THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLVIII July 2009 No. 1 Published by the American Council of the Blind THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Mitch Pomerantz, President Melanie Brunson, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor National Office: 2200 Wilson Blvd. Suite 650 Arlington, VA 22201 (202) 467-5081 fax: (703) 465-5085 Web site: http://www.acb.org THE BRAILLE FORUM (TM) is available in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, visit the ACB web site and complete an application form, or contact the national office at the number listed above. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Mike Godino at the above mailing address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office can make printed cards available for this purpose. To remember the American Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, contact the ACB national office. Join the Monthly Monetary Support (MMS) Program and help improve tomorrow today in ACB. Contact Ron Milliman by e-mail, rmilliman@insightbb.com, or by phone at (270) 782-9325 and get started making tomorrow look brighter today! To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time, or visit the Washington Connection online at http://www.acb.org. Copyright 2009 American Council of the Blind ***** TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: Are You Tuned In?, by Mitch Pomerantz ACB at the White House, by Melanie Brunson Legislative Update: Informal Complaints at the FCC, by Eric Bridges Passings ACB Chapter Web Sites – Make One!, by Philip Kutner Affiliate News Adventure in Mexico, by Gail Selfridge Succeeding Against the Odds: Celebrating Louis Braille's Birthday in Sri Lanka, by Jean Parker Letter to the Editor Sorrow's Song, by Lindy Morelli The Counseling Challenge, by Marilyn Brandt Smith Here and There, edited by Sue Lichtenfels High Tech Swap Shop FORUM SUBSCRIPTION NOTES You can now get "The Braille Forum" by podcast! To subscribe, go to "The Braille Forum" page on www.acb.org. If you do not yet have a podcast client, you can download one from the Forum page. To subscribe to "The Braille Forum" via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to brailleforum-L-subscribe@acb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll take care of the changes for you. ***** PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: ARE YOU TUNED IN? by Mitch Pomerantz Like so many blind and visually impaired people of my acquaintance and of a certain age group, I've had a fascination with radio since I was very young. One day when I was 5 or 6, my mother won some sort of contest among all the employees at the department store where she worked. The prize was a Philco AM clock radio, vintage 1955. Miracle of miracles, she gave it to me and from then on I was hooked! In those days when the AM band wasn't nearly as crowded as it is today, living in Los Angeles I easily picked up San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. With a bit more effort, I heard Des Moines, Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth, and even Pittsburgh and Boston occasionally with that wonderful Philco. That's how I got involved in what we refer to as the hobby of DX-ing. Over the past 50-plus years, I have owned a variety of radios including, beginning around 1975, an old Collins AM/shortwave receiver dating back to the mid-'30s. (For those of you who know about such things, no, it's not for sale.) Thanks to that Collins, I developed an interest in international shortwave stations such as the BBC (Great Britain), Deutsche Velle (Germany), Radio Australia and scores of others airing news and cultural programming in English. Sadly, a significant number of these stations have departed the shortwave bands for satellite and/or the Internet, although a few carry on gamely like determined but out-gunned warriors. In late 2002, I was invited to conduct disability-awareness training in South Africa. Donna and I spent 15 days in that intriguing country, 10 days in Durban and the remaining five in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Naturally, I brought along a radio, two actually. It was my first real exposure to local radio outside of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. We found an FM station in Johannesburg, Jacaranda Radio, which we listened to constantly while there. I still have six 90-minute cassettes of radio stations from that trip; guess it's time to dig them out and listen to them one more time. It was when we returned and wanted to hear some of our South African favorites that we began tuning in to radio on the Internet. There are literally thousands of stations streaming (the web equivalent of broadcasting), including our own ACB Radio. It went on the air, so to speak, with ACB Radio Mainstream in 1999. There are now five separate streams being offered under the ACB Radio banner: Mainstream, providing talk radio programming on issues specific to blindness; Interactive, giving blind disc jockeys the opportunity to air their own music programs; World, offering an international perspective and programming in several languages; Café, featuring music performed by artists who are blind or visually impaired; and Treasure Trove, providing all the old-time radio anyone could wish. Earlier this year, ACB's budget committee recommended and the board of directors approved a budget which included the termination of the contract with the ACB Radio manager, Chrissie Cochrane, as of April 30th. In past years when our revenue projections were down, we made cuts in the number of issues of "The Braille Forum" from 12 to 11, or even 10; and in the number and/or amount of scholarships awarded. This year, with a projected $90,000 deficit and following a board decision not to approve an unbalanced budget, we reluctantly passed a balanced budget which included cutting the paid manager position for the remainder of 2009. Let me say for the record that Chrissie Cochrane took the reins of ACB Radio during a very difficult period and did an outstanding job growing and developing the station. She was especially adept at attracting international programmers. Not surprisingly, her departure was somewhat controversial, particularly among those same international programmers. Unfortunately, a few protested the board's decision by withdrawing their services, and their unique points of view and styles are sorely missed. Enter the cavalry! We are fortunate that a talented ACB Radio programmer, Larry Turnbull, agreed to step into the breach by volunteering to manage ACB Radio through the end of the year. He is being assisted by a management team including Marlaina Lieberg, longtime ACB Radio programmer, Paul Edwards, chair of the board of publications, and Chris Gray, immediate past president, both of whom are current contributors to the station. Melanie Brunson and I also assist as needed. In his brief time as manager, Larry has already recruited several new programmers, and a few former ones, to the fold. The point of all this, of course, is to recruit those of you with Internet access to become regular listeners to ACB Radio. Perhaps in time, some of you might take the plunge and do your own programming on one or more of the available streams. There is definitely something for anyone who listens to the radio even for just a few minutes a day. Larry Turnbull is developing plans for the station which promise great things. And, for those of you who do not have Internet access, he is investigating ways of making programs heard on ACB Radio available to you as well. So, as they say in the radio biz, stay tuned! ***** ACB AT THE WHITE HOUSE by Melanie Brunson Since the Obama administration assumed the reins of government in late January, the White House has