THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLVIII August 2009 No. 2 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: Schools for the Blind at a Crossroads, by Mitch Pomerantz ACB Calls for Health Care Reform That Addresses the Needs of the Blind Community, by Melanie Brunson ACB Membership Committee Focus Call, by Ardis Bazyn Affiliate News A Cog in a Slightly Bent Wheel, by Donna Brown Must I Burn My Fingers to Prove My Independence?, by Rebecca Kragnes There May Be A Hidden Gift to Every Disability, by Olivier Giulieri New Student at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, 1990, by John Lee Clark "I Love You, Dad," by Ann Byington There Was A Day, by Teddie-Joy Remhild Letter to the Editor Here and There, by Sue Lichtenfels My Understanding One Day of Foxgloves (for Douglass Bullard), by John Lee Clark High Tech Swap Shop For My Growing Twin Sons, by John Lee Clark 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: SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND AT A CROSSROADS by Mitch Pomerantz As you read this, it is August; the height and heat of summer are upon us. It is, therefore, a perfectly good time to focus some attention on the growing national crisis affecting our state schools for the blind. Succinctly put: some schools have already been closed, or are being threatened with either consolidation with their counterparts for the deaf, or outright closure. Let's take a step back for a few moments and offer some perspective. Schools for the blind have been around for nearly two centuries. In 1829, the first such institution, the Perkins School for the Blind, was chartered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was followed within a year by the Overbrook School in Pennsylvania. These schools were just about the only places where blind children could receive any sort of education for well over 100 years. Certainly, there were parents who managed to enroll their blind children in a neighborhood school here and there. However, up until the last 50 years or so, the norm was for the child with low or no vision to attend the state residential school for the blind. The concept of mainstreaming was virtually unheard of until the early 1970s when IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, was passed by Congress. While IDEA has meant that millions of children with disabilities have received a free, appropriate education, it has also resulted in a group of extremist educators and parents vigorously advocating for the elimination of all special schools, including schools for the blind. The “total inclusionists,” as I refer to them, argue that the term “least restrictive environment” (LRE), as found in IDEA, must be narrowly defined to mean a school setting in which children with disabilities are fully integrated with their non-disabled peers. Thus, a residential or day school for blind children is not, by definition, offering children an education in the least restrictive environment possible. What is forgotten, or more likely ignored by these advocates, is yet another term found in IDEA: “a continuum of services”; meaning that there must be a range of educational options offered to the child with a disability. Depending upon the specific needs of that child, a residential school may be most appropriate during the student’s early years in order to learn to read and write braille, while the child’s local school is the most appropriate setting later on, once those skills have been learned. The parents of that student have taken advantage of the continuum of services delineated in IDEA. Several months ago, there was lively debate on the leadership list regarding whether schools for the blind were still necessary, given the prevalence of mainstreaming. Such discussion, while interesting, is really beside the point since IDEA clearly requires that a continuum of services be made available to children with disabilities. The other point missed by those within ACB who question the continued existence of such schools is our belief in the concept of informed choice. Just as we believe that blind and visually impaired people should be able to choose the type of rehabilitation curriculum which best meets their needs, we also believe that parents of blind or visually impaired children – given information about the available placement options – should likewise be able to choose the best school setting for their child. Now add to this the severe recession that has adversely affected the country, not to mention almost every state. As of the middle of June, California is coping with a $24 billion deficit. Although the Golden State may be an extreme example of the overall problem, other states are certainly dealing with their own budgetary concerns. And because most schools for the blind have fairly low enrollments and relatively few stakeholders, they are looked upon by those wielding the budgetary axe in state capitols around the nation as easy targets for elimination. The Oregon School for the Blind has just been shuttered. The fates of the North Carolina and Illinois schools are in limbo as this is being written. The School for the Blind in Louisiana has been consolidated and moved to the campus of the School for the Deaf. There are probably other schools which, if not in immediate danger this year, will face the fiscal grim reaper at some time in the near future. To make a difficult situation even worse, there is a critical shortage of personnel specially trained to teach blind children. There are literally hundreds of job vacancies around the country, a situation that will only be exacerbated by the aforementioned closures. Who will teach these children? In response to growing concern expressed by many of our members, I’ve established a Schools for the Blind Task Force to begin looking at what the American Council of the Blind may be able to do to assist our affiliates to save the remaining residential schools for the blind. This task force will include members from states where school closures have either already occurred, or are being seriously considered. Additionally, a prominent official of the organization representing schools for the blind has agreed to join this effort. Regardless of your feelings about residential schools for the blind, ACB has an obligation to such schools and the parents who believe they represent a viable option for their children. IDEA justifies the existence of schools for the blind and, so long as this is the case, the American Council of the Blind will fight to keep them open and independent. ***** ACB CALLS FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF THE BLIND COMMUNITY by Melanie Brunson Much of the activity around Washington, both at the White House and in the halls of Congress, is currently focused on reform of our nation’s health care system. The goal of this activity, as expressed by a number of policymakers, is to craft a plan that is comprehensive and will insure that health care is both available to and affordable by all Americans. Since the