number of visually impaired college graduates whose education contributes virtually nothing to themselves or society. To those individuals, a college degree is a mere opinionated status symbol which may, actually, have gone counter to their real talents. Such is the result of higher education for those who feel that the development of their real talents would call for services too menial and servile for them. Such uninformed and destructive conceit is more prevalent in the world of the blind and visually impaired than in the sighted world. It is time for us to realize that the development of all of our abilities for the benefit of society is most honorable and commands its distinct prestige. During the 1978 Salt Lake City convention of the American Council of the Blind, I submitted a resolution urging the council to go on record as favoring the establishment of regional trade schools for the blind and visually impaired. The resolutions committee voted that it not be accepted, though it failed to pass by a very narrow margin. I was accused of wanting the education of the blind to revert back to the "horse and buggy age" by those who were apparently oblivious of the fact that trade schools were flourishing at that time and continue to flourish as valuable centers in the sighted world. It was recently suggested to me by a prominent member of ACB that a view of the past years of educational experiences would warrant the resubmission of my resolution. The sighted are not too proud to serve in consumer service areas where the blind and visually impaired could also competently serve. I am thinking, now, of the repair of small gasoline or electric motors, bicycles, household appliances, recorders and many other commonly used gadgets that often need repair. Sighted people are not too proud to be piano tuner technicians. I competed successfully with seven of them in the Flint, Michigan area. The trade is indispensable for all musical performances requiring a piano. The blind and visually impaired can successfully operate powered woodworking tools. They can build cupboards and cabinets that favorably compete with the same work performed by the sighted. I can verify these facts from personal experience and my acquaintance with other blind woodworkers. We need only to let our minds wander constructively to discover many other prestigious public service occupations achievable by the visually impaired. We must not forget that good salesmanship is essential for the success of all of these occupations, and that, by itself, can be a most lucrative occupation. All of the aforementioned occupation possibilities can be yours, with proper education and adapted tools. Reread the paragraph, if necessary, to attain a realistic picture of my proposed regional trade schools for the blind and visually impaired. For prestigious consideration, we could also call them trade colleges without too much infringement on the dictionary definition of the word "college." Each such school or college would be supported by two or three adjoining states and cater to pupils from those states. They would be located as centrally as possible to all areas of those states. Instructors would be chosen exclusively from those having had special schooling in the education of the blind and visually impaired, and who also displayed unique skills in the development of individual talents. The schools would offer room and board facilities for those desiring such facilities, but they would not mandate those facilities. They could also serve as training centers for future instructors of the blind and visually impaired. Think what such schools could do for those blind and visually impaired adults not necessarily gifted with academic talents! Let us all work together to explore and develop their possibilities. Let us laud those among us who so admirably serve society through their higher learning, but at the same time, let us thank our creator for our personal gifts and strive for their maximum development. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: VersaPoint braille printer with quietizer. Produces braille at 20 characters per second, and can connect to both serial and parallel printer ports. May require minor repair. Includes manual, $400, includes shipping. Contact: Denise Avant, 5300 N. Sheridan Rd., Apartment 401, Chicago, IL 60640. (312) 878-9518 between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. central time. FOR SALE: VersaBraille II, good condition, includes braille and print manuals, two disk drives, and possibly Duxbury translation software, $1,000 or best offer. Contact Hans Nave, P.O. Box 427, College Park, MD 20741. (301) 474-4508 after 1 p.m. eastern time, no taped letters. FOR SALE: 12-inch portable VisualTek, like new, $1,500 or best offer. Contact Penny Duvall, 10541 Blaisdell Circle, Bloomington, MN 55420. (612) 885-0473. TIPS FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO TRAVELER by Catherine Schmitt, President, National Alliance of Blind Students If you are planning to join the American Council of the Blind at its national convention in San Francisco this July, you should familiarize yourself with the following tips for travelers. San Francisco is a beautiful city and there are more than 700,000 law- abiding citizens, but like most cities, it does have its problems. The San Francisco Police Department has developed these tips to help make your stay in San Francisco more enjoyable and help keep you from being a crime statistic. 1. Foiling Robberies. * Use whatever direct transportation your organization provides to get you to its meeting. * Don't physically resist attack; you could end up losing more than your valuables. 2. Avoiding Pickpockets. * Men: Carry your wallet in the inside of your coat. If you must carry it in your rear pants pocket, place a comb sideways in the wallet with the ends of the comb protruding past the edge of the wallet and with the teeth facing up. * Women: Carry shoulder bags with your arm around and outside the bag. If you must carry a purse, keep it under your arm; don't carry it by the handle. While sitting, keep it on your lap, and when carrying packages, keep it between your body and the package. * Everybody: Be aware of your wallet and money when a stranger begins to talk to you. Carry only the credit cards and amount of cash you intend to use that day. Don't display large amounts of cash in public. Be alert in crowds, especially in or near public transportation and department stores. If you are victimized in San Francisco, call the local police at 553-0123. 3. Preventing Burglaries * Watch your luggage (or ask the Bell Cap to watch your luggage) when you're checking in at your hotel or motel. * Make sure no one else hears your name and room number when you're transacting business at the front desk. * Don't discuss your daily schedule with anyone you don't know well or trust. * Don't display expensive jewelry or large amounts of cash. * Deposit your valuables in the hotel or motel safe when you're not using them and have a friend watch you do it. Make an inventory of what you deposit. * Know how to double lock your door. * Keep your key with you at all times; don't leave it at the hotel's front desk. * Return your key to the hotel's front desk when you check out. Don't leave it in the door or in the room; it's too easy for someone to steal it and use later. 4. Property Lost in a Taxi * Make note of the cab company's name when you call for a cab, the time and place you requested the ride from, and anything else you can remember about the driver (like the driver's name). * If a cab has pulled away with your valuables inside, call the police. 5. Staying Clear of Vice Crimes * Avoid conversations with people who offer to sell you sexual services. * Travel in groups when possible. * Don't let prostitutes get close enough to touch you; they may be after your wallets. * Don't bring strangers to your hotel room. * For an emergency call the police at 911, or 553-0123 if the emergency is over. 6. Credit Card Loss * Keep a separate list of your credit cards and numbers. * Notify the police at once if your credit cards have been stolen. * Don't be lulled into not reporting the theft if you get a phone call from someone who wants to know where to mail you your cards. If you haven't reported the loss, he's got time to use your card. CALL FOR HELP If you need the immediate presence of a police officer, firefighter, or paramedic, dial 911. If it's not an emergency, call the police department, 553-0123, the fire department, 861-8000, or medical service, 431-2800. If you are interested in learning more about how you can defend yourself, there will be a self defense workshop on Friday, July 9th during the convention. (Reprinted from the "Tips for Tourists" brochure.) ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT LEROY SAUNDERS 2118 N.W. 21st ST. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73107 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 170 N.E. 123rd STREET NORTH MIAMI, FL 33161 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT CHARLES HODGE 1131 S. FOREST DRIVE ARLINGTON, VA 22204 SECRETARY PATRICIA PRICE 5707 BROCKTON DRIVE #302 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220 TREASURER BRIAN CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE WATERTOWN, MA 02172 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ELIZABETH M. LENNON