regularly sought input from the disability community. The administration has regularly invited members of the community to meetings which were convened specifically to seek input on a variety of issues of concern to people with disabilities, as well as professionals who provide services to them. I am very pleased to tell the readers of "The Braille Forum" that ACB has been an active part of a number of these gatherings. We have had opportunities to engage White House staff in discussions regarding a wide range of topics including access to health care, accessible telecommunications, funding for audio description, pedestrian safety, and the future of vocational rehabilitation, just to name a few. I am also pleased to report that the response from White House staffers has been quite positive. Our discussions have been both frank and open. Kareem Dale, special assistant to the president for disability policy, has been particularly interested in obtaining input from ACB on a number of issues. He has met with ACB’s president, Mitch Pomerantz, by telephone, with our director of advocacy and governmental affairs, and with me. He has been very engaged during our discussions and has facilitated contacts with other White House officials when appropriate so that we could either give information to them or obtain assistance from them, as the situation warranted. The White House has also included people who have disabilities in gatherings that have no specific connection to issues related to disability, but at which they want to have participation from individuals representative of a cross-section of the nation’s population. For instance, Eric Bridges has been invited to attend a couple of bill-signing ceremonies so far this year. As a result, we are hopeful that the administration will follow through on its pledge to consider the implications all policy decisions may have for people with disabilities, and not seek to engage our community only when the subject matter specifically relates to disability issues. Thus far, the signs are positive for both the disability community at large, and for ACB in particular. As I write, Eric Bridges is preparing to attend another meeting at the White House for leaders of national disability organizations, which will be held later this week. We will keep you informed as our dialogue with the White House proceeds. We are excited about the opportunities it may present and gratified by the way it has gone thus far. ***** LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: INFORMAL COMPLAINTS AT THE FCC by Eric Bridges I am quite pleased to report another small but important victory for individuals with disabilities at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). For well over a year, ACB has worked with the Disability Rights Office at the FCC to formulate a report that would detail complaints by the disability community. As some of you know, the FCC collects reporting data on complaints ranging from indecent content on TV and radio to broadcast rights. Historically, however, the FCC has not published a report detailing complaints by the disability community. I know that many of you have completed informal complaints on inaccessible cell phones and access to televised emergency information. These types of complaints are precisely what this report will collect. Below is a notice announcing this report. In the notice there is a link that will take you to a page that will let you file an informal complaint. Now that we have this report, which will be made available for the public to view, it is imperative that ACB members help to populate the relevant categories with many complaints. This report will give the blind community solid data to utilize when working with Congress and industry on issues pertaining to telecommunications. Please let me know if you require assistance in completing an informal complaint. Report On Informal Consumer Complaints Regarding Access To Telecommunications For People With Disabilities WASHINGTON, May 6, 2009 – The Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) announces information regarding informal consumer complaints processed by the Disability Rights Office (DRO) during the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2008. DRO processes informal complaints in the following five categories: (1) access to telecommunications services and equipment (Section 255) (47 U.S.C. § 255), (2) telecommunications relay services (TRS) (47 U.S.C. § 225), (3) closed captioning (47 C.F.R. § 79.1), (4) accessibility of video programming providing emergency information (47 C.F.R. § 79.2), (5) and hearing aid compatibility (47 U.S.C. § 610). For the fourth quarter of 2008 (Oct. 1, 2008-Dec. 31, 2008), DRO received the following number of informal complaints, by subject matter, implicating the Commission’s disability access rules: 30 informal complaints raised Section 255 issues; 38 informal complaints raised TRS issues; 80 informal complaints raised closed captioning issues; 4 informal complaints raised accessibility of video programming providing emergency information issues; and 2 informal complaints raised hearing aid compatibility issues. On Feb. 1, 2008, CGB launched a new database tracking system for informal complaints, the Consumer Complaint Management System (CCMS). CCMS utilizes the Form 2000C for all disability access informal complaints regarding the five categories listed above. Consumers can access this complaint form at www.fcc.gov/cgb/form2000c.html. The Commission receives many inquiries and complaints that do not involve violations of the Communications Act, a Commission rule, or a Commission order. The existence of a complaint does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing by the company at issue. For more information regarding access to telecommunications for people with disabilities and other related matters, visit the DRO web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro. A copy of this document will be available during regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th St. S.W., Room CY-A257, Washington, D.C. 20554. This document and copies of subsequently filed documents in this matter may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor at Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D.C. 20554. Customers may contact the Commission’s duplicating contractor at their web site, www.bcpiweb.com, or call 1-800-378-3160 or (202) 488-5300. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), or (202) 418-0432 (TTY). This news release can also be downloaded in Word and Portable Document Format (PDF) at www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/. For further information regarding this informal complaint information, contact Cheryl King, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office: (202) 418-2284 (voice), (202) 418-0416 (TTY), or e-mail Cheryl.King@fcc.gov. ***** PASSINGS It has come to our attention that we are rapidly losing members of our community, friends and supporters of ACB. In order to honor these people whose lives have impacted us, in large and small ways, we are publishing this column. See below for the format in which to submit information. Obituary Format Please include as much of the following information as possible when submitting material for this column. Submissions must involve dates no more than six months from intended date of publication. Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate) City of residence (upon passing) State/province of residence (upon passing) Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person) Occupation Date of death (day if known, month, year) Age ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees) THOMPSON, REV. ANNE Rev. Anne Thompson of Philadelphia, Pa., passed away on May 15, 2009 after suffering from a fall from which she never recovered. Rev. Thompson, a life member of ACB, was the chaplain of the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind for many years. Along with her husband Rudy Thompson, who died in 2007, she always attended PCB conventions, and for a number of years conducted a memorial service to honor members of the state affiliate who had passed away during the year. The Thompsons attended many ACB conventions, and Rev. Thompson could always be counted on to offer the invocation at general sessions. She was always a strong supporter of her husband's work and service on a number of boards and committees both within PCB and the larger community of blind and low vision people. Her dedication as a Christian and her faithful service will be missed within the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind. ***** ACB CHAPTER WEB SITES – MAKE ONE! by Philip Kutner (Editor's Note: Philip Kutner is the president of the San Mateo County Council of the Blind.) When our San Mateo County Chapter (SMCCB) in northern California (just south of San Francisco) decided to create a web site, we first looked at what affiliates of other state chapters have done. This information is compiled at our site, www.acb.org/affiliates/index.html. It was a surprise how few other local chapters had their own web sites. After gleaning ideas, we made a table listing the states, with links to their web sites. It also showed how many chapters had web sites. We hope that each state's webmaster will check this table and help us update it. As more ACB members become computer literate, it will become a cheaper and more rapid method of communication. Then it was time to start our site. We had to select an Internet Service Provider (ISP). We also researched the name of the site, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), to see if the acronym for San Mateo County Council of the Blind (SMCCB) was available. It was — so we chose it. Our web site is www.smccb.org. All of the extensions (.com, .gov, .edu, .net, etc.) were available and the cost was the same to register them, except TV, which was much more expensive. Our webmaster was familiar with Dreamweaver, so that was the program used to create the site. We decided to start with information about our chapter and then to add material that might be useful and interesting to others who might visit the site. This is a labor of love and a task that is ongoing. We are constantly adding new material and updating of the existing information. Our Web Site Contains: • Our yearly calendar • A list of vision publications • A membership application • A list of vision links • Our officers and resources • What our members do • Information on color blindness • How to start a web site • Information for the newly blind • Communicating with the sighted • Search box for our web site States with Chapter Web Sites Alabama: 0 Alaska: 0 Arizona: 1 Arkansas: 0 California: 5 Colorado: 1 Connecticut: 0 Delaware: 0 Florida: 17 Georgia: 13 Hawaii: 0 Illinois: 0 Indiana: 0 Iowa: 3 Kansas: 0 Kentucky: 4 Louisiana: 0 Maine: 0 Maryland: 0 Massachusetts: 3 Michigan: 0 Minnesota: 0 Mississippi: 0 Missouri: 0 Nebraska: 2 Nevada: 0 New Jersey: 2 New York: 5 North Carolina: 0 North Dakota: 0 Ohio: 2 Oklahoma: 3 Oregon: 0 Pennsylvania: 5 South Carolina: 0 South Dakota: 0 Tennessee: 0 Texas: 10 Utah: 0 Vermont: 0 Virginia: 0 Washington: 4 West Virginia: 0 Wisconsin: 0 Wyoming: 0 State without e-mail address – Rhode Island Our SMCCB membership list has the names, addresses and phone numbers of the members, and also their e-mail addresses. It is updated monthly and distributed at our monthly board meetings. Our chapter web site has an annual calendar of events, listing the dates of general meetings, board meetings and field trips. This is updated regularly. Our web site can be found at www.smccb.org. Our telephone squad calls everyone every month to remind them to attend our general meetings and ask if they have any questions. Our newsletter goes out in hard copy to those without e-mail. As more of our local members become computer literate, e-mail and the information posted on the web site will become more valuable. This is especially so for non-members who are searching for information. In the future we hope to develop a questionnaire for all the states. For states having a web site, the questions would relate to their experiences in starting, and the problems they had or are having. It also would be interesting to learn the reasons preventing other states from building a web site. Is it lack of funds, technical inability, seeing no advantage, or other reasons? ***** AFFILIATE NEWS ACBHSP Wants You! The purpose of American Council of the Blind Human Service Professionals (ACBHSP) is to provide a forum to enhance the professional development of its members who are in positions such as rehabilitation counselors, teachers, psychologists, and others interested in vocations that are involved in human development. We do this using conference calls, e-mail lists, and other forms of open communication. Although our organization is composed primarily of people in the human service professions, anyone is welcome to subscribe to our e-mail list, join our organization, and attend our conference calls. You can subscribe to our e-mail list by sending a blank message to Acb-hsp-subscribe@acb.org. Our conference calls are held on the first Sunday of each month at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time (5:30 Pacific). Our next conference call will be held on Sunday, August 2nd. The number to call is (218) 844-3388, and the access code is 222-477(ACB-HSP). If you wish to become a paying member of ACBHSP, please send a check or money order in the amount of $10 payable to ACB-HSP to our treasurer, Deanna Austin. Her address is: Deanna Austin, 5248 Spring Creek Court, Indianapolis, IN 46254. ***** ADVENTURE IN MEXICO by Gail Selfridge This story began in July of 2007. I returned to Leader Dogs for the Blind, a school in Rochester, Mich., which trains guide dogs to assist blind people with their navigation and mobility. I am totally blind and have been using guide dogs for 40 years. I would receive my sixth guide dog. She was a yellow Labrador retriever named Alisse. I met her puppy raiser, Eydie Yemmans. We kept in contact. She told me she was going to lead a team for Habitat for Humanity to build a house for people of low income in Mexico. She said she wanted to take a couple of blind people along to show that blind people could do the work as well as anyone else. She asked if I would be interested, and after quite a bit of discussion I said I would. I don’t have a lot of money, but I needed to raise a rather substantial amount for the expenses of the project. I wasn’t sure I could do that, but Eydie kept encouraging me, so I went to my church’s congregation, and they got together most of the money I needed. I raised a bit more by selling cleaning cloths, and contributed a bit myself and all the money was raised. On Oct. 25, 2008, Alisse and I flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to join the team. The building site was in Guayabitos, Nayarit. It’s about an hour’s drive north of Puerto Vallarta. There were eight of us; one other member, George Wertzel, was also blind. This is the first time that totally blind people have worked on a Habitat for Humanity team in such a project. George is a carpenter and he has done detailed work such as making beautiful furniture, but he said laying blocks was not something he would put at the top of his skills. He did a good job with that. I learned how to do it, too. I sifted sand, loaded rocks into buckets, and handed blocks to the guys who were laying them. Alisse adapted to the Mexican environment