number of those Americans who are living with vision loss is expected to rise exponentially over the next few years, ACB has joined with other blindness organizations to call for the inclusion in health care reform legislation of provisions that will address the unique needs of Americans who are blind or visually impaired. Specifically, ACB is urging Congress to include provisions that will: 1. require retail pharmacies to offer, upon request by a customer, access to drug container labeling and related information using a non-visual, or enhanced visual means which is of the customer’s choosing, and conforms to national minimum standards that insure customer privacy, consistency and reliability; 2. establish clear Medicare (or other national minimum benefit plan) coverage for, and promote greater availability through, private plans of low-vision devices and other medically necessary assistive technologies; and 3. establish an unambiguous policy of reimbursement by Medicare (or other national minimum benefit plan) to orientation and mobility specialists, vision rehabilitation therapists, and low-vision therapists for the essential services they provide to individuals experiencing vision loss. To date, none of these issues has been adequately addressed by Congress or national regulatory authorities. We believe that the advent of a national discussion on health care issues has given us a great opportunity to change that trend. Over the next few months, we will be working with others throughout the blindness community to bring these concerns to the attention of legislators and other policymakers. Our goal is that as they shape the future of our country’s health care system, they will address the unique needs of people who live with vision loss. There is widespread support for this effort throughout the blind community, and it is our hope that each of you who reads this will be counted among those supporters. If you would like to help, please contact your representative and senators. More detailed information can be obtained about each of the issues listed above by contacting Eric Bridges at the ACB national office. However, if you use prescription medications and have ever had problems that arose from your inability to read the labels on those medications, you can tell members of Congress why this issue must be addressed as part of health care reform. If you are aware of low-vision aids that could help you make more effective use of the vision you still have, especially for meeting your health care needs, but are unable to afford the equipment, you can convey your story to members of Congress. If you know the value of good orientation and mobility instruction, have been helped by a low-vision therapist, or a vision rehabilitation therapist, you have information your member of Congress could benefit from. Start with what you know. We can help with additional information if that is needed, but let’s pool our resources and make the most of the opportunity this national dialogue has given us to enhance the quality of life, security, and independence of blind Americans. ***** ACB MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE FOCUS CALL The next ACB membership committee-sponsored “Focus” call topic is: "How can the officers & board communicate properly with the membership?" This topic can relate to an affiliate or chapters in an affiliate. It will be held on Monday, Aug. 31 at 5:30 p.m. Pacific/8:30 p.m. Eastern. The call-in number will be (218) 339-2699 and the code will be 757720. We hope to see you on the call. -- Ardis Bazyn ***** AFFILIATE NEWS ** Oregon Convention at Oral Hull Park The Oregon Council of the Blind will hold its convention at Oral Hull Park Oct. 16-18. Two hotels nearby will put members up for prices ranging from $58 up to $78 plus tax, two people per room. If you opt to stay at the Oral Hull dormitory, the cost for lodging, plus meals and a banquet, will be $75. Registration forms will be out in August and are due back by Sept. 1. There will be two buses to service Highway 101 and two buses to pick up people along the I-5 corridor and over to Klamath Falls. If enough of you use the buses, we can keep the round-trip cost to about $50 each. Do the math again and now you are looking at a potential cost of $125 for the whole convention. On the first night, there will be a movie appropriate to the occasion and a board meeting. And at some point you will have an opportunity to meet ACB president Mitch Pomerantz up close and personal. It may be around a campfire, or at a wine-tasting event, or maybe even at the hot tub. If any of you play an instrument and want to entertain us around the campfire, bring it along, if it doesn’t take up too much room on the bus. There may even be a DJ on site, an open bar, a fantastic Elton John impersonator, and an outstanding choir on Saturday. We are working on holding a three-person panel to give you a real learning experience that may solve a lot of your future challenges related to disabilities. We are trying to get some excellent vendors to offer you the very latest gadgets, too. The best news is that this convention will only cost you $75 for all of your lodging, five meals and a banquet dinner. Yes, that’s right, a total of $75 for those who stay at Oral Hull dormitory and a little more who spoil themselves at the hotel or in a trailer at the park. Call us and make your reservations before you spend that stimulus check. Invite your friends, too! If they're not currently ACB members, tell them that paying a $10 membership fee before September will get them in for the same prices. Otherwise, their cost is $40 more. Register early to get the best prices! Call Gregg Welch at (503) 408-1419 if you want more information, or e-mail him, tallcoolgregg@msn.com. ** 'Walk-a-Mile-in-My-Shoes' Walkathon in Denver Save the date! On Oct. 18, ACB of Colorado is planning on joining in with the Denver Marathon again. As part of that event ACBCO will host its annual Walk-A-Thon in honor of White Cane Day. ACBCO has been one of the official charities of the Denver Marathon since its inception in 2006. The vision of the Denver Marathon is to produce an annual marathon and half-marathon running event that highlights Denver while bringing great economic and social impact to Denver and a world-class running experience to the community. Funds raised by our participation are specifically allocated to the community outreach and development of a peer-to-peer mentoring program. ** Ohio Celebrating Thirty Years ACB of Ohio is shaking things up this year with a new hotel and a lot of fun. The theme for this year is THIRTY -- The Holiday Inn’s Rockin’ This Year! The committee is looking into getting some speakers from the national office, eye doctors, and a state official. Possible workshops being considered include: working with tools, self-defense, a diabetic workshop, wine tasting, friends & family discussion group, adjusting to low vision panel, an eye doctor panel, water aerobics, and Ohio transportation. We will also