THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXIV September 1995 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 QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. LeRoy F. Saunders, President Oral O. Miller, J.D., National Representative Nolan Crabb, Editor Sharon Lovering, Editorial Assistant National Office: 1155 15th St. N.W. Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Electronic bulletin board: (202) 331-1058 E-mail: NCRABB@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape and MS-DOS computer disk. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to: Nolan Crabb, THE BRAILLE FORUM, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. Submission deadlines are the first of the month. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Brian Charlson at the same address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend by sharing in the council's continuing work, the national office has printed cards available to acknowledge contributions made by loved ones in memory of deceased people. Anyone wishing to remember the American Council of the Blind in his/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you may contact the ACB National Office. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll- free at (800) 424-8666, 5:30 p.m. to midnight eastern time Monday through Friday. Washington, D.C., residents only call 331-2876. Copyright 1995 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: A Question Of Perspective, by Paul Edwards News Briefs From The ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller 1995 ACB Convention Highlights, by Nolan Crabb and Sharon Lovering Convention Attendees Elect Officers, Board Position, by Nolan Crabb Tulsa 1996, by Diane Bowers and John Horst Here And There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon ACB Honors 1995 Award Winners, by Sharon Lovering High Tech Swap Shop Editor's note: Information regarding convention resolutions, scholarship winners, constitution and bylaws amendments, and contributions regarding the June "From Your Perspective" column will be available in the October issue. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: A QUESTION OF PERSPECTIVE by Paul Edwards This is my first message to you as the new president of the American Council of the Blind. While I have lots of plans for the future and many things I would like to talk about in other messages, I want to start this series of chats with you with a look backward at the previous president's achievements. Conventions are noisy, hurried events with little time to reflect on the significance of change and, as the gavel of authority, (a real one bought by our last president, incidentally), was passed to me there was no time to say many of the things that should be said about the presidency of LeRoy Saunders. I don't mind telling all of you that trying to follow him as president is sort of like trying to go on stage after the Beatles, the young Beatles. There was nothing flamboyant or flashy about the presidency that has just ended. What there was, however, was pure hard work, meticulous planning, and a commitment to doing what is best for ACB on our president's part that moved us, kicking and screaming all the way, from a position of precarious survival to a place of real security and solid identity. Among the accomplishments of his presidency are the creation of solid financial planning as a hallmark of how we should move forward. Many of you may know that we are experiencing a shortfall on our budget for this year and we are certainly not so well off that we can do without your contributions in our upcoming fall fund-raising campaign. However, we have moved a great distance under the direction of Mr. Saunders, and his quiet insistence on moderate progress may have prevented us from moving too quickly to spend before we were really able to do so. I had the honor to serve as first vice president for the first four years of his administration and saw the first fruits of his leadership close up. It was his leadership that demanded that we look at rationalizing and strengthening the national office. It was his direction that led to the emergence of our first five-year plan. His common sense, open no-nonsense approach to problem solving allowed many to put aside long-held beliefs and move in new and, for them, scary directions. I don't claim to be an expert on ACB history, but I am certain that when our history comes to be written, the presidency of LeRoy Saunders will go down as perhaps the most significant ever. This is not just hyperbole on my part. There are tangible changes to point to and significant accomplishments which have been made. We owe more than we can ever repay to a man whose understated but often blunt insistence on doing the right thing has truly made a difference. I feel very fortunate that we have built into our constitution the requirement that presidents do not fade away but become past presidents and stay on the board of directors. I want LeRoy to know that his work is not done. ACB cannot afford to do without him or his expertise. It is no accident that I have chosen to ask him to serve on our membership committee and that he continues active as chair of the American Council of the Blind Enterprises and Services board. LeRoy, "thank you" seems pale and inadequate! ACB owes you much and will demand even more of you! Your presidency will be hailed as great but that will not matter much to you! You will look instead at the bottom line, the tangible results and will stare boldly ahead rather than looking backward. I have hard, seven-league boots to fill and only your continued involvement and good advice make it remotely possible! CAPTION Paul Edwards, seated at the table during the Candidates' Forum, smiles for the camera during the convention in Greensboro. All photos copyright 1995 by Ken Nichols. NEWS BRIEFS FROM THE ACB NATIONAL OFFICE by Oral O. Miller, National Representative While the beginning of summer signals a relaxation in the pace of work in some fields of endeavor, that is seldom the case on the Washington scene and, thanks to Congress and the 1995 ACB national convention, that most assuredly was not the case this year. Consider, for example, the fact that only a few days before the beginning of the ACB national convention, legislative staff spent four long days attending meetings of the American National Standards Institute dealing with signage and other access issues. Some of the other advocacy matters that were dealt with in the seemingly endless series of meetings, discussions or rallies during the same period included compliance with the Air Carriers Access Act, better implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, restrictions on the advocacy activities of tax-exempt organizations, paratransit service, telecommunications and disability and "regulatory reform" (another name for negating the effects of regulations without necessarily revoking them). Some of those functions, however, were cordial in that most people present were advocating for the same objective þ such as the conference held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to promote more audio description or "descriptive video" service on television, in movies and in live theater. A truly enjoyable occasion which I recently experienced was that of speaking at the commencement of the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville. In my remarks, I made a few observations about the long and illustrious history of that school and urged the almost two dozen graduates from throughout the commonwealth to "get involved and stay involved" in the decision-making processes that affect them. The brief visit in Louisville also gave me an opportunity to become better acquainted with the school's new superintendent, Dr. Ralph Bartley, and to visit the recently completed McDowell Rehabilitation Center and the soon to be privatized Kentucky Industries for the Blind. During recent weeks it has been my pleasure as a member of the Committee on Disability and Aging of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging to attend two meetings of that committee to focus on disability-related resolutions adopted by the conference, draw more specific attention to disability issues, and urge greater consumer input into the preparation of the final report of the conference. During the 1995 ACB national convention in Greensboro, N.C., ACB's Committee on Elderly Issues conducted a very well- attended workshop that was officially certified as a post-White House Conference event. The workshop, which was very capably facilitated by Dr. John Sutton of Salisbury, Md., focused on the independent living, transportation and health care needs of older blind people. Thanks to the good efforts of Glenn Plunkett of the ACB staff and other people connected with our committee, one other post-convention event (as part of the convention of the Florida Council of the Blind) has already been certified and at least one other event is now in the process of obtaining certification. The saga regarding the determination of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to develop "Mickey Mouse watch" or "electric fence" technology in place of detectable warnings along subway platform edges continues, but now with a definite twist! On June 23, 1995, WMATA entered into an agreement with the National Federation of the Blind under which the federation, for a fee of $440,000, agreed to design an electronic system that will "assist blind and visually impaired persons to locate the platform edge, the open spaces between rail cars and the open doors of rail cars." It said, also: "The period of performance of this contract shall be from the date of this letter through December 1, 1995, at an estimated price of $440,000. This letter will be superseded by a firm, fixed-price contract once we receive your proposal, complete an audit and negotiations. This will be done by August 25, 1995." One component of this project is the obtaining of input from blind subway users via a focus group for which we have been asked to suggest possible members. While we are cooperating by suggesting possible members whose input will be useful in the event blind travelers ultimately get stuck with an electronic system, which does not now exist, we are not relenting in our support for the installation of an imminently practical, simple, inexpensive, almost universally recognizable, sensible, proven, passive detectable warning system. Stay tuned for further interesting developments in this stranger and stranger saga in which an organization of blind people designs the "electric fence" which it formerly opposed. There were so many celebratory events marking the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act around July 26 that it is difficult to decide which one should be mentioned first. One of the outstanding kickoff events was the Voices of Freedom Forum, a breakfast meeting hosted by the National Council on Disability and sponsored by several other organizations, including the American Council of the Blind, at the National Press Club. Among the speakers were Attorney General Janet Reno and former attorney general Richard Thornburgh. The brief remarks which I made pointed out that blind people still face serious unemployment problems in spite of the ADA and that we must not allow technology to develop in such a way that it cannot be used by blind people. During a stirring presentation to the hundreds of celebrants present, Justin Dart of Justice for All, said, in part: "Now on the fifth birthday of the ADA, all we have dreamed is possible. All we have gained is challenged. Science