beautifully. She helped to guide me around Puerto Vallarta when we were seeing the sights, and she stayed in a crate while I worked on the project. It was very hot and humid, but I learned that if I drank at least one bottle of water, sometimes more, every hour, I could keep on working. It was exhilarating how the Mexican people who were helping with the project made sure I could get around and helped find things for me to do. They never acted like I couldn’t do what needed to be done, and they weren’t afraid to steer me in the right direction. I know some Spanish and that helped when they had any questions about how I’d do something. We did what was expected of us and George and I proved that blind people can work very competently on a Habitat for Humanity project as long as people accept us and use their hands and ours to show us what needs to be done. People are so used to doing things with visual clues that they don’t realize we can do the same things using other senses. This experience has shown me once again that I can do the things I want as long as I can find people who will cooperate with me and as long as a positive attitude is kept by all. ***** SUCCEEDING AGAINST THE ODDS: CELEBRATING LOUIS BRAILLE’S BIRTHDAY IN SRI LANKA by Jean Parker Sri Lanka is hot. It’s not exactly the kind of suffocating heat you have to push aside when you want to go somewhere, but almost. Signs of the 30-year civil war and its resulting deprivation are everywhere; it hangs like a dark shadow over everything and everybody. It’s one of those wars most people don’t know about. It remains on the edge of the horizon for most folks unless they happen to live inside it. Those who do live there know that their island country of 20 million people located just off the coast of South India is small, poor and struggling for survival. Government funds that should be allocated to education and social advancement are diverted to fund the war – including funds for the blind. Most blind people have no rehabilitation or training, and therefore, few prospects for employment or economic and political power. The best, brightest and the lucky ones have left Sri Lanka to search for a better life somewhere else, taking with them creativity, innovation and money. Those who remain hope for better days. Given this reality, the January 10th celebration of the 200th birthday of Louis Braille was remarkable, demonstrating the strength and commitment of participants in the face of overwhelming barriers. About 40 enthusiastic blind people gathered in an auditorium outside Sri Lanka’s capitol, Colombo. The event was sponsored by the Blind Citizens' Front of Sri Lanka with help from the local Lions, and included contests in reading and writing Braille, plus extemporaneous speaking about the importance of Louis Braille and his accomplishments. Michael Jayasiri is the founder of the organization. He says about 15 percent of blind people in Sri Lanka read braille. “Sri Lanka, we are told, is proud of a very high literacy rate. But when we compare this figure with the literacy rate of blind people in this country, the percentage is very low. We believe, therefore, that our problem is mass illiteracy.” Promoting braille is the primary activity of the Blind Citizens' Front. The celebration honoring Louis Braille is held every year. Contest winners get small amounts of cash for demonstrating speed and accuracy in writing braille, fluency in reading aloud and imagination in explaining what braille means to them individually, and to blind people as a whole. Most of the winners say they will use the money to buy essentials like food and clothing for their families. Many participants sell lottery tickets or work in factories. A few are teachers, many in schools for the blind and a few in schools for sighted people. Getting together like this doesn’t happen that often so they enjoy each other’s company when they do. Moving around is difficult; the police checkpoints are endless, causing anxiety, delays and cancellations. Buses and trains are a favorite target of suicide bombers, exposing those riding public transport, blind and sighted alike, to an increased amount of violence and uncertainty. It’s the randomness of it that keeps people on edge. Jayasiri says after so many years of this heightened insecurity, the crime rate in the country is out of control. He says that violence has become the mindset of the people. Robberies, housebreaks, and reports of kidnaps and disappearances are commonplace. No one feels safe, blind or sighted, and this is holding everyone back, but especially the blind. He says organizing in the blind community is hard too, mostly due to the war in the north, and political tensions in the rest of the country. “Before 2005 there were blind organizations in the north. But when the war started, we lost contact with the organizations of Tamil people in the north. We have no news of them; we cannot even write letters to them, we do not know where they are. I know that some are in refugee camps, and some have left the island. The blind people, they are unable to organize themselves, so they are mainly interested in survival. They go to the refugee camps and just stay there.” Following reports about the conditions in the refugee camps, the unpredictable displacement of the population in the north and the complete disregard for human rights by all sides of the war, one can only imagine what has happened to them. After the contest, Jayasiri goes home to write. He, his wife Swarna, and two other blind people write the organization's monthly magazine, every copy, by hand! There are no Braille writers, no computers attached to Braille embossers. Every page of the 145 copies produced each month is written using slates and styli! Jayasiri explains that the paper is donated by a group in Australia. He estimates that 5,000 to 6,000 people actually read the 14-page magazine as people pass it along to others. Over 1,000 people are on the waiting list. It is also the only braille magazine in the Sinhala language published regularly in the world! This is especially important because English is being taught less in Sri Lanka’s schools than in the past. “We publish stories from the newspapers and from the radio, and we get contributions from our readers, and we sometimes translate articles from the Braille Forum which our readers really appreciate reading, and we keep our readers up to date with any release from the Parliament that has any impact on the lives of blind people.” The magazine began as a newsletter. But in 1990, the International Year of Literacy, readers demanded an expanded publication, and the magazine has been published every month ever since. Jayasiri says, “When you can read and write your own language, and communicate, that is literacy. With literacy comes the possibility of freedom. With freedom comes the possibility of endless achievement, from pleasant living to significant social contributions.” In a two-room rented house near the capitol, Shiawati and her husband are regular readers of the magazine. They also contribute their own essays and poems for others to read. Being literate in Braille is important to them. Both of them sell lottery tickets in a nearby food store. They sell about 200 tickets a day and use Braille to keep track of the winning numbers. Seven people share the two rooms including their young son, Shiawati’s mother, sister, brother-in-law and their children. They say they would like to have a place of their own but they would have to make twice their current earnings to afford it. Jayasiri’s office is a small room added on to his concrete house containing one table that serves as a desk, two chairs and a worktable. A separate entrance from that of the house leads to a compound surrounded by walls and