have some of our old favorites like: the first-timers meeting; our basket auction and guide dogs group on Friday; and Mike Horn spinning your favorite music on Saturday evening. The first-timers' meeting will be important to everyone, since we are at a new hotel. We’ll have a tour of the facilities and other information to pass along. There will be more on that as the convention gets closer. We want to honor our 30-year members, so if you are a 30-year member, we want to hear from you so you can be recognized during the convention. The important information about date and place: Nov. 6-8 at the Holiday Inn Worthington, 7007 N. High St., Worthington, OH 43085; phone (614) 436-0700. The room rate is $89 plus tax. Convention registration costs $70. If you have any questions, e-mail Lynn Wachtell, lmwachtell@fuse.net, or contact American Council of the Blind of Ohio, Inc., P.O. Box 307128, Gahanna, OH 43230; phone (800) 835-2226. ** Pennsylvania Convention in the Poconos The 74th annual state convention and conference of the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind will be held Nov. 6-8 in the Poconos at the Chateau in Monroe County. The room rate is $89 plus tax for up to four people per room. For more information, contact the Pennsylvania office at 1-877-617-7407 (locally, (717) 920-9999). ***** A COG IN A SLIGHTLY BENT WHEEL by Donna Brown A cog is a gear, or people with disabilities in this case. The spokes are the supporting people of the wheel, which stands for CEO in businesses or a governing country. Would you think that we are all like the cog on a wheel? We all are not uniformly alike in shape, size or looks, so what is that cog business all about anyway? A cog is a gear with knobs on the outside of a wheel. They make watches run and help trains go up mountains, I was told. They are quite useful. I always thought that the cog was on the inside of a wheel, but unlike the spokes that are the support of a wheel, the cogs work differently. The cog keeps things running just as well as any working class of the world supports the country, or the wheel. It is said that the earth is like a grain of sand in the universe. As the cogs on a wheel have their purpose, those grains have their purpose, too. I am sure that, if they had a voice, the grains of sand would say that they are satisfied with where they are. They get washed by the ocean and dried by the sun. There are times that some of the grains of sand get washed down into that great ocean and never see the sun again. So I could say that it would be similar for us cogs: we stay satisfied in our own environment until some larger uncontrollable happening comes along. Then we feel as if we might be washed away, but do not know if we will see the sun again. Like those grains of sand, we are a minority in the whole world of things. We try to be satisfied as time goes by. Then the wonderful world of science and technology comes along and washes over us, and we need to spread our wings and see what can happen. Spokes are used to stabilize the wheel and support whatever is upon it. It is kept clean and shiny for the most part, but can be broken and dented enough to where it will be replaced by other spokes. That does not mean that the new spokes would be any better, but the users, the wheels, will make sure that it will support them as well as possible. The cogs keep the spokes strong so the wheel can keep everything moving. All of these can be applied to the human being. If the folks in the working classes did not work, how would anything ever get done? The answer for a few manufacturers has been the technology of automatons run by one person or robotics. This has been the start of a great downfall for many cities and countries. If there is nothing left for a supporting class of people, what happens to those people? There is a beginning of the birth of a revolution. I cannot understand why the people in the U.S. government simply cannot see how our country will see more trouble as time passes. The downfall for companies that have expanded to automation is discrimination, much like what we are now experiencing. Many people think and ask the question, "What is my reason for being here?” There are some of us who find out and worry about it; others really don't care. It is a privilege to be one of the greatest living organisms on earth, so we think. We are supposed to be the smartest of all of the living things, but it is the ordinary animal that can survive in the harshest elements. We are frightened of the unknown when there is some disaster. We depend upon our prayers, relatives, friends, government or insurance to help us in our time of need. That is the norm for most of us. We have gotten into a lethargic mode to where we either say, "How horrible for that to happen" and rely on others to take care of the situation, or ignore it altogether. If a situation is tragic enough to where it affects everyone, then we all seem to pull together and help one another. That includes every class of people in the United States. It does seem that all of those folks that are in the celebrity or sports careers do their best to help when needed. We hope that they do not use a disaster just to advertise their names for their own purposes. Those in the business fields are usually the ones that keep quiet about what they do in their businesses. It is big money that can really help. I hope that those who have the means would look beyond a person’s disability before judging him or her. I really do not understand why we ordinary people with disabilities have to prove ourselves to be better than the next person. We might be different from anyone else, but might have more ability; for example, a person with disabilities may have more experience than a non disabled person in a job opening, but there are a few ignorant big wheels that keep going with old ways. There should never be discrimination in race or gender as to how much a person receives in salary either. It seems that the executives are not worth what they make. No one person is worth $6 million a year for a salary in any business or organized charity. I know the argument that the top dog of any organization is making a living doing what they do, but what about an ordinary person who works for minimum wage? We people with disabilities do our best to make a living, and rely on political officials agreeing on the rise or fall of that minimum wage. That was a problem for the disabled years ago, but the big wheels these days are mostly concerned that their ride will be kept smooth by keeping the same old spokes polished. When it comes down to living, we all are in the same boat. But there are a few people who think they are larger and greater. It is the people who have the means to help, and have the gears to slip funds to those who can keep themselves the controllers, who wreck the rides. It depends on the individual to do a kindness. They can be any ordinary cog, but a wheel with a little too much shine can blind and hide the truths. A well-run vehicle, one that