and free enterprise offer the culture of our dreams if we are included, but today proposed changes in public spending and public responsibility threaten to devastate the programs that empower people with disabilities and their families. ... It is the task of the Council, it is our task here today, to distinguish fact from fallacy, to communicate fact. ... Fallacy: ADA will cause an avalanche of lawsuits. The fact: no avalanche. It will never happen. Because the ADA does not allow million-dollar judgments. In five years there have been just 650 ADA lawsuits. At that rate, it would take 50,000 years for every business and community covered by ADA to be sued. ... All of the tiny handful of horror story lawsuits endlessly cited by propagandists either lost or were otherwise misrepresented. Implying that they were authorized by the ADA constitutes blatant, willful deception. ... The ADA defines our constitutional rights as citizens. We are not citizens of Iowa or Mississippi. We are citizens of the USA. Local rights are what African-Americans had before 1964. It's what we had before the ADA, Jim Crow for cripples. No! ... It is misleading, it is dishonest to suggest that ADA is a failure because it has not in 60 months solved problems that the Ten Commandments have not solved in more than 3,000 years." A highlight of a major ADA anniversary reception sponsored by the Dole Foundation and the National Organization on Disability was the announcement of the establishment of the American Association of People with Disabilities, about which we do not yet have specific information. Scores of disability leaders crowded into the Treasury Department's historic cash room on July 26 to witness an hour-long roundtable discussion between President Bill Clinton and approximately 10 public officials, consumers and other citizens having firsthand knowledge regarding implementation of the ADA. Among the roundtable discussants were Miss America Heather Whitestone, who is deaf, and successful Seattle restaurateur and 1991 ACB scholarship recipient Daniel Delcambre, who is deaf-blind. The afternoon on July 26 was devoted to a hearing conducted by the Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, chaired by Sen. William Frist (R-Tenn.), regarding the effectiveness of the ADA. Among the invited witnesses was the renowned blind athlete and advocate, Harry Cordellos of San Francisco, who had just settled a successful class action suit against the San Francisco Municipal Transit System over its violation of the ADA and California law. The subcommittee specifically asked for Mr. Cordellos to testify, and we thank the California Council of the Blind for helping us make it possible for him to take part in the hearing. A separate article in a future edition of "The Braille Forum" will be devoted to the Project Action National Conference on Paratransit and Other Transportation Matters, held in Washington following conclusion of the ADA anniversary events referred to previously. CAPTION Oral Miller speaks intently from the lectern while giving his report to the convention. 1995 ACB CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS by Nolan Crabb and Sharon Lovering The 1995 convention of the American Council of the Blind was a time of beginnings and endings, firsts and lasts. It was the last convention at which LeRoy Saunders would serve as president; it was the first convention without Durward McDaniel. It was the first convention to be held in the southeast in four years, and the last to be held there for some years to come. It was a time to discuss new strategies to work with a new Congress and to revitalize resolve to work on old issues of ongoing concern. "Isn't it great to be a member of ACB?" said an exuberant President LeRoy Saunders as he brought the gavel down on the opening Sunday night session. Following opening remarks by Francenia Smith, president of the North Carolina Council of the Blind, and some additional remarks by State Senator Bill Martin, who chairs North Carolina's appropriations subcommittee on human resources, Saunders gave his report to the convention. "I debated with myself a little bit this time as to what I might say for a president's message, since this is my last convention as president. I first thought about possibly reviewing six years, and I said, 'Well, everybody knows what's happened in six years, why go over that again. Either they liked it or they didn't, doesn't matter now.' And then I tried to figure out some other things that might be of great interest, and I decided that the best thing to do is talk about what's happening now and what might happen in the future. First off, I need to talk about something that I won't promise you I won't get emotional þ I've tried to psych myself up so I won't þ but I can't stand before this podium tonight and not mention Durward McDaniel. I was with Durward, ironically, just a few weeks before his heart attack, and I don't know what brought up some of the subjects that we talked about þ he spent two nights in my home þ but some way or another we got to talking about death and so forth, and Durward instructed me that whenever he died, that he did not want any memorials, he did not want any funerals, he didn't want anybody losing time from work because he died. And I think he meant that. So needless to say, when the day came very suddenly, that none of us of course anticipated, I tried to follow his wishes. But tonight I want to say, let's pause for one minute, think about Durward and all of the others of the ACB family that are not with us tonight." After the moment of silence, he said, "Thank you. Now, Durward, we didn't lose time from work. "Things have been entirely different since January third of this year, a difference I think that none of us could anticipate, and a difference that none of us ever thought would get to be the big difference that it's become. We were all accustomed to the slowness in the way the Congress worked, and nobody would ever have thought that in 1995, that we'd have a Congress made up of a great deal of new people, and one that had an agenda that was going to move as swiftly as they possibly could," he said, referring to a rapid-fire congressional schedule that resulted in extremely short notice of hearings and votes on issues of importance to blind and partially sighted people. "It has taxed everybody to no end just trying to keep up with what's going on. One of the problems that we're faced with is not only are we dealing with a different party, but we're also dealing with people who are brand-new, who have no loyalties to anything, were not involved in any previous legislation that's important to us, and they feel that they came to Congress for one purpose, and that is to reduce the size of the government, and reduce the deficit, and turn as much power over to the states as they possibly can. ... But I can tell you, they're all affecting programs and services that we're all accustomed to. I don't care how we cut it, I don't care what we do, there are going to be major changes. We can't stop them, but we can't lay down and say we're going to accept them either. Hopefully we can work with these changes and at least have some input to them." Saunders predicted the link between blind and older Americans which determines the amount SSI and SSDI recipients can earn without being penalized would be lost. He suggested rehab programs will likely change in a variety of ways, block grants would become more commonplace, and that state legislators and governors will soon have greater power in the decision-making process regarding how federal money is spent within the states. "One-stop shopping might be a great idea, but when it's first-come, first-serve, I think we know who's going to be the last to get served. Whatever happens, if it's in any way possible, we've got to maintain separate services for blind people, and if we can't do that, we've got to at least maintain the most important services such as mobility training." Saunders asserted that change isn't easy, and disabled people often have a harder time dealing with changes than non-disabled people. He maintained that disabled and non-disabled people alike will likely have to start doing more for themselves, and expect government to help less. He mentioned the long-range plan and asked his listeners to read and talk about it among themselves. He also mentioned elections and constitution and bylaws items. Following his remarks, President Saunders turned the microphone over to Sharon Keeran, chairperson of the ACB Awards Committee, and Billie Jean Hill, chair of the board of publications, who each presented awards. (See "ACB Honors 1995 Award Winners," this issue.) ACB Assistant Treasurer Jim Olsen and President Saunders presented the life members with their plaques. The 12 new life members were: James Burnette of Virginia; Margarine Beaman of Texas; David Tingler of Oklahoma; Paul Shelton of Oklahoma; Helen Epps of Virginia; Rev. A.C. Epps of Virginia; Mabel Ward of Virginia; Roy Ward of Virginia; Deanna Noriega of Oregon; Jeffrey Cohn of Oregon; Allen "Sandy" Sanderson of Alaska, and Scott Marshall of Maryland. The Sunday session adjourned after a roll call of delegates. MONDAY: The Monday session began with a speech by Frederic K. Schroeder Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Education. "I was asked before the session started this morning was I enjoying Washington, and I said I wonder if anybody enjoys Washington," Schroeder quipped. "I suppose there probably are people who do, and maybe given time I'll learn to enjoy it, but having come from New Mexico, I can tell you that it has been quite an adjustment." He added that the sentence that summed it up best was, "In Washington, if you want a friend, get a dog." "When President Clinton asked me to come to Washington and to direct the activities of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, I had great visions of taking what exists in our country in terms of rehabilitation and making it bigger, more substantial, more effective, expanding the program þ we know that only approximately one in every 10 to 17 individuals who are potentially eligible for vocational rehabilitation ever have access to the system; we know that the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is dramatically high ... And so I went to Washington. It was with great hopes of being able to take what was there and make it bigger, make it better, make it stronger and more effective. And I got there and I found that we were in the midst of all types of federal reorganization, all types of downsizing. Since the election last fall, I think there is an impression that it is the new majority party that has come to town that's interested in shrinking the size of government, but I can tell you that the activities of reducing the size of government, streamlining it, trying to make it more efficient, were activities that have been in place since the first day of the Clinton administration, and it's something the president takes very seriously." The president believes, Schroeder said, that Americans need to get value for their tax dollars; that our country is generous, and wants to meet the human needs that exist in our country, and that tax dollars are wisely spent. A positive sign that this is happening is the downsizing of government. "I think as we look out over the various programs it is very easy for us to think that the problems, the economic problems that we have in our country, can all be solved by some quick fix that the media captures on a 15-second spot on the evening news, and it really isn't that way," Schroeder said. "The cuts that we're