iron fences. It faces a narrow lane where kids and dogs chase each other, and where two vehicles cannot pass. The compound is home to 16 people including Jayasiri’s two sons, their wives and a pile of grandchildren. One son drives a rickshaw and the other works in an office. One of his daughters-in-law makes wedding cakes on the side. There are also five students from a nearby university whose rent payments add to the family’s modest income. Jayasiri became blind from cataracts when he was five. His parents took him to a “native doctor” but the treatment resulted in total blindness. “Health facilities have been improved and awareness programs are there to say that if anything happens to eyes, don’t go to a native doctor; there are hospitals everywhere, you should take treatment from hospitals,” he says. He was lucky. At age eight he attended a school for the blind and eventually went to a university. He taught at a school for the blind for 19 years. Then he worked as an English language stenographer, and then for a factory. Disturbances from political instability made traveling to and from his job by train impossible. He had no choice but to quit. But Jayasiri’s experience is the exception. “There are a few educated blind who have jobs, who have teaching appointments, but those are few," he says. "Majority of the people are self-employed. They sell wares; go from house to house selling soap, tea leaves, textiles, and things like that. Other than that the employment situation is very grave. When they are unemployed they are a burden to their family, to their parents, to their brothers and sisters. Being without employment means that you are not independent, you depend on others for everything, to take you here and there, for your clothes, for your food and everything; you always have to look for charity when you’re unemployed." The Blind Citizens' Front has other activities as well. “We find employment for people, both in the open market and self-employment. We give them a little money to buy their wares and things like that. Once a year we see how they have improved." Jayasiri and those members who know English read braille magazines sent to them by people in the United States. He reads the comments that sometimes appear asking why blind people in developing countries are always asking for donations. He explains that in Sri Lanka at least, the little money people have to give to others is donated to the temple and not to organizations or people directly. He also says that a single person’s generosity can make a huge difference. For example, an individual from the United States sends him braille paper that has been embossed on one side and is no longer needed. He uses the other side of the paper for brailling his personal notes. Things are changing for blind people in Sri Lanka, but progress is extremely slow. There is more awareness about the capabilities of blind people than ever before and they are slowly gaining a foothold in employment. But unless the government changes its economic priorities, groups like the Blind Citizens' Front will continue looking outside Sri Lanka for their sustenance. ***** LETTER TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, June 5, 2009. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. Tribute to Louis Braille Dearest Mr. Braille, In observance of your 200th anniversary I'm compelled to express just what your gift and the legacy that goes with it has meant to me. I was enrolled in the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind in the mid-1950s. Throughout our grade school years, we were taught to read and write braille just as sighted children do with print in their schools. It was many years later when I realized the true essence of this gift. I'm now 60 years old, and throughout my life I have used braille to read books and magazines, keep notes and records of my daily activities and countless other applications too numerous to mention here. It's by no means easy being a blind person in a sighted world! Thank God for people such as you who've made it possible for us to have some measure of quality in our lives. Without braille I wouldn't be able to write down a phone number or keep track of my recording sessions in the home studio that I operate. I'm really at a loss for words that would convey my true appreciation for the wonderful system you developed and want you to know that although there are some blind individuals who shy away from braille, most of us would be dead in the water without it. As the old saying goes, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Truly, Mr. Braille, you have illuminated at least a portion of the darkness we're forced to live in and made it possible for we the blind community to live and function as normal human beings. Thank you, Mr. Braille, and may your soul rest in peace forever. -- Robert D. Reed Jr., Lemont Furnace, Pa. ***** SORROW'S SONG by Lindy Morrelli It was happening again. I bared my soul to reveal my spiritual restlessness, my desire for a place to belong. And again someone was telling me I should be satisfied with what I had. After all, I was a baptized Catholic, therefore an integral member of the church, and I had been permitted to take private vows approved by the bishop. Why could I not be grateful for the graces I had received? Though sometimes unspoken, that was the question everyone asked. If only it were as simple as that. Due to an accident at birth, I lost my sight completely. Although my family did their best to give me a sense of well-being, my parents divorced when I was young. As I grew up, I felt alone and abandoned. In my misery, I turned toward God. Somehow I understood that life was empty and purposeless without him. While my heart ached for peace in so many ways, I found immense fulfillment in God. Contemplative, But Not Cloistered By the time I finished college, I felt called to a religious vocation. The next step was to find a religious community where I could belong, a place to live with and among others who shared a similar vocation. I felt called to a vocation that combines contemplative prayer with active service to the poor, so I sought out communities that practiced this way of life. In the mid '80s, I contacted more than 100 communities to find out about their communal life and ministry and how I might fit into it. For many years, I searched for an opportunity to fulfill my vocation, but the answer was always the same. My lack of sight was simply too big an obstacle for these communities. How would I get to locations for serving the poor? What if I needed transportation to medical appointments? I never saw myself as disabled, but clearly these communities did not feel they were set up to accept a blind person. In 1990, I spent time with a community in Italy. How I wanted this to be the right place for me! I would have gone anywhere if I thought I could fulfill my vocation. However, the way of life in that particular community did not match what I felt called to, because there was no time for solitude, and no active ministry. The disappointment broke my heart. I felt so earnestly that I had a true calling from God, but for 20 years I have not been able to find an adequate way to answer God's call. I was repeatedly cut off in such a dismissive way. Did these well intentioned people realize they were cutting right through my heart? Few ever acknowledged the injustice and pain of the situation with any real empathy. They truly couldn't understand my plight - or perhaps it was just too unsettling to them to consider what my presence in a community might mean. Some people even said I should just forget about religious life altogether and find someone to marry. While I certainly don't disparage the vocation of marriage, I didn't feel called to that and was