doesn’t require too much grease, will stay strong and dependable for a long time. ***** MUST I BURN MY FINGERS TO PROVE MY INDEPENDENCE? by Rebecca Kragnes As the former chair and ACB of Minnesota representative on the Minnesota State Council for the Blind (SRC-B), I kept meetings to the business at hand and tried to be as organizationally balanced as possible during council meetings. At the June 2009 meeting, the new chair, NFB member Judy Sanders, took a different approach. Judy shared a vignette, which she believed would be edifying to council members and the audience. Judy was attending a rehabilitation meeting, and during the break, a woman approached her and asked if Judy would like the woman to get coffee for her. Judy said "no thank you" and got the coffee herself. Then the same woman asked if Judy would like an elbow to get back into the meeting. Judy told us she wanted to say that she had two elbows of her own, but she restrained herself and politely declined. The woman commented that Judy was the first blind person ever to refuse her help. Judy asked where she worked, and the woman replied the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. The woman had been a supervisor there for six months and learned the most from her blind employees. Judy told the woman to look for another blind woman from Minnesota at the conference later in the week. Then Judy warned the other blind woman (also a Federationist) not to accept this woman's help. Of course the implied lesson was that we all should be model blind people by not accepting assistance when we can do things ourselves. Also by implication, accepting help for things we are capable of doing ourselves is not being a model blind person. As we've undoubtedly heard many times from similar NFB philosophers, accepting that help is subjecting ourselves to second-class citizenship and buying into old stereotypes about the blind. I may not accept the guiding assistance, but it has nothing to do with feeling demeaned. I use a guide dog, and the "follow" command is handy for a situation in which a group of people is headed to the same room. In a crowd, sighted guide with three across (sighted guide, blind person and dog) can feel awkward. In my own home, I use a liquid level indicator when pouring hot liquid. A liquid indicator has a couple of prongs attached to a battery. The prongs go into the cup. When liquid touches the prongs, the indicator beeps to tell me I have a full cup. With cold liquid, I use my finger. Some claim that one can use the temperature of the outside of the cup to know when to stop pouring. This hasn't been a successful method for me, because I find it takes a little extra time for the cup to heat to alert me my cup is full. I don't generally take a liquid indicator to meetings, but it is one solution to the pouring problem. Without a liquid level indicator and not wanting to chance the outside-the-cup method, the remaining alternative is to use a finger. I sat through the rest of the meeting until the next break and decided to get my own cup of coffee from the machine in the cafeteria. The machine did its own pouring, so I only had to get the coffee back to my place in the meeting room. The cup was full, and as my dog and I were making our way very slowly to avoid spilling, a group of people came toward us quickly! A sighted lady saw what was happening and offered to take my cup to my seat. She jokingly said she might spill it too, but I knew she might be more adept at quickly sidestepping multiple people along the way. Because I don't enjoy the possibility of having coffee for which I paid spilled, I accepted. When I arrived back in the meeting room, I somehow brought up the coffee vignette and said that I didn't enjoy burning my fingers. One Federationist's advice was not to use my braille-reading finger. So Federationists do acknowledge the possibility of burning oneself, but in the name of independence, they're willing to take that chance. Another ACB member and I talked to a couple people about this vignette, and the responses we received were similar. Apparently, we blind people and those with other disabilities aren't the only targets for kind offers of help. Believe it or not, both disabled and non-disabled people help each other too! Perhaps we don't need to see the offer of help as a sign we are being pitied or treated as second-class citizens. It is a possibility. But more likely, people may want to be nice and/or socialize with us. To conclude, there are those who would rather endure the possibility of burning themselves in order to avoid the possibility of someone thinking they are not independent. I'd rather save my valuable fingers and find other ways to gain people's respect. ***** THERE MAY BE A HIDDEN GIFT TO EVERY DISABILITY by Olivier Giulieri I'm not blind, but as a kid I had a learning disability, dyslexia. Learning to read and write letters was very difficult for me. For example, even though I had perfect vision, I couldn't differentiate between "B" and "D" because these two letters are symmetrical, so for me these were the same. In braille, I would have been confusing "H" and "J" or "E" and "I" because the dot matrices are horizontally symmetrical. For a while I thought I was not smart enough, but I learned that Einstein had dyslexia too, and he was definitely smart. That made me feel much better, and with time (and special training), I eventually learned to read and write. It just took me longer than other kids. Many years later, I went to engineering school. There one of the required subjects was industrial drawing. In the first class, the teacher gave us some exercises, and I finished in no time. I didn't even have to think; all the symmetries were obvious to me. The teacher looked at my copy and told me I didn't need to come to his class, that I should just show up at the end of the year for the final exam. That's what I did, and it worked just as he had said. I was the best student in his class because visual thinking was the gift corresponding to my handicap of dyslexia. Today, I'm a software engineer specializing in user interface. I'm very good at finding the best way to place information on computer screens to make it easy to understand and navigate. Recently I was vacationing in Taiwan. While I was there, I went for a massage. When I entered the massage parlor, I saw five masseurs. Every single one of them was blind. I had heard that masseur was a common job for the blind in Asia, and that they are the best masseurs. I expected I would get the same massage from a blind person as I would from a sighted person, maybe just better. But to my surprise, it was a totally different experience. The massage blew my mind. It was like watching Garry Kasparov playing chess. The massage parlor was offering many different types of massages. I chose reflexology, an alternative medicine method involving foot massage. The Asians believe that the feet and hands reflect the body, and that by massaging a certain part of the feet, it can heal the corresponding