taking in the Rehabilitation Services Administration hurt. ... And so when you hear on the evening news that if we only did away with the B subsidy or if we only do away with rural electrification, all will be well, and it isn't that way. You've heard talk about trying to dismantle the Agriculture Department, and it's all part of the mind set of the quick fix. ... And yet what people don't realize is that 60 percent of the Agriculture Department's budget þ 60 percent þ goes to nutrition programs for children. So there is not a quick fix." There is no way to solve the economic problems without it hurting, but it is the right thing to do to get the American economy moving forward and sustain what Americans have for the next generations. And RSA is committed to doing its part to support that effort, he added. "We feel the same way and the same commitment in terms of our work with people with disabilities: that the measure of whether we're doing a good job is the degree to which the ordinary person walking through the door of his or her local rehabilitation office gets value from that system," Schroeder stated. "And unless that individual gets value from our rehabilitation system, then yes, we in Washington are doing the wrong things." He mentioned that RSA was planning to release a notice of proposed rule-making on changing from process-based to outcome-based rehabilitation in the near future; he also said integrating vocational rehabilitation in with the block grants was not in the department's plans. Convention attendees changed their focus from rehabilitation to library services with remarks from Frank Kurt Cylke, director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress. Cylke updated his listeners on new and ongoing NLS services. He addressed the subject of centralized services. "The library program in the United States is both a centralized and decentralized situation or service program at the same time," Cylke said. "Let me talk to you a bit about our automation system. ... In order to provide the books to you that you receive, and to provide the machines to you, the catalogs and all those other things that you take advantage of, there has to be an infrastructure back in Washington that takes care of it. And that is taken care of by our automation staff, a very small staff actually, of two people who control such things as the following: production information control system ... there is a tracking of that book through the whole system so that you can know exactly where the book is in process, and that ranges from the copyright clearance to the assignment to the audio producer to the fact that, for example, Mitzi Friedlander has started narrating to the fact that she has completed the narrating and brought it on, even to the point of the number of copies that the library issues." CD-ROMs have made accessing the library's catalogs easier, he said. The machine inventory control system has helped in tracking the machines down. The mailing system is centralized, there's a book exchange system that allows libraries to swap materials from one state to another, and there's an inventory system. All are handled by the Washington staff. There are decentralized parts of the library, too: the "reads" system (what you're interested in reading), and NLS net, which takes care of the statistics. "But one of the most important centralized efforts that we're about to embark on, you as ACB have been involved in for the last several years, and this is the area of braille centralization," Cylke said. "Suffice it to say that what is envisioned is distribution of braille materials from two central locations: one in Salt Lake City, Utah, one in Cincinnati, Ohio. And these two central locations hopefully will provide new and better services to you; more and better availability of materials; significant lower costs, thus permitting us to produce more braille but have a better inventory control, and actually just have a better system and a more responsive system to you." Total funding would cost approximately $700,000 for a period of four years and then remain around that same level for a period of years, he said. NLS got permission to centralize braille from Congress. "It appears that the library program will be treated as reasonably as one could expect under the circumstances in the year that we have; we anticipate no diminution in funds; at the same time we anticipate no increase in funds either, but there should be an adequate level of money to provide the materials that you have been receiving," Cylke stated. "And what we'll be doing in this year ahead is really refining the services." Imagine getting your monthly magazines from NLS on cassette rather than flexible disks. "The other thing we'll be doing will be þ slowly, but within two years þ converting the magazine program from a flexible disk program to a cassette program," he said. "It does appear to us now that it is not only desirable þ I know you can tell that from the applause þ but economically feasible to do so, and that was what we were waiting for." In a question and answer session following Cylke's remarks, ACB member Jamal Mazrui asked whether NLS would produce ACB's history in recorded and braille formats when it becomes available. He reminded Cylke that NLS has previously produced the history of the National Federation of the Blind. "Absolutely," Cylke said. Mitzi Friedlander, a talking book narrator at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Ky., followed Cylke at the microphone. A narrator of more than 1,000 titles, Friedlander "has become one of the well-known voices to all of us," ACB First Vice President Charles Hodge said in introducing her. "She won the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award, presented by the American Foundation for the Blind in 1993." "I've been thinking ever since I received your invitation of the 30-some years since we began this special relationship with each other," Friedlander said. "How can I thank you? I looked up thanks in Bartlett's Quotations, and the quote that leapt out at me was from a play by Collie Sibber, who was a 16th century British playwright, and that quote is: 'Words are but empty thanks.' This may well be true, but words will have to be my thanks to you, not empty but full of gratitude for what you have done for me. This is what I want to tell you: you have done so much for me, you who read books I've read on tape, have given me memorable gifts, and I've made a list. "First, the gift of companionship. I can't tell you how much it helps to know someone will share a book ... So when reading gets rough and the footnotes get esoteric, or the expletive gets real repetitive, I know you're there, only a side selector switch away. A second gift you've given me is that of your appreciation. I have so enjoyed hearing from you individually ... But being here today is the best gift of all. Thank you. "The next gift from you to me is that of knowledge. Had I not read 'Smart But Feeling Dumb,' I wouldn't have realized that I'm a tad dyslexic. But that's OK, I just have to feel my wedding ring to tell right from left. Also I've learned much about forensics from Elizabeth George or Sue Grafton ... and more than I needed to know from Danielle Steele ... But knowledge is power, so said Francis Bacon. So I do thank you for that gift. "Sharing the recording of a book is a job, yes, but it is also the practice of shared relationships. ... My pot of gold is to finish each book having read to the best of my ability, to be a clear channel between the author and you, and feel the joy of our shared gifts. "You and I share a love of words, be it nursery rhymes, song lyrics, poetic images, cowboy lingo, inner-city jive talk, Shakespeare, the King James Bible, the cotton patch Bible, the Koran, the Talmud, old plantation romances, the musical lilt and the words of Irish immigrants, the cruel words of invaders from outer space, the foppish accents of regency bon vivants and yes, even Brazilian Portuguese," Friedlander said. "Thank you for all these gifts." The session concluded with reports by Carl McCoy, credentials committee chairman and Oral Miller, National Representative. Miller reviewed the events and activities in which ACB national office staff members had participated since the previous convention. He formally introduced Julie Carroll, ACB's Director of Governmental Affairs, and listed a variety of projects in which she and other staff members had been involved on the legislative front since January. "In the last six months," Miller said, "representatives of the American Council of the Blind have testified at more Congressional hearings than during any other six-month period in my memory." He said ACB's efforts at disseminating information had increased as well with the introduction of an expanded "Washington Connection" toll-free service and an e-mail service via the Internet. ACB members have also participated in the White House Conference on Aging and in a variety of mini- conferences on aging. Legislation isn't ACB's only thrust, according to Miller. The council's scholarship program gave scholarships to more students this year than at any time in its history; convention information was provided early, and legal counseling and technical assistance was provided to a record number of people through ACB's referral program. He also played ACB's two radio public service announcements. Miller then described events and activities surrounding a trip he had taken earlier in the year in connection with a disabled sports organization to Malaysia. While there, he met with members of a consumer group in that country to inform them regarding ACB's activities. He concluded his remarks by extending his appreciation to LeRoy Saunders for his cooperation and assistance in taking "those giant strides forward that have kept the American Council of the Blind as the reasonable and most effective organization of blind people in the United States." Michael Byington, resolutions committee chairman, presented the first of 23 resolutions that would be acted upon by the convention during the week. TUESDAY: The Fourth of July began with a bang. "Happy Fourth of July!" ACB President LeRoy Saunders exclaimed. "We've got a lot of problems in this country; we have a lot of things to resolve. We've talked about some of them earlier; we're going to talk about some more of them today. But I don't care how you cut it, folks, we live in the best country in this world." John DeLuca, director of the Division of Services for the Blind, and John Vaughn, director of the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped, presented a panel discussion on the present status and possible changes in rehabilitation and job training programs. "When the long-range planning committee began its deliberations about two years ago, we identified as a potential problem that government either would be unwilling or unable to do for us all the things we had been used to and, probably even more so, unable to do for us all the things we would like it to do," said Steve Speicher, ACB's second vice president. "We figured, however, that being the talented, skilled, resourceful and helpful people we are, we would be able to adjust." John DeLuca spoke first. "I think President Saunders struck a wonderful theme when he referenced the fact that this is the Fourth of July, that we're awfully lucky that we can be here to talk about these issues, because that's not true everywhere," he said. "We're awfully lucky that we have an effective VR program to fight for, because that's not true everywhere, as you know." He said he felt honored to be a part of the program, fear upon