offended! Why was it so simple for them to decide what my life should be like? Others reminded me that God accepts my vows as they are, and said that should be enough to fulfill me. Were they even listening to what I was saying? Was it just easier not to hear my heart's desire because I had a disability? These people who no doubt considered themselves well-intentioned nevertheless took the unequivocal position that I - and all other disabled people - have no value for the church, and that it was acceptable to discount our desires to serve. Several times I went to our local bishop. Though he was always kind, he had no solutions. There was no place for me, and the fact that there would never be a place for me, or for anyone else who is disabled, filled me with despair. I was devoted to the church, and I wanted a connection, a blessing from the church. Why would God give me a calling that I could not fulfill? Since the beginning of my search, the only option I have consistently been given is to go into a cloistered monastic community. Several of them would have accepted me; one in particular had been formed specifically for people with disabilities. But after spending time there, I became convinced that my vocation was not to be found in a cloister. I have always longed to give solace to the poor, and by this time, I had been deeply involved in prison and hospital ministry, working as much as I could to bring comfort in those dismal situations. A cloistered way of life would not have provided opportunities to use my God given gifts. Convenience or Calling? While I can understand the practical concerns that would make a community hesitant to take in a disabled member, I couldn't help wonder if the decision had more to do with the convenience of those who have no disability than the welfare of those who do. Not having a person with a disability in their midst would spare the community of having to deal with challenges the disabled face on a daily basis. They could just wrap up the disabled in a neatly packaged arrangement that, in their estimation, provides us with ample opportunities to serve, a place we should be satisfied with because it's better than nothing. By and large, disabled people with a vocation for the church have not been given the chance to serve in community. Even in our modern society and church, people are generally unaware or not open to the capabilities of people with disabilities. They don't see the need to belong to a community on an equal basis of vocation. Why can't all people be evaluated according to actual abilities? Why does calling not carry the same weight for all people? The disabled are not a separate class of people markedly different from the rest of the population. We are people just like everyone else, with gifts that can enrich specific communities. For communities to accept the disabled, they would have to stretch and grow, to become more trusting and generous. In assuming that they already know what our limitations and needs are, they underestimate and misjudge our potential. If people could open their minds enough to learn from each individual with a disability and each situation, we could share in community and grow together. But for this to happen, communities would have to face the fears we face. They would have to be willing to be inconvenienced. They would have to take the necessary steps of faith in order for us all to live together. They would have to get out of their comfort zones to make room for those with special needs who are seeking genuine community. Carmel and Community With the passage of time and after much prayer, discernment and soul searching, I have finally come to terms with the anguish of my thwarted dreams. I have found my true vocation at last. I have come to recognize myself in the Carmelite writers and have found my life's purpose in Carmel. The writings of St. John of the Cross, in particular, have given me strength, guidance and clarity. St. John of the Cross teaches us that, through pain, God purifies us, and that as we are purified, we become one with God. I have come to realize and accept the real purpose of my life: what really matters is that I grow in union with God, that I grow in love for God and for neighbor. It is not of such importance that I accomplish my own dreams or agendas, or that I reach some external goal, or that I have everything I think I need, like being in community. Rather, what matters is that I grow in holiness. In realizing this, I have come to a place of freedom and can finally say to God, "Your will be done." While this interior struggle was going on, I was graced in other ways by my work with the poor. In trying to identify with them in every way, in their feelings, their struggles, their burdens, I found immense fulfillment and a purpose for my life. In the '90s, I developed a grassroots ministry that provides a day center and residential facility for the poor. They can come in and find hospitality, guidance and a new start. This work has brought me great happiness, but has become virtually impossible to do alone, since my duties range from administrator, program manager, fundraiser, counselor and so on. I would like to find other committed people who feel called to work with the poor, so they can join me in this ministry. And since I feel my first priority is contemplative prayer in the Carmelite tradition, I want to share my life of prayer and love for God with others who feel called to a deep prayer life and union with God. I don't know if God wants me to establish a community in the church, but the thought has certainly crossed my mind. Others have suggested it to me as well. I feel inadequate and ill-equipped for that task, but if God wishes that of me, I'll do it. I envision a community where dedicated people live together, sharing a life of contemplative prayer, love for God and neighbor in serving the poor. At present, I am living out that way of life alone with a daily structured schedule of prayer and ministry. If others came to join me, I envision the disabled and non disabled living together, helping each other to reach their fullest potential. My vision is that the disabled, together with those who have learned the special gifts of compassion and empathy, share with those God sends to us, giving them sound guidance and loving welcome. I am strongly convinced that those of us who suffer from physical disabilities or from deep inner poverty of spirit are equipped and called in a special way to bring love and peace to those whom God places before us. Our life together would be primarily a life of contemplation and prayer, according to the Carmelite tradition. Then as a fruit of prayer, my hope is that we would continue this ministry while living with the poor and making a home for them, helping them to rebuild their lives. ***** THE COUNSELING CHALLENGE They come to me alone and in clusters In a modern office none of us can see; I'm trained quite well to tell them how to change things, Feel whole again, regain their dignity. "I had to sell my car!" Jack says in anger; "I can't feed my family," cries Jerome; "I still want to teach!" begs Mrs. Matlock; Old Ernie fears he'll wind up in a home. We have many teachers, many programs; They have doubts and questions, hopes and fears; The lucky and the brave will be successful; The others will be in our files for years. It's right for me to tell them, "Sure, you'll make it," But our funds and their goals must be in line. Oh, there's another knock, "Come in," I beckon, I'll try to make you brave in one hour's time. -- Marilyn Brandt Smith ***** HERE AND THERE edited by Sue Lichtenfels The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. The Braille Forum cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to