part of the body. The blind masseur gave me a foot massage, then he told my Taiwanese friend who translated for me a summary of the state of my body. He said many things, but most importantly that I had problems with the right shoulder, the neck, and a sore throat. Indeed, 15 years ago, I broke my right shoulder, and it is weaker; as a consequence tension builds up in my neck. I suppose I compensate for my shoulders' dissymmetry by over-exercising certain muscles of the feet when walking. I didn't have a sore throat but I was already quite impressed that he could feel all that simply by touching my feet. The next day, I got a sore throat! This impressed me even more because it means that the masseur could feel the problem before the symptoms started to affect me. Such a level of accuracy in the diagnosis is really incredible. Before writing this article I did some research on the Internet. I learned that in South Korea, only blind people can be masseurs. Also, one of Japan's longest-running series of films is the story of Zatoichi, a blind masseur and swordmaster. Some of you, young blind readers, could become the best masseurs or reflexologists in the world. Why settle for less? Louis Braille was only a kid when he invented the Braille system. No sighted adult had ever been able to come up with anything better. The system sighted people proposed before Louis' system was to use huge letters because sighted people couldn't imagine how sensitive the touch of a blind person is. ***** NEW STUDENT AT THE MINNESOTA STATE ACADEMY FOR THE DEAF, 1990 At first I was overjoyed to be assigned a room near the dormitory library where dwelt old books waiting to leap into my mind. Before the first night there, I saw nothing in darkness: I trusted its hands to massage sleep onto me. But that night some boy hurled a fact heavy volume of The Book of Knowledge at my sleeping head. Thus began my education, boys scrambling in the darkness between shelves of ammunition and hurling warheads of knowledge tearing my pillow helmet. I stumbled out of the rubble and sought for light from the housefather's desk. Weeping clear blood from my wounded eyes, I pleaded with him to stop them or let me go home. "You can run, run, run," he told me after returning from the boys' darkness, his eyes soft, softer than the softness of all things seen through my eyes, "but you cannot run away." From my housefather's knowledge I gathered that the boys feared and attacked whatever they did not understand, this a lowly testament of human nature. Back in my room, I lay half awake, wondering how they were supposed to see me clearly if my vision of myself, as of all things . . . When the next morning a boy waved his mocking hand near my bruised face, I balled my new knowledge into a fist, and then I was seen bright as day. -- John Lee Clark ***** "I LOVE YOU, DAD" by Ann Byington It was a cooler than usual day in August in northeast Kansas. Mark and his dad, Fred, had gone out to their cabin on the Kansas River as they often did. The cabin was 84-year old Fred's home away from home, with a deck, electricity, running water - all the comforts of home with the added attraction of the view, sounds and smells of the river nearby. Mark and his dad were installing a sprinkler system to water the newly planted grass. Mark had gone to get something when he heard his dad shout, "Whooooa!" "I knew I'd lost him," he told me later. He ran some 15 feet down the river bank and nearly knocked his dad into the water, trying to get to him. He couldn't tell me whether the electric cord was his or Fred's idea, but after determining that Fred had grabbed some shrubbery which had stopped his fall, Mark climbed back up the bank, and after rejecting two cords, found the one he wanted. He tied it to a tree at the top of the bank, climbed back down, tied the cord under his dad's armpits and then around another tree to stabilize Fred so he, Mark, could climb back up the bank, call 911 and give them directions to the cabin. It took another 45 minutes for a rescue squad to arrive, move men and ropes down the riverbank to Fred, secure him and then place him in a wire basket and winch him up the bank. Fred was then strapped to a backboard as a precaution. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the VA hospital, another emergency had come in which necessitated Fred's staying strapped down for another three hours. Some of you know Mark Coates, the hero of this true story. Mark has been an active member of the Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired for several years, serves on our board of directors and as vice president and has attended the legislative seminar and presidents' meeting on two occasions. Mark has been the principal caregiver for his dad for the past several years. He deals with feelings of frustration, concern, love and annoyance in this role, just as some of us have done when watching our own parents become those in need of care. Mark doesn't talk about this task unless he is asked about his dad. He does the job willingly. It strikes me that all of us in ACB have many opportunities to be heroes, if we take advantage of them. The friendly smile and compliment on a job well done by someone struggling with a newly acquired disability; the unobtrusive offer of assistance to another person dealing with the same stresses we do; the calm assurance and high expectations we show blind or visually impaired children; the work at a golf tournament or other fund-raiser; these are all opportunities to be heroes. While we may not have the need to be as resourcefully heroic as Mark Coates and his father, we can all take advantage of the hidden opportunities to be heroes. And to Mark, we say, "We are proud of you, Mark, for your bravery, your resourcefulness and your patience." And, along with you, we breathe a huge sigh of relief and say, "We love you, Dad!" ***** THERE WAS A DAY There was a day, A dark and dank and dreary day, It challenged all my skills, It was a very painful day, And, even so, I faced it and embraced it. As that day dissolved into memory My skills gained greater ability. There was a day, A bright and shiny joyful day. It was a peaceful day of blessed rest. As that day dissolved into memory, My spirit was strengthened with love. This is a life Made up of many days Different and apart. Yet, dissolving into a balanced blend. I face and embrace all these days, The dreary and the shiny, The painful and the joyful. They are the gifts of this life. -- Teddie-Joy Remhild ***** LETTER TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, June 26, 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. Note to All Dog Guides Everywhere! Beware of blatant discrimination. Do not allow yourselves to be separated out and treated differently than other travel devices or aids. Do not be tricked into believing that your blind companion must show proof of your good standing in order to travel freely in the world. Remember, if a person enters a restaurant in a wheelchair and goes about bashing into