seeing himself listed in the program as an expert, and humbled and flattered to be talking to some of the most successful blind people in the country. He also said he felt sympathy for the people going to the ABLA luncheon who had to hear him speak twice. "Yesterday morning when Charlie Hodge introduced Commissioner Schroeder, he made the comment that the rehab program was under siege," DeLuca said. "I hope you heard that. I also hope that when Commissioner Schroeder talked about the peril to the program presented by H.R. 1617, you felt that. I may be a little bit biased, but I feel that the situation is dire enough that we need to devote some time on the same subject this morning." His mental image of the rehabilitation program is a person having taken a 75-year journey going down a rough road but has had some tremendous successes, and is now at a fork in the road, where one road leads to a steep cliff meaning certain death and the other one rocky but manageable and can lead to more successes. The Kassebaum bill in the Senate is promising, he said, but the House bill is worrisome. And what is H.R. 1617 going to do for people with disabilities? "It's going to maximize consumer choice, it's going to promote accountability ... it's going to maintain specialization of our specialized services and specialized counselors. Right." DeLuca had several concerns. One of the most worrisome was the structure. Schroeder had mentioned the local work force development boards that will be in each area, depending on that area's demographics; the model used was based on the Jobs Training Partnership Act model of the private industry councils. DeLuca said he didn't know anyone who considered the model used a success. "People with disabilities will have representation on these boards, but one or two token members certainly doesn't guarantee good services or even that you would get a good hearing on the plan on what's to be done. It also is no guarantee against the shifting sands of political expediency, what the pet projects are of the local board chairman or the controlling membership in the board." Another thing he hadn't heard discussed much was how sympathetic and interested the board chairman would be in consumers' phone calls. "When I reviewed this bill, it was very alarmingly apparent to me what was wrong with it, but McKeon obviously disagrees with me, and apparently most of the other Republican members of the House at this point disagree with me, but, with time, hopefully we can make them see the truth as we see it," he said. The voucher system also concerns him. "If you don't have a provider to provide the services, then the vouchers will be of minimal value," DeLuca said. "If you have providers that give you that minimum-wage job with no benefits and very little chance for advancement, you're not going to have a good outcome. If you don't have a counselor that can give you valid advice on what good providers are, what services might make sense for you given your own individual needs and interests and abilities, then those vouchers are probably going to be of very little value to you. ... You and I, as much as anybody else in this country, don't want to see our tax money wasted on services that aren't needed or aren't quality or aren't going to do what they're designed to do. I think the voucher system, the way I understand it, is predisposed to lead to bad outcomes and a lot more waste than we really have come close to experiencing thus far." The third area of his concern was the "system shatter effect." "We have a system, it's not perfect, but it has made very positive interventions and had positive impacts on the lives of thousands and thousands, both in this state and across the country," he said. "Now, with H.R. 1617, if it dismantles that system ... how long do you think it would take, once it's determined that H.R. 1617 is a bad idea, to rebuild that system?" DeLuca was also concerned with the process, which has been a closed process so far. He was alarmed about the lack of knowledge among people; an example was a group's definition, at one point, of people with disabilities: "people with disabilities were alcoholics and people who were getting out of prison." "We can't safely assume that the choices that are being made up there are rational and informed, and I think there are many areas outside the disability area where there's plenty of evidence that choices aren't rational and informed, but they happen, and they result in laws passing that affect people," he said, "and we can't assume that just because we're blind or just because we need a quality service- delivery system, that we will be immune from irrational, uninformed choices on the part of our leaders. Certainly we can't assume it if we don't do everything in our power to make sure that the members of Congress are as informed as we can make them." A sub-issue was the partisanship þ voting along party lines. "One of the chilling things is that, as you know, we don't have control over which fork in the road is taken," DeLuca said. "We can certainly influence it, but we don't have control. But I think there is some cause for optimism. The Senate didn't start out where it is now. As a result of strong advocacy by many of you and many other people with disabilities across the country. They have seen the light, at least at this point. ... That shows what advocacy can do. The House bill shows what advocacy needs to do, and I believe that's still possible." John Vaughn spoke next. "I'm trying to figure out what we do no matter which road we go down, whether we go down the smooth road or the bumpy road or take a rutted trail along the sides," he said. "I encourage all of you to do your work." He asked his listeners to write letters to their congressmen, since they were the agents of change. "One of the biggest problems of this past year has been getting the culture to change, to make our agency inclusive and trying to figure out a way to not have another case come onto the case load," he added. "We are turning people out of our VR program with an average salary of $10,000. That's the status quo, and if you all are happy with that, fine. I'm not. I think it's disgraceful." The computer is the "magic bullet" for blind people, Vaughn stated. "Seventy percent of sighted people are using computers. Blind people can't be blocked out of that." He encouraged his listeners to get involved in their states' vocational rehabilitation advisory councils. "I'm not going to say that we're going to always have all the money we need, but let's use what we've got now efficiently," he said. The battlegrounds will be the states, he said, if H.R. 1617 goes through. From the future of rehabilitation legislation, convention attendees focused on the present and future of the American Foundation for the Blind as described by AFB President Carl Augusto. He said the foundation has four programmatic functions: talking books, advocacy, information provision, and the identification and analysis of some of the critical issues confronting blind people today. "We started the talking book program in the early '30s," he said, "helped to create the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Handicapped when the program got a little too big for us, and with engineers from RCA Victor ... we helped to pioneer the long- playing record for use by blind people many years before the 33-1/3 rpm record was used by the general public ... Can you imagine reading 'War and Peace' on 78 rpm records?" AFB is the largest producer of talking books for NLS, producing more than 1 million cassettes a year; in addition, it gives annual Scourby awards in honor of NLS's most prolific and talented narrators. AFB as an advocate aims to educate the general public and educate the movers and shakers in this country. Augusto mentioned AFB's public service announcement campaign, which was designed to showcase blind people's capabilities and confront Americans with their stereotyped thinking; another campaign will begin later this year which demonstrates the importance of services to older visually impaired people and how those services allow them to live independently in their communities. "One of the biggest, if not the biggest problem, associated with blindness is not blindness itself, is not the physical or functional limitations imposed upon us as blind people, but society's reaction to us as blind people and society's reaction to blindness," he stated. As an information provider, AFB collects, produces, synthesizes and sends out information about the non-medical aspects of blindness and services for blind and visually impaired people. AFB also produces fact sheets and bibliographies; in addition, AFB is on the Internet at afbinfo@afb.org. AFB Press publishes texts and professional materials on the subject of services for blind people, as well as "Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness," its magazine. One of the critical issues Augusto mentioned was "braille as the literacy tool for people who can't read print. ... The second we throw braille away, we throw literacy away." Another issue is technology. Though AFB is no longer involved in catalog sales or product development, it is still involved in technology. It publishes evaluations of products specifically designed for visually impaired people. "Although technology is revolutionizing the way we as blind people operate, there are still so many barriers blocking the way for full access to information," Augusto said. "I think the biggest barrier is þ no, not Windows, believe it or not þ too few visually impaired people know anything about technology, and those who do, so few of them know enough about technology to help them know how to benefit from technology." Another big problem, Augusto said, is that too few people in the blindness field know enough about technology to inform blind clients and students about specific technology, and too few schools have training programs or enough variety to allow students to test out different ones. AFB's Xerox loan program has been discontinued, he stated. As for the unemployment/underemployment problem, "We also think that technology will help. But we're very, very impatient because we've seen these statistics year after year after year." He mentioned AFB's employment summit, which listeners would hear about later in the convention. "We simply can't afford not to work together any longer," he said. "We can achieve so much by working together." The session concluded with the reading of constitution and bylaw amendments, and resolutions. WEDNESDAY: Conventioneers began the Wednesday session with a perspective on employment and what employers look for in the real world. Frederick Starr, president of Thomasville Furniture, said his company, self-described as the nation's second largest furniture builder, has gone through many of the same changes extant in corporate America. He said the advent of the information age has resulted in "relationships without any boundaries" and the globalization of businesses and industries throughout the world. "This all means that if you're in the work place," Starr said, "you've got to respond quickly and make sound decisions and work and think much more broadly than was required in the past." He said at one time, manufacturing in America simply required the use of "hired hands," a corporate culture which insisted that people "leave their brains in the parking lot and come to work to do physical labor." "Out of this came a lifetime of drudgery and tremendous loss of human potential. ... Today the empowerment of the employee is not only natural, but it's imperative." He said employers today have