info@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. SHARE SERVICE DOG STORIES Kathy Nimmer, a blind high school English teacher and writer from Indiana, has launched an international effort to gather true stories of people with disabilities and their service dogs, to be included in an anthology. The project, entitled "Two Plus Four Equals One," will celebrate what happens when two hands plus four paws combine for one magical union. The web site, www.servicedogstories.com, has been set up to promote the project, receive submissions, gather contact information from individuals who have worked with service dogs in any capacity, and field inquiries about the book. The book will include non-fiction stories, anecdotes, tributes and poetry. Explanations and samples of the four genres can be found on the web site. Story submissions will be accepted for consideration through Sept. 30, 2009. Contact Kathy directly with questions or suggestions at kathy@servicedogstories.com. BIBLE CONFERENCE The 2009 Bartimaeus Bible Conference will be held Sept. 14-18 at Redwood Glen Camp near Loma Mar, Calif., 50 miles south of San Francisco. The featured speaker is pastor and seminary professor David K. Spurbeck. Mornings and evenings are devoted to Bible study, music and discussion. Afternoons will be occupied with a hike through San Mateo County Memorial Park, a picnic on the beach, and a trip to Pescadero to shop at a fruit stand and the nationally famous Old Country Bakery. Cost for 4 nights double occupancy and 11 meals is $250 per camper. Call ahead to make arrangements for bus station, airport, and train depot transfers to the camp. Limited camperships may be available. Reservations and requests for assistance with a campership should be accompanied by a non-refundable $30 check sent to: Bartimaeus Alliance of the Blind, Inc., P.O. Box 572, South San Francisco, CA 94083-0572. For additional information, contact Grant Metcalf at (650) 589-6890, e-mail thegems@dslextreme.com, or visit www.bartimaeus.us. HADLEY PARTNERS WITH UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY The Hadley School for the Blind is partnering with Utah State University (USU) to offer four college-level courses in blindness studies starting in the fall of 2009. Credits can be used toward associate's, bachelor's or master's degrees. The courses will include: Introduction to Blindness and Visual Impairment, The Human Eye and Visual System, Introduction to Braille, and The Role of Paraeducators with Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired. Two additional courses, Introduction to Multiple Disabilities and Introduction to Low Vision, will be available in spring 2010. To learn more about enrolling in USU/Hadley, please contact Linda Alsop at linda.alsop@usu.edu or (435) 797-5598. To take courses on a non-credit basis, contact Fran Payne at fran.payne@usu.edu or (435) 797-5591. LARGE TYPE COOKBOOK Maxine Turkington, a visually impaired woman in the UK, has created a cookbook for people with low vision. “Cooking for VIPs, A Cookery Book for the Visually Impaired," is printed in 18-point bold type, and contains 128 recipes plus tips on how VIPs can organize a kitchen. The spiral-bound cookbook costs $22.50 plus $5 shipping. Orders take approximately 2-3 weeks. A fund-raising program is available for charitable organizations. For more information, or to order, contact Maxine at Tips4Vips, 11 Alliance Court, Hills Avenue, Cambridge CB1 7XE, United Kingdom; phone 011-44-1223-246712; e-mail maxine@tips4vips.co.uk. Maxine’s web site, www.tips4vips.co.uk, contains audio-described tips and downloadable recipes. CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE The Circle of Love Christian magazine is a 90-minute monthly cassette which features Christian music, games, memory verses, testimonies, recognition of prayer requests and birthdays/anniversaries plus much, much more. The Circle of Love will be celebrating 30 years of publication this year! For a sample issue, write: Circle of Love Tape Ministry, 5028 S. Duck Creek Rd., Cleveland, TX 77328, or call 1-866-251-5165, enter mailbox 7128# and leave a clear message with name, address and phone number. RFB&D EXPANDS SERVICES Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) now offers all of its more than 50,000 textbooks on-line in AudioPlus DAISY format. They feature full navigation, bookmarking and the variable speed control of DAISY-accessible audio books. Downloaded books can be played on a PC, transferred to the memory of a specialized DAISY player or burned to a CD to be played with a DAISY CD player. For complete technical requirements and specifications, visit www.rfbd.org/audioplus. Additionally, all RFB&D members now have direct access to 24/7 member service support online or on the phone. This service includes full membership and program support, book catalog support, technical support with equipment operation and audio book download support for all RFB&D products. COMPUTER TRAINING AT HOME OR OFFICE The CarrollTech web site offers accessible distance learning computer courses that can be taken on your own computer and at your own pace. Courses are available on JAWS, ZoomText, MAGic and Window-Eyes with Outlook, Excel, and Power Point. A Duxbury course and other software utilities are available for teachers of the visually impaired. A beginner course for JAWS users is available for trainers to use as an on-line curriculum. Users can try the first two lessons of any course for free. If you wish to continue, each course will cost $150. For more information, or to try a course, register at www.carrolltech.org. For questions, e-mail brian.charlson@carroll.org. JVIB INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION The Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) is now available for individuals to subscribe. For over 100 years, JVIB has been a source for the latest in cutting-edge research, best practices, technology, and news in the visual impairment field. Individuals can receive 12 print issues per year and access to 10 years of online archives for $65. A one-year online-only subscription costs $25. To learn more, or purchase a subscription, visit www.afb.org/jvibspecial.asp. TALKING HEALTH PRODUCTS Bay Area Digital has recently published a report entitled "Monitoring and Improving the Health of People with Vision Loss." It contains new information about the next generation of health products for people who are blind or visually impaired. To receive this free report, visit http://healthteller.blinkweb.com. NIB/USABA PARTNERSHIP National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) recently established a partnership to support wounded veterans. The two groups will work together to enhance each organization's mission and target initiatives on the promotion of sports and employment opportunities for people who are blind and visually impaired with an emphasis on wounded warriors and veterans who are blind. Goals of this partnership include locating and identifying various professional organizations in the blindness field and making them aware of USABA sports and NIB employment opportunities; identifying and promoting to people who are blind and visually impaired, including wounded warriors, various employment opportunities within NIB's agencies throughout the United States; and promoting USABA sports opportunities and physical wellness activities to the employees of NIB-affiliated agencies. For more information, visit www.nib.org or www.usaba.org. TIGER BRAILLE PRINTERS ViewPlus is now offering a new desktop series of Tiger braille printers. Some of their features include: new Tiger braille dot for improved readability; convenient USB connection; sleek, updated design; and ability to print tactile graphics. For more information, contact ViewPlus at 