tables and grabbing food off patrons' plates, no one rushes up and demands to see a card proving that they have been properly trained. If a person enters a place of business using a long white travel cane and begins whacking other folks on the legs and shouting at them to get out of the way, no one steps forward demanding to see proof that they have received O&M training. If a person using a walker enters a cafe and relieves him- or herself in the corner, no one asks for proof that they have been given walker training. No, in all of these situations the offending individual will be escorted from the premises or the police will be called. Only you, my furry, fuzzy friends, are expected to carry proof of your training. Even the blind man who enters a place of business with a sighted human guide does not need to prove that the guide has been certified to do this job. If the two of them become rowdy, out they go. So my poochy pals, lift them tails, perk them ears, hold them muzzles high and go bravely forward, without any ID cards. -- Carl Jarvis, Quilcene, Wash. ***** HERE AND THERE 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. ** ARMBRUSTER = PARALYMPIC COACH OF THE YEAR The U.S. Olympic Committee recently announced the recipients of its 2008 Coach of the Year awards. The Paralympic Coach of the Year was Ken Armbruster; he coaches goalball. Additional winners were: National Coach of the Year, Hugh McCutcheon, volleyball; Developmental Coach of the Year, Rajul Sheth, table tennis; Volunteer Coach of the Year, Rita Gladstone, tennis; and "Doc" Counsilman Science Award winner Dave Bennett, wrestling. ** LADIES' GOALBALL CAPTURES GOLD The U.S. women's goalball team captured gold at the 10th annual Lady Malmo Intercup, Malmo, Sweden, in late May by defeating rival Canada, 6-4. Team members Nikki Buck and Jordan Walters anchored the defense, and Jen Armbruster, Asya Miller, Lisa Czechowski and Robin Theryoung handled the offense. ** NEW OLYMPIC OFFICE Recently, President Barack Obama announced the formation of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport. This permanent office will promote the values of the Olympic Movement and encourage increased youth participation in athletics. The primary function of the office will be to enhance awareness of the Olympic Movement through promotion of its fundamental principles at the federal level. ** HADLEY GRADUATES On June 10, The Hadley School for the Blind held its high school graduation ceremony at the Winnetka (Ill.) Women's Club. Five of the 10 graduates were able to travel from their homes around the country to Hadley to celebrate their achievement: Anna Bolino, 22, from California; Megan Tate, 19, from Mississippi; Christopher Harper, 28, from Indiana; Jessica Pitzer, 19, from North Carolina; and Louise Craft, 68, from Pennsylvania. Those who weren't able to attend were Dixie Brown, 58, from New York; Russell Dyer, 38, from Florida; Paige Hardin, 19, from Georgia; Jesse Mulock, 18, from Arizona; and Laura Parshley, 21, from New York. ** JOB SEARCH COURSE The Hadley School for the Blind is now offering, "Finding Employment," which presents the "Be-Do-Have" method to help navigate through the job-search process. This six-lesson course helps identify your interests and skills so you can find the career that’s right for you. It offers engaging job-search techniques such as using networking and job services for people who are visually impaired. This course also gives helpful tips for writing cover letters and resumes that grab an employer’s eye, as well as interviewing strategies to give you an edge over your competition. Finally, the last lesson provides advice on when to disclose a visual impairment as well as what reasonable accommodations to expect from your potential employer. A supplement, "Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Jobs," shares the stories of how several people with visual impairment found their careers. To register for this class or learn about others, call Hadley at 1-800-323-4238; e-mail info@hadley.edu; or visit www.hadley-school.org. ** LEARN TO DRAW WITH BRAILLE Kim Charlson, Director of the Perkins School for the Blind, has written “Drawing with your Perkins Brailler ®: An activity guide to creating tactile drawings.” This book contains step-by-step directions for creating 36 different drawings ranging from basic to highly intricate. Drawings include shapes, various animals, and pictures with holiday and transportation themes. The braille pictures are included to demonstrate what the final drawings should look and feel like. The book sells for $24.95 in either 14-point type or Braille. Orders can be placed at www.support.perkins.org or by phone at (617) 924-3434. ** RFB&D RECEIVES AWARD Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic ® (RFB&D) recently received the Blinded American Veterans Foundation Corporate Volunteer Award in recognition of its more than 60-year history of providing accessible educational materials for individuals with print disabilities. To learn more, visit www.bavf.org/flagweek.htm. ** BLIND AWARENESS RIBBON New Jersey has designated October as Blind Awareness Month. To help raise awareness to the needs of the visually impaired and to build a bridge between the sighted and non-sighted/visually impaired, Braille Brands is selling the Blind Awareness Ribbon for $4.99 each. It is a white ribbon with raised two-dimensional black dots representing the braille code. On the right side of the ribbon are the braille letters “BRL.” To order yours, visit www.braillebrands.com, or call (732) 297-2200. Organizations can order at wholesale price for resale to their chapters and affiliates for the retail price. Wholesale pricing is as follows: 200-499 ribbons, $3.50 each; 500 or more, $3 each. Funds raised from the sale of the ribbon will be allocated to organizations that assist the blind as well as to develop and produce products that will improve and enrich their lives. ** SEEKING TAPE RECORDER REPAIR SERVICE Dr. Lucy Torres is seeking someone who can repair Panasonic and Sony tape recorders. The problem is with the headphone connection area. Contact her via e-mail, elcoqee32t@bluemarble.net. ** CLARITY’S NEWEST PRODUCT The Deskmate Duo and Deskmate Duo Plus combine Clarity's Flex video magnifier with a 19" high-resolution LCD monitor. Some of the products' features include: full color, hands-free auto focusing, toggle from distance to tabletop viewing, rotating camera, rechargeable battery, and remote control. You can learn more by calling 1-800-575-1456 or visiting www.clarityusa.com. ** NEW ONLINE SCIENCE TOOL The Perkins School for the Blind has launched a new online tool for teaching science to children who are visually impaired. The site includes: a video webcast, illustrated classroom activities, product suggestions, and links to online and hard copy resource materials. The first on-demand educational webcast is, “Making Life Sciences Accessible to Students with Visual Impairments." The video outlines how to make science lessons