two qualifications in mind when hiring. First, the basic job skills; second, social skills þ individual effort coupled with teamwork to help companies improve. He detailed three real-world scenarios at his company in which he described attitudes of employees who succeed as opposed to those who don't. One worker was described as having a can-do attitude, willing to take on new tasks and learn, and having the social skills necessary to work well with others on a variety of assignments. Another employee had a great education but refused to take personal responsibility for her actions. "She always feels as though she needs an assistant to work with her. You might say she's disengaged," Starr said. In his third case, he described an employee with many years of service to the company who was in a very high management position. "But he couldn't work as a team player. He had to control everything. He had to run and control things; he had to make every decision. We just couldn't put up with it. So in the last two or three weeks, we've had to release him." He described people most likely to succeed in today's down- sized corporation as "people who no longer recognize boundaries and functions and departments. ... These are people who want to take hold and make things happen. We find today that people who are taken in, hired, and get promoted don't stick to the narrow view. ... They're always proactive; they think outside their own world, and they have the ability to work with others in wonderful ways." He urged his listeners to carefully research the company they want to work with prior to their interview. Leadership traits are good if they exist, but the ability to work with others þ to communicate and listen well þ are extremely necessary. He warned against giving too much information in the interview. He gave examples of people who were so frank in the interview as to admit that they were fired from previous jobs due to high absenteeism. Cleanliness and a good appearance are still hallmarks of successful interviewing, according to Starr. He said any company is only as good as its people; through the awesome power of technology, the world has shrunk, and that employee empowerment is essential and here to stay. Judy Peters, president and CEO of National Industries for the Blind, agreed with Starr that America's work places and work force are changing. She said NIB is changing to adapt to changes in federal procurement procedures and other work force changes. Some of those changes, she said, must be internal changes at NIB. "Currently, there are 98 people working at NIB and there are 12 staff members who are blind or visually impaired." She said changes include greater emphasis on higher-paying jobs at NIB and at its affiliates. She said of the 15 interns who have participated in NIB's internship program since 1989, 12 are currently employed. "I would think that five years from now," Peters said, "that [internship] program should be greatly increased in terms of numbers. By that, I mean I think that five years from now it will be greatly increased." She said NIB must focus more on high-tech and computer- related jobs and the service industry. "Before last year," she explained, "about 99 percent of the jobs that NIB offered were factory-related manufacturing jobs. In the new jobs that we've created this year, at least 50 percent have been service jobs." She listed some of those jobs as order taking, order entry, telemarketing, medical transcription for veterans hospitals, and customer service positions. She said a recent labor survey of NIB-affiliated employees indicates that job security was a major concern among those surveyed. She said the survey found that those with substantial usable vision earned substantially higher salaries than those with no or little usable vision. That's due, she said, to the fact that blind and severely visually impaired employees have been the victims of working in jobs which have been poorly adapted to them. "We're trying to provide more training to affiliate staff in areas that appear to be problematic in access technology and to give them a better understanding of the Social Security system." She said urging workers to further their education is also a newly emphasized part of NIB's mission. Asked whether NIB is making progress on the issue of workers making less than minimal wage, Peters responded in the affirmative. "As you know," she explained, "we have about 5,500 people who are currently employed in our affiliates on JWOD work, and there are less than 300 people who are currently being paid less than minimum wage." She said evaluating the jobs held by those making less than minimum wage is the first step in solving the problem. The evaluations seek to determine whether people are appropriately trained and whether they have the proper equipment. Gil Johnson, director and employment specialist at the American Foundation for the Blind's San Francisco regional office, carried on the theme of employment. He referred to meetings he had attended with employed blind people in Oregon in which he sought to determine why they managed to consistently improve their careers while others who are blind have more difficulty doing so. He said they mentioned four characteristics or factors that they felt were most important. First, a positive attitude on their part. Secondly, the importance of adapting to the sighted world. Third, the learning of alternative techniques. Fourth, the importance of role models and mentors. Johnson also referred to an Employment Summit, a two-day conference sponsored by AFB in January. "The 25 people came from private and public rehabilitation agencies, from consumer organizations, from the corporate human resource area, and from governmental policy," he explained. He said partnerships need to be established and nourished between rehabilitation agencies and employers. "I think ... we go along in the rehab side of things believing that we know what's going on in industry when, because the employment market is changing so rapidly, ... we've gotten out of touch with it." He said better employment statistics are essential if we are to more appropriately make our case to legislators and others. Some of the data is 15 years old or more. In addition to better statistics, Johnson called for better public education regarding the capability of blind workers and removal of disincentives to employment. He called for continued access to information through technology. "I'd say we have less access to information now than we had five years ago." He also said better training is necessary for those who wish to be rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation agencies, he said, tend to focus more on providing service than on outcomes. "We need to improve self- advocacy and leadership skills," he said. He urged better career counseling for blind children and better follow-up services. "Obviously no one of us will be able to solve these issues by ourselves. One of the things that we're working on is a national meeting on employment in conjunction with the Josephine Taylor Institute in March in Washington, D.C. Speaking at conferences like these is important; getting people to work together and to think about them is very critical." The convention next heard from Ray Washburn, president of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, and a survivor of the April bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. He recounted his experience prior to, during, and after the bombing. (See "He Lived Through the Nightmare the Rest of Us Only Heard About," July/August 1995.) The remainder of the Wednesday session was taken up with the nominating committee report and reading of constitution and bylaw amendments. THURSDAY: The Thursday session began with the awarding of scholarships by Dr. John Buckley, chairman of ACB's Scholarship Committee. Following scholarship presentations, additional amendments to the constitution and bylaws were read and convention attendees chose a site for the 1997 convention. Those cities interested in the 1997 convention included St. Paul, Minn., Dallas, Texas, and Houston, Texas. The convention ultimately selected Houston as the 1997 convention city. FRIDAY: The Friday session began with a treasurer's report from ACB Treasurer Brian Charlson. He said 1994 revenues were $1,145,000. The thrift stores, under the management of ACB Assistant Treasurer Jim Olsen, accounted for $804,000. Charlson pointed out that ACB Enterprises and Services, the company which owns and operates the thrift stores, currently employs more than 300 people in various parts of the nation. In addition to thrift store revenues, Charlson said ACB received $90,000 from legacies. "Remember, when you make your will and testament, you can help us out on your way out," Charlson quipped. He said membership dues generated $50,000 in 1994. "Keep that number in mind as I go through the expense side," he said. He said 1994 expenses were $1,156,000. Publications and publicity comprise a large portion of the expenses, according to Charlson. In 1994, ACB spent $414,000 on publicity and publications. That category includes expenses for "The Braille Forum," "ACB Reports," and other outreach efforts including public service announcements. In 1994, he said, ACB spent $79,000 for research and governmental affairs activities. The council spent $93,000 in assisting other organizations by providing expertise in blindness issues that strengthen both the council's position and that of the other members of the coalition. "Last year," Charlson explained, "we spent $67,000 for scholarships, $26,000 of which was administrative cost. Now administrative cost means bringing them here to the convention. So keep in mind every time we give away a scholarship dollar, it's costing us a scholarship fifty cents or around that." He said the council spent $274,000 on organizational development activities in 1994, including a series of leadership training seminars and expenses incurred by elected representatives and national office staff members who attend state conventions at the invitation of the affiliates. He said 1995 information was available through May 31. Revenues up to that time were $340,801. The amount budgeted up to that time was $433,204, "so we're running in arrears about $92,493. Don't be overly concerned about that number; as I'll explain later, there are a number of areas where the expenses fell earlier in the year than anticipated and things are on the upswing in a number of areas." "We anticipate that we will be able to operate within our budget in 1995," Charlson said. He explained that expenditures were higher than usual due to the opening of a thrift store in the midwest. Revenues from that facility, he said, have been on the increase, however. He said his tenure as treasurer has been "a service of love and ... an education. I've been very lucky to work with two excellent gentlemen, our president, who preceded me in the office of treasurer, and our assistant treasurer ... Jim Olsen who's taught me everything I know about the world of finance." The remainder of the Friday session consisted of passage of constitution and bylaw amendments and the election of officers and a board position. Conventioneers spent the Saturday session voting on resolutions. CAPTIONS Pat and LeRoy Saunders are all smiles as they examine gifts presented to them by members of the Alaska Independent Blind at the banquet. RSA Commissioner Frederic Schroeder tells conventioneers how cutbacks hurt everyone including the rehabilitation program. NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke stands at the microphone during his