1-866-836-2184; e-mail sales@viewplus.com; or visit www.viewplus.com. BRAILLE TRANSLATION SERVICE The RoboBraille Service gives blind, visually impaired, and dyslexic people access to give and get written information fast, easy and free of charge. This is an e-mail-based translation service capable of translating documents to and from contracted braille and to synthetic speech. Users submit documents (e.g., text files, Word documents, HTML pages) as e-mail attachments. The translated results are returned to the user via e-mail, typically within a matter of minutes. You can learn more about this service by visiting www.robobraille.org. BRAILLE GREETING CARDS Shadows in the Dark offers a variety of braille greeting cards and a selection of gifts. The card selection includes 29 occasions with 24 different tactile graphics. Other than English, languages available include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese and Dutch. The company offers 10 percent off all orders. For more information, contact Shadows in the Dark at its new address: 22615 Mathis Rd. #1, San Antonio, TX 78264-4802; phone (210) 621-2070; e-mail info@shadowsinthedark.com; or visit www.shadowsinthedark.com. SUZE ORMAN’S ACTION PLAN National Braille Press (NBP) is now offering “Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe & Sound." In the book, Suze answers such questions as: Are your savings safe? Should you continue to invest in your retirement account? Should you keep your home if it's worth less than you owe or should you sell it? How do you pay your bills if you've been laid off? This best-seller is available in braille and Portabook for $9.99. You can read the table of contents at www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/ACTION.html. To order this book, send payment to: NBP, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302; call 1-800-548-7323. ext. 20; or e-mail orders@nbp.org. BOOKS ON DISABILITY Disabilities Books is an on-line book seller that offers resources for adults with disabilities, families of disabled children, and professionals who work with people who are disabled. One available book is, “You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories by Parents of Children with Disabilities.” This is a collection of over 60 short essays by "veteran" parents of children with disabilities who were asked to write the stories they wish they had heard when they received their child's diagnosis. Another sample of their inventory is “Reflections from a Different Journey: What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew,” which is a collection of 40 inspiring short essays by successful adults with different disabilities. Essay authors were asked to write about something they wished their own parents had read or been told while they were growing up. To review their entire collection, visit www.disabilitiesbooks.com or call (617) 879-0397. BOOK HELPS TO PREPARE I*Manager books are available to help keep families organized and prepared in case of an emergency. The fill-in-the-blanks pages include places for: children's vaccinations and medical histories; doctor, school and bank account numbers; on-line passwords; vehicle, financial and brokerage information; your wishes in case of an emergency, and much more. I*Manager books are available from www.SmartBooksUSA.com. SOCIAL SITE FOR DISABLED FriendsLikeMe.org is a new web site for people with disabilities. Users can hang out, meet friends, and if they want, find a special someone. Membership is free. To sign up, visit www.FriendsLikeMe.org. ON-LINE SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY SolaceofSouls.org is a new spiritual outreach which endeavors to be a means of support for those who are interested in their spiritual lives, for those who have great spiritual hunger, and for those who have been alienated, rejected or hurt by their respective faith communities. It provides spiritual healing, spiritual support/exploration, and spiritual direction for those who long to grow in their faith and for those who yearn to be part of a community of loving spiritual fellowship. For information, call Lindy Morelli at (570) 341-5858 or visit www.solaceofsouls.org. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: Rarely used PAC Mate BX440. Comes with two leather cases, combo memory/wi-fi card, modem card, and network card, as well as power cable, USB cable for connecting to computer, and USB adapter for thumb drives. Asking $2,800. Contact Kyle at (703) 835-4246 or by e-mail, kylenva@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Emerson AM/FM radio with weather band. Asking $20. Sony AM/FM pocket radio. Asking $20. Compaq laptop with numeric keyboard, 15.4"-wide screen, 2 gigs RAM, 160-gig hard drive, Windows XP Professional, JAWS, ZoomText, Microsoft Office. Asking $650 (including shipping). Talking watch, new, $8. Contact Jose Luis at (818) 220-6256. FOR SALE: PAC Mate QX400, includes charger and carrying case. Includes Microsoft Pocket Office suite,Windows Mobile 2003 software, and wireless card. Asking $1,500. Plantronics 91783-11 headset amplifier system. Perfect for listening to your screen reader with one ear and a telephone call or dictation equipment with the other. Includes quick disconnect cables and small telephone amplifier. Two AA batteries included. Asking $75 or best offer. Contact Mary Hiland via e-mail, mary.hiland@sbcglobal.net, or by phone, (614) 475-5295. FOR SALE: Quicklook magnifier. About 2 years old; hardly used; in original box with leather carrying case and neck strap. Cable and manual available. Asking $550, including shipping. Contact wallgreat@comcast.net or fax (650) 742-9194. FOR SALE: PAC Mate BX. In good condition. Asking $1,000. Price does not include insurance or shipping. Cashier's check or money order required. Contact Debra at (980) 297-3774. FOR SALE: Open Book 8.0 with all software and tutorials in all media. Black-and-white scanner comes with it for free, as well as cable and software for scanner. Asking $500. Will accept check or money orders in Canadian or U.S. funds. Contact Nancy at (319) 217-8385 or e-mail owenryder@sympatico.ca. FOR SALE: Open Book scanning and reading software, version 8. Comes complete with latest update and enhancements. Asking $600 or best offer. PayPal welcome, but will accept money orders or cashier's checks. Payment plans are also OK. If interested, call Pat at (512) 837-3041 or e-mail toolshopper@sbcglobal.net. FOR SALE: PAC Mate BX20 with detachable 20-cell braille display. Comes with all utilities, Pocket PC, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, a good help system, and can be used with Internet card or memory card. Comes with all manuals, CD, braille quick start guide. Asking $1,700 (negotiable). Contact Annamarie Huie at (870) 365-8477. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA ST. #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT KIM CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVE. WATERTOWN, MA 02472 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT BRENDA DILLON 313 OVERRIDGE COVE HERMITAGE, TN 37076 SECRETARY MARLAINA LIEBERG 632 S. 189TH ST. BURIEN, WA 98148 TREASURER MIKE GODINO 104 TILROSE AVE. MALVERNE, NY 11565-2024 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ray Campbell, Glen Ellyn, IL Berl Colley, Lacey, WA Marsha Farrow, Summerville, GA Michael Garrett, Missouri City, TX Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA David Trott, Talladega, AL Cammie Vloedman, Oklahoma City, OK Ex Officio: Paul Edwards, Miami, FL BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Paul Edwards, Chairman, Miami, FL Marcia Dresser, Reading, MA Judy Jackson, San Antonio, TX Jenine Stanley, Columbus, OH Ken Stewart, Warwick, NY Ex Officio: Ron Milliman, Bowling Green, KY