and activities accessible through practical adaptations. Future webcasts will focus on other specific fields of science education. You can access this resource at www.perkins.org/accessiblescience. ** PARTNERSHIP MEANS MORE BOOKS Bookshare has recently developed a partnership with Shared Books Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia. Shared Books, which operates the Sharing-Books.com web site, has agreed to allow children's books published on Sharing-Books.com to be added to the Bookshare collection. This will increase the number of children's books accessible to readers with print disabilities and provide an opportunity for authors published on Sharing-Books.com to offer their works to a new group of readers. To learn more, visit www.bookshare.org. ** ACCESSIBLE MUSIC LESSONS Now you can learn to play your favorite musical instrument totally by ear! At Bill Brown's Music for the Blind you can find all-audio instruction for piano, guitar, harmonica, violin, flute, banjo and more! There are over a dozen full-length courses and over 600 individual song lessons. For more information, go to www.MusicForTheBlind.com or call 1-888-778-1828. ** ACCESSING THE IPOD Great news for all of you music junkies! National Braille Press has recently released “Using the Accessible iPod,” by Anna Dresner. This book walks you through the few simple steps it takes to make every feature on the iPod Shuffle and most features on the Nano accessible for people who are visually impaired. The topics covered include: getting started with iTunes; putting the music, playlists, audiobooks and podcasts you want on your computer and into your iPod; getting your iPod to speak; using all accessible features of your iPod; troubleshooting; a listing of helpful resources; and information on how your iPod organizes music. The included iPods are the fourth generation Nano and the second and third generation Shuffles. You can order this book in braille, PortaBook, ASCII text/Word, or DAISY format for $15 by calling NBP at 1-800-548-7323; e-mailing orders@nbp.org; or visiting www.nbp.org. ** UPDATED STANDARDS FOR AUDIO DESCRIPTION The Audio Description Coalition has published the third edition of its Standards for Audio Description and Code of Professional Conduct for Describers. This edition includes the new standards unique to dance description and to opera description. “The Audio Description Coalition Standards and Code of Conduct” is free to download at www.AudioDescriptionCoalition.org. ** COOKBOOK FUNDRAISER "The Best of Bosma" cookbooks are now on sale for $15. Sales of this 80-page cookbook benefit the rehabilitation and employment programs offered at Bosma. To order your copy or to learn more about this organization, contact Lise Cox at lisec@bosma.org. ** NEWSREEL COOKBOOK A TRIBUTE “The Kitchen Korner” is an accessible cookbook produced by Newsreel Magazine in loving memory of Maggie Nettles, who passed away in August 2007. She compiled the book over the last several months of her life. It is available in Braille, large print, regular print, 4-track cassette, MP3 CD or audio CD (2 CDs). You may order at the special ACB price of $20 by calling (614) 469-0700 or 1-888-723-8737. ** NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT John Clower, a lifetime entrepreneur from McGehee, Ark., would be interested in speaking with anyone who would like to learn about a nutritional supplement that has been very beneficial in his life. According to John, “The formula incorporates mangosteen, which research is proving to be very important in wellness and disease prevention. The mangosteen fruit has been used for hundreds of years in the southeast Asian culture to reduce disease and pain. Apparently the rind of the mangosteen holds the key to most of the fruit's beneficial properties. The formula also includes many trace and ultra-trace minerals which are hard to find in today's supplements and which we are not getting in today's American diet.” For more information, call John at (773) 597-4242 or e-mail john@mcmarket.com. ** COLLEGE ACCESSIBILITY CONFERENCE Disability Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder will host the 12th annual Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference for Education, for Businesses, for Web and Media Designers the week of Nov. 10-14, 2009. The conference will focus on the implementation and benefits of assistive technology in the university and college setting for people with sensory, physical and learning disabilities. Other topics include legal and policy issues, including ADA and 508 compliance, and making campus media, web pages and library resources accessible. You can learn more by visiting www.colorado.edu/ATconference. ** BRAILLE PAPER FOR SALE Future Forms is a manufacturer and seller of braille paper. It offers both 11" x 11.5" and 8.5" x 11" sizes in quantities of 1,000 sheets. You may subscribe to the monthly newsletter, place an order, or inquire for more information by visiting www.futureforms.com, or by calling 1-800-748-0235. ** INSURANCE MAY COVER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AbleNet Inc., which designs, develops and manufactures assistive technology products, software and curriculum for people with disabilities, has launched its third-party funding program to help customers access funding from private insurance providers. The AbleNet staff will help guide practitioners and customers through the numerous documents required and the specifics of the application process to get its assistive technology devices paid for by these third-party insurers. Call 1-888-299-2162 or visit www.ablenetinc.com. ** BRAILLER REPAIRS Bring your brailler back to life! The Selective Doctor, Inc. specializes in the repair of Perkins braillers. Repairs are $55 for labor, plus the cost of parts. Send your brailler to: The Selective Doctor, Inc., PO Box 571, Manchester, MD 21102 via U.S. mail. Free matter shipping is accepted. Please be sure to insure your brailler; it will cost $5.70 if you insure it for $400. The company will add the cost of return insurance to your invoice. For more information, call (410) 668-1143 or e-mail braillerrepair@yahoo.com. Or visit the web site, www.selectivedoctor.com. ** ACTION LINE FOR THE DISABLED Helping Hands for the Disabled of New York City operates the Action Line for the Disabled. The phone support aims to help people with disabilities in the NYC area who experience any type of problem, whether it’s an immediate need or an everyday concern. Some ways the organization may be able to help include: providing a reader, reading literature onto tape, looking up a disability-related issue, accessing an inaccessible web site, or finding a volunteer to accompany someone to an appointment. The Action Line can be reached from 6 p.m. until midnight at (718) 728-0868. If you need to leave a message, Helping Hands assures that your call will be returned promptly. Assistance is available for individuals speaking French, Spanish or English. ** MY TELESPACE My Telespace is a social