address to the convention to notify attendees that the library will be phasing out its flexible disk magazine program in favor of cassettes. Mitzi Friedlander thanks her listeners for the many gifts they have given her. John DeLuca says Americans are lucky to have an effective vocational rehabilitation program to fight for. John Vaughn says computers are the "magic bullets" for blind people. Carl Augusto states the aims of AFB, among them public education. Frederick Starr warms the crowd with a story. Judy Peters says NIB must focus more on high-tech and computer-related jobs. Gil Johnson says better employment statistics are needed to help the blindness community make its case to legislators. During a break in the session, LeRoy Saunders takes time to pose with Ray and Mary Lou Washburn. Dr. Thomas Haggai addressed the banquet Friday night. CONVENTION ATTENDEES ELECT OFFICERS, BOARD POSITION by Nolan Crabb ACB's 1995 elections held as part of the council's 34th annual national convention in Greensboro, N.C., were spirited contests filled with all the suspense and drama of close elections anywhere. Early in convention week, the nominating committee, chaired by Dick Seifert, presented its slate of officers to the convention. The committee nominated Paul Edwards, coordinator of Disabled Student Services at Miami's Dade County Community College, to fill the office of president vacated by LeRoy Saunders. Saunders had served three two-year terms, the maximum allowed under the ACB constitution. For the office of first vice president, the committee nominated Brian Charlson, a senior computer instructor at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Mass. Stephen Speicher, an attorney in private practice in Lincoln, Neb., received the committee's nod for the second vice president slot. Cynthia Towers, a teacher in the Seattle public schools, was the committee's choice for secretary. Patricia Beattie, director of public policy at National Industries for the Blind in Alexandria, Va., was nominated for the position of treasurer. Charles Hodge, a civil rights attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, ran against Paul Edwards for president. Kim Charlson of Watertown, Mass., and Carl McCoy of Tallahassee, Fla., informed the convention regarding Edwards' activities and abilities. Adrian DeBlaey of Milwaukee, Wis., and Carla Franklin of Louisville, Ky., provided background information on Hodge. Edwards was elected president with 58.58 percent of the vote. "I'd like to pledge to all of you that I'm going to do my very best to make ACB continue to be the greatest organization of blind people in the world," Edwards said as he acknowledged his victory. Charles Hodge took on Brian Charlson for the first vice president position. Pamela Shaw of Philadelphia, Pa. and Cherrie Pomerantz of Los Angeles, Calif. spoke in Charlson's behalf. Charlson won the election with 52.02 percent of the vote. "I can't tell you how much your support has made the last 20 years worth the effort," Charlson said after his victory was announced, "the two states that I've been proud to be part of, the special-interest [affiliates] that I've been proud to be part of, I appreciate all of your support. Remember that ACB wants to reflect your needs and wishes; please talk to us on the board; we need to know what you want." Hodge, who, as he put it, had lost two elections in the space of an hour, was gracious in his support for Edwards and Charlson, congratulating both on their respective victories. Convention voters opted to take a breather from the drama of close contests by electing Stephen Speicher to another term as second vice president. The voting was quick and virtually unanimous. "I've never known exactly what a second vice president is for," Speicher reflected, "but I see it as a working position in support of the fine officers you've already given us for the next two years, and the rest of the board and most especially and centrally of you in ACB. We have enormous talent in this group, and to a great extent, we have not yet tapped it all. We have a lot to do, and the only way your officers can do it right is that you give us everything you can." Jamal Mazrui of Silver Spring, Md., challenged Cynthia Towers for the secretary position. Deborah Kendrick of Cincinnati, Ohio and Don Brown of Albany, Calif., spoke in Mazrui's behalf. Sue Ammeter of Seattle, Wash., and M.J. Schmitt of Berwyn, Ill., spoke in behalf of Towers. Towers was declared the victor with 55.64 percent of the vote. "I can barely speak," she said. "I'm shaking like a leaf. ... I'll do a great job; and, if I don't, please let me know. I'm in Seattle, give me a call, thank you very, very much." Mazrui congratulated Towers and expressed his support to his campaign manager and his supporters. "This has been a campaign with a vision," he said, "and I am very honored by the support you have shown." Patricia Beattie was elected without opposition to the office of treasurer. "I look forward to serving you as an officer," Beattie said following the vote. Charles Hodge was elected without opposition to complete the final year of Beattie's term on ACB's board of directors. "The third time is the charm here this morning. ... I do not view this board seat as any kind of consolation prize. It's a very important seat; I'll take this job responsibility seriously, and I'll do my best to work with the officers you've elected this morning." CAPTIONS Brian Charlson gives his report to the convention. Stephen Speicher accepts congratulations upon his re- election. Cynthia Towers reads announcements from the convention floor. Jamal Mazrui fields questions at the Candidates' Forum. Patricia Beattie tells the audience why she wants to be ACB's treasurer. Charles Hodge discusses issues at the Candidates' Forum. TULSA 1996 by Diane Bowers (Editor's note: Diane Bowers is president of the Oklahoma Council of the Blind. Since the 1996 ACB convention is in Tulsa, Okla., we thought you might enjoy a little historical information about the city.) The original inhabitants of the Tulsa area were the Ozark Bluff Dwellers. In 1836 many Native Americans decided to end the Trail of Tears beneath the Council Oak Tree, at 18th and S. Cheyenne. Lewis Perryman, who was part Creek, built a trading post in 1846. When the first post office was built in March 1879, the name Tulsey Town was shortened to Tulsa. When Tulsa was incorporated in 1898, the population had grown to 1,100. Around 1900 the Glenn Pool Strike struck oil and Tulsa became known as the Oil Capital.Aviation joined oil as the second industry to put Tulsa on the map. American Airlines, SABRE reservation center and Rockwell Industries are among the largest employers in the region. Tulsa's population today is 370,000 within the city limits þ 550,000 when you include the entire metro area. The Arkansas River approaches from the northwest and bends south close to downtown. Tulsa is on the western edge of the foothills of the Ozarks. Downtown takes in about 1 1/2 square miles and is landlocked by expressways. Tulsa originally grew north and west, but in recent decades it has expanded rapidly to the south and east. The Tulsa Drillers baseball team plays in the Texas League. Other spectator sports include: the Tulsa Roughnecks who play in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League, the Tulsa Cyclones and Tulsa Oiler hockey. The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes have football and basketball teams. Oral Roberts University has a baseball team and hosts the NCAA basketball tournaments. You will find stock car racing, dog racing, rodeo, and rugby. The Tulsa Run attracts runners from around the world. Riverparks provides biking and jogging and extends from downtown to 78th and S. Riverside Drive. The Tulsa Zoo, established in 1927, is a national leader in the living museum philosophy. Margarine Beaman, ACB's convention volunteer coordinator, brailled exhibits at the zoo a couple of years ago. Nearly all year round you will find cultural, musical or special event festivals located mostly on the main mall at Fifth and Main, the Williams Green on the east side of the Adams Mark Hotel or on the banks of the Arkansas River. Mayfest, Juneteenth, Oktoberfest, Greenwood Jazz Festival, the Tulsa Powwow, Greek Festival, Hispanic Festival, and the Chili Cookoff and Bluegrass Festival are only a few. The arts include Tulsa Philharmonic Symphony, Tulsa Ballet and the Performing Arts Center. The Philbrook Museum was the home of oilman Waite Phillips until it became Tulsa's first museum in 1939. Native American, European, American, Asian, African, and ancient art is housed in a Renaissance-style villa. The Gilcrease Museum displays North American history through the world's largest collection of fine art and native artifacts. This museum has hands-on tours for the visually impaired. Other museums include: the Jazz Hall of Fame, the Alexander Hogue Museum at the University of Tulsa, the Fenster Museum of Jewish Art, Mac's Antique Car Museum, The Elsing Museum of crystals, precious gems and fossils, and The Port of Catoosa/Arkansas Waterway Museum. The Port of Catoosa Museum documents the development of America's largest inland river port. A walking tour of downtown shows off Tulsa's legacy of the 1920s art deco period. One tour planned for the 1996 convention will visit the Allen Ranch, a working ranch in southern Tulsa. You will visit Woolaroc Museum and Nature Preserve, once a rustic retreat for oilman Frank Phillips. Woolaroc Nature Preserve is home to American buffalo, elk, deer, and other wild animals. While in Tulsa, you can also find Will Rogers' country home. The legendary humorist, radio personality and actor's home is 18 miles northeast of Tulsa. You can see live performances of "Oklahoma" at Discoveryland, 15 miles west of Tulsa, from May through August. Take an overnight trip to Branson, Mo. There you will find Silver Dollar City and shows by several famous musicians. It's a four-hour car trip, provided you don't stop for munchies and the like. All convention functions in 1996 will occur in the Tulsa Convention Center. A walkway connects the Convention Center to the Doubletree Downtown hotel. The Doubletree has three restaurants and features Seven West as its main restaurant. The Interurban Restaurant is around the corner west from the Doubletree. The Adams Mark Hotel, the first backup, has three restaurants including a lounge buffet. The Darby Lane Inn is a motel across the parking lot from the Doubletree. Ron's Hamburgers, located there, has agreed to stay open in the evenings for conventioneers. The Howard Johnson's hotel at 7th and Boulder is about four blocks from the Doubletree. Please make hotel reservations through individual hotels. The Convention Center is on the west side of a plaza with the police station, county courthouse, City Hall and the downtown branch of the Tulsa City- County Library. The intersection of Fifth and Denver borders the east edge of this plaza and all fixed-route Tulsa Transit buses stop here. Make your plans now to come to Tulsa in 1996. You will find it's a great setting for the ACB convention. The Oklahoma Council of the Blind is looking forward to July 1996 and invites everyone to come visit! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 1996 CONVENTION IN TULSA by John A. Horst, Convention Coordinator The 1996 convention of the American Council of the Blind will be held in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 29 to Saturday, July 6. The Adams Mark and the Howard Johnson hotels will provide additional sleeping rooms. Reservations at these hotels can be made any time until May 25, 1996. The telephone number for the Doubletree is (918) 587-8000. The address is 616 W. 7th St., Tulsa, OK 74127. The number at the Adams Mark is (918) 282-9000. The address is 100 E. 2nd St., Tulsa, OK 74103. Rates at both these hotels are $47 per night plus tax for single through quad. The number of the Howard Johnson hotel is (918) 585-5898. The address is 7th St. and Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119. The rate at the Howard Johnson is $40 per night for single and double, plus $6 for each additional person in the same room. The Adams Mark Hotel is located six blocks from the convention center; the Howard Johnson, three blocks. All hotels provide free transportation to and from the Tulsa Airport. Shuttles will operate between the hotels and the convention center. CAPTION Diane Bowers takes a break from the session to share a hug with Oral Miller. HERE & THERE by Elizabeth M. Lennon The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement of those products and services by the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be responsible for the reliability of products or services mentioned. CONVENTION TAPES Tapes of the 1995 ACB national convention in Greensboro, N.C. are now available. The complete set includes all the general sessions, the banquet, and the diabetes and legislative seminars. The complete set costs $25, and each session or the seminars may be purchased separately for $5 per session. To order, contact the ACB national office at (800) 424-8666 between 3 and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tapes are sent upon receipt of check or money order. No credit card orders. 800 FOR ANN MORRIS Ann Morris Enterprises now has an 800 number: (800) 454-3175. The company's 10th edition anniversary special catalog is now available; it contains 100 new products and many special offers. The catalog is free and is available in large print, cassette and computer disk. Ask for pricing for the braille version. Ann Morris Enterprises, 890 Fams Ct., East Meadow, N.Y. 11554. E-MAIL DIRECTORY National Braille Press is compiling an e-mail directory of blind individuals and blindness-RELATED organizations. To be listed in the directory, free of charge, send your e-mail address along with your name, the name of your organization if applicable, plus city, state, and country to: algayz@world.std.com by October 2, 1995. The 1996 Blind Community E-mail Directory will be available for sale in print and braille early next year from National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115. JOB OPENINGS National Industries for the Blind has several job openings; one in Alexandria, Va., one in Portland, Maine, and one in Earth City, Mo. The Alexandria opening is for an assistant to the vice president of finance. Candidates should be secretarial school graduates and/or have an associate's degree; they should also have a minimum of five years administrative and human resource experience, knowledge of ADP computerized payroll, be proficient in WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows and Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows. Send your resume to Mr. Guy DeRossi, Vice President-Finance, National Industries for the Blind, 524 Hamburg Turnpike CN969, Wayne, NJ 07474-0969; fax (201) 595-8439. The Portland opening is for the director of the Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Candidates must have education in social services, rehabilitation or a related human service field, as well as prior administrative experience. Knowledge of personnel administration, budgeting, fund raising and grantsmanship are essential. Submit resume and salary requirements to: Search Committee, Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 189 Park Ave., Portland, ME 04102. Earth City's job opening is for an administrative secretary. A high school degree plus secretarial and management or administration courses, or equivalent experience, are necessary. Candidates must have secretarial skills, good grammar, punctuation, written communication and general office procedures, experience in word processing, and proficiency with dictating machine transcription and shorthand. At least eight years of secretarial or general office management experience are required. Contact Mr. Robert Engelbrecht, Director- Manufacturing & Engineering Support, Technical Center, 13665 Lakefront Dr., Earth City, MO 63045; phone (314) 739-8005. GRANGER HONORED John L. Granger, former president and chief executive officer of Royal Maid Association for the Blind in Hazlehurst, Miss., and a member of the board of directors of ACB Enterprises and Services, received the 1995 Robert B. Irwin award presented by the Royal Maid Association on May 22. Granger is a graduate of the Alabama School for the Blind, and served as plant manager for Alabama Industries for the Blind in Talladega before going to Royal Maid in 1967. He served as general manager and executive vice president until being named president in 1985. TIMELINE POSTER The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress has published an educational timeline poster titled "A World Perspective of Library Service for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals." It features nearly 100 key dates from 308 A.D. with the birth of Didymus, blind head of the Catechetical School, to 1995 with the publication of "Brother Eagle, Sister Sky," NLS's 10,000th numbered braille book. It is illustrated with a dozen original watercolors painted by Alfredo DaSilva, a retired "U.S. News and World Report" illustrator, who also designed the poster. There are also two dozen color photos depicting historical events on the poster, which measures 52 inches by 20 inches. To obtain a copy, write or call Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals, 1555 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20036; phone (202) 462-9600. SKI FOR LIGHT Now is the time to apply for Ski for Light 1996. The 21st annual event is slated for Sunday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 4, 1996 at Spearfish, S.D. Daily Nordic skiing will be available at nearby Deer Mountain Ski Area in the Black Hills. The week-long program consists of individual instruction by experienced cross-country skiers. Apres ski events include a talent show, Norway night and other activities. The total cost of the week, about $550, includes double-occupancy room, board, ground transportation to and from the Rapid City Airport as well as a small registration fee. Ski for Light provides the use of cross-country skis, boots and poles to first-timers who don't have their own equipment. The cost of transportation between your home and Rapid City is your responsibility. Participation is limited; the deadline is Nov. 1. For more information contact Larry Showalter, Applications Chairman, 206 Vista Dr., Gahanna, OH 43230, or call him before 10:30 p.m. Eastern time at (614) 478-7898. CRUISE BROCHURES The 1996 Holland America line Caribbean cruise brochures are now available in braille, print and cassette from Custom Cruises, 8036 Congresswood Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45224; phone (513) 931-2234. GHANA SCHOOL NEEDS HELP If you have used tapes or other educational materials for the blind and are willing to part with them, send them to Kobena Bonney, 90 Saint Mary's St., Apt. 2-6, Boston, MA 02215. The materials will be sent to the high school for the blind in Ghana. If you have any questions, call Mr. Bonney at (617) 267-7454. FINANCIAL AID VIDEO "Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Educational Settings" is a VHS videotape that's designed to help state and other vocational rehabilitation agencies provide training for staff and other practitioners in securing financial aid for college-bound students with disabilities. It costs $20, and is available from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762. RFB CHANGES NAME Recording for the Blind changed its name to Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic on July 1. The change came after more than a year of research, during which dyslexic consumers said they would have used the organization's recorded textbooks much earlier if they had known the tapes were available to them. NLS WINS AWARDS The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress has won two national APEX Awards for Publication Excellence presented by Communications Concepts. NLS's new poster captioned "My Books Adapt to Me" received an excellence award in the certificates and posters category, and the book "Answering the Call: Telephone Pioneer Talking-Book Machine-Repair Program 1960-1993" received an excellence award in the unique publications category. RESOURCE GUIDE Tri Visual Services now offers the 12th revision of "A Resource Guide to Computer Access for Visually Impaired People," June 1995. This directory contains information about more than 120 companies that carry specialized computer access technology of value to blind and visually impaired computer users. It can be obtained in large print, PC diskette or braille by sending a check, money order or purchase order for $15 to Tri Visual Services, 1713 J St., Suite 211, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone (916) 447-7323. BRAILLE T-SHIRTS If you missed them in Greensboro, you can still get a braille T-shirt. Choose from: ACB logo on front and the saying "Keep In Touch" on the back, or a picture of Louis Braille on the front and the saying "Read It With Feeling" on the back. Both shirts have the braille and print alphabets in puff paints on the back. Colors are ivory, red, teal and gold. Available sizes are small to extra extra large. Send $15 to Mid-State Association of the Blind, 800 Rosebank Ave., Nashville, TN 37216. If you have questions, call (615) 726-3029. READING EDGE The American Foundation for the Blind and Xerox Corp. have established the AFB/Xerox Reading Edge Program to donate a limited number of Reading Edge machines to people who are blind or visually impaired and to organizations and educational institutions that serve them. Recipients need to demonstrate financial need. Applications are available; call (800) 232-5463. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 13. Also, Xerox has awarded AFB a gift of $250,000 in support of AFB's 75th anniversary exhibition, "Inspiration and Innovation: Helen Keller and the American Foundation for the Blind." Xerox will serve as its national sponsor. The exhibition will be displayed at prominent sites across the United States in 1996; cities include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. BRAILLE OVERLAYS Braille overlays for various appliances are available from Robert Walling at (210) 299-2421, or write to him at 1314 Hines Ave., San Antonio, TX 78208. NEW ORGANIZATION Macular Degeneration International is a new non-profit organization, formed to help people with macular degeneration. In addition to fostering research, MDI provides educational and support programs to help people with macular degeneration cope effectively with vision-related problems. For more information, contact Macular Degeneration International, 2968 W. Ina Rd. #106, Tucson, AZ 85741, or phone (800) 393-7634. LITERARY COMPETITION The Edwin Dickinson Memorial World Wide Literary Competition seeks entries in adult short story (1,500 words), adult original poem, under-16 composition (1,000 words), and under-16 poem categories. All competitors must be blind or visually impaired amateurs; all entries must be original. No entry form or fee is required. All entries must be in English and should be typed, using only one side of the paper; entries may also be submitted in braille. Taped entries WILL NOT be accepted. Competitors must use pen names; entries must be accompanied by a sealed envelope containing full name, address, category and title of entry. All entries become property of the Royal Blind Society of Queensland. Judges' decisions are final; winners will be announced at the annual meeting, March 1996. The last date to enter is November 30. Send your entries to Edwin Dickinson Memorial World Wide Literary Competition, Royal Blind Society of Queensland, 34 Cleveland St., Stones Corner 4120, Queensland, Australia. 