network bringing together the blind community and the sighted community. It is free, and features distribution lists, bulletin boards, e-mail accounts, chat rooms, conferencing and much more. To get your free account, call (575) 802-8600 or go to www.mytelespace.net. ** WEB SITE RESOURCE Christine Chaikin has developed a web site to assist her peers in the visually impaired community. It includes job links, vendor listings, miscellaneous resources, a discussion board, and an interview page. To browse this site, visit www.visuallyimpairedandtheblind.com. ** BOOK OF POETRY Herb Guggenheim’s new book of poetry, “The Further Adventures of Pete Sussman: New and Selected Poems,” has just been released by iUniverse (both in trade paperback and e-book formats). The book consists of 25 interlinked poems about the life and times of Pete Sussman. If you read them in order, you should be left with the feeling of having just read a novel-like autobiography. Two of these poems first appeared in “Dialogue.” To get your copy, visit iuniverse.com, amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. ** GUGGENHEIM ACCESSIBILITY The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is delighted to offer monthly programs for visitors who are partially sighted, blind and deaf. Join Guggenheim educators for an after hours tour and interactive discussion, followed by a private reception. Programs for partially sighted and blind visitors are presented through Verbal Imaging and touch; separate programs for deaf visitors are presented in American Sign Language, with no voice interpreter. Admission and programs are free of charge. Assistive listening devices for hard of hearing visitors are also available in the museum for daily Educator Eye museum tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information on these programs, contact Ruth Barry via e-mail, rbarry@guggenheim.org, or call (212) 423 3618. ** SEEING MACHINE IN RESEARCH Researchers at MIT have developed a camera-like device that borrows the technology of a scanning laser ophthalmoscope. The portable seeing machine is about five inches square and mounted on a flexible tripod that makes it easy to carry. A digital camera is attached to the top. The visual feed from the camera travels into the seeing machine to a liquid crystal display (LCD) illuminated by light-emitting diodes. The visual data is then focused into a single "point" that travels into the eye. Plans are under way to test the device at the Low Vision Clinic at the Joslin Diabetes Center's Beetham Eye Institute in Boston. ** SEND OLD MATERIALS TO A WORTHY CAUSE Stephanie Pieck collects and sends used braille, large print, and cassette books and magazines (religious and non-religious), white canes, slates, games, etc. to a school for the blind in Central Africa. In addition, she owns and operates The Music Suite out of her home and teaches braille music lessons by distance learning. Stephanie also has composed CDs for healing and relaxation and has written some books for beginning braille music readers. For more information, visit www.themusicsuite.net or call (518) 464-0484. ***** MY UNDERSTANDING ONE DAY OF FOXGLOVES For Douglass Bullard I was gardening hand and foot, my mind hand-in-glove with foxgloves, when out of the blue a rush of wind mistook me for something much lighter. Bowled over foot over hand and about to fly, I felt for my foxgloves and they took hold of my fingers by the thimble, fingertip in fingerhut small wonder their kind is called Digitalis and their kindness dumb love. They paid no mind to nature calling them to unhand yours truly, here mute but gloved. I smiled at the sky between my feet, knowing that my foxgloves are true, truer to my fingers than any mistake of nature. My understanding has some weight, so my feet will soon glissade down to earth, to rest again close to my hands cuddling small wonders. -- John Lee Clark ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP ** FOR SALE: Used Nokia N75 cell phone with speech capability (Nuance Talks/Nuance Zooms), user's guide in print, and charger. Asking $90 or best offer. Used Braille Blazer, original serial modem cable, in working order. Asking $700 or best offer. Contact Peter by e-mail, zasetzu@gmail.com. ** FOR SALE: Tap Memo. One button does it all: calendar/appointments with voice tags; clock and alarm clock; phone book, it will make tones to dial the phone. This has only been used twice. It comes with charger and instructions on CD. Asking $95 (includes shipping). E-mail mplsjeffm@gmail.com or call Jeff at (612) 869-7410. ** FOR SALE: VoiceMate in great condition (never out of the box). Asking $100 plus shipping, or best offer. Contact Cynthia at (408) 656-2102 or e-mail cirqitous650@yahoo.com. ** FOR SALE: Merlin Vision Enhancer CCTV. Comes with sliding tray and cables. Works well. Asking $500. Contact Tracy at (865) 609-0964. ** FOR SALE: PAC Mate BX400 with accessories. Comes with 1 leather case, 1 fabric case, 1 combo memory/wi-fi card, modem card, and network card. Includes power cable, computer cable, and USB thumb drive adapter. Asking $1,150 or best offer. Price includes shipping and insurance. Contact Kyle at (703) 835-4246 or by e-mail at kylenva@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Small push-button phone with menu options that need sighted assistance. Comes with answering machine built-in. Asking $40. Children's braille Bibles; children's Bible stories; Easter and Christmas stories; Old and New Testaments. Asking $50 for the whole set, or $10 per book. Contact Tonya Smith via e-mail, tssmith@internetspeech.com. ** FOR SALE: 8-gig iPod Nano, never been used. Asking $150 or best offer. Contact James Konechne at (410) 925-0707, or via e-mail, jakon22@gmail.com. ** FOR SALE: Aladdin Expert Reader CCTV, 2001 model. Comes with the sliding table and cable already connected. Asking $1,800 or best offer. Contact Dolores Unsworth at (805) 583-3714. ** FOR SALE: 1993 Braille Blazer with cable and some paper. Asking $1,000 or best offer. Leave your contact information at (206) 309-8592; ask for Joseph. ** FOR SALE: CCTV with 20" screen. Five years old. Asking $600. Must pick up (Lake Worth, Fla.). Contact Lenny at (561) 433-8894. ** WANTED: Nokia 82 cell phone. Contact Frank Lapiano at (212) 675-7856. ***** FOR MY GROWING TWIN SONS What surprised me the most when I first touched my premature twin sons was how close my palms could get to their hearts thrumming against tender cages. Their skin too sensitive to stroke, I just held them close, chest against stuttering chest, almost heart to heart, and I breathed close to tears hoping they would not die. I hoped not against hope, knowing that if they lived their bodies would grow more secretive of their hearts, followed by other secrets making them only themselves. No, I hoped for hope, that they may live and grow, even if it is a growing distance from me, but so they know and hold close other hearts hoping they would not die. -- John Lee Clark 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