16-MONTH CALENDAR Visually Unique offers a 16-month large print daily appointment calendar for $39. Calendar months range from September 1995 to December 1996. Make checks or money orders payable to Visually Unique, and send your order to the company at P.O. Box 2841, Dallas, TX 75221-2841. If you have any questions, call (214) 416-5568. VIDEO CONFERENCE The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, Department of Counselor Education and Educational Psychology and the Division of Continuing Education at Mississippi State University will host a national interactive satellite videoconference on Wednesday, October 18, 1995. The conference, "Support Services for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Educational Settings," will be broadcast on the Mississippi State campus from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central time. The videoconference will focus on training vocational rehabilitation counselors, practitioners, educators and others in arranging for student support services for individuals with disabilities in postsecondary educational settings. There is no registration fee. For more information, call Dr. Kathleen Olivieri at (601) 325-2674. CAPTION Jay Doudna and Mike Duke record the convention session at the sound booth at the back of the room. ACB HONORS 1995 AWARD WINNERS by Sharon Lovering The American Council of the Blind named the recipients of four awards during the July 2 opening ceremonies of the 34th annual national convention in Greensboro, N.C. "It's so fun to give awards," said Sharon Keeran, chairperson of the awards committee. "But one of the things I'd like to ask of you as chairman of the awards committee is send nominations. There's so many people out there that are deserving that we're just not thinking about." Jim Stovall, founder and director of the Narrative Television Network in Tulsa, Okla., was the recipient of the Robert S. Bray Award, given to individuals or organizations who enhance access to information provided to blind and visually impaired people. Accepting the award for Jim Stovall was Michael Brooks. "Jim is the founder and president of the Narrative Television Network, which makes television accessible to blind and visually impaired persons," Keeran stated. "NTN received an Emmy award for its first television season. It's now grown to include over 1,000 cable and broadcast stations, which means it's available in 25 million homes in the United States and 11 foreign countries." Brooks brought a brief greeting in the form of a letter from Jim Stovall thanking ACB for the award, and regretting that he could not be there, as he had a critical deadline for the audio version of his book "You Don't Have to Be Blind to See," which will be published in 1996 on the same day as the print version. The George Card Award was presented to John Brockington. Brockington is the president of the Georgia Council of the Blind and manages a vending stand in the Atlanta federal building. "John is an outstanding example of many individuals throughout this country that volunteer countless hours to help improve the lives of the community of disabled persons. I think that's the really important message that I want tonight: George Card thought it was so important that all of us recognize those of us who not only work but also work after hours to help our community. Thank you, John." "This is very much a surprise to me, and thank you very much," Brockington said. Billie Jean Hill, then-chairperson of ACB's board of publications, presented the Vernon Henley Award and the Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award. The U.S. Department of Justice is the 1995 winner of the Vernon Henley Media Award for its series of public service announcements. Accepting the award on Justice's behalf was Pshon Barrett, a Justice Department employee and member of ACB. "The Attorney General is both honored and humbled to receive this distinguished award from the American Council of the Blind," Barrett said. "As you all know, an aggressive public education campaign is the cornerstone of ensuring effective and practical compliance with the ADA in communities across this country. Because many of you were willing to reach out to and work with public service directors, our ADA public service announcements were aired on radio and television stations nationwide, successfully reaching thousands of people we may have never reached before. Your commitment, your perseverance and dedication will continue to play an important role in helping this country to move toward achieving the goals of true access and equality of opportunity, the true promise of the ADA." Hill said that Michael Putzel, the author of the article "Getting Shut Out By Windows," and a restaurant training video submitted by ACB member Cheryl Duke of Virginia were submissions worth mentioning. In the process of judging the Ned E. Freeman Award, board of publications members listened to tapes for four hours in order to hear all the entries. "I always like to mention some of the people who were very, very high in the selection process, and I have to tell you that they all had the first name 'Kathy.' There were three Kathys in this selection this year, who were first, second and third." The 1995 winner of the Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award is Kathy Nimmer of West Lafayette, Ind. She was recognized for her story "A Research Child" in the April 1994 issue. "I write because of many people and for many reasons," Nimmer said. "I also write because of my parents and all of their support ... and dear friends like my best friend, who sits in the audience now after driving 15 hours to get here, and that's Celia Fowler, and we're both grateful to be not moving right now." Nimmer is a high school English teacher, who writes for her students and herself, to help her deal with personal experiences. She read a brief segment of her story to the audience. Hill indicated that Kathi Wolfe and Kathy Megivern submitted contributions deserving honorable mention for the Freeman Award. CAPTIONS Michael Brooks accepts the Robert S. Bray Award for Jim Stovall of the Narrative Television Network. A surprised John Brockington accepts the George Card Award, as Sharon Keeran (left) and LeRoy Saunders (rear) look on. Pshon Barrett accepts the Vernon Henley Media Award, given to the Department of Justice, on behalf of Attorney General Janet Reno. Kathy Nimmer, winner of the Ned E. Freeman Award, says she writes for many reasons. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: VersaBraille II+, $2,000. VersaBraille II with external dual disk drives, $2,000. IBM-compatible 386, 40 mHz computer, $500. Artic Business Vision with SynPhonix speech synthesizer, $400. All prices are negotiable. If interested, contact Kathy Lamb at (615) 883-6946. FOR SALE: BrailleMate, 1994 revision, rarely used. All cables and manuals. Asking $600 or best offer. Contact Imke Durre at 5115 24th Ave. NE, Apt. 10, Seattle, WA 98105; phone (206) 522-5729. FOR SALE: Two Perkins braille writers, slightly used, like new. One has a dust cover. Asking $300 each. Contact Marge Denney, 7618 Chestnut St., Hammond, IN 46324; phone (219) 844-7652. Shipping charges are extra if purchaser is not eligible for free matter. FOR SALE: Versabraille II+ with internal drive, $2,000 or best offer. Versabraille II, two drives, $2,000 or best offer. Toshiba T1200 laptop with Artic speech, two floppy drives, no hard disk drive, needs battery pack, $400. Optacon R1D with one-line scanner, $1,250 or best offer. Artic SynPhonix 215 board for PC with business vision software, $350 or best offer. Two APH four-track cassette recorder with tone indexer, $100 each. Monochrome computer monitor, 14 inches, $50. Brother portable electric typewriter, $75. Contact Jill Gross at 7221 Shalkop St., Philadelphia, PA 19128-3205. FOR SALE: Accent SA external synthesizer with SV 50B screen reader, including tape instructions. Asking $600. Call (503) 752-2373 weekdays between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific time. FOR SALE: Mowat sensor. Bought in 1992; still in box. Mobility aid. Includes charger unit. Good for use in familiar areas. Helpful for folks with low vision. Asking $200, but price is negotiable. Contact J.R. Valentine at (409) 735-8064. FOR SALE: Romeo braille printer, RB-40. In excellent condition; never used. Will sell complete with all braille and printed manuals and a box of printer paper. Includes one port to connect with computer. Asking $2,500 or best offer. Contact Essie Hall at (213) 292-1654 or (213) 292-2743, or write her at 1247 W. 47th St., Los Angeles, CA 90037. She is willing to deliver printer within a reasonable distance from her home. FOR SALE: A number of used/reconditioned Perkins braillers are available for $350 each. All machines have been cleaned and reconditioned by Howe Press and carry a 90-day warranty. If you are interested, contact the Bay State Council of the Blind, Kim Charlson, President, 57 Grandview Ave., Watertown, MA 02172; phone (617) 972-7249. FOR SALE: CCTV. Bought in 1991. Owner has since gone to computers and synthesizers. Contact Paul Anderson, 412 W. Davis Dr., Nowata, OK 74048. FOR SALE: TeleSensory CCTV, 12-inch monitor. Perfect condition. Asking $800 or best offer. Contact Bill Denham 3003 Van Ness St. NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone (202) 364-0920. FOR SALE: Toshiba T-1600 286 laptop computer. In good condition. Comes with internal Synphonix speech card, Artic Business Vision speech and internal 2400- baud modem. Lots of user-friendly software, including word processing, communications program, address book program and braille translator, already loaded. Carrying case, extra batteries, battery charger and external numeric keypad included. $750 or best reasonable offer. Contact John Riehl, 8277 Londonderry Ct., Laurel, MD 20707; phone (301) 490-3645. ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sue Ammeter, Seattle, WA Ardis Bazyn, Cedar Rapids, IA Christopher Gray, San Jose, CA Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA John Horst, Wilkes-Barre, PA Jean Mann, Guilderland, NY Kristal Platt, Omaha, NE LeRoy Saunders, Oklahoma City, OK M.J. Schmitt, Berwyn, IL Pamela Shaw, Philadelphia, PA Richard Villa, Bedford, [spell] TX BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Carol McCarl, Chairperson, Salem, OR Kim Charlson, Watertown, MA Jay Doudna, Lancaster, PA Thomas Mitchell, North Salt Lake City, UT Mitch Pomerantz, Los Angeles, CA Ex Officio: Laura Oftedahl, Watertown, MA ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 170 NE 123rd ST. NORTH MIAMI, FL 33161 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT BRIAN CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE WATERTOWN, MA 02172 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT STEPHEN SPEICHER 825 M ST., SUITE 216 LINCOLN, NE 68508 SECRETARY CYNTHIA TOWERS 8420 25TH AVE. SW #B SEATTLE, WA 98106 TREASURER PATRICIA BEATTIE CRYSTAL TOWERS #206 NORTH 1600 S. EADS ST. ARLINGTON, VA 22202 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ELIZABETH M. LENNON